Saturday, June 12, 2010

More foreign casualties in Afghanistan

More foreign casualties in Afghanistan (plus 99 more items)

Link to Rebel Newsflash

More foreign casualties in Afghanistan

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:18 AM PDT

The US embassy in Afghanistan says two foreign contractors including an American have been killed in the troubled south of the country.

The US Embassy in Kabul said in a statement on Monday that contractors died when an Afghan police training center came under attack in the city of Kandahar.

EU nations set anti-poverty plan

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:15 AM PDT

EU ministers of social affairs have agreed to implement a plan to rescue 20 million people across the continent from poverty within a decade.

The ambitious plan discussed in Luxembourg on Monday includes boosting employment rate for 20 to 64-year-old Europeans up to 75 percent, AFP reported.

10 US-led troops killed in Afghanistan

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:13 AM PDT

The US-led alliance has issued new figures on its losses in Afghanistan, saying that at least ten of its soldiers have been killed in separate incidents.

A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said that five of the soldiers died in a bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan on Monday.

Israel wants own probe on Flotilla attack

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:07 AM PDT

In defiance of a UN-approved international probe into the deadly Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, Israel says it will conduct its own investigation.

"We intend to achieve an investigation of the events," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday without giving further details about the probe, Reuters reported.

Iranian scholar confirms abduction

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 01:54 AM PDT

The Iranian scholar who went missing last year while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has confirmed his abduction by the US in a video message.

Shahram Amriri, a researcher at Iran's University of Malek Ashtar, insisted in the message, released on Monday, that he was kidnapped by US agents en route to Mecca in June 2009.

Tehran holds exhibition on Georgia

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 01:33 AM PDT

The Golestan Cultural and Historical Complex has held a photo exhibition to commemorate the National Day of Georgia in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Organized by the Georgian Embassy in Tehran, Georgians displays a collection of photographs introducing different Georgian ethnicities.

Soldier seized over Iraq WikiLeaks video

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 01:08 AM PDT

The US Army has arrested an American soldier serving in Iraq for allegedly leaking classified video of a helicopter gunning down several Iraqi civilians.

Specialist Bradley Manning was accused of transmitting the video of the airstrike to the whistleblower website, WikiLeaks, AFP reported on Monday.

Israeli MP may lose rights over Flotilla

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 12:40 AM PDT

An Israeli Knesset panel has recommended revoking the privileges of lawmaker Haneen Zuabi after she took part in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy.

The decision was passed in the Knesset's House Committee by a majority of seven to one on Monday, Israeli media reported.

Euro hits lowest level in 4 years

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 12:30 AM PDT

Amid ongoing concerns over the eurozone debt crisis, euro has plummeted to its lowest level against dollar in the last four years.

In Asian trade on Monday, euro plunged to 1.9 dollars, the lowest level since March 2006. It also stood at 108.47 yens, hitting its lowest level in eight years, AFP reported.

Iran wrestlers bag five gold medals

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 12:30 AM PDT

Iranian wrestlers have wrapped up a successful campaign at an international tournament in Georgia, bagging a total of 11 medals, five of which were gold.

In freestyle wrestling, Mehdi Taqavi, Sadeq Goudarzi and Fardin Masoumi bagged three gold medals in the 66kg, 74kg and 120kg categories, while Morad Mohamaddi and Davoud Ahmadi won silver and bronze medals.

US to host Persian fusion music

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 12:13 AM PDT

Iran's Peace ensemble, led by internationally-acclaimed Daf and Tonbak player Mehrdad Arabi, will hold a fusion Persian music concert in the US.

The group will perform at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on June 24, 2010, Fars News Agency reported.

Russia to screen Iranian documentaries

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 12:06 AM PDT

Five Iranian films will be screened at the 2010 edition of Russia's Message to Man International Documentary, Short and Animated Film Festival.

Mehdi Naderi's Forgotten Dreams, Mohsen Khan-Jahani's Key, Mahmoud Kiani's Living, Hassan Naqashi and Fatemeh Mashhadi-Mehdi's Vaio, and Hamed Khosravi's Round 205 have entered the annual festival.

'New US plan for fight in Pakistan'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:49 PM PDT

Pentagon is devising a $100-million plan to replace its unmanned drones in operations against pro-Taliban militants in the troubled northwest Pakistan, a report says.

The US Air Force plans to train airmen to use the new aircraft, known as the MC-12 Liberty, a four-person, twin-engine propeller plane, Dawn reported Monday.

