So, after President Obama ordered sharpshooters to shoot four untrained, teenage Somali pirates who had been drifting in a lifeboat for four days, the press declares it a success. AP says it was a big win for Obama. UPI says he passed his first test as Command in Chief.
Now lets imagine that this took place six months ago under President Bush. Here are the headlines wed be reading:
1. The War on Terrors Fresh, New Face - NY Times
Somalia - Glassy-eyed from lack of sleep and food, the four Somali pirates were barely able to hold their weapons up as sharpshooters took aim at their amydylas. Some of those involved in the operation questioned the Presidents approach. They werent a threat to this ship one soldier said on condition of anonymity, I think we could have resolved this without firing on them.
2. Killing Pirates Only Adds to Their Ranks - Huffington Post
President Bush has never lacked for decisiveness, nor has he been shy about rattling sabers or in this case actually taking one out to execute seventeen and eighteen year-old pirates. But experts remain concerned that, however popular such decisive action may be with a narrow band of the Presidents supporters, they will likely prompt an equally impassioned reprisal. Already there is evidence that pirate ranks are swelling with newly embittered adversaries.
3. Number One with a Bullet - Maureen Dowd
Somewhere in an dark, undisclosed location Darth Cheney is laughing his ass off. This is what weve come to Bush-whacking is no longer a snarky sentiment bandied about Americas editorial pages, it is now official government policy.
4. Mother of 17 Year Old Pirate Wants Justice - LA Times
While Republicans in Congress were quick to lionize the Presidents decisive handling of the crisis, not everyone was rejoicing. Abdi Dalmar is the mother of one of the young men executed yesterday. Why would they do this?! My son loved America.
5. Sarah Palin Says Pirates Got What they Deserved - CBS News
In the latest possible misstep for her future political career, Sarah Palin indicated her support for President Bushs handling of the standoff. I think the President did what needed to be done in Somalia. We cant allow this sort of piracy to continue unchecked. But some members of Palins own party were questioning the move
6. Special Comment - Keith Olbermann
Is there no low to which you will not stoop? Its a rhetorical question and for Mr. Bush let me be clear thats a question we already know the answer to. In fact we know it all too well. You, sir, are now literally asking our military to shoot teenagers in the back of the skull as part of your policy of endless war. Were not even at war with Somalia! But I suppose this is the price of distracting America from your legion of failed policies. Fascist doesnt even begin to cover it! There are Nazi prison guards who would be reduced to tears by your unbridled brutality, sir!
7. Real Time monologue - Bill Maher
So, President Bush today renewed his opposition to the S-Chip program. He said that he will be proposing an alternative program to Congress shortly. Yeah, I think we saw that one in action in Somalia already Mr. President. Thats one way to balance the budget. Just shoot the sick kids.
I could go on, but you get the picture. Some Presidents are more equal than others.
A sword fight last week at a Northwestside home has resulted in a second death. Adolf Stegbauer, 69, died Monday of complications from a stab wound, according to a written statement from Lt. Dawn Snyder, spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
His sister-in-law, Franziska Stegbauer, 77, died shortly after she tried to intervene in the sword fight about 1 a.m. Thursday between Adolf Stegbauer and Christopher O. Rondeau, 39, in the 5200 block of North Raceway Road.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009
16:35 ||
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Darwin nominees!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/14/2009 18:20
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Ms. Stegbauer can't be a Darwin nominee; she certainly wouldn't be having any more children anyway.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/14/2009 19:32
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A man faces a hefty fine and a driving ban after being caught having sex with his girlfriend while speeding on a motorway in Norway, police have said.
Officers initially trailed the couple's car after noticing it was swerving from side to side and travelling at 33km/h (20mph) over the road's speed limit. But they soon realised the erratic driving was due to the woman "sitting on the man's lap", a spokesman said.
After filming the exploit for evidence, they pulled them over at a rest area.
The 28-year-old man's punishment will be decided within the next week, but police said he was likely to face a fine of several thousand Norwegian kroner and a lengthy driving ban.
"Why they did it on a highway with such a high risk we don't know," Tor Stein Hagen, a superintendent with Soendre Buskerud Police District, told the AFP news agency.
"[The vehicle] was veering from one side to the other because the woman was sitting on the man's lap while he was driving and doing the act, shall we say," he added. "He couldn't see much because her back was in the way."
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009
16:33 ||
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After filming the exploit..... for evidence
there article leaves out the fact that it's a 3 hour film.....
Posted by: George Hupineger2817 ||
04/14/2009 18:07
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I think she was doing the driving.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/14/2009 19:33
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The Finch Arboretum is being overrun by ground squirrels, and Spokane Parks and Recreation is bringing in some special artillery. The agency is using a special machine called the Rodenator Pro to detonate some of the estimated 100 to 150 squirrels tearing up the grounds.
Shades of Carl Spackler, the gopher-hating groundskeeper from "Caddyshack."
The Rodenator Pro pumps propane and oxygen into the tunnels of squirrels, then sends an electric spark that causes an explosion. The shock waves kill the squirrels and collapse their tunnels - but in a humane way, the agency said....
The parks department is warning area residents that it plans to blast squirrels all week, and to not be alarmed by noises that sound like gun shots. Parks officials said police have already been called to the arboretum by people who heard the explosions.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009
16:26 ||
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PETA Protests the Use of Thermobaric Weapons of Terror against Rodents... OK for humans ....or quasi-humans.
CHENNAI: The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief, Thol Thirumavalavan, who had been opposing the Centres stand on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue till he was accommodated in the DMK-Congress alliance, was a much mellowed man on Wednesday when he made a plea to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to press for a ceasefire in the island nation.
Releasing the VCK manifesto and announcing the party candidates for the polls, Thirumavalavan said Sonia was the last hope for the Sri Lankan Tamils who were facing elimination.
He said, Sonia Gandhi should immediately intervene. She has the power to press Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a ceasefire. If she intervenes, the war will be stopped within 24 hours.
However, when asked about his earlier anti-Congress stand on the issue, he said his party still maintained the position towards the Congress. Asked if his party would jointly campaign with Congress, he said, We wont work against the Congress.
He expressed confidence that the DMK-led alliance in the State would win all the 40 seats.
He denied that he had expressed regret over the attack on the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee office by VCK cadre. We do not have any reason to express regret as we did not commit any mistake, he said.
However, TNCC president K V Thangkabalu had earlier told reporters that the VCK leader had expressed regret over his remarks against the Congress in the past and also for the violent incidents at Sathyamurthy Bhavan.
Thangkabalu made the assertion while responding to questions on his partys change of heart in accommodating VCK in its alliance after opposing it for some time.
Setting aside differences, Thirumavalavan said VCK would join the Thamizhar Perani organised by DMK-led alliance to press for the safety of Lankan Tamils.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
15:06 ||
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He said, "Sonia Gandhi should immediately intervene. She has the power to press Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a ceasefire. If she intervenes, the war will be stopped within 24 hours."
Perhaps.
Maybe the LTTE should not have killed her husband.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009 15:10
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An interesting read -- he attended the trail of the pirates we caught and took to Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya -- It is easy to blame "anarchy" in Somalia for piracy off its coast, as Robert Kaplan recently did in a New York Times op-ed. Of course, were Somalia ever able to reunify and muster the trappings of a modern state -- including a coast guard, a police force, and a prisons service -- then piracy might not be a problem.
Yet to treat Somalia as if it is somehow in an abnormal phase of existence is misleading. The place we call "Somalia" has almost never had a central government. Despite speaking the same language and sharing customs, Somalis have been riven by clan divisions since Europeans first witnessed and started writing about them. Only colonialism forced Somalis together, and then only for a brief interlude wholly within the confines of the 20th century.
Where Kaplan sees the anarchy of post-Cold War geopolitics, it is probably more accurate to say that Somalis are merely returning to their historical norm.
Even ethnic Somalis who live outside of Somalia itself are organized in clans. Eastleigh, a bustling suburb of Nairobi, is almost entirely given over to Somali immigrants or Kenyan citizens of Somali background. But even here in Kenya, a state with a functioning (if corrupt) government, ethnic Somalis prefer to rely on familial and clan bonds to settle disputes and to arrange commercial transactions.
Clan is not necessarily a resort to which one flocks when government isn't functioning. Rather, in many ways, clan and tribe in Africa are logical and organized systems that are highly efficient when compared with the artificial, banana-republic institutions of state. Somalis have every reason to keep clan, even if a more workable national state was introduced.
Clan's usefulness became obvious to me last November, when I went to Mombasa, Kenya's coastal port city, to attend the trial of eight Somali pirates who had been dumped there by the U.S. navy for prosecution. Sitting in the courtroom, waiting for the pirates to be brought forward, I watched as Kenyan after Kenyan was called to the dock to have read charges against him. Each defendant, whether on trial for murder or armed assault or simple theft, lacked defense counsel. Then came the Somalis and, as their case number was read, a figure in black robe and white wig leapt forward: the pirates' attorney, one of Mombasa's best, who later told me he was being paid from a Dubai account to the tune of thousands of dollars. Clan had come through for these pirates.
All of this is to say that the root problem with piracy is not really Somalia's "anarchy." Indeed, it is in some ways the opposite of "anarchy": well-organized regional clans with an eye for easy profits.
The root problem with piracy is -- to put it simply -- piracy. Clans have been encouraged in their piratical entrepreneurship by sustained, pliant, million-dollar hauls. A number of European navies, who have captured pirates only to dump them back on Somali soil after determining they have no jurisdiction, have not helped this matter.
Rather than obsessing about how we can push and pull at geopolitical and cultural levers to co-opt clan in our fight against piracy, the shipping nations would do well to take the more efficacious approach the U.S. Navy used over the last weekend to solve the Capt. Phillips hostage situation.
Stop negotiating with pirates. And stop worrying about Somalia's internal dynamic. Confront this crime as and when it occurs, with as much force directed towards the assailants as possible. It would make a world of difference if shipping crews were allowed to carry weapons, which many port rules currently prohibit. There are also currently projects in the works, including by the New York-based maritime security firm Unitel, to outfit smaller boats with firepower and private-security personnel sufficient to escort large cargo vessels in their Indian Ocean transit.
These would be important practical steps to deal with these pirates, and a necessary antidote to imagining these rag-tag Somalis, shackled to their own quirky history, to be more romantic and important a threat than they really are.
#1
Greedy bastards. They already sell orphans like so many pairs of shoes, organs are a logical progression. Orphans, Organs, whichever brings money, they dont care.
China is the equivalent of a 90 pound large fibroid tumor attached to U.S.'s back, making us bedridden and stealing our blood supply, someday its going to have to be lanced, before it kills us (its host). When the removal happens, were going to lose a bloodbank worth of blood and many pounds of flesh, but we'll survive (just barely) as a country. BOYCOTT CHINESE PRODUCTS!!
Will we do our part to starve them economically? Probably not so they will continue to slowly suck the life out of our country and someday might own us. But Washington will never wake up. Will they? Its on us to make our public officials accountable.
#3
Thanks. And I walk the talk about Boycotting Chinese goods because it just feels better somehow. Sometimes I order stuff online that turns out to be made in China, and I return it.
When at all possible, I buy clothes made in USA (a refreshing discovery that there is any still made here thank god) and shoes made in E.U., furniture made locally, and never never buy edibles or household goods from China, etc. Actually, some of my recent kitchenware has been made in place besides China, which took some planning. It feels much better to me personally to know Im not supporting the Fibroid Tumor that is China. They absolutely nauseate me.
#4
There are still many excellent clothing, cutlery, children's toys made in the USA. For really just a few pence more we get long lasting clothes, knives and forks which don't rust in 6 months hold an edge and don't taste like old moped, and toys I don't have to check up on for recalls. An extra 10% for at least twice as long usage is a no-brainer for us.
#5
swksvolff, your little one is just the right age for HannaAndersson.com clothing. I've bought her stuff at garage sales, clad each trailing daughter in the pieces in turn, and at the end they still looked almost brand new. I believe her clothes are made in Sweden and the U.S., of Swedish fabrics. There is indeed a great variety of quality goods made outside of China, well worth spending a little extra to acquire, even if it means fewer items altogether. Even WalMart carries an awful lot of made-in America brands.
Separately, and continuing off topic, I've read recently that the Chinese government has significantly reduced their holdings of U.S. Treasuries since the beginning of the year, but that we haven't really seen a large change in prices because the international private sector has picked up the slack, concerned about the safety of their own currencies and economies.
I'll go read the article now. Perhaps I'll find something intelligent to say on-topic, after.
#6
The sad thing is, Pappy made a comment about this a while back. And he meant it as a joke.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/14/2009 22:31
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ION WORLD MIL FORUM > IIUC INDIA, BRAZIL AND SOUTH AFRICA WORK IN QUASI-ALLIANCE TO DAMAGE CHINA; + VIETNAM FEARS CHINA WILL USE ITS NEW HAINAN ISLAND BASE FOR FUTURE EXPANSION INTO SOUTH, SOUTHEAST ASIA VIA ITS CENTRAL HIGHLANDS STRATEGIC CORRIDOR.
There is a bizarre idea in leftist circles that U.S. judges should apply the standards of International Law. To U.S. cases. From the Jonathan Adler via Instapundit:
For example, Dean Harold Koh of Yale Law School, mentioned as a possible Kerry Supreme Court nominee, has supported the idea that U.S. courts should expansively apply international legal precedents without the authorization of the president and Congress.
There is one simple reason why this is contrary to everything America stands for. American political theory rest on the idea that all just law arises from the formally expressed will of the people. If at some stage of its development, the people did not vote on a law, the law has no validity. Even the Constitution itself was originally voted on and by design we can vote to amend it as we wish. How then, can a U.S. judge legitimately use a foreign concept for which the American voters have never cast ballots? By what legal theory are free people bound by the decisions of others in which they have no say? Arguing that judges can impose foreign standards against the will of America voters simply tosses overboard the founding justification for American justice that people should only be governed by law to which they consent.
Sadly, this is just another symptom of the American lefts progressive (pun intended) abandonment of American concept of governance in favor of the more authoritarian European model. Incapable of conceiving of their own capacity for error and utterly convinced of their own moral rectitude, they have no intellectual or moral issues with using any means necessary to impose their will upon their fellow citizens. They decide what they want and then manufacture a means of getting it. Evoking some vague international Standards let them them read the legal justification they want in the entrails of whatever monster of foreign law they want to slit open on that particular day. Its not international law they wish to adopt but rather the sole authority to choose to decided what international law means on any particular day or in any particular circumstance.
#1
Its not international law they wish to adopt but rather the sole authority to choose to decided what international law means on any particular day or in any particular circumstance.
That's known as 'emerging international law'.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/14/2009 15:01
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Here's some of the law of Mexico, how about applying it here - Article 33 of the Mexican Constitution:
"Article 33. Foreigners are those who do not possess the qualifications set forth in Article 30. They are entitled to the guarantees granted by Chapter I, Title I, of the present Constitution; but the Federal Executive shall have the exclusive power to compel any foreigner whose remaining he may deem inexpedient to abandon the national territory immediately and without the necessity of previous legal action.
Foreigners may not in any way participate in the political affairs of the country."
Now, on Easter Monday, we have a seasonal yet nondenominational puzzle involving a bunny rabbit the Killer Rabbit, as the press dubbed it, that tried to board President Jimmy Carters boat as he was fishing at a pond in Plains, Georgia, in 1979. (Mr. Carters account of using his oars to fend off the hissing rabbit was mocked at the time, but eventually the White House released photos showing the incident and the swimming rabbit.) Heres the puzzle:
Suppose, the day after attacking President Carter, the rabbit finds itself alone in the middle of the pond, which is perfectly circular. Suppose there is a single Secret Service agent on the edge of the pond, armed with a small net to ensnare the swimming rabbit as it approaches the edge. This net is effective only if the rabbit is still in the water. If the rabbit reaches any point on the edge before the agent does, it can hop away to freedom; if the agent gets there first, the rabbit will be captured.
If the agent runs four times as fast as the rabbit swims, can the rabbit escape? If so, how?
For extra credit: Whats the fastest the agent can run (as a multiple of the rabbits speed) such that the rabbit can still escape?
If youre stumped by the first question, you can get a hint or two by clicking here.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009
13:33 ||
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Way too much for this early in the week. I am, however, hopeful that the original rabbit was a beta version and RamboRabbit v 2.0 is out there awaiting the peanut farmer.....
Can somebody just post the answer (not that I care all that much)?
Whether the rabbit is caught or not, Jimmuh is still a weasley-assed wuss and a disgrace to the human race.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/14/2009 20:13
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Without looking up the answer, the rabbit swims in a spiral starting from the middle of the pond. The arc of the spiral is sufficient to move ahead of the agent. When the rabbit is sufficiently far ahead and sufficiently close to the shore, it can swim to the shore in less time than the agent can reach it.
The mother of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai terror attack case, is coming to India to meet him, as the stage is set for the start of the trial of the Pakistani national in Mumbai tomorrow.
Any chance she's coming to disown him?
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee referred to the visit of Kasab's mother while stressing that Pakistan should not delay investigations on the pretext of clarifications, a day after Islamabad sought more specific information from New Delhi on its probe into the Mumbai attacks.
And the information provided will never be specific enough ...
Kasab is currently lodged in a high security central prison in Arthur road in Mumbai.
Mukherjee told reporters in Jangipur in West Bengal it was a reality that many people were killed in the Mumbai attacks, one terrorist had been arrested and that he had made certain confessions. His mother was also coming to Mumbai to meet him, he said.
"These are the realities. These are the facts. If somebody wants to evade and avoid these facts, what can we do?" he asked. "The matter should not be delayed on this or that issue, or on this or that clarification. We are prepared to give them any information that they want, provided we have the information," Mukherjee said.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
13:28 ||
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BUNER: Three police officials, two Lashkar (militia) men and sixteen militants were killed in overnight clash between Taliban and Qaumi Lashkar in Buner district, police and residents said on Tuesday.
The fierce fighting erupted on Monday night when the Qaumi Lashkar and local police force made efforts to enter the Gokand valley via Rajagaly Kandow from Pir Baba side to flush out Taliban militants who had sneaked in to the district on Saturday from neighbouring Swat.
The militants had earlier been asked to leave but had refused and took positions in the Gokand valley. The local jirga elders and district administration officials held several rounds of talks with the Taliban through a reconciliatory committee which included leaders of Tehrik Nefaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) in a bid to convince them to leave the area with an offer of safe passage. But the militant commander was of the view that Tehrik Taliban high command had ordered their Tashkeel (stay) in the area and they would leave after holding a peace march and visiting the families of six killed Taliban in Shalbandi.
Sources told Dawn that Taliban militants had dispatched sixteen bodies and shifted thirteen wounded colleagues to Swat via Kalil Kandow early on Tuesday morning after the shootout. However, militants and their local supporters were tightlipped about the casualties on their side.
Following the battle, the Taliban took possession of the bodies of two Lashkar men and three police constables and even opened fire on Lashkar men when they tried to rescue the bodies early on Tuesday morning.
Malakand commissioner Mohammad Javed Khan, Taliban commander Mehmood Khan, TNSM vice chief Maulana Mohammad Alam, district chief Maulana Salar and others visited Dara Gokand on Tuesday.
They held several rounds of talks with the Taliban commander Rizwan Bacha of Puechar Swat. The dialogue continued till Tuesday evening and the Taliban commander allowed the handover of the bodies of the Qaumi Lashkar men and police personnel to a third party.
The bodies of the police personnel were dispatched to their hometowns after funeral prayers at Police Line Buner.
Sources said the Taliban set on fire seven houses of an influential member of the Qaumi Lashkar in Barwazee area and a petrol pump in Barikot, Swat district, on Tuesday.
Tense calm prevailed in Gokand valley and rest of the district as influential people who have affiliation with Qaumi Lashkar have shifted their families from Sultanwas village to safer places in fear of Taliban reprisal.
Sources close to the Taliban said the militants were in no mood to leave the area. They have reportedly established their headquarters in Buner district and were bent on holding peace march in the district and to monitor the affairs in accordance with the Nizam-i Adl Regulation.
The reconciliatory committee has succeeded in cooling down the situation but both sides have taken positions and final showdown is expected any time as reinforcement and heavy weaponry have been shifted to Taliban from Swat on Monday night.
The Taliban have claimed consolidated their position in whole of Dara Gokand, advanced to Kalabat in Batai Dara and near occupying Bagra post, a few kilometers from Pir Baba Bazaar. Sources said Taliban have now kept their eyes on the Sultanwas area and it would be next target of militants if it consolidated its position in the area.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
13:02 ||
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#1
Hats off to the Pak Police in Buner. At least they are willing to fight where the Pak army is not.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009 13:33
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Egypt's recent actions against Hizbullah operatives are a watershed event for understanding the nature of the threat that Iran constitutes for both regional and global security. For many Israelis, Egypt's actions came as a surprise. For years this country has been appealing to Egypt to take action against Hizbullah operatives in its territory. With minor exceptions, it has refused. Believing that its operatives threatened only us, the Mubarak regime preferred to turn a blind eye.
