HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES OF WOMEN IN IRAN SPOTLIGHTED NEAR THE U.N. BY: FERN SIDMAN Graphic depictions of the most egregious forms of human rights abuses against women in Iran took center stage at a special seminar in New York City on March 3rd. Sponsored by "Iran180", an organization dedicated to spotlighting the litany of human rights abuses that take place on a daily basis in Iran, the seminar was entitled, "Securing Gender Equality: Iran and the CSW". Held at 777 UN Plaza, a building directly across the street from the United Nations, the objectives of the gathering included raising awareness of Iran's violations of women's rights and the staging of symbolic protests against the welcoming of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the newest member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women at its 56th session. Among the speakers were the Honorable David Kilgour, J.D., co-chair of the Canadian Friends of a Democratic Iran - Shabnam Assadollaki, host and producer of Hamseda Persian Radio in Canada - Fakhteh Luna Zamani, CEO and co-founder of the Association for the Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran - Renee Redman of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center - Reza Khalil, former Iranian Revolutionary Guard member and author of "A Time To Betray", winner of the 2010 National Best Books Award - Fariba Davoodi, a formerly imprisoned Iranian women's rights activist, and Mertash Rastegar, an Iranian blogger and international law expert. Quoting the findings of exiled Iranian lawyer, Zohreh Arshadi, Mr. David Kilgour, co-chair of the Canadian Friends of a Democratic Iran intoned, "the Iranian penal system is a principal means of sustaining inequality of genders. Its ludicrous premise is that women are deficient in abilities." He added that Arshadi stresses that Iranian women, "have managed to achieve equality in one field only: equal right to imprisonment, exile, torture, being killed and now being slaughtered..." Speaking of the many Iranian women who are unjustly imprisoned, tortured and often sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit, Mr. Kilgour relayed the narrative of Sakineh Ashtiani, a mother of Turkic descent (a minority known to be targeted for human rights abuses, especially in Teheran) who did not speak Farsi or understand her charge of alleged adultery. "She was incarcerated and beaten, then humiliated in front of her family by a public lashing. Her plight and narrow escape from death by stoning became a successful test case for the global community's response to the regime's misogyny," he said. Mr. Kilgour also spoke of Irwin Cotler, a Canadian member of parliament and chair of the Inernational Responsibility to Protect Coalition who recently warned that Iran is on an "execution binge", while engaging in a "wholesale assault on the rights of its own people." He added that, "in 2011 alone, the Iranian regime has already executed at least 120 people. It now leads the world in per capita executions, many of which are in secret, taking place after arrests, detentions, beatings, torture, kidnappings, disappearances, and brief trials in which no evidence is presented." Calling for the disqualification of Iran's membership in the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Mr. Kilgour suggested that the CSW convene a special session to discuss women's rights in Iran and act in its capacity to stop the repression of women. "It is our responsibility to act in robust solidarity with the struggle for women's rights everywhere across Iran," he concluded. Addressing the issues facing ethnic minority women in Iran, Fakhteh Zamani of the Association for the Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran (ADAPP) said, "In Iran, as throughout the world, women are victims of violence on a daily basis but Iran's justice system provides little or no remedy to the obstacles and violence facing women and girls." She noted that women are not encouraged to bring complaints against their attackers for fear of bringing, "dishonor" on the family as well as reprisals from the attacker and relatives. Quoting the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Zamani said, "discriminatory law in both the civil and penal codes in Iran play a major role in enpowering men and aggravating women's vulnerability to violence. In particular, discriminatory provisions in the civil code relating to the areas of marriage, child custody, freedom of movement and inheritance may lead to, perpetuate or legitimize violence against women perpetrated by private actors." Highlighting the ubiquitous phenomenon of trafficking in or girls and women, Ms. Zamani said that the UN Special Rapporteur reported that, "most of the trafficking is said to occur in the eastern provinces, which are mainly Baluchi areas, where women are kidnapped, bought or entered into temporary marriage in order to be sold into sexual slavery in other countries." Concluding with an oft quoted phrase used amongst Iran's women human rights defenders, she said, "We are both women and minorities; so, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are doubly accused." "I am absolutely opposed to the imposition of Sharia law," declared Shabnam Assadollahi, the producer and host of the Canadian based Hamseda Persian radio program. "Sharia law tells us that female hair has evil energy and those women's rights activists in Iran who refused to wear head coverings were beaten and tortured while their children watched," she said. She detailed gruesome accounts of torture of women in Iran saying, "young girls and virgins were raped prior to being executed and after execution their bodies were burned and electrocuted." Fulminating at the decision to include the Islamic Republic of Iran on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Ms. Assadollahi said, "There is no place for Iran on this commission. Just think about the arrogance of this regime to judge others concerning gender equality and human rights." Speaking in her native Farsi with an interpreter, Fariba Davoodi, an Iranian women's rights activist told of her incarceration in Iran and the barbaric tortures that were inflicted upon her by her captors. "It is the common aspiration of all Iranian women to be free", she said. "When the regime came to arrest me for my activism on behalf of women's rights, they beat me up in front of my children and brought me to their notorious prison where I was kept in solitary confinement in a tiny cell where I was interrogated for long periods of time; where tey kept the lights on all the time and forced me to shower in front of them." "The fear that women's rights advocates in Iran have is not only from the repressive government but from male family members including husbands, fathers and brothers," she said. Trying to remain optimistic about the future of Iran as it pertains to women's rights is a daunting challenge for women such as Ms. Davoodi. "We hope that very soon we will live in a free and democratic Iran, but so long as the regime stays in power, our hopes will not be realized," she said.
