US music producer Phil Spector has been convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson at his home six years ago. The 68-year-old, famous for the "Wall of Sound" recording technique, faces between 15 years and life in prison.
He had pleaded not guilty to the second degree murder of 40-year-old Ms Clarkson, who was shot in the mouth at Spector's home in Los Angeles.
Spector remained quiet as the verdict was read out. He was remanded in custody until sentencing on 29 May. His young wife Rachelle sobbed as the verdict was announced.
Spector had looked frail as he entered the Los Angeles Superior Court earlier, dressed in a black suit with a bright red tie.
The jury took some 30 hours of deliberation to reach their unanimous guilty verdict. They had the option of returning a verdict of involuntary manslaughter, but chose not do so.
An earlier trial was abandoned in 2007 after a jury failed to reach a unanimous decision.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009
18:56 ||
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The so-called human rights activist, Teesta Setalvad who paraded the Gujarat riot victims before the Supreme Court and claimed they had been denied justice suffered embarrassment on Monday after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) gave sufficient grounds for the apex court to doubt the authenticity of incidents highlighted by her NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace.
The SIT, headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan along with former DGP CB Satpathy and three senior IPS officers Geetha Johri, Shivanand Jha and Ashish Bhatia had been entrusted with the enquiry into post-Godhra riot incidents in Godhra, Gulbarg Society, Naroda Gaon, Naroda Patiya and Sardarpura.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the State, read out portions of the report that refuted the petitioners charge of the States complicity in the riots.
Pointing out a specific instance, the SIT report stated how the evidence of 22 witnesses was suspect owing to the identical submissions made in their affidavits submitted to the court. On enquiry, the SIT found that all the 22 affidavits were drafted, typed and printed from the same computer, giving sufficient grounds to believe they were tutored. When the SIT questioned those who signed the affidavits, it was shocked to learn that these complainants were not even aware of the incidents.
Referring to another instance that exposed the Citizens for Justice and Peaces much trumpeted charges, Rohtagi said the SIT investigation found untrue allegation about a gangrape of a pregnant woman Kauser Bano, whose stomach was allegedly pierced by sword and her foetus killed.
Even the instance of dumping of bodies into a well at Naroda Patiya and a charge of the police allegedly shielding accused persons in murder of a British national was found to be untrue, Rohtagi said.
Firing a salvo at the NGO, Rohtagi said, It is clear from the report that the horrendous allegations made by the NGO were false. Cyclostyled affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made in them were untrue, he added, with an obvious reference to Setalvad.
The NGOs counsel Aparna Bhatt objected to such comments being made on the strength of the report, which had also added several persons as accused in the case. Refusing to be drawn into the slanging match between the opposing parties, the Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat said, In riot cases, more the delay, there is likelihood of falsity creeping in. So, there should be a designated court to fast track the trials.
The court asked the State Government, petitioners and amicus curiae senior advocate Harish Salve to suggest recommendations on these lines. Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the Centre, suggested selection of public prosecutors on consultation from the SIT. Salve informed the court that the matter would be taken up with the SIT. Based on a suggestion by another NGO petitioner counsel Indira Jaising to evolve a witness protection system, Salve assured that the same would also be discussed in the light of the sensitivity attached to the case. The bunch of petitions was posted for further hearing after next week.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009
17:06 ||
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#1
Shocked, I am. Or not. Any outfit that has "citizens", "justice", and "peace" in the title is advocating for none of those things.
Woody Harrelson defended his clash with a photographer at a New York airport Wednesday night as a case of mistaken identity -- he says he mistook the cameraman for a zombie. Alcohol and/or drugs may have been involved.
"We're looking into this allegation and if it's warranted, we'll turn it over to the proper authorities," said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Ron Marsico.
The photographer, who was not identified, captured the encounter on a small camera after his larger one was broken.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/13/2009
16:28 ||
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#1
Maybe Old Woody has been smoking his hemp shoes/socks....?
#3
Ya think? Speaking of a case of mistaken identity...remember Harrelson dressed as a Tranny (sp?) propositioning Adam Sandler in the cab in the movie "Anger Management"? He was a leeetle too convincing in that role.
#4
In my opinion, Woody Harrelson hasn't had to do any real acting in many of his roles - the retarded bartender on Cheers, the psychopathic killers in Wag the Dog and Natural Born Killers, and so on.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/13/2009 19:29
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The US will help India and Pakistan "find a new way forward" only if they stop "pointing fingers at each other," a visiting top Senator said on Monday, even as Islamabad asserted that a "calm eastern border" is essential to focus on its war against terror in Afghanistan.
And remember, death is not an option: Is John Kerry the most clueless person in the U.S. Senate? Discuss.
The US will help both countries "find a new way forward" but at the same time New Delhi "needs to look at where it is going to be in 10 years," visiting US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry said at a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
If India and Pakistan spent all their time "pointing fingers at each other and on the past", they would "never get to the future," Kerry added.
"The world wants Pakistan to focus on the western border because extremism and terrorism has to be dealt with. But to focus on the western border, Pakistan wants a calm eastern border," Qureshi said.
"And if we have a calm eastern border, it certainly makes our task easier," he added.
The US Senator also made it clear that Richard Holbrooke had been appointed the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan and India is not included in his brief. Issues like Kashmir have to be resolved separately, he said.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009
15:33 ||
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#1
Typical dem leftist moral relativism. The problem is that the Paks are enablers and supporters of Islamic jihadi terrorism. Kerry tries to reduce the issue to a neighborhood dispute, which it is not. Kerry meets and exceeds my expectation.........as a tool of the left.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/13/2009 21:25
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PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > US PLANS GO BEYOND PAKISTAN'S EXISTENCE/KISSINGER, BREZINZKI: US FACES STRATEGIC DEFEAT IN AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN, OR FIGHTING ON WITH OR WITHOUT ALLIED HELP.
ALso on SAME > US MAY CEDE TO IRAN'S NUCLEAR AMBITION [POTUS BAMMER's ADMIN - Nukulaar "Zero Enrichment" for IRAN is NOT FEASIBLE/REALISTIC]. Read, SHORT OF WAR WITH IRAN; + INDIA: IFF ELECTED TO POWER, BJP WILL SEND INDIAN ARMY TROOPS INTO PAKISTAN[to help PK crush/defeat MilTerrs]???
Legendary pron star Marilyn Chambers, real name Marilyn Ann Briggs, was found dead in her mobile home Sunday in Santa Clarita by her daughter McKenna. The cause of death has not yet been determined. An autopsy is pending.
Marilyn rose to fame after starring in the Z-rated classic Behind The Green Door in 1972. She starred 16 adult films in the 70's and 80's. She got her start as the cover girl on boxes of Ivory Soap detergent boxes.
#1
Her life was not as glorious as some,
Devoted to her children and their children,
Taken up by quiet tedium:
What's left when dreams are scattered to the wind.
She loved too well, perhaps, and fought too hard
To make a marriage work that wasn't right.
She was, of all bright loveliness, a shard
Struck off to bring our lives the gift of light.
There are those whose lives are shaped by love;
Whose pleasures, rich and full, are found in giving;
Who make our wild hearts bloom and passions move
Into measured fields made lush by living.
Without her all the gold's gone from the day;
She will be missed far more than we can say.
Can this really be that hard to figure out? Remember, the same people who run the VA are going to run Bambi Health Care.
Prisoners of war suffer in ways most veterans don't, enduring humiliating forced marches, torture or other trauma that may haunt them long afterward. In partial recompense, the government extends them special benefits, from free parking and tax breaks to priority in medical treatment.
Trouble is, some of the much-admired recipients of these benefits apparently don't deserve them.
#1
This is easy to fix. Just transfer the VA back under the DOD. That's where it belongs, as a separate but equal member with the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. The same group could manage the Retired Reserve roster (since they'd know who had requested disability, and whether or not that disability was approved), and deal with other problems. It would put all VA claimants under the UCMJ, instead of only retired claimants. That alone would help reduce the numbers of frauds.
I'm considered 70% disabled by the VA. Most of my injuries were sustained (or worsened) by just doing my job. I've known several veterans who have exaggerated their injuries (or plain invented them) to get a higher rating. They usually end up being tripped up by their own actions. Most of the disabled vets I hang around with were people like me that just occasionally did more than we were physically able to do. It's easy to spot the ones who were truly injured in combat.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 17:36
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While I agree that the vast majority are scum impostors, there is a heck of a lot of administrative error as well.
Remember the huge military records warehouse fire in St. Louis in 1973? It wiped out all Army records prior to 1960, and all Air Force records prior to 1964. We actually have far more Civil War military records than we do for World War I and II.
Add to that soldiers and airmen who were captured by the North Vietnamese, but who were quickly rescued or escaped. And ironically, there are even a handful who were POWs twice. That is, escaped and recaptured.
One of the "bravos" of the war was that many of our personnel actually had POW training, based on the Korean War experience, and so were terribly difficult to control. In captivity they continually schemed for escape and communication with the outside.
...
"The Defense Department twice sought Mr. Obamas permission to use force to rescue Captain Phillips, most recently on Friday night, senior defense officials said. On Saturday morning, the president agreed, they said, if it appeared that the captains life was in imminent danger."
...
By implication the US forces had been under order not to use force even if the hostage's life was in imminent danger up until Saturday morning.
General Xu Qiliang, the air force commander People's liberation Army of China has been conferred the high honour of Nishan-i-Imtiaz. The award was given by Pakistani president Asia Ali Zardari at Aiwan e Sadr, the presidential residence in Islamabad, on Saturday.
The honour reflects Pakistan's appreciation for Xu's efforts in forging cooperation between the air force of the two countries that led to the joint production of JF-17 fighter aircrafts in Pakistan. Islamabad is now trying to sell this aircraft, produced with Chinese assistance, to some Arab nations. But it has also promised to increase its purchases of other Chinese fighter aircrafts.
"General Xu Qiliang, commander China People's Liberation Army (Air Force) is reputed as an accomplished military Commander and a distinguished aviator. He has played a significant role in promoting and strengthening the bonds of goodwill and cooperation between the Air Forces of China and Pakistan," the award citation read,
After receiving the award, Xu used an air force idiom to describe the friendship between China and Pakistan, saying the two nations will "always fly wing by wing". Pakistan has always extended its support to China on issues like the Taiwan and Tibetan problems and the threat of extremism, he said.
Xu conveyed to Zardari the best wishes from Chinese president Hu Jintao.
Pakistan is sending two of this navy ships led by its chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir, in the founding celebrations of China's navy on April 23. They will be among the 40 odd navel ships that will be sent by 15 different countries.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009
12:59 ||
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#1
That'd be not counting the Japanese and US warships hanging around in the Sea of Japan.
#4
You're looking at the Chinese version of the F-20, with a few add-ons from experience with the Mig-21 and the Mig-23. It's cheap, and useful in a war with another second-rate Air Force, but India will clean their clocks. Factor in in'sallah maintenance and sloppy piloting, and you've got an air force facing a disaster.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 16:42
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#5
F20 mission, yes. But look at the JF-17 from the top down. It's outline looks very much like the F-16.
Posted by: ed ||
04/13/2009 22:00
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#6
ION CHINA, WORLD MILITARY FORUM > IIUC USA: CHINA WILL HAVE ASIA'S/WORLD'S LARGEST AIR FORCE IN TEN YEARS [2019-2020]. TWO CONVENTIONALLY-POWERED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS CIRCA YEAR 2015, TWO NUCLEAR-POWERED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS CIRCA YEAR 2020.
Also from CMF, IIUC US GENERAL: AT THIS TIME US NEEDS ONLY ONE AIRCRAFT CARRIER BATTLE GROUP, ONE LR MISSLE DIVISION TO DEFEAT CHINA IN WAR; + ECONOMIC WOES RESULTS IN RISING HOMELESSNESS IN JAPAN, + SINO-JAPAN RELATIONS IN RISING TURMOIL OVER DAOYU ISLANDS DISPUTE [Senkaku Islands], + CHINA TO FINANCIALLY, ECONOMICALLY DEFEAT THE US-WEST.
POSTER - claims a newly potent/modernized CHIN PLAN should arrive in IRAN by 2020 to protect China's OIL/ENERGY INTERESTS IN IRAN + CENT-SOUTH ASIA. The INDIAN OCEAN likely to become the GEOPOL DANGEROUS PLAYGROUND OF WORLD'S MILITARY = MAJOR POWERS IN COMING DECADES.
Also on WAFF > WORLD POWERS MUST ACCEPT A NUCLEAR IRAN.
"My loyalty to country and team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans, always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own. I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. ... In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. ... I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight."
#1
Just about everywhere reality is in control, Bersoeker. That's why you hardly ever hear of SEALs from big cities.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 16:04
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#2
hey rantyes, such a crying bitches you all sound. you fags are the shit of America did you have your ass kick in your youth that now cluster together in this imbeciles blog
All of you are just conservative crying frustrated bitches
Posted by: big city ||
04/13/2009 20:49
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#3
If you are American, you are a breathing advertisement special needs learning disability tutoring.
#4
Give a Somali pig a visa, a decent meal and computer and this is the incoherent crap he spouts. You can take the dirtbag abd out of the desert but you can't ever wash the pig clean.
Posted by: ed ||
04/13/2009 21:10
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Islamist insurgents fired mortars towards U.S. congressman Donald Payne as he left Somalia after a rare visit by a U.S. official to the anarchic country, police said. Somalia's capital Mogadishu is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. U.S. officials have avoided travel to the battle-scarred city due to constant fighting between factions there. Props to Payne for going there to take a first-hand look.
"One mortar landed at the airport when Payne's plane was due to fly and five others after he left and no one was hurt," Abukar Hassan, a police officer at Mogadishu airport, told Reuters. Residents said three people were wounded when one of the mortars hit a nearby neighbourhood.
Somali officials said Payne had held meetings with the interim government's president and prime minister during his short visit. African Union soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Somalia provided security for Payne.
Payne, 74, a New Jersey Democrat, is in his 10th term in the U.S. House of Representatives and was first elected in 1988. He is chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.
Jendayi Frazer, then top U.S. diplomat for Africa, became the first high-ranking U.S. official to visit Somalia in more than a decade when she landed in Baidoa in April 2007. She avoided Mogadishu because of violence there, preferring to meet officials in the provincial town of Baidoa that was then the seat of the Somali parliament.
Payne criticised Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia in late 2006, when Addis Ababa sent thousands of troops to crush an Islamist movement that had taken control of much of the south. That attack ousted Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, then an Islamist leader in Mogadishu and now president of the government.
U.S. foreign policy toward the Horn of Africa nation has been haunted by a disastrous battle in Mogadishu in 1993 that killed 18 U.S. soldiers.
#1
Payne criticised Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia in late 2006, when Addis Ababa sent thousands of troops to crush an Islamist movement that had taken control of much of the south.