Then too, now seems a strange time for Egypt to be proving Israel correct. Senior ministers in the new Netanyahu government have for years been outspoken critics of Egypt for its refusal to act against Hizbullah and for its support for the Hizbullah/Iran-sponsored Hamas terror group. By going after Hizbullah now, Egypt is legitimizing both their criticism and the Netanyahu government itself. This in turn seems to go against Egypt's basic interest of weakening Israel politically in general, and weakening rightist Israeli governments in particular.
But none of this seemed to interest Egyptian officials last week when they announced the arrest of 49 Hizbullah operatives and pointed a finger at Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah and his bosses in Teheran, openly accusing them of seeking to undermine Egypt's national security.
The question is what caused Egypt to suddenly act?
Fear.
It appears that two things are motivating the Mubarak regime. First, there is the nature of the Hizbullah network it uncovered. According to the Egyptian Justice Ministry's statements, the arrested operatives were not confining their operations to weapons smuggling to Gaza. They were also targeting Egypt. Surprise...Surprise. Your neighbors are not your friends.
The Egyptian state prosecution alleges that while operating as Iranian agents, they were scouting targets along the Suez Canal. That is, they were planning strategic strikes against Egypt's economic lifeline. Well, that puts this in another light!
The second aspect of the network that clearly concerned Egyptian authorities was what it showed about the breadth of cooperation between the regime's primary opponent - the Muslim Brotherhood - and the Iranian regime. Forty-one of the suspects arrested are Egyptian citizens, apparently aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood. This alignment is signaled by two things. First, many of them have hired Muslim Brotherhood activist Muntaser al-Zayat as their defense attorney. And second, Muslim Brotherhood spokesmen have decried the arrests.
For instance, in an interview with Gulf News last Thursday, Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Issam el-Erian defended Hizbullah (and Iran) against his own government, claiming that Nasrallah and the Iranian ayatollahs are right to accuse President Hosni Mubarak of being little more than an Israeli stooge. Them's fightin' words, Issam!
In his words, "The Egyptian government must redraw its national security policies to include Israeli threats against Arab counties like Syria and Lebanon and to consider threats against Palestinians by Israelis as a threat against its national security."
In a nutshell then, both the Hizbullah network's targets and its relationship to Egypt's Sunni Islamist opposition expose clearly the danger the Iranian regime constitutes to Egypt. Iran seeks to undermine and defeat opponents throughout the world through both direct military/terrorist/sabotage operations and through ideological subversion. It is the confluence of both of these aspects of Iran's revolutionary ambitions that forced Egypt to act now, regardless of the impact of its actions on the political fortunes of the Netanyahu government. And it is not a bit surprising that Egypt was forced to act at such a politically inopportune time. When they are going for your throat, you need to act.
THROUGHOUT the region and indeed throughout much of the world, Iran's star is on the rise. Its burgeoning nuclear program acts as a second arm of a pincer-like campaign against its opponents. The asymmetric and ideological warfare it wages through its terror and state proxies are the campaign's first arm. Together, these two strategic arms are raising the stakes of Iran's challenge to its neighbors and to the West to unprecedented and unacceptable heights. Morocco is so concerned about Iranian subversion of its Sunni population that last month it cut off diplomatic ties with Teheran. Welcome to the club, Morocco.
Iran's great leap forward has been exposed by recent events. Last month's Arab League summit in Doha exemplified how Iran has successfully split the Arab world between its proxies and its opponents. For the past three years, and particularly since the 2006 war between Israel and Iran's Hizbullah in Lebanon, Arab League states have been increasingly polarized around the issue of Iran. The country has used its satellite states of Syria, Sudan and Qatar, as well as its burgeoning alliances with Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and elsewhere, to legitimize its rapidly escalating assaults on Sunni regimes throughout the region. The Big O will get dialog going, right? Hello! Hello! Anybody there????!
Although Egypt and Saudi Arabia successfully blocked Qatar from inviting Iran and Hamas to the summit, by using the good offices of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Thani and Syrian President Bashar Assad, the Iranians were able to get their anti-Saudi/Egyptian platform passed. As the Middle East Media Research Institute chronicled in a report on the proceedings, Assad successfully abrogated the so-called Saudi peace plan that the Arab League adopted in 2002. According to a new Syrian-backed resolution, any Arab rapprochement with Israel would be contingent on Israel first destroying itself by withdrawing into indefensible borders and being overwhelmed by millions of hostile foreign Arab immigrants. If you commit national suicide, we will consider being your friend.
Sensing what awaited him at the summit, Mubarak chose to stay home and send a junior emissary in his place. Saudi King Abdullah said nothing throughout the two-day Arab love-fest with Iran. Both leaders emerged weakened and humiliated.
In recent years, Iran has expanded its sphere of influence to strategic points around the region. Two recent additions to Iran's axis are Eritrea and Somalia. Iran and Eritrea signed a strategic alliance last year that grants Iranian Revolutionary Guard units basing rights in the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab strait that controls the chokepoint connecting the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea. As for Somalia - whose position along the Gulf of Aden provides it a similarly critical maritime posture - Iran has been exploiting its condition as a failed state for several years.
In 2006, the UN reported that some 720 Somali jihadists aligned with al-Qaida fought with Hizbullah in Lebanon during its war against Israel. According to an analysis of Iran's coopting of Somali jihadists published in November 2006 by the on-line Long War Journal, in exchange for the Somali operatives' assistance, Iran and Syria provided advanced military training to the Somalis who had just established the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic Courts Union regime in the country. Teheran equipped the ICU with anti-aircraft missiles, grenade launchers, machine guns, ammunition, medicine, uniforms and other supplies both before and after it took control of Somalia.
The UN report also linked the ICU to Iran's nuclear program. Its alleged that Iranian agents were operating in ICU chief Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys's hometown of Dusa Mareb, where they sought to buy uranium.
Beyond the Horn of Africa, of course, Iran has been consistently expanding its influence in Iraq and Afghanistan. In both countries the mullahs simultaneously sponsor the insurgencies and offer themselves as the US's indispensible partner for stabilizing the countries they are destabilizing. There is a sucker born every minute, the Ayatollah Khomeini used to say.
What is perhaps most jarring about Iran's ever-expanding influence is the disparate responses it elicits from Israel and Sunni regimes like Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the one hand, and the West on the other. Whereas Israel and the Sunni Arab states warn about Iran daily, far from acknowledging or confronting this ever-expanding Iranian menace, the US and the Europeans have been alternatively ignoring it and appeasing it. If the US were taking the Iranian threat seriously, the Obama administration would not be begging Iran to negotiate with it after Teheran demonstrated that it has complete control over the nuclear fuel cycle.
If the US were interested in contending with the danger Iran constitutes to global security, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would not be absurdly arguing that the US cannot verify whether Iran's announcement that it is now operating 7,000 centrifuges and its opening of another nuclear site signify an increase in its nuclear capacity. The Iranians see a weak woman talking, as a representative of the US, a gift in their lap, so to speak......the imagery is very disconcerting, on so many levels.
Were the US taking Iran seriously, it would not be asking Iran to help out in Afghanistan and Iraq. It would not be treating Somali piracy as a strategically insignificant nuisance. It would not be ignoring Eritrea's newfound subservience to Iran. It would not be maintaining the Central Command's headquarters in Qatar. And, of course, it would not be permitting Iran to move forward with its nuclear weapons program.
THEN there is Britain. Last week Michael Ledeen from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies reported that Britain's decision to recognize Hizbullah is part of a deal it struck with Iran and Hizbullah in exchange for five Britons who have been held hostage in Iraq by Hizbullah/Iran-affiliated terrorists for two years. According to the deal, in exchange for the British hostages, London agreed to recognize Hizbullah and the US agreed to release a number of Shi'ite terrorists its forces in Iraq have captured. Britain has made the Hizzies into a legitimate partner by negotiating with them. This is very disconcerting, as well as our decision to release the Shi'ite terrorists. Like Elrond said to Gandalf, "Our list of allies grows thin."
As Tariq Alhomayed, the editor of Asharq al-Awsat, noted in response to the news, the deal puts paid Nasrallah's contention that Hizbullah does not operate outside Lebanon except to wage war against Israel. But it also points to a severe problem with the West.
If Britain was willing to acknowledge and contend with the grave threat Iran constitutes for global security, it would not accept the authority of Hizbullah or Iran to negotiate the release of British hostages in Iraq. Instead it would place responsibility for achieving the release of the British hostages on the sovereign Iraqi government and use all the means at its disposal to strengthen that government against agents of Iranian influence in the country.
So, too, rather than participate in the deal, the US would seek to destroy the Iranian-controlled operatives holding the hostages and discredit and defeat the Iraqi political forces operating under Iranian control. Certainly if the US were taking the Iranian threat seriously, it would announce that any withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraq will be linked to the complete defeat of agents of Iranian influence in Iraq.
The West's refusal to contend with the burgeoning Iranian menace no doubt has something to do with the West's physical distance from Iran. Whereas Middle Eastern countries have no choice but to deal with Iran, the US and its European allies apparently believe that they can still pretend away the danger. But of course they cannot.
From the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden to Hizbullah cells from Iraq to Canada; from Iranian agents in British universities to Hizbullah and Iranian military advisers in South and Central America, the West, like the Middle East, is being infiltrated and surrounded.
Egypt's open assault on Hizbullah is yet another warning that concerted action must be taken against the mullocracy. Unfortunately, the absence of Western resolve signals that this warning, too, will go unheeded.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/14/2009
12:58 ||
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LONDON: Pakistan is not likely to agree to the deportation of the 12 Pakistanis arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of being involved in plotting terrorist activities in the UK, if they are not charged of any crime.
Drop 'em at the territorial limit then ...
Sources close to the Pakistan High Commission here have said that Pakistan would like first to be informed on what charges these Pakistanis were arrested and then Islamabad would like to have consular access to these students and then alone they believe it would be appropriate to discuss how to handle the case.
They said if the British government did not have any actionable evidence against these youngsters they should be released honourably and allowed to pursue their studies here, 'otherwise it would destroy their careers and lives if they are deported without any rhyme or reason.
They further said that so far nothing had been conveyed by the UK government to the Pakistan High Commission about the antecedents of the arrested men and all that the High Commission here could obtain was six probable names of people taken into custody and that too from the medias highly sketchy accounts.
Names at the link.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
12:14 ||
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#2
The Brits canceled their visas. What is there not to accept? They are Pakistanis and are being sent back home.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009 13:00
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#3
British Home Office: We have twelve Pakistani's we're sending home.
Pakistan: We won't accept them unless they are accused of a crime.
British Home Office: We're sending them home. You can either accept them as they are, or we'll ship them home by ship, in pieces.
(Do I ever wish!)
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2009 13:39
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Take 'em into Karachi port and toss 'em overboard.
At least seven soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir have been killed in an avalanche in the Shamsabari mountain range, the army says. Lt Col JS Brar told the BBC that the avalanche occurred in Kupwara district on Tuesday morning. He said the soldiers who died were manning a counter-insurgency post. Eight other soldiers were rescued.
Soldiers and militants recently fought a six-day-long battle in the inhospitable Shamsabari range. The eight [survivors] have been provided medical aid and their condition is stable," a military spokesman told the Associated Press news agency. Correspondents say that Kupwara is close to India's de facto border with Pakistan, 130km (80 miles) north of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The area is notorious for its frequent rain and heavy snow. India says that soldiers posted there are preventing the entry of suspected Islamic insurgents from Pakistan. The Indian army said it killed 17 suspected rebels and lost eight of its own men last month in one of the major battles in recent years in the region.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
12:04 ||
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#1
The Coldest War. Outside Magazine reports on the front lines atop the Siachen Glacier.
#2
They're now seeing jihadis with snow gear, ice axes, climbing equipment, night vision equipment, GPS etc.
That sort of training most probably comes from the Pakistani army itself.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009 12:48
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probably definitely comes from the Pakistani army itself... along with all the equipment.
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 13, 2009 20:49:23 EDT
The budget proposal angered defense contractors and certain congressmen. But it drew no objections Monday from a group of officers it could affect the most the militarys future generals and admirals.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew from the Pentagon to Quantico, Va., Monday morning, making the first of five visits to military war colleges and a training center in order to explain the thinking that went into the controversial budget proposal he announced Apr. 6.
Contractors, already expecting bad news, blanched when they heard Gates plans to end production of the Air Force F-22 fighter, spike the Air Force Combat Search and Rescue helicopter program and the VH-71 presidential helicopter program, boost funding of unmanned aerial vehicles, cancel the vehicle portion of the Armys Future Combat System, and other big changes.
At the same time, Gates said he wants to continue funding the end-strength increase in the Army and Marine Corps, increase the size of Special Operations Forces and to ramp up spending on unmanned aerial vehicles all viewed as war fighter-friendly initiatives.
As such, the 20 fast-rising officers attending Marine Corps University who met with Gates drawn from all four military branches voiced no specific objections to the plan during their roughly 50-minute question-and-answer session.
Instead, the questions were more strategic in nature: whether combatant commanders have enough input into budget decisions, whether the State Department and USAID are growing in expeditionary capability, whether individual troops will continue to be sent to the wars to fill specific jobs, and how much the Pentagon should be relying on contractors and reservists.
Gates reiterated that his reformist proposal aims to get rid of waste and to institutionalize the needs of todays war fighters, whose needs have generally been supplied via supplemental spending rather than in the base defense budget.
Asked if he thought Congress would be a help or a hindrance in the budget reform effort, Gates said that in terms of jobs, far more will be created by the F-35 programs growth than would be lost in the F-22 program. But, he noted, That doesnt solve the problem of people in particular localities, in particular states. And so I expect therell be a lot of pushback on that score.
There is an overall sense on the Hill that there is a need for acquisition reform in the Department of Defense, Gates told the students, all field grade officers. Too many programs overdue, over budget and poorly managed. It is hard to argue on the one hand the need for acquisition reform covering the entire department and then say, Oh, but except for my little program over here, which is over budget and overdue, but still is really necessary.
So I think theres a certain logical inconsistency in that that I hope will work in our favor.
Gates said hes fully aware that some of the changes hes proposed are huge. When you have as many programs affected as we will be sending up there, I think it becomes a more daunting challenge, he said.
Less controversial is the plan to allow Army and Marine Corps end-strength growth to continue. While Gates said the Marines are focusing their increases on skills such as intelligence and explosives ordnance disposal that are in short supply, he said that the practice of sending so-called individual augmentees to the war theater to fill various jobs will continue.
My view is that at least as long as were fighting these two conflicts simultaneously, that there will still be individual augmentees, Gates said. But in the future, he said, the Pentagon and the services should plan for it and train for it. That way, he said, We know where those resources are. He also said that all of those taking on such assignments should be allowed to apply for joint experience.
If were gonna have it for a long time then lets stop doing it onesies and twosies, and figure out how to do it in a more orchestrated, meaningful way that also provides some opportunities that help advancement for those who get pulled off to do that kind of thing.
Afterward, Gates emphasized that his proposed budget wasnt just about trying to cut waste. The proposals I have made are about how we think about warfare in the future. Its about the role of the services. Its about taking care of our people. So there are some fairly far-reaching concepts behind what were doing here.
How do you institutionalize, in the Department of Defense, support for the war fighter? Gates asked. How do you move toward more effective management of our systems? How do you move from joint operations to greater joint procurement?
When a post-discussion visitor remarked that his commitment and obvious desire to oversee such an ambitious agenda would seem to be an indication that the sole holdover from the Bush administration is planning to stay on for quite a while, Gates interrupted with, Forever, then broke into laughter. The likely length of his stay was quite the Washington parlor game when President Barack Obama announced that Gates would stay on, but the talk has subsided.
Seated and in shirtsleeves, Gates seemed at ease with the officers a sense underlined by the choice lines he fired off:
Im just trying to get the guys who fight the wars a seat at the table.
What Ive tried to do is go after programs that either were ridiculously overpriced or over budget.
In deciding he wants to kill the $6.5 billion presidential helicopter replacement program, I had the privilege of telling the president hed really enjoy the privilege of riding in an $800 million helicopter, and he wasnt too enthusiastic about that.
When some in the Pentagon argued that blast-resistant Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, shouldnt be bought because the Iraq war would be over in a few months, Gates said, My attitude was, to hell with it. Were going to buy all we can build, and were going to send them all to the theater, and if I got them all left over at the end of the war, and theres no use for them, but it saved a bunch of kids lives and limbs, then its worth every dime we spend.
On lack of oversight on contractors in the war efforts and within the Pentagon: When we started, for example, looking at training, nobody knew, in the Pentagon, what the hell was going on around the country, in terms of contractors.
On greater reliance on the National Guard and reserves since 9/11, and the lack of a concrete plan to do so: Its one of these things that sort of happened by inches. My worry, particularly when I first got into this job [was] have we done a bait-and-switch on the Reserve Component?
In the past, Gates said the combatant commanders would send their requirements to the Pentagon. But based on what I hear, it was hard for them to see that they ever had an impact, he said, drawing chuckles. Im trying to be as diplomatic here as possible. He said the CoComs had a bigger voice this time around.
Gates wont likely get a much tougher grilling Tuesday at Fort Rucker, Ala., where hell visit helicopter pilots and enlisted crew members at the U.S. Army Aviation Center an effort to underline his budget emphasis on growing rotary-lift capability. Those sorts of questions might be awaiting Gates Wednesday, when hell talk with students at the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
#2
The "approach" he could have recommended to the previous administration...unless their priorities were of course different. New day --- New handler.
Washington will not put any conditions on its aid to Islamabad, but will recommend tools to measure its effectiveness, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi after a series of important meetings with top Pakistani officials, Kerry promised that his countrys long-term ties with Pakistan would not be defined by response to extremism militancy, but by its focus on the welfare of Pakistani people.
He said he would introduce the bill for $1.5 billion annual aid to Pakistan over the next 10 years in the Senate after he returns to the US.
The focus of the bill is to make it clear to the people of Pakistan that they are at the centre of our policy, he said. It means that we want to build schools, roads, health clinics and create jobs, he said. It is a clear signal that US values its relationship with Pakistan and seeks long-term relationships not with a single government but with the people.
Kerry said the collateral damage in the US drone attacks was unacceptable. He pledged to report Pakistani concerns to the relevant quarters in the US on his return.
I am confident that people will review it carefully, he said, but also added that terrorism did not begin after the drone attacks.
Kerry said he had an excellent meeting with ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha. He and your government are making enormous efforts to guarantee absolute cooperation and accountability of intelligence efforts in this country, he said.
Qureshi said any differences between the two governments would be resolved through consultations.
Earlier, John Kerry met President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Zardari stressed the need to expedite the establishment of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in the Tribal Areas. Gilani said there was a need to work on the trust deficit between Washington and Islamabad.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
11:27 ||
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#1
Kerry, Stupidity Unlimited.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 12:10
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Kerry said he had an excellent meeting with ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha. He and your government are making enormous efforts to guarantee absolute cooperation and accountability of intelligence efforts in this country, he said.
Jawnny, there's "stupid" and "dangerous stupid".
And you just moved up in class...
#4
Let's see if Obama has any balls, because Kerry just kicked him in the crotch.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/14/2009 16:56
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#5
The esteemed Senator Traitor does not seem to understand that money is fungible - if we give Pakistain $1.5 billion/year to build schools, roads, etc. Pakistan can spend another $1.5 billion from its budget on whatever it wants - weapons, terrorism, etc.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/14/2009 18:49
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Utility to buy orbit-generated electricity from Solaren in 2016, at no risk
California's biggest energy utility announced a deal Monday to purchase 200 megawatts of electricity from a startup company that plans to beam the power down to Earth from outer space, beginning in 2016.
Solaren would generate the power using solar panels in Earth orbit and convert it to radio-frequency transmissions that would be beamed down to a receiving station in Fresno, PG&E said. From there, the energy would be converted into electricity and fed into PG&E's power grid
#1
Interesting but it says nothing about how radio-requency transmissions to a receiving station in Fresno are converted to electrical energy. How does that work? Or does it? And if it does then couldn't anybody with the right equipment also receive those transmissions and convert them to energy, thus ripping off Solaren and PG&E? Is this a practical idea or a pipe dream?
#3
I see it as possible, but transmission losses for beamed power will keep it from being much more than a PR stunt, The transmission straight down is the problem, satellite to satellite have NO losses due to air dissipation.
