Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie told the BBC the former leader went to the gallows quietly: “He was saying some few slogans. He was very, very, very, broken.”

However, new images of the execution apparently shot on a mobile phone and aired on some Arab television channels and internet sites, show a more defiant Saddam.

Unlike the official Iraqi videotape of his final moments, the new pictures are accompanied by the sound of Saddam Hussein responding to taunts from those present.

One of the onlookers is heard telling the former Iraqi leader that he destroyed Iraq and was going straight to hell.

Saddam Hussein appeared to smile at those taunting him from below the gallows. He said they were not showing manhood.

He is then heard citing verses from the Koran before the trapdoor opened.

In a sparsely attended ceremony in Awja, in the Tikrit region north of the capital, the former Iraqi leader was laid to rest in a family plot.

His sons Uday and Qusay, killed by US troops in 2003, are also buried there.

New video of his execution posted on the internet, shows he exchanged taunts with onlookers from the gallows.

Just hours after his execution, Saddam Hussein’s body was reportedly flown to Awja aboard a US aircraft and handed to clan leaders for burial.

“His past caught up with him and he got what he deserved “ - Munawar, Tehran

“Saddam Hussein has been buried today at 0400 (0100 GMT) in a place that was constructed during his regime in the centre of Awja,” said relative Musa Faraj, quoted by AFP news agency.

The BBC’s John Simpson in Baghdad says the Iraqi government will not be worried that Saddam’s grave may turn into a place of political pilgrimage.

Ministers here think that his practical influence in Iraq has been entirely finished by his execution, our correspondent says.

‘Frightened and terrified’

The former president was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court on 5 November over the killings of 148 Shias from the town of Dujail in the 1980s.

Images of Saddam Hussein being taken to the gallows in a Baghdad building his intelligence services once used for executions were broadcast on state TV on Saturday.

Iraqis also saw images of their former leader’s body in a white shroud. However the moment of his execution was not shown.

The hanging took place just days after he lost an appeal and hours after he was handed over from US custody.

Saddam Hussein’s execution has closed a dark chapter in Iraq’s history, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said.

The hanging took place just days after he lost an appeal and hours after he was handed over from US custody.

Saddam Hussein’s execution has closed a dark chapter in Iraq’s history, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said.

They felt very proud as they saw their father facing his executioners so bravely - Spokeswoman for Saddam Hussein’s daughters

In a statement, the prime minister said: “Justice, in the name of the people, has carried out the death sentence against the criminal Saddam, who faced his fate like all tyrants, frightened and terrified during a hard day which he did not expect.”

US President George W Bush hailed the execution as “an important milestone” on the road to building an Iraqi democracy, but warned it would not end the deadly violence there.

A defence white paper said North Korea’s nuclear capability along with its land army and conventional weapons had raised the threat to the South.

The assessment uses the strongest wording since Seoul began a policy of engaging with Pyongyang in 2000.

Talks aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear programme ended in deadlock in Beijing earlier this month.

In its biennial white paper, South Korea’s ministry of defence said the threat from the North had risen, although the country was not yet a full-fledged nuclear power.

“North Korea’s conventional forces, its nuclear test, weapons of mass destruction and the forward deployment of troops are a serious threat to our security,” the report said.

The North had obtained an estimated 30kg of plutonium - enough for five nuclear bombs - in the past three years, while its total stockpile now stood at 50kg, the paper said.

-Believed to have ‘handful’ of nuclear weapons
-But not thought to have any small enough to put in a missile
-Could try dropping from plane, though world watching closely

(Johannesburg - 08 November, 2006) Up to 15 wild juvenile elephants are being captured in Zimbabwe’s world renowned Hwange National Park this week, to be condemned to lives of captive suffering as safari entertainment for tourists.

The permits were issued by Zimbabwe National Parks, and the animals are being caught in the country’s largest game reserve, Hwange National Park in south-west Zimbabwe. They are to be moved to an elephant training camp owned by Shearwater Adventures near Victoria Falls.

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org) said it condemned the capture of the elephants for use in the elephant-back safari industry.

‘It is disgraceful and a shame that Zimbabwe is prepared to sanction the abuses inherent in capturing wild elephants and subjecting them to lives in captivity. The fact that the animals are being taken from herds in Hwange, which is one of the world’s most renowned game reserves, beggars belief,’ said IFAW Southern Africa Director, Jason Bell-Leask.

Shearwater Adventures, one of Zimbabwe’s best known adventure tourism operators, has been given the permits to catch the elephants to be tamed and trained for use in their elephant-safari business.

The company, which on its website, says it is ‘environmentally friendly and ecologically sound’, is currently touting its range of adventure tourism activities - which include bungi jumping, white water rafting and walking with lions - at the World Travel Market exhibition in London this week.

The company currently has 11 elephants available for elephant-back safaris and for elephant interaction experiences. According to Shearwater Adventure’s website, their elephants are ‘rescued orphans’ from Zimbabwe’s suspended culling operations.

The Hwange elephants are to be captured from their wild family herds during the course of this week said a spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ZNSPCA).

‘Taking elephants from the wild for elephant-back safari tourism subjects the animals to entirely unregulated training methods that are open to abuse. No dedicated laws exist that governs methods used in training elephants.

‘The elephant-back safari tourism industry typically claims that it is ’saving’ young elephants from sure death in ‘culls’. IFAW disagrees - they are often taking young elephants from the wild to be subjected to confinement and training that is wrong, cruel and exploitative. The training pays no attention to the physical, behavioural, psychological and social needs of these highly intelligent creatures,’ said Bell-Leask.

‘This capture is shocking in the extreme and can only further damage Zimbabwe’s reputation as a conservation destination. IFAW urges all tourists to appreciate watching elephants in the wild, where they belong, and avoid cruel activities. ‘

Notes

The Zimbabwean National Society for the Protection of Animals (ZNSPCA) confirmed yesterday, 7 November, that Zimbabwe National Parks had issued at least 10 permits to Shearwater Adventures to capture the elephants.
A ZNSPCA inspector is now in Hwange in an attempt to gain more information on the capture.
Elephant specialists and other premier southern African national parks, such as the Kruger National Park in South Africa, say it is not appropriate to separate family groups.

(Shimonoseki, Japan - 14 November 2006) - The Government of Japan will tomorrow launch a fleet of six boats from Arukaport to commence a new season of whale hunting, despite a global moratorium and international outcry against commercial whaling. Japan’s self-allocated whaling quota permits its whalers to kill up to 935 minke and 10 endangered fin whales.

Japan’s whale hunt starts just weeks after Iceland resumed commercial whaling for the first time in 20 years. Seven fin whales and one minke whale were killed in Iceland since it resumed whaling on Oct. 17, 2006. Much of this whale meat has been frozen due to saturation in the market.

‘Whales are under threat not only from those countries that still allow commercial whaling, but also by entanglement, pollution, ocean noise, ship strikes and global warming,’ said Dr. Joth Singh, director of wildlife and habitat protection at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). ‘Instead of stockpiling unwanted whale meat, IFAW urges these governments to focus instead on the tremendous global growth in whale watching - no blood needs to be shed.’

Japan hunts under the guise of ’scientific’ whaling, terminology that allows it to continue whaling despite a global ban on commercial whaling imposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986. In the 2005/2006 season Japan’s whalers killed 853 minke and 10 fin whales from the Antarctic. Next year Japan may also start hunting endangered humpback whales, with a self-allocated quota of 50.

‘Even more shocking is the fact that this whale hunt takes place in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary around Antarctica, established by the IWC in 1994 as a safe haven for these majestic creatures,’ said Dr. Singh. The Southern Ocean Sanctuary protects approximately 80% of the world’s whales, including some of those whose winter migrations support thriving multi-million dollar whale watching industries.

An IFAW-sponsored study found that over 100,000 people went whale watching in Japan in 1998, up from 10,992 in 1991. More than 95% of the whale and dolphin watchers in Japan were Japanese. Total expenditures for whale watching in Japan in 1998 was estimated at US$32,984,000.

Regional communities in Japan have profited from the whale watching industry, which provides new jobs and businesses including hotels, restaurants, museums, and shops. Ogata reached its 100,000th whale watcher in 2000 - at that time representing over 10 years of whale watching. In Ogasawara, where whale watching began in Japan in 1988, 1999 saw a new high with 12,000 whale watchers.

