<div class=Canada’s Don Valley West (Ward 26) city council candidates speak
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Canada’s Don Valley West (Ward 26) city council candidates speak

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This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

Friday, November 3, 2006

On November 13, Torontonians will be heading to the polls to vote for their ward’s councillor and for mayor. Among Toronto’s ridings is Don Valley West (Ward 26). Four candidates responded to Wikinews’ requests for an interview. This ward’s candidates include Muhammad Alam, Bahar Aminvaziri, Orhan Aybars, Michele Carroll-Smith, Mohamed Dhanani, Abdul Ingar, Geoff Kettel, Debbie Lechter, Natalie Maniates, John Masterson, John Parker, David Thomas, Csaba Vegh, and Fred Williams.

For more information on the election, read Toronto municipal election, 2006.

Contents

  • 1 Geoff Kettel
  • 2 Natalie Maniates
  • 3 John Parker
  • 4 Csaba Vegh
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<div class=Former adult film actress forced to leave teaching job again
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Former adult film actress forced to leave teaching job again

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Friday, March 11, 2011

Tera Myers, a former actress in pornographic films, has left her position as a science teacher at Parkway North High School in St. Louis County, Missouri after her past was revealed by a student. This marks the second such controversy involving Myers, also known under the names Tericka Dye and the stage name Rikki Anderson. She was suspended by Kentucky’s McCracken County Public Schools system in 2006 after her career in pornography was made public.

Don Senti, interim superintendent of the district, said Myers was on administrative leave from her position at the school at her own request. Myers’ request, granted “out of respect for her privacy and that of her family,” came after a student inquired about her pornographic career. The district said Myers passed background checks before being hired as a teacher in 2007, but it did not know about her past until the student found out about it online, because her career in the pornography industry was legal. A Parkway representative said the Kentucky school at which Myers last worked was contacted in 2007 to verify her references, but no mention of her suspension or stint in pornography was provided.

Myers will continue to be paid until the end of the semester, at which time she is to leave the Parkway School District. “We’re surprised, very surprised,” said Parkway spokesperson Paul Tandy. “At the same time we feel for her and her family. We do believe she has tried to move on with her life … Unfortunately, even though it happened fifteen years ago, [the video] is still there.” According to Tandy, Dye “was concerned about the impact it would have in the building,” and, on March 4, informed the school’s principal of her past after being asked by the student. Myers also was the coach of the girls’ volleyball at Parkway North High School.

Myers previously taught at Reidland High School in Paducah, Kentucky, and was suspended in 2006 after a student there discovered her pornographic career. That May, Myers defended herself, saying, “Anybody who has been in my classroom could tell you how much I love teaching and how much I love these students, and that should be what matters more than anything in my past.” Known as Tericka Dye at the time, she protested against her dismissal and even appeared on the “Dr. Phil” talk show.

Myers said she became involved in the adult industry after working as an impoverished exotic dancer in California.

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What Are You Running From, And To, And Why?

What Are You Running From, And To, And Why?

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Submitted by: Liesl Garner

All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why. James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist, best known for his contributions to The New Yorker. (1894-1961)

Can you imagine how the world would open up for us if we knew the answers to these questions? To know, without a shadow of a doubt, what it is you are running to with wild abandon, knowing you will be caught in the arms of whatever it is you pursue? Perhaps the art that is in you straining at the little seed of love where it dwells waiting for the smallest nod of acceptance and joy from you to burst into bloom.

There are so many things it could be; the thing we are running to. We get caught up in simply going through the motions of paying bills and running on the treadmill of oughts and shoulds and musts. And we are responsible people; so we take care of what needs to be done. This is good. This is right. This is proper.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uluukFCA93g[/youtube]

How often do we stop to think about what we are running from, and to, and why? How often do we allow ourselves to ponder how big our life really is how many people we affect along the way, how many people are watching us for clues of how to sort out their own lives, how much depends on us being okay in our own skin? And if even for a minute the thought of people depending on you for their well-being makes you cringe, take a deep breath. It s time to get to work on you and your best interests for a minute.

Because people, sometimes young people, sometimes our own young ones are looking to us, it is imperative and a great privilege to spend some time deciphering some of life s bigger questions. Let s not look at self-discovery as one more chore, but as a way to breathe more life into our life, more love into every relationship we enjoy,

This morning, as I look out the window at work. I see the rolling hills of Southern Oregon, the patchwork of various fields, fence lines lined with trees, and farm houses dotting the scenery. There is one bright patch of freshly plowed earth. It is a little square of deep, rich brown amidst the softening green, almost tan of the late autumn, winter ground. Something about it makes me want to rush to it and scoop up the soil in my hands and breathe deeply the smell of fertile ground. Something is going to grow there and that is one of the loveliest things I can imagine.

