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Wikinews interviews Amir Abbas Fakhravar about Iranian nuclear intentions

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:26:53 GMT

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Iran

Other stories from Iran

9 April 2013: Wikinews interviews Amir Abbas Fakhravar about Iranian nuclear intentions
31 December 2012: Iranian Navy conducts drills in Strait of Hormuz
2 December 2012: Leaked Syrian government emails indicate weapons supplied to Hamas
25 October 2012: Obama, Romney battle over foreign policy in final U.S. presidential debate
9 October 2012: On the campaign trail, September 2012

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To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iran, see the Iran Portal

A file photo of Amir Abbas Fakhravar.
Image: Amir Abbas Fakhravar.

Iran has been operating a nuclear program for years and announced opening a new uranium facility on Tuesday. Its claims over nuclear enrichment are for a nuclear power program, although this requires 5% enrichment as opposed to the 20% enrichment level they claim the right to pursue which is more commonly used in nuclear bombs.

Wikinews interviewed Amir Abbas Fakhravar, the President of the Iranian Freedom Institute which is based in Washington DC, United States, also a research fellow at the The Institute of World Politics, about the Iranian nuclear program in light of recent talks with this week with the P5+1 group of countries.

Wikinews What is your role at the Iranian Freedom Institute?

Amir Abbas Fakhravar: I am the President and Founder of the Iranian Freedom Institute.

WN Iran seems unwilling to give up its nuclear programme, do you think they will eventually given the UN [United Nations] sanctions?

AAF: The only way Islamic Regime in Iran will give up its nuclear program is either full operation and military attack by the West or total oil sanctions. 85–90% of the the Islamic Republic’s money comes from crude oil sales. This money does not go to the Iranian people, but instead funds the nuclear program, the Revolutionary Guards, basijis, Hezbollah, and other terror operations worldwide. The Islamic Republic will be forced into abandoning its nuclear program when oil sanctions dry up the money supply.

The Arak heavy water reactor nuclear facility in Arak, Iran.
Image: Nanking2012..

WN Do you feel the Islamic Republic of Iran is trying to provoke a response from the Western nations (USA, UK, France, Germany)?

AAF: A limited military response from the West which will not be for a regime change would be a gift to the Islamic Republic, and would feed the narrative of “overreaching, imperialistic Western governments” perpetuated by the regime. The IR is well aware of the rapid decline in support from the Iranian people and is looking for a way to gain back some of that support, even superficially. An attack from the west would buoy the regime and damage the work being done by the opposition.

WN What is the need for Iran to have a nuclear programme, are they doing it for energy or for weapons?

AAF: Iran makes clear its intentions for the nuclear program through its actions. The regime expresses desire to annihilate Israel almost daily, and has repeatedly refused negotiation and inspection of its nuclear sites. Also you can find several type of energies in Iran and at all they don't need to have this expensive and dangerous nuclear energy. For sure Islamic republic of Iran wants to have Nuclear bomb.

WN If Iran does not listen and change course with regards to its nuclear program, do you think that the United Nations will apply more sanctions?

AAF: It took a very long time to sanction the Islamic Republic to the extent it is now, and since the UN continues to send negotiators to the table to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, tighter sanctions at this point in time are unlikely. It is our responsibility at Iranian opposition to inform United Nations about this regime's threat to international community. We should move much more organize[d] and faster to cut Islamic Republic's diplomatic relationship with the world. Our campaign on oil sanctions showed us it is possible.

WN Do you think that the United States is particularly unhappy and international relations are poor considering that Iran recently captured a drone and refused to return it?

AAF: While a failure militarily and with regard to foreign policy, the captured drone incident is a relatively small event in the context of ongoing tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic.

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Sources [edit]

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

Mitra Mobasherat, Holly Yan. "Iran marks 'National Nuclear Day' with a new uranium-processing site" — CNN, April 9, 2013

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Iranian Navy conducts drills in Strait of Hormuz

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 23:23:20 GMT

Monday, December 31, 2012

Strait of Hormuz

Iran

Other stories from Iran

9 April 2013: Wikinews interviews Amir Abbas Fakhravar about Iranian nuclear intentions
31 December 2012: Iranian Navy conducts drills in Strait of Hormuz
2 December 2012: Leaked Syrian government emails indicate weapons supplied to Hamas
25 October 2012: Obama, Romney battle over foreign policy in final U.S. presidential debate
9 October 2012: On the campaign trail, September 2012

...More articles here

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iran, see the Iran Portal

The Islamic Republic of Iran says it is conducting naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Iranian navy's Habibollah Sayyari, the "Velayat 91" drills — to be held for a six day period ending on Wednesday — are intended to showcase "the armed forces' military capabilities."

Iran's state-run media reports that the Iranian government warns all ships to stay away until the end of the exercises. According to this report the drills — which began on Friday — are to be conducted over roughly half a million square miles (a million square kilometers) of waters stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern part of the Indian Ocean which includes the Gulf of Oman.

The Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Scout maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz during joint training in November 2010

The Strait of Hormuz is a major shipping route of great strategic importance. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 17 million barrels of oil passes through this part of the Persian Gulf per day. That is nearly 20% of the worldwide oil trade and about 35% of oil transported by sea.

This is only one in a series of major naval drills held by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Ten days of drills, "Velayat 90", was conducted last December and "Velayat 89" a year and a half before that in May 2010. Four months ago, the United States with some of its allies also conducted a series of exercises and naval drills, concerned with keeping the strait open. Iran has said it might close the strait if its nuclear program were attacked.