Chrysler recalls 600,000 US cars

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:13 PM PDT

Major US carmaker Chrysler Group LLC has recalled 600,000 vehicles, citing what safety regulators have described as an array of technical problems.

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the automaker reported potential safety problems in five Chrysler US models following inspection, Reuters said on Monday.

US after 'new ways' to address Gaza

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:49 PM PDT

The US vice president claims in an Egyptian visit that his country is looking for new ways to address the Gaza situation.

"We are consulting closely with Egypt as well as our other partners on new ways to address the humanitarian, economic, security and political aspects of the situation in Gaza," Joe Biden said Monday following a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh.

'US plans new drones for Pakistan'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:31 PM PDT

Pentagon is devising a $100-million plan to replace its unmanned drones in operations against pro-Taliban militants in the troubled northwest Pakistan, a report says.

The US Air Force plans to train airmen to use the new aircraft, known as the MC-12 Liberty, a four-person, twin-engine propeller plane, Dawn reported Monday.

Ahmadinejad arrives in Istanbul

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:31 PM PDT

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives in Istanbul to participate in an Asian security summit in Turkey as part of a three-nation tour.

President Ahmadinejad was welcomed by the Turkish officials and Iran's Ambassador to Turkey Bahman Hosseinpour upon arrival at the airport on Monday.

Erdogan: Time for action against Israel

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:21 PM PDT

The Turkish prime minister says it is not enough to merely condemn Israel's attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, calling for a firm response to Tel Aviv.

"We believe that those responsible should not be left without paying the price," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, urging the United Nations to investigate "the unlawful incident in a very transparent and firm manner."

Turkey demands Israel raid probe

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:03 PM PDT

Turkey's prime minister has made a fresh call for an immediate international inquiry into Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship last week.

Speaking on the first day of an Asia security summit in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel's attack on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship, was "unlawful" and required a UN backed "transparent" investigation.

Iran's Shojaei might leave Osasuna

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:59 PM PDT

Iranian midfielder Masoud Shojaei might be forced to leave Osasuna due to the Spanish club's financial problems, a Spanish-language daily has reported.

Goal website, citing a report in Noticias de Navarra, said Osasuna coach Jose Antonio Camacho no longer needs the 25-year-old for La Liga's next season.

IAEA convenes meeting on Middle East

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:52 PM PDT

Amid a US push for new sanctions against Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency has started a week-long meeting to discuss nuclear programs in the Middle East.

The Board of Governors meeting of the IAEA opened in Vienna on Monday, focusing on Iran, Syria and Israel - which is widely believed to be the Middle East's sole possessor of a nuclear arsenal.

Pentagon hacked 6 million times daily

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:44 PM PDT

Unauthorized users penetrate Pentagon networks over six million times a day, says the head of the US Cyber Command, urging US military to guard against cyber attacks.

General Keith Alexander cautioned that Pentagon systems are "probed by unauthorized users approximately 250,000 times an hour, over six million times a day." The remarks by Alexander, who is also at the helm of the main US spy organizations, the National Security Agency, was made in a Thursday address to a major Washington policy think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Nato troops killed in Afghanistan

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:36 PM PDT

Ten Nato service members have been killed in one of the deadliest days for foreign forces in Afghanistan in months.

Five were killed by an improvised explosive device in eastern Afghanistan, according to a statement from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).

IAEA meeting to discuss Israel

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:27 PM PDT

The United Nations nuclear agency is expected to discuss Israel's nuclear capabilities at its board of governors meeting in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

It is the first time since 1991 that Israel's nuclear issue is included in the five-day meeting of the International Atomic Engery Agency (IAEA), which began on Monday.

IAEA to discuss Israel 'nuke program'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:23 PM PDT

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has begun a seven-day meeting to discuss a range of issues including Israel's nuclear arsenal.

The UN atomic body chief, Yukiya Amano, opened the meeting in Vienna on Monday.

'Palestine must unite against Israel'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:00 PM PDT

Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas says the best response to Israel's attack on the Gaza-bound aid convoy is Palestinian unity.

"The best answer to (the raid) is for Palestinian groups to reconcile and resist Israel hand-in-hand," Abbas said in an interview with Turkey's NTV news channel on Monday.

Iran wants more aid convoys for Gaza

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:45 PM PDT

Iran has called on the Middle East countries to send joint aid convoys to the Gaza Strip, as worldwide condemnation of an Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla continues.

"Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili proposed the sending of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza from the Persian Gulf, with the cooperation of regional countries," Fars News Agency reported.

Iran urges joint Gaza aid convoys

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:45 PM PDT

Iran has called on the Middle East countries to send joint aid convoys to the Gaza Strip, as worldwide condemnation of an Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla continues.

"Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili proposed the sending of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza from the Persian Gulf, with the cooperation of regional countries," Fars News Agency reported.

Turkey presses Israel on attack probe

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:37 PM PDT

Turkey will not normalize relations with Israel until Tel Aviv agrees to an international inquiry into the deadly attack on the Gaza-bound aid ships, a senior official says.

"If they do not agree to (an international inquiry), it would mean that there are certain facts they want to hide," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday.

Arab League chief to visit Gaza

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:30 PM PDT

The Palestinian Hamas movement that runs the Gaza Strip says it is preparing for a visit by Arab League Chief Amr Moussa to the Israeli-blockaded territory.

Moussa's visit is expected to take place within the next few days as part of an effort to put an end to the Israeli siege of the impoverished Gaza Strip that has been severely stepped up since 2007.

Four killed, 11 injured in S Yemen

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:09 PM PDT

The Yemeni army has pounded a town in the country's secessionist south with artillery shells, killing four people and leaving scores wounded, medics say.

"Four civilians were killed and at least 11 others, among them six women, wounded," a hospital official told AFP.

US seizes 2 at JFK for terror intent

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:08 PM PDT

Two US citizens arrested at New York's John F Kennedy Airport have been charged with conspiring to commit an act of international terrorism.

The men named Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20 and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, were captured on Saturday before boarding separate flights to Egypt.

'Hundreds' killed in Darfur in May

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 07:47 PM PDT

Almost 600 people died in fighting in Sudan's Darfur region in May, making it the
bloodiest month in the territory since 2008, according to a United Nations-African Union report.

The confidential document, which was leaked to the media on Monday, said 440 people had died in fighting between Darfur rebels and government forces, with another 126 killed in tribal violence.

Court convicts 8 people over Bhopal

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 06:27 PM PDT

A court in India has convicted eight people in connection with the Bhopal gas leak tragedy that killed thousands of people more than 25 years ago.

The officials were found guilty and face up to two years in jail for causing "death by negligence," but they are expected to appeal, Xinhua reported.

'Russia remarks to harm itself'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 06:09 PM PDT

A senior Iranian official says recent claims made by Russia President Dmitry Medvedev regarding Tehran's uranium enrichment are "implausible".

"It is hard to believe that the Russian President actually made such comments and has adopted such a stance against Iran," said lawmaker Mohammad-Reza Mirtajeddini, Vice-President for Parliamentary Affairs, on Monday.

If bribery proven, 'Sarkozy must resign'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 05:55 PM PDT

After a report implicated the French president in a complex bribery case, the country's far-right National Front party says if the allegation is proven, Nicolas Sarkozy should step down.

According to a report by the French daily le Quotidien, Marine Le Pen -- the likely heir to the leadership of the National Front party of France -- said President Sarkozy might be required to resign over an official investigation by the Luxembourg police into a corruption case.

BP oil spill costs reach $1.25bn

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 05:47 PM PDT

Seven weeks after oil from a burst well began gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, British Petroleum says efforts to cap the spill have cost the firm $1.25 billion.

BP said on Monday that the figure does not include the $360 million earmarked for the construction of artificial barrier islands between the leak and the Louisiana coastline.

Najib raps Israel as world gangster

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 05:22 PM PDT

Malaysia has strongly condemned Israel's "heinous crimes," saying Tel Aviv should face the International Criminal Court over its last week attack on a Gaza aid convoy.

"Malaysia will urge the United Nations Security Council to tackle Israel's aggressive acts and to have those who committed such heinous crimes to be brought before the International Criminal Court," AFP quoted Najib Razak as telling Malaysian lawmakers on Monday.

Pak security forces kill 15 militants

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:55 PM PDT

Pakistani security forces have killed at least 15 militants and injured three others during clashes in upper Orakzai agency in northwest Pakistan.

Pakistani security forces have killed at least 15 militants and injured three others during clashes in Orakzai agency in northwest Pakistan.

RMT union calls for tube worker strike

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:30 PM PDT

Maintenance workers for the London Underground, who are members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT), have voted in favour of a strike.

