Thousands of airplane bird strikes occur each year, but airports have many safety and conservation measures in place to minimize these potentially damaging and dangerous situations. The majority of bird strikes do not result in substantial damage to the aircraft or danger to the passengers, but conscientious airport officials continually monitor nearby wildlife in order to avoid any potential problems.

Why Birds Like Airports

Large flocks of birds are hazardous to aircraft, and unfortunately birds enjoy the habitat around many busy airports. Because airports are placed on the fringe of large urban centers, they frequently have large tracts of unused, undeveloped land surrounding them as noise and safety buffers. It is that undeveloped land that is attractive to birds, particularly as suitable habitat shrinks due to urban expansion. Many airports are also near substantial wetlands or drainage ponds – water is a superb noise dampener – which is attractive to migratory waterfowl, gulls and other large birds that can present the most dangerous threats to aircraft.

How Airports Minimize Bird Strikes

Both large birds and flocks of smaller birds can be dangerous to aircraft, either by impacting the windscreen or being ingested into the engines. This not only causes significant damage to the plane but can also create hazardous and unsafe flying conditions if critical damage occurs. Because of this, many airports have wildlife control initiatives in place to minimize any interaction between birds and aircraft.

There are three general ways to minimize airplane bird strikes: modifying the birds’ habitat, controlling the birds’ behavior and modifying the aircrafts’ behavior. Airports that have had the most success with minimizing bird strikes have employed all three methods through various techniques.

Modifying Habitat

Modifying the habitat surrounding an airport so it will not appeal to birds is an easy way to encourage wild birds to seek alternative roosting and feeding grounds. Effective measures include:

• Removing seed-bearing plants to eliminate food sources
• Using insecticides or pesticides to eliminate food sources for insect-eating birds
• Covering nearby ponds with netting to prevent birds from landing
• Removing brush and trees that serve as attractive nesting sites

Modifying Bird Behavior

Several methods can be used to effectively modify birds’ behavior so they will not stay near an airport. These techniques do not harm the birds but encourage them to avoid the airport.

• Using sonic cannons, recorded predator calls and other noise generators to disrupt birds
• Using lasers at dawn and dusk to simulate predators and scare birds away
• Flying trained falcons over roosting areas or training dogs to track through the habitat and teach birds that the area has many predators

As a last resort, birds may be captured and relocated if they cannot be encouraged to leave the area naturally.

Modifying Plane Behavior

Learning to work with the birds by modifying flight paths and schedules can help minimize bird strikes. While these methods may not be feasible at all airports, they can be used to help the airport work in harmony with the wildlife surrounding it.

• Training spotters with binoculars and scopes to pinpoint hazardous birds areas and directing planes to different runways or approaches
• Using radar equipment to track the movement and density of bird flocks to predict their behavior and manage other control techniques more effectively
• Adjusting flight times to avoid the busiest hours for bird activity, such as early morning and late evening

Why Bird Strikes Still Happen

Despite the best use of multiple deterrent methods and wildlife management, airplane bird strikes still happen. As airports become busier and schedule flights with greater frequency and alternative habitats continue to shrink, more and more birds will seek refuge near airports, causing potentially dangerous situations. Airports must constantly be on the alert for other fliers in the skies, and as new control and deterrent techniques are developed, it is hoped that bird strikes can continue to be minimized.

taken from : birding.about.com

Israeli forces have killed four Palestinian divers that Israel says were heavily armed and preparing to carry out a terrorist attack.

The Israel Defense Forces says its navy spotted several men in diving suits off the coast of the Gaza Strip. IDF officials say they had information the men intended to carry out a terror attack on Israel, just a few kilometers to the north.

A hospital in Gaza says the bodies of four men were recovered.

One man was reported missing, and another made it back to shore with slight injuries.

Mohammed Dawwas, reporting for VOA in Gaza, says one survivor claims the divers were from the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade group, a militant offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction.
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"I just talked to the commander of this group that belongs to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and he exactly told me these words: 'They were not on any kind of mission. They were only in training, doing some training in the sea. That is all, exactly, what they were doing.' That is what he said."

Later, Israel carried out an air strike in northern Gaza, hitting alleged militants who, it said, were preparing to fire a rocket into Israel.

The shooting offshore occurred as tensions remained high off the coast of Gaza, following Israel's raid last week of an aid flotilla in which nine activists – eight Turks and one American – were killed.

Israel's government says it opposes an international probe of last week's raid on the aid flotilla. Israeli officials say any probe should be carried out internally by Israelis, with foreign observers.

Pressure is also growing domestically. In a letter published in a major newspaper, a group of 10 Israeli naval officers questioned the way the deadly raid was carried out.

Israel's parliament was to vote on no-confidence motions against the government for the raid.

Some in the opposition are also questioning whether Israel should maintain its three-year-old blockade of Gaza.

Israel says the embargo is necessary to keep weapons out of the enclave. The blockade has been in place since 2007, when the militant Islamist group Hamas seized control of Gaza. The group's charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish State.

Days after Israel's deadly flotilla raid, there has been another confrontation between the Israeli Navy and a humanitarian aid ship off the coast of the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip.

