<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<rss version="2.0">
   <channel>
       <title>Rantburg</title>
       <link>http://www.rantburg.com/</link>
       <description>Civil, well-reasoned discourse</description>
       <language>en-us</language>
       <generator>Rantburg RSS Feeder</generator>
       <managingEditor>Fred Pruitt</managingEditor>
       <webMaster>fred@rantburg.com</webMaster>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Iran can make at least one nuclear bomb]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255608</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors.

The figures detailing Iran's progress were contained in a routine update on Wednesday from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has been conducting inspections of the country's main nuclear plant at Natanz. The report concluded that as of early this month, Iran had made 630 kilograms of low-enriched uranium.

Several experts said that was enough for a bomb, but they cautioned that the milestone was mostly symbolic, because Iran would have to take additional steps. Not only would it have to breach its international agreements and kick out the inspectors, but it would also have to further purify the fuel and put it into a warhead design - a technical advance that Western experts are unsure Iran has yet achieved.

&quot;They clearly have enough material for a bomb,&quot; said Richard Garwin, a top nuclear physicist who helped invent the hydrogen bomb and has advised Washington for decades. &quot;They know how to do the enrichment. Whether they know how to design a bomb, well, that's another matter.&quot;

Iran insists that it wants only to fuel reactors for nuclear power. But many western nations, led by the United States, suspect that its real goal is to gain the ability to make nuclear weapons.

While some Iranian officials have threatened to bar inspectors in the past, the country has made no such moves, and many experts inside the Bush administration and the IAEA believe it will avoid the risk of attempting &quot;nuclear breakout&quot; until it possessed a larger uranium supply. American intelligence agencies have said Iran could make a bomb between 2009 and 2015.
 ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[University hires students to facilitate discussions on social justice]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255607</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., has hired six students whose jobs as &quot;dialogue facilitators&quot; will involve intervening in conversations among students in dining halls and common rooms to encourage discussion of such social justice issues as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability and social class.

&quot;If there's a teachable moment, we'll take it,&quot; said assistant dean of student affairs Arig Girgrah, who runs the program. &quot;A lot of community building happens around food and dining.&quot;

She gave the example of a conversation about a gay character on television as a good example of such a moment. &quot;It is all about creating opportunities to dialogue and reflect on issues of social identity,&quot; Ms. Girgrah said. &quot;This is not about preaching. It's not about advice giving. It's about hearing where students are at.&quot;
Somebody is just begging for a cream pie in the face ...Jason Laker, dean of student affairs, said their activities will also include formal discussion sessions, perhaps after controversial incidents in residence, and open discussions of topical books or movies. &quot;They're not disciplinarians. They're called facilitators for a reason,&quot; he said, adding that such a program is of particular value now that so much communication by young people happens over the Internet.
They'll call the disciplinarians when the 'facilitators' are told to get stuffed ...&quot;It's not trying to stifle something. It's trying to foster something,&quot; he said. &quot;We're not trying to be parental.&quot;
No, no, of course not, who'd ever think that ...Like dons, who serve as student authorities in residence, the six facilitators will receive full room and board and a stipend for the full-year commitment, and will receive regular training.

Ms. Girgrah said they represent a broad spectrum of social identities and are all upper-year or graduate students who live in university residences - a small minority at a school where most students move into rental housing after their first year. Ms. Girgrah said this status will give the facilitators &quot;a little bit of credibility and perhaps some respect.&quot;
Just some grad school mopes who aren't smart enough to get off campus. Sure, just who I want to be 'facilitating' me about gay and gender issues ...Daniel Hayward, a 46-year-old Master's of Divinity student, applied to be a facilitator believing the role would offer him an opportunity to connect with many different students. &quot;It's an opportunity to interact with lots of people, hear their stories, about the experiences they've had, hear the questions they're asking,&quot; he said in an interview yesterday. &quot;It's not like we roam around the halls looking for people having conversations. If somebody is yelling something across the dining hall that's a racial slur, yes, we will intervene in that situation.
A 46 year old grad student. Living on campus. Taking room, board and a stipend in return for being a state-sponsored PC-nanny. Joy ...&quot;We are trained to interrupt behaviour in a non-blameful and non-judgmental manner, so it's not like we're pulling someone aside and reprimanding them about their behaviour. It is honestly trying to get to the root of what they're trying to say - seeing if that can be said in a different manner.&quot;

Touting the Intergroup Dialogue Program as &quot;unique among Canadian universities,&quot; but modelled on programs in the United States, an administration newsletter says it will promote &quot;a lasting experience of inclusive community and shared humanity.&quot;
Sort of like how the University of Delaware has been harassing students into proper thinking in the dorms.It is just one of many recent efforts to promote diversity - such as gender-neutral washrooms, prayer space, and halal and kosher food service - at a school that is still smarting from a report on systemic racism two years ago that criticized its &quot;culture of whiteness.&quot;

The editorial board of the student newspaper, the Queen's Journal, acknowledged the good intentions of this latest effort, but was skeptical of a program that &quot;seems to be an inadequate, lack lustre attempt to deal with social inequalities.&quot;

&quot;It's unlikely six facilitators in a crowd of thousands will have much impact on fostering dialogue in residences,&quot; they write, adding that the facilitators could face &quot;hostility&quot; from students who feel they have been &quot;cornered&quot; or had their privacy violated.
&quot;Can't I just eat my waffle?&quot; ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Saab loses Norway fighter plane tender]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255606</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ And the winner is ... 
Saab was dealt a serious blow on Thursday as the Norwegian government announced its decision to purchase US-made Joint Strike Fighter/F-35 planes rather than Sweden's JAS Gripen. Of the two alternatives, only the JSF fulfilled the criteria laid down by the Norwegian government, according to the country's defence minister, Anne-Grete Str&ouml;m-Erichsen.

Aeronautics groups Saab of Sweden and Lockheed Martin of the United States both submitted tenders in April this year for a planned order by the Norwegian Air Force for 48 combat aircraft.

Sweden's defence ministry backed the proposed deal as an important expression of Nordic defence coooperation.

Some observers felt at the outset that any choice other than the JSF would jeopardize the historic alliance between the United States and Norway, a NATO member loyal to Washington. But other experts said the Swedish aircraft, which is believed to be cheaper, corresponds better to the needs of the Norwegian Air Force.

