South Korea said Wednesday it has set up a task force to seek the release of a South Korean fishing vessel that was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
Could be a group of lawyers trying to work out ransom demands. With a company of very hard boys waiting off-shore just in case.
The 628 Dongwon was seized Tuesday afternoon by eight armed assailants, who approached in two speed boats firing guns, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. All 25 crew members being held captive were confirmed safe, Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters. The captain and some of the crew members have been allowed to call company headquarters and their families in South Korea, he said. The crew includes eight South Koreans, nine Indonesians, five Vietnamese and three Chinese, according to the ministry.
'We are still trying to figure out the identity of the kidnap group and they have yet to suggest conditions for negotiations,' Ban said. 'We are devoting all possible efforts for (the crew's) safe return.' South Korea has sent letters to the governments of Somalia and neighboring Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia asking for their cooperation in facilitating the crew's release, Ban said.
On Tuesday, two other South Korean fishing vessels in the area called for help, and nearby U.S. and Dutch naval ships tried to intervene, but gave up when the seized ship entered Somali territorial waters, the ministry said. Cmdr. Jeff Breslau, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said when the South Korean vessel turned toward Somali waters, the U.S. and Dutch ships tried to intercept it and fired warning shots in its direction. Members of the South Korean crew were seen on the deck with guns pointed at them, so the effort was broken off, he added. The seized ship is now at a port in northeastern Somalia, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry.
It was the latest in a series of incidents off the coast of Somalia. On March 18, two U.S. Navy ships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates, killing one and wounding five. No U.S. sailors were injured. Somalis involved in that incident later claimed they were patrolling Somali waters to stop illegal fishing when the U.S. ships fired on them.
The Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau expressed concern Wednesday about a surge in piracy cases and advised ships to remain a safe distance from the coast of Somalia. Somalia has had no coast guard or navy since 1991, when warlords ousted the ruling dictator and then turned on each other.
Piracy in Somalian waters steeply increased last year, with the number of incidents rising to 35, compared with only two in 2004, according to the IMB. IMB regional director Noel Choong said six new attacks have been reported to the IMB so far this year. Last month, he said pirates attacked a U.N. chartered vessel and a United Arab Emirates-registered oil tanker after the two vessels off-loaded their cargo at a Somalian port.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/05/2006 09:40 ||
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Say what you will about the ungrateful Korean politicians, I have respect for the ROK army. Those boys are the real deal. Hard boys indeed.
I think I actualy feel sorry for the pirates.
Posted by: N guard ||
04/05/2006 10:06 Comments ||
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wow intersting , SK going out of thier area on a little pirate hunting outing eh? Good guys are the SK's, wish the Japs would get outa gear to and branch out into other areas of interest with thier awesome navy.
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has made a surprise visit to Khartoum, his first in more than a decade, and held talks with Sudan's president on the conflict in the Darfur region. The talks came a day after Jan Egeland, a top UN envoy, protested over what he called a Sudanese government decision to bar him from visiting Darfur and Khartoum this week.
Egeland, the UN undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, said the government was trying to prevent him from seeing the deteriorating situation in the war-torn region. The West Darfur state government acknowledged not allowing his flight to land, though the central government denied barring him. Mubarak and Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, held talks on Tuesday on developments in the situation in Darfur, Sudan's state news agency reported.
You'd normally guess that the two incidents are tied together, and that Hosni is counselling Omar to bring the Darfur situation under control or risk the Western powers getting damned tired of him and giving him a thump — whether directly, or by means of a "spontaneous" revolution. However, since we're talking about the Arab world, it's just as likely that Hosni's lending moral support and telling Omar to hang in there.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Round about the time that the last christians are getting killed off the govmt will agree that the campaign should be ended and put a stop to it.
That's just one guy talking, but I stick to my prediction.
Blocked by Sudan from visiting Darfur and refugees in neighbouring Chad, the UN's top humanitarian official has accused Khartoum of trying to hide badly deteriorating conditions there. Jan Egeland, the UN under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, on Tuesday described the reasons Sudanese officials gave for denying him access to Darfur and then overflight rights to see Darfur refugees in Chad as "utter nonsense" and suggested Khartoum had a more nefarious motive. "I think the main reason is that they don't want me to see the tens of thousands of people being displaced as we speak today," he said, speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, where he flew after being forced to cancel his trips.
He blamed Omar el-Bashir, the Sudanese president, for personally preventing him from traveling north, and said that he understood Kofi Annan, the UN chief, was calling al-Bashir to protest. Egeland dismissed Khartoum's claims that his visit was inconvenient and his security could not be guaranteed, as well as claims that his Norwegian nationality posed a problem because of the uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in Norwegian newspapers. He noted that he had been barred from visiting Darfur in 2004 "when ethnic cleansing was at its worst."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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"We must admit once and for all that the purpose of diplomacy is to prolong a crisis."
UNITED NATIONS - UN chief Kofi Annan on Tuesday deplored Sudans decision to bar UN humanitarian coordinator Jan Egeland from visiting its strife-torn Darfur region. The Secretary General regrets that .... Jan Egeland was not permitted by the Government of Sudan to visit Darfur, Annans spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
I'm confused, does he deplore it or regret it? Makes a difference, ya know ...
The pressing and urgent humanitarian requirements of Darfur are a priority for the United Nations and coordination efforts to sustain this large program were at the centre of Mr. Egelands visit, he added. Dujarric said Annan would try to raise the issue with Sudanese President Omar Al Beshir.
Just ask Omar to cut you a little slack, Kofi ...
Meanwhile Egeland, the UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs, on Tuesday canceled plans to visit Darfur refugees in Chad after Sudan denied him overflight rights.
A day after protesting Khartoums refusal to allow him to visit Darfur itself, Egeland said Sudan had now quashed his plans to see the refugees by denying him permission to use Sudanese airspace to travel to neighboring Chad. I have been denied rights to fly over Darfur to visit refugees in Chad, Egeland told AFP by phone from Rumbek, a town in southern Sudan where he met with Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol on Tuesday.
We have now called off the visit to Chad because the foreign minister told me the government could not allow me overflight rights, Egeland said, adding that he would fly to the Kenyan capital Nairobi to consider next steps.
Over lunch.
He blasted the Sudanese government, which he said was deliberately obstructing his efforts to raise international attention to the worsening situation in Darfur and deteriorating conditions for the refugees in Chad. The president of Sudan is responsible for all of this ... denying me access to those two regions, he said.
Perhaps Omar has concluded that you guys are a bunch of powerless bozos whom he can safely ignore?
Egeland pointed out that his Norwegian nationality had been raised as an issue by the authorities since the global crisis that flared up in January between Europe and the Muslim world over cartoons deemed offensive to the Prophet Mohammed and first carried by Scandinavian newspapers.
Well sure, ya can't trust a herring-eater as far as you can throw him ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Kofi deplores his regret? Or regrets his deplores?
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/05/2006 0:33 Comments ||
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Egeland said, adding that he would fly to the Kenyan capital Nairobi to consider next steps.
Yes, yes, yes.... the overland route it is. Take lots of water and super-size your life insurance policy.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/05/2006 13:31 Comments ||
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Well done, ladies! Good luck. And remember, you're replacing the guys, not becoming them. So many of our women politians at the local level fall into that trap ;)
ABU DHABI Dismissing outright any suggestion of financial or ethical impropriety, a wide cross-section of businessmen and executives in the capital have asserted that UAE firms that allegedly paid millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks to ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the oil-for-food programme could not be held accountable.
A Khaleej Times expose of the mushrooming multi-billion dollar Iraqi oil-for-food scandal, published yesterday, had listed over 110 UAE firms (among many others worldwide) which contracted by Iraq to supply humanitarian goods, reportedly paid over $100 million in illegal kickbacks over a seven-year period to secure the corruption-ridden deals. These controversial allegations are categorically listed in the independent UN inquiry into the scandal, led by Paul A. Volcker.
Widely condemning the innuendo of complicity in a rash of corrupt deals, prominent businessmen and top executives in Abu Dhabi said yesterday, 'These are perfunctory ordeals in the realm of business transactions and do not involve issues of moral turpitude, and therefore cannot be dubbed as illicit income.' To the contrary, they argued, 'This is normal business practice worldwide.'
"Pshaw, it's nothing!"
Some of the contracts were subject to tax by the former Iraqi president and bidders supplying a variety of goods were left with no option but to fall in line, said a market analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity. 'By complying with the measures enforced, the business houses in the UAE had only contributed their mite to serve the local economy by bringing in more non-oil business to bolster the economy, he observed. 'It is an unwritten law that such transactions are the order of routine business,' a leading businessman who wished to remain anonymous commented.
"It's not personal, it's business."
'The UAE economy is not impinged by these transactions, even if you give them the label of being 'illegal'. What is important is that the humanitarian assistance reached the millions of suffering masses in sanctions-hit Iraq and their purpose was to bail out these suffering people, he added.
Worked well, didn't it?
'Morally or legally speaking, the only aggrieved party was the Iraqi people, although it could be discounted that it was the money of business houses here that went into some private hands,' the businessman added.
An executive, who also did not wish to be named, said that the UAE businessmen have only been victims of circumstances, as they were at the 'wrong place at the wrong time' and it was a complex Hobson's choice for them. 'Some businessmen with deep values for probity might have refrained from indulging in these deals, but that does not mean that those who did the business resorted to corrupt practices, was their general consensus', he said.
Nope, nothing at all corrupt about dealing with a genocidal dictator.
As Saddam had turned hostile to the US and the West, there was a wave of sympathy and indulgence that might have prompted a certain flexibility in the initiatives the business houses took, reasoned a corporate lawyer.
Another businessmen said the over-prolonged and uncompromising UN sanctions on Iraq which crippled the Iraqi economy and caused heavy damage to the socio-economic sector, had also led to a sympathy wave, which found its bleak aftermath in popular reaction. The war-ravaged scenario in Iraq had led to a set of new values that is difficult to fathom from a pure commercial point of view, which the west champions. 'On the whole, we do not attach undue importance to what is euphemistically termed as a 'bribe', as it can only be construed as a business transaction, on mutually agreed terms and conditions, and for mutual benefit, in the process,' many of the people interviewed by Khaleej Times observed.
'Basically the people behind this probe wanted to malign all those who got contracts from Iraqi government as they wanted to divert the attention and criticism of conscientious people over the West's criminal silence over the plight of Iraqi children and victims of sanctions,' an executive summed up succinctly.
And there you have it, business as usual, in the UAE and in much of the world.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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What a bunch of horse shit.
They were intentionally subverting UN sanctions against Saddam. End of story. There should be penalties.
The British Defence Secretary John Reid has called for changes in the rules of war in the face of "a deliberate regression towards barbaric terrorism by our opponents."
He has put forward three areas for re-examination:
* The treatment of international terrorists
* The definition of an "imminent threat" to make it easier to take pre-emptive action
* When to intervene to stop a humanitarian crisis.
Perhaps the most controversial element was the first.
Although he framed his speech in the form of raising questions rather than proposing answers, he came close to suggesting that the way to end the "anomaly" of the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay was to change international law.
"Anomaly" is the word chosen by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to describe Guantanamo and it has never really been defined. Mr Reid went some way towards doing that.
There are two ways of ending an anomaly - remove the anomaly or change the situation that makes it one. He appeared to favour the latter.
