Following are excerpts from an interview with Saudi author Dr. Muhammad Al-'Arifi, which aired on Al-Risala TV on April 6, 2006.
Dr. Muhammad Al-'Arifi: One of the most important things that distinguish Man from beast is the ability to control one's desires. Allah said about some of the infidels: "They are like cattle; nay, they stray farther off the path." If you look at them, you will see that when they want to go to sleep - they go to sleep, with complete disregard for the times of the five prayers. If he feels like committing adultery - he does. If he feels like having any type of sexual relations - he does, regardless of whether it is permitted or prohibited. Of course, you never hear of a pack of moslems gang-raping a girl.
Therefore, as I said on previous shows, they have organizations for homosexuals, organizations for people who marry animals - she marries a dog, a donkey, and so on... The organizations exist, and strangely enough, they are official. They have websites, and they publish magazines with pictures. But goats are fine.
According to statistics from Denmark, 54% of the births in Denmark are illegitimate. In this case, the term "illegitimate" does not mean a girl getting pregnant by her boyfriend. It refers to a woman, who gives birth in a hospital, and when the doctor asks her under whose name to register the baby - who's the father - she says: "I don't know. It might be the doorman... No, no, it might be the company director... It might be the clerk, or the taxi driver... I don't know." They end up registering the child in her own name. That's an "illegitimate" birth. But when she says that the child is from her boyfriend, that's fine...
#1
IOW, whether Secular Commie or Leftist-Socialist, Radical Muslim >? God-based Leftists, homosexuals and other alternatists, etal. need to be, shall be, and will be, suppressed or gulagged, espec once Great Satan, Fascist = HalfCommie Amerika is finally suborned under OWG and Socialist World Order.
#3
organizations for people who marry animals - she marries a dog, a donkey, and so on... The organizations exist, and strangely enough, they are official.
Oh yeah like the federal monkey Lovers Association.
The American organization of Donkey F$$kers.
The official Northeast corridor federal dog licking society.
And of course NAMBLA. The OFFICIAL North American
Mohammedan-Boy Love Assn.
This seems more likely to be an inta-Sunni attack to me, as the Salafis cannot stand anyone celebrating the birthday of Mohammed.
A suicide bomber blew himself up in the Pakistani city of Karachi as Sunni Muslims celebrated the birth of the Prophet Mohammed, killing at least 47 people including several religious party leaders, officials said. The attacker climbed onto a wooden stage in a public park as a crowd of around 50,000 offered sunset prayers, then approached the religious leaders and detonated explosives strapped to his body, police said. Angry mobs waving black flags rampaged through the streets after the blast, burning motorcycles, cars, a bus and a fire engine, and police fired tear gas and live rounds in the air to disperse them, witnesses said.
"At least 47 people have died in this incident," Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said. He told state television that around 100 injured people had been rushed to hospital. The blast yesterday scattered body parts and corpses dressed in white ceremonial outfits across Karachi's historic Nishtar Park, while dazed and bloodstained worshippers wandered through the smoke. Amid piercing screams and wails of grief, men wearing green turbans dragged the dead and the most seriously injured to ambulances. Green Turbans are the uniform of the Sunni Tehrik, a Brehvli Sunni group that has been in a turf war with the MQM for the past couple years, but suicide bombing isn't the MQM's style. The Sunni Tehrik has also had clashes with Deobandi groups over control of Mosques and the donations that go to them. I'm not aware of any serious disputes between the Brehvlis and the Shias.
"I was near the back of the stage when I heard a huge explosion and something hit my head," said 40-year-old worshipper Mohammed Osman. "When I woke up there were pieces of flesh everywhere." "It was a suicide bombing," said Karachi police chief Niaz Siddiqi, adding that the man was wearing the same robes as the Sunni followers. "The suicide bomber got onto the stage and as they were praying he exploded himself. We took extra security measures but since he was part of the group on the stage it was very difficult to prevent." The influential chief of Pakistan's relatively moderate Sunni Tehreek religious party, Abbas Qadri, died in the blast, party official Abdul Rafey said. Qadri, 45, was a firebrand speaker who had a massive following in volatile Karachi and had survived several attempts on his life in the past. The party's deputy chief Akram Qadri and spokesman Iftikhar Bhatti also died in the blast, along with the leaders of two other moderate Sunni factions: Hafiz Mohammed Taqi and Hanif Billo. "Since he was on the stage he was there for a specific purpose, and most of the leadership were on stage," police chief Siddiqi said.
After the blast religious leaders called from the remains of the stage for volunteers to go to hospital and donate blood. Witnesses said the massive blast also triggered panic and a mob of up to 5,000 people fought running battles with riot police, which continued hours after the explosion. Some of the faithful also surrounded local hospitals, where they chanted and waved their fists in the air as bodies covered in bloodstained white sheets were stretchered inside, television footage showed. Military ruler President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz strongly condemned the "heinous act" and ordered security to be stepped up at mosques, a government statement said.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/11/2006
19:42 ||
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirmed Tuesday that his country has successfully produced low-grade enriched uranium at a level sufficient to power nuclear plants.
"I officially announce that Iran has joined countries with nuclear technology," Ahmadinejad said.
He stressed that Iran's nuclear efforts were for peaceful efforts and that no country should stand in its way.
"Our nation is a peaceful nation," Ahmadinejad said.
The enrichment took place Sunday, the president said, adding that "our nuclear activities have been under complete supervision, unprecedented supervisions" by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"And today we are interested in operating under IAEA supervision," he said.
IAEA inspectors are at a facility in Natanz, but it is unclear whether they witnessed the enrichment process.
Earlier Tuesday, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's atomic energy agency, said that the Natanz facility had enriched uranium at 3.5 percent -- a low-grade level sufficient to run a power plant but not pure enough for weapons.
The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Iran cease its enrichment activities, but Tehran says that the country has a right to produce nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes.
The West, led by the United States, believes that Iran plans to build nuclear weapons.
Earlier, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani told the Kuwait News Agency that Iran's enrichment facility had successfully enriched uranium using a cascade of 164 centrifuges. Last month, Iran said it was producing enriched uranium from a cascade of 20 centrifuges.
Thousands of the devices must operate in a series of cascades to yield enough highly enriched uranium needed for a nuclear bomb.
After Rafsanjani's announcement, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters that Iran should be taking steps to renew confidence in its nuclear intentions, instead of moving in the "wrong direction."
Iran's new statements would only result in further isolation, and the United States will have to consult with its allies on what the next step in the diplomatic standoff would be, McClellan said.
Talks between Iran and Britain, France and Germany stalled in January when Iran began small-scale uranium enrichment and ended its voluntary cooperation with the IAEA, which had been conducting surprise inspections.
IAEA Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei plans to visit Iran this week. Rafsanjani said ElBaradei would face "new circumstances" when he arrives but did not elaborate.
Rafsanjani said that the attention given by the West had made Iran's nuclear program "extremely complicated," adding that "Iran is very serious about defending its legal rights."
#1
They enriched the uranium.
They Prayed to it and sang it a song, and held it up with a heroic stance.
I believe they intend to enshrine the uranium.
But they are not idol worshippers.
It is understood that in May 1997 an Indian Air Force MiG-25RB overflew Pakistan. The aircraft entered Pakinstani airspace sub-sonically at around 65,000ft and was undetected. Then having overflown and photographed strategic installations near the capital, Islamabad, the Indian MiG-25 aircraft turned back towards India. Perhaps to rub Pakistanis noses in it, the Foxbat pilot decided to accelerate up to Mach 2 and dropped a large sonic boom as he exited Pakistani airspace.
The Mig-25 flew beyond the range of Pakistani air defences and interceptor capabilities, well over 65,000 feet.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has announced it will retire its fleet of MiG 25s, Cold War-era spyplanes, previously shrouded in secrecy.
A spokesman said the last of the IAF's four surviving MiG-25s will be phased out of service on 1 May.
The MiGs, capable of flying at over three times the speed of sound, were bought from the USSR in 1981.
"It will be a nostalgic event and a flypast will be held," Air Vice Marshal S Mukherjee said.
He said the aircraft would be shown at various installations after they had been retired.
'Darned good machine'
India originally bought 10 of the MiGs from the Soviet Union and nicknamed the 20-ton reconnaissance planes Garuda after the mythical Hindu eagle king.
The aircraft were based at an undisclosed location.
"It was a darned good machine but even today we are not permitted to speak of the daredevilry these stratospheric planes have been used for," an unnamed MiG 25 pilot was quoted by news agency AFP.
"All I can say is that I more than once hit Seven Plus (70,000 feet) with them," he said.
The MiG 25, which was built in both reconnaissance and interceptor versions, is the fastest combat aircraft ever built, apart from the US Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spyplane.
It was designed in the late 1960s to beat the US Air Force's XB-70, a supersonic bomber which never entered service. The Pentagon's misplaced belief that the MiG was a highly-agile dogfighter spurred the development of the US F-15 and F-16 fighters.
In 1976, a Soviet pilot defected to Japan in a MiG 25. The US subsequently stripped the aircraft and studied it before returning it to the USSR.
They found the MiG was a heavy but powerful aircraft with a 1950s-vintage radar capable of burning through protective electronic countermeasures.
MiG 25s were later exported to several nations, including Algeria, Syria and Iraq.
Posted by: john ||
04/11/2006
15:15 ||
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#1
"It will be a nostalgic event and a flypast will be held," Air Vice Marshal S Mukherjee said.
Notice the term used was "flypast" vs flyover.
B. Getn Smarter
#2
(flashing back to 1992) When playing as the red team in Harpoon, the treat was having some MiG-25s to play with. As long as it had enough fuel to run the afterburner, it was too fast to be shot down with any missile that the blue team had.
#3
I understand that if you flew a MiG-25 at full throttle, you needed to change out the engines after you landed.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/11/2006 16:38
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"The MiGs, capable of flying at over three times the speed of sound." An Egyptian pilot in the 1970s flew one over Mach 2. After the flight the engines were fried and I believe he bent the airframe landing it.
Commercial interests may have denied the Indian Navy access to a port to berth the indigenous nuclear submarine which is being built.
NDTV has learnt that a contract has been granted to a foreign player, the Dubai Ports World to develop the Gangavaram port in Andhra Pradesh.
A few days ago, Gangavaram was in the news after violent protests against the construction of a new port, India's largest in Andhra Pradesh.
Questions raised
But now a senior retired official has questioned whether the interests of India's Eastern Naval Command has been compromised.
The Navy wanted Gangavaram as a base for its nuclear submarines. But they've been told to look elsewhere and the go-ahead for the port has been given to the Dubai Ports World, the world's third biggest port operator.
Incidentally, DPW was in the news recently after US lawmakers successfully protested against them taking over the New York port.
Sources told NDTV, India seems to have compromised its security to accommodate Dubai Ports World, now a controversial monopoly operator in India.
According to the sources, Gangavaram was identified by the Navy as best suited to build berthing facilities for its Advanced Technology Vessel project or nuclear submarine.
But four years ago, the Navy was told to look elsewhere.
"The Eastern Naval Command at Vishakhapatnam has many strategic assets placed around there. A foreign company operating in Gangavaram hardly a few kilometres away certainly in my view, raises security issues of a very serious nature," said EAS Sharma, former secretary, Economic Affairs.
Strategic location
It was in Vishakhapatnam, at the Eastern Naval Command that Chakra, the nuclear submarine leased from the Soviet Union, was berthed and the new acquisitions were to have been docked.
Gangavaram is just 15 kilometres from Vishakhapatnam, so close that even the Dubai Ports website talks of Vishakhapatnam instead of Gangavaram.
It is this proximity to the Eastern Naval Command that is worrying senior officials.
"I have written about this to the home minister and I have addressed the National Security Advisor and also I have addressed the defence secretary and I am sure they will look into it.
"But I am sure the Defence Ministry would have raised objections when the foreign port's proposal was considered. I am surprised how the Defence Ministry's objections were not considered at that time.
"In my view Gangavaram port project is economically not a very comfortable proposition strategically it is an imprudent decision. Yet it was pushed through in undue haste and that shows questionable motives and attitudes," the former Economic Affairs secretary said.
No response from Navy
NDTV asked the Defence Ministry whether Gangavaram was identified as a naval facility for strategic assets and if so, why the ministry allowed Dubai Ports to take over the site?
The US Congress barred Dubai Ports on grounds of national security.
Does the Dubai Ports in Gangavaram pose a security threat, NDTV asked the Defence Ministry, but there was no reply.
Did commercial compulsions force politicians to shift India's nuclear submarine base? Or did larger geopolitical reasons place a private player in India's strategic backyard? This top secret decision is indeed intriguing.
Posted by: john ||
04/11/2006
14:48 ||
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Philippine troops clashed with Muslim militants in a southern city Tuesday, killing two guerrillas, including a local Abu Sayyaf commander suspected in a 2002 bombing that left a U.S. soldier dead, the army said. The firefight broke out east of Zamboanga, a city 530 miles south of Manila, after a military intelligence unit confronted a group of guerrillas led by Amilhamja Ajijul, army Col. Edgardo Gidaya said. Ajijul and another militant were wounded and later died in the hospital, he said. There were no reports of government casualties.
Excellent
Ajijul was allegedly involved in a series of bombings in Zamboanga, including a 2002 attack that killed two Filipinos and a U.S. soldier at a cafe, near where U.S. troops are stationed to provide counterterrorism training to Philippine soldiers.Gidaya said four other suspects were arrested and interrogated, and soldiers recovered two .45-caliber handguns, a machete, cell phones and documents.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
14:46 ||
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#1
I thought it might have been Commander Ziplock...
MIAMI (Reuters) - Eight U.S. sailors at a Florida navy station fraudulently married Polish and Romanian women in order to collect extra housing allowances, according to federal charges filed on Tuesday.
Gee, that's never happened before..
The women did not live with their Navy husbands, but used the sham marriages to apply for U.S. citizenship, U.S. Attorney Paul Perez said in a news release.
So, Poland and Romania are officially the new Philippines
The sailors, seven of whom are still in the Navy, were all stationed at the Mayport naval station in northeast Florida. They were charged with conspiracy, marriage fraud and making false claims to the government to collect $35,000 worth of extra housing allowances. The tax-free allowances for off-base housing are based partly on marital status and number of dependents.
Soldiers Airman Marines Sailors getting married in order to collect BAQ and live off-base! I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you!
A federal probe began in September when a sailor told the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that another sailor offered him the extra housing allowance in exchange for marrying a Polish woman. He said the sailor who acted as matchmaker collected $6,000 from the bride.
The sailors were assigned to the USS John F. Kennedy, an aircraft carrier, and the USS Simpson, a frigate. Five assigned to the Kennedy were in custody on Tuesday and warrants were issued for the others. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison on each count. Investigators could not immediately be reached for comment on whether the women were charged with crimes but said their immigration status was under investigation.
"You take me big PX, GI? I love you long time"
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
14:32 ||
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#1
immigration status was under investigation.
For the life of me, I can't see why. We don't seem to be concerned about anyone elses status.
#6
Eight U.S. sailors at a Florida navy station fraudulently married Polish and Romanian women in order to collect extra housing allowances, according to federal charges filed on Tuesday.
What they were too lazy to find a female servicemember to make an administrative marriage to gain the housing allowances? Just wait till gays are legal in the military. Look forward to a lot of same gender non-sex marriages just to do the same thing.
Earthquake has destroyed everything, but 'Pakistan army has won a lottery'. These were the words of an Islamabad based Pakistani journalist who came to London about a month after the most destructive earthquake in South Asia.
I have known this journalist for many years and find him very sincere and informed person. We had a number of meetings in London and discussed various issues related to Pakistan, Kashmir and the earthquake.
He was of the opinion that Pakistan's most problems are related to army and feudalism. He said army had ' commercialised and 'legalised politics and corruption'. In his view Pakistan army is the only army which has many retired and serving generals as millionaires.
Afghan war or more precisely America's war which Pakistan managed and controlled in name of 'Jihad' produced a number of army millionaires. When Russians withdrew from Afghanistan, this 'jihad' changed its characteristics and target. It continued in Afghanistan where Muslims killed other Muslims and yet claimed it a 'Jihad'; as far as controlling elite were concerned it still produced some Afghan and Pakistani millionaires.
Change of target from Russia or Afghanistan to Jammu and Kashmir also proved very 'profitable' to those who have taken this struggle as a lucrative business; and have joined millionaire's league. Although we Kashmiris have lost more than fifty thousand people, but a few will find some consolation that 'jihad' in Kashmir has also produced some Kashmiri millionaires.
The earthquake has brought destruction, misery and suffering; it has also shown sacrifice, dedication and perseverance of people struggling to cope with natural tragedy and greed of their fellow human beings. Some people with criminal mind have looted, sold items designated for quake victims and even kidnapped helpless women and children.
It is alleged that some government officials and some men in uniform were also involved in this 'evil business' of looting and selling relief items. During this time when that Pakistani journalist was here in London we saw some disturbing reports alleging some Pakistani army men selling tents and other items. We also saw reports that authorities turned blind eye and some help sent by international donors ended up in hands of religious groups, which helped them to enhance and strengthen their position in the area.
This journalist said, while he saluted great help and concern shown by majority of the people and army men in general, he strongly condemned those who were involved in this 'evil trade'. In order to prove his point he had some clippings of the Pakistani papers. He said, 'this disaster is like a lottery for Pakistan army, and they will make most from this, and we will see some more millionaires in uniform'.
I was tempted to write on this but decided not to because I didn't want my opponents to accuse me for being 'anti Pakistan '. Any Kashmiri who dares to criticise deeds of Pakistani government or Pakistani army is perceived as 'anti Pakistan'; and in worst case scenario 'pro India'. Since the earthquake I have received many phone calls and emails from Azad Kashmir informing me about problems with the relief work and what 'lies' have been told in name of helping victims of the disaster.
Apart from that JKLF and Kashmir Awami Foundation teams also visited affected areas and provided help and support. I am office bearer in the both organization, and they also told me many disturbing stories. Officers of these NGOs have confirmed the above stories. Out of many emails and verbal stories I am producing two email letters to show the extent of problem seen by some local people:
Dear Dr.Shabir Sahib Assalam-o-Alaikum
Actually they submitted the report to donors that army built 2,95000 shelters in earth quack hit areas of Azad Kashmir, and charged 65000 per shelter from the amount donated by international community in the name of Kashmir. Fact is this, all these shelters in Azad Kashmir are built by NGOs like Midair,NRSP, UNDP, Islamic Relief, APNA Sahara Trust, and individuals from Kotli and Mirpur. They even unloaded hundreds of trucks of relief goods sent by the people of Pakistan and Kotli Mirpur, but did not distribute to affectees.
They must be exposed to donors. They are planning to plunder the remaining amount
Please, write to US UK and UN to monitor the process of reconstruction. All the cement and steel producers (Ex-generals and Punjabi Land lords) have raised the price by 50 percent as they know the seven hundred houses and government buildings are going to be constructed. Actually generals and landlords have made cartel to suck the blood from the veins of earth quack victims.
You claim to be brave and honest I will wait and see if you have courage to write on this topic. ( Name withheld for security reasons.)
This e-mail was sent to me by a Kashmiri journalist on 20th March 2006. A similar email was sent to me by another journalist on 5th April 2006, and I have no reasons to doubt sincerity of these people as I have personally known them for some years. Relevant excerpts of the second email are also produced below:
Dear Dr. Shabir Choudhry Sahib
I hope you are well. Sir, please write on this issue, I am sending you some facts.
'Pakistan army has claimed to built three hundred thousands shelters of CGI sheets in earthquake affected areas of Azad Kashmir, and charged 65000 rupees per shelter from the international community. But fact is this, on ground not a single shelter made by army in Azad Kashmir, and they claimed the shelters made by some NGOs and Kashmiri people belong to Mirpur in their own account. Same was the case in distribution of relief of goods. They distributed all blankets and tents given by foreign countries to the soldiers. In this regard five thousands Korean blankets seized by MI (Military Intelligence) at Kohala from three army vehicles and arrested 150 soldiers including a Captain and some JCOs Actually these blankets were given to them for distribution in Bagh area of Azad`Kashmir Recently General Pervez Musharaf promised to pull out army from rehabilitation and reconstruction process with International NGOs, but GHQ resisted on this and compelled him to cancel has decision. They also plunder huge amount in compensation amount in affected areas'.
OK Allah hafiz. ( Name withheld for security reasons)
I was disturbed by reading details of this email because according to this, victims of the earthquake were exploited; and some people in position were determined to fill in their coffers by every possible means. Despite this I decided not to write on this as I thought may be he is trying to provoke me to write on this, but when another journalist wrote more or less same things it confirmed some published and unpublished reports about this situation.
This was also in line with what I was told by JKLF and KAF teams who had returned to UK after visiting the affected areas. There were other independent people who had gone to the disaster hit area and came back with horrifying stories. In view of this I thought it was only appropriate that I also highlight the issue through my sources and join those who are engaged in this jihad of helping people and bringing out truth.
Thousands of good people from Pakistan, Azad Kashmir and around the globe have worked very hard and under very difficult conditions to help and save lives; and I wholeheartedly salute them, but I cannot resist criticising those who have tarnished the good work because of their greed and callousness. Good people in Pakistan army and in Pakistani administration need to be more vigilant that they can ensure transparency and just distribution of goods.
Apart from that they want to curb excess greed of those who supply goods needed to construct shelters and houses. It would be a good idea to encourage local business people to set up small industries that housing construction goods and other items could be produced locally. It will not only strengthen local economy and trade, but will also give boost to the morale of suffering people as this will give them sense of achievement.
If no attention is paid to this side of construction and rehabilitation then my fear is that we will see an army of destitutes and beggars in Azad Kasmir who will always look across the Kohala and towards NGOs for help and support.
Posted by: john ||
04/11/2006
14:21 ||
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National Review. EFL'd a touch, boldface emphasis added.
I see that George Conway, another NRO blogger, appears to have come to the end of his rope regarding the current Republican Party leadership . . . First, get that man a good sandwich or other comfort food and a Guinness. Save some room for dessert. Let's get the blood sugar up.
Second, there are two things that conservatives can do right now. They can push for the ideas that they believe strongly in, and take their message to the people. . . . Or conservatives can throw up their hands and say, "I'm through with this, I'm leaving the party, all of this is pointless."