Something is growing here. My spirit soars at that thought. I watch my children come up with new ideas every day, and I know that they are growing at a pace that will catch me by surprise someday and take my breath away. They will be off to explore the world on their own, and make decisions, and be grown-ups.

At this moment, in this place, I can say that I am running from anything stagnant. I am running toward growth because my imagination is a field that must be plowed on a regular basis. I need activity there. I need the richness of a seed pushed deep into the soil, where it sits and wraps itself in mystery for a time, and then with enough warmth from the sun and nourishment from the rain, it explodes into a dizzying display of outstretched arms and tendrils climbing, flowers bursting forth with filament, petals and pistils.

I am a garden ablaze with vibrant color and endless texture. I can get lost in the depth and brilliance of all the life that is there. It only took a moment of contemplation this morning, for me to be utterly grateful for the mind I dwell in, the gifts I have to give the world, to my own family and children specifically.

Beauty is within. Beauty is inside our hearts and souls and imaginations. Take a moment today to think about what you are running from, and to, and why. I wouldn t take it so seriously as to get lost in a morose downward spiral. Perhaps think more of the running to what inspires you, what makes you sigh happily when you think of it. It could be as simple as a warm cup of coffee with a friend. Some mornings that is what I am running to and I think to stay in the moment that is what we embrace. Some mornings I am running to the satisfaction of completing something big. I love the idea of starting my day with what am I running from, and to, and why? and waking up my heart to wonder and a brief moment of self-discovery.

Today I am in love with nature, the smell of fertile soil, and the pleasure of a fertile imagination. As odd as that may sound, that is my story for today, for this moment. I am running to the richness of Something is Growing Here. Oh, wrap that thought in mystery for a time and see what blossoms come Spring!

About the Author: Liesl Garner is a Fashion Marketing Writer working with Fleece Footwear, an authorized reseller of UGG Boots.

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<div class=Sony’s DRM protected CDs install Windows rootkits
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Sony’s DRM protected CDs install Windows rootkits

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Tuesday, November 1, 2005

Mark Russinovich, of SysInternals.com, has discovered a so-called “rootkit” which is installed by Sony’s new digital rights management-protected music compact disks (CDs). A rootkit is a common name for malicious software that is used by computer criminals to hide their presence on a compromised computer. Rootkits frequently contain hidden files and are designed to be difficult for the user to detect and remove.

Russinovich classifies Sony’s rootkit as malware because it is alleged to introduce several serious security holes, one of which can be exploited to hide files and prevent the user from removing them. In particular, all executable files which begin with ‘$sys$’ are hidden when the software is installed. He points out that these security holes could be exploited by hackers, or other malware producers besides Sony.

Russinovich explains that naively removing the files will result in a crippling of the operating system on the user’s computer. He provides an explanation of the difficult step required to remove Sony’s malware.

Playing the same CDs on computers not running the Windows operating system, or on a non-computer based CD player remains safe. As removing Sony’s malware would violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act‘s anti-circumvention provisions, ripping the CDs on computers running a non-Windows operating system may be the best legal and technically safe option for those who wish to listen to them under Windows.

The software is automatically installed when a Sony CD is played on a computer, and is not mentioned in their EULA. The rootkit has been commercially developed by First 4 Internet and licensed to Sony.

Other rights management techniques used by music publishers recently include breaking the Red Book compact disc standard format. This technique causes many CD players to not be able to play the new CDs, but also protects against casual ripping. Fiona Apple’s recent album release in the United States uses such technology.

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<div class=Wikinews interviews Jeremy Hanke, editor of MicroFilmmaker Magazine
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Wikinews interviews Jeremy Hanke, editor of MicroFilmmaker Magazine

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Friday, April 11, 2008

Wikinews held an exclusive interview with Jeremy Hanke, editor of MicroFilmmaker Magazine. The magazine, which is free to read online, was started as a resource for the low budget moviemaker and features book, independent film, equipment and software reviews as well as articles on film distribution, special effects and lighting.

He says that one of the goals of the magazine is to “connect low-budget filmmakers via a feeling of community, as many…..often compete so viciously against one another in film festivals for coveted “shots” with Hollywood, that they can quickly forget their similarities.”

When asked if films made on a shoestring budget can really compete with those made for millions of dollars, he replied, “no…yes…and absolutely. Allow me to explain.” And so he does in the interview below.