(Beam spreading and length of transmission have their own losses)
But a beam powerful enough to generate enough electricity to use is a deadly microwave beam, all aircraft must divert or be fried.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 12:36
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#4
The detail,including the safety considerations were worked out by space freaks SD & Space enthusiasts in 1980es, mojo. Of course, between Soody owned pols and envirowackos, it'll never be build in USA---you'll just have for India and/or China to do it.
#7
grom: And HOW big does the antenna need to be to reduce the power density of the RF to safe levels?...
Not saying it wouldn't work. I'm saying it'll never happen. Too much land tied up under the antenna, too many fluffy bunnies or spotted snakes displaced/inconvenienced, etc. etc.
I know this is from another blog (Macsmind) but the story will undoubtedly not be carried by the MSM.
Nevertheless, about that surprise visit.
It wasnt. The visit was communicated a full 24 hours in advance and a small contingent of soldiers - not screaming hoards - were rustled into a meeting place at Camp Victory.
Got this email from a sergeant that was there.
We were pre-screened, asked by officials Who voted for Obama?, and then those who raised their hands were shuffled to the front of the receiving line. They even handed out digital cameras and asked them to hold them up.
If true, 0 doesn't really understand the internet. Or the troops.
#1
You mean my wife was correct when she said it looked like the super bowl halftime show?
Look, I know that all people are in the Armed Forces and would be excited about their Commander in Chief visiting them in a hostile environment. I mean no offense but they did not act like front line troops (the ones I know have a certain swagger and attitude about them).
#2
Did they have to give the cameras back afterword?
Posted by: Kelly ||
04/14/2009 12:12
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#3
I have no problem with this. If you want to take care of your troops, you dole out good deals to the deserving whenever you are presented the opportunity.
Take a pre-screened group that deserves a good deal. Find the ones that love the president. Let them meet him. Just like if Crystal Gayle was visiting your ship.
#4
Penguin, you may be right but I suspect that Bush didn't have to work as hard to get appreciative military audiences. Anyone here have some first hand experience on that?
Sir, let me begin by recounting that old army quip that did the rounds in the immediate aftermath of World war II: To guarantee victory, an army should ideally have German generals, British officers, Indian soldiers, American equipment and Italian enemies.
A Pakistani soldier that I met in Iraq in 2004 lamented the fact that the Pakistani soldier in Kargil had been badly let down firstly by Nawaz Sharif and then by the Pakistani officers' cadre. Pakistani soldiers led by Indian officers, , he believed, would be the most fearsome combination possible. Pakistani officers, he went on to say, were more into real estate, defence housing colonies and the like.
As I look at two photographs of surrender that lie before me, I can't help recalling his words. The first is the celebrated event at Dhaka on Dec 16, 1971, which now adorns most Army messes in Delhi and Calcutta. The second, sir, is the video of a teenage girl being flogged by the Taliban in Swat -- not far, I am sure, from one of your Army check posts.
The surrender by any Army is always a sad and humiliating event. Gen Niazi surrendered in Dhaka to a professional army that had outnumbered and outfought him. No Pakistani has been able to get over that humiliation, and 16th December is remembered as a black day by the Pakistani Army and the Pakistani state. But battles are won and lost -- armies know this, and having learnt their lessons, they move on.
But much more sadly, the video of the teenager being flogged represents an even more abject surrender by the Pakistani Army. The surrender in 1971, though humiliating, was not disgraceful. This time around, sir, what happened on your watch was something no Army commander should have to live through. The girl could have been your own daughter, or mine.
I have been a signaller, and it beats me how my counterparts in your Signal Corps could not locate or even jam a normal FM radio station broadcasting on a fixed frequency at fixed timings. Is there more than meets the eye?
I have always maintained that the Pakistani Army, like its Indian counterpart, is a thoroughly professional outfit. It has fought valiantly in the three wars against India, and also accredited itself well in its UN missions abroad. It is, therefore, by no means a pushover. The instance of an Infantry unit, led by a lieutenant colonel, meekly laying down arms before 20-odd militants should have been an aberration. But this capitulation in Swat, that too so soon after your own visit to the area, is an assault on the sensibilities of any soldier. What did you tell your soldiers? What great inspirational speech did you make that made your troops back off without a murmur? Sir, I have fought insurgency in Kashmir as well as the North-East, but despite the occasional losses suffered (as is bound to be the case in counter-insurgency operations), such total surrender is unthinkable.
I have been a signaller, and it beats me how my counterparts in your Signal Corps could not locate or even jam a normal FM radio station broadcasting on a fixed frequency at fixed timings. Is there more than meets the eye? Sticks out like a sore thumb, dunnit? The only reason you couldn't would be because you don't want to.
I am told that it is difficult for your troops to "fight their own people." But you never had that problem in East Pakistan in 1971, where the atrocities committed by your own troops are well documented in the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report. Or is it that the Bengalis were never considered "your own" people, influenced as they were by the Hindus across the border? Or is that your troops are terrified by the ruthless barbarians of the Taliban?
Sir, it is imperative that we recognise our enemy without any delay. I use the word "our" advisedly -- for the Taliban threat is not far from India's borders. And the only force that can stop them from dragging Pakistan back into the Stone Age is the force that you command. In this historic moment, providence has placed a tremendous responsibility in your hands. Indeed, the fate of your nation, the future of humankind in the subcontinent rests with you. It doesn't matter if it is "my war" or "your war" -- it is a war that has to be won. A desperate Swati citizen's desperate lament says it all -- "Please drop an atom bomb on us and put us out of our misery!" Do not fail him, sir.
But in the gloom and the ignominy, the average Pakistani citizen has shown us that there is hope yet. The lawyers, the media, have all refused to buckle even under direct threats. It took the Taliban no less than 32 bullets to still the voice of a brave journalist. Yes, there is hope -- but why don't we hear the same language from you? Look to these brave hearts, sir -- and maybe we shall see the tide turn. Our prayers are with you, and the hapless people of Swat.
The New York Times predicts that Pakistan will collapse in six months. Do you want to go down in history as the man who allowed that to happen?
The writer is a retired colonel of the Indian army who lives in Pune
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
10:27 ||
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#1
have been a signaller, and it beats me how my counterparts in your Signal Corps could not locate or even jam a normal FM radio station broadcasting on a fixed frequency at fixed timings. Is there more than meets the eye?
Maybe Perv and Co want the Taliban to run the country so India/West fears Pak more and the cqs keep rolling in!!!!
Check out the picture at the link
BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Thousands of dolphins blocked the suspected Somali pirate ships when they were trying to attack Chinese merchant ships passing the Gulf of Aden, the China Radio International reported on Monday.
The Chinese merchant ships escorted by a China's fleet sailed on the Gulf of Aden when they met some suspected pirate ships. Thousands of dolphins suddenly leaped out of water between pirates and merchants when the pirate ships headed for the China's.
The suspected pirates ships stopped and then turned away. The pirates could only lament their littleness befor the vast number of dolphins. The spectacular scene continued for a while.
China initiated its three-ship escort task force on Dec. 26 last year after the United Nations Security Council called on countries to patrol gulf and waters off Somalia, one of the world's busiest marine routes, where surging piracy endangered intercontinental shipping.
China's first fleet has escorted 206 vessels, including 29 foreign merchant vessels, and successfully rescued three foreign merchant ships from pirate attacks.
About 20 percent of Chinese merchant ships passing through the waters off Somalia were attacked by pirates from January to November in 2008, before the task force was deployed.
A total of seven ships, either owned by China or carrying Chinese cargo and crew, were hijacked.
Tianyu No. 8, a Chinese fishing vessel with 16 Chinese and eight foreign sailors aboard, was captured by Somali pirates on Nov. 14 and released in early February.
The second fleet of Chinese escort ships arrived at the Gulf of Aden on Monday to replace the first fleet.
#9
Perhaps Apollo has awoken and, fresh from guiding the bows of SEALs, continues his protection. The sea-mohommatons should take heed in angering this God.
#10
But did they have lasers on their foreheads? ;-) I do seem to recall that the Navy has been working with dolphins and porpoises for quite some time.
Sri Lankan rebels say ready for truce, peace talks
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said Tuesday they were ready to negotiate a ceasefire with government forces and restart peace talks to halt decades of ethnic bloodshed.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), cornered in a narrow strip of jungle in the northeast and vastly outnumbered, said they wanted a long-term truce supervised by the international community. "Such a ceasefire should also contain a base for political negotiations," the rebels said in a statement.
But Sri Lanka's government quickly rejected the offer and told the guerrillas to first lay down their arms before any negotiations could be held. "They can't talk about a political settlement to buy time to regroup," said government spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena. "We can finish off the Tigers in two hours if not for the thousands of civilians they are using as a human shield," he added.
President Mahinda Rajapakse, who has called a two-day truce only to coincide with the traditional New Year on Monday and Tuesday, also said his troops were on the verge of total victory. "The people of the north will in this New Year see signs of a new freedom and prosperity," Rajapakse said in a holiday message.
His army chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said the Tigers had lost over 18,000 cadres since security forces stepped up attacks against them in the past three years. "Those who are still under LTTE detention will see their freedom soon," Fonseka said in a statement.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009
08:42 ||
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#1
By, By, Morons, the quiet of the grave awaits you, You can call it a "Permanent Truce" if you desire.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 11:59
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#2
Proof that terrorism can be fought kinetically is right in the above pudding.
Not that the left will take any notice.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/14/2009 14:53
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You Just Can't Make This Shit Up If You Tried....
The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in "rightwing extremist activity," saying the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias.
A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines "rightwing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.
"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning says. Let me get this straight - if you support enforcing existing FEDERAL law you are a right wing radical.
Got it!
The White House has distanced itself from the analysis. When asked for comment on its contents, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, "The President is focused not on politics but rather taking the steps necessary to protect all Americans from the threat of violence and terrorism regardless of its origins. He also believes those who serve represent the best of this country, and he will continue to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and benefits they have earned." As long as they pay for their own medical care......
The nine-page document was sent to police and sheriff's departments across the United States on April 7 under the headline, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."
It says the federal government "will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months" to gather information on "rightwing extremist activity in the United States." Nothing on left-wing extreamism - you know the Facists and Socialists. But then I guess they would have to watch the white house staff which might be bad juju...
The joint federal-state activities will have "a particular emphasis" on the causes of "rightwing extremist radicalization."
Homeland Security spokeswoman Sara Kuban said the report is one in an ongoing series of assessments by the department to "facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of violent radicalization in the U.S."
The report, which was first disclosed to the public by nationally syndicated radio host Roger Hedgecock, makes clear that the Homeland Security Department does not have "specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence."It warns that fringe organizations are gaining recruits, but it provides no numbers.
The report says extremist groups have used President Obama as a recruiting tool. TRANSLATION: Any disagreement of The One will mark you as a right wing radical. Trying to discuss The One with others would be considered 'recruitment to a radical right-wing group'.
#1
It's not just the One. The "radical" right wing wants smaller government. That means the jobs and way of life of hundreds of thousands of beltway bureaucrats. Of course they view that as a fundamental threat. This act of Prime Directive, self preservation, by the bureaucracy is a signal that we've long past the point of any thing less drastic surgery on the corpus Civil Service and the extent of federal government.
#3
I'm a bit of a tin foil hat here. Bear with me.
Governments cycle through consensus and authoritarian phases. This is our government moving into an authoritarian phase.
Authoritarian governments recognize that effective opposition has to be organized, so they destroy/infiltrate/control NGO's.
Examples would be: Demonize the militia, Control of church appointments, control of PAC's, outlaw opposition parties. There are still a few more nails to be pounded into the coffin.
The best guardian of democracy is a well trained volunteer militia. Being armed and organized encourages debate.
#4
Get used to it. The smear job has barely begun. All conservatives need to think about how they will respond to these charges. How the Left smeared Governor Palin and her family, and continues to do so, is a sampling of the techniques that will be used on some of us.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/14/2009 10:51
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#5
8 years ago a left leaning centerist would now be considered to the right of the current situation. Remind people of that when they start throwing out identity politics like this report out there.
Violent organized gangs are subsidized by leftist policies such as food stamps (can be used to barter for drugs), welfare (I steal to make money - I use my welfare to buy drugs), early prison release (not parole, early unearned release), lax border control (people drugs arms traffic). What is the growth rate on them and their cost to society?
Take an area of Wichita for example, 30 new participants in right-wing activity (anti abortion, overtax protests) and 30 new in gang activity (organized theft and drug sales) and assume both groups have at least access to a firearm (safe assumption IMHO). RW has an initial population of 30, gangs have initial population of 100. It can be easy to point at the 200% increase in RW, but the real information is that it is 60 to 130 but the 30% increase in the gang activity has less 'pop' and obscures the facts with emotion.
#9
Well, DHS is not threatened. They got human walls of bureaucrats in layers 100 deep to protect the hive.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/14/2009 13:25
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#10
I'm with Hellfish on this one. I'm tired of doing the syphullatic monkey two-step with these idiots. Let's just get on with it and win it. The good Gov of Texas just delivered the line in the sand - the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution. I pray that more Red States follow suit. Let observe if populations follow up. If so, we know where the fault lines are. My nest HQ could very likely be Amarillo.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
04/14/2009 17:25
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#11
I doubt this is DHS, but the political appointees at the top of DHS issuing propaganda under the DHS letterhead. And those appointees wouldn't issue such a doc w/o being directed to by Rahm & Co.
While linking to a Megan McArdle comment on a childish Matthew Yglesias post on bankers, Instapundit asks a question that reveals a void in our language and world-models:
DOES GREED MAKE YOU A BAD PERSON? What about greed for power, a trait exhibited by many of those who denounce greed for money? Which is worse?
Why does Instapundit have to use the cumbersome phrase greed for power to describe a very common human behavior? Why do we have to describe the lust for power in terms of the lust for money? . . . What does it tell us that English and every other Western language have a single word to describe the destructive lust for money but that they lack a single word to describe the destructive lust for political power?
After all, it is not as if we lack any experience with the destructive effects of the single-minded pursuit of power. From the very worst such as Hitler, Stalin, Mao or Pol Pot down to some jackass on the city council, most of us have seen individuals cause real harm to others just to increase their own political power. Why then do we not have a word for such destructive behavior?
I think the answer simple. Historically, people who lust for power will kill you quicker and more surely than will those who lust for money. . . .
Go read it all. There's some good points in there, though I think he oversimplifies and pushes his argument a little too hard. He is right to point out that a lot of the people thundering righteously against "greed" are often guilty of a bit of a different greed themselves.
One more point I think should be emphasized:
. . . Communism and fascism both draw their moral authority from the idea that those who control the violent power of the state are inherently more virtuous than those who produce and trade. The Nazis in particular exploited the idea that the Jews, who had for centuries been the commercial specialists of Europe, were morally corrupt because they dealt with money and trade instead of being virtuous killers.
(This is not to suggest that those who criticize greed are Nazis or communists but rather that both ideologies exploit a preexisting and unquestioned cultural narrative complete with its own historical iconography. )
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009
08:18 ||
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Former Cuban President Fidel Castro says the U.S. did not go far enough in announcing plans to soften sanctions against his country, and he insists that real change in bilateral relations will come only when Washington lifts its "cruel" trade embargo.
President Barack Obama announced Monday that Americans will now be able to make unlimited transfers of money and visits to relatives in Cuba. Unlimited money. Unlimited emmigration. Unlimited opportunities to recruit spies. And the Castro boyz are still not satisfied.
Under the Bush administration rules, Cuban-Americans were eligible to travel here only every three years and send up to $300 to relatives every three months. $100/month is more than enough? The average salary in Cuba is $20/month.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009
08:18 ||
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#1
Line forms on the right, El Jefe. Don't let the North Korean or the Iranian midget cut in front of you...
Softcore porn franchise Girls Gone Wild is claiming record sales after one of its ubiquitous basic cable ads accidentally aired during a live telecast of the Good Friday service at the Vatican.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a Girls Gone Wild commercial was broadcast throughout the Philadelphia market at 2 a.m. by Comcast. A spokesman for the cable company said the ad was aired inadvertently due to a test of the Emergency Alert System, during which the channel airs regular programming -- which in this case included an advertisement for "Girls Gone Wilds Search for the Wildest Bar in America" DVD.
Now GGW CEO Joe Francis says he received a record spike in sales.
We may have tapped into a whole new market, Francis said. It seems that many of the same people interested in the Popes message are also interested in ours.
According to the Inquirer, the commercial reached the network's entire local area, but only one person called to complain.
Francis claimed a "huge spike" in sales. With his ads running on networks like Comedy Central and MTV, however, I highly doubt he broke any records with a 2 a.m. telecast in one market, regardless of the programming. But it's not like Francis has much to lose, reputation wise, for stretching the truth at this point.
Francis said he was happy to have shared an audience with the Pope."
The stench of weakness wafts 7000 miles west or 9000 miles by prevailing wind currents.
North Korea vowed Tuesday to restart its nuclear reactor and to boycott international disarmament talks for good in retaliation for the U.N. Security Council's condemnation of its rocket launch.
North Korea's swift denunciation of the council's "hostile" move came hours after all 15 members unanimously agreed to condemn the April 5 launch as a violation of U.N. resolutions and to tighten sanctions against the regime.
...
On Tuesday, the North said it would restart nuclear facilities, an apparent reference to the five-megawatt plutonium-producing reactor and other facilities at Yongbyon. North Korea already is believed to have enough plutonium to produce at least about half a dozen atomic bombs.
It also threatened to gird against what it called "hostile acts" by the U.S. and its allies. "We have no choice but to further strengthen our nuclear deterrent to cope with additional military threats by hostile forces," the Foreign Ministry said in the statement carried by state media.
Analyst Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University, called Pyongyang's move yet another tactic in the regime's bid to get Washington to the negotiating table outside the six-party framework. He said North Korea will watch to see how the U.S. reacts.
Another analyst, Prof. Yoo Ho-yeol of Korea University in Seoul, called North Korea's move "strong action" against the U.S. that betrays how upset the regime is by the Security Council statement. But he said Pyongyang will find it difficult to boycott the talks entirely, since that would only serve to further isolate the impoverished country, one of the world's poorest.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009
08:06 ||
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#1
That reactor is going to become super brittle with all the start and stops it goes through. More than a stench of weakness will be wafting - more like the stench of isotopes!
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/14/2009 10:37
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An American journalist jailed in Iran and charged with espionage stood trial behind closed doors and a verdict is expected within weeks, the country's judiciary spokesman said Tuesday.
Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation against her last week, charging her with spying for the United States.
"Yesterday, the first trial session was held. She presented her final defense," judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters. "The court will issue its verdict within the next two to three weeks."
The U.S. government has been pressing for Saberi's release and the charges against her and news of her swift trial were a setback especially at a time when President Barack Obama has expressed a willingness to talk with Iran after many years of rocky relations under the former Bush administration.
It was unclear why the trial was moving at such a fast pace especially because the charges leveled against Saberi were so serious.
Saberi's lawyer and her parents, who traveled to Iran in a bid to help win their daughter's release, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Saberi, who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, has been living in Iran for the last six years, working as a freelance reporter for organizations including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp.
An Iranian investigative judge involved in the case has alleged Saberi passed classified information to U.S. intelligence services but did not provide further details.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said last week the United States was "deeply concerned" about the espionage charges, which the department described as "baseless."
Jamshidi criticized the U.S. on Tuesday for saying Saberi was innocent and calling for her release.
"That a government expresses an opinion without seeing the indictment is laughable," he told a news conference.
Saberi's parents, who live in Fargo, visited their daughter last week in Evin prison, a facility north of Tehran that is well-known for holding political prisoners. The couple met Saberi for 30 minutes the first time they had spoken to her since she called them on Feb. 10 to say she had been arrested.
Her father, Iranian-born Reza Saberi, said he would stay in Iran until his daughter was freed. He has said his daughter was finishing a book on Iran and had planned to return to the United States this year.
Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Iran for arresting journalists and suppressing freedom of speech. The government has arrested several Iranian-Americans in the past few years, citing alleged attempts to overthrow its Islamic government through what it calls a "soft revolution."
In a separate case, an Iranian appeals court upheld a three-year prison sentence for an Iranian woman of Armenian descent who worked in Iran for the Washington-based International Research & Exchanges Board, Jamshidi said Tuesday.
Silva Harotonian was arrested in June and sentenced in January. The United States had called on Iran to release Harotonian and says her conviction on charges of trying to overthrow the Iranian government are also "baseless." Her employer and family say she is an administrative assistant, not a political activist. I believe Ms Saberi is of Persian and Japanese descent.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009
08:01 ||
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Undeterred by U.S. and French hostage rescues that killed seven bandits, Somali pirates brazenly hijacked three more ships in the Gulf of Aden, the waterway that's become the focal point of the world's fight against piracy.