With option one, conservatives may win, or they may lose. On option two, they will definitely lose.
Third, let's not recall previous administrations through rose colored glasses.
Thinking back to the Clinton administration, do we look back fondly at their "foreign and military policy competence" in the way they handled the growing al-Qaeda threat? The cruise missiles fired, once, at the training camps and empty tents? Those decisive, responses to the first World Trade Center bombing, Khobar Towers, the embassy bombings, the U.S.S. Cole?
Do we look back fondly at their "foreign and military policy competence" in the way they handled Iraq? The collapse of the U.N. inspections, periodic cruise missile attacks that had little impact, the leaky sanctions that hurt the Iraqis more than the regime and that the world was ready to repeal?
Do we look back fondly at their "foreign and military policy competence" with, say, their approach to China? Loral? Madeline Albright's champagne toast in North Korea to "friendship between our peoples" with Kim Jong Il?
If you're upset with the current Bush administration's stance on illegal immigration, how did you like the Clinton administration's "Citizenship USA" program, unveiled in August 1995, designed to deal with an INS backload that ended up naturalizing 1.1 million immigrants in time for Election Day 1996?
We are righteously outraged with Abramoff and Duke Cunningham, and ought to be. But let's not forget Henry Cisnero's guilty plea about lying to the FBI, Hazel O'Leary's apology to Congress for her travel expenses, John Huang, James Riady, and Maria Hsia, the Marc Rich pardon, the grant of clemency to FALN bombers in 1999... I'm not even getting into that scandal, or Jocelyn Elders' "hands-on" proposal for sex education.
In Congress, the opposition party had Jim Wright, Dan Rostenkowski, the post office scandal, the Keating Five (with McCain), Tony Coehlo's resignation. By the way, it's not like the post-1994 Republicans had avoided any perception of scandal until recent years. We've had Gingrich's book deal, Bob Livingston's resignation, Rep. Nick Smith's claim that someone offered a bribe on the Medicare bill, the guilty plea of a New Hampshire GOP official and a consultant to using the phones to "jam" the lines of the New Hampshire State Democratic Party's phone bank on Election Day 2002.
Let's go beyond Clinton, and think back to the first Bush administration. Perhaps we were happy at the time with the decision to leave Saddam in power in Iraq, but it certainly left a festering problem. The military deployment to Somalia represented a major commitment of U.S. armed forces to a part of the world where we had no compelling national interest; the subsequent withdrawal (on Clinton's watch) is cited by jihadis as a major victory. Do we look back fondly on Bush's economic policies, the retraction of "read my lips, no new taxes," the "Chicken Kiev" speech, the well-oiled communications machine that was the 1992 campaign? How about Justice David Souter?
Regarding the Reagan administration, many of us have fond memories because the Gipper, God bless him, got so many big things right. But do we think back on Iran-Contra, or the quiet-at-best reactions to the bombing of the embassy in Lebanon and the Marine barracks months later? The handling of Robert Bork's nomination, the 35 percent approval rating in January 1983, the revelation of the astrologer? And if you don't like our current immigration policy, what do you think of Reagan's 1986 mass amnesty for illegal aliens?
Any administration is going to have its mistakes, and sometimes, they're going to be big ones. Let's be honest about where the current president and cabinet have botched things, but let's not fool ourselves into nostalgia for some golden age of political and substantive skill.
I like the attitude described by Tony Robbins (cant find his quote online, so Im paraphrasing). If youre a gardener, and youre worried about weeds, the answer is not to panic because you know the weeds will crop up and grow and take over your garden. The answer is also not to be excessively positive, and declare, there are no weeds, there are no weeds. The answer is to say, I know there are going to be weeds, and Im not going to panic when I see them, because if I see them, I can do something about it.
Yes, the Republicans have problems right now. But its better that they see them and can do something about it.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/11/2006
12:33 ||
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#1
Right....
So, no matter how pissed I am with the Republican's on immigration, I'm supposed to just vote Republican anyway 'cause the alternative is worse.
I'm sorry. This immigration problem is so big and so problematic that I can't ignore the failure of Congress and the President to address them.
Off with their heads! (figuratively on election day - unless the Senate gets their rectal-cranial inversion resolved to my satisfaction before then.)
#3
Well, Leigh, you'll have about four more years of the problem getting much worse than it is now, along with many other problems, before you get a chance to repent.
Voting for Perot didn't do anyone any good in the 90's, except for the Dems.
Posted by: Phil ||
04/11/2006 13:53
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#5
Actually, I wasn't as upset at Clinton. I didn't expect any better from him. I had hopes for Bush though.
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
04/11/2006 14:53
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#6
Phil,
I'm actually prompted to work against the Republican incumbents in their primarys rather than selling my soul to the Democrats in the general election.
#7
I'm actually prompted to work against the Republican incumbents in their primarys rather than selling my soul to the Democrats in the general election.
And that's exactly what you would be doing by working against the Republican incumbents.
I'm amazed at the amount of foolishness members of my own party manage to express from time to time. I'm amazed at the amount of foolishness coming out of the Republican Party and Republicans on the Hill and in the White House. I'm amazed at the complete lack of organization and organizational capability within the Republican Party as a whole.
But does that mean I'll simply drop trousers and bend over for the reaming I'm all too likely to get under a Democratic administration?
No. Thanks very much. I think I'll keep my trousers up and not drop any soap around any Dems if you don't mind. I think I'll continue to donate to the Republican Party and support my Republican incumbents (not that there are any out here in the 10th US House District of California where I live) and not desert the Party when the chips are down and I'm ticked off because people on the Hill and in the White House don't seem to be listening.
So, Leigh, if you want to stick your head in the sand, be careful who's standing behind you because you might just get what you deserve.
The alternative is simply too frightening to consider - higher taxes, disengagement worldwide, a for-sure amnesty, corruption, down-sizing of the military during time of war, corruption, higher taxes, cradle-to-grave government interference, socialism, corruption, and higher taxes, etc., ad infinitum...
#8
Groan! i so tire of this!! I've never heard of Leigh before. Probably just one of those trolls that always seems to come out with "wisdom for dummies" whenever there's an opportunity to sow seeds of discontent.
Leigh, Leigh, honey. My apologies if you are just dumb. But you are wasting your time here, look a the headlines being read here, this isn't a watering hole for those in need of identity assistance.
Here's a tip, go to one of the sights that discusses the lipstick color Jennifer wears and maybe you'll actually pick up a vote or two. It's a sad way to spend your day - mistakenly thinking you have enlightened someone when you are really just annoying them with your stupidity. Go outside, get a life.
#9
Screw that I may have to hold my nose but I will NEVER EVER vote for a Dhimicrat EVER again. If it's between the Devil running as Republican against a Demoncrat then maybe I would change my mind. Short of that I can't stand any of the Democrats.
#10
It's possible to have one's cake and eat it, too. Phil Graham stopped Hillary Care, but I doubt that even HE could have stopped the prescription for disaster drug bill.
#12
Write, donate to the correct congresscritters - I have Duncan Hunter, who's on our side - if you have Donk - look elsewhere, even Tancredo can use your help, and if he builds a big warchest from small donations, he can spread it to proper picks. Don't give up. I have Boxer (lost cause - dumb as a bag of rocks) and Feinstein (she's not stupid, just wrong a lot of times - she does respond to pressure tho') as my Senators. The border states need to rise up and DEMAND enforcement. Legal Latinos will join in, believe me
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 19:17
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2b - Bite me. I've been reading and posting (infrequently) at Rantburg since 9/11.
Just because I don't think supporting incumbents who seems more interested in sucking up to illegal voters doesn't mean I don't support general party objectives. Dieing of old-age in office before considering replacement of a incumbent representative isn't anywhere in the constitution that I've read.
I'm suggesting that putting incumbents to a primary challenge is a better alternative than either:
a) slavishly supporting somebody who doesn't represent my interests (and seems intent on subverting/minimizing the value of US citizenship.) or
b) voting for democrats who actively want to socialize our country.
Jeez... what are you? An incumbent? You'd think I suggested selling my soul because I disagree with incumbents (like Mccain.)
#15
Dieing (sic) of old-age in office before considering replacement of a incumbent representative isn't anywhere in the constitution that I've read.
Brilliant! How do you do it Holmes? The insight, the clarity. Where are my shades to protect my eyes from the illumination.
By the way, Leigh, just exactly which district primary races are you talking about? Which Reps are you referring to and which replacements will provide us with the salvation you seek? Who exactly do you plan to vote for to achieve a better result? Oh, I see, you're deep and insightful wisdom is simply an overall vague "Republican primary" in a general vague congressional or Senate race. So deep. So helpful to the discourse. Do you plan on just sending your vast sums of money to various races nationwide or do you have specific primary races in mind with specific concrete goals in mind? Do you even know what district you live and vote in? Hmmm, why do I doubt that that you do?
But let me give you the benefit of the doubt, Please share. I'm all for replacing incompetent incumbents with someone who can do a BETTER job. Please let me know specifically which races and candidates you plan to support to make the world a better place. Otherwise, STFU and stop boring us with you childish demands for imaginary white knights to appear out of nowhere to save the day.
#16
When that phone rings and the talker at the other end announces that he/she is calling for the Republican Senatorial Reelection Committee, just laugh your head off before hanging up. They do understand money. When that solicitation shows up in the mail from the Republican National Committee, just stuff this in the return envelope.
#18
Hmmm, I think a more effective fund raiser would be for the Republican committee to put similar bills with Ted Kennedy (D-Margaritaville) in their fund raising material.
You know why many Republicans who actually deserve the boot will get reelected this year? Because the Democrats just suck so bad. They are a party of incoherent moonbats with no goals, a campaign slogan that consists of "vote for us because having no plan means that we don't have a plan that sucks".
Yawn. Do your best to divide and conquer. But ultimately the Republicans, no matter how repugnant, are offering more than a vote of "sticking it to the man" with the expectation that we will be delusional enough not to realize that they are the man.
#19
Fortunately for the GOP, every time I decide I'm not voting for another ####### RINO again, some Donk like Dean, or Feingold, or McKinney opens their mouth. I vastly prefer stupidity and incompetence to insanity, cowardice, and treason.
#20
Move the government from DC to somewhere else every 8 years and don't permit the current workers to move with their departments or congress critters...
IRAN'S hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared tonight the Islamic republic will "soon join the club of countries that have nuclear technology", state television reported.
The announcement came 15 days before the expiry of a UN Security Council deadline for Iran to slam the brakes on its uranium enrichment programme - the focus of fears the Islamic regime could acquire nuclear weapons.
"Iran will soon join the club of countries that have nuclear technology," the president was quoted as saying in a speech in the northeast of the country.
"The equation will change in favour of the Iranian people," Mr Ahmadinejad said.
Mr Ahmadinejad has also told the country to expect "good news" later today about the nuclear drive, amid reports the country has made key progress in uranium enrichment to make reactor fuel.
Enrichment is the process used to manufacture fuel for civil nuclear power stations but can be also be extended to manufacture the fissile core of an atomic bomb.
On March 29, the UN Security Council called on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment to provide a watertight guarantee that its nuclear programme is peaceful, with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei asked to report on Iranian compliance after 30 days.
Iran categorically rejects charges that it is seeking atomic weapons and has so far rejected the ultimatum.
And in an interview with the Kuwait news agency KUNA, influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said a cascade of centrifuges - devices that spin at supersonic speeds to enrich uranium - had been operated at a facility in Natanz.
"We operated the first unit which comprises 164 centrifuges, gas was injected, and we got the industrial output," Rafsanjani was quoted as saying.
"We must expand the operation of these devices in order to become a full industrial unit, as we still need dozens of such units to become a plant for uranium enrichment," he said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 16:50
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Since there have reports that Iran already bought or acquired nuclear devices after the fall of the Shah, and intensified such after the implosion of the USSR, vv the Russian Mafias and black markets, methinks this article should be properly re-titled "IRAN SOON TO JOIN SUPERPOWER CLUB".
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 11 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia has denied foreign press reports that it plans to build a security barrier along its border with Iraq to beef up control over infiltration. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Turki was quoted in daily al-Riyadh as saying Tuesday that no barrier will be built along the 562-mile border with Iraq as part of an overall plan to increase the oil-rich kingdom's defense along its 4,062-mile borders.
"We are currently conducting a study on technical defense systems which we can use to beef up security measures along the border."
"But, it's not a wall. It's something else."
The Times of London reported Monday that Saudi Arabia had received offers from international contractors to build the alleged security barrier with Iraq at the cost of millions of dollars. The British paper said many British security companies were interested in the project, which is aimed at guarding Saudi Arabia from the spread of sectarian violence, notably between Shiites and Sunnis, in addition to curbing the infiltration of fighters returning from Iraq.
The paper said Riyadh is worried about the growing influence of the Iran-backed Shiites in Iraq, and fears the barrier could encourage its Shiite minority community towards extremism. Saudi Shiites mainly inhabit east Saudi Arabia, where the majority of the kingdom's oil wells are located.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
11:41 ||
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Time to call Christo, Hey it's ART! He did build a wall out of oil drums.
Posted by: bruce ||
04/11/2006 20:18
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Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani said Tuesday that Iran has enriched uranium using 164 centrifuges, a major development in nuclear fuel cycle technology, news agencies reported. Rafsanjani made the comment to the Kuwait News Agency during an interview in Tehran.
Iran has put into operation the first unit of 164 centrifuges, has injected (uranium gas) and reached industrial production," the Kuwait News Agency quoted Rafsanjani as saying. Iranian authorities had promised to announce "good nuclear news" on Tuesday.
Additional: KUWAIT (Reuters) - Iran is producing enriched uranium from 164 centrifuges, influential former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani told Kuwait's KUNA news agency on Tuesday. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he would announce "good news" about Iran's atomic program later on Tuesday. Media speculated he would announce the production of low-grade enriched uranium suitable for running atomic power stations. The announcement is likely to anger the West and the United Nations, which have demanded that the Islamic Republic halt its atomic work.
"We operated the first unit which comprises of 164 centrifuges, gas was injected, and we got the industrial output," Rafsanjani said in an interview.
"There needs to be an expansion of operations if we are to have a complete industrial unit; tens of units are required to set up a uranium enrichment plant," he added.
The West fears Iran could be using its power station program as a smokescreen for building atomic bombs, a charge Tehran denies. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in March Iran had started testing 20 centrifuges. Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said in February Iran had started work on uranium fuel but only using a few centrifuges. He said then Iran was months away from operating a full cascade.
Each chain contains 164 centrifuges. Such cascades refine uranium gas into fuel for power stations, or if highly enriched, for bombs. Around 1,500 centrifuges running optimally for a year could yield enough material for a bomb, experts say.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
11:37 ||
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I smell cordite coming
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 11:44
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Mogadishu - At least two people died and nine, including a Somali parliamentarian, were wounded when a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) convoy of 72 food aid trucks was ambushed near the central Somali town of Baidoa, local officials said on Monday. "We managed to save the food from looting after the militia realised we would not pay $500 per truck, but unfortunately two of the men guarding the food were killed," said Mohamed Ibrahim Habsade, a Somali politician who accompanied the convoy told reporters.
WFP resorted to delivering food aid by overland transport accompanied by armed escorts after two WFP-contracted food aid ships were hijacked, one for three months, last year. The donated food was destined for the drought-stricken Bay and Bakol regions in southern Somalia. The convoy and its contents were reportedly intact and were being guarded by Habsade's men in Baidoa town. A WFP spokesperson in Nairobi declined to comment on the Monday night incident, saying it was still under investigation.
Aid workers in the region fear that attacks on the few aid convoys braving the lawless Horn of Africa country will only further keep an already wanting humanitarian response to the 1,2-million Somalis currently in need of urgent food assistance, to the barest minimum. A regional drought affecting Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Tanzania with its epicentre in Kenya has also provoked increased armed conflict in the region.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
11:23 ||
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At least two people died and nine, including a Somali parliamentarian, were wounded when a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) convoy of 72 food aid trucks was ambushed near the central Somali town of Baidoa, local officials said on Monday.
So, the Somali Parlimentarian was accompanying the food to his constituency to take credit for it's delivery, and he JUST gets shot?
From Texas History via University of Texas via NRO
OPERATION WETBACK (actual title)
Operation Wetback was a repatriation project of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service to remove illegal Mexican immigrants ("wetbacks") from the Southwest. During the first decades of the twentieth century, the majority of migrant workers who crossed the border illegally did not have adequate protection against exploitation by American farmers. As a result of the Good Neighbor Policy, Mexico and the United States began negotiating an accord to protect the rights of Mexican agricultural workers. Continuing discussions and modifications of the agreement were so successful that the Congress chose to formalize the "temporary" program into the Bracero program,qv authorized by Public Law 78.
In the early 1940s, while the program was being viewed as a success in both countries, Mexico excluded Texas from the labor-exchange program on the grounds of widespread violation of contracts, discrimination against migrant workers, and such violations of their civil rights as perfunctory arrests for petty causes.
Oblivious to the Mexican charges, some grower organizations in Texas continued to hire illegal Mexican workers and violate such mandates of PL 78 as the requirement to provide workers transportation costs from and to Mexico, fair and lawful wages, housing, and health services. World War IIqv and the postwar period exacerbated the Mexican exodus to the United States, as the demand for cheap agricultural laborers increased.
Graft and corruption on both sides of the border enriched many Mexican officials as well as unethical "coyote" freelancers in the United States who promised contracts in Texas for the unsuspecting Bracero. Studies conducted over a period of several years indicate that the Bracero program increased the number of illegal aliens in Texas and the rest of the country. Because of the low wages paid to legal, contracted braceros, many of them skipped out on their contracts either to return home or to work elsewhere for better wages as wetbacks.
Increasing grievances from various Mexican officials in the United States and Mexico prompted the Mexican government to rescind the bracero agreement and cease the export of Mexican workers. The United States Immigration Service, under pressure from various agricultural groups, retaliated against Mexico in 1951 by allowing thousands of illegals to cross the border, arresting them, and turning them over to the Texas Employment Commission,qv which delivered them to work for various grower groups in Texas and elsewhere.
Over the long term, this action by the federal government, in violation of immigration laws and the agreement with Mexico, caused new problems for Texas. Between 1944 and 1954, "the decade of the wetback," the number of illegal aliens coming from Mexico increased by 6,000 percent. It is estimated that in 1954 before Operation Wetback got under way, more than a million workers had crossed the Rio Grande illegally. Cheap labor displaced native agricultural workers, and increased violation of labor laws and discrimination encouraged criminality, disease, and illiteracy.
According to a study conducted in 1950 by the President's Commission on Migratory Labor in Texas, the Rio Grande valleyqv cotton growers were paying approximately half of the wages paid elsewhere in Texas. In 1953 a McAllen newspaper clamored for justice in view of continuing criminal activities by wetbacks.
The resulting Operation Wetback, a national reaction against illegal immigration, began in Texas in mid-July 1954. Headed by the commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization Service, Gen. Joseph May Swing, the United States Border Patrol aided by municipal, county, state, and federal authorities, as well as the military, began a quasimilitary operation of search and seizure of all illegal immigrants.
Fanning out from the lower Rio Grande valley, Operation Wetback moved northward. Illegal aliens were repatriated initially through Presidio because the Mexican city across the border, Ojinaga, had rail connections to the interior of Mexico by which workers could be quickly moved on to Durango.
A major concern of the operation was to discourage reentry by moving the workers far into the interior. Others were to be sent through El Paso. On July 15, the first day of the operation, 4,800 aliens were apprehended. Thereafter the daily totals dwindled to an average of about 1,100 a day. The forces used by the government were actually relatively small, perhaps no more than 700 men, but were exaggerated by border patrol officials who hoped to scare illegal workers into flight back to Mexico. Valley newspapers also exaggerated the size of the government forces for their own purposes: generally unfavorable editorials attacked the Border Patrol as an invading army seeking to deprive Valley farmers of their inexpensive labor force.
While the numbers of deportees remained relatively high, the illegals were transported across the border on trucks and buses. As the pace of the operation slowed, deportation by sea began on the Emancipation, which ferried wetbacks from Port Isabel, Texas, to Veracruz, and on other ships. Ships were a preferred mode of transport because they carried the illegal workers farther away from the border than did buses, trucks, or trains.
The boat lift continued until the drowning of seven deportees who jumped ship from the Mercurio provoked a mutiny and led to a public outcry against the practice in Mexico. Other aliens, particularly those apprehended in the Midwest states, were flown to Brownsville and sent into Mexico from there. The operation trailed off in the fall of 1954 as INS funding began to run out.
It is difficult to estimate the number of illegal aliens forced to leave by the operation. The INS claimed as many as 1,300,000, though the number officially apprehended did not come anywhere near this total. The INS estimate rested on the claim that most aliens, fearing apprehension by the government, had voluntarily repatriated themselves before and during the operation.
The San Antonio district, which included all of Texas outside of El Paso and the Trans-Pecos,qv had officially apprehended slightly more than 80,000 aliens, and local INS officials claimed that an additional 500,000 to 700,000 had fled to Mexico before the campaign began. Many commentators have considered these figure to be exaggerated.
Various groups opposed any form of temporary labor in the United States. The American G.I. Forum,qv for instance, by and large had little or no sympathy for the man who crossed the border illegally. Apparently the Texas State Federation of Laborqv supported the G.I. Forum's position.
Eventually the two organizations coproduced a study entitled What Price Wetbacks?, which concluded that illegal aliens in United States agriculture damaged the health of the American people, that illegals displaced American workers, that they harmed the retailers of McAllen, and that the open-border policy of the American government posed a threat to the security of the United States. Critics of Operation Wetback considered it xenophobic and heartless.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Carl Allsup, The American G.I. Forum: Origins and Evolution (University of Texas Center for Mexican American Studies Monograph 6, Austin, 1982). Arnoldo De León, Mexican Americans in Texas: A Brief History (Arlington Heights, Illinois: Harlan Davidson, 1993). Juan Ramon Garcia, Operation Wetback: The Mass Deportation of Mexican Undocumented Workers in 1954 (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1980). Eleanor M. Hadley, "A Critical Analysis of the Wetback Problem," Law and Contemporary Problems 21 (Spring 1956). Saturday Evening Post, July 27, 1946. Julian Samora, Los Mojados: The Wetback Story (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1971).
