Not against Jewish faith Mursi: comments taken out of context

Not against Jewish faith Mursi: comments taken out of context

Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi said on Wednesday spiteful remarks he made against Jews and Zionists in 2010 had been taken out of context.

"As I have said before the quotes were taken out of context... I am not against the Jewish faith, I am not against Jews who practice their religion," Mursi told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

"I was talking about the practices and behavior of believers of any religion who shed blood or who attack innocent people or civilians. That's the behavior that I condemn."

"I am a Muslim. I'm a believer and my religion obliges me to believe in all prophets, to respect all religions and to respect the right of people to their own faith," he added.

Berlin was alarmed by video content that emerged in recent weeks showing Mursi making the hurtful comments against Jews and Zionists, when he was a senior official of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Germany's Nazi past and strong support of Israel make it highly sensitive to anti-Semitism.

President Mursi flew to Berlin to try and convince Europe of his democratic credentials.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged him to open a dialogue with all political forces in the crisis-ridden Arab country after a week of violence which killed more than 50 people.

"One thing that is important for us is that the line for dialogue is always open to all political forces in Egypt, that the different political forces can make their contribution, that human rights are adhered to in Egypt and that of course religious freedom can be experienced," Merkel told Mursi at a joint news conference.

Mursi is due to return to Cairo later in the day

Russia says concerned over Israeli air raids in Syria

Russia says concerned over Israeli air raids in Syria

Thursday, 31 January 2013

Russian FM Sergei Lavrov (R) speaks during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem. (AFP)

Russia said on Thursday it was very concerned about reports of an Israeli air attack deep inside Syria near its capital Damascus. Any action of such, if confirmed, would amount to unacceptable military interference in the war-ravaged country, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

“If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violates the U.N. Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russia added that it was taking "urgent measures" to clarify the situation.

"We once again call on the end to all violence in Syria, underscoring the inadmissability of any type of intervention from abroad, and the start of inter-Syrian dialogue based on the Geneva agreements of June 30, 2012," the Russian statement said.


Israeli fighter jets have struck a convoy on the Syria-Lebanon border suspected of carrying sophisticated Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, Al Arabiya correspondent Ziad Halabi reported from Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Halabi said “security indications” pointed to a convoy carrying surface-to-air missiles being smuggled into Syria via the Lebanese border. The Lebanese army had reported a heavy presence of Israeli jets over its territory throughout the night.

In the same vain, Syrian state television accused Israel of bombing a military research center at Jamraya, between Damascus and the nearby border. However, Syrian opposition fighters disputed that, saying their forces had attacked the site.

Russia has been trying to shield Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from international pressure to end the civil war against opposition forces that has ravaged the country over 22 months and killed an estimated 60,000 people. Moscow has repeatedly spoken against any foreign interference in Syria, especially military action.

NBA Nightly Highlights: January 28th

NBA Nightly Highlights: January 28th

New Technology 2013

New Technology 2013

 

What new technology will we see in 2013?

With the new year almost upon us, we’ll be taking a look at some of the most innovative technology and gadgets that we can expect to see in 2013. Some you will no doubt have heard about already, and some you’ll never have thought possible! This is part one.
 

Google Smart-Glasses

Google revealed that “Project Glass,” which takes all the functionality of a smartphone and places it into wearable eyeglasses, is something that a small team of their engineers have been working on for over two years now. The clear lens could display anything from text messages and reminders, to video charts and maps with turn-by-turn directions. They may also be capable of taking photos and recording videos; all through simple voice commands, according to the concept Google released earlier this year.
Although the finished product is still some way off, it’s believed that we may see it on shelves sometime in Q4 of 2013.

 

3D Printing In 2013

Okay, so 3D printing is something that is already possible, but those printers are currently commercial-only solutions with the absolute cheapest coming in at a little over $10,000.
In late 2013, we can expect the technology to significantly drop in price to the point where it will enter the consumer market.
So how does it work? The material is gradually deposited through a controlled nozzle, layer by layer, building up to a fully formed product, made of plastic or metal. Imagine being able to draw a case for your phone in Photoshop then printing out!
 

