InfoAnda - Gaza smokers forced to cough up as Hamas seeks cash

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Kazakhstan slashes revenue forecast for 2009 | 25 November 2008
Panasonic begins tender offer for Sanyo takeover | 5 November 2009
Lenovo, Qualcomm team up on Skylight "smartbook" | 5 January 2010

China vows economic growth in restive Xinjiang | 24 April 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Gaza smokers forced to cough up as Hamas seeks cash

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Asia Pacific World Gaza smokers forced to cough up as Hamas seeks cash AFP - Friday, May 7 Send IM Story Print A Palestinian man smokes a cigarette outside his shop in the centre of Gaza City. Gazans are trapped in their overcrowded strip by an Israeli blockade and are still struggling with the aftermath of war, but their anger today is directed at the Hamas rulers for taxing their smokes. GAZA CITY (AFP) - – Gazans are trapped in their overcrowded strip by an Israeli blockade and are still struggling with the aftermath of war, but their anger today is directed at the Hamas rulers for taxing their smokes. Many see the new tax imposed on cigarettes smuggled from Egypt as a sign the Islamists are in deep financial trouble in the Palestinian territory that essentially survives on aid and a black market economy. "Egypt has stopped the money from coming in (and) Hamas now badly needs money to pay salaries," said a local journalist, an inveterate smoker, who asked not to be named. Since Hamas, which is committed to the destruction of the Jewish state, violently seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel and Egypt have imposed a tight blockade, allowing in only essential and humanitarian goods. Hundreds of tunnels that dot the border with Egypt have served to bring in other commercial goods -- anything from motorbikes to Marlboros -- as well as weapons and cash. But Egypt has recently cracked down on the smuggling, dealing a strong blow to Hamas, which is boycotted by most banks because it is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Hamas has made it clear it plans to gradually impose sales taxes on a wide range of items in order to address the financial crisis. "Everybody is angry," says Hassan Abu El Kass, pointing to the stamp that shows the smokes he sells from a tiny street stall have been taxed. The three-shekel sales tax (0.8 dollars, 0.60 euros) sent the price of a pack soaring by about 60 percent. "Sales are down, people can't afford such prices," says Kass. A small crowd gathers around him, expressing outrage over the tax and lashing out -- albeit quietly -- at Hamas. One of Gaza's political factions recently warned in rare public criticism of the Islamists that there would be an "explosion" if Hamas continues collecting the new taxes. Battling power outages that leave Gaza in the dark for hours on end, Hamas is also trying to get people to pay their electricity bills, something many residents haven't done for years. Gaza gets about 70 percent of its electricity through power lines from Israel and five percent from Egypt, with the rest produced by the territory's sole power plant that relies on industrial fuel imports from Israel. That plant has been working at only a fraction of its capacity since Israel imposed the blockade, receiving only 2.2 million litres of fuel a week, as opposed to the 3.5 million litres it needs. Gazans have long been used to power cuts, but the outages have become longer and more frequent since the European Commission stopped funding fuel purchases in November. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, dominated by president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah -- the arch-foe of Hamas -- is now in charge of buying the fuel, and supplies have dropped significantly. In March, a weekly average of 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel were imported into Gaza. That figure dropped to about one million litres in the last week of April. The shortfall has been blamed on animosity between Hamas and Fatah, but also on a failure by consumers to pay their bills. The Gaza Electricity Corporation (GEDCO) says it has monthly sales of about 50 million shekels (13.4 million dollars, 10 million euros) but collects only about 35 to 40 percent of the bill. The accrued arrears of municipalities alone amounted to 413.5 million shekels (110.8 million dollars, 83.3 million euros) by January, according to GEDCO. "People haven't been paying, Hamas hasn't been paying, municipalities haven't been paying," says Yaser Alwadeya, a Gaza industrialist and independent politician, who has pushed for Hamas to tackle the issue urgently. In recent weeks, municipal employees have been going door-to-door to collect well-overdue payments, sometimes backed by police and technicians ready to cut off anyone who doesn't pay up. But the power outages are still lengthy and frequent, affecting just about every sector of life from industrial plants to fishmongers, from sanitation facilities to reconstruction efforts. And Gaza's blockade-ravaged economy was