Norway is primarily seen as needing fighters that can defend Norway's sovereignty in the Arctic against Russian planes. The JSF, which has suffered repeated delays and extra costs, is meanwhile specialized in bombing missions. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Pirates of Somalia: Asymmetric Warfare]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255605</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Piracy and maritime terrorism are forms of asymmetrical warfare that non-state actors use as instruments in disrupting the peace and security of states. It is therefore necessary for navies to revamp and find new definitions for their role in the modern security context.

long good essay at link ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Purdue Researcher Invents Molecule That Stops SARS]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255604</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Tear gas used on axe-wielding rioters in China]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255603</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[&quot;Battleship Island&quot; (Gunkanjima) to become a &quot;World Heritage Site&quot;?]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255602</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Asahi Shimbun

Dilapidated buildings and piles of rubble greet participants on a recent media tour to Gunkanjima (battleship island), an abandoned former coal mining community in Nagasaki. The island has been included in a tentative list of candidates for designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site by the Cultural Affairs Agency, along with other former industrial sites in surrounding prefectures. Officially known as Hashima island, it was a major source of coal until the mine closed in 1974. In its heyday, more than 5,000 people inhabited the island, whose contours resemble a battleship. While Hashima is currently off-limits, the city of Nagasaki plans to open it to the public next spring. 
Gunkanjima at one point had the highest population density in the world, but now it is a ghost town.  Wikipedia article here; slideshow of very evocative photos taken just before abandonment here; another slideshow by the same photographer showing the island in recent years here. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[NVIDIA supercomputers]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255601</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[IAEA unable to say - a bigger bribe required]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255600</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Oil price goes below $50 a barrel ]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255599</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Oil prices have fallen below $50 a barrel for the first time since May 2005

US light sweet crude fell to $49.75, while London-traded Brent crude fell to to $48.90 a barrel.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Australia: Local Muslim clerics accused]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255598</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Pak outraged over Aafia's treatment   ]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255597</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[This explains a lot about Hitler.  A lot.]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255596</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ An extraordinary account from a German army medic has finally confirmed what the world long suspected: Hitler only had one testicle. . . . The war tyrant’s medical condition has been mocked for years in a British song.

The lyrics are:
It's time for &quot;Sing Along With Mitch Miller,&quot; folks.  Follow the bouncing, uh ... ball!
Hitler has only got one ball, 
G&ouml;ring has two but very small, 
Himmler is somewhat sim'lar, 
But poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.
Hitler has only got one ball, 
The other is on the kitchen wall, 
His mother, the dirty b——r, 
Chopped it off when he was small.

Until now there has never been complete proof Hitler was monorchic — the medical term for having one testicle. But the document tells how Jambor saw the proof with his own eyes. In the account, he relives the horror of serving as an army medic in World War I. . . .

“For several hours, Johan and his friends picked up injured soldiers. He remembers Hitler.

“They called him the 'Screamer.' He was very noisy. Hitler was screaming ‘help, help.' His abdomen and legs were all in blood. Hitler was injured in the abdomen and lost one testicle. His first question to the doctor was: ‘Will I be able to have children?'&quot;

Hitler’s genitals have long caused controversy. Some historians dismissed the “one ball” song as propaganda. But an alleged Soviet autopsy on Hitler backed it up. Records show Hitler did suffer a groin injury in the Somme. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Justice Nominee Greased Skids of Marc Rich Pardon]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255595</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Change you can believe in!
The former prosecutor whom President-elect Barack Obama wants to run the Justice Department bypassed the agency's career lawyers during one of the most controversial final decisions made by President Clinton in January 2001 — the pardon of billionaire fugitive financier Marc Rich, congressional records show. 

Eric H. Holder Jr., then the deputy attorney general, worked with former White House Counsel Jack Quinn to ensure that department officials — particularly federal prosecutors in New York who handled the Rich case — &quot;did not have the opportunity to express an opinion on the Rich pardon before it was granted,&quot; the Republican-led House Government Reform Committee concluded in a 467-page report in 2002. 

The committee's evidence included an e-mail in which Mr. Holder told Mr. Quinn to &quot;go straight&quot; to the White House and that the &quot;timing is good&quot; for Mr. Rich's request for a pardon. Normally, pardon requests are reviewed by career prosecutors before a recommendation is forwarded to the White House. 
 ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Abbas to shun Arab League Cairo meet]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255594</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah is &quot;extremely disappointed&quot; with the Arab countries over their refusal to hold Hamas responsible for the failure of Egyptian efforts to end the Islamic movement's dispute with Fatah, PA officials said Wednesday. The officials said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas had decided to boycott the upcoming meeting of the Arab League Foreign Ministers in Cairo in protest against the Arab countries' position. Abbas was hoping that the Arab League would put pressure on Hamas to participate in an Egyptian-sponsored conference that was due to be held in Cairo last week to settle the Hamas-Fatah power struggle. 

Abbas aides said that Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa had promised to publicly condemn Hamas for boycotting the gathering, but failed to keep his pledge. &quot;The president has decided to boycott the meeting of the Arab foreign ministers because Amr Moussa did not keep his promise,&quot; said Azzam al-Ahmed, a senior Fatah official closely associated with Abbas. &quot;For some reason, Moussa has been reluctant to openly blame Hamas for the fact that the Cairo conference never took place,&quot; he said. 

The Fatah official said that Mouusa's failure to censure Hamas was a &quot;negative sign.&quot; He added that the Arab League Foreign Ministers should not hesitate to announce their position regarding the Hamas-Fatah crisis. &quot;Even if they think that Fatah is partially responsible for the collapse of the Egyptian mediation efforts, they should go public,&quot; he added. 

Another top PA official told The Jerusalem Post that Abbas was also angry with the Arab League because some of its members have been exerting pressure on Moussa to invite Hamas to the meeting. &quot;Instead of blaming Hamas for the crisis and the continued anarchy and lawlessness, some Arab countries are dealing with Hamas as if it was the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinians,&quot; he said. &quot;Despite the decision to boycott the meeting, the Palestinian Authority has decided to send a low-level delegation headed by [PA negotiators] to Cairo to brief the Arab ministers on the power struggle with Hamas and the peace talks with Israel.&quot; 

Abbas's decision to stay away from the Arab League meeting came amid reports suggesting that Egypt had decided to resume its mediation efforts between the two Palestinian parties. Sources close to Abbas said that the Egyptians were considering summoning representatives of all the Palestinian factions to Cairo later this month for talks aimed at paving the way for holding a &quot;national reconciliation&quot; conference in Cairo. The sources said that the Egyptians have asked Saudi Arabia, Syria and other Arab countries to use their good offices with Fatah and Hamas to force them to end their differences. 

The Egyptians have also asked Abbas to consider the possibility of releasing hundreds of Hamas supporters who were arrested by his security forces in the West Bank in the past few weeks, the sources added. Hamas used the massive arrest campaign as an excuse to boycott the Cairo conference earlier this month.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Hamas to announce Abbas replacement in January]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255593</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Hamas plans to appoint a new Palestinian Authority president in January at the end of Mahmoud Abbas' four-year term, according to Mohammed al-Hindi, a leader of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Hindi said the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Sheikh Aziz al-Dweik, will probably be named to the post. Dweik is currently jailed in Israel. 

A fierce disagreement erupted recently between Hamas and Fatah regarding when Abbas' term is to end. Hamas claims the president's tenure ends on January 9, 2009 while Fatah argues that it is supposed to continue until January 9, 2010. Fatah bases its claim on an amendment to the election law stipulating that the presidential and parliamentary elections are to be held together, and the parliamentary elections are scheduled for January 2010. 

Hindi said that if the groups cannot reach an agreement by January, Hamas will declare Dweik, one of the organization's senior figures in the West Bank, to be president. As speaker of the parliament, Dweik is the president's successor in the event of the latter's death, illness or resignation. Since Dweik has been in detention in Israel since shortly after the abduction of Gilad Shalit in June 2006, however, his appointment is mainly seen as a statement aimed at goading Abbas. 
 