The latest trophy for the pirates was the M.V. Irene E.M., a Greek-managed bulk carrier sailing from the Middle East to South Asia, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.
The Irene was attacked and seized in the middle of the night Tuesday -- a rare tactic for the pirates.
U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said the Irene was flagged in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and carried 23 Filipino crew. Choong reported a crew of 21, and there was no immediate way to reconcile the figures.
A maritime security contractor, speaking on condition of anonymity because it is a sensitive security issue, said the ship put out a distress signal "to say they had a suspicious vessel approaching. That rapidly turned into an attack and then a hijacking."
"They tried to call in support on the emergency channels, but they never got any response," the contractor said.
On Monday, Somali pirates also seized two Egyptian fishing boats in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's northern coast, according to Egypt's Foreign Ministry, which said the boats carried 18 to 24 Egyptians total. Don't really care anymore as long as the Skinnies know to stay the fuck away from American ships and crew.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009
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#1
My feelings exactly Mr. Yellow-highlighted-text-who-I-could-look-up-on-the-main-page-and-assign-a-proper-name-but-I'm-much-too-lazy-this-morning.
Posted by: Scott R ||
04/14/2009 9:05
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#2
FYI - The yellow highlighted text is the person who posted the article - not necessarily a moderator.
#3
Forget the Pirates...our "beloved" Obama regime has identified the TRUE threat to America:
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/14/the-execrable-dhs-report-on-right-wing-extremism/
#4
Post-it Note yellow (pale yellow) denotes comments from our esteemed site owner. Bright yellow denotes comments from the person who posted the article. In this case, if one looks as the bottom of the article, one sees Posted by:ed; ed is a frequent poster here, generally with sensible and informative comments. :-)
#5
I'm with Ed. As long as they don't screw with Americans, I'm not sure we should do much about them. I realize a lot of this money may be making it to AQ, but I'm not sure this is one battle we shouldn't pick NOT to fight.
At least not militarily all by our lonesome. Maybe a naval protection operation that involves many other countries. Putting some resources into breaking up the gang might be better from a return on ivestment perspective than a military op on land. The burden for which most assuredly would be shouldered by US forces.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/14/2009 15:14
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#6
I'm suprised Blackwater or some other security organization hasn't offered to guard ships while they pass the pirate infested waters. Board the vessels (with automatic weapons, etc..) before they enter the area and then leave just before the vessel make port. Ask a fee of about 100K or so and perhaps offer to pay any ransom if the guards fail.
#7
Actually, 2 of the largest PMCs have offered Q-Ships but were refused because of the UN's concerns about using "mercenaries". Considering how many of the UN's membership is made up of 3rd world sh'tholes like Somalia, no one should be surprised that they declined the most effective option for dealing with the problem - it might come back to bite THEM when they move into the business.
#11
Okay, I'm clearly not undestanding the second story. Appearantly the Navy thwarted a hijack attempt, didn't sink the pirate ship and no word about whether or not they are following said pirate ship.
I believe we can consider this a developing story.
Or perhaps this is the Navy way of saying "We don't want to kill your ignorant asses, but you have to leave us alone."
Also, no way the just 'happened' to find another American ship two days after 3 of their buddies get smoked holding their first American hostage.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/14/2009 22:09
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#12
WORLD MIL FORUM > Article describes how a CHINA SHIPPING CO. vessel was swarmed by about 30-39, mostly fast-moving Pirate boats [avg crew = 3 ea. = 90-127 Pirates in tote], attempting to induce the ship to stop and be boarded. The Pirates were driven off by armed Crew + CHIN SPECFORS.
Saudi Arabias religious police have been forced to issue a rare apology after a member of one of the countrys most influential tribes said he was beaten by police for allegedly kissing his wife in public.
Mohammed al Qahtani, of the Qahtan tribe the largest in Saudi Arabia had threatened to present his case to King Abdullah after the police spokesman issued a statement eight days ago accusing Mr al Qahtani of lying about the incident.
Damaging the reputation of a tribal member in Saudi is considered an insult to the entire tribe, and releasing personal information of those involved in the arrest is something rarely done by the religious police.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which runs the religious police, last week replaced Ahmad al Jardan as spokesman, suspended all of the officers involved in the arrest two weeks ago and promised to launch an investigation.
The religious police violated the rights of al Qahtani as a citizen and the police and the whole of Saudi society must restore them, otherwise he will head to his tribe, said Mohammed al Zulfah, a former member of the Shoura Council.
The decision by the religious police to issue a public apology was viewed as a climbdown by one of the countrys most powerful institutions.
The apology is the first public act by the newly appointed head of the religious police, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al Humane, who replaced the more conservative head, Sheikh Ibrahim al Ghaith, in February following a government reshuffle.
The apology is a triumph for society over an apparatus that sees itself as above the law and above suspicion, Mr al Zulfah said.
Adhwan al Ahmari, a Saudi journalist, said the religious police hoped the apology and the removal of Mr al Jardan would appease the media, which they feared could escalate the situation.
But Mr al Ahmari said the suspension of the policemen involved in the arrest was not serious enough.
Suspending the policemen is not enough and I cant take the polices actions seriously until I see real punishments, he said.
Mr al Qahtani told the Saudi press he was dragged away from a mall in Riyadh, where he had dropped off his wife, and was beaten. However, Mr al Jardan posted a statement on the religious police website eight days ago that disputed those claims and said the matter was handled gently.
Mr al Jardan said the police had been notified that a couple was seen kissing in a car in the car park at one of the malls. When they arrived, they found Mr al Qahtani, who admitted to kissing a woman but said she was his wife. The policemen asked her to verify his statement. Afterwards, the couple was released after they were told to respect the public morality.
A week ago, Mr al Jardan retracted his statement, saying it was inaccurate and that an official investigation was still ongoing. He also said his statement did not represent the official view of the religious police and apologised on their behalf.
Mr al Qahtani said he had postponed any legal action after he received a personal assurance from the head of the religious police that there would be a full investigation.
It is not the first time that arrests carried out by the religious police have angered the public. Some cases have involved dangerous car chases that ended in the death of the suspect.
Mr al Zulfah said the police would face more pressure from tribes and other members of society if they continued to make humiliating arrests.
The religious police must protect itself from society, Mr al Zulfah said. He said the religious police think they are above the law, and that without any avenue through which to press charges, society had no option but to resort to tribal pressure.
The police are often accused of restricting intellectual development in the kingdom and this was highlighted when two novelists were arrested at a Riyadh book fair last month.
Khalid al Mahameed, the cultural affairs editor at the Al Watan daily, said the religious police would continue to consider itself above the law until their influence was curbed.
To start, the public must have the authority to file legal cases against the religious police whenever there are violations of individuals rights, Mr al Mahameed said.
See the pretty trial balloon floating just up ahead? Shiney!
Nut graf, but do go read the whole thing:
The American judicial system deems everyone innocent until proven guilty and guarantees a fair hearing with a lawyer but not when it comes to immigration. Then there are far fewer rights. And as the system comes under pressure from a flood of new cases, the strain is showing.
One result is that U.S. citizens arrested as illegal immigrants or deportable residents cannot count on the legal system as a safety net. The odds are stacked against them. On the basis of interviews, lawsuits and documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, The Associated Press has documented more than 55 such cases since 2000, and immigration lawyers count hundreds more.
#2
That flood of US citizens being unfairly arrested! We must publicize this greatly so we can change the immigration laws to benefit the mass of illegal aliens!
#4
Being illegal means you don't have the same rights as a citizen or an alien that was granted permission to be here and is protected under our civil court.
#6
But immigration officials had recorded his last name as Saldidar, so they couldn't find him.
Hmmm with a quick read one might get the impression that the evil ICE was intentionally deceptive or possibly broke the law. Given the APs history of propaganda on this subject its doubtful that this improper syntax was anything but deliberate. Of course all the AP would need to do to dismiss a libel charge is to admit their reporters and editors are a bunch of no talent hacks.
The Obama administration and its European allies are considering dropping a long-standing U.S. demand that Iran immediately shut down its nuclear facilities if it enters talks over its atomic program, The New York Times reported on Monday on its website.
The proposal would also allow Tehran to continue enriching uranium for some period during the talks and would be a sharp break from the Bush administration, which had demanded that Iran halt its enrichment activities, the report said. The proposals, still under discussion, were aimed at drawing Iran into nuclear talks that it has so far shunned, the newspaper said, citing officials involved in the strategy sessions.
A senior Obama administration official cautioned that "we are still at the brainstorming level" and said the terms of an opening proposal to Iran were still being debated, the newspaper said.
"Yass, yass, it's still in debate. No decisions have been taken as yet, certainement. As you can see by three obvious facts: 1. My off-the-record *cough* interview with 2. the New York Times, and 3. my lips are currently floundering over there on the floor by the coffee dispenser!"
The six major powers dealing with Iran, including the United States, met in London last week and invited Tehran to a new round of talks about its nuclear program.
The New York Times cited European officials as saying that in talks during Obama's visit to Europe there was agreement that Iran would not accept the immediate shutdown of its facilities that the Bush administration had demanded.
Obama administration officials declined to discuss details of their deliberations, but said any new American policy would ultimately require Iran to cease enrichment, the newspaper said. "Our goal remains exactly what it has been in the U.N. resolutions: suspension," one senior administration official told the newspaper.
And Iran's goal also remains exactly what it has been, M. le Senior Administration Official.
#4
That was the most asinine, condescending garbage I have seen in quite a while. Maybe dude needed a new title for his paper: You Cannot Spell Stupid Without PSU.
#9
In defense of all Penn State alumni, the university has changed radically since the good old days. Becoming part of the Big Ten made them all think they were joining the State Ivies, and ten years of yearly insane tuition hikes later, it's a much more progressive, expensive, and elitist institution than it was back in the early Nineties, when it was Pennsylvania's rural alternative to Temple & Pitt.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/14/2009 17:44
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... news emerged Monday news from something called Intelligence Online
that foreign intelligence services - including Israel's Mossad - provided Egyptian authorities with intelligence that contributed to the uncovering of a Hezbollah-run terrorist ring and led to the arrest of dozens of suspects.
Meanwhile, Egyptian sources upped the tone of the charges against Hezbollah Monday by claiming that the aim of the underground activity was not limited to plans for terrorist attacks against tourist areas frequented by foreigners, but also against targets in the Suez canal.
#2
yes seaf, Nasrallah did issue a public affairs announcement on this.
However, I do not think he did this in public (that is what I would mean by 'pop up'). IIRC, he has only appeared in public a half dozen times or so in the past year or two.
[Bangla Daily Star] Former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar had appointed more than 300 employees to the Parliament Secretariat ignoring district quotas and purchased furniture worth Tk 12 lakh for his residence in a year ignoring rules.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Indian police are hunting a conman who hypnotized a Mumbai jeweler store worker before stealing $160,000 worth of diamond necklaces and bracelets. We can probably safely file this story under "Strange but not True."
Katrina Sunil Purswami, who works at the Seres store in the upscale Bandra West suburb, was told by the man on Saturday that he wanted to give the gems as a present and persuaded her to bring them to a nearby hotel.
"When the employee went to the hotel, the accused acted like he was the owner," senior police inspector Prakash George was quoted as saying by the Daily News and Analysis newspaper on Monday.
"As Purswami was showing him the sets, he asked her to write the details of the sets for him. He then hypnotized her and decamped with the ornaments. Purswami was left confused and could not understand what was going on."
The officer said the jeweler's store was newly opened and the owner allowed the employee to visit the hotel with the diamonds because he thought he was in line for a large sale.
Police are studying CCTV from the hotel to try to identify the conman but cameras at the shop were not working, George said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says the Bush administration's "ignorance and arrogance" has led to today's "nuclear Iran". Somehow I always knew it waas our fault.
In an interview with the New York Times, Mohamed ElBaradei said the previous US administration failed to seize countless diplomatic opportunities to engage Iran over its controversial nuclear program.
ElBaradei blamed the Bush administration for the fact that "Iran now has close to 5,500 centrifuges, and they have 1,000 kilos of low enriched uranium, and they have the know-how."
The IAEA chief criticized US policies the Bush era for only consisting of two mantras -- "Iran should not have the knowledge and should not spin one single centrifuge. They kept saying, wait, Iran is not North Korea, it will buckle. That was absolutely a mistake."
Elbaradei described former US vice president Dick Cheney as Star Wars character Darth Vader and said "We got Darth Vader and company saying Iran was in the axis of evil and we have to change this regime."
The director-general of the Vienna-based UN body went on to rule out the contention that Iran's nuclear activities pose an immediate threat to the world and said the notion that the country "could go to a weapon tomorrow" is "hype."
Referring to President Barack Obama's pledge to soften the Bush administration's line against talking to Iran, ElBaradei said at least two years of US-Iranian talks is needed, given the degree of mistrust, with "every grievance on the table."
ElBaradei also embraced the proposal put forward by President Obama for a nuclear-free world.
"You can't have nine countries telling the likes of Iran, nuclear weapons are dangerous for you, but we need to go on refining our arsenals," he argued.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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#1
Yeah, yet no one says a word when Pakistan and India get them.
The concern was about more than military or structure.
I inderstand a bafflement from Iran about them not being in the elite club that all their idiot brothers are in seeing how easy the US was to accept their "nuclear prowess".
Blantant on the mullah table daily.
Everyone wants an arms race or not, it does not matter here.
#9
Mohamed ElBaradei said the previous US administration failed to seize countless diplomatic opportunities to engage Iran over its controversial nuclear program.
The first rule of thumb for Trans-nationalist diplomats has always been lack of success doesnt equate to failure. Which explains why they seem content with the mere appearance of the status quo. The second is that any public criticism of others for their diplomatic deficiencies is vulgar and therefore should be avoided. (The glass house rule) For ElBaradei to repeatedly break these fundamental protocols and vociferously denounce the Bush administration proves he was never an impartial arbiter. With the specter of the worlds foremost state sponsor of terror obtaining nuclear weapons one must wonder what agenda drives ElBaradei and his ilk.
#14
Exactly. Iran buys nuclear knowledge and equipment from several countries, none of which are the US, and it's Americas fault. I clearly see the logic here.
/wtf?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/14/2009 16:38
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Taliban publicly executed a man and girl on Monday for eloping when she was already engaged to marry someone else, an official said, in a sign of the grip the Taliban have over parts of Afghanistan. Hashim Noorzai, head of Khash Rud district in southwestern Nimruz province, said the two were executed by gunshots in front of a crowd of villagers. He said he had no details on how the Taliban had come to be involved in passing judgement on them but that much of the mainly desert district was under their control. Nimruz is a sparsely-populated area near the Iranian and Pakistani borders where foreign or government troops had little presence. Like much of the south of the country, it has become a stronghold for the Taliban. Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[ADN Kronos] Turkish police detained the head of a university and two other academics on Monday in new arrests linked to an alleged plot to overthrow the government, the state-run Anatolian news agency said.One active and three former university rectors were detained in several provinces of Turkey as part of the controversial Ergenekon probe.
The High Criminal Court in Istanbul ordered the detention of nearly 40 people at the request of five prosecutors carrying out the investigation into the plot. Mehmet Haberal, rector of Baskent University in the capital Ankara, Mustafa Yurtkuran, former rector of Uludag University in the western province of Bursa, and Fatih Hilmioglu, former rector of Inonu University in southeastern Malatya province were among the latest detainees.
The raids were part of an operation against the ultra-nationalist Ergenekon organisation - one of the most controversial cases in Turkey's history.
It was launched in 2007 after the discovery of hand grenades in a house in Istanbul.The ongoing investigation has unsettled markets and increased tension between the government and secularists, including the military. Nearly 150 people, including retired senior military officers, lawyers and academics, are on trial for their links to Ergenekon.
Prosecutors say the group was planning a campaign of bombings and attacks to force the army to step in against prime minister Tayyip Erdogan's government.
Ergenekon was revealed more than a year ago when explosives were discovered in a police raid on an Istanbul home.
Some observers believe the investigation, which has targeted many government critics, is revenge for a failed 2008 lawsuit to ban the ruling AK Party on the grounds of anti-secular activities which the party has denied.
On Monday police also searched the office of Osman Metin Ozturk, rector of Giresun University in northern Turkey, and the home of columnist Erol Manisali in Istanbul.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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[Mail and Globe] In a move to ensure that all of jailed swindler Bernard Madoff's personal wealth is used to pay his defrauded customers, some investors filed court papers on Monday to force him into bankruptcy. Their lawyers have argued that making Madoff bankrupt would make it easier for victims to recover any Madoff-linked assets that have been transferred to family members or third parties.
The next step will be another petition to the court for the appointment of a trustee to oversee the personal assets of Madoff, who pleaded guilty on March 12 to running a $65-billion fraud over 20 years, bilking thousands of customers from big banks to charities to small investors.
A trustee is already working to oversee the winding down and recovery of assets from Madoff's firm to distribute the proceeds to former customers.
Madoff and his outside accountant are the only people charged in the case, but US prosecutors are investigating who else might have been involved in the biggest fraud in Wall Street history.
Madoff is in jail pending sentencing in June.
Monday's filing in US Bankruptcy Court in New York was made on behalf of five investors claiming $64-million, according to court papers. A federal judge last week opened the door for the petition by reversing his December ruling preventing any such legal action.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission, US prosecutors and the court-appointed trustee winding down the brokerage firm objected to the efforts of these investors. They argued that it would lead to unnecessarily high administrative costs and confusion. The SEC said authorities already are working to ensure that proceeds of any Madoff assets they recover will be distributed to bilked customers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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#1
By the way, if anyone has a few million to invest, I am taking over Bernie's operations. Guaranteed 20% return for investment of $5 million or more.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/14/2009 10:28
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my sympathy meter is on low here. Yah, accountants approved of Madoff statements, but cash flow accounting ignores the real asset picture. Anyone who doesn't know that deserves to take a hit. Of course, Madoff deserves any hit he takes too.
#3
Has anyone looked where the assets went? Like children, grandchildren, offshore? We are talking 50+ billion dollars here. Bankruptcy is chump change for the big fraud. They should throw top SEC people in the clink with Madeoff. Where is the accountability, anywhere???????? Joe, feel free to chime on this one.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/14/2009 21:30
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I don't believe there ever were any assets in that part of his firm, Alaska Paul -- a true pyramid scheme where what came in later went to pay off earlier investors. An awful lot was skimmed off to be given to charities, Jewish and otherwise. Quite a few charitable enterprises were founded to disburse funds donated by Mr. Madoff and some of his friends... and now have to close up shop because Madoff went under.
[Bangla Daily Star] An alleged mastermind of the grenade attack on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004, on Bangabandhu Avenue was arrested at the eastern fringe of Kolkata Sunday.
Mufti Ibrahim, also nephew to detained Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji) commander Mufti Hannan, was arrested at a flat in Ashwini Nagar of Baguihati of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, sources in the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) said.
Sources said Ibrahim crossed over to India five years ago and was running an umbrella shop in Baguihati area, our New Delhi correspondent reports.
Although there were reports that he had undergone plastic surgery on his face, the CID said it was yet to be verified.
"We have taken him in custody and are interrogating him," sources in the CID said.
Asked whether he was involved in any kind of anti-social activities in India, they said so far there is no such report but it can be ascertained with certainty only after his interrogation.
Mufti Ibrahim alias Munshi Ibrahim hails from Hiron in Kotalipara upazila of Gopalganj district, a correspondent in Gopalganj reports.
He was allegedly an accomplice of Mufti Hannan in his attempt to kill the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her entourage cabinet ministers and military and civil officials by planting two powerful bombs at Kotalipara on July 23, 2000. He is a fugitive in two cases filed in this connection.
Locals and police claimed Ibrahim studied in Deoband Madrasa in India. He went to Afghanistan via Pakistan and participated in the war in Afghanistan, they claimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] The U.N. Security Council on Monday adopted a nonbinding presidential statement on North KoreaŽs April 5 rocket launch, which unanimously ŽŽcondemnsŽŽ the action as a ŽŽcontraventionŽŽ of a resolution banning the country from all missile-related activities. The statement was approved with the backing of the councilŽs all 15 members -- the five veto-wielding members and the 10 nonpermement members and the text was read out a formal meeting of the United NationsŽ most powerful body by Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, the rotating council president for April.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Bullshit, read it to Kimmie, standing in front inside the UN building with handcufs and two pistols in his back.
THEN it'll be something besides waste paper.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 5:10
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#4
I think it's long past time for Yongbyon to have an "accident". Poor maintenance, lousy workmanship, and just too much juche, ya know...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2009 13:34
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#5
If we could just "Nudge" some space rock just right, then tell the muslims that a "New sign" was coming, we could dispose of kimmie and get his "Starving Millions" Muslimified all at once, I doubt there'd be much change, they're starving and oppressed now, but it would split Islam in two.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 19:17
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[Mail and Globe] A committee responsible for drafting a democratic Constitution, following the establishment of a new power-sharing government in Zimbabwe nearly two moths ago, was announced on Sunday.