The London Underground had begun operating as a public-private partnership (PPP) in 2003, in a deal between Tube Lines, Metronet and Transport for London (TfL), the city's public transportation authority. TfL had to take over the responsibilities of Metronet in 2007 when the company went into debt, costing the government £2 billion. Now, the maintenance and upgrade work originally set to be carried out by Tube Lines consortium will be taken over by TfL.

Iranian details ordeal behind French bars

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:25 PM PDT

Iranian businessman Majid Kakavand, who was recently released after spending more than a year in French custody, describes the harrowing ordeal he faced behind bars.

In a parliamentary session on Monday, Kakavand said he was arrested and charged with violating a US arms embargo as soon as he set foot in France in March 2009.

UK PM warns of harsh budget cuts

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:23 PM PDT

Britain's prime minister has warned that the impact of the government's planned spending cuts, due to be announced later this month, will be "enormous" and worse than previously feared.

David Cameron said in a speech on Monday that the proposed cuts would affect the nation's "whole way of life" and could be felt for decades.

Iran Pledges Revolutionary Guard Units to Escort Gaza Aid Convoys

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:21 PM PDT

Press TV reports today that two Iranian aid ships carrying humanitarian relief and medical supplies for the people of Gaza have departed from Iran. The nation's Red Crescent announced Monday the cargo includes food, medicine and appliances and will be accompanied by a group of Iranian doctors and relief workers.

In a dramatic new development, an aide to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hojjatoleslam Ali Shirazi, has pledged Tehran would send Revolutionary Guard units to escort Gaza aid convoys. "Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval forces are prepared to escort the peace and freedom convoys that carry humanitarian assistance for the defenseless and oppressed people of Gaza with all their strength," Ali Shirazi, who is Khamenei's personal representative to the guards corps, according to the Guardian .

Israel defends aid ship raid

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:19 PM PDT

Israel has attempted to justify its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship last week by accusing five of its passengers of being "active terror operatives linked to al-Qaeda, Hamas and other armed groups.

In a statement, Israeli authorities named five passengers it said were "known to be involved in terrorist activity".

Storms rip thru US Midwest killing 7

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:14 PM PDT

At least seven people have been confirmed dead after tornadoes and thunderstorms ripped through midwestern United States, emergency officials say.

The worst-hit state was Ohio, from which all seven deaths have been reported, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency said on Sunday.

US: Clear-cut Afghan victory unlikely

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 03:33 PM PDT

US special envoy to Afghanistan says the Afghan war will not end in a clear-cut military victory, as Washington faces a rising casualty count among US-led troops.

Richard Holbrooke told Reuters on Sunday that Washington understands that a final "political settlement" in Afghanistan will ultimately end the war.

All Rachel Corrie activists released

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 03:12 PM PDT

Israel has released civilians previously arrested aboard the Rachel Corrie aid ship as international protests continue against Tel Aviv's deadly attack last week on an aid convoy.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli immigration office said all the 19 people on board the Irish-owned ship have left, AFP reported on Monday.

US-led soldier killed in E Afghanistan

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 03:00 PM PDT

A US-led soldier has been killed in eastern Afghanistan, the commandment of the International Security Assistance Force has announced in a statement.

According to the statement released on Monday, the soldier was killed Monday during a direct attack by militants in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, Press TV correspondent reported.

N Korea makes key appointments

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:56 PM PDT

North Korea has named a brother-in-law of leader Kim Jong-il to a powerful military post and sacked its premier in moves seen as consolidating Kim's grip on power and paving the way for his youngest son to succeed him.

Kim attended a rare session of the parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, on Monday to personally name Jang Song-thaek as vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, the North's KCNA news agency said.

Biden in Egypt after flotilla attack

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:51 PM PDT

Amid high tensions over an Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, US Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Egypt, which together with Israel has imposed a blockade on Gazans.

Biden, who is heading a delegation of senior US officials, is scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:24 PM PDT

A Canadian soldier has been killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated while he was on a foot patrol in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.

Canada's Department of National Defense identified the dead soldier as Sergeant Martin Goudreault.

Iranian aid ships to set sail for Gaza

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:20 PM PDT

Two Iranian aid ships carrying humanitarian relief and medical supplies for the people of Gaza will set sail for the coastal sliver in the upcoming days.

Iran's Red Crescent announced Monday that the cargo will include food, medicine and appliances and it will be accompanied by a group of Iranian doctors and relief workers.

