[Maghrebia] The number of active terrorists in Algeria is between 300 and 400, National Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CNCPPDH) President Farouk Ksentini said Thursday (April 23rd) at a forum organised by El Moudjahid. He voiced hope that President Abdelaziz Bouteflike would pursue a general amnesty for these remaining militants, provided they surrendered arms.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I have a sudden mental inage of a very long gallows for 400.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/25/2009 12:49 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Bangladeshi-born British citizen Faisal Mostafa's NGO in Bhola has been regularly receiving foreign funds for its operation though it has no legal permit to receive so.
The NGO, Green Crescent, is only registered with the department of social services in Doulatkhan upazila of Bhola, which does not permit it to receive foreign funds for its operation on a regular basis.
In order to do so, the organisation would need to obtain a registration from the NGO Bureau.
"No one can receive or collect foreign funds without having registered with the NGO Bureau after satisfying the bureau's requirements through the submission of specified documents," the Bhola district social welfare officer told The Daily Star.
In a span of just 28 days between November 19 and December 17 in 2007, a total Tk 25 lakh was deposited in the NGO's account (no 6267) with Uttara Bank's Daulatkhan Branch through three pay orders through Sonali Bank.
On November 19 of 2007, Tk 3.03 lakh was deposited in the account through pay order no 6767918, Tk 5.60 lakh through pay order no 6767947 on November 29 and Tk 17.45 lakh through pay order no 6767978 on December 17.
According to rules, it is mandatory that all branches of commercial and scheduled banks submit Cash Transaction Report (CTR report) of any transaction over Tk 5 lakh to the anti-money laundering department (HO) of Bangladesh Bank (BB) head office.
The Manager of Daulatkhan Branch of Uttara Bank Shahidul Islam said he sent a transaction report to the head office of his bank. The head office is supposed to send a copy of the report to the Anti-Money Laundering Department of the Bangladesh Bank (BB).
No legal or punitive measures were taken against the account holders or the NGO despite these transactions breaking the law in 2007.
The BB authorities have, however, recently begun an investigation into the matter and they have already collected some documents from them in this regard, Shahidul said.
The procedures that follows now would require the BAMLCO (branch anti money laundering compliance officer) in charge of the section to enquire of the bank manager and customer to show the cause of these abnormal transactions and to submit documents regarding these foreign funds.
After collecting this information, if the BAMLCO is not satisfied then he will mark the account with a suspicious transaction report (STR) and sent the report to the concerned bank head office directing them to submit a detailed transaction profile to BB.
If the chief anti-money laundering compliance officer (CAMLCO) of the concerned bank head offices find any abnormal transaction in any account then he has to inform it to the money laundering department (HO) of Bangladesh Bank as per rules and directions.
Then BB money laundering department then asks the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) to lodge a case under the Anti-money Laundering Act 2008 if the allegation proved in a primary investigation.
Following the arms and ammo haul from Green Crescent madrasa in Ramkeshob village last month, probes by different departments has been collecting facts about the operation of the NGO.
Green Crescent, during its registration with the Department of Social Services in Doulatkhan upazila in 1999 did not declare in its charter anything about operating a madrasa or running an orphanage.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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Hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza is cheating his way through a prison "hunger strike" by gorging on crisps. The terrorist and his al-Qaeda followers in the High Security Unit in Belmarsh have refused to eat prison food all week.
They took objection to a strip search on an inmate and have refused cooked food from kitchen staff since. But the protesters have been eating food from the prison shop and scoffing snacks during meetings with solicitors. Hamza was spotted eating crisps and chocolate in his cell after calling on the Muslims Boys Gang to go on a hunger strike.
The weak-willed backlash came after a Muslim prisoner objected to a strip search along with two other inmates. All three lashed out and were placed in the segregation unit. The officer who tried to search them received death threats and was moved to a new job.
A source said: "It is almost funny. They have been refusing food from the hot plate, but are still snacking on everything else. "Hamza has been sneaking crisps and chocolate into his cell." A Ministry of Justice spokes man said: "Prisoners in Belmarsh are not on hunger strike."
#2
There are some food additives that can artificially boost weight gain, so about everything you eat is converted to fat. Wouldn't it be a hoot to adulterate his crisps and chocolates with it? He would bloat up like a balloon while swearing he is starving to his fellows.
#4
Interesting, TW. Here in Texas, some of us use the term "scarf" to denote gobbling and excessive snacking ("He scarfed down those chips like there was no tomorrow").
Scarf = scoff, but with a rhotic accent, if you will LOL.
Anonymoose - Death by chocolate! Bastard should be so lucky, but yeah, it would be funny LOL.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2009 14:02 Comments ||
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#6
Well, islam as a religion does not seem to emphasis self-control and force of will through self-imposed restraint... not too surprizing, coming from people who "fast" by acting all pious (the day) and then gorging themselves silly (once the sun set)...