Looks like the bozo was given a hot warm welcome by his beloved "insurgents" despite siding with them.
#4
At age 74 he's a 'tweener' - a bit young for Korea and old for Vietnam, but somehow it seems he has the right stuff. Certainly one of the few respectable members of the Black Caucus.
#5
REDDIT > despite the Philipps rescue, it seems the PIR-I-I-ITES still hold apporxi 18 foreign vessels, including five taken just this week, + 250 hostages. NO SIGN THEY INTEND TO STOP A'PIRATIN!
#6
hey rantyes, such a crying bitches you all sound. you fags are the shit of America did you have your ass kick in your youth that now cluster together in this imbeciles blog
All of you are just conservative crying frustrated bitches
It's official. The USAF did want more F-22s and considered a 180-some force to be a high risk approach, but after the Defense Department provided the service with a new assessment of future wars, the USAF changed its mind. That's what the service's top leaders say in a signed piece in this morning's Washington Post. And being able to change one's mind is the sign of deep though, right?
The most important fact about this story is that it had to be written at all. Gates said on Monday that the AF had fully supported the decision to close the F-22 line. Look what the 1970s brought us - disco, the Village People, the F-15 ...
Nobody with any great power and influence (current or retired officers, for example) has spoken against it, except for the usual suspects on the Hill. Maybe Gates is reading the all-time-record comment thread on Ares.
The second important piece is here: First, based on warfighting experience over the past several years and judgments about future threats, the Defense Department is revisiting the scenarios on which the Air Force based its assessment. More money spent on anti-terrorist training and tactics will pay off in Iraq and Afghanistan. In China? Not so much
Read this in conjunction with the paragraph before it, which states that Donley and Schwartz concluded last summer that a 381-aircraft force was "low-risk" and that 243 was "moderate risk". It's not a huge logical leap to say that 183 was termed "high risk" - that is, likely to prove deficient against future threats.
The USAF has not changed its methodology, but the DoD "is revisiting the scenarios" - that is, changing the inputs to the process. Garbage in ...
That is of course the DoD's job; but the Gates team seems to have done this in only one specific case. And when was it done? As we've reported before, the USAF in March was saying that it needed more F-22s.
Third pivotal comment: Analysis showed that overlapping F-22 and F-35 production would not only be expensive but that while the F-35 may still experience some growing pains, there is little risk of a catastrophic failure in its production line. Of course, according to this article, the F-35 doesn't work very well in hot climes, but whatever. We never fight in those
In its simplest terms, whether a risk is acceptable or not depends on the level of risk - its probability - and its consequences. Most of us will buy a $1 raffle ticket for a $50 prize even if we know that 100 tickets have been sold. Russian roulette has a much higher chance of a "win" - five in six - but most of us won't do that. That's risk management.
Now define "catastrophic". If you mean, for example, that JSF unit cost doubles and production rates are halved - as has happened to a lot of programs - there may be "little risk" of this. But its effect in a fixed-budget world would be to gut the US Air Force: the consequence is so severe that the only acceptable level of risk is zero.
Far lesser, and more likely JSF problems - a further delay in flight testing, more moderate increases in cost and rate reductions - will have a major impact because of the project's size and because there's no backup plan.
They could accelerate the aging of the force, compel the USAF to shrink its front-line strength and starve the other needs - nuclear reconstitution, ISR, space and cyber - that the two USAF leaders mention in the WaPo piece. Indeed, a two-year slip and a 25 per cent overrun in the price tag would easily equal the cost of 60 more F-22s over the same period of time. But, now, the punchline ...
But finally, missing from this piece is the full byline: Michael Donley is secretary of the Air Force. Gen. Norton Schwartz is chief of staff of the Air Force. Both were appointed to their present positions by SecDef Gates last summer, after he fired their predecessors, who had argued in favor of more F-22s.
#1
Anyone envision fighting a major long term conflict on the Chinese mainland? Bueller, Bueller?
I recall reading in Utley's book Frontier Regulars that in testimony before Congress in the 1870s that the conflict in the New Mexico Territories and elsewhere bore no consideration to the needs of the Army which had to be prepared to fight a European style war! Things haven't changed much in many people's minds.
#3
hey rantyes, such a crying bitches you all sound. you fags are the shit of America did you have your ass kick in your youth that now cluster together in this imbeciles blog
All of you are just conservative crying frustrated bitches
A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats.
The report, titled "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," dated April 7, states that "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts."
However, the report goes on to suggest worsening economic woes, potential new legislative restrictions on firearms and "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."
#2
This article is a single dimensional analysis of a multi-dimensional problem. The government needs to make provisions for the worst case scenario that our country goes into a depression, for sure, but blaming veterans or the right wing leaves out much. If the governments puts the country into the toilet, the ensuing bloodbath wont be from Vets. I venture to say, Vets will be back at the recruiting stations signing back up as Reserves to fight rioters or going to weekend drills. The real rioters will probably come from all segments of society. Vets will be the least pervasive segment.
Veterans, in my opinion FWIW, are less of a threat than fringe lunatics, obviously. Veterans were willing subjects serving the state, and in many senses are more loyal to protecting the US on that count alone. Second thing this analysis leaves out is that many Vets are prescribed happy pills nowadays. Thirdly, any Vet that I've talked to is ecstatic to be back in the United States after consecutive tours in hellhole environments. Also, combat vets have considerable family and community support for their valor in most cases, something that this article completely ignores.
An important point is that our government (which apparently have short memory since Viet Nam) should not be prejudiced against the very people who fought for them, or they risk creating the beast they are so afraid of. They have nothing to fear but fear itself. If indeed the country goes into a depression, and homelessness and lack of credit liquidity is the precursor to "insanity" of the citizens of the United States, they have as much if not more to fear from non-vets such as inner city thugs, illegal immigrant gang members and disillusioned citizenry as well as opportunistic foreign terrorists in general as they do from "right wing extremists or vets"
What the goverment should be on the look out for is placing blame on Conservatives in general, and making them into a fringe element by categorically discriminating against religion, or the gun owning churchgoer. This article is quite ridiculous.
(U//FOUO) Rightwing extremist views bemoan the decline of U.S. stature and have recently focused on themes such as the loss of U.S. manufacturing capability to China and India, Russias control of energy resources and use of these to pressure other countries, and Chinas investment in U.S. real estate and corporations as a part of subversion strategy.
#5
The threat is from the Left. The Left will be frustrated when the economy truly hits the dumper and the masses then DON'T turn to them for salvation.
Right wing extremists are ineffectual. The so-called militia movement was a joke. But the Left likes to use these folks as their straw-men.
The threat has always been from the Left.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/13/2009 12:31
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#6
I thought they were talking about Zimbabwe.
I had the same thought when I clicked on the link.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009 13:35
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#7
The despicable thing about this article is that it DOESN'T see illegal immigration, loss of sovereignty and restrictions on firearms as a valid and important concern.
That these are only the concern of "right-wing extremists" means that the authors are down with the whole concept of tyranny by the "correct" people.
#8
Name the right wing extreme group that staged any armed insurrection. If you want to start naming far to center left wing groups, now that's another story and a very long list. Here's the problem, folks do not know their left from their right when it comes to the political spectrum. The farther left you move from the center, the more blood thirsty, violent and authoritarian they become. "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups" sound like descriptors of the democrat party.
#11
Most vets (me included) joined up to serve their nation. They DON'T like some disorganized "community organizer" trying to turn it into another France. Most of us remember our first duty: to support and defend the Constitution, and to bear true faith and allegiance to it. That oath says NOTHING about supporting the Democrap party as it tries to dismantle the Constitution. Most of us with an IQ above the freezing point of water also have read the Declaration of Independence, which provides a guideline of when revolution becomes necessary, and we ain't there yet. As long as OBambi understands that the Constitution limits HIS actions as well as those of Congress, we can get along. If he crosses the line, THEN it will be time to discuss "right-wing extremism".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 16:33
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#12
feel free to make a note of this on your to-do list O-Team: create jobs Asshats. Thats what the business of your Administration should be all about.
That way when all the Vets come home, you wont be worried about being caught in sniper cross-hairs. And yes, I am a female veteran so I can fully understand the fear of us.
A disturbing story appeared last week in the Washington Times.
On his way home from a conference, the director of Development for Campaign for Liberty, Steve Bierfeldt, was detained for further screening at a Saint Louis airport by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners.
The TSA screener was suspicious because Mr. Bierfeldts luggage contained a metal box with about $4,700.00 in cash and some Ron Paul bumper stickers. This evidence the large amount of cash seems to have made him some kind of security risk in the mind of the screener, who detained and questioned him for about half an hour:
Mr. Bierfeldt was attending his organizations regional conference in St. Louis and said he was keenly aware, as the situation unfolded March 29, of a controversial report issued to Missouri law enforcement officials intended to identify members of radical militia members.
#15
I was expecting something like this to come out, just as during the Clinton Administration, so-called right wing domestic extremists became a top priority. People forget what that was like. It didn't take long for the new political appointees at the top of DHS to order up this report.
In the old days, the civilian population was indeed a threat to the government, and indeed overthrew it, AKA the American Revolution, but nowadays people don't care about constitutions and suchlike, and overthrowing tyrannical government is out of fashion.
#16
This isn't a report, it is another axe grinding. You have to plant seeds of doubt before you can demonize. In another couple of years we on the right could be the new "Juden".
Gunmen ambushed Lebanese troops in the east of the country on Monday, spraying their military vehicle with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, a senior military official said. Four soldiers were killed and an officer was wounded in the attack.
The ambush on a major road near the town of Rayak comes after a recent push by Lebanese troops to crack down on the drug trade in the Bekaa Valley and carried the hallmarks of a revenge attack by clansmen. Of course, Hizbullah owns the Leb drug trade.
All I really want to do is wish a Happy Easter to everyone celebrating this day. And now, let's give readers their writes.
John, I don't have the ZIP code for Zeus-ville, so please pass this letter on to the International Olympic delegates who visited Chicago.
"Dear Olympic Mavens: I've been asking around, talked to lotsa guys and nobody wants your five-ringed circus coming here. Nobody. We've got enough games already. Only Daley and his pals want the 2016 Olympics in Chicago. They figure to clean up. They're the bride. We're the broom. If Chicago is your kind of town, here's an alternate. North Korea. Nice weather, same bosses. Happy Easter. Stanley G.
Dear StanleyBoth North Korea and Chicago are ruled by short-shanked monarchs who protect their chumbolones from the hazards of democracy. Politicians, business types and a few giddy reporters want the Olympics here. That's about it. The state of Illinois is broke. The city is festooned with potholes. Taxes are up. Property values are down. But if the mayor grants me exclusive rights to sell Kass' Gyros/Celtic Corn at all Olympic venues, I'll start cheering too. Wings, the young guy who helps out around here, wants exclusive rights to Wings' Magic Sangria stands, and he'll make a fortune. Yes we can!
For the 2016 Chicago Olympic symbol, instead of five interlocking rings, why not five interlocking potholes? Rick J.
Dear RickImagine that one on the side of a CTA bus.
And on to King Abdullah, the Chia Obama, and what happens when one is laughing and eating cheerios at the same time.
The British government's Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT), a 200-strong Home Office unit created 18 months ago, has said in meetings it wants to 'flood the internet' with 'positive' interpretations of Islam and plans to train government-approved groups in search engine optimization techniques, which it is hoped will boost their profile online and battle radicalization.
A Home Office spokesman confirmed search engine optimization training is part of the government's anti-radicalization strategy. 'In order to support mainstream voices, we work with local partners to help develop their communication, representational and leadership skills. This support could include media training, which can help make their voices heard more widely, and support the development of skills which allow communities to be more effective in debate.'
However the effectiveness of search engine optimization in reducing traffic to extremist websites has been dismissed by academics. A report produced by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) said young Muslims were much more likely to be directed to extremist material online by web forums and offline associates than by Google or other search engines. 'Tweaking the results for supposedly extremist terms would be largely ineffectual, not least because it is unlikely that any but the most callow wannabe terrorist would use a mainstream search engine to find banned material.'
Posted by: ryuge ||
04/13/2009
06:30 ||
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#1
Positive Isramic message.
"If you're not a Jew and have not sinned against Islam, we won't kill you---probably."
It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president - a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences. Not to mention James Earl Carter.
Clinton's efforts to land a small contingent of troops in Haiti were rebuffed, for the world to see, by a few hundred gun-toting Haitians. As the USS Harlan County retreated, so did the president's reputation.
For President Obama, last week's confrontation with Somali pirates posed similar political risks to a young commander in chief who had yet to prove himself to his generals or his public. But the result - a dramatic and successful rescue operation by U.S. Special Operations forces - left Obama with an early victory that could help build confidence in his ability to direct military actions abroad. Rescue? O told the Navy not to let the Captain get killed; see below. That might have looked bad... Minor distinction. To keep the good Captain alive he had to be rescued at some point ...
Throughout the past four days, White House officials played down Obama's role in the hostage drama. Until yesterday, he made no public statements about the pirates.
In fact, aides said yesterday, Obama had been briefed 17 times since he returned from his trip abroad, including several times from the White House Situation Room. And without giving too many details, senior White House officials made it clear that Obama had provided the authority for the rescue.
"The president's focus was on saving and protecting the life of the captain," one adviser said. Friday evening, after a National Security Council telephone update, Obama granted U.S. forces what aides called "the authority to use appropriate force to save the life of the captain." On Saturday at 9:20 a.m., Obama went further, giving authority to an "additional set of U.S. forces to engage in potential emergency actions."
A top military official, Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of the Fifth Fleet, explained that Obama issued a standing order that the military was to act if the captain's life was in immediate danger.
"Our authorities came directly from the president," he said. "And the number one authority for incidents if we were going to respond was if the captain's life was in immediate danger. And that is the situation in which our sailors acted." Why not the first opportunity, O?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/13/2009
06:26 ||
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#1
And if violence escalates, will the WaPo and New York Slimes take the "blame Bush at every opportunity" political game?
#2
By and large, Obama is a fool. But I have to give props, he played this one just right. Left it to the discretion of the commanders on the scene and the SEALS. Man, those 3 shots must have been something to see. Both target and shooter moving up and down. 3 shots 3 kills. Good job to our military, as usual!
#3
Obama went further, giving authority to an "additional set of U.S. forces to engage in potential emergency actions."
OK, the President was engaged and gave the Navy his blessings thats a good thing. But something isnt right with this report. The G-men originally took charge because piracy and kidnapping are regarded as law-enforcement operations. But after stalled negotiations, according to a CNN report, the Pirates fired on U.S. sailors Saturday as they tried to reach the lifeboat. It would seem, at that point, it instantly morphed into a hostile act towards the Navy. And thus certain authorities were granted to the commander of the Bainbridge. (Regardless of Presidential permission) If the O-Team had any sense of honor they would do everything in their power to squelch these spike-the-football stories.
