Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Anne Baxter aka Katherine Mary Sullivan in "The Fighting Sullivans" aka Lucy in "The Magnificent Ambersons" aka Nefretiri in "The Ten Commandments" aka Sophie in "The Razor's Edge" aka Eve Harrington in "All About Eve"(Died in 1985 at age 62)
Posted by: American Delight ||
05/07/2011 12:26 Comments ||
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#4
Dat's my favorite Moobeam. When the Seals approached obl's hidey-hole they could hear dis music playing while he was doing karaoke watching Dagmar picture. He was lining up wife number four;
#2
Hey I got lucky tonight. Moonbeam is ma favorite.
Something about this story doesn't feel right to me. Sounds exaggerated. Like they are trying to make news. Two of the six boomers stopped so they didn't do anything and no deaths. They had that large escape in the same area. Perhaps a practice run in a mostly friendly area.
New Delhi/Mumbai, May 6 (IANS) Prompt action by the Indian Navy staved off a pirate attack on a Chinese cargo vessel far out in the Arabian Sea, forcing the brigands to flee and earning kudos from the authorities in Beijing, a senior naval official said Friday.
An Indian Navy TU-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft made several low sorties over the MV Full City, 450 nautical miles (850 km) off Karwar in Karnataka, warning the pirates to immediately leave the vessel or face the wrath of Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships that were fast closing in.
No PC sensitivities, either...
The warnings worked and the pirates fledran away scampered into the skiff from which they had boarded the vessel and sailed toward a nearby mothership, which immediately set off toward Somalia at full speed, the official said.
The aircraft stayed on station for four hours till the Indian combat vessels arrived on the scene in an operation that was closely coordinated with a NATO Task Force, a Chinese Task Force and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Beijing, highlighting the international cooperation in the anti-piracy efforts in the Indian Ocean, the official said.
The Chinese Task Force also thanked the Indian Navy for its prompt and persistent action leading to the pirate attack on MV Full City being repelled, the officer added.
MV Full City, a bulk carrier loaded with rock phosphate and bound for Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu, came under siege from the pirates at 8.45 a.m. on Thursday about 450 nautical miles (850 km) west of Karwar in Karnataka. The 24-member Chinese crew quickly locked themselves up in the vessels safe house, preventing their capture by the pirates, and sent out an emergency message that the Indian Navy promptly responded to by sending out its vessels and an aircraft, the officer said.
Sailors from the Turkish naval vessel Giresun, which is part of the NATO Task Force, eventually boarded MV Full City and sanitised it before the crew came out of the safe house. The ship is now continuing its passage through the eastern Arabian Sea, with its safety assured by the sustained anti-piracy vigil being maintained by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, the officer added.
Here's the best part:
He said that Indias efforts in the Arabian Sea and the eastern Arabian Sea, both independent and collaborative, have resulted in a drop of over 80 percent in pirate attacks in the region, with not a single attack in April.
In the past few months, the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard have not only prevented several pirate attacks but also sunk four pirate mother-ships and nabbed over 100 brigands, who have been booked by the Mumbai police.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > [Somali Pirates = regional Piracy] PIRATES KILL INDIAN CARRIER. Any new Indian Navy CV's as follow-on to those already planned is too $$$ expensive for Indjuh to have at this time given their Navy's new anti-Piracy mission.
#2
If you do not remember, it is on between India and these Somali Pirates. The pirates were paid ransom for a crew and a ship and did not deliver so look for them to become the most prolific pirate killing force in the Somali coast.
Bravo Men.
BTW, if you see a corpse floating around there in a white linen dress, just drop an anchor on it or something. Though I am sure OUR Men weighed it down with cement shoes already.
Helping China with this was mature foreign policy as well as an indicator that they would like their Honor respected in the region. Especially when it comes to Indian Citizens at sea.
#5
The Tupolev Tu-142 (Туполев Ту142) (NATO reporting name: Bear F / J) is a Russian maritime reconnaissance/anti-submarine warfare (ASW) turboprop aircraft. It is based on the Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber.
India should send this to the Somali coastal towns
Posted by: john frum ||
05/07/2011 7:16 Comments ||
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#6
This is also earning the Indian navy lots of national macho brownie points among the Indian public. Makes you wonder how, in their elementary schools, when the ubiquitous question is asked, "And what do you want to be when you grow up?", how many boys are going to shout out "I want to be a Sailor!"
[Iran Press TV] Al-Shabaab fighters say they have killed the leader of Ahlu Sunna rival group along with 18 of his guards in Gedo region of south Somalia.
Al-Shabaab front man Sheikh Abdi Aziz Abu Muzab said in a presser on Thursday that they killed Ahlu Sunna leader Sheikh Hassan Sheikh Qoryoley and 18 of his special guards, a Press TV correspondent reported on Friday.
Ahlu Sunna has confirmed the news, vowing to kill top al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... fighters in retaliation for the death of Sheikh Qoryoley.
Ahlu Sunna came to prominence in 2008 when they took up arms to fight al-Shaboobs.
Since 2008, Ahlu Sunna has gained control of five regions in the country, including Gedo region.
In 2010, the militia group signed an agreement with the government in which they were officially granted the control of five ministries as well as some diplomatic and security posts in the government. In return they have vowed to fight against al-Shabaab group.
Al-Shabaab was formerly the military wing of the deposed Islamic Court Union (ICU) that controlled much of central and southern Somalia in late 2006.
The Somali government, backed by African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... forces, has recently launched an offensive to flush out al-Shabaab group especially in parts of the capital, Mogadishu, which are under the control of the militia.
However, The over-used However... the lack of coordination among government forces, who are barely trained and seldom get paid, has for long barred the promise of a full-scale war against opposition fighters.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Emirates 24/7] A Panama-registered fat merchantman seized by pirates in the Arabian Sea has been rescued along with the 24 Chinese sailors aboard, the transport ministry in Beijing said Friday.
US and Turkish teams freed the vessel, Full City, late Thursday, several hours after it had been hijacked about 800 kilometres (500 miles) off the Indian city of Mumbai, the ministry said, citing the China Sea Rescue Centre.
The statement did not say what kind of teams were involved or whether a ransom was paid. The sailors were all in good condition, it said.
Heavily armed pirates using speedboats operate in and around the Gulf of Aden where they prey on ships, sometimes holding vessels for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or ship owners.
The Chinese navy participates in an international anti-piracy force in the area.
In November, a Singapore-flagged fat merchantman with 19 Chinese crew that had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia five months before was freed after sources said a ransom of several million dollars was paid.
