27 September 2014 Last updated at 08:20
Middle East
Gaza and the end of 'Arab gallantry'
By Ramzy Baroud
On its own the Arabic word al-Nakhwa, means "gallantry". Combined with the word al-Arabiya - "Arab gallantry" - the term becomes loaded with meanings, cultural and even political implications and subtext. But what is one to make of "Arab gallantry" during and after Israel's most brutal war on Gaza between July 8 and August 26, which killed 2,163 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000 more?
Is this the end of Arab Nakhwa? Did it even ever exist?
As a Palestinian Gaza refugee from a simple peasantry background, I was raised to believe that al-Nakhwa was an
essential component of one's Arab identity. Together with al-Rojoula - "manhood/fortitude/heroism" - al-Karm - "generosity" -al-Karama - "dignity" - and al-Sharaf - "honor" - were all indispensable tenants in the character of any upright person. The alternative is unthinkably shameful.
Warplanes 'hit IS on Syria border'
Islamic State fighters near Syrian town Kobane, on Turkey border, said to be hit by air strikes, BBC understands
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Hong Kong police move in to arrest pro-democracy demonstrators
Thirteen arrested as 150 protesters continue week-long civil disobedience campaign
Riot police in Hong Kong are moving in to arrest the remaining 50 students who occupied the premises of government headquarters to protest China’s refusal to allow genuine democratic reforms in the semi-autonomous region.
About 100 others are continuing to shout slogans outside the complex.
Riot police using pepper spray cleared out more than 100 demonstrators early on Saturday, dragging many away and arresting 13, in the tensest scenes yet in a recent series of protests.
Student groups have been spearheading a civil disobedience campaign this week in response to Beijing’s announcement last month that it would choose who can stand for Hong Kong’s top post of chief executive in elections in 2017.
Are China-Japan relations thawing?
For the first time in years, Japan and China held high-level talks on maritime issues aimed at easing tensions over disputes in the East China Sea, a move which analyst James Brown views as a significant positive step.
Yi Xianliang, deputy director-general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs met with his Japanese counterpart Makita Shimokawa, in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Qingdao on September 24-25, according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua. The meeting marked the first high-level bilateral talks on maritime affairs since May 2012.
Both sides "agreed, on principle, to resume maritime liaisons between defense agencies of the two countries," said Xinhua. Another round of consultations is set to be held later this year or early next year.
A day later, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe renewed his call to hold a summit with China, urging both Beijing and Tokyo to make "quiet efforts" to ease strains between the two Asian giants.
Girl evacuated from Nauru after self-harm attempt
September 27, 2014 - 6:05PMJacqueline Maley
Parliamentary Sketch Writer for The Sydney Morning Herald
A 15-year-old asylum seeker girl believed to have attempted self-harm has been evacuated to Australia from the Nauru detention centre, the government confirmed on Saturday, as it drew strong criticism for its freshly signed Cambodian refugee deal, designed to offer sanctuary to asylum seekers currently on Nauru.
Amnesty International said the Cambodian agreement was "a new low" in Australia's already "deplorable and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers", adding its voice to the criticisms of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, who said the deal was a "worrying departure from international norms".
The condemnation came as Immigration Minister Scott Morrison weathered criticism for sipping champagne with Cambodian government officials to formalise the four-year Memorandum of Understanding, a gesture Mr Morrison said was simply in keeping with local protocol and simple courtesy.
Mexico touts decreasing murder rate - but high-profile hit muddles message
A brazen hit on a federal lawmaker underscores that in some parts of the country, organized crime still does what it wants in public, in daylight, and with no fear of retribution.
MEXICO CITY — Consider it a case of dismal coincidence.
As President Enrique Peña Nieto touted to bankers in New York City earlier this week that criminal violence had fallen sharply in Mexico, armed commandos in the city of Guadalajara carried out a brazen daylight abduction.
Their target: a federal legislator.
Moving in three vehicles Monday about 5:30 p.m., the commandos cornered the blue Chevrolet Suburban of Deputy Gabriel Gomez Michel on a ring road near the airport. The next morning, the vehicle turned up in the neighboring state of Zacatecas with two charred bodies inside. On Wednesday, authorities said DNA tests confirmed that Mr. Gomez and his aide, Heriberto Nunez Ramos, were the two victims.Middle East
Gaza and the end of 'Arab gallantry'
By Ramzy Baroud
On its own the Arabic word al-Nakhwa, means "gallantry". Combined with the word al-Arabiya - "Arab gallantry" - the term becomes loaded with meanings, cultural and even political implications and subtext. But what is one to make of "Arab gallantry" during and after Israel's most brutal war on Gaza between July 8 and August 26, which killed 2,163 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000 more?
Is this the end of Arab Nakhwa? Did it even ever exist?
As a Palestinian Gaza refugee from a simple peasantry background, I was raised to believe that al-Nakhwa was an
essential component of one's Arab identity. Together with al-Rojoula - "manhood/fortitude/heroism" - al-Karm - "generosity" -al-Karama - "dignity" - and al-Sharaf - "honor" - were all indispensable tenants in the character of any upright person. The alternative is unthinkably shameful.
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