Leap Motion

Leap Motion lets you interact with your computer in a completely new way. Natural hand movements, instantly interpreted with an unprecedented accuracy of 1/100 of a millimeter, for a mere $70. The Leap Motion is without a doubt one of the most phenomenal products due to be released in 2013, we can’t even begin to describe how excited we are about it.
 

As far as new technology goes, this is about as cutting-edge as it gets for home electronics at the moment. It’s essentially a USB peripheral device about the same size as an smartphone that creates a 3-Dimensional interaction space of 8 cubic feet to precisely interact with and control software on your laptop or desktop computer. It’s so accurate that it’s able to sense individual hand and finger movements independently, as well as small items such as a pen.
200x more sensitive than existing touch-free technologies, like Microsoft’s Kinect, it’s the difference between sensing an arm or hand movement and interpreting an incredibly accurate fingertip or pen movement.
Currently available for pre-order at LeapMotion.com for $69.99, but wont ship until early 2013.
 

Xbox 720

With Xbox 720 gossip and concepts churning around inside the rumour mill for the past couple of years now, there’s no doubt that we’re beginning to learn some real hard facts now. If the Xbox 720, if that’s what it is to be called, is to be launched in the run up to Christmas 2013, an official announcement from Microsoft can’t be far away.
So what can we expect from the 360′s successor?
A 56-page document leaked from within Microsoft in June indicates that the new console will feature 1080p 3D support, Blu-ray player and DVR functionaly, which would suggest that Microsoft is trying to position the console as a single all-in-one set-top box for your living room.
Speaking specs, it is said that the machine will have two independent GPUs, and a CPU with four or six cores, one for Kinect, the other for the operating system.
We will also see new anti-piracy measures with an always-on internet connection. Microsoft neither confirms or denies this. Time will surely tell, but it’s looking like it will become one of the most successful pieces of new technology in 2013, especially if Sony are unable to release their PS4 in time for the winter festivities.
 

OCZ NIA 2 – Neural Impulse Actuator

OCZ have confirmed that they will be manufacturing a successor to their Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) in 2013. So what exactly is an NIA anyway? It’s actually an incredible piece of kit. Wearing the comfortable headband, users are able to control PC Games without even touching the keyboard which reduces reaction times by up to 60%.
The commands are very easily assigned and calibrated based on the user’s physiology. The result; gamers are able to jump, run and fire much more quickly the ever before, without even lifting a finger.
Essentially it works by converting EEG (brainwaves) signals into keystrokes. As it is configured using the supplied software, it can be used in almost any scenario where a keyboard would be used.
Sound good? It’s already being sold by many online retailers such as Play.com and Amazon, although it may be worth holing out until the NIA 2 is released.

Phoenix police hunt gunman who injured 5, 3 critically, inside office complex

Phoenix police hunt gunman who injured 5, 3 critically, inside office complex

DEVELOPING: Phoenix police are searching for a man they say shot five people in an office complex Wednesday morning after he had some type of altercation with some of the victims, MyFoxPhoenix.com reported.
Three of the five victims have life-threatening injuries and have been rushed to a nearby hospital. Though police have little information about the gunman’s motive, they do not consider the shooting a random act, the report said.
Police say the shooting occurred inside a mortgage company at 10:30 a.m. local time. Police said the gunman got into a dispute with someone at the building and the dispute escalated to the point where the man pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Police did not know what kind of gun was used. The suspect is described as a white male in his 60s. Police are not sure if the shooter is still inside the building. The building has been evacuated and the area around the premises has been sealed.
Rescue crews could be seen evacuating workers from the complex. Police units were also seen forming around the building for a future sweep.
The country's latest mass shooting occurred as Congress took up the issue of gun control for the first time since the Connecticut school shooting in December left 20 young children dead and changed the national conversation on guns.
Police said one victim in the Arizona shooting was in extremely critical condition, and the other two had less severe injuries. All of the injuries could be life-threatening, Fire Capt. Scott McDonald said.

