Egyptian President Cancels Visit To South Africa After Threats Of Arrest Arise

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a news conference with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (not pictured) after their summit at the presidential palace in Cairo, April 23, 2015. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

 

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has cancelled a visit to attend the African Union Summit in South Africa on Thursday. This decision came after a lawyer’s association in the country filed an official request for his arrest upon arrival.

Al-Sisi was to arrive in Johannesburg on Friday to attend the summit entitled “Enabling African Women” which spans June 14 and 15.

According to an African diplomatic source who spoke to Anadolu Agency under condition of anonymity, Egypt informed South Africa that despite Al-Sisi’s absence at the summit, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb will be attending as a representative of the Egyptian delegation due to the mentioned threats.

A member of the South African Muslim Lawyers Association, Attorney Yousha Tayoub, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that, “We believe Al-Sisi committed war crimes and crimes against humanity for the horrendous killings that resulted from the [2013] coup in Egypt.”

Accordingly, Tayoub added that the Egyptian president could be seized by South African officials for investigation and prosecution for his war crimes upon his arrival on South African lands.

“We have overwhelming evidence proving that Al-Sisi perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity. We have presented our evidence to the authorities and are hopeful they will act,” Tayoub said.

A South African advocacy group, The Media Review Network (MRN), also supported the call for Al-Sisi’s arrest.

“War criminals are considered enemies of all humankind; our young democracy must not be seen as a safe haven for such criminals,” the groups spokesman, Ibrahim Vawda, said on Wednesday.

Furthermore, Vawda called upon the South African government to be a responsible member of the international community by arresting the Egyptian president who has evidently committed a number of human rights violations since his election in June 2014.

The newly-elected government in Egypt has waged a rough crackdown on members and followers of the Muslim Brotherhood and former president Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected president in Egyptian history.

As a result, over 1,400 people have been reportedly killed, as well as 22,000 who have been detained. Additionally, there have been hundreds sentenced to death in mass trials.

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Clippers’ History Offers Hope for Game 7

The Los Angeles Clippers were up by 19 points in the third quarter. They were up by 12 points with eight minutes to go. But down the stretch they missed 11 straight shots, were outscored, 25-2, and somehow managed to lose to the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of their series on Thursday night. It is hard to call it anything but a choke.
Now the Clippers travel to Houston for a Game 7. No chance, right?
But history, often so unkind to the franchise, offers a glimmer of hope. In the Blake Griffin-Chris Paul era, the Clippers have played in three Game 7s. They won them all.
In 2012, Griffin’s second year in the league and Paul’s first with the team, the Clippers made the playoffs for just the second time in 15 years. They raced to a three-games-to-one lead against the fourth-seeded Grizzlies.
After losing in Memphis, the Clippers looked to close out the series at home in Game 6, and led by 8 with eight and half minutes left in the fourth quarter. Sound familiar? A few missed shots while Paul was on the bench and then two quick turnovers when he returned and the Clippers had blown it.
But the story was different in Game 7 on the road. Though Paul and Griffin played with injuries, the Clippers protected their fourth-quarter lead this time and clawed out a low-scoring, hard-fought victory, 82-72. The Clippers shot just 39 percent, but held Memphis to 32 percent shooting.
Two years later, facing the sixth-seeded Warriors in the first round, the Clippers, amid the controversy over their owner Donald Sterling’s racist remarks, took 2-1 and 3-2 series leads. But a 1-point loss in Game 6 sent them to a decider again.
This time, the game was at home. Trailing for much of it, the Clippers hit the big shots in the fourth quarter and won, 126-121. Griffin had 24 points and Paul 22, and DeAndre Jordan had 18 rebounds.
This year, the Clippers faced the Spurs in the marquee matchup of the first round. Home-court edge seemed to mean little. The teams split Games 1 and 2 in Los Angeles and Games 3 and 4 in San Antonio. The visiting team won Games 5 and 6, as well, putting the series into a decider in Los Angeles.
It was a great one, with 31 lead changes. The game came down to a shot by Chris Paul. He drove the lane, banked it in, and the Clippers won, 111-109.
Griffin is the playoffs’ leading scorer, Jordan leads in shooting percentage and Paul leads in assists. It is tempting to write off a team after it suffers a devastating loss, as the Clippers did on Thursday night. But Griffin, Jordan and Paul have shown the ability to come up big when it counts most, even on the road.
It would be far from a surprise if they win another Game 7 on Sunday.
  