#6
It was set up so that the people on the scene would have gotten the blame if it went sour. Essentially the order was "don't embarrass the president". They didn't. Cause for celebration, certainly, but let's hope that he's always so lucky.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/13/2009 11:43
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#7
Indeed Seafarious, it is, and will probably remain so for Bambi, a VERY steep learning curve. The question now becomes: will he learn from this or will it further convince him he is truly the Annointed One? Just askin', ya know.
#8
Spot on Mitch! Considering the captain of a US flagged vessel was being held captive for randsom, the phrase "the use of deadly force is authorized if the life of Captain Phillips is in danger" is particularly rich. All of the ship's company to include the brave captain were in danger from the moment of hostile boarding. Leaving the action open for interpretation or post-event analysis and sniping takes Barry off the hook. The Leadership-101 response should have been:
The Captain of the USS Bainbridge is authorized to use deadly force.
#9
A good way to start and at least he had the balls to order them to pull the trigger.
But he better hope they're all as a easy as one guy being held by 4 dumbass Somali goombas with nowhere to go surrounded by a coupla SEAL teams. Chances are they won't be.
#10
Obama's involvement in the decision to authorize lethal force was legally required, officials said, because it was a hostage situation, not combat, and unrelated to the already authorized U.S. effort against al-Qaida and other terror groups, officials said.
Its not a combat operation so the lawyers wanted to ensure this was done right," said a second defense official.
Hope he never has to make a snap decision and there ain't a lawyer around...
#13
It strikes me that the surviving pirate (or I guess we have to say alleged pirate since this is a law enforcement matter) has a hell of a lot of leverage here: he's got the ability to tarnish the Lightbringer's first military action. For example, suppose he claims that the Bainbridge's crew abused him or didn't give him his Miranda warning or whatever. (He'd be lying, but I'm guessing this guy is not exceedingly concerned about a perjury rap at this point.) Does the ACLU run to his rescue? Human Rights Watch? That idiot Spanish judge? If I were that kid I'd insist on a suite at the Waldorf with unlimited in-room movies.
Posted by: Matt ||
04/13/2009 12:49
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#14
Or a Playstation 3 with Grand Theft Container Ship...
#15
The first time that the ship's captain jumped out of the lifeboat, the Navy did nothing and he was recaptured by the pirates. I heard an explanation that the SEALS were not yet aboard, but given the time the Navy took to get into position, and the fact that they had time to get the FBI on board, this makes very little sense.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Navy was waiting for White House permission to act and the White House was busy consulting DOJ lawyers. I'm very glad the Captain was freed. But I doubt we've heard the entire story.
Posted by: Matt ||
04/13/2009 13:14
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#17
Matt__ the surviving pirate ( I do love the sound of that phrase) is 16 years old - wanna bet he gets a slap on the wrist and citizenship for seeing the errors of his ways.
#18
DMFD -- I know nothing, really, but I do understand logistics. The SEALS they had or had brought in as soon as this happened, were the well armed guys on the Alabama I saw as it arrived in port.
Logistically speaking -- they prolly wanted their best snipers, and would want to have at least two teams per pirate if not three teams. (around the clock aim on those idiots)
That's two person per team, spotter and shooter. They had to come from somewhere, then meet up, a plane had to be secured, prolly had a meet/phone call with the FBI types, relaying all the info they had learned from the Alabama crew about those pirates to the teams.
They had to determine weaponry they needed and what they could jump with, and it goes on and on.... where are the boats coming from, what time, etc, etc, etc.
No telling where those teams came from. Heck, one of them may have been sitting on top of a mountain in Afghanistan. I do understand they always have teams on watch/standby, ready to move immediately -- but I would think they wouldn't have that many spotters and shooters on a "waiting" team. Now I know, all SEALS are spotters and shooters, but these seem to be the "real snipers."
They couldn't just suddenly drop out of the sky. Well, yes they can and did. The logistics of making that happen would prolly fry my brain. But, what do I know?
#19
Kind of like giving Barry Switzer credit for his Cowboy super bowl win right after he took over the Super Bowl team Jimmy Johnson put together.
Posted by: Glinemp Darling of the Algonquins4075 ||
04/13/2009 14:48
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#20
Bambi played it very safely. Everything worked out well in the end. So no loud talking. Let's see if the Commander of the Bainbridge makes Captain.
#23
Compare wid ISRAELI MIL FORUM > OBAMOB RULE: MICHAEL MOORE URGES PRESIDENT OBAMA TO DO WHATEVER HE LIKES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT ITS CONSTITUTIONAL.
Also, PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > USA OUTSOURCES ITS ARMY, REWARDS THEM WITH CITIZENSHIP [MAVNI Program for non-Citizen, Resident Migrants wid USArmy-DOD desired Linguistic, Medical Skills].
#24
hey rantyes, such a crying bitches you all sound. you fags are the shit of America did you have your ass kick in your youth that now cluster together in this imbeciles blog
All of you are just conservative crying frustrated bitches
#2
The basic problem is that the Tea Parties, though the right would *like* to claim them, are not Republican in character. In fact, their impulse is halfway between the Red and Blue States resolutions of the 10th Amendment, and Ron Paul.
That is, both Red and Blue States agree that the US federal government is "out of control", across the board. And while the right or the left particularly care about individual parts that are out of control, they are both starting to agree that the entire government is out of whack as a whole.
So it's not a left or right issue. Instead it is a "The People and the individual States vs. the political parties and the bureaucracy" fight.
The political parties have no constitutional standing, but they rule as a duopoly, excluding the States and the people from the federal government, in favor of their own prerogatives and secret agreements.
The same applies to the bureaucracy. It is far more concerned with feeding itself than executing the law. Congress has given it the power to *make* the law, outside of the normal checks and balances.
Finally the States and the people are realizing that this is an intolerable situation. And if it continues, there is no other real choice than to call a constitutional convention, as dangerous as that is. Because between the political parties and the bureaucracy, the fate of America is at risk.
This is the real message of the Tea Parties, whether or not even the people attending them consciously realize it.
#4
The one thing everyone seems to forget about 'tea parties' is what happened when the original Boston Tea Party failed... look it up... are the Tea Party protestors willing to take that step? Maybe that is why they are mostly ignored by Gov and the Media.
I beg your pardon? This is in the WaPo, on page A15. I'll have to see if I can find the other, more balanced, nuanced, point of view on another page; the one bemoaning the violations of the pirates rights.
With the rescue of American Richard Phillips from the hands of pirates yesterday, there was a blip of good news from the Indian Ocean, but it remains a scandal that Somali pirates continue to routinely defeat the world's naval powers. And worse than this ongoing demonstration of cowardice is the financing of terrorists that results from the huge ransom payments these pirates are allowed to collect.
It is naive to assume that the millions paid annually in ransom to pirates merely enables them to purchase villas and fancy automobiles. Somalia is a country without government, where anarchy is being exploited by terrorist organizations. Although the threat that pirates pose to commercial ships is increasingly known, little is being done to combat it. And we must consider the bigger picture: Terrorists are far more brutal than pirates and can easily force pirates - petty thieves in comparison - to share their ransom money.
We already know that Somalia is an ideal fortress and headquarters for global terrorist activity. The United States has learned the painful lesson that Somalia is not an easy place for our military to establish law and order; two of our interventions there became embarrassing defeats - in 1993 and more recently in support of Ethiopian forces.
So why do we keep rewarding Somali pirates? How is this march of folly possible?
Start by blaming the timorous lawyers who advise the governments attempting to cope with the pirates such as those who had been engaged in a standoff with U.S. hostage negotiators in recent days. These lawyers misinterpret the Law of the Sea Treaty and the Geneva Conventions and fail to apply the powerful international laws that exist against piracy. The right of self-defense - a principle of international law - justifies killing pirates as they try to board a ship.
Nonetheless, entire crews are unarmed on the ships that sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Shipowners pretend that they cannot trust their crews with weapons, but the facts don't add up. For one thing, in the United States most adults except felons are allowed to have guns, and the laws of many other nations also permit such ownership. Even if owners don't want everyone aboard their ships to be carrying weapons, don't they trust the senior members of their crews? Why couldn't they at least arm the captain and place two experienced and reliable police officers on board?
When these pitifully unarmed crews watch pirates climb aboard their vessels, they can do little to fight back. And while the United States and many other naval powers keep warships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean - deployments that cost millions of dollars - these ships cannot keep pirates from boarding commercial ships that have unarmed crews.
The international right of self-defense would also justify an inspection and quarantine regime off the coast of Somalia to seize and destroy all vessels that are found to be engaged in piracy. These inspections could reduce the likelihood that any government will find itself engaged in a hostage situation such as the one that played out in recent days. Furthermore, the U.N. Security Council should prohibit all ransom payments. Whoa! That would be a statement from the UN!
If the crew of an attacked ship were held hostage, the Security Council could authorize a military blockade of Somalia until the hostages were released.
Cowardice will not defeat terrorism, nor will it stop the Somali pirates. If anything, continuing to meet the pirates' demands only acts as an incentive for more piracy.
Fred C. Iklé, a distinguished scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is the author of "Annihilation From Within" and "Every War Must End." Hmmm... "Annihilation From Within". Might be worth reading...
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/13/2009
06:07 ||
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#1
Actually, the pirates have been pretty slick in not killing, raping etc. Just crinmes against property and as all good internationalists know, that is the goddess-given right of the poor. I mean even the TOTUS is stealing from the well off to give to his drones. How can you even think about killing the poor Somalis for doing the exact same thing?
Posted by: Flolung Darling of the Geats1633 ||
04/13/2009 14:36
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#2
Piracy and support of piracy are acts of war, and should be treated as such. Whatever government or nation that gives pirates a free hand to engage in such acts should be considered at war with those it attacks, and may expect counter-strikes. Such strikes should be left to the imagination - and the military capability - of the government hijacked ships belong to or are registered under. Piracy is only possible in an area such as Somalia, where there is no central government, or areas such as the Malacca Straits, where multiple governments have jurisdiction and little ability to patrol the shipping lanes. Killing pirates, crushing whole towns to dust, and even devastating whole countries are "expenses" the pirates can't afford, and the attacks will cease. That is, it will cease until "things" get back to normal and the shipping nations of the world drop their guard - again.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 19:03
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#3
FREEREPUBLIC/OTHER > IIUC seems the SEALS ostensib killed 3 MERE, UNTRAINED, SHOULD-BE-IN-SCHOOL-OR-WITH-MOM SOMALI TEENS when they rescued Philipps???. The FAILED SOMALI STATE + ECON is what induced these youths towards a life of high-seas crime [read. D *** NG IT, the US-ALLIES = future OWG-NWO MUST AND SHOULD INVADE].
No doubt about it.
Yep.
You betcha.
* DRUDGEREPORT > MILITARY CONSIDERS STRIKING AT PIRATE LAND BASES
A booby-trapped fishing boat exploded on Monday am local time
near an Israel Navy vessel off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip.
No one was wounded in the blast, which occurred about 300 meters from the Gaza coast, near the border with Israel. The Palestinian vessel was laden with explosives, but was unmanned. The Paleos have a drone ship?
The blast was heard further along the coast in Gaza City. Local Palestinian media, however, did not immediately report on the incident
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - Two armed men on motorbikes gunned down a woman provincial legislator in Afghanistans volatile southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, an official said. Sitara Achikzai was on her way home from work when she was killed in the drive-by shooting outside her house, the head of the council, Ahmad Wali Karzai told AFP.
She has been martyred by two men on motorbikes and the case is under investigation, said Karzai, brother of President Hamid Karzai.
He blamed the attack on enemies of Afghanistan, a term often used to refer to Islamist Taliban insurgents behind a wave of killings, including assassinations, as part of an insurgency. There was however no immediate claim of responsibility.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/13/2009
00:00 ||
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#1
That means, what, they get 78 white mice instead of 72? Allah has SUCH a sense of humor.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 15:29
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British counter-terrorism police believe that a team of Pakistan-born Al Qaeda suspects is still at large in the UK. It is feared that as many as three dozen potential terrorists may have slipped through security nets and may be waiting to strike. A police official told The People: "We think there were two teams on this -- one doing the preparation and another to come in right at the last minute to carry it out. The worry is that the second team may be in possession of explosive material. Officers are looking at the possibility of a 'dead drop' to transfer material. "If there are two teams, it is a clever tactic. It means any compromise in the first team leaves the second free to finish the job."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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Your best source is jailed. You track high-sea hijacks by text and email. You get through to captors on a satellite phone but are then roundly abused. Reporting on Somali piracy can be surreal.
While some in the world only woke up to the phenomenon with the first seizure of an American hostage, Somalia's modern-day buccaneers have been marauding off the Horn of Africa for years, taking hundreds of captives and millions in ransoms.
Covering their exploits is a near-daily task for reporters in Somalia and foreign correspondents in East Africa. At times, like the saga of just-released American hostage Richard Phillips on a lifeboat with four gunmen, it becomes a 24/7 job, requiring moral judgments and canny journalism.
Reuters reporters in Somalia were able to contact Phillips' captors -- on their fuel-less, floating lifeboat stalked by U.S. warships -- at the start of the standoff. They issued various defiant messages to the world in barked conversations.
Having then been informed, however, that their remarks were making instant headlines on TV networks across the world, the pirate gang became less cooperative. "We are tired of your calls. We have no time for journalists," is a polite translation of some of the last quotes our team managed to extract from the pirates. "If you bother us again, we will order someone in Mogadishu to meet you," a gang member added before the line went dead.
Often, though, the pirates are friendly and helpful, though they detest use of the p-word. "We never kill people. We are Muslims. We are marines, coastguards -- not pirates," one said.
Hostages say the pirates are normally as friendly as they can be under the circumstances. While they threaten to shoot or beat them if they do not cooperate, they also roast goat for their captives and pass phones around for calls home.
Hostages say the pirates are normally as friendly as they can be under the circumstances. While they threaten to shoot or beat them if they do not cooperate, they also roast goat for their captives and pass phones around for calls home.
"ELECTRONIC" HIJACKS
At Reuters, news of dramatic hijacks can often break by texts, sometimes in the middle of the night, from sources. On a warship in the Gulf of Aden, one journalist was first to report the hijacking of an Italian boat from staff who got a distress call then saw communications disappear in minutes.
One of the best sources on piracy in the region is Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme. Based in Kenya's Mombasa port, the body is a champion for sailors' welfare, essentially a human rights group.
Mwangura believes some authorities in the region, and wealthy kingpins in places like Nairobi, Dubai and London, are complicit in masterminding and sheltering piracy. Last year, Mwangura accused Kenya of trying to cover up the real destination of tanks on board a hijacked Ukrainian ship. Mwangura was labeled a "mouthpiece" for pirates by the Kenyan government, and went to jail on charges of giving "alarming" information and possessing $3 worth of marijuana. He was later released, but the case hangs over him in what he says is a crude attempt to gag him from telling the truth.