The Israeli navy intercepted another ship carrying a group of pro-Palestinian activists who tried to break the blockade on Gaza. The crew received a radio warning from the Israeli military.

The ship ignored the message and was seized by naval commandos. But this time, no one was hurt.

"We completed compliance boarding on the ship," said army spokeswoman Avital Liebovich. "There was no violence, no resistance whatsoever."

It was a much different outcome than on Monday, when 9 activists were killed during an Israeli raid on a flotilla of six ships carrying humanitarian aid. Israel says it was self-defense. Video shows that Israeli commandos were beaten by activists wielding clubs, and the army displayed dozens of knives confiscated from the ships.

"I'm happy to say that the result today shows us clearly that we are talking about peace activists, human rights activists, unlike the other flotilla which turned out to be a group of terrorists," she said.

Monday's deadly flotilla raid sparked outrage around the world and Turkey condemned Israel for the action and has threatened to cut ties. But Israel has rejected international demands to lift the blockade, saying it cannot allow the Palestinian militant group Hamas that rules Gaza to rearm with rockets and missiles.

The latest ship to arrive was sponsored by an Irish aid group, which described Israel's capture of the vessel as "piracy on the high seas."

Afghanistan's president has replaced his interior minister and intelligence chief following an attack by Taliban militants on a national peace conference.

A statement issued Sunday by the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the explanations the two officials offered for the attacks were not satisfactory.

The statement said Mr. Karzai accepted the resignations of Interior Minister Hanif Atmar and National Directorate of Security chief Amrullah Saleh.

It said he appointed Munir Mangal as acting interior minister and Ibrahim Spinzada as acting intelligence chief.

Taliban militants fired rockets Wednesday as President Karzai addressed some 1,600 delegates to a three-day peace assembly, or jirga in Kabul. No delegates were injured in the incident. Afghan officials said two of the militants were killed and a third was captured.

Meanwhile, Mr. Karzai on Sunday ordered a review of the cases of all prisoners linked to the Taliban and other militants.

The review is the first step the president has taken towards fulfilling the demands of last week's landmark peace conference on ways to end nearly nine years of war.

President Karzai's office said the review committee will include officials from the Supreme Court, a government-backed reconciliation commission, the Justice Ministry and other judicial officers.

The assembly's final resolution calls for the release of prisoners who have allegedly been detained by Afghan and foreign forces without sufficient evidence.

The resolution also calls for the formation of a commission to lead efforts to open negotiations with the Taliban, who have vowed not to engage in peace talks until all foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

The resolution also says insurgents who want to take part in the peace process must cut their ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. It says militants who join the peace process should be removed from the U.N. blacklist.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

Israel has rejected a proposal from United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to establish a multinational commission to investigate a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers Sunday that he had informed Mr. Ban of his decision. He said he told the U.N. chief an investigation of facts needed to be carried out "responsibly and objectively."

Israel's U.S. ambassador, Michael Oren, told "Fox News Sunday" Israel had the ability and right to conduct its own investigation.

Mr. Ban proposed establishing a panel led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer to investigate last Monday's Israeli commando raid that killed nine international activists.

The raid outraged Turkey and many other nations. Eight Turkish citizens and one American of Turkish origin were killed in the Israeli raid.

The Mavi Marmara ship was part of an aid convoy that was trying to break a three-year-old Israeli blockade and deliver aid directly to Gaza.

On Saturday, Israeli forces peacefully seized control of the Rachel Corrie, another aid ship trying to reach Gaza.

Israel continues the process of deporting international activists from the Rachel Corrie. Israeli forces escorted the ship to the port of Ashdod Saturday after intercepting the vessel as it approached Gaza.

The Irish aid ship was named after Rachel Corrie, an activist with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement. The 23-year-old Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip while trying to keep Israeli soldiers from bulldozing a Palestinian home in 2003.

During Israel's Sunday cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a group of activists boarded the Mavi Marmara in a way that allowed them to avoid a security check. He said they had the sole intention of initiating a violent confrontation with Israeli soldiers.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has enjoyed a successful maiden test flight after the first launch attempted was aborted.

The rocket, which could one day carry astronauts, blasted-off from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1845 GMT.

The California-based firm developed the vehicle with a large subsidy from Nasa.

Friday's first launch attempt was aborted at the last second because an engine parameter fell out of limits.

According to the Spaceflight Now website, a SpaceX spokesperson said the rocket achieved orbit, but they were not sure of the altitude or inclination.

US President Barack Obama, who inspected the rocket on its pad in April, has said he wanted the business of taxiing astronauts to and from the International Space Station handed to the commercial sector.

Many commentators believe the Falcon is in a prime position to win that business.

Before the rocket can be allowed to launch humans, it has to first demonstrate performance and reliability in the role of lofting robotic spacecraft.

Lofty ambitions

The Falcon 9 in its simplest form is a "single stick" vehicle with a two-stage configuration. A cluster of nine SpaceX-developed Merlin-1C engines will power the rocket off the pad.

A single Merlin on the second stage will complete the task of pushing the payload into orbit.