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Muhyiddin: Teachers face more challenging tasks

Teacher S Day‏, As Malaysia heads towards achieving the status of a fully-developed nation, the tasks of teachers have become more and more challenging, especially with the huge responsibility entrusted on them to produce quality human capital to spur progress for the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said teachers need to equip their students with new knowledge and skills to enable them to compete in a more competitive environment at the national and international levels.
“This includes having higher-order thinking skills, ability to analyse and apply the knowledge, communication skills, creativity and innovation.
“All these knowledge and skills need to be included in the teaching and learning process. If teachers can perform their teaching duties effectively, then students will be able to master all the desired knowledge and skills,” he said in his message in conjunction with Teacher’s Day celebration here on Friday.
Teacher’s Day is celebrated on May 16 every year in Malaysia.
Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said at the same time, teachers should also pay serious attention to moral aspects and personality development of students, in line with the objective of the National Philosophy of Education to produce balanced human capital.
The deputy prime minister said there was no use for the country to achieve material development if it was not supported with the practice of good moral values.
“We need to remember that the fully developed nation that we want to build is based on our own mold and moral values are the primary elements,” he said.
He said the theme for the Teacher’s Day celebration this year, “Guru:
Membina Ilmu, Menyempurnakan Akhlak” (Teacher: Building Knowledge, Perfecting Morals) was indeed apt and in accordance with the objective to produce balanced human capital.
He also expressed confidence that with the various initiatives lined up under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025, as well as the support from all teachers, the noble aspiration to produce knowledgeable human capital with good morals would be achieved.
Muhyiddin also called on teachers to work harder and be diligent, highly disciplined and trustworthy to take the quality of national education to greater heights.
“Finally, I would like to wish Happy Teacher’s Day to all teachers, wherever you are,” he said. — BERNAMA

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Musicians mourn the loss of BB King

Blues legend B.B. King influenced countless musicians with his virtuoso picking style and full-bodied song delivery. Many of those musicians took to social media to remember the guitarist, his prized instrument and the gift he bestowed on generations of music lovers after his death Thursday night at 89.

Fellow artists shared their favorite quotes from the always wise and often inscrutable King, as well as the best photos of the ax man in action.

Singer-guitarist Lenny Kravitz expressed his reverence for the guitar impresario on Twitter: "BB, anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one. #RIP #BBKing"‬‏

 

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‪BB King‏, BB King Dead‬‏, ‪B B King‬‏, ‪B.B. King‬‏, ‪Bbking‬‏, ‪Bb King Songs

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NBA Playoffs 2015: Rockets force Game 7 vs. Clippers with historic 4th-quarter comeback

NBA Playoffs 2015: Rockets force Game 7 vs. Clippers with historic 4th-quarter comeback

The Houston Rockets overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 119-107 on Thursday night in Game 6 of their NBA Playoffs Western Conference semifinal series.
The second-seeded Rockets trailed 87-68 before outscoring the home-standing Clippers 51-20 down the stretch, including 40-15 in the final period. Game 7 is Sunday night in Houston.
Corey Brewer and Josh Smith combined for 29 points in the fourth quarter to fuel Houston's comeback. Dwight Howard added 20 points and 21 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won two straight in the best-of-7 series after trailing 3-1.
The Clippers got 31 points and 11 assists from Chris Paul, but shot just 4-for-22 in the fourth quarter. According to ESPN and the Elias Sports Bureau, L.A. is just the third team in NBA history to blow a double-digit lead at home in a potential series-clinching game.
The Rockets hit 7 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

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General school products - Go Cougars!

General school products - Go Cougars!

 

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World Bulletin: Somalia shuts down radio stations

World Bulletin Tüm Haberler | World Bulletin

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Somalia shuts down radio stations Oct 28th 2013, 09:35 Somali security agents shut down two radio stations and ordered its reporters to leave a building they were occupying for non-payment of rent, a government official said on Sunday.

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