Kenya's sensitivity over Mwangura mirrors some of the moral ambiguities over covering piracy. Are journalists fanning criminality when they speak to the gangs, or adding to a necessary understanding of the phenomenon?
Answers, please, in a bottle on the Indian Ocean.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
"We are Muslims ... NOT Pirates" > CNN Guest Pert argued this AM that many of the SOMALI PIRATES ARE HIGHLY TRAINED, CURRENT OR FORMER SOMALI MILITARY-POLICE SERVICEMEMBERS whom became pirates to survive Somalia's FAILED STATE [nearly non-existent GOVT + espec ECON]; and that THE "REAL/MOST DEDICATED" OF THE PIRATES ARE THE ONES HANDLING OR CONDUCTING THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE US-FOREIGN POWERS [top Somali Mil Commanders + Politicos], NOTSOMUCH THE ONES YOU SEE IN THE MEDIA WAVING THEIR WEAPONS OR EVEN ATTACKING THE SHIPS, TAKING CAPTIVES???
#2
Joe, it was a preposterous statement on its face, anyways. Many if not most of the original Caribbean pirates were devout, even fanatical Calvinists who thought of their predations as part of the Wars of Religion against the Catholic powers, especially their Catholic Majesties the Kings of Spain.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/13/2009 11:36
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The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday arrested eight operatives of banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and recovered bomb-making materials in the capital's Khilkhet area.
In a pre-dawn raid barely two days before Pahela Baishakh, the elite anti-crime force also seized CDs, audiotapes, computer accessories and manuals, and books and leaflets on jihad.
Rab claimed three of the arrestees have been trained to be suicide bombers. They are Abu Sayeed alias Parvez and Yusuf Al Asadullah Bin Wahidullah of Bogra and Sumon alias Abdullah of Narayanganj.
Of the others, Abdul Matin alias Zakir of Munshiganj had been coordinating efforts to reorganise JMB that was left in ruins by the execution of its six top brass around two years back.
He is brother of Salahuddin, a JMB Majlish-e-Shura (highest policy-making body) member now on death row.
The rest four are the Islamist outfit's Dhaka north zone commander Mohammad Hasanuzzaman of Satkhira, part-time members Tariqullah alias Rubel of Tangail and Anwar Hossain alias Baten of Sirajganj, and IT expert Zahidur Rahman alias Zahid of Pirojpur.
Those detained are aged between 18 and 32.
Back in 1998, Matin played a vital role when JMB supremo Shaikh Abdur Rahman founded the militant organisation at Mohammadia Arabia Madrasa in the city's Jatrabari area.
He later went to Saudi Arabia for work. He would regularly send money to Jama'atul Mujahideen until his return from the Middle East in 2007, the year Rahman was executed along with five other top militant leaders.
Yesterday's recovery includes 10,000 lithium batteries, 10 detonators, and five packets of high power gel explosives.
Rab Additional Director General Col Rezanur Rahman Khan said, "We don't yet know if the arrestees posed a threat to Pahela Baishakh (Bangla New Year) celebrations. Neither are we ruling out the possibility that they might have been plotting terror attacks."
However, he added, people need not worry as the law enforcers are working round the clock to ensure foolproof security tomorrow.
The arrestees were paraded before the media at a press conference at Rab office in Uttara in the afternoon. Reporters were not allowed to speak to them.
Rab-1 Commanding Officer Bakhtiar Alam said a team made up of members from Rab-1 and the Rab intelligence wing began raiding the house of one Moulana Owaz Uddin at Tekpara village in Khilkhet area at around 3:30am yesterday.
"We found out about the militant network during interrogation of JMB Dhaka divisional commander Mohtasim Billah alias Bashir alias Nasir. After working for about a month and a half on the leads, we finally managed to bust the den and nab the eight early today."
Nasir was arrested in Gazipur on February 20.
Referring to the recovery of lithium batteries, he said they [militants] must have procured those for making time bombs.
The seized JMB leaflet reads, "Here comes the Jihadi Kafila (caravan). It will destroy the enemies of Allah and his Prophet (S). It will bury the tyrants, exploiters and the dishonest leaders to bring about an Islamic state."
The Mujahideen, it continues, are relentless in efforts to "wipe the infidels off the face of the earth"
The leaflet says the "Christian-controlled media gives a distorted view of the Mujahideen's noble campaign to free the country from the unbelievers".
It goes on to describe the country's press as "spokesmen for the non-Islamic forces".
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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On this day in history: April 13th
1742 Handel's oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere.
1861 American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
1902 James C. Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
1941 Pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
1943 James Boarman, Fred Hunter, Harold Brest and Floyd G. Hamilton take part in an Alcatraz escape attempt.
1943 The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth.
1948 The Hadassah medical convoy massacre: In an ambush, 79 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital and a British soldier are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarra near Jerusalem. (Lions of Islam)
1970 An oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the spacecraft while en route to the Moon.
1997 Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win golf's Masters Tournament.
A group of Tamil protesters stormed the Sri Lankan embassy in Oslo on Sunday, police said, on the fifth day of demonstrations in the Norwegian capital calling for the end of fighting in Sri Lanka.
Even Joerstad, an Oslo police superintendent, told AFP that around 100 Tamil demonstrators tried to storm the Sri Lankan embassy at 1400 (1300 GMT) and that an unknown number managed to break in.
"There were about 100 outside but we don't know how many went inside the embassy," Joerstad said.
"They were inside for about four or five minutes and then they went out," he said, adding that the protesters broke windows and furniture inside the building.
Joerstad said the Tamils left the building at the police's request and that no arrests were made, describing the current situation as "peaceful". He declined to reveal how many police officers were at the scene at the time.
Godfrey Manoharan, a spokesman for the Tamil protesters, said between 400 and 500 people attended the rally, although Oslo police were unable to confirm those figures. Manoharan said the protesters had become "angry and frustrated" after reports emerged on a pro-Tamil website that the Sri Lankan military had fired at a civilian "no-fire zone" early Sunday morning.
"It's a message to the Sinahlese government that we won't give up," he said. Staff at the Sri Lankan embassy in Oslo declined to comment on the incident when contacted by AFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
Void the passports of anyone taking part in these types of festivities, and see how well they like it. A person without a passport in Europe is in trouble. It's also almost impossible to get aboard an aircraft to ANYWHERE without a valid passport.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 16:02
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The Sri Lankan president on Sunday ordered the military not to attack the Tamil Tigers during a two-day holiday in order to allow thousands of civilians to escape a no-fire zone where they are being held by the separatists.
Soldiers have encircled the remnants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a 17 square km no-fire zone on the northeast coast, and are close to crushing them as a conventional force and ending Asia's longest-running civil wars.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that people should be "given uninhibited freedom of movement from the no-fire zone" in the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period on Monday and Tuesday.
"With this objective in view, his excellency has directed the armed forces of the state to restrict their operations during the New Year to those of a defensive nature," the presidential statement said.
There was no immediate comment from the LTTE, whose agreement to let the people go is essential. The United Nations and witnesses say people are being kept as human shields and forced conscripts or being shot as they try to flee.
In late January, Rajapaksa gave a 48-hour window of safe passage to civilians and urged the Tigers to let them go, but the rebels refused. The LTTE so far has refused any diplomatic entreaties to get them to let people leave whom they insist are staying by choice. Diplomats have been working furiously to negotiate an exit strategy for the people, who number 60,000 according to the government and around 100,000, according to the United Nations.
Surrender: Rajapaksa again urged the LTTE to surrender.
"In the true spirit of the season, it is timely for the LTTE to acknowledge its military defeat and lay down its weapons and surrender. The LTTE must also renounce terrorism and violence permanently," the statement said. The Tigers have vowed not to give up their fight for a separate nation for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority, which has engulfed the Indian Ocean island nation in a civil war that has killed at least 70,000 since 1983.
Britain: Meanwhile, Britain welcomed the government ceasefire in Sri Lanka announced on Sunday, calling on the Tamil Tiger rebels to do likewise while insisting that civilians had to be free to leave the conflict zone. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said international access to provide aid and investigate alleged abuses was "essential".
"I very much welcome the announcement by President Rajapakse of a pause in the fighting between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE," Miliband said in a statement. "The UK's concern for the civilians caught in the fighting is acute. It is vital that they are now able to move freely out of the conflict area. "I therefore believe it is essential that the LTTE now agree to their own pause in fighting and allow civilians to leave. The pause must be long enough for all those who want to leave the conflict zone to do so safely. "Temporary relief for civilians must be the first step towards a resolution of the conflict," Miliband added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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(CNN) -- U.S. Navy snipers fatally shot three pirates holding an American cargo-ship captain hostage after seeing that one of the pirates "had an AK-47 leveled at the captain's back," a military official said Sunday. The captain, who'd been held in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean since Wednesday, was rescued uninjured, Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told reporters.
Capt. Richard Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, was stormed by pirates 300 miles off Somalia on Wednesday morning. He was "resting comfortably" on the USS Boxer after his rescue Sunday night, according to the Navy. Phillips contacted his family and received a routine medical exam after his rescue at 7:19 p.m. (12:19 p.m. ET), the Navy Central Command said. "The captain is in good health. He's showered up and in a clean set of clothes," Gortney said in a telephone news conference from Navy Central Command in Bahrain.
U.S. forces moved to rescue Phillips after seeing him in imminent danger on the lifeboat, Gortney said. A fourth pirate was negotiating Phillips' fate aboard the nearby USS Bainbridge. "While working through the negotiations process tonight, the on-scene commander from the Bainbridge made the decision that the captain's life was in immediate danger, and the three pirates were killed," Gortney said. "The pirate who surrendered earlier today is being treated humanely; his counterparts who continued to fight paid with their lives."
The three pirates, who were armed with AK-47 rifles, were killed by shooters who were aboard the Bainbridge, Gortney said. The on-scene commander gave the shooters approval to open fire after seeing that "one of the pirates had an AK-47 leveled at the captain's back," Gortney said. The fourth pirate was aboard the Bainbridge most of the day and told military negotiators that he wasn't going back to the other pirates, according to a defense official with knowledge of the situation.
Maersk Line Limited President and CEO John Reinhart called Phillips "a leader of men ... [and] a brave and courageous man." He said he has spoken with Phillips and said the captain is "feeling quite good."
Phillips and his family, through Reinhart, expressed gratitude to the U.S. Navy. "I actually was more concerned for his family," said Adm. Rick Gurnon, head of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where Phillips had trained. "As a captain in sea, in a lifeboat, he was comfortable -- even if he was sharing it with Somali pirates."
Gurnon stressed that while Phillips was rescued, more than 200 mariners remain captives at sea. "The pirates have a great business model that works for them: See ships, take ransom, make millions," he told reporters.
At the White House, President Obama issued a statement saying he is "very pleased that Capt. Phillips has been rescued and is safely on board the USS Boxer."
"His safety has been our principal concern, and I know this is a welcome relief to his family and his crew," Obama's statement said. "We remain resolved to halt the rise of piracy in this region. To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes."
An administration official told CNN that Obama granted a Defense Department request to move ahead with the rescue operation, saying the president permitted the military to use appropriate force with a focus on protecting the captain's life.
Phillips offered himself as a hostage after the pirates stormed the U.S.-flagged Alabama Wednesday morning, according to Maersk. The pirates retreated to the lifeboat with Phillips, leaving the Alabama with its crew. Phillips, of Underhill, Vermont, tried to escape by diving off the 28-foot, covered lifeboat Thursday night, but one of the pirates dove into the Indian Ocean to retrieve him.
Maersk Alabama crew members, who guided the ship to Kenya over the weekend, were "jubilant" when they received word of the rescue, a statement from the company said.
Alison McCall, a spokeswoman for Maersk, owner of the Alabama, read a statement from Phillips' family to reporters. "The Phillips family wants to thank you all for your support and prayers. They have felt the caring and concern extended by the nation," McCall said. "This is truly a very happy Easter for the Phillips family."
On Saturday, the FBI launched a criminal investigation into Wednesday's hijacking of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship by Somali pirates, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which is responsible for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region, the officials said.
Snippets of information started to emerge Saturday about how the Maersk Alabama's crew managed to retake the ship after it was hijacked by pirates Wednesday about 350 miles off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. Crew members aboard the freed cargo ship described how some of their colleagues attempted to "jump" their pirate captors. A scuffle ensued and one of the sailors stabbed a pirate in the hand in the battle to retake the container ship, one of the sailors told CNN.
Crew members smiled broadly as they stood on the ship's deck under the watchful eyes of security teams. Although the crew was kept away from the media, CNN's Stan Grant got close enough to ask crew members what happened after the pirates climbed aboard the ship. One crew member said he recalled being awakened around 7 a.m. as the hijacking began. "I was scared," Grant quoted the man as saying.
Some of the crew managed to hide in a secure part of the Alabama as the pirates stormed the ship, the sailor said. As the sailors described their clash with the pirates, a crew member pointed to one shipmate and said, "This guy is a hero. He and the chief engineer, they took down the pirate. ... He led him down there to the engine room, and then they jumped him." The shipmate added that he stabbed the pirate's hand and tied him up.
"Capt. Phillips is a hero," another crew member shouted from the deck of the freed ship.
Maersk CEO Reinhart told reporters Saturday that the crew will stay on board in Mombasa while the FBI conducts an investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
A great business model as long as you don't try it on the US (and even France these days).
Good for the president. Let's give credit when it's due.
Now let's follow it up by more active operations against these boats and by wiping out the shore bases.
#2
...And any ship owner caught attempting to bankroll the pirate activities should have their hijacked ships impounded and be forced to pay a hefty fine to those actually trying to stop the pirates, before their ships' are ever released. Preferably those authorising and delivering the payments should be arrested and treated as engaging in piracy themselves.
#5
1) I think the FBI investigation now is a formality. They're there and have to justify themselves. They'll conclude, in time for the 6 o'clock news at mid-week, that everything was done by the book.
2) Exactly the correct target now are the people who have been financing the pirates. These guys have mother ships, laptops, shipping manifests, GPS systems, fast small boats, spies in foreign ports, and so on. Everything a modern pirate needs, they have, and they didn't come up with all this on their own. Forget Q-ships and arming the merchant vessels and so on.
Want to make the FBI useful? Follow the money.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/13/2009 8:55
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#6
NAIROBI, Kenya Bracing themselves on a rolling warship in choppy seas, U.S. Navy snipers fired three flawless shots to kill a trio of Somali pirates and free the American sea captain being held at gunpoint, a Navy commander said Monday.
