Israel backs away from threat to flotilla reporters (Reuters)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel backtracked on Monday on a threat to bar foreign journalists from entering the country for 10 years if they board a new international aid flotilla that plans to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an official statement said, instructed authorities to exempt foreign reporters from "the usual policy applied to infiltrators and those who enter illegally."

In an email to foreign news organisations on Sunday, the Government Press Office (GPO) said journalists' participation in the flotilla would be "an intentional violation" of Israeli law that could result in a 10-year entry ban to Israel and confiscation of their equipment.

The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem had described the GPO's warning as a "chilling message" that raised questions about Israel's commitment to freedom of the press. Several Israeli legislators also condemned the GPO's move.

Israel says it will prevent the convoy from reaching Gaza, a territory run by Hamas Islamists, and proposes the ships planning to set sail from European ports this week dock in Israel or Egypt and transfer cargo overland to the enclave.

In Athens, a group of 400 pro-Palestinian activists called on the Greek government to let them depart in "The Freedom Flotilla II." Cyprus, used as a launch pad for earlier voyages, has banned them from sailing from its ports.

A year ago, nine Turkish activists, including one with dual U.S.-Turkish nationality, were killed by Israeli soldiers who raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and were confronted by passengers wielding clubs and knives.

OVERRULING

Israeli officials said the GPO warning referred to the likelihood that reporters, along with activists, would be expelled if the ships docked in Israel and that deportation stamps in their passports would disqualify them for up to 10 years from visiting the country.

Netanyahu, the officials said, overruled what they described as a staff-level decision, and lifted the deportation threat for journalists whose credentials are recognized by Israel.

In its announcement, the Prime Minister's Office said Israeli and foreign reporters would be invited aboard Israeli navy ships sent to intercept the flotilla, to ensure "transparency and accurate coverage."

Israel says its blockade is aimed at stopping weaponry from reaching Hamas, which is shunned by the West because of its refusal to recognize the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept existing peace deals.

Palestinians say the edict is illegal and is helping to strangle Gaza's underdeveloped economy.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged governments on Monday not to assist the flotilla and said he had ordered the army to stop the vessels. The United States has supported the naval blockade and warned activists last week the voyage would be irresponsible and dangerous.

"If there is any friction or violence it will be the organizers and participants of the flotilla who bare the responsibility," Barak said in public remarks.

The activists -- who include European MPs, a former CIA analyst and a 75-year Holocaust survivor, professors and authors -- rejected the warnings and said they would not give up.

"If they physically stop us -- we know and they know -- we will come again and again until this siege is lifted completely and permanently," said Dror Feiler, one of the activists.

(Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou in Athens; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Yahoo! News

China blurs A380 order, backs 747 amid EU row (Reuters)

LE BOURGET, France (Reuters) – China downgraded the announcement of an Airbus superjumbo order and signed up for the Boeing 747-8 as deals worth $9 billion coincided with a row over European emissions trading rules, industry sources said.

The deals both involved parts of the HNA airlines group and had been planned before the Paris Air Show, they said, but the decision not to announce the names of the buyers triggered one of the mysteries of this week's event.

Industry sources said plans to announce a high-profile $3.8 billion deal between Airbus and Hong Kong Airlines for 10 A380 superjumbos were called off on Thursday because of China's anger over European plans to charge airlines for emissions.

China threatened last month to hold back on purchasing Airbus aircraft because of the EU emissions trading scheme, which airlines body IATA has called illegal.

Additionally, industry sources said a company affiliated to the same carrier, Hainan Airlines, was behind the unexpected announcement of an anonymous deal at Boeing this week.

Boeing said an unidentified airline had provisionally committed to 15 747-8 passenger jets worth $4.8 billion.

Airlines often choose to buy jetliners without identifying themselves to their competition, but such announcements are rarely made at air shows which are designed for publicity. Boeing also rarely announces deals before they are confirmed.

Airbus (EAD.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) declined to comment and representatives of the HNA Group were not available.

Hong Kong Airlines is 46 percent owned by HNA Group, the parent of Hainan Airlines Co Ltd (600221.SS).

TEMPTING TARGET

Airbus and Boeing both brought their largest passenger jets to the show, a biennial event which rotates with the Farnborough Air Show in Britain.