[Kyodo: Korea] Two U.S. journalists detained last month on North KoreaŽs border with China are to be put on trial to face criminal charges, North KoreaŽs official media reported Friday. After conclusion of investigation into the activities of the two women, an official organ of the state ŽŽformally decided to refer them to a trial on the basis of the confirmed crimes committed by them,ŽŽ the Korean Central News Agency said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated the importance Friday of resuming the six-party talks on North KoreaŽs denuclearization amid mounting tensions created after North KoreaŽs rocket launch earlier this month. ŽŽWhat we should keep in mind is to support the six-party talks,ŽŽ Lavrov told reporters in a joint news conference with South Korean foreign minister Yu Myung Hwan after their meeting.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] North Korea said Friday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed MoscowŽs position of opposing U.N. sanctions over PyongyangŽs recent rocket launch during his visit to the country. Lavrov made the remark in talks on Thursday with his North Korean counterpart Pak Ui Chun, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said through the countryŽs official Korean Central News Agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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North Korea will stay away from international nuclear disarmament talks, Russia's foreign minister said on Friday after visiting the secretive state and pressing Pyongyang to return to the sputtering discussions.
North Korea, which raised regional tensions with a defiant rocket launch earlier this month widely seen as a disguised test of a long-range missile, can send satellites into orbit on Russian rockets, Sergei Lavrov said after leaving North Korea. North Korea responded to UN punishment for the launch by saying it would boycott the nuclear talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States as well as restart its plant that makes arms-grade plutonium that was being taken apart under the deal.
Talks: "North Korea at this point does not intend to return to the six-party talks," Lavrov told reporters in Seoul through a translator. Lavrov, the first high-level envoy from a global power to visit the reclusive North since after the launch, and South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan agreed to work together to have North Korea return to the nuclear talks, Yu said at the joint news conference. Russia is willing to send the North's satellites into space in line with a similar cooperation deal it has with the South, Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency. Experts are uncertain if the impoverished North can actually produce a working satellite, let alone place it into orbit. Lavrov, who delivered a message from the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the North's leader Kim Jong-il, told reporters his country stood by the UN move to chastise Pyongyang and tighten existing sanctions that limit the North's arms trade and imports.
Lavrov did not meet Kim, 67, who was suspected of having a stroke in August and did not make an appearance at major public events for months after that until he appeared at the annual meeting of parliament about two weeks ago walking with a limp.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
As in military satellites?
Posted by: Jans Wittlesbach2039 ||
04/25/2009 8:39 Comments ||
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Senate foreign relations committee chairman John Kerry said on Friday that he was concerned the release of photos depicting the abusive treatment of detainees in U.S. custody could become "propaganda tool" for terrorist organizations.
Don't worry, our enemies just hate America, not Obama ...
In an interview with the Huffasnuffaguffalus Huffington Post, the Massachusetts Democrat was asked to respond to news that the Department of Defense would be releasing 44 photos pertaining to the harsh handling of detainees at prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I think showing the truth is always important," said Kerry.
Careful Jahwn, your aura is getting almost as big as Bambi's ...
"But I do think it will be used as a propaganda tool and have some damaging impact. But this didn't happen under Obama, it happened under Bush and every one understands that."
Apparently John Kerry wasn't an American these past eight years (we could argue he still isn't but I digress). Lurch doesn't think that releasing the photos now is that big a propaganda tool since Bambi is supposed to make everything right.
Kerry stressed in the interview that this was not a decision made by the Obama administration. "They are not releasing them because they want to, but because there was a FOIA request and a judge is ordering them released," he said.
Bambi could have asked the DoJ to appeal. Or he could have looked the other way as a tragic small office fire burned all the photos.
He also stressed that Obama had put an end to these interrogation tactics, which would, in due course, eliminate a galvanizing tool used by these same terrorist cells.
That's not necessarily true; the Bambi lawyers are arguing in court that we need to keep 'enhanced interrogation techniques'.
"We are trying to move to a new place," he said, "and we have ended these policies." But he did concede that the pictures "will be used as a tool... as were the other photos [from Abu Ghraib]."
But ev'ryone knows it's Bush so that's okay. Just go ahead and smear America some more.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been accused by a former air force chief of"ruining"a USD 1.2 billion deal for acquiring surveillance aircraft from Sweden's Saab firm for"possible kickbacks".
Somebody else is getting his ten percent, eh?
Former Air Chief Marshal Saadat Kaleem has claimed that despite the Pakistan Air Force&aposs opposition, Musharraf put pressure on the force to modify a contract to reduce the number of surveillance aircraft to be purchased from Saab from six to four and to include two Chinese systems.
The contract originally envisaged the purchase of six Saab airborne warning and surveillance systems and a Saab 2000 aircraft for VIP flights. He told The News that Musharraf "personally exerted pressure on him" to modify the contract.
"Do as you're told, man, and make sure I get mine in Kruggerrands!"
Kaleem said he was opposed to this because of objections raised by PAF experts on technical grounds. He said after he retired in March 2006, the contract with the Swedish firm was modified to include two Chinese systems. "It was done with mala fide intentions," Kaleem said, adding such modifications were usually made due to "some motivation factor".