The 25-member committee of deputies drawn from the country's 210-seat lower chamber of Parliament was announced by the speaker of the House of Assembly, Lovemore Moyo, state radio reported. The body will be responsible for drafting a new Constitution by February 2010, to be judged in a referendum by July and finally passed by the end of the year.
This was according to a broad power-sharing agreement signed last September by President Robert Mugabe, who has held power since independence in 1980, pro-democracy opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who is now prime minister in the new coalition administration, and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a lesser faction of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
For the last decade, Zimbabwe has been in crisis, with pro-democracy movements demanding a new Constitution. Mugabe has refused to cede power and, according to international election observers, bludgeoned his way to remain in power through rigged elections and savage brutality against the MDC, the first serious challenge to his authority since 1980.
However, last year, after Tsvangirai's MDC won a majority in parliamentary elections and Mugabe had himself declared winner of a violent presidential election, the two rivals agreed to a power-sharing deal that would lead to the draft of a new democratic Constitution.
The drafting committee was to meet on Monday, the speaker said.
Human rights groups have demanded full participation in the process.
Zimbabwe last had a constitutional conference in 2000, when a draft doctored to ensure Mugabe's continued rule was heavily outvoted in a referendum, costing his Zanu-PF party its first defeat in a national vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[ADN Kronos] By Syed Saleem Shahzad - The Taliban reasserted its power in the north and south of Pakistan on Monday, seizing control of a new district of Buner in the country's North West Frontier Province, torching NATO supplies in Peshawar and positioning militants for terror attacks in the southern port city of Karachi.
Pakistani police arrested a close associate of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in Karachi, police said on Monday.
Badshah din Mehsud, an associate of Baitullah Mehsud, was arrested in the Sachal Goth area of the city and linked to a new plot for targeting the financial capital of the country.
Police declined to comment on the arrest in regard to the new wave of terror that has struck Pakistan but at the same time showed the aggressive designs of the militants especially as they flooded the district of Buner.
The local union council elected administrator confirmed on Monday that despite an agreement between the tribal council and the Taliban, armed members of the Taliban have flooded the district and practically seized control.
Three guards were wounded on Sunday in an attack on a supply depot serving US and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan, police said.
The depot in Peshawar was attacked by more than 150 militants using rocket launchers and gasoline bombs, a police spokesman Warid Khan told the media.
The attack occurred in the capital of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, where militants armed with rockets and automatic weapons attacked the transport terminal along a key supply route used by US and NATO troops. Eight trucks were also torched in the attack.
On Monday private schools in Islamabad were reopened after security agencies gave them a safety clearance. The schools in Islamabad were closed for three days after militants warned the local administration that they would carry out attacks.
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[Geo News] Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) spokesman Amir Izzat Khan has welcomed the passing of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 by the Parliament. He termed the parliament's decision as Islam and Pakistan friendly, thanking all members of the parliament for their support in approving the Bill. He said National Assembly has given a historic decision for the first time following the creation of Pakistan. He regretted the MQM's decision to abstain from the voting.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Mail and Globe] Thai troops fired repeatedly into the air in Bangkok on Monday after anti-government protesters torched a bus at a main junction, forcing the demonstrators to pull back, a Reuters reporter said.
When troops tried to put the bus blaze out with a water cannon, the protesters threw a volley of five or six fire-bombs at them, and the soldiers advanced in response to that.
The clashes, two days after protesters forced a cancellation of an Asian summit, have undermined confidence in the government and dealt another blow to the image of an economy already reeling from last year's political chaos and the global financial crisis.
"I believe the darkest days in Thailand's history are yet to come, as we see no swift solution to ongoing divisiveness," said Prinn Panitchpakdi, a CLSA Asia-Pacific analyst.
Bangkok Medical Centre director Peeraphong Saicheau said 77 people were injured in clashes at the junction, which began just before dawn. Two civilians and two soldiers had gunshot wounds.
A number of protesters had been arrested, said Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
Sansern said the fracas began when troops in vehicles with loudspeakers asked the red-shirted protesters to lift a blockade they have maintained for days at Din Daeng junction.
The junction is a crucial part of Bangkok's traffic system, although Monday is the start of a three-day holiday for the Thai New Year and many people have already left for the provinces. Financial markets are shut until Thursday because of the holiday.
Troops had rolled up water cannon and demonstrators had covered the road in petrol, apparently threatening to set it ablaze if troops moved in -- which they did when the "red shirts" set the bus ablaze.
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ASADABAD, Afghanistan, April 13 (AFP): Afghan officials and victims levelled fresh accusations against foreign troops Monday, charging that air strikes killed six civilians and wounded 14, including women and children.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed there was an "event" in the northeastern province of Kunar late Sunday but could not immediately provide any details.
The air strikes hit civilian homes in Kunar's Watapour district about 15 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital Asadabad, district governor Zalmai Yousufzai told reporters. "Among the six dead were two children, a woman and three men," he said. Seven children, a woman and six men were wounded, all of them civilians, he said.
So the men were hiding behind skirts again ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
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The body of another BDR sepoy was found hanging at its Pilkhana headquarters in the city Monday morning, reports UNB. The deceased was identified as Ashraful Alam, 26, son of Molla Mohammad Amir Hossain of Bhurimari village in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat. He served as a sepoy of 13 Rifles Battalion.
The poor lad... it was unrequited love that drove him to it
On information, police from New Market thana went to the BDR Headquarters and recovered the body of Ashraf from a toilet at the 13-Rifle Battalion building at about 8:05am. It was found hanging from a ventilator. The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy.
With the death of sepoy Ashraf, 11 BDR men, including the Pesh Imam of BDR headquarters central mosque, have died since the Feb 25-26 Pilkhana carnage.
It's an epidemic. Someone should call the WHO ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
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He's also vowing to confront Kimmie, the Chinese, excessive spending and government corruption ...
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama made a fresh vow to confront piracy on Monday, hours after a Somali pirate chief warned of revenge against Americans following the dramatic rescue of a US sea captain.
Obama said the United States was resolved to hold those who prey on merchant shipping accountable, following the freeing of Captain Richard Phillips in a daring maritime rescue which saw three pirates shot dead by US snipers. We are going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, Obama said. We have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise and we have to ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes, Obama said.
Obamas comments upped the ante in the struggle against piracy in the lawless shipping lanes off Somalia, hours after a pirate chief threatened to target Americans in revenge for the loss of his men.
The American liars have killed our friends after they agreed to free the hostage without ransom... this matter will lead to retaliation and we will hunt down particularly American citizens travelling our waters, chief Abdi Garad told AFP by phone from the pirate lair of Eyl. We will intensify our attacks even reaching very far away from Somalia waters, and next time we get American citizens... they (should) expect no mercy from us.
If Bambi wishes to confront the pirates, he can start by cleaning out the pirate lair at Eyl ...
Obama kept largely silent during the five-day standoff but when Phillips was freed, he issued a written statement paying tribute to the skippers courage and the expertise of US navy rescuers, similar in content to his on-camera comments on Monday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
Explain in a thousand word thesis of how our Pirates help us Mr President.
Bibliography is important.
Ohhhh, and the last time someone said "America is not a Christian nation", it was John Adams in negotiation to Tripoli.......
#2
hey rantyes, such a crying bitches you all sound. you fags are the shit of America did you have your ass kick in your youth that now cluster together in this imbeciles blog
All of you are just conservative crying frustrated bitches
#3
So, hqhqhqh, tell us what you want us to do and say? In the immortal words of the Great Mucky, "Ima cnfusr." Or something like that.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/14/2009 2:40
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hqhqhqh I agree So F@#%ing Much they will hate OBAMA no matter
what.As said before WoW is this the Glenn Beck Crying army regiment or what? Some well most ppl need to really understand this.
I know the truth just f@#$ing HURTS dont it get over it Pu$$ies
#6
Moderators, Crying baby above, please diaper and remove.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 4:47
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#7
Jim leave him. A clear example of how the LLL Mo0nb@t5 have no facts within the argument. Barry is required by law to defend Amercians no matter where they are. This is not a change in policy, unless we put boots on the ground and clean out the safe havens.
#17
He's also vowing to confront Kimmie, the Chinese, excessive spending and government corruption ...
As a first step, RESIGN.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 11:48
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As a first step, RESIGN.
God, no, RJ! Then we'd be stuck with old Foot in Mouth Joe as president. Barry just needs to pick a couple of adults as advisors. I'd suggest Zalmay Khalizad as foreign service advisor, Thomas Sowell as economic advisor, John Bolton as Khalizad's deputy, Tom Tancredo as Border control advisor, and a few dozen others. He might actually get something done, and done right, with those.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2009 14:07
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#19
Vows to confront privates? Geez, hope that isn't on the Sunday morning informercials.
#21
Besoeker dear, I shall bake you a special melktaart on Thursday, after the end of Passover. Chocolate chip cookies for you, Dr. Steve. As for the two semi-verbal Trainables (clearly they have reached an intellectual age of 10-12, but not higher), perhaps they are a symptom of what I believe now is termed Shattered Personality Disorder, rather than what we used to call split personality... or sock puppetry.
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's camp was told last year that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) would raise up to $5 million in campaign cash for the ex-governor if he was appointed to President Obama's U.S. Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. The overture came from at least two members of the local Indian community who approached the Blagojevich fund-raising team last fall, sources say.
Besides the $5 million to be raised by Jackson, the proposal also included another $1 million for Blagojevich's campaign fund that would come from Indian donors, sources say.
This is the first revelation that a proposal for the Jackson appointment involved an alleged promise that he'd raise campaign cash for the ex-governor. Also, the amount of money allegedly offered to Blagojevich is significantly higher than what's been reported so far.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
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In other news... apple falls from tree, stays put.
Justice Sharif was born on 9th December 1948 in Lahore. He belongs to a well-established and well-known religious family (Khawaja Family). His did his masters in Political Science and got a degree in LLB too. He also passed Diplomas in Taxation Law and Labour Law.
LAHORE - Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif has become the 38th Chief Justice of the 125 years old Lahore High Court (LHC0 and is likely to take oath of his office today. Justice Sharif is the senior most judge of the LHC and had he not been sacked through the PCO on November 3,2007, he would have become the CJ on January 1st of the last year in the light of Al-Jihad Trust Case 1996 (popularly known as the Judges Case) after the retirement of then Chief Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry. He would retire on December 8, 2010 at the age of 62.
Justice Sharif was restored on March 17 along with Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and others, but he was not made the CJ immediately and he started judicial work as a judge under the outgoing CJ Justice Syed Zahid Hussain, now elevated to the Supreme Court. CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry during his speeches to different bars while he was sacked always called Justice Sharif as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court.
Justice Sharif remained staunch supporter of the lawyers movement and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and never accepted the governments offers to take fresh oath as some of his deposed colleagues did last year.
Justice Sharif was born on 9th December 1948 in Lahore. He belongs to a well-established and well-known religious family (Khawaja Family). His did his masters in Political Science and got a degree in LLB too. He also passed Diplomas in Taxation Law and Labour Law.
WASHINGTON - US special envoy George Mitchell was on his way Monday to Morocco ahead of his return to the Middle East later in the week, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.
But Wood, speaking to reporters, gave no details about his Middle East stops beyond what he gave last week about his plans to meet officials from Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, the Gulf and North Africa.
It will be Mitchell's first visit to the region since Israel's right-leaning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office.
"I believe Senator Mitchell is en route to Morocco and will be having discussions, obviously, with the Moroccan authorities," Wood told the State Department daily news briefing. "He's going to advance the goal of the two-state solution in the Middle East. But when we have some more details with regard to his travel... we'll be happy to get them to you," he added.
Wood said on April 6 that the former US senator and architect of Northern Ireland's peace agreement aims to "advance the goal of the two-state solution and comprehensive peace in the region.
[He] arrived here Monday on a two-day state visit, the first leg of a tour to the Mideast region. Mitchell is due to meet senior Moroccan officials including foreign minister Taieb Fassi Fihri. Mitchell, accompanied by deputy assistant secretary for near east David Hale, will be meeting top officials in Israel, Palestinian territories, Egypt and the Gulf during his week-long trip.
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ISLAMABAD: The upcoming Tokyo Donors' Conference might pledge $4 billion to Pakistan over the next two years, Japan's Special Representative for Assistance to Pakistan and Afghanistan Motohide Yoshikawa said on Monday.
Big chunk of change for President Ten-Percent ...
Talking to reporters at the Japanese embassy, he said Tokyo had been advocating for assistance to Pakistan and had raised the issue at the G-20 group meeting. He said Pakistan's stability and prosperity was in the interest of the world.
"Nice world you got here. Be a shame if anything happened to it ..."
The special representative said that the international community would demand broad political support in the fight against terrorism and a plan of action for economic reforms and eradication of poverty.
None of which the Paks have but they still have their mitts out ...
He said more than 30 countries and organisations would participate in the conference.
Yoshikawa said a bilateral meeting would be held during President Asif Zardari's visit to Japan and during the meeting the Japanese prime minister would announce assistance to Pakistan in the shape of a soft loan.
"How soft?"
"Real soft!"
Zardari said he hoped the international community would support Pakistan in the upcoming Friends of Pakistan meeting.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
Why don't any of those "Donor Conferences" donate to America, We could use it just as others do, either feed the people and by weapons wih the savings, or consficate it outright, sell it and use the moneu to buy weapons.
Same end either way.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 11:37
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Police and Rab in a raid held seven members of Pakistan-based Islamic organisation Dawat-e-Islami from Patharghata area yesterday 'on suspicion of their link with militant activities.'
Acting on a tip-off, police and Rab men raided Najumia Lane of Patharghata at about 12:00 noon and detained them from a flat. Nine passports, four computers, one scanner and one printer, a number of CDs and VCDs, several booklets and leaflets on teaching of Islam and some documents were also seized during the raid. However, no document related to militancy was found in the seized items till examining of those items at 4pm, police said.
And no shutter gun ...
DC (North) of CMP Banaj Kumar Mazumdar said they were held 'on suspicion of their involvement in militant activities.'
Claiming the organisation truly religious-based organisation, arrestee Nurul Azim said the organisation started its activities in Bangladesh in 1985 and now covers 22 districts of the country and around 70 countries.
Locals said the members rented the flat 13 months back while they used to speak about Islam in a nearby mosque every Thursday.
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Pakistan's pro-U.S. president signed a regulation late Monday to put a northwestern district under Islamic law as part of a peace deal with the Taliban, going along after coming under intense pressure from members of his own party and other lawmakers.
Asif Ali Zardari's signature was a boon for Islamic militants who have brutalized the Swat Valley for nearly two years in demanding a new justice system. It was sure to further anger human rights activists and feed fears among the U.S. and other Western allies that the valley will turn into a sanctuary for militants close to Afghanistan.
Whatever criticism may come, Zardari can claim some political cover the National Assembly voted unanimously Monday to adopt a resolution urging his signature, although at least one party boycotted. Earlier, a Taliban spokesman had warned lawmakers against opposing the deal. I.e. Islamabad surrenders to islam. Pic w/ Lurch at link is appropriate. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
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The juice were the proximate cause of the premature explodulation:
Israel's Navy halted Monday a Palestinian attempt to attack its shores using a booby trapped boat a few hundred meters off the borders with the Gaza Strip, an Israel military spokesman stated. Israeli gunboats fired at a Palestinian fishing boat 300 hundred meters off the Israeli-Gaza borders which resulted in a huge explosion, the Israeli spokesman told Radio Israel, adding that the boat was obviously loaded with explosives.
Israelis fired at the boat as it was so close to the Israeli waters of Ashkelon and of which Palestinian boats are banned from sailing at, he said. He added that no one was spotted on the boat and that Israelis are investigating the incident.
No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility yet.
The Obama administration has come under intense criticism for replacing the term "war on terror" with the emaciated euphemism "overseas contingency operations," and for referring to individual acts of terror as "man-caused disasters."
This semi-official attempt to disassociate the administration from the fierce rhetoric favored by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney has enraged Americans on both the right and left. Many feel that such vaporous bureaucratese is a self-emasculating action that plunges us into an Orwellian world where words have no emotional connection with the horrors they purport to describe.
Yet, if the intention of the Obama administration is to tone down the confrontational rhetoric being used by our enemies, the effort is already reaping results. This week, in a pronounced shift from its usual theatrical style, the Taliban announced that it will no longer refer to its favorite method of murder as "beheadings," but will henceforth employ the expression "cephalic attrition." "Flayings" -- a barbarously exotic style of execution that has been popular in this part of the world since before the time of Alexander -- will now be described as "unsolicited epidermal reconfigurations." In a similar vein, lopping off captives' arms will now be referred to as "appendage furloughing," while public floggings of teenaged girls will from here on out be spoken of as "metajudicial interfacing."
A Taliban spokesman reached in Pakistan said that the new phrasing was being implemented as a way of eliminating the negative associations triggered by more graphic terminology. "The term 'beheading' has a quasi-medieval undertone that we're trying to get away from," he explained. "The term 'cephalic attrition' brings the Taliban into the 21st century. It's not that we disapprove of beheadings; it's just that the word no longer meshes with the zeitgeist of the era. This is the same reason we have replaced the term 'jihad' with 'booka-bonga-bippo,' which has a more zesty, urban, youthful, 'now' feel. When you're recruiting teenagers to your movement, you don't want them to feel that going on jihad won't leave any time for youthful hijinks." Rest at link
Posted by: ed ||
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Route 50, cross the TR Mem bridge, take a left on 23rd St. proceed North approx 5 blocks to G Street at Foggy Bottom and make a right. Proceed approx 7 blocks and look for parking. You have arrived at home of the ultimate "man-caused disaster."
#6
Queenan is a funny guy. Wrote a book of essays called "Red Lobster, White Trash." It has significance for those of us old enough to remember "Blue Water, White Death."
KHARTOUM - Sudanese authorities on Monday executed nine men found guilty in the 2006 murder of a Sudanese newspaper editor, state media and a police source said. Nine people guilty in this case were executed today, the source said.
The case has been sensitive for the government, which initially banned reporting of the trial other than by state media. The nine men are from Darfur, a region torn by a conflict between rebels and the government.
The state news agency SUNA later confirmed the men were hanged at Kober prison in Khartoum and named them. A Reuters reporter outside the prison saw groups of relatives and some women wailing.
The decapitated body of the editor, Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed, was found on a dirt road in Khartoum in September 2006. His hands and legs were tied and his head lay next to his body. In November 2007 the nine men were found guilty of killing Ahmed, a journalist and the owner of the Arabic-language newspaper al-Wifaq.
During the trial the lead police investigator, Abdul Rahim Ahmed Abdul Rahim, said the defendants motives were political, ethnic and financial. Abdul Rahim said the defendants had been infuriated by an article in Ahmeds paper. A defence lawyer said the article played down reports about rape in Darfur and used unflattering language to describe Darfuri women.
Earlier this month local media said a constitutional court had upheld the death sentences, putting an end to the appeal process.
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Lobby group Amnesty International has condemned as "outrageous" the hanging of nine Sudanese men convicted of beheading a newspaper editor in 2006.
"They were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and then subjected to an unfair trial," said the body's deputy Africa director Tawanda Hondora.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009 12:02
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For Amnesia International to actually condemn the blatant murders of black men by Arabs sparks a tiny bit of hope in me that they'll quit reflexively blaming the "West" for everything bad that happens in Africa and the Muddled East. We'll see if it carries over to any other outrageous acts by Arabs/Muslimbs.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2009 13:26
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#3
A cynical part of me thinks the only reason Amnesty Internation showed any interest is because a newspaper editor was the victim.
KARACHI: With the arrest of ex-army majors who are activists of Harkatul Mujahideen, has resolved various high profile cases including the mysterious murder of Major General (Retd) Ameer Faisal Alvi, the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the elite Special Services Group of (SSG), Pakistan Army, sources privy to matter told Daily Times.
The arrest of Major (Retd) Haroon Rasheed by the Rawalpindi Motorway police took place when he was transferring a kidnapped local trader to Waziristan. During the course of investigation, Rasheed revealed that his brother, Captain Khurram, left the forces to join a militant organisation and was killed by international security forces in Afghanistan. He further confessed that he had kidnapped four people, including prominent filmmaker Satish Anand, from Karachi in order to get ransom money to support the militant organisation.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009
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A Minnesota court has confirmed that Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman.
Monday's ruling isn't expected to be the final word because Coleman previously announced plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court. He has 10 days to do so. That appeal could mean weeks more delay in seating Minnesota's second senator.
