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Riots rock Jerusalem amid diplomatic spat with US
03/17 | 02:58 GMT
©AFP / David Furst
Masked Palestinian demonstrators hurl stones as they clash with Israeli police in East Jerusalem. Israel counted the cost Wednesday after hundreds of Palestinians clashed with security forces across east Jerusalem, amid the worst diplomatic spat in decades between Israel and its key US ally.
©AFP / David Furst
A senior Hamas leader called for a new "intifada" or uprising
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel counted the cost Wednesday after hundreds of Palestinians clashed with security forces across east Jerusalem, amid the worst diplomatic spat in decades between Israel and its key US ally.
As the worst rioting in years rocked Jerusalem Tuesday, and a senior Hamas leader called for a new "intifada" or uprising, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell delayed a visit to the region despite efforts to revive peace talks.
Israeli police fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at Palestinian protesters who hurled stones and set up barricades of dumpsters and burning tyres in several neighbourhoods.
Twenty-one injured Palestinians were hospitalised and dozens more were treated on the spot, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
One policeman suffered a pistol shot to the hand in an Arab neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, adding that the unknown gunman got away.
Four other policeman were briefly taken to hospital and another 10 treated on site after being hit by rocks.
Sixty Palestinians were arrested.
©AFPTV
VIDEO: Reopening of synagogue fuels tensions in Jerusalem. Duration: 00:36
Also Tuesday, stones were thrown at a bus in the largely Arab neighbourhood of Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, said Rosenfeld, the first reports of unrest in other Israeli cities. The bus was damaged, but there were no injuries.
The clashes erupted across east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move not recognised by the international community.
As the rioting flared, Hamas deputy politburo chief Mussa Abu Marzuk called for another popular Palestinian uprising.
"The intifada must enjoy the participation of all of Palestinian society," he told Al-Jazeera television. "Every Palestinian should rise up... against the forces of the (Israeli) occupation."
In the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip thousands of people took to the streets, chanting: "With our blood, with our souls, we sacrifice for you, Jerusalem."
The Palestinians have launched two intifadas against Israeli rule in the occupied territories, the first in 1987 and the second in 2000, but Hamas's calls for a new uprising in recent years have been largely ignored.
animationSet
©AFP iactiv
Middle East: Riots in Jersualem amid calls for new "intifada"
Israeli police chief Dudi Cohen told reporters he did not see signs of a new uprising: "We are seeing signs of disorderly conduct, but that's all."
Palestinians were already seething over Israeli plans to build 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in east Jerusalem.
Facts on the ground: Israel's Jewish settlements
Last week's announcement of the project also incensed Washington, and Mitchell postponed a visit to the region that was to start on Tuesday. That trip will not take place before the Middle East Quartet meets in Moscow on Thursday.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said he would not travel to Moscow because of the tension in Jerusalem.
But even as Mitchell stayed away, the mutual anger appeared to ease slightly with warmer words being uttered on both sides.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington remained committed to reviving peace talks, telling reporters there was "too much at stake" for Palestinians and Israelis to abandon them.
US officials said Clinton would talk soon with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to ease the bitter diplomatic feud, maybe as early as Wednesday.
In a possible sign it wants to stop the row widening, the administration termed the dispute a disagreement between friends that would not shatter the "unbreakable bond" between the allies.
Netanyahu responded in a statement: "The State of Israel appreciates and cherishes the warm words from Secretary of State Clinton on the deep ties between the US and Israel and the US commitment to Israel's security."
©AFP / Ahmad Gharabli
Israeli police fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at Palestinian protesters
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for restraint from both Israel and the Palestinians, and reiterated that Jerusalem's final status should be decided by negotiations.
Earlier this month, the Palestinians reluctantly agreed to indirect talks with Israel after a 14-month break, but the outlook for a swift resumption of the peace process now looks bleak after the new settlements announcement.
The reopening of the twice-destroyed Hurva synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's walled Old City on Monday further fuelled tensions.