U.S. Defense officials said snipers got the go-ahead to fire after one pirate held an AK-47 so close to Capt. Richard Phillips' back that the weapon appeared to be touching him. Two other pirates popped their heads up, giving snipers three clear targets, one official said.
Asked how the snipers could have killed each pirate with a single shot in the dark, Gortney described them as "extremely, extremely well-trained." He told NBC's "Today" show that the shooting was ordered by the captain of the Bainbridge.
The SEALS arrived on the scene by parachuting from their aircraft into the sea, and were picked up by the Bainbridge, a senior U.S. official said.
He said negotiations with the pirates had been "going up and down." The official, asking not to be publicly identified because he, too, was not authorized to discuss this on the record, said the pirates were "becoming increasingly agitated in the rough waters; they weren't getting what they wanted."
Just as it was getting dark, pirates fired a tracer bullet "toward the Bainbridge," further heightening the sense that the incident was ratcheting up, the official said.
He said when the time snipers fired, Phillips' hands were bound. Phillips was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire Sunday.
A fourth pirate surrendered after boarding the Bainbridge earlier Sunday and could face life in a U.S. prison. He had been seeking medical attention for a wound to his hand, military officials said.
#8
I'm hopping the FBI investigation is nothing more then a "post-mortem" (literally now) and will help come up with ways to keep this from happening again - maybe even to the point of allowing small arms to be carried by merchant ships.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
04/13/2009 11:23
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#12
And any ship owner caught attempting to bankroll the pirate activities should have their hijacked ships impounded and be forced to pay a hefty fine to those actually trying to stop the pirates, before their ships' are ever released.
Ummm, Bulldog, you just described Piracy?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/13/2009 12:56
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#13
With the exception of the Dept of the Navy's tactical response, this week plus long story is an embarrassment. This should have been reported in total about three hours after the initial islamo ... uh, terrori ....... ah, Somali pirate seizing of this vessel. You telling me there was no standing order including tactical response for this eventuality? US flagged ship seized, SEAL teams to the Stallions, drop in, neutralize pirates, debrief ships crew, call it in to the AP. Heaven help us.
Posted by: Dave UK ||
04/13/2009 13:47
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#15
It's a big ocean out there. The pirates had moved out further from shore.
The Bainbridge was among several U.S. ships, including the cruiser USS Gettysburg, that had been patrolling in the region. But they were about 345 miles and several hours away when the Maersk Alabama was seized, officials said.
Do a little math, 345 miles divided by......equals lots of hours to arrive on scene.
According to the Navy, it would take 61 ships to control the shipping route in the Gulf of Aden, which is just a fraction of the 1.1 million square miles where the pirates have operated. A U.S.-backed international anti-piracy coalition currently has 12 to 16 ships patrolling the region at any one time.
Along the Somali coastline, an area roughly as long as the eastern seaboard of the United States, pirate crews have successfully held commercial ships hostage for days or weeks until they are ransomed. In the past week, pressured by naval actions off Somalia, the pirates have shifted their operations farther out into the Indian Ocean, expanding the crisis.
Oceans of that immense size cannot be patrolled completely, even with high-tech detection equipment doing some of the work.
"Wherever the police are, the robbers will go somewhere else," Chalk said
#17
The NYT says the lifeboat the three pirates were on was being towed about 100 ft behind the Navy snipers. That doesn't take great shooting by a sniper -- that just requires the right moment to nail all three pirates simultaneously. Those pirates were dead men the moment they got towed.
#19
That doesn't take great shooting by a sniper --
You try making a clean shot through the open port of a bobbing life boat when your own boat is moving with the open seas. Then tell me it doesn't take good shooting.
#22
Steve White - Precisely. That includes possible insurance companies in league with the Pirates. Think about it. ....
Its not as nuts as sub-prime bundled shares.
Really.... There are a lot of insurance winners with pirates on the waters. Also, owners who have not paid ships off enough to ditch them on the seacoasts of this world along with the paid up ships... until things like the Baltic index return to normal... having a ship and crew in pirate hands is not necessarily a red mark on your balance sheet.
#25
"The snipers positioned on the fantail of the Bainbridge observed one of the pirates in the pilot house -- and two pirates with their head and shoulders exposed -- and one of the pirates had the AK47 (assault rifle) leveled at the captains back," Gortney said. Source
Somebody explain to me how this could be if the bow of the covered lifeboat is roughly toward the fantail of the ship.
#27
Darell, I think you are implying a conspiracy where none exists. Planning and patience won the day over inshallah attitudes. The pirate in the pilot house is self explanatory. The other two made the mistake of exposing themselves though hatches or windows at the same time.
Posted by: ed ||
04/13/2009 21:28
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#28
Darrell -- it's obvious, you've never been on any kind of boat/ship out on the ocean.... or a big lake.... rocking around in five-foot seas. Five foot seas is very doable --- kinda normal.
That lifeboat was being towed, because the seas were getting worse. On an inland lake, white caps can occur when the winds hit 15 mph.
Now, lets put you on a shooting course... you haven't been on one of those either....
Bow of the boat? Do a little googling. From the pics released by the Bainbridge, that lifeboat was being towed bow first (that's usually how towing on the seas/lakes happen.... its about that thing called steerage.... boats are kinda hard to handle when they are in reverse) The size of that lifeboat? Sailors prolly wanted someone at the wheel, steering that thing. Thus, bow first..
Look a little closer at the pics of that lifeboat. The one place on the lifeboat that there would be port hole, is where the person steering the boat is! Kinda like, so he can see where he's going. Prolly a pretty big port hole, needing that thing known as peripheral vision, so he can see all things, don't you know...
Okay I quit. I'm getting tired. Next time.... try commenting on a topic which you have some knowledge that you willingly want to share at Rantburg U.
And hey, I'm just a lit'le ole lady down deep in the heart of Texas and I call you out.
[Al Arabiya Latest] At least nine people were killed and another 23 wounded Saturday when a suicide bomber struck the headquarters of a American-allied Sunni militia south of Baghdad in the latest spate of attacks following Friday's explosion in Mosul, Iraqi army officers said.
About 250 Iraqis stood in line for their salaries at a military headquarters of the local Sahwa "Awakening" movement in the town of Jbala, 35 miles south of Baghdad, when a bomber walked into the group and blew himself up.
Lieutenant Haidar al-Lami, who was there to hand out salaries told AFP the bomber detonated his payload at 11:00 a.m. killing and wounding "Sahwa" members and soldiers alike.
The Sahwas, former Sunni insurgents who allied with U.S. forces beginning in 2006 to drive out al-Qaeda in Iraq, played a crucial role in improving security in the war-battered country.
The attack took place in a religiously mixed part of Babel province once known as the "Triangle of Death" that saw scores of attacks in the years after the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
The five soldiers killed in Mosul recently were all assigned to Fort Carson, here in Colorado Springs. The word I'm getting from other troops (several of them went to high school with my daughter) is that the unit is looking for blood. The people behind this killing won't find their lives easy as the noose tightens.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 16:08
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President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday referred the draft Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, 2009 to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, advising him to table it before parliament for debate prior to its implementation.
A statement issued by presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the draft regulation had been referred to the premier so it could be presented before the Lower House of parliament for final approval.
The National Assembly (NA) will resume its session after a two-day break today (Monday). Prime Minister Gilani has already announced that the government would table the Nizam-e-Adl draft in parliament for its approval before President Zardari gives his assent. However, the Awami National Party has expressed frustration with the delay in presidential approval, saying it could jeopardise the peace agreement with the Taliban. A senior leader of the party told Daily Times conflict would erupt in the Swat region again without speedy implementation of the regulation.
Debate: The NA is also likely to start debate on President Zardari's address to the joint sitting of both houses of parliament. Sources in the NA secretariat said that the recommendations of a 17-member parliamentary committee on national security were also likely to be tabled before the Lower House in this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The chief cleric at India's largest mosque delivered a stinging attack against the country's major parties Friday, calling on India's Muslims to form their own political party less than a week before India's general elections.
Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of New Delhi's Jama mosque said Muslims in India were "victims of injustice" and have been "tortured and systematically sidelined by all political parties."
"A peaceful, secure and happy life is a distant dream for us," he said in a speech ahead of Friday prayers.
He accused the Hindu-majority that make up the bulk of India's main parties of being either overtly sectarian or otherwise trying to cynically woo the Muslim vote with "false promises."
"Look around and see the situation: some parties have an anti-Muslim agenda, some are trying to show sympathy towards us, but they will never be of any good to us," he said, adding that the Muslim community has lost all faith in the existing political parties.
Muslims vote "secular" to no avail
Bukhari called upon Muslims to group and launch their own party that will work for the community's benefit and accused current parties for using India's largest minority as just a vote bank without serving its welfare.
"Political parties use Muslims just as a vote bank. They are not really bothered about their rights or upliftment and welfare," Bukhari told Indo-Asian News Service Saturday.
"Muslims in this country have always been secular and have never voted on religious grounds. They have even voted for political parties whose leaders have been Hindus. They even supported the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 1977 and 1989 elections," he added.
"However, none of the political parties who the Muslims have voted for have done anything for their welfare. This is why I think the community should launch its own political party," he said.
India's general elections will be held over several phases between April 16 and May 13.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
Welcome to democracy. You act like a minority bock, then you get treated like one. Minorities rightly come second in a democracy.
A security guard was killed and three others injured on Sunday when armed men stormed into three terminals storing NATO supplies in the limits of Yakatoot Police Station, police said. A police official told Daily Times that around 200 suspected Taliban, who attacked the Aasim and Amanullah Terminal on Ring Road, also torched 12 vehicles. He said a guard, Arif, had succumbed to his injuries, while the three were being treated.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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Somali pirates threatened revenge on Sunday after two separate hostage-rescue raids by foreign forces killed at least five comrades, raising fears of future bloodshed on the high seas.
The latest raid by U.S. forces on Sunday that saved an American hostage and one by France last week have upped the stakes in shipping lanes off the anarchic Horn of Africa nation where buccaneers have defied foreign naval patrols.
"The French and the Americans will regret starting this killing. We do not kill, but take only ransom. We shall do something to anyone we see as French or American from now," Hussein, a pirate, told Reuters by satellite phone. "We cannot know how or whether our friends on the lifeboat died, but this will not stop us from hijacking," he said.
Sea gangs generally treat their captives well, hoping to fetch top dollar in ransoms. The worst violence has been an occasional beating.
"We shall revenge," said another pirate, Aden, in Eyl village, a pirate lair on Somalia's eastern coast.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
To risk Dire Revenge™ by killing pirates, or to encourage every jackass with an AK and a canoe to become a pirate by paying outlandish ransom demands...
Yeah, that's pretty much a no-brainer.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/13/2009 1:02
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#2
ION WORLD MIL FORUM [GOOGLE Chinglish transl.] > IIUC TIMES OF INDIA:BEIJING ASKS PAKISTAN TO HELP CRACKDOWN ON PAKISTAN-BASED/TRAINED ISLAMIST MILITANTS SUPPORTING XINJIANG [China] SEPARATISM. China's view is that the Xinjiang "Rebels" whom are fomenting escalating pro-Islamist/Muslim etyhnic unrest in Xinjiang = Western China are mostly trained and come via Pakistan.
#4
Excellent... alongside the good precedents set by France and the US this weekend, this pirate rhetoric makes killing them on site all the more likely.
#5
The one surviving pirates was stabbed with an ice pick, beaten up by sailors, tied up for 12 hours, in a stupid rowboat for days in 120 degree oven temperatures, & was captured, only to face life imprisonment in the
#7
MOGADISHU, Somalia A Mogadishu airport staff member says mortar shells were fired toward the airport as a plane carrying a U.S. congressman took off safely from the Somali capital.
An airport staff member reached by telephone at the control tower says the plane carrying New Jersey Democrat Donald Payne took off safely Monday. He says none of the six mortar shells fired landed in the airport. The airport staffer refused to give his full name because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Payne met with Somalia's president and prime minister during his one-day visit to Mogadishu on Monday. They discussed piracy, security and cooperation between Somalia and the United States. Payne is chairman of the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa.
#10
From MSNBC story: Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old pirate, told the Associated Press... "(U.S. forces have) become our No. 1 enemy."
Good to know! That's the way it should always be and should have been from Day 1, Habeb! Darkness should always hate--and fear--the light.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/13/2009 13:53
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#11
Oh, for a couple of battleships with 16-inch guns. Just sit off the coast and lob shells in at random. Almost as good as an ARCLIGHT strike, or a bomb-and-strafe run by 60 Navy F/A-18s. Instead, today's largest warships are equipped with ONE 76-mm pea-shooter.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 15:54
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#12
OP, actually, the Bainbridge has a 5 inch gun. (127mm)
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/13/2009 17:12
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#13
OP - "re:magic word" - I will take that drink!
#14
OP,
IIRC, about the last time they tried practicing with those big guns they blew up a turret and killed some of our guys.
Also, when your opponent's heavy artillery is an RPG you can get close enough for the 5" - or even 76 mm - to pound the sh*t out of them. The Germans put a lot of hurt on us with their 88 mm guns a few years ago.
#15
Dire Revenge?
Or Tuff_Love
Didn't the pirates make a deal,
the Captain's life in exchange for the wounded pirate's life?
(They are both still alive by the way aren't they?).
It appears the other three pirates were not included in the life saving deal.
That should be called Tuff_Love,
not Dire Revenge!
May the three pirates burn bright in hell like a bright shining star giving light to the heavens.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency on Sunday to quell political unrest and vowed to take tough action against protesters after they forced cancellation of an Asia summit. Troops fired into the air when anti-government protesters stormed Thailand's Interior Ministry on Sunday after Abhisit declared the emergency. They mobbed the prime minister's car as he drove away from the ministry, beating it with clubs.
Supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra stormed the venue of an Asian summit in resort of Pattaya, forcing some leaders to flee by helicopter. After declaring victory there, they have been gathering all day in central Bangkok and by 1200 GMT their numbers were estimated at around 40,000.
The cancelled summit has undermined confidence in the government and dealt another blow to the economy, analysts said. Thaksin now lives in self-imposed exile but his absence has not healed the divisions between the royalist, military and business elite, who say he was corrupt, and the poor who benefited from his populist policies.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
Big tension between the urban elites of Bangkok who believe they should run the country with a facade of democracy and the non-urban 'common' Thais who actually believe in one man, one vote democracy. Reflects to a certain extent the gulf between the Tea Party types here and the 'urban' elites [MSM, academics, special interests, etc] on their views of who should run this country.
President Asif Ali Zardari has said the government is employing all its resources to arrest the killers of Baloch leaders, a private TV channel reported. The president made the comments while talking to the Balochistan chief minister over the telephone on Sunday. The president rejected that intelligence agencies could have been involved in the killings. He said details would be made public after an impartial probe. The CM told Zardari that he had ordered a judicial inquiry into the killings.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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Several thousand people jammed into Allegheny Landing on the North Shore Saturday afternoon for an event dubbed a "Tea Party" to protest what they say is excessive government spending to bail out the economy and faltering corporations.