For its maiden flight, the Falcon 9 carried a cut-down version of its Dragon freighter - a blunt-nosed, 3.6m-wide capsule that will collect engineering performance data during the ascent.

On future flights, Dragon will be filled with supplies for the International Space Station.

Historically, the maiden flights of rockets have a notoriously high failure rate. Some two-thirds of the rockets introduced in the past 20 years have had an unsuccessful first outing.

Millionaire Elon Musk set up SpaceX in 2002 and has already flown a much smaller rocket called the Falcon 1.

To keep costs as low as possible, the Falcon 9 uses many of the same components and systems, including its kerosene/liquid-oxygen-burning Merlin engines.

SpaceX was awarded a $1.6bn contract by Nasa in 2008 for up to 12 Falcon/Dragon missions to the ISS.

The Dragon freighter, once operational, is expected to be capable of hauling six tonnes of food, water, air and equipment to the platform.

The company says it has designed Dragon in such a way that it can be converted relatively easily into a crew ship, if Nasa so desires it.

The company claims that it would be ready to launch astronauts on the Falcon within three years of being given an ISS taxiing contract.

However, other space companies and their rockets will almost certainly be in competition for such work, including some of the established industry names like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

SpaceX hopes the Falcon 9 can also take a sizeable share of the commercial satellite launch market.

It is quoting prices to put large telecommunications spacecraft in geostationary orbit that dramatically undercut current sector leaders, such as Europe's Ariane 5 and Russia's Proton vehicles.

But Rachel Villain from the respected space analysts Euroconsult said many in the satellite business were being cautious about SpaceX's future prospects.

"This is not new in the industry," she told BBC News.

"When we had the maiden flight of Ariane 4, when we had the maiden flight of Atlas 3, the maiden flight of Delta 4 - all these vehicles promoted a good price for the company taking the risk of being on an early launch. I, like many in the industry, am watching to see if SpaceX can sustain these prices."

Israel has reiterated that a ship carrying aid and international activists will not be allowed to break its blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The MV Rachel Corrie is on schedule to reach the territory early on Saturday.

The confrontation comes days after Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla of aid ships approaching Gaza, leaving nine people dead and many more injured.

The raid brought strong condemnation of Israel, especially from Turkey where most of the victims were from.

"We will stop the ship, and also any other ship that will try to harm Israeli sovereignty," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israeli television.

"There is no chance the Rachel Corrie will reach the coast of Gaza."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Thursday that the boat would not be allowed to reach the territory.

Aid pledge

The ship is named after a US college student who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer as she protested over house demolitions in Gaza.

Israel has told the ship to dock at the Israeli port of Ashdod and promised that the aid will be taken by road to Gaza, after officials have examined it.

In a statement, the White House reiterated its belief that the blockade of Gaza was "unsustainable", but urged activists on the Rachel Corrie to do as the Israelis asked and take the aid to Ashdod.

Irish Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire, who is aboard the ship, has insisted it will not be diverted.

"We are not afraid," she told Irish broadcaster RTE by satellite telephone.

"We started out to deliver this cargo to the people of Gaza and to break the siege of Gaza, that is what we want to do," the 66-year-old human rights campaigner said.

The Irish foreign ministry said the ship should be allowed to proceed to Gaza.

"Those on board the Rachel Corrie have made clear their peaceful intentions and have stated that they will offer no resistance to Israeli forces," it said.

Activists told the BBC that they aimed to arrive just outside Israel's 20-mile (32km) exclusion zone off Gaza by Saturday morning.

They said there were 20 people on board, including five Irish nationals, six Malaysians and nine crew members.

Accounts differ as to what happened when Israeli soldiers abseiled from helicopters on to the Turkish passenger ship Mavi Marmara in the early hours of last Monday.

Israel says the commandos were attacked with sticks and knives and used their weapons in self-defence. Activists say troops opened fire without provocation.

Israeli soldiers were among those injured in the incident.

Protests against the raid have taken place in cities around the world.

In Lebanon on Friday, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the radical group Hezbollah, addressed thousands of his supporters via a video link in Beirut saying another flotilla should be organised as soon as possible.

Threats over trade

Turkey has warned it might reduce economic and defence ties with Israel following Monday's raid, which took place in international waters.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Ankara was "assessing deals with Israel", until now a close ally.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ratcheted up the pressure on Friday, saying he did not view Hamas, which controls Gaza, as a terrorist organisation.

In a televised speech Mr Erdogan described Hamas as "resistance fighters who are struggling to defend their land".

Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU.

Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas came to power. Egypt has occasionally opened its Rafah crossing with Gaza on humanitarian grounds, and opened it again following the Israeli sea-borne raid.

Are you on the MV Rachel Corrie? Do the issues in this story affect you? Send us your comments using the form below.

A law intended to curb illegal immigration is to take effect in the southwestern state of Arizona late next month and it is generating controversy across the United States. Recent public opinion polls indicate that a majority of Americans, including those in Arizona, support the new law, which requires non-citizens to carry documents that show that they are in the United States legally. It also requires Arizona police to question people if there is reason to believe they are not in the country legally. Our correspondent reports from Tucson, Arizona that both sides in the debate say it is up to Washington to settle the immigration issue.

