Late-breaking developments today in the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program:

The Times has obtained a draft United Nations Security Council resolution  scolding Iran for its nuclear research program.

Also, at a press appearance, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who ends a 12-year tenure next week, practically with pleaded Iran to accept an international proposal to trade in its potentially dual-use enriched uranium for fuel rods for a Tehran medical reactor.

"There is a golden opportunity for Iran right now ...  to shift gears from confrontation to cooperation," he told reporters in Vienna, headquarters of the atomic energy watchdog.

"That agreement is fair, is balanced; has a lot of built-in guarantees and I continue to call on Iran to seize that opportunity, which is, as I mentioned before, a unique opportunity," he said. "But also ... it is not going to last forever."

Adoption of another legally binding Security Council resolution may be the next step in international efforts to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear research program, which the West suspects is aimed at building a weapons capability. 

Iran insists its nuclear program is meant solely for civilian purposes. 

Written by German diplomats and circulated among diplomats in Vienna, the draft resolution calls for no new sanctions, but demands that Iran quickly come into compliance with previous U.N. Security Council resolutions, resolve lingering questions about its nuclear activities -- including the recently revealed enrichment facility in Qom -- and abide by additional transparency rules backed  by most major nuclear powers. 

ElBaradei dismissed suggestions by Iranian officials that the proposal be amended to give Iran additional guarantees it won't be hoodwinked, such as conducting the trade in the Islamic Republic.

"I don’t think that is an option because the whole purpose of the deal is to defuse the crisis and we have offered a number of built-in guarantees in the agreement," he said. "You need to [take] the material from Iran to defuse the crisis and to open space for negotiations. What we ask Iran is to take minimum, minimum of risk for peace and to have an agreement not based on distrust, but based on trust."

He also urge Iran to respond to the shift in diplomatic tone under the Obama administration.

"I would like to see Iran engaged," he said. "There is a hand extended to Iran by the European Union, by the U.S., and they need to reciprocate and we haven’t yet seen that reciprocation. Iran, unfortunately, right now is blocked because of the domestic differences, and I would like them and I appeal to them, I urge them, to look at their national interest."

Nobel Peace Prize laureate ElBaradei, at probably his last press conference as head of the agency, said the world must continue to strive to peacefully resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program after his departure.

He added, "I haven’t given up hope. It is not about myself. Even after I leave, I still believe we have to be as creative as possible to try to find the modalities to engage Iran with the rest of the international community in a dialogue."

-- Borzou Daragahi in Beirut and Julia Damianova in Vienna

Photo: International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohammed El Baradei speaks at a press conference in Vienna today. Credit: Samuel Kubani / AFP/Getty Images

Things are not looking good for the possibility of a peaceful resolution between Israel and Iran over the latter's nuclear ambitions. Oil prices rose and hearts sank across the region this week as Iran began its biggest air defense drill ever and Israel readied a new missile defense system in preparation for a possible three-front war.

Since President Obama was swept into office promising a change toward strong diplomacy to resolve Middle East problems, his policies have faltered and his options narrowed.

The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank that favors a hard line on Iran, issued a report last week recommending that the Obama administration begin preparing for possible military strikes on Iran next year. If the U.S. does not strike Iranian nuclear and military facilities, the report said, Israel may decide to take riskier unilateral action.

The year is almost over, and so far Iran is unmoved. Neither the threat of stricter sanctions nor a U.S.-backed fuel-swap proposal has persuaded Iran to abandon its nuclear program, and the war of words with Israel is escalating.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported today that Israel is investing in new high-tech weapons, including a cutting-edge antimissile system and two nuclear-equipped submarines. Israeli military experts have said that the army is expecting Iran's allies Hezbollah and Hamas to retaliate by launching synchronized rocket attacks in the event of an airstrike against Iran.

Israel's new antimissile system, known as Iron Dome, would detect incoming rockets and fire an interceptor that detonates into a cloud of pieces instead of trying to shoot down the rocket with a direct hit.

Some observers say Israel is bluffing, that it won't actually attack Iran for fear of messing up Washington's efforts in the Middle East.

But the prospect of armed conflict has alarmed some analysts, including Steven Simon at the Council on Foreign Relations, who this week published a short report examining the likelihood and consequences of an Israeli attack on Iran.

Although Simon urges U.S. policymakers to forestall an attack that could have serious military, diplomatic and political consequences for Americans, he also says Washington must take practical steps to mitigate the damage of such a conflict.

But, he warns, even such defensive preparations could be misinterpreted by Tehran: 

The United States must hedge against the failure of a war-avoidance policy, and begin preparing for an Israeli attack on Iran and Iranian retaliation. This will be a thorny process insofar as defensive measures the United States takes in the region, or urges its allies to take, could be read in Tehran as preparation for an attack and thus cast as justification for further destabilizing Iranian action.

-- Meris Lutz and Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photos: Above, Israeli soldiers this year take part in an army drill simulating a chemical missile attack near Tel Aviv. Credit: Sebastian Scheiner / Associated Press.

If one Egyptian has benefited from the conflict between Egypt and Algeria following the two countries' soccer games in the World Cup qualifications, it would be President Hosni Mubarak's son Alaa, whose popularity among his countrymen has been on the rise following his dramatic statements against Algerian fans and officials.

Alongside his younger brother, Gamal, a leading member of the ruling National Democratic Party, Alaa ( a businessman with no interest in politics) was in Khartoum, Sudan, cheering for his country during Egypt's 1-0 loss to Algeria in the qualifications' playoff on Nov. 18.

