19 Palestinian Women Released From Israeli Prison

Friday, October 02, 2009
21:34 Mecca time, 18:34 GMT

Israel releases Palestinian women

Some of the 19 prisoners released today have not seen their children in over two years

Nineteen female Palestinian detainees have been released from an Israeli prison in return for a videotape of a soldier captured by Gaza fighters in June 2006.

A 20th female prisoner will be released, probably next week, the office of Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said.

Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from the occupied West Bank, said those freed on Friday were handed over to the Red Cross after their release from the Hasharon prison.

Eighteen of the prisoners were released to the West Bank, and the other, Fatima al-Zeeq with her 18-month-old baby, was returned to Gaza.

“Today is like a huge party,” said Nisrin Hamdan, 26, as she waited outside Ofer military camp with several of her children, all wearing T-shirts bearing a picture of their 60-year-old mother, held for assisting a suicide bomber.

“My mother has been absent for seven years and today we will have her in our home.”

Also among those awaiting their loved ones was Nawal Hossein, 37, an aunt of a 22-year-old prisoner who was serving a 20-month sentence for plotting to become a suicide bomber.

Deal plea

Odeh said the one-minute video received in the exchange by Israeli officials was seen as proof of life for its captured soldier, Gilad Shalit.

Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Jerusalem, said the recording had been viewed by Shalit’s family and they gave authority for it to be released. It was later aired on Israeli TV.

In the video, Shalit is shown pointing to the date on a newspaper - September 14 2009 - confirming who he is and giving his ID number.

“I read the newspaper with the goal of finding … any information about my release and return home soon,” Shalit said on the recording.

“I hope that the current government led by Binyamin Netanyahu will not waste now the opportunity to reach a deal, as a result of which I will be finally able to fulfil my dream and be released.”

Breakthrough

The exchange deal marks a breakthrough in nearly three years of Egyptian-brokered negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the soldier. German mediators joined the talks in July.

“In the eyes of the Palestinian people this is a significant public relations victory. It supports those that make the point that through armed resistance Palestinians can achieve tangible results, Al Jazeera’s correspondent said.

“By taking military measures … they can then negotiate the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners who to some extent have not been released through the peace process.

“For the Israelis there will be a scene of confidence that indeed the Israeli government is committed to securing the release of this Israeli soldier. But at what price it is not known.”

Shalit was seized by fighters from Hamas and allied groups during a raid on an Israeli border base in 2006.

Until Friday, the only signs of life from Shalit have been several letters and an audio recording. Only one of the letters - written three months after his capture - has been released, just last month. Hamas has not allowed the Red Cross to visit the soldier.

Hamas is demanding that Israel release hundreds of prisoners, many of whom are serving lengthy sentences for attacks on Israelis, in exchange for the soldier.

Speaking at the release of the prisoners, Ismail Haniya, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said: “Today is a great day for our nation. Many martyrs are not here with us now, but their legacy is not lost, and today the Palestinians celebrate the price of their sacrfifices.

“Today’s deal will be called the deal of our libertated priosners. We would also like to remember the 11,000 prisoners still in Israeli jails.”

Re-assimilation process

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Ramallah said there were great scenes of celebration there but that it will be extremely difficult for the women to adjust.

“Experts say they will need a long process of therapy and re-assimilation, not just to the new circumstances but to living without limitation [of life in prison], ” she said.

“We have been hearing a lot of reports about mistreatment of these women. Human rights activists and experts in dealing with victims of torture have told us they intend to speak to these ladies and see if they need help.

“The fear is that most, if not all of them, will need some sort of expert help before they make the adjustment.

Currently, more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners remain behind Israeli bars. The Palestinian Liberation Organisation, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas all insist there can be no peace deal with Israel before all these prisoners are freed.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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Brazil to Host the 2016 Olympics

Rio de Janeiro to host 2016 Olympics

International Olympic Committee names Rio de Janeiro as host of 2016 Games

The final vote was between Rio and Madrid, Spain
Chicago and Tokyo were eliminated from contention in earlier voting
A city must receive a majority of votes in order to win

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CNN) — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee announced Friday.

Rio beat out Madrid, Spain, in the final round. Chicago, Illinois, and Tokyo, Japan, were eliminated in earlier rounds.

For Rio, the major appeal was bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time.

More than half of Rio’s Olympic venues are built, including state-of-the-art facilities constructed for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games: the magnificent Joao Havelange Stadium (the proposed 2016 venue for athletics), the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, the Rio Olympic Arena (which will host gymnastics and wheelchair basketball), the Rio Olympic Velodrome, the National Equestrian Center and its close neighbor, the National Shooting Center.

Rio will hold the Games from August 5-21 and its theme will “Live your passion.” Watch Brazil delegation celebrate as Rio is announced as winner »

According to Rio’s bid, the Games will be held in four zones with varying socio-economic characteristics:

• Barra, the heart of the Games, is an expanding area of Rio that will require “considerable infrastructure and accommodation development.” It will house the Olympic and media villages and some venues.

• Copacabana, a world-famous beach and major tourist attraction, will host outdoor sports in temporary venues.

• Maracana, the most densely populated of the zones, will contain an athletic stadium and the Maracana Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. Major redevelopment is planned for the zone.

• Deodoro has little infrastructure but the highest proportion of young people. It will require construction of Olympic venues. The city’s bid was helped by a strong economy and guaranteed funding. Brazil’s economy is now the 10th largest in the world — and predicted to be fifth by 2016.