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Sources [edit]

Jacey Fortin. "Strait Of Hormuz Fills With Iranian Warships, But This Is Only A Game" — International Business Times, December 29, 2012
"Iran starts war games in Strait of Hormuz" — Al Jazeera, December 28, 2012
AP. "Iran says it's started naval drills at Strait of Hormuz" — CBS News, December 28, 2012

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Leaked Syrian government emails indicate weapons supplied to Hamas

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:12:45 GMT

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Syria

Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

tehran@mofa.gov.sy. "Additional Information Requested by HE" — par-anoia.net, November 26, 2012 (Posted)
"Tweet: 1 Gigabyte release" — Twitter, November 26, 2012; 2330 UTC
"Tweet: Syria Teaser" — Twitter, November 26, 2012
"Tweet: Announcing release within next 24 hours" — Twitter, November 26, 2012; 2029 UTC
Dante D'Orazio. "Anonymous hacks into 78 Syrian government email accounts" — The Verge, February 8, 2012
Chloe Albanesius. "Anonymous Hacks Syrian President's Emails" — PC Magazine, February 7, 2012

External links [edit]

"Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mofa.gov.sy) releases and downloads" — par-anoia.net, November 26, 2012 (Posted)

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Obama, Romney battle over foreign policy in final U.S. presidential debate

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:58:36 GMT

Thursday, October 25, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

2012 US presidential election candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney took part Monday in their third and final presidential debate at Lynn University in Florida. The topic of the debate was foreign policy and the candidates discussed the Arab Spring, Iran, and Mali, among other issues.

Barack Obama
Image: US Senate.

Mitt Romney
Image: Gage skidmore.

Mr. Obama criticised Mr. Romney's foreign policy positions as "all over the map". "Every time you have offered an opinion you have been wrong." "You said we should have gone into Iraq, despite the fact there were no weapons of mass destruction. You said we should still have troops in Iraq to this day. You said we shouldn't be passing nuclear treaties with Russia." Mr. Romney countered saying Mr. Obama had failed to take proper advantage of the Arab Spring: "I congratulate him on taking out Osama bin Laden and going after the leadership of al-Qaeda, but we can't kill our way out of this mess".

Mr. Romney said Mr. Obama was proposing military budget cuts. He said "the highest responsibility of the President of the United states ... is to maintain the safety of the American people, and I will not cut our military budget by a trillion dollars... That in my view is making our future less certain and less secure". Mr. Obama accused Mr. Romney of not properly understanding modern defense priorities. "You mention the navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets. Because the nature of the military has changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines".

	Well governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets. Because the nature of the military has changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines".
—Barack Obama

Mr. Romney criticized his opponent for visiting the Middle East on an "apology tour", and said he would be tougher with Iran. "I think from the very beginning, one of the challenges we've had with Iran is that they have looked at this administration and felt that the administration was not as strong as it needed to be. We're four years closer to a nuclear Iran and we should not have wasted these four years." Mr. Obama said he would stand with Israel against Iranian threats but added that the main national security concern was terrorist networks. He said his administration had focused on "those who actually killed us on 9/11" and said that under his leadership, "al-Qaeda's core leadership has been decimated". Mr. Romney said northern Mali had been taken over by "al-Qaeda-type individuals" .

Mr. Romney criticized China for "holding down artificially the value of their currency". He added "on day one, I will label them a currency manipulator, which allows us to apply tariffs where they're taking jobs." Mr. Obama countered saying under Mr. Romney's policy America would be "buying cars from China instead of selling cars to China".

A poll, taken by CBS straight after the debate, indicated 53% of voters thought Mr. Obama had done better, while only 23% thought Mr. Romney had done better.

Both candidates now have plans for continued campaigning ahead of the election on November 6. Mr. Obama is to travel through Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, and Nevada as well as appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in a two-day "America Forward Tour". Mr. Romney is to hold two joint rallies with his vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan in Nevada and Colorado before going on to campaign in Iowa and Ohio. Mr. Romney's advisers said he would also consider making a speech on government spending and debt in the next few days.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

"Obama on the attack in final presidential debate" — Channel 4 News, October 23, 2012
"Obama and Romney in final push" — BBC News Online, October 23, 2012
Ruby Cramer. "Why Mitt Romney Kept Talking About Mali" — BuzzFeed, October 22, 2012

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On the campaign trail, September 2012

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 03:50:57 GMT

This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

The following is the eleventh in a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2012 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after a brief mention of some of the month's biggest stories.

In this month's edition on the campaign trail: Wikinews chronicles three of the lesser-known speakers at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, a controversial pastor and write-in candidate talks to Wikinews about the unrest in the Middle East, and the ballot-qualified American Third Position Party (A3P) presidential nominee travels to Iran to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

1 Summary
2 Lesser-known DNC speakers discuss their experience
3 Wikinews interviews write-in candidate connected to Middle East turmoil
4 A3P nominee meets with the President of Iran
5 Sources

Summary [edit]

September opened with the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. On the convention's first night, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivered the keynote address, the first Hispanic-American to do so. He discussed the communitarian spirit of the United States and reflected on how his mother "fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone." The speech was compared to Barack Obama's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and garnered speculation that he would seek higher political office. First Lady Michelle Obama also spoke that night, discussing her husband on a personal level. On the second day, a ruckus ensued as Democrats moved to re-include "God" and support of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital in the party's official platform after removal of the items drew criticism leading up to the convention. That night, women's health advocate Sandra Fluke and Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren each spoke before former President Bill Clinton took the stage to deliver a lengthy, policy-filled speech. In it, Clinton defended Obama's economic policies, arguing that no previous president, including himself, could have fostered complete recovery this soon in the same economic climate. He concluded that the election was ultimately a choice between the "winner-take-all, you’re-on-your-own society" of the Republicans and the "we’re-all-in-this-together society" of Obama. On the final night, Vice president Joe Biden spoke before President Obama addressed the convention to officially accept the party's nomination. In his acceptance speech, Obama asked voters to allow his administration to "finish what we started", arguing "it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades" and Republicans offer only policies that have previously failed.

Castro delivers the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Image: DemConvention2012.

Foreign policy emerged as a major campaign issue after the U.S. embassies in Egypt and Libya came under attack on September 11, resulting in the deaths of four Americans including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. Allegedly, the attacks were the result of protests against a YouTube video trailer for the anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims, which the Obama administration condemned in the aftermath of the attacks. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney criticized President Obama for the response, arguing he "was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in Egypt, instead of condemning their actions." An Obama spokesman expressed "shock" at Romney's response, accusing him of "launch[ing] a political attack". Shortly thereafter, Romney also criticized Obama for being unable to find time to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama then had an hour-long phone conversation with Netanyahu. Later in the month, Netanyahu appeared before the United Nations General Assembly with a cartoon of a bomb, voiced his concerns that Iran would attain enough enriched uranium to make a bomb by the summer of 2013, and called on the world to act. Obama and Romney each spoke with Netanyahu. Each candidate expressed similar sentiment in favor of further sanctions against Iran.