Noel Choong, Head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre, in Kuala Lumpur, said attacks off western India showed how far Somalia-based pirates had been able to extend their reach.
"It's been like this for some time. The pirates have been extending their coverage area," Choong told AFP.
"Our major concern is that they will continue to go farther. Once they reach this area, the next one will be off Sri Lanka, and then on to the Malacca Strait," he added.
The Malacca Strait is a vital international waterway with more than 30 percent of global trade and half the world's oil shipments passing through it annually.
Once the global hotspot for pirate attacks, security has improved substantially there in recent years thanks to coordinated patrols by nations bordering the waterway.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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Libyan government forces have bombed four large oil tanks in Misrata, destroying the city's only source of fuel, according to rebels.
Light aircraft normally used for spraying pesticides were deployed for the overnight attack in Qasr Ahmed, close to the port, rebel spokesman Ahmed Hassan said today.
Bombs were dropped on four large storage tanks, destroying them and sparking a huge blaze that spread to four more, he said.
"We cannot extinguish it because we do not have the right tools," Hassan told Reuters.
"Now the city will face a major problem. Those were the only source of fuel for the city.
"These tanks could have kept the city for three months with enough fuel."
Nato was notified by the rebels about the planes before the attack but did not respond, said Hassan.
Misrata, the last remaining city in the east held by the rebels, has been under siege by Gaddafi's forces for more than two months.
It has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting between loyalists and rebels.
Government forces last month flew at least one helicopter reconnaissance mission over the city, according to the rebels.
From Wednesday but a detail we hadn't noted before.
TRIPOLI, May 4 - An aid ship defied deadly shell fire to rescue African and Asian migrant workers from the besieged port of Misrata on Wednesday, but was forced to leave behind hundreds of Libyans desperate to flee the fighting.
Aid workers had earlier scrambled to embark the migrants, along with journalists and the wounded, on the ship bound for rebel-held Benghazi as the Misrata port came under bombardment from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
"The bombing has caused so many casualties among Libyans and people of other nationalities waiting for evacuation," Gemal Salem, a rebel spokesman, told Reuters. "So far we have five killed and ambulances are rushing to the scene."
The Red Star One, sent by the International Organization for Migration, picked up 800 people caught up in the civil war who had been waiting for days to escape Misrata's worsening humanitarian crisis. It had hoped to take 1,000 people.
"Hundreds of Libyan civilians had also tried to board the ship in desperation to get out of Misrata. But with a limited capacity, the ramp of the boat had to be pulled up so that the ship could pull away from the dock in safety," the IOM said.
The shelling was also hitting Misrata's Qasr Ahmad district, a mixed residential and industrial area which houses the iron and steel works in a city that has become one of the bloodiest battlefields in the two-month conflict.
Another rebel spokesman, Abdelsalem, said the five killed were African migrant workers. He said fighting was continuing in the southern neighbourhood of al-Ghiran, where rebels say pro-Gaddafi forces have been trying to advance on the city centre, and in Zawiyat al-Mahjoub to the west.
The port is a lifeline for Misrata, where food and medical supplies are low and snipers shoot from rooftops. Other rescue ships are offshore but there was no news of their movements. About 12,000 people have so far been rescued by 12 ships.
Minesweepers from the NATO coalition, whose aircraft have been bombing Libyan government military targets under a United Nations resolution, had been searching the approaches to the harbour since Monday for a drifting Gaddafi forces' mine.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"This is your captain speaking... do not rush for the lifeboats aid ship ... women, children, Red Indians, journalists, spacemen and a sort of idealized version of the complete Renaissance Man first! "
[Ennahar] A suicide kaboom occurred on the morning of Friday, May 6 against a military convoy on the RN43, in the town of El Kennar, in the province of Jijel (360 km east of Algiers), has killed five soldiers and maimed many others according to el Watan daily.
The blast which occurred around 7.30 am, and which was heard several miles away, reached essentially the last truck in the convoy.
The bomb which was apparently operated remotely, was buried on the edge of the road around the town of El Kennar, about twenty miles east of Jijel, adds the same daily.
According to reports, the kaboom, which brought a large hole in the ground occurred near the retarder installed on the road to split the traffic at this location from where a trail begins that leads to the town of Faza, within the same municipality.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] La Belle France has ordered 14 people who served as Libyan diplomats under Moammer Gadhafi's regime to leave the country within two days, the French foreign ministry said on Friday. "La Belle France has declared persona non grata 14 Libyan ex-diplomats posted in La Belle France," the ministry said in a statement, indicating that Gay Paree no longer recognized their diplomatic status.
"Depending on their case, those concerned have a deadline of 24 to 48 hours to leave French national territory."
The ministry accused them of "activities incompatible with the relevant U.N. resolutions ... and contrary to the protection of Libyan civilians," citing the U.N. mandate under which international forces are bombing Gadhafi's strategic sites.
La Belle France was the first foreign power to formally recognize the Transitional National Council, the politicianship of the rebels who are battling Gadhafi's forces.
Days after the start of the rebellion in February, the ambassadors to La Belle France and UNESCO in Gay Paree both declared allegiance to the rebels, complaining of repression by Gadhafi's forces against civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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First Britain kicked out theirs, now France is taking a turn. No doubt Italy will be next.
[Al Jazeera] Police in Morocco have tossed in the calaboose three people in connection to a kaboom in the city of Marrakesh on April 28 that left at least 16 people killed.
The three tossed in the calaboose on Thursday were all Moroccan nationals, state media quoted the country's interior ministry, as saying.
The ministry said the chief suspect was "well-versed in jihadi ideology and shows loyalty to al Qaeda", who had previously tried to fight alongside Islamist fighters in Chechnya and Iraq.
It said he dressed like a tourist to plant two remote-detonated devices, which then tore through a cafe overlooking Marrakesh's Jemaa el-Fna square, a spot that is often packed with tourists.
A security official told AFP news agency that the three suspects were tossed in the calaboose in the town of Safi, 350km south of Casablanca.
It was the first such attack in Morocco since 2003, when suicide kabooms in Casablanca, killed at least 45 people.
Nearly a week after the bombing, Morocco's Islamists movements said they felt reassured that authorities acted with restraint and did not carry out mass arrests as they did in the wake of 2003 attacks.
'Indiscriminate crackdowns'
Nadia Yassine, a member of the Islamist Justice and Charity movement which is banned but tolerated by the authorities, said the restraint was in marked contrast to the reaction to the 2003 Casablanca attacks. when authorities tossed in the calaboose hundreds in "indiscriminate crackdowns".
In an immediate reaction to the April 28 bombing, King Mohammed VI had called for respect of "the primacy of the rule of law" and for preserving "peace and security".