"On the one hand it is against our values," he said during questions after a speech to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London.
"But we need to understand how we got to this unsatisfactory anomaly. It is not enough to say that it is wrong. We ought to discuss how it happened."
How it happened, he suggested in his speech, was 11 September 2001 "proved beyond doubt that, while no one can be sure that the era of war between great powers is entirely over, we certainly now face a new enemy.
"We now face non-state actors capable of operating on a global scale, crossing international borders, exploiting the teachings of a great, peaceful religion as justification for their murderous intent."
The Geneva Conventions, he said, were created more than half a century ago, when the world was almost unrecognisable to today's citizens.
"Those conventions dealt with important aspects of the conduct of war - how the sick and injured, and prisoners of war are treated; and the obligations on states during their military occupation of another state.
"I believe we need now to consider whether we - the international community in its widest sense - need to re-examine these conventions. If we do not, we risk continuing to fight a 21st Century conflict with 20th Century rules."
The implication of what he was saying that there should be a new category of international prisoner to cover al-Qaeda-type terrorists who are a new kind of fighter. They are not affiliated to any state and therefore do not strictly come within the Geneva Conventions, which refer to soldiers or militias in uniform.
The United States uses the term "unlawful combatants" for its Guantanamo Bay prisoners, but this is not a term used in the Third Convention covering prisoners of war. There is a list of all those who do qualify, but "terrorist" is not one of them.
The legal position of the prisoners is one that has been in constant dispute. In 2004, the US Supreme Court overturned lower courts and ruled that prisoners did have the right to petition US courts. A UN team argued in February that the United States had failed to follow international law.
Mr Reid said the question was "to what extent we could impose on non-state actors the same constraints we apply to ourselves. We need to make people feel the consequences of their actions."
His speech frustrated some listeners there who wanted answers not just questions.
But he got support from Sir Paul Lever, the RUSI chairman, who was at the heart of the diplomatic establishment during his time at the Foreign Office as an ambassador and chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee.
"The existing international law might not be adequate," he said. "The standards have to reflect the reality of the deployment. These are no longer straightforward."
However, Elizabeth Wilmshurst, the former Foreign Office legal adviser who resigned over the invasion of Iraq and who is now a senior fellow on international law at the Chatham House think-tank in London, opposed the idea of changing the Geneva Conventions on prisoners.
"Although the law might be made more explicit," she told the BBC News website, "the problem is not so much the rules as the enforcement.
"Human rights and humanitarian law applies to these prisoners and ought to be complied with. In any case, it is very difficult to see the world agreeing on changes in the present context."
Mr Reid's two other suggestions concerned the definition of the imminence of a threat which would justify pre-emptive action and the circumstances in which an intervention on humanitarian grounds could take place.
International law already allows self defence against an imminent threat, but how imminent it has to be remains for debate. President Bush has taken that a stage further with his doctrine of pre-emption and it seems that Dr Reid wants to go down that same path.
The war in Afghanistan had been justified on clear legal grounds, he said, but other situations might not be so clear.
"Difficult as it is, I think all of us here - including representatives from academia, the legal profession, diplomacy and journalism need to consider these issues now rather than waiting for the next threat to come along."
Humanitarian intervention has already been looked at by the UN, which has agreed the theory of the "responsibility to protect."
Mr Reid welcomed that move but suggested that it was not enough.
"The question that people standing in a bus queue in my constituency ask when they see on their TV what is happening in Darfur, Rwanda, Congo or elsewhere is not: 'Why are we interested in intervening?'
"The question they ask is: 'Why aren't we doing more to help these people?'"
The British Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey reflected the concern felt by those who opposed the Iraq war that Mr Reid was trying to clear the way for future actions.
"After the disaster of Iraq, the idea that the doctrine of the pre-emptive strike should be expanded will be met with incredulity in the West and with alarm in the ministries of Tehran," he said.
"If Mr Reid is inviting us to endorse American practices such as indefinite detention, or international rendition, they must be emphatically rejected," he said.
"Compromising on established values and principles would not only be wrong, but would undermine crucial efforts to win hearts and minds."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 00:22 ||
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"After the disaster of Iraq,
I have been following news quite closely but have no idea what disater this moonbat is talking about.
the idea that the doctrine of the pre-emptive strike should be expanded will be met with incredulity in the West and with alarm in the ministries of Tehran"
#2
ah, the fussy people. Losing sleep over the mistreatment of captured terrorists but not caring a whip for the millions murdered, starved or misplaced that they are responsible for. A tear for the terrorists, and the finger to their innocent victims.
#3
'The British Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey reflected the concern felt by those who opposed the Iraq war that Mr Reid was trying to clear the way for future actions.'
Pathetic - how the hell do they expect us to take what a 'liberal democrat defense spokesman' seriously - nobody in this country could give a flying fck what the lib dems want and think except for Al-Beeb which is their mouthpiece. Wtach for Al-Beeb to turn itself into a haven for Iranian propaganda over the coming months, i suspect programs about thier wonderful culture to wow us viewers, programs about how hard they are to scare us viewers, programs about how they're simply misunderstood, programs and radio debates about all about why Iran should have nukes, basically a full on propaganda treatment for the Iranians whilst making our leaders out to be evil oil grabbers out to conquer the universe! More anti war marches highlighted by the BBC on thier website like last time trying to get people to turn up to go against our goverments. I simply don't know how much longer the general public here will continue to be duped by these enemys who broadcast to the world. Every effort no matter how big or small is directed against our goverments by these propagandaists, never once during the whole Iraq conflict have i seen anyone interviewed who was anti saddam, every single person they managed to dig up was totally anti blair and bush, they continue to use phrase such as 'Iraq slips into futher chaos today' and im like hold on they say that everyday - by now there would be absolutly nothing left of the country, 'decended into futher violence' and 'civil war is happening' ,basically just utter twaddle that is so transparent its boggles the mind. Blair isnt the embarresment to this country, Al-Beeb is the big embarresment for it is an enemy propaganda machine, nothing more, nothing less!
#5
"The question that people standing in a bus queue in my constituency ask when they see on their TV what is happening in Darfur, Rwanda, Congo or elsewhere is not: 'Why are we interested in intervening?'"
It is becoming a majority attitude in the States, John. For better or worse.
A SHIP loaded with oil and diesel caught fire after an explosion today as it was docked in the Russian Baltic city of Kaliningrad, Russian media reported.
Two people were hospitalised with medium to serious burns, ITAR-TASS news agency quoted the emergency situations ministry as saying.
State television showed footage of firefighters hosing water at a ship with a red hull as thick black smoke poured from the vessel. RIA-Novosti news agency reported that 14 fire engines were in action.
The ship was carrying 200 tonnes of oil and 200 tonnes of diesel, ITAR-TASS reported.
"An explosion took place on the tanker at Kaliningrad's Yantar shipyard," Interfax news agency quoted the local chief of the emergency situations ministry, Alexander Kulchitsky, as saying.
The explosion could be heard throughout Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave bordering the Baltic and surrounded on two sides by Lithuania and Poland.
A CONVICTED Pakistan-born gang rapist who thought he had a right to rape two teenage girls because they were "promiscuous" would have known his cultural beliefs did not excuse his actions, a New South Wales court has ruled.
In the NSW Supreme Court today, MSK, 27, and his brother MAK, 26, had their jail terms increased for the 2002 rapes of a girl, then aged 14, and a 13-year-old girl who can be identified only as TW and CH respectively. The two men and their younger brothers MMK, 19, and MRK, 21 none of whom can be identified for legal reasons are currently serving between 10 and 22 years for raping the girls at knifepoint. Appeals against their sentences heard last year failed.
TW, who gestured angrily at the two men in court today, was raped by both MSK and MAK in a bedroom of their Ashfield home during an evening of drinking in June 2002. CH was also raped by MSK after having consensual sex with MMK, the youngest, at the home the following month.
MSK submitted he did not believe his actions were wrong because the girls were "promiscuous", something considered unacceptable in his strict Muslim upbringing. But Justice Peter Hidden today rejected the argument that culture played a part in the attacks, saying MSK had visited Australia nine times, and had once lived here for 10 months. "He was no stranger to this country," Justice Hidden said. "He must have had sufficient exposure to the Australian way of life to be aware that the place occupied by women in the traditional culture of his area of origin is far removed from our social norms." He also dismissed MSK's claims "satanic" voices told him to rape the girls, describing him as a man "who is prepared to manipulate the system in any way he can to avoid facing the consequences of his crimes".
MSK will now serve 28 years with a non-parole period of 22 years for the four rapes. He will be first eligible for parole in August 2024. MAK has now been jailed for at least 14 years, with a maximum 19 years, and will be eligible for parole in July 2016.
Justice Hidden also considered an indecent assault on another 16-year-old girl, TA, in January 2002, when sentencing MAK. MMK was sentenced to 12 months for having consensual sex with CH, as well as on charges of common and indecent assault of a 14-year-old girl in November 2001. Because the sentence will be served concurrently with his present term, MMK will not spend any extra time in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2015.
TW stood as the men were led from the dock, making a rude gesture. "I've been waiting four years to do that," she said. "I'm sorry," MSK said. "F**k you, go to hell mate," she replied. Outside court TW, now 18, said she was disappointed by the outcome. "This is something that I have to live with for the rest of my life; it's worse than getting a jail sentence," she said. "This wasn't about culture, this was about abuse against women."
#1
Good. Their culture says women must be protected from men with evil intentions to the point of locking them away in hidden purdah. Thus his culture's ideal is that women are protected by good men, and the abusers are by definition evil. The fact that their culture is actually set up to abuse women on both the macro and micro scale, and all those defined as "not us" as well, doesn't change the ideal these gentlemen imbibed with their mothers' milk.
#2
IIRC, this is actually the second string of mediatised gangrapes by muslim migrants in australai, the first one being done by a gang of lebaneses, and it was as sordid as this one, with even one slight terror sidenote (the main perp made bogus terror claims, threatening attacks in Australia from his cell, if "muslim prisoners were not released from aussie jails", which perfectly illustrate the mental imagery of theses "passive-aggressive" jihad boyz).
I'm normally very shocked and disturbed by the sexual exploitation found in most jails, but I do hope theses animals, both the lebaneses and the pakistanis, will experience instant karma while serving their time; well, after all, unlike many european countries, muslims are not the ruling majority in the correction system there.
I'll make an exception for them.
#5
I'll merely repost the wonderful Charles Napier quote someone here provided a while back. (Let me know if all of you get tired of it.) That an Aussie court has deemed it fit to look past a so-called "cultural defence" and impose lengthy sentences makes it all the more appropos.
'"It is your custom to burn widows. We also have a custom. When men burn a woman alive, we take those men, tie a rope around their necks, and hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your national custom. And then we will follow ours.'"
#8
I agree with Zenster. Charles Napiers words should be on every courthouse and port of entry.
Multiculturalism is fine and great but it is not an excuse for bad behavior and it must swing both ways and when in doubt the laws/culture of the home country MUST prevail. There many nations to choose from, if they don't like it perhaps Saudi Arabia or Pakistan will be more to their liking.
#10
tw- Their culture says women must be protected from men with evil intentions to the point of locking them away in hidden purdah. Thus his culture's ideal is that women are protected by good men, and the abusers are by definition evil.
I shudder to think about the women who live in the countries where that culture is the norm.
