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Riots rock Jerusalem as Hamas calls for new 'intifada'
03/16 | 20:28 GMT
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces across east Jerusalem on Tuesday in the worst rioting in years, as a senior Hamas leader called for a new "intifada" or uprising.
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces across east Jerusalem on Tuesday in the worst rioting in years, as a senior Hamas leader called for a new "intifada" or uprising.
As the unrest rocked Jerusalem, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell delayed a visit to the region amid the worst diplomatic spat in decades between Israel and key ally the United States, which was struggling to revive peace talks.
Police fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at Palestinian protesters who hurled stones and set up barricades of dumpsters and burning tyres in several neighbourhoods.
Twenty-one injured Palestinians were hospitalised and dozens more were treated on the spot, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
One policeman suffered a pistol shot to the hand in an Arab neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, adding that the unknown gunman got away.
Four other policeman were briefly taken to hospital and another 10 treated on site after being hit by rocks.
Sixty Palestinians were arrested.
Also Tuesday, stones were thrown at a bus in the largely Arab neighbourhood of Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, said Rosenfeld, the first reports of unrest in other Israeli cities. The bus was damaged, but there were no injuries.
The clashes erupted across east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move not recognised by the international community.
As the rioting flared, Hamas deputy politburo chief Mussa Abu Marzuk called for another popular Palestinian uprising.
"The intifada must enjoy the participation of all of Palestinian society," he told Al-Jazeera television. "Every Palestinian should rise up ... against the forces of the (Israeli) occupation."
In the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip thousands of people took to the streets, chanting: "With our blood, with our souls, we sacrifice for you, Jerusalem."
The Palestinians have launched two intifadas against Israeli rule in the occupied territories, the first in 1987 and the second in 2000, but Hamas's calls for a new uprising in recent years have been largely ignored.
Facts on the ground: Israel's Jewish settlements
Israeli police chief Dudi Cohen told reporters he did not see signs of a new uprising: "We are seeing signs of disorderly conduct, but that's all."
Palestinians were already seething over Israeli plans to build 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in east Jerusalem.
Last week's announcement of the project also incensed Washington, and Mitchell postponed a visit to the region that was to start on Tuesday. That trip will not take place before the Middle East Quartet meets in Moscow on Thursday.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said he would not travel to Moscow because of the tension in Jerusalem.
But even as Mitchell stayed away, the mutual anger appeared to ease slightly with warmer words being uttered on both sides.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington remained committed to reviving peace talks, telling reporters there was "too much at stake" for Palestinians and Israelis to abandon them.
"Our goal now is to make sure that we have the full commitment from both our Israeli and the Palestinian partners to this effort," she said.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions undermine US interests: US general
Clinton and the White House reaffirmed the US commitment to Israel's security and to ties with Israel.
"It does not break the unbreakable bond that we have with the Israeli government and the Israeli people on their security," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in a statement: "The State of Israel appreciates and cherishes the warm words from Secretary of State Clinton on the deep ties between the US and Israel and the US commitment to Israel's security."
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for restraint from both Israel and the Palestinians, and reiterated that Jerusalem's final status should be decided by negotiations.
Earlier this month, the Palestinians reluctantly agreed to indirect talks with Israel after a 14-month break, but the outlook for a swift resumption of the peace process now looks bleak after the new settlements announcement.
The reopening of the twice-destroyed Hurva synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's walled Old City on Monday further fuelled tensions.
Many Palestinians view Israeli projects near the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound -- Islam's third holiest site -- as an assault on its tense status quo or a prelude to the building of a third Jewish temple there.
Jews call the compound Temple Mount and consider it their holiest site because the second Temple stood there before the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD.
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Kidnapped British boy released in Pakistan
03/16 | 14:07 GMT
JHELUM, Pakistan (AFP) - A five-year-old British boy kidnapped at gunpoint during a holiday in Pakistan nearly two weeks ago was waiting to be reunited with his mother after being safely recovered on Tuesday.
JHELUM, Pakistan (AFP) - A five-year-old British boy kidnapped at gunpoint during a holiday in Pakistan nearly two weeks ago was waiting to be reunited with his mother after being safely recovered on Tuesday.