Morocco, a country of 32 million people whose economy relies heavily on tourism, has largely been spared the anti-government revolts that have swept the Arab world since the end of last year.
But there have been three protests since February to demand reform, prompting the monarch to announce major political changes, including greater judicial independence.
The government has made it clear that the latest attack will not call the reform programme into doubt.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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Prompt action by the Indian Navy staved off a pirate attack on a Chinese cargo vessel far out in the Arabian Sea, forcing the brigands to flee and earning kudos from the authorities in Beijing, a senior naval official said Friday.An Indian Navy TU-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft made several low sorties over the MV Full City, 450 nautical miles (850 km) off Karwar in Karnataka, warning the pirates to immediately leave the vessel or face the wrath of Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships that were fast closing in.
The warnings worked and the pirates scampered into the skiff from which they had boarded the vessel and sailed toward a nearby mothership, which immediately set off toward Somalia at full speed, the official said, requesting anonymity due to service rules.
The aircraft stayed on station for four hours till the Indian combat vessels arrived on the scene in an operation that was closely coordinated with a NATO Task Force, a Chinese Task Force and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Beijing, highlighting the international cooperation in the anti-piracy efforts in the Indian Ocean, the official said.
"The Chinese Task Force also thanked the Indian Navy for its prompt and persistent action leading to the pirate attack on MV Full City being repelled," the officer added.
MV Full City, a bulk carrier loaded with rock phosphate and bound for Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu, came under siege from the pirates at 8.45 a.m. on Thursday about 450 nautical miles (850 km) west of Karwar in Karnataka.
Posted by: john frum ||
05/07/2011 07:08 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Yemen's opposition on Friday dismissed President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... 's stance on a revised Gulf plan to ease him out of power, as security forces gathered in anticipation of mass demonstrations for and against him.
The ruling party said on Thursday night that Saleh would not sign the deal until after representatives of the ruling party and the opposition had signed. Opposition leader Sultan Atwani told Rooters on Friday his coalition would not accept.
The plan proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council envisages Saleh stepping down 30 days after signing the deal in the hope that this will end three months of bitter protests demanding his resignation, in which at least 130 people have been killed.
But the opposition distrusts Saleh, a wily political survivor for over 30 years and until now a key ally of the United States and Soddy Arabia in the fight against al Qaeda. "We won't accept unless the president signs as a party to the deal, and we call on the GCC and the United States and the European Union to put pressure on Saleh to sign the initiative," Atwani said.
Saleh had appeared set to sign the agreement, which guarantees him and his family and aides immunity from prosecution, but last week refused to put his name to the deal in his capacity as president.
The GCC offered a modified plan on Thursday in which 15 representatives from both the ruling party and the political opposition would ink the plan in Sanaa, instead of only Saleh and the head of the opposition, but to no avail.
A GCC source told Rooters Gulf foreign ministers may try to meet in Riyadh on Sunday to discuss Yemen's political crisis.
Gulf Arab states including oil giant Soddy Arabia, Yemen's neighbour, are eager to see peace return to Yemen, an impoverished state struggling to deal with internal rebellions and home to al Qaeda's active Arabian Peninsula branch. But the anti-Saleh protesters, furious about rampant corruption and poverty, keen to see Saleh held to account, and fearful of being sold out by opposition politicians, are growing impatient at the stalling. Large crowds were expected to turn out after Friday prayers, both for and against the government, and security forces took up positions in the streets of the capital Sanaa on Thursday night. Residents said they had heard gunfire. There were also signs that Saleh and his party were moving further from the GCC proposal by insisting protests must stop for the deal to go through, a move likely to irritate the opposition and infuriate protest camps in Sanaa, Taiz and elsewhere. "Success of the initiative requires that both sides stop any elements that could provoke political or security tensions that will necessarily include an end to sit-ins and protests and acts of sabotage," a ruling party official said on Thursday.
Meanwhile GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani said he was "optimistic about achieving the goal in the near future", the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. "The disagreements over procedures for signing the agreement will be solved through consultations between the GCC's foreign minister's council and the GCC secretary general," he was quoted as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Two Al-Qaeda leaders were killed on Thursday in Yemen, 26sep.nt reported, identifying them as Musaid MubarakAl-Daghari and his brother Abdullah.
The two beturbanned goons were extremely dangerous and involved in many terrorist acts in the country and they were killed at dawn in Shabwa province after a long hunt, the website said.
In recent weeks, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has stepped attacks against security targets in southern and southeastern region killing several soldiers and injuring others.
In response, the security authorities were placed on high alert and faced the attacks leaving some terrorist elements killed.
Today's operation came days after the death of the spiritual leader of Al-Qaeda groups the late Osama bin Laden ... who abandoned all hope when he entered there... in Pakistain.
The Yemeni government hailed the operation in which the long-hunted leader was killed, though observers said that his death will not weaken AQAP.
The death would affect the morale of terrorist groups in the world, nothing else, observers said, adding that the groups will continue their operations actively because bin Laden has not had a direct role in instructing or guiding them in recent years.
Saying that Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Al-Zawahiri ... Second in command of al-Qaeda, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is... has already replaced Osama, observers affirmed that bin Laden has recently been as a symbolic leader inspiring terrorist attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Yemeni President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... told a mass rally of supporters on Friday that he would resist calls to quit, describing as "outlaws" tens of thousands of protesters gathered a short distance away.
"I can assure you that I will resist," Saleh told the crowd in the capital Sanaa's Sabbine Square after taking part in the main weekly Mohammedan prayers at nearby Tahrir Square.
He hit out at the protesters who have been demanding that he step down immediately and said he would "strongly defend the constitution." His current term of office ends in 2013.
Protests demanding his departure have led to the deaths of 150 people since late January and efforts of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to broker a peaceful transition in Yemen remains stalled.
Saleh's rivals gathered for what they called the "Friday for the loyalty of the people in the south," while regime loyalists marked "Friday for security and stability."
At the Place of Change, the epicenter of the protests against Saleh, large crowds demanded his immediate exit and that he be brought to trial. There were no immediate reports of festivities between the two demonstrations.
"The people want to try the executioner," the crowds chanted.
A similar rally calling for Saleh's departure was held in Taez, the second largest city of Yemen, located 200 kilometers south of Sanaa, witnesses said.
The latest show of strength came as the GCC moved to salvage an initiative that would see Saleh eased out of power and ending political unrest. The GCC has said it was awaiting a "signal" from Saleh to revive their efforts.
The country's main opposition Common Forum Thursday asked the Gulf Arab states to pressure Saleh to accept the transition plan and end months of political violence.