The keynote speaker was Alan Keyes, a conservative political activist and former diplomat under President Ronald Reagan. Prior to addressing the crowd, which included many people hoisting signs with slogans such as "Bigger Government -- Bigger Problems" and "Give Me Liberty, Not Debt," Keyes said the large turnout was "an indication of the enormous concern among people."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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Seems to have been penned before the rescue. What a difference a few hours makes.
In what has become a commonplace occurrence, a small boat pulled alongside a container ship and a band of men from the smaller vessel boarded the larger one. It was just another day off the Somali coast - the latest in a series of more frequent and bolder acts of piracy.
What made Wednesday's incident different was that the target of the pirate attack was a U.S.-flagged ship, the first pirate attack on one in nearly 200 years. For Washington, the seizure of the Alabama serves as a powerful reminder that the world is full of different kinds of threats and that the U.S.'s military might alone is incapable of neutralising them.
While the crew of the Alabama eventually retook the ship, some of the pirates escaped on a lifeboat with the ship's captain, Richard Phillips of Vermont, as a hostage. In a hyper-poignant example of the ineffectiveness of military force, a beefed up U.S. (and international) naval presence in pirate-infested waters has failed to prevent acts of piracy, and, in the case of the Alabama, proved virtually useless in resolving the standoff.
The case in point is the almost farcical dance occurring now off the Somali coast - the tiny enclosed lifeboat containing the pirates and Phillips is being shadowed by an 8,000 tonne, 125-metre-long U.S. Navy destroyer.
"What we're seeing now is the irrelevance of the naval response to piracy," Peter Chalk, a maritime security expert from the RAND Corporation, told IPS. "They can't really do anything."
Unable, for various logistical and legal reasons, or unwilling, fearing harm to the hostage, the naval ship has not directly attacked the lifeboat. "What we're seeing now is the irrelevance of the naval response to piracy," Peter Chalk, a maritime security expert from the RAND Corporation, told IPS. "They can't really do anything. I think it really underscores the impunity of attacks."
Indeed, many of the companies operating the merchant ships at risk opt out of armed resistance. Instead of arming ship crews, relying on security forces, law enforcement, or even the naval patrols now attempting to dissuade pirates of their ambitions, the companies operating the ships usually choose to give the pirates exactly what they are looking for: money. "The number one objective in these situations is the return of their cargo and crew," said Chalk. "For them payment of ransom is the cheapest way to go."
The amount of cash the pirates have managed to get is difficult to estimate, but news reports usually put the number at between at between 30 and 120 million U.S. dollars for 2008 alone, with most experts saying the number is probably towards the higher end of that range. "On the part of the pirates, there is a great economic incentive to do this, and the costs of being caught are pretty low," said Chalk.
Following the money is difficult for the same reason that it's nearly impossible to go after the land bases of the pirates - Somalia has been effectively without a ruling central government since 1991. This makes it an ideal base for criminal activity like piracy.
"You have to address the root source - and that's on land."
Many experts agree that, though attempts to reduce piracy on the sea-side of the operation might prove effective, completely eliminating piracy requires a land-based solution that will bring Somalia's anarchy to an end. "Addressing piracy at sea is addressing too late," said Chalk. "That's the endpoint. You have to address the root source - and that's on land. It will have to be addressed at some point."
Chalk is not advocating armed raids on land-based pirate centres. Rather, he says that the most important part of a comprehensive plan would be to bring economic viability back to Somalia. In its anarchy, the country has relatively no economic life.
In an opinion piece in the Christian Science Monitor late last year, Katie Stuhldreher suggested that focusing on ending commercial fishing ships' destructive practices off of Somali coasts may allow the "disgruntled fisherman" who became pirates to return to their jobs as fishermen.
But Chalk's notion of providing employment opportunities as alternatives to piracy will take an effective government of some sort to implement. Furthermore, it's not clear that pirates would be willing to give up their lucrative trade to return to something like fishing, the traditional occupation of coastal Somalis.
"They're making so much money from piracy that fishing can't compete," said Amb. David Shinn, who has been stationed in Somalia's neighbour, Ethiopia, and currently is a professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Shinn also doubts that commercial fisheries are even still operating along the dangerous Somali coast.
"There's certainly total agreement between people looking at this problem - in and out of the military - that there is virtually no solution of this problem of piracy until you have a solution on the ground in Somalia," he told IPS. "Unfortunately, that's not going to happen overnight."
"In the meantime, in order to prevent or reduce these incidents, I would take tougher action in the sea," he said. "It means danger and risk, but you have to do something."
Shinn suggests that ships in danger employ small security crews, as a few have.
"When you have a fast moving skiff coming at you in the ocean, you shoot a flare at it," he said. "And they turn around and go for [a ship] that doesn't have someone shooting a flare at them."
Shinn also suggests that if good intelligence exists on "mother ships" - usually trawlers or other larger boarts used to launch the smaller quick boats - they should be sunk.
"That's a tough action, and there's a great reluctance to do that," he said, "but until there's a government in Somalia, I would do that."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
CNN > IIUC, Guest Pert claimed that Somalia's prime fishing grounds has been fished out by non-Somali, international fishing fleets, i.e. there is no fish for any of the locals to catch, + little to no Govt control = anarchy???
* "Give the pirates exactly what they are looking for: MONEY" > it explains why the local Babes have "FUTURE MRS. PIRATE" WEDDING? BELLS in their heads.
#2
I don't think one incident where one person acted (the captain) changes anything.
The current anti-piracy tactics are no solution and anyone who proposes a land based solution is fantasizing.
The piracy problem will get worse until new tactics are found.
The solution is obvious, which doesn't mean it will be implemented. Declare the main shipping lanes no go, free zones against small boats.
The only solution requires making the risk side of the risk/reward ratio high enough to discourage piracy. Sink enough small boats and you do that. Enough is at least dozens and probably hundreds
#5
Guest Pert claimed that Somalia's prime fishing grounds has been fished out by non-Somali, international fishing fleets
They might have gained a little sympathy if they had limited their attacks to the fishing fleets. But they went after French yachts, American freighters, and Soddy oil tankers. No sympathy.
#6
"What we're seeing now is the irrelevance of the naval response to piracy," Peter Chalk, a maritime security expert from the RAND Corporation, told IPS. "They can't really do anything."
Well...let's Chalk that one up
'expert' inexperience.
#7
"They can't really do anything"
No, they can. They just may not do anything - they are prevented from doing anything useful by layers of lawyers and gutless governments.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/13/2009 19:34
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#8
Schools don't do a good job of teaching the difference between can, may shall and will.
#9
ION WAFF > SOMALI SHABAB-AL-MUJEHEDEEN MOVEMENT SPOKEMEN SHEIKH MUKTAR ROBOW VOWS TO CONTINUE FIGHT AGZ FOREIGN FORCES/SOMALI PIRATES WERE CREATED BY THE USA.
Saudi Arabia has banned vehicle number plates which are seen as "offensive" in English when Arabic letters are given in the Latin alphabet, reports say. Saudi newspaper al-Watan said the banned words included "sex" and "ass", but the list was topped by "USA".
Al-Watan said 90,000 existing plates were to be replaced.
Personalised plates are popular with wealthy young Saudis. One plate recently sold at auction for 6m riyals ($1.2m), the newspaper reported.
Newer Saudi plates include three Arabic letters that are also shown in the Latin alphabet.
The growing fashion is for car owners to buy personalised "vanity" plates that deliberately read "nut", "but", "bad", or "bar" in English. The latter presumably has been deemed offensive as it relates to alcohol, which is banned in the Islamic kingdom, the AFP news agency reports.
The first on the list, for unexplained reasons, is the combination "USA".
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A draft U.N. Security Council statement "condemns" North Korea's long-range rocket launch Saturday and said it contravened a previous council resolution banning ballistic missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang.
The draft statement, which the five permanent members of the Security Council and Japan agreed and circulated to the other nine council members on Saturday, also called on the U.N. sanctions committee to take steps to enforce existing sanctions against North Korea. To be adopted, such a declaration requires unanimous approval from the 15 members.
"The Security Council condemns the 5 April 2009 launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is in contravention of Security Council resolution 1718," the U.S.-drafted statement said.
Resolution 1718, passed shortly after Pyongyang's Oct. 2006 nuclear test, forbids North Korea from launching ballistic missiles or carrying out further nuclear tests.
"The Security Council demands that the DPRK not conduct any further launch," it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
Whew, glad that's over! The UN has, once again, done what it does best....
#6
Silly rabbit, EU6305. Of course not, that would have been an act of aggression by the US. NKorea is free to explore space, just like the rich countries, even as its people starve. The US should shut up and provide food and fuel oil for free.
And stop complaining about their peaceful nuclear weapons program.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/13/2009 19:26
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Security forces pounded Taliban hideouts near the border between Hangu district and Kurram Agency on Sunday, official sources and locals said. The sources told Daily Times that dozens of houses and a mosque were also damaged in the attack. No casualties were reported, they said The sources said the security forces closed the Hangu-Parachinar Road during the operation. The operation followed a Taliban attack on the convoy of Kurram Agency Political Agent Arshad Majeed near Tutkas area two days ago in which one security personnel was killed and seven were injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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[Al Arabiya Latest] British police were granted Saturday a further week to question 11 men arrested over an alleged al-Qaeda-driven major terrorist plot, while one was released without charge, British police said.
Twelve men, among them 11 Pakistani nationals -- 10 in Britain on student visas -- and a Briton were arrested in raids across northwest England on Wednesday. "The North West Counter Terrorism Unit was last night given warrants for the further detention of 11 men arrested," a Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said.
Suspects held in custody
An 18-year-old arrested in connection with the alleged plot was released without charge in relation to the anti-terror operation but is now in the custody of the U.K. Border Agency, which regulates immigration and can investigate the status of those entering Britain. The men, still held by police, are in custody in various locations across Britain. They range in age from 22 to 41, and can be held without charge for up to 28 days. Anti-terror police are still searching 10 addresses in the cities of Manchester and Liverpool as part of the probe.
A delay in the raid
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the case involved a "very big terrorist plot" that security officials had been tracking for some time.
The raids had to be brought forward because of a security blunder by Britain's top counter-terrorism officer, Bob Quick, who was photographed carrying a secret document on the operation that said the alleged plot was "AQ-driven," meaning al-Qaeda. He resigned Thursday over the security breach.
Diplomatic spat
" Pakistan has got the problems of... groups of terrorists in their country operating from their country "
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
The operation caused a diplomatic spat between Britain and Pakistan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who wanted more assistance from Pakistan in rooting out extremists targeting Britain, held telephone talks with President Asif Ali Zardari.
Brown told the media that two-thirds of the terror plots investigated in Britain originated from Pakistan. "Pakistan has got the problems of . . . groups of terrorists in their country operating from their country," he said. "We need all the cooperation that we have with the Pakistani authorities to deal with these problems."
Pakistan fights back
Most terrorism plots in Britain since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, have had links to Pakistan, including suicide bombings which killed 52 people on London's underground and bus network in July 2005.
Pakistan's top diplomat in Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, said Friday Pakistani authorities could help carry out background checks on student visa applicants but were not allowed to. "It is at your end, you have to do something more," Hasan told BBC television.
Though 10 of the 12 arrested were in Britain on student visas, Immigration Minister Phil Woolas insisted checks on applicants to weed out extremists were adequate.
Britain has been on high security alert ever since the July 2005 attacks on the London transport system, which killed 56 people including four suicide bombers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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How could Rashid Rauf, a "high value" Al Qaeda target, be plotting terrorist attacks in Britain in April 2009 -- as claimed by the British authorities -- if he was killed months ago in a famous drone strike in Waziristan, as US officials claimed, in November 2008, the Newsweek magazine is asking.
According to one UK expert, some British investigators as well as Rauf's family think that he may have survived.
Rauf, a former British resident, was allegedly a central figure in an August 2006 plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners. The plot was foiled after Rauf was arrested in Pakistan. But in December 2007, he escaped from custody. US officials suspected 'inside' help and the White House was delighted when a Predator operation supposedly took him out. Soon afterwards, however, Rauf's Pakistani lawyer asked authorities to produce the body which they were apparently unable to do.
US officials talking to the Newsweek said US agencies still believed Rauf was killed in the strike. "While it is not 100 percent confirmed," said one of the officials, "there are good reasons to believe Rashid Rauf is dead."
"And even if he's dead," the magazine says, "US and UK officials said it's possible the Easter plot was hatched prior to November 2008 -- meaning that Rauf's reach may extend beyond the grave."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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Pakistan is a strong, vibrant country that is no danger of collapse, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
Talking to Karan Thapar in the Devil's Advocate programme on CNN-IBN, he said that statements from senior US officials on Pakistan facing internal collapse were exaggerations. He said only certain 'pockets' of Swat are under the control of the Taliban or under attack. "I will not deny that it's a concern," he said, adding that the government feels that dialogue is one of the options that can help "clear those pockets" of the insurgents.
Outstanding issues: Qureshi said Pakistan and India have to address all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, to develop friendly relations. He said India's concerns could only be addressed through talks. "I understand your concern. You can only address that concern by cooperating with Pakistan and not accusing Pakistan. That negative policy will not be in your interest," he said. He said it was in the mutual interest of both countries to bring the culprits of the Mumbai attacks to justice, adding that Islamabad would not accept any conditions. "We had in place a process or the composite dialogue. Unfortunately, the tragic Mumbai incident put that on hold. I would be interested in restarting that process because I feel that was a meaningful process, we were making incremental progress," he added.
When asked about India's response to the 30 questions posed by Pakistan on the Mumbai attack, Qureshi said: "Everything has not been answered but we will proceed forward in a cooperative environment. If more is required, we will share it with you." He said Pakistan had not allowed the FBI to interrogate the Mumbai attack suspects, as the American agency's assistance was not yet required.
Global challenge: The foreign minister said terrorism and extremism were a global phenomena and "friends in India" should understand that "this is a common challenge" that needs to be countered collectively. To questioning, he said Pakistan has taken positive steps to dismantle the terror infrastructure "which are not being recognised and you are overlooking them". He said Pakistani authorities had arrested "very high profile people" and seized and frozen assets.
Al Qaeda help: On US accusations of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) having links to the Taliban or Al Qaeda, Qureshi said that people forget the positive contributions that the ISI has made in the fight against terrorism. He said that without the ISI's help, the coalition forces would not have been able to apprehend "700 or so Al Qaeda operatives". He said Pakistan was in the process of restructuring ISI, adding that the organisation "has been cleansed". He said the US should have conveyed any concerns related to the ISI through diplomatic channels instead of through the media.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > RUSSIA: PAKISTAN IS THE PRINCIPAL NUCLEAR THREAT TO RUSSIA [favors US takeover of any and all Paki Nukes].