In Pakistan, the "locals" attack Christians with impunity with the blessing of the local Mosque Imam.
#11
BigEd, I'm not so silly as to think that the women locked in purdah experience it as an act of love. And any man that tried to do so to me would not long enjoy his manhood, difficult though I find even the idea of me acting violently. But the original intent of locking women away was always to protect the women of the harem (and their children) from the dangers of a violent world. In ancient times the harem was in the inner keep of the citadel, the safest part of the city.
But even though the culture of Pakistan can charitably be described barbaric, and realistically as evil incarnate, the inchoate ideal is still that good men protect women from evil men.
Rome, 5 April (AKI) - The secretary general of Italy's largest Muslim organisation, the Union of Islamic communities in Italy (UCOII), has called on Italian Muslims to vote for the Party of Italian Communists at the general election. Hamza Piccardo sent an email late Tuesday to Muslim centres saying that the party's leader Oliviero Diliberto had been sensitive to the needs of Muslim inmates when he was justice minister in the late 1990s and this constituted a sound reason to vote for him on 9-10 April. This was the first time that a leading member of Italy's Muslim community publicly supported a party on the eve of an election.
In the email, Piccardo also said that, "another five years with a cabinet of [prime minister Silvio] Berlusconi and the Northern League Party is for Muslims and for foreigners in Italy a sad perspective of misunderstanding and segregation." The Northern League is an anti-immigration party in the government coalition.
The UCOII leader explained that he met Diliberto along with the president of UCOII Mohamed Nour Dachan when he was justice minister - from October 1998 until December 1999 in the progressive government of Massimo D'Alema. "We spoke at length about the community's problems and needs, agreeing that the government needed to take more action on its behalf. Diliberto was extremely interested and helpful. In particular, we spoke to him about the problem of celebrating Ramadan in prisons, asking the ministry to make sure that dinner was served when [Muslim inmates] could interrupt their fast."
The leader of UCOII said that Diliberto's willingness to accommodate the needs of the Muslim community was a good reason to vote for his party - even placing at the end of his email the logos of the Party of Italian Communists and its allies at the Senate, the Greens, both members of the center-left coalition.
Piccardo concluded that in December 1999 the minister sent him a letter explaining that, as agreed in their previous conversation, he had "given instructions so that Muslims in Italian prisons could conveniently abide by their Ramadan obligations. Ever since, that practice has been implemented in Italian prisons."
Posted by: Steve ||
04/05/2006 09:11 ||
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Spains foreign minister said Monday that the European Union must take the Muslim world more seriously following the uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. "The cartoon crisis has shown that we have to pay more attention to that part of the world," Moratinos told reporters during a visit to Denmark, where the cartoons were first published.
Moratinos told the crowd of about 150 people at Copenhagens Royal Library that European countries must preserve their traditions of free speech, "but it has to be exercised with responsibility."
He urged both sides to increase mutual respect, and refrain from stereotyping each other to reduce the risk of more serious conflicts.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 00:54 ||
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The cartoon crisis has shown that we have to pay more attention to that part of the world
Yep - someone punch in the coordinates please...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
04/05/2006 3:54 Comments ||
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"...increase mutual respect, and refrain from stereotyping each other to reduce the risk of more serious conflicts..."
'Increased respect' does not lessen the risk of serious conflict-it only delays the conflict, and thus improves the odds of a Muslim Caliphate being established worldwide.
#3
He didn't say why?
If muslims riot in muslim lands - then who cares?
If they riot in your countries - make sure they are not stupid enough to riot again. (hint fines and 3 month sentences at vacation prisons will not do it.)
#4
I guess Moratinos hasn't heard about the gay Muslim film that's coming out soon (so to speak). If he thinks the cartoons were a matter for concern I think we can all expect a litter of kittens from this spineless weasle.
Special Memo to Moratinos: Just because a bunch of stone-age psychotics are outraged that others have taken the opportunity to engage in what these loons do on a regular basis is not a reason to take them "more seriously." It is a reason to take measures that protect free speech "more seriously." A notion, I'm sure, that is entirely foreign to a country that caved so cravenly after the Madrid atrocity.
#6
I have less than zero respect for rioting assholes, no matter what their religion or association.
Obviously, Moratinos' mileage varies.
As ye sow, so shall ye reap - and I think Spain is trying really hard to get reaped. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/05/2006 16:03 Comments ||
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I guess he's missed the double-standard demand inherent in the muslim protests.
They get to scream death to infidels and anyone else they've got a froth on for that day, infidels get to shut up and never mention any kind of commentary or observation about islam at all.
COPENHAGEN - Denmark plans to loosen its strict immigration regulations to open the door to qualified immigrants amid a labour shortage, the government said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the proposal as one of a series of measures aimed at reforming the countrys welfare system, as the Scandinavian country experiences a shortage of workers and a rapidly ageing population.
The alternative is for Danes to have more children, but in a post-modern, secular, post-Christian state, that doesn't seem to win any support.
Rasmussen, whose government in 2001 introduced a slew of restrictive measures to curb immigration and so accept refugees only on humanitarian grounds, said it would be necessary to attract qualified labour in the years to come. We propose an immigration policy where it would be easier to come to Denmark to work if you have the necessary qualifications, and it would be more difficult to come if you dont, he told reporters.
Will this be applied to immigrants from Africa and the Middle East whose only qualification is having memorized the Qur'an?
The government said it planned to introduce a system similar to the United States Green Card, giving foreigners with the right qualifications the possibility to obtain a work permit and residency permit for a period of up to six months.
Rasmussen said immigrants in Denmark had a relatively low level of education compared to those in other countries, with only 20 percent having received a higher education. Some 5.0 percent of Denmarks 5.4 million inhabitants are immigrants. A total of 3.1 percent come from non-Western countries, according to official statistics. Including those who have acquired Danish citizenship, the number of immigrants is 8.5 percent.
That's not unreasonable, indeed it's not too dissimilar to our own country. The issue is whether the immigrants can truly become Danes, so that they and their children think and act like Danes.
The measures introduced in 2001 included delaying refugees eligibility for permanent residence permits from three years to seven, restricting asylum conditions for conscientious objectors and persecuted homosexuals, and reducing welfare payments for new immigrants.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Eastn Europe has been exporting labour since the Berlin Wall came down. This shouldn't be an issue -- all they need do is post some Help Wanted ads in the local newspapers.
#3
No shit, anonymous2u.
Who says they have to be muslim immigrants? There are plenty of people in this world who want to work and have a normal life. Oh, and who don't want to kill you in your sleep. Russia, China, South America all have hordes of people on the lookout for the opportunity to work, not just collect a welfare check.
#5
Yeah, and East Asians--example: people from the Phillipines--they really need the work and would be much better behaved (and then they wouldn't have to work for the abusive Soddies).
U.S. intelligence information on Iran is inadequate and may contain misinformation that spy agencies are accepting as solid, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Tuesday.
Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., told a Council on Foreign Relations gathering that she and other lawmakers recently received a briefing from intelligence agencies based on information shared with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.N. Security Council.
Her bottom line: "I remain skeptical lots of unanswered questions."
"The conjecture that I have is that if I were Iran, and I wanted to put out disinformation, it might look a lot like what our government is claiming is information," she said. "I can't tell you that's true, but I can't tell you it's not true."
Harman didn't provide details on the classified session.
With tensions growing between the U.S. and Iran over its nuclear program, Tehran in the past week has touted new weapons including missiles supposedly invisible to radar and torpedoes too fast to be avoided. Experts have questioned Iran's claims about the weapons' capabilities.
The announcements came as the Bush administration was working toward a diplomatic solution to address its belief that Iran intends to produce nuclear weapons. Iran says it aims only to generate electricity, but it has thus far defied U.N. Security Council demands that it give up key parts of its program.
Last week, the Security Council unanimously approved a statement demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment.
When asked about Iran's recent weapons announcements Tuesday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Iran's "aggressive military program and defiant rhetoric are further examples of how the regime is isolating itself." But he stressed the administration hopes to work toward a diplomatic solution.
McClellan said the United States has a number of concerns about Iran's behavior, including its efforts to conceal its nuclear activities, support of terrorism, use of threatening rhetoric and disregard for the demands of the international community.
Harman said she does not doubt that Iran is a threat. "The issue is how capable are they and what are the real intentions of Iran's leaders, and I think the jury is out on both of those," Harman said.
In recent months, she and others on Capitol Hill have been seeking information about how to deal with Iran. Bruises in Congress and elsewhere in the government remain fresh on the botched prewar intelligence on Iraq's never-to-be-found weapons of mass destruction.
"I want to be absolutely sure that we base decisions especially tough decisions like what are the next steps with Iran, and I surely hope they are diplomatic because I think those are our best options on pristine and pure intelligence or the closest we can get to that," Harman said.
She was echoing the words of former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay, who was in charge of the hunt for Iraq's arsenal until he quit his position in January 2004. Then, he said that "pristine intelligence, good accurate intelligence" was fundamental to a pre-emptive military policy, which the Bush administration adopted after Sept. 11, 2001.
Harman spoke alongside former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, a veteran intelligence analyst who was the agency's No. 2 official in the run-up to the Iraq war. He politely quibbled with the use of the phrase "pristine intelligence."
"It's important, I think, to realize that intelligence isn't going to be pristine and pure," McLaughlin said.
He said intelligence is often incomplete and at some point policy decisions must be made. "We are getting a little caught in the idea that intelligence has the answer to everything," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 00:56 ||
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#1
Harman's one of the smarter Dems but she still thinks we can somehow get 'pristine and pure' intelligence. It's like she wants to convict them in court after mirandizing, subpoening, etc.
It does not occur to these people most decisions in the real world, and all made in wartime, are made under uncertainty. When possible, it's best to err on the side of caution.
#3
Jane Harman may be one of the smarter Democrats, but I'm sure as Hell not willing to bet my life or my childrens' lives on her "concerns."
Iran has been shaking its fist at us and screaming, "DEATH TO AMERICA!!!!" for 27 years; a few years ago we learned they were running a secret program to develop uranium enrichment capability; and they continue to defy all efforts to persuade them to stop.
Those simple facts right there are enough for me. Whack the Mad Mullahs. DO IT NOW.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
04/05/2006 6:01 Comments ||
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#4
"I can't tell you that's true, but I can't tell you it's not true."
Indecisiveness and and hand wringing. Plane and simple. "I remain skeptical lots of unanswered questions."
Failure to commit and take a stand. Again, plane and simple.
What does she nor understand? They are building Nuclear material to use in boms. They have shown it to the world, there is no hunting for it or conjecture. Their Pres has said his goal in life is to destroy the United States of America. The Iranian Government funded the Beirut bombing that killed 200+ great American, bombed the Kobar towers, and built an army, Hammas, designed to carry out terrorist actions worldwide.
My only question to our esteemed Congresswoman is, "What questions here need answering????"
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/05/2006 7:20 Comments ||
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#5
She really pissed me off with her fench sitting. Sorry folks for the spelling errors. My bad.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/05/2006 7:22 Comments ||
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Harman's one of the smarter Dems...
Damning with faint praise, again? I mean "one of the smarter Dems" is like being one of the more chaste street walkers.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/05/2006 7:39 Comments ||
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#7
I'd like to see a statement from George Bush to the effect that as a result of historical experience, we have no choice but to believe it when other countries make warlike and threatening statements, or claim to have or to be acquiring certain weapons -- and therefore we will respond to stated threats in the same way as to confirmed threats. This is not the kind of thing for which equivocation or nuance is helpful.