In a related matter, Hamas recently announced new conditions for renewing its negotiations with Fatah. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, said his organization is demanding that all of its prisoners being held in PA jails be released, that a delegation of West Bank-based Hamas leaders be allowed to travel to Cairo for the talks, that Hamas and Fatah be given equal weight at the Cairo summit, that Abbas attend the sessions and that the Egyptians accede to Hamas' demand to amend the reconciliation agreement they proposed to both organizations. By laying down these conditions, Hamas is in effect rejecting the renewal of the talks in the short run, in favor of waiting for anticipated changes in the region.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Latest threats may mean North Korea wants to talk]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255592</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ For 10 years, South Korea has pursued a &quot;sunshine policy&quot; as its master plan for transforming North Korea. Under that banner, South Korea funneled billions of dollars to the North for new factories, hotels and food, and millions of South Korean tourists poured across the border. But eight months after President Lee Myung-bak came to office here promising a harder approach, the once vaunted policy has unraveled. North Korea has cut off high-level dialogue with the South. It has severed Red Cross-managed telephone &quot;hot lines&quot; crossing the demilitarized zone. In July, a North Korean soldier shot and killed a South Korean tourist visiting its Diamond Mountain resort, leading to its closing.

The North is now threatening to shut down an industrial complex in the North Korean town of Kaesong, the best South Korea had to show for its 10 years of sunshine policy. During an inspection tour earlier this month, a high-ranking North Korean general turned to the South Korean factory owners and asked, &quot;How soon do you think you can pack your gear and go home?&quot; Last week, North Korea further confounded the rest of the world. It said it had never agreed to let American experts take samples from its main nuclear complex, contrary to Washington's announcement that it had.

All in all, the North's actions seemed to point not only to the end of the sunshine policy but also to a dangerous disintegration of relations. But longtime North Korea watchers see it much differently, saying that the moves fit a familiar and consistent pattern, and that they may even signal an upturn in relations with the United States. Over the years, they say, North Korea has divided its negotiations with the outside world into what analysts call &quot;salami pieces,&quot; maximizing its gains at each stage. If the opponent balks, it uses brinkmanship. &quot;North Korea got what it could from Bush. Now it is signaling to President-elect Barack Obama, 'O.K., let's negotiate again over nuclear sampling,' &quot; said Lee Sang-hyun, an analyst at Sejong Institute, a research organization. &quot;To Lee Myung-bak, its message is that it means action if he doesn't reconsider his policy.&quot; ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Catholic Church cuts off ACORN funding Obama buddies]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255591</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[CAIR has falling out with fellow jihadist Zawahri over Obama]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255590</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Obama’s One-Stop Shop for Foreign Policy Advisers]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255589</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Obama Out-Gores Gore at Climate Summit]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255588</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Pirates demand $25m for oil tanker]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255587</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ SOMALI pirates who hijacked Saudi oil super-tanker Sirius Star are demanding $US25 million ($A39.25 million) in ransom, Agence France-Presse reported. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Thousands March in Kosovo, Fearing Country's Division]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255586</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Thousands of Kosovo Albanians protested in Pristina against a United Nations plan, which, they say, would split the country along ethnic lines. Protesters Wednesday took to the streets of the Kosovo capital, backing the country's leadership in opposing the plan, which sets out conditions for the deployment of a new European Union peacekeeping force in Kosovo.

The plan, backed by Belgrade and the United Nations, would create separate chains of command for Serbian and Albanian police forces operating in Kosovo. Police forces in ethnic Albanian areas would report to the new EU mission, while police in Serb-majority areas would report to U.N. officials.
That's a particularly dumb idea, so it clearly came from the U.N. There can only be one police and one chain of command. If you have to split the country, split it cleanly along ethnic lines and be done with it.Ethnic Albanians say the plan amounts to creating two, parallel chains of administration within Kosovo. They also worry it would give Serbia too much influence over Kosovo's internal affairs.

But Serbs say they will not accept the new EU force unless the six-point plan goes through.
Serbs got ejected so they don't really have much to say about the EU force, do they ...Last week, EU officials agreed to Serbian demands that the mission remain neutral regarding Kosovo's status and have its personnel endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.
Why should the EU be neutral? Kosovo is an independent country, recognized by the U.N. The Serbs don't like it, of course, but maybe next time they won't star a war and ethnic cleansing.The mission is to replace U.N. security forces that have administered the former Serbian province since 1999.
The EU force can be a trip-wire, but if Kosovo is to be sovereign, it has to be responsible for its own security.Kosovo's leaders are on their way to London, where they will meet Britain's foreign secretary, David Miliband.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia in February. Serbia, its ally Russia, and ethnic Serb leaders in Kosovo reject Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence as a violation of Serbian territorial integrity. More than 50 countries, including the United States and many EU states, have recognized Kosovo's independence. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[U.S. Airstrike Kills 6 Terrs in Pakistan]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255585</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ KABUL, Nov. 19 -- A suspected U.S. suspected airstrike deep inside suspected Pakistani territory Wednesday killed suspected six insurgent suspected fighters and wounded suspected several others, according to a suspected Pakistani security suspected official.

The airstrike in the district of Bannu in the North-West Frontier Province appears to be the first such attack outside Pakistan's tribal areas. It came as the country's top military officer met with NATO officials in Brussels to discuss the cross-border missile strikes, which have been increasingly frequent in recent months and which the United States considers necessary for combating al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The attacks have stoked tensions in Pakistan and drawn public rebukes from the government.

An unmanned U.S. Predator drone fired at least two missiles early Wednesday morning at a house near North Waziristan, one of seven semi-autonomous tribal territories that line Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. A Pakistani security official said the six who were killed were believed to be foreigners with suspected links to al-Qaeda.
So nobody will especially miss them ...Details about those killed could not be confirmed. A Pakistani military spokesman declined to comment. The U.S. generally does not acknowledge such attacks and has so far not issued any public comments on the use of Predator airstrikes on Pakistani soil.

Shortly after Wednesday's strike, Quazi Hussain Ahmad, head of the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, vowed to block a vital NATO supply route if the U.S. attacks continue, the Associated Press reported.
Make .. our .. day ... ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Flight attendant helps land jetliner]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255584</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Hey! I seen this movie!SHANNON, Ireland, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A flight attendant aboard an Air Canada passenger jet helped land the aircraft in Ireland after its co-pilot suffered a mental breakdown, officials said. Irish aviation reports revealed the January incident, which necessitated an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, the British tabloid the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

Witnesses told investigators the co-pilot aboard the Toronto-to-London flight, which was carrying 146 passengers, began rambling incoherently and eventually became belligerent and uncooperative. His erratic behavior forced the pilot to enlist the help of the flight crew to remove him from the cockpit and restrain him in a passenger seat.

The pilot then asked those aboard the Boeing 767 if anyone had any piloting experience, and a flight attendant with a commercial pilot's license was tapped to help land the jetliner at Shannon, the newspaper said.

Irish officials praised the flight attendant and the rest of the crew for maintaining their calm. Officials indicated the co-pilot was admitted to the acute psychiatric unit of Ennis Regional Hospital in County Claire for 11 days, the Daily Mail said. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Chinese Automakers May Buy GM and Chrysler]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255583</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Chinese car makers SAIC and Dongfeng have plans to acquire GM and Chrysler, China's 21st Century Business Herald reports today. [A National Enquirer the paper is not. It is one of China's leading business newspapers, with a daily readership over three million.] The paper cites a senior official of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology-- the state regulator of China's auto industry-- who dropped the hint that &quot;the auto manufacturing giants in China, such as Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and Dongfeng Motor Corporation, have the capability and intention to buy some assets of the two crisis-plagued American automakers.&quot; These hints are very often followed with quick action in the Middle Kingdom. The hints were dropped just a few days after the same Chinese government gave its auto makers the go-ahead to invest abroad. And why would they do that?