South Africa Limber Up For AFCON Quarter-Final

South Africa Limber Up For AFCON Quarter-Final

Gun Control Hearing Features Gabrielle Giffords, NRA Official Wayne LaPierre

Gun Control Hearing Features Gabrielle Giffords, NRA Official Wayne LaPierre

WASHINGTON -- In a dramatic appeal, wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords urged Congress on Wednesday to enact tougher curbs on guns, saying, "too many children are dying" without them.
"The time is now. You must act. Be bold, be courageous, Americans are counting on you," she told the Senate Judiciary Committee at Congress' first gun control hearing since 20 elementary school children were shot to death in Newtown, Conn., late last year.
Giffords spoke haltingly, a result of the wounds suffered when she was shot in the head in an attempted assassination two years ago that left six others dead.

But in conflicting testimony a little more than an hour later, a top official of the National Rifle Association rejected bans on certain assault weapons and high capacity magazines advocated by President Barack Obama and gun control advocates in Congress.

Under persistent questioning from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the panel's chairman, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre also conceded that in a reversal, his organization no longer supports universal background checks for gun purchasers. He said criminals wouldn't subject themselves to a background check and the current system is a failure because the administration doesn't prosecute potential violators aggressively.
"Back in '99 you said, `no loopholes, nowhere,' " said Leahy, referring to testimony delivered more than a decade ago. "Now you do not support background checks for all."
Other Democrats on the panel disagreed with LaPierre.
"That's the point. The criminals will not go to purchase the guns because there'll be a background check. It will stop them from original purchase. You missed that point completely. It is basic," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, Giffords husband as well as a former astronaut and also a witness, said a limit on the size of ammunition magazines could have made a dramatic difference when a man opened fire in Arizona two years ago.

He "showed up with two 33-round magazines, one of which was in his 9 millimeter. He unloaded the contents of that magazine in 15 seconds. Very quickly. It all happened very, very fast. The first bullet went into Gabby's head. Bullet number 13 went into a nine-year old girl named Christina Taylor Green....
"If he had a 10-round magazine -- well, let me back up. When he tried to reload one 33-round magazine with another 33-round magazine, he dropped it. And a woman named Patricia Maisch grabbed it, and it gave bystanders a time to tackle him.
"I contend if that same thing happened when he was trying to reload one 10-round magazine with another 10-round magazine, meaning he did not have access to a high-capacity magazine, and the same thing happened, Christina Taylor Green would be alive today."
Giffords was not on the list of witnesses released in advance of the hearings, and in an unusual show of respect, members of the committee greeted her warmly outside the hearing room as she and her husband made their way inside. The former Democratic congresswoman was grievously wounded in an assassination attempt in Tucson, Ariz., a little more than two years ago, and has become a public advocate for gun control.
Kelly described the effect on his wife of the events of two years ago.
"Gabby's gift for speech is a distant memory. She struggles to walk, and she is partially blind. Her right arm is completely paralyzed," he told a rapt committee room.
In the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., massacre, Obama has issued a call for gun control legislation.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat and member of the committee, has introduced a bill to ban numerous assault-style weapons as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines.
The prospects for Senate passage are not strong, in part because of opposition from the NRA and in part from a reluctance among rural-state Democrats – Leahy among them – to support limitations sought by some advocates of restrictions on firearms.
Republicans pledged to listen carefully, and no more.
Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the panel's senior Republican, said that while the shootings in Arizona and Connecticut were terrible tragedies, they "should not be used to put forward every gun control measure that has been floating around for years." He also said any serious discussion of the issue `must include a complete re-examination of mental health as it related to mass shootings."
In an opening statement of his own, Leahy said it is "a simple matter of common sense" that there should be a strengthening of background checks and that doing so would not threaten gun owners' rights. The checks are currently required for gun purchases from licensed dealers but not at gun shows or other private transaction.
At the same time, he said the Constitution's second amendment "is secure and will remain secure and protection....No one can or will take those rights or our guns away," he said.
He added, "let us forego sloganeering, demagoguery and partisan recriminations. This is too important for that."
Giffords' appearance – not only her words, but her obvious difficulty in speaking – served to underscore the emotion surrounding the issue of gun curbs.
The gunman in Tucson, Jared Loughner, used a 9 mm Glock pistol with an extended ammunition magazine in the attack that wounded the former congresswoman and killed six. The handgun would not have been illegal under a federal assault weapons ban that lapsed more than seven years ago, but the magazine that held more than 30 bullets would have been prohibited.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., indicated that whatever the committee produced wouldn't necessarily be the final product, saying the package would be debated by the full Senate and senators would be allowed to propose "whatever amendments they want that deal with this issue."
Despite the horrific Newtown slayings, it remains unclear whether those advocating limits on gun availability will be able to overcome resistance by the NRA and lawmakers from states where gun ownership abounds. Question marks include not just many Republicans but also Democratic senators facing re-election in red-leaning states in 2014. They include Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