The PAF had cautioned that the Chinese system was inferior to the Swedish one and that the two systems were incompatible. One of the systems was superfluous and the mix of two different technologies is bound to create more problems instead of serving the purpose for which the project was conceived, he said.
But Perv got his, and that's what mattered ...
Posted by: john frum ||
04/25/2009 14:19 ||
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Kaleem's deal must've not gone through, huh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2009 17:05 Comments ||
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Nineteen people were arrested Saturday for trying to burn the national flags of India and Sri Lanka, police in Chennai and Erode, India, said.
In Chennai, 15 members of the Tamil National Socialist Party and the Tamil Nationalist Liberation Movement were arrested in front of the Shastri Bhavan, which houses the passport office and other government offices, reported the Press Trust of India.
The protesters, in a statement, said the government of India had not done enough to prevent the killing of Lankan Tamils in Sri Lanka. The Tamils didn't do enough to prevent the killing of Rajiv Ghandi. Tough snot.
In Erode, four members of the pro-Lankan Tamil Desiya ViduthalaiIyakkam and Tamildesa Poduvudamai Katchi were arrested near the railway station when they set fire to the national flags of the two countries, Press Trust reported.
There is no evidence that India is supporting violence in Pakistan, US Special Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said on Friday. "If the Indians were supporting those miscreants in Pakistan that would be extraordinarily bad, really dangerous, but they are not doing so. There is no evidence that Indians are support miscreants in western parts of Pakistan or in Balochistan," he said in an interview with a private TV channel.
It's the Ruritanians ...
He said India was the second largest country in the world and one of the most important. "If we are interested in helping Pakistan, we will have to talk to its neighbours, which include China, India and Afghanistan," he added.
He said India had given about $1 billion assistance to Afghanistan, and it should not be a cause of concern for Pakistan. "Pakistan does not need to worry about India in Afghanistan, but it has to be worried about miscreants and militants in its western parts," he added.
What's gotten into this guy? He's making sense. Did he somehow slip the leash Hillary has on him?
To question about the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan, he said his job was only related to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan affects: About the use of the term "Af-Pak", Holbrooke said it emphasised that what happened in Afghanistan was affected by what happened in Pakistan.
The US special envoy denied there were tensions between Pakistan and the US, saying the US wanted to help Pakistan fight the common enemies.
"Pakistan, the US, Afghanistan and India have a common goal of defeating the militants, who were trying to destroy democracy in Pakistan," he said, adding that US President Barack Obama was committed to supporting Pakistan. "The Obama government has asked the Congress for a big support for Pakistan, and I myself went around the world raising money for Pakistan and had a very successful conference in Tokyo that raised $5 billion for Pakistan," he added.
He denied the US drone attacks were killing innocent people and proving counter productive. Asked if there was a secret agreement between Pakistan and the US for drone attacks, he said the previous US administration could answer the question.
He denied the US wanted to carry out drone attacks in Quetta.
He rebuffed the news that the ISI chief had refused to meet him during his recent visit to Pakistan. He said General Pasha and army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani were great military leaders.
They're the tallest dwarves in the circus ...
Posted by: john frum ||
04/25/2009 10:25 ||
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A top US military commander has said a close watch had to be kept on LeT, blamed for the Mumbai carnage, which may try to carry out more attacks, as he asked Pakistan to focus more on confronting Taliban and extremists within its own borders, instead of India.
"We should observe the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group that carried out the Mumbai attacks, again, we think they're trying to do more damage, and they are trying to carry out additional attacks," General David Petraeus, Commander of US Central Command, said while testifying before a Congressional Committee yesterday.
"And one would think that, again, extremists that are trying to cause that kind of tension and also to take the focus off of the internal extremist threat would indeed strive to do that," the General said.
He said the most important, most pressing threat to the very existence of Pakistan is the "threat posed by the internal extremists and groups such as the Taliban and the syndicated extremists", Mr. Petraeus said.
The Pakistani military needs to fight extremists "rather than strictly focus on the conventional threat that has been traditionally the focus of the military, to their east, which is India," he said.
Mr. Petraeus urged the Congress to approve USD 3 billion in aid to Pakistan for training its troops to fight insurgents in tribal areas.
He said the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan has now become home to the top Al Qaeda leadership.
"The FATA, as you mentioned, is indeed the location of al-Qaeda senior leadership headquarters. It is the location for the other transnational extremist groups that form the syndicate with them," he said.
"That is the syndicate that is of most concern outside the borders of Pakistan, certainly causes significant problems in Afghanistan, although obviously the Afghan Taliban is also a huge concern, as are some other elements," Mr. Petraeus said.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/25/2009 10:15 ||
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A Pakistani militant arrested by Army today said there is no need of Jihad in Kashmir as contrary to what he has been told in Pakistan, Kashmiris are not facing any oppression.