In mid-September, Romney received negative publicity after the magazine Mother Jones released a video of a fundraiser at which Romney alleged, "there are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what ... [because they] are dependent upon government". He then said his "job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." Romney's running mate Paul Ryan distanced himself from the remarks, which he labeled as "inelegant". Obama remarked in response, "We don't want an inside job in Washington, we want change in Washington...It can't happen if you write off half the nation before you even took office." The Romney campaign hoped to shift focus from the video to newly-emerged 1998 footage of Obama in which he advocates redistribution of wealth. Additionally, Romney released his 2011 tax returns, as promised earlier in the year. The returns showed he paid $1.95 million out of the $13.7 million he earned on investments. However, less positive news continued for the campaign as September came to a close. Paul Ryan received boos while discussing the proposed repeal of Obamacare during a speech before an AARP forum, which President Obama also addressed. Plus, Obama increased his lead in the polls with Gallup showing a six point Obama advantage, 50 percent to 44 percent in a September 26 poll, up from the 46 percent to 46 percent tie prior to the publication of the Romney video.

Nevertheless, Obama was not the only candidate rising in the polls at the end of September. Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, rose to six percent support in a late September Reason-Rupe poll, up from the 4.3 percent showing earlier in a JZ Analytics poll. The Johnson campaign also increased activity. With the presidential debates looming, the campaign filed suit against the Commission for Presidential Debates, alleging anti-trust practices for denying access to third party candidates. With many polls still excluding Johnson at the end of September, Obama led Romney 48.7 to 44.6 in the September 30 RealClearPolitics polling average.

Lesser-known DNC speakers discuss their experience [edit]

While San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, women's health advocate Sandra Fluke, and Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren all formally introduced themselves to the national audience at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, they were not the only figures to do so. Small business owner Bill Butcher, firefighter Doug Stern, and mother Stacey Lihn were among the "everyday people" the party invited to address the convention and the nation. Wikinews reached out to these three to learn more about their DNC experience and the process of the convention.

Port City Brewing Company owner Bill Butcher.
Image: Bill Butcher.

Butcher, owner of Port City Brewing in Alexandria, Virginia, says he received the invitation after the Democratic Party found him online while searching for someone who had started a small business during the administration and benefited from its policies. Butcher was able to establish Port City Brewing after obtaining a loan through the SBA loan program, part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (The Stimulus).

In preparation for his speech, Butcher worked with Obama speechwriters and rehearsed the morning before. Though he admits to being nervous, he discovered that fellow speakers backstage felt similarly. To break the ice, Butcher opened his speech with a joke, apologizing to the audience for not handing out free beer. He then turned to policy, defending Obama as "a president who's on my side ... [who has] kept middle class taxes low...[and] has fought for small-business owners". According to Butcher, the speech was received positively, even among his Republican friends, who felt it "cool" that their buddy had addressed the DNC.

Fire fighter Doug Stern.
Image: Doug Stern.

Like Butcher, Stern, a firefighter and member of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), also received bipartisan praise for his speech. As a union advocate for the repeal of Ohio SB 5, which limited the collective bargaining rights of Ohio's public employees, Stern feels the party selected him due to his visibility. Because he received word of the invitation just days before the event, Stern did not have much time to prepare. Rather, he viewed YouTube videos of Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Ronald Reagan to find the right style for delivery. Nevertheless, according to Stern, the best input came from his twelve-year-old son, who advised him that delivering a DNC speech was not such a big deal, since "you give speeches all the time."

In the speech, Stern introduced himself as a former Republican, but held that as a member of the middle class and as a public employee, the "party left people like me." He applauded the Obama administration for continuing federal grants to fire fighters, and characterized Obama as someone who "respects middle-class workers like me and my family." Fellow fire fighters, including those of different political stripes, commended Stern on his remarks, and about a week after the speech, Stern met President Obama in Cincinnati, where he received congratulations. Despite the recognition from his peers and presidential praise, the reception of Stern's son was paramount. While watching a line from the speech replayed on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the 12-year-old admitted to his father that despite his previous comments, speaking at the DNC was "pretty cool."

Stacey Lihn with her daughter Zoe at the Democratic National Convention.
Image: Caleb Lihn.

Similarly, for Lihn, the night held a special significance due to her family. Lihn, a mother of two daughters one of whom, Zoe, suffers from a congenital heart defect, previously worked with the Obama campaign in March to produce a video documenting how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) had helped her family pay for her daughter's medical expenses. Looking for someone to discuss health care reform at the convention, the video's producer called Lihn and invited her to speak.

Like Butcher, she rehearsed her speech in the morning prior, finding this to be more emotional than the actual delivery itself. In the heartfelt speech delivered with her husband and daughter onstage, Lihn articulated her appreciation of Obamacare and the fear that the election of Mitt Romney and possible repeal of Obamacare would prevent needed care for her daughter. After the speech, Lihn embraced First Lady Michelle Obama in what she fondly recalls as "a genuine hug — mother to mother." Others appreciated the speech as well. Ed Pilkington of The Guardian wrote that it was not only "one of the most moving moments of the Democratic national convention ... [but] possibly of the entire 2012 presidential race".

For Lihn, despite the acclaim, she was simply speaking as one of many: "Our story is but one of thousands and I knew that, standing up on stage speaking, that I was speaking for all of the parents who've walked in my shoes. I felt the strength of the many babies born with Zoe's heart condition who weren't as fortunate as she and passed away before the age of two. I support the ACA [Affordable Care Act] and will continue to do so for those whose voices cannot be heard."

Wikinews interviews write-in candidate connected to Middle East turmoil [edit]

Pastor Terry Jones in March 2011.
Image: Mark Taylor.