A take-over of a large  overseas auto maker would fit perfectly into China's plans. As reported before, China has realized that its export chances are slim without unfettered access to foreign technology. The brand cachet of Chinese cars abroad is, shall we say, challenged. The Chinese could easily export Made-in-China VWs, Toyotas, Buicks. If their joint venture partner would let them. The solution: Buy the joint venture partner. Especially, when he's in deep trouble.

At current market valuations (GM is worth less than Mattel) the Chinese government can afford to buy GM with petty cash. Even a hundred billion $ would barely dent China's more than $2t in currency reserves. For nobody in the world would buying GM and (while they are at it) Chrysler make more sense than for the Chinese. Overlap? What overlap? They would gain instant access to the world's markets with accepted brands, and proven technology.

21st Century Business Herald, obviously with input from higher-up, writes that Chinese industry must change and upgrade. China wants their factories to change from low-value-added manufacturing to technically innovative and financially-sound high-value-add industries. Says the paper: &quot;It would be much easier now for strong Chinese automakers to go global by acquiring some assets of their U.S. counterparts in times of crisis.&quot;

Deloitte &amp; Touche sees a trend: &quot;Chinese automakers can start with buying out the OEM projects and Chinese ventures of some global car makers such as GM and Chrysler.&quot;

The Chinese appear to have bigger plans than an accounting firm can imagine. 21st Century Business Herald acts and writes as if its already a done deal, and the beginning of more to come. &quot;In the coming two years China is likely to see a few of its large Chinese automakers and other manufacturing enterprises set a precedent for achieving globalization by acquiring global companies, just like SAIC or Dongfeng's possible acquisition of troubled GM or Chrysler.&quot;

Just in case you missed it, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC)  is China's largest auto manufacturer. In 1984, the company entered a joint venture with Volkswagen. A decade later, SAIC entered a joint venture with General Motors. In 2007, SAIC bought the Nanjing Automobile Corporation, which had acquired  British MG Rover in 2005.

Dongfeng Motor Corporation is a public company, although 70 percent of their shares are reported to be in government hands. They also are one of China's Big Three. The company has numerous joint venture partners, such as Nissan, Peugeot-Citroen, Honda, and Kia. Dongfeng (which means &quot;East Wind&quot;) was founded at the behest of Mao Zedong himself  in 1968. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Good morning]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255582</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[JUI-F, JI coming closer against common enemy]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255581</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ The need for a common enemy to stay in the political arena will bring the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) closer once again.

The two religious parties, the former partners in the six-party religious alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), parted ways after former president Pervez Musharraf's implementation of November 3, 2007 emergency and the February 18 general elections.

While JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad went several steps ahead with lawyers in their movement for the restoration of sacked chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other sacked judges, his JUI-F partner Fazlur Rehman kept his support limited to mere political statements and his party contested the elections to the dismay of its JI buddies.

The bitter pill of defeat swallowed by the JUI-F during the general elections at the hands of the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) expanded the rifts in the defunct religious alliance as some senior leaders of Fazl's party accused some of their JI mates of conspiring against them in the general elections by supporting their opponents.

The JI responded by saying that the defeat was the outcome of their 'wrong' policy of going for the elections. 

However, with the wave of insurgency, ever-increasing incidents of kidnapping, influx of displaced people from Swat, Bajaur and Mohmand and the worst flour crisis in NWFP provided a chance to the JUI-F and the JI to settle old scores with the ANP by reprimanding the secular party over its anti-Taliban stance and the issue of Pakhtunistan.

It was JUI-F provincial president Gul Naseeb who raised the issue of Pakhtunistan and accused ANP of trying to divide the country by re-invigorating the defunct greater Pakhtunistan issue.

The charge was vehemently denied by the NWFP government, which ordered inquiry into the installations of greater Paktunistan signboards in some southern districts of NWFP, which are the stronghold of the JUI-F.

The ANP also said the Pakhtunistan issue was raised by the JUI-F to divert public attention from the land scam against its leadership. 

The JI, cashing the opportunity, brought its white paper against the provincial government reckoning its failures during the previous 200 days.

Without condemning the burning of schools, slaughtering of innocent civilians and carrying out of suicide attacks on sport functions, the JI provincial chief Sirajul Haq demanded unilateral halt to operations against Taliban.

Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman said that the revival of the MMA was the need of the hour. He described the prevailing situation in the NWFP and the Tribal Areas as main reason for the revival of the religious alliance.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Mohmand people asked to expel militants or get out of Dodge]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255580</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Pakistani aircraft dropped pamphlets in various areas of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency on Wednesday urging tribesmen to expel the Taliban from the area. The pamphlets added that if the tribesmen were unable to drive the Taliban out, they should themselves leave the area. The pamphlets asked people to co-operate with the government. Meanwhile, security forces are advancing towards Pindyali tehsil to set up three checkposts in Targhakhi area. This would prevent the Taliban from attacking the security forces from that side of the agency and would also make the Ghalanai-Yaka Ghund route safe.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Sadrist MPs force early end to House reading of US-Iraqi security pact]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255579</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Legislators loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr shouted down the Iraqi Parliament's second reading on Wednesday of a military pact allowing US troops to remain in Iraq until the end of 2011. The agreement, approved by the Cabinet on Sunday, has been fiercely criticized by the Sadrists, who oppose any deal with the US &quot;occupier&quot;. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[US wants more pressure on Iranian banks]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255578</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ The US Treasury has urged the United Arab Emirates to keep a close eye on Iranian banks operating in the Persian Gulf financial hub. 

&quot;There is a challenge in the (United Arab Emirates) especially because of deep commercial ties between the UAE and Iran,&quot; said Stuart Levey, US Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence on Wednesday. &quot;These banks are an issue of concern and they are deserving of scrutiny because of their track record,&quot; Levey was quoted by Reuters as saying on Wednesday. 

He noted that the US's policy of sanctions against Iran would continue during the term of Democratic president-elect Barack Obama. &quot;There's one area in US continuity -- rigorous enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions and protection of the international financial system,&quot; he said. 

The US official announced that Washington is discussing issues with the UAE which are important for Dubai if it is to become &quot;a trusted financial center&quot;.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Bombed Syrian Site Appears to Have Been Nuclear Reactor]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255577</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ The Syrian facility bombed by Israeli planes last year bore multiple hallmarks of a nuclear reactor, and the ruined site was contaminated with uranium, United Nations nuclear inspectors confirmed today in a report that largely backed Bush administration accounts of a secret atomic program... ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[After Oil Tanker Hijacking, Saudi Arabia to Join Anti-Piracy Efforts]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255576</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Tuesday condemned the hijacking of a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million in crude oil, calling piracy &quot;a disease that has to be eradicated.&quot; The 1,080-foot Sirius Star was seized by Somali pirates Saturday off East Africa. Its owner, Vela International, said the tanker is thought to be anchored off the coast of Somalia.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said his country would join international efforts to battle piracy, which has surged to levels unseen in modern times. &quot;This outrageous act by the pirates, I think, will only reinforce the resolve of the countries of the Red Sea and internationally to fight piracy,&quot; Saud said during a visit to Athens, the Associated Press reported.