Syed Moinullah Shah, cadre of the Pakistan based Hizbul Mujahideen who was part of the group of 31 militants who crossed over the LoC recently said that after seeing the conditions of Kashmiri Muslims he wanted to go back rather than carry on with jihad.
I was told by Kashmiris who come there (Pakistan) that they are being tortured by the Indian Army. Their houses have also been taken away besides not being allowed to do the namaaz. They also said their women were being raped, Shah who was presented before the media said.
Shah who underwent an intensive training in Pak-occupied Kashmir, said,When I came here, I did not see any kind of torture. Everybody was busy doing their own work. I felt their was no need of jihad in Kashmir and hence wanted to go back.
The Pakistani militant ruled out involvement of Taliban in Kashmir and said,Taliban do not operate here. They are separate and have a different set-up. They are involved in Afghanistan and certain parts of Pakistan.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/25/2009 08:35 ||
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#1
Pakistani militant, Moinullah Shah speaks before media persons at
Army base camp in Srinagar on Saturday.Excelsior/Amin War
Posted by: john frum ||
04/25/2009 17:05 Comments ||
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[Geo News] A high-level meeting presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari here at Presidency on Friday reviewed the situation in Swat. According to the President's spokesman, the meeting agreed that no compromise will be made wherever government's writ is challenged and that no one will be allowed to establish a parallel government. Looks like they're just going to continue talking and making faces, not doing anything.
The presidential spokesman further said that government will not let the non-state actors impose their agenda through use of force. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayanai Awami National Party Chief, Asfandyar Wali and Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi were present at the meeting.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Javed Hashmi has said that accepting the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is like a political death. Speaking to reporters at the Multan airport, Hashmi said that the accountability bill of the politicians should be very stern. "All need to unite for the enforcement of Sharia in the country," he said, adding, "Some forces want to weaken the country in the name of Sharia." He said that 60 percent of the budget being spent on the army should also be audited.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday separately received Special Representative of France and Britain for Afghanistan and Pakistan and briefed them on the government's counter-terrorism efforts.
The overall regional situation also came under discussion with Pierre Lellouche of France and Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles of Britain.
The Foreign Minister apprised the envoys of the efforts being made by the government towards building a national consensus on fighting extremism and terrorism in the country through a comprehensive national strategy.
He informed them of the progress being made in this regard in the Parliament, which is currently debating the report and recommendations prepared by the All Parties Parliamentary Committee on National Security.
The Foreign Minister also briefed the special representatives in detail about the expansion of relations and cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan during the last one year.
He said it was necessary for the two countries to continue strengthening the mutual trust and confidence as their destinies are inter-linked.
The Foreign Minister underlined the need for the international community to understand the complexities of the issues involved, saying that the challenges confronting the region could only be addressed through a holistic approach.
The Foreign Minister thanked France and Britain for their support to Pakistan at the recently-held meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan in Tokyo.
Mr. Lellouche conveyed French President Nicolas Sarkozy's strong support to the democratic Government of Pakistan in its efforts against terrorism and those aimed at strengthening civilian and democratic institutions.
He said France was fully aware of the problems confronting the region and was looking forward to contributing effectively to their resolution.
Sir Sherard said that Pakistan was a proud Muslim democracy and Britain attaches immense importance to its relations with Pakistan and will continue supporting the process of building a strong long-term partnership between the two countries.
The issue of ten Pakistani students who were arrested in the UK on April 8 but no incriminating evidence against whom has been found also came up in the meeting with Sir Sherard.
The Foreign Minister contended, inter alia, that the students be allowed to stay in Britain to complete their studies.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[ADN Kronos] An All Parties' Conference was being held on Friday in Peshawar, the provincial capital of the North West Frontier Province, to discuss the Swat peace deal under which militants agreed to lay down their arms in exchange for the implementation of Islamic (Sharia) law in the Swat valley and the surrounding Malakand division.
According to sources, the meeting discussed the Taliban incursions beyond Malakand and the future course of action if the Taliban refuse to disarm and continue their offensive into districts adjoining Swat.
After the recent Taliban incursions into Buner, a backlash to the Swat peace deal is unfolding across NWFP province and the rest of the country, especially among its political leadership. Islamic tribal leaders had threatened to pull out the peace deal unless Sharia law was rapidly implemented.
The United States expressed extreme concern on Thursday about advances by the Taliban in Pakistan and said the issue was taking up a significant amount of president Barack Obama's time.
On Wednesday, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton warned in extremely strong language that Pakistan, a key US anti-terror ally, was 'basically abdicating to the Taliban and to the extremists' with an agreement permitting Sharia law in the Swat valley.
The meeting of Pakistan's various political parties is important as it was preceded by a high level meeting late on Thursday between the NWFP governor, its chief minister and high ranking army officials.
The possibility of restarting the military offensive against the emboldened Taliban was also discussed during the meeting, sources added.
The historic Swat peace deal was signed in February between the NWFP government and Taliban-led militants. It brought to an end two years of bloodletting in which hundreds of people died and tens of thousands fled their homes.
