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A UN panel has urged Myanmar to stop Buddhist violence against Rohingya Muslims but the resolution has seen opposition from an unlikely source: The party of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Chee. In its resolution, the UN General Assembly\'s human rights committee has called on Myanmar to give the Rohingya minority equal access to citizenship. But the demand apparently didn\'t sit well with the West\'s democracy icon Suu Chee, whose party accused the UN of interfering in Myanmar\'s internal affairs. Buddhist violence against Rohingya which is said to have the state backing has become routine in Myanmar. It\'s left hundreds dead and sent another 240-thousand fleeing their homes. But Suu Chee has had little to say about Rohingya rights. And she even declined to meet with the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation delegation visiting Myanmar this week to look into the plight of Muslims.

A human rights organization in Egypt has urged the prosecutor general to launch an independent probe into alleged systematic torture of political detainees. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information has said in a statement that torturing the detainees is not an arbitrary practice but a planned one. The Cairo-based body says the torture incidents reported by those arrested during the third anniversary of the 2011 revolution has surpassed those under the worst dictatorial regimes. It says the national human rights council has already been informed of the violations of prisoners\' rights. The Arab Network for rights information has also accused Egypt\'s Interior Ministry of refusing to arrest officers allegedly involved in killing of protesters.

[25 Jan 2013] Bosnian refugees urged to return home - English

[06 July 2014] Buddhists in Myanmar, Sri Lanka urged to stop violence against Muslims - English

[14 Jan 2015] Israeli urged to usurp al-Aqsa courtyard - English

[26th July 2016] Turkey urged EU to stay out of its internal affairs | Press TV English

As the fifth anniversary marking Operation Cast Lead approaches, the UK government is being urged to make a firmer commitment towards ending injustice for the Palestinians. The Coalition recently issued a warning to those dealing in settlement activities. They have urged those still trading with Israel to \'seek legal advice\' and warn of the \'reputational damage\' that may result if they don\'t.

The Palestinian footballer and hunger striker Mahmoud Sarsak was alongside Jewish comedian Alexei Sayle in central London to hand in a letter to the president of the Union of European Football Associations urging him to cancel the planned under-21 European football tournament in Israel.

Scores of Israeli settlers alongside American tourists entered the al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem al Quds on Thursday morning to conduct historical tours and perform religious rituals. Officials from al Aqsa state that these violations are now occurring on almost a daily basis.

The Syrian information minister says Saudi Arabia is responsible for death and destruction throughout the Muslim world today -- including in Syria. Omran al-Zoubi made the remarks in a television interview, in which he advised Riyadh to halt its policy of terrorism against Syria and other regional countries, such as Iraq, Lebanon, and Algeria. He had particularly scathing criticism of the Saudi foreign minister, saying Saud al-Faisal has always driven Saudi policy toward failure. The comments came after a meeting between Faisal and his U-S counterpart, John Kerry. During the meeting on Monday, the Saudi official reportedly lamented the international community\'s inaction on the Syrian crisis, particularly the U-S decision not to intervene militarily. Syria has long accused Saudi Arabia of being one of the main regional patrons of the foreign-backed militants, which provides military and financial support to them.

A UN panel has urged Myanmar to stop Buddhist violence against Rohingya Muslims but the resolution has seen opposition from an unlikely source.

Ten international human rights groups have written to the United Nations about the torture of journalists in Bahrain. The letter, signed by the Media Legal Defense Initiative and the International Federation for Human Rights, among others, has been sent to U-N special rapporteurs Frank La Rue and Juan Méndez. The rights groups have called for an investigation into the arrest, detention, and torture of Mohamed Hassan, Hussain Hubail, and Qassim Zain al-Deen. All three journalists were arrested in August and face trial on charges related to their reporting on the anti-regime demonstrations. Thousands of people, including rights activists and journalists, have been detained and tortured since the uprising began in Bahrain in 2011. Over the past three years, Manama\\\'s heavy-handed crackdown, which is being backed by Saudi forces, has killed scores of people.

