Changed his mind after the mess that created....[ 1769 ]

US pastor Terry Jones cancels Koran burning

 

Mr Jones had said the burning would be a stand against terrorism

BBC  9 September 2010 Last updated at 21:25 GMT

The pastor of a small US church who planned to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 has cancelled his protest.

Terry Jones said he was calling off the event after the group behind a planned Islamic centre near Ground Zero in New York agreed to relocate it.

But the cultural centre's organisers said they had no plans to move it.

Mr Jones' plan had been internationally condemned and had already sparked many protests around the world.

Mr Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, which has fewer than 50 members, had named Saturday International Burn a Koran Day.

 -

But at a news conference, he said he would now travel to New York on Saturday to meet those behind the Islamic centre and discuss its relocation.
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President Barack Obama had earlier warned Mr Jones the burning would be "a recruitment bonanza" for al-Qaeda.

The US State Department had warned US citizens of an increased risk of attack, while international police organisation Interpol also issued a warning of the risk of violent response.

Americans to possibly burn the Koran..[ 1768 ]

State Dept warns Americans on possible Koran protests

You will burn the Koran ?...we are already burning your flag

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 | Thu Sep 9, 2010 1:38pm EDT

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Thursday warned Americans traveling overseas to be alert for any anti-U.S. demonstrations in response to plans by a small Florida church to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

"The potential for further protests and demonstrations, some of which may turn violent, remains high," the State Department said in a travel alert, urging Americans to avoid areas where protests might occur.

(Reporting by Andrew Quinn; editing by Will Dunham)

NASA Image of the Daym Sep 9th..[ 1767 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.

Preparing for Progress

Filled with trash and discarded items, the unpiloted ISS Progress 38 supply vehicle departed from the International Space Station at 7:22 a.m. (EDT) on Aug. 31, 2010.


Russian flight controllers conduct thruster tests with the Progress to gather engineering data until it deorbited and burned up in Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific


Ocean. Its departure cleared the way for the arrival of the next Russian resupply vehicle, ISS Progress 39, which launched Sept. 8 and will dock Sept. 10, delivering 2.5 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 24 crew.

Image Credit: NASA
Πέμπτη, 9 Σεπτεμβρίου 2010 7:00:00 πμ

New Zealand queke ..[ 1766 ]

Curfew on after earthquake in New Zealand

People stand outside a building damaged by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 

Christchurch in New Zealand this morning. Picture: AP Source: AP

NEWS.COM.AU., 04-09-2010
A CURFEW has been imposed in Christchurch, New Zealand after a major earthquake 

caused extensive damage in the nation's second-largest city, Sky News Australia 

reported today.

Residents in the city of 372,600 were ordered to stay inside between 7pm tonight and 

7am tomorrow as authorities battle to restore water, power and phone services in the 

devastated city.

About 80 police officers were being sent from Auckland to the South Island to help with

law enforcement amid reports of mounting frustration, fighting, serious back logs at 

petrol stations and traffic jams as peopletry to leave the city, news website stuff.co.nz

reported.

Residents were evacuated from some areas because of disrupted power and water 

 supplies, and an official state of emergency has been declared.

As night approached, Christchurch mayor Bob Parker, said he was most concerned 

about isolated residents.

Blair, his book signing on shoes and eggs..[ 1743 ]

Shoes and eggs thrown at Blair

Standard co.uk.,04.09.10

Shoes and eggs have been pelted at Tony Blair as he attended his first book signing in the Irish Republic.

The missiles, which were thrown by anti-war protesters, did not hit the former prime minister as he arrived at a bookshop in Dublin.

 

Tony Blair attends his first book signing, with Conor Whelen, managing director of Eason book store, Dublin

Activists clashed with Gardai as they tried to push down a security barrier outside the Eason store on O'Connell Street.

Campaigners, who turned out in the pouring rain, were chanting: "Hey hey Tony hey, how many kids have you killed today?" They also shouted: "Tony Blair war criminal" and "blood on your hands".

Undercover detectives mingled with the crowds taking names before Mr Blair arrived at the shop at about 10.30am on Saturday.

The city tram service was suspended as Gardai blocked off streets surrounding the city centre store. Shops in the area also closed, with Penny's department store pulling down its shutters as scuffles broke out.

It is the first book signing since Mr Blair's memoirs were released this week. The book, A Journey, tells of his life in politics and has become one of the fastest selling autobiographies on record.

Mr Blair, who gave his first live television interview to Irish state broadcaster RTE on Friday night, was expected to spend about an hour at the store.

Mr Blair said the Northern Ireland peace process was one of the few moments in politics that he felt really proud.

Now the Middle East peace envoy, he described watching former Northern Ireland First Minister Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness sitting together publicly for the first time. "It was just such a strange and extraordinary sight and one of the few times in politics I felt really proud actually," Mr Blair said.