Video - Egyptian Theater Student Explains Refusal to Undergo FGM Despite Pressure: Your Body Is Your Own.

Egyptian Theater Student Explains Refusal to Undergo FGM Despite Pressure: Your Body Is Your Own.(Memri).

Iman Hussein, an Egyptian theater student, was interviewed by the Egyptian DMC TV channel on the issue of female circumcision. She recounted that at the age of 10 or 11, she had discussed it with her mother and told her that this was her "own private matter," resisting pressure mounted by relatives and acquaintances. Hussein sent a message to young girls: "Your body is yours... In order to avoid the pain of sexual harassment, FGM, or things like that, you must confront it with all your might." The interview aired on February 12.

Iman Hussein: I was raised in a place called Bashayer, where my mother used to work. We were educated against FGM, and I knew my rights on this matter. Later, when I went to school, my friends were undergoing this operation. I told my mother that my friends at school were undergoing female circumcision, and I started discussing this with her. I told her that this was wrong because this is a part of the body. My mother always said to me: "This is your body, and nobody can touch it."

First Interviewer: How old were you?

Iman Hussein: I was 10 or 11 years old.

First Interviewer: At such a young age...

Second Interviewer: Right.

Iman Hussein: Then my mother's friends at work started to ask her: "Why haven't you done the operation to your daughters yet?" Some of our family members, like my grandmother, also raised the issue. I said to my mother then: "This is up to me. You can't do this." I'm into theater, and I watched some shows about FGM...

First Interviewer: And you must have heard stories from your friends at school.

Iman Hussein: Yes, one of them told me that she could not move for 3 or 4 days, and was hemorrhaging. Stuff like that. I was very scared, and I tried to imagine myself in such a situation. Besides, I am small, not like my friends, who are...

Second Interviewer: You are petite.

Iman Hussein: Yes... My mother's friends and our relatives told me that after the operation, my body would develop and I would put on some weight. But I didn't want that. I wanted to stay the way I am. This is my own private matter. So I told my mother that I was not doing this. She was also against it, but every now and again, she would say: Maybe we should consult a doctor? But I said: No way. What doctor are you talking about?! Why should I let a doctor see me? This is my own private matter.

Second Interviewer: Iman, we'd like to hear your message to girls your age or younger, who might find themselves in this situation one day.

Iman Hussein: Your body is yours. You are the one who will have to deal with the pain and everything. In order to avoid the pain of sexual harassment, FGM, or things like that, you must confront it with all your might. Our body deserves to be protected from these things.

Second Interviewer: I salute your courage and your position against all the pressure.

Egypt - Coptic Orthodox Church and Islamic University of Al-Azhar join together against child abuse and Child marriage.

Source.

Egypt - Coptic Orthodox Church and Islamic University of Al-Azhar join together against child abuse and Child marriage. (Fides).

The Islamic University of Al Azhar - considered the most authoritative theological-academic institution of Sunni Islam - and the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate signed a programmatic document which outlined their shared commitment to fight forms of violence and abuse against children.

The joint statement, prepared under the auspices of UNICEF, was signed on Monday, May 9 by Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II and by Sheikh Ahmed al Tayyeb, Great Imam of al-Azhar.
In the text, scholars linked to the Islamic University and the Coptic community contributed to outlining the protection of children as a common priority, shared by both the Islamic and Christian sensibility.

The campaign in favor of children and girls - refer Egyptian sources consulted by Agenzia Fides - also includes the phenomenon of genital mutilation and early marriage, and, of course, kidnapping and sexual abuse.

In addition to statements of intent, the program also provides for the active involvement of at least 850 leaders of churches and mosques - imam, priests, monks, pastoral workers - which in the current year will attend preparation courses, and then personally commit themselves in information campaigns designed to sensitize the entire population of a plague that strikes the entire Egyptian society in different forms.

According to the most alarming statistics, more than 70% of Egyptian children suffer some form of abuse and violence even within their own family and community environment. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 10/05/2016)

Canadian - Jamaican born Imam: 'Female circumcision is permitted, not female genital mutilation'.

Canadian - Jamaican born Imam: 'Female circumcision is permitted, not female genital mutilation'. HT CIJNews.

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, a Canadian and Toronto-based Muslim scholar, was born as a Christian in Jamaica in 1947 and grew up in Canada, where he accepted Islam in 1972.

He completed a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. from the College of Islamic Disciplines (Usool ad-Deen) at the Islamic University of Madeenah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985, and in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, he completed a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in 1994. Bilal Philips is regularity invited to mosques in Canada and abroad to speak about the teachings of Islam.

In recent years he was banned of entrance to or was deported from several countries, including Australia, UK, Germany, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Philippines, reportedly because of radical views or security reasons.

In his most recent video (March 19, 2016), Bilal Philips clarifies the Islamic Law regarding the popular practice in Muslim countries of circumcising the girls. Bilal Philips asserts that Islam prohibits female genital mutilation, but permits female circumcision, which is a “slight” cut that does not affect the ability of women to achieve sexual satisfaction. Hmmmm......Outrage from all feminist groups and individuals........Crickets. Read and see the full story here.

1 female genital mutilation case reported every 96 minutes in England.

1 female genital mutilation case reported every 96 minutes in England. (RT).

Cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) are being reported at a rate of one every 96 minutes in England, according to the latest official health figures.

Data released on Friday shows that between October 2014 and September 2015, 5,484 cases of FGM were reported to authorities. Experts suggest the actual number of cases may be far higher.

London had the highest level of reported cases, with 758 flagged over the year. The Midlands and east of England came second with a combined 227 cases brought to the attention of authorities.

Female genital mutilation involves some or all of a girl’s exterior sexual organs, particularly the clitoris, being surgically removed or stitched up for non-medical purposes. At its most severe, FGM can make sex and urination painful and can lead to a host of other medical problems.

The data, compiled by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, was released ahead of Saturday’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM. The cases themselves are those reported to medics this year, but many were carried out years ago.

Plan UK chief executive Tanya Barron said the full scale of FGM in England had been hidden until now.

“FGM has been a hidden danger – only now is the full scale becoming clear. “Recognizing that FGM is a fundamental abuse of girls’ rights is the first step to ending the practice.”

FGM survivor Nimco Ali, who later set up Daughters of Eve, which works to prevent FGM, explained that stopping the practice was possible, even within families who see it as tradition.

“FGM is a brutal practice, but it is also a very simple one to end. If you stop one woman having FGM done to her, then you break that link and prevent it being done to the next generation.
“I came from a family that was 100 percent FGM and that has gone down to zero in a generation. It is something that can be ended.
“We are finally shaking the taboo of FGM, but we have to be vigilant and cannot be complacent,” she added.

