[Geo News] Pakistan has offered to train the Afghan military and police, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in his address during the International Conference on Afghanistan here Thursday. That should work... Not well, but it should work...
The Pakistan Foreign Minister said Afhgnistan needs to train 300,000 Afghan troops by 2011 and it is in this context that Pakistan has made the training offer. Right. If I had an army to train I'd pick a country that had never won a war to do it...
He said Afghanistan has sought help from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for holding negotiations with the Taliban. British foreign secretary, David Miliband on the occasion termed the deployment of NATO's special representative for Afghanistan as a positive step. He said that Afghan president Hamid Karzai had asked the Taliban to sever its connections with Al-Qaeda.
David Miliband announced 1.4 billion dollars financial help for Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Taliban have rejected the International Conference on Afghanistan, according to a website.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Fox offers to guard hens.
Since its independence Pakistan has ever tried to make Afghanistan a satellite state and for at least three decades to make it a militant islamist state (It patronized Hykmatyar first, the Taliban later) because such would be likelier to help it against India and less likely to make fuss about the, now expired, Durand treaty. Also Pakistan has an interest in Afghanistan being failed state otherwise its Pashtuns could want to join it and break from Pakistan.
#2
JFM, given the problems the Pashtuns are causing within Pakistan recently, the Punjabs and Sindhs might be better off setting the Pashtuns free to fight among themselves. Not that the mighty panjandrums in Islamabad are likely to see it that way.
If Pahstuns break away then it will be Balochs and then Sindh and so on until the Pakistani elite, not exclusively but mostly, Punjabi has to work for a living
Anyway nationalist Pashtuns complain about how Pakistan has done everything in order to fill Pashtun territories with madrassas instead of regular schools. It is logic: Pakistan wants Pashtuns think of themselves as Muslims first so they don't resent domination by Punjabis.
I have several times posted about how the plurinational state of Pakistan whose only cement is Islam will naturally tend to radicalization as the only way to keep people of thinking "Why, we ... should we accept the Punjabi domination and Punjabis getting rich with our natural resources" and thus why we should aim to Pakistan's implosion. With the "little" problem of defanging it from its nukes, those nukes acquired during Clinton's watch.
Anyway you don't handle the training of your military to a country who is not your friend
[Dawn] An eastern Afghan tribe has signed a pact to keep the Taliban out of their lands, pledging to burn down the houses of those who shelter insurgents and force them to pay fines high as $20,000, reports AP.
US military officials Wednesday welcomed the decision by the Shinwari tribe with a pledge of $1 million for a tribal fund and $200,000 in jobs programs. But they acknowledged that the tribe was uniquely positioned to defy the Taliban with its sizable militia and a history of unity against outsiders.
The Shinwari, which dominate five districts of about 600,000 people in Nangarhar province, agreed in the document signed by 170 elders to stand unified against the Taliban. Tribal leaders said the agreement was borne as much out of frustration with the Afghan government as the desire to keep out militants.
The agreement affirms that the tribe ''recognizes that the Afghan government supports their cause.'' But it adds that ''defensive preparations have to be taken'' in case of a fallout with the government.
''We can't go to the government for anything,'' said Malik Niyaz, the white-bearded head of one of the most powerful of the tribe's 12 subgroups. He said his people are used to defending themselves.
Niyaz alone oversees a militia of about 400 men who successfully fought off a Taliban attack in July, killing at least four insurgents. Niyaz said it was an unprovoked attack on his people, though accounts differ. Some in the area said the fighting began as a feud between families rather than a stand against the Taliban.
US military working in the area said that they had to learn to work around local officials and go straight to the tribal elders, who serve as a de facto government.
The Shinwari tribe spans the volatile Pakistan-Afghanistan border area that serves as a sanctuary for the Taliban. However, the Afghan Shinwari faction is not commonly seen as a major supporter of the extremist group, partly because of the strength of its traditional hierarchy.
''We determined that the tribal elders were the ones that really represented the people,'' said Lt. Col. Randall Simmons, commander of U.S. troops in eastern Nangarhar. He said other Shinwari leaders have forces similar in size to Niyaz's informal groups of men who are ready to be called up to fight.
Despite the tribe's misgivings about the government, US officials called the decision a step forward because the tribe has at least said it is willing to work with the Afghan leadership, for example in reintegrating tribe members who have joined the Taliban but are ready to abandon the insurgency.
At a conference Thursday in London, the Afghan government plans to unveil a similar plan of economic incentives and jobs for Taliban fighters willing to turn against the militants.
''What it shows is that the community wants to have a little more cohesiveness and to reject destabilizing elements, which means their orientation is basically toward the Afghan government,'' said Dante Paradiso, the senior US civilian official working with the American military to secure the area.