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<div class=Surgeons reattach boy’s three severed limbs
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Surgeons reattach boy’s three severed limbs

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Tuesday, March 29, 2005A team of Australian surgeons yesterday reattached both hands and one foot to 10-year-old Perth boy, Terry Vo, after a brick wall which collapsed during a game of basketball fell on him, severing the limbs. The wall gave way while Terry performed a slam-dunk, during a game at a friend’s birthday party.

The boy was today awake and smiling, still in some pain but in good spirits and expected to make a full recovery, according to plastic surgeon, Mr Robert Love.

“What we have is parts that are very much alive so the reattached limbs are certainly pink, well perfused and are indeed moving,” Mr Love told reporters today.

“The fact that he is moving his fingers, and of course when he wakes up he will move both fingers and toes, is not a surprise,” Mr Love had said yesterday.

“The question is more the sensory return that he will get in the hand itself and the fine movements he will have in the fingers and the toes, and that will come with time, hopefully. We will assess that over the next 18 months to two years.

“I’m sure that he’ll enjoy a game of basketball in the future.”

The weight and force of the collapse, and the sharp brick edges, resulted in the three limbs being cut through about 7cm above the wrists and ankle.

Terry’s father Tan said of his only child, the injuries were terrible, “I was scared to look at him, a horrible thing.”

The hands and foot were placed in an ice-filled Esky and rushed to hospital with the boy, where three teams of medical experts were assembled, and he was given a blood transfusion after experiencing massive blood loss. Eight hours of complex micro-surgery on Saturday night were followed by a further two hours of skin grafts yesterday.

“What he will lose because it was such a large zone of traumatised skin and muscle and so on, he will lose some of the skin so he’ll certainly require lots of further surgery regardless of whether the skin survives,” said Mr Love said today.

The boy was kept unconscious under anaesthetic between the two procedures. In an interview yesterday, Mr Love explained why:

“He could have actually been woken up the next day. Because we were intending to take him back to theatre for a second look, to look at the traumatised skin flaps, to close more of his wounds and to do split skin grafting, it was felt the best thing to do would be to keep him stable and to keep him anaesthetised.”

Professor Wayne Morrison, director of the respected Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery and head of plastic and hand surgery at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, said he believed the operation to be a world first.

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Hire Seo Plus Web Design Services For Strong Online Company Presence

Hire Seo Plus Web Design Services For Strong Online Company Presence

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Submitted by: Steves Millers

Whether it is actually internet organization or brick and mortar business, the competitive organization environment has improved the need with develop, keep and improve presence online. Due to the, every organization wants for an experienced web design firm which could meet their site creating desires at cost-effective costs. Do you also want to create a powerful online presence? If yes, this article will benefit you to take the next step with reach the organization objectives!Before you plan to promote the website online, you have to keep your website is appealing, engaging and interesting to hang the attention of the tourist. Along with which, you have to make sure the website can reach the directed audience. So, it is actually important to take SEO and url design services from an SEO web design business which could boost the risk for site customer and search-engine friendly.The main factor of these firms is that they optimize the website because per search motor policies to assist in attaining wise search motor placement. Once your website has accomplished position, you will love the following benefits:1. Multiplies the chances of higher traffic towards the web page 2. Higher traffic will generate more leads 3. The leads will then be converted into sales 4. Higher exposure online 5. Improved organization branding online 6. Improved credibility among target market 7. Love improved sales figuresIrrespective of the company size, you because an entrepreneur will not favor to neglect all these benefits that will help the organization stand out of the crowd.Such SEO and web design companies have designed different plans covering all the imperative services. However, they actually provide an alternative with personalize the routine which means you could meet the assorted budget restrictions.The customization has assisted numerous companies to enhance their online exposure through SEO and web designs services. Whether you want to take website design or SEO services, or both services, they will personalize the routine because per the specifications.If you are curious in improving the organization presence online, you can share the thoughts with 1 of the experienced SEO web designs firms for ideal solutions. They will provide you solutions which could meet the organization objectives and could fit the organization budget.Do not let the competitors overpower the image online! Join the hands with a effective business now and see the organization gaining popularity and customers internationally. Whether it is actually internet organization or brick and mortar business, the competitive organization environment has improved the need with develop, keep and improve presence online. Due to the, every organization wants for an experienced web design firm which could meet their site creating desires at cost-effective costs. Do you also want to create a powerful online presence? If yes, this article will benefit you to take the next step with reach the organization objectives!Before you plan to promote the website online, you have to keep your website is appealing, engaging and interesting to hang the attention of the tourist. Along with which, you have to make sure the website can reach the directed audience. So, it is actually important to take SEO and url design services from an SEO web design business which could boost the risk for site customer and search-engine friendly.The main factor of these firms is that they optimize the website because per search motor policies to assist in attaining wise search motor placement. Once your website has accomplished position, you will love the following benefits:1. Multiplies the chances of higher traffic towards the web page 2. Higher traffic will generate more leads 3. The leads will then be converted into sales 4. Higher exposure online 5. Improved organization branding online 6. Improved credibility among target market 7. Love improved sales figuresIrrespective of the company size, you because an entrepreneur will not favor to neglect all these benefits that will help the organization stand out of the crowd.Such SEO and web design companies have designed different plans covering all the imperative services. However, they actually provide an alternative with personalize the routine which means you could meet the assorted budget restrictions.The customization has assisted numerous companies to enhance their online exposure through SEO and web designs services. Whether you want to take website design or SEO services, or both services, they will personalize the routine because per the specifications.If you are curious in improving the organization presence online, you can share the thoughts with 1 of the experienced SEO web designs firms for ideal solutions. They will provide you solutions which could meet the organization objectives and could fit the organization budget.Do not let the competitors overpower the image online! Join the hands with a effective business now and see the organization gaining popularity and customers internationally.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsexRiAxbF0[/youtube]

