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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Japan's new premier vows to speed up reconstruction efforts

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) — New Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Friday said his top priorities are to speed up recovery from the earthquake and tsunami, and work to contain the nuclear accident in Fukushima, NHK Television reported.

Noda told reporters that the biggest mission of his Cabinet, which was launched on Friday, will be to speed up restoration and reconstruction of the areas damaged by the disaster. He said that although the previous government did its best, it was accused of not doing enough to build temporary housing, clean up debris and support survivors.

The new premier also said the decontamination of wide areas affected by the nuclear accident in Fukushima was necessary and promised that the government will do all it can to ensure the safety of pregnant women and children. He said there will be no revival of Japan without the revival of Fukushima.



Noda, who was the finance minister under his predecessor Naoto Kan’s government, also pledged to rebuild the economy and tackle Japan’s fiscal crisis. He said he will rebuild the economy despite the limitations of energy supplies and added that the government will promote administrative reforms to reduce wasteful spending.

Kan resigned on August 26 after almost 15 months in office amid sinking approval ratings and criticism of his leadership after the March 11 disaster that delayed important legislation needed to help the victims.

Japan has been facing an ongoing nuclear crisis since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was severely damaged on March 11 when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami devastated the country. At least 23,482 people were killed, while 8,069 people remain missing.

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19862/japans-new-premier-vows-to-speed-up-reconstruction-efforts/.

Six cities to compete for the 2020 Olympic Games

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (BNO NEWS) — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday announced the six countries which will compete to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Among the six are Spain and Japan who lost their bid to host the 2016 Games.

The announcement was made after a deadline expired. National Olympic Committees were required to notify the IOC by September 1st that a city within their jurisdiction was interested in applying to host the Games.

The cities which have come forward and applied for a chance to host the Games are Baku in Azerbaijan, Doha in Qatar, Istanbul in Turkey, Madrid in Spain, Rome in Italy, and Tokyo in Japan. They will now proceed to Phase 1 during which the IOC will conduct a technical review of cities to determine if they are able to host the massive sports event.

At the end of Phase 1, in May 2012, the IOC will select the cities that will become Candidate Cities and therefore move on to Phase 2. By the end of Phase 2, on September 7, 2013, the IOC will elect the Host City of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Spain, Italy, and Japan have all experience with hosting the Summer Olympics, while Azerbaijan, Qatar and Turkey have not. Both Italy and Japan also twice hosted Winter Games.

The 2020 Olympics are to be held between July 15 and August 31 in 2020, but Doha is requesting to hold the Games at the end of October and the start of November should it be chosen as the host city.

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19856/six-cities-to-compete-for-the-2020-olympic-games/.

Dried plums shown to be effective against fractures and osteoporosis

Friday, September 02, 2011
by: Michelle Bosmier

(NaturalNews) A study recently conducted by a team of researchers at Florida State and Oklahoma University, and featured in the esteemed British Journal of Nutrition, reveals that consuming a handful of natural, dried plums every day will help prevent fractures and osteoporosis in the elderly.

This is great news especially for postmenopausal women, who commonly struggle with the loss of bone density and an increased risk of fracture. While bone frailty and osteoporosis can affect older individuals of both genders, a clear correlation exists between the decrease of estrogen production and the onset of osteoporosis in females. According to recent statistics, in the United States alone, over 8 million women and 2 million men are affected by osteoporosis.

The science team, led by Bahram H. Arjmandi - Florida State's Margaret A. Sitton Professor and chairman of the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences in the College of Human Sciences, conducted tests over a 12 month period on two groups of postmenopausal women. The test group comprised of 55 women who were instructed to consume 100 grams of dried plums per day, while the control group consisted of 45 women who were advised to eat 100 grams of dried apples each day. To complement their diets, all participants in the study received daily supplements of calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D (400 units).