After a statewide recount and seven-week trial, Franken stands 312 votes ahead. Franken gained more votes from the election challenge than Coleman, the candidate who brought it.
The state law Coleman sued under merely required three judges to determine who got the most votes and is therefore entitled to an election certificate. That critical certificate is on hold pending appeal.
#7
The thing that is scary is that we still have a 50/50 country after 911, Iraq, Somali pirates, Norks, Iran nukes, a tanked economy, a corrupt congress, a marxist-leninist radical as POTUS, a failed education system, etc. I just have a hard time believing that half the voting population are that naive, historically inept and willing to turn this country over to former comedians, foot-in-mouth plagerists and ex community organizers. What the hell are we thinking?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/14/2009 10:22
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#8
My son is 13 and has yet to take a true history class in school. The educrats want it that way. That's the problem.
Israeli settlers stormed the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday, Jerusalem's old city.
I am quite sure whatever incident occurred did not happen as reported here. I am equally certain it will be listed in the Grievances when they are formally read to the Nations United Against Israel or the gullible Western media...
Palestinian witnesses in Jerusalem said the settlers, led by radical leaders, stormed the place while protected by the Israeli police, when Palestinian worshipers tried to stop them police officers attacked them and arrested one Palestinian man.
It's the violence inherent in the System.
Palestinians say police also harrassed other worshipers who were performing their midday prayers at the Mosque.
Palestinian sources said Israeli police did little to stop them, adding that the groups made three attempts to get in. Witnesses said the extremists were disguised as Palestinians.
Since last week, the Al-Quds committee of the Arab League announced that local activists and youths were present around the clock at the gates of the mosque to prevent such intrusions which tend to happen during Jewish holiday periods such as this weekend's Passover festival. This is not the first such attack as last Thursday Israeli right-wing extremist groups attempted to enter the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's old city.
Rapid Action Battalion personnel arrested two central leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League from the city''s Maghbazar area early Monday, as a government-ordered hunt for suspects in campus troubles continued, reports UNB.
The members of RAB-2 and the intelligence wing of the elite force jointly raided a house in the area and held BCL central committee Organizing Secretary Ashraful Rahman and International Affairs Secretary Mithu at about 5am. The two leaders of the pro-Awami League student organization were run in on charge of trying to "disrupt educational activities and congenial environment at Dhaka University", RAB sources said.
Later, they were handed over to Ramna police in the evening. When contacted, Officer-in-Charge of Ramna police station Shibly Noman said Mithu was shown arrested in a case pending against him with the police station. "We are examining whether any case is pending against Ashraf," the OC added.
Law-enforcing agencies started arrest of BCL leaders and activists after the government''s recent order for a crackdown on those out to ''destabilize the campus in the name of student politics''.
BCL suffered the biggest shock when Prime Minister and ruling Awami League president Sheikh Hasina relinquished her position as Chhatra League''s supreme organizational leader on April 4, in the wake of series of clashes between rival groups of students in educational institutions. In a presidium meeting on the day, she also ordered a crackdown on campus unrest, directing the law-enforcing agencies to tackle with a strong hand the troublemakers in her party''s student wing, or any other student organizations for that matter, who are unleashing violence in educational institutions.
Country''s higher educational institutions across the country were being shut down one after another following clashes with involvement of Chhatra League (BCL) since the AL-led government came to power following a massive significant victory at the December 29 parliamentary polls.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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"We are talking about reality; so we have to be practical. The prices of USD 40-50 pb are realistic and suitable to the world economy in 2009 under the current crisis," he said citing the slow demand on oil.
Qatar's Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah Al-Attiya deemed on Monday the oil prices ranging between USD 40 and 50 per barrel as realistic under the current global financial crisis.
Speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), the minister said: "We are talking about reality; so we have to be practical. The prices of USD 40-50 pb are realistic and suitable to the world economy in 2009 under the current crisis," he said citing the slow demand on oil.
According to the statistics of the International Energy Agency (IEA) there is remarkable decline in demand which justifies economists' predictions about shrinkage of the world economy.
"Economists predict the world economy to be at low ebb in the period ahead, so we have to speak in realistic way," Al-Attiya said, affirmed that 2009 would be "very tough" for the world economy. He voiced hope that 2010 would see an end to the crisis and resumption of economic growth.
atari Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah al-Attiya indicated on Monday that his country was reviewing its oil policy including cancellation of some oil projects in the light of the steep slide of oil prices prompted in a great part by the recent global financial crisis.
Addressing a two-day forum here on energy, he bemoaned the fact that the crisis might affect the oil industry worldwide in a way that would lead to cutbacks in production and in reduction of the labor force, as was the case in the mid-eighties of the last century.
The oil industry in Qatar, he said, was among the fastest growing oil industries and the question of attracting a well-trained work force to run it was parmount on the minds of Qatari oil officials.
Over the past eight years the number of oil workers in Qatar has increased by 73 percent and the number of energy-based companies shot up by 181 percent, he said as he underlined that it was the international oil firms which first complained about dwindling numbers of oil technicians worldwide, and that complaint came during the 10th international energy forum which was held in Qatar in 2006.
This fear over the lack of availability of qualified workers in the energy field was also the focus of an energy forum held in Rome, Italy, 2008 for ministers of oil whose countries are members in the regular meetings of that forum.
The current forum in Doha will seek solutions facing the oil industry worldwide, among them boosting cooperation between oil and energy companies and ministries of oil and members of academia.
#2
OPEC oil barons would rather prefer the $75 to $90 range, even better for them was when oil soared to $147 a barrel, but as you say inflation will rear its ugly head again, and instead of recession it will really be a a full scale depression, then their oil export sales shall sink to record lows.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
04/14/2009 6:37
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#3
What is that in Obamabucks?
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009 9:12
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#4
Pre-emptive pricing for the summer driving season. Nothing more and nothing less. By October, it will be back to $40-50 range.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/14/2009 10:34
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DAMANJODI (KORAPUT): For 10 hours, a band of 22 CISF jawans battled more than 200 heavily armed Maoists, without back-up or reinforcements, and saved the lives of 150 Nalco staff who were held hostage by the guerrillas in Orissa's Damanjodi since Sunday night. The nightlong encounter took place in the largest bauxite mine in Asia.
The CISF lost 10 of their own and are believed to have inflicted heavy damage on the attackers. Bodies of four Maoists, including a woman, were recovered. Blood trails suggest the Maoists dragged many more bodies away. But the guerrillas did manage to get their hands on a cache of explosives. Two critically wounded jawans were air-lifted to Vizag, while seven others have been admitted to Damanjodi hospital.
When police finally reached the Panchapatmalli hilltop in the morning, they were in for a heart-rending sight. Bodies lay strewn. Some Nalco employees who had been held hostage were retching uncontrollably, while others were wailing. They all owed their lives to CISF men.
The survivors among the saviours the three that escaped unhurt and the nine injured had a dazed look but they still clutched their rifles, ready to fight.
Eyewitnesses said they had seen the extremists loitering in the area in batches during the day on Sunday, but suspected nothing. "We thought they were tribals going hunting in the forest since the Chaiti festival is on," said a Nalco official.
The Maoists launched their assault in the cover of darkness. A group of 50 attacked the fire station and took nearly 100 Nalco staff, including mine workers, hostage. They herded them into a canteen, snatched their mobile phones, and cut off power. Two CISF jawans were caught by surprise and gunned down without warning. As the first group set fire to some offices, a bigger unit headed for the 'magazine room' where explosives are stored. The 22 CISF jawans deployed there had sensed trouble and taken battle positions. The long night had begun.
Thousands of rounds were exchanged between the two sides which started around 9.30pm and continued till 6.30am. Eight CISF jawans were killed.
Posted by: john frum ||
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#3
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a paramilitary security force in India.
It was set up under an act of Parliament on March 10, 1969 with a strength of 2,800. CISF was subsequently made an armed force of the Union of India by another act of Parliament passed on June 15, 1983. Its current strength is 105,000. [1]
It is directly under the federal Ministry of Home Affairs and its headquarters are at New Delhi.
The CISF provides security cover to 269 industrial units located all over India. Industrial Sectors like Atomic Power Plants, Space Installations, Defence Production Units, Mints, Oil Fields and Refineries, Major Ports, Heavy Engineering, Steel Plants, Barrages, Fertilizer units, Airports and Hydro electric/thermal power plants are protected by CISF. Most of these installations are located in difficult terrains of the country with harsh climatic conditions.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/14/2009 9:22
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#4
Rorke's Drift in Damanjodi.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009 10:35
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#5
My deepest respect for 22 exceptional soldiers who acted above and beyond their normal duties. I hope they all get promotions and a guaranteed, well-endowed retirement. They deserve it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2009 13:45
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#6
Jimmy Carter sez the Maoists are good guys. Ya got his word on it. I'm sure this was probably just their attempt at "dialouge"...
Four Lebanese soldiers were killed Monday when they came under attack in the Bekaa region, security sources and local media said. They said the forces were patrolling between the towns of Zahle and Baalbek in the Bekaa region to the east of the capital, Beirut, when they came under attack which killed four of them. The Lebanese army has in the past few days launching a campaign to capture wanted people in the Bekaa.
I guess they'll need to add a few more names to the list...
[Straits Times] A MALAYSIAN court on Thursday sentenced two policemen to death after finding them guilty of murdering a Mongolian woman in 2006.
Wrapping up a 159-day trial, High Court Judge Zaki Yasin ruled that he found the defense of Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar 'unbelievable' as 'each of them are blaming the other'.
He said he was convicting 'both of you as charged' with murdering 28-year-old Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu sometime between Oct 19 and Oct 20, 2006. 'They failed to raise any reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case,' said Mr Zaki. 'I sentence both of you to death. You will be taken to a place of execution where you will be hanged by your neck until you are dead,' he said.
The pair looked calm when the sentence was handed down, and then stepped out of the dock and hugged their lawyers, who later said they would file an appeal.
Azilah, 33, and Sirul, 37, were found guilty of killing Ms Altantuya, 28, and blowing up her body in a jungle clearing in 2006. They were charged in the same year with political analyst Razak Baginda, 48, who was accused of instructing them to kill the woman who was allegedly harassing him for money. Mr Razak was acquitted last year of abetting the murder of his former lover.
The prosecution team consisting of Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, Noorin Badaruddin, Manoj Kurup and Hanim Rashid stressed in their submissions that Azilah and Sirul were the people behind Ms Altantuya's murder.
Based on the evidence gathered from prosecution witnesses, the explosive used to blow up Ms Altantuya's body was probably placed in her mouth. Mr Manoj noted at the end of the prosecution's case that both accused had the motive to kill and it was a preplanned crime.
Mr Manoj noted that several circumstantial evidence that the prosecution tried to prove were never denied, explained or answered by both defendants. 'Several of the strong evidence deduced from the testimonies when spun together will make two ropes that are strong enough to hang each one of them. The prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt on the actions of the duo calls for their conviction on the murder carried out with the common intention.'
Azilah who started his testimony on Jan 15 stated that he had no motive to kill or destroy the woman and instead he only met Ms Altantuya to advise her politely not to harass Mr Razak or create a ruckus outside the latter's home. Azilah also told the court that he was ordered by a superior, DSP Musa Safri to help Mr Razak and thus he would not have done something stupid like killing and what more when he was a policeman.
While defending himself Sirul broke down a few times and related to the court that he has been made the 'sacrificial lamb' in the murder.
The two policemen's lawyers said they would file appeals. The verdict closes another chapter in a case that has riveted the nation as Ms Altantuya was said to have had an affair with a close friend of the prime minister. The friend was also tried as an accessory but was acquitted last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Egyptian police in Sinai have surrounded 10 Lebanese men wanted on suspicion of plotting attacks against Egypt, a security source said on Sunday. The men are part of a group sought by Cairo for their links to Lebanon's Hezbollah, the source said.
Tensions between Egypt, a predominantly Sunni country, and Hezbollah, a Shiite group backed by Iran, have been running high since Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in December accused Cairo of complicity with Israel in its siege of Gaza.
Cairo said on Wednesday it had detained 49 Egyptian, Palestinian and Lebanese men linked to Hezbollah, accusing them of planning attacks in Egypt. On Sunday a prosecution source said five Egyptians and one Palestinian had been charged with spying and possessing firearms without a licence.
Nasrallah said in response that one of those held was a Hezbollah member and that he and up to 10 others were trying to supply military equipment to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. He denied they had plans for attacks inside Egypt.
The six men admitted having links with Hezbollah but denied other charges, according to the prosecution source. A separate prosecution source said at least one Sudanese national was among the detained, and that police had found explosives and bomb-making material in their possession.
Egypt press slams Nasrallah
" Egypt must start proceedings to try him in an international court. He has admitted to the crime. He must be handed to the Lebanese government as a war criminal "
Karam Gabr, editor of the Egyptian Rose Al-Yussef
The Egyptian press on Sunday slammed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a war criminal who should be put on trial after he admitted that his militants in Cairo were helping Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Nasrallah said on Friday that a man Cairo is holding on suspicion of planning attacks is a member of his group and was providing logistical help to Hamas, but denied seeking to destabilize Egypt.
"A criminal who knows no mercy" cried the blood-red headline in the state-owned al-Gomhuria which reserved the whole of its front page for an editorial bashing Nasrallah, repeatedly referring to him as "Sheikh Monkey."
"Sheikh Monkey, we will not allow you to belittle our judicial symbols, for you are a highway robber, a pure criminal who has killed his own people but we will not allow you to threaten the peace and security of Egypt," editor Mohammed Ali Ibrahim wrote.
Al-Ahram newspaper, which is also state-owned, said Nasrallah's admission that Hezbollah is operating in Egypt provided grounds for prosecution. "The admission by (Nasrallah) of sending agents into Egypt... puts him at the forefront of accusations and requires dealing with him under Egyptian law, or international law and issuing an (Interpol) red notice for his arrest," said editorial writer Ahmed Mussa.
"Egypt must start proceedings to try him in an international court. He has admitted to the crime. He must be handed to the Lebanese government as a war criminal," Karam Gabr, editor of the pro-regime Rose al-Yussef, told Egyptian television.
Helping the Palestinians
" Nasrallah deserves death and I hope that those who know what to do with him will act and give him what he deserves "
Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz
In his speech on Friday, Nasrallah confirmed that Sami Shihab, a Lebanese citizen among the detained, was a member of Hezbollah and was working to help Hamas against Israel. "If helping the Palestinians is a crime, I officially admit to my crime."
Hezbollah, which is backed by Egypt's regional rivals Iran and Syria, is a vocal supporter of Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza, and has lashed out at Egypt for closing its border crossing with the Palestinian enclave.
An Israeli cabinet minister said on Sunday that Nasrallah deserved to die. "Nasrallah deserves death and I hope that those who know what to do with him will act and give him what he deserves," said Transport Minister Yisrael Katz.
Posted by: Fred ||
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A tribal jirga on Monday handed over three Jamrud mosque bombing suspects to political authorities. On March 27, a bomber had blown himself up during the Juma congregation at a crowded mosque in Begyari, Jamrud, killing 83 people.
Sources said the Khyber Agency's political administration had sought the custody of eight suspects from the Kokikhel Qaumi Jirga but only three -- Khaista Khan, Taj Wali and Muhammad Rafiq -- had been handed over to them. They said the jirga had promised remaining suspects' handover within the next few days. Meanwhile, Khyber Agency's Political Agent Tariq Hayat Khan distributed the Rs 300,000 cheques to the families of nine dead and one injured by terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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On this day in history: April 14th
1828 Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.
1846 The Donner Party of pioneers departs Springfield, Illinois, for California.
1865 U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth.
1912 The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg at 11.35pm in the North Atlantic.
1956 In Chicago, Illinois, videotape is first demonstrated.
1986 In retaliation for the April 5 bombing in West Berlin that killed two U.S. servicemen, U.S. president Ronald Reagan orders major bombing raids against Libya.
Also Monday, visiting U.S. Sen. John Kerry met with Pakistan's president, prime minister and other top officials, including Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, head of Pakistan's most powerful spy service, Inter-Services Intelligence.
Don't miss the picture at the link.
Pakistan's pro-U.S. president signed a regulation late Monday to put a northwestern district under Islamic law as part of a peace deal with the Taliban, going along after coming under intense pressure from members of his own party and other lawmakers.
Asif Ali Zardari's signature was a boon for Islamic militants who have brutalized the Swat Valley for nearly two years in demanding a new justice system. It was sure to further anger human rights activists and feed fears among the U.S. and other Western allies that the valley will turn into a sanctuary for militants close to Afghanistan.
Whatever criticism may come, Zardari can claim some political cover the National Assembly voted unanimously Monday to adopt a resolution urging his signature, although at least one party boycotted. Earlier, a Taliban spokesman had warned lawmakers against opposing the deal.
Zardari's spokeswoman, Farahnaz Ispahani, confirmed the president signed the regulation Monday night.
His signing implemented a deal agreed to in February by provincial officials to impose Islamic law in the Swat Valley and surrounding areas in exchange for a cease-fire between security forces and the local Taliban.
Zardari had put off signing the agreement, saying he wouldn't until peace was restored in Swat but never defining what that meant. The delay led a hard-line Muslim cleric mediating the agreement to leave Swat in anger last week and upset lawmakers from the region.
As pressure mounted, the federal government said over the weekend that Zardari wanted parliament first to debate the accord to implement an Islamic legal system, as long demanded by some residents disenchanted with inefficient regular courts.
Lawmakers made clear they believed the deal should go ahead, saying it would bring calm to the area after months of bloodshed that killed hundreds of people and displaced up to one-third of the valley's 1.5 million residents.
"The whole nation is united in its support of the Swat regulation and wants the president to approve it," Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said at the start of parliamentary debate Monday.
Even without the president's approval, judges trained in Islamic law had begun hearing cases in Swat, and witnesses say Taliban fighters are in effective control of much of the region. The provincial government also agreed to other measures under the peace deal, such as cracking down on prostitution and sales of movies deemed "obscene."
Supporters say the changes in the legal system will speed up justice, not lead to harsh punishments or restrict the rights of women. Critics say the agreement is a surrender to extremists whose tactics include beheading opponents and burning girls' schools.
The events Monday "strengthened the militants," said Mahmood Shah, an analyst and former top security official in northwest Pakistan.
Shah noted Taliban fighters in Swat recently staged a violent foray into the neighboring Buner district, possibly to put the heat on lawmakers and Zardari to support the deal. "They have really forced the government to do that," he said.
Those brokering the deal have given few specifics about conditions placed on the Taliban in Swat, including whether they have to give up their weapons. But the Swat Taliban's spokesman, Muslim Khan, suggested after the parliament vote that disarming was at least an option.
"We had picked up weapons for the sake of a justice system, and we will put them down for the sake of a justice system," he said.
Lawmakers from the Muttahida Quami Movement, a party based in the southern city of Karachi that has a strong anti-Taliban stance, walked out of the parliament session before the vote on the resolution. "We can't accept Islamic law at gunpoint," said Farooq Sattar, a top party leader.
Muslim Khan would not say if the Taliban would target legislators who opposed the deal, saying only that a militant council would discuss the matter. The Taliban warned before the vote that lawmakers against the deal were guilty of apostasy, or abandoning Islam, which carries the death penalty in some parts of the Muslim world.
Elsewhere, Pakistani authorities announced the arrest of another suspect in the deadly terrorist assault on the Indian city of Mumbai, which killed 164 people as well as nine of the 10 gunmen. Pakistan has acknowledged that the November attack was partly planned on its soil.
The Interior Ministry chief, Rehman Malik, said Shahid Jamil Riaz was arrested in Karachi on charges of maintaining financial accounts and helping plan the attack. Authorities now have five suspects in custody, he said.
Also Monday, visiting U.S. Sen. John Kerry met with Pakistan's president, prime minister and other top officials, including Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, head of Pakistan's most powerful spy service, Inter-Services Intelligence.
Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is spearheading a bill to increase nonmilitary aid to Pakistan, with the goal of helping it improve economic, educational and other sectors as a way to lessen the allure of Islamic extremism.
In a statement after the meeting, Gilani urged the U.S. not to attach conditions to aid funds, saying "strings attached would fail to generate the desired goodwill and results in Pakistan."
During a news conference, Kerry took a friendly stance when asked about U.S. allegations that elements within Pakistan's spy agencies are assisting militant groups, saying he had a good meeting with Pasha.
"I think that he and your government are making enormous efforts to guarantee the absolute cooperation and accountability of the intelligence efforts in this country," Kerry said.
Here it is! The Liberals ammunition for deriding the US and the Navy.
McClatchy Newspapers, MALINDI, Kenya -- A relative of one of the pirates, who said he spoke with the men by satellite phone at about 3 p.m. -- four hours before the Navy opened fire -- said they "were getting scared" and trying to persuade the Americans to let them go in return for the captain's release. Consequences of one's actions are tough when the actions are stoopid.