Ali also said FGM should be included in sex and relationship education in British schools.

Human rights organization Equality Now estimates 137,000 women and girls in the UK have suffered FGM. However, spokesman Brendan Wayne said the figures are “just to tip of the iceberg.”

Video - Lebanese Man Takes His ’12-Year-Old Bride’ in Public, Watch How People Reacted.

Video - Lebanese Man Takes His ’12-Year-Old Bride’ in Public, Watch How People Reacted. (Egyptianstreets).

In a renewed attempt to raise awareness about the prevalence of child marriages in Lebanon, nongovernmental organization Kafa (meaning “enough” in Arabic) staged a photoshoot with a middle-aged man and a 12-year-old girl in a wedding dress.

While some passersby did not react and others were visibly disturbed but kept their opinions to themselves, a large number of those who appeared in the video were outraged at the setup.

One woman demanded to know where the young girl’s parents were, exclaiming, “She’s 12! I was jogging but my feet froze when I saw her.”

Another bystander reminded the woman that “the law allows it.”

Child marriages continue to be an issue of great concern in many countries in the region.Read the full story here.

Related: Too young to wed.

Heartbreaking Unicef Video Exposes The Reality of Female Genital Mutilation

Post by ‎UNICEF Egypt يونيسف مصر‎.

Female genital mutilation is an everyday horror that more than 91 percent of Egyptian women between the ages of 15-49 have faced, according to the UN.

Meanwhile, up to 17 percent of girls under the age of 14 have had their genitals mutilated despite the practice being deemed as un-Islamic and barbaric by Egypt’s top Islamic authorities.

Yet, one eye-opening video released by UNICEF Egypt aims to tackle the issue of female genital mutilation. 

The heartbreaking video portrays a father preparing to take his daughter to have her genitals cut in order to “prepare the bride”.

What happens next is best described by watching the video above, as any words will likely take away the impact of the video.

Video - Human Rights Watch documentary: "Child Brides in Tanzania"

Child marriage in Tanzania limits girls’ access to education and exposes them to serious harms. Human Rights Watch documented how child marriage severely curtails girls’ access to education, and exposes them to exploitation and violence – including marital rape and female genital mutilation (FGM) – and reproductive health risks. HT:

Compelling work by @marcusbleasdale @hrw on the plight of child brides in Tanzania, must watch http://t.co/35fjmIMtVc

— Peter Bouckaert (@bouckap) October 30, 2014

Islamic terrorists ISIS orders female genital mutilation in Iraq.

Islamic terrorists ISIS orders female genital mutilation in Iraq.(AA).

The al-Qaeda-Inspired Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has ordered all girls and women in and around Iraq's northern city of Mosul to undergo female genital mutilation, the United Nations said on Thursday.

The "fatwa" issued by the Sunni Muslim fighters would potentially affect 4 million women and girls, U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Iraq Jacqueline Badcock told reporters in Geneva by videolink from Arbil.

"This is something very new for Iraq, particularly in this area, and is of grave concern and does need to be addressed," she said.

"This is not the will of Iraqi people, or the women of Iraq in these vulnerable areas covered by the terrorists," she added.

No one was immediately available for comment from Islamic State which has led an offensive through northern and western Iraq.More from Guardian here.

Fatwa can be seen here 

This is a translation of the Fatwa:

For protecting our Islamic nation in Iraq and Syria, our land, and our people, we need to look after our women and their behavior while preventing them from the dreadful modern life they are surrounded with. Abu Baker Al-Baghdady:

A rule to all of the Islamic nations, regions, and districts is to protect women as our Khalifa says and prophet says while the mother Aatyia was circumcising a woman, the prophet said, “Don’t get disappointed, that is good for your husband, and your face”.

In another story, the prophet saw the mother Hajer, who had been known as odalisque’s mutilated woman, and asked her whether she still practice her job or not, the mother Hajer answered with yes. Then she asked the prophet whether it is Haram or not and he answered her with being Halal and he can teach her how to do it.

The prophet says, “it is brighter for the face, and luckier for the husband”. Meanwhile, the prophet says, “if you mutilate, do not exaggerate”.

Abu Harera gives another statement that the prophet says, “All Muslim women, accept circumcision but do not exaggerate on it”. Therefore, this is a call for all women to get mutilated. More on female genital mutilation here.

Update: Fatwa is false:

No, the Islamic State has not ordered all women to undergo FGM

Female genital mutilation a 'huge problem' in U.K.

Female genital mutilation a 'huge problem' in U.K.(Yahoo).

Britain’s reputation for turning a blind eye on the illegal practice of female genital mutilation may be about to change after British doctors, nurses and midwifes decided to take a stand and demand it be treated as child abuse. 

Earlier this month, leading British medical groups delivered an extensive report to Parliament, recommending aggressive steps to eradicate the practice, which is still being carried out on young girls from certain African, Middle Eastern and Asian cultures.

The report revealed tens of thousands of cases of FGM in Britain (as many as 66,000 by some estimates). And while the practice was outlawed in 1985 and carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment, the country has never seen a single prosecution.

‘’It’s a huge problem in Britain,’’ says Dr. Deborah Hodes, a London community paediatrician and chair of child protection with the Royal College of Paediatrics, outlining that more than 24,000 girls are at risk of FGM and more than 66,000 women are living with the consequences. Hodes regularly gets referrals for young girls who underwent cutting — a common term for the practice in the U.K.— or who are at high risk of being cut.

Britain's medical community now wants all front-line health professionals to be better trained in detecting FGM and responding to it, and to report female patients who have had their sexual organs mutilated to police and other services. FGM, sometimes called female circumcision, involves removing all or part of the clitoris as well as, often, the labia, the "lips" that surround the vagina, to make young girls more virginal and therefore attractive to future mates. An estimated 140 million girls and women are living with the consequences of the practice, according to the World Health Organization, and in countries like Britain it is often done on young girls who are sent back to their ancestral homelands to have the procedure done.

Leyla Hussein, a British woman, was once one of these girls. She was taken away to Somalia to be cut when she was seven. She’s now campaigning to end the practice.

During her own pregnancy, she recalls, "I was shaking, having panic attacks, my body remembered the trauma. That’s when I decided there was no way my daughter was going through that. But I needed the right information to defend my decision to my community.’’

In Britain, anti-FGM campaigners are saying that an overzealous cultural sensitivity has led to authorities being slow to react on the FGM front, with some even questioning whether FGM is actually a British problem. ‘’It’s not so much that I’ve encountered resistance, but there’s a lot of silence," says Hussein. "For me when you’re silent, you’re consenting.’’

In contrast, neighbouring France has adopted a much less tolerant approach to tackling FGM. Its systematic examination of young girls has led to some hundred prosecutions.