The 747-8 with 467 seats is Boeing's first stretched version of the 747 and is in the midst of flight testing. It will enter service initially as a freighter, then in a passenger version.

The 525-seat A380 is the world's largest airliner and Europe's most high-profile aircraft since Concorde, making it a tempting target in any political tensions affecting aerospace.

The Airbus deal has not itself been blocked and is in the manufacturer's order book, but the decision to cancel a signing ceremony is a clear protest signal, the industry sources said.

Aircraft purchases also need Chinese government approval.

The 747-8 purchase followed competition between Airbus and Boeing for the Hong Kong Airlines order.

While advancing development of its own smaller airplane, China tends to balance orders between the two foreign suppliers.

From Jan 1 next year, the EU will require all airlines flying to Europe to be included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a system that compels polluters to buy permits for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit above a certain cap.

China's top aviation industry body ramped up pressure on the European Union earlier this month, saying it would give full support to legal action against the forced entry of airlines into the EU's carbon trading scheme. [ID:nL3E7H60D5]

China says the scheme is unfair for developing countries and costly.

(Additional reporting by Matthias Blamont; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

Yahoo! News

Arab League backs Palestinian statehood bid (AP)

CAIRO – The Arab League has endorsed a Palestinian bid to seek recognition at the United Nations of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

The League says it will prepare documents to support the bid at the next General Assembly meeting in September in New York. Egypt's official MENA news agency says the announcement came after an Arab ministerial meeting in Qatar late on Saturday.

The move pits the League against the United States and Israel, which oppose the Palestinian bid. The idea for the Palestinian push came after the collapse of the latest Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The Palestinians now hope for a U.N. recognition this fall of a state that would include the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Mideast war.

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Military: Troop ailments, from backs to breathing, swell

WASHINGTON — More than 190,000 active-duty servicemembers sought treatment for back injuries in 2010 ? roughly 70,000 more than did in 2001, before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, according to a Defense Department morbidity report released Friday.

U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin McCune, 21, is carried through a military hospital on March 22, 2010 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 82nd Airborne soldier suffered back injuries when his armored vehicle struck an IED.

Getty Images

U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin McCune, 21, is carried through a military hospital on March 22, 2010 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 82nd Airborne soldier suffered back injuries when his armored vehicle struck an IED.

The number of servicemembers who saw a doctor for adjustment disorders increased from 33,987 in 2001 to 79,500 in 2010.

And 140,000 more servicemembers had signs and symptoms of respiratory problems in 2010 than did the previous year.

Mental disorders possibly caused by combat stress increased by about 170,000 cases from 2001 to 2010. And an increase of epilepsy ? from 1,514 cases in 2001 to 2,620 in 2010 ? may come as a result of an increase in traumatic brain injuries, which has been connected to the disorder

But some of those numbers ? such as a jump from 9,688 diagnosed "all other neurologic conditions" in 2001 to 32,667 in 2010, or the increase from 65,520 cardiovascular cases in 2001 to 91,013 in 2010 ? may seem more mysterious. Doctors, researchers and environmental experts, both civilian and military, believe open burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan may be partly to blame. Most of the pits in Iraq ? one of which burned 240 tons of Styrofoam, plastic water bottles, diesel engines and computer parts along with other trash every day ? have been shut down since Congress demanded it, but new ones have been created to get rid of troop waste in Afghanistan.

And, civilian studies have shown that fine particulate matter increases cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disorders. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates industrial particulate matter for just that reason, but the troops have breathed in everything from cement-factory exhaust to leaded gasoline fumes in the Middle East.

The number of pregnancy complications also increased from 13,755 in 2001 to 24,540 in 2010.

"As noted many times in the past, the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries of all types ? particularly, back injuries ? and the detection, characterization and management of mental disorders ? including substance disorder and deployment stress-related disorders, e.g., PTSD ? should have the highest priorities for military medical research, public health and force health protection programs," states the Defense Department's newly released Medical Surveillance Monthly Report.

The report also cites the "scarce resources for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and disability compensation."

The numbers include active-duty servicemembers who went to a military health clinic at a permanent base anywhere in the world and do not include evaluations performed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

USATODAY.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.