Unlike Gamal, Alaa immediately made his anger public by voicing his frustrations over what he described as assaults he and other Egyptian fans endured at the hands of Algerians following the game.

In a live phone call to a television show for privately owned Dream TV one day after the match, Alaa said the Algerians he saw in Khartoum were mercenaries who practiced terror against Egyptian supporters, adding that whoever assaulted an Egyptian should be "beaten on his head."

Less than 24 hours later, thousands of Egyptian Internet users were hailing Alaa Mubarak on their blogs. A Facebook group was initiated, calling for him to succeed his father as head of the state -- a post many analysts predict will go to Gamal.

In an article titled "12 Reasons Behind Egyptians' Love for Alaa Mubarak," Ibrahim Eissa, the chief editor of opposition newspaper Al Destour, said that people's feelings toward Alaa were warmer than they were toward Gamal. Eissa wrote that Alaa's simplicity and the fact that he didn't seek fame were why Egyptians were so fond of him.

Alaa Mubarak later criticized Al Jazeera news channel, saying the Qatari network intentionally played a part in escalating the conflict between Egypt and Algeria. Mubarak's son also blasted Algeria's ambassador in Egypt, Abdel Qader Hadjar, for saying that his country had done nothing that necessitated an apology to Egyptians.

Though many believe that Alaa Mubarak is seizing the chance to enhance his reputation and probably have a greater role in Egyptian social and political life, Mubarak denied such suggestions, saying he wasn’t qualified to become president and that he had reacted to the Algerian spat as any average Egyptian man would.

The strife between Egypt and Algeria as a result of the soccer clashes spurred Egypt to recall its ambassador in Algiers. The Libyan state news agency announced that Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi will step in to mediate and end the current rift between Egypt and Algeria at the request of the Arab League.

-- Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: Alaa Mubarak, right, with brother Gamal Mubarak. Credit: Al Destour

Want to observe Islamic dress code while staying trendy in Dubai and Saudi Arabia’s scorching desert heat? 

Put on a pair of gold encrusted BQ shades --  the world’s first sunglasses especially tailored for piously dressed women in the Persian Gulf.

The brand's name BQ comes  from the word burqa --  a face-covering harness worn by women in the Persian Gulf region in nomadic times. BQ's debut collection features modern replicas of the traditional accessory in the form of large, dark aviator-style sunglasses.

Behind the line is London-based design firm Fitch branch in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It hopes BQ will become a hit among young fashionable women in the region by mixing trends with tradition.

BQ pitches the proposition that burqas were traditionally a type of protection from the sun as well as a religious face veil.

If BQ becomes successful, makers of designer sunglasses may well find themselves facing a new rival in the Persian Gulf market. Large,  extravagant shades from high-end brands are  common among women in the shopping malls of Saudi Arabia and Dubai these days.

Olivier Auroy, head of Fitch in Dubai, hopes that the young trendsetters will drop their designer shades for BQ.

“Instead of wearing Chanel or Gucci, I want them to wear BQ," he told The Times over the phone from Dubai. 

Analysts suggest there might be a lucrative market for BQ, considering the cultural significance of the burqa in the gulf countries.

Khulood Al-Atiyat of the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding says that though contemporary women often choose the sunglasses before the burqa, she believes the garment still holds traditional value in her culture.

“The reason why ladies don’t wear the burqas as much today is because of globalization. They'd rather wear sunglasses because it makes more sense. And it’s also to show their sense of style. But the burqa, I guess, will always be part of heritage and tradition and what we are proud of. It’s something I hope we won’t lose in the future,” she said in a video presentation of the BQ project.

It is also BQ's aim to tear down stereotypical views of the burqa as a tool of oppression  and instead market it as a "symbol of culture."

"I want people to think twice and see that this is a pure cultural thing," said Auroy.

BQ exists only in virtual form at the moment but eager buyers can pre-order a pair of shades on the BQ website. There, shoppers  can virtually try on the BQs: The shopper uploads a close-up photo of her face and clicks on a button that positions a pair of BQs on the photo, which can be shared with friends and family over the Internet.

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Top photos: A design firm in Dubai is launching the world's first line of sunglasses specially designed for women in the Persian Gulf countries. Second photo:  The designs are drawn from the traditional burqa. Credit: BQ website

Baghdad is buzzing about the shooting Monday night of a prominent TV commentator who regularly criticized the government on his show "Without Fences" on the privately owned Al-Diyar TV station.

Imad Abadi was shot in the head and neck by gunmen using a pistol equipped with a silencer at about 8 p.m. as he rode in his car in the Salhiya neighborhood not far from Baghdad's Green Zone. He managed to keep driving to an Iraqi checkpoint, and doctors today said his chances of recovery are good.

"For sure it is the politicians who are responsible," said Ziad Ajili, the head of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, an independent press freedom group. "He was very brave in exposing corruption and he is one of the most prominent journalists who are criticizing the political parties."

Al Sharqiya TV repeatedly played throughout the day a recent clip of an interview with Abadi, speaking of receiving threats to his life, the dangers facing journalists in Iraq and the scale of corruption in Iraq.

"A journalist should be a free person who can write whatever he wants, but nowadays any scandal he writes about the whole world will collapse on his head," he said. "In any country in the world, a journalist will spend a year and thousands of dollars to expose a scandal, but in Iraq many scandals took place in one day.

"The intimidation of journalists is rejected, as is the allegations that they get money from abroad or are collaborators. The people know who is a traitor and who gets money from abroad – and it is not Iraqi journalists, 284 of whom have been sacrificed on the altar of freedom. Journalists walk around Baghdad day and night with no protection or cars, while each of those people has 50 cars to protect him, and bodyguards, and still they feel afraid and are hiding in the Green Zone."