‘’I think England is very tolerant because they put cultural relativism first," says Isabelle Gillette-Faye, a French sociologist. "So if in your country of origin, you cut your girl, then it’s possible in England as well.’’ Gillette-Faye suspects many French girls are sent to "easier" Britain to have the procedure done. ‘It’s easier to take the Eurostar to go to London, to a private clinic, and have someone cut the girl. It’s just easier, it’s less money than to go to another country,’’ she says.

For her part, Hussein likes France’s attitude towards FGM, but allows that an approach like that of the Netherlands’ might be more effective.

"What the Netherlands have done really well," she says, "is implement that work in sexual education classes. It’s compulsory. Front-line staff working with women and children, every new nurse, every new doctor, every new teacher, has to be trained on FGM.’’

In Britain, the ministry of education has so far refused to make FGM training mandatory for teachers, though in a statement it said that "schools can choose to teach about FGM as part of their curriculum.’’ That is not enough for some. ‘’We’re talking about girls who are British citizens, and this is against their right to be safe," says Dr. Hodes. "So I don’t really think it’s a debate.’’

As a result of the report, parliament's home affairs committee is considering an inquiry into why there hasn’t been a prosecution yet in Britain. The Crown Prosecution Service is reportedly looking into a handful of cases that it may bring to trial. To date, there are not definitive studies of the number of girls at risk of FGM in Canada, but immigration patterns and human rights groups in Canada indicate that the figures could be substantial.

‘The biggest Somali community in the diaspora is in North America, that’s a big alarm for me,’’ says Hussein. ‘’A lot of Canadian women contact us. They suffer in silence, they don’t know where to go.’’

Female genital mutilation on the rise in the United States-report.

Female genital mutilation on the rise in the United States-report.HT: Trust.By Lisa Anderson.

NEW YORK (TrustLaw) - The ancient, brutal practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), once considered primarily a problem of the developing world, is a growing threat to girls and women in the United States, according to a new report.

The United States has longstanding laws against the practice of FGM on U.S. soil and in January, passed a federal law against sending young women outside the country for so-called "vacation cutting".
However, girls living in America increasingly are at risk of the procedure both at home and abroad, according to research by Sanctuary for Families.
The New York City-based non-profit organisation, which specialises in gender-based violence, said up to 200,000 girls and women in the United States are at risk of FGM and that the number is growing.
"People in the United States think that FGM only happens to people outside of the United States, but in all actuality, people here all over the country have been through FGM," said Jaha, 23, formerly from Gambia and now a survivor and advocate against FGM.
"Kids that were born in this country are taken back home every summer and undergo this procedure," she was quoted as saying in the report.

The study cited analysis of data from the 2000 census that found between 1990 and 2000 the number of girls and women in the United States at risk of the procedure - which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia - increased by 35 percent.

Most prevalent in immigrant African and Middle Eastern communities, FGM generally originates in the belief by some cultures that it preserves a girl's virginity before marriage and discourages her from promiscuity after she is wed. In many communities, a girl is deemed unfit for marriage if she has not undergone FGM.
The report said FGM has been performed in the United States by health care providers who support FGM or do not want to question families' cultural practices.
Whether performed covertly on U.S. soil or in ceremonies held in ancestral homelands during school vacations, the procedure often is done by traditional practitioners using crude implements, such as razor blades and broken glass. They often operate in unsanitary conditions, far from medical facilities, without anaesthesia, antiseptics or antibiotics.
The physical and psychological effects can be devastating and even fatal. FGM can cause severe pain during sexual intercourse, haemorrhage, shock, complications in childbirth and fistula. It can also lead to depression and anxiety.
"FGM has affected me emotionally throughout my entire life. Those terrible moments stay with me and I just cannot forget them," a 53-year-old woman named Nafissatou, originally from Guinea, told researchers.
"When I went to the hospital to give birth to my children, my experience with FGM was what I remembered most. Every time I shower, I think about it. There is a sadness and emptiness I fell every day because of what FGM took from me," she said.

The United Nations last December called for a global ban on FGM, but, as with laws in the United States, implementation is extremely difficult and, to date, prosecutions have been rare.

The United States has had a law against FGM since 1996 and 20 states have passed their own statutes. But, according to the report, as of 2012, there have been no prosecutions under federal law, and only one criminal case has been brought forward under a state statute.

One problem is that families in the United States, even those who oppose FGM for their daughters, often find themselves under severe pressure from their extended families to subject girls to the procedure.
Another obstacle is a lack of reporting of FGM either by victims, girls at risk or their families. Part of the reason may be due to ignorance of the law, the report found.Read the full story here.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood mobile FGM convoys condemned by women’s group.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood mobile FGM convoys condemned by women’s group.(BM).CAIRO: A number of Egyptian human rights groups have submitted a communication to the Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud against the Muslim Brotherhood`s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) to investigate the complaints of people in the village of Abu Aziz in the Minya governorate, south of Cairo, over the existence of a large medical convoy organized by the party that wanders streets and does medical examination on people, including female circumcision, or female genital mutilation, in violation of Egyptian law, conventions and treaties signed by Egypt. In Egypt’s legal code, Female Genital Mutilation is criminalized, as well as the inciting by doctors to convince families of the young girls of the need to agree to circumcise their daughters, “as a matter of preserving chastity.” 
The communication demanded Mervat Tallawy, the head of the National Council for Women (NCW) and Major General Seraj EL Din El Rouby, the Governor of Minya, and Nasr El Sayed , Assistant Minister for primary health care, and preventive medicine, and family planning, to intervene to stop what it called “a farce propaganda for free circumcision, which was organized by one of the political parties, in Minya governorate to promote circumcision.” The communication came after reports were circulated on news websites and social networking websites, including Facebook and Twitter about a convoy organized by the FJP to promote circumcision among girls in Minya. Tallawy, on Sunday, held a meeting with the governor of Minya to discuss the mechanisms of organizing awareness campaigns and seminars for women in the governorate, on how to address and fight against female genital mutilation, “which is being carried out by the FJP in the governorate.”The National Council for Women denounced the statements issued by the Secretary of the Freedom and Justice Party for the People’s Assembly on female circumcision, pointing out that such an act and calls “may put the person who promotes it under penalty of law because FGM is criminalized, and against human rights in general and women in particular.” The Council said it would not stand silent and will “combat these calls, which is an affront to Egyptian women, especially since the law criminalizes this act,” pointing out that the attempts by some to ignore this law and the abolition of the law that bans FGM. The council added that “the call for female circumcision is totally unacceptable.”Hmmm......I wonder if U.S.Senator Kerry discussed this also with the FJP?Read the full story here.