The new law has led to protests throughout the United States and it is dividing the people of Tucson. The city is only 100 kilometers from the U.S. border with Mexico. And authorities say that at least 40 percent of U.S. border crossing arrests are in the Tucson region. More than 240,000 illegal migrants were apprehended in there last year.

South of Tucson, on the border, residents complain of human and drug smuggling, of nuisances like trash left by those who cross the border illegally, and of violence.

Bill Odle's home is on the border. He says lack of action by the U.S. government prompted the state measure.

"Because we're so disappointed in the failure of the federal government to do anything productive. They [federal government] are charged with that [border enforcement] in the Constitution. And they have just failed," said Bill Odle.
But in the Hispanic neighborhood of South Tucson, attitudes are different. At a local charity that offers food to the poor, Mexican American activist Pancho Medina says the law targets Hispanics.

"The state legislature should be saying, 'Mexicans, go home! Go back to Mexico, Mexicans!' That's what they're really saying. And I'm angry because I'm more of an American, I'm a better citizen, more patriotic than half of these people in the United States," said Pancho Medina.

Responding to criticism, the Arizona legislature changed the wording of the law to ensure that race is not a factor in enforcement.

But critics like Reverend Delle McCormick of the group BorderLinks say race will be decisive.

"Everybody knows who's stopped more often here," said Delle McCormick. "I mean, it's happened for years. It's people of color, people with brown skin or light brown skin. It's people who are smaller in stature. People who wear a particular kind of clothing, have a backpack on, have dark clothing, look like they've come through the desert, look like they're a migrant."

Police worry that the law will hurt relations with the Hispanic community.

Captain Michael Gillooly, chief of staff of the Tucson Police Department, says the new law will take officers away from enforcing other laws.

"And that might be challenging for us because we're a busy community, a busy police department," said Captain Gillooly. "And we will have to find time for that. The challenge is that the law also prescribes a remedy for a civil lawsuit against the city and the police department, if somebody feels we did not enforce the law when we had an opportunity to do so."
Since Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law in April, dozens of U.S. cities have launched boycotts against the state. Economists say they might already be having an impact on Arizona's tourist industry, which employs 40,000 people in Tucson alone.

But Kimberly Schmitz of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitor's Bureau says the boycotts will not resolve the issue of immigration.

"Boycotts are bad for everybody," said Kimberly Schmitz. "Everybody suffers. There's just nothing good that comes out of it. We believe that there are other ways to work with some of the issues that are going on than to try to deprive an industry or really deprive people in an industry of their livelihood."

The new law faces civil lawsuits. And the Obama administration is considering a court challenge by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Law professors at the University of Arizona in Tucson have tried to untangle the issues. One says the law is not well written, but that it raises important questions about the place of race in law enforcement and the role of local officials in enforcing federal immigration law. Professor Marc Miller says it is unclear whether the Arizona law will withstand a court challenge.

"And part of the difficulty in answering the question is that to understand all of the legal issues involved with this bill requires about half of a modern American law faculty," said Marc Miller. "You have to be a criminal lawyer, an expert in criminal procedure, in state and federal relations, in state and local law, in constitutional law and in immigration law."

President Barack Obama has promised to send an additional 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border, but that has done little to satisfy either side in the debate.

In the end, most people agree that the federal government has the main responsibility for overseeing immigration. Conservatives largely favor better fences and stricter border enforcement. And liberals want immigration reform with a path to citizenship for some of the millions of people who are already in the United States illegally.

Another confrontation is looming on the high seas off the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip, days after Israel's deadly flotilla raid.

Pro-Palestinian activists are sailing another ship with humanitarian supplies toward Gaza to try and break the Israeli blockade. It is expected to arrive soon, though it is not clear precisely when. Organizers say Israel is jamming communications and they have lost contact with the vessel.

On Monday, Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla, killing nine activists on board and sparking international outrage. The ship that is now on its way to Gaza is carrying 11 activists, including a Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Northern Ireland. Israel says this vessel, too, will be intercepted.

Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement says activists will not be intimidated. "This is an act of defiance. So it won't make any difference what Israel does. We are still going to go. We have been threatened. We are not going to be stopped," said Berlin.

Video of Monday's incident shows that when Israeli commandos stormed the flotilla, they were beaten by activists wielding clubs. The military also released photos of dozens of knives that were confiscated from the ships.

U.S. President Barack Obama told CNN late Thursday that he acknowledges Israel's security concerns but still called Monday's Israeli raid tragic.

Berlin says the passengers on the ship approaching now are unarmed. "We like to say we are non-violent, direct-action activists. And that simply means that when there is an injustice we will non-violently resist," said Berlin.

Israel has rejected demands by the United Nations to lift the blockade on Gaza, saying that would enable the ruling Palestinian militant group Hamas to rearm with rockets and missiles. At the same time, officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might ease the blockade to appease international anger. While ships heading to Gaza would be searched, more civilian goods would be allowed in to the enclave.

The Pentagon is denying reports from Seoul there will be a joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercise as early as next week in response to the conclusion of an international investigation that North Korea sank a South Korean ship in March. Officials also deny that there is a plan for a U.S. aircraft carrier to be involved in any exercises off the Korean coast.