Once one of Pakistan's most popular holiday destinations, the Swat valley came under Taliban control after an insurgency began there in 2007 following the siege of Islamabad's Red Mosque in which over 100 people died.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Sweetheart deals like that are like nuclear waste: hard to get rid of. The Swat deal did nothing but indulge Taliban extremism.
Posted by: Jans Wittlesbach2039 ||
04/25/2009 8:53 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] An Indian court has demanded an inquiry to conclude whether the lone surviving gunman of Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Amir Qasab is of legal age to be prosecuted.
Judge ML Tahiliyani commissioned special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to call on doctors and jailor to investigate Qasab's age. The court also ordered jail authorities to take Qasab for ossification test as well as dental test to determine his age.
The radiologist and dentist, who will conduct the tests, have been asked to submit their reports ahead of April 28.
Qasab will take the tests under heavy security, his defense attorney, Abbas Kamzi, said. Once the inquiry establishes Qasab as juvenile, then the case will be transferred to the juvenile court.
The lawyer outlined that the maximum punishment prescribed under Juvenile Justice Act is three years imprisonment.
The prime suspect in the Mumbai terror attacks case, Qasab, had earlier said that he was juvenile pushing for his case to be transferred to the Juvenile Justice Court. His plea was nonetheless turned down and it was declared that he did not appear to be juvenile.
Indian security forces apprehended Ajmal Amir Qasab on the first day of Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. He has been in Indian custody ever since. The Pakistani national has been accused of murder and waging war on India.
Together with Qasab, two Indians, Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, are also on trial, charged with being members of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (leT) militant group and of spearheading the Mumbai attacks.
Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have been tense since the death of over 170 people in last November's terror attacks on India's financial hub -- Mumbai.
India blamed banned Pakistan-based militants for the raids, alleging that the perpetrators were 'clients and creations' of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) -- an allegation Islamabad has frequently rejected.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Nyah, Nyah, told you they'd try to "Poor innocent Child" him.
Farce all around, betcha there's damn few prisoners taken from here out.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/25/2009 12:34 Comments ||
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#2
try tree rings from his skull
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2009 13:04 Comments ||
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Former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has said he is prepared to return to office if the political and economic situation continues to deteriorate. Interviewed by Sir David Frost for the Al-Jazeera television channel, he said he would consider serving another term if he felt he could make a valuable contribution. Musharraf told Frost he had decided to resign because if he had remained in office he would have become "some kind of an impotent president. I'm not the kind of person who sits around uselessly. I can't be a useless man". But since stepping down, he said, he was "despondent" about what was happening particularly now that the Taliban have been allowed to introduce sharia law in Swat. He said he believed the Taliban now constituted a far greater threat to Pakistan than Al QaedaMusharraf blamed the US for the 'trust deficit' between Washington and Islamabad. He said President Barack Obama had not helped change the US attitude towards Pakistan and is little different from his predecessor.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
As stated before the army are using their taliban proxies to make the civil govt look weak hence a military coup is coming soon!
Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad should read the constitution, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman said on Friday. "Sufi has misperception regarding the constitution and considers it a constitution of Western world," he told reporters at the Parliament House. Referring to debate on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, he said the proposals had already been compiled and there was no need to further discuss them in the House. He demanded that the government implement the recommendations, instead of tabling them again for debate.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] The Sindh government has imposed a ban on pillion riding in Karachi for a period of 30 days. Capital City Police Officer Wasim Ahmed told that incidents of terrorism and other crimes were on rise after lifting the ban on pillion riding in the city. He said: Â"The ban has again been imposed for one month to contain growing incidents of target killing and crimes. According to a handout issued by Sindh government today (Friday), the journalists, elderly people, children and women are exempted from the ban.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I had not heard that phrase in years... A pillion is a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a horse, motorcycle, or moped. A passenger in this seat is said to "ride pillion" or may themselves be referred to as a "pillion." The word is derived from the Gaelic for "little rug," pillean, which is itself from the Latin pellis for "animal skin." One or more pelts would often have been the form a secondary seat took on horseback, and the usage was carried over to motorcycles.
[Geo News] Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik has said that there is no danger of Taliban intrusion into Islamabad, adding the government has taken notice of challenging writ of the government through use of force by Taliban. Talking to Geo News here, Malik warned of action in case the exhibition of arms continues. He said Talibanization should not only end in Mingora but also in every village and that the Taliban will have to vacate every occupied area. The Advisor said that people of Swat should desist from taking weapons into their hands. Â"The Swat deal is meant to bring peace in the areaÂ...we have allowed time to peace and not to the Taliban,Â" Rehman Malik asserted, adding Â"I warn the terrorists not to test the patience of the government.Â"
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] PakistanŽs High Commissioner in London Wajid Shamsul Hassan has criticised the new U.S. strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan and defended his governmentŽs agreement to impose Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Malakand region.