not much to start off with. "Nothing works properly: water is not drinkable, there's barely any electricity, there are no services and banks have no money available," says Alwadeya, who says he is among the few business leaders left in Gaza. Alwadeya's company was once the largest food maker in Gaza, but much of his production line was reduced to rubble by Israel's devastating three-week offensive launched in December 2008. He paints a bleak picture of the situation in the narrow coastal enclave. "We no longer have an economy in Gaza. Just dealers from tunnels." The blockade has left many Gazans struggling to eke out a living, and 80 percent of the 1.5 million population depend on food aid. Fishermen, prevented by Israeli gunboats from venturing more than five kilometres (three miles) out to sea, now sail to the southern border to buy Egyptian fishermen's catch. Some fish is also brought in through the tunnels. Farmers risk their lives when they venture into fields near the border wall. Citing the risk of militant attacks, Israel regularly opens fire on anyone getting to close to the boundary. The risk does not deter hundreds of people who scavenge for construction materials among the ruined buildings by Gaza's northern border with Israel, using horse-drawn carts to carry their heavy loads. The closer they get to the border wall, the better the materials, and the higher the risk of getting shot. A little farther back, a cloud of dust rises from a spot where dozens of people collect pebbles that will be crushed and mixed into concrete. "It's hard work, it's dangerous," says 12-year-old Motaz as he sifts through the sand just a few hundred metres from the border. Asked if he'd rather be at school, he mops his brow with a corner of his dusty Mickey Mouse T-shirt, adjusts his red baseball cap and shrugs. "We need the money." Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - 1 hour 36 minutes ago Oliver Stone targets banks in "Wall Street" sequel Reuters - 1 hour 36 minutes ago In Vietnam film, US My Lai killer returns to apologise AFP - Friday, May 7 "Lost" baddie Kevin Durand books two sci-fi movies Reuters - Friday, May 7 Weinsteins' 1st Asian film gets China release date AP - Friday, May 7 News Search Top Stories World leaders rush contain Greek contagion Dow Jones falls over 250 points after market crash Spain scrapes out of recession Heat on euro leaders turns global Global stocks retreat as US probes Wall St plunge More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Panic sends Dow to worst ever drop Lack of sleep linked to early death: study Freddie Mac asks for fresh 10.6 billion dollar bailout Humans interbred with Neanderthals: genome analysis BP lowers dome as oil laps Louisiana island More Most Viewed » Aliens may exist but contact would hurt: Hawking Lack of sleep linked to early death: study Apple engineer loses iPhone prototype French driving veil row escalates Freddie Mac asks for fresh 10.6 billion dollar bailout More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Asia Entertainment Photos World Cup 2010 Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Friday, 7 May 2010
Herschel telescope shows galactic star formation is slowing
Water cooling for supercomputers unveiled in Switzerland
Plots: West must be alert, not alarmist: experts |
US regulators try new tack in net neutrality quest
US-TECH Summary
ECB chief rules out Greek default, euro slides
Board backs Nokia management despite market pressure
Suu Kyi party splits, faction to run in Myanmar poll |
No security risk in grooving to Gaga, US Army says
Iran minister to meet U.N. council in NYC |
TED Talks take to TV
Nigerian leader's funeral draws large crowds |
Nokia board backs strategy, shareholders cry foul
U.S. envoy meets Netanyahu ahead of peace talks |
Breakthrough in Air France crash black box search |
Russian forces seize oil tanker from Somali pirates |
Board backs Nokia management despite market pressure
Nokia board backs strategy, shareholders cry foul
BP lowers dome as oil laps Louisiana island
Oil lapping ashore on Louisiana island: official
US-TECH Summary
4 questioned in Pakistan over NY bomb suspect
Aung San Suu Kyi's party to be abolished
US eyes foreign links in New York bomb plot
BP's 'giant dome' arrives at site of US oil spill
N.Korea's Kim says ready to rejoin nuclear talks: report
Pakistan Taliban denies training NY bomb suspect
Health of Briton jailed in Kyrgyzstan worsens
Pakistan Taliban did not train NY bomb suspect
India, China draw in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup prelims
1 Chinese baby born with syphilis every hour
Afghan officials: 16 arrested for plotting attacks
Hopes fade for swift end to Thai protests
Hailstorms and gales kill 39 in China
BP turns to Twitter, Facebook on spill information |
Yahoo rolls out new phase of $100 million ad campaign |
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Taiwan parliament asks govt to raise less debt
Hollywood eyes another $4 billion summer movie season
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
A Minute With: Clint Black, the movie star!