Brazil told the IOC its commitment to the Olympics could be seen in the investment already under way in Rio. Maracana Stadium will close next year for two years of refurbishment.

The areas around it will be renovated, with improved access and transportation links. The entire neighborhood will reborn, the Rio committee said, to host the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Work is already under way on the ongoing development of the Olympic Training Center, which includes many of the state-of-the-art venues built for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games.

This was Madrid’s third attempt at hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

Madrid presented a “very capable” bid, with good transportation infrastructure and a number of venues already in place, said Ed Hula, editor of the Olympics Web site Around the Rings. Watch Madrid celebrate making it to final round »

Madrid’s chances might have been hampered, however, by a recent tradition that consecutive Summer Olympics aren’t staged on the same continent. The London 2012 Olympics will have happened just four years before 2016.

“Although there’s no rule against it, the IOC has yet to award consecutive Summer Games to the same continent since 1952 in Helsinki,” Hula said.

After the cities made their presentations to the IOC on Friday, the IOC members sat down to cast their votes in a secret ballot.

Ninety-seven of the IOC’s 106 members are eligible to vote in the first round; seven must sit out that round because they represent one of the countries bidding for the Games.

A city must receive a majority of votes in order to win. If no city receives a majority, voting moves on to a second round, with the city receiving the lowest number of votes being eliminated, an IOC spokeswoman said.

Friday morning, President Obama in Copenhagen urged the IOC to pick his hometown of Chicago, saying the city represents the American dream as well as the Olympic spirit.

“Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us different, just as we celebrate what we have in common,” Obama said. Watch Obama makes his pitch to IOC »

Other cities also had their country’s leaders attending the meeting to support their bids.

Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was planning to push the case for Madrid, according to the Madrid 2016 bid committee.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was expected to be joined by soccer legend and Brazilian native Pele as they advertise the benefits of a Rio Games.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, just two weeks into the job, also planned to be at the vote to demonstrate the government’s full backing of the Tokyo bid, the bid committee said.

“It’s not a requirement for heads of state to come to our session,” said the IOC spokeswoman, who asked not to be named. “We are obviously very honored if they decide to come, but there’s no particular requirement.”

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Rio win 2016 Games as IOC rebuff Obama

Fri Oct 2, 2009 2:10pm EDT
By Paul Radford

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro will stage the first Olympics in South America in 2016, the International Olympic Committee decided on Friday, delivering a stunning rebuff to U.S. President Barack Obama and favorites Chicago.

IOC President Jacques Rogge announced the decision to give the Games to Rio after three rounds of voting which produced a landslide victory for the Brazilians in a final showdown with Madrid.

Chicago, despite a speech to the IOC by President Obama, who had put his credibility on the line by flying in to address the IOC just before the vote, went out as fourth and last in the first round of voting, one of the biggest shocks in an Olympic ballot.

Chicago had started as front-runners and most Olympic observers had expected the Obama factor - first lady Michelle Obama spent two days lobbying in Copenhagen and also addressed the IOC session - to be decisive.

The fourth candidate, Tokyo, were knocked out in the second ballot.

CHEERED WILDLY

The Brazilian delegation at the Bella Convention Center, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and soccer great Pele, cheered wildly, then broke down in tears of joy and began singing as they hugged each other and celebrated a momentous victory.

Lula’s impassioned appeal to the IOC to stop its habit of awarding Olympics to Europe, North America and the Far East and give Brazil and South America a long overdue chance clearly touched the right buttons as did an appealing video display, showing beaches, mountains and a joyous people having fun.

Rio’s Copacabana beach erupted in joy after the vote was announced, kicking off a carnival-style celebration in front of the big stage and screens broadcasting events from Denmark.

In the final round of voting by 98 eligible IOC members, Rio picked up more than two thirds, winning by 66 votes to Madrid’s 32 with one abstention.

Madrid had led the first round by 28 votes to 26 for Rio with Tokyo on 22 and Chicago last on 18.

After Chicago’s elimination, there was a strong switch to Rio in the second round, the Brazilians almost winning an outright majority, picking up 46 votes to 29 for Madrid and 20 for Tokyo.

STRONG APPEALS

Though the U.S. President and his wife produced strong appeals in the day’s first 45-minute presentation by Chicago, they were almost certainly undone by the emotional tugs provided by Lula and former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch for Madrid.

Lula raised the emotional stakes in his speech. “This is a continent that has never held the Games,” he said.

“It is time to address this imbalance. The opportunity is now to extend the Games to a new continent. It’s an opportunity for an Olympics in a tropical country for the first time, to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture and the sensation of our joy.”

Even more emotionally, Samaranch, now 89, pulled powerfully at the heart-strings of members when he spoke for Madrid. “I know I am very near the end of my days,” he said. “May I ask you to consider granting my country the honor and also the duty to organize the games in 2016?”

Obama’s appearance, the first by a sitting U.S. President at an IOC session, provoked huge interest from IOC members, even though they are used to being courted by major political figures.

Obama told the IOC: “I’ve come here today to urge you to choose Chicago for the same reason I chose Chicago nearly 25 years ago, the reason I fell in love with the city I still call home.”

(Additional reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Kevin Fylan and John Acher in Copenhagen; editing by Miles Evans)