|
|
 |
 |
Doha Loses Bid to Host Olympics The Summer Olympics won’t be coming to the Middle East in 2020. On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected a bid by Doha to host the Summer Olympic Games. The IOC also rejected Baku, which leaves Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo shortlisted. Doha, which had failed to make the final list for hosting the 2016 Olympics, had been suggesting holding the games in October instead of July so as to beat the searing summer heat. That proposal was a non-starter, since the IOC wants to ensure the highest possible television ratings and holding the games in the fall would mean competing with other sporting events. Doha is still on track, however, to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup football tournament.
First Extrabiblical Proof of Bethlehem Found
Israeli archaeologists have found a seal, dating back to 2700 BC, bearing the earliest reference to Bethlehem ever uncovered. "The Bible speaks of Bethlehem, now there is evidence that this city existed at the time", said Eli Shukron, an archaeologist working for Israel's Antiquities Authority. The seal, 1.5 cm in diameter, was found in the so-called City of David, an extended archaeological site outside the walls of Jerusalem where King David and his son Solomon are thought to have built their palaces.
Turkey Indicts Top Former Israeli Commanders A Turkish prosecutor issued indictment seeking life sentences for four former Israeli military commanders over their alleged involvement in the 2010 killing of nine Turks on the Mavi Marmara, a Gaza-bound ship, the Turkish newspaper Sabah reported on Wednesday. Israeli commandos blocked the ship as it attempted to break a naval blockade on Gaza. The incident led to a severe deterioration in the relationship between the once close allies. Sabah reported that the indictments named Israel's former Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, former Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin, former Navy commander Adm. Eliezer Marom and former head of air force intelligence Brig.-Gen. Avishai Levi. Yadlin dismissed the move, saying on Israel Radio an international inquiry had exculpated Israel. The move comes as Israel has been trying to improve ties with Istanbul.
Jimmy Carter to Meet Hamas Leader Former US President Jimmy Carter is reportedly to meet on Thursday with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in Cairo. The Palestinian Ma’an news agency said that Carter, who is in Egypt to follow the Egyptian presidential elections, would be meeting with Mashal to be briefed on about the status of reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah, as well as the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The former U.S. president met with Mashal in Damascus in 2008 and visited Gaza in 2009 in the aftermath of Israel's war on the coastal enclave. During his visit to Gaza, Carter severely criticized Israel's blockade of the Strip, saying that Israel treated Gazans "more like animals than human beings."
Historic Egyptian Presidential Election Egyptians were voting on Thursday for the second day in a gripping presidential election, in which candidates are pitting stability against the ideals of the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's rule. Small queues formed outside polling stations after they opened at 0600 GMT, with voting expected to gain momentum during the day after authorities declared Thursday a public holiday to allow public sector employees to cast their ballots. Results from the first round of voting are not expected before the weekend.
|
| | | | | |
|
