Hi,*Here is an example of the detailed analysis that members of my*Forex Mentor Pro*group receive before the markets open on A Sunday, with updates...

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Geneva - A United Nations team probing the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria has found “clear and convincing evidence” that Sarin gas was used in an incident that occurred on 21 August in the Ghouta area on the outskirts of Damascus, in which hundreds of people were reportedly killed.

“The report makes for chilling reading,” Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said following a closed-door briefing to the Security Council on the team’s work, which concludes that on the basis of evidence obtained during its investigation, “chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in Syria, also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale”.

The team, led by Swedish scientist Doctor Åke Sellström, also concludes in particular that the environmental, chemical and medical samples collected provide “clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-air rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were used in Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Zamalka in the Ghouta area of Damascus”.

Formally known as the Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, Sellström’s team was established by the Secretary-General on 21 March and was assisted by experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

“The results are overwhelming and indisputable. The facts speak for themselves. The United Nations Mission has now confirmed, unequivocally and objectively, that chemical weapons have been used in Syria,” said Ban.

He underscored that 85 percent of blood samples from the sites in Ghouta tested positive for Sarin, and the majority of the rocket fragments were also found to be carrying the deadly nerve agent.

“There must be accountability for the use of chemical weapons. Any use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, is a crime,” said Ban.

“Our message today must be more than ‘do not slaughter your people with gas’. There must also be no impunity for the crimes being committed with conventional weapons.

“This is a war crime,” the Secretary-General said, stressing that the incident marked the most serious chemical weapons incident since Saddam Hussein’s attack on the Halabja region of Iraq, and the worst use of weapons of mass destruction in the 21st century.

“The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare.”

Responding to questions, the Secretary-General said Dr Sellström’s team had been able to determine objectively that Sarin was used on a relatively large scale. It was the team’s job to determine whether and to what extent chemical weapons were used, not who used them.

“It is for others to decide whether to pursue this matter further to determine responsibility. We may all have our own thoughts on this, but I would simply say that this was a grave crime and those responsible must be brought to justice as soon as possible,” he said.

Speaking during the closed-door Council session, the UN chief said the team had interviewed more than 50 survivors, medical personnel and first responders. It applied a rigorous and objective selection process designed to identify survivors who may have been exposed to chemical agents. It assessed these individuals’ symptoms and collected biomedical samples, including from hair, urine and blood.

The Mission also documented and sampled impact sites and munitions, and collected 30 soil and environmental samples – far more than any previous such UN investigation.

“The statements by survivors offer a vivid account of the events of 21 August,” said the Secretary-General, noting that survivors reported that following an attack with shelling, they quickly experienced a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, disorientation, eye irritation, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and general weakness.

“Many eventually lost consciousness. First responders described seeing a large number of individuals lying on the ground, many of them dead or unconscious,” he said.

On related developments, Ban said that Russia and the United States, led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry, held intensive consultations in Geneva last week, along with their experts.

He welcomed the understanding they reached regarding the safeguarding and destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles.

“I hope the Security Council and the Executive Council of the OPCW can move quickly to consider and implement this plan. I stand ready to support this plan in every way possible, while also fully realising the complexities of such an undertaking in the midst of a civil war,” he said.

“The unity of the Security Council will be crucial. Given the gravity of the situation, I urge the Council to consider ways to ensure enforcement of, and compliance with, the plan through a clear resolution.”

Ban also said that the humanitarian situation in Syria is desperate. Food supplies are dangerously low in some places. – SAnews.gov.za

Lydiard Legend Marathon, Shadbolt Park New Lynn – 14 September 2013 Running enthusiast Agustin Scafidi from Argentina made the most of his three week holiday in Auckland by winning the annual Lydiard marathon around the tough Waitakere Ranges course on Saturday. The 26 year old battled his way through the squally showers to head in [...]Argentinian wins Lydiard Marathon 2013 is a post from: Time-to-Run New Zealand



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Pretoria - The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training will this week conduct oversight visits to Wits University and Further Education and Training (FET) institutions in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.Foster Mohale from the Parliamentary Communication Service said the three-day visits...

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Pretoria - Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where she is leading a...

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Beijing - The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will today brief the Security Council about the findings of UN inspectors on the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Ban received the report by the weapons inspectors on Sunday.

Following his briefing at the 15-nation Security Council, Ban is scheduled to speak to reporters. The Secretary-General will also brief the UN General Assembly on the report.

Earlier, a UN inspection team had collected samples from select suburbs around Damascus where a chemical weapons attack on 21 August had allegedly killed more than 1000 people.

The UN team lead by Professor Ake Sellström was only mandated to determine if chemical weapons were used but not by whom.

The Assad government has blamed the rebels for the attack while the rebels said government forces were behind the attack.

The technical report is expected to influence further deliberations in the Security Council over a US-Russian agreement that would place Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles under international control. - SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua

Pretoria - International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim is in the Belgian capital, Brussels, for a conference on Somalia, which starts today.

Ebrahim is accompanied by South African Ambassador to Brussels, Mxolisi Nkosi, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said on Monday.

Billed as the "New Deal" for Somalia, the conference will bring together members of the international community and senior representatives of the federal government of Somalia to lend impetus to the positive peace momentum in Somalia.

The conference will focus on the political vision, socio-economic reconstruction and the strengthening of the rule of law and security institutions in Somalia.

Instability due to war and the absence of a functioning government has contributed to the worsening situation in Somalia. The lack of sustainable programmes for institution and capacity building also renders Somalia more vulnerable to natural disasters.

In this regard, the conference will adopt a compact that will help the country to remain on the path of stability and peace thereby laying the basis for its reconstruction and development.

South Africa has already pledged to work closely with Somalia to bring the country to stability.

“In this respect South Africa has allocated R100 million for capacity and institution building, socio-economic support, and provided specialist training in key government sectors,” said Dirco. – SAnews.gov.za

Pretoria – In an effort to coordinate the financing of anti-poaching initiatives, the Department of Environmental Affairs is to establish a National Rhino Fund in consultation with the National Treasury. The establishment of the National Rhino Fund will address all interventions directed to rhino poaching. The department explained that the establishment of the National Rhino [...]Rhino Fund to assist initiatives is a post from: EconSpire



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In yesterdays article Omar was explaining how the markets usually start to liven up after the summer ranges and as we*“fall” into autumn.*Here is his...

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Beijing – The last in a series of three South African expos has kicked off in Beijing, with South Africa looking to foster a more balanced and...

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