Professor Arjmandi's team tested samples of bone tissue from the ulna (one of the long forearm bones) and the spine, and they concluded that the test group who consumed dried plums showed a significantly higher mineral bone density when compared to the control group that consumed dried apples. Arjmandi explained that this was partly a result of the plums' ability to decrease the rate of bone resorption - a biological process by which minerals contained in bone tissue are released and transferred to the bloodstream. In younger adults, this process is countered by the body's ability to swiftly regenerate bone tissue; however, as people age, the rate of new bone growth falls behind the resorption rate.

During the course of his career, Arjmandi has studied and compared numerous fruits, including figs, dates, raisins, and strawberries, pointing out that "none of them come anywhere close to having the effect on bone density that dried plums, or prunes, have." He added that "in the first five to seven postmenopausal years, women are at risk of losing bone at a rate of 3 to 5 percent per year", while "around the age of 65, men start losing bone with the same rapidity as women." This makes dried plums an amazingly useful natural resource for middle aged individuals who are interested in maintaining long term bone health and durability.

Professor Arjmandi concluded by warning potential patients against waiting to be diagnosed with osteoporosis before seeking ways to improve their bone health. He said: "Don't wait until you get a fracture or you are diagnosed with osteoporosis... Do something meaningful and practical beforehand. People could start eating two to three dried plums per day and increase gradually to perhaps 6 to 10 per day. Prunes can be eaten in all forms and can be included in a variety of recipes."

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/033485_dried_plums_osteoporosis.html.

Sudan Pound Valueless in the South

2 September 2011

Juba — The Sudan Pound (SDG) is no longer a legal tender in the Republic of South Sudan and is therefore valueless in the country, the Governor of the Bank of South Sudan Mr. Kornelio Koryom has announced.

Speaking to the press at the bank's premises in Juba this morning, the governor said that effective today the SDG can no longer be used to transact any business in South Sudan after the currency exchange period elapsed yesterday.

The governor also announced that the bank will soon release coins which he said will be in 50, 25, 10 and 5 piaster denominations.

Mr Koryom explained that the collected SDG will be kept by the bank awaiting the results of the ongoing negotiations facilitated by the African Union on whether the Republic of Sudan will redeem the old currency or not. He said the bank will decide what to do with the currency once the negotiations are complete and a conclusive decision is reached.

He commended the committee which coordinated the exercise for a job well done in spite of immense logistical challenges. He also thanked the governors of all the ten states of South Sudan for supporting the currency conversion program.

The press conference was also attended by the deputy governors Mr Jamal Abdalla Wani and Mr John Dour Majok. Also in attendance were the members of the currency exchange committee as well as senior Bank of South Sudan officers.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201109021068.html.

Somalia: Let Somalis Manage Aid for Development, Doctor Says

By Trevor Ballantyne and Genet Lakew
2 September 2011

Dr. Hawa Abdi is a woman of many firsts, including being Somalia's first female gynecologist and establishing one of the country's first NGOs. Along with her daughters, Deqa and Amina Mohamed, both of whom are doctors, Abdi maintains a hospital and a feeding center in a place where international aid agencies are unable or unwilling to operate due to the presence of armed militias.

The Hawa Abdi Foundation, founded in 1983, aims to help women in Somalia, especially in the Lower Shabelle region, gain better security, health care access and education. The foundation provides food, shelter and health care for the Hawa Abdi Village's population - 90 percent of whom are women, children and the elderly - in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region. It is a sanctuary for some 90,000 internally displaced people.

Abdi and her daughter Deqa recently traveled to the United States and Canada to raise funds and awareness for their village and for the famine that is devastating their country. Vital Voices, a women's empowerment organization based in Washington, D.C., hosted a discussion with the inspirational Somali doctors. Later, Abdi and Dr. Deqa Mohamed spoke to AllAfrica's Trevor Ballantyne and Genet Lakew.

After traveling in Canada and the United States, what can you say about the media's reaction to the drought, and the effect of the various fundraising initiatives that this media coverage attracts?

Mohamed: Actually we were in Canada in early July and [Canada's press] covered it well. They had the story running every evening in early July.