The Leader of Iran\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has urged all Muslims to stand up against efforts aimed at weakening their unity. Ayatollah Khamenei warned that Islam\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s enemies are trying to divide Muslims and promote extremism in the name of Islam. The leader said the adversaries\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' main goal is to divert Muslims\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' attention from Palestine. Arrogant powers have been trying for more than six decades to wipe off the name of Palestine, but to no avail. Iran\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s leader said that during the latest Israeli wars on Gaza and Lebanon, the Muslim community managed to strike a heavy blow to the Israeli regime and its masters and supporters. Ayatollah Khamenei described Israel as an oppressive and murderous regime.

[31 July 2014] Iraqi president urged to resolve issues between Kurdistan, central govt. - English

Amid the massive turnout of voters in Friday\'s elections, Iranian presidential candidates have joined the rest of the nation in casting their ballots. Shortly after the polls opened, independent candidate Mohammad Gharazi showed up at a polling station in southeast Tehran and cast his vote. Describing June 14 as a national day, Gharazi said the real winner of the elections is the Iranian people and stressed that whoever wins the race bears a great responsibility. Presidential candidate Hassan Rohani also cast his ballot on Friday morning. He urged all Iranians to make their presence felt on the political arena and further reinforce the Islamic Republic by turning out in force in the elections. After casting his ballot, Principlist candidate Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also emphasized that popular vote is tantamount to law, adding that the candidate who emerges victorious should be respected by all. Ali Akbar Velayati, another Principlist candidate, also urged Iranians to take part in the election fervidly, saying people\'s vote was the reaffirmation of the Islamic Republic. Independent candidate Mohsen Rezaei, for his part, urged a massive turnout in the elections. He called upon all Iranians to play an active role in determining their fate. Principlist candidate Saeed Jalili also called for a high voter turnout and stressed that all people should respect he who is elected. Polls officially opened in Iran for presidential, and city and rural council elections at 8:00 am (0330 GMT) on Friday and are scheduled to remain open for ten hours. The time can be extended if necessary. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cast his ballot minutes into the polls. Nearly 50.5 Iranians are eligible to vote in the June 14 election. More than 1.6 million of those eligible are first-time voters. The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election. Over 200,000 candidates are also running for city and rural council elections.

Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei who is on a trip to provincial city of Mashhad northeast Iran paid a visit Tuesday morning to the prestigious Ferdowsi University in the city and talked with a large audience of deans academics and instructors who had gathered in the educational hub Ayatollah Khamenei told the attendees that university plays a fateful role in promoting the country scientifically The IR Leader highlighted academic researches as imperative in securing identity independence and dignity of the Iranian nation and called for a resolute well thought project to promote the country indeed without sparing any moment In the same regard Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the present day world views international relations through the prism of power and the power of every country straddles its own scientific strength Ayatollah Khamenei hailed indigenous science as source of grandeur for its country of origin adding that his numerous calls during the recent years for creation of science and lift of recognized scientific boundaries were a prelude move to stage for a home grown science Ayatollah Khamenei urged employing of experienced professors besides providing younger talents of post-graduate levels with proper grounds to flourish into academic assets To that effect Ayatollah khamenei urged transforming university into a heated ground of scientific debates and researches Ayatollah Khamenei put the responsibility on university managers and academics to promote a lasting exploratory spirit in the students

\\\\\\\"The Supreme Council of Howzeh Elmiyeh (the Qom school of the Islamic studies) must undertake the job of policy making more than ever and in so doing it must share the views of the existing strong expert body within the schools to outline the prospects with an eye on the pace of the developments and scientific advances in the world,\\\\\\\" Ayatollah Khamenei urged.