A bomb exploded during evening prayer Tuesday at a public park in southern Pakistan, injuring dozens of people, a witness said. The bomb went off at Nishtar Park in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, when hundreds of people were praying after celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, said witness Mohammed Asif.
"I saw dozens of people being taken to hospital in ambulances," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
10:59 ||
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From AP: A bomb exploded during evening prayers at a park in this southern Pakistani city on Tuesday, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens of others, witnesses and a doctor said. The bomb went off near a stage as hundreds of people conducted a prayer service after celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, said witness Mohammed Asif.
These were Sunni Muslims.
Posted by: ed ||
04/11/2006 11:20
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In Europe, Big Brother is listening -- and being allowed to hear more and more.
Since the September 11 attacks and the terrorist bombings that followed in Madrid and London, authorities across the Continent are getting more powers to electronically eavesdrop, and meeting less public opposition than President Bush has over his post-September 11 wiretapping program.
As part of a package of European Union anti-terrorism measures, the European Parliament in December approved legislation requiring telecommunications companies to retain phone data and Internet logs for a minimum of six months in case they are needed for criminal investigations.
In Italy, which experts agree is the most wiretapped Western democracy, a report to parliament in January by Justice Minister Roberto Castelli said the number of authorized wiretaps more than tripled from 32,000 in 2001 to 106,000 last year.
Italy passed a terrorism law after the July 7 subway bombings in London that opened the way for intelligence agencies to eavesdrop if an attack is feared to be imminent. Only approval from a prosecutor -- not a judge -- is required, but the material gleaned cannot be used as evidence in court.
Similar laws have been approved in France and the Netherlands or proposed elsewhere in Europe, prompting some complaints that the terrorist threat is giving authorities a pretext to abuse powers.
"There is clearly a legitimate role for surveillance. It's a question of what the safeguards are," said Ben Ward, associate director of the European and Asian division of Human Rights Watch.
The use of hidden microphones in criminal investigations is routine in Italy, but a Swedish government proposal to permit such taps has drawn sharp opposition from civil-liberties advocates.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/11/2006
10:56 ||
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Is Russ Feingold going to introduce a resolution censuring the enlightened, tolerant Europeans?
Posted by: Mike ||
04/11/2006 12:32
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London, Apr. 11 Iraqi military forces recently discovered an Iranian-make weapons cache hidden in the city of Tikrit, north-west of Baghdad. The weapons, which were all new and of Iranian origin, were found hidden in a large well in the west of Tikrit, according to an Iraqi army officer whose comments were reported by Iraqi media.
The United States and Iraqi officials have accused Irans radical Islamic government of sending agents and arms into Iraq to assist the insurgency.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
10:48 ||
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Musta had a shipment sent to the wrong place? Or maybe a shipment of cargo fell out of an air freighter by mistake?
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/11/2006 11:06
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April 11, 2006: France is sending its nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to the coast of Pakistan. There, the carrier will sent its twenty warplanes to bases in Afghanistan, to support NATO peacekeeping efforts. The de Gaulle will arrive off Pakistan in May, 2006.
Note they are not even trying to run flight operations off this tub, just using her to ferry planes to the theater.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
10:41 ||
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Good question SSET! But it does state that it is going to support NATO, at least until they surrender. Odds are that it will turn back or get drydocked halfway there like that Russian tub a few years back that was on it's way to Serbia.
#14
why would they run carrier ops, when there are bases in afghanistan, and water is pretty far from the scene of battle?
I guese it's the little things, like getting permission to base a lot of aircraft, ammunition, and support elements, wrangling over the resulting usage fees and political costs, having refueling aircraft available, dealing with unfriendly people sitting near the airstrip with cell-phone in hand...
#22
[Captain of the Charles de Gaulle addressing his crew]
Greetings, Crew of the Charles de Gaulle. It's great to be out of drydock. The sun is shining down on us. Everyone and everything is looking good.
Well, we've seen Toulon, for too long, so now it's the Indian Ocean for us. Be careful and get your sea legs during the first days of the voyage. Drydock is nothing like the open sea, you know. We will be the keystone in the big picture of fighting radical terrorists. Everybody show what the French Navy can do.
[aside] Little nuclear reactor and boiler, don't fail me now!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/11/2006 16:14
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#23
"French Carrier To Support Afghanistan Operations"
Is this Scrappleface again?
Posted by: Scott R ||
04/11/2006 16:42
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#24
DB's got it: Let the Somali pirates grab it and you save the asbestos/hazmat removal costs
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 17:03
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#25
Is it really for Afghanistan or in place for an operation to protect the straits of Hormuz?
#26
The French will probably sacrifice the de Gaulle during the attack on Iran. This way they won't have to worry about the decommissioning costs and asbestos removal.
And for all you environmental activists out there, the sinking will allow for a brand new reef to develop for mutant fish. Isn't that wonderful?
#27
Danking70 And for all you environmental activists out there, the sinking will allow for a brand new reef to develop for mutant fish. Isn't that wonderful?
PALM CITY, Fla. -- Martin County authorities say two South Folk High School students were injured when a pipe bomb they were making exploded. Sheriff officials said the bomb went off Sunday evening in the garage of 18-year-old Curtis Chambers' Palm City home. Reports said Chambers was hit in the face with shrapnel and could lose an eye. Christopher Senatore, 18, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and was released.
Investigators said the teens wanted to set off the bomb in a pond behind Chambers' home and searched the Internet for information on how to make a pipe bomb. Both could face felony charges of making a destructive device.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
10:34 ||
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Florida Teens Injured In "Work Accident"
whoops..
I still think of bomb building as a passing rite.
Which When acquired by boyz or girlz can be a skill tranferable into "real" Growd up World.
(CNSNews.com) - The continuing carnage in Sudan's Darfur region is dragging on because of China's support for the Islamist government in Khartoum, according to Irish celebrity campaigner for Africa, Bob Geldof. "The reason why it has not been resolved is because of China," the Associated Press quoted Geldof as saying in Athens on Monday. "The Chinese protect the Khartoum government, who are killers, and they will not allow a vote in the [U.N.] Security Council," he said, attributing Beijing's stance to its oil ties with Sudan. The characteristically candid Geldof, organizer of last year's Live 8 global charity event, was in the Greek capital to receive a humanitarian award.
Beijing's state-controlled China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) owns 40 percent of Sudan's biggest oil operation. An estimated 6 to 7 percent of China's oil imports come from Sudan, a figure expected to rise as the industry expands after a two-decades-long civil war. U.S. Department of Energy figures now place Sudan third in sub-Saharan Africa for crude oil production, behind Nigeria and Angola. Since a conflict broke out in Darfur between government-sponsored militias and rebel groups three years ago, many thousands of people have perished and two million more have been displaced. The U.N. has described Darfur as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
As early as July 2004, veto-wielding member China was using its clout in the Security Council to ease international pressure on Khartoum. Resistance from China -- together with fellow permanent council member Russia and several of the body's non-permanent members, notably Islamic Pakistan and Algeria -- resulted in the U.S. agreeing to drop the word "sanctions" from a draft resolution on Darfur. In the end, the watered-down resolution was passed by a 13-0 vote. Although the sanctions reference had been removed, Beijing could still not support it because, China's envoy Zhang Yishan said, "it still included references to measures that were not helpful and which could further complicate the situation." China abstained, along with Pakistan. In the 21 months since then, the death toll in Darfur has risen from some 30,000-50,000 to an estimated 180,000 today.
By February last year, the U.S. and European allies were still struggling to get China and Russia to agree to impose sanctions against Sudan. The State Department said at the time that those under discussion included oil sanctions, as well as an extension of an existing arms embargo, a freeze on assets and travel ban against specified individuals or government officials.
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Virginia), a co-chairman of the bipartisan congressional human rights caucus, said at a press conference on Darfur that month that China and Russia had "repeatedly threatened to veto resolutions that could possibly bring an end to the violence." Wolf, who has visited Sudan five times, is currently pressing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to appoint a special envoy to the country, to focus further attention on the Darfur issue.
Testifying before the congressional U.S.-China Commission last July, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow for Africa policy studies Princeton Lyman also linked China's Security Council stance to its oil dealings with Sudan. "China had become its biggest [oil] customer," he said. "Meanwhile, China has successfully prevented the U.N. Security Council from serious sanctions or other preventive measures in face of the alleged genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated in the Darfur region of that country."
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said in a major policy speech on China last September that it was time to urge a rising China to become "a responsible stakeholder" in the international system, for instance by using its considerable influence with such regimes as those ruling Sudan and Iran. "China should take more than oil from Sudan - it should take some responsibility for resolving Sudan's human crisis," said Zoellick, who has himself traveled to the north-east African country four times over the past year.
Meanwhile, Beijing's relations with Khartoum appear to be strengthening. Chinese defense minister Cao Gangchuan held talks with his Sudanese counterpart, Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, in Beijing two weeks ago, and said the People's Liberation Army was "ready to deepen the cooperation" with the Sudanese military. Hussein, who was described as being on "an official goodwill visit," praised China's stance on the Darfur issue, the official Xinhua news agency reported. At another meeting, a senior Chinese official thanked the Sudanese visitor for Khartoum's "firm support on major international issues, such as human rights."
Additional: Beijing - Irish rocker Bob Geldof's accusation that Beijing is to blame for the continuing civil war in Sudan would have more bite if China knew who he was. On Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao said he'd never heard of anti-poverty campaigner and Live 8 organiser Geldof. Asking "Who?" several times, Liu finally shook his head and said "I am sorry" after a reporter asked for comment on the 51-year-old Irish rocker's claims that China was protecting the Sudanese government because it provides six percent of China's oil.
"Anyway, I can brief you on China's position on Sudan," Liu said. "We are making efforts to restore peace in Sudan. We hope both parties can implement the agreements reached. We hope to see a stronger role for the African Union in solving the Sudan problem." Liu didn't respond directly to the claim that China is protecting the Khartoum government because of its oil needs.
Geldof has won international acclaim for his humanitarian efforts and last year organised the Live 8 benefit concerts. "I was in Darfur 20 years ago and people were killing each other then. It's an ancient battle between nomadic people and settled people, between Arab-Africans and black Africans, between Islam and Christians. ... The reason why it has not been resolved is because of China," Geldof said in Athens on Monday. "The Chinese protect the Khartoum government ... and they will not allow a vote in the Security Council," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
09:57 ||
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Geldof speaks the obvious to the oblivious
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/11/2006 17:04
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I still think he's done good and for the right reasons....ineffectual, maybe, but he's tried. You don't hear Blair talking about China's participation in the genocide or that asswipe Jack Straw (too busy assisting his Mullah masters)
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 17:18
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#3
In two minds about Bob, as I have recently been slagging off musos/actors with alleged political stances, not here, though. Never liked his music(?) anyway, but I would point out to him, if I ever met him, that he is about 30 years too late to save Africa. Waste of time.
But, maybe, there are enough boomtown rats out there listening to him these days to make a difference, dont think so. Maybe he's rubbing shoulders with our Chancellor, Gordon Brown, and is gonna promise to educate Africa whilst England hits reverse gear. Maybe he's a Rolling Stone fan too, accepting the fact Mick and Keith aren't allowed to play four of their songs in China, (but it doesnt matter, they have a catalogue of 400 songs, so they will play in China anyway, despite censorship, well, theyre off my Christmas cards list).
Hopefully, when assessing the above, if it ever happens, Sir Bob will be the one to have seen the light and will swing a few half-cooked minds in the right direction.
Regards to all, Ship, up for a drink, N London, Thursday?
One of the key organizers of the immigration protests and rallies nationwide, including yesterday's in Washington, is a group whose leaders are tied to the Workers World Party, a Marxist organization that has expressed support for dictators Kim Jong-il of North Korea and Saddam Hussein of Iraq. Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition, which also has proposed a nationwide boycott on May 1 to protest congressional efforts at immigration reform and border security, is an offshoot of the International Action Coalition, an anti-capitalism group founded by former Attorney General Ramsey Clark.
In a press release celebrating a March 25 rally in Los Angeles against immigration-law enforcement that drew an estimated 500,000 people, ANSWER said it helped organize "a major contingent in the march" and provided logistical support. The march was co-chaired by Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of Latino Movement USA, who also is a member of ANSWER's Los Angeles steering committee.
"We are people of dignity, and we demand respect," Mr. Gutierrez said at the rally. "This is the beginning of a movement that is going to call for a national work stoppage." Another ANSWER member who spoke at the rally, Gloria La Riva said: "The racist politicians thought they could step on us with their racist legislation, but they have awakened the immigrant giant, and they will feel our strength when we stop work."
Founded three days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the organization describes itself as a "coalition of hundreds of organizations and prominent individuals and scores of organizing centers in cities and towns across the country" that have campaigned against "U.S. intervention in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia ... and for civil rights and for social and economic justice for working and poor people inside the United States." ANSWER also organized the first national anti-war rally after the September 11 attacks, a demonstration that brought 25,000 people to Washington and 15,000 to San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2001.
Only 18 days later, before the crater stopped smoking
The Workers World Party, a communist organization in the United States founded in 1959, describes itself as a party that has, since its founding, "supported the struggles of all oppressed peoples" and opposes "all forms of racism and religious bigotry." In addition to sponsoring or directing numerous popular-front groups, it was instrumental in founding ANSWER through the International Action Coalition. It's March 25 rally in Los Angeles and its planned "Great American Boycott of 2006" on May 1 are part of a series of large-scale events that the coalition hopes will sway lawmakers to put millions of illegal aliens in the United States on track toward permanent residency and U.S. citizenship.
ANSWER has denounced attempts by Congress to secure the United States' borders and criminalize illegal aliens as "racist," saying all working people should back full amnesty for all of the estimated 10 million to 12 million illegal aliens now in the United States. It has accused the media, government and corporations of "erecting borders against humans and waging war on immigrant America." Calling its proposed boycott a "day without an immigrant," the coalition has labeled members of Congress -- both Republicans and Democrats -- as "hatemongers," saying it will "settle for nothing less than full amnesty and dignity for the millions of undocumented workers presently in the United States."
The street rallies and the proposed boycott are seen as critical in keeping what ANSWER has described as "pressure" on Congress so it will not be allowed to "decide how much equality or how much inequality, or how much repression, should be meted out to the millions of hardworking immigrant families." "Immigrant workers, including the undocumented workers, are the sisters and brothers and allies of all those struggling for justice," the organization said. The boycott, according to the coalition, means no work, no school, no shopping, buying or business as usual.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
09:45 ||
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#1
I anticipate a day when ANSWER and similar are correctly dealt with under National Security laws for advocating the overthrow of the lawful government of the United States. As for their enablers and allies within our government, our modern Rosenbergs, may they meet that same fate.
#3
Yeah, the money is what really fascinates me about these organizations. I suspected they financed themselves through useful idiot trust fund babies and mj etc. when I was in college. I wonder if that's still true and how they transfer leadership. Or does the new generation of leaders just set up a new front and horn in on the aging competitor?
#4
Remember, if you oppose illegal immigration, you use the same language as the Aryan Nation and [as the MSM points out] you are just Nazis.
However, if you support illegal immigration, you use the same language as the unrepetent Stalinist ANSWER and [as the MSM refuses to point out] you are Commies.
#5
What a shocker! Indeed, there were also present members of the New Black Panther Party in D.C.
Posted by: Humble pie ||
04/11/2006 15:21
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#6
Several of the signs and person-specific comments on the MSM say it all, WHICH IS THE GOVERNMENT MUST BE INVOLVED, MUST TAKE CONTROL, AND MUST TREAT ILLEGALS DECENTLY AND HUMANELY, OR AS CITIZENS. THe Dems-Lefties are arguing for BURTHA-ISM, i.e. they'll support Dubya's progs only after Dubya allows them to go on public mass medias and proclaim how they hate Dubya, hate his policies, how Dubya must be investigated, impeached, or jailed; and how the GOP-Conservatives are arrogant bullying Mother Cindy/Hillary-less anti-Perfectionist crimicrats, etc. Will say again that Dubya's Dem-Lefty critics have no prob iff hated Adolf BusHitler = Marx's and Stalin's, etc delinquent Half-Commie brother Dubya wages war for global empire as long as Dubya-America unilater and voluntarily gives up its newfound empire, or militarily forcibly loses its newfound empire, in the end. The DemoLeft > Unreliable, Error-prone, Dishonest Fascist = HalfCommunist Amerika must lose and submit to Socialism and Socialist OWG, just as the "world community" must militarily force America to do same in the name of PC "anti-Fascism" = anti-HalfCommunism-HalfAbsolutism/
Totalitarianism, anti-Nuke War, and for "true Conservatism"!? Fed Washington must take over everything and anything domestically, while failing overseas, including to fail to protect America from new 9-11's. UTOPIA/PERFECT AMERIKA WILL BE ACHIEVED WHEN EVERYONE IN AMERIKAN SOVIET SSR NEEDS A SWORN AFFIDAVIT AND SUB-BUREAUCRACIES TO GET A GLASS OF WATER, MAKE LOVE, OR PET YOUR DOG, ETAL. AS LONG AS ITS POLITELY/QUIETLY UNDERSTOOR SOCIALISM APPLIES TO THE MASSES, THE MANY, NOT THE FEW, NOT THE HORDE = MAFIA = RULING COUNCIL = RULING ELITES = PARTY = GOVT. = EXTRA-GOVT. = HYPER-GOVT. = ...........! To paraphrase guest Adam Watt on CoasttoCoastAM, the future world-NWO will ideally only have ONE MILYUUUHN OR LESS PEOPLE IN IT.
If you divide the world into geographical regions, then, Irans neither here nor there. But if you divide it ideologically, the mullahs are ideally positioned at the center of the various provinces of Islamthe Arabs, the Turks, the Stans, and the south Asians. Who better to unite the Muslim world under one inspiring, courageous leadership? If theres going to be an Islamic superpower, Tehran would seem to be the obvious candidate.
That moment of ascendancy is now upon us. Or as the Daily Telegraph in London reported: Irans hardline spiritual leaders have issued an unprecedented new fatwa, or holy order, sanctioning the use of atomic weapons against its enemies. Hmm. Im not a professional mullah, so I cant speak to the theological soundness of the argument, but it seems a religious school in the Holy City of Qom has ruled that the use of nuclear weapons may not constitute a problem, according to sharia. Well, theres a surprise. How do you solve a problem? Like, sharia! Its the one-stop shop for justifying all your geopolitical objectives.
The bad cop/worse cop routine the mullahs and their hothead President Ahmadinejad are playing in this period of alleged negotiation over Irans nuclear program is the best indication of how all negotiations with Iran will go once theyre ready to fly. This is the nuclear version of the NRA bumper sticker: Guns Dont Kill People. People Kill People. Nukes dont nuke nations. Nations nuke nations. When the Argentine junta seized British sovereign territory in the Falklands, the generals knew that the United Kingdom was a nuclear power, but they also knew that under no conceivable scenario would Her Majestys Government drop the big one on Buenos Aires. The Argie generals were able to assume decency on the part of the enemy, which is a useful thing to be able to do.
But in any contretemps with Iran the other party would be foolish to make a similar assumption. That will mean the contretemps will generally be resolved in Irans favor. In fact, if one were a Machiavellian mullah, the first thing one would do after acquiring nukes would be to hire some obvious loon like President Ahmaddamatree to front the program. Hes the equivalent of the yobbo in the English pub who says, Oy, mate, you lookin at my bird? You havent given her a glance, or him; youre at the other end of the bar head down in the Daily Mirror, trying not to catch his eye. You dont know whether hes longing to nut you in the face or whether he just gets a kick out of terrifying you into thinking he wants to. But, either way, you just want to get out of the room in one piece. Kooks with nukes is one-way deterrence squared.
Once again, we face a choice between bad and worse options. There can be no surgical strike in any meaningful sense: Irans clients on the ground will retaliate in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and Europe. Nor should we put much stock in the countrys allegedly pro-American youth. This shouldnt be a touchy-feely nation-building exercise: rehabilitation may be a bonus, but the primary objective should be punishmentand incarceration. Its up to the Iranian people how nutty a government they want to live with, but extraterritorial nuttiness has to be shown not to pay. That means swift, massive, devastating force that decapitates the regimebut no occupation.
The cost of de-nuking Iran will be high now but significantly higher with every year its postponed. The lesson of the Danish cartoons is the clearest reminder that what is at stake here is the credibility of our civilization. Whether or not we end the nuclearization of the Islamic Republic will be an act that defines our time.
A quarter-century ago, there was a minor British pop hit called Ayatollah, Dont Khomeini Closer. If youre a U.S. diplomat or a British novelist, a Croat Christian or an Argentine Jew, hes already come way too close. How much closer do you want him to get?
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
09:16 ||
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#1
This shouldnt be a touchy-feely nation-building exercise: rehabilitation may be a bonus, but the primary objective should be punishmentand incarceration. Its up to the Iranian people how nutty a government they want to live with, but extraterritorial nuttiness has to be shown not to pay. That means swift, massive, devastating force that decapitates the regimebut no occupation.
Sounds familiar.
The lesson of the Danish cartoons is the clearest reminder that what is at stake here is the credibility of our civilization. Whether or not we end the nuclearization of the Islamic Republic will be an act that defines our time.
We owe the Danes a huge debt of gratitude. Additionally, as I have said many times: A nuclear armed Iran will go down in history as one of the greatest strategic blunders of this new century.
#3
IOW, what Steyn is saying is that "regime change" is only way to handle Iran, and Russo-Chinese/International anti-US interventionism andor threat of regional nuke war be damned. WILL SAY AGIN THAT NO AMERICA SHOULD BE AFRAID OF NUKE WAR OR THE DRAFT, becuz the Policrats and wagffling Lefties will always be around, and espec becuz iff America doesn't stand and fight, it, its Allies, and Western democracy, Western DemoCapitalism, and Western civilization will be defeated iff not destroyed. NO MATTER HOW MUCH APPEASIN', CONCEDIN', COMPROMISIN', OR ISOLATIN' AMERICA AND WASHINGTON DOES, OUR ENEMIES INEVITABLY INTEND TO KILL AND DESTROY US ANYWAYS. THEY'RE ALREADY TELLING US OUR DEFEAT, DESTRUCTION, AND HOLOCAUST IS GOOD FOR PLANET EARTH AND FOR US - no [clear]mention of themselves, however.