The U.S. just started in mid-July and the end of July to cover all the issues, and we're really grateful. Somalia was forgotten for 20 years and now the world is speaking up. Now the country is existing. We thought we were wiped off the map, so it's very exciting. But it's also very sad to see what's happening because there's no action; still it's just talk in the media.

Abdi: The money being sent to Somalia now it's a waste because it is not going inside Somalia; they are sending money through the neighboring countries only. And we don't know how to control our money. When we were in Toronto we talked many times and the people donated 50 million Canadian dollars to Somalia. And that 50 million and the 93 million given by the European Union, is not going inside Somalia.

The aid agencies are just remaining in the port, or on the border of Somalia and they will spend the money by feeding people, giving breakfast, some food and [that is not] important for us. With that money we can rebuild all of Mogadishu; we can invest in agricultural [sectors]; we can fish in our ocean, our big ocean, to get people food. Many governments and many international organizations and the U.S. send money to Somalia but that money is lost.

We have educated people, patriotic people. We have had hard working people inside of Somalia for the past [21] years but [the aid agencies] do not believe it totally. Even if we only get a little help, a small amount from the aid agencies, we want to use the aid ourselves. It is very important to us because we know how to use the aid. But before the aid comes to us, it is split so that only a little bit - I don't know maybe 10 percent will reach Somalia - and that 10 percent is not going into the right hands. We suspect that international organizations are not fair to Somalia. They do not decide to change the life of Somalia. Maybe [it's because of] their own interests, maybe something else.

In an interview with All Africa, Dr. Rueben Brigety, deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration at the U.S. State Department said, "We are grappling along with the rest of our colleagues in the international community to figure out how we can best provide humanitarian assistance expeditiously in a robust way, in a manner that is safe for the beneficiaries, safe for the aid workers, so that we can avert the worst of this crisis." What is your reaction?

Abdi: This is dramatizing things. Everywhere there is fighting. For example, in Afghanistan there is fighting with the Taliban but there is aid going into the country. Aid and international organizations are going into Pakistan and the Taliban is there. But Somalia, I don't know. I don't understand. The international community maybe they are trying to empty Somalia, empty it totally.

Mohamed: It's very funny. Of course aid and security goes hand in hand. But, in the early 90s, the IRC (International Rescue Committee) didn't have that problem. The IRC didn't have to pay hundreds of thousands to the guys who have guns. They were investing more in the people, and [investing money where it was needed]. But aid in Somalia became a business.

Aid workers in Somalia get paid better, they sit in their open beautiful houses and when they try to work in [Somalia], they pay more for security, their guards. And they don't realize the damage they're creating. When you give too much money to these guys to protect you, you're investing for them to go to war. To deliver a small grain of rice, you're giving the militant the power to buy guns. So maybe sometimes it's better for the aid agencies not to deliver that grain, instead of empowering those bad guys.

The situation that Somalia has put the international aid agencies into is very complicated. I think we (the Somali people) have to take accountability for that, because if we work with the aid agencies and they teach the communities, these people they are helping, you should not ask for money from them because they're already giving to you.

Somalis should help support aid. If the Somali society stood up on the side of aid instead of seeing aid as a business, and saying, 'Oh you're coming you white guy, I heard you have a lot of money, okay, I need to make money.' That's how Somalis deal with aid now, and that's what we allow Somalis to do. You see, 20 years have corrupted aid in our country. It's very difficult to fix today. It's very hard.

You shared the story of the alarming incident last May when the militia group Hizbul-Islam invaded your camp for a week, damaged property and demanded that you hand over all operations to the group. You refused to do so and overcame that threat but how have you been able to successfully operate your camp for so long despite the uncertainty of religious extremism and lawlessness?

Mohamed: I think to understand how we were able to sustain our camp for last 20 years, I think first you must understand the people who are fighting. Al Shabaab: it's the same warlords who were fighting in 1992. They just put wraps on their faces and they call themselves Al Shabaab. It's the same people that have been fighting from 1991 to 2011. And we have militant leaders who are a part of the transitional government (TFG) and are also members of the militant groups.