Two senior spokesmen have denied the reports. In an e-mail, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said "no carriers are going anywhere near the Korean peninsula anytime soon." Morrell is in Singapore, where U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will discuss the Korean tensions with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, as well as with senior defense officials from other Asian nations. Morrell says Gates has made no decision to send an aircraft carrier to the region, and no such decision is expected soon.

In Seoul, the defense ministry spokesman told reporters earlier that a U.S.-South Korean naval exercises will start on Monday in the Yellow Sea, near the area where the South Korean ship was sunk. Some reports said it would involve a U.S. aircraft carrier based in Japan.

But at the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman said that is not accurate.

"There have not been any decisions with respect to these reports I see about carrier exercises," said Bryan Whitman. "I have talked to you about the exercises that the United States is contemplating and planning with respect to the Republic of Korea. And those are some maritime security exercises and an anti-submarine exercise that is going to take place later this month or early next month."

Whitman had previously announced those two joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercises in response to the ship sinking. Another official says there could be a joint U.S.-South Korean announcement in Seoul on Friday to clarify exactly what exercises will be held, and when, and which ships will be involved.

Some experts caution that if an aircraft carrier is sent it could provoke a strong reaction from North Korea. American aircraft carriers are the largest and most capable navy ships in the world, with dozens of fighter jets and other significant firepower on board.

Shortly before landing in Singapore Thursday evening, Secretary Gates told reporters on his plane the United States is considering additional joint exercises with South Korea, but he did not provide specifics.

"An important element this time will be to reassure the South Koreans of our support as they face these provocations and a North [Korea] that seems even more unpredictable than usual," said Robert Gates.

The international investigation concluded that a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine sank the South Korean Navy ship the Cheonan, killing 46 men on board. North Korea has denied involvement.

Gates had hoped to discuss the Korean tensions with Chinese officials during his trip, but China said 'no' to his plan to visit Beijing and did not even send a senior delegation to the annual Singapore conference.

Japanese lawmakers have elected Naoto Kan as the country's new prime minister, two days after the surprise resignation of Yukio Hatoyama.

Mr Kan, the outgoing finance minister, promised a "new start" after ruling Democratic Party (DPJ) members chose him as their new leader.

He becomes Japan's fifth prime minister in three years.

Mr Hatoyama resigned as prime minister on Wednesday in a dispute over a US military base in southern Japan.

He had promised to move the airbase off Okinawa island, but failed to find an acceptable compromise to please locals and the US.

In a speech to DPJ members on Friday, Mr Kan said the alliance with the US would remain the "cornerstone" of Japan's diplomacy, but he made no pledges about the base.

"Prime Minister Hatoyama opened the door for a new DPJ to be built," Mr Kan was quoted as saying by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

"We have to rebuild the party and make a brand new start."

'Straight-talker'

Mr Kan was confirmed as prime minister by votes in both houses of parliament.

The 63-year-old took over the finance ministry in January and has also been serving as deputy prime minister.

He defeated little-known Shinji Tarutoko, chairman of the lower house environmental committee, by a vote of 291-129 among DPJ members of parliament.

Mr Hatoyama's cabinet formally resigned earlier on Friday, clearing the way for a party vote.

Mr Kan is expected to form a cabinet in the next few days, and to be sworn in by Emperor Akihito next week.

The DPJ has been swift to elect a new leader in preparation for upper house elections in July.

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says Mr Kan is seen as a straight-talker with a reputation for standing up to the powerful bureaucracy.

He has pushed for higher taxes and spending cuts to tackle Japan's national debt, the biggest in the industrial world.

He is one of the DPJ's most high-profile politicians because of his role in exposing a scandal involving HIV-tainted blood products in the 1990s.

Our correspondent says the new prime minister will have to move quickly to impress voters and to reinvigorate a centre-left government, which many believe has lost its way after just nine months.

The Turkish president has said that Israel's military raid on civilian aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip has caused "irreparable" damage to his country's relations with Israel, and will "never" be forgiven.

"From now on, Turkish-Israeli ties will never be the same. This incident has left an irreparable and deep scar," Abdullah Gul said in a televised speech on Thursday, as thousands gathered in the streets of Istanbul to pay their respects to the humanitarian activists killed during the raid.

The raid "is not an issue that can be forgotten... or be covered up... Turkey will never forgive this attack," he said.

Nine people - eight Turks and a US national of Turkish origin- were killed in Monday's pre-dawn raid on the Mavi Mamara, which was carrying aid to Gaza in a bid to break Israel's strangling blockade of the territory.

As their funerals got underway on Thursday, thousands poured onto the streets around the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, chanting slogans condemning Israel and waving Turkish and Palestinian flags.

Turkish media estimated the size of the crowd as between 15,000 and 20,000 people, a reflection of the depth of anger in Turkey over the Israeli assault on the ships.

Several imams directed the mourners in prayer as eight of the coffins, draped in Turkish and Palestinian flags, were laid on marble stands for people to pay their respects.

