Bringing the Internet within reach of 100 million Indonesians from 20 kms above Earth

Google Blog, Thursday, October 29, 2015  

In Indonesia today, only about 1 out of every 3 people are connected to the Internet. And even though most of their connections are painfully slow, they’re doing some pretty incredible things. Startups like motorcycle delivery service Go-Jek are building impressive adaptations to Indonesia’s unique challenges, while small businesses like fashionable hijab shop HiJup are using the web to redefine marketplaces.

Still, a majority of Indonesians don’t have access to the educational, cultural, and economic opportunities of the Internet. That’s why we’re pleased to announce that Indonesia’s top three mobile network operators—Indosat, Telkomsel, and XL Axiata—have agreed to begin testing Project Loon balloon-powered Internet over Indonesia in 2016. These tests represent an important step toward bringing all of Indonesia online.

From left to right: Ririek Adriansyah, CEO of Telkomsel; Dian Siswarini, CEO of
XL Axiata; Alexander Rusli, CEO of Indosat; Mike Cassidy, VP of Project Loon;
Sergey Brin, President, Alphabet Inc

Loon balloons act like floating mobile phone towers; flying on the stratospheric winds at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, each balloon beams an Internet connection down to the ground, and as one drifts out of range, another moves in to take its place. Loon can help telecommunications companies extend their networks; high in the sky, we can help overcome the difficulties of spreading equipment across an archipelago of 17,000 islands of jungles and mountains, providing connectivity to even the most remote islands.

Project Loon balloons travel approximately 20 km above the Earth’s surface in

 the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are stratified, and each layer of wind 

varies in speed and direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can be 

arranged to form one large communications network

  

Over the next few years, we’re hoping Loon can partner with local providers to put high-speed LTE Internet connections within reach of more than 100 million currently unconnected people—that’s enough speed to read websites, watch videos, or make purchases. From Sabang all the way to Merauke, many of these people live in areas without any existing Internet infrastructure, so we hope balloon-powered Internet could someday help give them access to the information and opportunity of the web.

But it’s not the only step Google is taking toward making the Internet both accessible and useful for people in Indonesia. Android One phones are helping to make high-quality smartphones more accessible in a country where most people first access the Internet on a mobile device. And along with that, we’re working to ease the use of data with features sure as Search Lite, which streamlines search so pages load more quickly, or by optimizing web pages so that they require less data to load. Indonesia is also one of the first countries where YouTube users can take videos offline to watch later during periods of low or no Internet connectivity.

We’re also doing what we can to ensure that language isn’t a barrier to the opportunities of the web. Google Translate was introduced for Bahasa in 2008, and more recently we’ve expanded it to Sundanese, a language that’s spoken by nearly 40 million people living on the island of Java.

Soon we hope many more millions of people in Indonesia will be able to use the full Internet to bring their culture and businesses online and explore the world even without leaving home. And for those of you who’ve never been to this country of rich culture and natural beauty, we invite you to head over to Google Street View to explore the famous temples at Borobudur and Prambanan.

Posted by Mike Cassidy, Vice President, Project Loon

Australia marks 30 years since Uluru returned to Aboriginal owners

Yahoo – AFP, 26 Oct 2015

Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, a large sandstone rock formation and the

 world's largest monolith situated in the southern part of Australia's Northern Territory

(AFP Photo/Greg Wood)

Australia on Monday marked 30 years since the world's largest monolith Uluru was returned to its traditional Aboriginal owners with the government admitting it has not lived up to commitments made back then.

The iconic symbol of the Outback, also known as Ayers Rock, was handed back to the Anangu people, the area's original inhabitants who have lived in the area for thousands of years, on October 26, 1985.

As part of the agreement, the government signed a 99-year lease to jointly manage the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park with the traditional custodians. More jobs and better living standards were expected to flow to the Anangu from the deal.

But Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said it had not always gone as planned.

