Monthly Archives: October 2013

More than two million worshippers arrive in Mecca for hajj pilgrimage… with another million expected to join them in world’s largest annual gathering of Muslims

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Mecca -hajj pilgrimage

 

In the searing heat, this was the scene at the Grand Mosque in Mecca today as millions of pilgrims arrived for the annual hajj – a religious journey that is viewed as one of the Muslim faith’s greatest acts of worship.

The mosque, the focal point of Islam, was teeming with visitors wearing the simple white folds of cloth prescribed for hajj.

Almost two million people have so far arrived at the site in Saudi Arabia for the rites, which reach a peak on Monday – and another million are expected.

And with temperatures hitting 36c (97f), many congregated in the cooler shadow of the building’s minarets.

Haj must be performed at least once in their lifetime by all Muslims capable of making the expensive, difficult journey – a duty that applies equally to Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims at a time of tension between Islam’s main sects.

Saudi Arabian authorities have asked pilgrims to put politics aside during the annual hajj, but amid bitter divisions in Egypt, some Islamists refuse to keep quiet.

Keenly aware of the potential for political tensions to flare into violence at a time of upheaval across the Middle East, the Saudi Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef asked pilgrims to leave disputes at home.

Most Egyptians making their way into the holy city said their most fervent prayers were for peace.

 

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Germany Again Urges Ukraine to Free Tymoshenko

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vitor yanukovich-guido westerwelle

 

Germany has once against urged Ukraine to release jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko or risk losing a proposed free-trade agreement with the European Union.

Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence on charges of abuse of office. The EU views her case as politically motivated and has warned that it will not sign the free-trade deal with Kiev in November, if Tymoshenko remains jailed. Germany has offered to fly her to Berlin for treatment of a back problem after she is freed on humanitarian grounds.

Speaking after talks with Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urged Kiev to solve the Tymoshenko problem because “we support Ukraine’s path to Europe.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said authorities are looking for a solution.

 

Tibetan monk who helped bring Buddhism to West murdered in China

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A high-profile monk who played a key role in bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West has been murdered in southwest China, police say.

Tarap Shetrup Akong, who has British citizenship , was killed along with his nephew and another man in Sichuan province on Tuesday, police in the provincial capital Chengdu said on their official account on the microblogging site Weibo.

Police said that three suspects have been captured, and that the victims were stabbed in a financial dispute.

Akong was born in Tibet in 1940 and left for exile in 1959. He founded a monastery called Samye Ling in a secluded part of Scotland.

Robbie Barnett, a Tibet expert at Columbia University in New York, said that he was known for his social as much as spiritual work.

“The bulk of his life’s work was on providing social welfare to villagers, rural communities, townspeople, nomads and monasteries in Tibet and other countries.”

Barnett said that he had great diplomatic skill and was able to maintain relationships with high-level Chinese officials without compromising his work with Tibetans on the ground.

 

EU Awards Top Human Rights Award to Malala

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European lawmakers have awarded their top human rights prize to Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt last year.

The European Parliament announced Thursday that 16-year-old Malala won the 50,000 euro ($65,000) Sakharov Award. U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and a group of imprisoned Belarus dissidents were also in the running.

The prize is considered the Europe’s top rights award. Previous winners include Nobel Peace Prize laureates Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela.

 

Funds raised through Telethon 2013 to launch construction of Vardenis-Martakert Highway

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The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s upcoming Telethon will be dedicated to raising financial support for the construction of the Vardenis-Martakert Highway. The third project of its kind to be carried out by the fund, the Vardenis-Martakert Highway is expected to be a boon to the further socio-economic development of Artsakh and Armenia alike.

Today it would be hard to exaggerate the crucial role which the Goris-Stepanakert and North-South highways have had in the growth and improved living standards of both republics. The Goris-Stepanakert Highway, which links Artsakh to Armenia, and the North-South Highway, often described as the backbone of Artsakh, have enabled the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund to accelerate the development of infrastructure (including water and gas pipelines and networks) as well as the construction or renovation of schools, clinics, hospitals, and cultural institutions throughout the cities and villages of Artsakh.