But lately I've been feeling more than a bit impatient with the usual nonsense. I'm very glad I'm not in the diplomatic corps, else we'd be in the middle of a couple of wars by now. ;-)
#8
If the dems are downplaying the intell, then it must be fairly damning. You know how dems run from war, therefore, Jane is off and running,
indicating we are soon off to war.
#10
Its delusional to believe the majority of elected US officials (of all stripes) can resist their political instincts. Even with all her deserved accolades, Harman has proven not to be the exception. Take her recent statement of how she felt mislead into authorizing the Iraq War for example. Or how she used weasel words to imply trepidation in light of the congressional intelligence committee briefing and authorization for the NSA surveillance. At best, for someone in her position, these smokescreen statements should be viewed as unashamed admissions of incompetence. Although I agree with her apprehension to accept some of the sensational information about Irans capabilities and goals, this is clearly another example of a politician making a CYA statement.
#13
Sadly, she has a point. A stupid one, but a point.
That being, that US intelligence agencies have so embarassed themselves so many times, over so many years, that to get accurate intelligence we almost have to subcontract to private entities, like Janes.
I really wonder if it is an insolvable institutional problem. That they are just so enormous that they cannot see out from under the puffy rolls of bureaucratic flesh. They would not be the first bureaucracy to suffer from such a problem.
The side of this coin she is concerned about is that they might lead us into an unneccessary war.
HOWEVER, it should concern those of us here, if their data is so flawed, that in a war, it might lead to a significant number of our soldiers and sailors getting killed.
I, for one, do not want to see a single soldier or sailor killed because some honorable schoolboy Eli at CIA was promoted because of his class ties.
#14
I have not been up at the senior levels were the ivy league guys are, and presumably the problems are. But down at the operator level, all of the guys I have known and worked with were focused, dedicated and trustworthy. I see them as the new breed as the culture shifts in that agency. As much as the senior leaders have embarased themselves and the agency, the new guys climbing the ladder are different. I am hopefull.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/05/2006 15:40 Comments ||
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49 and OS and anyone else with experience...
My question has always been, "Isn't intelligence one of those areas that you never see or hear about the successes, only the failures?"
If so, how can anyone outside the system judge whether or not things are going reasonably well?
Remember, a batting average of .800 is pretty good, but, if you only hear about the misses it's still a .000
#17
Harmon is a political hack, first and foremost. She was on so many sides of the terrorist surveillance issue of which she was a principle, along with Rocky from the Senate Intel Committee.
If she is one of the brighest bulds on the donks side, sheesh.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/05/2006 22:51 Comments ||
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amen, CA - she reminds me of a parrot that's learned from a disaffected family - she'll say whatever it takes to get the cracker and her feathers preened. Her turnabout on FISA should've got her ass off the intelligence committee if her party had any nads
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/05/2006 22:58 Comments ||
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An Afghani man accused of being a bagman for al Qaeda and Taliban translator made his debut at his Military Commission today -- and deferred entering a plea until this summer, after his U.S. Army lawyer goes to Afghanistan to work on his case. Abdul Zahir appeared fit with a trim, thick black beard but said little more than ''yes'' and ''no'' during his nearly two-hour hearing before Marine Col. Robert S. Chester, the presiding officer.
Zahir, about 35, allegedly was in the company of an insurgent who tossed a grenade at a convoy of Canadian journalists in Afghanistan in March 2002, amid the U.S. invasion that toppled the Taliban. A Toronto Star reporter was seriously wounded. According to his military charge sheet, Zahir allegedly joined al Qaeda in 1997, served as a courier, translator and at one point before his July 2002 capture doled out $50,000 to forces attacking U.S. troops.
Zahir is the 10th man to be charged among nearly 490 captives at this offshore detention center for suspected terrorists to go before the war-crimes court that President Bush ordered created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Zahir's attorney, Army Lt. Col. Thomas Bogar, did most of the talking, as a Farsi-language interpreter translated the preliminary proceedings.
In contrast to more defiant captives facing the court, Zahir stood attentively along with U.S. military and observers inside the tribunal room as the Marine colonel arrived and left in his capacity as presiding officer.
Zahir also looked alternately bewildered and bemused as his attorney explored the colonel's news consuming preferences. Chester said he watched Fox TV but did not subscribe to a newspaper or news magazine. ''I watched O'Reilly Factor until it became too obnoxious. I never watched Hannity and Colmes,'' said Chester, a veteran military judge advocate general on the cusp of retirement who last year presided at a Marine murder case at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The colonel said his news viewing choices would not color his considerations as he presided over the case. Moreover, he said he was purposefully paying attention to news coverage of the commissions after a defense attorney in another case complained about remarks made by the Pentagon's chief prosecutor that described the captives at Camp Delta as ``terrorists.''
All sides agreed to a delay in the case, as well as a formal reading of the charges, until at least July, after Bogar travels to Afghanistan to interview possible witnesses in the case. A Philadelphia transactions attorney, Bogar was mobilized to reserve Army duty to defend the captive.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 00:06 ||
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Prominent individuals belie the poverty of a minority left behind by the 1947 partition
Randeep Ramesh in Mumbai
Wednesday April 5, 2006
The Guardian
On the sprung floor of a Mumbai dance studio standing amid a huddle of male and female dancers is a young woman, dressed in tight sequinned clothes, sucking on a cigarette. She is shouting at her troupe.
It is difficult not to notice 19-year-old Mumait Khan. Tattoos ride on her shoulders and her lower back and her sinuous dance routines have made her one of the most sought-after "item girls" to roll out of Bollywood. "Item" is Mumbai film-speak for a raunchy musical number slipped into mainstream Hindi films.
In the lottery of life Mumait Khan has hit a jackpot. An Indian Muslim, she embodies an apparent contradiction that is rapidly becoming part of a national debate.
While government statistics reveal India's Muslims achieving lower educational levels and higher unemployment rates than the Hindu majority, paradoxically there are an increasing number of high-profile sports and film stars, politicians and industrialists among India's 150 million adherents to Islam.
India's tennis star, Sania Mirza, the country's president, Abdul Kalam, and Azim Premji, its richest man, are all Muslims. Like many success stories of this modern Indian Muslim resurgence, Mumait attributes her rise to self-reliance and self-help.
Although she says she still prays and comes from a pious family, it was poverty that persuaded her parents to overcome their conservative instincts and let her pursue a film career. Only after her father lost his job and could not get steady work again was Mumait allowed to begin dancing. Her appearance fee today runs into hundreds of thousands of rupees and she has just bought a duplex for 5.5m rupees (£70,000).
Walking past the rubbish-strewn streets and open sewers of the chawl or housing colony she grew up in, the teenager says: "Look, this is where I came from. I had to get out."
There is however growing concern that such high-profile success stories mask the relative decline of the Indian Muslim community.
The issue has political repercussions - Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the ruling Congress party, has made it clear that the nation's Muslims are key to winning elections, calling them the party's natural allies. Mrs Gandhi's party has embarked on a campaign to "empower" Muslims with quotas in jobs and universities. Hindu nationalist politicians claim an obscurantist minority is being appeased and pampered.
India has more Muslims than any country except Indonesia, a large religious minority in a professedly secular nation of a billion people. Indian Muslims often feel under pressure not to antagonise the Hindu majority and this sets them apart from many of their brethren in the rest of the Islamic world.
The result is that protests on global issues concerning Muslims, whether the Danish cartoons controversy or George Bush's "war on terror", are relatively muted in India. But there are some notable exceptions - a Muslim politician in Uttar Pradesh recently called for the beheading of the cartoonist and offered a 510m-rupee reward.
What is also striking about India's version of Islam is that it remains largely unreformed and looks outdated by comparison with other Islamic countries. Fatwas are frequently issued - priests pronounce on the correct length of tennis players' skirts. In India Muslim men can divorce their wives by saying talaq ("I divorce thee") three times - a practice largely abandoned in Islam. Last week village elders in eastern India even ordered a man to leave his wife after he said talaq three times in his sleep.
The most striking example of this attempt to be "authentic" are the beards and filigreed topi caps of students among the verandas and courtyards of Darul Uloom (House of Knowledge), a madrasa located in Deoband, 90 miles north-east of Delhi. The seminary is a global centre of Muslim learning with 15,000 schools worldwide adopting its sparse and dogmatic version of Islam. Although Darul Uloom spreads a message of peace, the Taliban sprung from its teaching.
Rising unemployment among Muslims in India has seen a steady increase in students. "My father is a farmer, but there is no work. He thought the best job was to become an imam (priest). People always need spiritual learning," said Mohammed Arif, 20, who has studied in Deoband for seven years.
A committee set up by the country's prime minister tasked with looking at minority employment found that despite making up 14.7% of the population, Muslims only comprise a fraction of the workforce in many areas.
In February there was an angry debate in parliament over the Indian army's refusal to tell the committee how many Muslim soldiers the country had. In the end the army relented: out of 1.1m Indian soldiers only 29,000 are Muslims.
There are many who wonder why Muslims, who before the subcontinent was divided made up a third of the armed forces, have stayed away from India's regiments. There is a widely held suspicion that Muslims prefer Pakistan. But in the three wars India has fought with Pakistan there were no signs of Muslim disloyalty and the dispute over Kashmir has not stirred wider passions.
More worrying, Muslims are falling behind Hindu Dalits, or untouchables, seen as the lowest social class. "In terms of educational achievement, Indian Muslim men in cities are less literate than their Dalit peers," says Abusaleh Shariff, a member of the prime ministerial committee conducting a socio- economic survey of Indian Muslims.
Why Muslims fare so badly is a mix of history and politics. When the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947, most of the Muslim upper and middle class emigrated to Pakistan. Those left behind were leaderless and mostly poor and many felt guilty they had been responsible for the carving-up of the country.
Experts also point out a linguistic divide. For many north Indian Muslims their language, Urdu, written in a modified Arabic script, is conspicuous by its absence in India.
Like their Hindu counterparts, descent often determines employment for Indian Muslims. The result is that poor artisans expect their sons to take over often low-paying jobs. "It is why 50% of car mechanics are Muslims. The fathers just hand over the business to the son," says Mr Shariff.
Academics say that rather like African Americans, Indian Muslims have become victims of history and discrimination. Some suggest that mimicking US policy on African Americans might help.
But, says Zoya Hassan, professor of political science at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University: "Unlike African Americans Indian Muslims are not organised. They have not campaigned for their rights effectively. Of course racism is easier to identify than an anti-Muslim bias, but African Americans were lifted by a policy of positive discrimination which could help here."
In numbers
Muslims form 14.7% of India's 1.1 billion population but only
3% or less of the Indian army
7% of public administrators
5% of the railways staff
3.5% of the country's banking employees
Posted by: john ||
04/05/2006 19:29 ||
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The aversion of muslims to modern education plays a large part in their low numbers in certain jobs, including the Indian army, where a school leaving certificate is required for enlisted men.
A madrassa education for boys and none for girls pretty much ensures you remain poor.
Posted by: john ||
04/05/2006 21:30 Comments ||
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#2
Indian Muslims often feel under pressure not to antagonise the Hindu majority and this sets them apart from many of their brethren in the rest of the Islamic world.