The People vs Fitness

The People vs Fitness

Kid Dances To 'It's Tricky' At NBA Game For One Incredible Minute

Kid Dances To 'It's Tricky' At NBA Game For One Incredible Minute

NRA's LaPierre to tell Congress more gun laws -not a serious solution'

NRA's LaPierre to tell Congress more gun laws -not a serious solution'

A top National Rifle Association official will tell a Senate committee Wednesday -- in the first Capitol Hill hearing on gun control since President Obama announced his proposals – that more gun laws without enforcing existing ones “is not a serious solution” to reducing crime.
“Prosecuting criminals who misuse firearms works,” NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre is expected to say, according to prepared testimony for the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen a dramatic collapse in federal gun prosecutions in recent years.”
LaPierre is part of a panel of high-profile witnesses Wednesday morning that will include Mark Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head while meeting with constituents outside an Arizona supermarket in 2011. Six people were killed, and 12 were wounded. 
Giffords herself is expected to deliver a brief statement at the start of the hearing, Fox News confirms. Kelly and Giffords, a gun owner, have formed a political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions to back lawmakers who support tighter gun restrictions and counter the influence of the NRA.
LaPierre, though, argues that prosecution for federal weapons violations in 2011 was essentially down 35 percent, compared to previous administrations, which he says means violent felons, gang members and the mentally ill who possess firearms are not being prosecuted.
“That’s unacceptable,” says LaPierre, who suggested fixing the country’s “broken” mental-health system become part of the solution to gun violence – including making patient records part of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The hearing, titled “What Should America Do about Gun Violence,” will take place roughly seven weeks after a lone gunman with psychological problems used an assault weapon to kill 20 first-graders and six adults inside a Connecticut elementary school, prompting renewed calls for more gun control.
The NRA, with 4.5 million active members, remains the most powerful gun-rights advocacy group in the country.
The president is essentially calling for a renewed ban on semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, along with more extensive background checks.
LaPierre argues another key to curbing gun violence is awareness programs like the NRA’s and that background checks “will never be universal because criminals will never submit to them.”
He said the group is willing to work with Congress and the president in curbing gun violence, but “law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals. Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has already introduced legislation taking similar steps to Obama's proposals.
The California Democrat on Tuesday said she will hold her own hearing on gun control because she was unhappy that three of the five witnesses testifying Wednesday are "skewed against us."  Feinstein is a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Despite the momentum gun control advocates have gained since the massacre in Newtown, Conn, it will be difficult for them to prevail in Congress this year because of the popularity of guns in many states -- including several represented by Democratic senators -- and the formidable muscle of the NRA on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and others say.
Among other obstacles, the Republican-run House has shown little immediate interest in making dramatic changes in the laws

News - Mali conflict: France says its troops now in Kidal

News - Mali conflict: France says its troops now in Kidal

French forces say they have entered Kidal in the north of Mali, the last major town they have yet to secure in their drive against Islamist militants.