The second reason we have been successful is when you're transparent, you're making a difference in the field and they see we are delivering: we're doing this; we're getting this medicine. And my mom is very humble in here but, when she brings medicine sometimes from Mogadishu to the camp, they stop her and she takes them to the hospital and says, 'Here, this is why I'm bringing this medicine.' It's very simple. Be transparent and make a difference; that's how it could work.

(The World Food Programme) WFP was making a difference, feeding people. It was wasting a huge amount of money and food was not going directly to the people but they were making a difference. They have been working in Somalia since 2008 when [Al Shabaab] forced them to go out but they were still functioning. And MSF, Medecins Sans Frontieres, has been functioning in Somalia since 2008. For example, when the people see those two groups and the groups who are working in Somalia, they don't attack. They might attack because of the money but we don't have money and we don't have a big budget to show them. They know us. They know that whatever we get we share with the people. That helps us; that's how we sustain.

As the drought continues to displace populations in the Horn of Africa, media reports focus on the growth of refugee populations in the camps along the Somali border in Kenya and Ethiopia. Is your camp also experiencing this growth?

Abdi: We are in a very difficult time because the camp is full now and people are still coming to the feeding center everyday. And they are coming to us from far away. If we can increase the land for the camp it will be good for us but we need economic aid to buy land.

Mohamed: Most of the people going to the huge Dadaab camp are coming from the Somali-Ethiopia and the Somali-Kenya sides. They have a huge drought there, and they do not have enough resources. There are also our Somalis coming from southern Somalia. So it is Somalis coming from all different parts of the Horn. You will do everything for your child so I understand the families who walk hours and miles to get there, but the camps have created a false hope - that's why people keep going to them.

The people fleeing the drought think the camps have food. They think they will receive some kind of peace but when they arrive at the camp, there's no food. They might only get one meal or might not get a meal at all during the day. They might get raped by the border militants in Kenya. Nobody tells them they will get raped. The militants come invade the camp and pull out the women and rape them in Kakuma and Dadaab camps. Nobody tells them the camps don't have enough medicine because only a few organizations work there and they cannot treat the 300,000 people that are there. So it's very sad for the people going to the camps to survive.

What kind of hospital do you run at your camp? Do you treat fighters injured in conflict?

Mohamed: We try to advertise ourselves as a mothers and children hospital. We don't intervene with the wounded and the conflict victims.

What we discovered in the 90s was when you have wounded and one of them dies the groups that are fighting will blame you. I was held at gunpoint in 1991 when I was [helping out a fighter's] kid and when I said, 'He died; we cannot treat him,' the man just asked, 'Why? You have a white coat.' You will receive the wounded every day, and so to avoid this we receive women and children. [The fighters] know that for the last 20 years we have taken care of women and children so they take their wounded to other hospitals. That also keeps us safe.

Can you tell us about the jail you have set up in your camp to punish men who beat their wives?

Mohamed: It's the little prison that keeps the camp safe. It's just the sense of a [prison]; without that, it wouldn't be safe. We put the prisoner in there for a day or the committee decides what to do or he may have to clean up part of the camp. It's just simple thing, it's not like you stay more than 24 hours. But with that, everybody will know you were in prison. That gives you a bad name so nobody wants to be in the prison in the first place. That's the unique thing we do at the camp to keep the women safe because of the civil war. The men are beating the wives so safety for the women comes first. It's wonderfully effective. It's the only tool that works to keep peace in the camp.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201109021244.html.

Tunisian political parties present candidates

2011-09-02

Candidates for Tunisia's October 23rd Constituent Assembly elections were introduced by their political parties on Thursday (September 1st), TAP reported. Tunisia's Independent High Electoral Commission (ISIE) required candidates from the country's 105 political parties to have no history of activities within the dissolved Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) or the regime of ousted president Zine El Abdine Ben Ali.

The constituent assembly will be tasked with drafting a new constitution. Of the body's 218 seats, 19 are reserved for Tunisian expatriates.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/09/02/newsbrief-03.