Bret Michaels to make most of 2nd chance at life
Paris 'giant drinks party' has police worried
Einstein's E=mc2 on display at Shanghai Expo
Britain's Philharmonia performs at S.Korean leper colony
In Armenia chess is king and grandmasters are stars
Hollywood eyes another $4 billion summer movie season
A Minute With: Clint Black, the movie star! |
Bret Michaels to make most of 2nd chance at life |
Iran invites UN Security Council to dinner, including US
Britain in limbo as hung parliament looms
U.S. joins U.N. council at Iran dinner in New York
UK faces government without single party majority |
AMD chips to be in many more computers this summer-sources
South Sudan raids kill 24 as secession vote nears
Humans interbred with Neanderthals: genome analysis
Russian president slams 'totalitarian' USSR
Thai protesters refuse to quit, peace plan in limbo |
Google adds language translation to Android smartphones
Greek parliament backs tough austerity bill |
BP lowers dome as oil laps Louisiana island
Muslim soldiers' graves desecrated in France
FCC chief promises light broadband touch
"Showgirls" 15th Anniversary Hits DVD, Blu-ray
Voters cast ballots in pubs, caravans
North Korea's Kim reaffirms nuclear disarmament: China |
Privacy groups take Facebook complaint to US regulators
Panic sends Dow to worst ever drop
BBC America To Debut Reality Show "The Choir" In July
Arabic websites make history with native script addresses
U.S. Markets Finish 3 Percent Lower After Whipsaw Session
US regulators try new tack in net neutrality quest
Probe concludes torpedo sank South Korea ship: report |
PA Politician Calls for Moratorium on Gas Drilling Permits
DEA Nails NYPD Officer For Armed Robberies Netting $1 Million
BP turns to Twitter, Facebook on spill information
Ash cloud forces Irish airport closures, Dublin clear |
FCC Proposes Net Neutrality to Broaden Internet Access
Nokia board backs strategy, shareholders cry foul
Dow Jones Plunges Nearly 1K Before Brisk Rebound
U.S. joins U.N. council at Iran dinner in New York |
Sundance Channel To Premiere Second Season Of "Man Shops Globe"
International Monetary Fund Managing Director To Visit India
FBI Arrests Arizona Deputy For Drug Smuggling
'Big ideas' key to US surge success in Iraq: Petraeus
Torpedo explosives found on sunken S.Korea ship
Obama told Afghan progress 'slow but steady'
Suu Kyi supporters to form new political party
N.Korea's Kim vows to work on nuke talks revival
Kim leaves China after affirming nuke talks
Gunmen attack Pakistan checkpoint, kill police
Indian press hails Mumbai attacker death sentence
FCC chief promises light broadband touch |
AMD chips to be in many more computers this summer-sources |
Gunmen kill 4 police at checkpoint in NW Pakistan
Aquino leads survey ahead of Philippine vote
Reliance shares up on news of Indian court ruling
Thai PM battles to keep peace roadmap on track
Contagion fears jolt Asian markets
Seoul shares fall on record foreign selling
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
S.Korea won ends down 1.2 pct on Europe debt woes
Seoul shares fall on record foreign selling
Pakistani c.bank rejects all bids in 7-day repo offer
Nintendo to beef up piracy measures in 3-D machine
China think tank calls for flexible yuan
Bank of Japan adds $21.8 billion to money markets
