Iraq postpones Islamic Capital of Culture project

Released on - Friday,03 February , 2012 -23:08Iraq has postponed a problem-plagued project for the holy city of Najaf to be the Arab world's Islamic Capital of Culture, the spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said on Friday.The announcement came after a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Bashir al-Najafi, one of Iraq's top clerics, said the highest Shiite authority wanted the project postponed because of "financial and administrative corruption."The Najaf celebrations had been part of efforts by Iraq to put the country back on the cultural map, after the US-led invasion of 2003 led to years of brutal sectarian war."The project of Najaf being the Islamic Capital of Culture has been postponed at the request of specific sides," spokesman Faisal Abdullah said, without providing further details.Shahristani, the deputy premier for energy affairs, also heads the governmental committee responsible for the project."Najaf has a supreme position. It needs loyal efforts and should be pure of financial and administrative corruption," Bashir told AFP.He said that either the project should be postponed "until the completion of preparations (in) a suitable form for Najaf," or the marjaiya, the highest Shiite authority, "will not receive guests who participate in the project."A statement on the project's website gave a different explanation, quoting the culture ministry's Aqil al-Mindalawi as saying it would be pushed back by four to six weeks because the opening ceremony conflicted with the March 29 Arab summit in Baghdad.Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in an interview on Monday that the Najaf project faced difficulties."The preparation is not enough, and is not ready," Dabbagh said. "We are facing some difficulties and problems; we don't deny that we have problems."Officials said in late September 2011 that several senior figures had pulled out of troubled plans for the Shiite shrine city to become the Islamic Capital of Culture for the Arab world.Earlier, officials responsible for implementing the plans had admitted time was short, several projects were behind schedule and much of a half-billion-dollar budget had been hastily reallocated.==========================================================Waiting for the opening date ..! Iraqi intellectuals against postponement «Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture» Corruption .. Administrative confusion .. And ill for the reputation of Iraq! Wedding Alhandal Between hints financial and administrative corruption, and Theloahat mistake choosing Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture timely and organized; across intellectuals Iraqi major dissatisfaction of these confusions regulatory harm to the cultural scene in Iraq; especially as it cost the state 573 billion dinars, to organize the festival, which was supposed to take place on 16 March next, to continue until the end of 2012. Announcement delay Tdolth the media, as well as «the existence of intention by the ruling party to cancel the project Najaf, the capital of culture», the existence of corruption and wide when the discomfort of reference from supervisors, and the withdrawal of support of the supreme authority of the project; prompting the head of the project Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture Hussain al-Shahristani , to his declaration until further notice. Sistani refuses to receive the delegations He accompanied the news sources close to the office, the supreme cleric, showed strongly rejected for the reception and the Ministers of Culture of the Islamic, the existence of «corruption in the project Najaf, the cultural capital that has been allocated $ 500 million», stressing that the President of the ruling party Nuri al-Maliki and his team represented by Dr. Hussein al-Shahristani, «have made a lot of effort to convince the authority to receive delegates », but he refused to receive them strongly, so as not to give