Morocco to implement justice reforms

The Moroccan government is taking steps to embody the spirit of the recently approved constitution.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 02/09/11

Morocco last week passed a bill to reform criminal proceedings. The draft law aims to facilitate access to justice and ensure transparency in court judgements.

The constitution guarantees a fair trial but that can only be achieved through practice, the Justice Ministry's Penal Affairs Director Mohamed Abdennabaoui said at an August 24th press conference.

The bill will allow detainees to remain silent and contact their family and lawyer while they are being held awaiting charges, according to Abdennabaoui. He added that the law must be implemented now, while bolder legislation is being developed.

The bill aims to bring Moroccan law in line with the constitution, approved in the July 1st referendum. According to the new constitution, the national law enforcement must comply with international conventions, which stipulate that detainees should know the reasons for their arrest as well as their rights, including the right to remain silent, to receive legal advice, and to contact their families within a short period.

For justice reform to achieve its goals, issues of rights and responsibilities need to be introduced into school syllabi from the earliest years onwards, according to lawyer and MP Fatima Moustaghfir.

Honest and competent individuals are needed to uphold the spirit of the law, she added. If people are ignorant of their rights the long-awaited reforms will come to nothing.

To battle corruption, divisions specializing in financial affairs will be set up in the courts of appeal in Rabat, Casablanca, Fes and Marrakech. Fifty judges will be trained to understand the details of financial cases.

"Up to now, Morocco has lacked magistrates who specialize in finance," economist Magid Badri commented. "This is a laudable initiative to fight financial crime, including money laundering." Furthermore, the government will set up appeal chambers attached to the courts of first instance to rule on smaller cases valued at less than 20,000 dirhams.

The initiative aims to make justice more accessible since at present many have to travel to appeal courts, which could be a long way from the courts of first instance. The justice minister cited the example of the court in Dakhla, which is located 600km away from the court of appeal in Laayoune.

Additionally, competence areas of single judges will be expanded to speed up the processing of cases. Under this key measure, the thinking of the judges will be public, according to Justice Minister Mohamed Naciri. Judges will no longer be able to hide under the cover of secret deliberations, he added.

"Any deviation will be seen," the minister explained. "In addition, the number of sessions will be increased, because judges will share out the cases among themselves."

The mechanism of single judge trials will introduce greater fairness and transparency, Moustaghfir said.

"The lawyer is faced with a single interlocutor," she said. "The weight of responsibility is greater, because it is easier to keep tabs on the magistrate who has given the verdict. The judge will not be able to shirk his responsibilities."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/09/02/feature-04.

World vows Libya will lead its own transition

PARIS, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- While the international community will steer Libya's Transitional National Council in the right direction, transition is Libyan owned, a British official said.

Paris is hosting international delegates at a conference aimed at clearing the way for a post-war stabilization plan for Libya.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement the international community would work with the TNC on stabilization plans.

"But this is Libyan led and Libyan owned and that's a very important point," he said.

Moscow emerged Thursday as the latest government to recognize the TNC as the sole governmental authority in Libya. A U.S. State Department official speaking to reporters on background ahead of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's arrival in Paris noted the TNC was in the process of developing a draft constitution for Libya "which would hopefully end at some point down the line in elections."

Tripoli last week fell into rebel hands, leading NATO officials to say the reign of Moammar Gadhafi was "finished."

Gadhafi is on the run but presumably still in Libya. He's wanted on a series of war crimes charges and it emerged this week that his forces summarily executed countless numbers of prisoners during the battle for Tripoli.

Speaking on the 42nd anniversary of the coup that brought him to power, an audio recording reportedly featuring Gadhafi vowed to never surrender.

"Even if you cannot hear my voice, continue the resistance," Gadhafi said, according to al-Jazeera.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/09/01/World-vows-Libya-will-lead-its-own-transition/UPI-23811314899431/.

