Category Archives: Asia Pacific

Get the latest Asian news from Codewit News in Asia: breaking news, features, analysis and special reports plus audio and video from across the Asian continent.

As Syria heats up, charities reach out to children

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As the possibility of a U.S. strike against Syria increased Monday night and Tuesday morning, charities were getting prepared to help the estimated 1 million children who are refugees in the crisis.
 
And those charities were getting some support from users on Twitter, especially journalist Ann Curry, who used the social media service to let the public know that Save the Children, MercyCorps and UNICEF were reaching out specifically to children.
 
Early Tuesday, the Associated Press reported U.S. officials said there was little doubt Syria used chemical weapons, and calls mounted from Western powers for swift military action.
 
As the situation heated, Curry tweeted out photos of Syrian children and encouraged members of the public to donate or volunteer. She used the hashtag or search term #onemillion, for the number of children who are refugees from Syria. Others retweeted her tweets.
 
Save the Children's Internet home page featured a piece that says children are living in "desperate" conditions inside the Syrian crisis.
 
"More than 7,000 children are dead and 1 million have been exiled as a result of this war," Save the Children president and CEO Carolyn Miles said in a statement on the site.
 
Said Alexandra Chen, MercyCorps' regional child protection adviser for Syrian children in Jordan and Lebanon, in a statement on the charity's website, "The last days in Syria are perhaps the most difficult for refugees to talk about – both for the children and the parents. All of them have experienced loss and witnessed much violence and destruction. For many children, the sound of bombs and gunfire continues to haunt them, and almost many of the children have experienced death as well – many have seen dead people, either killed before them or bodies littering the street."
 
On the UNICEF homepage, a headline urged, "Help Syrian Children," and linked to a campaign for donors to help.
 
"Without further funding, children in Syria will miss critical immunizations," according to the UNICEF site. "Refugee children will face critical water shortages, lose health services and fall further behind in their educations."
 
To help child refugees from Syria, visit www.savethechildren.org, www.mercycoprs.org or www.unicef.org.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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He Asked Her To Marry Him, And She Embarassed Him Publicly [WATCH VIDEO]

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Be sure u are her real Boyfriend and that she will say yes before you try this kind tin o! Some men are brave now at days sha. watch video below 

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About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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300-ton water leak at Japan N-plant

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The operator of Japan's tsunami-crippled nuclear power plant has said that about 300 tons of highly radioactive water have leaked from one of the hundreds of storage tanks there – its worst leak yet from one of the vessels.
 
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said the contaminated water leaked from a steel storage tank at the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi plant. The company has not yet determined how or where the water leaked, but suspects it did so through a valve connected to a gutter around the tank.
 
Tepco spokesman Masayuki Ono said the leaked water seeped into the ground after largely escaping piles of sandbags added to a concrete barrier around the tank. Workers were pumping out the puddle and the remaining water in the tank and will transfer it to other containers.
 
The water's radiation level, measured about 2ft (50cm) above the puddle, is about 100 millisieverts per hour – five times the annual exposure limit for plant workers, Mr Ono said.
 
The plant suffered multiple meltdowns following Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Hundreds of tanks were built around the plant to store massive amounts of contaminated water coming from the three melted reactors, as well as underground water running into reactor and turbine basements.
 
Four other tanks of the same design had similar leaks since last year. Mr Ono said the latest leak was the worst from a tank in terms of volume.
 
Tepco has said the tanks that have leaked used rubber seams and were intended to last about five years. Mr Ono said the company plans to build additional tanks with welded seams that are more watertight.
 
The massive amount of radioactive water is among the most pressing issues affecting the clean-up process, which is expected to take decades.
 
There have been other leaks of contaminated water at the plant, and some of it is entering the sea.
 
Plant workers are trying to reduce the leaks using measures such as building chemical underground walls, but they have made little improvement.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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Volcanic eruption coats Japanese city with ash

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TOKYO (AP) — A volcano has erupted in southwestern Japan and coated a nearby city with a layer of ash.
 
People in Kagoshima city wore masks and raincoats and used umbrellas to shield themselves from the ash after the Sakurajima volcano erupted Sunday afternoon. Drivers turned on their headlights, and local media described the ash like driving through snow at night. Railway operators stopped service in the city temporarily so ash could be removed from the tracks.
 
Kyodo News reported no injuries have occurred. It said the smoke plume was 3 miles high and lava flowed about .6 miles from the fissure.
 