In Vietnam film, US My Lai killer returns to apologise
PAKISTAN
Rodents pose new health threat in Zimbabwe's towns
"Lost" baddie Kevin Durand books two sci-fi movies
Weinsteins' 1st Asian film gets China release date
R&B star Usher leads singles chart
Networks unlikely to profit from World Cup
Rourke checks out prison for 'Iron Man 2'
Iron Man 2 lacks a big punch for many critics |
Cannes shaping up a winner for movie industry
Kristen Stewart goes "On the Road"
Networks unlikely to profit from World Cup |
Chris Brown making progress on probation |
R&B star Usher leads singles chart |
Prosecutors oppose release of Polanski transcripts |
Lost baddie Kevin Durand books two sci-fi movies |
Kristen Stewart goes On the Road |
Iran belongs to world's "nuclear club," cleric says
German MPs green-light unpopular Greek aid
Spain scrapes out of recession
West Bank mosque fire 'was most likely arson'
Pakistan mosque accused of strong militant ties |
Russia 'releases captured Somali pirates'
Global stocks retreat as US probes Wall St plunge
German lawmakers back Greek aid package |
Heat on euro leaders turns global
Afghans wary as NATO rebrands Kandahar process |
Jonas Brothers Premiering Newly Named “JONAS L.A.” In June
Turkish government pushes reforms towards referendum |
German MPs debate unpopular Greek aid
Rhode Island Town Councilmen Charged In Federal Corruption Probe
Jokes About Miami Airport Worker's Body Scan Lead To Beating, Arrest
Iran belongs to world's nuclear club,: cleric |
US probes shock share plunge after market panic
Three Massachusetts Boys Consume Dry Ice On A Dare
Chaz Bono Granted Legal Name And Gender Change
Israel won't move on U.N. call for nuclear-free zone |
FDA Approves Bayer Oral Contraceptive
Death Toll In Southern California Shooting Rises To 3
Colombian candidate Mockus edges over Santos: poll |
Romaine Lettuce Recalled Because Of E.Coli Concerns
Nigerian leader likely to name deputy by Tuesday: source |
Cancer Society Claims White House Panel's Report Overemphasizes Pollution
Senate Bows To Obama Statement To Throw Out GOP Amendment
Israel tells US envoy security key in peace efforts
NKorea's Kim reaffirms nuke talks on trip to China
At least 58 killed in southern China storms
2 NATO troops, civilians die in Afghanistan
China opens first office in Taiwan
7 Indonesians die after drinking homemade liquor
Dalai Lama tells AP: Exiles must press China talks
Pakistani stocks, o/n rates end down; rupee weakens
India billionaire Mukesh Ambani wins family feud
Top India court ruling favors Reliance Industries
Pakistan: Times Sq. bomb suspect didn't act alone
China heparin IPO lifts founders to richest couple
Kyrgyzstan demands toppled leader's extradition
Japan's Toshiba sees losses narrow
Nokia broadens legal battle vs Apple, includes iPad |
China says property market measures are working
Borders takes orders for Kobo eReader due in June |
Taiwan exports surge amid economic recovery
Panasonic reduces losses on sales recovery
Bank of Japan injects cash, PM vows extra steps
Toshiba books $531 million profit in January-March
Gaza smokers forced to cough up as Hamas seeks cash
Australian jailed for marijuana possession in Bali
Oliver Stone targets banks in Wall Street sequel |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01