He said his personal view was that U.S. President Barack ObamaŽs plan for fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, which broadens the focus to Pakistan, was the ŽŽwrong strategyŽŽ.
ŽŽPakistan is a semi-developed country and Afghanistan is not at all developed. They have never had any rule of law in their country,ŽŽ he told a foreign news agency in an interview late on Thursday. ŽŽYou canŽt club the two countries (together),ŽŽ he said.
Washington views Pakistan as crucial to its efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, where a Taliban insurgency has intensified. Surging militant violence in nuclear-armed Pakistan has also raised fears about its future.
Hasan said Clinton was ŽŽrather overstretching the issue.ŽŽ ŽŽWe will not allow Pakistani territory to be abdicated to anybody. We will fight for every inch and hopefully when President Zardari goes to the United States he will take it up with Hillary Clinton because we need your (U.S.) assistance,ŽŽ he said. ŽŽSome of these Taliban when they went on the rampage they destroyed girlsŽ schools and they stopped women from working, which is now not the case after the agreement. Things have become normal. Girls are going to school, women are back to work,ŽŽ he said.
Pakistan had to tackle economic deprivation that fostered dissatisfaction, he said, saying it was encouraging that international donors last week pledged $5 billion in aid to Pakistan. Nevertheless, he said Pakistan needed more money. ŽŽThe best course would be to have Marshall plans for both Afghanistan and Pakistan so that Pakistan could be rebuilt,ŽŽ he said, referring to the U.S. post-World War Two plan for Europe.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[ADN Kronos] Pakistan's nuclear weapons would be at risk if militants took control of the government, a leading international terrorism expert has told Adnkronos. However, Brian Michael Jenkins, an advisor to the American Rand Corporation and international security expert, said Pakistan was a "failing state" but was not in danger of imminent collapse.
Jenkins was visiting the Italian capital Rome at the request of the Italian government as part of the country's rotating presidency of the Group of Eight of the world's top economies plus Russia ahead of their forthcoming July summit.
He took part in a conference of Italian and foreign officials at Italy's foreign ministry, on "Transnational threats and destabilising factors" before visiting the Rome headquarters of the GMC-Adnkronos media group where he met president, Giuseppe Marra.
"There is concern that if there is a radical takeover of Pakistan itself, the armed forces will behave like the Iranian forces and simply say 'This is the new government, we are part of the new government' and therefore the nuclear arsenal could become part of a more radical government," said Jenkins in an exclusive interview with Adnkronos.
Jenkins said while claims of the government's imminent collapse was an "overstatement", the long-term outlook is bleak.
"I see this much more as a slow descent which can be arrested," he said.
"I think some of these headlines that we have seen such as 'on the verge of collapse' are overstatements, nonetheless, the long term trends are not good.
"This is not a failed state, this is not a state that is going to fail tomorrow, but this is a gradually failing state."
Jenkins also said that there has been an escalation of violence in Pakistan which is moving from the tribal areas into the cities and the government does not know how to handle the threat.
"What we see now is both a geographic escalation of the fighting in Pakistan. Before it was confined to the tribal areas, now we see the violence moving into the settled areas, into the major cities," he said.
"Now we see the increasing use of large scale terrorist attacks, in many cases involving suicide bombers, this is new and extremely serious. In fact, the Pakistani authorities have not known quite how to deal with it."
In addition, Jenkins said the Pakistani government's strategy of either confronting the Taliban militarily or making deals with the militants has failed and will require "decades" to overcome.
"Neither strategy has worked well thus far and so there is a long-term challenge here that the Pakistan government with international help is going to be dealing with for many years, this is a task of decades," concluded Jenkins.
A former US army Green Beret in Vietnam, Jenkins has advised the US government and many others around the world on terrorism and security issues. He is the author of numerous books, including 'Unconquerable Nation' and his latest 'Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?'.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
If...if...if... If Pakistan wasn't a Punjab majority state and if many Punjabis weren't inclined to squash ethnic upstarts, then there would be cause for worry.
Posted by: Jans Wittlesbach2039 ||
04/25/2009 8:44 Comments ||
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[Geo News] Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that nuclear assets of the country are in safe hands and there is no threat to them. Addressing a public meeting, at Chak Kubay in district Sialkot, he said, "Pakistan is a strong country with politically mature leadership and invincible defence and nobody can cast an evil eye on it." He said Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was in line with this policy of the government adding that health insurance and other benefits for poor would also be included in BISP. Referring to challenges facing the country, he said, no single party can steer the country out of difficulties."All political forces have to make united efforts to overcome economic problems and counter challenges of terrorism,loadshedding and problem of water." The premier said small dams would be constructed to overcome problem of paucity of water. He said special efforts would be made to provide all basic amenities of life in rural areas to check migration of people from villages to urban centres. The premier said Sialkot is an industrial city playing important role in strengthening economy of the country by earning precious foreign exchange adding "A special package would soon be announced for Sialkot in the near future." Earlier, the premier performed the foundation stone laying ceremonies of Benazir Bhutto Degree College for Girls and sui gas project in the area. Briefly talking to media persons on the occasion, the Prime Minister said "In case of violation of Swat peace agreement, we would review it and also have other options."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"Pakistan is a strong country with politically mature leadership and invincible defence and nobody can cast an evil eye on it."