Muslim sub-sect known as the Dawoodi Bohra continues to believe that the removal of the clitoris is the will of God.

Muslim women from Bohra community walks past a shop selling pictures of their religious leaders,
       outside a mosque in Mumbai - AFP

Muslim sub-sect known as the Dawoodi Bohra continues to believe that the removal of the clitoris is the will of God.(Yahoo).Eleven years ago, Farida Bano was circumcised by an aunt on a bunk bed in her family home at the end of her 10th birthday party. The mutilation occurred not in Africa, where the practice is most prevalent, but in India where a small Muslim sub-sect known as the Dawoodi Bohra continues to believe that the removal of the clitoris is the will of God. "We claim to be modern and different from other Muslim sects. We are different but not modern," Bano, a 21-year-old law graduate who is angry about what was done to her, told AFP in New Delhi.
She vividly remembers the moment in the party when the aunt pounced with a razor blade and a pack of cotton wool. The Bohra brand of Islam is followed by 1.2 million people worldwide and is a sect of Shia Islam that originated in Yemen. While the sect bars other Muslims from its mosques, it sees itself as more liberal, treating men and women equally in matters of education and marriage. The community's insistence on "Khatna" (the excision of the clitoris) also sets it apart from others on the subcontinent. "If other Muslims are not doing it then why are we following it?" Bano says. For generations, few women in the tightly-knit community have spoken out in opposition, fearing that to air their grievances would be seen as an act of revolt frowned upon by their elders.
But an online campaign is now encouraging them to join hands to bury the custom. The anti-Khatna movement gained momentum after Tasneem, a Bohra woman who goes by one name, posted an online petition at the social action platform Change.org in November last year. She requested their religious leader, the 101-year-old Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, ban female genital mutilation, the consequences of which afflict 140 million women worldwide according to the World Health Organisation. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin is the 52nd Dai-al Mutalaq (absolute missionary) of the community and has sole authority to decide on all spiritual and temporal matters. Every member of the sect takes an oath of allegiance to the leader, who lives in western city of Mumbai.
When contacted by AFP, Burhanuddin's spokesman, Qureshi Raghib, ruled out any change and said he had no interest in talking about the issue. "I have heard about the online campaign but Bohra women should understand that our religion advocates the procedure and they should follow it without any argument," he said. But over 1,600 Bohra Muslim women have since signed the online petition. Many describe the pain they experienced after the procedure and urge their leader to impose a ban. "The main motive behind Khatna is that women should never enjoy sexual intercourse. We are supposed to be like dolls for men," 34-year-old Tabassum Murtaza, who lives in the western city of Surat, told AFP by telephone.
The World Health Organisation has campaigned against the practice, saying it exposes millions of girls to dangers ranging from infections, hemorrhaging, complicated child-birth, or hepatitis from unsterilised tools. In the Middle East, it is still practised in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Syria. "It is an atrocity committed under the cloak of religion," says Murtaza, who along with her husband was asked to leave their family home when they refused to get their daughter circumcised.
"My mother-in-law said there was no room for religious disobedience and we should move out if we cannot respect the custom," she explained. "It is better to live on the street than humiliate your daughter's body."
Asghar Ali Engineer, a Bohra Muslim and expert on Islamic jurisprudence, has known the dangers of fighting for reform. He has authored over 40 books proposing changes, particularly around the status of women, and has been attacked by hardliners inside a mosque in Egypt and had his house trashed by opponents. While both France and the United States have laws enabling the prosecution of immigrants who perform female circumcisions, the practice remains legal in India and Engineer expects this to remain the case. "Female circumcision is clearly a violation of human rights, the Indian government refuses to recognise it as a crime because the practice has full-fledged religious backing," he said. "No government has the courage to touch a religious issue in India even if the practice is a crime against humanity." He says many fathers are simply unaware of the damage they are doing by following the custom. "I prevented my wife from getting our daughters circumcised but in many cases even fathers are not aware of the pain their daughters experience," he says.Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                       Morning  Posting.

• Syria Live Blog - May 25. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Libya Live Blog - May 23. Here (Al-Jazeera). 

• Yemen Live Blog - May 27 . Here. (Al-Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan  today 4.7  ! Lots of activity in Turkey.More info here.

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 120.On 27.05.2011 at 03:09 GMT+2
  
  The operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant says they will investigate a possible radioactive water leak. The Tokyo Electric Power Company has been pumping enough water into the reactors at the plant every week. But it has created a new problem since the plant was not set up to store huge pools of water. About 60 tons of radioactive water is at risk of having leaked from the building. But TEPCO says there is no evidence showing leaks of radioactive water into the ground. Junichi Matsumoto, TEPCO General Manager, said, "As for the underground water supply we have been monitoring it for radiation and have not detected any iodine or cesium. So we don't believe at this point that there has been a leak into the ground.
  Source : Here .

• Japan : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog.Here.

• Sarah Palin’s All-American Road Trip !!!Restoring the Good in America!Our nation is at a critical turning point. As we look to the future, we are propelled by America's past. It's imperative that we connect with our founders, our patriots, our challenges and victories to clearly see our way forward. A good way to do this is to appreciate the significance of our nation's historic sites, patriotic events and diverse cultures, which we'll do in the coming weeks on our "One Nation" tour.We'll celebrate the good things that bring Americans together; those things that will give us the needed strength to meet the heady challenges ahead. I’ve said many times that America doesn’t need a "fundamental transformation," instead we need a restoration of all that is good and strong and free in America! So, together let’s prepare ourselves for the days ahead by reminding ourselves who we are and what Americans stand for.We'll celebrate the meaning of our nation's blueprints, our Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, which are the threads that weave our past into the fabric necessary for the survival of American exceptionalism. Our founders declared "we were born the heirs of freedom", and despite our difficulties and disagreements, we remain one nation under God in freedom, indivisible. Through visits to historical sites and patriotic events, we'll share the importance of America's foundation.We encourage you to support the pro-America events we'll be privileged to participate in during these coming weeks. Discover the ties that bind Americans, our history, our traditions, and the exceptional nature of our country!Follow the One Nation tour at www.SarahPAC.com-Sarah Palin.Read and see the full story here.