Sahil Saeed was taken from his grandmother's house in the town of Jhelum, about 100 kilometres (65 miles) south of Islamabad, in the early hours of March 4 while preparing to leave with his Pakistani father to fly back to Britain.
"I am simply delighted that Sahil has been released safe and sound. I know that his family must be overjoyed following almost two weeks of terrible anxiety and uncertainty," said British High Commissioner Adam Thomson.
"The top priority for the High Commission now is to ensure he is reunited with his parents as soon as possible and to help with his return to the UK," he added, saying that although a "little tired", Sahil was "in good spirits".
British officials gave no details on exactly how he had been recovered, saying he was in the care of Pakistani authorities and his uncle, and that the British consul was with him.
British kidnap drop in ocean of Pakistan menace
"There remains an active police investigation and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on ongoing operational issues," Thomson said.
Pakistani police said the kidnappers had dropped off the child in a field on Tuesday, allowing officers to recover him, saying investigations were ongoing but that so far no arrests had been made.
Relatives said they were delighted that Sahil was safe and vigorously denied repeated claims that the kidnapping was an inside job.
Sahil's mother, Akila Naqqash, who had begged for his release, said her son can expect a "big party" when he returns home to Oldham, in northern England, although it was not immediately clear when that would be.
"I talked to him on the phone and I thought, 'that's my little boy', that's enough for me," she told BBC radio.
Released boy can expect "big party"
"The way he spoke to me was normal, like a normal little boy."
She said he had asked about his sisters and remarked how much he was missing his favourite toy.
"I am just waiting for my little boy to come back. No more crying, I just want to have a big party," she added.
Celebrating relatives in Pakistan handed out sweets in Jhelum to friends, neighbours and family members offering their congratulations.
"I am thankful to God that he has been recovered. We are so happy," his grandmother Tasneem Bashir told AFP.
Relatives said Sahil was taken by robbers who stole jewellery and cash and demanded a 120,000-dollar ransom.
Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik reiterated Tuesday that the family could have been behind the abduction but police said there was no evidence that relatives had been involved.
"Presently, we don't know about the suspects or culprits," Aslam Tareen, regional police chief, told reporters.
"He was released to us. We were informed about the whereabouts and he was left there... in a field in Denga village," he said.
"He is quite well, he is playing, we have arranged some toys for him," said Tareen, adding that he did not know whether a ransom was paid.
Doctors confirmed the boy was fit and well, saying he was under police protection and accompanied by British officials.
Kidnappings of Westerners are rare in Pakistan but abductions of locals are common.
They are often related to family quarrels, love affairs, property disputes or simple quests for money -- particularly for the wealthier victims -- by criminal gangs, some of whom are connected to Islamist militant networks.
Sahil's Pakistani father had said the kidnappers stormed the house armed with guns and grenades, subjecting the family to a six-hour ordeal while he and his son were preparing to take a taxi to the airport and fly home.
UK News
Kidnapped British boy released in ...Post-heart attack fatalities higher in women than men: study
03/16 | 21:16 GMT
ATLANTA, Georgia (AFP) - Women who suffer a heart attack are twice as likely as men to die within the following month because they receive different medical treatment than men, researchers said Tuesday.
ATLANTA, Georgia (AFP) - Women who suffer a heart attack are twice as likely as men to die within the following month because they receive different medical treatment than men, researchers said Tuesday.
The study examined 3,000 women and men hospitalized in the French region of Franche-Comte after a cardiac event between 2006 and 2007, and examined the treatment they received.
It found women were less likely to receive either an angiogram -- an imaging technique that allows examination of the blood vessels -- or an angioplasty, where a coronary artery is dilated, and often a small stent is inserted to keep the artery open.
The lead author of the study said its findings showed women should be given the more aggressive treatments often reserved for male patients.
"This suggests that we could reduce mortality in female patients by using more invasive procedures," said Francois Schiele, head of cardiology at the Besancon university hospital, speaking on the sidelines of an annual conference of the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta.
"When there are no clear contradictions, women should be treated with all recommended strategies, including invasive strategies," he added.
"The main question we tried to answer with this study was whether the difference in mortality between women and men after a heart attack is explained by differences in management," Schiele said.
He acknowledged that there were physiological differences between men and women that needed to be taken into account when recommending patients of both genders receive the same treatment, citing the example of angioplasties.