"They were trying to save their own lives," said the relative, Hassan Mohammed Farah, speaking by phone from Haradheere, a coastal town in central Somalia where pirates are known to operate. "The only thing they could bargain with was the captain, but the Americans would not accept." If they hadn't taken him in the first place and had stuck to their agreement to trade the Captain for the other pirate they wouldn't be dead, either. Lie to me once and I won't belive you again.
The pirates had appealed by satellite phone to other pirate groups to sail captive ships and hostages to the scene of the standoff, to put some pressure on the U.S. forces. But Guled Farah, who belongs to another pirate group that had hijacked a German ship last week, said that the presence of the U.S. vessels scared them off.
"Their little boat was surrounded," Farah said by phone from Haradheere. "We couldn't go to help them, and for that we are sorry." Poor little Pirates. My heart bleeds. Then again, it's probably just the Chili.
The rescue marked a dramatic conclusion to a saga that began Wednesday, when the pirates attempted to hijack an American-owned container ship, the Maersk Alabama, which was delivering food aid to Africa. It was another in a surge of pirate attacks this year off the coast of Somalia, Africa's most anarchic nation, with a coastline the length of California and no military force to police it.
The ship's unarmed, 20-man crew banded together to beat back the pirates, who escaped in one of the Alabama's lifeboats with Phillips, the captain. The Alabama arrived Saturday in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, its original destination, where crew members described Phillips as a hero. One said that Phillips "jumped" on one of the pirates after the pirate was led into the ship's engine room.
On Sunday, crew members, who've not been permitted formal interviews with reporters, shouted to journalists from the ship that the pirates had never taken control of the vessel. They said that as soon as the pirates entered the ship's bridge, Captain Phillips passed control of the vessel to the ship's engine room and disabled the steering mechanism on the bridge. Out of Ammo? What the hell, did they use up shooting at seagulls? Cry me a frickin' river.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/14/2009
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#1
The pirates had appealed by satellite phone to other pirate groups
Yeah. That must be why they took potshots at the warship.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009 7:54
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#3
Isn't that funny that the hijacked ship was initially carrying FOOD AID to some african countries, INCLUDING somalia? So, yeah, those guys have the right to be fed by the furriners, then kidnap them for ransom, and whine and threaten and seethe after said furriners defend themselves against the kidnap thingy.
Not that I don't understand the bind in which those coastal villagers are (I think it was Gromky??? who pointed out the looting and depletion of the local fish ressources by asian navies), but whatever their "root causes" may be, you still got to love the sheer craziness of the situation.
#4
The idea that we cannot stop and only hope to contain these dirtbags certainly is not supported by this article. It will be a good thing if the SEALs marksmanship emboldened the West to deal with this problem. If so, we should be able to deal with these guys on shore.
#5
We neeed a new water sport combining boating and hunting. Boats go out into the waters and when the pirates show up shoot them. The shooter with the most kills gets the trophy.
Posted by: cantwealljustget along ||
04/14/2009 9:58
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#7
Let's not forget it was the crew's initial bravery and defense (they had ammo then), then the captain's honor (which was not returned), which set the SEAL trick shooting.
#8
The military can handle the pirate situation. What Obama needs to focus on is the movement by Texas to become independent because of Obama's failed policies. Is this the Alamo II? Watch the govenor of TX speak:
Posted by: Andy Thrineting8191 ||
04/14/2009 11:41
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#9
Yeah. That must be why they took potshots at the warship.
Of all the stupid, idioic things to do, what they gonna do? Scratch the paint?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 11:47
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#10
We neeed a new water sport combining boating and hunting. Boats go out into the waters and when the pirates show up shoot them. The shooter with the most kills gets the trophy.
Sorry out of outboard range from Alabama.
Even with extra gas jugs, and the Beer would give out as well.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 12:06
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#11
Left wing "damage" control. They can't let people start getting the idea that all we have to do is shoot the pirates.
#12
But Guled Farah, who belongs to another pirate group that had hijacked a German ship last week, said that the presence of the U.S. vessels scared them off. "Their little boat was surrounded," Farah said by phone from Haradheere. "We couldn't go to help them, and for that we are sorry."
Hung the boys out to dry didya, Guled? Wonder if your band of merry men took notice of that?
#13
If true (and I seriously doubt it), the pirates are even dumber than I gave them credit for. The world should be happy we gave them 3 Darwin awards.
#14
"We neeed a new water sport combining boating and hunting. Boats go out into the waters and when the pirates show up shoot them. The shooter with the most kills gets the trophy."
Surf Skeeting USA! Shotguns, surfboards, sunshine and somalis!
#16
"We neeed a new water sport combining boating and hunting."
Put someone on skis behind the boat and we can call it summer biathlon.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
04/14/2009 19:32
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#17
Ummm... Either the Navy or the FBI has the weapons in question. Bullshit should be easy to call if they weren't out of ammo. Ima say we wait a few days and give them a chance to bitchslap McClatchy.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/14/2009 21:23
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KUWAIT CITY - Kuwaits Cabinet on Monday set parliamentary elections for May 16, said the state news agency. Amir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah dissolved the house in March and called for new elections saying some lawmakers had abused democracy and become a threat to stability.
An official decree with the date will be issued in the next few days. It was the second time in a year the ruler disbanded the 50-seat legislature.
The move came days after the Cabinet resigned to prevent the questioning of the prime minister by lawmakers accusing him of misuse of funds and improperly running the country. Parliament has oversight powers and the right to question and impeach ministers, but the final word rests with the head of state who can dissolve it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/14/2009
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A Dutch couple kidnapped by Yemeni tribesmen two weeks ago were released from captivity on Monday, local sources said. Tribal intermediaries were instrumental in the release of the Dutch hostages who worked at a water project in the province of Taez in the southern part of the country.
The intermediaries had negotiated an agreement with the kidnappers to release the couple who returned to Sanaa today from Taez where the kidnappers had asked for ransom money from the government as compensation for the injury one of them had sustained during an armed confrontation with security forces in the province of Maareb, east of Yemen, last year.
This is the third kidnapping incident involving foreigners this year and the second perpetrated by members of the Dhabian tribe who roam rugged mountain territories east of the capital city.
A Coalition forces soldier died of injuries sustained during an explosively formed projectile attack on a convoy five kilometers south of Karbalah on Monday, according to a statement issued by the US Army in Iraq. The Soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense, it added.
[Geo News] National Security Committee of Parliament has recommended reviewing of the country's foreign policy. The report of National Security Committee which was submitted to the National Assembly, recommended that the foreign policy of the country be reviewed on the wishes of the people. It said a comprehensive police framework be devised for developing strong ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The report said all the stakeholders be informed about the sacrifices rendered by the country in the war against terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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It hasn't taken long at all for the 'concerns' from all the right groups to be made public ...
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. officials, in deciding how to handle the lone surviving pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain, must weigh the violence of the suspect's actions against his surprisingly young age.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the four pirates were between 17 and 19 years old. Authorities had previously put the surviving Somali suspect's age at somewhere from 16 to 20. He surrendered Sunday, leaving a covered lifeboat where he and three other pirates had been holding merchant Capt. Richard Phillips hostage. Shortly after his surrender, the three others were killed by snipers. Phillips was rescued unharmed.
"Untrained teenagers with heavy weapons," Gates told a group of students and faculty at the Marine Corps War College. "Everybody in the room knows the consequences of that."
U.S. officials are now considering whether to bring the unidentified suspect to the United States or possibly turn him over to Kenya. If he is brought to the U.S., he'd most likely be put on trial in New York or Washington. Both piracy and hostage-taking carry life prison sentences under U.S. law.
Federal judges don't see many defendants younger than 18, said New Orleans-based lawyer Sandra Jenkins, who has handled such cases. "It's very rare," said Jenkins. "And usually, it's juveniles with adults involved, meaning a juvenile is charged with an adult or a group of adults."
Much hand-wringing commences forthwith:
In deciding when to charge a minor in federal court, the law requires officials to consider "the age and social background of the juvenile," as well as the nature of the offense.
Verifying the background of this particular teenager may be difficult to impossible. Somalia has suffered nearly 20 years of anarchy, ruled chaotically by rival clans employing pickup trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns.
Asked how the suspect's age might factor into the decision whether to prosecute him in the United States, Justice Dept. spokesman Dean Boyd said only that they were considering "the evidence and other issues" in the case.
Jo Becker, a D.C.-based advocate for Human Rights Watch, said if the pirate suspect is in fact 16 or 17 years old, "he would certainly be entitled to protections under international law that allow for lower culpability of juveniles involved in crimes."
Then again, he was perfectly capable of pulling the trigger of the weapon that would have killed Captain Phillips.
Becker says international law recognizes that people under 18 are "less developed, less mature, and more easily manipulated by adults."
Ideally, Becker said, an underage suspect would be tried in a juvenile court, with special protections given his age. "He would need to have access to family members. Throughout the whole process, there needs to be a special view to his rehabilitation," she added.
There you go, we're going to rehab the lil' dickens ...
Kenneth Randall, dean of the University of Alabama School of Law, said the suspect's age may not affect where or how he is charged, but is likely to impact his eventual sentence. "When it comes to international attention, they do have to be mindful of the mitigating circumstances of his age," said Randall.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/14/2009
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#1
Ummm, The US Supreme court sems to have forgotten the US part of their title.
YOU HAVE NO JURISDICTION TO PIRATES ON THE HIGH SEAS
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 4:50
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Redneck, the "alleged piracy incident" occurred on a vessel with US registry. We do have jurisdiction (for now, until some judge in Europe decides we are being unreasonably harsh on the poor yute and goes after a random official in the DOJ).
#5
The obvious solution is to turn him over to Kenya where they won't tie themselves into knots over the 'conundrums.' If the US legal system gets involved, millions of dollars will be wasted.
#6
"Untrained teenagers with heavy weapons," Gates told a group of students and faculty at the Marine Corps War College. "Everybody in the room knows the consequences of that."
perhaps the poor "Yoot" can be induced to commit suicide in his cell. Used his dinner spoon, he did.
Shoved it right down his airway while he was eating. Choked to death. There was nothing we could do.
Presto. Buried him at sea, the refrigerator was too small, no autopsy. More tea?
#9
"He would need to have access to family members. Throughout the whole process, there needs to be a special view to his rehabilitation," she added.
Geez, honey. It's not like he lit up a bag of dogshit and rang a doorbell. Why don't you adopt him?
So...Kenya or the US? Which do you think our young swashbuckler might pick?
#10
You trying to tell me that 4 joyriding youths were bored, drove by a pirate cove, rented a vessel and satellite phone, closed on and boarded a ship in big water, fought for control and took hostages, issued a pirate in distress call, were untrained?!
Maybe the training is not to Marine Corp War College standards but I would guess that, with an employer's market, the pirates would field a crew who at least had basic rifle handling skills, especially so from Somalia, as well as ocean navigation and boarding techniques.
#11
He needs to "escape" by diving into the sea with both achilles tendons cut and a couple of bleeding wounds. He can swim to Somalia - it's only about 250 miles from where they are. Some piece of him might make shore...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/14/2009 14:11
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C'mon, you guys. He's really a nice kid once you get to know him.
#13
I do not know what they will do with this pirate kid, but he was stabbed in the hand with an ice pick, beaten up by sailors, tied up for 12 hours, was bleeding all over the ship, and spent 5 days in an oven in a row boat. At a minimum, he is no good at piracy, he needs to take up another line of work. I am not sure the sailors will be safer, but the kid pirate will be safer.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Washington is using its political clout to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan, a report says.
The US embassy in Kabul has urged Afghanistan's leading presidential hopefuls to withdraw from the race in favor of Ali Ahmad Jalali -- a candidate that is more preferred by Washington, reported Pakistan's Ummat daily.
In return, US official have promised to guarantee key positions for the three candidates -- which include finance minister Ashraf Ghani, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and political activist Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi -- in the next Afghan government.
The move received instant condemnation as flagrant US interference in Afghan politics and internal affairs.
Jalali -- who is viewed the main rival of President Hamed Karzai in the August presidential elections -- is a US citizen and former Afghan minister of the interior.
His candidacy is seen as a direct violation of the Chapter Three, Article Sixty Two of Afghanistan Constitution, which states that only an Afghan citizen has the right to run for president - which means that Jalali would have apply for Afghanistan citizenship first.
Zalmay Khalilzad and Ashraf Ghani, two other candidates vying for presidency, also hold US citizenship.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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#1
Didn't Arafat kill that urge?
We pick the worst Bastards wherever we pick.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 12:01
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[Geo News] Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik has said that investigations are still underway about the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, while another person, suspected to be the handler of Mumbai attackers, have been arrested. "The DNA reports of Ismail and Ajmal Kasab are similar," Malik told newsmen at a press briefing. "Why DNA reports of Ismail and Ajmal Kasab are similar if they are not twins," he questioned.
He said that the statement recorded by Kasab before a local judicial magistrate in India has too not been provided to Islamabad. Malik said Pakistan had asked India to provide more information about the attacks. In this regard, the foreign ministry has been asked to contact Indian government to get more evidence into the Mumbai mayhem.
The interior adviser said that the government would take strict action against those people involved in sending messages about terrorism. The service would be blocked if negative use of SMS was not stopped, he warned. To a question, Malik said that there was no threat to any of the schools located in the federal capital.
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04/14/2009
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Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has said his party does not accept Taliban's "forced sharia", a private TV channel reported on Monday. In his telephonic address to a protest rally in London, Altaf said the time had arrived to come forward and save Pakistan. He said he was not against the Pashtuns or Punjabis, but against Talibanisation, adding that religious extremists were defaming Pakistan. The MQM has declined to prop up the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009, he said. Speaking at the floor of the House, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said the MQM would not speak in favour of the Swat deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Egyptian Archaeologists have found dozens of brightly-painted 4,000-year-old mummies in an oasis located south of the capital Cairo.
According to Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, The linen-wrapped mummies were unearthed in a necropolis near the Ilahun pyramid in Fayoum oasis. "The mission found dozens of mummies in 53 rock-hewn tombs dating to the Middle Kingdom", Hawass told AFP. "Four of the mummies date back to the 22nd Dynasty (931 to 725 BC) and are considered some of the most beautiful mummies found," he said.
The mummies are painted in bright turquoise, terracotta and gold, which were the traditional colors of ancient Egypt.
Led by Abdel-Rahman El-Ayedi, the team also found a funerary chapel with an offering table, which dates back to the Middle Kingdom and was probably used until the Roman era (30 BCE to 337 CE).
According to Hawass, 15 painted masks were also discovered during the excavation along with amulets and clay pots.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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#1
I recollect seeing this on the History Channel.
#2
Someday, someone will have to write a definitive book on Zahi Hawass. As the public face and private gatekeeper of Egypt's archeological heritage, he wields an enormous amount of power.
Basically, right now he is the Inspector Twelve of the Pyramids. It's not authentic 'til he sez it's authentic. No camera crew or researcher gets as much as a whiff without his approval.
The question is, how does he use that power and to whose benefit? Has he been able to keep the Islamists at bay and if so, how? If not, are all those filming fees and expensive government stamps funneling cash to the Ikhwan and then on to the global Jihad?
[Bangla Daily Star] Bangladesh-born British citizen Faisal Mostafa, now detained in Dhaka, has close links with banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, said investigators.
He had met executed JMB supremo Shaekh Abdur Rahman several times, and kept in contact with Saidur Rahman, now-on-the-run boss of the militant organisation. On quite a few occasions, Saidur visited Faisal's Green Crescent madrasa-cum-orphanage at Ramkeshob village in Borhanuddin upazila of Bhola, where the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) discovered a mini-munitions factory and seized a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives on March 26.
Former ameer of Habiganj district Jamaat-e-Islami, Saidur took up the JMB baton after its six top leaders including Rahman and his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai were executed in March 2007.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Faisal Mostafa
Shaekh Abdur Rahma
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Bolivian lawmakers are close to ending a deadlock over a bill expected to provide for President Evo Morales to run for another term in office.
Opposition senators who maintain a majority in the Senate are against ratifying a bill that sets a December date for a general election that will allow hunger-striking Morales seek another five year in office.
"The most important and sensitive issues in the bill have been resolved, consensus is being reached and we are now making revisions," said Fernando Messmer, a member of a multi-partisan commission negotiating the changes, AFP reported Monday.
The opposition has managed to delay ratification of the electoral measure prompting Morales to initiate a hunger strike since Thursday demanding the approval of the bill.
Now, on his fifth day of hunger strike, the protesting President is reportedly in healthy conditions. "The president's condition is stable," Health Minister Ramior Tapia told reporters, adding that Morales was undergoing medical checks three times a day.
Morales declared that he will continue with his hunger strike until lawmakers approve the controversial bill and set a date for election.
Morales' Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party controls the lower house in the natural gas-rich country, but right-wing parties have used their Senate majority to block dozens of government-proposed reforms since Morales took office in 2006.
A January vote approved a reformed constitution that gives more power and rights to the country's indigenous majority. It also secures a second term for Morales.
As the first indigenous President in the Andean nation, Morales is determined to give a fair share of the countries wealth to the indigenous people of high-lands who form two-thirds of Bolivia's population. He will also give them rights to territory and their own systems of justice. However, opposition leaders of rich provinces, mostly from a European descent, do not want the indigenous to hold a share of power and natural wealth.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Jury selection began in New York on Monday in the trial of three men accused of helping set up a militant training camp in rural Oregon and operating websites showing how to assemble bombs. The three suspects are Oussama Abdullah Kassir, James Ujaama and Haroon Rashid Aswat.
Pleading guilty
Kassir, 43, who was extradited from the Czech Republic to New York in 2007, faces multiple charges, including supporting terrorism and al-Qaeda, by attempting to set up the camp in Bly, Oregon from 1999 to early 2000.
Prosecutors say Kassir and two others involved in the case were followers of Egyptian-born Abu Hamza al-Masri, a one-armed Muslim cleric who is serving a seven-year sentence in Britain for inciting his followers to murder nonbelievers.
Ujaama, a former community activist in Seattle, has pleaded guilty to trying to help al-Qaeda militants and may testify at the trial in Manhattan federal court as part of a plea agreement.
The other suspect in the case, Aswat, one of Masri's chief aides, is appealing against extradition to the United States.
A history of terrorist actvity
Prosecutors say in late 1999 Kassir and Aswat flew from London to New York and then traveled to Oregon to assess the suitability of a property for the camp.
Once there Kassir set up security patrols, helped distribute CD-ROMs with instructions on how to make bombs and poison, and offered instructions in hand-to-hand combat, including how to slit a person's throat with a knife, the indictment said. The camp was never established.
From December 2001 until 2005, Kassir operated at least three websites that contained manuals such as "The Mujahideen Explosives Handbook" and "The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook," according to the indictment.
Pleading not guilty
Kassir has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In a 2007 hearing he described the case as "unjust" and "unfair" and said he has "nothing to do with al-Qaeda."
Jury selection could take a week with opening arguments in the case likely next week.
Kassir, who was born in Lebanon but became a Swedish citizen in 1989, was arrested in Prague in 2005 during a layover while traveling from Stockholm to Beirut. Aswat, a British citizen, was arrested in Zambia.
Al-Masri, who also faces charges for helping plot the capture of 16 western hostages in Yemen in 1998, won an interim order in 2008 from the European Court of Human Rights blocking his extradition to the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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Egypt's security service is conspiring against Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, a prominent Egyptian political analyst says.
In an article published by the Qatar-based daily Ash-Sharq, Fahmi Huwaidi said the reports circulated against Hezbollah in recent days were so 'contradictory' that one could easily rule them out as 'unfounded'.
He accused Egypt's security service of launching a scheme to demonize the Lebanese resistance movement.
In February 12, the daily ad-Dastur wrote that Egyptian security forces had arrested a group of youths including Sami Shahab, a Lebanese, on November 19, 2008 over supporting Hamas.
However, later Egyptian press reported that the group was also plotting to stage terrorist attacks across Egypt to stir insecurity in the country.
According to Huwaidi the Egyptian state-run daily al-Ahram reported that those arrested were planning to launch their "terrorist attacks" after Hezbollah Leader, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah's speech on December 28, 2008.
The Egyptian analyst added that the group was arrested 40 days before Nasrallah's speech, an indication that Egypt's accusation against Hezbollah was baseless.
Egypt has recently stepped up its rhetoric against the Lebanese movement and accused the group of seeking to destabilize the country.
The allegations came after Hezbollah criticized Cairo for its performance during the 22-day Israeli war against the Gaza Strip.
Egypt kept Rafah border-crossing -- Gaza's only border that bypasses Israel -- closed during the war which claimed at least 1,350 Palestinian lives.