• TSA now the "Official US Groper in chief"?(Current)Saturday night, a certified TSA official will be at the Santa Fe High School prom to oversee student searches.This all comes after two Capital High School students, sisters, filed a lawsuit saying they were groped by a security agent at Capital High School's prom last month. On Friday, the court ordered Santa Fe Public Schools and the security company ASI to provide at least one TSA certified person at the Santa Fe High School prom and the Capital High School graduation.The restraining order also spells out the specific ways security can perform searches. It says a pat-down is only to be used if there are reasonable grounds and that pat-downs should not be used as a first approach for every student.KOB Eyewitness News 4 talked to one of the sisters suing the district earlier this week. Candice Herrera said, "She grabbed my breast and shook the inner part of my bra and shook it and then picked up the front of my dress to mid thigh and she was patting down my bare legs."Capital's Principal told us she was standing right there when students were searched and doesn't remember any students complaining about the pat downs.Meanwhile, Santa Fe Public Schools says it's happy to comply with the Federal Court's decision, saying, student safety is a priority.Hmmmm....When will they start at the 'kindergarten'?Read the full story here.

• ‘Successful’ Post-Surge Iraq?(BigPeace) Massive Baghdad Shiite Rally Chants “No, No America”.While the fierce bravery and fighting skill of our troops, combined with a massive infusion of cash hand-outs (“baksheesh”) to “tribal leaders,” throttled Iraq’s Sunni insurgency, it did nothing to alter the country’s transformation—certainly a large swath of it—into a Shiite client state of Iran. This is a disturbing phenomenon—rife with anti-Americanism and a general hatred of the infidel West, especially (of course) Jews and Israel—that I have warned about (see here) since 2006, within the larger failed policy context of “Making the World Safe for Sharia,” initiated under President Bush II. Perhaps the apotheosis of this geostrategical boondoggle in Iraq—a complete failure of will and imagination—is our negotiated “SOFA” (status of forces agreement) with our “Iraqi allies” which, as per Article 27, paragraph 3 (“Iraqi land, sea and air shall not be used as a launching or transit point for attacks against other countries.”) prohibits the US from attacking, for example, Iranian nuclear production facilities, from Iraqi bases and airspace.Today (5/26/11) an estimated 70,000 plus followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, an Iranian proxy, and integral member of Prime Minister Maliki’s ruling coalition, rallied in Baghdad. Decrying the continued presence of American troops, they waved Iraqi flags, while shouting, “No, no America.” Marching protesters stomped on painted US, Israeli, and British flags, and the overall sentiments of those rallying were captured in these remarks by Mohammed Moyad:I am ready to fight the Americans whenever Sayyid (Muqtada) orders me to. According to U.S. officials, more than 300 busloads, carrying up to 70 passengers each, traveled from Iraq’s Shiite south, and were joined by Shiites who live in Baghdad’s northeast Sadr City neighborhood, where the rally was held. Some 24,000 militiamen from southern provinces donned matching T-shirts which bore the Iraqi flag, while spectators burned American and Israeli banners. Along the parade route, smaller bands of youths also struck Americans flags with twirling kickboxing moves, delighting onlookers.Top Sadr aide Salah al-Obeidi threatened that if the U.S. troops stay beyond the current December 31, 2011 “We will be obliged to fight and do our best to liberate our country.” Moreover, parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, issued a statement claiming the march represented “clear proof to Iraq’s unity.”Adding bitter irony to geostrategical insult, as my colleague Diana West has observed astutely, President Obama now appears allied with foolhardy Bush era “making the world safe for Sharia” utopians to delay the scheduled US troop withdrawal from Iraq beyond December 31st of this year. As West notes, Obama’s cynical manipulation of former political foes could spare him and his re-election campaign from the following election-sabotaging images: How would/will it look while Obama and his teleprompter are out on the hustings in 2012 when, say, the Iranian mullahs make Karbala their summer White House, Hezbollah opens headquarters in Sadr City, and the Revolutionary Guard starts an amusement park in downtown Baghdad called “US Embassy” with a take-your-own-hostage ride?US troops should be removed from Iraq as scheduled, with attention only to their safe withdrawal. Then as matters unfold there, without our troops in (needless) harm’s way, we can begin a serious domestic debate on the merits to our security of expending vast quantities of precious US blood and treasure “democratizing” Muslim societies, and giving free reign to Sharia mores.Hmmmm.....Obama: If we work hard, Afghanistan could be a success…like Iraq!Read the full story here.

• Expanded Analysis: Forged Birth Certificate; Not Necessary to Prove Birthplace; Facing Forgery Charges and Conspiracy to Commit Forgery.(BirtherReport).It is no longer necessary to prove where President Obama was born. The provable crime is now FORGERY of a government document used for identification, which is a FELONY.

Dear Fellow Americans,

First of all I want to say that it does not matter if you are a Republican or Democrat. What Obama and company did was lie to all of us and was aided by companies in the media who looked the other way, in essence they covered up for him. What I have presented is irrefutably proof that the Certificate of Live Birth that President Obama presented to the world on April 27, 2011 is a fraudulently created document put together using the Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator programs and the creation of this forgery of a public document constitutes a class B felony in Hawaii and multiple violations under U.S. Code section Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 47, Sec.1028, and therefore an impeachable offense. When this comes to the public’s attention, it will be the greatest scandal in the country’s history—nothing comes even close. This will surpass the all previous scandals including the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration.

Since I wrote the report, I have been contact by other graphic artists who had found more errors in the Certificate. I have put up addition facts that they have found.

The Laws that Have Been Broken

I am not an attorney but was an accountant and worked for three CPA firms before I went into business for myself. I have read and understood the Federal Tax code, so understanding Title 18 is no problem. I have listed in Appendix D of the full report, the entire section of the Federal Code that directly covers the seriousness of this fraud.Under Hawaii State code §708-851, it would be forgery in the first degree which is a Class B Felony (Appendix B).The Federal charges are much more extensive because of the nature of the crime, and who did it and the ramifications to the country. It would not surprise me that maximum prison sentences were given out but of course a judge and jury would have to determine that. The Federal law is covered under Title 18-Crimes and Criminal Procedures; Part 1-Crimes, Chapter 47- Fraud and False Statements, Section-1028-Fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information is the main section that the forgery of a Certificate of Live Birth would be covered under. 1. Forgery of a public document; 2. Conspiracy to commit forgery, because Obama had to have paid someone to create the forgery and it is evident others were involved; 3. Obstruction of Justice if this went to trial; 4 and 5. If the conspirators had bribed a County Clerk(s) to insert this PDF file into the county’s document imaging system, you would have bribery and tampering with government records. All of these are felonies and are impeachable offences. The penalty for committing the forgery is up to 15 years in prison and for just forging the unique Certificate number is another 5 years. At this point it doesn't matter if he was born in Kenya or Hawaii. He is now facing forgery charges and conspiracy to commit forgery.If Congress does not hold a hearing on this forgery, the vast majority of Americans will lose most of our faith in the country’s legal system and government institutions, and you don’t want to go there. As it is, the public poll numbers for Congress are in the low two digits. Congress and the ruling elite have to decide whether we are a country of laws or are the laws only enforced on the little people and those outside of the ruling political party.My Credentials

I have a unique background for analyzing this document. I owned a typesetting company for 11 years so I know type and form design very well. I currently own Archive Index Systems since 1993, which sells all types of document scanners worldwide and also developed document imaging software (TheRepository). I know how the scanners work. I have also sold other document imaging programs, such as Laser Fiche, Liberty and Alchemy. I have sold and installed document imaging systems in city and county governments, so I know their procedures with imaging systems and everything about the design of such programs. This will be important in understanding what has happened with Obama’s Certificate of Live Birth.(Source).Read the full story here.