Pakistan's equivalent to Baghdad Bob? Politically mature? Invincible defence?
What kinds of delivery systems does Pakistan have for nukes?
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday asked the deputy speaker to prolong the National Assembly session, and called on parliamentarians to form a consensus national security policy to fight terrorism and extremism after thorough discussions in the light of recommendations prepared by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.
The session was scheduled to be prorogued for an indefinite period on Friday, but the deputy speaker adjourned the House until Monday on the prime minister's request.
"I want this policy [tabled] before the president's visit to the US next month ... this should be a purely indigenous policy defining the limitations of the government in the war on terror," Gilani told the House. He said that he would also take the policy to the cabinet for approval.
Gilani said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif had written to him a letter suggesting the government convene a national conference of all the stakeholders to discuss the current situation in light of reports on the spread of Talibanisation.
"PML-Quaid President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also talked to me over the telephone for this purpose," he said, adding that he was considering convening the proposed conference soon.
About the law and order situation in the country and the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation -- Gilani said the government would review its policy if the Taliban failed to uphold their side of the Swat agreement.
"I will also take all parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ... into confidence over this issue."
Earlier, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said leaders of major parties would be together 'very soon' in the best interest of the country.
Parallel system: Separately, a high-level meeting on Friday night decided that the government would not let the Taliban run a parallel system in the country. The meeting -- which was presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari -- reviewed the security situation in NWFP.
Sources said the leadership was of the view that the 'tipping point has been reached', as the attitude of the Taliban was creating misperceptions about the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The general director of the Environment Ministrys landmines department said Saturday that there are 25 million landmines occupying 1700 kilometers of Iraqi soil, which in turns threaten 2117 civilian gatherings, where 2.7 million citizens live.
The Iraqi government says there are 25 million unexploded mines across the country. Most are in Iraqs border areas, stretching from Turkey and Iran in the north down to Kuwait in the south. The mines were laid during the Iraq-Iran war from 1980-88, the first Gulf War in 1991, and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 which toppled Saddam Hussein.
Between 80,000 and 100000 Iraqis have lost parts of their bodies because of landmines, Engineer Eissa al-Fayad told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. Iraq is considered one of the countries severely affected by landmines, and this affects the daily life of the citizens because this issue hampers the humanitarian aide and the development and reconstruction projects, he explained.
The landmines department was established after the topple of the former regime in 2003 and was part of the Planning Ministry before it became a part of the Environment Ministry in March 2008, he said, noting that there are 25 million mines which threaten the life of 2.7 million Iraqi citizens.
He unveiled a message sent by the adviser of the UN Development Program for mines affairs, Kent Bawlson, to the director of operations in the prime ministers office, Ali al-Yasseri, in which he demanded to lift the ban imposed by the Defense Ministry on the non-governmental organizations and companies working with mines for humanitarian purposes in central and southern Iraq. The UN official warned of the danger Iraq faces in case the ban continues; a matter which will lead to spreading the feeling among international donors that Iraq no longer needs their help and may withdraw their amounts allocated to Iraq for the landmines program, reaching $40 million in Iraq, Fayad said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
they also hinder the infiltration of Syrian, Iranian, Yemeni, Tunisian killerz
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2009 11:27 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's King Abdullah II on Friday demanded Israel fully support the "two-state solution" or face isolation. "Israel must know that attempting to delay this (two-state solution) will be disastrous for its own future" as well as for the Palestinians, King Abdullah II said in a speech here.
Even though Hamas won't endorse a two-state solution.
Noting that the United States is the key to the Middle East peace process, the king said: "Now is the time for the United States to lead (and make sure) no more time is wasted."
"We do not have time to engage in another open-ended process ...every missed opportunity has alienated people," he added.
Paleos might start getting the idea again that Trans-Jordan is the land they were promised ...
The king made the remarks when there were reports saying that Israel's new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not move ahead on the core issues of peace talks with the Palestinians until it sees progress in the U.S. efforts to stop Iran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons and limit Tehran's rising influence in the region.
"It's a crucial condition if we want to move forward," said Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon, a member of Israeli parliament and former ambassador to the United States. "If we want to have a real political process with the Palestinians, then you can't have the Iranians undermining and sabotaging."
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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"Now is the time for the United States to lead (and make sure) no more time is wasted."
Sounds like the same thing people have been saying since the 1970's to me. Why is it up to the US to solve the world's problems? Why isn't the responsibility placed on the people who live them themselves?
How many "peace" proposals have we attempted to broker over the years? Every time they come to agreement, they break it. So we are damned either way. If we make a deal, they criticize it as unfair. If we don't make a deal they criticize us for lack of leadership.
It is time for them to take responsibility for their own destiny. I am tired of us baby sitting them.