Pentagon officials have claimed that Iran's successful rocket launch could lead into developing ballistic missiles that could threaten Europe and urged plans to deploy a US missile-defense system to Poland and the Czech Republic. "As they (Iranians) advance in that program, Europe becomes more and more threatened by it," Pentagon Spokesman, Geoff Morrell, alleged on Tuesday. "And, to us, it makes all the more clear the need for a missile defense program to protect our allies in Europe, as well as ourselves." DPA quoted him as saying. Iran launched its domestic sounding rocket, Kavoshgar I, into space simultaneously with the inauguration of its first domestic satellite complex on Monday. Kavoshgar I was launched as a preliminary step towards sending the 'Omid Satellite' into orbit. Omid is the first advanced scientific research satellite exclusively designed and made by Iranian scientists. Iran has repeatedly declared that its scientific breakthroughs pose no threat to other countries

The biotech industry claims that the FDA has thoroughly evaluated GM foods and found them safe This is untrue Internal FDA documents made public from a lawsuit reveal that agency scientists warned that GM foods might create toxins allergies nutritional problems and new diseases that might be difficult to identify 131-140 Although they urged their superiors to require long-term tests on each GM variety prior to approval the political appointees at the agency including a former attorney for Monsanto ignored the scientists Official policy claims that the foods are no different130 and do NOT require safety testing

Iraqi demonstrators have staged massive anti-US rallies in Baghdad to protest the controversial US-proposed security deal. The rallies were held as the security pact nears its final stages. Nearly a million demonstrators from different cities of the war-torn country participated in the rallies. Denouncing the American occupation of Iraq, the crowds shouted anti-US slogans and called for ending the US presence in the oil-rich country. "Get out occupier! We demand an end to the occupation!" shouted protesters. The move comes a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sent the draft of the security deal to the parliament for final approval. Last week Iraqi clerics including the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for a nationwide demonstration on October 18. On Friday, several Sunni and Shia clerics spoke out against the deal, as opposition, among Iraqis from all walks of life, was growing against it. The clerics argued that the Iraqi public knew little about the terms of the deal which could change the future of the nation. Meanwhile, Sadr Eddin al-Qzbangi, a confidant of Iraq's most revered Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani said Friday that the Ayatollah has “expressed concerns about the secret provisions of the agreement." Al-Sistani has also said any accord must have national consensus. Al-Qzbangi said that although al-Sistani has repeatedly called for clarification of the deal, the details have not been released. Al-Qzbangi urged the Iraqi parliament to study all the terms of the agreement very carefully. The draft accord includes a timeline for US withdrawal by the end of 2011 and gives Baghdad limited authority to try US contractors and soldiers for major crimes committed off-duty and off-base

Iraqi demonstrators have staged massive anti-US rallies in Baghdad to protest the controversial US-proposed security deal. The rallies were held as the security pact nears its final stages. Nearly a million demonstrators from different cities of the war-torn country participated in the rallies. Denouncing the American occupation of Iraq, the crowds shouted anti-US slogans and called for ending the US presence in the oil-rich country. "Get out occupier! We demand an end to the occupation!" shouted protesters. The move comes a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sent the draft of the security deal to the parliament for final approval. Last week Iraqi clerics including the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for a nationwide demonstration on October 18. On Friday, several Sunni and Shia clerics spoke out against the deal, as opposition, among Iraqis from all walks of life, was growing against it. The clerics argued that the Iraqi public knew little about the terms of the deal which could change the future of the nation. Meanwhile, Sadr Eddin al-Qzbangi, a confidant of Iraq's most revered Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani said Friday that the Ayatollah has “expressed concerns about the secret provisions of the agreement." Al-Sistani has also said any accord must have national consensus. Al-Qzbangi said that although al-Sistani has repeatedly called for clarification of the deal, the details have not been released. Al-Qzbangi urged the Iraqi parliament to study all the terms of the agreement very carefully. The draft accord includes a timeline for US withdrawal by the end of 2011 and gives Baghdad limited authority to try US contractors and soldiers for major crimes committed off-duty and off-base.