 The United Nations security council has added the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to its list of outlawed organisations.
Two of the group's purported leaders, Nasser al-Wahayshi and Qasim al-Raymi, also face new restrictions after the move by the international body's sanctions committee on Tuesday.
Among the sanctions against the two men, who were among 23 fighters who escaped from a jail in Sanaa in 2006, were worldwide freezes on their assets and travel bans.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claims to have been behind the failed attempt to blow up a Detriot-bound airliner on Christmas Day as well as other attacks inside Yemen and Saudi Arabia. "Today's actions strengthen international efforts to degrade the capabilities of AQAP," Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said.
The UN committee made its decision the day after the US state department added the al-Qaeda group to it list of proscribed organisations.
"We are determined to eliminate AQAP's ability to execute violent attacks and to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat their networks," Philip Crowley, a state department spokesman, said.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was formed in January 2009 after the merger of groups in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
It has since set up bases inside Yemen and has been blamed for the suicide attack on South Korean tourists in March 2009 and an attempt to assassinate the Saudi deputy interior minister across the border in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has bolsetered its troops in three of the country's provinces in an attempt to tackle al-Qaeda and has carried out a number of air raids, which it claims have left dozens of fighters dead.
Al-Raymi was among a number of senior al-Qaeda figures reported to have been killed in a Yemeni attack on two vehicles on Friday.
The government in Sanaa is also battling so-called Houthi rebels in the north and a secessionist movement in the south. Al Jazeera 
 The cannibals at the UN were unavailable for comment. Too busy were they working on a resolution to kill free speech, criminalize defamation of Islam, and annihilate the Jews. Feminazis were insisting that Islamic misogyny empowers women. Clitorectomies await them. Naomi Wolf first! Innocent Little Girl, Stoned to Death for Being a Victim of Rape, Cries for Mercy Before they Kill Her. FFI
An innocent little girl, Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow, aged only 13yrs was stoned to death in Somalia.
She pleaded for her life, a witness explained. "Don't kill me, don't kill me," she cried, according to the man who wanted to remain anonymous.
Numerous eye-witnesses say she was forced into a hole, buried up to her neck then pelted with stones by over than 50 men until she died in front of 1,000 jeering spectators.
She had been accused of adultery in breach of Islamic law, but sources told Amnesty International that she had in fact been raped by three men, and had attempted to report this rape. Aisha was killed on Monday 27 October in a stadium in the southern port of Kismayu. None of men she accused of rape were arrested. She was detained by militia of the Kismayo authorities, a coalition of Al-shabab and clan militias. During this time, she was reported to be extremely distressed, with some individuals stating she had become mentally unstable.
Initial reports said she confessed to adultery before a Sharia court. Amnesty said it had learned she was only 13 and that her father had said she was gang raped by three men.