• The Obama Administration’s ‘Sidam Touch’.(PajamasMedia).According to the Urban Dictionary, a person with “the Sidam Touch” has an ability that is “[t]he opposite of The Midas Touch, which turns everything to gold.” A person with the Sidam Touch “breaks and/or ruins everything.”To say that President Barack Obama and his administration, especially what’s left of his economic team, has the Sidam Touch is the understatement of the 21st century.In early February 2009, in the run-up to the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), known to most as “the stimulus,” the newly sworn-in Obama flexed his Sidam Touch muscles, repeatedly telling the nation: “Doing nothing is not an option.” Fittingly, Obama flew Ohio’s Sherrod Brown in on a government plane from the funeral of Brown’s mother so that the Buckeye State senator could cast the deciding vote.So how has it worked out? In December 2010, James Cogan and John Taylor at the Hoover Institution overestimated the impact of the stimulus plan by saying that it accomplished “zero.” On May 12, Professors Timothy Conley and Bill Dupor released more precise results demonstrating that ARRA really “created/saved 450 thousand government-sector jobs and destroyed/forestalled one million private sector jobs.” For the math-challenged, that’s a net loss of 550,000 jobs. A bit over two years later, it is abundantly clear that doing nothing would have been vastly preferable.It may be lip service, but the president and his advisers continually tell us that private sector growth is important. On May 10, White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee said: “You want the private sector to be the source of growth because that’s where the sustainable job creation is.” That’s interesting, because, as seen below, after almost three years, largely thanks to the Sidam Touch employment results just noted, the private sector’s inflation-adjusted size is barely back to where it was before the recession as normal people define it began, while the federal component of gross domestic product (GDP) has grown by 12%:The situation is much worse than it appears, because personal consumption expenditures, which are part of the private sector total above, include money spent by those who receive their “income” from government transfer payments. Such handouts have exploded, even after the recession’s end in June 2009. From that point until February of this year, the number of food stamp recipients ballooned to over 44 million, an increase of more than 9 million. Shoot, you can have over $80,000 in the bank or win a $2 million lottery prize and still receive food stamp benefits. Overall, government payments as a percentage of all income hit 18.3% in 2010, an all-time high.In the housing market, we see the administration’s Sidam Touch on steroids. Since President Obama and his brain trust surely know that the Sidam Touch actions being taken against Texas will hinder its economy and hurt job growth, one can only conclude that they don’t care. This leads to a broader and much more important question: do they really care if the economy recovers anywhere else, or are they on an entirely different mission?Read the full story here.

• $500 Million Obama Administration Program Will Help Kids 'Sit Still' in Kindergarten.(CNSNews).Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told CNSNews.com on Wednesday that the administration's new $500 million early learning initiative is designed to deal with children from birth onward to prevent such problems as 5-year olds who "can't sit still" in a kindergarten classroom.“You really need to look at the range of issues, because if a 5-year-old can’t sit still, it is unlikely that they can do well in a kindergarten class, and it has to be the whole range of issues that go into healthy child development,” Sebelius said during a telephone news conference on Wednesday to announce the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge.Sebelius, adding on to comments from Asst. Education Secretary Joan Lombardi, pointed to studies done in her home state of Kansas, where she served as governor. “When we looked at 5-year olds--and we tested about half the 5-year-olds in a relatively homogeneous state like Kansas -- and found that about half of them were not ready for kindergarten at age 5," Sebelius said."And some of those skills were missing: readiness for their math or reading," she said. "A number of children were missing the social and developmental skills which would allow them to sit in a classroom or play with others or listen to a teacher for any period of time. So I think it was an indicator that you couldn’t just test curriculum readiness.”According to the U.S. Department of Education, awards in Race to the Top will go to “states that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive early learning education reform.”Hmmmm.....Reminds me of the Sovjets wrapping the Newborns in order to obtain more docile adults......creepy.Read the full story here.

• Is this the worst case of animal cruelty ever? Dog shot 40 times in head, tied up and buried alive... but survives.(Video)(DailyMail).The discovery of a dog that was buried alive up to its nose after being shot in the head 40 times has led to calls for Malta to reform its animal welfare laws. The crossbreed mongrel, which was named Star by his rescuers, was found near the city of Birzebbuga by animal welfare officers investigating an unrelated case. After hearing whimpering coming from beneath a wooden board with a tree stump placed on top of it to weigh it down, officers were confronted with the distressing sight of a dog's face buried in the dirt.But worse was to follow. When Star was dug out of the ground they discovered all four limbs had all been tied together and that she had been repeatedly shot with a pellet gun. Miraculously, after doctors removed 40 pellets from her skull during emergency surgery at the Ta' Qali hospital, Star survived. The case has caused outrage in Malta where, regardless of the nature of the act, the maximum sentence one can face for animal cruelty is a one-year jail sentence, or a maximum fine of 46,500 euros.A pending change in legislation will raise the maximum fine to 50,000 euros but the one-year jail maximum will remain. Animal lovers are holding a silent protest in Valetta next week to express their disgust. With the abuser still at large, people have expressed their support with dedicated Facebook pages, the largest of which has 7,000 followers.More than 1,000 people have also signed an online petition to help catch the perpetrator and to generate funds to meet Star's vet bills. A local jewellers has offered a 250 euro gift voucher as a reward to help catch the sick individual who abused Star.But her case has touched hearts much further afield and Star has received a personalised blanket from Canada as well as letters of concern from the Amsterdam Fire Brigade.Having gone through an appalling ordeal, Star is now spoilt for choice with 20 potential loving new owners offering to adopt her. However, due to the level of trauma through which she has been, Star is considered too withdrawn to be re-homed at the moment.  'We have another 110 dogs that also went through bad experiences and need a home, maybe people can help them,' Malta Animal Welfare Department spokesman Janice Chetcuti told The Times Of Malta.Hmmmm.......An eye for an eye suddenly sounds reasonable.Read the full story here.