TV news reports Monday morning showed masked residents sprinkling water and sweeping up the ash. The city was mobilizing garbage trucks and water sprinklers to clean up.
 
Japan is on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has frequent seismic activity. Sakurajima erupts often, and the Japan Meteorological Agency maintains a warning against people going near the volcano.
 
It is about 6 miles from Kagoshima city in Kagoshima prefecture.
 
Kyodo cited JMA as saying there are no signs of a larger eruption at Sakurajima but similar activity may continue.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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N. Korea agrees to hold family reunions with S. Korea

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North Korea said Sunday it has agreed to South Korea’s proposal to resume reunions for families separated since the 1950-53 war, in another apparent sign of easing tensions.

The North has agreed to hold the event during the traditional Chuseok holiday that falls on September 19 as suggested by the South, Pyongyang’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement on official media.

It also proposed a separate round of indirect family reunions via video conference around October 4 — the anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit, said the statement on the North’s official news agency.

The move came days after the South’s President Park Geun-Hye last Thursday urged Pyongyang to “open its heart” and agree to hold the first family reunions since 2010.

Officials of the Red Cross from both sides will meet on August 23 as proposed by Seoul to discuss details, the North said, suggesting the Mount Kumgang resort in the North as the venue for the talks.

“Now is the time for the north and the south to make joint efforts for the improvement of the north-south ties and peace and common prosperity on the Korean peninsula,” said the statement.

Seoul described Pyongyang’s offer on Sunday “positive,” but insisted that the officials’ meeting to discuss the family reunion be held at the border truce village of Panmunjom, instead of Mount Kumgang.

Kim Hyung-Suk, spokesman for the South’s unification ministry that handles cross-border affairs, said Seoul would make a decision on the proposed talks on the Mount Kumgang later after internal reviews.

Millions of Koreans were left separated by the war, which sealed the peninsula’s division. Most have died without having had a chance to meet family members last seen six decades ago.

About 72,000 South Koreans — nearly half of them aged over 80 — are still alive and waiting for a rare chance to join the highly competitive family reunion events, which select only up to a few hundred participants each time.

At the reunions, North and South Koreans typically meet in the North for two or three days before the South Koreans — many in tears — head home again.

For those too infirm to travel, reunions via video conferencing have been arranged in recent years.

Cross-border relations have showed signs of improving recently after months of high tensions. Last week the two sides agreed to work on reopening the Kaesong joint industrial zone shut down in April.

Operations at the factory complex in the North were suspended after Pyongyang withdrew all its workers amid tensions heightened by its nuclear test in February.

The North also proposed Sunday a separate meeting on August 22 to discuss reopening the Kumgang mountain resort. It promised to discuss Seoul’s key concerns including the safety of its tourists.

Kumgang was the first major inter-Korean cooperation project, and thousands of South Koreans visited the Seoul-funded resort in the North between 1998 and 2008.

The South suspended the tours — an important source of hard currency for the impoverished North — after a North Korean soldier in 2008 shot dead a female tourist who strayed into a restricted zone.

In response the North scrapped a deal with the resort’s developer — Seoul’s Hyundai Asan company — and seized its properties there.

The North said Sunday it was also willing to discuss the issue of property during the proposed talks on Thursday.

Park Hyeong-Jung, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, cautioned that the recent series of conciliatory gestures from Pyongyang would not thaw frozen ties overnight.

“But this will at least open a door for low-level cooperation for a while, with both sides cautiously showing goodwill towards each other,” he said.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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Ferry carrying 700 sinks after collision in Philippines

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A ferry with nearly 700 people aboard sank near the central Philippine port of Cebu on Friday night after colliding with a cargo vessel, and a survivor said he saw bodies in the sea.
 
The captain of the ferry MV Thomas Aquinas ordered the ship abandoned after it began listing and then sank after hitting the cargo vessel, coast guard officer Joy Villegas said.
 
He said two coast guard vessels and other nearby ships were involved in the rescue operation not far from the port of Cebu.
 
There was no immediate word on casualties, but passenger Jerwin Agudong told radio station DZBB that some people were trapped and he saw bodies in the water.
 
"It seems some were not able to get out. I pity the children. We saw dead bodies on the side, and some being rescued," he said.
 
He said the ferry was entering the pier when the cargo vessel, which was on the way out, suddenly collided with the ship. He said he and other passengers jumped in front of the cargo vessel.
 