Yes, that was her crime, she was raped by three savage Muslim men! When the family tried to report the rape, the girl was accused of adultery and detained. With thanks to Atlas
 The failure of the six key powers at the UN to levy new sanctions on Iran was hailed on Monday by Iran as a sign of increased rationality in the discussion over its disputed nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters in a press conference that the lack of a decision over new sanctions means that Iran can continue working with the international community to allay concerns over the program. Iran is "hopeful and ready to contribute to this rationality so that it will move in the right direction and reach the appropriate results," he said. Mottaki added that "we now observe narrow stripes of rationality" by the foreign powers over the nuclear issue. Iran argues that its nuclear program is aimed at creating a peaceful energy network to serve its growing population. The US and other nations believe the goal of theprogram is to create weapons. The five members of the security council - the US, Britain, France, China and Russia - as well as Germany met on Saturday, but could not agree on levying a fourth round ofsanctions on Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki delivers a speech at a conference on the Persian Gulf, in Teheran, Monday.
The United States and its Western allies have been pushing for the new sanctions. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday warned that Iran will face new sanctions if it doesn't change tune on its nuclear program. But Russia, and especially China, are skeptical of any new sanctions and have been holding out for further talks with Iran. As a result, the six powers have had to tread carefully to preserve a unified position. The US and its allies are concerned at Iran's lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear agency and with its response to a resolution adopted by the agency's board of governors on November 27 which demanded that Teheran immediately stop building a secret uranium enrichment plant in Qom and halt further enrichment efforts. The six nations are also concerned "at Iran's failure to take up the IAEA proposed agreement" to ship most of its uranium - up to 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) - abroad. The uranium would then be enriched to higher levels in Russia, turned into fuel rods in France and returned to power a research reactor in Teheran that produces medical isotopes. The material in the fuel rods cannot be enriched to higher levels, denyingIran the ability to use it to make weapons. JPost
 THE Iraqi army says it's detained a suspected al-Qaeda leader implicated in the 2003 bombing of the UN's Baghdad headquarters which killed 22 people. Ali Hussein Alwan al-Azawi, nicknamed Abu Imad, suspected of being a top commander in al-Qaeda front organisation the Islamic State in Iraq, was captured in an operation in the capital, Baghdad military command spokesman Qassem Atta said. "He is responsible for the explosion at the UN headquarters in Baghdad,'' Mr Atta said. Before the US-led invasion of 2003, the suspect was a pilot for state-owned flagcarrier Iraqi Airways, he added. The August 19, 2003 bombing which killed UN special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 of his colleagues marked the start of an escalating wave of attacks blamed on al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups. The army spokesman said troops have also detained a Saudi national, Mohammed Abdallah Nasser, who's suspected of being an important al-Qaeda commander in Diyala province, north of the capital. They are suspected of being behind a series of four bombings targeting the homes of policemen in the town which killed a total of seven people. The Australian
 Jordan has tried to reclaim the Dead Sea Scrolls from Israel, an official said. In a complaint made to the United Nations Jordan said that the ancient texts were seized from the Palestinian Museum when Israel captured east Jerusalem in the Six Day War. “The Government has legal documents that prove Jordan owns the scrolls,” Rafea Harahsheh, of the country’s antiquities department, said. The scrolls had been on display in Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum. Jordan asked Canada to seize the texts under the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
A Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that it was not appropriate to intervene.
 par Patrick Goodenough (CNSNews.com) – Une campagne menée par les pays musulmans contre la « diffamation » des religions a essuyé un nouveau revers aux Nations Unies où le nombre des votes favorables parmi les états membres a atteint un nouveau point bas dans un contexte d’inquiétude croissante sur le fait que les résolutions anti-diffamation mettent en danger les non-musulmans des sociétés islamiques et nuisent à la liberté d’expression. Pendant que l’attention du monde se concentrait pour l’essentiel sur Copenhague, la semaine dernière, l’assemblée générale des Nations Unies a adopté une série de résolutions relatives aux droits de l’homme. Aux yeux des critiques de l’organisation mondiale et de son Conseil des droits de l’homme, les résultats sont mitigés. La dernière en date de toute la série des résolutions sur la diffamation des religions qui ont été examinées au cours des dix dernières années par l’assemblée générale et les organismes consacrés aux droits de l’homme a réuni contre elle plus de pays que jamais. Lire la suite... Source: CNS News (Traduction par Poste de veille)
 The recent statements by the European Union's new foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton criticizing Israel have once again brought international attention to Jerusalem and the settlements. However, little appears to be truly understood about Israel's rights to what are generally called the "occupied territories" but what really are "disputed territories." That's because the land now known as the West Bank cannot be considered "occupied" in the legal sense of the word as it had not attained recognized sovereignty before Israel's conquest. Contrary to some beliefs there has never been a Palestinian state, and no other nation has ever established Jerusalem as its capital despite it being under Islamic control for hundreds of years. The name "West Bank" was first used in 1950 by the Jordanians when they annexed the land to differentiate it from the rest of the country, which is on the east bank of the river Jordan.