Uluru, a giant red rock that rises 348m above Australian desert, is surrounded by

 thousands of sq. kilometres of desolate Outback and forms a key part of Aboriginal 

creation mythology (AFP Photo/Torsten Blackwood)

"The implicit part of the agreement is that Anangu people do better because of the things that would come here; they would have jobs, they would have a better life, they would have more choices," he told reporters.

"The deal isn't complete, those opportunities have never been provided in the way they should have been. We need to make that change and we need to make that now."

He said 254 of the 450 Anangu community members in the area were out of work, despite the fact the Ayers Rock Resort, 20 minutes away, welcomed 300,000 visitors a year.

"We can't accept that there's 254 people in Mutitjulu on the dole," Scullion said.

"We can't just accept glibly pretty low inter-generational levels of literacy and numeracy. We can't simply look at that and say it's OK.

"This should be a reminder to us all to refocus our efforts (across Australia)."

Uluru, the iconic symbol of Australian Outback, also known as Ayers Rock, was

 handed back to the Anangu people, the area's original inhabitants who have lived 

in the area for thousands of years, on October 26, 1985 (AFP Photo/Greg Wood)

Uluru, a giant red rock that rises 348 metres (1,148 feet) above the desert, is surrounded by thousands of square kilometres of desolate Outback and forms a key part of Aboriginal creation mythology. It is also a World Heritage site.

While artist Malya Teamay told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he was pleased with the way tourists were learning about Aboriginal culture, others said the Anangu people seemed to be missing out on much of the economic activity.

Sammy Wilson, chairman of the board of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, criticised the government for directing much of its funding to the Ayers Rock Resort, which he said had become the focus of tourism and not the local people.

"It seems like a big vacuum cleaner is sucking everything away," Wilson said.

"This place (Uluru) is our culture here, but it (the funding) is ending up over there (at the resort); it should be here."

Australia marks 30 years since world's largest monolith Uluru returned to Aboriginal owners https://t.co/cEtFnzzDyE pic.twitter.com/PJ72v5vaiY

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) October 26, 2015

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Thousands of Israelis rally for peace talks with Palestinians

Yahoo – AFP, Laurent Lonzano, 24 Oct 2015

An Israeli activist holds a banner during a rally demanding fresh Israeli-Palestinian 

peace talks, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the killing of Prime Minister

Yitzhak Rabin, in Tel Aviv on October 24, 2015 (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)

Tel Aviv (AFP) - Thousands of Israelis rallied Saturday for fresh Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the killing of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

The demonstrators chanted "Jews and Arabs don't want to hate each other" and "Israel, Palestine, two states for two peoples" as they came together amid a new upswing in violence which makes prospects for peace in the decades-old conflict look deeply gloomy.

They gathered at Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, the site where the Nobel peace laureate was gunned down by a rightwing Jewish extremist at the age of 73 on November 4, 1995.

Then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 

lights a flame on Jerusalem day at a 

memorial for soldiers who fell, on May 19, 

1993 (AFP Photo/Menahem Kahana)

Activist group Peace Now -- which organised the rally along with the left-wing Meretz party and others -- estimated there were some 6,000 people attending.

Daniel Dojon told AFP he came "because the situation is crazy. I am not talking about safety but the lack of (political) progress, the lack of hope. Israeli politicians are becoming more and more extreme."

Another protester, who identified himself only as Zeev, 67, blamed the lack of a peace process for the current violence.

"It will further deteriorate if we think that being passive is the answer."

Dov Kredo, 60, who attended the peace rally where Rabin was killed, came from Galilee in northern Israel, and said he feels "very pessimistic" about the current situation.

"It is much easier for people to answer the call of fear and hatred," he said.

State memorial

Rabin's killer, Yigal Amir, had hoped to derail the 1993 Oslo accords signed by Rabin and the Palestinians, a landmark agreement aimed at resolving the decades-old conflict.

He is currently serving a life sentence.

According to the Hebrew calendar the anniversary falls now, rather than in November.