Vela International, a subsidiary of the Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco, said in a statement that the company was &quot;awaiting further contact from the pirates in control of the vessel.&quot;

The crew is composed of two Britons, two Poles, one Croatian, one Saudi and 19 Filipinos.

The tanker, which had been heading toward the United States via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, held as much as 2 million barrels of oil, more than a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily exports. News of the hijacking helped briefly push global oil prices to more than $58 a barrel Monday, though they later lost some gains. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[United Nations Official Warns of Social Strife in Asia]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255575</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ A senior U.N. official warned Tuesday of the prospect of social unrest as the export-driven economies of Asia start to slow in response to the fallout from the global financial crisis. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Mexico's Police Liaison for Interpol Arrested in Drug Probe]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255574</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ A senior Mexican police official who worked as the country's liaison with Interpol was arrested Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into information leaks from top law enforcement authorities to the nation's notorious drug cartels. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Closing Guantanamo Bay Prison Could Mean the Release of Yemenis Who Are Unrepentant Terrorists]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255573</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ The single biggest opportunity -- and potential difficulty -- for the incoming administration's plan to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, comes from the same group of Yemeni prisoners, who make up fully 40 percent of the detainees still held there.

Despite intensive diplomatic discussions in recent months, and the Yemeni government's promise to put released prisoners through a rehabilitation program, the Bush administration remains unconvinced that the impoverished Arab nation is capable of absorbing a group of men that officials believe includes hardened extremists.

Administration officials said President-elect Barack Obama will face the same daunting array of concerns about Yemen, a country where the terrorist threat from al-Qaeda is escalating and where extremists already have escaped prison and returned to the fight. Some have strong ties to Guantanamo detainees.

&quot;There are still, I think, significant concerns throughout the U.S. government, amongst all the agencies, about the Yemenis' capacity to absorb and process any significant number of returned detainees,&quot; said a senior administration official who, because of the sensitivity of the issue, spoke on the condition of anonymity. &quot;And then there are simply logistical and financial issues involved in setting up a rehabilitation center, which could take quite a long period of time.&quot;

The Yemeni government rejects U.S. criticism of its record of combating terrorism and insists that it can successfully handle the Yemeni detainees, who make up the largest national contingent at Guantanamo Bay.

&quot;We are ready to receive all of them, and we hope President-elect Obama and the next administration will send them to Yemen,&quot; said Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington. &quot;It is not to our benefit to simply let these people go free. Anybody who we see as a threat to Yemen or its people, and our allies, will be dealt with in an appropriate way.&quot; ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Pakistan: Taliban seeking to keep army out of joint operations with NATO]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255572</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ (AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Militants have over the last 10 days carried out a series of attacks in the northwest against a key airport and military supply route and have killed several tribal chiefs. The attacks may be seen as part of a deliberate bid to prevent the Pakistani military from taking part with NATO in a joint operation to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan's Kunar Valley and in the troubled Bajaur and Mohmand tribal areas on the Afghan border.

Militants have launched 17 rocket and missile attacks this month against the airport in Peshawar, the main town in North West Frontier Province.

The militants blockaded the key Khyber Pass route for fuel tankers and trucks supplying international forces in Afghanistan. The route re-opened on Monday after the government barred the movement of convoys on safety grounds following the hijacking and looting by militants of 12 trucks and two Humvee armoured vehicles last week.

Militants have in recent days killed several key tribal chiefs in Bajaur who were trying to form pro-government lashkars (militias) to fight against the Taliban, and have abducted several others. 

On Tuesday a clash between Taliban militants and pro-government tribal elders left at least five people dead, according to official government sources in Bajaur.

The Pakistani government launched a major offensive against militants in Bajaur three months ago and Pakistani troops and tribal militias are continuing to battle Taliban guerrillas there.

Taliban gunmen exchanged fire with tribal leaders holed up in a fortress-like compound in Bajaur for several hours late on Monday. Suspected Taliban militants are also reported to have killed several tribal elders there the same day.

Taliban militants carried out attacks in the Orakzai tribal area a few weeks ago and forced local tribes to stay neutral and abandon all tribal militia activities against the Taliban instigated by the government.

The government's efforts to sow divisions within the militants' rank and file has also proved ineffective. 

Taliban commander Abdul Wali chose to keep out of the conflict but refused to support the Pakistani army against the militants in Bajaur. The various small groups previously working under Wali's command however, backed the militants in Bajaur against the army.

A tribal warlord in the Khyber tribal area bordering Afghanistan, Mangal Bagh, has also made clear to the government that he would rather remain neutral and not take up arms against Taliban militants seeking to hijack NATO convoys in the region and cut off supply routes.

The overwhelming majority of supplies for international forces in Afghanistan are shipped into the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi and cross the border via Balochistan and the Khyber Pass. There are virtually no alternative routes available.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Iran blocks access to over five million websites]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255571</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Iran has blocked access to more than five million Internet sites, whose content is mostly perceived as immoral and anti-social, a judiciary official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.  &quot;The enemies seek to assault our religious identity by exploiting the Internet,&quot; Abdolsamad Khoram Abadi, an advisor to Iran's prosecutor general, was quoted by Kargozaran newspaper as saying. 

The Internet &quot;inflicts social, political, economic and moral damage, which is worrying,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;social vice caused by the Internet is more than that by the satellite network,&quot; Mehr news agency reported.

With about 21 million users, the Internet is widely popular in Iran, which information ministry officials say ranks among the top 20 user countries. 

In recent years, Internet service providers have been told to block access to political, human rights and women's sites and weblogs expressing dissent or deemed to be pornographic and anti-Islamic. 

The ban has also targeted such popular social networking sites as Facebook and YouTube, as well as news sites.

Iran's reformist press was hit by a massive crackdown in 2000, and many journalists turned to blogging after their publications were shut down.

The closures have continued under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elected in 2005, and have targeted newspapers and other media, including web sites and news agencies, of all political persuasions. 
 
&quot;Cyber imperialism&quot; 
Conservatives have also warned against &quot;cyber imperialism&quot; targeting developing countries.

In its latest edition, Sobh-e Sadegh, the publication of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said, &quot;The Internet, satellite (channels) and text messages played an important role in color revolutions in Serbia, Ukraine and Georgia.&quot; 

The weekly said Internet search engines Yahoo and Google, BBC and CNN televisions and even international news agencies including &quot;Reuters, Associated Press, UPI, AFP and DPA&quot; operated as &quot;tools of diplomacy conducted through media.&quot;

The magazine accused the European Union of seeking to &quot;develop anti-Iranian cyber space&quot; by supporting dissident bloggers.

Despite a strict ban on satellite television, dishes dot many Iranian rooftops and people have access to dozens of Persian-language channels, including the Voice of America, broadcasting a daily dose of politics and entertainment. 

Islamic republic officials have been concerned about BBC Persian-language television which is yet to be launched and warned against interviewing or cooperating with such media.

The head of Iran's state-run television recently said that 30 percent of Iranians watch satellite channels, but observers say the figures are likely to be higher.
 
 ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Egyptian geologist calls for analysis of holy stone]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255570</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ An Egyptian preacher was accused of excessive indulgence in the supernatural when he called for carrying out an analysis of the holy stone in the Mecca shrine to prove it is not made of earthy material.

Islamic thinker and professor of geology Dr. Zaghloul al-Naggar called for taking samples from the Black Stone at the holy shrine of Mecca to prove the Prophet's hadith-saying-that it is made of heavenly substance and to respond to the West's deriding perception of Islam.

Naggar referred to the way the West ridicules Muslims for kissing the Black Stone during the pilgrimage ritual.  &quot;What I called for is not an exploration of the supernatural,&quot; he told AlArabiya.net. &quot;It is scientific research.&quot;

According to a hadith (saying) by Prophet Mohamed, &quot;The Black Stone descended from Paradise much whiter than milk, but it was turned black by the sins committed by mankind.&quot; 

In a seminar hosted by the Egyptian Press Syndicate on Monday, Naggar stressed that taking a sample will not damage the holy stone and called for scholars to utilize science in the right way.

Professor of Hadith at al-Azhar University Dr. al Agami al Damanhouri said Naggar's call is not going to add to the stone's value and stressed that there is no point in trying to demonstrate this value to the West. &quot;They made this analysis before and made sure its substance is not earthly,&quot; he told AlArabiya.net.

Damanhouri cited a saying by the Prophet's Companion and second Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab: &quot;I know well that you are simply a stone, and have no power to confer a benefit or to do harm. Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you.&quot;

According to Damanhouri, this saying proves that the Prophet's actions should be emulated by Muslims without the need to find a scientific proof that supports its validity.  

On the other hand, Sheikh Abdullah Megawer, advisor of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, supported Naggar's call while agreeing to the necessity of following the Prophet in whatever he said or did. &quot;If Naggar's call is to discover the scientific formation of the stone, we welcome it. Other than that, we follow the text we have,&quot; he told AlArabiya.net.   ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Iraq arrests senior Iranian commando at airport]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255569</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Iraqi security forces have arrested an alleged &quot;senior&quot; Iranian commando from the elite Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force at Baghdad International Airport, the U.S. military said Wednesday. 

The military said they suspected the man of &quot;involvement in facilitating Iranian weapons shipments into Iraq&quot; under the cover of working for an organization involved in the restoration of Iraqi religious sites. The man is alleged to have used the organization as a front in order to bring weapons into Iraq concealed in shipments of building materials, the military said in a statement released late Tuesday.

The U.S. military has long accused Iran's Quds Force of arming, training, and funding Iraqi militiamen to stoke the sectarian violence that has convulsed the country since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, charges Tehran has denied. 

The statement also said the man was carrying an &quot;unspecified amount&quot; of cocaine.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Launcher with 5 grenades found in Ctg]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255568</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Rab recovered one US-made belt-fed M79 grenade launcher and five 40mm grenades at Rangamatia in Chittagong's Fatikchhari upazila early yesterday. The weapons were found abandoned near a graveyard during a raid on a hideout of criminal gang Daulat Bahini at Malikasha in North Rangamatia, Rab said.

Rab 7 commanding officer Zahidur Rahim said they believe the arms belong to Daulat, the gang's kingpin. &quot;The M79 grenade launcher and its 40mm grenades were first widely used by the US troops during the Vietnam War,&quot; he told The Daily Star.

&quot;The grenades can successfully hit their target within 150m (point target) and is effective within a range of 350m (area target),&quot; he added. &quot;The anti-personnel cartridges were used against people and light vehicles and had a devastating effect within a 5m radius of the target,&quot; said the Rab official.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Theatre group banned at Rajashi U. under pressure]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255567</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Rajshahi University authorities yesterday banned a theatre group under pressure from Islami Chhatra Shibir for staging a drama that Shibir claimed to be blasphemous. RU Registrar Prof Muhammad Shafi issued a press release, banning Dhumketu Natya Sangsad and staging of its drama &quot;Mandar&quot; on the campus.

However, an RU committee formed to review the play did not find anything blasphemous in it.

Sources said although the authorities showed Dhumketu's being unregistered with the Teacher Student Culture Centre as the reason for the ban, it was banned for staging the play on November 3 in protest against removal of baul sculptures from the airport intersection in Dhaka.

Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, observed a strike on the campus demanding punishment to the Udichi activists who performed in the play and threatened to stop the ongoing admission tests if Udichi and Dhumketu were not banned.

Sources alleged that the RU authorities took the decision to ban Dhumketu bypassing the recommendations of the 11-member review committee headed by social science faculty Dean Prof Sadekul Islam.

Abu Sayem, general secretary of Udichi RU unit, criticised the university authorities saying the Jamaat-backed administration took the decision under threats from Shibir. He said they would take legal action against the authorities.

When contacted, RU Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamnunul Keramat said, &quot;We took the decision on the basis of a review of the overall situation.&quot; ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[10 Sudan papers suspend publication]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255566</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ (SomaliNet) As part of a growing protest against state censorship ten Sudanese newspapers suspended publication on Tuesday, journalists said. 

Sudanese reporters said it was the biggest voluntary shut down of the media since the days of British rule in the 1950s. 

The protest came a day after 63 journalists and newspaper staff were detained for more than three hours by police after staging a rally outside Sudan's parliament. The arrests were condemned by the US government. 

&quot;This is a real step forward,&quot; said Faisal Mohamed Saleh, a columnist for Al-Akhbar newspaper. &quot;In the past a few partisan newspapers have staged protests. But most of the people who are taking part today are journalists from independent newspapers.&quot; 

The 10 papers were planning to shut-down again on Wednesday if other publications agreed to join in, said Saleh. 

Reporters said the action had been driven by individual journalists who had approached their editors and management and persuaded them to pull their Tuesday editions. The reporters were members of a recently formed Sudan Journalists' Network which is also campaigning for a new press law to enshrine press freedoms promised under a 2005 peace deal that ended the country's north-south civil war. 

Journalists complain of nightly visits from security officers who instruct editors to remove sensitive articles from the next day's edition. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Global recession lowers oil prices]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255565</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Oil prices have dropped with Brent crude falling to nearly $50 a barrel, the lowest since striking record highs of $147 in July. On Wednesday, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in January was down seven cents at 51.77 dollars a barrel in late afternoon trade on London's InterContinental Exchange (ICE). Earlier it touched 50.61 dollars. 

On the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), light sweet crude for December delivery slipped 53 cents to 53.86 dollars a barrel. It earlier fell to 53.30 dollars, the lowest point since January 2007. 

Crude oil prices have plunged almost two-thirds since striking record highs of above 147 dollars in July as a global economic slowdown dents world energy demand. On Monday, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), whose members produce 40 percent of the world's oil, said it was ready to intervene on a regular basis to help prop up the prices.  ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Hasnat Abdullah gets 14yrs for corruption]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255564</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ A Barisal court yesterday sentenced absconding Awami League (AL) leader and former chief whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah to 14 years' rigorous imprisonment in two cases filed on charges of corruption and abuse of power. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Italy: Police anti-terror raids target suspected Islamists]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255563</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ (AKI) - Italian anti-terrorism police have carried out at least 135 raids and are investigating 11 foreigners in various Italian regions who are suspected of links to an alleged Morocco-based Islamist group. The organisation, called 'Al-Adl Wal Ihsan' or Justice and Charity, is being investigated for association to commit international terrorist acts. 