The Vardenis-Martakert Highway likewise will be of key economic and humanitarian importance. By functioning as a direct road link, the highway will become a second lifeline between northern Armenia and northern Artsakh, significantly cutting down travel times, boosting the economies of scores of Artsakh communities along its path, stimulating inter-community ties, and vastly improving geographic access for implementing local development initiatives. Currently the only land-travel link between Artsakh and Armenia is the Berdzor community, through which passes the Goris-Stepanakert Highway.

The highway’s construction will include, in addition to paving and the painting of pavement markings, the installation of water-removal and snowdrift-control systems as well as protective barriers and road signs. Design tweaks and special safety measures will be applied in highway sections prone to landslides. These measures will comprise the construction of support walls and rockfall-attenuation structures, and the removal of rocks. In addition, the project entails the renovation or refitting of 16 bridges along the route.

The Vardenis-Martakert Highway will bring economic benefits to communities located within up to 20 kilometers on either side of the route. Villages that lie within two to three kilometers of the future highway include Drmbon, Kochoghut, Verin Horatagh, Vaghuhas, Haterk, Getavan, Chapar, Khnkavan, Charektar, Nor Erkej, Dadivank, Nor Getashen, Knaravan, and Yeghegnut. Outlying villages, located five or more kilometers from the highway, include Karvachar, Nor Gharachinar, Harutagomer, Zardakhach, Hamshak, Chapni, Chinavan, Nor Kharkhapur, Shigkar, Nor Brajur, Yeghtsin, Zovk, Nor Vernashen, Msheni, and Nor Manashid.

 

A Wi-Fi Kettle That Messages Instead Of Whistling When It Boils

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4The iKettle might have a terribly cliched name, but it makes up for that unoriginality with loads of novel functionality that might just be enough to justify its $160 price tag. Maybe. After all, how many kettles do you know that politely ask if you’d like a piping hot cup of tea when you get home at night?

The crux of the kettle’s capabilities is its ability to connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network. This puts it in contact with an accompanying mobile app on your smartphone that gives you complete control over all of the kettle’s functionality — including multiple temperature options for different hot beverages — from wherever you have access to your home’s wireless network.

Starting the kettle boiling before you get up and head to the kitchen is a wonderful feature, for sure. But it’s the iKettle’s ability to monitor its internal temperature and alert you when the water is ready that most coffee and tea fans will love — especially since it sends you notifications instead of an ear-piercing whistle. And last but not least, when you walk through the door at the end of the day and your smartphone rejoins your wireless network, the iKettle will even offer to start a fresh brew like your own personal butler who really has only one skill.

Yeni Azerbaijan party (YAP) announces the victory of Ilham Aliyev

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The ruling party “Yeni Azerbaijan” declared victory of its leaders, the current president Ilham Aliyev in the presidential election on October 9 of its leader, said at a press conference on Wednesday evening,   YAP deputy chairman, Ali Ahmadov. He did not give specific figures on the number of voters, and stated the complete victory of Aliyev.

According to Ahmadov, the elections were held in a democratic atmosphere, and there were   not serious violations.–06D–

Dutch Apologize to Russia Over Diplomat’s Arrest

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hague

 

The Netherlands has issued an apology to Russia over the arrest and detention over the weekend of a Russian diplomat by police in The Hague.

Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans says in a written statement Wednesday that an investigation has established that the arrest of Dmitry Borodin late Saturday was a breach of the Vienna Convention that regulates diplomatic relations between nations, including diplomatic immunity.

For the breach, “the state of the Netherlands offers the Russian Federation its apologies,” the statement says.

However Timmermans also says he “understands” the action of police officers who arrested Borodin — a statement unlikely to appease Russian demands for action against officers involved.