"We call on Gulf Cooperation Council states to put pressure on the president to take all necessary measures to force him to sign the agreement," said Mohammed Qahtan, front man of the Common Forum, an alliance of parliamentary opposition groups.
Saleh has insisted that any transition will be in line with the constitution even though his ruling party had accepted a GCC plan that would see Saleh step down at the end of a month from signing a deal.
The plan proposes the formation of a government of national unity, Saleh transferring power to his vice president and an end to the deadly protests rocking the impoverished Arabian Peninsula nation since late January.
Last week, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani traveled to Sanaa to invite members of the government and the opposition to sign the transition plan in Riyadh and to obtain the president's signature.
However, The emphatic However... Zayani left empty-handed after Saleh, in power for 32 years, refused to sign.
Saleh has been a close US ally in Washington's fight against al-Qaeda. Slain Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden's ... who has left the building... ancestral home is in Yemen and the U.S. has expressed fears that Yemen could see a resurgence of the Qaeda activity.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] The once massive pro-democracy protests in Bahrain have been reduced to small festivities between youth and police in predominantly Shia Mohammedan areas.
Security forces have launched a crackdown on protesters marked by beatings and sweeping arrests. Nearly 1,000 demonstrators have been imprisoned, among them doctors, artists and lawyers.
The UN High Commissioner for Human rights Navi Pillay says severe torture is being used against prisoners, and he is calling on the Bahraini government to stop intimidating and harassing human rights ...which often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... defenders and political activists.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Hundreds of Saudi anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in the eastern city of Qatif, condemning the brutal crackdown on Bahraini anti-regime demonstrators.
Despite tight security measures, Saudi protesters on Friday answered a call for massive demonstrations in the Eastern Province by the Kingdom's human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... campaigners.
It was not clear whether it was an isolated protest rally in Qatif or as it had been planned before, anti-government protesters from seven cities in the east joined each other in Qatif.
The protesters also condemned the arbitrary detention of anti-government protesters.
Soddy Arabia's east has been the scene of anti-government protests over the past months and authorities have placed in durance vile scores of people, including bloggers and writers, for taking part in anti-government demonstrations.
Saudi protesters in the east are calling for human rights reform, freedom of expression and the release of political prisoners some held without trial for more than 16 years.
They have also urged the immediate withdrawal of Saudi troops from neighboring Bahrain.
According to Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... , more than 160 dissidents have been placed in durance vile since February as part of the Saudi crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Anti-government group the Revolution against Al Saud, which calls for constitutional reform, transparency and accountability, legislative elections as well as the establishment of a government that serves the people, has also urged Saudis to demonstrate in other parts of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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A Toronto judge was justified in freeing an alleged Al Qaeda collaborator given the gravity of human rights abuses committed by the United States in connection with his capture in Pakistan, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled.
Judges are not expected to remain passive when countries such as the U.S. violate the rights of alleged terrorists, the court said Friday.
Its 3-0 ruling upholds a decision last August by Justice Christopher Speyer of Ontarios Superior Court of Justice to stay extradition proceedings involving Abdullah Khadr, 30, who is wanted in Boston on charges of procuring munitions for use by Al Qaeda against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan.
The Toronto man is the older brother of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr and son of Ahmed Khadr, who was suspected of having close ties with Osama bin Laden and killed in a shootout with Pakistans security forces on the Afghanistan border in 2003.
We must adhere to our democratic and legal values, even if that adherence serves in the short term to benefit those who oppose and seek to destroy those values, said Justice Robert Sharpe, writing on behalf of Justices John Laskin and Eleanore Cronk.
For if we do not, in the longer term, the enemies of democracy and the rule of law will have succeeded, he said. They will have demonstrated that our faith in our legal order is unable to withstand their threats.
#3
WTF! Are these judges totaLly off the
rails? Sadly, these attitudes are
going to persist, up until the day
Canada has a terror attack on their
own soil. Especially if it turns out
that the same folks released are
behind it. Then it will be too late to
undo. 21st century justice will not
work with 7th century mentality.
#5
A part of me says kill him in Toronto. What are the repercussions?
All of me predicts that before long you will see all sorts of individuals across all sorts of endeavors being privately sanctioned.
We are not too far away from seeing all sorts of games. I see a Chilean type purge coming here, of the left, of course. Tic Toc.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
05/07/2011 19:43 Comments ||
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#6
Maybe we are a bit harsh with Abdullah. As Jean Chrétien said to him: Once I was a son of a farmer, and I became Prime Minister. Maybe one day you will become one.
So who knows, maybe he'll mellow a bit when he becomes Prime Minister of Canada.
#7
You cannot say you are for Democracy and then defend those out to destroy Democracy. Works speak louder than words. A cold blooded murderer has been let loose on society by you.
#8
Even if our government shrinks away from taking more direct action against Khadr himself, the least it can do it bar these judges from entry into the United States on the grounds of collaboration with terrorists.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
05/07/2011 21:10 Comments ||
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#9
Yep, could be real tough if you have to wait 24 to 36 months for that medical specialist appointment up there rather than just a short trip south for a quick appointment in the lower 48.
Two Muslim religious leaders were asked to leave a commercial airliner in Memphis - and were told it was because the pilot refused to fly with them aboard.
Masudur Rahman and another imam had already been allowed to board their Delta Connection flight from Memphis, Tennessee, to Charlotte, North Carolina before they were asked to get off the plane.
'It's racism and bias because of our religion and appearance and because of misinformation about our religion.' Mr Rahman said. 'If they understood Islam, they wouldn't do this.'
Or, because they understand Islam, and your behaviour or appearance had certain markers, they felt they must do this.
Mr Rahman said he and Mohamed Zaghloul, of the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis, were cleared by security agents and boarded the plane for an 8.40am departure.
The aircraft pulled away from the gate, but the pilot then announced the plane must return, Mr Rahman said.
When it did, the imams were asked to go back to the boarding gate where they were told the pilot was refusing to accept them because some other passengers could be uncomfortable.
Mr Rahman said Delta officials talked with the pilot for more than a half-hour, but he still refused to fly with them aboard.
The men were taken to a lounge and booked on a later flight. They flew on to Charlotte later the same day.
After their luggage was thoroughly examined in the back room, and their names passed on to the FBI.
Mr Rahman said a Delta manager apologised for the pilot's actions, but that he and Mr Zaghloul never spoke directly with the pilot.
Pilots, like ship captains, are absolute dictators while underway, and need explain nothing to mere passengers. Being charming at dinner is only something they might choose to do when they aren't busy running things.