On Sunday President Reuven Rivlin hosts a candle-lighting tribute in Rabin's memory and on Monday there will be a state memorial ceremony alongside his grave in the national cemetery on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl.

A picture taken on September 13, 1993 shows US President Bill Clinton (C) 

standing between PLO leader Yasser Arafat (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzahk 

Rabin (L) as they shake hands for the first time, at the White House in Washington DC

 (AFP Photo/J. David Ake)

"The path that was stopped in 1995 is very much the path that needs to be taken today," Peace Now spokeswoman Anat Ben Nun told AFP.

Israeli-Palestinians tensions, always simmering, have surged recently in a wave of Palestinian knife and gun attacks, as well as clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

Since the start of this month, 52 Palestinians and one Israeli Arab have died in clashes or while carrying out attacks.

Eight Israelis have died in attacks. One Israeli Jew and one Eritrean have been killed after being mistaken for attackers.

"What we see now is very much related to the path not taken since 1995," Ben Nun said, adding that Saturday night's protest was aimed at the policies of the incumbent right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The most recent attempt to resolve the conflict collapsed in April 2014 amid bitter recriminations on both sides.

A woman visits the statue of ex-Israeli PM #Rabin on 20th anniversary of his assassination https://t.co/GNuv1QlUCx pic.twitter.com/pnA0jf5kQD

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) October 25, 2015

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S.Africa to overhaul visa rules after tourism slump

Yahoo – AFP, October 23, 2015

People walk on the beach in the upmarket suburb of Camps Bay, one of the most
popular tourist destinations in Cape Town, on January 11, 2014 (AFP Photo/
Rodger Bosch)

Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa said Friday it will overhaul its controversial new visa regulations after the tourist arrivals fell by six percent earlier this year, the biggest decline in six years.

Introduced in June, the new rules demanded that visitors apply for visas in person at South African embassies to have their biometric information taken.

But after months of digging in its heels, the Department of Home Affairs has announced it would ease these restrictions.

"In countries where there is no South African mission, the Department of Home Affairs will receive applications, including by post, and capture biometrics of travellers on arrival at ports of entry," the government's statement said.

"To address concerns around the geographical spread of countries like China, India and Russia, certain measures will be put in place to ease the process of application, in particular for tourists."

The decision comes after President Jacob Zuma established a committee in August to investigate reports that the tourism industry had been badly impacted by the change.

Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom said in July figures for the first quarter of the year showed a "worrying drop".

According to Statistic South Africa, tourists from China decreased by 38 percent in the first quarter compared with the previous period in 2014. India was down by 13 percent.

The six-percent decline in overall tourist arrivals was the biggest fall since 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis.

The regulations still require children from non-visa-exempt countries to travel with unabridged birth certificates in addition to their passports when entering or leaving the country.

The rule has caused widespread confusion, but Home Affairs has strongly defended the measure as necessary in the fight against child trafficking.

The department is also considering the introduction of long-term multiple entry visas for frequent travellers.

South Africa is one of the leading tourism destinations in Africa, with officials aiming to attract 12 million international tourists by 2018.

Pea-sized gesture: Arabs, Jews who share hummus get discount

Yahoo – AFP, October 21, 2015

Kobi Tzafrir, serving diners on October 21, 2015, offers half off regular menu 

prices when Jewish and Arab patrons share tables at his Hummus Bar restaurant

in the central Israeli town of Kfar Vitkin (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Call it a pea-sized gesture, but the Israeli owner of a hummus restaurant cooked it up anyway.

Kobi Tzafrir, an Israeli Jew who runs the Hummus Bar in Kfar Vitkin near the Mediterranean coast, said he was offering 50 percent off for any table where Jews and Arabs sit together.

It is a bid to encourage co-existence even in the most difficult times, with a wave of violence and unrest since the start of the month having raised fears of a full-scale Palestinian uprising.

Many Palestinians, Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews weary from violence would likely look upon the effort with a great deal of scepticism.