Fin whales are listed as ‘endangered’ by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and are second only to the blue whale in terms of size - growing to average lengths of 18-22m and weights of 30-80 tons. They were hunted in significant numbers by whalers in the past, and their population figures are currently unknown. Minke whales are classified as ‘near threatened’ by the IUCN, which cites numerous conservation threats including bycatch and whaling.

‘There really is no humane way to kill a whale,’ said IFAW scientist and whale expert Vassili Papastavrou. ‘Many whales that are harpooned sustain horrific injuries and suffer for a long time before eventually dying.’ An IFAW analysis of Japanese whaling video footage obtained by Greenpeace concluded that the killing methods for Antarctic minke whales are inefficient and raise serious welfare issues concerning low instantaneous death rates, protracted times to death and the occurrence of asphyxiation as a secondary killing method. Fewer than one in five of the filmed whales were estimated to have died instantaneously.

(Reykjavik, Iceland - 24 October 2006) - A second fin whale - classified as an endangered species - has been killed by whalers in Iceland despite the lack of a market for the meat and the lack of proper processing facilities. Ethical questions are now being raised on the decision by Iceland’s Minister of Fisheries to allow the whaling to proceed on these grounds. Experts with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org) are condemning the hunt as cruel and unnecessary.

The whale is expected to be brought ashore early Tuesday afternoon, and will be the second fin whale hunted commercially by whalers since the Minister of Fisheries, Einar K. Gudfinnsson, issued hunting permits last week for nine endangered fin whales and 30 minke whales. The first fin whale was brought ashore on Sunday to international outcry.

The sole whale processing plant in Iceland, a facility built during World War II and not used in twenty years, is currently out of operation. Due to this lack of adequate whale processing facilities, the whales are being flensed in the open and the meat from these marine mammals is being frozen in a local fish processing plant.

By tradition, Icelanders do not consume fin whale meat, leaving only Japan as the potential buyer for the whale meat. But yesterday, Japanese Ambassador to Iceland Fumiko Saiga publicly announced that Japan did not want the meat, citing current whale meat surpluses in Japan.

‘It is a cruel waste that these great whales have been killed to sit in a fish freezer,’ said IFAW Director for Wildlife and Habitat Dr. Joth Singh. ‘Why would Fisheries Minister Gudfinnsson allow this hunt to proceed under such conditions? It is neither economical nor ethical.’

Fin whales are listed as ‘endangered’ by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and are second only to the blue whale in size — growing to average lengths of 18-22m and weights of 30-80 tons. They were hunted in significant numbers by whalers in the past, and their official population figures are currently unknown. In 1986, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) implemented a global commercial whaling moratorium. The international trade in whale meat is banned under regulations established by the U.N Convention for Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

IFAW is calling on its 2.5 million supporters worldwide to take action against the decision by Fisheries Minister Gudfinnsson to allow commercial whaling. To learn more, visit www.ifaw.org today.

Canada’s largest seal cull for more than 50 years is taking place despite protests by environmentalists and animal rights groups.

What does this mean to seals? Ok, let’s take it this way. First of all, can this be called a “sport” - killing innocent animals enjoying their days on a shining day on ice just for ‘fun’? Can this even be called ‘fun‘?
This is a very provoking, inhumane, disgusting thing to do. Do humans have right to commit such an act on earth? No, they dont. We humans have been destroying the environment by creating so many ‘convenient’ things that we use now; cars, factories, ships, motorbikes, etc. We are not aware of the upcoming disasters in out futures. Not any others, but our own. We are responsible of this, if we dont do it, who will? Who can? If we dont take care of the vulnerable creatures out there in the world, then all kinds of valuable species will be all destroyed. This slaughter has to be ended at once no matter what it takes us to do. It is not a killing, it is a slaughter.

The World is Watching

Thanks to a worldwide outcry in the 1970s, the commercial killing of whitecoat seal pups was banned in 1987. The seal hunt was slowly dying off through the 1980s, but by the mid-1990s the Canadian government began seal meat subsidies and set quotas allowing the slaughter of over a quarter million seals every year. Join celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Pierce Brosnan, as well as politicians such as US Senator John Kerry in urging others to speak out against the hunt.

