Excerpts: Jordan's EU role. Muslim win in Phillipines.Saudi cancer
diagnostic tool prisoner exchange 17 July 2008

+++JORDAN TIMES 17 July '08:"European Parliament group to broaden Jordan's
EU
role",By Rana Husseini
QUOTE:"strengthen Jordan's role and influence in the European Union(EU)"

EXCERPTS:AMMAN - In a step to strengthen Jordan's role and influence in the
European Union (EU), Jordanian Ambassador to the EU Ahmad Masadeh on 16 July
announced the formation of the "Friends of Jordan" group at the European
Parliament.
"This group will create a lobbying force within the European Parliament and
its committees and strengthen Jordan's role by highlighting the Kingdom's
political stance in all fields," . . .Some prominent group members
include: Simon Busuttil, John Purvis, Struan Stevenson, Edward
McMillan-Scott, Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Carlo Casini, Michael Gahler,
Tokia Saifi, Den Dover, John Attard Montalto, Jamila Madeira, Evgeni
Kirilov, Emilio Menendez del Valle, Miguel Angel Martinez and David
Hammerstein.

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 17 July '08:"Manila, Muslim rebels reach deal on
homeland",Al Jacinto
QUOTE: "MILF ...will not sign any peace deal ...unlesss its demand for
self-determination is granted"
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Philippine negotiators and Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) rebels reached an agreement 16 July on the issue of ancestral domain,
a breakthrough in the seven-year old peace talks aimed at putting an end to
more than four decades bloody fighting in Mindanao.
. . .The MILF earlier in the day said the issue on the ancestral domain
must be resolved immediately. It said will not sign any peace deal with the
Arroyo government unless its demand for self-determination is granted.
. . .The ancestral domain covers the whole of Muslim autonomous region and
other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay,
North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces where there are large
communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. Even the island province of
Palawan in the central Philippines is covered.
. . .The MILF is fighting for the establishment of a strict Islamic state
in Mindanao Island, whose 16 million populations include about 4 million
Muslims (25% of population) . . .
. . .

+++SAUDI GAZETTE 17 July '08:"Lung cancer breakthrough by KSU team"
QUOTE:"The discovery will help in early diagnosis of smoking related
health problems"

RIYADH - King Saud University (KSU) announced here 16 July the discovery of
a specific lung cancer biomarker to identify lung cancer, which greatly
simplifies early diagnosis of lung cancer.
The breakthrough was the result of collaboration between a KSU team of
scientists and students, headed by Prof. Vadevel Masilamani of Laser Group
of College of Science, Dr. Elango of Thendrel, Inc. a biotech enterprise,
based in Virginia, USA, and MCD, a cancer diagnostic center in India.
. . .. The breakthrough is to be patented in the United States and a Chair
for Laser Diagnosis of Cancer will be created at KSU.
Cancer biomarkers are certain proteins found highly elevated in blood
plasma, due to abnormal metabolic activity of cancer cells . . .this
biomarker...is very specific and exclusive for lung cancer.
In the new technique, all that is needed is 5ml of blood and 5ml of fasting
urine to check if a person has cancer in any part of the body. . . . The
discovery will help in early diagnosis of smoking relating health problems
because the longer a patient smokes, the higher their concentration of the
biomarker. . . .

+++WASHINGTON POST 17 July '08:Israel Mourns, Hezbollah Exults",
QUOTE:"Ror Israel...the obligation never to leave a soldier behind"

The divergent reactions reflected the basic nature of the deal as a trade of
the living for the dead. For Israel, the exchange represented a collision of
ideals: the obligation to never leave a soldier behind on the battlefield
and the determination to resist concessions earned through violence.

"We think of bringing our children home," said Moshe Sasson, 62, who was
injured in Kuntar's attack 29 years ago and is now a neighbor of the
Goldwassers. "But they think of other targets."
For Hezbollah, the swap was treated as vindication of the group's strategy
of taking hostages to bargain for Kuntar's freedom, though the tactic also
prompted a war that left more than 1,000 Lebanese and 159 Israelis dead.
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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA