Japan's ambassador to China dies amid rising anti-Japanese protests

 

Chinese demonstrators carry anti-Japan banners and shout slogans during a protest over the Diaoyu islands issue, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan, in Wuhan.(AFP Photo / China Out)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/japan-china-island-dispute-protest-244/

The Japanese ambassador to China died in a Tokyo hospital after being admitted three days earlier. His death coincides with an escalation in anti-Japanese protests across China over a territorial dispute.

The cause of ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya’s death is currently under investigation, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs said. Three days ago, Nishimiya was found unconscious near his Tokyo home after leaving for work.

A second day of demonstrations took place across China against Japan's territorial claim to a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea. China does not recognize Japan's claim to the isles, which are known to the Japanese as 'Senkaku' and as 'Diaoyu' by the Chinese.

In Shenzhen, a city near Hong Kong in southern China, police dispersed thousands of activists with water cannons. And in the eastern city of Qingdou, witnesses reported smoke and flames coming from a factory owned by Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic. A Toyota dealership was also damaged in Qingdou, a company spokesperson said.

In response, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda called on the Chinese government to “ensure the security of Japanese citizens,” and decried the recent surge of anti-Japanese demonstrations. “I strongly object to the burning of Japanese flags and the protests,” Noda said on a Japanese talk show broadcast by NHK.

Tensions between the two countries intensified on Friday when six Chinese ships entered Japanese waters near the disputed islands and ignored the Japanese Coast Guard's orders to leave. The move triggered angry protests in hundreds of Chinese cities, some of which were reportedly violent.

 

'US nuke threat is state terrorism'

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123170§ionid=351020101


Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee describes the US threat of using nuclear weapons against other countries as state terrorism.

"Threats of using nuclear weapons against a nation are a clear sample of the state terrorism," Khazaee said at the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

He called for a frank fight against terrorism, saying, "Certain countries should not use the case as a political instrument to promote their expansionist goals and dispatch troops to remote parts of the world and to the Middle East in particular."

The Iranian envoy slammed such practices as adopting double standards and taking political advantage of the issue as well as making moves, which will actually serve to expand terrorism. He said, "Iran is a victim of terrorism and has always condemned acts of terror and the instrumental use of this phenomenon."

He urged all UN member countries to remain committed to legal and international regulations.

Khazaee said that state terrorism and the use of military force against poor nations under the pretext of a war on terror is a "serious danger" to global security and a clear breach of international rights and the Geneva Convention.

He noted that recent threats made by US officials about resorting to the use of nuclear arms against the Islamic Republic were a clear example of state terrorism and a violation of international rights.

The Iranian diplomat called on the international community to denounce the posing of threats against a country which is a member of the United Nations and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Threats of any kind are against article two of the U-N charter. Tehran says it plans to submit a formal complaint to the United Nations.

Students arrested in LA for heckling Israeli envoy

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118327§ionid=3510203


At least eleven students have been arrested over their interruption of a lecture by the Israeli ambassador to the US at the University of California, Irvine.

Michael Oren was invited to the university by the Jewish Federation of Orange County to speak about Israeli views on the status of the Middle East and Tel Aviv's relationship with Washington.

However as the ambassador was addressing the crowded auditorium, he was interrupted for at least ten times by anti-Israeli students.

"Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech," the first of the ten students yelled before being led away by university police.

The remainder of Oren's speech was drowned by similar remarks, with some students shouting "killer" and "how many Palestinians did you kill?"

By the end of the night, 11 students were arrested and cited for disturbing a public event.

They could face misdemeanor charges as well as university disciplinary hearings that could result in suspensions or dismissals, Cathy Lawhon, Media Relations Director at the UC-Irvine campus said.

The University's Muslim Union was not available for contact but it did issue a statement prior to the event, saying that it strongly opposed and condemned the ambassador's visit, a Press TV correspondent reported from Los Angeles.

"Israel continues its human rights violations, thereby breaking international law and law of Israeli accord," the group had said.

It also added that Israel has committed war crimes against the Gaza Strip and is responsible for the massacre of thousands of Palestinians.