Organizers: Beijing Olympic Village offers good religious service

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BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing Olympics official said here Friday that since the Olympic Village opened on July 27, its religious service center had received 665 athletes and officials from more than 50 countries and regions.

Deng Yaping, deputy director of Olympic Village Department and spokeswoman for the Olympic Village, said at a press conference that 69 professional religious service volunteers at the center had provided around-the-clock services to villagers in English, Arabic, Italian, French, Korean and Hebrew.

On Aug. 3, a foreigner came to the center to ask for a prayer ceremony for his mother who had died a few days ago. A priest prayed for the man.

Deng said that on the following Sunday, the priest asked all the people who had come for praying to stand and pray again for the man's mother. The visitor said he left the center with peace of mind and was greatly moved by the love and concern he received by the people from different countries.

Deng said the village provides services in five religions, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hindu and Judaism. Bibles are displayed in the religious service center and athletes can use them free.

She also briefed journalists on other services and environmental protection measures in the Village.

She said the main dining hall for athletes served the largest number of guests in Olympic history on Aug. 8 when the Games opened. From noon to 5:00 p.m., 18,634 people dined there, far exceeding the comparable figure of 9,876 at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and 10,515 in Athens in 2004.

The Beijing Olympic Village received the largest number of worldwide dignitaries in Olympic history. The number far exceeded expectations. By Aug. 14, a total of 62 heads of state, government and royals and leaders of international organizations paid visits to the Olympic Village.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch also visited the Village, Deng disclosed. Rogge lived in the village for three days from Aug. 10 to 12.

The Olympic Village has done "the best job in environmental protection in the history of the Olympic Games," Deng said.

The village uses the most advanced biotechnology system to treat six tonnes of kitchen waste daily. Hot water is supplied via the 6,000 square meters of centralized solar water heating system.

from:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/15/content_9343081.htm

Arab film-maker Youssef Chahine dies at 82

Arab film-maker Youssef Chahine dies at 82

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Youssef Chahine, the Arab world's greatest filmmaker and recipient of the 50th annual lifetime achievement award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, died Sunday in his home in Cairo aged 82 after several weeks in a coma. "Youssef Chahine died this morning at 3:30," said his friend and fellow director Khaled Yussef, who co-directed Chahine's latest film "Chaos" in 2007. Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine is seen in this undated file photo. Chahine, a leading light of Egyptian cinema for more than half a century, died in Cairo on Sunday at the age of 82 after six weeks in a coma, his office said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>> A funeral ceremony will be held in Cairo on Monday, Yussef said, before Chahine is buried in the family crypt in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria where he was born, Egypt's official MENA news agency said. Chahine never shied away from controversy during his long career, criticizing U.S. foreign policy as well as Egypt and the Arab world. Born in 1926 in Alexandria into a Christian family, Chahine attended prestigious Victoria College, the alma mater of many Arab and Egyptian intellectuals who made major contributions to 20th century Arab culture. After spending one year at the University of Alexandria, he went to America to study drama at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. Back in Egypt, he turned his talents to directing and made a series of films which established his reputation as a serious figure in the country's 20-year-old film industry. Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine is seen in this undated file photo. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>> Upon the release of his fourth film, "Nile Boy" (1951) he was invited to the Cannes Film Festival. "Raging Sky" (1953), shot when King Farouk was still on the throne, dealt with the challenge mounted by a simple farmer to his feudal landlord, establishing Chahine as independent-minded and ready to challenge authority. He was credited with discovering Omar Sharif, who starred in "The Blazing Sun," released in 1954, and became the first Arab actor to rise to stardom in Hollywood. In his classic, "Cairo Station," Chahine played the lead, a newspaper seller at the railway station who had a fatal fixation for a woman who sold lemonade. Conservative Egyptians hated the film and it was put on the shelf for 20 years. Chanine won a Silver Bear at Berlin in 1978 for his "Alexandria ... Why?" the first of four autobiographic films. The sequence, completed in 2004, provides a picture of the ancient city as a great cosmopolitan centre. During his long career, he made more than 40 films. The last, "This is Chaos," was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2007. (Agencies) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/28/content_8786319.htm

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obamatrip23-2008jul23,0,4668191.story

From the Los Angeles Times

Obama turns focus from war to peace

After visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Democratic presidential candidate plans to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

By Michael Finnegan
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

July 23, 2008

AMMAN, JORDAN — After visits to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama shifted his focus to Mideast peace efforts Tuesday as he arrived in the region for two days of talks with leaders in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The all-but-sure Democratic nominee for president vowed to work "from the minute I'm sworn in to office to try to find some breakthroughs" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I think it's unrealistic to expect that a U.S. president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace in this region," Obama said shortly after his arrival in Jordan under tight security. "What a U.S. president can do is apply sustained energy and focus on the issues of the Israelis and the Palestinians."