"One of the persons who jumped with us hit his head on metal. He is shaking and he is bloodied," Agudong said.
 
He said the crew of the ferry distributed life jackets while the ship was slowly sinking.
 
He said the ferry came from Nasipit in Agusan del Sur province in the southern Philippines on a daylong journey.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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Thrown sledgehammer critically injures 8-year-old

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INDIANAPOLIS — A local man was arrested Thursday after an 8-year-old boy was struck in the head by a thrown sledgehammer during a melee Wednesday on the city's Eastside.
 
Alfred Amos, 38, of Indianapolis faces two preliminary felony charges of aggravated battery and battery. The boy, who has not been identified, remained in critical condition Thursday evening, as detectives continued to piece together what happened.
 
The boy was taken to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health after the fight outside an apartment building.
 
He suffered a skull fracture when struck by the 2-pound sledgehammer during a fight, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report. The altercation erupted about 8:30 p.m. at a 168-unit apartment complex operated by the Indianapolis Housing Agency.
 
Indianapolis Housing Police records show 51 crimes in the complex through Aug. 6 this year, a 20 percent decrease for the same time period last year, when there were 64.
 
The most recent fight was the culmination of a dispute between two families, according to a woman who saw the incident. About 20 to 25 people confronted one another outside the apartment where the boy lived, the woman said.
 
The woman said that she did not think the suspect who threw the hammer was aiming for the child. She said a family member of the injured boy brought out the hammer.
 
When police arrived, the boy was bleeding from his head, the IMPD report said, and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
 
A 12-year-old girl was also taken to Riley with minor injuries, police said.
 

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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Brutal law of deportation on an assumption based T.B scar in United Arab Emirates.

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Discrimination with me in Dubai,serious issue for human rights association.
UAE Withhold my original reports of suspected tuberculosis.
Brutal law of deportation on an assumption based T.B scar in United Arab Emirates.

My name is CHARANJEET SINGH, an Indian national and a former resident and an Ex-Banker in Dubai.
Year 2003 to 2006 I was working in India in a multi national bank. And since April 2006 to October 2011 working in U.A.E without any issue in my health..
3rd March 2013 I came back to Dubai and joined a new job in a law firm in D.I.F.C. (Dubai International Financial Centre)
On 4th March 2013, i went for medical test at D.I.F.C.
18 days later i.e. on 22nd March 2013 at al Muhaisna medical centre that comes under D.H.A (Dubai Health Authority) suspected that i have old T.B and I was deported immediately. Countless others are getting deported just due to a scar in their lungs;
Neither I, while working and staying in my home country or Dubai, nor my parents had any kind of T.B infection in their lifetime.
To prove myself I have already done skin test (Mantoux) twice and both times it was Negative. First time at Dubai when i noticed nurse writing on my card as negative, U.A.E did not issue me any report so that I can prove you my test reports nor they give it to anyone from any country and second time at A.I.I.M.S.
I went to A.I.I.M.S (All India Institute of Medical Sciences)hospital at New Delhi and done all my checkups i.e. Skin test (Mantoux), Chest x-ray, Blood test, 3 times Sputum test and a Chest C.T scan too on special advise by senior doctor to have a close look at the scar.
Based on my test reports, A.I.I.M.S issued me the Certificate stating that I do not have any active T.B. Senior doctors (A.I.I.M.S) asked me why did they deported you when there is no sign of T.B in our body??
D.H.A does guess work on T.B on the basis of mere x.ray film. Telling you the fact as it is!
I really felt humiliation from U.A.E and felt depressed about this brutal and outdated law of deporting the patients just like a prisoner after he completes his punishment. I never expected this kind of behavior from U.A.E as happened with me.
D.H.A was not ready to give me anything about my sickness in written! Why it was concealed from me??? What does this reflect?
Present circumstances reminds me the malpractice of untouchability existed five decades ago, where in an individual was deliberately excluded from social interaction permanently.
If U.A.E health authorities are really scared from heart to help these patients, at least they should not treat them like prisoners, deporting them back to their home country with permanent ban to enter U.A.E just because of a small suspected scar.

This is the beginning of discrimination by gulf countries with expatriates excluding Arabs from gulf regions and i am sure the situation is going to be worse very soon if changes are not brought to their laws. I believe and I know it is discrimination!!!
How about D.H.A staff? Will be they be deported permanently if they are infected with active T.B??
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/health/deportation-laws-reform-lies-dormant International institutions says this is absolute discrimination and it is major issue of Human rights.