the« legitimacy »of this project is corrupt, according to his vision.While stressing the governor of Najaf, Adnan al, that the reasons for postponing the date of the activities of the project Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture to the middle of next May, to synchronize the date of the events with the time of the Arab summit in Baghdad, stressing that the postponement decision was issued by the Council of Ministers, at the request of Minister of Culture, showing the work to complete all the procedures for the establishment of events as scheduled. Why the summit In a telephone conversation between the poet Fares haram President of the Union of Writers in Najaf and a member of a committee of the project, «there is no notices or information about the delay in the official channels to address the Union of Writers, and everything related to delay, trading in the channels of information by officials in Najaf and the federal government in Baghdad, but what we do know is that the delay due to synchronization of the Arab summit in Baghdad with the date of the launch events «Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture», and this section seems to be a natural and necessary, but not aware of other causes. And completed his haram regretting the fact, saying: «This refers to the unfortunate reality of the intellectuals who are the last to know in the decisions that affect the culture, although they are primary planners and actors in their activities». On the ill-postponement to the reputation of the project of cultural of «Najaf»; denied haram to harm to the Najaf city and the date and completed a cultural tradition, but stressed that «affect the mechanism of action in the federal government in Baghdad, which has decided to determine the date of start and echoed it and put it off now!» He pointed out that the infrastructure in Najaf is not complete, and since 2003, was aware of the way, but without the reconstruction and rehabilitation of structures greeting; no theaters or halls, cultural institutions truly ready for opening day! Najaf .. And Baghdad 2013 ..! As for the activity of cultural events, he stressed the haram that the Union of writers and writers in Najaf will not stop its activities at all, and continues to organize, prepare and set up either before the start of the project, or beyond, especially those prepared to launch within the plan prior to the start of the project, noting that the opening «just a formal status international presence of the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Arab League and other officials and representatives of culture in the States ». He also pointed to the need to change course the federal government in Baghdad of its decisions and take more steps to study and arrangement, especially as the «Baghdad» was chosen as the capital of Arab culture for the next year! Stressing the need to pay attention to this imbalance, and take advantage of errors and the formation of committees carefully with the help of intellectuals. Delay correct decision Managing editor of the lighthouse, the writer Muwaffaq Rifai, said non-completion of infrastructure, saying: «I believe that the delay was a correction or Astdraka for error in the selection of a city in Iraq in these circumstances, the capital of culture and for any other activity, chaos in everything, and political instability, security, and the corruption that has become a feature of post-occupation Iraq invites us to consider that the delay was the right decision ». And completed: «penetration of corruption in all joints of the Iraqi state will waste inevitably all projects, including cultural, and that treatment can not be resolved by a political decision but does not alleviate it Aloaziat Almenbria, but in the social reform starts from the education reform and political start from the top of the pyramid of power, which cover up corruption and keep his cards to pressure and blackmail instead of him to bring those responsible to justice ». Timing error He emphasized that