Algeria to build world's third largest mosque

Grand Mosque of Algiers could cost several billion dollars

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ALGIERS:  Algeria on Tuesday called for offers to build a Grand Mosque of Algiers, which would be the third largest mosque in the world after those of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Candidate companies should have an annual turnover of at least one billion euros ($1.48 billion) and have a permanent staff of more than 2,000 engineers, technicians and office staff, the national agency for the building of the Djamaa El Dzajair (Algiers mosque) specified in a communique.

The Grand Mosque of Algiers, which could cost several billion dollars, will stand on a terrain of about 20 hectares (49 acres) at Mohammadia opposite the bay of Algiers to the east of the capital, where its minaret will be 270 meters (885 feet) high.

The main prayer hall will be large enough for 36,000 people, and the complex will also include an inner court, an esplanade, a large auditorium, a library for 2,000 people, a school for Quranic studies and an underground car park with space for 6,000 vehicles.

Algiers currently has three historic mosques: Djamaa el-Djedid, on which the building work began in 1660, Djamaa el-Kebir, built in the 11th century, and the Ketchaoua below the Casbah (the old town), which was constructed under the Turks from 1794. The Ketchaoua was converted into a cathedral under French colonial rule (1830-1962), and restored to Islam after independence.

Car bomb kills 90 in Pakistan as Hillary Clinton visits

ISLAMABAD:  A car bomb ripped through a crowded market killing 90 people in Pakistan's city of Peshawar on Wednesday, just hours after Washington's top diplomat arrived pledging a fresh start in sometimes strained relations.

Wednesday's bomb, the latest urban attack since the army launched a major assault on rural Taliban strongholds two weeks ago, was the deadliest since 2007 when around 140 died at a procession to welcome home former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated just weeks later.

The bomb went off in the busy Peepal Mandi market street in a city that for years served as the headquarters of the Pakistan- and U.S.- backed mujahideen war against the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan.

Although nobody claimed responsibility, suspicion immediately fell on Pakistani Taliban militants who are the target of the army offensive.

The rugged landscape between Afghanistan and Pakistan has become a haven for Taliban militants fighting on both sides of the border as well as many hundreds of al Qaeda operatives and other foreign Islamist insurgents.

Hours after the blast, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference that Washington fully supported Pakistan's battle.

"I want you to know that this fight is not Pakistan's alone," she said.

"So this is our struggle as well and we commend the Pakistani military for their courageous fight and we commit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani people in your fight for peace and security.

Sahib Gul, a doctor at Peshawar's main hospital, said the dead from Wednesday's bomb were mostly women and children.

"Several buildings and a mosque have been badly damaged while a fire has engulfed buildings," witness Aqueel-ur-Rehman told Reuters from the market, which mostly deals in groceries and household goods.

Defiant Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference with Clinton that the militants would be crushed.

"We are facing this on a daily basis but the resolve and determination will not be shaken," he said.

Addressing those responsible, he added: "We will not buckle. We will fight you. We will fight you because we want stability and peace in Pakistan.

Pregnant Women Wary of Swine Flu Shot

Survey Shows Most Pregnant Women and Moms of Young Kids Won't Get Vaccinated

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Health News:  A new survey shows only about one in four pregnant women and mothers of young children plan to get the H1N1 flu vaccine this year, despite recommendations from public health groups urging them to do so.

The CDC, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and many other public health organizations strongly recommend that pregnant women and new mothers get both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine shots to protect themselves as well as their newborns.

The survey shows 43% of pregnant women and mothers of children younger than 2 years old plan to get a seasonal flu shot this year, up from 33% surveyed last year. But only 27% plan on getting the H1N1 flu vaccine.

Researchers say confusion and concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the H1N1 vaccine may be preventing many pregnant women from getting the additional protection they need.

A CDC analysis shows pregnant women are up to four times more likely to be hospitalized for complications from the H1N1 and other flu viruses compared to the general population. This may be due to changes in the body related to pregnancy, such as reduced lung capacity, which can make respiratory diseases more dangerous, and changes to the immune system that can make a pregnant woman more susceptible to infection.

"With H1N1 being the dominant influenza virus circulating so far this year, it is vital that all pregnant women get their seasonal and H1N1 flu shots as soon as possible," says Ashley Roman, MD, clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University School of Medicine and assistant clinical professor at Yale University, in a news release.