The statement adds that the two countries “remain in talks” about the situation.

 

Proof that Marilyn Monroe DID have a chin implant: X-rays and medical notes that reveal late star’s cosmetic surgery go up for auction

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A physician’s notes on Marilyn Monroe that indicate that the Hollywood sex symbol had undergone cosmetic surgery will be up for sale next month along with a set of her X-rays, an auction house said on Tuesday.

The set of six X-rays and a file of doctors’ notes that offer a partial medical history of the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes actress from 1950 to 1962, are expected to fetch between $15,000 and $30,000 at auction on November 9 and 10, said Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California.

The notes written by Hollywood plastic surgeon Michael Gurdin appear to confirm speculation that Monroe, who epitomized glamour and set a standard of movie star beauty during the latter part of Hollywood’s golden era, went under the knife for cosmetic reasons.

The seller, who is so far unnamed, received the items as a gift from Gurdin.

Gurdin’s notes include references to a 1950 cartilage implant in Monroe’s chin, which he observed to have slowly begun to dissolve.

Monroe’s biggest films, such as 1953’s How to Marry a Millionaire, 1955’s The Seven Year Itch and 1959’s Some Like It Hot, were all shot after 1950.

The X-rays include Monroe’s frontal facial bones, a composite right and left X-ray of the sides of her nasal bones and dental X-rays of the roof of her mouth.
A set of three chest X-rays of Monroe from 1954 sold for $45,000 at a 2010 auction.

A self-published memoir by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Norman Leaf in 2010 claimed that Monroe underwent cosmetic surgery on her chin in 1950, citing the same notes made by Gurdin, Leaf’s medical partner.

Leaf also states in his memoir that Monroe underwent a slight rhinoplasty procedure on the tip of her nose.

The notes also indicate that Monroe suffered from neutropenia, a low level of a white blood cell type, in 1956 while in England and had an ectopic pregnancy in 1957.

Flying Alpine swifts stay airborne for 200 days in longest recorded flight made by any bird

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Alpine Swifts - the longest recorded flight

 

Researchers who tracked a group of migrating birds have discovered that they flew for 200 days non-stop between Africa and Europe.

Scientists say that the 1,240-mile flight carried out by three Alpine Swifts is the longest recorded flight made by any bird.

Although experts have speculated that a related species, the common swift, remains airborne for much of the year, the latest research is the first to provide data over such a long period.

A team from the Swiss Ornithological Institute and the Bern University of Applied Sciences strapped tiny electronic monitoring devices to six alpine swifts before theu flew south for the winter.

When they returned north again, the team recaptured three of the birds and downloaded the data from the devices.

It showed that the birds did not stop moving from late September until early spring.

Despite the team’s initial scepticism of the results, they found that the birds didn’t land to rest or sleep, but instead spent much of the night gliding and eat while still airborne.

Much of their diet consists of aerial plankton, bugs and spiders that are swept into the sky by high winds.

The birds are able to skim lakes and rivers while in flight for liquids.

What the scientists were unable to discern is why the birds spend so long in the air.

Mr Liechti said: ‘We can only speculate as to what the profit is of staying airborne all the time.

‘Is it avoiding predation? Parasites? We don’t know.’

 

Topless Women Stage Pro-Abortion Protest in Spain

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Topless Women Stage Pro-Abortion Protest in SpainWomen from the feminist group Femen have staged a topless protest in the Spanish Parliament against the conservative government’s planned abortion law reform.

Three women standing in the lower house’s public gallery took off their tops and chanted “abortion is sacred” as Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon spoke during a weekly session Wednesday.

One of the women climbed up on to a gallery railing and wrapped her arms around a pillar as she shouted down at the politicians.

The women, who had the message painted on their bodies, were dragged away by parliament ushers after some three minutes.

Ruiz-Gallardon opposes Spain’s abortion without restrictions until the 14th week and wants it once again only available under certain conditions concerning the health of the mother and the fetus.