Wikinews caught up with Dove World Outreach Center pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida. Jones, a write-in candidate for president, is best known for his anti-Islamic activism, which has sparked protests across the Muslim world.

Jones leads an anti-Islam march in Washington, DC.
Image: Mark Taylor.

Jones first gained notice in 2010, after threatening to burn a Koran at Ground Zero on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The announcement prompted protests in the Middle East, causing President Obama to request that Jones not partake in the activity. He obliged, but later burned a Koran in March 2011, leading to violent protests in Afghanistan including an attack on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Mazar-i-Sharif, which killed at least 30 people.

Recently, Jones has received mention for promoting the film Innocence of Muslims, whose trailer allegedly inflamed riots in Egypt and Libya on September 11 due to its portrayal of Muhammad. During the riots, the American embassies in the two nations were breached, leading to the deaths of four Americans in Libya, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Jones told The Daily Caller he had remained in contact with the film's director Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who was jailed September 28 on charges of violating probation. Jones's involvement with the film has led to warrants for his arrest in Egypt, where authorities want to try him for insults to Islam, spreading lies, and harming national unity. Death is a possible penalty for such offenses. Nevertheless, Jones holds that Egypt "would definitely be better advised to put Muhammad on trial."

With Wikinews, Jones discusses ballot access, the Innocence of Muslims, and how he would handle the riots in Egypt and Libya as president.

WSSIn which states have you attempted to gain ballot access?

Pastor Jones: Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alabama, Oregon, Iowa, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wyoming

WSSWhat are your thoughts on the film trailer for the movie Innocence of Muslims? Should the filmmaker bear any responsibility for the anti-American protests across the Muslim world?

Pastor Jones: According to many Islamic experts that I have talked to, and the studies that I have done myself, the trailer is very accurate. Muhammad led a very perverted life and a very violent life. On his deathbed in 632, he gave the command to his followers to cleanse the Arabian Peninsula of all unbelievers. That is what Islam has been doing for the last fourteen hundred years, killing, murdering and raping anyone that dares to have a different opinion or follow a different religion.

Absolutely not. In fact, what we have done is we have again demonstrated that Islam in its roots, in its foundation is a violent religion. The Koran is a very violent book. It promotes violence. As I said, Muhammad led a very violent life. In the last ten years of his life he had seventy-eight raids on other villages where he killed innocent people, civilians. It was not even an act of war. It was simply genocide. It was simply the killing of anyone who disagreed with him. It is the time that America and the world stands up and sees the dangers of Islam, the dangers of radical Islam.

As far as we are concerned, as far as our efforts are concerned, we are going to continue to press forward. We are going to continue to raise an awareness of the dangers of radical Islam. The western world must stop appeasing Islam or Islam will continue its acts of terror.

WSSWhat is your response to President Obama's reaction to the protests and attacks on the U.S. embassies? Was Governor Romney's criticism of that reaction appropriate? If you were president, how would you respond to the events?

Pastor Jones: President Obama is an absolute disaster. As president, he bears some of the responsibility for what is going on right now in the Islamic world. President Obama has shown himself to be pro-Islam, pro-Muslim Brotherhood. Since the Muslim Brotherhood has taken over in Egypt, situations for minorities and Christians have gotten much, much worse. We know that President Obama favors Islam. He appeases Islam. He has welcomed CAIR into the White House. CAIR is nothing more than a suit-and-tie terrorist organization. President Obama and his appeasing of Islam has only given them a green light, opened up the door for them to feel as though they can attack our embassies and feel that absolutely nothing will be done. Even now as he has spent $70,000 of American taxpayers' money to run ads in Pakistan appeasing the Islamic radical community, he definitely bears a responsibility.

Governor Romney, or anyone's criticism, of President Obama’s presidency concerning Islam, his economic policies, and many of his policies whether it is immigration or same-sex marriage are indeed justified.

If I were president, my response would be much harsher to the Islamic community. I believe that we should close our embassies in Muslim and Koran controlled countries immediately. We should pull our people out of those countries. We in the west must realize that Islam is not compatible with western society. It is not compatible with western thinking because Islam is missing the basic elements of a free western society. Those elements are freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. Islam has continued to prove over and over and over again that it does not tolerate any criticism of Muhammad, the Koran, or Sharia. It has absolutely no tolerance of any other religion. Because of its past history and the past fruits of the religion, Islam and western society cannot coexist. This is why we should close all embassies in Koran and Islam controlled and dominated countries.

A3P nominee meets with the President of Iran [edit]

Filmmaker Merlin Miller, the presidential nominee of the American Third Position Party (A3P), attended a film festival in Tehran, Iran early in September, during which he spoke to an audience that included Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. After the speech, Ahmadinejad invited Miller to a private meeting, which lasted about twenty minutes. This was the first time a U.S. presidential candidate met with Ahmadinejad, a controversial figure who has called for the dissolution of Israel, questioned the validity of the Holocaust, and spurred Iran's nuclear program, which the U.S. and Israel allege is not for peaceful purposes.

Merlin Miller shakes hands with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Image: Merlin Miller.

In contrast to such allegations, Miller tells Wikinews that his impression of Ahmadinejad was as "a humble man who deeply cares about promoting truths and the best for his people — including peace." During the meeting, he gave Ahmadinejad a copy of his 2001 film Jericho and his book Our Vision for America. According to Miller, Ahmadinejad wanted it to be communicated to the American people that "Globalists and Zionists falsely portray Iran, as they seek conflict between nations" and that Iran actually desires peace. Miller says that though Ahmadinejad probably did not know much about the specific A3P presidential campaign and platform, he was "aware of the how Zionist interests control our two major political parties" and "was intrigued that alternative voices in America are starting to challenge the injustices of our current political system and the propaganda of our mainstream media."

The A3P, which was founded in 2010, is among those "alternative voices". Its program calls for a tougher approach to crime, economic nationalism, higher education standards, environmentalism, strengthening of the family unit, a non-interventionist foreign policy, opposition to "third world" immigration, border security, and preservation of "white identity".