Confusion Over H1N1 Vaccine Risk

The Harris Interactive survey of 668 pregnant women and mothers of children less than 2 years old across the U.S. shows that 86% of women believe the seasonal flu shot is safe; only 68% think the H1N1 flu vaccine is safe. The online U.S. survey was conducted between Sept. 17 and Sept. 29 among women aged 18-50 who were currently pregnant and/or had children under 2 years old.

The most common concern among the pregnant women surveyed was the belief that the H1N1 flu vaccine has not been adequately tested. But researchers say the H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as the seasonal flu shot and has been found in clinical studies to be safe and effective at producing an immune response in healthy adults.

"Both the seasonal and H1N1 flu shots are safe for women to get during any stage of pregnancy and the shots are available in thimerosal-free forms, for those who are concerned about mercury preservatives," says Roman.

Researchers also found that only half of the women knew that getting a flu shot while pregnant will protect both themselves and their newborn babies after birth.

The survey also showed that 41% of Hispanic women vs. 26% of all women believed the false claim that getting a flu shot while pregnant can put an unborn baby's health at risk. Less than half of Hispanic women were aware that the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines are recommended for pregnant women compared with 71% of women overall.

However, the survey showed Hispanic women were more likely than women overall to discuss getting H1N1 and seasonal flu shots with their health care provider.

The survey and an accompanying "Flu-Free and A Mom-to-Be: Protect Yourself, Protect Your Baby - Get Your Flu Shots!" campaign organized by HealthyWomen and the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses is supported by CSL Biotherapies, which produces flu vaccines.

8 U.S. Troops Are Killed in Bombings in Afghanistan

KABUL: Eight Americans died in combat in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, bringing October’s total to 53 and making it the deadliest month for Americans in the eight-year war. September and October were both deadlier months overall for NATO troops.

The troops, along with an Afghan civilian accompanying them, were killed in several attacks involving “multiple, complex” improvised bombs, according to a statement from the NATO-led coalition.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said that Taliban in Zabul Province were responsible. He said they had blown up two armored vehicles carrying the troops. He also said that the Taliban had engaged in a fierce firefight lasting more than a half-hour with Afghan police in Zabul and killed eight officers. His report could not be verified because the American military is with-holding additional information until the families of the dead had been notified.

On Oct. 26, two incidents involving helicopter crashes resulted in the death of eleven American troops and three drug enforcement agents, but hostile fire was almost certainly not a factor in those cases, according to a military spokesman.

The October toll of 53 American soldiers killed exceeds that of August, when 51 died, according to icasualties.org, a Web site that tracks military losses in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The United States has been increasing the number of soldiers and marines in Afghanistan and many have gone into some of the toughest areas of the country. Southern Afghanistan has been the most contested ground with both locally-based insurgents and fighters that cross the border from Pakistan.

“A loss like this is extremely difficult for the families as well as for those who served alongside these brave service members,” said Capt. Jane Campbell of the Navy, a spokeswoman for the international troops.

The mounting casualties come as President Barack Obama is deliberating over whether to send more troops to Afghanistan and whether to undertake a full counter-insurgency strategy, which requires a larger commitment of resources. The American public is split on whether to put more troops in harm’s way.

Also on Tuesday, the American and NATO-led forces said an Army plane that had been missing since Oct. 13 was found with the remains of three civilian crew members on Oct. 21 in the high mountains of northeastern Afghanistan over Nuristan Province, where the military has been conducting extensive operations. The army said the plane’s disappearance had not been announced until recovery efforts were complete.

The aircraft was stripped of all sensitive materials and destroyed in place, according to a statement from the NATO-led forces. The case is under investigation, but the military said it did not think that hostile action was the cause of the crash.

Yahoo Officially Shuts Down Geocities

After 15 years and a Yahoo acquisition, GeoCities is closing for good.

After Monday, countless homemade Web sites will no longer be live, and site owners will no longer be able to view their accounts and files. As of 10 am EDT, sites are still viewable; I just checked out the site I created back in high school for some Javascript nostalgia.

For those who are still attached to their sites, Yahoo is offering an upgrade to premium hosting. Users can keep their sites online for $4.99 a month. I invite everyone else to join me in a moment of silence for this dearly departed Web host.

Yahoo first announced plans to shut down Geocities in April. "We have decided to discontinue the process of allowing new customers to sign up for GeoCities accounts as we focus on helping our customers explore and build new relationships online in other ways," the company said at the time.

The Oct. 26 shutdown date was announced in July.