The Journalistic Freedoms Observatory says 284 journalists and media workers have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, 175 of them while performing their jobs.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says 139 journalists have been killed, 89 of whom were murdered. Not one murder case has been solved, CPJ says.

In the early days of the war, most of the deaths occurred in combat but as the violence has waned, journalists are more likely to be targeted because of what they write.

CPJ highlights the case of a journalist from Kirkuk, Soran Mama Hama, who exposed police complicity in a prostitution ring and was subsequently assassinated in July 2008.

--Raheem Salman and Usama Redha in Baghdad

Photo: Imad Abadi

With bruised pride and marred dignity, Egypt is going through a catharsis that has left much of the country sleepless, devastated and angry over the violence that erupted around the national team's recent soccer matches against bitter rival Algeria.  

The chaotic scenes have only come to add to Egyptians' disappointment of failing to secure a place in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. After a 2-0 late win in the two teams' first game in Cairo forced a playoff in Sudan three days later, Algeria won the Khartoum decider 1-0 on Wednesday.

The Egyptian squad, nicknamed The Pharaohs, has qualified only twice for the World Cup, the last of those came in 1990. Over the years, Egyptian fanatics have somehow grown used to seeing their team miss out on the prestigious competition, so why the unprecedented rage among millions this time around?

Ahmed Al Aqabawi, a psychology professor at Azhar University, believes that the ongoing row was a result of Egyptians' adoption of soccer as a national preoccupation rather than just a sport they love: "What is going on now is a result of years of depression. We are talking about an Egyptian population that is constantly witnessing social, financial and political failure and [soccer] was their only ray of light," Al Aqabawi says.

"In my whole life I've never seen Egyptians focused altogether on one target as they were before the two games, and that is why the loss was such a massive displeasure for millions. Violence also played the bigger part in making the saga hard to forget for both media and fans alike," he adds.

Hostility was triggered when a number of Egyptian fans hurled stones at a bus carrying Algerian players from Cairo Airport to their hotel, injuring three Algerian players and one coach.

Further reports from Algerian media falsely said that 11 Algerian fans were killed during clashes after the Cairo game on Nov. 14. Consequently, some members from the Egyptian community in Algeria, as well as Egyptian-owned businesses, were attacked by furious Algerians.

According to Egyptian media and supporters returning from Sudan, the Khartoum playoff was also followed by "vigorous and systemized" assaults from their Algerian counterparts.

Although very few Egyptians would acknowledge that they are at fault for attacking Algerian players in Cairo, those who admit the incident believe that the Algerian reaction in Khartoum pushed the conflict to a higher, nastier, level.

"Not only did we lost the game, but our fans got beaten and Egyptian residents in Algeria are still suffering from the backlash of the minor assaults that occurred in Cairo," university student Mahmoud Saied said angrily. "The whole world is condemning us although what happened in Cairo is nothing compared to the violations Algerians did against our fans in Khartoum," he adds.

Many Egyptians have already accused Western media of being biased in covering the drama, saying that the press focused too much on the Cairo incidents. Soccer's government body, FIFA, is investigating the Cairo violence and it is expected that the Egyptian Football Assn. will be sanctioned. 

Al Aqabawi is convinced that the absence of guidance from the country's intellectual elite in such critical situation has helped to multiply the entire nation's feeling of injustice. "Masses don't consider things thoroughly before they form a certain perspective regarding situations like the one we are facing. Their emotions were left to be guided by whatever our media is broadcasting," he stressed.

Despite recalling the Egyptian ambassador in Algiers on Thursday, it took Egyptians two days to hear President Hosni Mubarak assure that Egypt does not tolerate those who hurt the dignity of its sons. Many are still expecting a stiff political response as some have already called for cutting all ties with Algeria.

-- Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: Angry Egyptians burn Algeria's flag. Credit: Ben Curtis / AP

Handling an influx of 2.5 million pilgrims is a challenge during a good year, but at a time of increased tensions with Iran and rampant fears of swine flu, Saudi authorities are on high alert for any threat that could disrupt hajj, the annual holy Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

On Sunday, security forces sent a clear message to would-be saboteurs by staging a huge military demonstration involving thousands of troops, armored vehicles, helicopters, and first response teams. The Saudi government has announced it will deploy more than 100,000 security and emergency personnel for hajj, which will last from Wednesday to Sunday.

Sunday's show of force comes after months of deteriorating relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the Houthi rebellion in northern Yemen, with both sides accusing the other of military intervention. Last month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad warned against Saudi restrictions on Iranian pilgrims, eliciting a sharp rebuke from Riyadh with the top Saudi cleric warning against the politicizing of hajj.

"We hope we will not be obliged to resort to force," Saudi interior minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz told reporters after the demonstration Sunday, referring to calls by some Iranian figures for their pilgrims to use hajj as an opportunity to protest against the United States and Israel, Agence France Press reported.

Such protests, if they take place, would be a slap in the face to Saudi Arabia, which is often criticized for claiming to support Palestine while maintaining a strong alliance with the U.S., Israel's staunchest ally.

"It is not permitted to undertake any actions which are not part of the ritual ... and we will not permit anyone to damage the hajj or the pilgrims," the prince said. 

He went on to say, however, that Saudi authorities have received assurances from Iranian officials that no such protests would take place.

But tensions between the Iranians and the Saudis surrounding hajj predate the recent Houthi rebel crisis by many years. 