Hamas welcomes EU monitoring force

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:14 PM PDT

Hamas has welcomed a proposal by the European Union (EU) to monitor Gaza crossings in a bid to help lift the Israeli-imposed siege on the Palestinian territory.

Hamas "welcomes this proposal in all its aspects," of EU or international presence at Rafah, Ma'an news agency quoted the Palestinian movement's senior official Salah al-Bardawil as saying on Sunday.

Clinton warns of Iran stunt on sanctions

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:10 PM PDT

Amid a US-led push for a new set of tough sanctions against Iran, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claims Tehran is likely to pull a "stunt" in the upcoming days to obstruct fresh embargos.

As she prepared to leave for a trip to Latin America on Monday, Clinton told reporters that Tehran has shown in the past that it will stop at nothing to "avoid being held accountable" over its nuclear activities.

Israel's attack on Flotilla violates international law

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:58 PM PDT

In the aftermath of Israel's 31 May attack on the Freedom Flotilla that left nine dead and scores wounded, each side claimed their actions were protected under international law. While the Israelis cited self-defense, and the Flotilla passengers reiterated that they were peace activists on a humanitarian mission that were attacked in international waters where neither Israel (nor any other state) has any claim. This has caused some confusion, especially in light of the extensive airtime given to Israeli officials by most mainstream media outlets. However, it must be known that under established rules of international law, Israel had no right to attack a peaceful convoy on international waters; and indeed such an attack constitutes an international crime or even an act of war.

Australian govt faces election loss

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:48 PM PDT

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd could lose elections later this year after his popularity fell sharply, a poll published by the Sydney Morning Herald shows.

The paper announced Monday that according to a Herald/Neilson poll, backing for the Australian centre-left government has tumbled by three points to 47 percent for the first time in more than four years while support for the opposition has increased to 53 percent, AFP reported.

The Old Gaza Boy and the Sea

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:47 PM PDT

I grew up by the Gaza sea. Through my childhood, I could never quite comprehend how such a giant a body of water, which promised such endless freedom, could also border on such a tiny and cramped stretch of land - a land that was perpetually held hostage, even as it remained perpetually defiant.

12 die in Indonesian bridge collapse

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:35 PM PDT

Twelve Indonesian children are killed as a wooden plank suspension bridge collapses in Indonesia's Aceh province, an official has says.

The accident occurred Sunday in a remote village on the Sumatra island, district chief Ibnu Hasyim said Monday.

Prison terms for Bhopal leak guilty

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:21 PM PDT

A court in India has sentenced seven ex-employees of the Indian unit of US chemicals firm Union Carbide to two years in jail after finding them guilty of negligence over a deadly gas leak that killed thousands in 1984.

The court on Monday also ordered those convicted to pay a fine of $2100 each for the disaster that struck the central Indian city of Bhopal.

France, Britain want int'l Israel probe

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:20 PM PDT

The foreign ministers of France and Britain have urged an international investigation into a recent Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, which left nine people dead.

Speaking at a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner late on Sunday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague stressed the need for "a credible and transparent investigation."

Four Fighters Killed In Gaza

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:20 PM PDT

Palestinian medical sources reported Monday at dawn that four fighters were killed by Israeli fire near the Gaza coast.

The attack was carried out approximately at 4:30am, at dawn, as the Navy opened heavy fire targeting the coast as some fighters were training on diving skills.

Palestinians killed by Israeli fire

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:11 PM PDT

At least four Palestinians have been killed after an Israeli navy patrol fired on a group of men allegedly wearing diving gear in Nuseirat off the Gaza coast.

The Israeli military said those killed on Monday were planning a "terror attack".

US Embassy in Israel Demands Investigation into American Injured in Protest

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 12:51 PM PDT

Henochowicz, right, after being hit by the gas canister

The American Embassy in Israel has called for an IDF investigation into how Emily Honochowicz, 21, lost her eye after being hit by a tear gas canister at a protest last week at the Qalandia checkpoint in the West Bank.

Honochowicz is an American art student studying abroad in Jerusalem. She was injured last Monday when she attended a protest in response to Israel's raid on the Freedom Flotilla. Israeli Border Police attempted to disperse the protest by deploying tear gas danisters, one of which his Henochowicz in the face and later caused her to lose an eye.

Divestment Movement Gains Momentum In US And Britain

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 12:25 PM PDT

UC Berkeley Divestment Resolution displayed on campus (photo Berkeley Daily Planet)

The largest labor union in Britain, Unite, has passed a resolution to divest from Israel, while another U.S. College, slain activist Rachel Corrie's school Evergreen College, has also voted for divestment.