But Tzafrir said: "I heard and saw many cruel and harsh things from both Arabs and Jews in these difficult circumstances, and I saw the stress and tension. But I believe that we must live together."

He said a number of groups had already taken advantage of the deal, but did not give a number.

At least one other similar effort has occurred. In the old city of Acre in northern Israel, the owners of the Al Marsa restaurant, Moussa Alaa and Marwan Sawaed, invited the owners of nearby Jewish restaurants to join them for dinner.

"Acre is a mixed city, and the situation in the country affects the Arabs and Jews," Sawaed told AFP.

When violence starts, "the Arabs go with the Arabs and the Jews go with the Jews, and this affects Acre."

"We must live together for the solution. Sitting around a table eating and talking in a civilised manner is the best way to live a common life."

Arab Israelis make up around 17.5 percent of the population of Israel and are largely supportive of Palestinians in the occupied territories.

They are the descendants of Palestinians who remained after the creation of Israel in 1948, and they hold Israeli citizenship.

West Papua Declares Itself 'First Conservation Province' in Indonesia, World

Jakarta Globe, Robert Isidorus, October 19, 2015

West Papua, a region famous for having a rich marine ecosystem and diverse
 flora and fauna, has declared itself as Indonesia's and the world's 'first
conservation province.' (Photo courtesy of Burufly).

Jayapura, Papua. West Papua has declared itself as the world's "first conservation province" in a signed declaration on Monday, in an bid to formally dedicate its efforts to conservation purposes.

The signing of a declaration by West Papua governor Abraham Ataruri took place at the gubernatorial office in the provincial capital of Manokwari, and was attended by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and West Papua district heads.

The West Papua governor admits to being the brainchild of the idea, which is intended on protecting and managing the province's natural resources in a collective effort by its residents.

“This declaration [of transforming West Papua into a conservation site] will help us maintain and manage our natural resources wisely and continuously so that [...] the future generation can enjoy them,” Abraham said.

In order to support West Papua's to function as a conservation province, the local government has created a working group (Pokja), members of which include the People's Assembly of West Papua, the West Papua legislative council, Papua State University, and international NGOs such as WWF Indonesia, Conservation International (CI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Together, they are in the process of preparing regional bills (Ranperdasus) to govern the conservation site.

West Papua is world famous for its rich marine ecosystem and diverse flora and fauna.

The Fullerton Hotel is blanketed in thick haze, in Singapore, on September 24,

2015 (AFP Photo/Roslan Rahman)

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Germany ready to support Turkey's EU accession process, says Merkel

Chancellor Merkel has said Germany will support Turkey's EU membership bid, during a visit aimed at securing Ankara's help in stemming a migrant influx to Europe. Turkish PM Davutoglu hailed Europe's "better approach."

Deutsche Welle, 18 Oct 2015

Merkel and Davutoglu shake hands at a joint-press conference

Germany is ready to accelerate Turkey's EU accession process, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday at a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Merkel spoke of organizing the accesion process "more dynamically."

"Germany is ready this year to open Chapter 17, and make preparations for (Chapters) 23 and 24. We can talk about the details," she said.

Kanzlerin #Merkel zu Gesprächen in #Türkei eingetroffen. Im Mittelpunkt: Syrien+Kooperation in der Flüchtlingskrise. pic.twitter.com/15vLrwt6jM

— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) 18 oktober 2015

Merkel's statement comes as she visits Turkish leaders on Sunday in a bid to secure Ankara's support in stemming the current migrant influx into the EU.

'Better approach'

Davutoglu hailed the EU's latest moves to foster collaboration between Brussels and Ankara as a "better approach."

"Unfortunately Turkey was left alone by the international community in terms of burden sharing. We are very pleased there is a better approach now. The issue of sharing going forward is very important," Davutoglu said.

The Turkish premier also praised Merkel for "not turning a blind eye" to the crisis.

However, Davutoglu noted that "significant new waves of migration" were likely to occur if a political solution to the Syrian conflict does not emerge.