The boundaries of this territory were set only one year before during the armistice agreement between Israel and Jordan that ended the war that began in 1948 when five Arab armies invaded the nascent Jewish State. It was at Jordan's insistence that the 1949 armistice line became not a recognized international border but only a line separating armies. The Armistice Agreement specifically stated: "No provision of this Agreement shall in any way prejudice the rights, claims, and positions of either Party hereto in the peaceful settlement of the Palestine questions, the provisions of this Agreement being dictated exclusively by military considerations." (Italics added.)
This boundary became the famous "Green Line," so named because the military officials during the armistice talks used a green pen to draw the line on the map. After the Six Day War, when once again Arab armies sought to destroy Israel and the Jewish state subsequently captured the West Bank and other territory, the United Nations sought to create an enduring solution to the conflict.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 is probably one of the most misunderstood documents in the international arena. While many, especially the Palestinians, push the idea that the document demands that Israel return everything captured over the Green Line, nothing could be further from the truth. The resolution calls for "peace within secure and recognized boundaries," but nowhere does it mention where those boundaries should be. It is best to understand the intentions of the drafters of the resolution before considering other interpretations. Eugene V. Rostow, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs in 1967 and a drafter of the resolution, stated in 1990: "Security Council Resolution 242 and (subsequent U.N. Security Council Resolution) 338... rest on two principles, Israel may administer the territory until its Arab neighbors make peace; and when peace is made, Israel should withdraw to "secure and recognized borders," which need not be the same as the Armistice Demarcation Lines of 194." Lord Caradon, the British U.N. Ambassador at the time and the resolution's main drafter who introduced it to the Council, said in 1974 unequivocally that, "It would have been wrong to demand that Israel return to its positions of June 4, 1967, because those positions were undesirable and artificial." The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. at the time, former Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, made the issue even clearer when he stated in 1973 that, "the resolution speaks of withdrawal from occupied territories without defining the extent of withdrawal." This would encompass "less than a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territory, inasmuch as Israel's prior frontiers had proven to be notably insecure." Even the Soviet delegate to the U.N., Vasily Kuznetsov, who fought against the final text, conceded that the resolution gave Israel the right to "withdraw its forces only to those lines it considers appropriate." After the war in 1967, when Jews started returning to their historic heartland in the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, as the territory had been known around the world for 2,000 years until the Jordanians renamed it, the issue of settlements arose.
However, Rostow found no legal impediment to Jewish settlement in these territories. He maintained that the original British Mandate of Palestine still applies to the West Bank. He said "the Jewish right of settlement in Palestine west of the Jordan River, that is, in Israel, the West Bank, Jerusalem, was made unassailable.
That right has never been terminated and cannot be terminated except by a recognized peace between Israel and its neighbors." There is no internationally binding document pertaining to this territory that has nullified this right of Jewish settlement since. And yet, there is this perception that Israel is occupying stolen land and that the Palestinians are the only party with national, legal and historic rights to it.
Not only is this morally and factually incorrect, but the more this narrative is being accepted, the less likely the Palestinians feel the need to come to the negotiating table. Statements like those of Lady Ashton's are not only incorrect; they push a negotiated solution further away. —Mr. Ayalon is the deputy foreign minister of Israel
 This went much smoother than I expected. The United Nations has voted in favor of placing sanctions on Eritrea as requested by Uganda. The assets of government officials involving in supporting al-Shabaab will be frozen and their travel outside the country is now banned. An arms embargo has been approved, and cargo traveling to and from Eritrea via the Red Sea can be inspected. The Chinese abstained from the vote and Libya voted against it. Hopefully, this lands Eritrea a place on the State Department’s list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
If it doesn’t, then what standard does a country need to reach to get on the list? Directly supporting an Al-Qaeda affiliate cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, and if that isn’t viewed as deserving of harsh retaliation, then we aren’t taking this conflict seriously. World Threats
 TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's foreign minister says Turkey could be a venue for Tehran to exchange nuclear material with the West. The statement is another of several offers Tehran has recently made without formally responding to a U.N.-drafted proposal that would reduce Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and ease Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear intentions. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told state TV late Thursday that Iran "does not have a problem with Turkish soil" as the location for an exchange of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. Iran has earlier said it would only accept the exchange on its own territory. The U.N. plan requires Tehran to ship enriched uranium abroad in return for nuclear fuel for a Tehran research reactor. FoxNews
 By Bob Unruh U.N. vote shows 'continuing pattern of growing opposition' to proposal Support for a United Nations proposal that critics contend would be used to ban criticism of Islam, censor the message of Jesus Christ and attack and kill Christians and members of other faiths is plunging, according to the newest vote totals. A resolution has been pending in one form or another since 1999 and originally was called "Defamation of Islam."