Both passengers are Memphis-area residents. Mr Rahman, who is also an adjunct instructor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, said he was dressed in traditional Indian clothing. Mr Zaghloul was clad in Arab garb, including traditional headgear.
Perhaps that's what set the pilot off. Next time perhaps y'all might consider dressing in conformance with local customs, especially when local temperatures are considerably colder than those for which your traditional styles were designed.
Transportation Security Administration spokesman Jon Allen in Atlanta confirmed the incident but said it was not initiated by that agency.
A Delta Air Lines spokesman said the flight was operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which is also based in Atlanta. Jarek Beem, a spokesman for Atlantic Southeast, said the airline was investigating the incident. 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience that this may have caused,' he said.
And thus Mr. Beem has accomplished his purpose in life.
Mr Rahman and Mr Zaghloul have contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in Washington, D.C. Ibrahim Hooper, of the American-Islamic organisation, said the group will follow up with the airline and with the TSA to help ensure such incidents do not continue to occur.
#1
I expect we'll find out there was much chanting in Arabic, head bonking on the tray-table, wink-winking, etc. Purely a CAIR move to try and move the focus from Osama Sea-Monkey to those poor victims, the Pure and Islamic
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/07/2011 16:48 Comments ||
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#2
On the other hand, if they were truly bent on evil, they would have dressed to blend in, like the 9/11 hijackers did. As Frank G pointed out, this was probably a setup for CAIR et al to gain publicity.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
05/07/2011 17:16 Comments ||
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CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) -- Chester police are urging vigilance after they found an improvised explosive device, this afternoon, near Amtrak and Septa railroad tracks and the Commodore Barry Bridge.
Police say the device consisted of two bottles with a yellow liquid inside. They say one had a timer and wires attached by duct tape.
Police were not sure if the device was really explosive but evacuated the area as a precaution. The Delaware County bomb squad determined that it was and disarmed it.
The device was found about 2 p.m., near third and Reaney Streets. That's underneath the bridge and not far from the tracks Septa's Wilmington-Newark line uses.
#1
Doesn't sound like "boys being boys" since the Delaware County bomb squad confirmed that it was a real explosive.
Looks like the jihadists want to export the insurgency to America. But didn't the "experts" tell us that the insurgents only wanted to get the "occupier" out of the Middle East? Does this mean the U.S. is the "occupier" of North America?
Posted by: American Delight ||
05/07/2011 12:31 Comments ||
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#2
Doesn't sound like "boys being boys." Also sounds like binary liquid explosives. Sounds like the work of trained terrorists. These things can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. You might get yourself blown up if you don't know what you are doing. On the other hand if these slackjaws are jihadists, they probably don't mind since they are desperately seeking 72 virgins.
#3
That's why I asked the question, gentlemen. Once upon a time boys did make explosives with their junior chemistry sets, and my brothers went through a stage when they put pennies on the railroad tracks, so I wasn't sure if this was at that level.
#4
Well TW, once upon a time this might have been boys being boys. Growing up my paternal grand father worked for the Santa Fe railroad.
We "boys" had access to some really neat stuff. They were signal loads and they were small explosives that attached to the rails.
They were used as signaling devices, both for work crews and the engineers of the locomotives.
One could get into all sorts of mischief with them.
These days, well, probably cretinous jihadi scum out to pollute our vital essence. Kill them. We are an atrocity or three away from being able to go weapons free on these villains. I can hardly wait.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
05/07/2011 19:31 Comments ||
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#5
I'm sure eric holder and the FBI will annonce it was NOT terrorism ASAP.
[Emirates 24/7] US authorities are investigating some 29 letters that have been packed with suspicious white powder and delivered to Washington-area schools, local media reported late Thursday. I think actual anthrax attacks are behind us. This crap is like calling in bomb threats.
The powdered material is, however, thought to be harmless cornstarch, said FOX 5 News, citing an official source.
The FBI said at a presser that there had been no injuries related to the incidents.
The letters, which apparently originated in Texas, referenced the orc group Al-Qaeda but did not a specific threat, said Fox 5.
The killing of Al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who sleeps with the fishes... on Sunday at the hands of US commandos in Pakistain has prompted authorities to urge caution for possible retaliatory strikes on US soil. No matter how much cornstarch they send through the mail, he's still approximately as dead as Tut.
Use of white powder sent through the mail meanwhile recall the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings in Washington, which killed five people and injured 17, rattling the US public just days after Al-Qaeda beturbanned goons took over passenger planes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11 that year.
In that case a federal investigation concluded scientist Bruce Ivins, who killed himself in 2008, was to blame for the mailings.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Last week, two envelopes showed up in Mass. One to the State A.G. Martha Coakley and the other to Senator Scott Brown. Fortunately, both were harmless. Someone is trying to send a message.
#2
In an envelop you think anthrax, but anywhere else white powder equals cocaine or foot powder. What would happen if they sold it to ignorant druggies as high quality coke. Replaced the content in some bottles of foot powder and restocked them, or managed to put it into the flour at a restaurant. Would Anthrax survive in a pizza oven? All it would really take is an employee to do the switch.
o U.S. can't interview survivors - although 'we may share information', says Pakistan
o Intelligence service says those held giving 'valuable information'
o Wife claims she and Al Qaeda leader stayed in the same room for five years
Three wives of assassinated Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden are being interrogated by Pakistan's intelligence service.
The women were taken into custody following the American raid on the compound in the town of Abbottabad in which the terror head was shot by U.S. special forces.
One of the three, said to be Yemini Amal Ahmed Abdullfattah - also apparently known as Amal al-Sadah - has told her questioners the couple had been staying in the hideout for the last five years without leaving the room of his mansion.
She was shot in the leg in the raid, and is thought to be recovering in a hospital in Rawalpindi.
A security official said she did not witness her husband being killed, adding: 'We are still getting information from them.'
Asad Munir, a former commander in the Pakistani intelligence service, the ISI, told ABC News the wives are facing non-violent interviews: 'We give them a questionnaire, with 20 questions. We change the order of questions every three or four days. For telling lies you have to have very good memory.'
There's a way to find out. No one will tell you the first day the correct answer.'
A senior intelligence official told The Times 17 people, including four women, were being held, and they have gleaned 'valuable information' from them.
A Pakistani official said CIA officers had not been given access to the women in custody, although the senior official told The Times that 'we may share with the U.S. information received from them'.
The paper reported that those being questioned would be repatriated.
However, in what could be seen as a move to deflect criticism, Bin Laden was being portrayed as isolated and weak. A senior Pakistani intelligence official said that he was 'cash strapped' in his final days and Al Qaeda had split into two factions, with the larger one controlled by the group's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri.