the imbalance in the timing is not the city, stressing the need to «very careful until recovering Iraq and be able to manage such activities», and of ill-postponement to the reputation of cultural, confirmed Rifai it hurts also to «the reputation of Iraq and its inability to organize such festivals , which is rife with intellectuals and artists, and will confirm published information about the extent of corruption in Iraq and rejected by the officials always, accusing the media exaggerating at times, and fabricating for political reasons at other times », but he also« The city of Najaf, I do not think that the reputation of the historical will be affected, so that all Muslims keep Najaf in their memory image of science and culture, and will remain so ». Serious deterioration The poet finest Mijbil Through all the news, saying: «If a decision is the delay actually, it is a great shame certainly, which reveals the serious deterioration which happened to us and our lives Cultural Rights, which would send wrong messages a lot about us to the Islamic countries that have chosen Najaf, the capital of culture, but alcohol is not power but in God! » Plaintiffs the opportunity and thieves Columnist Amir al-Rubaie blamed the «officials and the penetration of corruption, and lack of appreciation of the responsibility of such events by people who are far more about the culture and the political decision as well», indicating that the draft of these events «a golden opportunity for many of the Prosecutor of Culture and thieves», stressing that the imbalance in the decision to select the country under these circumstances in a timely, and that harms the reputation of Iraq, which Sttravq Artbakatha cultural news, with the time of the Arab summit conference in Baghdad! It should be noted that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki decided earlier to isolate and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture Jaber Al-Jabri from office and forwarded to the contract, against the backdrop of having to inform the offices of religious authorities in Najaf that the draft Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture in which some of the paragraphs that are incompatible with Islam, such as film screenings The lyrical passages, as reported by the source at the Ministry of Culture. On the other hand, said Head of Cultural Committee on Alfalh the media that the »project Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture in order because of the incomplete projects, and the reluctance of many of them most notably the theater and guest house», denying postponement of the project «because of the objection religious references to certain paragraphs of the project, as rumored in some ways Media ». The Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Culture of Iraq announced earlier that 100 countries will participate in the project Najaf, the capital of Islamic culture, including all the Islamic countries and the 55 countries. But sources said that «Dawa» thinking of cancellation of a project the cultural capital of Najaf through the Council of Ministers, under the pretext of Allkaat in the project And low rates of achievement of the lid on the government refused to receive the reference And delegations invited. Denied the organizers cancel the project entirely .. But notice the other suggests that the file will remain deferred and semi-canceled for an indefinite period!========================================================= بانتظار موعد الافتتاح..!مثقفون عراقيون ضد تأجيل «النجف عاصمة الثقافة الإسلامية»فساد.. تخبط إداري.. وإساءة لسمعة العراق! أفراح الهندالhttps://www.facebook.com/wara.fبين تلميحات بالفساد المالي والإداري، وتلويحات بخطأ اختيار النجف عاصمة للثقافة الإسلامية توقيتا وتنظيما؛ عبر مثقفون عراقيون عن استيائهم الشديد لهذه الارتباكات التنظيمية التي تسيء إلى المشهد الثقافي في العراق؛ خاصة أنه كلف الدولة 573 مليار دينار، لتنظيم فعاليات المهرجان التي كانت من المفترض أن تقام في 16 من مارس المقبل، على أن تستمر حتى نهاية العام 2012.