Iraqi demonstrators have staged massive anti-US rallies in Baghdad to protest the controversial US-proposed security deal. The rallies were held as the security pact nears its final stages. Nearly a million demonstrators from different cities of the war-torn country participated in the rallies. Denouncing the American occupation of Iraq, the crowds shouted anti-US slogans and called for ending the US presence in the oil-rich country. "Get out occupier! We demand an end to the occupation!" shouted protesters. The move comes a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sent the draft of the security deal to the parliament for final approval. Last week Iraqi clerics including the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for a nationwide demonstration on October 18. On Friday, several Sunni and Shia clerics spoke out against the deal, as opposition, among Iraqis from all walks of life, was growing against it. The clerics argued that the Iraqi public knew little about the terms of the deal which could change the future of the nation. Meanwhile, Sadr Eddin al-Qzbangi, a confidant of Iraq's most revered Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani said Friday that the Ayatollah has “expressed concerns about the secret provisions of the agreement." Al-Sistani has also said any accord must have national consensus. Al-Qzbangi said that although al-Sistani has repeatedly called for clarification of the deal, the details have not been released. Al-Qzbangi urged the Iraqi parliament to study all the terms of the agreement very carefully. The draft accord includes a timeline for US withdrawal by the end of 2011 and gives Baghdad limited authority to try US contractors and soldiers for major crimes committed off-duty and off-base

On Wednesday December 17 2008 activists staged a Shoe In demonstration in front of the White House. The rally was in solidarity with Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al Zaidi. WASHINGTON, Dec 17: About 100 people gathered outside the White House on Wednesday to protest for the release of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush over the weekend. Muntazer al-Zaidi, who works for the Al Baghdadia Television, has been in custody since disrupting President Bush’s weekend press conference with the size-10 projectiles. If convicted, Mr Zaidi may be jailed for up to seven years. The protesters brought a giant head of President Bush, threw shoes at it and covered it with shoes before ending their protest. They also brought bags of shoes representing Iraqis and US soldiers who have died since the Bush Administration’s “illegal invasion” of Iraq. The peace activists urged the Iraqi government to release Mr Zaidi without charges and have set up a fund to support him and his family. At the White House, Press Secretary Dana Perino said the president had “no hard feelings” about the Iraqi journalist who flung shoes at him. Asked if Mr Zaidi should be forgiven, Ms Perino said Mr Bush trusted Iraq’s legal system to decide an appropriate punishment for the assault. The protesters outside the White House also displayed names of thousands of Iraqis killed in the war. The display contained their names, ages, places where they were killed and how they were killed. “These are real people,” said Gael Murphy, one of the cofounders of the Code Pink which along with three of the groups had participated in the protest. “They were killed because of the US invasion.”Later, representatives for Code Pink, Women for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Veterans for Peace told a news conference that they had come to White House to remind the Bush administration and the American people that “Mr Bush is directly responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis and 4,200 US troops”. They noted that the war also displaced more than five million Iraqis. “Bush is the real criminal, not al-Zaidi,” said one of them. “Al-Zaidi speaks for millions of people across the world.” “Arrest Bush, not Zaidi,” chanted the protesters as they marched outside the White House. “Bush is a war criminal,” shouted the protesters as they spanked a giant picture of the US president with shoes. The speakers who addressed the news conference noted that Mr Zaidi had become something of a folk-hero in the Arab world, and his shoe-throwing had become a symbol of dissatisfaction with ‘Bush’s bungled war in Iraq’