French forces now control Kidal airport after a number of aircraft, including helicopters, landed there overnight.
Islamist militants were reported to have already left the town and it was unclear who was in charge.
French and Malian forces have been sweeping north, earlier taking Gao and Timbuktu with almost no resistance.
France - the former colonial power in Mali - launched a military operation this month after Islamist militants appeared to be threatening the south.
French army spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard confirmed that "French elements were deployed overnight in Kidal".
Haminy Maiga, the interim president of the Kidal regional assembly, told the Associated Press news agency: "The French arrived at 9:30pm [Tuesday] aboard four planes. Afterwards they took the airport and then entered the town and there was no combat.
"The French are patrolling the town and two helicopters are patrolling overhead," he said.
'Eradicate terrorism' Kidal, 1,500km (930 miles) north-east of the capital Bamako, was until recently under the control of the Ansar Dine Islamist group, which has strong ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Jonathan Marcus BBC Diplomatic Correspondent

With the fall of Kidal, one phase of this crisis may be over but two crucial challenges remain. First, there is unfinished business on the military front. Islamist militant elements who may have taken refuge in the mountainous areas near the Algerian frontier need to be sought out, harried and contained. French forces need to hand the task of garrisoning the main population centres to West African troops.
But France will also have to define its own continuing military role and two international training missions. One for the Malian army and the other for the West African forces must be started without delay.
The second challenge is for Mali itself; to establish democratic governance and to grapple with the problems of Tuareg separatism. The reprisals against alleged Islamist militant sympathisers in Timbuktu tarnished an otherwise successful operation and the Malian army is clearly not welcomed by anti-Islamist Tuareg groups in Kidal. These are just tasters of potential problems ahead.

• 'War of the shadows'

The Islamist militants had taken advantage of a military coup in March last year to impose Sharia in a number of cities in the north.

However, the Islamic Movement of Azawad (IMA), which recently split from Ansar Dine, says it is now in charge in Kidal.
The IMA has said it rejects "extremism and terrorism" and wants a peaceful solution.
An IMA spokesman confirmed the French arrival in Kidal and said that its leader was in talks with them.
However, another rebel group, the secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), is also influential in the area. It is ethnically driven, fighting mostly for the rights of Mali's minority Tuareg community.
An MNLA spokesman told the BBC its fighters had entered Kidal on Saturday and found no Islamist militants there.
The MNLA has also said it is prepared to work with the French "to eradicate terrorist groups" in the north but that it would not allow the return of the Malian army, which it accused of "crimes against the civilian population".
Some reports say Ansar Dine leader, Iyad Ag Ghaly, and Abou Zeid of AQIM have now moved to the mountainous region north of Kidal.
The BBC's Thomas Fessy, in Timbuktu, says that taking Kidal will mark the end of the first phase of the French military intervention.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

The Islamist militants fled Timbuktu in haste, but they took the time to commit one last act of vengeance”

Thomas Fessy BBC News, Timbuktu

• Timbuktu's cultural heritage vandalised

However, he says there will remain the difficult task of chasing the fighters down across the vast desert.

The French foreign ministry on Wednesday urged the Malian government to open discussions with the "legitimate representatives of the people in the north" as well as "non-terrorist armed groups".
The French arrival at Kidal came only 24 hours after securing Timbuktu with Malian forces.
The troops had to secure the streets after hundreds of people looted shops they said had belonged to militant sympathisers.
The retreating Islamist militants were also accused of destroying ancient manuscripts held in the city.
However on Wednesday, Shamil Jeppie, the Timbuktu Manuscripts Project director at the University of Cape Town, said that more than 90% of the 300,000 manuscripts said to be in the region were safe.
Donor pledges France has been pushing for the swift deployment of an African Union-backed force, the International Support Mission to Mali (Afisma), to take control of Malian towns.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says rebel groups could still strike in Mali or elsewhere

On Tuesday, international donors meeting in Ethiopia pledged $455.53m (£289m) for Afisma and for other projects.
African leaders say the overall budget could be around $950m.
France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the meeting impressive progress had been made but that this did not mean the danger was over.
Mr Fabius also said credible elections in Mali would be vital to achieving sustainable peace in the country.
Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore said on Tuesday that he wanted to hold "transparent and credible" elections by 31 July.