#2
Yes, but Hamas and Hizbollah don't want 2-S, and Fatah only uses it to advance 1-S. Israel doesn't have any party to bargain with. And there is nothing for Hillary to broker. So we wait...
Posted by: Jans Wittlesbach2039 ||
04/25/2009 8:47 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Friday demanded Israel fully support the "two-state solution" or face isolation.
So what's new? Israel has not only been isolated but surrounded. There doesn't seem to be much interest in a 2-State solution by islamic states. I keep hearing from the likes of "Dinnerjacket" that he would like to see Israel annihilated.
#4
So, why didn't Jordan execute a 'two-state' solution prior to 1967 when IT occupied the West Bank? It could have withdrawn and created a Paleo state. There was nothing stopping you.
#7
Making a Palestinian state conditional upon Iran's droppinf the pursuit of nuclear weapons is somewhat brilliant. Let Hamas and Hezbollah slug it out and any Palestinians left standing are most likely already happily settled into Jordan and Lebanon, making this a moot point.
[ADN Kronos] The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Gaza, local Palestinian NGOs and mental health professionals are reporting increased incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault against women in Gaza since the beginning of 2009.
An unpublished UNIFEM survey of male and female heads of 1,100 Gaza households conducted between 28 February and 3 March indicates there was an increase in violence against women during and after the 23-day war which ended on 18 January.
"According to our staff, and through clinical observation, there was increased violence against women and children during and after the war," said public relations coordinator for the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), Husam al-Nounou.
"We can attribute this to the fact that most people were exposed to traumatic incidents during the war, and one way people react to stress is to become violent."
GCMHP, which runs six clinics and treats an estimated 2,000 mental health patients a year, carried out a post-war assessment, interviewing about 3,500 Gaza residents, said al-Nounou.
"This war was extremely harsh, people felt insecure, vulnerable and unable to protect themselves, their children and their families; when people were trapped at home this increased the stress and anxiety," said al-Nounou.
The Director of the women's unit at the leading Palestinian human rights organisation, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Muna As-Shawa, said the centre had received reports of increased domestic violence and sexual assault during and after the hostilities. The unit had counselled over 600 women.
"During and after the war women struggled to fulfil their roles as mothers, and care for their children without electricity and water, while under attack," said As-Shawa, "and if the husband died, sometimes the father-in-law took the inheritance and tried to take custody of the children."
PCHR is providing legal advice to widows.
The Women's Affairs Centre (WAC) in Gaza said it had organised meetings with 200 women across Gaza after the war.
"Many women who never experienced violence at home, were beaten during the war," WAC director Amal Siam told IRIN.
Scores of women who lost their husbands came to WAC seeking assistance after their fathers-in-law tried to take custody of their children, said Siam, adding that there had been an increased number of divorce cases during the hostilities.
According to UNIFEM, the results of the first UN inter-agency gender needs assessment are due in May.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The fruits of terrorism. As they sow, so shall they reap....
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza is cheating his way through a prison "hunger strike" by gorging on crisps. The terrorist and his al-Qaeda followers in the High Security Unit in Belmarsh have refused to eat prison food all week. 
North Korea will stay away from international nuclear disarmament talks, Russia's foreign minister said on Friday after visiting the secretive state and pressing Pyongyang to return to the sputtering discussions. 
Senate foreign relations committee chairman John Kerry said on Friday that he was concerned the release of photos depicting the abusive treatment of detainees in U.S. custody could become "propaganda tool" for terrorist organizations.
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been accused by a former air force chief of"ruining"a USD 1.2 billion deal for acquiring surveillance aircraft from Sweden's Saab firm for"possible kickbacks".
[Geo News] Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that nuclear assets of the country are in safe hands and there is no threat to them. Addressing a public meeting, at Chak Kubay in district Sialkot, he said, "Pakistan is a strong country with politically mature leadership and invincible defence and nobody can cast an evil eye on it." He said Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was in line with this policy of the government adding that health insurance and other benefits for poor would also be included in BISP. Referring to challenges facing the country, he said, no single party can steer the country out of difficulties."All political forces have to make united efforts to overcome economic problems and counter challenges of terrorism,loadshedding and problem of water." The premier said small dams would be constructed to overcome problem of paucity of water. He said special efforts would be made to provide all basic amenities of life in rural areas to check migration of people from villages to urban centres. The premier said Sialkot is an industrial city playing important role in strengthening economy of the country by earning precious foreign exchange adding "A special package would soon be announced for Sialkot in the near future." Earlier, the premier performed the foundation stone laying ceremonies of Benazir Bhutto Degree College for Girls and sui gas project in the area. Briefly talking to media persons on the occasion, the Prime Minister said "In case of violation of Swat peace agreement, we would review it and also have other options."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday asked the deputy speaker to prolong the National Assembly session, and called on parliamentarians to form a consensus national security policy to fight terrorism and extremism after thorough discussions in the light of recommendations prepared by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. 