In other words, they realize that acting like they do elsewhere would not have a positive result.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/05/2006 22:08 Comments ||
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#3
Muslims, blacks, most of South America, and just about all of Africa face the same problems, for the same reasons. The world is changing. To be successful, you have to KNOW something. There's no longer the opportunity of growing up poor and stupid and still making a decent living. Blacks graduate from high school with a poorer education than whites, fewer actually graduate, and even fewer take hard classes. Muslims believe their women don't need to be educated, but who will educate and train their children if their mothers are illiterate? Not everyone has the talent to be a movie star or a prominent athlete. Unless you want to remain on the bottom, learn something that will lift you up from it. Unfortunately, too few people in today's world are willing to work hard enough to actually SUCCEED at getting a decent, useful education.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/05/2006 23:13 Comments ||
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A man on a humanitarian mission in Pakistan says what the U.S. government thinks is a terrorist training camp may actually be a Pakistani military facility.
"I was at the right location. I'm 100 percent sure of that," said James Lazor, a witness for the defense in the terrorism trial against Lodi's Hamid Hayat. Last month, Lazor was in Balakot, Pakistan searching for the camp and says he encountered Pakistani soldiers when he got close. When he spoke to one of them, Lazor said, "He was a military guy, no doubt in my mind."
Hamid Hayat, 23, is accused of training at a terrorism camp. Prosecutors claim his description of the area and the camp matches satellite images showing a complex of buildings tucked in the mountains of Pakistan's northwest Frontier Province.
Defense lawyers say Lazor's testimony disputes that. "Their expert sat on the stand and stated that in looking at the images that it cannot be a military camp, and he is clearly wrong," said Wazhma Mojaddidi, who represents Hamid Hayat. "The proof is in that the government is not able to, with all its resources, produce one person whoever went there. Us as the defense, we were able to find someone to go there, and he came back and reported what he saw."
Lazor testified that he went to Pakistan this past February, taking blankets to victims of the earthquakes as well as letters from California children to deliver to Pakistani children. He's a private citizen who went there on his own after speaking to friends about the needs of earthquake victims.
The defense would not reveal how they discovered Lazor was going there, but he agreed to try to find the terrorist camp armed with maps, a global positioning system device and the coordinates provided by defense attorneys.
Lazor said when he went up the trail and was about a mile and a half away, he was approached by a military-type vehicle. "I was stopped by a sergeant from the Pakistani military who said the area wasn't open to civilians and said it was a Pakistani military camp I would not be allowed access to," said Lazor. "He was polite and respectful. I mean if he was a terrorist it would've been a completely different scenario."
Lazor, who lead off Tuesday's defense witnesses, said he did very little research on the Hayat case before he went on his quest in Pakistan last month. "I went with an open mind," he said.
Also taking the stand was FBI agent Gary Schaaf, one of the agents who interrogated Hamid Hayat which was videotaped after Hayat claimed he attended training at the terrorist camp. Under defense questioning, he acknowledged that he often asked Hayat leading questions during the interview. Schaaf said he, not Hayat, was the one who first mentioned weapons and explosives training and the possibility someone would travel by bus to get there.
Besides the charge of training for terrorism, Hamid Hayat also faces three counts of lying to federal agents. The key evidence against him is his videotaped confession, along with secret tape recordings between him and a paid FBI informant, Naseem Khan.
On Wednesday, the trial for Hayat's father, Umer Hayat, resumes. The older Hayat, an ice cream truck driver from Lodi, is charged with lying to federal officials about his son's alleged involvement in terrorism.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 01:17 ||
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#1
The defense would not reveal how they discovered Lazor was going there, but he agreed to try to find the terrorist camp armed with maps, a global positioning system device and the coordinates provided by defense attorneys.
#2
A man on a humanitarian mission in Pakistan says what the U.S. government thinks is a terrorist training camp may actually be a Pakistani military facility.
Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/05/2006 8:55 Comments ||
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#3
Actually, that would be worse for the defense -- I believe American citizens are not permitted to join foreign armies. Not to mention terribly embarrassing for Pakistan -- what on earth are they doing giving military/paramilitary/terror training to non-citizen civilians?
#5
A man on a humanitarian mission in Pakistan says what the U.S. government thinks is a terrorist training camp may actually be a Pakistani military facility.
MULTAN: More than 1,500 Christians protested in Tibba Shomali in Mian Chunnu tehsil against the burning of the Bible and other sacred texts by four Muslims on Tuesday. The men were caught while burning the Bible, calendars carrying the picture of Jesus Christ and other Christian booklets. We caught four people Hafiz Islam, Hafiz Abid, Rana Abdul Ghaffar and Rana Abdul Jabbar burning our sacred books and literature on a heap of garbage on Tuesday evening, Pakistan Christian Writers Guild President AD Sahil said.
Union Council Naib Nazim Ch Shamoon Kaiser said: Two chapters of the Holy Bible, calendars carrying portraits of Jesus Christ and booklets containing religious literature were reduced to ashes. He said that a mob of Christians tried to attack them, but the elders intervened to save their lives. While condemning the incident, a former district councillor condemned the incident but asked the Christians of the area not to take the law into their own hands.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
Omeck - your comment shows you don't quite grasp how truly free westerners view this event.
If you think we are upset about the Bible burning, you are wrong. I'm a Christian, and I say burn away. Yawn. We'll send them another one for free. What we do find interesting, is the double standard given these events by the those who profess to value free speech and the press.
#4
oh fck it, just buy another bible but for gods sake don't lower yourselves to the level of the Koranimals! I found it interesting with the cartoon riots that the MSN refused flatly to call them riots and instead termed them as 'protests' - now i thought when a protest turned violent it becomes a riot, yet somehow MSN never once used the word riot. Just like the french 'protests' that turned in riots in Paris and journalists were saying ' riot police fight running battles with protesters' - i'm like what the fck, so they have riot police using full force but its not a riot but merely a mild mannered protest???? how long can they keep playing these silly word games with us, its getting as bad as the whole 'freedom fighter' and 'insurgent' crap they spew. example - 'insurgents today blew up a school' and you think WTF insurgents or terrorists! Sickening stuff.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
04/05/2006 5:32 Comments ||
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#6
This is the Muslim world reaping what is has sown. They want to riot over the disposition of a handful of pulp; OK, they'll get riots over it.
They just shouldn't bitch when they're on the receiving end.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/05/2006 7:41 Comments ||
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#7
If you think we are upset about the Bible burning, you are wrong. I'm a Christian, and I say burn away. Yawn. We'll send them another one for free.
Bravo, 2b. Quite obviously, the strength of your convictions relies upon something far more eternal than a mere book, however beloved that tome might be. Like the flag burning issue, the right to freedom of expression is much more worthy of preservation than the integrity of a piece of colored fabric or printed paper. The village elders did well to set an example that, I'm sure, the local Muslims will have a much more difficult time following.
The only outrage should be over how Islam routinely applies such a double standard to the conduct of its own followers.
Still, it's hard to apply the Golden Rule when, as far as I can tell, Islam's version of the Golden rule is "Take the Kuffir's gold."
While condemning the incident, a former district councillor condemned the incident but asked the Christians of the area not to take the law into their own hands.
Best way to prevent that is for the State to get off its ass and ENFORCE the law. Most attempts to take "the law into your own hands" start as someone respecting the law enough to enforce it when the State does not.
#10
Most everyone missing the point. If the Christians don't protest this publicly, the muzzies will consider them "fair game" and start doing worse. In this part of the world the rule are different. The beginning of a really ugly persecution starts with incidents like these going unchecked. This isn't a Harvard student protest of some sort, and it's not about overreaction. It's about the muzzies encroaching and forcing their religio-facist rules on others. And BTW, these people may not be able to get replacements like we can. Last thing--in the muzzie world, symbolism is everything. Burning Bibles is the same as burning Christians, and if they could get away with it, they would.
#11
one of the biggest mistakes that is made about Christians is re: the concept of forgiveness. You have to factor in the concept of repentance before you can understand forgiveness. Some think that being a Christian means you stand by idly and watch your friends and family get thrown to the lions. Not. Read the Bible and see that the God of Abraham is, by no means, a cuddly teddy bear. He has soldiers and armies and when he's pissed, the results are not pretty. Christ addressed soldiers. It's a mistake to think that being a Christian means you won't fight against evil.
#12
He said that a mob of Christians tried to attack them, but the elders intervened to save their lives. While condemning the incident, a former district councillor condemned the incident but asked the Christians of the area not to take the law into their own hands.
Well, Hell could freeze over and a similar incident with the religions reversed with village elders and Moslem leaders condemning attacks and asking people not to take law in their own hands... Well???
OK Hell hasn't frozen over yet. Never mind. Besides good Christians don't burn Korans anyway.
#5
The Pakis have a long history of buying PRC aircraft so I don't see the story. I'll bet that if the pakis will let us give it a once (or twice) over.
#6
Nothing to see here. Guys, these are Pak copies of Chinese copies of the latest in Russian EXPORT technology and are being manufactured in Pakistan. This is just another episode in the long history of countries selling their second-line shit to the wannabes in the backcountry.
KATHMANDU - Nepals royalist government on Tuesday indefinitely banned protests in Kathmandu, two days ahead of a general strike and a series of protests against King Gyanendras seizure of power. The ban would come into force from Wednesday in Kathmandu and the neighbouring temple-town of Lalitpur, a government statement said.
Nepals main political parties have planned a four-day nationwide general strike from Thursday and a series of big protests in Kathmandu against King Gyanendra who seized power last year. The ban was necessary to maintain law and order as Maoist rebels could infiltrate the demonstrations and incite violence, it said.
The government decision came a day after the rebels announced an indefinite ceasefire in Kathmandu and its surrounding valley to help make the protests successful. But the government said it did not trust the rebels, who have been fighting to topple the monarchy and establish communist rule in the Himalayan kingdom. It is necessary to immediately control them because they could result in the loss of life and property, the government statement said.
Since, after all, the rebels are a bunch of blood-thirsty Maoists.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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The government decision came a day after the rebels announced an indefinite ceasefire in Kathmandu and its surrounding valley to help make the protests successful. But the government said it did not trust the rebels, who have been fighting to topple the monarchy and establish communist rule in the Himalayan kingdom. It is necessary to immediately control them because they could result in the loss of life and property, the government statement said.
Prior experience states that not trusting commies is a pretty good default option to follow.
Much of the money for rebuilding Iraq has already been spent, and Iraqi soldiers are gradually taking over for their American counterparts. So what can the United States still use as leverage? It may be that the strongest influence is the simple fear of what would happen if the US up and left.
"Most of Iraq's leaders recognize that if the US were to pull out precipitously, things could get much worse," says Phebe Marr, an Iraq expert at the US Institute of Peace who has spent considerable time with Iraq's principal political factions. "All the talk about the US getting out, an exit strategy and so forth, has them worried. It's having an impact."
Yet even as the US shows signs of growing increasingly impatient with Iraqi leaders over their inability to name a new government, that doesn't mean the US wants to look as if it is determining Iraq's future. The result is a delicate balancing act: It's applying pressure for political action even while encouraging a sovereign Iraq that appears to stand on its own two feet.
For weeks, the US has left its behind-closed-doors arm-twisting to its ambassador in Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, with the aim of seeing a national unity government named that is acceptable to the major political factions and population groups. But with alarm growing that what the US calls a "power vacuum" is feeding sectarian violence, the pressure has become more public - and from higher up.
