UK MP given Palestinian passport
UK member of parliament George Galloway has received a Palestinian passport from a Hamas leader in Gaza.
Ismail Haniyeh appeared in public for the first time since the Gaza war
The passport was given in "deep appreciation" for his support for the Palestinians and their cause.
The UK MP was part of a convoy which delivered financial and material assistance to Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Wednesday.
Response from Mercedes-Benz
Dear Mr Vawda
We have been made aware, that during the course of last week individual staff members from our company sent out emails with content of which members of the Islamic community may take offence.
The respective employees acted in a private initiative and illegally abused our company email for this purpose. Mercedes-Benz South Africa has a zero tolerance policy in this regard and we instantly initiated disciplinary action.
On behalf of Mercedes-Benz South Africa as well as on behalf of Daimler AG in Germany I would like to reiterate our pride in our long successful history and tradition as global multi-cultural and multi-national organisations. In fact, our diversity has always been an integral and elementary contributor to our success.
I would like to express my deep and sincere regret for this incident and promise that we will do everything possible to ensure, that something like this does not happen again.
Dr Hansgeorg Niefer
President & CEO
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Israeli Drums of War against Iran
Israeli President Shimon Peres’ remarks from the rostrum of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in the presence of 6,000 persons, among them prominent congressmen, did not surprise us. "Israel will not yield to the Iranian nuclear threat," he said and stressed that "the Middle East is currently living under this threat."
“There’s No Way I’m Going to Deploy to Afghanistan”
Dahr Jamail
MARFA, Texas — "It’s a matter of what I’m willing to live with," Specialist Victor Agosto of the U.S. Army, who is refusing orders to deploy to Afghanistan, explained to IPS. "I’m not willing to participate in this occupation, knowing it is completely wrong."
Agosto, who returned from a 13-month deployment to Iraq in November 2007, is based at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.
While in Iraq, Agosto never left his base, located in northern Iraq.
"I never had any traumatic experiences, never fired my weapon," Agosto told IPS in a phone interview. "I mostly worked in information technology, working on computers and keeping the network functioning well. But it was in Iraq that I turned against the occupations. Through my reading, and watching what was going on, I started to feel very guilty."