Several apartments and cultural centres thought to be linked to the Moroccan movement are being investigated as well as 11 foreigners. 

According to investigators, the 'Justice and Charity' movement is a front for a group seeking the restoration of an Islamic caliphate in Morocco and the abolition of the monarchy. 

Justice and Charity is believed to be Morocco's largest opposition Islamist movement. However, the group claims it wants to transform Moroccan society through non-violent means and social work.

Justice and Charity is tolerated by the Moroccan government but reportedly has no legal status to organise meetings.

The group has repeatedly accused the government of imprisoning its members and limiting its funding resources. 

The anti-terrorism investigations are taking place in the regions of Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Lombardy, Veneto in northern Italy and in the central Emilia Romagna and Marche region.
 ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Nigeria: Gunmen release hijacked cargo ship, free crew]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255561</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ (SomaliNet) A day after hijacking it in the restive Niger Delta, gunmen in Nigeria have released a cargo ship and its crew, a senior Nigerian military official said on Tuesday. 

According to reports, the attackers intercepted the MV Thou Galaxy on Sunday as it sailed for Warri in Delta state, seizing at least 10 people on board including the captain.  &quot;The vessel was released yesterday with its cargo and all the crew members,&quot; said Brigadier-General Wuyep Rimtip, head of the military taskforce in the western Niger Delta.  &quot;I'm not aware that any ransom was paid before their release and I don't expect the state government to pay any ransom for their release.&quot; 

A military spokesman on Monday said he believed gunmen loyal to rebel leader Tom Polo were behind the attack.  Insecurity in the Niger Delta, home to Nigeria's oil sector, has slashed a fifth of the OPEC member's oil production since early 2006.- ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Somali pirates take another ship -maritime group]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255560</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ (SomaliNet) A regional maritime group said on Wednesday that Somali pirates have seized another ship, a Greek bulk carrier, despite a large international naval presence in the waters off their lawless country. 

The vessel was they second they had taken since the weekend's spectacular capture of a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million of oil that was the largest hijack in history. 

The incident was the latest espisode in a wave of Somali piracy this year that has driven up insurance costs, made some shipping companies change their routes and prompted an unprecedented military response from NATO and the European Union among others. 

&quot;The pirates are sending out a message to the world that 'we can do what we want, we can think the unthinkable, do the unexpected',&quot; Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, told Reuters in Mombasa. 

His group, which monitors attacks at sea, said the Greek ship was taken on Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden with about 25 crew on board. He had no further details but it followed the hijacking of a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying grain and bound for Iran. 

No ransom has been demanded so far for the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, which the pirates seized on Saturday after dodging international naval patrols in their boldest strike yet. A spokesman for the owners, Saudi Aramco, said the company hoped to hear from the hijackers later on Wednesday. 

The hijacking took place 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, far beyond the gangs' usual area of operations. On Wednesday, it was believed to be anchored near Eyl, a former Somali fishing village now used as a well-defended pirate base. &quot;Eyl residents told me they could see the lights of a big ship far out at sea that seems to be the tanker,&quot; Aweys Ali, chairman of Somalia's Galkayo region, told Reuters by telephone. 

Somali gunmen were believed to be holding about a dozen ships in the area, and more than 200 hostages. Among the vessels is a Ukrainian ship loaded with 33 tanks and other weapons that was captured in another high-profile strike earlier this year. 

The seizure of the Sirius Star was carried out despite an international naval response, including from NATO, to guard one of the world's busiest shipping routes. Warships from the United States, France and Russia are also off Somalia. 

Given that the pirates were well-armed with grenades, heavy machineguns and rocket-launchers, the foreign forces were steering clear of direct confrontation, and in most cases the owners of the hijacked ships were trying to negotiate ransoms. 

British Royal Navy Commodore Keith Winstanley, deputy commander of the Combined Maritime Forces in the Middle East, said coalition forces could not be everywhere. &quot;The pirates will go somewhere we are not,&quot; he told Fairplay, part of defence analysts Jane's Information Group. &quot;If we patrol the Gulf of Aden then they will go to Mogadishu. If we go to Mogadishu, they will go to the Gulf of Aden.&quot; 

In a show of resolve, Kenyan police paraded eight suspected pirates in a Mombasa court on Wednesday. The Royal Navy captured them, and killed two others, in the Gulf of Aden last week. 

Also on Wednesday, South Korea said it was planning to send navy ships to the waters off Somalia to protect commercial vessels from pirates, and Japan was considering a similar move. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Retired major general shot dead near Capital]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255559</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Gunmen riding a motorbike shot dead a retired major general of Pakistan Army and his driver in the outskirts of the capital on Wednesday,

Major General (R) Ameer Faisal Alvi from the Special Services Group (SSG) had retired more than two years ago. He was heading for his Islamabad office at 9:30am on Wednesday when the unidentified gunmen stopped his car on Islamabad Highway near the PWD Colony in Koral police precincts, a police official told Daily Times. 

They shot at him and his driver Tanveer and fled, he added. Police cordoned off the area and began a search while the bodies were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

Hospital sources said eight bullets hit Gen Alvi -- three in the head, two in the neck and three in the chest. The driver had six bullet injuries including one in his head. Police told Online news agency one or more 8MM pistols had been used in the attack.

A first information report had not been registered by Wednesday evening.

Terrorist act: Police sources said the killing was being seen as a terrorist act by 'militants'. Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives have targeted top army leaders and security officials in the past.

One senior official said personal rivalry could not be ruled out. He said the murder could not be linked with the Lal Masjid operation because the general had retired long before the incident.

Violence began to escalate last July when army commandos stormed the Lal Masjid during the regime of General (r) Pervez Musharraf, himself an ex-SSG head. A wave of suicide bombings has since killed hundreds of people and Taliban have targeted security forces.

Violence subsided when the new government that came to power after the election in February opened talks with Taliban, but it picked up again after top Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud suspended the talks in June.

President, PM condemn: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani condemned the killing in separate messages. Gilani deplored the tragic killing and expressed deep sorrow over the demise of the retired general.

President Zardari said he &quot;prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear the loss with equanimity&quot;.

Security has deteriorated alarmingly in the country over recent months with the military attacking Al Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in the northwest while they have responded with attacks on security forces. Two suicide bombers had killed at least 59 people in an attack on the country's main defence industry complex in August. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[5 Taliban banged in Bajaur, 5 shot in Swat]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255557</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Five suspected Taliban fighters were killed in artillery fire and shelling by gunship helicopters in various areas of Bajaur Agency on Wednesday, while five Taliban and four civilians were killed in the military operation in Swat. In Bajaur, officials and locals said the aerial strikes targetted Taliban positions in Mamoond and Charmang areas. 

APP reported that Taliban fighters had also been killed in Nawagai tehsil. The political administration has tightened security in the agency by setting up checkposts in various areas and increasing the number of security personnel, continuing the search for Afghan refugees and arresting seven suspects. 

In Swat, ISPR said five Taliban fighters were killed by security forces in Kabal tehsil. A spokesman for the military's media information centre in Swat told APP that gunship helicopters were called in after the Taliban attacked troops in Kabal. Civilian deaths: Also, four people -- two women in Khwazakhela and two men in Kabal -- were killed and seven injured as mortar shells hit civilian houses, according to locals. ISPR officials refused comment on the civilian deaths. NNI however reported that 10 civilians had been injured in the operation in Swat. 