The British union passed the motion unanimously two days after an Israeli attack on an aid ship killed 8 Turkish and 1 American aid worker, and injured 60. The motion was brought by union members during a national convention in Manchester, and passed unanimously.

Shares dive on Euro debt fears

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 12:13 PM PDT

Stock markets in Asia have tumbled over fears that Europe's debt crisis could spread with Japan's benchmark Nikkei index diving more than four per cent by the close of Monday morning trade.

Elsewhere Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost almost three per cent while in South Korea the Kospi fell 2.6 per cent.

Israeli forces gun down Palestinians

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:46 AM PDT

Four Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli gunboats off the Gaza coast as Tel Aviv faces more criticism over its blockade of the impoverished coastal sliver.

Four bodies were found following an Israeli attack on a Palestinian boat on early Monday near Nuseirat area, according to Palestinian sources.

Mass demolitions feared in Jerusalem

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:15 AM PDT

Ethnic cleansing of al-Bustan neighborhood in Jerusalem continues with new plans to demolish 88 Palestinian homes to build "green space" for the area.

The residents of al-Bustan fear imminent demolitions as Israeli police were observed taking photos and film footage of Palestinian homes.

American Journalist slammed for comments on Israel/Palestine

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:14 AM PDT

Helen Thomas - (Photo: www.helenthomas.org)

Veteran American journalist Helen Thomas was harshly slammed by Jewish groups in the United States for comments she made a week ago regarding the Israeli occupation in Palestine.

Thomas was asked if she has any comment on Israel, during a celebration of the Jewish heritage in the White House on May 28, and was quoted as saying, they should "get the hell out of Palestine."

9 killed as 'Phet' strikes Karachi

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 10:05 AM PDT

Nine people are killed as tropical storm Phet strikes Pakistan's largest city Karachi, as the toll from the storm in Oman climbs to 24.

The heavy rainfall late Sunday caused flooding in and around the provincial capital of Karachi, although it weakened after hitting Sindh's Thatta and Badin coastal districts in south of the country.

Germany set to slash public spending

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:51 AM PDT

With Europe's economy in doldrums, German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to thrash out a major spending-cut scheme that includes slashing jobs by 2014.

German Chancellor has begun negotiations on Sunday with ministers from all parties to resolve the brewing debt crisis in Europe's largest economy that grapples with the bloated budget deficit of more than EUR 86 billion this year (double the European Union's maximum).

Freed activist to sue Israel

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:36 AM PDT

A recently-freed activist from Israeli custody insists on taking legal action against the Tel Aviv regime for the ordeal he has gone through on board the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla.

Nour Choudhury, one of the international activists detained by Israeli forces during an armed assault on an aid convoy destined for the besieged Gaza strip, said in an exclusive interview with Press TV that Israeli commandos assaulted the convoy during morning prayers and kept on shooting even after everyone stopped resisting.

Lebanese call for end to Israeli siege

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:27 AM PDT

Hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators in Lebanon call for an end to Israeli siege on Gaza, burning Israeli flags near the US embassy.

Demonstrators in Awkar, north of Beirut, carrying Lebanese, Palestinian and Turkish flags, denounced the Israeli regime on Sunday and chanted slogans such as "Free Palestine" and "No to an American embassy in Lebanon."

Vatican blasts Israeli occupation

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 08:12 AM PDT

The Vatican has lashed out at the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories while blaming Christian fundamentalists for using scriptures to justify the occupation.

In a working paper prepared for a summit of Middle East bishops in Rome in October and unveiled during the first-ever papal visit to Cyprus by Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic hierarchy also blamed "political Islam" for bloodshed and "plight of Christians" in the region.

'US missile' used in Yemen strike

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 07:08 AM PDT

The US is facing fresh questions over its role in a deadly attack in late 2009 on an alleged al-Qaeda camp in Yemen, after a rights group published what it said was new evidence of US involvement in the strike.

Photographs released by Amnesty International on Monday apparently show parts of a US cruise missile and cluster munitions gathered from the site of the strike last December in the village of al Ma'jalah in southern Yemen.