Turkey has taken in more than two million Syrian refugees since a civil war erupted there in 2011, according to UN figures.

Thousands of refugees have crossed the Aegean Sea to enter EU member
state Greece from Turkey

Whole package?

According to officials, the EU offered Ankara an aid package of at least 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) along with an easing EU visa restrictions for Turkish citizens, which Merkel and Davutoglu discussed.

The German chancellor later met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said he asked Merkel to support Turkey's EU membership bid. Erdogan added that he also asked France, Britain and Spain for support.

The EU is struggling to cope with the current influx of asylum seekers, with more than half a million migrants having crossed into the 28-nation bloc in 2015, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in September.

ls/tj (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

Germany, Turkey hail progress in handling refugee crisis http://t.co/KzSFwV7skC pic.twitter.com/HgwlJBVOOH

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 18 oktober 2015

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Australia doctors demand children be freed from immigration detention

Australia doctors demand children be freed from #immigration detention http://t.co/oSHkZyvn5V pic.twitter.com/s9yLBKHA2Z

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 12 oktober 2015

Australia doctors demand children be freed from immigration detention

Yahoo – AFP, Martin Parry, 12 Oct 2015

A woman holds a banner at a rally in support of refugees and asylum seekers,

in Sydney, on October 11, 2015 (AFP Photo/Peter Parks)

Australian doctors on Monday ramped up pressure on the government over its hardline policy on asylum-seekers, saying children they treat from immigration centres should not be returned to detention where conditions could harm them.

Thousands of Australians rallied over the weekend urging Pacific island detention camps be shut, and medical professionals at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne are reportedly refusing to discharge asylum-seeker patients if they are to be locked up again.

The stance was backed by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).

Ethnic Syrians attend a rally in support of

 refugees and asylum seekers, in Sydney, on

October 11, 2015 (AFP Photo/Peter Parks)

AMA president Brain Owler said children behind bars suffered psychologically and doctors faced an ethical dilemma.

"Doctors are put in a very difficult position," he told national radio.

"If we had a child that comes into our hospital that we feared if sending them back to an environment which we felt was going to be harmful, where they were at risk of abuse, we would be negligent if we sent them back to that environment.

"And that is what the doctors at the Royal Children's Hospital are saying. We cannot send children back to an environment where they're going to be harmed."

RACP president Nick Talley added in a statement that "time and again, the Australian public has seen inquiries and heard excuses for the wrongs committed against children inside these detention centres".

"The health and well-being of children should never be open to compromise. No child should be held in detention," he said.

All asylum-seekers coming by boat to Australia are now sent to camps in Papua New Guinea and Nauru and ultimately denied resettlement in Australia even if they are found to be genuine refugees.

Although the tough policy, which also includes turning back boats, has stopped frequent drownings, human rights organisations have slammed the prolonged detention, particularly of children, as a breach of Australia's legal obligations.

Canberra has also been accused of drawing a veil of secrecy over its treatment of asylum-seekers with new laws introduced this year criminalising the disclosure of information about boatpeople in its care, including by doctors.

Harsh policy

Owler estimated some 200 children were being held, about half in Australia and the rest offshore. Government figures recently said 86 children were on Nauru.

Distressed about the welfare of dozens of patients brought to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne while in immigration detention, staff on Sunday penned an emotive opinion piece for the Herald Sun newspaper.

A demonstrator (L) representing the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association, 

seen at a rally in support of refugees and asylum seekers, in Sydney, on October 11,

2015 (AFP Photo/Peter Parks)

"As health staff at a leading children's hospital, our duty is to support child health. We cannot accept or condone harm to children. Detention causes harm and it must end," it said.

"We call for moral leadership on this issue to find a solution, quickly -- to use alternatives to detention and to stop the harm."

The numbers of children in immigration detention peaked at 1,992 in mid-2013 under the former Labor administration, but they have been significantly reduced since the conservative government was elected in September that year.