School blown up: Meanwhile, the Taliban blew up a boys' primary school in Bara Bandai area of Kabal tehsil. NNI however reported that a girls' school had been blown up. According to official figures, 123 schools have so far been destroyed by the Taliban in Swat. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Let Detroit Go Bankrupt]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255556</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ By MITT ROMNEY

IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won't go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course -- the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.

I love cars, American cars. I was born in Detroit, the son of an auto chief executive. In 1954, my dad, George Romney, was tapped to run American Motors when its president suddenly died. The company itself was on life support -- banks were threatening to deal it a death blow. The stock collapsed. I watched Dad work to turn the company around -- and years later at business school, they were still talking about it. From the lessons of that turnaround, and from my own experiences, I have several prescriptions for Detroit's automakers.

First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.

That extra burden is estimated to be more than $2,000 per car. Think what that means: Ford, for example, needs to cut $2,000 worth of features and quality out of its Taurus to compete with Toyota's Avalon. Of course the Avalon feels like a better product -- it has $2,000 more put into it. Considering this disadvantage, Detroit has done a remarkable job of designing and engineering its cars. But if this cost penalty persists, any bailout will only delay the inevitable.

Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from unrelated industries -- from companies widely respected for excellence in marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations.

The new management must work with labor leaders to see that the enmity between labor and management comes to an end. This division is a holdover from the early years of the last century, when unions brought workers job security and better wages and benefits. But as Walter Reuther, the former head of the United Automobile Workers, said to my father, &quot;Getting more and more pay for less and less work is a dead-end street.&quot;

You don't have to look far for industries with unions that went down that road. Companies in the 21st century cannot perpetuate the destructive labor relations of the 20th. This will mean a new direction for the U.A.W., profit sharing or stock grants to all employees and a change in Big Three management culture.

The need for collaboration will mean accepting sanity in salaries and perks. At American Motors, my dad cut his pay and that of his executive team, he bought stock in the company, and he went out to factories to talk to workers directly. Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms -- all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat.

Investments must be made for the future. No more focus on quarterly earnings or the kind of short-term stock appreciation that means quick riches for executives with options. Manage with an eye on cash flow, balance sheets and long-term appreciation. Invest in truly competitive products and innovative technologies -- especially fuel-saving designs -- that may not arrive for years. Starving research and development is like eating the seed corn.

Just as important to the future of American carmakers is the sales force. When sales are down, you don't want to lose the only people who can get them to grow. So don't fire the best dealers, and don't crush them with new financial or performance demands they can't meet.

It is not wrong to ask for government help, but the automakers should come up with a win-win proposition. I believe the federal government should invest substantially more in basic research -- on new energy sources, fuel-economy technology, materials science and the like -- that will ultimately benefit the automotive industry, along with many others. I believe Washington should raise energy research spending to $20 billion a year, from the $4 billion that is spent today. The research could be done at universities, at research labs and even through public-private collaboration. The federal government should also rectify the imbedded tax penalties that favor foreign carmakers.

But don't ask Washington to give shareholders and bondholders a free pass -- they bet on management and they lost.

The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, was a candidate for this year's Republican presidential nomination. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Iran increases stockpile of uranium]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255554</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ Iran is forging ahead with its nuclear programme, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog reported on Wednesday, deepening the dilemma facing US president-elect Barack Obama over his campaign promise to engage with Tehran.

The latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency reveals that Iran is rapidly increasing its stockpile of enriched uranium, which could be rendered into weapons-grade material should Tehran decide to develop a nuclear device. The agency says that, as of this month, Tehran had amassed 630kg of low enriched uranium hexafluoride, up from 480kg in late August. Analysts say Iran is enriching uranium at such a pace that, by early next year, it could reach break-out capacity – one step away from producing enough fissile material for a crude nuclear bomb.
630 kg of low-enriched uranium (I think that's ~5% enriched) is enough for nuclear power stations. I see various numbers quoted for the highly enriched uranium required for a bomb: most say 80% but some say 20% if you don't mind a dirty, low-yield bomb. But to get to 80% enrichment that 630 kg becomes ~40 kg, minus any losses in additional centrifugation, and that ought to be enough to build a small bomb or two.“They are moving forward, they are not making diplomatic overtures, they are accumulating low enriched uranium,” said Cliff Kupchan, an analyst at the Eurasia Group, a risk consultancy in Washington. “These guys are committed to their nuclear programme: if we didn’t know that, they just told us again.”
Bambi and the Dhimmicrats aren't listening. They think they can talk to Short Round and succeed where the Brits, Germans and French have failed. And Bambi could: all he has to do is sacrifice Israel. That might buy us a few years. Maybe.The IAEA report also says there has been a breakdown of communication between the agency and Iran over alleged research on an atomic weapon. “The Iranians are making good progress on enrichment but there is absolute stone-walling on past military activities,” said Mark Fitzpatrick of the International institute for Strategic Studies. “It’s very disappointing.”
Get thee to the hotel bar then and drown your disappointment ...The progress chalked up by Iran increases the difficulties for Mr Obama, who campaigned on promises of talking to America’s enemies, although during the election he scaled down his initial vow to meet Iran’s leaders to a more general commitment to consider doing so if it advanced US interests.
And unfortunately McCain could never pin him to the wall on that, not that it would have mattered to the people who voted for Bambi. Bambi needs to learn: when you talk with thugs, you end up talking about what you're going to do for them and not vice-versa.“Obama faces a real dilemma,” said the Eurasia Group’s Mr Kupchan. “He must decide whether to pursue diplomacy quickly in light of rapid Iranian progress or whether to wait in the hope of a more moderate Iranian leadership after Iran’s June presidential election.”
There's a third option: what I've called Operation Lemony Snickett, which implements a whole series of unfortunate events in Iran, all designed to put the current regime of Mad Mullahs™ in disrepute. The fourth option is brute military force: not preferred but all we may be left with. The fifth option is to let the Israelis do the job, if they can. Mr. Kupchan didn't mention any of those.European diplomats have responded favourably to Mr Obama’s suggestion of US engagement with Iran, although they are keen to avoid unilateral US actions that would rip up the approach fashioned by the permanent five members of the UN Security Council and Germany. ]]> </description>
       </item>
       <item>
        <title><![CDATA[US Marines Get New Version of LAW]]></title>
               <link>http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2008-11-20&amp;ID=255553</link>
               <pubDate>2008-11-20</pubDate>
               <description> <![CDATA[ According to a contract announced by the Pentagon, the business Nammo Talley Defense will produce 7750 units of the light rocket launcher M72A7 bound for the US Marine Corp. The purchase is valued at 15 million dollars, and the deliveries will be completed in 2011.  

The A7 version of this popular weapon has aroused the interest of the Armed Forces because it is very compact and light weight (some 3 kg). The new projectile designed for this version has much less back blast, which allows it to be fired from enclosed spaces 
this was a major flaw in earlier versions. 
In addition, its new warhead is much more reliable. The A7 version can also fire a new projectile with a thermobaric warhead. 
I, for one, am very impressed they can make a thermobaric warhead this small. Translated from Spanish ]]> </description>
       </item>
     </channel>
</rss> 