Many Palestinians view Israeli projects near the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound -- Islam's third holiest site -- as an assault on its tense status quo or a prelude to the building of a third Jewish temple there.
Jews call the compound Temple Mount and consider it their holiest site because the second Temple stood there before the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD.
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Tiger Woods to make golf comeback at Masters
03/17 | 01:40 GMT
©AFP/File / Timothy A. Clary
Tiger Woods of the US, seen here in 2009, announced on Tuesday he will return to competitive golf in April at the Masters, nearly five months after revelations about a string of affairs wrecked his image as a global sports icon.
©AFP/File / Timothy A. Clary
Tiger Woods announced plans to play at next month's Masters after a five-month layoff
ORLANDO, Florida (AFP) - Tiger Woods set the stage Tuesday for an emotional return to competitive golf, announcing plans to play at next month's Masters after a five-month layoff over a sex scandal that wrecked his iconic image.
World number one Woods said in a statement that he would return to the sport he has long dominated at famed Augusta National Golf Club, which has no women members, at the year's first major championship on April 8.
"After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta," Woods said on his website. "The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect."
After his personal life was shattered following revelations about a series of affairs, Woods returns in a comfortable setting where he has captured four titles, his first in 1997 being the first major crown won by a black golfer.
Tiger Woods factfile
"The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it has been a while since I last played," Woods said.
Woods has not played in a tournament since winning the Australian Masters on November 15, the 82nd triumph of an amazing pro career that has seen him win 14 major titles, four shy of matching the record 18 won by Jack Nicklaus.
Related article:Timeline of Tiger Woods' fall from grace
Woods decided against playing in a tune-up event to prepare for the Masters, skipping a chance to defend his title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in an event he had never before missed.
"When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play," Woods said.
Woods, whose 71 career PGA titles rank third behind Sam Snead's record 82 and 73 by Nicklaus, called Palmer to say he would not defend his crown before announcing his decision on the Masters.
©AFP/File / Timothy A. Clary
Tiger Woods has not played in a tournament since winning the Australian Masters on November 15
"I would think for Tiger it's going to be tough. It's going to be something that's going to take him a little time to get used to," Palmer told the Golf Channel.
"He knows what he wants to do with his life and the way he's going to handle it and I guess we're going to give him that respect."
A November 27 car crash near Woods's home touched off a global scandal, leading to his admission of adultery and putting his golf career on hold while he fought his own personal demons.
"I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment," Woods said. "Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life."
Woods might be making progress on that front as well. A photograph on the front page of Tuesday's New York Post shows Woods and wife Elin, a former model, walking at their home, the first photo of them together since the scandal. The couple also has two young children.
Those who make money because of the attention Woods brings were excited about his comeback as well.
"We were pleased to learn that Tiger Woods will be playing the Masters in a few weeks," US PGA commissioner Tim Finchem said.
"He has invested a lot of time taking steps, both in his personal and professional life, in order to prepare for his return. We all wish him and his family all the best."
British bookmaker William Hill has made Woods a 4-1 favorite to win the Masters, where Woods will benefit from a controlled atmosphere and traditional spectator decorum, likely removing hecklers as a distraction.
Related article: Sheltered environment, familiar Masters layout aid Tiger's return
©AFP/File / Robyn Beck
Gatorade, Accenture and AT&T have dropped Woods
"We support Tiger's decision to return to competitive golf beginning at this year's Masters," Augusta National Golf Club chairman Billy Payne said.
"Additionally, we support and encourage his stated commitment to continue the significant work required to rebuild his personal and professional life."
After more than a dozen women claimed sexual encounters with Woods, he has faced ridicule and the loss of many of the sponsors whose endorsement deals helped make him the first billion-dollar earner in sports.
Gatorade, Accenture and AT&T dropped Woods, although Nike stuck by the man they began endorsing when he turned professional in 1996.
"We look forward to Tiger's return to the Masters and seeing him back on the course," Nike said in a statement.
In recent weeks, Woods was seen working on his game as he tries to recover physically and emotionally from the turmoil that swirled around him.