The terror chief had apparently lived without any guards at the Abbottabad compound or loyalists nearby to take up arms.
Yesterday, two Pakistani officials said the women and children had said Bin Laden and his associates had not offered 'significant resistance' when the American commandos entered the compound, in part because 'stun bombs' that disorientated them.
One said Pakistani authorities found an AK-47 and a pistol belonging to those in the house, with evidence one bullet had been fired from the rifle.
His account is roughly consistent with the most recent one from U.S. officials, who now say one of the five people killed in the raid was armed and fired any shots, a departure from the intense and prolonged firefight described earlier by the White House and others in the administration.
#1
What about the twitter guy live blogging a 20 min firefight?
Posted by: Water Modem ||
05/07/2011 18:12 Comments ||
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#2
As per CNN + FOX AM > it appears that the US is trying to verify just how long Osama was de facto residing at Abbottabad, + in Pakistan in general, PERHAPS UP TO SEVEN YEARS I.E. WHEN THE COMPOUND WAS FIRST BUILT???
ISLAMABAD: Pakistans military paints a different picture than the United States of Osama bin Ladens final days: far from the terror mastermind still trying to strike America, hes seen as an aging terrorist hiding in barren rooms, short of money and struggling to maintain his grip on al Qaeda.
But the CIA is saying he was in touch with key members of al Qaeda, playing a strong role in planning and directing attacks by al Qaeda and its affiliates in Yemen and Somalia, senior US officials said Friday, citing documents found during the Monday morning raid in which bin Laden was killed.
Disputes over money between bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, led the group to split into two factions five or six years ago, with the larger faction controlled by al-Zawahri, according to two senior Pakistani military officials. Bin Laden was cash strapped in his final days, they said.
The image coming out of Washington based on information seized from bin Ladens compound was far different. It shows that bin Laden was a lot more involved in directing al Qaeda personnel and operations than sometimes thought over the last decade, officials said. And it suggests bin Laden was giving strategic direction to al Qaeda affiliates in Somalia and Yemen, one defense official said.
A weak bin Laden would make Pakistans failure to unearth his hiding place in Abbottabad, a military town just two-and-a-half hours drive from the capital, seem less of a glaring embarrassment, while a menacing bin Laden would make the US Navy SEAL raid that killed him a greater triumph.
#1
No mention of the fact OBL had to be aware the USA was spending millions & employing thousands to track him down & kill him every since 2001. No mention that this might have weakened his grip just a wee little bit.
#2
Doubt it - IMO its more likely Osama's Pakistani protectors had demanded he + family, etal. live that way to minimize or dispel suspicions + detection from a mix of threats, as besides the US-NATO Osama was also at risk from THIRD-PARTY MUSLIM, OTHER ANTAGONISTS. ISLAMABAD MAY HAD REFRAINED FROM GIVING OSAMA ANY SORT OF COVERT = DISGUISED MIL PROTECTION UNTIL HE AGREED TO DO IT THEIR WAY, TO PROTECT PAKISTAN'S DIPLOMATIC, MEDIA BUTT.
As for Osama possibly quarreling wid AYMAN ZAWAHIRI, I'LL HAVE TO HEAR IT FROM AYMAN ZAWAHIRI HIMSELF OR OTHER SELECT CLOSE SOURCES- I won't believe Osama + Ayman were quarreling until I do.
#7
Apparently the AQ executive retirement plan is not so hot-so.
Love the photos of OBL's crumbling $1million "mansion" -- which was built just a few years ago. Just so hard to get good help in Pakistan.
And how SEALs dropped right into Paki's ring of steel military. Just so hard to get good help in Pakistan.
And it took the US to ensure a proper funeral. Hope they flushed twice.
Posted by: regular joe ||
05/07/2011 8:29 Comments ||
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#8
Nobody mentioned about how when they caught OBL, he was cross dressed as Barbra Steisand, with as much makeup as Tammy Fae Bakker, and doing karaoke of "Mad About The Boy", surrounded by Michael Jackson posters, while drinking gin from a bottle and sobbing, in his home fern bar/discotheque.
Nor that several SEALs had to be treated for severe homophobia PTSD.
#10
Osama Bin Laden writing the words of a fatwa that no one will hear
No one comes near.
Look at him working. Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care ?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
05/07/2011 19:29 Comments ||
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[Emirates 24/7] Unknown gunnies Friday opened fire on members of the Shiite community visiting a cemetery in the southwestern Pak city of Quetta, killing five people, police said.
The attack took place at a graveyard for the Hazara ethnic group where mourners were praying for dead relatives.
"At least five people were killed and seven others were maimed when unknown gunnies in cars fired rockets and bullets at people visiting a graveyard," Quetta police chief Daud Junejo told AFP.
Witnesses told police that about a dozen gunnies arrived in two cars in Hazara Town, a Shiite-dominated neighbourhood of Quetta, before lobbing rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and then opening fire with small arms, Junejo said. The attackers decamped after firing, he added.
Another senior Quetta police official Hamid Shakil confirmed the attack.
Police Sherlocks said that it appeared to be a sectarian attack.
Southern Baluchistan province, of which Quetta is the capital, is rife with Islamist militancy, sectarian violence between majority Sunnis and minority Shiite Mohammedans and a regional insurgency waged by separatists.
Shiite Mohammedans are a minority in Pakistain, accounting for around a fifth of the country's 160 million population, which is dominated by Sunnis.
More than 4,000 people have died in outbreaks of sectarian violence between the groups since the late 1980s.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A blast took place in the Lyari area of Bloody Karachi on Friday that killed three and injured at least 27 others, DawnNews reported.
The injured were immediately shifted to civil hospital.
Motorbike riders threw a grenade in a narrow lane of the city's congested Chakiwara area, senior police official Javed Baluch told AFP.
Police officer Iqbal Mahmood said the attack happened near a roadside restaurant which residents said was close to a gambling den.
"Three people were killed and 20 maimed in the blast, which was triggered by a hand bomb," senior home ministry official Sharfuddin Memon told AFP.
"We are investigating if the attack was the result of rivalry between criminal gangs or involvement of bad turbans." The area is known for festivities between rival criminal gangs, drug peddlers and gamblers, police said.
Last month 20 people were killed and around 40 maimed when a bomb destroyed an illegal gambling den in Bloody Karachi.
Doctor Mubarak Ali of the main Civil Hospital told AFP by telephone that more than 15 people were receiving treatment after Friday's attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Police claimed to have killed two would-be jacket wallahs during exchange of fire at Draban checkpost here on Thursday.