* ISRAELI MIL FORUM > PAKISTAN: AFTER GETTING SHARIA LAW IN SWAT, ISLAMIC PARTIES DEMAND ISLAMIC LAW IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY [NWFP first, then rest of country]. To save/salvage Pakistan.
A clash between supporters of an Awami League (AL) lawmaker and an AL-backed upazila chairman in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, yesterday left at least 20 people, ple, including three policemen, injured.
Traffic movement on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway was disrupted for one hour.
The clash started around 11:30am between the supporters of AL lawmaker of Sonargaon Abdullah Al Kaiser and his uncle Upazila Chairman Mosharraf Hossain over hiring of a microbus two days ago.
Sources said an altercation had erupted between Kaiser's personal secretary Masum Chowdhury and chairman Mosharraf Hossain's supporter Lincoln over hiring of a microbus on Friday.
Masum and his men beat up Lincoln yesterday morning. Mosharraf's supporters and locals chased them into a market. Masum and his men started pelting brickbats at the chairman's adherents and they too retaliated.
Seriously injured Lincoln was sent to Orthopedic Hospital in Dhaka while Sohag, 22, Nilu, 48, Taposh, 28 and Jasim, 30, were given treatment at a local hospital.
Sub-inspector Habib, constables Humayun and Sohel were injured while trying to stop the feuding groups.
Shahin on behalf of Kaiser's supporters and Shahidul Islam on behalf of Mosharraf's followers filed separate cases in this connection.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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The coalition forces killed 40 Taliban in separate battles in the troubled country, authorities said on Sunday.
In one incident, the Taliban ambushed a joint Afghan and foreign forces patrol in the Shinkay district of Zabul province, late on Saturday, which sparked an exchange of gunfire, Zabul Police chief Abdul Rehman Sarjang told AFP.
"Twenty-two Taliban were killed. The militants left the bodies behind. Four are Pakistani nationals and the rest are Afghans," he said. Sarjang added that the international forces called for air support after the ambush. There were no casualties to the joint forces, he said.
Separately, troops killed 18 insurgents in the northeastern province of Kunar overnight, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. The Afghan and ISAF forces had been able to identify the group as Taliban and ambushed them, an officer said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
they have really been laying the talibunnies too rest here lately i hope these rates keep up for along time
Posted by: Dave UK ||
04/13/2009 13:41
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In one incident, the Taliban ambushed a joint Afghan and foreign forces patrol ... Twenty-two Taliban were killed. The militants left the bodies behind. Four are Pakistani nationals and the rest are Afghans ... There were no casualties to the joint forces, he said."
Has there ever been a more incompetent fighting force than the Taliban? They can't inflict even one casualty, in an ambush situation they set up to their best advantage. And this is the norm, not a one-off. If we fail in Afghanistan it could only ever be down to politicians' failure.
#5
Bulldog,
They are not very competent at ambushing trained military units but they do very well at gunning down undefended civilians at their homes. So, depending on the desired strategy, they are a very competent foe.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Pakistani gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai, who rose to tragic fame in the West as the cause celebre of oppressed women, is all smiles since marrying a police constable and defying yet another stigma. Best of luck to the happy couple.
Seven years after her ordeal, she may still be a pariah among illiterate and older women, but her transformation from victim to queen of her own destiny is complete since becoming the second wife of Nasir Abbas Gabol.
Head over heels
Marriage gives you a sense of responsibility. It is a sacred relationship. You also get a sense of security and protection and a woman gets the status of mother," the 39-year-old police officer said. "He says he fell head over heels for me," she gushed of her new husband.
Mai runs three schools -- two for girls and one for boys -- where around 1,000 children from poor families get an education. She heads a staff of 38, half of them teachers, the rest working in her office and welfare centers. They shelter female victims of violence who trek far and wide to seek refuge with Mai, organize seminars to boost awareness of rights, dispense legal aid and operate a mobile unit that reaches out to women in their communities.
Human rights groups say Pakistani women suffer severe discrimination, endure domestic violence, fall victim to "honor" killings, and that growing Islamist fundamentalism leaves them increasingly isolated.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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Any member of the National Assembly (NA) opposes the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in the assembly will be an apostate and will be allowed to contest the next election from minority seats, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat and the Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) separately said on Sunday. TTP Swat spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that any NA member opposing the regulation would contest the next election "if he remained alive". TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat told reporters that any member of the NA opposing the regulation during the debate in the assembly would be declared non-Muslim.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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[Al Arabiya Latest] For the first time since taking office Israel's hawkish new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday saying he intends to advance peace through cooperation even though settlement expansion continued, as Pope Benedict called in his Easter message for a renewed push for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Netanyahu vowed to hold talks with the Palestinians, in his first remarks on the troubled Middle East peace process since taking office.
In a phone call with Abbas, Netanyahu "spoke of the cooperation and the discussions that they have had in the past and added that he intends to do so again in the future in order to advance peace between us and the Palestinians," a statement from his office said.
However, it quickly became clear that there was indeed no change in the Israeli stand as residents of a Palestinian Christian housing project in the West Bank village of Beit Sahour say Israel is encircling their community with a security road to separate them from a nearby Jewish settlement.
In his phone call to Netanyahu, Abbas had extended holiday greetings for the Jewish Passover festival and added that "both sides needed to work for peace." Those sides, it seems, lie along Israel's new security road.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
First Netanyahu offers the obligatory olive branch. Then he kicks their butts.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/13/2009 14:26
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#4
I once worked with a labor negotiator In San Francisco who told the representatives of public unions "you can have an icecream cone or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick". You can guess how that turned out - many one-eyed union bosses eating half an icecream cone.
Federal regulators shut down two more banks Friday, raising the number of bank failures so far this year to 23.
The first bank was Cape Fear Bank in Wilmington, N.C., the first North Carolina bank to fail in nearly 16 years. The other bank was New Frontier Bank of Greeley, Colo., the second Colorado bank this year to collapse. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over both banks Friday after their respective state regulators closed them down.
The FDIC did not tap a buyer for New Frontier Bank, and instead created the Deposit Insurance National Bank of Greeley. The FDIC named San Francisco-based Bank of the West to manage the entity, which will stay open for about 30 days to give New Frontier Bank's customers time to open accounts at other insured institutions.
New Frontier Bank has $2 billion in assets and $1.5 billion in deposits, $4 million of which potentially exceeded the insurance limits.
The FDIC was able, however, to sell Cape Fear Bank to First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. On Monday, Cape Fear Bank's eight branches will reopen as First Federal branches. First Federal is assuming all of Cape Fear Bank's $403 million in deposits and buying about $468 million of its $492 million in assets. The FDIC will retain the rest of the assets to sell later.
This year's tally of 23 bank failures is nearing the total for all of 2008, when 25 U.S. banks were seized by regulators. Two of the nation's largest savings and loans failed that year: Washington Mutual Inc. and IndyMac Corp.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
The other Colorado bank that was closed was Colorado National Bank. It had a branch about three blocks from my house, and we had an account there at one time. That particular bank has had four owners in the 18 years we've lived in Colorado Springs, so there may have been some institutional problems. Two of its branches were robbed last year.
There are three other banks I've been told are under scrutiny, and may fail this year.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 17:45
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America has become quite accustomed to being despised by Europe. I wonder how Europe will adjust to being hated -- or worse, dismissed -- by America.
What's that? You thought that the contemptuous attitude to Old Europe had been definitively trounced when the swaggering Texan was replaced by Barack Obama, the cosmopolitan sophisticate who took time out from his own domestic political campaign to address adoring crowds in Berlin? Bizarrely enough, precisely the opposite has happened. Paradoxically, what Mr Obama has succeeded in demonstrating to his own nation is that no amount of charm and flattery, no degree of self-abasement and apology for American "arrogance" is going to get any meaningful reciprocity from the Old Europeans (which is to say France and Germany, and the EU which they dominate) who could give lessons in sublime, transcendental arrogance to any American president however urbane and nuanced his message might be.
It is only now America has stopped swaggering that its more erudite, socially acceptable commentators have begun to engage in vitriolic condemnation of European selfishness and irresponsibility in the face of international danger: what is emerging is, in effect, a mirror image of the anti-Americanism which has become commonplace among European intellectuals. And paradoxically, it is precisely the change in presidential tone and approach which has made this possible.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
that its more erudite, socially acceptable commentators have begun to engage in vitriolic condemnation of European selfishness and irresponsibility in the face of international danger:
It seems reality is intruding into the Liberal mythology.
#2
Sorry - WTF? Since when is this inexperienced, rhetorically leaden and clumsy, mono-lingual, remarkably ignorant empty suit a "sophisticate"? He reads lines of mediocre to bizarre prose ("stop the ocean's rise") well, though not as well as many coiffed local news TV airheads.
Bigger issue: again, for the billionth time, what exactly were the brash, arrogant, cowboy policies of Bush? Or Cheney, or Rumsfeld? Maybe it was abrogation of the ABM Treaty - which led, as warned, to that ruinous US-Russian arms race. Oh, wait ....
Rumsfeld was RESPONDING to despicable Euro arrogance with his Old Europe comment - a comment that was openly and warmly endorsed by several European leaders.
As welcome as the conclusions or predictions of this column may be, they rest firmly on the make-believe world of the "critics" during the Bush years. There was no "arrogance" or "swaggering" - and a demand to produce examples of same will always be met with silence or fumbled and unpersuasive references to irrelevancies. There was - and is - however, plenty of shameful Euro arrogance, and cowardice, contrasted with American integrity and determination.
Back to the embarrassment in chief. Sophisticated? Cosmopolitan? Are you effing kidding me? Because he speaks Austrian? (those who don't get the joke, behold the awesome power of distortion in what was once called the press)
#4
Verlaine, don't forget....the Obamanutz are all about style.
As much as it might make you and me both gag, Obama is pretty much everything they wish they could be. He's tall, thin, can wear a suit well, has a nice deep tone to his voice (even if what he says is total BS), and went to Hah-vahrd Law School. Add the bit about him being biracial and their own "valor" in voting for him mainly because of that fact...and it's enough to make some of the more radical experience near orgasmic frenzy at the mention of his name.
They've bought into the marketing that "he is soooo cool, and since I support him, I'm cool too!" to such an extent that anything that doesn't fit in with their "narrative" must be re-edited to fit.
Remember, we have always been friends with Oceania, and have always been at war with Eastasia.
#5
Well, the 'Burg dismissed EUrope long ago. The libs are just pissed that EUrope hasn't bowed down to The One. I doubt they will actually come to hate EUrope - it remains their ideal, socialist EUtopia.
Yeah, but a family feud can be bloody. That last go around between International Socialists and National Socialists in the early 40s left a lot of dead piled up around Eutopia.
#8
Lest we fergit, the BAMMER intends for the USA to construct a TRANSATLANTIC OIL/ENERGY PIPELINE SYS from CONUS-NORAM to the EUROZONE, across the NORAT [North Atlantic].
A Yemeni Interior Ministry official has said smugglers threw about 70 Somali and Ethiopian migrants overboard in shark-infested waters and at least seven of their bodies have washed ashore in Yemen.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk to the media, said the incident took place over the weekend.
The UN refugee agency said on Saturday that seven other migrants from the same group are presumed dead. It said some survivors reached Yemen and were given food and water before they were transferred to a reception centre.
Hundreds of Africans die every year trying to reach Yemen, with many drowning or being attacked by pirates and smugglers in the dangerous waters separating Somalia and the Arabian peninsula.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Things must be pretty bad if you're willing to risk death to reach...Yemen.
For the same reason the usual suspects didn't care about the killing fields in Cambodia. Those who help make the situation by selling guilt don't take responsibility for the results created by their 'higher moral ground'.
Carried forward from yesterday for commentary and further detail. Who's got the odds on how long until somebody tells us we didn't have to kill the pirates and demands the captain be taken to the International Criminal Court? [Al Arabiya Latest] United States cargo ship captain Richard Phillips has been freed from captivity at the hands of Somali pirates who had held him hostage on a lifeboat after trying to seize his vessel, the U.S. navy said on Sunday. "I can confirm that Captain Phillips has been safely recovered," said spokeswoman Laura Tischler, without providing additional details on the operation. A U.S. Navy spokesman, Lieutenant Commander John Daniels, also confirmed to AFP that Phillips had been freed.
CNN television, citing a senior US official, reported that three of the four pirates holding Phillips were killed, and the fourth pirate was in custody.
Maritime sources in Kenya and Somalia did not confirm the report of Phillips' release, which appeared to end a five-day high seas standoff between the Somali gunmen and U.S. forces.
"The captain is a hero"
Phillips, 53, is the first American taken captive by Somali pirate gangs who have marauded in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes for years. Three U.S. warships were watching the situation.
The U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama container ship was attacked far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, but its 20 American crew apparently fought off the pirates and regained control. Relatives said Phillips volunteered to go with the pirates in a Maersk Alabama lifeboat in exchange for the crew. "The captain is a hero," one crew member shouted from the 17,000-ton ship as it docked in Kenya's Mombasa port under darkness on Saturday. "He saved our lives by giving himself up."
Experts had expected a quick end to the standoff, but the pirates were holding out for both a ransom and safe passage home.
The saga has thrown world attention on the long-running piracy phenomenon off Somalia that has hiked shipping insurance costs and disrupted international trade.
America investigates
The standoff has forced U.S. President Barack Obama to focus on a place most Americans would rather forget. A U.S. intervention in Somalia in the early 1990s was a disaster, including the "Black Hawk Down" battle in 1993 that killed 18 U.S. troops and inspired a book and a movie. A White House spokesman said Obama received multiple updates on the piracy situation on Saturday.
John Reinhart, president and chief executive of Maersk Line Ltd, said the FBI was investigating the hijacking in Kenya. "Because of the pirate attack, the FBI has informed us that this ship is a crime scene," he told reporters, adding that the crew will have to stay on board the vessel. It was still not clear how the crew retook control of their vessel, which was carrying thousands of tons of food aid for Somalia, Uganda and Kenya.
A mediator is sent
Somali elders sent a mediator on Saturday in hopes of resolving the standoff between the U.S. Navy and the pirates holding Phillips, a 53-year-old Vermont father of two. "They are just looking to arrange safe passage for the pirates, no ransom," said Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of a regional group that monitors piracy. Remember, Andy's been jugged at least once in the past year for his association with pirates...
The mediator took to sea in a boat but it was unclear how he planned to reach the pirates.
The gang holding Phillips remained defiant. "We will defend ourselves if attacked," one told media by satellite phone. Now he can show us how he defended himself against a ventilated head.