إعلان التأجيل تداولته وسائل الإعلام، إضافة إلى «وجود نية لدى الحزب الحاكم بإلغاء مشروع النجف عاصمة الثقافة»، لوجود عمليات فساد واسعة فيه وانزعاج المرجعية من المشرفين عليه، وسحب دعم المرجع الأعلى من المشروع؛ ما دفع رئيس لجنة مشروع النجف عاصمة للثقافة الإسلامية حسين الشهرستاني، لإعلانه حتى إشعار آخر.السيستاني يرفض استقبال الوفودورافق ذلك أخبار مصادر مقربة من مكتب المرجع الأعلى السيد السيستاني بينت رفضه الشديد لاستقبال وزراء ثقافة الدول الإسلامية، لوجود «فساد في مشروع النجف العاصمة الثقافية التي خصص لها 500 مليون دولار»، مؤكدة أن رئيس الحزب الحاكم نوري المالكي وفريقه المتمثل بالدكتور حسين الشهرستاني «بذلوا الكثير من الجهد من أجل إقناع المرجع باستقبال الوفود القادمة»، إلا أنه رفض بشدة استقبال هؤلاء، لكي لا يعطي «الشرعية» لهذا المشروع الفاسد، وفق تصوره .بينما أكد محافظ النجف، عدنان الزرفي، أن أسباب تأجيل موعد انطلاق فعاليات مشروع النجف عاصمة الثقافة الإسلامية إلى منتصف مايو المقبل، لتزامن موعد انطلاق الفعاليات مع موعد انعقاد القمة العربية في بغداد، مؤكدا أن قرار التأجيل صدر من قبل مجلس الوزراء، بناء على طلب من وزير الثقافة، مبينا العمل على استكمال كافة الإجراءات لإقامة الفعاليات في موعدها المقرر.السبب انعقاد القمةوفي اتصال هاتفي بين الشاعر فارس حرام رئيس اتحاد الكتاب والأدباء في النجف والعضو في إحدى لجأن المشروع، «عدم وجود إشعارات أو معلومات عن التأجيل في القنوات الرسمية لمخاطبة اتحاد الكتاب والأدباء، وكل ما يتعلق بالتأجيل، يتداول في القنوات الإعلامية من قبل المسؤولين في النجف ومن الحكومة الاتحادية في بغداد، لكن ما نعرفه هو أن التأجيل بسبب تزامن انعقاد القمة العربية في بغداد مع موعد انطلاقة فعاليات «النجف عاصمة للثقافة الإسلامية»، ومن هذا الباب يبدو الأمر طبيعيا وضروريا، لكن لا علم بأسباب أخرى.واستكمل حرّام حديثه متأسفا على واقع الحال بالقول: «هذا يشير إلى الواقع المؤسف للمثقفين الذين يعتبرون آخر من يعلم في القرارات التي تمس الثقافة، رغم أنهم المخططون الأساسيون والفاعلون في أنشطتها». وحول إساءة التأجيل إلى السمعة للمشروع الثقافي الخاص بـ «النجف»؛ نفى حرام أن يسيء ذلك إلى النجف كمدينة وتاريخ ومنجز ثقافي عريق، ولكنه أكد أن ذلك «يمس آلية العمل في الحكومة الاتحادية في بغداد التي قررت تحديد تاريخ الانطلاقة وترددت فيه وأجلته الآن!»، وأشار إلى أن البنية التحتية في النجف ليست مكتملة، ومنذ 2003 كانت على علم بالمناسبة، ولكن دون إعادة إعمار وتأهيل للبنى التحية؛ فلا المسارح ولا القاعات أو المؤسسات الثقافية مستعدة فعلا ليوم الافتتاح!النجف.. وبغداد 2013..!أما بالنسبة إلى نشاط الفعاليات الثقافية، فأكد حرام أن اتحاد الأدباء والكتاب في النجف لن يوقف فعالياته أبدا، ومستمر في تنظيمها وإعدادها وإقامتها سواء قبل انطلاقة المشروع أو بعده، خاصة تلك التي أعدت لإطلاقها ضمن الخطة المسبقة لانطلاقة المشروع، مبينا أن الافتتاح «مجرد صفة رسمية دولية لحضور الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة والأمين العام للجامعة العربية وغيرهم من المسؤولين وممثلي الثقافة في الدول».ونبه إلى ضرورة أن تستدرك الحكومة الاتحادية في بغداد قراراتها واتخاذ خطوات أكثر دراسة وترتيبا، خاصة أن «بغداد» اختيرت عاصمة للثقافة العربية للعام المقبل! مشددا على ضرورة التنبه لهذا الخلل، والاستفادة من الأخطاء وتشكيل اللجان بعناية بمعاونة المثقفين.التأجيل قرار صائبمدير تحرير جريدة المنارة، الكاتب موفق الرفاعي، أكد عدم اكتمال البنية التحية بالقول: «باعتقادي أن التأجيل جاء تصحيحا أو استدراكا للخطأ في اختيار مدينة في العراق في هذه الظروف عاصمة للثقافة ولأي نشاط آخر، فالفوضى في كل شيء وعدم الاستقرار السياسي والأمني والفساد الذي أضحى سمة من سمات عراق ما بعد الاحتلال يدعونا إلى أن نعتبر أن التأجيل هو القرار الصائب».واستكمل: «تغلغل الفساد في جميع مفاصل الدولة العراقية سيطيح حتما بكل المشاريع، ومنها الثقافية، وأن علاج ذلك لا يمكن حسمه بقرار سياسي ولا تخفف منه الوعظيات المنبرية، إنما في إصلاح اجتماعي يبدأ من إصلاح التعليم وسياسي يبدأ من قمة هرم السلطة التي تتستر على الفساد وتحتفظ بأوراقه للضغط والابتزاز بدلا من إحالة المسؤولين عنه إلى القضاء».خطأ التوقيتوأكد أن الخلل في التوقيت لا المدينة، مشددا على ضرورة «التريث كثيرا إلى حين يتعافى العراق ويصبح قادرا على إدارة مثل هذه النشاطات»، وحول إساءة التأجيل إلى السمعة الثقافية، أكد الرفاعي أنه يسيء أيضا إلى «سمعة العراق وعدم قدرته على تنظيم مثل هذه المهرجانات، وهو الذي يعج بالمثقفين والمبدعين، وسيؤكد ما ينشره الإعلام عن حجم الفساد في العراق ويرفضه المسؤولون دائما، متهمين الإعلام بالتهويل تارة، وباختلاق ذلك لأسباب سياسية تارة أخرى»، مستدركا «أما مدينة النجف فلا اعتقد أن سمعتها التاريخية ستتأثر، ذلك أن جميع المسلمين يحتفظون في ذاكرتهم صورة نجف العلم والثقافة، وستبقى كذلك».