#3
"Socialist worker" I think France has demonstrated quite ably that that is an oxymoron.
My personal favorite here is the "CNT", national confederation of work, an anarchist union composed mostly of high-schoolers, civil servants (who in France have a special status, as they're hired for life and can't be fired, even if a gvt survey found out that *effective* work week among them was 27 hours IIRC, while it is supposedly 35 hours for most french), and assorted parasites.
Hard workers, every last one of them.
They've been real fun a couple of weeks ago when they got all beat up by the "youths" during demonstrations, and had to beg for the police to protect them, while The Man(tm) is their favorite target.
#4
I can only wonder what most of these immigration demonstrators would think if they knew how their hero, Cesar Chavez, strongly opposed illegal immigration because it eroded the earning power of the legitimate farmworkers he sought to organize.
#6
Going for that special reserved seat on the future Amerikan Politburo and Presidium, which every US Lefty knows and believes is there but no Soviet/Russian, Chinese or Cuban Commie has ever promised them. All the US Lefties have is the typical Commie promise to "compromise", of which NEPAL, BANGLADESH, and the PHILIPPINES are the latest examples of how Commies [don't] keep their word, not even wilfully ambiguous ones.
#7
Commies seem to appear to keep their word only becuz their mostly poor andor uneducated followers/lower rankes don't know what is really meant, or what is really happening, and they are not going to be told. It is no surprise then, than pols and activists are fighting for the illegals right to stay illegal, for law-breakers to wilfully keep on breaking the law. The DemoLefties demand the illegals be treated humanely and decently, ergo Dems are calling for them to be labeled as FELONS, de facto Felons whom weirdly and msyteriously are NOT to be deported, but instead are to be $$$ paid to stay reside, and work illegally until such time in the far Far FAR F-A-R FUUURRR future these are ready to apply for legal citizenship.
JAKARTA -Imam Samudra, one of three people on death row for their key roles in the 2002 Bali bombings, will be executed as soon as possible after his family refused to seek presidential clemency, an Indonesian judicial official said on Tuesday. The results of checks by teams from the prosecutor office and the Denpasar state district court are that the family of Imam Samudra will not seek presidential clemency, said Masyudi Ridwan, spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office.
Under Indonesian law the family of a convict sentenced to death has the right to seek clemency from the president should the convict himself refuse to do so.
Samudra, 35, has said he will not seek a pardon or a case review.
The October 2002 attacks on Bali nightspots by the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror network killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, in the worst terrorist attack since September 11, 2001, in the United States. Samudxra had attended planning meetings, selected the targets and assigned tasks to the bombers as part of what he saw as a holy war against the United States and its allies.
The families of brothers Amrozi and Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, are also being asked if they wish to seek mercy. If the families of all three people are not seeking clemency, it means that all legal recourses have been taken and the prosecutors office will as soon as possible hold the executions, Ridwan said.
He said that even though Samudra has no other avenue to avoid execution, his office would wait for the replies from the families of the two other before planning the executions. These are carried out by police firing squads.
Might as well do all three together
Two other Bali bombers are serving live sentences while around 25 are serving shorter jail terms.
Samudra said from his death row cell last August that he did not need mercy. I believe I will die on the right path, he said. I dont need mercy in this world because God has forgiven me.
Say hello to Hitler, A-hole
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
09:03 ||
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JERUSALEM - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned on Tuesday that Israel would keep up its bombardment of Gaza for as long as Palestinians fire rockets, despite the death of a young girl in the latest shelling. The role of the Israeli army is to defend Israeli civilians, combat terrorism and prevent rocket attacks, Livni told public radio. As long as Palestinians fire at residential area, the army must reply.
Her comments came after an eight-year-old Palestinian girl was killed and 12 other people wounded Monday when an Israeli shell struck a house in the Beit Lahiya region of the northern Gaza Strip. A seven-year-old boy was also killed in an Israeli air strike on Friday night while accompanying his father, a local leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, at a militant training base.
Livni said she regretted the deaths of civilians but that it was an inevitable consequence of the fact that militants operated out of residential areas. Israel withdrew all its ground troops from the Gaza Strip last September and its bombardments of the territory have either been carried out from the air or by tank shelling from across the border.
If the army could locate the terrorists one by one, it would do so. This is what we have tried to do for a long time, said Livni. But when the terrorists hide themselves in residential areas, the consequences can be terrible and cost the lives of innocent people, said the foreign minister. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to make a distinction (between militants and civilians) in these residential areas.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also voiced his regret over civilian deaths at Sundays cabinet meeting while pledging there would be no let-up in the militarys activity as long as the rocket attacks continued. One thing must be clear -- whoever fires Qassam rockets, whoever is engaged in terrorist activity, is a legitimate target and will be dealt with, without hesitation, by the security forces, Olmert told ministers.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
09:00 ||
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#1
It's because the rocket-launchers are operating in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia, fearing that US military action against Iran would wreak further havoc in the region, has asked Russia to block any bid by Washington to secure UN cover for an attack, a Russian diplomat said on Tuesday. During a visit to Moscow last week, the head of the Saudi National Security Council urged Russia to strive to prevent the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution which the United States could use as justification to launch a military assault to knock out Irans nuclear facilities, the diplomat told AFP in Riyadh on condition of anonymity.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a former longtime ambassador to the United States who is often tasked with delicate missions, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on April 4. Saudi officials did not give details about the meeting. The Russian diplomat said the talks focused on the row over Irans nuclear program but did not make clear what Moscows response was to the call for restraining the United States.
Several recent reports in the US media raised the possibility that the administration of US President George W. Bush was considering US air strikes against Irans nuclear sites. Bush described the reports as wild speculation and said Washington wanted to settle the long-running nuclear standoff between Teheran and the West through diplomacy. The United States believes Iran is secretly trying to build atomic weapons under cover of a nuclear energy program, allegations Iran has consistently denied.
A Gulf diplomat, who also requested anonymity, said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries were worried about the possibility of US military action against Iran at a time when Iraq is engulfed in what is increasingly turning into civil war.
Gulf Arab states fear the fallout of a US-Iran conflict on the oil-rich region, which has seen three wars since 1980, most recently the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the diplomat said.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal said last week that Riyadh believes Teherans assertions about its nuclear activities. That is why we dont see a danger in Iran acquiring knowledge about nuclear energy provided it does not lead to (nuclear) proliferation. Of course, we believe proliferation is a threat, he said. Saud also played down Irans recent war games during which it tested new weapons, saying the exercises did not pose a threat to Teherans Gulf neighbours. He also said he would visit Iran soon but did not give a specific date.
Bandar earlier visited China, another permanent UN Security Council member with veto power, a trip diplomats in Riyadh believe was also linked to the standoff over Irans nuclear activities.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
08:45 ||
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#1
I have to ask: Is this Muslim First or Marx Bros?
I must've gotten up too soon, obviously this nightmare's unfinished.
#3
Several recent reports in the US media raised the possibility that the administration of US President George W. Bush was considering US air strikes against Irans nuclear sites. Bush described the reports as wild speculation and said Washington wanted to settle the long-running nuclear standoff between Teheran and the West through diplomacy.
f*ck*ss writer: it was the use of nuclear weapons to bomb the sites that Bushlabelled "wild speculation". Military operations against Iran were always on the table and never were removed.
#4
"...a UN Security Council resolution which the United States could use as justification..."
Saudi logic never ceases to amaze me. Seems to me that a UNSC resolution would be an attempt at a diplomatic solution. Pipe dreams perhaps but an attempt non-the less. So what am I supposed to take away here? The Saudis believe the Iranians will not only refuse to respect a UN resolution but they will cause trouble as a result. And depending on what form the retaliation takes, the US would most assuredly respond in kind. Look, the US would not be using the resolution as justification but simply countering Iranian belligerence and aggression. Maybe the Saudis should be focusing their efforts urging Iran to behave in the event a resolution does come to fruition. Or maybe abandon their nuclear aspirations all together and avoid incineration. Just a thought.
#6
The home base of the religion of pus must be freaking out at the prospect not getting nukes from their brothers in crime in Iran.
A hint to the President, if you are going to drop a bunker buster on Iran, let a couple go Bosnian wild into the Kaaba. Just be sure to paint, "9-11" on the side of the missles.
#8
Looks like the Saudis are demanding to be dominated or controlled by IRAN and the future revived Persian Empires - like good Clintonian God-based Lefties, they demand to be enslaved iff not destroyed.
Madrid, 11 April (AKI) - A Spanish judge on Tuesday indicted 29 suspects in connection with the deadly al-Qaeda-linked train bombings in Madrid two years ago that killed 191 people and wounded 1,741 in a series of blasts on morning rush-hour commuter trains. One of the alleged ringleaders of the attacks, Jamal Zougam, was among those charged, by judge Juan Del Olomo, Spain's National Court announced. No-one has yet stood trial for the Madrid blasts - the deadliest terrror attacks in Western Europe since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people in 1988.
The number of individuals indicted is far fewer than the 116 suspects who faced preliminary charges, and no trial is expected for months. The slow-pace of the judicial process has sparked criticism as unless the investigation is stepped up, some of the 25 defendants currently detained - 24 in Spanish jails and one Egyptian in the northern Italian city of Milan - might have to be released from custody before any trial ends.
The attacks are believed to have been carried out by three al-Qaeda linked groups, made up largely of Moroccans. The three groups were allegedly augmented by other individuals linked to an al-Qaeda cell broken up in Spain in 2001. These groups were reportedly linked to a radical strain of Islam espoused by the North African Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM). The militants appear to have carried out the bombings on behalf of al-Qaeda in revenge for the presence of Spanish troops in Iraq, Del Olmo wrote in December 2004. In the same document he detailed a series of radical Isalmic cells that that had formed in Spain and advocated carrying out Jihad - or holy war - on European soil.
More than 80 people have so far been questioned by investigators, 200 DNA tests have been carried out, and more than 50,000 phone-conversations tapped in the course of an investigation that has so far run to thousands of pages. Seven key bombing suspects are dead. They blew themselves up three weeks after the Madrid bombings, as police closed in on their hideout in a southern Madrid suburb. A police special operations officer was killed and 18 police officers were injured in the blast.
Victims are angry that Del Olmo has so far only called some 10 of those caught up in the bombings to testify.The Spanish government has granted more than 900 residency cards to immigrants who were victims or to their family members, the interior ministery said. The government has paid more than 70 million dollars in compensation to victims and their relatives.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006
08:42 ||
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... 'coz jihad(tm) is, of course, an inner struggle, you know. The "alliance of civilizations" in action.
BERLIN - The European Union, tiptoeing through a minefield of religious and cultural sensitivities, is discreetly reviewing the language it uses to describe terrorists who claim to act in the name of Islam.
EU officials are working on what they call a lexicon for public communication on terrorism and Islam, designed to make clear that there is nothing in the religion to justify outrages like the Sept. 11 attacks or the bombings of Madrid and London.
The lexicon would set down guidelines for EU officials and politicians.
Certainly Islamic terrorism is something we will not use ... we talk about terrorists who abusively invoke Islam, an EU official told Reuters.
Other terms being considered by the review include Islamist, fundamentalist and jihad. The latter, for example, is often used by al-Qaida and some other groups to mean warfare against infidels, but for most Muslims indicates a spiritual struggle.
Jihad means something for you and me, it means something else for a Muslim. Jihad is a perfectly positive concept of trying to fight evil within yourself, the official, speaking anonymously because the review is an internal one that is not expected to be made public, told Reuters.
EU counter-terrorism chief Gijs de Vries said that terrorism was not inherent to any religion, and praised moderate Muslims for opposing attempts to hijack Islam.
They have been increasingly active in isolating the radicals who abuse Islam for political purposes, and they deserve everyones support. And that includes the choice of language that makes clear that we are talking about a murderous fringe that is abusing a religion and does not represent it, de Vries said.
Cartoons dispute
The language used in the West when discussing Muslims and terrorism, and especially the charge by critics of Islam that it is an inherently violent religion, are highly sensitive and topical issues in Europe.
Danish newspaper cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, including one showing him with a bomb in his turban, provoked violent protests earlier this year in a number of Muslim countries where people saw them as blasphemous. At least 50 people were killed.
Figures like Muslim-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali argued during the uproar over the cartoons that within Islam exists a hard-line, intolerant movement that rejects free speech and democracy and deserves to be exposed and criticized.
The EU official familiar with the lexicon review said the point of using careful language was not to fall into the trap of offending and alienating citizens.
You dont want to use terminology which would aggravate the problem, he said. This is an attempt ... to be aware of the sensitivities implied by the use of certain language.
An initial paper on the issue is expected to be adopted in June. It is to help us understand what we are saying and try to avoid making mistakes. Its for the self-guidance of EU institutions and member states, the official said.
Omar Faruk, a Muslim British barrister who has advised the government on community issues, said there was a strong need for a new sort of political dialogue and terminology.
Asked about the phrase Islamic terrorism, he said: Those words cannot sit side by side. Islam is actually very much against any form of terrorism. ... Islam in itself means peace.
The widespread use of the expression just creates a culture where terrorism actually is identified with Islam. That causes me a lot of stress, Faruk added.
#3
You dont want to use terminology which would aggravate the problem,
Fag, how about fag ? As in Euros are fags. But don't say anything that hurts anyone's feelings.
Islam wants to kill you and enslave you and take over your world, fag. Don't piss them off, though, they could get mad.
This is the time Europe doesn't get it.
How long before they DO get it ?
#8
The logic behind this is ridiculously inconsistent. If you are afraid that the language you are using will exacerbate the problem, isn't there a good chance that the language you are seeking to change is aimed square at the heart of the problem, and accurately describing it? Otherwise, why would it exacerbate terroristic reactions? The only word for this is complete and utter cowardice (ok...the only 4 words...)
Admitting you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery.
Major General Yu Rubo, research fellow of the War Theory and Strategic Studies Department of the Academy of Military Sciences, supervisor for doctorial student and vice chairman of China Society for Sun Tsu's Art of War Studies.
China used to pioneer the world in military science and technology for a historical span of over 2,000 years stretching from the Spring and Autumn Period to early Ming Dynasty. However, in the wake of the 16th century, China was progressively out-developed by the West and her military might was equally eclipsed ever since. It will be a profound enlightenment for us even today to earnestly analyze the reasons from the aspect of military science and technology.
China's enclosed environment in modern times served to suffocate the innovative thinking of the Chinese people.
The main environmental elements causing the withering of the Chinese people's innovative thinking mainly refer to the backward social system and the policy of cutting off China from the outside world and all. To begin with, the backward social system hung on by China in modern times stifled the innovative thinking of the Chinese. Secondly, the policy of shutting the door on the world handicapped the growth of innovative thinking.
The gradual inactivation of innovative thinking in China deprived the military its mainstay of innovation.
The main driving force of military innovation rests with human being. Once people lost interest in innovation, military innovation would become a lip service. In the history of China, there was a strong tendency of putting method above instrument, which was reflected in military as attaching importance to strategy while belittling technology, resulting in a high level of stratagem theory in ancient China but a downhill development of science and technology. By striking contrast, military science and technology in the West witnessed a sizzling development since the 16th century outstripping China in no time. Obviously, the dawn of this situation was closely related to the different options of value picked by China and the Western countries.
The disadvantages of the Chinese traditional thinking handicapped military innovation.
The traditional thinking of China features strong philosophical theory and high fuzziness, and good at overall thinking but weak at precise analysis with more reasoning and less logic grounds. The traditional thinking of China contains rich and unique dialectical thinking with wide reference application and long-standing inspiration. However, these features also lead to its fuzziness and poor dividing lines. This undoubtedly would impact the development of military science and technology.
Hell, you don't need to develop technology - either steal it from the wide-open USA, or buy it from the Russians.
#2
Whats fascinating is the paths China and Japan took towards the latter half of the 19th century. The Japanese looked at the European powers and concluded it was the technology which gave them their global position. They sent out teams to various nations to copy good practices. The ruling clan adopted the French army model, soon switching over to the German after the Franco-Prussian War. Always go with a winner. The competing clan adopted the British Navy model. [The clan rivalry would permeate relations between the two services through the end of WWII]. All sorts of industrial practices were imported. They had seen the power and it was the guns and technology. That ability to adapt is still ingrained into the society today.
The Chinese, never willing to acknowledge that barbarians could ever be superior to the Devine Kingdom, observed and concluded that it was a failure of will. The culture, the state had been corrupted by not properly following the great traditions. They had seen the power and, for them, it was a failure of philosophy. Here we are nearly a hundred years plus from that period and as this posting show, there doesnt seem to be much of a change.
#3
What's reassuring about this article is that the problems he enumerates are inherent in the China's political system. They can't fix them without becoming something other than what they are.
#6
the politburo also has reasons for not wanting an all-powerful army as well. Better to reduce the numbers of unmarriageable men in any conflict than to lose sleep at night about disloyalty in a superior-armed military
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 11:49
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#7
China for most of those 2000 years was neither a unified nation nor as large as today. There is little to no innovation becuz China's CCCC/CCP is still end-producer, end-consumer, and final arbiter in any and all things. 2015-2018 > both Russia and China adhere that war against the USA and ONLY THE USA is both possible and desired. Do not forget that both Russia and China's desire for superiority over the hyper-power+ USA circa 2030 -2050 can only be realistically achieved iff something occurs which effectively hinders, stalls, or degrades America's ability to compete -unless something detrimental happens to America, then in reality both nations can expect not to achieve de facto parity or superiority against AMerica until circa 2080-2100 at minima. When Leftperst and the MSM describe the alleged reforms and modernizations taking place in these nations, they are generally aluding to when both nations will be militarily strong enough to combat a weakened or stalled SOCIALIST America.
Err... SERIOUSLY, has anyone here ever remember that particular bit in the "Watchmen" by Moore and Gibbons? Quite a weird coincidence... or perhaps Alan Moore is really good at his magick...
#6
There are earlier photos of this crater, I'm sure Moore and Gibbons knew about it. I admit, it was freaky the first time I saw a picture after having read Watchmen.
Refreshing read. Do the Us majority of RB readers agree with that optimism?
Ray Lyman
The U.S, military is the one great bargain that the American people still get and they are paying less for it now than at any time since Pearl Harbor. When President Eisenhower made his farewell speech in January 1961 warning of the influence of the military industrial establishment in America, defense spending was a whopping ten percent of the national GDP and almost 50 percent of the Federal budget. Today it is 3.7 percent of the GDP and 16 percent of the Federal budget. That's right. The Military budget for fiscal year 2006 is around 450 billion in a 2.7 trillion dollar Federal budget. You do the math. It is the ONLY part of the Federal budget that has actually shrunk in the last 20 years. Factoring inflation, Defense is a little more than half of what it was in 1990 before the Bush41/Clinton demobilization of the 1990s. That is reflected in the fact that the Navy has fewer than 300 ships in commision versus almost 600 in 1988 and 1200 in 1961 and the Air Force has reduced the number of its fighter wings from 35 to 20 in the same period and the Army has reduced its combat divisions from 16 to 10 and its manpower from 750,000 to fewer than half a million. That being said the military can do more now with less than at any other time in its history. It is indeed the most extraordinary fighting organization since Roman times, capable of logistical and power projection efforts that will continue to astonish the world in the 21st Century.
That is only part of the story, of course. The Defense budget of the United States is unlike any other in the world, with the possible exception that of Great Britain. More than 60 percent of it is devoted to personnel costs, everything from veterans pensions to child care for military families. The last Civil War widow to receive her pension died just a few years ago, so these costs are with us for a long, long time. It is estimated that we will be paying World War II pensions and costs until the middle of this century and Vietnam costs until the end of it. When the Army builds a school in Iraq or Afghanistan, and they have built more than a hundred of them, that is part of the Defense budget, when a U.S. military hospital is opened to Iraqi civilians and provides health care to thousands, that is part of the Defense budget, when a public park is created in the Presidio of San Francisco, that is part of the Defense budget, when food and medical supplies are brought to victims of the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, that is part of the Defense budget. Even aside from the hundreds of pork riders that are attached to the Defense appropriations, the Defense Department does many things that are not directly related to the national defense of the United States.
Now, if I may paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, we are engaged in a great conflict to determine whether a civilization commited to individual freedom and tolerance can long endure in the face of a challenge from a hostile civilization commited to its destruction. There are those who would say that this war is the result of our quest for empire and domination of others. If this is so, we are the most benign of history's empires for wherever our armies have marched they have brought freedom, an end to brutal oppression, usually prosperity and the first taste of justice that many people have ever experienced. We have not brought about perfect societies anywhere and until the Second Coming, I don't expect to see any. France is hardly a perfect society, beset with riots, high unemployment, anti-semitism, illegal immigration, Islamic radicalism, economic malaise and popular anti-American feelings. Does that mean we should not have mounted the Normandy invasion and sacrificed 90,000 American lives to liberate the country?
I have been critical of some American decisions in Iraq. For example, I think it was a strategic error to disband the Iraq Army after the fall of Baghdad. It takes the U.S. Army 20 years to train a man to lead a battalion in battle and it takes even longer to build an army from the ground up. That we have accomplished this much in just three years is an astonishment to me. We will probably be in that country for the rest of the decade and when we do leave, I do not expect that we will leave it looking like Switzerland, but the tyrant Saddam Hussein will by then be a fading memory and sectarian violence will probably have abated to the level of say India. Even, if I were to concede that the invasion of Iraq in and of itself was strategic error, and I do not, then it still would not diminish my conviction that victory in this great conflict against Islamic terrorism is essential to our national security and survival.
All of our wars from the Revolution to the present have been filled with sacrifices, disappointments and failures that have produced needless loss of life and treasure. One of the greatest Allied efforts of the Second World War could be characterized as such and I am speaking of an Italian resort city 30 miles south of Rome called Anzio. It was a conceived by Winston Churchill as a means to outflank the German defense line in Italy and capture Rome in a coup de main, but the results were far different. An Allied army larger than the coalition forces in Iraq today was bottled up on a small beachhead about the size of New York's Central Park for four months from January 22 to May 17, 1944. The U.S. Army suffered 29,000 casualties and the British about 9500 for virtually no result. The cost in munitions, vehicles and supplies must have been incalculable. Four times as many Americans died there in four months as have died in Iraq in three years. Yet today, no historian will say the war itself was a failure and a wasted sacrifice because Anzio was a failure. And because the Second World War did not produce a perfect world and universal peace and justice, we do not say it was not worth fighting. I suspect the same will be said about this great struggle.