Turkey-Israel crisis complicates EU ties

ANKARA, Turkey, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Turkey's diplomatic rupture with Israel complicates EU efforts to balance ties with two major allies, especially after Ankara played a key role in mediating peace and helping evacuation of thousands of EU and other foreign nationals fleeing upheavals in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Turkey remains a candidate for EU membership but the mood in the country is shifting away from the financially troubled and politically divided Europe. Turks say they are frustrated that opposition to their membership remains strong while EU eagerness to make use of Turkey remains steadfast.

Turkish media commentaries increasingly make little distinction between the EU and the West at large.

Latent anger flared up after officials realized a U.N. report on violence aboard a Gaza-bound protest flotilla last year would not press for an Israeli apology, as Ankara demanded.

Ahead of the leaked report's official publication Friday Turkey responded by expelling Israeli Ambassador Gabby Levy and cutting all military ties with Israel, downgrading the embassy to second secretary levels.

Ties could only improve after an Israeli apology, Turkish Foreign Ahmet Davutoglu said. He said the ambassador and other high-level Israeli diplomats would leave the capital by Wednesday.

"The time has come for Israel to pay for its stance that sees it above international laws and disregards human conscience," Davutoglu said. "The first and foremost result is that Israel is going to be devoid of Turkey's friendship."

As Middle Eastern diplomacy goes, it is a sharp reversal in traditionally friendly ties between Turkey, a Muslim state, and Israel. Turkey recognized Israel against the trend in Islamic countries, taking a stance that referenced its secular constitution, European ambitions and to some extent uneasy ties at the time with Arab countries that used to form part of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey's measure was also the opposite of the U.N. report's recommendation that Turkey and Israel "should resume full diplomatic relations, repairing their relationship in the interests of stability in the Middle East and international peace and security," a copy leaked by The New York Times on its Web site read.

Turkey announced the expulsions and suspension of military cooperation hours before the report was to be published by the United Nations Friday.

Nine activists -- eight Turks and one Turkish-American -- were killed by Israeli naval commandos aboard the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010, apparently after the passengers resisted the Israelis' takeover of the vessel. The flotilla was en route to Gaza in an attempt to bring international attention to Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory.

After an international outcry over the killings, Israel eased restrictions on goods moving into Gaza over land but left the naval blockade in place. Campaigners say the blockade constitutes collective punishment for Gazans and is illegal. Israel says it needs to continue the blockade to prevent weapons from reaching Palestinian militants.

The diplomatic rupture presents EU negotiators with a tough challenge at a time of uncertainties over the final outcome of the Libyan project, on which EU and NATO politicians have staked their reputations. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi remains at large and there are persistent questions over the credentials of the emerging new leadership and its stance toward the West as a whole, and NATO and Europe in particular.

Of all regional powers, Turkey is still seen as a major influential player in North Africa, one that is a potentially useful ally for both the EU and Israel.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/09/02/Turkey-Israel-crisis-complicates-EU-ties/UPI-36661314982217/.

Turkey Expels Israeli Ambassador Over Leaked UN Report

By Jack Phillips
September 2, 2011

The Turkish Foreign Minister’s office on Friday said that it expelled the Israeli ambassador to the country and suspended all military ties after a leaked United Nations report foisted the blame on Israel for the deaths of nine activists in last year’s flotilla raid.

The Turkish government has insisted that Israel must apologize for the incident or it would downgrade its diplomatic ties. However, Israeli officials have maintained that the incident does not warrant an apology.

“As long as the Israeli government does not take the necessary steps, there will be no turning back,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said a press conference, according to the news agency.

The report, which was leaked early to The New York Times, found that the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla was legal but said Israel used “excessive and unreasonable” force. Israel also has the right to maintain a naval blockade around Gaza, as it is a “legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering.”

The report also called on Jerusalem to make an apology for the raid, which took place in May 2010.

“Non-violent options should have been used in the first instance,” the U.N. report said. It added that “the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force by Israeli forces during the take-over … was unacceptable.”

In a statement posted on its Foreign Ministry website, Turkey said that it will challenge certain aspects of the U.N. report, saying that around 15 percent of the report deals with Israel’s actions and should be more thorough. The report also made an effort to “demonize” those participating in the flotilla, said the Ministry.

