After leaving prison, Muntadar al-Zaidi went straight to al Baghdadiya – the TV station he was working for at the news conference where he threw the shoes.
Addressing his own news conference, he said he had been tortured: “At the very moment that the Prime Minister Mr al-Maliki was on TV saying he wouldn’t rest until he was sure I was sleeping on a comfortable bed, I was being hideously tortured.
“I was being given electric shocks, and being hit with cables and steel roods… I was left handcuffed and immersed in water until dawn in cold weather. I demand that Mr al-Maliki apologise for concealing the truth.”
An advisor to the prime minister told the BBC that the torture allegation should be investigated.
And a spokesman for the ministry of human rights told us they do not believe he was tortured in the jail where he spent the past nine months, as it is a “detention centre with acceptable human rights standards”.
They concluded that, if he was tortured, it must have happened soon after he was arrested and before his trial.
At his news conference, Mr Zaidi offered an explanation for his shoe-throwing protest.
“I’m not a hero,” he said, “but when I saw the war criminal Bush, I wanted to show my resentment – after six years of occupation, this killer came to my country smiling and bragging about victory.”
He went on: “When I saw the pictures of the dead, it kept me awake at night.”
He also addressed objections that journalists should throw questions at presidents, and not shoes: “If I gave the profession of journalism a bad name, I apologise,” he said.

Then they look out of their windows and see land they believe is theirs disappearing under concrete, as Israel builds homes for Jews in the occupied territories.
That is why the Obama administration in Washington has been pushing hard for a freeze on settlement building, to create a better atmosphere for talks.
Israelis are surprised, hurt and a little angry that an American president appears to be putting the feelings of the other side above theirs.
A former American negotiator looked back on the long record of failure in peace talks and said that one of the problems was that the US acted as Israel’s attorney.
America’s commitment to Israel is still unshakeable but it looks as if President Obama wants to try to be more like an honest broker, not the family lawyer.
By the way, there is plenty of pressure on the Palestinians too. But that is as predictable as the summer sun around here.
When the BBC sent me to live in Jerusalem in 1995, it was in the early days of the Oslo peace process. I left behind a perfectly good news story in Bosnia, with which I was somewhat in love. A Spanish colleague in Sarajevo asked me what on earth I was doing.
“They’ve made peace in the Middle East,” she said. “You’re nuts. The story’s over.”
But a couple of months after I arrived, a Jewish fanatic shot Israel’s prime minister dead and that peace process started taking blows that in the end killed it. A couple of years later my Spanish friend moved to Jerusalem.
Every attempt at peacemaking has failed. The fundamental problem has not been solved.
Two peoples, both haunted by the past, want the same piece of land and cannot find a mutually acceptable way to share it, or split it.
Until they do, there will not be peace here or anything like it.

US President Barack Obama has led international condemnation of Sunday’s double suicide bomb attack in Baghdad that killed at least 132 people.
Mr Obama branded the attacks – the worst in more than two years in Iraq – “hateful and destructive”.
UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said they were a “terrible reminder of the threat from violent extremism”.
The blasts hit the ministry of justice and a provincial government office near the heavily fortified Green Zone.
More than 520 people were also injured when the two car bombs exploded in quick succession at 1030 (0730 GMT) as people headed to work during the rush hour.
The White House said President Obama had spoken to Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki and President Jalal Talabani to pledge his support.
Mr Obama said in a statement: “I strongly condemn these outrageous attacks on the Iraqi people, and send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones.
“These bombings serve no purpose other than the murder of innocent men, women and children, and they only reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve.”
not succeed.”
The International Zone, or Green Zone, is the administrative heart of the capital.
The Iraqi authorities said the suicide bombers drove their vehicles into parking bays and detonated them.
Traffic limits in the street were eased six months ago and blast walls repositioned as part of a programme which Mr Maliki said showed progress was being made against insurgents.
Dozens of the dead were said to be staff members of the ministry of justice and Baghdad provincial government.