Critics such as the Southern Poverty Law Center accuse the A3P of being a white supremacist organization, a charge that Miller denies. Miller appeared on Iran's Press TV, and discussed the use of the term on his Wikipedia profile, which he claimed to have unsuccessfully attempted to change. He argued that the label likely stemmed from his "criticism of Zionism, of Jewish control of [the U.S.] media, [and] of [the U.S.] foreign policy, which is Israel first".

Miller and the A3P have attained ballot access in Tennessee, New Jersey, and Colorado, and have additionally qualified for write-in status in Maryland and West Virginia.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"Program" — American Third Position Party, October 8, 2012 (date of access)
"Presidency 2012: Ballot Access" — Politics1.com, October 5, 2012
"General Election: Romney vs. Obama" — RealClearPolitics, September 30, 2012
"Jailed 'Innocence of Muslims' filmmaker faces 3 years in prison" — Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2012
Scott Wilson and Philip Rucker. "Obama, Romney place dueling calls to Israel’s Netanyahu" — The Washington Post, September 28, 2012
Morgan Little. "Lawsuit highlights difficulty of third-party involvement in debates" — Los Angeles Times, September 27, 2012
Anne Gearan. "Netanyahu: Iran could have bomb by next summer if it does not face a ‘red line’" — The Washington Post, September 27, 2012
Peter Grier. "Is '47 percent' comment sinking Mitt Romney's polls?" — The Christian Science Monitor, September 27, 2012
Ed O'Keefe and Rosalind S. Helderman. "VIDEO: Romney shifts focus to Obama's 1998 comments on 'redistribution'" — The Washington Post, September 25, 2012
Merlin Miller. "As The Israeli War Drums Beat" — Veterans News Now, September 21, 2012
Michael D. Shear. "Romney Releases 2011 Tax Returns" — The New York Times, September 21, 2012
"Obama and Ryan talk Medicare at AARP forum" — Daily News (New York), September 21, 2012
Michael Bastasch. "Poll: Gary Johnson rakes in six percent of the vote" — The Daily Caller, September 21, 2012
Brett LoGiurato. "Paul Ryan Hits Mitt Romney's '47 Percent' Word Choice: 'He Was Obviously Inarticulate'" — Business Insider, September 19, 2012
Steven Nelson. "Fla. pastor Terry Jones advises Egypt: ‘Put Muhammad on trial,’ not me" — The Daily Caller, September 19, 2012
David Corn. "SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters" — Mother Jones (magazine), September 17, 2012
Elizabeth Flock. "Fringe U.S. Presidential Candidate Scores Meeting With Ahmadinejad" — U.S. News & World Report, September 14, 2012
Sarah Huisenga. "Romney: Obama snubbed Israeli prime minister" — CBS News, September 12, 2012
Lucy Madison. "Amid criticism, Romney doubles down on criticism of White House's response to Egypt, Libya attacks" — CBS News, September 12, 2012
Dan Balz and David Nakamura. "In Democratic convention speech, Obama vows ‘our problems can be solved’ — with more time" — The Washington Post, September 7, 2012
Evan Soltas. "Wonkbook: Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention" — The Washington Post, September 7, 2012
"DNC: Remarks by Bill Butcher" — KCTV, September 6, 2012
Evan Soltas. "Wonkbook: Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention" — The Washington Post, September 6, 2012
"DNC floor erupts over restoring God, Jerusalem to platform" — Fox News, September 5, 2012
Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein. "Julian Castro: Obama 2004 redux?" — Politico, September 5, 2012
Sarah Aarthun, Ed Lavandera and Mariano Castillo. "Rising star in Democratic Party first Latino to deliver keynote address" — CNN, September 5, 2012
Jim Rutenberg. "Michelle Obama Tops Opening Night for Democrats" — The New York Times, September 4, 2012
"Doug Stern: Transcript of DNC Speech" — Cincinnati.com, September 4, 2012
Ed Pilkington. "Mother Stacey Lihn praises Obamacare for saving her daughter's life" — The Guardian, September 4, 2012
Aliyah Shahid. "Terry Jones, Florida pastor who oversaw Koran burning: I am running for President in 2012" — Daily News (New York), October 27, 2011
Glenn Kessler. "Did Ahmadinejad really say Israel should be ‘wiped off the map’?" — The Washington Post, October 5, 2011
Larry Keller. "New White Supremacist Party has Mass Electoral Ambitions" — Southern Poverty Law Center, 2010
Parisa Hafezi and Firouz Sedarat. "Ahmadinejad says Holocaust a lie, Israel has no future" — Reuters, September 18, 2009

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Iranian news agency apologises for reproducing The Onion article

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:18:35 GMT

Monday, October 1, 2012

Iran

Other stories from Iran

9 April 2013: Wikinews interviews Amir Abbas Fakhravar about Iranian nuclear intentions
31 December 2012: Iranian Navy conducts drills in Strait of Hormuz
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9 October 2012: On the campaign trail, September 2012

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Screenshot of FARS News Agency page containing The Onion article.
Image: FARS News Agency / The Onion.

The Iranian Fars News Agency (FNA) yesterday apologised over an article it reproduced Friday, originally written by US satirical news website The Onion on Monday September 24. The parodic article reported "a Gallup poll" suggesting "the overwhelming majority of rural white Americans" would vote for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, instead of US President Barack Obama. The Onion article also said "77 percent of rural Caucasian voters" would prefer to drink beer with Ahmadinejad or attend a baseball game with him as opposed to Obama.

The FNA's English service Editor-in-chief said the article had been "extracted" from The Onion and that FNA gives "our formal apologies for that mistake", as well as pointing out the article was "taken down from our outlook in less two hours".

However, the editor-in-chief also said "we do believe that if a free opinion poll is conducted in the US, a majority of Americans would prefer anyone outside the US political system to President Barack Obama and American statesmen". He stressed that this belief does not constitute justification for the error.

	[W]e do believe that if a free opinion poll is conducted in the US, a majority of Americans would prefer anyone outside the US political system to President Barack Obama and American statesmen
—Fars News Agency Editor-in-chief

In The Onion's article, fictional West Virginia resident Dale Swiderski says about Ahmadinejad: "I like him better". 'Swiderski' is also quoted by the Chicago, Illinois website as saying the Iranian President "takes national defense seriously, and he'd never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does."