Dutch poll raises immigration issue

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 06:49 AM PDT

Voters in one of Europe's most tolerant countries are heading to the polls soon. The Netherlands is renowned for its liberal politics and open-minded attitudes towards everything from drugs to education to healthcare. But the latest polls suggest a right-wing party with an anti-immigration message is on course to do well in next week's general election, raising fears about the future of Dutch society. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from Amsterdam. [5 June 10]

Florida braces for effects of oil spill

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 06:40 AM PDT

Barack Obama, the US president, has made a third trip to Louisiana to meet with officials involved in the oil clean-up operation in the Gulf of Mexico. He warned British energy giant BP on Saturday not to shortchange local residents who have lost their livelihood - while paying out billions of dollars in dividends to company shareholders. The oil slick has now drifted east and is closing in on the US coast near the state of Florida, where businesses at the tourist hotspot of Pensacola Beach should be preparing to greet a flood of tourists at this time of year. Instead, they are getting ready to deal with waves of oil. Al Jazeera's Cath Turner reports.

Israel bans Turkey visits

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 06:29 AM PDT

Tel Aviv's anti-terrorism office has issued a travel ban on Israelis, especially its soldiers, planning holiday trips to Turkey, amid rising tensions between former close allies.

The Israeli office said on Sunday that the ban applied in particular to military reservists planning vacations in Turkey, a favorite destination for many Israelis.

Footage of Gaza aid flotilla protests in France

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 06:20 AM PDT

Rallies have been held in the centre of Paris against the deadly Israeli raid on a flotilla of aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip this week. Al Jazeera covered the protests and gained this footage (6 June, 2010).

Demonstrations in London against Israeli raid on Gaza aid flotilla

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 06:02 AM PDT

Protestors have marched across Central London in response to Israel's raid on a deadly aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip in the past week. The demonstration was noisy but peaceful, with people calling for the Israeli embassy in London to close. And there was a strong showing too, but it was matched by the city's police force. Al Jazeera's Tim Friend was there (5 June, 2010).

French bid to aid Israeli attack probe

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 05:58 AM PDT

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered to assist the Israeli regime in probing the deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

France is ready to help Israel with a probe sought by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Sarkozy told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the office of the French president.

BP's CEO won't quit over oil spill

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 05:08 AM PDT

As the oil continues to spew in the Gulf of Mexico for 48 consecutive days, the chief executive of British Petroleum (BP) says he will not resign over the disaster.

Chief Executive of BP Tony Hayward brushed aside speculations that he would quit amid mounting criticisms in a BBC interview, adding that the firm has managed to funnel off about 10,000 barrels of oil over the past 24 hours by the installation of a containment cap on the ruptured well in the Gulf.

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 05:04 AM PDT

Farooq Burney was aboard the Mavi Marmara and has just arrived back in Doha after being detained by the Israelis. He's the director of al Fakhoora, an aid group which focuses on education.

Erdogan: open Gaza prison must cease

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 04:09 AM PDT

Turkish premier has reiterated his passionate criticism of the Israeli regime following its armed assault on a Gaza aid convoy that killed nine Turks.

"We will stand firm until the blockade on Gaza is lifted, the massacres cease and the state terror in the Middle East is accounted for," said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, AFP reported.

Forgetting What They Don't Want You to Know

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 03:00 AM PDT

Lately, I've been reading this book by the British historian and Jew, Tony Judt, called "Reappraisals, Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century." From the book's back cover: "As Pulitzer prize-winning historian Tony Judt argues persuasively in Reappraisals, we have entered an 'age of forgetting.'"

'No military solution to Afghan war'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:08 AM PDT

Russia says more economic and social assistance should be sent to Afghanistan to prevent the repeated failure of the US-led forces in the country.

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov made the comments at a regional security conference in Singapore on Sunday.

Indians condemn Israeli aggression

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:54 AM PDT

Thousands in the Indian-administered Kashmir have protested against the deadly Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound aid ships that killed 20 peace activists in international waters.

The protesters marched toward in Srinagar's landmark Lal Chowk in a bid to show their solidarity with Gaza Flotilla victims on Sunday.

Russian festival awards Iranian film

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:53 AM PDT

Iranian filmmaker Peyman Haqani's Man Who Ate His Cherries has been awarded at the 4th edition of Russia's Zerkalo International Film Festival.

The 77-minute film won the Guild of Film Critics award of the event, held from May 24 to 30, 2010, the Tehran Times reported.

'Erdogan has no plans to sail to Gaza'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:51 AM PDT

Turkey's prime minister will not accompany an aid convoy bound for Gaza, says Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, voicing concern over the use of force against Turkish citizens.