Shot from above

The demonstration came as Turkish forensic experts confirmed that the nine activists had been shot dead.

Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, who reported from the ship during the raid, confirmed that live ammunition had been used by Israeli commandos as they stormed the ship.

He said that he witnessed some of the killings, and confirmed that at least "one person was shot through the top of the head from [the helicopter] above."

Elshayyal was on the top deck when the ship was attacked and said that within a few minutes of seeing the Israeli helicopters, there were shots being fired from above.

"The first shots [coming from Israeli boats at sea] were tear gas, sound grenades and rubber coated steel bullets," said Eshayyal.

"Live shots came five minutes after that. There was definitely live fire from the air and from the sea as well."

He confirmed that some passengers took apart some of the ship's railings to defend themselves as they saw the Israeli soldiers approaching.

"After the shooting and the first deaths, people put up white flags and signs in English and Hebrew," he said.

"An Israeli [on the ship] asked the soldiers to take away the injured, but they did not and the injured died on the ship."

Injured flown home

Earlier on Thursday, three air ambulances landed at a military base in Ankara, the Turkish capital, carrying wounded activists who were transferred from Israeli custody to hospitals in the city.

Hundreds of supporters, including Bulent Arinc, Turkey's deputy prime minister, and several other Turkish politicians, gathered at the airport in Istanbul to welcome the returning activists.

"They faced barbarism and oppression but returned with pride," Arinc told hundreds of jubilant relatives and supporters outside the airport, chanting "God is Great!"

Almost all of the detained passengers on board the flotilla have now been released.

Seven activists wounded in Monday's clashes were still being treated in an Israeli hospital, the Israeli foreign ministry said.

Three others - an Irishman and two women from Australia and Italy - remained in Israel "for technical reasons", the ministry said.

But Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said that four Palestinian-Israelis also remain in prison.

Our correspondent said that Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was one of those still being held.

Israel defiant

Israel has remained defiant over the raid, rejecting calls for an international investigation into the incident, and warning it is ready to intercept another aid ship, the Rachel Corrie, that is due to head for Gaza next week.

Accusing international critics of "hypocrisy," Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, defended the seizure of the aid ships on Wednesday.

"This was not the Love Boat," he said in a televised address to the nation, referring to the vessel boarded by commandos. "It was a hate boat."

"These weren't pacifists, these weren't peace activists, they were violent supporters of terrorism."

Netanyahu said the aim of the flotilla was to break the blockade of Gaza, not to bring aid.

He said that if the blockade ended, ships would bring in thousands of missiles from Iran to be aimed at Israel and beyond, creating what he said would be an Iranian port on the Mediterranean.

"The same countries that are criticising us today should know that they would be targeted tomorrow," Netanyahu said.

However, Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said the flotilla tragedy only highlights the serious underlying problem - namely, the siege imposed on the Gaza.

He said that the siege was "counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong".

"It punishes innocent civilians," he said, calling for the siege to be lifted immediately.

South Africa has recalled its ambassador to Israel amid continuing diplomatic anger over Israel's deadly attack on humanitarian aid ships bound for Gaza.

The government had already condemned Monday's attack on the flotilla, which left nine civilians dead, as "a gross violation of international law".

Speaking on Thursday, Ebrahim Ebrahim, South Africa's junior foreign minister, said: "The recall of ambassador Ishmael Coovadia is to show our strongest condemnation of the attack.

"This recent Israel aggression of attacking the aid flotilla severely impacts on finding a lasting solution to the problems of the region."

'Not permanent'

Addressing journalists in Pretoria, Ebrahim said: "We are recalling him [Coovadia] for consultation which suggests that after consultation he will go back to Tel Aviv. It's not a permanent recall."

Ebrahim said that a South African who was part of the flotilla had been released from Israeli detention.

"Ms Gadija Davids was in fact on one of these flights arranged by the Turkish government that left Tel Aviv late last night and will in fact tomorrow be landing in South Africa," he said.

Yigal Palmor, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, said that his country regretted the South African announcement.

"Those who criticize Israel would be better advised to turn their criticism against the terror-supporting rioters from the flotilla, who have nothing to do with humaneness," he said.

South Africa is the latest of several countries to take diplomatic action against Israel over the raid.

'Illegal nature'

The nine activists killed in Monday's pre-dawn raid on the Mavi Mamara were all Turkish or of Turkish origin.

Ankara has strongly condemned Israel's actions, cancelling joint military exercises and withdrawing its ambassador to Israel.

Nicaragua suspended all diplomatic ties with Israel on Tuesday.

Rosario Murillo, communications chief for Daniel Ortega, the Nicaraguan president, said her country's position "underscored the illegal nature of the attack on a humanitarian mission in clear violation of international and humanitarian law".

Stockholm also summoned Israel's ambassador to Sweden to demand an explanation for the attack, which it called "completely unacceptable", as eleven Swedish nationals were travelling in the aid convoy.

Israel claims it killed the activists in self defence, citing footage of soldiers being hit with poles and one being thrown overboard.

The UN Security Council has called for an impartial inquiry into the raid which took place in international waters. The call was rejected by Israel.