About the Author: seo chicago

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<div class=Anti-China protesters clash with police in Tibet
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Anti-China protesters clash with police in Tibet

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Friday, March 14, 2008

In the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, Chinese security forces tried to control Buddhist monks and other ethnic Tibetans who were setting fire to vehicles and shops on Friday, in protest of China’s rule. At least two protesters are reported to have been shot dead by riot police.

The Chinese government reacted quickly to the protests. An eyewitness report describes hundreds of police forces barricading the city’s main square, some opening fire on protesters. Other reports suggest the city is under a sort of lockdown. “The Sera monastery is surrounded by Chinese soldiers or police,” an eyewitness told ABC News. “I went yesterday to an area nearby to meet a Tibetan friend, and I saw the monastery surrounded by them.”

The protests began rather peacefully on Monday, when a group of monks marched in Lhasa to advocate religious freedom. The march came on the 49th anniversary of Tibet’s 1959 rebellion against China. When 50 or 60 of the monks were arrested, hundreds of other monks took to the streets to demand their release. Soon, ordinary Tibetans became involved as well, and the protests grew more violent.

Around 400 protesters gathered at a market near the Jokhang temple, where they were confronted by 1,000 police, according to a witness cited by the Free Tibet Campaign. Cars, buses, and military vehicles were burned as plumes of smoke rose above the city. Protesters also set fire to shops, most of which were owned by ethnic Chinese. “Some of them are looting those shops, taking out the contents and throwing them on huge fires which they’ve lit in the street,” said James Miles, a British journalist.

People have been burning cars and motorbikes and buses. There is smoke everywhere and they have been throwing rocks and breaking windows.

Near Barkhor, one man said that two soldiers have been killed, and that Tibetans were beating Chinese residents with iron rods. Another eyewitness in Lhasa said that people were being carried away on stretchers. “People have been burning cars and motorbikes and buses,” one resident said. “There is smoke everywhere and they have been throwing rocks and breaking windows. We’re scared.”

Psurbu Tsering of the “Tibetan Association of New York and New Jersey” said his members had received phone calls from Tibet, claiming 70 people had been killed and 1,000 arrested in Tibet. These reports could not be verified.

The unrest has reportedly spread to other provinces, and even other countries. Similar protests were seen in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu, where 1,000 protesters, including monks, gathered at a rally in support of the Tibet demonstrations. Around 12 monks were injured. In the United States, six Tibetans were arrested after holding protests outside the United Nations building in New York City.

An official from the Tibet Autonomous Region accused the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, of orchestrating the protests, saying there was enough evidence to prove they were “organized, premeditated and masterminded” by Gyatso and his close supporters. A spokesperson for the Dalai Lama denied these allegations, saying the protests were “completely spontaneous”.

In a statement, the Dalai Lama called the protests a “manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people”. He insisted that both sides end the violence, telling the Chinese government to “stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue,” and he urged his “fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.”

Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency, reported in the early hours of Saturday that the situation had “basically returned to normal”, although some people had been injured and were taken to the hospital. A Chinese official said the government is “fully capable of maintaining social stability” in Tibet.