Obama spoke in a dramatic setting, the ancient ruins atop Citadel Hill, or Jebel al Quala, near the towering pillars of the Temple of Hercules. Across the valley behind him, thousands of concrete dwellings were visible, terraced across the steep hillsides of Amman, the capital. Soldiers with heavy weaponry patrolled the roasting hilltop as dust clouds swirled around Obama's lectern.

Obama's nine-day trip abroad is aimed at building voter confidence in his ability to handle foreign affairs at a time when Republican rival John McCain is portraying him as naive and unfit to protect the nation's security.

Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, McCain mocked the first-term Illinois senator for making "his first trip to Afghanistan ever" in recent days and getting his "first briefing ever" from Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq.

Today, Obama plans to visit the southern Israeli town of Sderot, a frequent target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. He will also spend time in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, a memorial to Holocaust victims.

Obama flew from Amman to Tel Aviv on Tuesday night.

He arrived in Jordan after wrapping up his Iraq visit on Tuesday morning with a stop in Ramadi, once a breeding ground of the Sunni Arab insurgency. He met for three hours with tribal leaders who voiced concern, he said, that a "precipitous" withdrawal could lead to new violence.

"I have proposed a steady, deliberate drawdown over the course of 16 months, and I emphasized that to them," Obama said.

Obama said Petraeus, who met with him Monday, made clear that he "does not want a timetable" for a U.S. pullout. But Obama renewed his call for a gradual withdrawal of troops, saying the U.S. needs to shift forces to Afghanistan to fight resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda forces planning terrorist attacks.

Unlike a commander in chief, Obama said, Petraeus does not need to think about how some of the $10 billion spent by the U.S. on the Iraq war each month could be used "to shore up a U.S. economy that is really hurting right now."

Even as he left the combat zones of Iraq behind, an attack Tuesday morning near the Jerusalem hotel where Obama planned to stay illustrated the enduring violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A Palestinian man rammed a construction vehicle into a city bus and four vehicles, injuring six people before an Israeli civilian and border policeman shot and killed him.

Obama called the attack "a reminder of what Israelis have courageously lived with on a daily basis for far too long." Terrorism makes Israelis "want to dig in and simply think about their own security, regardless of what's going on beyond their borders," he said.

At the same time, Palestinians get frustrated when "they can't get to their job or they can't make a living" on the West Bank or in Gaza, he added. "It's hard for them, if they see no glimmer of hope, to then want to take that leap in order to make concessions."

Obama's calibration of the balance between Israeli and Palestinian interests showed the delicate task he faces in weighing the impact of his Mideast trip back home -- particularly on Jewish voters.

He is scheduled to meet today with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

He also plans to confer in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

In Jordan, Obama met privately with King Abdullah II at Beit al Urdun palace. Afterward, they joined Queen Rania and invited guests for dinner. Abdullah drove Obama to the airport in his Mercedes 600, dropping him off on the tarmac. Jordanian soldiers wearing red-pattern kaffiyehs saluted Obama as he headed up the stairs of the plane.

The king, who cut short a visit to the United States to greet Obama, released a statement saying he told Obama "that ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and achieving a just settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict tops the priorities of the people of the Middle East."

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Times staff writer Maeve Reston contributed to this report.

British soldier dies in Afghanistan

Published: Wednesday, 23 July 2008, 12:14PM

A British soldier has been killed after coming under enemy fire in southern Afghanistan.

The soldier was serving with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers attached to 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment.

He died when the vehicle he was travelling in hit an explosive device after a skirmish with Taliban fighters.

Two other soldiers from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment were injured in the same incident, one in a landmine blast during an exchange with the enemy.

The fatality occurred after the skirmish when the soldiers were leaving the area and their vehicle was hit by a second explosion.

The soldier from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers died at the scene.