The name later was changed to "Defamation of Religions," but Islam remains the only faith protected by name in the proposal. It is being sought by the 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to "protect" Islam from what OIC members perceive as "criticism," which could include anything referencing Christianity since that could be considered a challenge to the beliefs of Muslims. The latest vote on the nonbinding proposal came as the U.N. headed into the weekend, with 80 votes in favor of the proposal, 61 against and 42 abstentions. The results show support declining from the 86 yes votes a year ago and the 108 yes votes from two years ago. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, has been working to raise the world's awareness of the implications of the plan for several years. He's especially concerned that the ultimate goal appears to be a binding action by the U.N. "For several years now, we have been working to oppose this resolution and this afront to religious freedom," he said in a blog posting shortly after the vote. 'During that time, we have seen a dramatic decline in support for this resolution. He saw today's vote as "a very encouraging sign." "What this tells us is that our message is getting through," he said. "A growing number of nations around the world understand that this resolution is unacceptable – that it is harmful, not helpful, to preserving religious liberty and freedom. We will continue to work on this issue and to educate more nations about the dangers of this resolution and encourage them to vote against it." Lindsay Vessey, advocacy director for Open Doors USA, an international Christian ministry operating in many Islamic states, previously told WND that U.N. human rights provisions always have focused on individuals, but the concept of protecting a religion would give authoritarian governments virtually unrestrained power to attack individuals whose message they don't like. "It would legitimize national blasphemy laws in countries that are actually going to persecute religious minorities, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan," she said. Open Doors President Carl Moeller recently published a commentary describing what could happen under the proposal. "The United Nations is once again on the verge of introducing a resolution that goes against everything the world body supposedly stands for. A successful resolution would actually undermine the religious liberty and personal safety of Christians and members of other faiths," he wrote. He contended the resolution would "silence words or actions that are deemed to be against a particular religion, and that religion is Islam. While the stated goal seems relatively innocuous – blocking defamation of people's deeply held religious beliefs – in practice the statement is used to silence those whose only crime is to believe in another faith, or no faith at all." He said the OIC is the driving force behind the plan and noted, "The OIC's goal is anything but peaceful." More at WND
 And the UN passes the “Defamation of Religions” Resolution. I was just about to shut my computer down when I realized that there are two breaking news items that I just have to share with you. First, according to NBC and ABC journalist Mark Schone, “Zawahiri’s Wife Releases Statement, Tells Women They Can Be Suicide Bombers.” What’s this? The twisted triumph of feminism, Islamist-style?
Women have been suicide killers before. Palestinians have forced/manipulated women as well a men into killing themselves as a way to kill Israeli civilians; various Muslim groups in Iraq and Iran, as well as the Tamil Tigers have also forced/manipulated women to become suicide killers. Why is Al-Qaeda’s Zawahiri allowing one of his four (or more) wives to take such an active public role? And, why now? Omaima Hassan , Zawahiri’s wife, first reminds women that their primary role is that of bearing and breeding a jihadic fighter’s sons. She counsels women to support jihad by keeping the warrior’s secrets and his home, and by wearing hijab. She also disapproves of women going out without a male escort or guide. But then, in an unconfirmed report, she goes further. According to Schone: “Hassan also suggests that women can become suicide bombers, which she refers to as "martyrdom missions." This is certainly different from what her husband said in 2008, in a “two-hour recorded interview posted on a web site.” Zawahiri, who is believed to be in Pakistan, insisted “that Al Qaeda did not have women members, and that the role of women in jihad was limited to taking care of the children of fighters and maintaining their homes.” One conclusion: Watch out for suicide bombers wearing burqas. The second piece of breaking news concerns the vote just taken at the United Nations.