"We need him back out here," said Rocco Mediate, who lost to Woods in a 2008 US Open playoff. "If anybody can cut through that stuff, he can cut through it. We'll see. I don't think it's going to knock him down too much."
Sports
Tiger Woods to make golf comeback at ...In sushi bars, tuna vanishes bite by bite
03/16 | 20:50 GMT
©AFPTV
As chefs at the upscale New York sushi restaurant Megu slide huge knives through their latest bluefin tuna, the possible extinction of the species is far from their minds. Europe is pushing for a ban on the international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna during a key UN meeting on endangered species that opens on Saturday. Duration: 01:33
©AFPTV
As chefs at the upscale New York sushi restaurant Megu slide huge knives through their latest bluefin tuna, the possible extinction of the species is far from their minds. Europe is pushing for a ban on the international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna during a key UN meeting on endangered species that opens on Saturday.
Video Gallery
In sushi bars, tuna vanishes bite by ...Tiger's return will rival Obama's inaugural for TV spectacle
03/16 | 23:07 GMT
©AFP/File / Philippe Lopez
US golfer Tiger Woods, pictured in 2009. Scandal-rocked Woods making his return to golf at next month's Masters after a five-month layoff will rival the inauguration of US President Barack Obama as a television spectacle.
©AFP/File / Philippe Lopez
Tiger Woods
ORLANDO, Florida (AFP) - Scandal-rocked Tiger Woods making his return to golf at next month's Masters after a five-month layoff will rival the inauguration of US President Barack Obama as a television spectacle.
That's the opinion of Sean McManus, the CBS News and Sports president whose division will produce US coverage of a global ratings blockbuster April 8-11 at Augusta National Golf Club following Woods' comeback announcement Tuesday.
"I think the first tournament Tiger Woods plays ... will be the biggest media event other than the Obama inauguration in the past 10 or 15 years," McManus told Sports Illustrated before Woods announced his return plans.
"It is hard to overestimate how much interest there will be. Tiger Woods is the most famous, most recognized, most accomplished athlete in the world, and his celebrity and prominence is even larger than it was.
"Whatever he does on the golf course for the first time since Thanksgiving will be of interest to almost every man and women in this country."
ESPN will televise US coverage of the first two rounds of the Masters with CBS taking over for weekend coverage.
Woods drew a global audience on February 19 in his first public appearance simply to watch him stand at a podium and apologize for his misdeeds, an adultery scandal in which more than a dozen women claimed sex affairs with him.
"When you look at the fact that he gave a very simple press statement with no questions and every broadcast and cable news network in America carried it with great interest, I think that's an indication that whatever he does has enormous interest."
Crowds at the Masters are typically well behaved, so Woods might not face the hecklers that could bother him at other events.
"We will primarily report on what is happening at the golf tournament," said McManus. "I don't think there is a lot of reason to dwell on what has happened in the past because it is one of the most exploited and overexposed stories in recent memory.
"But I will be fascinated to hear ... what Tiger is doing on the course, how he is reacting, how the fans react, how the media reacts, and how his fellow competitors have reacted. Those will all be fascinated stories."
ESPN television commentator Curtis Strange anticipates greater excitement because Woods is back but also said that Woods' off-course troubles will be fair game for questions for some time to come.
"I hope he's not too standoffish. That's not going to endear him to the fans," Strange said on ESPN. "I think he will handle it the way he has handled it in the past, to the point, but not give people a lot.
"It's the start of the rest of his career. It's not about winning or losing. It's about getting started."
About 43 million people in America watched Woods win the 1997 Masters, the first major triumph for a black golfer. That's still a US record for a Masters telecast -- for another month at least.
Woods became the first athlete with one billion dollars in earnings last year before the scandal hit, in large part because of rich endorsement deals that shriveled in the wake of his sex scandal.
Accenture, AT&T and Gatorade dropped Woods while Nike, Woods video game maker Electronic Arts and Gillette stayed with Woods and offered supportive statements Tuesday on notification of his return to golf.