Since ousting Tony Abbott for the leadership of the Liberal Party and the government last month, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has admitted to concerns about the Pacific camps. But he has given no indication of immediate policy changes.

"Nobody wants to have children in detention ... we have been working very hard to reduce those numbers," he told parliament Monday, while advocating a tough asylum-seeker policy as a necessary deterrent.

"We recognise that our border protection policy is tough, we recognise many would see it as harsh. But it has been proven to be the only way to stop those deaths at sea and to ensure that our sovereignty and our borders are safe."

Australia doctors demand children be freed from #immigration detention http://t.co/oSHkZyvn5V pic.twitter.com/s9yLBKHA2Z

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 12 oktober 2015

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Germany calls for global abolition of death penalty on world awareness day

The German government has urged countries around the globe to bring an end to capital punishment. The call coincides with the thirteenth "World Day Against the Death Penalty."

Deutsche Welle, 10 Oct 2015

German commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, Christoph Strässer (SPD), said on Saturday that the punishment has no place in the 21st century.

"I encourage all people who work against this cruel and inhuman punishment, to continue their efforts continue," Strässer said.

"There is a misconception that the death penalty is good to fight crime," he commented, adding that despite a general move away from capital punishment around the world, the number of execution cases in China, Iran, Saudia Arabia and Iraq had recently been on the increase.

Amnesty International estimates that in the first half of this year alone, almost 700 people were sentenced to death in Iran . According to the human rights organization, there were executions in 22 countries last year.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is due to visit Saudi Arabia and Iran later in October.

No excuse for execution

Strässer also noted on Saturday that many cases of execution follow "questionable verdicts" in which the confessions have been given as a result of torture.

It is "terrifying" he said, how often such defendants are offered no legal representation or a translator.

"These states, which can't ensure consistent enforcement, simply accept misjudgments," Strässer said, before rejecting any argument that the death penalty will help in the fight against terrorism.

"Violations of human rights in a social climate actually promote instability," he said.

The thirteenth "World Day Against the Death Penalty" on Saturday, aims this year to raise awareness specifically about the application of capital punishment for drug-related crimes.

ksb/jm (AFP, dpa)

Nauru opens gates at refugee detention center

Nauru has said that it will allow refugees held at a controversial Australian detention center to move freely around the tiny island. But the move has not allayed human rights concerns about conditions in the camp.

Deutsche Welle, 5 Oct 2015

The Nauru government said on Monday that asylum seekers at the center would no longer be kept locked up, but given complete freedom of movement on the Pacific island, which has an area of some 21 square kilometers (8.1 square miles).

It also said it would ensure that all asylum applications by the 600 refugees still living on the island would be processed by the end of this week.

"The start of detention-free processing is a landmark day for Nauru and represents an even more compassionate program, which was always the intention of our government," said Justice Minister David Adeang.

Widespread condemnation

The United Nations and human rights groups have strongly criticized the harsh conditions at the camp on Nauru, which was set up as part of Canberra's hardline asylum-seeker policies, under which people trying to reach Australia by boat must have their asylum claims processed outside Australian territory.

Another camp has been established on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

An independent UN investigator last month postponed a fact'finding trip toAustralia, complaining that the government was not cooperating in helping him gain access to the offshore camps.

'Fundamental problems remain'

Adeang said Australia, which welcomed Nauru's announcement, was providing more police support and health care for the asylum seekers to aid the transition to an "open center."

Refugee advocates, who have alleged that a number of human rights violations, including rape and child abuse, have occurred at the offshore camps, say the change coincides with a court case this week in Australia in which the legality of Canberra's refugee policy is being challenged.

Rights groups say children in the
camps are at especial risk

A spokesman from the Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Center said the move did little to help the cause of people detained on the island.

"A transition to an open center [is] and important and hard-won improvement, but letting people go for a walk does not resolve the fundamental proglems caused by indefintely warehousing them on a tiny remote island," Daniel Webb said, calling the camp environment "clearly unsafe for women and children."

Compassionate approach?