"We look for big, straight arteries and with women we get winding, small arteries," he said.
But he stressed that stents can be inserted into the arteries of female patients, and function perfectly well, as long as the surgeon is properly trained to handle the procedure.
Marcelo Di Carli, director of cardiovascular imaging at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said the study came amid increasing awareness about women's health.
"Just about every major hospital in the United States has a program on women's health," he said. "Things are changing in a positive way because there's so much research going on."
Health/Medicine
Post-heart attack fatalities higher in women than men: ...Eto'o gives Mourinho revenge over Chelsea in Champions League
03/16 | 21:52 GMT
LONDON (AFP) - Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho got his revenge on Chelsea as a late goal from Samuel Eto'o sealed a 1-0 last 16 second leg victory over his former club at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday for a 3-1 aggregate victory.
LONDON (AFP) - Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho got his revenge on Chelsea as a late goal from Samuel Eto'o sealed a 1-0 last 16 second leg victory over his former club at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday for a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Mourinho was back at Chelsea for the first time since being sacked in September 2007 following a power struggle with Blues owner Roman Abramovich and he showed the Russian what he had let go by devising the perfect game-plan to eliminate his former team.
The Portuguese coach once criticised Tottenham for "parking the bus" after Chelsea were shut out by their defensive London rivals, but Mourinho borrowed a trick or two from that scheme to keep Carlo Ancelotti's side at bay before Eto'o's strike secured victory.
Chelsea, who had Didier Drogba sent off in the final moments, hadn't been held without a goal at home for 11 months, yet they rarely threatened to find a way through an Inter defence superbly marshalled by Lucio and Walter Samuel.
It was a classic Mourinho display as Inter ground the life out of Chelsea and then delivered the killer blow in clinical fashion.
At last Mourinho, who disappeared down the tunnel quickly at the end, had his moment of vindication.
Mourinho seemed to enjoy himself from the moment he arrived at the stadium as he signed autographs for Chelsea fans and chatted briefly with Ancelotti before emerging to take up his unfamiliar position on the away bench.
He was greeted with respectful applause from the home supporters but it was hardly the rapturous reception many, including Mourinho, had predicted.
Inter needed only a draw to go through and the visitors were content to defend in numbers.
The onus was on Chelsea to set the tempo and Ancelotti's team created what few openings there were in a frantic first half.
Florent Malouda appealed in vain for a penalty when his incisive run was ended by an uncompromising block from Lucio, while Michael Ballack threatened with a long-range effort that skimmed just wide.
It was heavyweight stuff with the temperature never far from boiling point.
Lucio caught Malouda with a dangerously high boot, sparking a shoving match between several players, then Maicon made a superb challenge to stop Drogba getting a shot off as the Chelsea striker prepared to pull the trigger 10 yards out.
Mourinho grew more animated by the minute as he rose from the bench time and again to protest any decisions that went against Inter.
Eto'o had a glorious chance to put Inter ahead when Maicon's cross cleared two Chelsea defenders and reached the Cameroon forward at the far post, but his header bounced tamely into the turf and over the bar.
Mourinho buried his head in his hands and Nicolas Anelka nearly made Inter pay for that miss just before half-time.
When Drogba's pass reached Anelka six yards out, he twisted to poke his shot goalwards, only for Julio Cesar to make a brave save at the French forward's feet.
From the corner, Samuel risked conceding a penalty as he wrestled Drogba to the floor but German referee Wolfgang Stark didn't see the offence.
Mourinho lost just one game at Stamford Bridge during his three and a half year reign and he was just 45 minutes away from surviving his first as a visitor.
Chelsea weren't going out quietly though and Malouda forced Cesar into a smart stop at his near-post early in the second half.
Ancelotti sent on Joe Cole as the Blues began to run out of ideas but Eto'o put the tie beyond their reach in the 78th minute.
Wesley Sneijder had been at the heart of Inter's few attacking moments and he lofted a superb pass towards Eto'o, who held off his marker before driving a low shot past Turnbull.
Mourinho had promised not to celebrate if Inter won but the moment got the better of him as he leapt to his feet with fists pumping.
Chelsea's frustration came to the surface as Drogba was sent off in the final moments after a clash with Thiago Motta to complete a miserable day for the hosts.