Non-governmental Organizations
International opposition to the Canadian seal hunt continues to expand. Below are some of the groups working to end the slaughter:

Anima Naturalis International
Animal Protection Institute
Bellerive Foundation
Born Free Foundation
Environmental Voters & Animal Alliance of Canada
Friends of Animals
Fund for Animals
Global Action Network
Greenpeace
HARPSEALS.ORG
Asian, Australian and United Kingdom offices of Humane Society International
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
International Wildlife Coalition (IWC)
Ocean Futures Society
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
Respect for Animals
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

Governments and Politicians

United States

The United States not only bans the import of seal products, but plans to take action in an attempt to influence the Canadian government’s decision. In the U.S. Senate, Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan is sponsoring a new resolution that will ask Canada to put an immediate stop to the hunt, which will cruelly take the lives of over 319,000 seals just this year. The resolution is co-sponsored by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and was also sponsored last year by Presidential Candidate, Sen. John Kerry (D- MASS). Most foreign countries have made similar statements, and the only remaining market for the goods is in Scandinavian countries.

United Kingdom

After a British newspaper ran a story on the seal hunt, Members of Parliament, shocked by accounts of seals being skinned alive on the ice floes off Canada’s East Coast, took a stand against the hunt with an Early Day Motion (EDM) - a formal demonstration of solidarity on a particular issue that British MPs can sign on to.

160 MPs signed on in support of the seal hunt EDM, which resulted in a formal debate in the House of Commons on the issue. MPs issued strong statements condemning the hunt as cruel and unsustainable. British Foreign Office Minister Mike O’Brian concluded the debate by stating that the United Kingdom would use its diplomatic weight to pressure the Canadian government to end the seal hunt.

Celebrities Speak Out!
Since the early 70s, celebrities from around the world have been speaking out against the cruelty of the seal hunt.

This year Goran Visnjic of the television show ER was interviewed by In Style magazine for its February 2005 issue and he had this to say about the seal hunt:

“The way seals are killed is so inhumane. They’re clubbed then pulled across the ice with big hooks. I mean, I have a pretty strong stomach from being on ER all these years, but it still disgusts me. Once you see a video like that it’s really hard to sit on the sidelines and say ‘Who cares’.”

Other celebrities who have spoken out against the hunt include the following:

Leonardo DiCaprio
Pierce Brosnan
Paris Hilton
Nick Carter
Martin Sheen
Mick Jagger
John Paul DeJoria
Ed Bagley Jr.
Dave Foreman
Farley Mowat
Linda Blair
Berkeley Breathed
Richard Dean Anderson
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sean Penn
Christian Bale
Christina Applegate
Taryn Manning
Rutger Hauer
James Cromwell
Loretta Swit
Pamela Sue Martin

It was about time for us, the curious ones, to find out how everything happened between the celebrity trio Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. For the first time, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has described what happened between her and Brad Pitt on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in the January issue of Vogue, according to New York Post.

According to Angelina’ sayings she and Brad met on the set of the thriller in 2003 insisting that she never had any intention of breaking up his marriage to Jennifer Aniston as she didn’t know much about his personal life... The now Celebrity couple spent a lot of time contemplating and thinking and talking about what they both wanted in life and realized that they wanted very, very similar things. Anyway by the time the movie wrapped in 2004 the two remained ‘very, very good friends’ until after Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston announced their separation in January 2005. To set the things straight, Angelina Jolie said she is willing to meet with Aniston, but only if she would want that to happen. Angelina also revealed that the moment when Maddox called Brad, Dad ‘was probably the most defining moment, when he decided that we would all be a family.’
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I think we were the last two people who were looking for a relationship. I certainly wasn’t. I was quite content to be a single mom. Brad was a huge surprise to me. Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened. [...] It took until, really, the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realize that it might mean something more than we’d earlier allowed ourselves to believe.
- said Hollywood Celebrity Angelina Jolie -
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According to the news, the nominees of the January’s 33rd People’s Choice Awards (which are based on a public vote) were announced in front with Johnny Depp - who on the Favourite Male Movie Star award last year - being nominated in three categories: for Favourite Male Movie Star, Best Male Action star and Favourite On-Screen Match-Up with his co-star Keira Knightley. In other categories, Johnny Depp, Samuel L Jackson and Jet Li will fight it out for the Male Action Star prize while Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry and Sandra Bullock will compete for Best Female Movie Star.The People’s Choice Awards will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 9th while People’s Choice nominees for categories including favourite movie, new TV comedy and remake of a song will soon be announced.