Ther are those who see a future of bankruptcy and decline for America. As an investor and entrepreneur, I believe that is quite simply dead wrong. When Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower moved into the Whiet House the GDP of the United States was 358.6 billion in 1998 dollars and Federal spending was about 68 billion in 1998 dollars per year. In 2006 that GDP is projected to be in the 14 trillion dollar range and the Federal spending will be 2.7 trillion of that. No nation I can think of in recorded history has become wealthier to such an extent in such a short period. This does not mean we will not have recessions, housing bubbles, energy shortages, high deficits and fiscal crisis, but I think it means that only a fool will sell America short in the next century. General Motors may declare bankruptcy or employ far fewer workers, but KIA Motors, a butt-kicking South Korean auto manufacturer, has just anounced plans to open a plant in Atlanta that will employ 4500 people. This will always be the place to find opportunity and invest capital. The road to economic success will always be a rough road with plenty of pot holes, but the only things that can slow us down or stop us are more regulations and government management of the economy. As long as we embrace the free market, the economic success of our nation is assured. For that reason I am a happy American indeed.
"If Communist tyranny ever comes to America, it will be called fairness and social justice."
#1
Ray nails it. The dollar is strong because no military can beat us, thus making our dollar a secure investment. Making the dollar an even better investment is our commitment to free markets, freedom of thought, and the rule of law. Therefore, barring foolish changes of our own accord, we are the currency to buy, enabling us to finance our present government and military with bargain level deficit spending.
The only rule we must follow as we enjoy the international bankrolling of our government is this: we must continue to invest in improvements, be they technological, legal, or social. The market and its parallel, "the marketplace of ideas", will provide for most of that investment in improvement. A little advanced research will have to be the purview of the government.
#4
hmmm... I don't know much about this writer, but should this be filed under Someone Gets a Clue?
Sure, its optimistic but and he makes great points we rarely get to see in print, but I have a problem when someone tries to make a point with misleading information like this: The last Civil War widow to receive her pension died just a few years ago, so these costs are with us for a long, long time. It is estimated that we will be paying World War II pensions and costs until the middle of this century
He makes it sound like we've been paying mega bucks in civil war pensions up until recently, but there were just a very few child brides to very old soldiers left to pay. And most of the WWII pensions will not be left to pay into the middle of the next century, but again, very few.
And I don't get the last line either. So nice article thanks, but color me skeptical of the author.
#5
And God bless you and your family, HB. Thank you for your service!
-------
I'm with Lyman: I have CEASED to bitch about the Income taxes I have paid since 9/12/01. Chalk up another American happy about the performance of his nation's armed forces. God bless 'em all.
#6
It was a conceived by Winston Churchill as a means to outflank the German defense line in Italy and capture Rome in a coup de main, but the results were far different. An Allied army larger than the coalition forces in Iraq today was bottled up on a small beachhead about the size of New York's Central Park for four months from January 22 to May 17, 1944
The campaign at Anzio can't be discussed without the mention of its sister battle in Cassino, where "multinational" forces couldn't break through the defenses of several rivers and entrenched German forces that had been allowed to escape from Sicily. American Generals wee in sharp disagreement with Churchill on the value of "sucking resources" down to the medditeranean while the "real game"- the Normandy invasion, was being planned. It can be said that even if viewed as a "bad campaign", Anzio still kept the Nazi's logistiaccly tied up on a third front, as well as took the Italian Army out of play.
Anzio was signed off on by Eisenhower mostly to placate Churchill.
Via Instapundit Amid the digitized stream of compelling photographs from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are a few that are staged, fake or at least misleading. Photo editors struggle to filter them out.
Thanks to digital technology, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most photographed in history. Photographers with digital cameras have provided, almost instantaneously, an enormous flood of accurate, dramatic, and even shocking images to people around the world. But the daily downloads of news photos include some that are staged, fake, or so lacking in context as to be meaningless, despite the Western media's best efforts to separate the factual from the fictional.
On January 14, for example, shortly after unmanned U.S. aircraft fired missiles at several suspected leaders of Al Qaeda who were thought to be staying in the village of Damadola, Pakistan, Agence France-Presse distributed a picture said to be from the scene. AFP is based in Paris, and the picture was sent by one of its locally hired photographers, a stringer. The photo showed a piece of military equipment placed on a damaged stone wall, flanked by a solemn old man and a young boy. Another firm, Getty Images, also distributed the photo to picture editors at newspapers and magazines around the world. The New York Times published it in the paper's January 14 Web edition, and Time magazine ran the picture in its January 23 print edition, along with the caption "Detritus from the latest U.S. raid in Pakistan."
But the caption was wrong, the pose was staged, and the picture was, in essence, untrue. The initial AFP caption said that the military object was a piece of a missile from the U.S. strike. Later, AFP issued a correction, labeling the object an unexploded artillery shell.
...
It is not just photographers or their editors who can manipulate images. Terrorists anywhere, and insurgents in Iraq specifically, can and do manipulate photos for their own uses. In Iraq, insurgents have displayed and passed around, for example, pictures said to show U.S. soldiers raping Iraqi women. They have also circulated photos of "giant spiders" supposedly sent by Allah to save Falluja from the Americans. The pictures were, in fact, crude photocopies of an American soldier's souvenir photo of two connected solifugids, also known as camel spiders, which are native to Iraq. In the photo, a soldier was holding up the two connected arachnids before an audience of other soldiers, according to Nir Rosen, a writer and a fellow at the New America Foundation, who stayed with insurgents in Falluja.
"If you went into anyone's house in Falluja, they had pictures of it.... People believed," Rosen said of the camel spiders. In the photograph, the arachnids, which are about the size of a human hand, seem larger than life because the two look like one large insect and because the soldier's hand holding the creatures is unseen. Without the hand as a visual reference, viewers are prompted to compare the camel spiders' size to the soldier's leg in the background, making them look three or four feet long.
The supposed rape pictures were far more important, Rosen said. In a February article for The New York Times Magazine, Rosen quoted a Jordanian Islamist's testimony that the pictures helped to galvanize insurgent activity in Falluja. "In the beginning, [the Fallujans] had said to the insurgents, 'Go make jihad in your own country.' After the rape story, they said, 'OK, we want to start now, or tomorrow we will find our mothers or daughters or sisters raped.' This story exploded the resistance in Falluja. They called us for a meeting and said, 'You were right.'" Rosen told National Journal that the rape pictures resembled those now displayed on a Web site maintained by a radical U.S. Hispanic group, La Voz de Aztlan Communications Network. Go to the Aztlan web link at the sidebar. Read their lame explanation and tell me they are not traitors and should not hanged, drawn and quartered. The men in those pictures have their faces concealed, they are wearing a hodgepodge of military clothing, and they do not carry any weapons or equipment worn by U.S. soldiers. According to a January 2004 article in The Boston Globe, these rape photo claims were repeated in the Turkish Islamist press, possibly contributing to at least one suicide bomb attack in Turkey that killed 11 people. The State Department worked hard, and successfully, to rebut the claims. "It was such an obviously bogus story, we came out pretty well," said a spokesman for the American Embassy in Turkey. Since then, "the atmosphere here is much improved."
...
The problem sharpens when no Western reporter is on the scene, but a photographer, usually an Iraqi stringer, is. Photo editors, or even local Western bureau chiefs, have trouble judging the veracity of the images that come from such an event. Last October, for example, The Washington Post printed a striking image of four caskets, purportedly containing dead women and children, and a line of mourning men on a flat desert plain outside the town of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The photo, provided by the Associated Press, accompanied an article that began this way:
"A U.S. fighter jet bombed a crowd gathered around a burned Humvee on the edge of a provincial capital in western Iraq, killing 25 people, including 18 children, hospital officials and family members said Monday. The military said the Sunday raid targeted insurgents planting a bomb for new attacks.
...
In December, The Post did a follow-up story about the differences in accounts of civilian casualties in Anbar province during the U.S. Marine offensive there. Ellen Knickmeyer, The Post's Baghdad bureau chief, who wrote both the October and December stories, went back to the Marine Corps, whose officials insisted that the October air raid had not killed civilians but had in fact destroyed a cell of insurgents responsible for setting off roadside bombs. The December story included this passage: "Analysis of video footage shot by the plane showed only what appeared to be grown men where the bomb struck, [Marine Col. Michael] Denning said. After the airstrike, he said, roadside bombs in the area 'shut down to almost nothing. That was a good strike, and we got some people who were killing a lot of people,' Denning said."
...
In an interview, Santiago Lyon, AP's New York-based, Irish-born, director of photography, said of AP photographers in Iraq and Afghanistan, "For the most part, they were journalists before the war." i.e. Saddam's Mulhabarat agents that kept tabs on Western journalists are now employed by them. When checking into prospective employees' bona fides, he said, AP applies "the same standards as we apply to the rest of the world." Once a stringer is employed, "we make it very clear that we expect them to maintain journalistic standards" and to act professionally, even under possible pressure from family and friends. Lyon said he did not know of any episodes where AP editors had fired stringers for improper behavior or rejected their photos as staged or fake.
...
In 2005, the U.S. military announced that it had arrested an Iraqi stringer for CBS, whose videotapes showed his presence at several bomb strikes against U.S. forces. The cameraman was acquitted on all charges on April 5 by an Iraqi court after being held at Abu Ghraib prison for exactly a year. The exact charges were never made public, but the U.S. military accused him of siding with insurgents. When hiring locals, "you look for recommendations from people you have worked with ... and you make the best judgment you can," said CBS spokeswoman Sandy Genelius.
Clearly, terrorists and insurgents know the value of images. In an undated letter from Osama bin Laden to the Taliban's leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, bin Laden wrote about how important the media was in Al Qaeda's war with the West. "It is obvious that the media war in this century is one of the strongest methods; in fact, its share may reach 90 percent of the total preparation for battles." The translated letter was provided by the U.S. Army's Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point.
Baz said that, today, unlike in wars past, journalists are constantly pressured to choose sides, and that many combatants on either side don't believe that journalistic neutrality exists. This wartime pressure on photographers is "terrible," Baz said. "It is absolutely unbelievable that you are automatically branded East or West, Muslim or Christian, and you have [to] go on one side or the other." The Post's Elbert echoed the lament: "We're part of the story, and that's wrong."
Still, the flawed, faked, and staged photos are only a small slice of the daily download. Harried editors and photo directors will continue trying to filter them out, yet inevitably they won't catch them all. Read it all.
Posted by: ed ||
04/11/2006
01:40 ||
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#1
Q. What do the following have in common:
MSM editors with photos that make the US or Military or Bush look bad, and...
Teenage boys with nudie magazines of girls with big hooters.
A:
They both get excited over the photos, and they dont care if they are fake.
#4
They have also circulated photos of "giant spiders" supposedly sent by Allah to save Falluja from the Americans."If you went into anyone's house in Falluja, they had pictures of it.... People believed.
Just as I expected.. it was a fake photo! - have the natives stopped pointing at planes yet btw?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
04/11/2006 4:48
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#5
Of just as much interest are the real photos they suppress.
#3
Nope, it still proves global warming is real. Honest. Don't let the coolest ever temps fool you into thinking it's not. I mean, Time Magazine wouldn't have put it on their cover if it wasn't like a definite scientific fact.
#4
The oceans have recorded lower than normal temps as well. What the 'experts' don't care about is that the earth is a system. There is transference of energy. And the biggest generator of change is the Sun, which by the way has begun exhibiting changes itself. Don't pay any attention to the solar astronomers. See here, its all Bush's fault.
#5
It's all the Sun's fault. The Sun should be worshipped. That's why we lay down at night and stand up in the day. Ancient Sun worship ritual.
It could even explain morning wood.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 21:29
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#14
alGORE has an explaination for this warmness that we're all feeling...(it's a sense of entitlement thing; you wouldn't understand). Understandably, Al never got the concept of Morning Wood.
"Tomorrow night, God willing and thanks to imam Reza, a news would reach the Iranian people making everybody happy", Irans mystical President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nezhad promised on Monday.
Speaking to families of martyrs and benevolent people in the holly city of Mash-had, the capital city of the north-eastern Khorasan Razavi province, the President said "after people heard the complete news, they must pray because time for thanksgiving (the Almighty) has arrived", according to the official news agency IRNA. the good news is related to Iran's achievement of uranium enrichment at 3.5 percent.
Though Mr. Ahmadi Nezhad did not revealed the nature of that great news, but informed sources speculated that he might announce the completion by Iranian scientist of the full nuclear cycle by enriching uranium up to 3.5 per cent, which is the required level for non military purposes of nuclear energy.
Earlier, the Iranian internet news service "Irannews" quoted lawmakers as having said that Mr. Ahmadi Nezhad would announce in the coming days that Iran has enriched uranium to 3.5 per cent, "thus opening the doors of the Atomic Club to our country".
The hard line daily "Jomhouri-e Eslami" (Islamic Republic) that belong to Ayatollah Ali Khamenehi said "the good news is related to Iran's achievement of uranium enrichment at 3.5 percent and creating a laboratory platform that will register Iran in the club of nuclear fuel countries".
"Thanks to the resistance and sacrifices of the martyrs families, today enemies cant do a damn thing against us and they knows that, he said, referring to a famous phrase of the leader of the Islamic Revolution Grand Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeiny saying in one of his speeches that "America cant do a damn thing against the Islamic Republic" (amrika hic qalati nemitavanad bekonad).Thanks. I was wondering how that sounds in Farsi.
The announcement, -- in case the speculations are correct --, would come as a response to press reports that the White House is seriously considering the option of a pre-emptive air attack on Irans military and nuclear centres.
"The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack. Current and former American military and intelligence officials said that Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups. The officials say that President Bush is determined to deny the Iranian regime the opportunity to begin a pilot program, planned for this spring, to enrich uranium", wrote the respected investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in the "New Yorker Magazine" to appear on 17 April.
The news, if announced as expected, would also concide with a possible visit to Tehran due this week by the general director of the international nuclear watchdog (IAEA) Mohammad El-Baradei in an effort to persuade the Iranians to comply with the United Nations Security Councils demand from Tehran to halt all nuclear activities.
In its last session, the UNSC called unanimously on Iran to suspend all its atomic activities and gave Mr. El-Baradei one month to report on Tehrans compliance with the demand.
But Tehran responded immediately that it would not bow to a decision that it regards as illegal and would continue with research and development programmes that includes enriching uranium.
"They know that they cant do anything. They (the Security Councils 15 members) have given themselves 30 days. That Iran stops what?. From its right? We are the only country that all our activities are under the surveillance of the IAEA and they lie saying we have faulted. We have a legal right written by them and we progress according to the same laws. If one must be prevented (from nuclear technology) it is they, not us" Mr. Ahmadi Nezhad told a crowd chanting "Death to America. Nuclear technology is our right".
Repeating that Iran was not after nuclear weapons, he nevertheless reiterated that on the nuclear issue, he would not "step back one iota from the right of the Iranian nation".
#1
Well, not good news, but on a wierd sort of level, I have to admire the way the Iranians just smack around the all knowing "gobal intellectual elites" who are always there to defend them. They are RFSP, we all know it, why bother to pretend that they aren't, and they they will still be there to get smacked around again tomorrow no matter what you do to embarass them.
#5
His hag wife has made similar pronouncements before and nothing ever came of them. I only hope that the only reason they would want him is so that Mr Eitan could follow through with what she says he would have wished to do had he sought asylum in the Israeli Embassy.
#6
when he came across information vital to Israel's security that was not being transferred to the Jewish state - contrary to an intelligence-sharing agreement between the U.S. and Israel.
Dont you just love the Pollard fairy tale.
Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard and loved his country. Unfortunately he was actually employed by another country. Then one day, while working for that other country, he just happened to stumble upon some information that would forever change his life. This information, that just materialized out of the blue, made the man very confused and sad. You see this information was about yet another country wanting to do bad things to the country he loved. He was sad because he thought his employer country and the country he loved were friends. So one day he
And the moral of the story is Rot in Prison, you treasonous traitor bastard
#7
Let me see if I have this straight. A US Citizen, traitorous spy who should have faced a firing squad is being considered for release due to the appeals of a foreign government? Very interesting concept. If this is true (which I have some doubts), I suspect POTUS popularity will slip from 36% to somewhere near 3%.
#9
Blondie's right, Mrs. Pollard has floated this turd in the punchbowl before and nobody wanted to touch it. The wife ought to be glad she isn't sharing a cell with her husband.
#10
"Mrs. Pollard said about Eitan today. She charged that Eitan once said that if he were present when Pollard tried to find asylum in the Israeli Embassy, he would have 'shot him in the head, thus ending the Pollard affair before it even began.'"
The government's decision to replace salesmen with Saudi saleswomen at lingerie shops will be implemented in two phases, according to Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, deputy labor minister for planning and development.
I'm that's going to break the hearts of hundreds of young Soddy men dreaming of retail careers or comely bosoms.
Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, he said the sales jobs at lingerie shops along the streets, central markets and major shopping centers would be restricted to Saudi women starting on June 18.
"We've had too many cases of young fellers with their eyeballs popped out their heads..."
In the second phase set to begin next year, sales jobs at shops of abayas and women's readymade dresses will be restricted to Saudi women, the Saudi Press Agency quoted Al-Humaid as saying. The ministry has appointed 30 women officials in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to implement the Council of Ministers' decision.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/11/2006
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This beggars the question of how a particular young gentleman is supposed to acquire some silk knickers as a gift for his beloved. Nothing I'd really like to have my sister's help with, as it were.
LAHORE: There is little doubt of the governments involvement in the spread of sectarianism after the rally organised by the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) in Islamabad recently, which apparently had the full support of the administration, said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday.
In case you were asleep at the time, Perv decided that SSP could rehabilitate themselves, provided they kept a low profile. They responded by staging a big rally and calling for world domination...
The HRCP had been saying for a long time now that the government had played a direct role in the spread of intolerance and militancy, demonstrated by the latest SSP meeting, said HRCP Secretary General Syed Iqbal Haider in a statement on Monday.
It's that assumption of subtlety and slickness on the part of the oligarchy running Pakland. They're continuously trying to play both ends against the middle — the devious game being the preferred game, whether it's called for or not.
Literature preaching jihad and hatred against Shias was openly distributed at the rally last Friday and discs of American soldiers being beheaded in Iraq were sold as hundreds of policemen looked on. Organisers thanked the Islamabad administration for allowing the rally under floodlights at a bus depot, he added.
But that's okay, because then they went back to their mosques to hatch plots to subvert the same Islamabad administration. All parties share that fondness for the devious game...
He said it was shocking that such a rally had been allowed when other political activists from mainstream parties, journalists and citizens had been stopped from holding peaceful gatherings.
I don't know that I'd say I was shocked. Tired, maybe...
Nobody was arrested and the gathering was not stopped despite the blatant violation of laws against inciting violence, he added. It is obvious that there will be no end to extremism and hatred in society while official policies promote such things.
Like I said, it's policy to keep as many groups at each other's throats as possible. That way no single group becomes strong enough to displace the oligarchs...
"In the past too, religious leaders have been able to spread terror in major cities and the state machinery has looked on, he said, adding that the pledges for enlightened moderation were only for foreign audience. He said that citizens were suffering from violence triggered by sectarian groups, which was spreading across the country and affecting the lives of millions of people adversely.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/11/2006
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discs of American soldiers being beheaded in Iraq ???
Are Pakistani Islamists playing dress up and removing heads of their underlings? Must be tough being an actor in the Paki film biz.
Posted by: ed ||
04/11/2006 0:23
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A decision by the Iranian government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad not to move the clocks ahead at the beginning of spring this year has caused immense problems and irritation for Iranians.
For the first time in 15 years, the government unexpectedly announced that it was not changing to daylight saving time. The reason, said a government spokesman, Gholamhossein Elham, was that the cabinet had concluded that making the change had not led to energy savings in past years.
But to hedge its bets, the government decided that schools and government offices would start their day at 7 a.m. instead of the usual 8 a.m.
Energy experts dispute the cabinet's conclusion, predicting that the decision is going to cost the government $3.3 billion in extra energy costs, the ISNA state press agency reported.
The decision has also caused widespread inconvenience and anger. Many people traveling abroad have missed their flights, confused about what time the planes were actually leaving. Government employees have showed up late at work. Businessmen who work with foreign companies must try to recalculate the time difference. Many parents are having a hard time adjusting their working hours to their children's new school time.
"I used to drop my son at school, go to work, and pick him up at 1:30 when I left my office," said Nassim Aradalan, a dentist and the mother of a 9-year-old. "Our schedule is a mess now. I go to the office one hour early, but I cannot leave an hour early to pick him up at 12:30."
Saeed Leylaz, an economist and political analyst, said the energy cost of not making the change, which the government has brushed off as insignificant, was equal to three days of Iranian oil revenues. "Ahmadinejad just wants to do something different and does not care about its costs and consequences," he said.
The populace is getting a clue. Stalin used to do similar things to assert his power.
The public welfare minister, Parviz Kazemi, said the government had in mind the 20 million Iranian farmers when it decided not to move to daylight saving time.
"They usually start their work with the daylight, and changing the time does not affect their lives," the daily newspaper Shargh quoted him as saying. But opponents of the decision have contended that the government has ignored the benefits of the change for 18 million students and others.
Quite the contrary - this is a hostile move against the urban population who are most likely to oppose Ahmadinejad.
#3
"...schools and government offices would start their day at 7 a.m. instead of the usual 8 a.m."
Don't underestimate Ahmadinejad's wisdom. DST is clearly a Crusader and Zionist plot to attack Islam. Hah...he just changes the schedules to accomodate his decision. He is one crafty SOB!