According to L. Bennett Graham, Legislative and International Programs Officer at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the “Defamation of Religions” resolution passed the General Assembly in New York earlier today. It did so “by a vote of 80 in favor, 61 against, and 42 abstentions. As a matter of comparison, last year’s General Assembly passed the resolution by a vote of 86 in favor, 53 against, and 42 abstentions (in other words, the difference in last year’s votes was 33, this year it was only 19).
In 2006, 111 countries were voting in favor of this resolution. So despite another loss, the momentum continues to go against this concept.” Schiff thanks his supporters and all those who are “taking a stand for the freedom of conscience, thought, and religion…Our combined hard work continues to pay off, and while the issue of ‘defamation of religions’ continues to threaten the entire concept of human rights, we are confident that civil society’s voice will be fundamental in defeating this flawed concept and will ultimately bring a better understanding of freedom around the world. There is still plenty of work to be done between now and March, when we expect the resolution to come up again before the Human Rights Council in Geneva.” Let me understand this. Al Qaeda wants burqa wearers, both male and female, to blow us all up but the UN does not want us to say that such killers have anything to do with Islam or Islamic jihad (or with anyone’s interpretation of Islam), lest we commit a thought crime. I say: Shout it from the rooftops, set it to music, add it to our textbooks, teach our children.
As has been said: Silence=Death. Phyllis Chesler
 The current and former United Nations experts responsible for human rights in Somalia have condemned a series of stonings in the war-torn country. Dr Shamsul Bari, an independent expert appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council to report on Somalia, expressed concern over a rise in stonings and targeted assassinations of women's rights advocates, journalists and U.N. staff in a meeting with Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. Citing the "deteriorating" human rights situation in the country, Dr Bari called on the interim Somali government to work to end the "cruel, inhuman and degrading" practices. "I strongly condemn these recent executions by stoning," Dr Bari said in a statement. The statement was released after Halima Ibrahim Abdirahman, a 29-year-old married woman, was stoned to death after she allegedly confessed to having had sex with a 20-year-old unmarried man in Eelboon, southern Somalia. The young man, who has not been identified, was sentenced to 100 lashes. That came after a 20-year-old divorced woman accused of sleeping with an older, unmarried man was put in a public square, buried up to her waist and stoned to death in front of a crowd of 200 earlier this month in the town of Wajid, Somalia. Her boyfriend was given 100 lashes. Abdirahman Hussein Abbas, a 33-year-old man accused of adultery, was stoned to death earlier this month in Merka, a port town south of Mogadishu. His girlfriend is set to face the same fate after giving birth to their child. Large parts of Somalia are controlled by a group of Islamic militants loosely working together to overthrow the country's Transitional Federal Government under the banner of the 'Al Shabaab' movement. Under Al Shabaab's interpretation of Sharia, Islamic law, crimes such as theft and adultery are punishable by floggings, amputation, torture or death. Al Shabaab considers any person to have ever been married - including a divorcee - to be forbidden from having further relations. The punishment is often death by public stoning. Al Shabaab executions first made international news a year ago when Amnesty International accused the Islamist group of stoning a 13-year-old rape victim to death in the southern city of Kismayo after she was accused of adultery. Al Shabaab claimed the girl was older and had been married. Bashir Goth, a Somali analyst and the former editor of Awdal News, said Somalis are shocked by the lack of international interest in the actions of Al-Shabaab. More at All Headline News
 The Palestinian observer at the UN, Riyad Mansour, urged the Security Council to take measures against Israel in light of what he called years of failed peace negotiations and a lack of Israeli willingness to advance a comprehensive peace agreement. Speaking on behalf of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday evening, Mansour told the General Assembly that the peace talks had been hindered by the "settlements, arrests (of Palestinians by the IDF) and Israeli attacks." In his speech, the Palestinian envoy reiterated the claim that the IDF committed war crimes during its December-January offensive in Gaza. He went on to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, saying it was "alienating" the Palestinians and withdrawing from "all of the commitments and agreements that we have reached with previous Israeli governments." The UN is currently marking the historic date of November 29 1947, the day in which it approved the partition plan separating Israel into two states – Jewish and Arabic. But while in Israel the date is celebratory, as it marks the end of the British mandate and the beginning of independent rule, the UN headquarters in New York and Geneva are holding ceremonies of mourning and solidarity with the Palestinian people. Mansour added, "Israel's daily actions on the ground prove that it does not want to take one step towards a comprehensive agreement and is realizing its settlement scheme in the West Bank and Jerusalem in blatant violation of international law. "Israeli is turning its back to a return to the negotiation table, which is aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive solution that will guarantee peace for all of the region's nations," he said. "It's time that after all these years of negotiations, which did not yield any results, the international community, and particularly the Security Council, fulfill their obligations." The Palestinian observer said the Security Council must take "immediate and determined measures that will reflect the position of the world's nations, who have repeatedly demanded a two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation, which began in 1967." Mansour told the General Assembly Israel has intensified its efforts to "Judaize" Jerusalem, adding that this policy culminated with what he said were excavations under and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and granting "Zealous Jews" permission to enter the holy site in the capital's Old City. He said these acts may add a dangerous religious element to the conflict. However, Mansour stressed that the Palestinians were committed to peace as a strategic choice.