"We look forward to Tiger's return to the Masters and seeing him back on the course," a Nike statement said.
"All eyes will be on Augusta in a few weeks," said a statement from Electronic Arts, which debuts a new edition of the Woods video game in June. "We're looking forward to seeing Tiger back on the golf course."
"Like many sports fans around the world, we're looking forward to seeing Tiger back on the course," said a statement by Gillette.
People
Tiger's return will rival Obama's inaugural for TV ...North African states meet on Qaeda terror threat
03/16 | 16:33 GMT
©AFP/SITE/File
This image obtained in December 2009 from the SITE Intelligence Group and issued on jihadist forums by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) shows an Italian couple captured by the group. Seven north African states held talks Tuesday in Algeria to plan a coordinated response to Al-Qaeda following a rise in the terror threat in the Sahara-Sahel region, officials said.
©AFP/SITE/File
An image from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb shows fighters with an Italian couple they captured in December
ALGIERS (AFP) - Seven north African states held talks Tuesday in Algeria to plan a coordinated response to Al-Qaeda following a dangerous rise in the terror threat in the Sahara-Sahel region, officials said.
The conference "indicates our shared will to take adequate and suitable steps in a coordinated manner" in response to the terror threat "which has seen dangerous developments," said Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci.
An Al-Qaeda offshoot in north Africa, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), along with other criminal groups, has exploited the vast spaces of the Sahara and Sahel to hide from authorities after launching attacks or kidnapping foreigners.
"Obviously, putting into place effective and multifaceted border cooperation between our countries is crucial," Medelci said before he and his counterparts or their deputies from Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger began talks behind closed doors.
©AFP / Fayez Nureldine
Algerian Foreign Minister Murad Medelci adresses the Ministrial Conference of the Sahara-Sahel States
Algeria's western neighbour Morocco, with which Algiers has frequently fraught relations, was conspicuous by its absence, with the foreign ministry in Rabat deploring the "exclusion."
"The kingdom of Morocco deplores the Algerian authorities' negative reaction and regrets this attitude of exclusion in the face of a threat that is nevertheless shared and identified," said a foreign ministry statement.
After calling for better border cooperation, Medelci condemned growing links between terror and criminal groups in the region which has seen a rise in weapons and drug smuggling.
AQIM, commanded from Algeria, carried out a number of brazen attacks in that country in 2007, including a suicide attack targeting the convoy of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika that killed 22 and injured more than 100.
The group's sympathisers were arrested for shooting dead four French tourists in southeast of Mauritania in December 2007.
©AFP / Fayez Nureldine
Malian Foreign Minister Moctar Wane
In 2008 and 2009, AQIM shifted tack, and has since carried out multiple kidnappings, and in one case a killing, of Westerners, seeking the seeking the release of Islamist prisoners or money.
The threat in the Sahel is being taken very seriously after the death of British tourist Edwin Dyer in June 2009, killed by AQIM after six months in captivity when London refused to yield to blackmail by the Islamist combatants.
AQIM is still believed to be hiding in the northern Malian desert two kidnapped Spaniards and two Italians.
Medelci called for an "unwavering and unconditional commitment" against terrorism, following a recent row with Mali over the release of four Al-Qaeda militants which AQIM had demanded in exchange for the February release of a French hostage.
©AFP / Fayez Nureldine
Niger's Defense Minister General Mamadou Ouseini
Algeria and Mauritania recalled their ambassadors from Bamako after Mali released the four militants -- two from Algeria, one from Burkina Faso and one from Mauritania -- despite the fact Algiers and Nouakchott wanted to try their nationals on terrorism related charges.
While calling "security and peace a precondition to the development" of the Sahara-Sahel region, Medelci also reminded his counterparts of their obligation to help "those most deprived".
The United States welcomed the efforts by the north African countries to improve counterterrorism cooperation.
"We hope the meeting will build upon ongoing efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and further consolidate collective action against groups that seek to exploit territories of these countries and launch attacks against innocent civilians," US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said in a statement.