The soldiers' next of kin have been informed and have requested a 24-hour period of grace before further details are released.

International Security Assistance Force spokesman Captain Mike Finney said: "Our hearts and minds are with the family and loved ones of this fine soldier.

"This soldier died honourably, helping bring security to Afghanistan."

The death announced today by the Ministry of Defence is the first British fatality in the country this month.

A total of 13 died last month, the worst loss of life for British troops since September 2006 when 19 servicemen died - 14 when a Nimrod MR2 aircraft crashed.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

http://www.itv.com/News/Articles/British-soldier-dies-in-Afghanistan-687802532.html

Public gets tips to fight terrorism

By Zhu Zhe
China Daily Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-07-23 06:33

Stay calm, don't touch it, move away quickly and send a text message to police, possibly with a photograph. That's how police want people to respond when they see something that looks like a bag with explosives.

The advice is part of a new anti-terrorism manual the Ministry of Public Security has prepared in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games.

It is the first government warning that addresses the public and tells it how to tackle a situation in case of a terrorist attack.

People have welcomed the new manual, available on the Internet and at some police stations from last weekend.

"It's really a timely book. It tells us when and where to be aware of danger, and how to protect ourselves," Zhang Jun, head of the security staff of the Chengwaicheng Furniture Mall, said Tuesday after getting a few copies of the manual from Xiaohongmen police station.

Liu Wancheng, head of a neighborhood committee in Beijing's Fengtai district, said he would write the manual's warning tips and how to handle a potential attack on a blackboard. "I think the public should know about them."

The manual tells people how to react during 39 possible situations, including an explosion, shooting, hijacking, and chemical or nuclear attack.

"The book is practical. If people follow its instructions, they can escape or even prevent a terrorist attack," the public security ministry has said on its website.

Terrorism remains a real threat to the Games. Only last week, Ma Zhenchuan, director of the Beijing public security bureau, said the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, labeled as a terrorist organization by the UN in 2002, poses a "real threat" to the Olympics because investigations show it has been plotting attacks on Olympic venues.

Li Wei, director of the anti-terrorism research center of China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said Tuesday that the manual would raise public awareness on counter-terrorism.

"Compared with hardware such as advanced weapons, software like public awareness and emergency plans are more important in the fight against terrorism," said Wang Dawei, a professor with the Chinese People's Public Security University.

Li, however, said the manual could have provided more information on how to deal with public panic after an attack. "The book focuses too much on actions to be taken but doesn't tell people how to face their fears," he said.

The public should not get paranoid. "Instead, we should feel confident (to face any situation)," he said. "Terrorists can be identified and nabbed if the public is vigilant."

Bin Laden's driver put at heart of conspiracy

July 22, 2008

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, CUBA - The U.S. government opened its first war-crimes prosecution Tuesday with a narrative of Osama bin Laden's driver overhearing his boss offer an eerie post-mortem in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks:

"If they hadn't shot down the fourth plane, it would've hit the dome," declared Navy Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Stone.

And so with his first words to a military jury, the prosecutor conjured up a conversation from inside the world of Al-Qaida, revealed by the accused, driver Salim Hamdan. Bin Laden told his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, that U.S. forces -- not heroic passengers -- brought down United Airlines Flight 93 in a Pennsylvania field on 9/11 before terrorist hijackers could slam it into "the dome" of the U.S. Capitol.

Hamdan, 37, a Yemeni, is charged with conspiracy and providing material support for terror for allegedly serving as the Al-Qaida leader's driver, sometime bodyguard and weapons courier.

Prosecutors put him at the heart of the conspiracy -- driving Bin Laden to a meeting with some of the 9/11 co-conspirators, to an Al Jazeera interview, to a Ramadan feast at a paramilitary training camp to "further recruit and indoctrinate young individuals for their organization."

Seattle defense attorney Harry Schneider portrayed Hamdan as a nobody, an orphan who left the poverty of Yemen for Afghanistan and became Bin Laden's $200-a-month driver because "he had to earn a living, not because he had a jihad against America."

He lamented the "horrible crimes" of 9/11, but said, "This man -- the only man before you in this trial -- did not commit those crimes." Moreover, the defense contends that Hamdan offered to help the United States while in Afghanistan.

The two sides addressed the war court judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred, and a jury of six colonels and lieutenant colonels, whose names are withheld by order of the judge.

MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

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