 

New UN Corner opened in Gyumri Central Library

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Gyumri, 9 October, 2013 – UN Office in Armenia continues focusing attention on youth empowerment in the regions and opened a new UN Corner in Gyumri.   Now students, researches, officials and journalists will have more opportunities to further learn about the UN values, global agenda and UN work in Armenia, using donated 2,000 UN publications.

The UN Corner was launched at the Gyumri Municipality Central Library named after Mkrtich Armen with the support of the UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI) and will complement the UN support to the libraries in this city.

In addition, some 2,000 UN publications were distributed with the help of a Bibilo-bus at the Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute (GSPI) named after M. Nalbandyan, Civil Society Development Center of GSPI and at the Gyumri Branch of the Armenian State University of Economics.  UN officials will visit the UN Corners to discuss the UN-related issues with all interested.

Maria Dotsenko, the UNDPI Representative in Armenia, said: “The UN keeps focusing on youth empowerment and dialogue with public. Since the citizens of Gyumri are active participants of many UN activities, we supported your idea to open UN Corner, so that you will have direct access to the UN-related information. You are our reliable partners in promotion of UN values: human rights, democratic governance, peace and security, sustainable human development. We are glad to support you to further improve your knowledge.”

Artush Mkrtchyan, the Central Library Director, expressed his appreciation on the cooperation with the UN emphasizing that such joint activities will allow people to contribute to the work of the UN and become better informed and active citizens.

There are seven UN Corners in Armenia: four in Yerevan: at the Armenian – Russian (Slavonic) University, Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Khachatur Abovyan, the Armenian National Agrarian University and Armenian State University of Economics, and three – outside of Yerevan: in Ijevan, Stepanavan and Dilijan.  There are also two UN Depository Libraries: in the Yerevan State University and the National Library of Armenia.

 

10 killed, 2 rescued in China coal mine flooding

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china-miners-rescuedTwo miners trapped underground for 10 days in a flooded coal mine have been rescued, China’s state-run CCTV reported.

But the bodies of 10 others have also been found.

The accident September 28 occurred when 42 miners were working in the Zhengsheng coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province, according to CCTV. Thirty workers were pulled out of the shaft immediately after the accident.

More than 850 rescuers, 20 pumps and four drilling machines embarked on the rescue operation, CCTV said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

 

‘What will become of us? Who will lead us?’: More than 700,000 mourners attend Israel’s largest ever funeral after the death of ultra-orthodox rabbi

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Jews attend the funeral of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef5

 

At least 700,000 mourners gathered in Jerusalem today for the funeral of influential ultra-orthodox Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Thousands of police officers were deployed to control the crowds clamouring to stand near the spiritual leader’s body on the day of his death, as per Jewish tradition.

Ambulance workers reported 20 people had been injured in the commotion, also attended by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Iraqi-born Rabbi – founder of the Shas Party and a leading Torah scholar – was 93 when he died shortly before 1.30pm today.

He was an arbiter of Halacha (Jewish law) and promoted rights for Jews emigrated from the Middle East and North Africa.

Around 100 followers spent the night and day standing outside his ward in Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem after doctors announced the situation was critical as they tried to control ‘a total failure of his body systems’.

Mr Netanyahu described Rabbi Ovadia as ‘among the greatest rabbis of our generation’.

‘The Jewish People have lost one of the wisest men of this generation.

‘I admired his amiable personality and his direct approach.

‘In my meetings with him I was always made wiser and learned something.

‘I send my condolences to his family, to his students, and his followers.’

One of the nation’s most important figures, Rabbi Ovadia’s health has been at the centre of media attention over the last few weeks.

He was hospitalised last month after complications following kidney treatment.

 

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef

Has Madonna ditched Kabbalah for Islam? Singer reveals she is studying the Koran

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Madonna

It is almost a quarter of a century since she first sang Like A Prayer.