Hundreds of activists deported from Israel after a failed attempt to breach the blockade on the Gaza strip have returned to Turkey. The activists received a warm reception on their pre-dawn arrival.
Around 1,000 people gathered at Istanbul's Ataturk airport to greet more than 500 returning activists. Thousands more celebrated and demonstrated against Israel in the heart of Istanbul.

The activists were greeted like heroes, and many could not wait to tell their stories to the waiting army of journalists.

"Twelve or 13 boats attacked us, along with four or five helicopters," one man said. " They just opened up fire on us. I heard the captain saying on the VHF radio we are unarmed."

Observers say such stories are fueling Turkish public outrage over Israel's seizing the six ships.

The flotilla aimed to break a blockade that Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip in an effort to stop weapons from reaching the region that is controlled by the militant Hamas movement. The six ships had defied a warning from the Israeli navy not to approach the region, and the ships were boarded early Monday by Israeli forces.

Nine activists died during the operation. Their bodies also arrived in Turkey and autopsies of the dead said all died of gunshot wounds.

Israel says its troops only used their pistols after they were attacked, and released a video showing soldiers in riot gear descending from a helicopter into a crowd of men with sticks and clubs. Three or four activists overpowered each soldier as he landed, beating each one to the deck.

One of the main organizers of the relief effort was the Turkish charity the Foundation for Humanitarian Relief, which has Islamic roots. Israel accuses the charity of having links to terrorism, a charge it denies.

Turkish prosecutors are reportedly collecting statements for a possible case against Israel. The two countries have, until recently, had close political and military ties and Turkey was widely seen as Israel's only friend in the region.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held back from major diplomatic sanctions, other than recalling Turkey's ambassador. But Mr. Erdogan is facing increasing pressure to do more.

The Turkish Parliament passed a motion calling for a complete review of all political, economic and military ties with Israel. The country's powerful Islamic media, which traditionally supports the government, has called for severing ties.

Lawmakers in the Turkish parliament are urging the government to review political, economic and military ties with Israel in the wake of Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

The lawmakers approved a declaration Wednesday that calls the raid a clear violation of United Nations rules as well as international law.

Earlier Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country wants an international commission set up to investigate the incident.

Turkey, which lost four citizens in the raid, has led the international outcry against the Israeli operation. Turkish officials have repeatedly called for an independent investigation, while the United States says it supports an internal probe done by Israel.

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the phone Tuesday. A White House statement said Mr. Obama expressed his condolences for Turkey's losses and stressed the importance of finding better ways to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza without undermining Israel's security.

Turkey has called for the Israeli blockade of the region to be lifted.

Nicaragua suspended its diplomatic relations with Israel on Tuesday in protest of the deadly raid.

Russia and the European Union issued a joint call Tuesday for an impartial probe, and separately condemned Israel's use of deadly force.

A White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said the Obama administration agrees with the wording of a U.N. Security Council statement, which does not specifically blame Israel for the bloodshed.

Israel has said its troops fired shots in self-defense after they boarded the aid convoy in international waters and encountered resistance.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he considering all the options for an investigation into an Israeli raid aboard a ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip that ended in the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists.

The U.N. chief stepped off a plane from Africa Wednesday and immediately went into separate meetings with ambassadors from Israel, Turkey, the Arab States and the permanent five Security Council member countries.

Afterwards, he told reporters he is ready to take "the necessary action" to start a full investigation into the events on the Turkish flagged ship the Mavi Marmara. But he said he would proceed in a deliberate manner, discussing it with all the concerned parties, before making a decision on how to go forward.

"It [the investigation] should be one which can gain credibility and support from the parties concerned," said Ban Ki-moon. "This is a very sensitive and even difficult, therefore, I am still in the process of these consultations. I will try to make it as impartial, as credible, as transparent as possible."

Mr. Ban added that there are "various options" for the investigation, but would not go into details.

He urged the Israeli authorities to quickly provide a full and detailed accounting of the events surrounding the incident, including information on those detained, wounded and killed.

He also noted the decision by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to send an international fact finding mission to the region to look into possible violations of international law.

Secretary-General Ban said the violence aboard the Turkish ship could have been avoided if Israel had heeded earlier calls to lift its three-year long blockade which has prevented essential goods from reaching Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

"This tragedy only highlights the serious underlying problem," he said. "The long-running closure imposed on the Gaza Strip is counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong. It punishes innocent civilians. It must be lifted by the Israeli authorities immediately."

Turkey and Arab states are calling for an independent, international probe into the raid by Israeli commandos on the Mavi Marmara, which was in international waters when it was intercepted. Israel says its soldiers were acting in self-defense because passengers attacked them when the commandos repelled onto the ship from helicopters.

On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council called for a "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation" into the incident. Several council members said that meant an independent investigation with international elements, while the United States said Israel is capable of investigating itself.

The Obama administration is refusing to condemn Israel for its deadly raid on a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip.

Facing reporters' repeated questions at the White House Tuesday, Mr. Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs said the United States agrees with the wording of a U.N. Security Council statement on the controversial raid.

The Security Council said it "deeply regrets" the casualties that occurred during the Israeli military operation, and it condemned "those acts which resulted in the loss" of life. But the statement does not specifically blame Israel for the bloodshed.