 Iran is bribing friendly countries to Israel to abandon it and vote against the Jewish state in the UN, a report obtained by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem reported.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the report said the Iranian foreign minister met with the foreign minister of the Oceania nation Solomon Islands last year and promised him a check in the amount of $200,000, along with technological aid.
These incentives were meant to come in exchange for an end to the nation's support of Israel. Shortly after the offer was made the Solomon Islands' foreign minister visited Tehran. Michael Ronen, Israel's ambassador to the Solomon Islands, said in response to the Yedioth report that "Israelis very active in nurturing its relations with countries in the region". "We don't believe in conditions and we don't offer money in exchange for support" Ronen added. "We offer mainly humanitarian support, in order to stress that we are a positive power in the region." He added that small states will always be tempted by cash donations. "Iran won the support of the Solomon Islands for $200,000. I won't offer $250,000 to overturn the decision. Israel does not buy support for money," Ronen said. "The Solomon Islands have never been supportive of Israel. It has never been against us but has always refrained or been absent from votes. Israel also has a lot of friends here in the press and the social sector, but we won't threaten them to remove our support," he added. The public in the Solomon Islands and the media, which reject ties with Iran, will do this and the local government will pay with public opinion." The Solomon Islands is a very poor nation made up of 990 islands inhabited by 600,000 residents. More at YNet
 BERLIN -- Mohamed ElBaradei, the departing chief of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, said Iran's continued refusal to accept tighter scrutiny of its nuclear activities would likely force the international community to impose new sanctions. Though he described sanctions as a "grievous violation of human rights" that "affect the weak" and "do not solve problems," Mr. ElBaradei said Iran's continued intransigence regarding its nuclear program would likely lead world powers to increase their pressure on Iran. "The ball is in Iran's court," Mr. ElBaradei said in a brief interview after delivering a speech on his 12-year tenure as the International Atomic Energy Agency's Director General. Mr. ElBaradei, who is set to retire from the agency at the end of November, said he still hoped Iran's leadership would accept a plan to address concerns about its nuclear activities but acknowledged that it was "a fleeting opportunity." He urged the international community to continue to engage with Iran, saying that "small steps and negotiations" are necessary to achieve results. "We can threaten to use force, but this is a bridge to nowhere," Mr. ElBaradei said. Diplomats familiar with the talks say Western powers will wait until the end of the year for Tehran to accept a deal brokered with Iran this fall that would require the country to ship some of its uranium stockpile abroad for reprocessing into fuel for a medical-research reactor. Mr. ElBaradei's remarks came as top officials from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the U.S., U.K., France, Russia and China -- plus Germany, met in Brussels to discuss the standoff with Iran. The group issued a statement expressing disappointment that Iran had failed to respond to proposals aimed at calming worries about its nuclear ambitions. They urged Iran "to engage seriously with us in dialogue and negotiations." The six said they viewed Iran's failure to notify the IAEA about the existence of an underground uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom as a breach of Iran's safeguards agreement with the agency and "in defiance of several UN resolutions." The officials said they would meet again soon to decide about next steps. International criticism of Iran's nuclear program escalated in September after the existence of the Qom facility came to light. President Obama has said the facility appears to be designed to produce fuel for a secret military program. Mr. Obama has called for a two-track policy of negotiations backed by the possibility of sanctions, should the talks fail to lead to an agreement that would restore confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. At the U.N. Friday, Iran drew criticism for how it handled the aftermath of the country's disputed presidential election. The General Assembly's human-rights committee passed a resolution condemning Tehran's violent response to protests against the results of the June balloting as "serious ongoing and recurring human-rights violations." Mohammad Khazaee, Iran's ambassador to the U.N., called the Canadian-sponsored resolution "politically charged and motivated." WSJ
 Finally, someone is doing something about Eritrea’s support of terrorism. Uganda has written a draft United Nations resolution calling for sanctions on the country for financing and arming the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia. If passed, arms sales to Eritrea would be outlawed, the assets of members of the government and military would be frozen, and travel bans on officials would be instituted. Any type of military assistance would also be outlawed, and cargo going in and out of the country would be inspected. It all sounds good to me.