Anti war protestors demonstrated in front of the White House and brought more than just signs they brought shoes WASHINGTON, Dec 17: About 100 people gathered outside the White House on Wednesday to protest for the release of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush over the weekend. Muntazer al-Zaidi, who works for the Al Baghdadia Television, has been in custody since disrupting President Bush’s weekend press conference with the size-10 projectiles. If convicted, Mr Zaidi may be jailed for up to seven years. The protesters brought a giant head of President Bush, threw shoes at it and covered it with shoes before ending their protest. They also brought bags of shoes representing Iraqis and US soldiers who have died since the Bush Administration’s “illegal invasion” of Iraq. The peace activists urged the Iraqi government to release Mr Zaidi without charges and have set up a fund to support him and his family. At the White House, Press Secretary Dana Perino said the president had “no hard feelings” about the Iraqi journalist who flung shoes at him. Asked if Mr Zaidi should be forgiven, Ms Perino said Mr Bush trusted Iraq’s legal system to decide an appropriate punishment for the assault. The protesters outside the White House also displayed names of thousands of Iraqis killed in the war. The display contained their names, ages, places where they were killed and how they were killed. “These are real people,” said Gael Murphy, one of the cofounders of the Code Pink which along with three of the groups had participated in the protest. “They were killed because of the US invasion.”Later, representatives for Code Pink, Women for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Veterans for Peace told a news conference that they had come to White House to remind the Bush administration and the American people that “Mr Bush is directly responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis and 4,200 US troops”. They noted that the war also displaced more than five million Iraqis. “Bush is the real criminal, not al-Zaidi,” said one of them. “Al-Zaidi speaks for millions of people across the world.” “Arrest Bush, not Zaidi,” chanted the protesters as they marched outside the White House. “Bush is a war criminal,” shouted the protesters as they spanked a giant picture of the US president with shoes. The speakers who addressed the news conference noted that Mr Zaidi had become something of a folk-hero in the Arab world, and his shoe-throwing had become a symbol of dissatisfaction with ‘Bush’s bungled war in Iraq’

Israeli warplanes have bombed contraband tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border. Meanwhile Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah urged Egyptians to pressurise their govt. to open the border with Gaza after Gazans were prevented from entering Egypt.

SIR Gerald Kaufman the veteran Labour MP yesterday compared the actions of Israeli troops in Gaza to the Nazis who forced his family to flee Poland. During a Commons debate on the fighting in Gaza he urged the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel.

After his reelection as Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad extends an invitation to his American counterpart Barack Obama for a debate before the eyes of the world. Addressing Iranian heads of medical universities on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad offered to debate President Obama at the United Nations headquarters in New York before the eyes of all nations of the world. President Ahmadinejad had previously urged a debate with former US president George W. Bush. The Iranian president wrote an 18-page letter to President Bush in 2006 that touched on religious values, history and international relations. The letter was viewed as an offer extended to the United States for dialogue. However, the Iranian official's letter never received an answer from the former US president. Under the former US president, Washington pursued a carrot-and-stick policy toward Tehran over its nuclear program and by setting preconditions, snubbed calls by President Ahmadinejad for talks on the long-standing dispute. Meanwhile President Obama has adopted a new tone for engaging Tehran, drawing a sharp line between his foreign policies regarding Iran and that of his predecessor. The call for talks come as earlier in February, Ahmadinejad expressed willingness for dialogue but stressed that negotiations should be held "in a climate of fairness with mutual respect." Earlier in May a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz said the United States had set October as its deadline for engaging Iran in the first round of talks over the country's nuclear activities. The report quoted the special US envoy on Iran, Dennis Ross, as saying that "unless the US sees a change in Iran's position on its nuclear program, Washington's stance toward Tehran will stiffen at that time." An Iranian lawyer has said that his client Hossein Rassam, a British Embassy staffer who remains detained over recent unrest, has been accused of "acting against national security." Lawyer Abdol-Samad Khorramshahi told AFP on Saturday that he was seeking permission to see his client, saying, "I have not met with him yet, but I will ask the judiciary for an appointment." "I was told by a close relative that he is accused of acting against national security,” he added. Iran became the scene of violence in recent weeks amidst rallies staged in protest at the outcome of the June 12 presidential election -- which saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad elected for a second term in office. After warning other countries against interfering in its internal affairs, the Tehran government arrested nine Iranian nationals working at the British Embassy and said that these people had played a role in encouraging the post-election violence. The British government said that seven of those arrested in Tehran have been released. However, Iranian state television has said that just one of them remains in detention. In a statement on Friday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "urgently seeking clarification" from Iranian officials, dismissing allegations that the staffers were involved in any illegal act.

President Ahmadinejad calls for opposition leaders to be prosecuted over post-election turmoil.