#4
In other news....Indiana follows Ahmadinejad's lead:
Effective April 2, 2006, Indiana will no longer be counted as one of three states which do not Spring ahead from "standard" to "daylight saving" time or Fall back from daylight to standard six months later. The Indiana Legislature voted to approve Daylight Saving Time for Indiana and to petition the US Department of Transporation to hold hearings to determine the location of the dividing line between the Eastern and Central time zones, relative to Indiana.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday that the government was working on a comprehensive plan to tap the tourism potential of the country including simplifying visa and other travel procedures for tourists wanting to visit in the northern areas.
He was talking to Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili sect, who called on him at the Prime Minister House. Aziz said that Pakistan had a lot of potential for tourism and necessary facilities were being made to facilitate tourists. He said plans were underway to offer tourist packages for Gandhara and the northern areas to attract more tourists. Investment and business opportunities in the country were also discussed during the meeting. The PM said that numerous investment opportunities had been created as a result of the government's investor-friendly policies. He referred to the construction of a new airport, which would resume flights to Islamabad.
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I wouldn't visit Pakistan even if the Aga Khan gave me his entire net worth....
The Pakistani government defended on Monday a decision to forcibly retire (retrench) an air force officer who refused to trim his beard on religious grounds, Reuters reported. Squadron Leader Mohsin Hayat Ranjha was retired in October and four of his colleagues were grounded for violating a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) dress code that allows trimmed beards, but bars long beards on the grounds they pose a safety risk. "There is no ban on any Pakistan Air Force personnel of any rank keeping a beard, but there has to be a limit to the length of a beard," Tanveer Hussain Syed, parliamentary secretary for defence, told parliament after an MMA legislator raised the issue.
Oxygen masks worn by airmen flying at high altitude can malfunction as a result of beards being too bushy, Syed said, after Islamist politician Liaquat Baluch accused the air force of enforcing un-Islamic rules.
Syed said Ranjha was asked to trim his facial hair as a long beard made it difficult to fix the mask tightly on the face, which could be dangerous for both the pilot and the machine. "He not only refused to do it, in violation of the dress code of a PAF officer, but he also incited others to grow similar beards." PAF spokesman Air Commodore Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan confirmed Ranjha had been forced into early retirement and that the cases
Posted by: Fred ||
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The devout don't need no stinkin' oxygen.
Posted by: ed ||
04/11/2006 0:28
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Guess than rules out the women.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/11/2006 0:33
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Anyway, I seem to remember that beards are a big no-no in standard armed forces, since they interfere with gas mask and the likes, as illustrated here. Plus this guy clearly keeps it because he's a fundie, and a proselyter as well.
The devout don't need no stinkin' oxygen.
Yeah, allan will take care of that if you're holy enough. It's written in the koran(tm), somewhere.
#9
"you can keep the beard, we'll just have to do a tracheotomy"
I'll take "stupid islamic scholars" for $500, Alex. Wonder if they let the firefighters wear long beards - same problems with face masks
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/11/2006 11:53
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Also, for ground support personal, long beards can get caught in the jet turbines. Makes a mess and it takes a while and a lot of money to fix the engine.
#11
Oh yes, let the fundies keep their beards and play with chemical weapons at the same time. The face seal on any protective mask is dependent on contact with skin. If Pakis want to enforce the no-beards rule, make the fundies do daily tours of a CS gas training facility with their beards and masks, and make them go into the live gas room each time.
Israeli occupation troops have barred the Palestinian police commander Alaa Hosni from heading to the west Bank. Palestinian police sources who requested anonymity told KUNA the Israeli authorities refused to grant a permission for Hosni to cross the Erez checkpoint. Israeli authorities said Palestinian police headed by Hosni is officially linked to the interior ministry, which is controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement of Hamas, said the sources, adding that the Israeli decision applies to all Palestinian security officials.
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"Sorry, no terrorists allowed."
"But I'm a PA OFFICIAL!"
"Official, unofficial - who cares? Chuck you, Farley."
A letter from the Hamas-led government referring to a "two-state solution" - a phrase implying acceptance of Israel has become an official UN document despite a disavowal by the Palestinian foreign minister.
Yep. It's got a stamp and a seal on it now. There's no possible way they can back out, right?
The United Nations has not received any retractions or corrections of the letter that Mahmoud al-Zahar, the Palestinian foreign minister, wrote earlier this month to Kofi Annan, the world body chief. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer, told reporters on Monday: "The letter is obvious. It says what it says. It is now an official UN document." When Mansour distributed an unofficial translation on April 4, al-Zahar told reporters in Gaza that the wrong version had been sent to the UN and produced another one without references to the two-state solution.
Posted by: Fred ||
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"...a "two-state solution" - a phrase implying acceptance of Israel..."
Sure. One state-Palestine, from the river to the sea; the other state-Israel, from the Rhein to the Danube.
Turkish security personnel found on Monday a time bomb placed on a bus used for transportation of judges and arbitrators who work in the district of Bay Oglu in this city, Anatolia news agency reported. It quoted security sources as saying that the driver, after dropping the judges at their work places, found the bomb concealed in a bag and hidden behind his seat.
"Hmmm... What's this baggy behind the seat?"
The bomb was attached to wires and a battery. The driver, who reported to the police, was questioned.
"Hey! That's my seat they left it behind!"
The tourist city last week witnessed a bomb blast that damaged an identical bus and wounded six of its occupants. Authorities blame Kurdish activists for many such attacks in the country. Southeastern Turkey has recently witnessed violent confrontations between the Turkish government troops and activists of the PKK, an outlawed Kurdish group that advocates independence from the Turkish mainland.
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Justice Amir Hani Muslim, an anti-terrorism court judge, remanded another of Akhtar Mengal's servants to police custody on charges of kidnapping two army officials and keeping them in illegal confinement. Ghulam Qadir, arrested on Saturday, could not be produced before court because of the holiday on Sunday. Three other servants of Akhtar Mengal, the Balochistan National Party chief, were remanded to police custody on the same charges on Friday. After going through the remand report, Justice Amir Hani gave accused Ghulam Qadir in police custody on physical remand till April 14.
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An Iraqi Lieutenant was injured in Kirkuk Sunday while trying to liberate a hostage from his kidnappers, a police source said. The source told KUNA unknown gumnen kidnapped an Iraqi civilian from the industrial neighborhood in Kirkuk. But during clashes with the police force, he added, Lieutenant Idriss Mahmoud was injured and was taken to hospital. The kidnappers managed to escaped the scene, said the source.
Meanwhile, a force from the Iraqi and coalition troops arrested 10 suspected terrorists near Kirkuk in Northern Iraq. A source at the emergency police told KUNA one of the arrestees was a leader of a terrorist cell called the "Islamic Army."
In Nasiriya in Southern Iraq, the Iraqi forces captured scores of former baathists and foreigners suspected of committing terrorist actions. The apprehension campaign was based on intelligence information about the whereabouts of the suspected terrorists, whose number is unknown.
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LAHORE: Clerics should follow and propagate the Islamic principles of tolerance and restraint, said Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi during the Provincial Seerat Conference on Monday.
We keep hearing this song. I think it's in the Islamic Top Ten.
He said it was a matter of concern that patience and forgiveness had vanished from Pakistani society.
... to be replaced by foaming at the mouth and periodic carnage. I'd call that a matter of concern, but then I'm not a holy man.
He said sectarianism was dangerous for Pakistan and urged clerics to play their role to eliminate the menace.
He can say that with a straight face after the SSP hoedown last week.
Elahi said that Islam was a religion of peace and it did not allow anyone to impose his ideology on others.
... unless they're already Muslims, in which case they must be killed if they decide to become Lutherans or something. Or unless they're infidels, in which case they're fair game for despoiling.
He said it was unfortunate that Islam was being presented as a religion of extremism, which was because Muslims had not been able to project their religion in its true perspective.
I'm sure they've been trying, but we haven't noticed it through the gunfire and explosions. Probably our fault, y'know...
He said that Prophet Muhammads (may his drip clear up peace be upon him) life was a practical manifestation of Islamic teachings and it was an article of faith for Muslims to follow the Holy Prophets (ptui pbuh) teachings.
... which is why good Islamists like to diddle little girls and despoil their neighbors.
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At least two people were killed and 20 injured when a powerful bomb exploded in a barber shop in Kohlu, some 300 kilometres east of Quetta, on Monday morning. A bakery and an adjacent flat were completely destroyed, said Akbar Marri, the district administrative officer. He said that a levies constable was killed on the spot and another man died on the way to hospital. Marri said that seven suspects had been arrested, including a man who was seen running from the spot after the incident.
Meanwhile, the Frontier Corps seized heavy weapons from a town located near Loralai district some 130 km northeast of Quetta. About 300 missiles, rockets, mortars and other weapons were seized and three suspects arrested from the spot. Also, a Frontier Corp's vehicle struck a remote-controlled explosives device in Mand injuring three soldiers. Locals said that at least five men were injured. Three were admitted in the hospital and two were discharged later.
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The Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet Division yesterday sentenced two people to 31 and 17 years' rigorous imprisonment in two sensational arms and explosives cases. The convicts are Rajkanta Dev Barma alias Sunil Chowdhury of Srimangal and Hamir Dev Barma of Komolganj upazila of Moulvibazar district.
The cases were filed following a gunfight between criminals and a joint team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) at a bordering village in Komolganj that left six people killed on May 27 last year. Rajkanta and Hamir Dev were arrested from the spot. The BDR and Rab raided the area suspecting that a group of Indian criminals gathered there. They seized one sub-machine gun, six grenades, four wireless sets, 134 bullets, three mobile phones and some Bangladeshi and Indian currencies from the spot. Judge Biplob Goswami sentenced Rajkanta to 31 years and Hamir Dev to 17 years in jail.
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I'm surprised they lasted to stand trial. No early morning recovery of weapons caches?
#2
The Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet Division yesterday sentenced two people to 31 and 17 years' rigorous imprisonment in two sensational arms and explosives cases.
RAB in black robes?
The cases were filed following a gunfight between criminals and a joint team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) at a bordering village in Komolganj that left six people killed on May 27 last year. Rajkanta and Hamir Dev were arrested from the spot. The BDR and Rab raided the area suspecting that a group of Indian criminals gathered there.
Must be a greenhorn RAB unit: they made the mistake of searching the area AT THE TIME OF ARREST, instead of waiting until 0200 hours.
That the Palestinian Authority coffers register empty since Hamas took office is due to two causes:
1. The Persian Gulf donors including Saudi Arabia are holding back promised funds not because they object to a Hamas government but because of a sanctified tradition, whereby pledges are an expression of goodwill but do not have to be fully translated into every dollar and cent and certainly not in haste.
2. The American and European clampdown has made the banks which until now handled Palestinian Authority finances wary of carrying out transfers. The Arabian Bank which is owned by a Jordanian Palestinian family and the Bank of Cairo fear their branches in the United States and other countries may be shut down in reprisal for handling the accounts of a terrorist organization.
Even so, the Palestinian treasury needs not be insolvent. The Palestine Investment Fund PIF set up to conceal and invest the funds Yasser Arafat diverted from international donations to the Palestinian people is now in the hands of Mahmoud Abbas.
The capital is estimated at $1.2-1.4 billion and its monthly yield counted in tens of millions.
However, Abu Mazen, who holds the key to this hoard, will not hand over a single dollar until Hamas recognizes not Israel, but the Palestinian Liberation Organization as the paramount authority of the Palestinian people. Abu Mazen argues the PIF belongs to the PLO and he may not release funds to an organization that refuses to recognize its authority.
In the unresolved tug-o-war over supreme authority over Palestinian government institutions, Abbas is also using the fund to put the squeeze on Hamas. He wants to be recognized as top boss of Palestinian government rather than Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya. He also insists on acceptance of his role as the commander of the Palestinian security and intelligence services not the Hamas interior minister, Said Siam.
On the face of it, the economic blockade policy initiated by the Bush administration and Israels new leaders Ehud Olmert and foreign minister Tzipi Livni, is working. They believe Hamas will be cornered into coming up to scratch - recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting all previous PLO and PA accords.
However, Hamas may be financially distressed, but its leaders believe they still have several weeks to play with before the crunch. For the time being, Israel may talk tough and even crack down on terror, but it has not switched off the flow of fuel, fuel products, electricity, water and medicines to the Gaza Strip free of charge for now.
Hamas is managing to avoid spending any money on government administration. Its tacticians plan to foist the payroll on Abu Mazen, who they say cannot both claim to be top man in the Palestinian Authority and duck responsibility for its personnels paychecks.
In other words, while the US, Europe and Israel hope the financial standoff will raise Abbas standing with the Palestinian public, Hamas is blackening his name accusing him of acting as a collaborator in the schemes of Washington and Jerusalem to hobble elected Palestinian government. In a matter of weeks, they believe Abbas will be forced to come to Haniya, cap in hand.
#1
Reason #3 - Radical Iran is making its prelim moves toward reviving the Persian Empires, at least REGIONALLY within the lifetime of the present generations, to includ providing support for HAMAS' agenda. For non-Iranian/non-Shia Muslim nations To support HAMAS and other IRAN-supp groups is to help ensure Iran's desire for future final domination.
#3
The Persian Gulf donors including Saudi Arabia are holding back promised funds not because they object to a Hamas government but because of a sanctified tradition, whereby pledges are an expression of goodwill but do not have to be fully translated into every dollar and cent and certainly not in haste.
Too funny. Arabs are like our own liberals. It's all about an expression of solidarity. Words need not be followed by actions. As long as they express solidarity they feel they can feel the love and wash their hands. "I've got your back" just means I'll give you a thumbs up and head for the back door if you actually need me for anything.
#4
The Palestine Investment Fund PIF set up to conceal and invest the funds Yasser Arafat diverted from international donations to the Palestinian people is now in the hands of Mahmoud Abbas.
PIF combined capital funding: About 1.5 billionUSD.
Mahmud Abbas annual salary: Whatever he can lay his hands on.
However, Abu Mazen, who holds the key to this hoard, will not hand over a single dollar until Hamas recognizes not Israel, but the Palestinian Liberation Organization as the paramount authority of the Palestinian people.
Choking the sh!t economic lifeblood out of your political adversaries while not even complying with direct promises made to the international community.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/11/2006 17:14
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"you keep your damn hands off MY money! It's mine! I earned it with a Turkey Baster! That disgusting old bisexual man wasn't gonna touch me..no way!
#3
Its a real risk where I'm at in Stockton (pretty much at the heart of San Joaquin Valley). The levees here are actually near the breaking point. A couple of days ago they said it would only take a few more days of straight rain to break some of them.
#4
Yeah. We have family in the SF Bay area, friends who suffered mudslides along Calif. 1 and in the Santa Cruz mountains etc. etc. in years past. We're concerned ....
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday that the government would hold no more talks with Nawab Akbar Bugti to resolve the Balochistan issue. The government will be in control of the troubled areas of the province within a couple of months, the minister told reporters in Parliament House. He said members of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army had been arrested and they had confessed their crimes.
"They have admitted that they were involved in targeting important national installations and bomb blasts for which they were being paid," Ahmed said, adding that they also admitted they were working for Nawab Akbar Bugti. He said that the government banned the BLA only after it gathered sufficient evidence that the group was involved in terrorist activities.
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BUJUMBURA - Burundi has turned down more than 95 per cent of applications from Rwandan asylum seekers who fled their country rather than face local courts trying suspects in the 1994 genocide, officials said on Monday.
Interior Minister Evariste Ndayishimiye said that of the 1,290 people whose applications had been checked by a national commission, only 59 were eligible, representing 4.6 per cent. The rest, representing more than 95 per cent of the cases, do not have sufficient grounds to be accorded refugee status, they were thus rejected, Ndayishimiye told reporters. Therefore, Burundi will soon organise the return of these Rwandan nationals to their country in dignity and security, he added.
Since last year, thousands of Rwandans have fled to Burundi after grassroots courts known as gacaca began hearings in the trials of suspects in the countrys 1994 massacre that claimed some 800,000 lives. According to the UN refugee agency, up to 20,000 of them, many from the majority Hutu tribe, have fled to Burundi.
Ndayishimiye said that the rejection of the asylum applications was not political. It is not for political reasons that there are few people eligible, he said. This work has been carried out by a joint government and UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) technical committee ... there was no pressure.
Last month, Rwandan military chief James Kabarebe said that the refugees were being manipulated by Rwandan rebels operating from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and accused of participating in the 1994 genocide.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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Burundi like Rwanda is ruled by Tutsi and its governemnt is unlikely to have much sympathy to anyone associated or even suspected to having the slightest sympathy for the genociders
NEW DELHI - The US Congress was likely to pass a landmark nuclear energy deal with India, but the vote might be delayed until January after the American midterm elections, a leading senator said on Monday.
Chuck Hagel, chairman of the U.S. Senates Foreign Relations Sub-Committee, told a news conference in the Indian capital he expected the deal would ultimately be approved without amendments. Its conceivable that this would have to be put off until the beginning of the next Congress which would be January next year, he said, adding that he hoped for a vote before the end of the year. Im confident that Congress will vote for it.
The nuclear civil cooperation deal, agreed on a visit to India by President George W. Bush last month, would allow New Delhi to buy foreign nuclear technology for the first time in 30 years, despite its refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. But the deal must be approved by the US Congress, where it has met significant opposition.
Indian lobbyists say that some Democrats, who have raised objections to the deal, could be playing for time. Although they favour stronger relations between the two countries, the Democrats are reluctant to hand Bush a foreign policy coup so close to the November elections, lobbyists say.
Since they really don't have anything to offer in the election.
One sticking point has been Indias insistence that it will continue to do business with Iran, a country accused by Washington of sponsoring terrorism.
Senator Hagel said that questions about Indias relationship with Iran were legitimate, but they would not become a condition of the United States accepting the deal. The President of the US signed an agreement with the Prime Minister of India -- that is what we are evaluating. No additions, no subtractions, no amendments, he said.
Senator Hagel, a Republican, would not say what his own initial reservations about the deal were, but said they had since been addressed. I think strategically it represents one of the most thoughtful new approaches to foreign policy in maybe 25 years, he said of the deal.
That and GWB's unwillingness to tolerate a 'realist' approach to foreign policy that leaves people suffering under thugs.
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The UN has neither affirmed nor denied a report that first appeared in a New York newspaper that a raid had been carried out on behalf of the UN at Ashraf Jehangir Qazi's office or residence in Baghdad in connection with charges of corruption.
This article kind of sings sweet harmony with the Kosovo UN corruption article, doesn't it?
The UN secretary general's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, at his daily press briefing on Monday, would not comment when asked more than once if any such raid had been carried out at the residence or office of Qazi, who is the secretary general's special representative in Iraq. He said the UN "routinely" investigates all allegations of corruption or mismanagement. The spokesman also praised Qazi, who, according to him, had the secretary general's complete confidence as his work was appreciated, being done under very difficult circumstances.
"So it's only fair that he gets to wet his beak a little now and then, okay?"
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MULTAN: Another case of Vani has come to light as four unborn girls have been pledged to this cruel tradition on the orders of a local council (jirga) held in Sadar police precincts in Dera Ghazi Khan on Friday (April 7).
I'll admit, those are the youngest child brides I've ever heard of...
Eight years ago, three cousins Abdul Karim, Noor Bakhsh and Faqeer Muhammad gunned down Hussain Bakhsh.
He probably deserved it...
The court sentenced a life term imprisonment to Noor Bakhsh and acquitted Abdul Karim and Faqeer Muhammad giving them benefit of doubt.
"I dunnit and I'm glad!"
"What my client means, yer honor, is that even though the decedent is perforated from head to foot, the prosecution can't prove that any of them bullet holes wuz produced by him!"
"Hokay. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But don't let it happen again!"
Around the same time, former nazim of Fort Munro, Hamid Khan Zanglani, Aslam Qaimani and Muhammad Ali Qaimani held the jirga and decided that the accused party would offer six girls as Vani, Rs 3.5 million and property worth Rs 5.5 million as compensation.
Oh, yasss... I'm sure that Hussain Bakhsh was worth every rupee. He was an estimable man, with a large turban. He always kept his weapons clean. Except for that last incident, of course...
These were the terms for reconciliation. According to the decision made by the jirga, girls that would be born in the house of Imam Bakhsh, father of Noor Bakhsh, Riaz Muhammad, Jan Muhammad, Abdul Karim and Ali Haider would be given to the family of the murdered man. On Friday, Hamid Zanglani, Ahmad Ali, Aslam Qaimani and others held another jirga and decreased the number of girls from six to four.
But they added a Buck knife and a goat, so it all worked out even...
When contacted, District Police Officer Salman Chaudhry said, "It was not in my knowledge nor any complaint or report was received by the police station. However we would investigate the case because now Vani is a cognisable offence."
"Not that we cognizate on it very often..."
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At 6 4 girls, Rs 3.5 million in cash and Rs 5.5 million in property, ol' Hussain Bakhsh was valuable. What's the chance he was gunned down by his own family, as in "Why, you're worth more dead than alive Hussain. Hey that give me an idea!"
#2
What kind of Buck knife? I've just bought one, very slick looking and sharp, but it has some (slight) bladeplay. And is the goat a virgin?
Damn, I'm not sure decreasing the vani number was a good thing after all.
And anyway, the grooms will have to wait 9 years before consumating the marriage, what will they do in the meantime?
Oh, yeah... the goat... now I get it.
#5
A5089, I don't why you go on about your English. That was clever and funny in a subtle way.
Yeah, I'm very good at hinted bestiality, me being from the country and all.
European foreign ministers reviewed options for steps against Iran for the first time on Monday, including possible visa bans and financial sanctions if Tehran presses on with sensitive nuclear activity. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who drafted a confidential options paper for the 25 ministers, and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw insisted it was just a contingency-planning exercise and sanctions were not imminent. The ministers appealed to Iran in a statement to comply with UN calls to suspend all nuclear enrichment-related activities and reaffirmed their support for a diplomatic solution. It made no mention of possible sanctions. But EU officials said that among steps envisaged in Solana's paper were a travel ban on individuals involved in Iran's nuclear programme, tighter export controls on dual-use technologies, a ban on Iranian students studying sensitive sciences in European universities and, ultimately, a ban on export credit guarantees to companies trading with Iran.
In Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised "good news" in the next week on the nuclear programme perhaps, a newspaper said, that Iran had enriched uranium to a level used in power plants. "(Iran) will not step back one iota from the right of the Iranian nation," he told a rally.