• Egyptian Group Says It Will Form Nazi Party.(Memri).The Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm reported that a group of Egyptians have announced their intent to establish a Nazi party with "a contemporary frame of reference," according to an independent Egyptian news website.The paper said that the leftist news portal Al-Badeel, in its posting yesterday, quoted founding member Emad Abdel Sattar as saying that the new party would bring together prominent figures from Egyptian society. The party’s founding deputy is a former military official.The party believes in vesting all powers in the president after selecting him or her carefully, Abdel Sattar said, adding that preparations are underway to choose the most competent person to represent the party, according to the report. The Nazi party operated secretly under former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, whose regime prevented party leaders from carrying out their activities freely, said the paper.Although Al-Masri Al-Yawm could not verify the news reported by Al-Badeel, two Facebook pages have appeared recently under the title of "the Egyptian Nazi Party," it said.Hmmmm......Let me guess they hate Jews?Read the full story here.

• Pow! Zam! Nyet! ‘Superputin’ Battles Terrorists, Protesters in Online Comic.(DangerRoom).Dictators are used to having their manliest poses carved into stone statues, or their most avuncular portrait printed on posters. But one Russian artist is bringing authoritarian iconography into the 21st century by drawing Russia’s boss-for-life Vladimir Putin as an ass-kicking character in an online comic book.Radio Free Europe reports that Russian writer, Sergei Kalenik has created a web comic that casts the Russian prime minister as a judo-chopping “Superputin.” Often portrayed in the west as a comically over-the-top villain, Putin is instead painted as a superhero fighting the twin evils of terrorism and public protest.It’s yet another addition to Russia’s weird and wonderful collection of personality-cult kitsch.Fresh from destroying a terrorist lair, Superputin is called into action to stop terrorists (inspired by the success of the action thriller Speed in Afghan cinemas) from detonating a bomb on a bus, designed to go off if the vehicle falls under 80 km per hour [50 mph].American diplomats once claimed that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev “plays Robin to Putin’s Batman,” acting as second fiddle in Russia’s ruling duo. In Superputin, Medvedev plays the sidekick yet again, placing him in the diminutive role of “nanoman.” His “League of Superheroes” file reveals Medvedev to be a “gnome raised by bears” — albeit one with the ability to morph into Russia’s national animal.It’s not just terrorists in Superputin’s crosshairs, but opposition groups as well. In the course of trying to keep a bomb-laden bus from detonating, Superputin is confronted by zombies with blue buckets on their heads. The bucket-hatted bad guys are an apparent nod to the real-life protesters against Russian officials’ allegedly promiscuous use of flashing blue lights to disregard traffic laws.It’s all part of a cult of personality that’s developed around Putin over the years. Pop starlets have put their yearning for a Putin-like mate into song.Like his spy pal Anna Chapman, Putin’s name gets stamped on all kinds of products to help them sell, with the Putin brand gracing everything from Vodka labels to canned food. He’s even got his own Kremlin-aligned pro-Putin youth group and a religious sect that believes he’s the reincarnation of Paul the Apostle.But it’s not purely grassroots imagination that conjures Putin into a comic book protagonist. Vlad’s adventures in public relations show that he’s deliberately cultivates the macho, take-charge superhero image. During Russia’s devastating wildfires last summer, he showed up on television hopping into a firefighting plane and co-piloting the aircraft to dump water on a raging inferno below.And who can forget his various manly man action-hero photo ops? Like a Russian GI Joe figure, he comes in many garbs — each sold separately. There’s Putin the Beastmaster, Putin the biker, Putin the rugged outdoorsman and, in the role most like his comic book alter ego, Putin the martial artist — complete with Kung-Fu grip.Photo: Superputin.ru, via RFERL.Hmmmm.......Why is he surrounded by Islamic Caucasus terrorists?Read the full story here.

• Video - On US Muslimmedianetwork: Ahmad Deedat :The Bible is not the Book of GOD!41:33  Mark:There are other things in  there that no decent man can telll his wife, mother,sister , or fiancee if she is a good woman.Hmmm........How about what's in the quran?For example:

"Slay them wherever you find them...Idolatry is worse than carnage...Fight against them until idolatry is no more and God's religion reigns supreme." (Surah 2:190-)

"Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it." (Surah 2:216) Read and see the full story here.

• Israel ranks 145 on Global Peace Index.(Ynet).Annual peace index crowns Iceland world's most peaceful nation, Somalia its most dangerous.The Global Peace Index issued its annual report Thursday, and according to its authors, its results reflect the dramatic changes sweeping through the Middle East.Published by the Institute for Economics and Peace and Vision of Humanity, the index noted an overall drop in world peace – for the third consecutive year. The report also highlights what it defined as "a continuing threat of terrorism." Global Peace Index data indicated that 29 countries are now under bigger threat of terror, and 33 countries found themselves prone to violent riots over the past year. The Global Peace Index crowned Iceland the world's most peaceful country, while the dubious honor of being named the world's most violent and chaotic country went to Somalia – which ranked at the bottom of the list – 153. New Zealand ranked second and Japan third. Denmark, Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Canada, Norway and Slovenia rounded up the top 10, respectively the US is ranked at Nr 82.Israel did not fare so well and was ranked 145 – above Pakistan and Russia, but below Libya and Chad. Israel was ranked 144 in the 2010 GPI, and 119 in 2007. Israel's neighbors are apparently safer: Jordan was ranked 74, Syria came in at the 116th place, and Lebanon ranked 137. For the sake of comparison, a recent Gallup Happiness Index, ranked Israel seventh in the world.The Global Peace Index said that the Horn of Africa – which is home to over 40% of the world's most violent countries – is the least safe place in the world. Western Europe is the safest place in the world – for the fifth consecutive year. The unrest sweeping through the Arab world has shaken its nations' standing on the index: Libya dropped 83 places to 143, Bahrain tumbled 51 slots to 123 and Egypt lost 24 points and was ranked 73rd. The United States climbed to the 82nd place, the UK was ranked 26, France came in at the 36th place and China ranked 80.Read the full story here. 

• Mahmoud is shy?'Ahmadinejad wants friendship with Israel'.(Ynet).Muslim cleric claims Iranian president who threatened to wipe Jewish State off the map wants diplomatic relations, but is unable to publicly say so due to feud with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Unprecedented accusation against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: a Muslim cleric accused the Iranian president of wanting "friendship with Israel," an Iranian website associated with the opposition reported on Thursday. According to religious scholar Mahmoud Nubian, Ahmadinejad's top adviser Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei stated three years ago that Iran should have "friendly ties" with the Jewish State, but Ahmadinejad has refrained from reiterating this position in public because of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's fierce objection.Nubian further claimed that the Iranian president personally told him that he supported Mashaei's statement, but couldn’t say anything out of respect to the leader. According to the report, Nubian – who is associated with radical cleric Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi – said that since Mashaei entered the cabinet, "Khamenei has been forced to intervene," hinting at a split between the supreme leader and the president's top aide. The report came after several stormy weeks in the Iranian political apparatus over the unprecedented feud between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. The latter, who is known as having the final say on all state matters, has been increasingly worried about Mashaei's influence over the president, which is reinforced by their family relations, as Ahmadinejad's daughter is married to Mashaei's son. Hmmmmm.....Next they're going to say that Mahmoud is from Jewish descent?Read the full story here. 