The events prompted responses from European leaders, including Dimitrij Rupel, foreign minister of Slovenia and current President of the European Council. “We would like to see some kind of reconciliation between the Chinese authorities and the Tibetan representatives,” he said.

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner alluded to a connection between the protests and the 2008 Summer Olympics, which are set to occur in Beijing this August. “France can draw attention to the link between the Olympic Games and this Tibetan aspiration, which China has to take into account.” However, he will not be supporting a boycott of the games. Neither will European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who said, “As far as the Olympic Games are concerned I intend to be there.”

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<div class=Lobby groups oppose plans for EU copyright extension
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Lobby groups oppose plans for EU copyright extension

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The European Commission currently has proposals on the table to extend performers’ copyright terms. Described by Professor Martin Kretschmer as the “Beatles Extension Act”, the proposed measure would extend copyright from 50 to 95 years after recording. A vast number of classical tracks are at stake; the copyright on recordings from the fifties and early sixties is nearing its expiration date, after which it would normally enter the public domain or become ‘public property’. E.U. Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Charlie McCreevy is proposing this extension, and if the other relevant Directorate Generales (Information Society, Consumers, Culture, Trade, Competition, etc.) agree with the proposal, it will be sent to the European Parliament.

Wikinews contacted Erik Josefsson, European Affairs Coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (E.F.F.), who invited us to Brussels, the heart of E.U. policy making, to discuss this new proposal and its implications. Expecting an office interview, we arrived to discover that the event was a party and meetup conveniently coinciding with FOSDEM 2008 (the Free and Open source Software Developers’ European Meeting). The meetup was in a sprawling city centre apartment festooned with E.F.F. flags and looked to be a party that would go on into the early hours of the morning with copious food and drink on tap. As more people showed up for the event it turned out that it was a truly international crowd, with guests from all over Europe.

Eddan Katz, the new International Affairs Director of the E.F.F., had come over from the U.S. to connect to the European E.F.F. network, and he gladly took part in our interview. Eddan Katz explained that the Electronic Frontier Foundation is “A non-profit organisation working to protect civil liberties and freedoms online. The E.F.F. has fought for information privacy rights online, in relation to both the government and companies who, with insufficient transparency, collect, aggregate and make abuse of information about individuals.” Another major focus of their advocacy is intellectual property, said Eddan: “The E.F.F. represents what would be the public interest, those parts of society that don’t have a concentration of power, that the private interests do have in terms of lobbying.”

Becky Hogge, Executive Director of the U.K.’s Open Rights Group (O.R.G.), joined our discussion as well. “The goals of the Open Rights Group are very simple: we speak up whenever we see civil, consumer or human rights being affected by the poor implementation or the poor regulation of new technologies,” Becky summarised. “In that sense, people call us -I mean the E.F.F. has been around, in internet years, since the beginning of time- but the Open Rights Group is often called the British E.F.F.“

Contents

  • 1 The interview
    • 1.1 Cliff Richard’s pension
    • 1.2 Perpetual patents?
    • 1.3 The fight moves from the U.K. to Europe
    • 1.4 Reclaiming democratic processes in the E.U.
  • 2 Related news
  • 3 Sources
  • 4 External links
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<div class=Evidence of natural gas deposit found off Gaza Coast
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Evidence of natural gas deposit found off Gaza Coast

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Friday, February 28, 2014

In statements to the press on Monday and Tuesday, Dr. Salem Salama, a member of the Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council’s economic committee, said signs of a natural gas deposit were found off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Dr. Salama said the gas field had been found by Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, who noticed bubbling in the water which they first assumed was from fish or plants moving underwater. He added, samples from the site had been taken by navy personnel to the Islamic University, where they were verified. In a statement to AFP he said “preliminary tests carried out by experts from the Islamic University suggest that there is a natural gas field near the coast”.

In an interview to the Gazan radio station Sout Al-Aqsa, Salama said the gas deposit lies only 200 to 300 meters from the central coast of the Gaza Strip, which would “facilitate the work of any company that might invest in this field. The return will be great for the Gaza Strip, in economic terms”.

Deputy Hamas Prime Minister Mr. Ziad Al-Zaza calmed down the excitement regarding the issue in a comment to AFP. “[W]e need to conduct further studies to confirm that there is any gas”, he said. “This requires probing by specialist companies because we don’t have the adequate laboratories and experts here”.

The Gaza Strip, which has been governed by Hamas since 2007, is now experiencing the most severe energy crisis in its history. Following the lack of fuels, the residents of the Gaza Strip sometimes need to manage with only 12 hours of electricity a day. This evidence of natural gas fields may offer a resolution to the crisis.

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