President Obama telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has denounced the Israeli action as a "bloody massacre."

Four Turkish citizens were among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos boarded a flotilla of vessels carrying aid supplies to the Gaza Strip, and Turkey has led the international outcry against Israel for its actions.

Turkey also has called for an independent investigation of the incident - not a probe conducted by Israel. Russia and the European Union issued a joint call Tuesday for an impartial probe, and separately condemned Israel's use of deadly force.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for restraint by all sides Tuesday. She voiced support for an Israeli probe of the assault on the aid convoy, saying any inquiry must be prompt, impartial, credible and transparent, as outlined by the Security Council.

Israel has said its troops fired shots in self defense after they boarded the aid convoy in international waters and encountered resistance.

A White House statement about Mr. Obama's conversation with Prime Minister Erdogan says the president expressed his condolences for Turkey's losses and stressed the importance of finding better ways to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel's security.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been scheduled to visit President Barack Obama at the White House Tuesday, but canceled the trip and returned to Israel from Canada.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is expected to meet Mr. Obama at the White House June 9 as scheduled.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

Israel says it is speeding up deportation of hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who were aboard ships stormed by Israeli commandos this week. The raid in the Mediterranean this week killed nine activists and sparked a storm of worldwide protests.

More than 100 deported activists have arrived at the Jordanian border.

They had hoped to break the blockade on Gaza but, instead, were taken by Israeli authorities early Wednesday on buses from a prison at Bersheeva in Israel to the Allenby bridge on Jordan's border.

Israel says it wants to get all of the activists out of the country within two days.

The deportees are from countries including Indonesia, Pakistan, Mauritania, and a number of other nations that have no diplomatic ties with Israel.

The deportees, who included journalists aboard the vessels, spoke of their experiences after Israeli commandos stormed the ships in the early hours of Monday and during their detention in Israel. This man, arriving at the border, complained of what he describes as brutal treatment by the Israelis.

He says what he saw were tragic and bloody scenes. He says he had thought that Israel, a democratic state, would differentiate between militants and civilians and, within civilians, see the difference between journalists and human rights activists. He says he was surprised the Israeli reaction was so violent.

Israel has released more video of the raid on the open sea. The sound of gunshots and shouting tell of violence in the moments that Israeli commandos descended from helicopters onto the deck of the Turkish-flagged main vessel of the flotilla.

One of the commandos, speaking to Israeli TV from his hospital bed, said activists attacked him first.

He says those he encountered on the deck of the ship were not peace activists. He expected verbal and forceful opposition, but not with such strength. He says each and every one who approached him on the deck, he could perceive was out to kill him.

Israel says its commandos acted in self-defense and said it regrets the loss of life.

None of the explanations, however, have quelled the protests around the world.

In Turkey, anti-Israel demonstrations have prompted the Israeli government to order the families of Israeli diplomats to leave the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected criticism of his commandos' storming of an activist flotilla that was trying to break the blockade on Gaza. The raid, Monday, killed nine activists. International criticism is growing, but as our correspondent reports, Israel is not bowing to international pressure for it to lift the blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unapologetic in the face of mounting criticism.

"Israel regrets the loss of life," said Benjamin Netanyahu. "But we will never apologize for defending ourselves."

He said the flotilla that Israeli commandos raided on Monday intended to break the blockade, not bring aid to Gaza.

Mr. Netanyahu said Israel could not afford to let the flotilla break the blockade, saying that would have been followed by hundreds of boats possibly carrying missiles to the militant Islamist group Hamas that rules Gaza.

"Hamas is smuggling thousands of Iranian rockets, missiles, and other weaponry, smuggling it into Iran to establish a Mediterranean port a few dozen kilometers from Tel Aviv and from Jerusalem," he said.

Mr. Netanyahu said Israel has a right to inspect cargo going into Gaza.

"And we do let civilian goods get into Gaza," said Netanyahu. "There's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Each week an average of 10,000 tons of goods enter Gaza. There's no shortage of food. There's no shortage of medicine. There's no shortage of other goods. So our naval personnel had no choice but to board these vessels."

Israeli authorities said they speeded up deportation of the activists and cleared the last of the nearly 700 people who were aboard the flotilla for departure. Some were flying out on Turkish and Greek airplanes. Another group of nationals of countries that have no diplomatic ties to Israel were bussed to the Jordanian border.

Some, like this man, complained of brutal treatment by the Israelis.

He says he witnessed tragic and bloody scenes. He says he was surprised that Israel, as a democratic state, would mistreat people, and that its reaction was so violent.

Israel dropped plans to prosecute some of the activists for attacking the commandos. But this, along with the release of the activists, and the government's repeated efforts to justify the raid at sea is not stopping the growing wave of criticism.

The parliament of Turkey, where most of the flotilla activists are from, is calling for a review of all of its ties to Israel.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the raid completely unacceptable and called on Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza.

The raid, which came just weeks after the start of U.S.-brokered proximity talks, has cast further doubt on the peace process.

U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is back in the region, but has announced no plans to meet with Israeli leaders.