Solana who dismissed a media report of increased US planning for a possible air strike on Iran told reporters his plan, details of which were first reported by Britain's Financial Times, was not for immediate sanctions. "What we are doing today is a reflection on what may happen if at the end of the day what is going (on) now in the Security Council does fail," Solana said. "We have plenty of time, but we have to be prepared just in case they fail." Asked if a visa ban on Iranian officials was among the possibilities, he replied: "There are many things, (a) visa ban is a classical type of measure." Britain's Straw told reporters: "We're looking at the issue, but entirely on a contingency basis."
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Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that in the coming days he will have some important and good news in the nuclear field. Arriving in the city of Mashad, Ahmadinejad declined to give further details. In Tehran sources say that this imminent announcement has nothing to do with the next meeting of the Security Council of the United Nations which must decide action on the Iranian nuclear dossiers.
Many analysts believe the government is preparing to announce a step forward in uranium enrichment. The Iranian Nuclear Agency, according to information obtained by Adnkronos International (AKI) is preparing to announce new successes in its researchers working on uranium enrichment.
"At Natanz our scientsts have managed to enrich uranium beyond 3.5 percent," he said. An announcement which contradicts with the statements from government officials who insist on the civilian use of its nuclear programme. When used for powering nuclear power plants for civilian use, uranium must be enriched to 3.5 per cent.
According to Wikipedia, highly enriched uranium needs to be > 20% to be weapons-usable, though most uranium bombs are > 85% 235U.
#1
This is exciting, heh. Perhaps AhMad is coming out of the closet?
Good idea to make public announcements, however, since the IAEA (who is on the scene) wouldn't have a clue.
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04/11/2006 0:32
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#2
"Beyond 3.5 percent" - iff true, then one can argue that MadMoud wants something to happen this summer. Still comes down to either America + World give the Radicals their nukes and US/World-verified "great nation/power" status, or they're gonna break something, i.e. take the world wid them to hell by wilfully inducing a MAD-style geopol confrontation and conflict amongst the Cold War powers, and on their own nation. THe Radicals and Anarchists, etal. get their power and prestige, or everyone is doomed.
Tribal Taliban offered to enter into negotiations with the government for peace in the tribal areas as thousands attended a jirga in Mir Ali, the second biggest town in North Waziristan, on Monday.
And the terms of surrender are:
Troops should leave Waziristan, all arrested people should be released, wanted men be given amnesty, military operations be halted and innocent people should no longer be killed or their homes demolished and the ban on display of weapons be lifted, were some of the key Taliban demands read out from a letter by clerics at the jirga, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) general-secretary Maulana Abdur Rehman told Daily Times by phone.
"Prisoners will then be released and heads reattached. Officers will be permitted to keep their scimitars and sidearms."
NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani and National Assembly Opposition Leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman were named as would-be key witnesses to the peace agreement. But the Taliban made it clear that the withdrawal of troops was the key demand if the government was interested in peace in North Waziristan.
"Otherwise, we'll demand unconditional surrender and you won't be allowed to keep your scimitars!"
He said that the armys presence had contributed to anarchy and lawlessness in Waziristan and the whole Utmanzai tribe at the jirga agreed that a military pullout was the best course to follow.
"Yasss. It's better that you leave. We'll take it from here."
He dismissed government claims that the army has been deployed in the area to fight foreign militants. There are no foreigners here, he said. Here are those people who were earlier granted licences by the government, he added, but did not elaborate.
That'd be the foreigners, of course, but once you've got a license you're not a foreigner anymore, and it's good forever...
He said the Utmanzai tribe hoped the army would respond positively to the demand for surrender its withdrawal from major towns, leaving it to guard only the border. Let the paramilitary force and tribal police ensure law and order in all towns of Waziristan, he said.
"Let a million poppies bloom!"
A tribal elder who attended the jirga said the clerics dominated the meeting. Mostly the clerics spoke and tribal elders were either not allowed to speak or deliberately kept silent, he told Daily Times on condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#2
I would suggest the Musarif accept terms and fall back into Pakland proper then also accept US treaty to allow the US forces to move forward to new temporary Pakland border at Pakland Proper temporarily of course.
Once US forces are done killing all they wish and feel their work is done then Pakland military will renegotiate surrender of what is left of the tribes.
#3
Can we lend the Paks MOABs without them falling into the wrong hands?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
04/11/2006 4:42
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I'm not sure, is the Taliban accepting Pakistan's surrender ?
We will surrender eff you give us all our weapons back and badges, we want badges.
And wimen ! Give us de wimen.
#8
Might I suggest that we treat this offer the way the British paras did in my favorite scene from A Bridge Too Far:
Major Harry Carlyle: [an SS officer is approaching under a flag of truce] Rather interesting development, sir.
Major Harry Carlyle: [to the German] That's far enough!
Major Harry Carlyle: We can hear you from there!
SS Panzer Officer: My general says there is no point in continuing this fighting! He wishes to discuss terms of a surrender!
Major Harry Carlyle: Shall I answer him, sir?
Lt. Col. John Frost: Tell him to go to hell.
Major Harry Carlyle: We haven't the proper facilities to take you all prisoner! Sorry!
SS Panzer Officer: [German officer looks confused] What?
Major Harry Carlyle: We'd like to, but we can't accept your surrender! Was there anything else?
Lt. Col. John Frost: [German officer walks off] Well; that's that.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/11/2006 15:30
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It's time to dust off the old Rolling Thunder plans from Vietnam and implement them in North Waziristan. When 10 foot of top soil is overturned you tend to change your perspective on surrender.
The lawyer of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor is challenging moves to transfer his client's war crimes trial to The Hague, saying it could compromise his chance of a fair hearing.
Coincidentally, it would also compromise his chances of making a Daring Escape™...
Taylor, long one of Africa's most feared warlords, has pleaded not guilty at a United Nations-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the west African country's 1991-2002 civil war.
"Nope. Nope. Wudn't me."
The UN-backed court has asked the Netherlands to hold the rest of his trial in The Hague, citing fears that keeping him in Sierra Leone could provoke unrest among pockets of supporters there and in neighbouring countries including Liberia.
They don't want to see him busted out, either.
Taylor's British defence lawyer, Karim Khan, says in a motion filed to the court that there has been "no showing of good cause" to move Taylor's trial away from Freetown. "The change in venue proposed would appear, prima facie, to be discriminatory," the motion said. "Without such a showing of good cause, it is submitted that the change of venue proposed is contrary to the rights of the accused." Mr Khan argues that moving the trial from Freetown would put Taylor too far from witnesses needed for his defence. He says there is no reason why Taylor's case should be treated differently to other war crimes trials under way at the Sierra Leone court.
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Armed insurgents and government forces on Monday engaged in fierce fighting in the town of Fallouja west of the Iraqi capital killing at least 10 people, a source of the interior ministry said. At least 60 people were wounded in the five-hour battle that ended at sundown, the source told KUNA.
Hospital sources in Fallouja said 10 Iraqis including six army soldiers were killed in the clashes, and witnesses said policemen were seen involved in evacuation of casualties from the scenes of the fighting. Situation in the town turned calm after the gunmen withdrew, he said, adding that the fighting broke out when the armed men attacked an American Army patrol, inflicting casualties and knocking out one vehicle.
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Four people have been killed in an exchange of fire between soldiers and suspected separatists in Indonesia's remote resource-rich province of Papua, a military spokesman said. Ahmad Yani Basuki, spokesman of the Indonesian armed forces in Jakarta, said the clash erupted when a group of 30 armed men attacked soldiers monitoring a health event in a village some 70 kilometres from the provincial capital Jayapura. "The attackers used A-47 rifles, axes and bows and arrows. Two of our members died while two from their side also died. The separatists have been suspected but we need to further investigate this case," Mr Basuki told Reuters.
Papuan independence activists have waged a campaign for more than 30 years to break away from Indonesia while a low-level armed rebellion has also simmered for decades. Tensions in the province have risen recently. Last month, four policemen and a soldier were killed during protests demanding the closure of a giant mine by US firm Freeport. Human rights groups have accused the Indonesian military of widespread abuses in Papua.
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The head of the United Nations administration in Serbias southern Kosovo province (UNMIK), Soren Jessen Petersen, has been accused of tolerating corruption, some Kosovo media reported on Monday. Albanian language daily Zeri reported that a UN internal audit commission (UNOIOS) European Union investigators, has concluded after a two-year probe that there have been gross examples of mismanagement, fraud and systematic corruption at the Pristina airport and Petersen took no steps to halt it.
I'm shocked! Shocked!!
Bet this gets less press than the mis-management by the CPA in Iraq. What, no takers?
I'm not even sure what Kosovo has to despoil. Was it a Baklava for Food Program?
"Although it has become clear that the corruption is wide spread in Kosovo the mission leadership doesnt want to react," the UNOIOS report said.
Kinda hints where the corruption's seated, doesn't it?
It stated that UNMIK was expected to leave Kosovo after its final status was decided, possibly later this year, adding that such behavior would have "disastrous effect on the image of the United Nations in Kosovo and elsewhere, leaving an impression that the UN run away from the problems, instead of solving them."
there is a certain amount of evidence along those lines
Kosovo has been under UN control since an ethnic Albanian rebellion against Serbian rule widespread ethnic cleansing and a NATO bombing campaign in 1999, which forced Serbian police and army from the province. Ethnic Albanians, a 1.7 million majority, against some 100.000 Serbs, demand independence which Belgrade opposes. The talks between Belgrade and Pristina on the final status are expected to accelerate later this year, but the two sides are so far apart that analysts believe that the UN might have to impose a solution, most likely opting for independence.
UN-imposed solutions are always the best solutions...
UNMIK spokesman Aleksandar Ivanko said he was shocked by UNOIOS report and the fact that it was made public,
Probably more by the fact that it was made public than by the content, I'd guess...
adding that it was "unfair and groundless."
And my guess is correct.
He said the accusations "were not based on facts and I dont want, and dont have to comment it anymore."
"I have no facts to counter the facts laid out, so I'm shutting my trap and standing on my dignity..."
"... such as it is, and don't you say a word ..."
Another daily, Koha ditore, said that Petersen, who is often accused by Serbs of siding with ethnic Albanians, has been left without many friends following the report. Two leading political parties in Kosovo and civic organizations have turned their back on Petersen and havent offered him even moral support, the paper said.
Berlusconi clings to power Vote projections in Italy indicate the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may defy early predictions and cling to power in both houses of Parliament. Early TV exit polls suggested the centre-left opposition would win the Upper House or Senate. Left wing supporters were jubilant and Opposition Leader Romano Prodi was said to be preparing for a victory speech. But then early counting suggested Mr Berlusconi's right-wing coalition would hold on to the Lower House. TV stations are now predicting Italy's longest serving post-war government could actually win, defying opinion polls during the campaign.
Italian poll is too close to call
Italian Italian general election is getting to be too close to call with latest projections giving Silvio Berlusconi's conservative coalition a slender lead in both the Senate and the lower house of deputies. Exit polls and initial projections, however, had given the edge to the centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi. Projections based on 95% of pollster Nexus's voting sampling gave Berlusconi's alliance 158 seats in the Senate against 151 for Prodi. However, with a margin of error of 1 to 3 percentage points, the majority was not assured, and six seats chosen by Italians voting abroad were unaccounted for in the projections.
Prodi Claims Italian Election Victory; Recount Sought Romano Prodi claimed victory in the Italian election, even though it won't be clear until later today whether he'll get a mandate to form a government. ``We won,'' Prodi said at 2:53 a.m. ``Now we must work together to unify this country.'' Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, contested Prodi's victory claim and demanded a recount of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies. Final results showed Prodi's alliance taking control of the Chamber, winning by a margin of just 25,224 out of more than 38 million votes cast. Berlusconi's coalition held a one-seat lead in the Senate, with the results of six seats for Italians living abroad to be determined later today.
I dunno about you, but I certainly feel on top of things...
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#1
I'll be watching to see if the ground crews start fueling up Peanut One.
#2
Berlusconi has serious flaws, to say the least, but Prodi embodies everything that is wrong with Europe : socialist, eurabian (Tarik Ramadan was his personal adviser on islam, and IIUC, Bat Ye'or has very harsh words for him in her "Eurabia" book I've yet to receive), and fullforce tranzi.
Needless to say, here the MSM is in Berlu-bashing mode, and fully support Prodi, as he would certainly "bring back Italy into Europe" (read "into France & Germnay 's sphere of influence") and get italian troops out of Iraq.
ROME - Center-left leader Romano Prodi claimed victory in Italys election on Tuesday but his tiny margin raised fears of political paralysis and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconis allies demanded a review of the count. Prodis alliance won in the lower house and Sky Italia TV projected that it would have a majority of one or two seats in the upper house Senate thanks to votes of Italians abroad that were still being collated. "We can govern for five years," Prodi told reporters. "Of course well need cooperation, but last night I said we would work for all Italians, not just some of them."
However, the victory margin was so slim that the Center-right contested it and markets worried that Prodi would have a hard time enacting badly-needed reforms, cutting Italys debt mountain or tackling its budget deficit. Milans stock market fell more than 1 percent over concern about the political uncertainty. "The threat of a stalemate, the worst possible scenario, has emerged and clouds the future with uncertainty," bank UBM said in a note to clients.
In the lower house Chamber of Deputies Prodis bloc had taken about 49.80 percent of the vote compared with 49.73 percent for Berlusconi. The winning margin was around 25,000 votes, a tiny fraction of the 47 million eligible electors. In the Senate, the Center-left was set to have a one or two seat majority, but definitive results were only expected later on Tuesday as the count of the overseas vote was completed.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006 8:40
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To Italy:
Do not let Al Gore into your country until the election is settled.
About 120 people are missing, presumed dead after a ferry capsized in the west African nation of Ghana. The ferry packed with people and their belongings capsized on Ghana's Lake Volta when it hit a tree stump. Local media reports indicate that the people were being moved from an area where they had settled illegally. Reports say the boat was designed for only 70 people but was carrying about 150 when it sank. Thirty people have been rescued.
It is the third major maritime disaster in Africa in recent weeks. At least 109 people died when a boat sank in the Red Sea off Djibouti last week, and an estimated 127 people drowned when a boat broke up and sank off Cameroon last month.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Unidentified gunmen killed five Afghan health workers at a remote clinic in the northwestern province of Badghis, Reuters reported on Monday.
Esquimoux? Lapplanders? Samoans?
"Five Health Ministry workers including nurses, doctors and a driver were killed when gunmen fired at them in their clinic last night," said the governor, Enayatullah Enayat. "Only enemies of Afghanistan would resort to this type of act," he said.
Doctors and nurses, of course, are much less likely to be armed and able to fight back...
Five workers of the Medecins Sans Frontieres medical aid group, three foreigners and two Afghans, were killed in an ambush in Badghis in 2004. Officials said at the time Taliban insurgents were responsible. A Health Ministry official blamed terrorists. "It's a terrorist attack to intimidate people working with the government side," said the official, Abdullah Fahim. The attackers also set fire to the clinic, he said.
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Khulna: Four alleged cadres of Islamist outfit Harkatul-Jihad were jailed here Sunday. Additional District and Sessions Judge of Khulna, Kabita Khanam, in her judgement sentenced them to suffer 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) each, for making bombs. Rubel alias Mamun, Abul Bashar, Faruque Ahmed and Farhadul Islam Tuhin were convicted under Section 3 and Section 4 of Explosive Substances Act. Each of them was fined Tk 5,000, in default, to suffer one year more RI. Five charge-sheeted Ansars, Noor Mohammad, Rajab Ali, Ashiqur Rahman, Humayun Kabir and Matiar Rahman Shikder, were acquitted of charges.
On the plus side, the HUJI is a real terrorist organization, unlike JMB, which is more of a Taliban...
The prosecution story in brief is that the convicts were severely injured in explosion of bombs they were making in Room No 145 of Hotel Rupsha International in the city on December 24, 2003.
The Banglas seem to ignore the existence of HUJI, except when they blow themselves up.
The Ansars on-duty allegedly helped them escape from there. But the four were later arrested by police with help of local people. The Ansars were also arrested.
I'm guessing the Ansars are security guards...
Police recovered a large number of bomb-making materials and booklets on Islamic militancy from the hotel room.
They kinda go together, don't they? There were probably a couple dozen Korans, as well...
SI Mohammodullah lodged FIR with Khalishpur Police Station on December 25, 2003 as complainant accusing nine persons including five Ansars. SI Masud Pervez of the same police station submitted charge-sheet to court against all the nine FIR-named accused on March 8, 2004. Statements of 12 out of 18 prosecution witnesses were recorded during trial of the case. The convicts are cadres of Harkatul-Jihad, according to sub-inspector (SI) Mohammadullah who was the first investigation officer (IO) of the case.
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Canadian soldiers could be charged with war crimes in the International Criminal Court because of an agreement the government approved on the handling of detainees captured in Afghanistan, warns a report to be released today.
The legal opinion on the arrangement regarding prisoners, captured by Canadian troops and then turned over to the Afghan government, raises a number of red flags about the lack of safeguards to protect soldiers against prosecution. "Whoever negotiated this agreement did our soldiers a great disservice," said Michael Byers, an international law professor at the University of British Columbia, who wrote the opinion.
Read on, it wasn't the new government.
That report is one of two to be released today at a press conference involving Amnesty International, the Polaris Institute, an Ottawa-based think-tank, and legal experts.
The second report by University of Ottawa Prof. Amir Attaran, a constitutional human rights law specialist, also questions the detainee agreement that Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier signed in Kabul in December. "The mere fact there is a possibility for Canadian troops to be charged demonstrates how fundamentally flawed this detainee transfer arrangement is," added Byers, author of the book War Law: Understanding International Law and Armed Conflict.
Conservative government and Liberal party officials, however, have dismissed any concerns about the agreement. Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said last week he is satisfied with the pact and noted it met international law standards. "There is nothing in the agreement that prevents Canada from determining the fate of prisoners so there is no need to make any change in the agreement," O'Connor said.
Opposition leader Bill Graham, who was the Liberal's defence minister when the agreement was signed, approves the arrangement.
Of course he does.
Under international law Canada has an obligation to ensure any detainee is protected against torture, not only when they are transferred into Afghan custody but if they are sent onwards to a third nation, such as the U.S. Under a statute of the International Criminal Court, if soldiers transferred prisoners to another party knowing or even suspecting those individuals would be abused or tortured, then the troops, including their commanders who ordered the transfer, could one day face war crimes charges, according to Byers.
Unlike the Canadian Forces, the Dutch military has negotiated a more stricter agreement, Byers said. The Dutch military's agreement with the Afghan government provides its officers and diplomats the right to check on the condition of those originally captured by Dutch soldiers. The Dutch government would also be informed if the detainees are transferred to a third party. Canada's agreement does not provide for that.
#1
Future generations, or the 1.2Bilyuhn or less that survive, to includ 100Milyuhn or less Americans, must be saved and protected from the damnable, sheer unmitigated horrors of Christina and Glaze-gate. ITS FOR THE CHILDREN, D*** YOU!?
#3
Future generations, or the 1.2Bilyuhn or less that survive, to includ 100Milyuhn or less Americans, must be saved and protected from the damnable, sheer unmitigated horrors of Christina and Glaze-gate. ITS FOR THE CHILDREN, D*** YOU!?
#4
1) Thre is NO international law. Laws are thingies who are voted by the ELECTED represntives of the people.
2) The name you are trying to find is treaties and ac cording to the Geneva convedntion irregumlars are NOT protected be it aginst summary execution or torture
3) The only people who may nbe subject to War crimes charges are the jihadists.
#5
3) The only people who may nbe subject to War crimes charges are the jihadists.
No, no, no, JFM, you don't understand, you don't understand at all! What are you, some kind of weirdo who thinks common sense and morality should rule the day? Next thing, you'll say that the Un should interverne in Sudan, if it had any decency, or something.
The only people who may be subject to war crimes charges are troops and officials from western armies and gvt.
To the Enlightened Elites, the only goal of the "international law" (scare quotes as explained by you) is to entangle the Nation-States and their actions, not to concern itself with such petty matters as actual war crimes (except when they're comitted by an unfashionable, IE white and rightwing/nationalist, dictator).
This is transnational progressism in action, here.
Highly classified documents detailing new security measures at Quebec's power corporation Hydro-Quebec were discovered on a bench in an east-end subway station, Radio-Canada reported Sunday.
The documents, totalling some 300 pages, were found recently in an abandoned file-folder by an employee of Radio-Canada, the CBC's French service.
The documents belong to a Hydro-Quebec security adviser, said Radio-Canada.
Well THAT sure inspires confidence
The latest security breach at the Crown corporation follows a Radio-Canada report last year in which a camera crew managed to enter a hydro dam unimpeded, raising questions about security around the province's power installations.
Following the report in February 2005 Hydro-Quebec promised to revamp its security measures.
The documents discovered in the subway station detail Hydro's response to the security leaks discovered last year. Radio-Canada said one document contains explicit descriptions of alarm, video-surveillance and anti-sabotage systems.
words fail. well, actually they don't but this is a family site ....
The papers also reveal temporary passwords to access various security systems and the home phone numbers of company executives, said Radio-Canada.
but don't worry, our staff will take extra precautions ...
Another document details how to make employee identity cards, the report said.
oh.
The provincially run company reportedly increased its security budget to $167 million annually, up from $133 million, in light of last year's breaches.
A Hydro-Quebec spokesperson said an employee working on the company's industrial security measures had their briefcase stolen while eating supper in a restaurant on March 10. He reported the theft to his superiors. The briefcase contained a computer and the documents found in the subway station.
The utility said it has taken steps to ensure a similar incident doesn't happen again.
Let's see ... THESE documents were steps to ensure a PREVIOUS breach didn't happen.
``It's a very unfortunate situation,'' said spokesperson Marc-Andre Chamberland. ``As soon as the theft happened, we tightened security measures so that these types of documents, among others, will never leave Hydro-Quebec.''
horses. barn doors.
Radio-Canada said that the owner of the briefcase immediately told his superiors about the theft. Hydro-Quebec said they contacted police and have opened their own investigation into the matter.
but wait for it ...
However, Chamberland added there were no immediate plans to change to the company's new security plan. amazing.