Shiite Iranians have long claimed abuse and discrimination at the hands of the Sunni Saudi authorities, and in 1987 things came to a head when Saudi police clashed with Iranian protesters, sparking a riot that left more than 400 people dead.

For more pictures of the Saudi military parade, check out Al Jazeera's flickr slideshow.

-- Meris Lutz in Beirut

Photo: More than 100,000 military and emergency personnel will be deployed for hajj, the Muslim holy pilgrimage to Mecca. Credit: Aljazeera English

Just two months after Dubai unveiled its plush metro system, Qatar announced it will build its own multibillion-dollar railway that will include a local metro in Doha, its capital, as well as freight and passenger trains to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia via the world's longest causeway.

The railway is expected to cost $25 billion and be completed by 2026, but officials are eager to have sections up and running by 2022, when Qatar hopes to host the World Cup, Reuters reported.

The deal between Qatari Diar, a real estate investment company owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, and the German transport company Deutsche Bahn was announced today. 

The contract comes against a background of increased spending on rail projects by the oil-rich Arab gulf states that is expected to exceed $100 billion.

-- Meris Lutz in Beirut

Photo: The west bay of Doha, Qatar. Credit: wikimedia commons

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has sought to calm an angry and defeated Egypt following the nation's dramatic soccer loss to Algeria, which has led to riots in the streets and a nasty international political row between the two North African nations.   

Delivering a previously scheduled speech to Parliament today, the 81-year-old president spoke publicly for the first time about the violence that erupted over the last week during two World Cup qualifying matches. Algeria's players were attacked by Egyptian fans, and Egyptian fans were threatened and assaulted by Algerian mobs. Tensions between the nations further intensified when Egypt recalled its ambassador to Algiers.

"I want to say in clear words that the dignity of Egyptians is part of the dignity of Egypt," Mubarak said without directly naming Algeria, which on Wednesday defeated Egypt 1-0 to advance to the World Cup championship in 2010. "Egypt does not tolerate those who hurt the dignity of its sons." 

While many fuming Egyptians are calling for cutting political and economic ties with Algeria, Mubarak was keen not to give any conclusive statements during his speech: "We don't want to be drawn into impulsive reactions," he said. "I am agitated too, but I restrain myself."

Anger

The president's words came less than 48 hours after the Ministry of Interior announced that 35 people, including 11 police officers, were injured in clashes when hundreds of Egyptian demonstrators attempted to break into the Algerian Embassy in Cairo on Thursday evening and early Friday.

Despite a longstanding reputation for crushing protests before they begin, the Egyptian police, according to media reports, seemed to sympathize with the rioters. It has appeared in recent days that the entire nation -- from top government officials to shopkeepers -- has needed to vent its anger. The soccer violence has cut deep into the national psyche at a time Egyptians were looking for inspiration and pride from a country marred by corruption, unemployment and failing government services.

Tensions between two of the Arab world's poorest nations began before the teams' first qualifying match in Cairo one week ago, when Egyptian fans hurled stones at a bus carrying Algerian players from Cairo International Airport to their hotel. Three Algerian players and one coach were injured.

Algerians were further provoked when the Algerian newspaper Al Chourouk falsely wrote that 11 Algerian fans were killed in clashes following Egypt's 2-0 win last Nov. 14. Consequently, some members of the Egyptian community in Algeria, as well as Egyptian-owned businesses, were attacked by furious Algerians. Orascom Telecommunications reported that damage to its offices in Algeria totaled millions of dollars.

The bitter rivalry between the continued in Khartoum, Sudan, on Wednesday when Algeria defeated Egypt 1-0 to win a spot in the 2010 World Cup championship. Violence quickly spread after the match. Egyptian fans who had traveled to Khartoum called TV stations claiming that Algerian mobs attacked their buses on the way from Omdurman stadium to Khartoum International Airport.

Mubarak's youngest son, Alaa, who was present in Khartoum, immediately expressed his outrage: "Whoever was there to support Algeria weren’t football fans. They were a group of mercenaries practicing some sort of terror," Mubarak Jr. told Dream TV on Thursday. "I could see in their eyes an enormous amount of hatred towards Egyptians. Now I'm grateful they won, otherwise they could have started a massacre against us."

He added: "Whoever dares to beat an Egyptian should be hit on his head."

 -- Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Credit: Agence France-Presse
 

Beauty contests are notoriously catty, and the Miss Arab World pageant in Cairo last week proved no exception.

Muwadda Nour of Saudi Arabia had barely lain hands on her faux-jewel encrusted crown when critics began sniping that at approximately 200 pounds, she "did not meet the required standards" of a beauty queen, according to the popular Arab entertainment site Wikeez.

Delphine Edde, the publisher of Wikeez, confirmed to The Times that the site spoke with organizers and contestants at the event.

Despite the controversy, Nour kept her crown, beating out 15 other young women between the ages of 18-24 from around the region. 

Jessy Zaher of Lebanon took second place.

The Miss Arab World pageant aims to be more inclusive by allowing veiled and non-veiled women to compete alongside without having to compromise their values for events like swimwear competitions. Instead, the contestants strut down the catwalk in their national costumes.

 For more pictures, visit Wikeez's slideshow of the event.

-- Meris Lutz in Beirut

Photo: Miss Arab World 2009-2010 was attacked for being too heavy. Credit: Reuters

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki confirmed today that Egypt recalled its ambassador to Algeria after Egyptian fans were attacked by their Algerian counterparts following the two countries' playoff match in the 2010 World Cup qualifications held in Khartoum, Sudan, on Wednesday.