تدهور خطيرأما الشاعر أجود مجبل فعبّر عن الخبر قائلا: «إذا تم اتخاذ قرار التأجيل فعلا، فهو قرار محزن بالتأكيد، وهو يكشف عن التدهور الخطير الذي حل بنا وبحياتنا الثقافية، وهو سيرسل رسائل خاطئة كثيرة عنا إلى الدول الإسلامية التي اختارت النجف عاصمة لثقافتها، ولاحول ولا قوة إلا بالله!» فرصة المدعين والسراقالكاتب الصحافي عامر الربيعي ألقى اللوم على «المسؤولين وتغلغل الفساد، وعدم تقدير مسؤولية مثل هذه الفعاليات من قبل أشخاص هم أبعد بكثير عن الثقافة وعن القرار السياسي كذلك»، مبينا أن مشروع هذه الفعاليات «فرصة ذهبية للكثير من مدعي الثقافة والسراق»، ومؤكدا أن الخلل في قرار اختيار البلد في ظل هذه الظروف وفي التوقيت، وأن ذلك يسيء إلى سمعة العراق التي ستترافق أخبار ارتباكاتها الثقافية، مع موعد انعقاد مؤتمر القمة العربية في بغداد!الجدير بالذكر أن رئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي قرر في وقت سابق عزل وكيل وزارة الثقافة جابر الجابري من منصبه وإحالته على التعاقد، على خلفية قيامه بإبلاغ مكاتب المراجع الدينية في النجف الأشرف بأن مشروع النجف عاصمة الثقافة الإسلامية فيه بعض الفقرات التي تتعارض مع الإسلام، مثل عروض سينمائية ومقاطع غنائية، وفق ما أفاد به مصدر في وزارة الثقافة. من جهة أخرى صرح رئيس اللجنة الثقافية علي الشلاه للإعلام بأن» مشروع النجف عاصمة الثقافة الإسلامية أجل بسبب عدم اكتمال المشاريع، وتلكؤ العديد منها أبرزها المسرح ودار الضيافة»، نافيا تأجيل المشروع «بسبب اعتراض المرجعيات الدينية على بعض فقرات المشروع، كما أشيع في بعض وسائل الإعلام».يذكر أن مديرية العلاقات العامة بوزارة الثقافة العراقية أعلنت في وقت سابق، أن 100 دولة ستشارك في مشروع النجف عاصمة الثقافة الإسلامية، من بينها جميع الدول الإسلامية والبالغ عددها 55 دولة. ولكن مصادر صرحت بأن «حزب الدعوة» يفكر في إلغاء مشروع النجف العاصمة الثقافية من خلال مجلس الوزراء، بحجة التلكؤات في المشروعونسب الإنجاز المتدنية للغطاء على رفض المرجعية استقبال الحكومةوالوفود المدعوة. ونفى القائمون إلغاء المشروع تماما.. ولكن الإشعار الآخر يوحي بأن الملف سيبقى مرجأ وشبه ملغى لفترة غير محددة!==========================You and مصطفى عبد الرضا like this.Fathia Alhaddad لماذا لا يعطون المدينة فرصة، التخبط الاداري موجود في كل شيء، اصلا ربما اصبح الطريق الوحيد لانجاز الأشياء. من قال ان فكرة "المدن الثقافية" فكرة عربية، وبالتالي ما تم هو استعارة فكرة معمول عليها من قبل ومدروسة، وان ظهرت اخطاء، فلا بد أن تظهر بعض الايجابيات أيضا ولو بنسبة ضيئلة... لنتساءل، هل المدن الثقافية العربية الأخرى التي اختيرت خلال السنوات الماضية كانت احس حالا من الناحية الادارية؟ أعتقد ان سوريا حظيت بسنة كانت فيها مدينة للثقافة، فهل كانت منظمة اداريا؟ اتمنى ان يعقد مختصا مقارنة علمية ويفيدنا.3 hours ago · LikeAfrah Hypatia عزيزتي فتحية كما هو مبين في التحقيق السبب الرئيسي رفض السيستاني استقبال الوفود لأنه يرى ثمة شبهة في كم الأموال المصروفة وقيمتها ما يجعل موافقته ورضاه قبول بهذا الاشتباه..ورفض استقبال الوفود أحرج المسؤولين..إضافة إلى ما أورده الكتاب من انهيار البنية التحتية تماما التي لا يمكنها إقامة الفعاليات تلك كافة واستقبال الوفود العالمية..3 hours ago · LikeAfrah Hypatia تم تأجيلها إلى مارس مع احتمالات الإلغاء الواردة..! وها نحن نتابع الحدث3 hours ago · LikeFathia Alhaddad أفراح ذكرتيني بمقولة اوباما في حملته الانتخابية Yes, we can ... يعني السيد السيستاني لماذا لا يبحث عن حل مناسب بدل الرفض التام. هذا برأي سلبي، ولا يخدم المدينة. على طاري البنية التحتية، قابلت العام الماضي دكتورة في جامعة بوسنية، قالت لي انهم ايام الحرب، كانوا يحيون اعمالا ثقافية ونشاطات أدبية وفنية في سراديب. المفترض ان نطوع الظروف للاستفادة من المناسبة، قدر الامكان. اذا كانت البنية منهارة، والناس عايشين على هذه البنية، فما الذي سيختلف ان اقيمت الاحتفالية، وما هي نسبة الوفود التي ستؤثر سلبا على البنية؟ للمناسبات الرياضية تقام مدن بأكملها، ونحن نؤكد عجزنا. عموما أتمنى أن تقوم "البنية التحتية" وكذلك "الفوقية" أيضا ليكون الكل في صالح المواطن.3 hours ago · Like · 1Afrah Hypatia ليت تنسخين تعليقك غاليتي في تعليقات الموقع لأن الرابط متوافر للقراء من العراق وجميل لو اقترن به لقراءته ..دمتِ وأتفق معك3 hours ago · LikeFathia Alhaddad لا اريد ان ادخل في متاهة القراء ... خليـــني هــنا وأنا مقتنعة بالتداخل معك .. كفاية علي ...========================