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Kandahar has the symbolic importance of being the spiritual centre of the Taliban movement and also the place of its origin. The supreme Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, made the city his headquarters when the Taliban came to power in 1996. Top al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama Bin Laden, preferred it to the country’s political capital, Kabul.
As such, the control of Kandahar province is a matter of great prestige. The first suicide attacks in Afghanistan took place in Kandahar in 2005-06, and were linked to al-Qaeda. Kandahar has seen some high-profile jailbreaks and assassination attempts, including one on President Karzai.
The Afghan government has prevented the Taliban from seizing control of any significant district centre or town. International forces have large bases in the airport area as well as at the former residence of Mullah Omar in the western suburbs of Kandahar city.
But the Taliban have a strong presence in the countryside, especially in southern and eastern areas along the border with Pakistan. Afghan and Western officials have in the past said the Taliban have used Quetta, the capital of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, as a major hideout as well as other Pakistani towns along the Kandahar border.
Areas on the Pakistan side stretching north-eastwards along the border from Quetta to the town of Zhob are inhabited by Pashtun tribes.
Mullah Omar is thought by some to be hiding in Kandahar or Helmand. Others suspect he is in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Taliban activity in Balochistan is largely related to operations inside Afghanistan and is of no immediate concern to Islamabad.
Afghanistan’s Zabul province lies to the north of Kandahar, along the Toba Kakar mountain range that separates it from the Pakistani districts of Killa Saifullah and Killa Abdullah. The mountains are remote, and have been largely quiet except for a couple of occasions when Pakistani security forces scoured them for al-Qaeda suspects.
Reports from Afghanistan say militants use the area in special circumstances. In early 2002, Taliban militants fleeing US forces in Paktia and Paktika provinces took a detour through South Waziristan to re-enter Afghanistan via Zabul. Occasionally, Taliban insurgents use the Toba Kakar passes when infiltration through South Waziristan is difficult due to intensified vigilance by Pakistani and Afghan border guards.
Zabul provides access to the Afghan provinces of Ghazni, Oruzgan and Kandahar. There are few Afghan or foreign forces in the area, except on the highway that connects Qalat, the capital of Zabul, to Kandahar in the south-west, and Ghazni and Kabul in the north.
Taliban activity along parts of this highway has forced government officials, aid workers and journalists to give up travelling on this road.

As the Pakistani military strategists who organised Afghan guerillas against the Soviets in the 1980s discovered to their delight, Kurram is the best location along the entire Pakistan-Afghanistan border to put pressure on the Afghan capital, Kabul, which is just 90km (56 miles) away. But because the region is inhabited by a Shia tribe that opposes the Taliban for religious reasons, the Taliban have not been able to get a foothold here.
The Taliban, with their primary interest in the war in Afghanistan, have also steered clear of Orakzai tribal district because it does not share a border with Afghanistan and is therefore of no strategic value.
But Taliban groups motivated by sectarian strife, or those trying to drive Pakistani forces out of the tribal region, have set up bases both in the Lower Kurram region, where there are few Shias, and Orakzai.
This area links up with the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan to the south, and Afridi tribal territory in Darra Adamkhel and Khyber in the north. It is overseen by Hakimullah Mehsud (alias Zulfiqar Mehsud), a deputy of top Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud and a cousin of Qari Hussain, another deputy of Baitullah Mehsud’s who is known for running training camps for suicide bombers in South Waziristan.
Hakimullah Mehsud is believed to command an armed force of more than 2,000 fighters of varying ability. From their bases in Orakzai and areas north of Mir Ali in North Waziristan, these fighters have tried to squeeze the Shias of Upper Kurram valley and those living in the Hangu distict of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Over the past year, they have also infiltrated Khyber region and forged ties with mostly criminal groups that have been operating there in the guise of Taliban. One such group is led by Mangal Bagh. Apart from kidnappings-for-ransom and car-jacking, these groups have also been involved in looting supplies being shipped to international forces in Afghanistan via a road that connects the Pakistani port of Karachi with the country’s north-west and passes through Darra Adamkhel-Khyber region.
These groups have also carried out rocket attacks and bombings inside Peshawar city, the capital of NWFP. More recently, they are suspected of setting fire to hundreds of trucks carrying Nato supplies at a transit terminal in Peshawar.