In Iran, homosexuality is a criminal offence which can carry a penalty of incarceration or capital punishment. Just over five years ago, when he participated in a debate at Columbia University in New York, New York, Ahmadinejad said: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country".

The FNA's error made international headlines, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, and Australia. Will Tracy, editor of The Onion, said their website "freely shares content with Fars and commends the journalists at Iran's Finest News Source on their superb reportage", a humourous reference to The Onion's slogan, 'America's Finest News Source'.

On the original web page on The Onion's website, the satirical news organisation added a reference to "our Iranian subsidiary organization", providing a link to a screenshot of the FNA's page.

On the article page, in which The Onion was not attributed as a source, the FNA copied The Onion's article verbatim and in its entirety, save for part of a sentence saying Ahmadinejad was "a man who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust and has had numerous political prisoners executed".

This is not the first time The Onion has caused the mistaken belief of their material being factual. In a November 2007 interview with Wikinews, The Onion's Editorial Manager Chet Clem recounted an incident in which the Beijing Evening News reproduced a story from The Onion created in 2002, copied entirely verbatim, headlined "Congress threatens to leave DC unless new capitol is built". When the error was highlighted to the Chinese newspaper, Clem said "their response was not to print a correction, but just to say that some newspapers in America make money by printing lies." In a separate incident, Christians forwarded a story on the Internet from The Onion saying children were converting to Satanism as a result of reading the Harry Potter book series.

The FNA statement released yesterday went on to say "[a]ctive and well-known media occasionally make mistakes, and no media is an exception to this rule", before going to provide a list of errors made by such publications as The New York Times and Beijing Evening News, as well as television broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, and CNN.

The bottom of the FNA's statement introduces a list of notable BBC errors reported by The Daily Telegraph on December 6, 2010. While the FNA referenced The Daily Telegraph and the order of the mistakes was changed from the original article, the wording was reproduced verbatim, excluding one omitted sentence under the subheading 'Nicky Campbell and hunting mark II' which reads: "Campbell, who is also the presenter of the BBC's flagship programme for Holy Week, apologised profusely for the mistake."

According to BBC News Online, the FNA is associated with the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, an Iranian military branch.

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Sources [edit]

"FNA Apologizes for Recent Mistake" — FARS News Agency, September 30, 2012
"Iran's Fars agency sorry for running the Onion spoof story" — BBC News Online, September 30, 2012
Andrew Hough. "James Naughtie Jeremy Hunt gaffe: BBC blunders over the years" — The Daily Telegraph, December 6, 2010

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Iranian news agency reproduces The Onion article

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 14:44:27 GMT

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Internet

Sources [edit]

"Error for your request. Not exist this story." — Fars News Agency, September 29, 2012 (date of access)
"Search results for 'The Onion'" — Google News, September 29, 2012 (date of access)
Fars News Agency. "Gallup Poll: Rural Whites Prefer Ahmadinejad To Obama" — The Onion, September 28, 2012
"The Onion spoofs Iran news agency on Obama-Ahmadinejad story" — BBC News Online, September 28, 2012
Associated Press. "US voters back Ahmadinejad? Iranian news agency fooled by article in satirical paper The Onion" — The Washington Post, September 28, 2012
"Gallup Poll: Rural Whites Prefer Ahmadinejad To Obama" — The Onion, September 24, 2012

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Effect of sanctions 'like war' says Iran's Ahmadinejad

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:19:41 GMT

Iran

Other stories from Iran

9 April 2013: Wikinews interviews Amir Abbas Fakhravar about Iranian nuclear intentions
31 December 2012: Iranian Navy conducts drills in Strait of Hormuz
2 December 2012: Leaked Syrian government emails indicate weapons supplied to Hamas
25 October 2012: Obama, Romney battle over foreign policy in final U.S. presidential debate
9 October 2012: On the campaign trail, September 2012

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

File:Ahmadi nejad 2012 pakistan.jpg

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pictured this year in Pakistan
Image: Sinaf7798n.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran described the effect of European Union and United States sanctions over Iran's nuclear program as "like war" Tuesday and said "[...]we are working to bypass them day and night."

The comments, live on television, were the first time that senior Iranian sources have admitted that the sanctions are having any effect. They include financial restrictions and a ban by the European Union on the export of crude oil, from which the Iranian economy receives 80% of its foreign income. In its most recent monthly report, OPEC said exports of crude had fallen to their lowest level for two decades at 2.8 million barrels per day. The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has described the dependency on oil as "a trap" dating from before Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979 and from which the country should free itself.

Among the steps Iran has taken to circumvent sanctions is the reflagging of tankers, first to Cyprus and Malta and, more recently, to Tuvalu and Tanzania to mask their origins and allow continued oil exports. In August, the shipping registries of Tuvalu and Tanzania agreed to de-register Iranian ships following pressure from U.S. lawmakers. Howard Berman, the senior Democratic Party politician on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, commented then: "Iran is learning the hard way that we will not relent in applying crippling sanctions on the regime, and others are learning that evading international sanctions is a losing strategy".

Ahmadinejad predicted Tuesday that Iran would overcome the effects of sanctions while acknowledging that financial controls were affecting the ability of the country to supply basic needs.

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Sources [edit]

Marc Burleigh. "Iran has 'problems' selling oil: Ahmadinejad" — Agence France-Presse, September 4, 2012
Nasser Karimi. "Iran: West launches sanctions war against Iran" — Associated Press, September 4, 2012
"Tuvalu backs down over Iran ships" — TVNZ One News, August 22, 2012
Howard Berman. "Howard Berman Statement on Tuvalu’s Decision to Deregister Vessels Owned by Iran, Ending Reflagging Effort" — United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats, August 21, 2012
Ayesha Rascoe. "US should stop Tuvalu reflagging Iranian ships-US lawmaker" — Reuters, August 14, 2012

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Argentina loses to Iran at 7-a-side football in pool play at the London Paralympics

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 03:14:42 GMT

2012 Summer Paralympics

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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Iran plays Argentina
Image: Laura Hale.