The incident comes days after Algeria's ambassador to Cairo, Abdel Qader Hadjar, was summoned by the Egyptian government to explain violence against Egyptians living in Algeria in the days leading up to the crucial match, which Algeria won 1-0. Hadjar was summoned once again today, hours before a decision was issued to recall Egypt's ambassador in Algiers for "consultations."

The Foreign Ministry announced that it informed Hadjar of "Egypt's extreme displeasure with the assaults on Egyptian citizens who went to Khartoum to support the Egyptian team."

"Egypt also expressed its outrage and its denunciation after continuing reports and many appeals from Egyptian citizens residing in Algeria over the assaults and intimidation they face," the statement to Hadjar concluded.

By defeating Egypt, Algeria won a berth in the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa. But the game was marred by tensions as Egyptian supporters and celebrities who were accompanying their national team called for help by phoning satellite television channels, describing how tough it was to leave the stadium amid Algerian fans' attacks.

Some Egyptian fans said they were forced to find shelter in homes and villas offered by Sudanese residents until the situation calmed down. Egyptian Health Minister Hatem El Gabaly said today that 21 Egyptians were injured as a result of the post-match assaults.

The soccer violence started on Saturday when Egyptians hurled stones at a bus carrying Algerian players from the Cairo airport to the city's stadium before an earlier qualifying match between the two teams. Three Algerian players were injured.

-- Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: Ambassador Abdel Qader Hadjar talking to Algerian fans. Credit: AFP
 

The flickering images of Neda Agha-Soltan’s last moments in a Tehran street on June 20 before she died from gunshot wounds gripped the world, galvanized the nation and made the 26-year-old music student the face of Iran’s recent protest movement.

Five months after an unknown assailant took her life at a demonstration in the Iranian capital staged by pro-reform activists, supporters across the world have spearheaded a grassroots initiative in a move to immortalize her.

Through the use of various social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, they are pushing to make Agha-Soltan Time magazine’s Person of the Year 2009.

Each year, the U.S.-based magazine grants the title to one or several persons who "most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year."

Administrators of the more than 1,000-member strong Facebook group "Nominate Neda Agha-Soltan as the Time Woman of the Year" say she deserves the title because she has become “the symbol of the recent Iranian movement towards democracy and freedom" through her tragic death that shocked the world.

Members of the group are encouraged to send letters to Time magazine to vote for Agha-Soltan and spread the word to their friends.

The campaign is also triggering traffic on the micro-blogging service Twitter, where supporters of the initiative are "tweeting" their thoughts on why Time magazine should choose Agha-Soltan as its Person of the Year and calling on fellow Twitterers to give her their vote.

Last year, Time magazine named President Obama its Person of the Year.

When he won the Nobel Peace Prize last month, a surprised and humbled Obama made, perhaps, an oblique reference to Agha-Soltan when he said in his acceptance speech that the award was not only about the work of his administration but also about the "courageous efforts of people around the world" who strive for "justice and dignity."

While giving examples of whom he considered courageous, President Obama spoke of "the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets."

Coinciding with the calls for Agha-Soltan to be named Time magazine's Person of the Year, Glamour magazine recently named the women activists behind Iran's One Million Signatures initiative its "Women of the Year 2009." The campaign calls for more women's rights in Iran and urges an end to alleged discriminatory laws against women in Iran.

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Photo: Supporters of Neda Agha-Soltan are campaigning on the Internet to make her Time magazine's Person of the Year 2009. Credit: Facebook

Fearing that the United Arab Emirates might turn into a haven for intellectual property scofflaws, authorities are implementing tough new measures to keep pirated book traders at bay. 

Over the last months, the UAE's Ministry of Economy along with police forces in Dubai and Sharjah and the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance have carried out a series of raids suspected of book piracy across the country.

The task force is said to have so far busted three major traders and locked them up on charges of violating copyright law. Several book shops were shut down in the raids, while others were let off with fines, read a news release published by local media.

The raids turned out to be fruitful. A wide variety of pirated books were apparently retrieved in the operation.

“They were a combination of fiction, non-fiction as well as textbooks. Pirates target everything,” Scott Butler, head of the AAA told Abu Dhabi's The National. 

Butler's theory is that the pirated books are mainly printed outside the UAE and then smuggled into the federation of emirates where they are printed in large quantities and distributed to many parts of the world.

The authorities want to put an end to the business and the dens selling the pirated books across the country.

As for the traders, the AAA is hoping they will be put in prison.

"Our aim is to seek imprisonment for the offenders,” Ola Khudair, the organization's deputy chief executive, told the National newspaper. 

Hopes are now that the UAE's new zero-tolerance policy on book piracy will promote its image as a place for "safe business" and help attract more international publishing houses to open up shop in the country.

“This raid....delivers a clear message that we will not tolerate such illegal activities in our country. The success of our anti-book piracy efforts will help strengthen the image of the UAE as a safe business destination and an attractive market for the international publishing industry,” said Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Economy.

International publishers have expressed delight over the UAE's determination to take on their archenemies.

"It is vitally important to combat book piracy in all its forms and we are delighted by the authorities' commitment to enforcing the UAE's copyright laws. Piracy undermines authors' livelihood, placing the future of high quality content under threat. Publishers add further value in bringing that content to market and if they cannot be rewarded for their role, they too will cease to exist,” said Emma House, international director of the Publishers Assn. in the U.K.

The drive to curtail book piracy is part of a larger campaign launched by the UAE’s Ministry of Economy earlier this month that aims to spur public awareness of intellectual property rights such as trademarks and patents, and industrial designs. The campaign is considered a first of its kind in the region and is reportedly advertised on various media outlets in English and Arabic.