"They were travelling in an explosive-laden Suzuki pick-up. Police targeted the vehicle and both the would-be suicide bombers were killed in it," said District Police Officer Mohammad Hussain.
Briefing journalists about the incident, he said that the vehicle was coming to Dera city from Frontier Region of Drazenda, a tribal area along the Wazoo border.
The vehicle was signalled to stop at the checkpost but the driver didn`t stop it and instead opened firing on police, he added.
He said that the driver headed towards the city but the explosive-laden vehicle was blown up when police targeted it. "As a result both the would-be suicide bombers were killed," the DPO said.
According to Bomb Disposal Squad there were about 100 kilograms of explosives in the vehicle.
Mr Hussain said that police foiled the sabotage bid and thwarted huge losses to lives and properties of the residents of Dera.
Meanwhile, ...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived... one bad turban was killed and two others were maimed when security forces shelled suspected locations in Baizai tehsil of Mohmand ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Bloody Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... Agency on Thursday, officials said.
They said that security forces pounded bad turban positions in Babazai area near Afghan border.
A bad turban identified as Mukamal Shah was killed while his two accomplices were maimed in the action, claimed an official.
In another incident, a shepherd was critically injured when a landmine went kaboom! in Ashrafabad locality of Khwaizai tehsil in Mohmand on Thursday.
The injured shepherd identified as Naseer, 15, was shifted to Peshawar for treatment. Political authorities incarcerated three persons under the collective responsibility clause of FCR.
In Peshawar, police claimed to have foiled a sabotage bid by defusing a powerful bomb, planted along a road, here on Thursday.
A police front man Jalal Shah said that a six-kilogram bomb packed in canister was planted along Ring Road in the limits of Peshtakhara cop shoppe but it was defused safely.
"The station house officer concerned informed the personnel of Bomb Disposal Unit about presence of the bomb, which was defused safely," he said.
He added that the explosive contained 1,500 grams of ball bearings, two detonators and a seven yards long electric wire.
The official said that it could be detonated through a remote control any time. The actual target, he said, could not be ascertained but in the rural areas most of the bully boyz always targeted police.
Paperwork was started but nothing else was done against unidentified bully boyz and search was started in the area to arrest the culprits, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] US drones fired a salvo of missiles into a compound in Datta Khel area of North Wazoo Agency on Friday, killing at least 17 suspected terrorists, local security officials said. Four US unmanned aircraft took part in the attack which came just four days after US commandos rubbed out top al Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who was potted in Pakistain... in the garrison city of Abbottabad.
Another raid based on information from the bin Laden stash?
"A compound and a vehicle were targeted by US drones in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan," a security bigshot told a foreign news agency on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to media. Another official who wished anonymity said that the strike targeted a vehicle suspected of carrying foreign cut-throats in North Waziristan Agency. The aircraft fired eight missiles at the vehicle as it drove near a roadside restaurant, killing at least 17 people, including foreign terrorists, said the officials. At least one civilian died when the missiles damaged the restaurant and a nearby home, they said. It was unclear whether intelligence gleaned from the US commando raid that killed Bin Laden on Monday played a part in the drone strike. Pak officials regularly condemn drone attacks as violations of the country's illusory sovereignty. The attacks are extremely unpopular in Pakistain, and the most recent attack could further increase tensions between the US and Pakistain that have spiked in the wake of US operation in Abbottabad that led to the killing of Bin Laden. The US refuses to publicly acknowledge the covert CIA drone programme in Pakistain. The Pakistain government says Bin Laden's death was a milestone in the fight against terrorism although it objects to the raid as a violation of the country's illusory sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] Security forces conducted raids at various places in Abbottabad and nabbed hundreds of people. The arrests followed protests by Jamaat-e-Islami activists against the killing of the late Osama bin Laden ... who is currently taking a long nap in the dirt... urm... water... by US commandos. Bin Laden was killed in a US military operation in Abbottabad, Pakistain, on Monday.
Before the arrests, media men were driven out from the city.
If the media don't see it, it didn't happen, right?
Lala Ali Afzal Jadoon, a former minister and a resident of Abbottabad told Arab News, security personnel combed madrasas, schools, hospitals and even markets and nabbed hundreds of people.
PMA Kakul Road was closed completely for traffic.
A former politician Zar Gull from Kala Dhaka told Arab News, "IDs of every resident was checked."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] A car boomwent kaboom! on Friday near a cop shoppe south of Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... where, a day earlier, a suicide kaboomer killed 24 coppers, a security official said. No casualties were immediately reported as a result of the kaboom, just 165 feet from the bombing on Thursday that also maimed 72 people. A second explosives-packed vehicle was also found near the blast site in Hilla but security forces defused it, according to a police lieutenant. Thursday's bombing was the deadliest to hit Iraq in more than a month as security chiefs braced for Dire Revenge™ attacks by al Qaeda following the death of the late Osama bin Laden ... who has made the transition back to dust... in a US commando raid in Pakistain on Sunday. "Twenty-four coppers died, including five captains and two lieutenants, and 72 were maimed," said the director of Hilla's main surgical hospital. He added that, of the maimed, 25 remained at death's door. Thursday's bombing left a six-foot crater and badly damaged the cop shoppe in the centre of the mainly Shia city, capital of Babil province, in addition to several nearby houses and shops. No group has yet grabbed credit for the attack, but security forces nationwide began tightening security in the wake of the bombing.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The European Union on Friday agreed punitive sanctions against 13 Syrian officials involved in the regime's violent crackdown on protests, but momentarily held off sanctioning President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad. One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor...
Diplomats told Agence La Belle France Presse that ambassadors from the 27-nation bloc would take a new look on Monday at whether to add Assad's name on a list of Syrians to be hit by an assets freeze and travel ban.
At Friday's talks, ambassadors agreed to "work without delay on additional restrictive measures against people responsible for violent repression against civilians, and in particular to look fully at including the highest level of the Syrian leadership on the list."
Sanctions against the 13 other regime officials listed by the ambassadors need to be endorsed by governments and are expected to come into force by Tuesday through publication in the EU Official Journal, the diplomats said.
European nations were split over taking punitive measures against officials blamed for the bloody repression of recent weeks, and particularly over whether to target Assad.
Perfidious Albion, La Belle France and Germany argued in favor of a swift and clear message while smaller states -- notably Cyprus, Portugal and Greece -- were reticent over targeting Assad. Estonia for its part is concerned for seven of its nationals kidnapped in Syria's neighbor Leb.
Among EU sanctions already agreed in principle are an embargo on the sale of weapons and equipment that might be used for internal repression as well as a review of the bloc's cooperation with Syria.