London, England — Yesterday at London's Riverbank Arena on a sunny day, Argentina lost to Iran at 7-a-side football 8–1 in a game in group play.

In the pre-game, both national team anthems were played with Iran singing along to theirs before jumping up and down while the pre-game ritual finished. Iran's energy level stayed on the pitch, with the teams scoring six goals in the first half. The first half goal scorers included CP6 classified player and team captain Morteza Heidari who was congratulated by Argentina's goalkeeper after the goal.

At 46:58, Argentina's Matias Fernandex Romano scored a goal bringing the score to 6–1, and scoring the first goal of the tournament for Argentina. While Argentina had several opportunities on goal because of an open net or the goalkeeper being out of position, they were unable to kick the ball into the net. Iran finished the second half by scoring two goals late in the game, one in the 58th minute and one in the 60th to end the game 8–1.

7-a-side football is played by competitors with cerebral palsy. Unlike association football, the game is played on a smaller pitch with seven players on the field at one time, and no offside rule. Each half lasts 30 minutes, with a 15 minute half-time break.

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Slovenia goes down to China in their final sitting volleyball game in pool play at London Paralympics

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:41:43 GMT

2012 Summer Paralympics

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19 January 2013: Wikinews interviews Spain's most decorated Paralympian, Teresa Perales
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13 September 2012: Australian wheelchair rugby team wins gold at London Paralympics
11 September 2012: Samoa looking ahead to Rio Paralympics with eye on powerlifting

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Monday, September 3, 2012

Yu Hong of China serves the ball during the first set
Image: Laura Hale.

London, England — In the first match of sitting volleyball this morning at ExCeL's South Arena 2, the Chinese women defeated Slovenia 3 sets to 0 in a half empty arena with minimal press in attendance. The game was the last one in pool play for both teams and China left the game at the top of their group in group play.

With spectators equaling half the total who watched the Great Britain versus Ukraine match earlier at the Games, China won the first set 25–12 before a crowd full of home town fans. In the press area, volunteers assisting with the games — so-called Games Makers — outnumbered the press, which included three Slovenes and Wikinews at the start, before they were joined by a trio of Chinese reporters who showed up half way through the first set. The limited partisan support available for one of the teams on the court was found in the corner, and the Slovenes were waving their flag during time outs and when Slovenia scored.

China went on to win the second set 24–15, with the Slovenes able to fight back and narrow the score at times but never seriously challenge the Chinese lead. A Chinese supporter with a flag made their presence known during Slovenia's second time out in the second set by waving it when asked which side fans were supporting.

The Slovenes were in it early in the third set, only behind 5–4 at one point before leveling at 6–6 and going ahead 6–7, which was their first lead of the game. With Slovenia holding a lead of 7–8, a long volley followed which ended with Slovenia celebrating a point only for it to be awarded to China, which tied the score again and China came back for scores to sit at 13–8. At this point, Slovenia called their second time out. The relatively quiet audience only got loud with commentator direction. While two Chinese flags waved during timeouts, the Chinese media who showed up midway through the first set left the press tribunes by midway through the third set. The Slovenes attempted to stay in it, but ended the set 25–16.

Entering the tournament as the number-one ranked team in the world, China came into the game having beaten the United States in their opening game 3 sets to 1, then going on to beat Brazil by the same total. In contrast, the Slovenes who are ranked fifth in the world went down to the United States 0 to 3 in straight sets, then down to Brazil by 2 sets to 3.

Other sitting volleyball games scheduled today include men's games with Great Britain playing Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina playing Rwanda, and Iran playing Brazil, women's games with the Ukraine playing Japan, the United States playing Brazil.

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China leads medal race after day two of competition at London Paralympics

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 20:00:04 GMT

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Medal ceremony for women's 10m SH1 standing air rifle
Image: Laura Hale.

London, England — Following the second full day of competition at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, China leads the medal race with 13 gold medals and 34 medals in total. Australia comes second with 7 gold, and the Ukraine is third with 6 gold medals.

China's large medal haul was distributed across several sports, with 15 from swimming, 5 each from athletics and track cycling, 4 from judo, 3 from powerlifting, 2 from shooting.

Australia's first medal of the Games was won in women's standing air rifle shooting event where Natalie Smith captured a bronze medal during the first medal event of the Games. One of Australia's bronze medals came in athletics' F35–36 shot put event. Kath Proudfoot originally was listed as finishing fifth, but the Australians appealed this citing errors in how her results were calculated. Their appeal was successful, and Proudfoot came away with her second consecutive Paralympic medal in the event.

Over half the medals won by the United States came in swimming, with 7 total. The country has earned an additional 3 in track cycling and 1 in athletics.

A number of competitors have already earned multiple medals, including Australia's Jacqueline Freney and Matthew Cowdrey, and the United States's Jessica Long and Elizabeth Stone who all picked up a pair of medals in the pool.