• Turkey: Israel should avoid flotilla face-off.(Ynet).Foreign minister says he hopes Israel 'has gained sufficient experience' from previous flotilla raid.Turkey's foreign minister says he hopes Israel will avoid confrontation as a new aid flotilla prepares to depart for the Gaza Strip.Ahmet Davutoglu said in an interview aired on Ulke TV late Thursday that he believes Israel "has gained sufficient experience" after last year's raid on a flotilla that killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American and sparked international outrage. A coalition of pro-Palestinian groups say a flotilla will set sail in the third week of June. Israel has vowed to stop any attempt to breach its sea blockade of Gaza.A Turkish Islamic aid group said it expects the convoy to be at least twice as big as the one that attempted to reach Gaza last year.Read the full story here.

• Aegean drills canceled for military a.k.a. "Gaza Flotilla" reasons?(TodaysZaman).The cancellation of two major exercises in the Aegean Sea was a purely military decision, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quoted as saying on Friday, apparently dismissing that it was linked to Turkish-Greek efforts to resolve their disputes in the Aegean.Erdoğan, speaking to a group of journalists during an election campaign trip to the central Anatolian province of Aksaray on Thursday, said he had discussed the issue with Chief of General Staff Gen. Işık Koşaner during a meeting earlier on Thursday.“I asked him, our chief of General Staff. He said it really was his initiative,” Erdoğan was quoted as saying by the Zaman daily on Friday. “I told him that his convictions are very important in exercises like these. I told him that we as the civilian government cannot force the commanders to carry on the maneuvers," he also said, complaining that the issue has unnecessarily turned into a public "mystery."On Thursday, a senior Turkish commander also insisted that the planned exercises were canceled for military reasons. “The exercises were canceled only for military reasons. There is no other reason,” Brig. Gen. Tayyar Süngü, head of the General Staff's department of communications, told reporters during a reception on Thursday evening marking the anniversary of independence of Azerbaijan in Ankara.He did not elaborate on the military reasons.Hmmmm.....What would be the odds now for Turkish warships showing up behind the Gaza Flotilla?Read the full story here.

• Abandon the knife. In the Pokot community in Kenya young girls are starting to fight against the brutal rite of female circumcision.(Al-Jazeera).The World Health Organisation estimates that between 100 to 140 million girls and women live with the consequences of circumcision or female genital mutilation, a right of passage and a prerequisite to marriage in many societies.Physically and psychologically painful it is without health benefits and mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and 15 years of age. In Africa alone it is estimated that 92 million girls from the age of 10 have undergone the practice.But in the Pokot community of highland Kenya, young girls are now fighting back against the process which they call "cutting". They are aided in their struggle by a grassroots movement know as "Abandon the Knife" which fights to change perceptions in a community where the practice of female circumcision has been entrenched for generations.The Pokot Community have been circumcising or cutting their girls for centuries. It is believed cutting began to stop women straying whilst men were away. Now it is just a way of life.It is early December and the cutting season has already begun."I saw the cutting. [...] They chop it, everything. And it was flat, it was flat and red you couldn't see anything. Somebody sat on our chest. Yeah, one sat on our chest. Somebody sat on our arms. And she was holding her leg, I mean her head, like this. Like you're cutting pieces of meat. And after then I ran. I just ran. I ran. I ran. I couldn't imagine how she was … Really, really painful. I don't want to talk about it anymore," Domtila Chesang, a Pokot girl, says.Rhoda Lodio, a midwife and member of the Pokot self-help group, says that due to severe bleeding some of the girls shock and at times they even die suddenly."The life of our own is decided by a man. Most of the work is done by the women … By undergoing FDM and withstanding the pain they can prove to the community that they can withstand the life here, the harsh life in this community," Rhoda says.Rhoda says that the practice of circumcising is mostly being done in the the very remote areas of the country."And these girls have not yet been empowered with somewhere to run to. The girls themselves see the way their mothers are suffering and that is why they are saying: marriage is like getting into slavery."Read the full story here.

• Protesters 'shot dead' by Syrian forces.(Al-Jazeera).  Reports of three people killed by security forces in southern village with fresh protests due after Friday prayers.At least three people are reported killed in the southern Syrian town of Dael after security forces opened fire to disperse a demonstration, according to activists.The three men were gunned down as they stood on rooftops chanting "Allahu Akbar" or "God is greatest", the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP news agency.The killings came with further demonstrations expected on Friday after midday prayers, with pro-democracy advocates reaching out to the army to join their 10-week uprising that has been met with a fierce military crackdown.As prayers ended, demonstrations were reported to be taking place in Idlib, in the country's north west, in Deir al-Zur in the north east, and in Qamishli, Amouda and Ras al Ain in the Kurdish areas in Syria's north.At the demonstration in Deir al-Zur, security forces fired live ammunition at protesters demanding the "overthrow of the regim", the Reuters news agency reported, citing witnesses.The fresh violence comes after human rights group Amnesty International accused Syrian security forces of deliberately killing hundreds of demonstrators in the city of Deraa.Al Jazeera has obtained exclusive video that activists say shows the funeral of a 13-year-old boy in Deraa. Activists say he was arrested on April 29 while protesting with family and friends. He was not seen again until Wednesday, when his body was returned to the village.Read the full story here.

• Report: Syrian protesters torch Nasrallah photos.(Ynet).Turkish foreign minister urges 'shock therapy' of reforms as Syrian forces fire on protest, killing four. Syrian protesters in the eastern city of Albu Kamal are torching photographs of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, activists said Friday after an opposition group reported security forces opened fire on a late-night protest, killing four people.Activists and a tribal leader in the province told Reuters by phone that Nasrallah's speech in Beirut this week in support of Assad infuriated demonstrators. Gunfire also sounded in the city of Homs, where thousands of protesters gathered despite heavy security, a resident told Reuters.Meanwhile Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Syria may yet still be able to achieve stability if it carries out a "shock therapy" of reforms.Davutoglu told Ulke TV late Thursday that Syrian President Bashar Assad can gain the trust of his people if he implements a package of reforms that are far-reaching and include significant political changes."What is needed now is a shock therapy," Davutoglu said. "If reforms are brought about now, this would open the way for peace and change."Read the full story here.