La Belle France in particular had urged Assad's name remain on a 14-member list of Syrians targeted by restrictive measures, but several smaller EU nations were reticent, said diplomats who requested anonymity.
"The French strongly favor inclusion, Perfidious Albion and Germany support that but not at the expense of holding up the rest" of the sanctions, said a diplomat.
The talks were held as activists said Syria's security forces rubbed out at least 20 people when thousands rallied on a "Day of Defiance" against Assad's regime.
Human rights groups say more than 600 people have been killed and 8,000 have been tossed in the slammer or gone missing since the protests began in mid-March.
But an influential Brussels-based think-tank, the International Crisis Group, warned this week that there was little scope for the international community to influence Syria.
"Outside actors possess little leverage, particularly at a time when the regime feels its survival is at stake. It has survived past periods of international isolation and likely feels it can weather the storm again," the ICG wrote.
"The sanctions targeting individual officials involved in acts of repression that have been announced are unlikely to have any effect," it added.
"Broader sanctions run the dual risk of serving the regime by bolstering the claim that it is facing a foreign conspiracy and of harming ordinary citizens."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Thirteen demonstrators were killed by Syrian security forces in Homs and Hama Friday, said activists of human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... in these two cities in central Syria.
"Eight people were killed and several others were seriously injured by security forces firing on ademonstration," said an activist of Human Rights in the major industrial city of Homs, located 160 km northDamascus. ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti...
According to him, several marches were held in Homs Friday and security forces have shot one of them atBab Dreibi in the city center. This version and this review were confirmed by two other activists of human rightsof Homs.
In addition, five demonstrators were also killed by police in Hama, 210 km north of Damascus, according to activists.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Didn't Baby Asshat's father have something to do with Hama? The phrase Hama Rules sounds familiar.
Family returning to the scene of the crime?
[Emirates 24/7] Protests broke out across Syria on Friday, with thousands calling for freedom in the Kurdish east and dozens briefly marching in Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... to demand the ousting of President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad, One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... activists and witnesses said.
But the army, which stormed the southern city of Deraa last month to crush resistance in the cradle of the seven-week uprising, deployed tanks in the central city of Homs and security forces quickly dispersed the Damascus protest.
Witnesses said security forces also shot up protesters in the town of Tel, just north of the capital, wounding demonstrators.
Activist Wissam Tarif said protests also took place in the southern town of Jassem, coastal Banias, and Amouda in the east.
Human rights campaigners say army, security forces and gunnies loyal to Assad had killed at least 560 civilians during pro-democracy demonstrations that started in March. Thousands have been incarcerated and beaten, including the elderly, women and kiddies, they said.
Officials give a much lower corpse count and say half the fatalities have been soldiers and police, and blame "armed terrorist groups" for the violence.
Western powers, which had sought for several years to engage Damascus and loosen its anti-Israel alliances with Iran and the beturbanned goon groups Hezbullies and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, condemned the bloodshed.
The United States, which called the army crackdown in Deraa "barbaric", imposed further targeted sanctions last week against Syrian officials and Europe's main powers have been pushing for similar European Union measures.
Last week, Assad ordered the army into Deraa, cradle of the uprising that began with demands for greater freedom and an end to corruption and is now pressing for his removal.
An ultra-loyalist division led by his brother Maher shelled and machinegunned Deraa's old quarter on Saturday, residents said. Syrian authorities said on Thursday the army had begun to leave Deraa, but residents described a city still under siege.
Aid workers from the Red Thingy and Red Islamic Thingy delivered their first emergency relief supplies to Deraa on Thursday, bringing drinking water, food and first aid materials. They had no immediate information on casualties in the city.
Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... cited figures from Syrian rights groups saying 350 people had been killed in Deraa. It urged authorities on Friday to "lift the siege" on the city and to halt what it called a nationwide campaign of arbitrary arrests.
"Syria's authorities think that they can beat and kill their way out of the crisis," said HRW Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson. "But with every illegal arrest, every killing of a protester, they are precipitating a larger crisis."
Diplomats said the European Union could reach a preliminary agreement on imposing sanctions on Syria's ruling hierarchy on Friday, but had yet to decide whether Assad should be included.
Assad has said the protesters were part of a foreign conspiracy to cause sectarian strife.
His father Hafez al-Assad used similar language when he crushed Islamist and secular challenges to his rule in the 1980s, culminating in the violent suppression of an uprising in the city of Hama in which 30,000 people were killed.
Hafez lost two wars to Israel, as defence minister in 1967 and as president in 1973. He maintained Syria's position as a central player in Middle East geopolitics by building ties with Shi'ite Iran and backing Paleostinian guerrilla forces.
The younger Assad, who belongs to the minority Alawite sect, has reinforced the anti-Israeli alliance with Tehran, despite disquiet on the part of Syria's majority Sunni population.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/07/2011 00:00 ||
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A US drone attack in Yemen targeted but failed to kill one of al-Qaeda's most influential figures, US reports say. The US-born radical Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is head of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Two brothers believed to be number threes mid-ranking al-Qaeda officials died in a drone strike in south Yemen on Thursday, Yemeni officials said.
According to Yemen's defence ministry, the missile fired by the drone hit a car in in the province of Shabwa carrying two brothers, identified by Yemeni officials as Musa'id and Abdullah Mubarak.
But reports from Washington now suggest US commanders had believed they had one of al-Qaeda's most valuable targets in their sights. "We were hoping it was him," one unnamed US official told CBS News.
#1
I don't believe this attack means ZAWAHIRI, etal. is out of running to take over for OBL - IMO the strike agz AL-AWLAKI should be interpreted as the US HELPING THE KSA BY DELAYING THE RISE OF AL-QAEDA ON THE PENINSULA.
Once again, SOMALI GOVERNOR > once SOMALIA is fully secure, PRO-QAEDA AL-SHABAAB INTENDS TO CROSS THE SEAS + INTERVENE IN THE YEMEN, ETC. CONFLICT + WAGE JIHAD ON THE ARABIAN PENINSULA.
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.
al-Shabaab
A Panama-registered 
Zawahiri
[Emirates 24/7] US authorities are investigating some 29 letters that have been packed with suspicious white powder and delivered to Washington-area schools, local media reported late Thursday.
A blast took place in the Lyari area of 
Wazoo
[Arab News] Security forces conducted raids at various places in Abbottabad and 
al-Assad.
[Ennahar] Thirteen demonstrators were killed by Syrian security forces in Homs and Hama Friday, said activists of 
al-Assad,
A US drone attack in Yemen targeted but failed to kill one of al-Qaeda's most influential figures, US reports say. The US-born radical Yemeni cleric 
