In UK, MPs jostle for Speaker's chair

In UK, MPs jostle for Speaker's chair
The race over UK's next parliamentary speaker is well under way with the Conservatives claiming it's their turn to replace former speaker Michael Martin.

At least ten MPs are bid to stand for the elections to choose the next speaker of the House of Commons, to take over Martin's place who resigned over the expense claims scandals.

Although traditionally the role of the speaker is independent, each party prefers the incumbent to be from its own colors.

From the ruling Labour party, the former foreign minister Margaret Beckett and Parmjit Dhanda are in the running.

From the opposition's benches, John Bercow, Ann Widdicombe, Sir Patrick Cormack, Sir Alan Haselhurst, Sir Michael Lord, Richard Shepherd are the Conservative MPs said to be vying for the Speaker's vacant chair.

Form the Liberal Democrats, Sir Alan Beith has definitely thrown in his hat and he may be joined in the race by the former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

Miss Widdicombe who is said to be Conservatives' charismatic candidate said: "We have got to restore the reputation of the House of Commons with the public and that means somebody who can connect with the public, which I believe I can do very well."

UK's House of Commons is under fire after losing public trust following disclosures of extravagant expenses claimed by many MPs, which forced a number of them to resign and caused a government reshuffle on the Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The last speaker was forced to resign, as it was revealed that his office did not keep a close enough eye on the MPs' expenses claims, as it should have done.

The vote to choose the Commons' next speaker is scheduled for June 22 and it will be done by secret ballots.

Fraud plagues more Israeli politicians

Fraud plagues more Israeli politicians . A new wave of fraud scandals is gripping the Israeli government with former finance minister Abraham Hirchson convicted over a multimillion shekel fraud case.

An Israeli court on Monday found Hirchson guilty of stealing NIS 2.5 million from the National Workers Organization when he was the institution's head, Haaretz reported.

Daily news World The court rejected the arguments by Hirchson defense lawyers to minimize his involvement in the case.

Based on the indictment, NIS 12.3 million was funneled from the organization and an affiliated institution and the sum of money was divided between six people including the former minister.

The case is the latest in a series of scandals that put the honesty of Israeli officials under question. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert had to resign over his involvement in a corruption case.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is currently under police investigation for his involvement in a money laundering case.

A recent poll conducted by an anti-Corruption organization has revealed that the majority of Israelis believe their government is not seriously fighting against corruption.

The annual Global Corruption Barometer report released by Transparency International shows that 86 percent of Israelis --the highest level in the world--say the government's efforts to fight corruption are ineffective.

Doron Navot of the University of Haifa and the Israel Democracy Institute says in Israel "not only do the government and elected officials not fight political Corruption, but in recent years they see politicians and elected officials fighting the guardians - those battling against Corruption - and trying to weaken them and advance reforms that harm the fight against Corruption."

Polls open in Lebanon for general elections

Lebanese people will go to the polls to vote in an election which will pit Hezbollah against the current US-backed majority in Lebanon's parliament.

Tight security precautions have been taken to prevent tensions in the small Mediterranean country, as polls will be open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm (0400 GMT to 1600 GMT).

50,000 soldiers and police have been deployed across the country to secure the environment for 3.2 million people eligible to vote in the country.

daily news More than 200 international observers from the EU and other institutions and countries will observe the election.

A tight race is predicted between the US-backed 14 March alliance, which has a small majority in parliament, and its main rival, Hezbollah-led bloc.

According to Lebanon's complex power-sharing system, the 128 seats in the parliament should be equally divided between Christians and Muslims.

The country's parliament speaker should also be a Shia Muslim, as the president must be a Maronite Christian and the prime minister a Sunni Muslim

Heart Arrythmia Ups Alzheimer's Risk

Heart Arrythmia Ups Alzheimer's Risk
A new study finds having one of the most common abnormal heart rhythms can place individuals at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's, according to the study presented at the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston.
Atrial fibrillation, a rapid but irregular heart rate, occurs when the two upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat out of coordination with the two lower ones (the ventricles).

The condition causes poor blood flow to different organs, resulting in palpitation, shortness of breath and weakness.

Patients experiencing atrial fibrillation are at a 44 percent higher risk of dementia, a general term for life-altering loss of memory and other cognitive disabilities.

Individuals with a heart condition aging over 70 years, however, are 187 percent more vulnerable to developing dementia.

These individuals are reported to be 130 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, accounting for up to 80 percent of all dementia cases.

Scientists are hoping to lower the risk of Alzheimer's by identifying high-risk individuals particularly those suffering from irregular heart rhythms.

Iran mass produces new ground-to-air guided missile

top news : Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar inaugurates the production line of domestically-made supersonic ground-to-air missile system.

Mohammad-Najjar says the smart missile system, called 'Shahin' has a range of more than 40 kilometers.

He added that the system, capable of targeting fighter jets and helicopters, will promote Iran's defense capabilities against possible air attacks.

The research and production phases of the defense system, including missile, missile interceptors, hardware and software networks and launch pad have been carried out by Iranian experts, said Mohammad-Najjar on Saturday after launching the production line of the system.

Last month, Iran test-fired a new deterrent ballistic missile, the Sejjil II, with a 2000-kilometer surface-to-surface range.

The developments come as the country, which has been targeted by a series of sanctions over its independent stance, beefs up its defense amid increased Israeli threats to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran also launched a production line for manufacturing autocannons to mount on warships.

"The final range of the 40-millimetre naval autocannon, named Fath (Victory), is 12 kilometers; (more than seven miles) it shoots 300 projectiles per minute," Mohammad-Najjar said.

"It can be used against cruise missiles... It is an anti-aircraft low-altitude weapon which is mounted on warships," he said.

in daily news online Iran unveiled a new domestically produced attack chopper, the Shahed (Witness) 285, capable of taking part in sea and air combat operations.

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NATO standing between US-Russia ties: Putin

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says NATO military exercises in Georgia could impede attempts by Washington and Moscow to "reset" their strained relations.

In an interview ahead of a trip to Tokyo, Putin said that the NATO exercise was "a step backwards" and a "signal in the other direction" despite efforts to repair US-Russia relations, Reuters reported.

"We really hope that today's leaders of the United States will hit the pedal properly to put a brake on the negative trends in our ... ties and take the necessary steps to make sure they really gain new substance," Putin said.

Russia has questioned the timing of the exercises when tension in the Caucasus is on the rise.

Putin also criticized the NATO war games, saying they will prop up the pro-Western Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

President Saakashvili, who is detested by Moscow after igniting and fighting a war against Russia in August 2008, in recent weeks has faced major protests from the opposition who want him to resign.

The NATO exercise is the latest in a series of obstacles standing the way of better US-Russia relations. The two sides remain at odds over Washington's plans to deploy elements of an anti-missile shield in Eastern Europe.

The Kremlin views the move as a threat to its sovereignty, while the White House says the deployment is mere precaution against possible missile attack from 'rogue states'.

In March, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton handed a 'reset button' as a gift to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in move viewed a first step in betterment of relations between the Cold War-era rivals.

Following the move Moscow and Washington decided to reduce their nuclear warheads and work together on a number of issues.