"No. No. No, no, no, no. Prime Minister Erdogan doesn't have such an intention," Ahmet Davutoglu said in an interview with CNN on Sunday.

Israel should explain 'state terrorism'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:47 AM PDT

The Turkish premier repeats his fiery criticism of Israel following its attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, which left several Turkish nationals dead.

Israel's Monday assault took its toll on the Turkish-backed Freedom Flotilla which had set sail to break Tel Aviv's siege of the Gaza Strip.

Mutations help flu evade drugs

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:46 AM PDT

Two extra mutations in the seasonal influenza virus are responsible for the evolution of the virus into forms resistant to the available drugs, a new study says.

Latest figures revealed that seasonal flu is responsible for the death of some 250,000-500,000 individuals every year in different parts of the world.

New Sanai quatrains found

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:37 AM PDT

Iranian editor Seyyed-Ali Mirafzali has found a collection of 205 new quatrains composed by the 12th-century Sufi Persian poet, Sanai Ghaznavi.

"I edited Sanai quatrains based on 25 manuscripts and after the work was finished I realized that some 205 of his quatrains had not been published so far," Mirafzali told Mehr News Agency.

Ahmadinejad to attend CICA in Turkey

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:22 AM PDT

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to participate in a Eurasian summit in neighboring Turkey, as part of a three-nation tour.

The president will leave Tehran for Istanbul on Monday to attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Mehr News Agency reported.

More Dim Bulb Homegrown Patsies Arrested

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:12 AM PDT

More patsies were arrested on Saturday and immediately fed into the fake terror propaganda machine. "Two New Jersey men who were bound for Somalia to join an Islamic extremist group and to kill American troops were arrested at Kennedy International Airport late Saturday, federal and local authorities announced on Sunday," the New York Times reports today.

It is said Mohamed Haoud Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte wanted to join al-Shabaab, a shadowy terror group accused of working with al-Qaeda, the CIA database that morphed into a scary mirage after everything changed on September 11, 2001. "They were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiring to kill, maim and kidnap people outside the United States and were expected to be arraigned in federal court in Newark on Monday, according to the officials."

New Japan PM discusses US base

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:01 AM PDT

Japan's prime minister-elect has reassured relations with the US are intact, promising to "make a strenuous effort" to agree on relocating a contentious US Marine base.

In a phone conversation, US President Barack Obama congratulated Naoto Kan, the former finance minister who will soon lead the country, amid tensions over the US Marine Air Station in Futenma.

'US cluster bombs killed 55 in Yemen'

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 12:49 AM PDT

Amnesty International says the United States used cluster bombs on a cruise missile in Yemen, killing 55 people, most of whom were civilians.

The attack, according to the rights group, targeted Al-Maajala in the Abyan province at a time when Washington was pushing hard to project militants in the country.

Afghan officials resign over attack

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 12:37 AM PDT

Afghanistan's interior minister and the head of the intelligence service have resigned over Wednesday's attack on a peace conference.

Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, accepted the resignations on Sunday.

Global rallies decry Israeli aid attack

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 12:24 AM PDT

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets around the globe to show unity with Palestinians and decry Israel's deadly attack on the Gaza-bound Flotilla.

Moroccans stage a demonstration in Rabat, with government ministers, heads of political parties, trade unions and political activists attending to denounce the Israeli attack, AFP reported.

Iran plans to cut subsidized fuel

Posted: 07 Jun 2010 12:21 AM PDT

Iran plans to cut rationed subsidized gasoline after the implementation of an economic reform plan to cut food and energy subsidies.

Iran said last month the economic reform plan would be implemented in the second half of the current Iranian calendar year, which ends in March 2011.

Mediterranean diet helps heart patients

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 11:56 PM PDT

While previous studies had reported that a Mediterranean diet can stave off heart disease, a new research points out the benefits of such a diet in heart patients.

A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts, vegetable oils, low-fat dairy products, legumes, whole grains and fish can protect individuals against cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

Iran to hold Ferdowsi confab

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 11:49 PM PDT

Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) will hold an intl. conference to commemorate the great Persian epic poet, Ferdowsi.

"UNESCO has named the year 2010 after Ferdowsi marking the millennial anniversary of his masterpiece Shahnameh, so we also felt the necessity to honor the great poet in a ceremony," head of the ICHTO Headquarters for Publicity and Tourism Exhibitions Mohammad Hossein Barzin told CHTN.

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