On Tuesday, President Bush said, "It's time for the elected leaders to stand up and do their job." The remark came one day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice concluded a visit to Baghdad accompanied by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
The two diplomats gave no public indications of their preference for prime minister, the keystone in the construction of Iraq's first permanent government since the fall of Saddam Hussein. But the US has made little effort to squelch speculation that it wishes to see Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari give up his battle to retain his post.
Ms. Rice and Mr. Straw met once with Mr. Jaafari in a tense photo session, but pointedly met for meetings and a breakfast with two other prominent Shiite leaders, Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who heads one of Iraq's major Shiite parties. Mr. Mahdi lost his bid to be nominated prime minister by only one vote in secret balloting of the Shiite bloc.
Those meetings may have only served to spotlight the deepening fissures within Iraq's Shiite majority - a latent situation that could lead to a new front of violence. That is especially true, some analysts say, because Jaafari has the backing of the volatile young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Mr. Sadr has recently toned down his anti- occupation rhetoric as he has amassed power in the new National Assembly, some observers note, but might reignite resistance if he decided it might enhance his kingmaker role.
In addition to the two diplomats, members of the US Congress have also visited Baghdad and key political leaders recently. Some have told Iraqi counterparts that the US commitment to Iraq is under pressure and could be scaled back if they do not end their political infighting.
Yet the US is also operating with the knowledge that too much pressure could have the negative result of prolonging the leadership stalemate among politicians who are sensitive about foreign influences in Iraq. "There are misgivings and growing mistrust towards those [leaders] with too-close ties to outsiders, particularly the US and Iran," says Ellen Laipson, a former CIA official with foreign-policy and national-security expertise.
By its investment and presence in the country, the US has a right to exercise pressure, and there are things it can do "without going over the line," says Ms. Laipson, now president of the Stimson Center, a Washington defense and security think tank. "We are operating within a boundary that says it's not up to us to pick the names" of who will govern, but that says the US provides "broad guidelines on what will help the security situation and get them on the right track."
So the US is in "the unusual situation of saying we'd like someone other than Jaafari" for prime minister, she says. But the US is also emphasizing that the ministers of defense and interior should be someone with no ties to the country's powerful and ethnically based militias.
Still, with US clout waning, other means of pressuring Iraq's leadership are under discussion. One idea is an international conference that would be held outside Iraq - something similar to the Bonn conference that provided guideposts to Afghanistan's post-Taliban government.
Ambassador Khalilzad, an Afghan-American who was previously ambassador to his native country, has floated that idea. Yet while "internationalizing" Iraq could help, some experts say, they also doubt that many countries wish to step in to help Iraq. Add to that the deep suspicions that Iraqis harbor toward the neighboring countries that might have some influence.
In any case, many experts caution that naming a government is not going to magically transform Iraq, any more than earlier milestones - such as elections - have done the trick.
"It's a little misplaced to say that [forming a government] somehow solves the sectarian problem or any of the other really difficult challenges on the ground," Ms. Marr says. "It will probably help some to have a new government, but we shouldn't be under any illusions that the day after, the insurgency will put down its guns, or the sectarian violence is going to stop."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 01:10 ||
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We aren't ballet dancers and all this tip-toeing around is bullshit.
Americans are getting impatient about the formation of a new Iraqi government. That's what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told political leaders in Baghdad this week, and she was putting it mildly. But it would be folly if American impatience torpedoed the slow but real progress Iraqi leaders are making toward a government that could step back from the brink of civil war.
"We need to be patient to get it right," Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, told me in a telephone interview yesterday. "Their concept of time is not the same as ours. While we press them to hurry up, the American people also need to be patient."
Khalilzad recounted the items that the Iraqi political factions have agreed on in private negotiations over the past month. On Sunday, the leaders signed off on the last of these planks of a government of national unity. The Iraqis have saved the hardest issue for last -- the names of the politicians who will hold the top jobs. That bitter fight will play out over the next several weeks.
An example of what's in these unity documents is a passage that calls for "a timetable so the Iraqi forces assume the security tasks completely and end the mission of the multinational force in Iraq." That timetable language is vague, but it would allow the new government to say it is committed to ending the American occupation. Interestingly, U.S. officials said yesterday that this passage on troop withdrawal is consistent with Bush administration policy.
The political agreements are fragile, and they will be blown away if the factions can't form a government soon to put them in practice. Meanwhile, beyond the Green Zone, Iraqis are still being slaughtered every day in the streets. But given where Iraq was six months ago -- when Sunni and Shiite leaders were barely talking -- their agreement on the framework for a unity government is important. These negotiations may not succeed, but they are not a fairy-tale fantasy, as some critics argue.
"All the elements of the deal are there, up in the air, and they could come down and click into place," Kurdish leader Barham Salih told me by telephone from Iraq. "We have come to the real crunch."
Here's the framework for the unity government, as outlined by Khalilzad, who has attended nearly all of the meetings. First, the broad strokes: The Sunni leaders have accepted that the new government will operate under the Iraqi constitution and that it will be based on the results of last December's election, both of which reflect the reality that the Shiites are Iraq's largest religious group. The Shiites, in turn, have agreed that the new government will be guided by consensus among all the factions. And they have agreed to checks that will, in theory, prevent the key security ministries from being hijacked by Shiite militia groups.
To implement this consensual approach, the Iraqi factions agreed on two bodies that weren't mentioned in the constitution. They endorsed a 19-member consultative national security council, which represents all the political factions. And they agreed on a ministerial security council, which will have the Sunni deputy prime minister as its deputy chairman. Shiite leaders have tentatively agreed that the defense minister will be a Sunni. And for the key job of interior minister, the dominant Shiite faction, known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, appears ready to accept the replacement of one of its members by an independent Shiite, perhaps Qasim Dawood, a man acceptable to most Sunni leaders.
The real brawl lies ahead over who should be prime minister. Ibrahim al-Jafari, the interim prime minister, is fighting to hold on to his job. Kurdish and Sunni groups have opposed him, as has the Bush administration, arguing that he is too weak and too sectarian. This anti-Jafari coalition added a crucial new member Monday when the Supreme Council's top leaders formally told Jafari they will vote against him if the choice is thrown to the new parliament. That broke the unity of the Shiite alliance, cutting 50 to 70 votes from the 130 that Jafari had counted on, and it may doom his candidacy.
The day-to-day bargaining is taking place in Baghdad. But the X-factor in this delicate game is U.S. political support. Khalilzad could fail in his effort to midwife a unity government, and Iraq could spiral into full-blown civil war. But it would be crazy for an impatient America to talk itself into defeat and pull the plug prematurely. As Prince Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, remarked this week: "America came to Iraq uninvited. You should not leave uninvited."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 00:53 ||
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/05/2006 00:09 ||
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#1
Anybody wanna bet our SOF counter-sniper teams are trimming these twats faster than they can be trained? Given the Darwinian nature of the business, there is little room for error. And, we have decades of experience and technology to thin the gene pool.
#3
yep agree with you 100% gromky, Juba is probably nothing more then imaginary, and hell even if he is real he ain't gonna win a war for the terrorists - well not unless he manages to pick off about 1000 soldiers a day which i think is rather doubtfull :) .But the propaganda value is high, im waiting for AL-Beeb to do a story perhaps even a 'documentry' all about Juba and how he's so wonderfull and the hero to all iraqis against our evil invading forces, and they will do it and get away with it too just like they have been doing through out this conflict. We have no propaganda machine, nothing, all we get is cynical stupid journalists telling us all how were doomed to extinction against the wonderfull islamic heros.
#6
Pathetic explains it. So desperate are they that they start a rumor about one man who has come to save the day. Why it's Mighty Mouse.
Their whole phukan culture is a cartoon. I wonder what they pray for ?
Iraq's interim-Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has rejected growing pressure on him to resign, saying Iraqis must be left to choose their leader democratically.
In an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper today, Mr Jaafari brushed aside calls from opponents and some political allies to step aside to break a political deadlock. Mr Jaafari's critics and some allies have called for him to step aside, saying the Shiite leader cannot bring the needed unity and security. "There is a decision that was reached by a democratic mechanism and I stand with it," he told the newspaper. "We have to protect democracy in Iraq and it is democracy which should decide who leads Iraq."
Democracy also says that, in a parliamentary system, if you can't win a vote of confidence you step aside.
The United States and Britain have said that Iraq's failure to appoint a new government four months after elections is undermining security. On a visit to Baghdad on the weekend, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said the Iraqi people are "losing patience" with the delay on forming a new government.
Mr Jaafari says no consensus had been reached during talks with Dr Rice and her British counterpart, Jack Straw. "I heard their points of view even though I disagree with them," he told the Guardian. "People will react if they see the rules of democracy being disobeyed.
"Every politician and every friend of Iraq should not want people to be frustrated."
#4
the slate system was imposed by the UN with the support of Jerry Bremer and the CPA. One of the "mistakes"
In any case thats the problem now. SCIRI and Sistani clearly want Jaafari out - but a vote in parliament is problematic. If Kurds+Allawi+Sunnis+SCIRI easily outvotes Dawa+Sadr but that means breaking the UIA, and I dont think Sistani and SCIRI are quite ready to do that. Thats why they want to pressure Jaafari to go quiety (and i presume there are carrots being offered as well, behind the scenes) but he either isnt biting, or is holding out for more goodies than theyll give.
AMMAN - Iraq has signed a UN-sponsored agreement with the Audit Board of Jordan in a much-needed step to modernise the fight against corruption, the UN Developent Programme (UNDP) said in a statement on Tuesday. Iraq took the first much-needed step towards modernising its public accountability systems with the signing of a partnership agreement between the Supreme Audit Board (SAB) and the Audit Board of Jordan, it said.
The UNDP described the agreement as a landmark scheme and said it would improve Iraqs audit bureau in its efforts to combat allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement. In a climate currently clouded by rumours of mismanagement and corruption, the upgrading of SABs skills will give the Iraqi population the confidence they need in those who are managing the public purse and inspire a new generation of citizens to trust their government, the statement said.
Yup, UN rules and Jordanian auditors. A match made in heaven.
The project worth 4.8 million dollars is brokered and financed by UNDP-Iraq through international funding and will take 18 months to be completed, the statement said.
In line with the agreement Jordan will train Iraqi auditors in dealing with money laundering, fraud detection, public procurement and privatisation. According to the UNDP the Iraqi Supreme Audit Board is responsible for the independent financial monitoring of the activities of public and private institutions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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They don't need Jordanian auditors, they can just put my neighbor, the retired FBI man, on the case. He just got back from 18+ months in Iraq, where he traced down multiple millions of misbegotten funds. The old FBI skills do have some uses. ;-)
Palestinian foreign minister, Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar tells officials ministry's policy should be to establish Palestinian state in place of Israel, says Jewish State must not be recognized
Ali Waked
Israel must not be recognized and the Palestinian Foreign Ministry should aim to establish a Palestinian State from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, in place of the Jewish State, PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar said according to Palestinian media reports.
Al-Zahar made the remarks during his first meeting with Foreign Ministry officials and ahead of the first session to be held by the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
Fatah officials, who are closely monitoring the situation, said in recent hours that prospects for the continued existence of the Hamas government appear slim. Such government would not be able to last as long as Hamas refrains from modifying its positions, which only serve to isolate the cabinet, the Fatah sources said.