Pirates are keeping about 17 captured vessels on Somalia's eastern coast, six of them taken in the last week alone.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
...I've seen at least a couple stories on FoxNews and CNN that said we intercepted communications between these morons and the local Al-Queda franchise. The pirates never had any intention of 'negotiating' with us - they were trying to drag it out long enough for them to get Phillips ashore and hand him over. I'd like to think that once Bambi heard that, he knew he was gonna be Carter II with a double shot of yellow ribbons if he didn't do something.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/13/2009 5:51
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#2
I suspect the operatonal summary and lessons learned would make very interesting reading. It would appear that the wisdom and advice of National Security Advisor General James Jones and General Petraeus eventually prevailed.
#3
If violence escalates should the Republicans take the same aproach as did the Demo with Iraq and GWOT and politicize Obama's shoot orders and hammer him all the way (like they did with Bush)?
#5
the greatest thing i read, besides him being freed unhurt, was that the three pirates where taken out with heaadshots from the snipers. I bet the rest really shit their pants when they saw they where actually up against ppl that can actually aim a weapon and hit the target
Posted by: Dave UK ||
04/13/2009 13:44
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#10
NOW is the time to gas up every B-52/B-1/B2 that will fly, and send them over Eyl and the other pirate ports with every iron bomb they can carry. I'm sure that will send a very clear message, "Don't mess with the U.S.". The French are doing ok, but the rest of the world needs to get a move on.
As for the ICC, a Tomahawk missile through the right window would do the trick, even without a warhead. ANY government, and the ICC is at least a part of a government, that operates without the consent of the people is a tyranny, no matter how much it's dressed up to look like something else.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 15:49
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#11
I for one am glad he finally got some blood on his hands. Welcome to the real world of consequences.
#12
hey rantyes, such a crying bitches you all sound. you fags are the shit of America did you have your ass kick in your youth that now cluster together in this imbeciles blog
All of you are just conservative crying frustrated bitches
[Al Arabiya Latest] Afghanistan's top Shiite cleric Saturday defended legislation said to oppress women and accused Western critics of "cultural invasion" and violating the very democracy they are promoting.
Mohammad Asif Mohseni also rejected a ministry of justice review ordered by President Hamid Karzai, saying any changes would violate a constitutional provision for Shiites to have their own legal system.
Karzai last week ordered a review of Shiite Personal Status Law, which he signed in March, after a storm of criticism that argued it imposed Taliban-style harsh restrictions on women.
"This political pressure is a cultural invasion, thinking one's culture better than others," Mohseni told a gathering of more than 200 followers and journalists at the Khatemi Nabien University, which he heads.
Mohseni accused critics -- including the United States, United Nations and Canada -- of not respecting the democracy they were helping Afghanistan install after the 2001 removal of the extremist Taliban regime.
The law was codifed on the basis of "the same democracy that the West is emphasizing" in Afghanistan, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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Ajmal Kasab, accused of being part of a 10-man group that attacked Mumbai in November last year, was ripe for recruitment by terrorists, police and security experts say. "He fits the profile if you look at the terrorists recruited by Lashkar-e-Tayyaba," said Wilson John, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi and a specialist in extremist groups.
"They come from lower-middle class or poor families. They're not entirely uneducated, just a little bit educated, they're unemployed and looking for a job. They're not religiously inclined but they can be brainwashed. He was a prime target," he told AFP.
The few biographical details that have come to light so far show that Kasab was born and brought up in Faridkot, Punjab.
His father Amir Iman ran a food stall in the village, and his mother was called Noor, Britain's The Observer newspaper said in December, citing the local electoral roll. Joining a group like Lashkar "offers them a sense of identity", John said.
"They find a purpose in these groups when they are without an objective in life. They're given the protection and comfort of a community."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > seems a woman is claiming that KAMAL is her biological son whom was forcibly taken = kidnapped from her when he was an infant, indoctrinated over time into becom a MilTerr, and that hence Kamal's life should be spared from execution and allowed to see her = return to her???
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards announced Saturday that they unveiled a Dutch plot aimed at overthrowing the Iranian government by supporting the opposition through the media and the Internet. "One of the countries which has given financial support to the opposition over the past few years is Holland," a statement issued by a center run by the Guards stated, according to the Khorasan newspaper. Aye, those Dutchmen. They're a devious lot. Can't trust 'em. Keep adding on to those dykes, don't they? Eventually they'll be the size of Canada, won't they? And then we'll all be wearing those wooden shoes if we know what's good for us, won't we?
It said the parliament in the Netherlands had in 2005 adopted a 15 million euro ($19 million) budget proposed by a Dutch MP of Iranian origin which was used to fund Persian Internet sites hostile to the Islamic regime and to help rights groups. "The Dutch project aimed to encourage sexual and moral deviation in society," the Revolutionary Guards center said, and to support the idea that the "threats (against Iran) are increasing (and) . . . the idea that the current Iranian government is incapacitated." "Sexual and moral deviation" would be hookers, of course. The plan is for Iranian hookers to sit in windows and holler out "'Allo, sailor! Loekin' foer a goed time?" with a ten-guilder (negotiable) bride price and not so much as a 20-minute marriage contract. US and Britain involved
The plot was led "in coordination with Britain" and involved "secret planning by the United States," said the Guards, an elite ideological corps set up to defend the Islamic republic. You knew that was coming, didn't you? Even as we speak blog, the Brits are assembling an elite corps of tarts in Manchester to descend upon the unsuspecting Medes and the Persians, perfumed and peroxided, low of cleavage, short on skirt length, hollering "Coo! Aint'chew 'andsome!"
The Guards revealed it dismantled several networks last month accused of setting up anti-Islamic, counter-revolutionary and "obscene" websites, and arrested a number of suspects including people residing abroad. Tehran repeatedly accused Washington and London of backing violent and non-violent actions against the state and has launched in the past a number of crackdowns on bloggers and Internet users deemed to be hostile to the authorities and their Islamic values.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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"...arrested a number of suspects including people residing abroad."
None will be able to evict Khaleda Zia from her cantonment residence, said BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday urging the government to cancel its decision to revoke the allotment of the house to Khaleda.
"The cantonment house has been leased out to her for 99 years and she has been living there for the last 27 years. You [government] can go to the court and we will face you there," he said addressing a meeting in front of the party's central office.
Jasas, cultural wing of BNP, organised the meeting protesting the government decision to cancel the allotment.
"Find another place to rehabilitate the family members of army officials killed in the BDR carnage. Is there any dearth of land in Dhaka city?" he said.
Delwar said, "Public opinion is against the government decision, so the government should refrain from implementing such narrow-minded plan. Instead of giving threats please try to accept the cooperation of the opposition in running the country."
Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, Babul Ahmed, MA Malek, Mosharraf Hossain also spoke at the meeting presided over by Fayezullah Fayez, president of Jasas Dhaka city unit.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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[Geo News] A jirga was held in Jacobabad on Sunday under the supervision of members of National and Provincial Assemblies to avert an armed clash between two local tribes.
Former provincial minister Mir Manzoor Khan headed the jirga.
Twenty people of the Sawand tribe and 14 tribesmen of Sabzwai were convicted for murders by the jirga. While a fine of about Rs13.2 billion was imposed on both sides.
It was also decided that a fine worth Rs2 million be imposed on the side involved in imitating the clash first.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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[Geo News] A young man along with his three accomplices tried to chop off the hands of his parental cousin after she resisted sexual assault. The girl was shifted to the Meo Hospital with wounds where doctors had to cut her left leg to save her life.
Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shabaz Sharif took notice of the incident and ordered the police to submit an immediate report in this connection. Fauzia, 20, told that she was alone at home when her cousin Nadeem Abbas and his three friends broke into the house, and tried to assault her. "They attempted to cut my hands, legs and shoulders with sharp axe on showing resistance," she said.
Fauzia's sister Khalida told that the police had registered an FIR against the accused. SP Investigation Shoaib Khurram said the accused would be arrested soon. On the other hand, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif asked CCPO Lahore Pervaiz Rathore to submit an immediate report into the incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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[9 views]
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#1
Hows 'bout the guy donates a leg to his cousin to replace the one she lost? Might work.
#2
A tip for the guilty party just in case they want to save their Skins. Accuse the poor girl of adultry or some other Un-Islanic acts & they will become heroes of Pakistan! Why it's always women paying such a higher price. Start respecting human dignity please before it's too late. I'm pretty sure this case will be lost in "files" after just few months, with no support or compensation to the poor girl....
[Al Arabiya Latest] Bahrain's king has pardoned 178 people charged with breaching state security, including two Shiite opposition leaders whose arrest sparked violent protests and whose trial has drawn international scrutiny, a government source said Sunday.
A government source, who declined to be named, said those pardoned by King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa late Saturday night included Hassan Mushaima, leader of the mainly Shiite opposition movement Haq, Shiite cleric Mohammed Maqdad and 33 other defendants on trial with them. "You are now obliged to cooperate for the security of this country," Bahrain's news agency quoted Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah al-Khalifa as telling the prisoners.
More than 1,500 Bahrainis staged protests in February demanding their release and rights groups complained that their trial was flawed. Some defendants have been accused of planning the violent overthrow of the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's president expressed openness for talks with the United States, but again dismissed demands to halt nuclear work the West fears is aimed at making bombs, in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also called for "fundamental changes" in Washington's policies, echoing comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials.
"If the behavior of the United States changes, we can expect to see important progress," he said in the interview posted on Der Spiegel's website, referring to decades of mistrust between Tehran and Washington.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009
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#1
ISRAELI MUIL FORUM > HAARETZ - [Source]NASRALLAH INTENDS TO TURN EGYPT INTO LEBANON; + EGYPT: WE STOPPED US$2.0MILYUHN FUNDS TRANSFER TO HAMAS; + WASHINGTONHELPS CURTAIL IRAN'S COVERT SUEZ THRUST. PCorrect Strategic Diversion by Iran to draw attention away from its NUCDEVPROGS???
Wehel-l-l.methinks we learned once more in which strategic direction the SOMALI PIRATES will be heading to iff and when the USN, FRANCE, etc. decide to make = "bust-a-mil-move" agz the Pyri-i-i-tes.
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.
Woody Harrelson defended his clash with a photographer at a New York airport Wednesday night as a case of mistaken identity -- he says he mistook the cameraman for a zombie.
It's official. The USAF did want more F-22s and considered a 180-some force to be a high risk approach, but after the Defense Department provided the service with a new assessment of future wars, the USAF changed its mind. That's what the service's top leaders say in a signed piece in this morning's Washington Post.
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - Two armed men on motorbikes gunned down a woman provincial legislator in Afghanistans volatile southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, an official said. Sitara Achikzai was on her way home from work when she was killed in the drive-by shooting outside her house, the head of the council, Ahmad Wali Karzai told AFP.
Your best source is jailed. You track high-sea hijacks by text and email. You get through to captors on a satellite phone but are then roundly abused. Reporting on Somali piracy can be surreal.
The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday arrested eight operatives of banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and recovered bomb-making materials in the capital's Khilkhet area.
(CNN) -- U.S. Navy snipers fatally shot three pirates holding an American cargo-ship captain hostage after seeing that one of the pirates "had an AK-47 leveled at the captain's back," a military official said Sunday. The captain, who'd been held in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean since Wednesday, was rescued uninjured, Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told reporters.
[Al Arabiya Latest] At least nine people were killed and another 23 wounded Saturday when a suicide bomber struck the headquarters of a American-allied Sunni militia south of Baghdad in the latest spate of attacks following Friday's explosion in Mosul, Iraqi army officers said.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday referred the draft Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, 2009 to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, advising him to table it before parliament for debate prior to its implementation.
[Al Arabiya Latest] The chief cleric at India's largest mosque delivered a stinging attack against the country's major parties Friday, calling on India's Muslims to form their own political party less than a week before India's general elections.
Somali pirates threatened revenge on Sunday after two separate hostage-rescue raids by foreign forces killed at least five comrades, raising fears of future bloodshed on the high seas.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A draft U.N. Security Council statement "condemns" North Korea's long-range rocket launch Saturday and said it contravened a previous council resolution banning ballistic missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang.
How could Rashid Rauf, a "high value" Al Qaeda target, be plotting terrorist attacks in Britain in April 2009 -- as claimed by the British authorities -- if he was killed months ago in a famous drone strike in Waziristan, as US officials claimed, in November 2008, the Newsweek magazine is asking.
Pakistan is a strong, vibrant country that is no danger of collapse, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
The coalition forces killed 40 Taliban in separate battles in the troubled country, authorities said on Sunday.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Pakistani gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai, who rose to tragic fame in the West as the cause celebre of oppressed women, is all smiles since marrying a police constable and defying yet another stigma.
Any member of the National Assembly (NA) opposes the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in the assembly will be an apostate and will be allowed to contest the next election from minority seats, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat and the Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) separately said on Sunday. TTP Swat spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that any NA member opposing the regulation would contest the next election "if he remained alive". TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat told reporters that any member of the NA opposing the regulation during the debate in the assembly would be declared non-Muslim.
[Al Arabiya Latest] For the first time since taking office Israel's hawkish new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday saying he intends to advance peace through cooperation even though settlement expansion continued, as Pope Benedict called in his Easter message for a renewed push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. 
Federal regulators shut down two more banks Friday, raising the number of bank failures so far this year to 23.
America has become quite accustomed to being despised by Europe. I wonder how Europe will adjust to being hated -- or worse, dismissed -- by America. 
A Yemeni Interior Ministry official has said smugglers threw about 70 Somali and Ethiopian migrants overboard in shark-infested waters and at least seven of their bodies have washed ashore in Yemen.
[Al Arabiya Latest] United States cargo ship captain Richard Phillips has been freed from captivity at the hands of Somali pirates who had held him hostage on a lifeboat after trying to seize his vessel, the U.S. navy said on Sunday. "I can confirm that Captain Phillips has been safely recovered," said spokeswoman Laura Tischler, without providing additional details on the operation. A U.S. Navy spokesman, Lieutenant Commander John Daniels, also confirmed to AFP that Phillips had been freed.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Afghanistan's top Shiite cleric Saturday defended legislation said to oppress women and accused Western critics of "cultural invasion" and violating the very democracy they are promoting.
None will be able to evict Khaleda Zia from her cantonment residence, said BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday urging the government to cancel its decision to revoke the allotment of the house to Khaleda.
[Geo News] A jirga was held in Jacobabad on Sunday under the supervision of members of National and Provincial Assemblies to avert an armed clash between two local tribes.
[Geo News] A young man along with his three accomplices tried to chop off the hands of his parental cousin after she resisted sexual assault. The girl was shifted to the Meo Hospital with wounds where doctors had to cut her left leg to save her life. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's president expressed openness for talks with the United States, but again dismissed demands to halt nuclear work the West fears is aimed at making bombs, in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine. 
