According to The Sunday Times, elements of Great Britain’s SAS special force are active in Syria on operations to gather intelligence concerning that country’s chemical warfare stockpiles.
10 Downing Street said on Sunday that the government would comply with Parliament’s ruling not to go to war with Syria, but would continue to cooperate with the US in relevant intelligence gathering.
This follows reports that a Cyprus-based facility of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters supplies the American NSA agency with electronic surveillance data on Syria.
Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Jailed blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki with gastrointestinal bleeding and in very grave health was transferred to the hospital emergency department today.
According to CHRR, his father reported that Hossein Ronaghi Maleki who is on his 20th day of hunger strike was transferred to Shahid Modarres Hospital today August 28 around 1 pm. This is his second hospital visit in less than a week; a few days ago on August 24th Hossein was transferred to the hospital and was returned behind bars after a few hours.
Hossein Ronaghi’s family shared that they provided all of Hossein’s official medical records detailing his illnesses to the authorities and still medical furlough was denied. Seyed Ahmad Ronaghi Maleki announced that he was again requesting that the Tehran Prosecutor Abas Jafari Dolatabadi either grant prison release or medical furlough for his ailing son Hossein Ronaghi so that he can receive necessary medical care. He added that no matter how many times he has visited and called the prosecutor’s office, he has not been given any answer. Ahmad Ronaghi while expressing his great worry said that if Hossein’s situation continued to be ignored his son would end up losing his life.
Blogger Hossein Ronaghi was detained on December 13, 2009 and was held in solitary confinement for over 10 months and tortured under heavy interrogations. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison stemming from his internet activities. While in prison due to the torture he endured Hossein Ronaghi was inflicted with various illnesses including loss of function in his kidneys along with gastrointestinal, heart and bladder problems.
Hossein Ronaghi launched a hunger strike on August 9 in protest of his situation being ignored by authorities. Zoleikha Mousavi, Hossein’s mother also went on hunger strike on August 20th in support of her son. The judiciary and the prosecutor’s office have so far refused to pay heed to the situation despite Hossein Ronaghi’s very grave health. In the past days, human rights organizations, activists and their families have expressed their grave concern for Ronaghi’s health and asked that the ruling apparatus grant medical furlough. In a letter from Evin prison to the prosecutor, 41 political prisoners expressed their concern and warned about the declining health of the jailed blogger.
If we were to tell you about Don Ramos the 80-year-old champion weightlifter we would leave you inspired instead we are here to tell you about Ramos’ doping scandal which will leave you with your jaw dropped.
The Colorado Springs octogenarian was competing in the Pan American Masters Weightlifting competition when he tested positive for steroids. The Masters circuit is for weightlifters 35-years and older. Ramos had won his age group in the 85kg class. Now the distant second place winner Robert White will claim the title.
The same agency that took down Lance Armstrong, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, made the following announcement this week to send a message to young and old competitors – we intend to clean up sports:
USADA was contracted to test the Pan American Masters Weightlifting Championships, which is an event for athletes 35 and older, in Chicago, Ill. June 14 - June 16, 2013. Ramos, 80, tested positive for the presence of a steroid of exogenous origin as the result of an in-competition urine sample collected on June 14, 2013 while he was attempting to set a world record.
Ramos who trains at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, has earned numerous Gold medals at the World Masters Games and was named Grand Master of the event in Australia in 2009. When he was 76-years he became the oldest man in the world to clean and jerk 100kg in competition.
Ramos can return to the competitive arena when he is 82 in 2015.
An athlete competing in a half-marathon in Ironman’s Brasilia event nearly lost his first place title, all because he started celebrating too early.
Jérémy Jurkiewicz was on his way to a first place finish over the weekend when he began celebrating with those on the sidelines.
Still feet from the finish line however, the Frenchman failed to realized there was a runner coming around the last corner right behind him.
In the video below, you can see Jurkiewicz celebrating, his hands in the air, as Igor Amorelli comes around the corner and makes a dash for the finish line.
Though Amorelli had the opportunity to finish first, Jurkiewicz jumps in front of him and pushes him pack, at which point Amorelli backs off and allows the early-celebrator to finish first.