The Hamas-led government's first session will be held Wednesday in Ramallah and Gaza and be headed by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The session will be held via satellite, with more than half of the government ministers staying in Ramallah.
No diplomatic declarations are expected during the meeting, which will be mostly dedicated to internal Palestinian affairs, and particularly efforts to battle the financial crisis faced by the PA through a three-month emergency plan.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian street is closely monitoring the new government's conduct and its chances of survival, while Hamas works to end the growing isolation faced by the government.
Elsewhere, London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat reported that Fatah is considering the establishment of a shadow cabinet that would operate along the Hamas government and be ready to take its place should the official government collapse.
Efforts to pay PA officials
Ahead of Wednesday's session, several Hamas ministers met Tuesday with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to discuss ways for the government and PA leader to work together.
Palestinian Finance Minister Omar Abdel-Razek said that the government continues to engage in fundraising efforts in order to pay the salaries of Palestinian officials. Starting this month, the Hamas government's mission will be first and foremost to guarantee the payment of salaries to approximately 150,000 Palestinian clerks and security personnel.
PA sources estimated that the delays in salary payments would in fact mark the beginning of the government's countdown toward collapse, but Hamas officials said that the movement plans on undertaken all efforts in order to prolong the government's life "for the sake of the Palestinian people."
In the meantime, the Hamas faction announced that it was making amendments in the distribution of roles in the faction. Following the appointment of Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar as the Palestinian government's foreign minister, Dr. Khalil al-Haya will be appointed the faction chairman. In addition, the faction decided on changes in the posts of the faction chairman's deputies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
#3
No diplomatic declarations are expected during the meeting, which will be mostly dedicated to internal Palestinian affairs, and particularly efforts to battle the financial crisis faced by the PA through a three-month emergency plan.
Free donkey parking is available, but lunch will not be served and please do not forget to bring your own bottled water.
#4
Oh, I thought the Saudis and Iranians were going to bankroll them? Isn't that what they said? As far as the Saudis go, make sure you get cash, don't ever take a personal check.
#5
What Mahmoud al-Zahar really wants is a Hellfire suppository. He just doesn't know it ... yet.
He||, you'd have thought that Arafat's timely demise would have ushered in a new era for Israeli-Palestinian relations. Instead, into the power-vacuum has scurried every maggot, louse and cockroach that could possibly gain admission. I hope that Israel and the IDF both have evolved an equally hostile response doctrine to deal with the Palestinians' wholly terrorist government.
#7
The only good thing we can say about Hamas is they say what they think and want to do.
Not the political correct lies of the P.A, about a two state solution. This stupid lie that the Israelis and Americans want to buy.
#8
It's not about the land or about Moslems being "humiliated." It's really about the stuff. The Palestinians want the Israelis' stuff (infrastructure, economy, developed agriculture, tech, business, etc.). It's about stealing their stuff.
Israel's two main political parties, Kadima and Labour, have agreed to form a power-sharing government committed to further withdrawals from the occupied territories and reviving Israel's welfare state. The Labour leader, Amir Peretz, said he had decided to join the administration, and will back the acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, to remain in his position "out of national responsibility".
In the coming days, the Israeli president, Moshe Katsav, is expected to formally invite Mr Olmert to form the next government. He then has up to 42 days to reach a coalition agreement with other parties to install a new administration.
Mr Olmert said he was prepared to invite any party into his government that backs his "consolidation plan" to draw Israel's final borders by 2010 using the West Bank barrier to mark out the frontier. It requires the dismantling of some smaller Jewish settlements, removing tens of thousands of Israelis living in the occupied territories, while annexing to Israel the larger settlement blocks that are home to about 350,000 people.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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They are sooooo stupid. Socialism/Comunism does not bring prosperity. Giving land for nothing does not bring peace.
Posted by: ana p ||
04/05/2006 8:52 Comments ||
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A friendly competition: can Peretz destroy Israel's economy before Olmert can turn the country over to Paleos?
Israel's new government has begun to take shape, with Moshe Katsav, the president, poised to ask Ehud Olmert, the acting prime minister, to form a coalition with Labour to fix the borders of Israel. After several days of sniping at each other, Olmert and Labour leader Amir Peretz announced on Tuesday they would work towards forming a coalition which will still need the support of several other smaller parties. "We are glad to announce that, after President Moshe Katsav appoints me to form a government, we will start coalition talks to create a government in which Labour will be a senior partner," Olmert told a joint press conference.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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JERUSALEM - The Hamas-led Palestinian government is running into financial problems one week after taking office and could face crippling shortfalls as early as next month, Western diplomats and Palestinian officials said.
As Fred says, that's the chili talking.
A top official in the Hamas government said it had yet to secure promised funds from some donors needed to pay March salaries on time to 140,000 Palestinian Authority workers. Western diplomats and Israeli officials said the Palestinian Authority also did not appear to have any foreign reserves to pay April salaries next month in the face of a campaign by Washington to isolate the Islamic militant group.
Officials said one of the few options left open to Hamas would be to try to tap a key investment fund that was initially set up to combat corruption within the Palestinian Authority. The Palestine Investment Fund, which President Mahmoud Abbass office took control of after Hamass election victory, had an estimated value of $1.3 billion at the end of 2005.
But Palestinian officials said it may now be worth closer to $1 billion and only a fraction of that -- between $200 million and $400 million -- could be used to help pay salaries, enough for one-and-a-half to three months. For all intents and purposes, this is the bottom of the barrel, a senior Palestinian official said.
Maybe Suha could float them a loan.
The financial problems started long before Hamas, whose charter calls for Israels destruction, won January elections and major Western powers threatened to cut off direct support.
When Hamas ministers were sworn in last week, they inherited an Authority whose budget was already nearly $80 million in the red for the month of March alone. A few days before the handover, funds transferred to the Palestinians totaling more than $26 million from the United Arab Emirates and Oman were taken by the Amman-based Arab Bank to repay earlier loans, diplomatic sources said. Another $10 million promised by Russia was delayed.
To limit the risk that other foreign funds will be frozen, the Palestinian Authority has tried in recent days to shift its main accounts from the Arab Bank to a local Palestinian bank, Palestinian officials and diplomats said.
A Paleo banker will be so-o-o-o much more pliable, especially if he has the muzzle of an AK-47 up his nose.
Mazen Sonnoqrot, who stepped down as Palestinian economy minister this week, said Hamass big challenge would be raising money for April salaries, due early next month. They have taken empty buckets, Sonnoqrot said of the Palestinian Authoritys bank accounts. There is no money in the bank. There are only deficits.
The cash crunch stems in large part to Israels decision to freeze the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinians.
Israelis out-foxed them again.
It is unclear how much of the more than $1 billion a year that the Palestinians get in foreign aid will be withheld now that Hamas has taken control of the Palestinian Authority. Foreign Minister and senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Al Zahar brushed aside US pressure, saying we have several other legitimate means to get support.
"That's right! We don't need stinking American dollars!
Mahmoud, quick, go kidnap someone and get a ransom note out there."
But even if Iran and other Muslim allies come through with promised aid, Western diplomats said it was unclear how the money would get to the Palestinian Authority. We have the legal means which can prevent the flow of money to terrorists, and Hamas is a terrorist organisation, said Israels Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev.
Diplomatic sources said major regional banks were also wary of working with the new government. Many of them have branches and other businesses in the United States, where dealing with Hamas is illegal.
And they do like their business with the Great Satan.
The new Palestinian Finance Minister Omar Abdel-Razeq told Al Ayam newspaper he expected to be able to pay March salaries, which had been scheduled to be paid this week, by April 15.
Like Hamas, US officials have been eyeing the Palestine Investment Fund as a way to keep the Palestinian Authority afloat through June or July. But both have run into resistance from officials at the fund who say an asset sale would bring in no more than $200 million and undercut long-term development goals. Nearly two-thirds of the fund has been pledged against prior Palestinian loans.
So they've already raided the rainy-day fund.
Whether its one month or two months, what comes after that? asked a Palestinian official who is involved in the fund.
They'll try and start a war, of course.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Suha and Floating in the same sentence = PD's cognitive dissonance
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/05/2006 0:21 Comments ||
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Hamas expected to fill its coffers with Moolah money, but, as with any other Mooslum cause, the Moolahs and tyrants don't give a fuck about their Islamist breatheren.
Now the Hamas PM is trying to make nice to get the more dependable Western bucks.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/05/2006 0:40 Comments ||
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#3
Somewhere between 60% and 80% of all the money in circulation in Paleostan comes from those salaries. Whatever remains of their economy must already be imploding with the late payments.
#8
hey Listen to the yappy dog!...he prefers to be banned. Apparently he has no self-control and doesn't have the will power to stay away on his own. Help him out, ban him.
#13
They hoped the Saudis would fund them. But now what would you do in place of the Saudis? Spend money in air conditionning the harem and to hell with Palestinians or giving it to the Palestinians and risk heat-induced heart failure every time you try to have a little fun?
#15
They get $1 billion a year in foriegn aid, and have been for years. They don't have a dime to their names, no industry, exports, nothing. No way to generate money, only ways to beg for more from other countries. WTF is their deal? This is the worlds largest welfare state. They are parasites living off handouts from the whole world. It boggles my mind how they could go through so much money for so many years and still not have a damn thing to show for it.
#16
I hate to be a pessimist, but this is probably the fiftieth time someone has predicted that the Paleos will be out of money within a month or two. I'll believe it when they're reduced to bartering.
#20
It's Victimhood, an ugly parasite that lives off the largess of the left wing. This parasite is loath of responsibility, therefore, it's not found on jobsites, around investers, attending classes, or partaking in creative activity. It complains frequently, and is often confused with the whiner family of non-parasites.
RAMALLAH - The Hamas-led Palestinian government is ready to live side by side with its neighbours, the foreign minister said in a letter to the UN Secretary General obtained by AFP on Tuesday that referred to a two state resolution for the Mideast conflict. We are looking for freedom and independence side by side with our neighbours and we are ready for serious discussions with the quartet, said a copy of the letter addressed to UN chief Kofi Annan obtained by AFP.
"Now would somebody please send us some money? We got a payroll to meet!" he added.
We look forward to living in peace and security, as all countries in the world, and that our people enjoy freedom and independence side-by-side with all our neighbours in this holy place, the text added.
"Just as long as they remember who's in charge."
Israeli procedures in the occupied territories will put an end to all hopes to kill all the Joooos reach a final and peaceful settlement based on the two-state resolution, the letter carried on.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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Neighbors? Why not recognize who you're neighbors are by name?
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/05/2006 0:47 Comments ||
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..It was a bit less sophisticated than the MMs would have had us believe (EFL, RTWT)
Pentagon Confirms Last Friday's Missile Test Was Not a New ICBM MIRV but a Shahab-2 (Scud-C)
By Steve Schippert
"...It follows a common thread along with the rest of Irans new hardware announcements: Stealthy technology. This is the true value of the conventional advances announced by Iran in the Great Prophet maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, not any claimed MIRV development that Iran cannot arm or even the speed of the 328-feet-per-second Hoot torpedo, by contrast a very real threat to traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The source of the stealthy technology is without doubt our friends in China and Russia.