#2
I just find it a bit too convienient that these documents were left on a subway station bench and just happened to have been found by an employee of Radio-Canada. what are those odds?
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/11/2006 7:32
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discovered on a bench in an east-end subway station...found by an employee of Radio-Canada
More like placed on bench between the inside man from Hydro and his contact at the radio station.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/11/2006 8:30
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``It's a very unfortunate situation,'' said spokesperson Marc-Andre Chamberland.
Errr..is that sort of like the envelopes I receive in the mail with all sorts of red lettering saying "Postmaster do not delay" "very important material needing your immediate attention" with the bulk mailing markings in the upper right hand corner. Oh, and the traditional "You are a winner".
#6
This is why I am against nuclear power plants.
They're safe, they're safe, they'er very safe, until someass splodydopes a hole in one, or a meltdown, or a plane crash, or a muzzie who seemed like a regular guy............
#9
This doesn't sound right: A friend of mine used to work at the nuke plant in Southeast Georgia, and he said industrial nuke "classified", leastways in the US, is not the same as Military classified. It's a bit weaker than confidential.
The security breach that happened last year happened at a DAM. Same acquaintance told me that, before the Olympics in Atlanta, the security had been upgraded and that the news on the terrorist street then was that the Georgia nuke plants were "hard targets". Dunno what their status is now.
A militant, known to be the ideologist of the "Shariat" extremist group, was killed in a sweep operation in Dagestan on Monday morning, the Interfax news agency reported. The agency quoted Dagestan's Interior Ministry as saying another leader of the same group managed to escape. The Ministry's press service also said that two policemen were killed and another was wounded in the operation. The sweep operation, which targeted militants who were hiding in a private house in Primorsky, was launched at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, said the agency quoting a source in the Dagestani Interior Ministry.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to fight Israeli bid to isolate the Hamas-run government as financial pressure on the beleaguered regime intensified yesterday. As European Union foreign ministers approved a decision to suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority, Abbas called on the international community to end its unfair treatment of his people and instead help them realize their dream of independence. His office revealed that Abbas would embark this month on a tour of Europe and North Africa in a bid to counter Israels own diplomatic offensive which has seen acting Premier Ehud Olmert institute a boycott of any foreign officials who make contacts with Hamas ministers.
We call on the Israeli government to stop these measures which are only intended to isolate the Palestinian Authority, said Abbas in a speech at his Ramallah headquarters on the West Bank. We will not accept this, we will not allow this to become a reality. We will emerge from this isolation whatever the cost. Olmert on Sunday said that all contacts would be frozen with what he called a hostile authority, referring to Hamas refusal to renounce the use of violence or recognize the Jewish states right to exist. We say to the Israeli government that we are a peaceful nation but we want our rights, said Abbas, whose own Fatah faction was defeated by Hamas in a January parliamentary election. He said that the Palestinian people wanted what had already been promised to them, mainly a viable state. Is this too much to ask? Is this too much for the world to handle?
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#1
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to fight Israeli bid to isolate the Hamas-run government as financial pressure on the beleaguered regime intensified yesterday.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs Sunni leaders Monday rejected incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafaris candidacy as the next premier, their spokesman said. We have sent a letter to our Shiite brothers explaining that our position remains the same -- that of rejecting Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafaris candidacy, Thafer Al Ani, spokesman of Sunni-led National Concord Front told AFP.
The National Concord Front has 44 seats in the 275-member Iraqi parliament. They will get the letter in a short while, he added.
Late Sunday Iraqs other main political faction, the Kurdish group, rejected Jaafari staying on in the post. We have once again rejected Jaafaris candidacy, Kurdish lawmaker Mahmud Othman told AFP after a meeting between leaders of the Kurdish coalition in parliament and representatives of Jaafaris party.
Iraqs Shiite parliament bloc formed a committee Sunday to decide the fate of Jaafari and end a standoff that has left a yawning power vacuum nearly four months after landmark elections in December.
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#1
SLAP!
That ones for you Tater!
(NOW do you wonder why were beating the hell out of the Mahdi Army? I think the Iraqis got the hint).
Now they can get ot business and get someone who isnt a "kept man" in there.
#4
The fact that he won't step down in the face of opposition, even when he's not in power yet, is an indication that he won't step down when he IS in power.
Detail on yesterday's headline. If I was an African, I think I'd avoid taking a boat or an airplane to go anywhere.
I'd pass on buses as well
A Kenyan military plane has crashed in the north of the country, with 13 feared dead and four injured. Among the passengers were six members of parliament. Officials said the Chinese-built Kenyan Air Force Harbin Y-12 twin-engine turboprop went down at around 10am (0700 GMT) and burst into flames near Marsabit National Park, about 430km northeast of Nairobi.
Isn't that the airplane type the Zim-bob-weans can't keep in the air?
Mutea Iringo, Marsabit district commissioner, said the plane had crashed into a hill in heavy fog as it approached the airstrip outside town. "They lost direction of the airstrip because of foggy weather and then crash landed on a hill about three kilometres from Marsabit town," he told AFP. "After it crashed, it burst into flames and the fire was so fierce that some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition."
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#1
Many areas in Africa have higher gravity. The bad news is it's spreading, the good news is that you can read my forth coming best-seller Make A Fortune In The Coming Era Of Low Gravity.
Lebanon denied a report Monday that nine had been arrested in a plot to kill Hizbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, but confirmed the men had been detained for planning an attack against the state.
The plans of the arrested did not include the assassination of Nasrallah, a judiciary official said, on condition of anonymity.
"It was... ummm... somebody else."
He dismissed the report in the As-Safir daily as exaggerated and said the suspects were being hauled before a military court for trying to carry out an attack against the authority of the state and for possessing weapons. He added the group was planning its actions in the case of instability in Lebanon.
In its article, As-Safir cited security sources who said that the assassination of the head of the armed Shiite party was planned for April 28 when Nasrallah was due to attend Lebanon's ongoing national dialogue. Lebanon's military intelligence service broke the network last week, it added. The group had been tracking Nasrallah's movements for March and April and had put in place a thorough plan to assassinate Nasrallah during the next meeting of the national dialogue. The attack would have been involved firing anti-tank rockets at the Hizbollah chief's vehicle convoy as Nasrallah made his way to the talks.
Not the usual car bomb, huh?
Five of the suspects were relatives and weapons ranging from guided-missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and silencers were found on the men when they were picked up at their homes and at work.
The national dialogue, bringing together factions across Lebanon's political spectrum, started meeting in March with the aim of healing national divisions and tackling sensitive issues like the continued existence of Hizbollah's armed wing. Hizbollah had no comment on the newspaper report. The security sources told As-Safir the group had a sophisticated structured and had received advanced training in weapons handling. The paper gave no information about the cell's affiliation or motivations.
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India and Afghanistan yesterday called on their neighbor Pakistan to join hands in a regional effort to fight terrorism and promote economic cooperation.
I hope they're not holding their national breath...
The appeal was made by visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a joint news conference after their talks on a wide range of issues. India has been a victim of terrorism for nearly 20 years. Both India and Afghanistan have suffered due to terrorism. Even Pakistan is not immune to terrorism, Manmohan said.
What they didn't add was that both India and Afghanistan have been suffering from Pak terrorism for 20 years. The fact that Pakland isn't immune to terrorism itself merely indicates that they've created a Frankenstein's monster that they think they can control but can't. If it wasn't for the corpse counts it'd be funny, in a horrible kind of way.
The two leaders stressed the need for cooperation between India, Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight the menace of terrorism affecting the entire region. I very much hope that all of us in this region will join hands to fight this menace. Karzai said.
I think it'd be a lot more to the point for India and Afghanistan to join hands to fight against the terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which is probably what the two actually talked about in private.
Asked about Pakistans alleged role in fueling terrorism in Afghanistan and in the region, Karzai replied: Terrorism is affecting all countries in the region. It is affecting our brothers in Pakistan. We will find a more effective way to deal with this menace.
I'd suggest a combination of special operations and high explosives.
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#1
I doubt Pakistan will survive the decade as a single country. The question is how to guide the split peacefully.
It might do India some good to have a series of peaceful independent states along the Northwest frontier even if that meant giving up claims to Kashmir and possibly their own Punjab state (as that would become a battleground once Pakistani Punjab went independent). The question is at what point does that slope become overly slippery and the risks outweight potential gains. That and pride. Never forget how pride can screw things up.
The European Union (EU) has banned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 ministers, prosecutors and regional election officials from entering the 25-nation bloc. EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, said they had sanctioned them for allegedly rigging Belarus's March 19 presidential polls and for a crackdown on opposition activists. The EU did not freeze the assets of the banned individuals for now but warned it may do so later, possibly as early as next month and asked the executive European Commission to propose further targeted measures.
Mr Lukashenko, sworn in on Saturday (local time), was number one on the visa-ban list, followed by his head of presidential administration, Gennady Nevyglas, the ministers of education, information and justice, as well as the chairman of the lower house of parliament and the head of the KGB security service. Others named include the prosecutor-general, several judges and prosecutors, the country's seven regional election officials and the head of the state television and radio company. Belarus dismissed the visa ban and threatened to take similar measures against top EU officials.
Belarus hits back at EU travel ban Belarus has responded to a travel ban imposed on the country's leaders by the European Union with a vow to reciprocate with similar restrictions. "The republic of Belarus is put in a position where it is necessary to take adequate measures in reply to the EU and USA. In accordance with international practice they [the measures] will affect the identical category of people," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The statement came after the European Union decided to ban Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarussian president, and 30 key ministers and officials in response to Lukashenko's landslide re-election last month, which Western monitors said was rigged. The foreign ministry described European and US pressure on Belarus as "uncivilised". "Such actions are short-sighted and without perspective," it said. "Today's decision showed the inability of Washington and Brussels to deal respectfully with the clear will of an independent people."
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COLOMBO - A mine exploded in northern Sri Lanka on Monday, killing five soldiers and two relief workers, the military said, as foreign ambassadors urged Tamil Tiger rebels to seek a peaceful settlement to the countrys two-decade conflict.
The soldiers were moving in a van when the Claymore mine exploded, killing four, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said, adding that two other soldiers were also wounded. One of the wounded later died. Two Sri Lankan relief workers who were in another vehicle coming from the opposite direction were also killed, he said.
Samarasinghe said the attack was carried out by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels. The Tigers are known for using Claymore mines that can be detonated by remote control and which fire hundreds of steel balls propelled by plastic explosives.
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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.
Philippine troops clashed with Muslim militants in a southern city Tuesday, killing two guerrillas, including a local Abu Sayyaf commander suspected in a 2002 bombing that left a U.S. soldier dead, the army said. The firefight broke out east of Zamboanga, a city 530 miles south of Manila, after a military intelligence unit confronted a group of guerrillas led by Amilhamja Ajijul, army Col. Edgardo Gidaya said. Ajijul and another militant were wounded and later died in the hospital, he said. There were no reports of government casualties. 
PALM CITY, Fla. -- Martin County authorities say two South Folk High School students were injured when a pipe bomb they were making exploded. Sheriff officials said the bomb went off Sunday evening in the garage of 18-year-old Curtis Chambers' Palm City home. Reports said Chambers was hit in the face with shrapnel and could lose an eye. Christopher Senatore, 18, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and was released. 
JAKARTA -Imam Samudra, one of three people on death row for their key roles in the 2002 Bali bombings, will be executed as soon as possible after his family refused to seek presidential clemency, an Indonesian judicial official said on Tuesday. The results of checks by teams from the prosecutor office and the Denpasar state district court are that the family of Imam Samudra will not seek presidential clemency, said Masyudi Ridwan, spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office.
JERUSALEM - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned on Tuesday that Israel would keep up its bombardment of Gaza for as long as Palestinians fire rockets, despite the death of a young girl in the latest shelling. The role of the Israeli army is to defend Israeli civilians, combat terrorism and prevent rocket attacks, Livni told public radio. As long as Palestinians fire at residential area, the army must reply.
The government's decision to replace salesmen with Saudi saleswomen at lingerie shops will be implemented in two phases, according to Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, deputy labor minister for planning and development.
LAHORE: There is little doubt of the governments involvement in the spread of sectarianism after the rally organised by the 
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday that the government was working on a comprehensive plan to tap the tourism potential of the country including simplifying visa and other travel procedures for tourists wanting to visit in the northern areas.
He was talking to Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili sect, who called on him at the Prime Minister House. Aziz said that Pakistan had a lot of potential for tourism and necessary facilities were being made to facilitate tourists. He said plans were underway to offer tourist packages for Gandhara and the northern areas to attract more tourists. Investment and business opportunities in the country were also discussed during the meeting. The PM said that numerous investment opportunities had been created as a result of the government's investor-friendly policies. He referred to the construction of a new airport, which would resume flights to Islamabad.
The Pakistani government defended on Monday a decision to forcibly retire (retrench) an air force officer who refused to trim his beard on religious grounds, Reuters reported. Squadron Leader Mohsin Hayat Ranjha was retired in October and four of his colleagues were grounded for violating a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) dress code that allows trimmed beards, but bars long beards on the grounds they pose a safety risk. "There is no ban on any Pakistan Air Force personnel of any rank keeping a beard, but there has to be a limit to the length of a beard," Tanveer Hussain Syed, parliamentary secretary for defence, told parliament after an MMA legislator raised the issue. 
Israeli occupation troops have barred the Palestinian police commander Alaa Hosni from heading to the west Bank. Palestinian police sources who requested anonymity told KUNA the Israeli authorities refused to grant a permission for Hosni to cross the Erez checkpoint. Israeli authorities said Palestinian police headed by Hosni is officially linked to the interior ministry, which is controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement of Hamas, said the sources, adding that the Israeli decision applies to all Palestinian security officials.
A letter from the Hamas-led government referring to a "two-state solution" - a phrase implying acceptance of Israel has become an official UN document despite a disavowal by the Palestinian foreign minister.
The United Nations has not received any retractions or corrections of the letter that 
Turkish security personnel found on Monday a time bomb placed on a bus used for transportation of judges and arbitrators who work in the district of Bay Oglu in this city, Anatolia news agency reported. It quoted security sources as saying that the driver, after dropping the judges at their work places, found the bomb concealed in a bag and hidden behind his seat. 
Justice Amir Hani Muslim, an anti-terrorism court judge, remanded another of Akhtar Mengal's servants to police custody on charges of kidnapping two army officials and keeping them in illegal confinement. Ghulam Qadir, arrested on Saturday, could not be produced before court because of the holiday on Sunday. Three other servants of Akhtar Mengal, the Balochistan National Party chief, were remanded to police custody on the same charges on Friday. After going through the remand report, Justice Amir Hani gave accused Ghulam Qadir in police custody on physical remand till April 14.
An Iraqi Lieutenant was injured in Kirkuk Sunday while trying to liberate a hostage from his kidnappers, a police source said. The source told KUNA unknown gumnen kidnapped an Iraqi civilian from the industrial neighborhood in Kirkuk. But during clashes with the police force, he added, Lieutenant Idriss Mahmoud was injured and was taken to hospital. The kidnappers managed to escaped the scene, said the source.
LAHORE: Clerics should follow and propagate the Islamic principles of tolerance and restraint, said Punjab Chief Minister 
At least two people were killed and 20 injured when a powerful bomb exploded in a barber shop in Kohlu, some 300 kilometres east of Quetta, on Monday morning. A bakery and an adjacent flat were completely destroyed, said Akbar Marri, the district administrative officer. He said that a levies constable was killed on the spot and another man died on the way to hospital. Marri said that seven suspects had been arrested, including a man who was seen running from the spot after the incident. 
The Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet Division yesterday sentenced two people to 31 and 17 years' rigorous imprisonment in two sensational arms and explosives cases. The convicts are Rajkanta Dev Barma alias Sunil Chowdhury of Srimangal and Hamir Dev Barma of Komolganj upazila of Moulvibazar district.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday that the government would hold no more talks with Nawab Akbar Bugti to resolve the Balochistan issue. The government will be in control of the troubled areas of the province within a couple of months, the minister told reporters in Parliament House. He said members of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army had been arrested and they had confessed their crimes. 
The UN has neither affirmed nor denied a report that first appeared in a New York newspaper that a raid had been carried out on behalf of the UN at 
MULTAN: Another case of Vani has come to light as four unborn girls have been pledged to this cruel tradition on the orders of a local council (jirga) held in Sadar police precincts in Dera Ghazi Khan on Friday (April 7). 
European foreign ministers reviewed options for steps against Iran for the first time on Monday, including possible visa bans and financial sanctions if Tehran presses on with sensitive nuclear activity. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who drafted a confidential options paper for the 25 ministers, and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw insisted it was just a contingency-planning exercise and sanctions were not imminent. The ministers appealed to Iran in a statement to comply with UN calls to suspend all nuclear enrichment-related activities and reaffirmed their support for a diplomatic solution. It made no mention of possible sanctions. But EU officials said that among steps envisaged in Solana's paper were a travel ban on individuals involved in Iran's nuclear programme, tighter export controls on dual-use technologies, a ban on Iranian students studying sensitive sciences in European universities and, ultimately, a ban on export credit guarantees to companies trading with Iran. 
Mashad, Ahmadinejad declined to give further details. In Tehran sources say that this imminent announcement has nothing to do with the next meeting of the Security Council of the United Nations which must decide action on the Iranian nuclear dossiers. 
Tribal Taliban offered to enter into negotiations with the government for peace in the tribal areas as thousands attended a jirga in Mir Ali, the second biggest town in 
The lawyer of former Liberian leader 
Armed insurgents and government forces on Monday engaged in fierce fighting in the town of Fallouja west of the Iraqi capital killing at least 10 people, a source of the interior ministry said. At least 60 people were wounded in the five-hour battle that ended at sundown, the source told KUNA. 
Four people have been killed in an exchange of fire between soldiers and suspected separatists in Indonesia's remote resource-rich province of Papua, a military spokesman said. Ahmad Yani Basuki, spokesman of the Indonesian armed forces in Jakarta, said the clash erupted when a group of 30 armed men attacked soldiers monitoring a health event in a village some 70 kilometres from the provincial capital Jayapura. "The attackers used A-47 rifles, axes and bows and arrows. Two of our members died while two from their side also died. The separatists have been suspected but we need to further investigate this case," Mr Basuki told Reuters. 
Vote projections in Italy indicate the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may defy early predictions and cling to power in both houses of Parliament. Early TV exit polls suggested the centre-left opposition would win the Upper House or Senate. Left wing supporters were jubilant and Opposition Leader Romano Prodi was said to be preparing for a victory speech. But then early counting suggested Mr Berlusconi's right-wing coalition would hold on to the Lower House. TV stations are now predicting Italy's longest serving post-war government could actually win, defying opinion polls during the campaign. 
Romano Prodi claimed victory in the Italian election, even though it won't be clear until later today whether he'll get a mandate to form a government. ``We won,'' Prodi said at 2:53 a.m. ``Now we must work together to unify this country.'' Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, contested Prodi's victory claim and demanded a recount of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies. Final results showed Prodi's alliance taking control of the Chamber, winning by a margin of just 25,224 out of more than 38 million votes cast. Berlusconi's coalition held a one-seat lead in the Senate, with the results of six seats for Italians living abroad to be determined later today.
About 120 people are missing, presumed dead after a ferry capsized in the west African nation of Ghana. The ferry packed with people and their belongings capsized on Ghana's Lake Volta when it hit a tree stump. Local media reports indicate that the people were being moved from an area where they had settled illegally. Reports say the boat was designed for only 70 people but was carrying about 150 when it sank. Thirty people have been rescued. 
Unidentified gunmen killed five Afghan health workers at a remote clinic in the northwestern province of Badghis, Reuters reported on Monday. 
Khulna: Four alleged cadres of Islamist outfit 
anadian soldiers could be charged with war crimes in the International Criminal Court because of an agreement the government approved on the handling of detainees captured in Afghanistan, warns a report to be released today.
Highly classified documents detailing new security measures at Quebec's power corporation Hydro-Quebec were discovered on a bench in an east-end subway station, Radio-Canada reported Sunday. 
A militant, known to be the ideologist of the "Shariat" extremist group, was killed in a sweep operation in Dagestan on Monday morning, the Interfax news agency reported. The agency quoted Dagestan's Interior Ministry as saying another leader of the same group managed to escape. The Ministry's press service also said that two policemen were killed and another was wounded in the operation. The sweep operation, which targeted militants who were hiding in a private house in Primorsky, was launched at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, said the agency quoting a source in the Dagestani Interior Ministry.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to fight Israeli bid to isolate the Hamas-run government as financial pressure on the beleaguered regime intensified yesterday. As European Union foreign ministers approved a decision to suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority, Abbas called on the international community to end its unfair treatment of his people and instead help them realize their dream of independence. His office revealed that Abbas would embark this month on a tour of Europe and North Africa in a bid to counter Israels own diplomatic offensive which has seen acting Premier Ehud Olmert institute a boycott of any foreign officials who make contacts with Hamas ministers.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs Sunni leaders Monday rejected incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafaris candidacy as the next premier, their spokesman said. We have sent a letter to our Shiite brothers explaining that our position remains the same -- that of rejecting Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafaris candidacy, Thafer Al Ani, spokesman of Sunni-led National Concord Front told AFP.
Lebanon denied a report Monday that nine had been arrested in a plot to kill 
India and Afghanistan yesterday called on their neighbor Pakistan to join hands in a regional effort to fight terrorism and promote economic cooperation. 
The European Union (EU) has banned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 ministers, prosecutors and regional election officials from entering the 25-nation bloc. EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, said they had sanctioned them for allegedly rigging Belarus's March 19 presidential polls and for a crackdown on opposition activists. The EU did not freeze the assets of the banned individuals for now but warned it may do so later, possibly as early as next month and asked the executive European Commission to propose further targeted measures. 
Belarus has responded to a travel ban imposed on the country's leaders by the European Union with a vow to reciprocate with similar restrictions. "The republic of Belarus is put in a position where it is necessary to take adequate measures in reply to the EU and USA. In accordance with international practice they [the measures] will affect the identical category of people," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
COLOMBO - A mine exploded in northern Sri Lanka on Monday, killing five soldiers and two relief workers, the military said, as foreign ambassadors urged Tamil Tiger rebels to seek a peaceful settlement to the countrys two-decade conflict.