Seriously, what does a country have to do to be labeled a State Sponsor of Terrorism? World Threats
 They're doing it, of course, under the cover of criminalizing "blasphemy," but the real agenda here is to compel the West to adopt Sharia norms forbidding criticism of Islam, including analysis of the jihad terrorists' motives and goals. This, of course, would leave us mute and defenseless before them. AP thinks that the free nations of the West will oppose this.
But with Barack Obama in the White House, that isn't actually certain.
After all, he made sure that the U.S. not only supported, but cosponsored (with Egypt) a similar initiative at the United Nations not too long ago. With thanks to JihadWatch H/T: gramfan
 In an interview with the New Statesman, the fourth eldest son of the world's most wanted man said that he "passionately wants to try to stop violence". Asked whether he plans to enter politics or public life, Mr bin Laden said: "I do not believe that I would be a good politician – I have a habit of speaking the truth, even when it does not serve me well.
But I would like to be in a position to promote peace. I believe that the United Nations would be ideal for me." He said he ended contact with his father in April 2001 but that he was once asked to take up arms at a meeting with his fighters. "His sons were in attendance, although none of us was a fighter," he said. "He spoke of how it is a great honour to give one's life for Islam and said anyone who wanted to give their life should put their name on a paper in the mosque. "He never asked me to join al-Qaeda, but he did tell me I was the son chosen to carry on his work. He was disappointed when I said I was not suited to that life. I do not like disagreement or violence." Mr bin Laden also described his memory of the 11 September 2001 attacks in America that his father is said to have carried out. "I had been sound asleep and was woken by my uncle yelling: 'Look what your father has done!'," he said. "I went into the sitting area and my family were gathered around the television. I soon learned that America was under attack. It was a very sad day." "I did not agree with my uncle's reaction. I never thought my father was capable of the carnage in America – it was too big for his small organisation. "I cannot speak for my father's family. This topic is too painful for us to talk about. We were all so shocked by the suffering of those poor people that, after that morning, none of us ever had a conversation about it." Mr bin Laden's experiences have been documented in a book Growing Up Bin Laden, Osama's Wife and Son take us Inside their Secret World. He coauthored the book with his mother, Najwa, and best-selling writer Jean Sasson. More at the Telegraph
 At least 47 people have been killed in tribal clashes that followed an attempted cattle raid in South Sudan. Armed men from the Mundari ethnic group launched attacks on Monday on two villages that belong to the Dinka Aliap tribe, part of the south's largest ethnic group, an army spokesman said on Wednesday. "On the side of the Dinka 10 were killed and 16 wounded. From the side of the Mundari 37 bodies were found on the ground," Kuol Deim Kuol, a southern army spokesman, said. "They [the Mundari] did not manage to take any cattle." The two groups have a long and bloody history of tit-for-tat cattle raiding.
Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for South Sudan, said that she was hearing reports that up to 10,000 people could have been displaced by the latest violence.
"This particular raid comes on top of five other raids, the most recent in September. In that raid about 5,000 people were displaced and at least 10 were killed," she told Al Jazeera.
"What you have is a spiralling attack and counter-attack, this being the most recent unfortunate incident."
The sharp rise in tribal violence in recent months has killed more than 2,000 people, including many women and children, and displaced another 250,000 people, the United Nations has said.
The website of the UN-funded Miraya FM radio station confirmed Monday's incident, reporting that it disrupted voter registration for national and presidential elections due to be held in April next year.
The process, which the south's leading party has said has been slow and underfunded by Sudan's National Electoral Commission, has already been hindered by tribal fighting this month.
The Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) has also blamed at least some of the inter-tribal fighting on interference by Khartoum, which they say is arming civilians and militias to cause unrest ahead of the elections and a 2011 referendum on southern independence. Others have said the blame should be partly put on rivalry between southern leaders, complicated by the 20-year war that often pitched southern ethnic groups against each other. Al Jazeera (English)
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