Last week, it was noted that there was no word from NORAD nor the US Military in-theater of a ballistic missile launch detection in Iran. Today, we get that word. The Pentagon is saying now that Iran tested an older version of the Scud missile family last week and not any new ICBM development. What was launched in last weeks much publicized Iranian media event was, in fact, a Shahab-2 with a range of 310 miles. The Shahab-2 is the Iranian designation for the Scud-C variant of the Russian design.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman seems to echo sentiments expressed in this space since last week saying, It is possible they are increasing their capabilities and making strides in radar-absorbing material and targeting. However, the Iranians have been known to boast and exaggerate their statements about greater technical and tactical capabilities.
A senior Russian Minister of Parliament criticized Irans very public displays in their current wargaming maneuvers, calling them inappropriate. Minister Konstantin Kosachyov, the chairman of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee, also cast doubt on the wild (and vague) claims made by the Iranians regarding last weeks missile test announcement. So far we have nothing except the assertion by the Iranian military and by politicians that it is superior to other similar missiles, but I see no reason to believe these statements.
The development of stealthy technology is not insignificant. However, Irans greatest development is and was their creation, development and support of Hezbollah, and the terrorism and terrorist groups Hezbollah aids, trains, funds and arms. Aside from military attacks on shipping in the Straits of Hormuz, the only effective attack arm Iran possesses against the United States is that of Hezbollah and other terrorist groups carrying out attacks in the region and throughout the world.
While Iran states they will not use oil as a weapon, it can be assured that they will. They must. There is a reason that their latest maneuvers center around the Strait of Hormuz, and it is not because their missile testing ranges are conveniently located nearby..."
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/05/2006 06:38 ||
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TEHERAN - Teheran and Washington will open direct talks over Iraq by early next week in Baghdad, the students news agency ISNA quoted an informed source in Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) as saying on Tuesday. The Iranian delegation will be headed by one of the deputies of the SNSC secretary and some foreign ministrys diplomats will be among delegate members, ISNA quoted the source as saying.
The United States and Iran expressed willingness last month to hold talks about Iraq.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki termed the scheduled talks an opportunity for Iran, and a challenge for the US. But Washington cautioned that it has no intention to open a full-fledged dialogue.
For the first time in 27 years, Iran last month put direct talks with its political arch-enemy on the official agenda of the SNSC, which is the highest decision-making body in Iran. Ali Larijani, the secretary of the SNSC, said Iran always wanted a stable Iraq and was willing to meet with the US to help achieve that goal.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
How about meet up with the soldiers they are killing? THAT may be a "political statement".
If they do not "get it" in a week, where are they sitting?
The chairman of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachyov has said that the latest demonstration of military force by Iran was inappropriate, RIA Novosti reported. Is that now a semi-official news agency?
I think that such a demonstration of force by Tehran is not quite appropriate now, as nobody, not even the most radical opponents of Irans nuclear programme in the U.S., is discussing the use of force, even hypothetically, Kosachyov said. Somebody needs to introduce this guy to Zenster
Or .com. Or me.
His comments followed the Irans testing of a new Fajr-3 missile during a military exercise in the Persian Gulf on April 2. Such actions by Iran are counter-productive and do not create the necessary atmosphere of trust at consultations and talks about the Iranian nuclear programme, the parliamentarian said. That's all that's missing, that atmosphere of trust.
The atmosphere is getting thick with something else.
The technical and tactical characteristics of the Iranian missile remain unknown, Kosachyov indicated. So far we have nothing except the assertion by the Iranian military and by politicians that it is superior to other similar missiles, but I see no reason to believe these statements, he said. Looks like the Persians are having a really hard time establishing that atmosphere of trust with their allies.
Kosachyov believes that the missile test and the discussions on Irans nuclear programme by the international community are connected. That's why they call him Master of the Obvious.
It is obvious that Tehran is flexing its muscles to forestall any discussion of a possible use of force against Iran, he said. They think their mouths are their mightiest weapons. They may be correct.
Kosachyov also thinks that Iran should give more attention to the negotiations on setting up a joint venture for uranium enrichment with Russia instead of demonstrating force. For a very reasonable price.
I would be happy if Tehran showed more flexibility on the well-known Russian offer of joint uranium enrichment instead of staking everything on the demonstration of new kinds of arms, he said. We want more of thieir money. Bribe us now or you're in trouble.
#1
In Ruskie talk, "don't let anyone know we're giving you all the shit and that we are backers of the Moolah nukes."
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/05/2006 0:45 Comments ||
Top||
#2
How do you know a US Strike on Iran is coming? The Russians are selling everything and the kitchen sink to the Mad Mullahs,right before we blow it up.
Some 19 organization members indicted of extortion, money laundering, thefts and illegal trade aimed at collecting money for terror group
Yitzhak Benhorin
WASHINGTON The FBI uncovered a network attempting to smuggle Hizbullah agents into the United States through Mexico, FBI Director Bob Muller revealed at a House of Representatives hearing.
Hizbullah agents aided others connected to Hizbullah to enter the U.S., Muller said without elaborating.
According to estimates, the U.S. currently has 11 million illegal immigrants from Mexico. U.S. officials have expressed their fears in the past of cooperation between drug cartels and terror organizations in terms of border infiltrations.
The FBI director said during the hearing that apart from Hizbullah members, there was an attempt to smuggle four Chinese atom scientists into the U.S.
This is not the only sign, however, of Hizbullah's operation inside the U.S. On Thursday, 19 people were indicted of extortion, money laundering, thefts and illegal trade aimed at collecting money for Hizbullah.
The money was collected by selling fake Viagra, originating in China and central Europe, and cigarettes smuggled from U.S. which have no purchase tax on cigarettes to Michigan, where there is purchase tax, in order to win the difference.
The cigarette smuggling operation included a massive transfer of cigarettes worth up to half a million dollars in a week. The prosecution estimated that the state of Michigan lost USD 20 million, which Hizbullah members put in their pockets.
The network was uncovered in the city of Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, the largest Arab concentration in the U.S. The entire operation, however, was activated from Lebanon, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay and China.
Inside the U.S., cigarettes were smuggled to Michigan from North Carolina, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and West Virginia, where large quantities of cigarettes were purchased or stolen and transported to Michigan. According to the statement of claim, large quantities of cigarettes were stolen from the RJ Reynolds tobacco company's storerooms in Kentucky.
Hizbullah's shopping list
Nine of the accused were arrested Wednesday by a War on Terror task force. Another eight of the accused managed to flee the U.S. and are residing in Lebanon, Canada and other places in the world.
The operation to recruit tens of thousands of dollars in the U.S. for Hizbullah began in 1996 and was first uncovered in 2002 following the September 11 terror attacks and the U.S. government's decision to form a joint task force to uncover terror organizations, just like the law authorities managed to crack the mafia through the money route.
The organization for Hizbullah, which has been operating for at least eight years, transferred some of the money to Beirut, to families and orphans of Hizbullah fighters who died in battles against Israel, and of those who carried out bombing attacks.
The Hizbullah headquarters sent its people in Canada and the U.S. a shopping list, which included night vision equipment, laptops and other sophisticated equipment the organization required for its war on the northern border.
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.
South Korea said Wednesday it has set up a task force to seek the release of a South Korean fishing vessel that was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia. 
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has made a surprise visit to Khartoum, his first in more than a decade, and held talks with Sudan's president on the conflict in the Darfur region. The talks came a day after Jan Egeland, a top UN envoy, protested over what he called a Sudanese government decision to bar him from visiting Darfur and Khartoum this week.
Blocked by Sudan from visiting Darfur and refugees in neighbouring Chad, the UN's top humanitarian official has accused Khartoum of trying to hide badly deteriorating conditions there. Jan Egeland, the UN under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, on Tuesday described the reasons Sudanese officials gave for denying him access to Darfur and then overflight rights to see Darfur refugees in Chad as "utter nonsense" and suggested Khartoum had a more nefarious motive. "I think the main reason is that they don't want me to see the tens of thousands of people being displaced as we speak today," he said, speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, where he flew after being forced to cancel his trips.
UNITED NATIONS - UN chief Kofi Annan on Tuesday deplored Sudans decision to bar UN humanitarian coordinator Jan Egeland from visiting its strife-torn Darfur region. The Secretary General regrets that .... Jan Egeland was not permitted by the Government of Sudan to visit Darfur, Annans spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
ABU DHABI Dismissing outright any suggestion of financial or ethical impropriety, a wide cross-section of businessmen and executives in the capital have asserted that UAE firms that allegedly paid millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks to ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the oil-for-food programme could not be held accountable.
A SHIP loaded with oil and diesel caught fire after an explosion today as it was docked in the Russian Baltic city of Kaliningrad, Russian media reported.
Spains foreign minister said Monday that the European Union must take the Muslim world more seriously following the uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. "The cartoon crisis has shown that we have to pay more attention to that part of the world," Moratinos told reporters during a visit to Denmark, where the cartoons were first published.
COPENHAGEN - Denmark plans to loosen its strict immigration regulations to open the door to qualified immigrants amid a labour shortage, the government said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the proposal as one of a series of measures aimed at reforming the countrys welfare system, as the Scandinavian country experiences a shortage of workers and a rapidly ageing population.
KATHMANDU - Nepals royalist government on Tuesday indefinitely banned protests in Kathmandu, two days ahead of a general strike and a series of protests against King Gyanendras seizure of power. The ban would come into force from Wednesday in Kathmandu and the neighbouring temple-town of Lalitpur, a government statement said.
Iraq's interim-Prime Minister 
AMMAN - Iraq has signed a UN-sponsored agreement with the Audit Board of Jordan in a much-needed step to modernise the fight against corruption, the UN Developent Programme (UNDP) said in a statement on Tuesday. Iraq took the first much-needed step towards modernising its public accountability systems with the signing of a partnership agreement between the Supreme Audit Board (SAB) and the Audit Board of Jordan, it said.
Israel's two main political parties, Kadima and Labour, have agreed to form a power-sharing government committed to further withdrawals from the occupied territories and reviving Israel's welfare state. The Labour leader, Amir Peretz, said he had decided to join the administration, and will back the acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, to remain in his position "out of national responsibility".
Israel's new government has begun to take shape, with Moshe Katsav, the president, poised to ask Ehud Olmert, the acting prime minister, to form a coalition with Labour to fix the borders of Israel. After several days of sniping at each other, Olmert and Labour leader Amir Peretz announced on Tuesday they would work towards forming a coalition which will still need the support of several other smaller parties. "We are glad to announce that, after President Moshe Katsav appoints me to form a government, we will start coalition talks to create a government in which Labour will be a senior partner," Olmert told a joint press conference.
JERUSALEM - The Hamas-led Palestinian government is running into financial problems one week after taking office and could face crippling shortfalls as early as next month, Western diplomats and Palestinian officials said.
RAMALLAH - The Hamas-led Palestinian government is ready to live side by side with its neighbours, the foreign minister said in a letter to the UN Secretary General obtained by AFP on Tuesday that referred to a two state resolution for the Mideast conflict. We are looking for freedom and independence side by side with our neighbours and we are ready for serious discussions with the quartet, said a copy of the letter addressed to UN chief Kofi Annan obtained by AFP.
TEHERAN - Teheran and Washington will open direct talks over Iraq by early next week in Baghdad, the students news agency ISNA quoted an informed source in Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) as saying on Tuesday. The Iranian delegation will be headed by one of the deputies of the SNSC secretary and some foreign ministrys diplomats will be among delegate members, ISNA quoted the source as saying.