Assuming the current scenario in the future, i will never suggest 53% Indians of UAE’s total population to work and visit U.A.E whether they provide double pay of what your are getting in your home country.
Finally, they will be the culprit if they still go and get deported in case they are sick with any kind of scar in their chest in the mid of their growing career just and just because of U.A.E’s adamant laws.

These harmless scars may come on anyone’s body will leave a huge impact on their career just and just because of U.A.E outdated laws. Today it’s my turn; tomorrow could be the ignoring readers from different countries.
My dear brothers and sisters, I have lost a lot because of their law, I wish from my core – no one should face the same in their life without any reason!!
I request U.A.E to remove the sickness from U.A.E instead of removing sick.
Your support will be highly appreciated to write something for this moral cause!
(Charanjeet Singh)
Email: singh.charanjeet@rocketmail.com
Mob: +91 9560728263
New Delhi [India]

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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Sailors on board Indian submarine feared dead

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NEW DELHI (AP) — All 18 sailors aboard an Indian submarine hit by twin explosions and an intense fire are feared dead, a naval official said. The submarine had also been damaged in a deadly explosion in 2010 and had only recently returned to service.
 
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because divers had yet to recover any bodies, said the navy believed there was no way anyone could have survived the intensity of the blasts and fire, which occurred early Wednesday while the diesel-powered submarine was docked at a Mumbai navy base.
 
Officials had earlier said that there had been no contact with the sailors since the explosions, which lit up the sky above the base. They said navy divers had opened one of its hatches but had not yet been able to enter the submarine because it was dark and full of muddy water.
 
"We hope for the best but we have to prepare for the worst," Adm. D.K. Joshi, the navy chief, told reporters earlier in Mumbai.
 
The explosions in the submarine's torpedo compartment sent a huge fireball into the air and sent nearby sailors jumping into the sea in panic. It is shaping up to be another embarrassment for India's military, which has been hit with a corruption scandal as it races to modernize its forces.
 
Defense Minister A.K. Antony said some sailors were killed but gave no other details.
 
"It's a loss to all of us. It's a tragedy," Antony told reporters in New Delhi before leaving for Mumbai to assess the situation.
 
Because the submarine was docked, navy watchmen were on the submarine rather than the normal crew, Joshi said.
 
At least some weaponry exploded in the near-simultaneous blasts, Joshi added.
 
A video of the explosions filmed by bystanders showed an enormous ball of red and yellow fire rising hundreds of feet into the air.
 
About a dozen fire engines rushed to the dockyard and extinguished the fire in about two hours, officials said.
 
Navy spokesman Narendra Vispute said the cause of the explosions was being investigated.
 
The 16-year-old Russian-made submarine, INS Sindhurakshak, was hit by an explosion in 2010 that killed one sailor and injured two others. The navy said that accident was caused by a faulty battery valve that leaked hydrogen, causing an explosion in the vessel's battery compartment.
 
The sub recently returned from Russia after a 2½-year refit, overhaul and upgrade, said Rahul Bedi, an analyst for the independent Jane's Information Group. Joshi, the navy chief, said it returned to India in April, and had been certified for use by the Indian navy.
 
Russian ship repair company Zvyozdochka said the blasts were unrelated to its repair work.
 
"According to the members of our warranty group, the vessel was functioning properly and had no technical faults at the time of the incident," the Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified company representative as saying.
 
Zvyozdochka said the submarine had been "in active use" and had logged 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers) on three missions.
 
Wednesday's accident came at a time when India is facing a shortage of submarines because of obsolescence, Bedi said.
 
The government has authorized the navy to have up to 24 conventional submarines, but it has just 14, including eight Russian Kilo-class and four German Type HDW209 boats. Bedi said five of those will be retired by 2014-15.
 
Last year, India acquired a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine on a 10-year lease at a cost of nearly $1 billion. India also has designed and built its own nuclear submarine. The navy activated the atomic reactor on that vessel on Saturday and could deploy it in the next two years.
 
India has steadily built its naval capabilities in recent years, spurred by its rivalry with neighboring China. But the country's military has encountered scandal as it attempts to bulk up.
 