But it seems the intervening years have done little to help Madonna decide exactly who she’s praying to.

For it appears the queen of re-invention may be on the verge of one of her most startling changes yet, after she revealed she was studying the Koran.

The 55-year-old was raised a Roman Catholic, but for the past 17 years she has been a devout follower of Kabbalah, a mystical offshoot of Judaism.

Now the singer, whose current partner is a Muslim, has begun investigating Islam.

She said: ‘I am building schools for girls in Islamic countries and studying the Koran.

‘I think it is important to study all the holy books.

‘As my friend Yaman always tells me, a good Muslim is a good Jew, and a good Jew is a good Christian, and so forth. I couldn’t agree more.

Madonna has followed Kabbalah since 1996. She famously  persuaded her former husband, British director Guy Ritchie, to attend Kabbalah services before they split in 2008. But she and her current partner Brahim Zaibat, 25, have reportedly argued about religion because of his Muslim faith.

Madonna is said to dilute her children’s orange juice with specially blessed Kabbalah water, and often wears white clothes because they attract ‘positive energy’.

 

Washington shutdown must end, China tells the US: Finance minister demands ‘concrete measures’ to avoid catastrophic default

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China warned U.S. - potential global financial fallout

 

China publicly intervened for the first time in America’s looming debt crisis yesterday, demanding the US take ‘concrete measures’ to prevent a default on government debt that could be globally catastrophic.

China is the U.S’s biggest foreign creditor, holding at least £794 billion in US Treasury bonds, and its leaders warned Washington against jeopardising its huge stake in the American economy.

Expressing concern over the continuing deadlock in Washington about raising the government’s debt ceiling, China’s vice finance minister, Zhu Guangyao, said the ‘clock was ticking’ for the U.S.

As the world’s two biggest economies, ‘China and the US are inseparable,’ he said.

Referring to a similar Washington impasse in 2011 that led to the humiliating downgrading of America’s credit rating, Mr Zhu said: ‘We hope the United States fully understands the lessons of history.’

The U.S. has until October 17th to agree to raise its debt ceiling or the Treasury will run out of money to pay what it owes.

 

Russia Protests Dutch Treatment of Diplomat

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A diplomatic feud has broken out between the Netherlands and Russia — exactly at the moment the two countries are at odds over Russia’s detention of a group of Greeenpeace activists.

Speaking at a conference in Bali, Indonesia Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded an apology and explanation for an incident in which a Russian diplomat in Netherlands was detained by Dutch police in The Hague.

The diplomat, Dmitri Borodin, says on his Twitter account he was mishandled at his home late Saturday. He and his two young children were taken to a police station and released early the following morning.

Hague police spokeswoman Ellen van Zijl confirmed Tuesday an “incident” with the diplomat had taken place, but she couldn’t give details. The Netherlands’ foreign ministry is formulating a response.

 

Gulf states to introduce medical testing on travellers to ‘detect’ gay people and stop them from entering the country

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Kuwait

 

A medical test being developed by Kuwait will be used to ‘detect’ homosexuals and prevent them from entering the country – or any of the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), according to a Kuwaiti government official.

GCC member countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – already deem homosexual acts unlawful.

This controversial stance is being toughened, with members of the LGBT community stopped at the border and banned from entering the country, according to Yousouf Mindkar, the director of public health at the Kuwaiti health ministry.

Those taking part in homosexual acts in Kuwait, if they’re under 21, can receive a jail sentence of up to 10 years.

Lightning strikes killed 32 people, including nine children, during weekend storms in India

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Lightning strikes killed 32 people, including nine children, during storms at the weekend in India.

It is not rare for lightning to strike someone when it is monsoon season, but that the sheer number of the death toll is extremely rare.

The strikes killed people in the eastern Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Torrential rains accompanied by strong winds uprooted trees, damaged houses and brought down power cables across the region on Sunday night.

Villagers housed in bamboo-and-grass huts are generally most at risk.