Kabul’s writ has never run strong in the remote southern plains of Helmand province. For this reason, it has emerged as the most significant Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Further south, across the border in Pakistan, lies the equally remote Noshki-Chaghai region of Balochistan province.
Since 9/11 this region has been in turmoil. In the Baramcha area on the Afghan side of the border, the Taliban have a major base. From there they control militant activities as far afield as Nimroz and Farah provinces in the west, Oruzgan in the north and parts of Kandahar province in the east. They also link up with groups based in the Waziristan region of Pakistan.
Commander Mansoor Dadullah, a one-time Taliban chief of the province who has since developed differences with the Taliban leadership, comes from Helmand, but he has currently shifted his operations to Zabul province and across the border into Balochistan.
Taliban from Baramcha region move freely across the border, and often take their injured to hospitals in the Pakistani town of Dalbandin in Chaghai.
The Helmand Taliban have been able to capture territory and hold it, mostly in the south of the province. They constantly threaten traffic on the highway that connects Kandahar with Herat.
British troops have a major base in the town of Gereshk, along the Kandahar-Herat road. Fresh American troops have also been deployed in the area. They have recently pushed back the Taliban from some of their strongholds, bringing the Garmsir area of the province under government control.

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Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers have clashed at Jerusalem’s most sensitive religious site.
Police arrested 12 people who were throwing stones in the Temple Mount compound, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, a police spokesman said.
The site houses both the al-Aqsa mosque and the Jewish holy site, the Western Wall. A spokesman said police did not enter the al-Aqsa mosque itself.
The clashes came amid rising tensions in the past weeks over the area.
On Saturday, Jerusalem police announced they would strengthen policing around the Temple Mount after Muslim leaders urged Palestinians to defend Jerusalem against “Jewish conquest.”
There have been rumours among Palestinians that Jewish extremists were planning on harming the holy site – though no such attempt has been made.
Last month, police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse 150 Palestinian protesters who had thrown rocks at non-Muslims who entered the al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Israeli police said the visitors were foreign tourists, but Palestinians said they were Jewish extremists.
In the most recent incident, Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said 12 people had been arrested.
He added: “This morning at eight o’clock a number of youngsters from east Jerusalem started rioting inside the Temple Mount itself.
“Our police units entered in order to disperse them after stones and rocks as well as even petrol bombs were thrown at our officers.”
Security forces used stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators, and officers remain on high alert in the area.
Police also said they had arrested the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, Hatem Abdel Qader, on charges of incitement.
Palestinian officials said police had sealed off the compound and that some 100 Palestinian worshippers remained inside.

EBay is the topic of many conversations in the coin collecting community. Amongst the collector community is the question of can I buy coins on eBay without getting
ripped off. The answer is unequivocally YES. The caveat is to proceed with caution. In this article we will explore the things to look for to find honest sellers so
that you can protect your self. Here are several tips to keep you from getting ripped off and bidding on auctions that are with worthy sellers

User Feedback: While it seems obvious you want to deal with someone who has a high user feedback, the fact is that this area can be quite misleading. How? Many people
who buy coins and then feel ripped off are for some reason reluctant to leave negative feedback for fear they will also receive negative feedback. When looking for a
reputable coin dealer on eBay, feedback ratings can be a useful guide, but dig a little deeper. A dealer/seller with 10,000 positive feedbacks does NOT mean s/he is a
good dealer. Read the feedback. Not just the negative feedbacks but the positive as well. Many positive feedback entries will have underlying negative information in
them that could clue you into how the dealer treats others or the quality of the merchandise s/he sells. For example, a recent positive feedback entry for a seller
stated: Grading seems off mark but happy with deal and easy to work with CO. Thanks. Another positive feedback for a different seller stated: Not quite as expected but
OK for the price. These particular dealers have thousands of positive ratings but the ratings are rife with negative connotations in the positive feedback. Check for
statements such as slow shipping, not packaged well, not like picture, not as described, etc.

