Khatami urges religious leaders to save world from nuclear weaponsFormer Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said in Austria on Monday that the world’s great religions should strive to save the world from nuclear and chemical weapons.
In an address during the opening ceremony of the conference Islam in a Pluralistic World, Khatami stressed the need to establish a foundation against nuclear weapons comprised of the three religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
“It is the duty of the entire religious community to save the world from atomic bombs and chemical weapons,” he said. ...
Tehran TimesUnited Nations News
Il Romanaccio at 5:42 AM
UN: Arms still flowing across Syrian borderAgenciesUnited Nations: Arms are still flowing across the Syrian border to Palestinian groups and others in Lebanon, although the Beirut government is trying to crack down and assert its authority, a new UN report said yesterday.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan cited a variety of recent reports saying there was "an increasing influx of weaponry and personnel from Syria to some of these groups". ...
Gulfnews
Il Romanaccio at 5:20 AM
Malaysia to Promote Modern View of IslamBy JASBANT SINGH- Ap WriterKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The United States' new public relations chief wrapped up a tour Monday of Southeast Asia after securing a pledge from Malaysia to spread its progressive version of Islam to help fight terrorism and foster peace in Iraq.
Karen Hughes met with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and discussed international efforts to combat terrorism and how Malaysia - as chairman of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference - could use its influence to promote a tolerant Islam that rejects religious extremism. ...
Guardian UnlimitedWorld Peace Report
Il Romanaccio at 2:47 AM
US seeking world domination: KhameneiIran’s Supreme Leader accused the United States yesterday of seeking global domination and vowed that his country would not give into demands to abandon its disputed nuclear programme.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also alleged that Washington was stirring Sunni-Shia violence in Iraq, and criticised Muslim countries who commit the “bad deed” of recognising Israel. ...
Bahrain TribuneWorld Ethnicity
Il Romanaccio at 2:07 AM
Beijing denies fudging arms cost
Catherine Armitage, China correspondentCHINA'S defence chief accused the US yesterday of exaggerating China's annual military budget by about $US60 billion ($80 billion).Rejecting US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's criticism of a "secretive" Chinese military build-up, Beijing's Defence Minister, Cao Gangchuan, said it was impossible for China to spend as much on defence as the Pentagon has estimated. ...
The Australian Espionage News
Il Romanaccio at 7:35 AM
China defends its "socialist democracy"By Mark MagnierLos Angeles TimesBEIJING — China yesterday released a white paper arguing that it does practice democracy, even if not in a form understood elsewhere in the world.
The Communist regime's first white paper on the topic comes on the heels of a high-visibility speech by Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick last month that criticized China as a state that has made little progress toward democratic ideals. ...
The Seattle TimesWorld Equality
Il Romanaccio at 7:26 AM
Saddam Trial: Few Knew About 1982 MassacreBy SALAH NASRAWI
Associated Press WriterCAIRO, Egypt (AP) - At the time, it went nearly unnoticed. The 1982 massacre in Dujail - the subject of Saddam Hussein's trial that begins Wednesday - happened when few foreign journalists were based in Iraq, and the world's interest was focused more on the threat from Iran.
Even inside Iraq, little was known about the assassination attempt on Saddam that led to the executions of nearly 150 people from Dujail. Critics have long contended more attention should have been paid - to all of his atrocities. ...
Guardian Unlimited
Il Romanaccio at 3:33 AM