However, the report urges both Turkey and Israel—once close allies—to repair their relationship that has soured over the past years.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/turkey-expels-israeli-ambassador-over-leaked-un-report-61102.html.

Bahrain uprising will be victorious: Leader

02 September 2011

TEHRAN -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that the divinely inspired movement of the Bahraini people will definitely achieve victory.

The Leader made the remarks in a sermon during Eid ul-Fitr prayers at the campus of the University of Tehran on August 31.

The Leader said, “Muslim nations, no matter whether they are in Egypt, in Libya, in Tunisia, in Yemen, or in any other country, need to be vigilant. They should not allow their achievements to be hijacked by the enemies. They should not forget that those who have entered the scene in Libya and claim to be the master of events there are those who were collaborating with the oppressors of the Libyan nation until a short while ago. Today, they have come to exploit the situation. Nations should be on their guard.”

“However, we are worried about the situation in Bahrain. The people are being oppressed there. Certain promises have been made but not kept. The Bahraini nation is an oppressed nation. However, any movement that is godly and whose driving force is the will of the people will definitely achieve victory. This applies everywhere. The same is true there (in Bahrain),” he added.

“Who would have thought that the elements affiliated with the United States and Zionism in the region would fall one by one?”

Elections are a source of support for national security

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader commented on Iran’s upcoming parliamentary election, which is scheduled to be held on March 2, 2012.

Elections are a source of support for national security, Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

“Elections have always been challenging events in our country to some extent,” the Leader said.

He added that elections held in certain countries in the world, both self-proclaimed developed countries and other countries, are accompanied by malicious moves, treason, clashes, and even killings.

“Thank God, such things do not happen in our country. But still it (the election issue) is a challenge. Do not allow this challenge to undermine the country’s security,” he stated.

The Leader also said, “Elections are the manifestation of the people’s presence and religious democracy and should contribute to our security.”

In conclusion, the Leader spoke about the situation in Somalia, which is currently experiencing famine and drought, and asked the Iranian people and the country’s officials to continue providing humanitarian assistance to the Somali people.

These are bright times for Iran

The Leader also held a meeting with a number of officials in Tehran on the same day, in which he said that the current period is one of the brightest times in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Source: Tehran Times.
Link: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index.php/politics/2145-bahrains-uprising-will-surely-reach-fruition-leader.

أردنيون يدعون للتضامن مع البحرين ويستنكرون مشاركة قواتهم بقمع الاحتجاجات

الجمعة 02-09-2011

قال الحراك الشبابي الاردني أنه سينظم إعتصاماً مساء الاحد امام السفارة البحرينية في عمان للتضامن مع الشعب البحريني المطالب بالحرية - على حد وصف بيان صدر عنهم الخميس -.

وعبر التحرك عن رفضه للتدخل الأمني الاردني في الخارج. ووجه الناشطون دعوة للاعتصام أمام السفارة البحرينية الكائنة في الشميساني عند الساعة السادسة من مساء الأحد القادم تضامنا مع الثورة الشعبية في البحرين، ورفضا للتدخل الأردني ضد الثورة هناك.

وبحسب المنظمين يهدف الاعتصام إلى التعبير عن التضامن مع الشعب البحريني في مطالبه المشروعة ،ورفض القمع بحقه، ورفض "الاحتلال السعودي" للشعب البحريني على حد وصفهم.

ويشدّد الداعون لهذا الاعتصام على رفض إقحام قوات الجيش والدرك الأردنية في معارك ليست بمعاركنا كما يحصل في البحرين وافغانستان وليبيا.

ومن الجدير بالذكر أنّه قد تمّ الكشف عن إرسال الأردن لقوات من الدرك لمساعدة السلطات البحرينية في استعادة النظام والقضاء على الثورة الشعبية استجابة لطلب من الحكومة البحرينية.

المصدر: الجزيرة العربية.
الرابط: http://www.jurnaljazira.com/news_view_42.html.