Rank	Country	Men Gold	Men Silver	Men Bronze	Men Total	Women Gold	Women Silver	Women Bronze	Women Total	Total Gold	Total Silver	Total Bronze	Total Total	Rank by total
1	China	8	7	5	20	5	3	6	14	13	10	11	34	1
2	Australia	2	2	3	7	5	2	5	12	7	4	8	19	3
3	Ukraine	4	2	2	8	2	3	3	8	6	5	5	16	4
4	Russia	3	2	2	7	2	1	1	4	5	3	3	11	5
5	Great Britain	2	6	4	12	2	5	1	8	4	11	5	20	2
6	United States	2		2	4	2	1	4	7	4	1	6	11	5
7	Germany	1	2	4	7	2	2		4	3	4	4	11	5
8	Canada	1	1		2	1	2	1	4	2	3	1	6	9
9	Brazil	2	1		3		1	2	3	2	2	2	6	9
10	Nigeria	1	2		3	1			1	2	2		4	12
11	Azerbaijan	1			1	1			1	2			2	21
12	Spain	1	2	1	4		2	4	6	1	4	5	10	8
13	New Zealand					1	2	2	5	1	2	2	5	11
14	Turkey		1		1	1	1	1	3	1	2	1	4	12
15	France	1	1	1	3			1	1	1	1	2	4	12
15	Netherlands	1			1		1	2	3	1	1	2	4	12
17	Italy			1	1	1	1		2	1	1	1	3	16
18	Egypt	1		2	3					1		2	3	16
19	Cuba			1	1	1			1	1		1	2	21
19	Denmark	1		1	2					1		1	2	21
19	Republic of Korea	1		1	2					1		1	2	21
19	South Africa			1	1	1			1	1		1	2	21
23	Belarus	1			1					1			1	29
23	Hungary	1			1					1			1	29
23	Ireland					1			1	1			1	29
23	Latvia	1			1					1			1	29
23	Morocco					1			1	1			1	29
23	MKD					1			1	1			1	29
23	Serbia	1			1					1			1	29
30	Czech Republic		2	1	3						2	1	3	16
30	Mexico		2	1	3						2	1	3	16
32	Argentina		1	1	2						1	1	2	21
32	Croatia		1	1	2						1	1	2	21
34	Norway						1		1		1		1	29
34	Poland						1		1		1		1	29
34	Sweden		1		1						1		1	29
34	Chinese Taipei						1		1		1		1	29
34	Tunisia						1		1		1		1	29
34	Uzbekistan		1		1						1		1	29
40	Algeria			3	3							3	3	16
41	Venezuela			2	2							2	2	21
42	Hong Kong, China			1	1							1	1	29
42	Iran							1	1			1	1	29
42	Israel							1	1			1	1	29
Total		37	37	41	115	31	31	35	97	68	68	76	212

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Day two of Paralympic judo underway in London

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:51:30 GMT

Friday, August 31, 2012

London, England — The third session of judo featuring preliminary round of sixteens in the men's and quarterfinals in the women's judo got underway today before a large crowd of spectators at London's ExCeL North Arena 2 at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Great Britain's Dan Powell in white and Germany's Matthias Krieger in blue
Image: Laura Hale.

Competitors wait to be introduced
Image: Laura Hale.

Great Britain's Dan Powell in white and Germany's Matthias Krieger in blue
Image: Laura Hale.

A sign announcing a match between Ukraine and Iran
Image: Laura Hale.

Simon of the United States walks out before the start of her match
Image: Laura Hale.

Simon of the United States and Merenciano Herrero of Spain get ready to face off
Image: Laura Hale.

Great Britain's Dan Powell takes on Iranian Mohammad Ali Shanani in his repechage match
Image: Laura Hale.

Ukraine and Iran get ready to face off
Image: Laura Hale.

Azerbaijan and France square off
Image: Laura Hale.

Great Britain's Dan Powell in white and Germany's Matthias Krieger in blue
Image: Laura Hale.

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Judo round of sixteen underway at London 2012 Summer Paralympics

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:38:53 GMT

2012 Summer Paralympics

Newest 2012 Paralympic stories

24 February 2013: Team USA delivers going into third day of 2013 IPC Alpine World Championships
19 January 2013: Wikinews interviews Spain's most decorated Paralympian, Teresa Perales
28 September 2012: Wikinews interviews Australian Glider Amanda Carter
13 September 2012: Australian wheelchair rugby team wins gold at London Paralympics
11 September 2012: Samoa looking ahead to Rio Paralympics with eye on powerlifting

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Friday, August 31, 2012

Iranian Mohammad Ali Shanani and Ukrainian Dmytro Solovey prepare to enter
Image: Laura Hale.

London, England — The third session of judo featuring the round of sixteen at London's ExCeL North Arena 2 got underway today at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Ukrainian Dmytro Solovey scored a point early against Iranian competitor Mohammad Ali Shanani and was quickly pinned in the men's 73 kg event. In the match on the other mat, Cuban Isao Cruz Alonso took a bit longer to defeat Azerbaijani competitor Rovshan Safarov.

In the second set of matches, German Matthiar Krieger defeated Great Britain's Dan Powell in the round of 16 in the men's 81kg event with a pin late in the bout. On the other mat, Japan's Hidekatsu Takahashi defeated Aliaksandr Kazlou of Belarus with a pin and score of 111-0 in the men's 73kg event. In another match, Turkey's Halil Ibrahim Onel defeated Germany's Sebastian Junk with a pin in the men's 73kg round of sixteen.

Quarter finals and repechages were scheduled for later in the day.

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Egyptian President Morsi backs Syrian rebels in speech

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:04:04 GMT

Egypt

Sources [edit]

Yeganeh Torbati and Khaled Yacoub Oweis. "Egypt says Syria's "oppressive regime" must go" — Reuters, August 30, 2012
Richard Spencer. "Morsi tells Iran that Syria's Assad must go" — The Telegraph, August 30, 2012

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South Korean men's national goalball team defeats Algeria 4-3

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:58:51 GMT

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19 January 2013: Wikinews interviews Spain's most decorated Paralympian, Teresa Perales
28 September 2012: Wikinews interviews Australian Glider Amanda Carter
13 September 2012: Australian wheelchair rugby team wins gold at London Paralympics
11 September 2012: Samoa looking ahead to Rio Paralympics with eye on powerlifting

...More articles here

Thursday, August 30, 2012

South Korea prepares for the ball thrown by Algeria
Image: Laura Hale.

London, England — South Korea earned a 4–3 goalball victory against Algeria earlier today in the fifth match of the day at London's Copper Box.

South Korean Sung-Wook Hong was the game's leading scorer with 4 goals. He is a B2 classified blind competitor, though classification is largely irrelevant in goalball as all classified blind players wear masks to provide even levels of sight in the game.

The B2 classified Algerian Mohamed Mokrane led his team in scoring, with two points. From Chlef, he captains a side that qualified by winning the 2011 Africa Oceania Regional Championships in Sydney, Australia. His team comes into the Games having finished sixth at last year's World Championships.

In a previous match today, Iran defeated China by a score of 9–5 after having been ahead 4–2 at the half.

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