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Photo: Authorities in the UAE are cracking down on book piracy in the country. Credit: AFP

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, called on the U.N. body to put an end to its "boring and perpetual" approach to Iran's nuclear program.

But others see in the report significant changes in tone and content that could spell more sanctions for Iran.

Mahjoob Zweiri (right) is a specialist on Iran and the Middle East at the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, in Amman.

Though he says he couldn't find anything of substance in the report itself, its language and tone come at a critical time when talk of upping pressure on Iran is increasing.

"The report has a great link to the proposal for the uranium swap," he said, referring to the atomic energy agency's proposal for Iran to trade in its potentially dual-use enriched uranium for fuel rods fitted for a Tehran medical research facility.

Recently, Moscow has said it was open to increasing pressure on Iran after saying for months it would refuse to do so.

"These statements came from Russia that Russia will support new resolutions or sanctions on Iran if it does not respond positively are new," Zweiri said. "Iran is between two choices. One is to show flexibility about the IAEA proposal and try to deal with it in a more positive manner."

The other choice?

"If Iran does not respond positively there will be more sanctions focusing on the issue of petroleum preventing big companies from exporting petrol," he said.

The Obama administration has clearly begun taking steps in anticipation of a failure in diplomatic outreach toward Tehran, he said in a telephone interview with The Times.

"To me it seems that Plan B is clear," he said. "President Obama extended sanctions on Iran for one year. The Europeans are discussing the same issue. There’s a direct discussion between France and Britain  over this issue.  They go to the U.N. and get a new resolution."

Zweiri said the language of the atomic energy agency report is clearly aimed at laying the groundwork for Plan B. 

"The  IAEA is in a tricky position," he said. "They want to keep their work focused on technical issues. But they think it’s also a political issue. They want to please western powers but keep the door open to Iran."

The highlight of the report is a section chronicling Iran's efforts to create a network of sites hardened against a possible military attack. 

Zweiri saw this as part of the steps taken with the arrival of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took over as president in 2005.

"Iranian behavior has changed since 2005," he said. 

"They became more focused and determined to make fast steps in their program," he says. "Because of the rhetoric between Iran and the U.S., they were doing something quickly, trying to create realities on the ground and then going to negotiate. They are moving to protect their progress and achievements."

So does Zweiri think Iran is going for a nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons capability or just an advanced, peaceful nuclear program?

Not an easy question to answer, he says.

"If you keep developing your capabilities, even if you’re not planning it, you will have this capability," he says. "What is needed is the political will" to build a weapons program.

"I don’t have any evidence that they have the political will," he says. "They don’t want to lose everything. As soon as they announce or the international community becomes aware that they have the political will [to build weapons], they could lose it all immediately in a military attack."

-- Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: Mahjoob Zweiri: Credit: Mahjoob Zweiri

Egypt's Foreign Ministry announced that Algeria's ambassador in Cairo Abdel Qader Hadjar has been called on to explain the violence against Egyptians living in Algeria following the two countries' football World Cup qualifier, the ministry's official spokesman Hossam Zaki confirmed.

Relations between the two countries have been recently marred by football fanaticism, which reached its peak right before and after the crucial match that ended when Egypt defeated Algeria 2-0 at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday.

In addition to the loss, Algerians' emotions were further provoked when Al Chourouk newspaper wrote that six of their fans died in clashes after the game. The allegation was denied by Hadjar, who said that no less than eleven of his fellow countrymen were injured but no deaths happened.

Since then, a number of attacks on members of the Egyptian community in Algeria have been reported.

On Monday, Egypt Air regional manager Nasser Mohamed Aladdin announced that the airline's bureau in Algiers was seriously damaged by Algerians who broke into its premises on Sunday evening. Aladdin added that Egypt Air decided to temporarily close the office in fear for its staff's safety.

Officials at the Egyptian-owned Orascom Telecom said that their subsidiaries' buildings in Algiers were similarly battered by stones and Molotov cocktails, and the head of Egypt's Arab Contractors said his company's branch was also assaulted but none of its workers was harmed.

After opening the score line in the third minute Saturday, Egypt hit a second in the game's dying seconds to be level on both points and goal difference with Algeria. The two teams, which share a history of animosity, will now meet in a one-match playoff in Khartoum, Sudan, on Wednesday, with the winner qualifying directly to summer's World Cup in South Africa.

--Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: A bus carrying Algerian players was damaged in Cairo. Credit: Mohamed Messara / EPA
 

Recently, right-wing legislator Michael Ben-Ari asked to hold a discussion in parliament in memory of Kahane, an American-born rabbi who had founded the Jewish Defense League before moving to Israel and founding the militantly nationalist Kach movement that advocated removal of Arabs from biblical Israel. In 1988, Israeli law was amended to bar candidates who incited racism from running for parliament. Kahane, who had held a seat for four years at the time, was banned, and the party was outlawed altogether in 1994.
 
Kahane was assassinated in New York in 1990; some still subscribe to his views.

Ben-Ari filed a motion for a memorial discussion in parliament to mark the assassination anniversary. A reporter spotted it on the list and queried parliament speaker Rubi (Reuven) Rivlin, who removed it, calling it a provocation. Ben-Ari has challenged Rivlin's decision and has brought it up before a parliamentary committee that will vote on it coming few days.

It turns out that other parties expressed keen interest in the issue -- but not Israeli political parties.

