Archbishop backs gay bishops

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JNN 26.09.10 The Archbishop of Canterbury says gay people could apply to become bishops as long as they remain celibate, the British media reported.

In an interview with the Times, Rowan Williams made the comments in his first explicit declaration on the subject since taking office in 2002.

William said he personally supports the consecration of gay bishops in the Church of England, noting however that he would never endorse gay clergy in relationships because of tradition and historical “standards”.

His comments risk deepening divisions within the church and the wider Anglican communion. Liberals will be angered by his explicit acknowledgement that celibacy must be compulsory for homosexual clergy but not for heterosexuals. He would also fuel conservative ire since his stance which puts him at odds with church teaching.

In the interview, Williams explained why he has stood with conservatives against homosexuality when it came to official church policy.

He said that he could not endorse gay relationships for clergy and bishops because “the cost to the church overall was too great to be borne at that point”.

Russian president arrives in China

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JNN 26.09.10 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in northeast China to discuss plans to boost oil and gas exports to his country’s Asian neighbor.

op Russian energy officials accompany the Russian premier on his three-day visit to China, which started on Sunday.

Medvedev began his stay by visiting Dalian, a former Russian city, to pay respect to Russian soldiers who died defending the port from Japanese invaders.

The Russian president emphasized the warm ties between the two countries, Russia and China, which he says will “do good” for future generations.

“Friendship with China is Russia’s strategic choice, it’s a choice that was sealed by blood years ago,” Medvedev told Russian and Chinese war veterans in Dalian, according to AFP.

He is slated to meet his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in the capital Beijing on Monday. The launch of a major oil pipeline is expected to be at the heart of the talks.

The pipeline, scheduled to be completed next year, is designed to deliver over one million barrels of Russia’s oil a day to China.

On Tuesday, Medvedev will head to Shanghai and visit the Russian pavilion at the World Expo.

'US, Mossad played roles in 9/11 event'

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JNN 26.09.10 Tehran : Following the Iranian president’s doubts on the 9/11 event, a top military adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution says the CIA and Mossad were involved in the attacks.

“The US and the Zionists developed the strategy of the September 11 attacks in an effort to counter the Islamic vigilance and to control energy resources in the Middle East,” IRNA quoted Brigadier General Yahya Rahim-Safavi as saying on Saturday.

He further added that al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden did not possess the essential intelligence capacity anywhere near the level of CIA, Pentagon and the FBI in order to conduct the surprise attacks against sensitive centers in the United States on September 11.

According to General Rahim-Safavi, heads of Israel’s Mossad and the US played roles in the event.

“The September 11 attacks in the US and the shameful act of Qur’an burning by the US and Zionist regime (Israel) were in line with Islamophobia efforts by enemies of Islam who have fears over the spread of Islam and the Islamic vigilance,” he further explained.

The Iranian commander also pointed out that the US and certain Western countries invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, a move that proved security is not sustainable in the world.

Moreover, General Rahim-Safavi pointed to the high potentials of Muslim countries and predicted that the Muslim world with its unique features and capabilities will turn into a premier and important power center of the world in the near future.

In his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the US took advantage of the ‘suspicious’ September 11 incidents to justify its destructive occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq that cost many thousands of innocent lives.

The Iranian chief executive went on to raise serious questions about the credibility of the US government’s account of the 9/11 attacks, suggesting that “a very powerful and complex terrorist group, able to successfully cross all layers of the American intelligence and security, carried out the attacks.”