Enemy targeting Iranian unity: Cleric

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:26:49 GMT

Tehran's interim Friday Prayers leader says the enemies of the Islamic Republic have invested in preventing the mass turnout of the Iranian nation in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani cautioned against enemy plots to disrupt the mass turnout of Iranians in the March 2nd elections, stressing that it is vital for the people to maintain a unified front.

He added that “remaining united and avoiding dissention” will bring honor for the country.

“For 33 years, they (the West) have imposed political and economic sanctions on us, but, as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] and other officials have repeatedly stated, these sanctions have awakened the Iranian nation and in the end will backfire upon those imposing them.”

On New Year’s Eve, the United States imposed new sanctions against Iran aimed at preventing other countries from importing Iranian oil and transactions with its central bank.

European Union foreign ministers also approved sanctions against Iran’s oil and financial sectors on January 23, including a ban on Iranian oil imports, a freeze on the assets of the country’s Central Bank within EU states, and a ban on selling grains, diamonds, gold, and other precious metals to Tehran.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and have used this pretext to push for four rounds of UN sanctions and a series of unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful use.

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Inflation heats up on gasoline prices
Fri, Feb 17 10:39 AM EST
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By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gasoline prices jumped 0.9 percent in January, pushing overall consumer prices up and offering a reminder of the risks energy costs pose to the economic recovery.

The 0.2 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index reported by the Labor Department on Friday shows inflation remains largely under control, but a reading of underlying price pressures could reinforce caution at the Federal Reserve as it mulls further measures to help the economy.

The gain in gasoline prices, which followed three straight months of declines, reflected tensions in the Middle East that have pushed oil prices higher.