Cairo alleged that under an agreement with Tel Aviv it was bound to keep the crossing closed, although Palestinians in Gaza were in dire need of medical and humanitarian supplies.
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04/14/2009
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Lacking evidence needed to prosecute most of the Pakistani men arrested last week on suspicion of a terrorist plot, Britain has started seeking assurances that they would be treated humanely if they are returned to Pakistan. "The British wanted to be reassured that if some of these men were deported they would not face torture," a Pakistani official told The Times newspaper.
Torture? The Paks will throw a parade ...
Senior counter-terrorism sources in Britain told the paper most of them would be deported rather than charged. One of the 12 has already been freed from anti-terrorist detention and is in the custody of immigration officials.
Investigators have not found firm evidence linking the men to terrorist attack plans. "There is already talk of coming up empty-handed and there is terrible infighting between the different forces involved," an official said.
Mere deportations will embarrass the prime minister who announced police were dealing with "a very big terrorist plot".
Meanwhile anti-terrorist agencies in Pakistan are holding a British convert to Islam. James McLintock, 44, was arrested in Peshawar and is being questioned about helping British Muslim militants to make contacts in Pakistan.
Pakistani as well as British officials have said that the arrest is not linked to the continuing terrorism investigation in Britain. The last time McLintock came to the attention of the British authorities was in late 2003 when he was questioned by anti-terrorism police in Manchester.
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] State news agency IRNA confirms Iranian president will be present at ŽDurban IIŽ conference, which US, Israel, Canada, Italy all plan to boycott.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] An unmanned Palestinian fishing boat loaded with hundreds of kilograms of explosives was remotely detonated as it approached an Israel Navy ship off the coast of the Gaza Strip on Monday.
The vessel was spotted by the navy as it quickly approached Israeli patrol boats, and after confirming the ship was unmanned, the navy maintained a safe distance.
Several seconds later the fishing boat exploded. No one was injured.
The ship had entered an area that is off limits to Palestinian fishermen, raising the navy's suspicions. Palestinian fishermen are allowed to fish within three kilometers of the Gaza coast.
In the past, the Palestinians have tried to detonate explosives-laden ships next to Israel Navy vessels. In 2002, four sailors were wounded when Palestinians detonated a fishing boat next to a navy patrol off northern Gaza. In October 2000, a small ship exploded next to the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 American sailors. "We are aware of the threats at sea and along the coast," a senior navy officer said on Monday. "That is why we are on such a high level of alert when patrolling off the Gaza coast."
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi on Monday commended the naval forces for following procedures that led to the explosion of the bomb boat before it reached the navy ships.
The senior navy officer said it was possible the explosives were rigged with a timer and that the Palestinians had mistakenly calculated the time it would take to sail to the area near the Israel Navy ships.
Ashkenazi also said Hamas had been deterred from firing Kassam rockets into Israel since Operation Cast Lead in January.
"It is not coincidental that there is no [Kassam] rocket fire from Gaza, but we know that terrorism or attacks along the border fence, by sea or from the Gaza Strip into the Sinai Peninsula, are still on the agenda and we are therefore preparing with all the necessary measures," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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#1
Bless you IDF. Remember how they always ramp these up for pounders in other nations?
Well, thats just it. Think rocket falls on their own population from now on.
The information provided by Indian authorities regarding last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks is incomplete and Islamabad has asked New Delhi to provide the missing information for the successful prosecution of the culprits, Interior Adviser Rehman Malik said on Monday.
"We had sent 32 questions to India on the Mumbai attacks and India sent its response on March 13... We sent it to the investigation team for evaluation. Based on the reservations shown by the Pakistani investigators, we have written to the Indian high commissioner and gave him a briefing on what is missing and what is not provided," Malik told a press conference.
"Pakistan has asked India to provide an attested copy of the judicial statement of Ajmal Kasab," he said. "We have sought a copy of statement of ATS chief investigator Karkre on the Samjotha Express incident, we have asked Indian authorities to provide details of the SIM cards, the GPRS system, the credentials of those Indian arrested in connection with the attacks, the report on Kasab's DNA and a copy of charge sheet against the culprits," Malik said.
It's stonewalling, says India
The information India has provided to Pakistan regarding last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks is "adequate for them to take tangible action", Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma told the CNN-IBN TV news channel in New Delhi. But action from Pakistan "has not come so far", Sharma said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] North Korean leader Kim Jong Il appeared thin during a recent visit to a factory, according to the newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, in its Sunday edition. The Rodong Sinmun said some workers at the factory were seen in tears after realizing Kim appeared to have lost considerable acreagebulk weight. I guess they'll have to stow the song about Dear Leader's gravitational field.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Hmm. 'Twould appear that they may be laying the groundwork to prepare the masses for Dear Leader's demise. We could be close to "raven pic time" for Kimmie.
My son Abid Naseer has no link with any jihadi or religious organisation. His only crime is that he is a Pakistani Muslim, Nasrullah Jan Khattak, father of a Pakistani student arrested by the British police, said on Monday.
"My son prays five times a day and his only fault is that he wears a beard," said Khattak while talking to reporters at his Hayatabad residence. The British officials arrested 12 men on April 8 of which 11 are Pakistanis. Abid hails from Yaghi Ghulam Khel, a village in Takht-e-Nusrati tehsil in southern district of Karak. Abid went to Britain on a student visa around two-and-a-half years ago and his visa expires in September this year. Abid is doing master's in information technology at Bradford Professional Study College, Manchester.
Nasrullah, a government contractor, said the Pakistan government had not taken any measures for the release of the students. He requested the British government not to deport his son, who he insisted was innocent.
"This is all about his prayers and his beard. I am his father and I know him. He is not involved in any mysterious plot. We have done nothing wrong. We have nothing to hide," he told the Guardian in an interview in Pakistan. He denied media reports that his family had come from the Tribal Areas, where Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud holds sway and said they hail from Karak. "This is a great offence," Nasrullah said. "We are from an old district, with educated people. Not the tribal belt."
Meanwhile, the uncle of another suspect, told the Guardian that he and other relatives had regularly sent their nephew between £800 to £3,000 to help pay for his studies.
"He was too ambitious about his life and his studies. He was not up to any mischief. So I say to the UK government, please don't spoil his future," he said. Rahimullah Yousafzai, a veteran journalist, said: "Maybe some careless conversation or act has landed them in trouble. A few of them may be involved in this case, but I don't think it's a real terrorist plot."
Intelligence: A Pakistani intelligence official said the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had no involvement in the case prior to last week's raids. He dismissed reports linking the arrests to Rashid Rauf, a British-Pakistani implicated in a previous alleged plot and believed killed in an American drone strike. Muhammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramazan Foundation, a Muslim youth organisation in Manchester, appealed for the local community to stay calm.
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#1
His only crime is that he is a Pakistani Muslim,
GUILTY
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 4:44
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#2
Muhammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramazan Foundation, a Muslim youth organisation in Manchester, appealed for the local community to stay calm.
You just got to love that last bit; one of the gogs of the network of - "community organizing" - orgs meant to massify and in last analysis weaponize the muslims living in kufr lands is BOTH giving a very subtle threat and placing himself as a "necessary" middle point between the unbelievers authorities and the "out of control" Youths... he's also hinting at the supposed resentment of said Youths, thus playing very the victim card of the "unfairly targeted" muslim community. And, he's right, too. If I were a Youth, I too would be very upset if one of my Master Race brethen were arrested just because he planned on blowing up a few infidels! Clearly, islamophobia at its worst.
Tribesmen in Mohmand Agency have killed a Taliban leader and injured two others, said the Frontier Corps in press release on Monday. The FC said that Taliban leader Dilbar Khan, accompanied by 17 to 18 other members of the group, went to Lundi Jawar village in Utmanzai to confront a local over opposition to the group's activities in the area. However, the villagers engaged the Taliban and killed Dilbar Khan and injured two others. The FC said that after the clash Taliban, a large number of Taliban surrendered in the same village.
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Pakistani agencies have detained a Scottish charity worker, who converted to Islam more than two decades ago and was once called the "Tartan Taliban".
James McLintock, who goes by his Muslim name, Yaqoob, in Pakistan, was picked up from Peshawar at least two weeks ago. News of his detention surfaced amid a public spat between the British and Pakistani governments after arrest of 11 Pakistani students in England. McLintock, the son of a Dundee chemistry lecturer, studied zoology and botany at university before embracing Islam in the 1980s. On Christmas Eve 2001 he was arrested in the tribal belt while crossing from Afghanistan as US forces were hunting Osama Bin Laden. Initial reports suggested he was a radical extremist, but after interrogation by British intelligence it emerged he was working for a charity, and he was freed.
"The fact that he's managed to stay here illegally since 2004 doesn't speak well for our law enforcement agencies."
Three years later, talking to the Scotsman newspaper, he mocked his nickname. "I'm not that bothered. Under the circumstances, a white middle-class gentleman accused of being a terrorist -- it must have been a shock to the system."
McLintock said he fought alongside the mujahideen battling Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan in the 1980s, and in Bosnia in 1994. He was detained by British police in Manchester in 2003 but released shortly afterwards. A year later he said he was going to set up a news agency to counter "one-sided" reporting. His Pakistani wife said they had met in England in the 1990s and ran a charity building religious schools in Azad Kashmir.
A Pakistani intelligence official told the Guardian newspaper: "The fact that he's managed to stay here illegally since 2004 doesn't speak well for our law enforcement agencies."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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#1
The Tartan sellout needs the book thrown at him for turning traitor and should be tried in Scotland.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
04/14/2009 6:42
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The Taliban have stopped the polio vaccination campaign -- launched on Monday -- in Darsmand union council, Tal tehsil, of Hangu, threatening to kidnap health officials if they go ahead with the campaign. "What part about 'primitive' don't youse understand?"
Khan Meer, head of one of the polio teams working in Darsmand, told Daily Times that around 10am on Monday, armed Taliban came to the area and told his three-member team to stop vaccinating children. He said he stopped work in the area immediately after the Taliban warning, and "this is the reason the Taliban have not done anything so far". "No skin off my fore. They're not my kids."
Gul Rehman -- heading the polio drive in Hangu -- said that no health official had been kidnapped. He said the campaign had been stopped in only one union council, while work was underway in the rest of the areas. "I have given clear directives to the polio teams across the province to stop the drive in case the Taliban show up," said Rehman.
Health officials launched the three-day polio drive in Hangu and Orakzai Agency on Monday. The Orakzai Agency surgeon, Dr Mohammad Ishaq, told reporters that polio vaccine would be administered to 83,674 children in the agency and 92,418 children in Hangu.
Separately, officials said that unidentified men had kidnapped a renowned NWFP businessman, Meer Zaki Shah, from Shanawarai area. Police said the armed men kidnapped the businessman while he was taking his children home from school.
Hangu DSP Muhammad Farid Khattak told Daily Times that he had formed a special team and launched an operation to recover Zaki.
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A picture speaks louder than a thousands words, says a U.K. peace campaigner trapped in Gaza for helping its children express the horrors they experienced in the latest Israeli offensive through artistic drawings that he plans to take global as evidence of war crimes through children's eyes.
For 63-year-old peace campaigner Rod Cox, what started as a small project to collect samples of children's drawings depicting Israeli war crimes in Gaza has ballooned into a cultural and artistic exchange project linking Palestinian school children with their British counterparts.
Dramatic new evidence of Israeli attacks on the people of Gaza emerged when Cox handed children in Gaza paper, pencils and crayons and asked them to express themselves and speak their minds.
Rod Cox is set to present these portraits among others as evidence of war crimes committed against Gaza civilians to the International Criminal Court, which in a ground-breaking move in the case of Darfur, used children's art as credible proof to start proceedings against Sudanese government officials accused of committing war crimes. "Children's witness statements and explanations of what they went through is a significant and important source in a case like Gaza," said Cox.
A change in plan
Initially entering Gaza to collect a few samples and head back to Europe, Cox ended up staying in the Strip for over a month and is turning his modest project into a fully fledged artistic exchange program. "The plan at first was to compile a few drawings as samples of war crimes through children's art. But as I remained stuck in Gaza over border crossing issues the project has spiralled into a traveling exhibition," Cox told AlArabiya.net.
The project's "hook" is a large green van covered with children's graffiti expressing their feelings about living under war and occupation. "Palestinian children come up to me and ask why I am driving a green van. I tell them about the art project and give them markers to draw their mind on the van," said Cox. He is set on bringing the traveling exhibition to the U.K. and Europe.
He rolled into Gaza with a plain green van along with the Viva Palestina aid convoy on March 9. But when he set to leave a few days later, Egyptian authorities refused to let him take the van back through Rafah border because only medical vehicles and equipment can use it. "It was either I go out and leave the van behind or I stay here until the British Consul figures out a way to let me get out with my belongings," Cox explained adding that he decided to wait it out since the van is part of the project of personalizing post-war Gaza for western audiences. Forfeiting it would be "a betrayal of the many Gaza children who count on me to break their isolation and take their voices beyond Gaza," he explained.
Gaza's Ministry of Social Affairs said that 437 children were killed and 1,872 wounded during the 22-day war.
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04/14/2009
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A man was thrown off the flight to his wedding in Lahore this week after his best man allegedly joked to airport staff: "Don't let him on -- he's a terrorist!" Hassan Shah, 25, was due to take an Emirates flight to Pakistan on Thursday with brother Musa, 21, and cousin Amar, 23. They were allowed to board the crowded flight -- but later hauled off by armed police who told them they were considered a security threat and barred from travelling. Shah recalled: "All these police officers appeared and told us we would have to get off immediately. I saw at least two officers with guns and there were another 10 in suits. I asked one what was going on and he said, 'You cannot fly because Emirates have deemed you a security risk'." After missing the 10am flight, Shah had to reschedule his wedding to fashion designer Sehrish Rubab, 23. Emirates Airlines said: "All three passengers were deemed a security risk. As a result of this incident, the passengers in question will not be allowed to travel on another Emirates flight."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009
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#1
Thus learning the hard way that airport security has no sensayuma whatsoever.
The Swat Taliban have renewed efforts to recruit fighters and supporters following delays in the implementation of their peace agreement with the government.
"As long as we were there enforcing peace, they were not recruiting," Rizwanullah Farooq, son of Sufi Muhammad, told Bloomberg on Monday. "Now recruitment is going on even in Buner because they don't see a chance for peace. The government must understand this."
The drive into Buner brings the Taliban closest to Islamabad in the five years since they began fighting the government for territorial control.
The Tehreek Nifaaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi, which signed the two-month-old peace accord with the government on behalf of the Taliban, abandoned the vigil last week by leaving Swat in protest and has threatened to pull out of the peace accord to protest delay by President Asif Ali Zardari in approving the system of Sufi's sharia courts in the area.
In Islamabad on Monday the federal government presented the peace accord to lawmakers for approval. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had said the deal would be presented in the National Assembly to reach a consensus on the subject.
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[Geo News] President Asif Ali Zardari says that the government is ready to hold a judicial inquiry into killing of Baloch nationalist leaders. He called upon Baloch people to calm down, saying the government would take steps in line with their wishes. Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader and Postal Services Minister Israrullah Zehri called on President Zardari at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. On this occasion, the president said that assassins of the Baloch leaders would be brought to the justice. He said some miscreants' elements wanted to weaken the federation by creating unrest in Balochistan. Â"We will not allow this to happen,Â" he said. PPP central leader Senator Raza Rabbani and Interior Adviser Rehman Malik were also present in the meeting.
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The Taliban are imposing their rule in the mountain valley of Buner that they took over last week, spreading fear in the area only 100 kilometres from the capital, said police and residents on Monday. Police said authorities were negotiating with the Taliban to persuade them to withdraw, but the group had stayed put and appeared determined to take over the valley. "They are everywhere," Arsala Khan, a deputy superintendent of police, told Reuters overt the telephone from Buner. "They are visiting mosques, they are visiting bazaars asking people to help them enforce sharia," he said. "Buner is fast turning into Swat." Using loudspeakers installed at mosques, Taliban commanders on Monday called on young men in Buner to get jihadi training. Residents of Buner said they feared more bloodshed.
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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.
The Finch Arboretum is being overrun by ground squirrels, and Spokane Parks and Recreation is bringing in some special artillery. The agency is using a special machine called the Rodenator Pro to detonate some of the estimated 100 to 150 squirrels tearing up the grounds.
Undeterred by U.S. and French hostage rescues that killed seven bandits, Somali pirates brazenly hijacked three more ships in the Gulf of Aden, the waterway that's become the focal point of the world's fight against piracy.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says the Bush administration's "ignorance and arrogance" has led to today's "nuclear Iran". 
[Bangla Daily Star] An alleged mastermind of the grenade attack on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004, on Bangabandhu Avenue was arrested at the eastern fringe of Kolkata Sunday. 
[ADN Kronos] By Syed Saleem Shahzad - The Taliban reasserted its power in the north and south of Pakistan on Monday, seizing control of a new district of Buner in the country's North West Frontier Province, torching NATO supplies in Peshawar and positioning militants for terror attacks in the southern port city of Karachi.
[Geo News] Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) spokesman Amir Izzat Khan has welcomed the passing of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 by the Parliament. He termed the parliament's decision as Islam and Pakistan friendly, thanking all members of the parliament for their support in approving the Bill. He said National Assembly has given a historic decision for the first time following the creation of Pakistan. He regretted the MQM's decision to abstain from the voting.
ASADABAD, Afghanistan, April 13 (AFP): Afghan officials and victims levelled fresh accusations against foreign troops Monday, charging that air strikes killed six civilians and wounded 14, including women and children.
The body of another BDR sepoy was found hanging at its Pilkhana headquarters in the city Monday morning, reports UNB. The deceased was identified as Ashraful Alam, 26, son of Molla Mohammad Amir Hossain of Bhurimari village in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat. He served as a sepoy of 13 Rifles Battalion. 
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's camp was told last year that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) would raise up to $5 million in campaign cash for the ex-governor if he was appointed to President Obama's U.S. Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. The overture came from at least two members of the local Indian community who approached the Blagojevich fund-raising team last fall, sources say.
WASHINGTON - US special envoy George Mitchell was on his way Monday to Morocco ahead of his return to the Middle East later in the week, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.
ISLAMABAD: The upcoming Tokyo Donors' Conference might pledge $4 billion to Pakistan over the next two years, Japan's Special Representative for Assistance to Pakistan and Afghanistan Motohide Yoshikawa said on Monday.
KHARTOUM - Sudanese authorities on Monday executed nine men found guilty in the 2006 murder of a Sudanese newspaper editor, state media and a police source said. Nine people guilty in this case were executed today, the source said.
Rapid Action Battalion personnel arrested two central leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League from the city''s Maghbazar area early Monday, as a government-ordered hunt for suspects in campus troubles continued, reports UNB.
Four Lebanese soldiers were killed Monday when they came under attack in the Bekaa region, security sources and local media said. They said the forces were patrolling between the towns of Zahle and Baalbek in the Bekaa region to the east of the capital, Beirut, when they came under attack which killed four of them. The Lebanese army has in the past few days launching a campaign to capture wanted people in the Bekaa.
[Straits Times] A MALAYSIAN court on Thursday sentenced two policemen to death after finding them guilty of murdering a Mongolian woman in 2006. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Egyptian police in Sinai have surrounded 10 Lebanese men wanted on suspicion of plotting attacks against Egypt, a security source said on Sunday. The men are part of a group sought by Cairo for their links to Lebanon's Hezbollah, the source said.
A Dutch couple kidnapped by Yemeni tribesmen two weeks ago were released from captivity on Monday, local sources said. Tribal intermediaries were instrumental in the release of the Dutch hostages who worked at a water project in the province of Taez in the southern part of the country.
A Coalition forces soldier died of injuries sustained during an explosively formed projectile attack on a convoy five kilometers south of Karbalah on Monday, according to a statement issued by the US Army in Iraq. The Soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense, it added.
[Geo News] Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik has said that investigations are still underway about the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, while another person, suspected to be the handler of Mumbai attackers, have been arrested. "The DNA reports of Ismail and Ajmal Kasab are similar," Malik told newsmen at a press briefing. "Why DNA reports of Ismail and Ajmal Kasab are similar if they are not twins," he questioned. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Jury selection began in New York on Monday in the trial of three men accused of helping set up a militant training camp in rural Oregon and operating websites showing how to assemble bombs. The three suspects are Oussama Abdullah Kassir, James Ujaama and Haroon Rashid Aswat.
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] State news agency IRNA confirms Iranian president will be present at ŽDurban IIŽ conference, which US, Israel, Canada, Italy all plan to boycott.
The Taliban have stopped the polio vaccination campaign -- launched on Monday -- in Darsmand union council, Tal tehsil, of Hangu, threatening to kidnap health officials if they go ahead with the campaign. 