In February, India put on hold a $750 million deal to buy helicopters from Italian aerospace and defense giant Finmeccanica and its British subsidiary, AgustaWestland, following charges of kickbacks and bribes. Three of the 12 helicopters were delivered in December and the rest have been put on hold.
 
Giuseppe Orsihe, the former head of Finmeccanica, is facing trial in Italy for his alleged role in the payment of bribes to secure the helicopter contract.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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Israelis begin releasing 26 Palestinian prisoners

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel began the process of releasing 26 Palestinian prisoners late Tuesday, an initial gesture on the eve of renewed Mideast negotiations.
 
Thousands of Palestinians have spent time in Israeli prisons since Israel's capture of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in 1967. They were jailed on charges ranging from throwing rocks to killing civilians in bombings and other attacks.
 
The decision to release the men has stirred anguish in Israel, particularly among the relatives of those killed in attacks. Meanwhile celebrations were planned in the Palestinian territory, where Palestinians generally view the prisoners as heroes, regardless of their acts, arguing they made personal sacrifices in the struggle for independence.
 
The Israeli prison service said buses carrying the inmates left the Ayalon jail in central Israel late Tuesday. Israel released them late at night to prevent a spectacle. Some protesters tried in a symbolic move to block the buses from leaving the jail.
 
Most of the prisoners were convicted of killings, including Israeli civilians and suspected Palestinian collaborators, while others were involved in attempted murder or kidnapping.
 
The release of the prisoners was part of an agreement brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the table for peace talks that had been paralyzed since 2008. In all, 104 convicts are to be released in four batches, although their freedom is contingent on progress in peace talks.
 
Israelis and Palestinians are to launch talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday, following a preparatory round two weeks ago in Washington. The prisoner release is part of an agreement to restart the talks after a five-year freeze.
 
Israel's Prison Service posted the 26 names online Monday to allow two days for possible court appeals. Israel's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by families of those killed by the prisoners earlier Tuesday.
 
Most of the prisoners already have served around 20 years, with the longest-held arrested in 1985. Fourteen of the prisoners were to be released to the Gaza Strip and 12 to the West Bank.
 
Most Israelis view those involved in killings as terrorists for killing civilians. Relatives of those killed by the inmates protested the night before against their release. Protesters dipped their hands in red paint to symbolize what they said was the blood on the hands of the prisoners.
 
Earlier Tuesday, Israel said it is moving forward with building nearly 900 new homes in east Jerusalem, a decision that angered Palestinians a day before the talks.
 
The last round of substantive talks collapsed in late 2008, and negotiations have remained stalled mainly over the issue of Israeli settlement construction on territories claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. The Palestinians say the settlements, now home to more than 500,000 Israelis, is making it increasingly difficult to carve out their state and that continued Israeli construction is a sign of bad faith.
 
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, said Israel's settlement plans are a slap in the face of the Palestinians and Kerry. "It is not just deliberate sabotage of the talks, but really a destruction of the outcome," she said.
 
Ashrawi urged Kerry "to stand up to Israel" and deliver a tough response.
 
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the Palestinian claim.
 
"The Palestinians know that Israel rejected their demands of a settlement freeze as a precondition to these talks, they cannot say otherwise," Regev said. "The construction that the Israeli government authorized is all in Jerusalem and the large blocs, in areas that will remain part of Israel in any possible final status agreement and this construction that has been authorized in no way changes the final map of peace," said Regev.
 
The U.S. had no immediate comment. On Monday, Kerry repeated the U.S. position that the settlements are "illegitimate," while saying he didn't think the recent flap over Israeli settlements would delay talks. "I'm sure we will work out a path forward," Kerry said.
 
The latest construction is to take place in Gilo, an area in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be a neighborhood of its capital. Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their capital, is not internationally recognized.
 
The housing plan, which received initial approval last year, would expand Gilo's boundaries further toward a Palestinian neighborhood. The plans for 900 housing units in Gilo come in addition to an earlier announcement this week of some 1,200 other settlement homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
 
Efrat Orbach, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman, confirmed that approval had been given for the Gilo expansion. She said more approvals are needed before construction begins. But Lior Amihai of anti-settlement group Peace Now, said the plan needs no further approval and construction could begin within weeks.
 
The Palestinians had refused to resume negotiations with Israel unless it halted settlement construction. Israel has refused.
 
After six trips to the region, Kerry managed to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to drop the settlement issue as a condition for negotiations to start. In exchange, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ionyclaret@gmail.com
https://www.codewit.com
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