That has translated in to extra costs at the pump for Americans, leaving them less money to spend on other things.

After rising throughout January, the national price for regular unleaded gasoline prices rose to $3.58 a gallon in the week through Monday, according to the Energy Information Administration. It had started the year around $3.32 a gallon.

The Labor Department report showed so-called core prices, which strip out food and energy costs, rose 0.2 percent, which was in line with expectations.

However, it also showed core prices have risen an unexpectedly steep 2.3 percent over the past 12 months.

While the year-on-year reading on overall prices has been easing, the steady pick-up in core suggests inflation pressures are not subsiding as quickly as expected.

"The Fed will likely be cautious in calibrating any response to the softening headline inflation outlook," said Millan Mulraine, an economist at TD Securities.

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Graphic on January U.S. CPI: http://link.reuters.com/xyr66s

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At the close of its January meeting, the Fed said it would likely keep interest rates at rock-bottom levels until at least late 2014. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke expressed caution about recent improvements in the economy and left the door open to further Fed bond buying to boost growth.

Recent jobs and factory data have eased worries economic growth could slow sharply in the current quarter.

A gauge of future U.S. economic activity rose to a 3-1/2 year high in January on solid gains in manufacturing, the Conference Board said on Friday, pointing to steady economic momentum.

U.S. stocks were little changed in early trading, with investors reluctant to continue buying a day after the S&P posted its best daily gain in two weeks. Treasury debt prices edged down and the euro rose against the dollar on hopes Greece was nearing a deal to secure a new rescue package.

Overall consumer prices rose 2.9 percent year-on-year after increasing 3.0 percent in December. That was in line with economists' expectations.

Moderating the monthly gain in core prices, used car and truck prices fell 1.0 percent and new vehicle prices were flat.

Also, despite the spike in gasoline prices, overall energy prices rose just 0.2 percent because electricity prices were flat and costs to consumers for piped natural gas services fell 2.9 percent.

(Editing by Andrea Ricci)

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Disappearing Tradition: Najaf abaya makers in decline

Ahmed Razzaq Mohammed, 31, weaves cloth for a hand-made Najafi abaya. (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)

by Prashant Rao

Note: This article was originally published by AFP on March 9, 2011. It can be found here.

NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) – Known across the region for its fine texture, the Najafi abaya is worn by all manner of VIPs from officials to oil-rich sheikhs. But the men who produce the hand-made cloth, inheritors of a generations-old trade, are increasingly going out of business.

“Let me tell you something,” said Kadhim, laughing bitterly while embroidering one of the full-length cloaks, spread across his lap. “If I could find a government job, I would stop all this.

“This work is too hard, and business is not good anymore.”

The bazaar where Kadhim has his shop, at the entrance to the shrine to Imam Ali, revered among Shiites, was once dominated by makers of this traditional garb.

Now many stalls sell trinkets, toys and other forms of clothing to pilgrims from mainly Shiite Muslim Iran, as the tradition of hand-made abayas — those designed and sold in Najaf are only for men — has seen a dramatic decline in recent years.

Kadhim Abu Chengal (R) embroiders an abaya as longtime friend and fellow abaya salesman Ahmed al-Ghazali sits alongside. (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)

Kadhim Abu Chengal embroiders an abaya to be sold in Najaf's "abaya market". (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)

Ahmed al-Ghazali (R) helps a customer try on a handmade Najafi abaya in the city's "abaya market". (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)



The 41-year-old Kadhim, whose family has been in the business so long that he takes the last name Abu Chengal or “father of the crochet hook”, does not know if he can hang on much longer.

“My sales of the summer abaya are down to around a fifth of what they were 10 years ago — I used to sell hundreds but now I sell dozens,” he moaned.



The 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein unleashed a number of changes, from ending the UN trade embargo on Iraq and lifting the country’s own protectionist policies to pushing up the value of the Iraqi dinar.

The unrest itself caused a sudden drop in demand for abaya, as fewer customers dared venture to Najaf. And for what orders remained, traditional abaya weavers and tailors found themselves dramatically undercut, prompting many to scramble for secure government jobs.