Australia has defended its harsh policy, which has also seen boats carrying refugees turned back to Indonesia or other countries of departure, as being necessary to stop people drowning at sea. No one processed at the Nauru or Papua New Guinea camps is eligible to move to Australia, even if their asylum claims are adjudged to be valid.

New Australian Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull last month voiced concern about conditions in the camps, but did not indicate any major change in policy.

tj/msh (AFP, Reuters)

First Iran hajj dead flown home nine days after stampede

Yahoo – AFP, Arthur Macmillan, 3 Oct 2015

The Iranian honour guard carries the caskets of Iranian pilgrims, killed in a stampede

 at the annual hajj, during a repatriation ceremony on their arrival on October 3,

2015 in Tehran (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)

Tehran (AFP) - The first bodies of Iranians killed in a stampede at the hajj arrived home from Saudi Arabia Saturday after a controversial nine-day delay and questions over the final death toll.

President Hassan Rouhani and other top officials laid white flowers on coffins at a sombre ceremony in Tehran for the 104 pilgrims -- among 464 Iranians declared dead in the September 24 crush.

Iran has accused Saudi Arabia of incompetence in its handling of safety at the hajj, further souring relations already strained by the civil war in Syria and conflict in Yemen.

Iranian officials pray over the caskets 

of Iranian pilgrims killed in the hajj 

stampede as the bodies arrived in Tehran

 on October 3, 2015 (AFP Photo/Atta 

Kenare)

"If it were proved that some (authorities) were guilty in this accident, we will not forgive," Rouhani said as the bodies emerged in red caskets from a cargo plane at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.

The president was accompanied by the heads of Iran's judiciary and parliament as well as the chief of staff of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office.

"Our language in this accident was one of brotherhood and respect and the language of diplomacy was used when necessary," Rouhani said. "If needed, the language of authority will also be used."

Iran has been deeply critical of the slow pace at which the Saudi authorities have identified the dead.

More bodies were expected to be flown home later on Saturday but Iran's health minister said not all of the Iranian dead had yet been found and many were thought to be lying unidentified in sealed containers.

"We hope with Saudi cooperation, we can find the bodies of these victims which might be among the corpses from other countries," Hassan Hashemi told the official IRNA news agency.

Iranian families face a further delay in receiving their loved ones for burial as DNA testing has been deemed necessary.

"The ID tags on the coffins do not match the victims' identities and the existing lists in Mehrabad Airport," the ISNA news agency cited an unnamed official as saying.

Memorial ceremonies on Sunday

The tragedy will be marked with memorial ceremonies in Tehran and in provincial capitals on Sunday.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C) 

attended a repatriation ceremony for the

 pilgrims who were among at least 464 

Iranians killed in the hajj stampede on 

September 24, 2015 (AFP Photo/

Atta Kenare)

Khamenei, Iran's supreme guide, demanded on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia apologise to the bereaved and to the world's Muslims

"The slightest disrespect towards tens of thousands of Iranian pilgrims in Mecca and Medina and not fulfilling their obligation to transfer holy bodies will have Iran's tough and fierce reaction," he said.

Rouhani called for a fact-finding commission into the disaster as all Islamic countries deserved to know the cause.

Saudi authorities have yet to provide a breakdown of the nationalities of the 769 pilgrims they say died, but many countries have provided their own individual tolls.

Tallies of the dead from foreign officials and media from 24 countries put the dead at 1,036, well in excess of the Saudi figure.

With many more pilgrims still listed as missing, Iranian officials say the real death toll is between 2,000 and 4,000, and many of the dead have yet to be identified.

It took a week before Iran was able to confirm 464 of its nationals had died as officials spent days scouring Saudi hospitals for the missing without success.

It is the highest confirmed death toll among foreign nationalities by far. Egypt has 126 dead and 110 missing, and Indonesia has 91 dead.

While Iran has been vocal, official reaction elsewhere in the Muslim world has been more restrained, although survivors and bereaved families have criticised safety measures in place at the hajj.