Rivlin's office received a letter from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv two weeks ago, asking whether the planned discussion mentioned in the media was indeed going to be held, pointing out that special U.S. envoy Geroge Mitchell was following this closely and with concern. U.S. officials asked for an answer by the end of the day. They got it: Rivlin replied that he would not approve the discussion. Ben-Ari was notified of the decision a week later, when Rivilin informed the right-wing lawmaker that he would not be allowed to bring Kahane to the Knesset through the back door, end of story.

Ben-Ari was outraged to learn of the embassy letter: "Such blatant intervening of the U.S. administration in the Israeli parliament should worry every Israeli citizen, certainly everyone in the Knesset. I wish to remind that I was elected to the Knesset by Israeli citizens in the independent state of Israel and what Mitchell did crossed a red line."

Likud lawmaker Yariv Levine, head of the committee trying to reach a compromise, found the American interest inappropriate. Sure, Israeli lobbyists also try to persuade lawmakers to support or oppose certain issues, he said, but this is different from attempting to determine the parliament's agenda. As for the subject itself, Levine said it's a complicated precedent -- if only for reasons of protocol, which calls for a mourning session to be held in the event of a death of a parliament member. One such meeting was duly held after Kahane's murder, and Levine doesn't think exceptions should be made.

Israel Radio's legal commentator, Moshe Negbi, noted that not only had Kahane's movement and ideas been banished from parliament but that Rabin had outlawed all Kahane offshoots as terror organizations and said they would be dealt with like Hamas. The Knesset wouldn't dream of holding a memorial session for a Hamas terrorist, Negbi said. Kahane's ideas degrade the parliament and democracy, he said, but so does the American intervention, which infringed on the Knesset's sovereignty to determine its agenda -- something even the government is not allowed to do.

Kach (and offshoot Kahane Chai) is listed by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization. A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy told the Jerusalem Post that commemorating Kahane in parliament would be harmful to the peace process at a time when U.S. officials are trying to get everyone back to the negotiation table.

It's also reported that the embassy was holding up Ben-Ari's request for a visa to enter the U.S., over unfinished police business dating back to the disengagement protests. Some talk-backers pointed out that even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been allowed into the U.S.

In a radio spot, Ben-Ari has also invited the public to a Kahane memorial evening. It was promptly removed after a complaint from the left-wing organization Peace Now. The ad ran once on Israel Radio, a public station belonging to the Israel Broadcasting Authority. Barely 20 seconds, it was sandwiched between a dozen or so assorted advertisements and, ironically, an interview with former left-wing legislator Zehava Galon explaining why she wouldn't attend the annual rally in former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's memory, which she said was selling out into the warm embrace of consensus instead of emphasizing the peace platform that got Rabin assassinated. (President Obama attended, sort of, by video.)

Broadcasting in Israel has tangled with sensitive political issues before. Earlier this year, Israel Radio as well as a commercial TV station nixed an ad inviting the public to visit the Gush Katif Museum for a commemoration of what was the Jewish settlement in Gaza until its expulsion during the disengagement. The broadcasting bodies suggested the museum not use the word "expulsion" but perhaps "evacuation" or "eviction." The case made it all the way to the supreme court, which pulled out a Hebrew dictionary and ruled that "expulsion" was in fact accurate -- but vetoed the ad altogether.

-- Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem.

Top: Rabbi Meir Kahane. Credit: Knesset website

A new invader has descended on Beirut: He is Grendizer. 

The iconic Grendizer of 1970s anime fame is the official poster boy (bot?) of the Beirut Animated film festival, which opens today as a collaboration between  Beirut-based Samandal Comics and the Metropolis art cinema.

Grendizer is a unifying figure for an entire generation of Lebanese who grew up during the country's bitter 15-year civil war. When Beirut was being torn to pieces by local warlords and their foreign-funded militias, the Grendizer cartoons were a welcome distraction for children who were more likely to miss school because of shelling than chicken pox.

Although Grendizer has been a great marketing tool, Metropolis' Rabih Khoury said he and the other organizers tried to emphasize the artistic range of animation, which is often dismissed as kid's stuff. To this end, Beirut Animated will feature 40 animated films and shorts, with a special emphasis on Arab productions.

-- Meris Lutz in Beirut

Videos: Shorts created by Samandal Comics reimagine famous landmarks in Beirut under alien robot invasion. Credit: Samandal Comics via YouTube

Photo: the poster for Beirut Animated, also created by Samandal, features the iconic Grendizer robot. Credit: Beirut Animated

Contrary to reports in the Iranian news media and this paper, the son of a well-known Aria Airlines executive who perished in a crash aboard one of his company's planes last summer is alive and well, and hoping to clear up some facts about his late dad.

The executive, Mehdi Dadpay, or Dadpei, was a retired U.S.-trained air force fighter pilot. 

After the revolution, he risked his liberty to return home, distinguishing himself as a commander of an Iranian air force unit fighting in the Iran-Iraq war. He later organized humanitarian interventions in disaster areas. All this earned him the "grudging respect" of the political leadership, his son Ali Dadpay says. 

It was this reputation, and not any particular political connections he had cultivated, that led him to be asked to run Kish Airlines, a small bankrupt firm and an early privatization experiment in Iran's aviation industry, says Ali, who lives in the U.S. and has his own blog. 

"In four years, this airline was one of the most successful in Iran, with a large fleet, several offices, a catering center and a training program," Ali says.

The elder Dadpay succeeded despite the jealousies of his peers, eventually serving as the chief of other airlines.

In 2002, he launched the Arta Kish Flight School, which eventually trained 300 male and female pilots.

Not just anyone gets to start an airline in Iran. Most of those who do are regime acolytes. 

But his son says Mehdi Dadpay was a different breed. 