The new competition came not only from imported textiles, now flooding the market alongside other imported goods, but from improvements in abaya cloth produced in domestic factories and much cheaper than its hand-made counterpart.

While an embroidered hand-made abaya sells in Najaf’s market for between 500,000 and 800,000 Iraqi dinars ($425-$675), factory-made or imported ones can be bought for as little as 75,000 dinars ($65).

“When I quit a few years ago, I was selling each abaya cloth for 120,000 to 150,000 dinars ($100-$125),” lamented Hussein Sayed, 63, a weaver who left the trade in 2005.

The hand-made item is labour intensive, he pointed out, taking one worker three to 10 days to weave cloth for one abaya, even before it is embroidered.

Hussein Sayed (C) talks about the decline of his hand-made abaya business in recent years, at Najaf's "abaya market". (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)

Hussein Sayed (L), whose hand-made abaya business collapsed in 2006, sits at a stall in Najaf's "abaya market". (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)

Ahmed Razzaq Mohammed spins yarn in his family's home in Najaf as part of preparations to weave a panel of cloth for a hand-made abaya. (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)



Meanwhile, “you could buy a piece of cloth for an abaya for 20,000 dinars ($17) — that price was too low, I could not compete,” said Sayed. “As soon as international trade began, our jobs were finished.”

Four of his six sons learned the craft but are now taxi drivers.

Razzaq Mohammed, 58, told a similar story — he dropped weaving to open a general store in 2006 when the craft no longer generated sufficient income.

“It was all we did, my family has done this for more than 100 years — I opened my eyes at birth, and my family was making abayas this way,” he said, standing by three looms kept in a separate room of his home.

“The sheikhs, the VIPs, they still want hand-made Najafi abayas. But the work is not continuous, it is not dependable.”

His son Ahmed, 31, still practices the craft, painstakingly unknotting yarn made from sheep wool, warping the loom and weaving abaya panels on the old frame with its series of weights and pulleys affixed to the wall and ceiling.

But the amount of work on offer is not enough. “I will leave all this if I find another job that covers the needs of my family,” Ahmed said.

Razzaq Mohammed separates yarns of sheep's wool in his home in Najaf as part of preparations to weave a panel of cloth for a hand-made abaya. (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)

Ahmed Razzaq Mohammed uses an old loom, operated with a series of weights and pulleys affixed to his family's home in Najaf, to weave a panel of abaya cloth. (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)

Ahmed Razzaq Mohammed separates knots in the yarn as he weaves a panel of abaya cloth using an old loom in his family's home in Najaf. (PHOTO: Prashant Rao)



A major boost in the Iraqi dinar made the Najafi abaya less attractive to overseas customers — whereas $1 bought around 3,000 dinars prior to the 2003 invasion, it now gets only 1,180 dinars.

And a change in Najaf’s own clientele has added to the impact. Before the invasion, Saddam allowed only a few hundred pilgrims into Iraq on a daily basis to visit holy Shiite shrines. Their number has now jumped to an estimated 3,500 every day, the vast majority Iranian, causing many bazaar merchants to rethink their products.

“It used to be all about abayas, but now we sell gifts for tourists,” said Yusuf Mohammed Ali, a former tailor who switched to peddling scarves, rings and prayer beads.

Hassan Issa al-Hakim, who teaches Islamic history at Kufa University in Najaf’s twin city, said the industry dates back more than 150 years and the Najafi abaya “represents the identity of the city”.

“It was a gift that would be given to political and religious leaders who visited, and it used to be exported across the region,” the 69-year-old said.

Even now, “there are those who make amazing hand-made abayas but they all depend on requests from clients.”

Back in the “abaya market”, as it is still called, Kadhim sat alongside his friend Ahmed al-Ghazali, both life-long abaya tailors.

“Look here,” Kadhim said waving into the bazaar. “All of this used to be for selling abayas.”

“Not anymore. People have moved on.”

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