Dealer Business or One Time Seller: Is the seller you are looking at a long-time eBay seller or someone that is trying out eBay to sell their inherited collection?
Actually, this area may not make much difference as there are some long-time dealers who I think are crooks while I have been able to pick up some good deals from new
sellers. But beware, short-term sellers/new sellers may be looking to unload some junk, take you for your money and then not deliver.

Shipping Policies: Some sellers will attempt to hide the shipping cost and will ultimately overcharge for shipping for extra profit. This of course is disguised as
Shipping/Handling. All sellers will charge for shipping and handling, it is the degree to which they will charge. For example, I have seen sellers charge $7.00 for
shipping a $2.00 penny with insurance being extra Always pay close attention to the shipping charges as well as the method of shipping. Some dealers will only ship UPS
adding significant cost to you. Generally speaking, insurance is not included in many transactions. Please note, it does cost dealers for the packing materials, trips
to the post office, etc. Many dealers will look to handling charges to offset some of the fees they have to pay to eBay. Sellers can pay anywhere around 10% of the
selling price for listing fees, transaction fees, final valuation fees, etc.

Return Policies: An important factor to determine before bidding on an auction is to read the fine print, especially return policies. Return policies vary from no
returns at all to full return privileges. Some sellers will offer you the option to return an item but will NOT reimburse shipping charges. If you bought a $2.00 coin
and paid $7.00 for shipping, you are out the $7.00.

Assigning a Grade: Many dealers will suggest a grade for the coin they are selling. It is easy to overgrade a coin, as you always hope for the best. Some sellers will
make statements such as “It looks like a MS-65 but I am not an expert.” Others will make a statement such as, “I am not a coin grader but it looks good to me.” Another
good one is stating they are of average circulation. Average circulation means many different things to many different people. Average circulation for Barber Halves
means they are all in AG-3 or so while average circulation for Franklin Halves would indicate they should be a higher grade as they are less worn. Be wary of these
descriptions. It is unfortunate, but many so called uncalculated coins selling on eBay are AU-55 or AU-58.

Graded Coins: Most people feel safe when buying a graded coin. The feeling is that since it is graded by a third party, I should be getting what I am bidding on. NOTE:
All grading companies are not created equal. There are some sellers on eBay that sells tons of coins that are graded MS-70. If you really research the feedback on
these items you will find out that in the opinion of many of the buyers, many of the coins are no where near MS-70. If you research further, you will find out the
seller is the person/company that also is the grading company.

Contacting the Seller: If you find a coin you want and the auction does not end for a few days; try contacting the seller for more info. Do they respond quickly and
with the information you want?

Item Description: Read the description over and over to look for the slightest deception. For example, when buying bags of wheat cents, a common statement is
“unsearched by me”. That’s great. Maybe his buddy searched them, or he bought them as searched. I would stay away from that item. Also, match the description to the
picture. People do make mistakes. If you see a picture of a Morgan Dollar with a mint mark of “S” but the description says it is a “CC”, contact the seller. If you do
not get a response, stay clear.

Photos: If you are buying a valuable coin, do not consider buying it unless there are clear pictures, for both the observe and reverse. Yes, this applies to even PCGS
graded coins. A MS-66 graded Walking Liberty Half might sound like an absolutely beautiful coin, but if it has ugly toning, maybe it is not the coin for you. Be wary
of any high value coin that does not have clear close up pictures. A trick of many bad dealers is to intentionally have pictures that are slightly out of focus or at a
bad angle to hide certain scratches or abnormalities.

Dealer Memberships: Many dealers will lay claim to belong to various clubs and organizations. Many of these claims will not guarantee that the dealer is honest. I can
claim I belong to any club I want. That does not mean that I actually belong to it. Additionally, membership in many clubs does not require anything more than an email
address. On the other hand, if the dealer claims to be a member of ANA, that could be better as ANA dealers are bound by a certain code of ethics.

Buying coins on eBay is a risky business, but by using these tips, the risk is no more than buying coins from your local dealer or by mail order. There are crooks in
the coin profession at all levels. You must be on guard at all times to protect yourself and by exercising caution, you can be assured you are getting and paying for
what you think you are.

As always, happy collection!