By the time he started Aria, he had earned a stellar reputation in the business that let him get ahead without compromising his values, his son says. 

"His hard work and independent character did not endear him to any government official or political leader," Ali says. "Officials did not let Aria Airlines operate because it was politically connected; they did so because no one could have argued that Mehdi Dadpay was not qualified."

Mehdi Dadpay's end came as a result of the realities of Iran's aviation industry, which Ali and other critics say is characterized by official mismanagement, crippling sanctions and a lack of resources and decent aircraft. 

The "government demands low prices from airlines and imposes severe restrictions on airlines, while they do not have access to either credit lines or Western aircraft," Ali says. "These authorities never pushed for a more realistic policy: an increase in prices, asking for negotiations to lift sanctions or any other solution."

Airlines are forced to use untrustworthy Russian aircraft because they have no choice, given sanctions and government pressure to keep fares low. "None of the last 14 accidents ever motivated anyone to ban the use of Russian aircraft in Iran or to suggest a fare increase," Ali says.

Aviation pros must adapt themselves the best they can, Ali and other observers of the air industry have said.

Even at 69, his father continued to take part in his airline's day-to-day operations, sometimes personally inspecting the aircraft and flying them himself, Ali says. 

"Instead of being on an aircraft sharing the fate of his crew and clients, he could have stayed home like other officials and executives," Ali says. "That he could not do. He belonged to his work. He died because he cared."

-- Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Video: The crash of the Aria Airlines flight in Mashhad made headlines around the world last summer. Credit: YouTube

Photos: Above, Mehdi Dadpay. Below, a photograph of Dadpay during his service in the Iranian air force. Credit: The Dadpay family

After years of teetering on the edge of stability, Yemen appears to be losing control of a minority rebellion on its northern border, raising concerns that the fighting could ignite regional tensions and possibly become a battleground for a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In August, the Yemeni government launched Operation Scorched Earth against Zaidi Shiite rebels in the north, known as Houthis. Although the government has denied the crackdown is religiously motivated, the struggle has broken down along sectarian lines, with the Houthis accusing Saudi Arabia of providing military support to the government and the government accusing Iran of supporting the rebels.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have played down the sectarian nature of the conflict, but the fighting has exacerbated existing tensions between them over Iran's growing regional influence and nuclear ambitions. Most experts say that Iran, along with Hezbollah in Lebanon, serve more as an inspiration for the Houthi rebels than a conduit for arms or funds. 

But that has not stopped the rhetoric from heating up.

Earlier this week, columnist Hamed Majed penned an article for the London-based Saudi newspaper Al Sharq Al Awsaat in which he warned that "there is no smoke on the mountain without Iranian fire." Moreover, he said, these "toxic fumes" contaminate the air from Yemen to Iraq to southern Lebanon, referring to militant Shiite groups Iran sponsors in those countries. 

The Iranian newspaper Mardom-Salari responded on Wednesday with an article titled "Huthiran: Saudi Arabia's new plot against Iran," which slammed Riyadh's military involvement and accused the Saudis of attempting to cover their embarrassing performance against a ragtag group of fighters by implicating Iran.

-- Meris Lutz in Beirut

Photo: Houthi rebels are seen in the border area between Saudi Arabia and Yemen in this video grab from recent footage released by the rebels. Credit: Reuters.

Video: An Al Jazeera report on fighting between Houthis and Saudi troops.

Q: Turkey has shown a willingness to resolve the Kurdish issue. How do you read the situation?

A: We are serious, and we want to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey, and we are working towards peace. We want to solve the issue by dialogue, away from violence and the use of weapons. If Turkey is serious and has true intentions about peace, there must be an initial step of good faith to stop the ongoing military operations against our soldiers and our bases inside Turkey.  To begin with, there should be a halt to military operations against us, then dialogue and negotiation, and then we will start talking about giving up our weapons. Any solution or peace initiative to give up our weapons will be considered at the end, not the beginning.

I see a number of politicians demanding that we should abandon our armed struggle, but they do not talk about the Turkish side and the military operations they carry out against us. On the ground, we feel their agenda is unclear and they don't have a road map.

Q: What is the PKK's stance at the moment?

A: At the present time, we are not satisfied and we doubt the policy of Turkey … and whether they are committed to peace. Within the ranks of our party we are keen to take all necessary measures to preserve our survival. We have long experience with Turkey, we fear they will attack our bases, but we also have enough strength to confront them.

Currently in Turkey there are many ways to resolve the issue. In a poll by an independent organization, 55% of citizens supported the idea of solving the Kurdish issue through dialogue and peaceful means. In the past, when they had a poll on the same subject, the number did not exceed 10%.

Q: How do you view the policy of the United States on the Kurdish issue? The U.S. has asked Turkey to resolve the issue peacefully.

A: I am doubtful of this policy by America. When [President] Obama visited Turkey he met with Ahmet Turk, the Kurdish parliamentary bloc representative in the Turkish parliament. The meeting had implications, but America does not want to resolve our cause for their own interests in the region. They want to put pressure on us to make more compromises.

Q: How do you manage to stay in Iraq? Do you get any assistance from the Kurdish Regional Government?

A: We have no relations with the KRG, we are not in need of their assistance, we rely on our own finances from our people in Turkey and our supporters abroad. The Kurdish people in Kurdistan sympathize with us and support us morally, but not materially. At the same time, we believe the current situation of the Kurds and their role in the political equation in the region is becoming weaker day after day.

-- Asso Ahmed in the Qandil Mountains

Photo: Murat Karayilan in 2006. Credit: Asso Ahmed