(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
A few weeks ago, the Pope condemned the terror in Egypt, England, Turkey and Iraq, but announced a Palestinian suicide bomb in Israel. Israeli authorities called the Vatican's envoy to Israel on the carpet. The exchange of words ended with the Vatican pointing out Israel's illegal retaliatory actions, so they couldn't just condemn one party.
According to Israel's top diplomat at the Vatican, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon now calls the pope a "true friend of Israel". In a letter to the pope, Sharon is said to have written that Israel has been ravaged by terror and is very sensitive to the differences between Islamic terror against Israeli civilians and Islamic terror against citizens of other countries. The diplomat says that the pope's omission of the bomb in Israel must have been an unintentional miss.
Source: Haaretz, Israel
Egypt: Women chopped
An Egyptian women's magazine announces that the positive thing about the presidential election and the new constitutional changes is that Egyptian women are now more active in the political arena. In a hitherto untested attempt in Egypt and the Arab world, nine party-dependent women will run for election in Egypt's presidential election.
First, candidates must obtain a certain number of votes from various councils. This seems utopian to the women, but they are not discouraged. One of them felt that she would clash with President Mubarak if it wasn't for the initial threshold. She fights against the rule, which she believes blocks all independent candidates.
First female candidate for presidential election, lawyer Ashjan Al Najari, says the initial votes are the worst, but she wants to encourage Egyptian women to avoid stereotypical roles and fearlessly participate in all important areas of society.
Source: Zahret Al Khaleej, United Arab Emirates
Algeria: History battle with France
Algeria's president has again urged France to recognize the torture and killing of the colonial era. France and Algeria's conditions are gradually normalized. Countries hope to sign a friendship agreement by the end of the year.
Algeria states that on May 8, 1945, France massacred 45 Algerians who took to the streets to demand independence, while celebrating the Allies' victory over Nazism. Some Algerian historians believe the massacres were genocide and want compensation. European historians estimate the losses to 000 to 15 lives.
Source: Al-Jazeera
Saudi Arabia: Controversial WTO membership
According to the pro-government Saudi press, 47 US congressmen are lobbying to torpedo the trade agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States. In this way, they will block Saudi Arabia's path to the WTO because Saudi Arabia in its own country violates WTO rules. Another reason was Saudi Arabia's boycott of Israeli goods. In addition, they demanded that Saudi Arabia suspend its financial support for terrorism and comply with human rights.
A US source says the Bush administration will convince lobbyists of the importance of the trade agreement before it is signed in the near future.
Source: Al Watan, Saudi Arabia
Lebanon: Hunting for prodigies
Already ten years old, twelve-year-old Iqbal now dropped out of 10th grade. Now the politicians are fighting for the super brain. Lebanon's former education minister offered the Palestinian-Lebanese girl a place at her private university. She refused because the place lacked a medical faculty. The current education minister has offered to pay for her first year of medical school at the American University of Beirut, while the late President Hariri's fund will cover the rest. The Fatah movement in Lebanon's secretary general wants her in Tunis.
Relatives suggest that she get a mobile phone to be able to answer several powerful stakeholders.
Source: Al Hayat, United Kingdom
Syria: Shabby court
Syria's human rights committee labels the country's security court as unconstitutional. Two Kurds have been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for membership in the Kurdish Workers' Party and for trying to spoil their friendship with Turkey. The committee demands that the convicted be brought before a civil and open court where their rights are safeguarded.
The committee says that the Security Court prosecutes and prejudges on the basis of opinion, and that this violates the human rights signed by Syria.
Source: Al Quds Al Arabi, United Kingdom