The agreement followed six months of meetings between tribal leaders, starting in July when Niyaz and a few others renounced the Taliban. Each round of meetings brought in a few more leaders until the final document emerged on Jan. 21.
American diplomats helped smooth over some feuds to bring tribal leaders together but otherwise were not involved, Paradiso said.
The more than $1 million in funds is an acknowledgment of a major step taken by the tribe, Simmons said, adding that the U.S. hopes it will empower the elders to continue to take the lead in establishing security.
''If we can empower them a little bit, then in the grand scheme of things it is a bargain,'' he said.
The tribe will have to agree on how to use the extra funds. Those who have participated in early discussions say likely options are health centers, schools and funding for additional border police to help defend the area.
But underneath the optimism, the Shinwari say they recognize they are in danger and perhaps more so now that they have taken such a public stand.
Malik Usman, another powerful tribal leader who helped push through the pact, said he's been fighting the Taliban since they killed his brother a year ago. As recently as last week, he found out he had been targeted by a suicide bomber.
He worries Americans will leave soon, saying the US already made that mistake once, by pulling out and leaving the area to be run by criminals after US-backed fighters helped oust the Soviets.
''If the Americans leave us now, that will be their second big mistake,'' Usman said. ''When we were fighting the Russians they supported us, then they deserted us.''
Not everyone hates us and wants us to leave, it seems.
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01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Anti-war campaigners have held a rally outside the Afghanistan Conference in London, saying the meeting has nothing to do with peace.
On Thursday, large crowds of protesters from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and Stop the War Coalition (STWC), gathered at the Lancaster House venue, where the Afghanistan Conference was being held.
Protesters carried a coffin bearing the words "The Blood Price" to represent all of those who have died in the eight-year conflict. They also called for an end to the military presence in the war-torn country.
"The war in Afghanistan has no clear aims. It is clearly escalating and spinning out of control and can only have a negative impact on Pakistan and the whole of south Asia NATO forces have been in Afghanistan for over eight years and the result appears to be increased drug production, high levels of corruption and terrible losses of life on all sides, both civilian and military," Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament chairwoman Kate Hudson said.
The STWC says the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable. A spokeswoman for STWC also said that "the leaders gathering here (London) have only one response to the catastrophe their war has created -- more war."
Last month, US President Barack Obama approved the deployment of 30,000 extra American troops to Afghanistan. Likewise, German Chancellor Angela Merkel committed 500 more troops to the war in Afghan.
In November 2009, the UK sanctioned the deployment of 500 more troops to move its total force level in Afghanistan to 10,000.
Leaders and ministers from 70 nations met in London on Thursday to discuss the conflict in Afghanistan. The London conference will be followed by a meeting in Kabul later this year.
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01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO said on Wednesday it had finalized an agreement with Kazakhstan on the transit of supplies to Afghanistan, hoping it will reduce its reliance on a route through Pakistan that has been attacked by the Taliban. The agreement should allow NATO to implement a deal with Russia for the transit of non-lethal supplies to the forces of the Western military alliance and its partners fighting a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.
"This allows supplies for our forces to start moving from Europe to Afghanistan, beginning in the coming days, complementing the very important transit route through Pakistan," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
In the same statement, Rasmussen welcomed Germany's announcement of plans to send up to 850 more soldiers to Afghanistan and what he called "a very substantial contribution" to NATO's training mission for Afghan security forces. He also hailed Romania's announcement of 600 more soldiers for Afghanistan and said other new contributions were likely to be announced in the coming days.
"Taken together, the announcement of new forces, and a new supply route, helps to further strengthen the NATO-ISAF (International Security Assistance Force)," he said.
The announcements were made on the eve of an international conference in London which is expected to agree on a framework for the Afghan government to begin taking charge of security in line with a 2011 timetable set by President Barack Obama to start drawing down U.S. troops.
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01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Security in some Afghan provinces will be handed to Afghan security forces from later this year, says a draft communique of a major international conference on Thursday on Afghanistan's future.
The document says Afghanistan and the international community are "entering into a new phase on the way to full Afghan ownership" of the nation's future after nearly eight years of conflict.
Afghan forces will take control of security from NATO-led forces "as rapidly as possible," with the handover in some provinces to be carried out possibly "by late 2010/early 2011," it said.
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Sudan's ruling National Congress Party said late on Wednesday it would support former foe Salva Kiir for president of the semi-autonomous south in April elections in an attempt to revive a faltering partnership.
In a surprise announcement, the NCP said it would not field a candidate against Kiir, head of the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) with which it signed a peace deal in 2005 ending 22 years of north-south civil war leading to the formation of a coalition government.
Relations are tense in the coalition over delays in implementing the deal. The NCP hopes the SPLM will reciprocate and withdraw its contender against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in the separate vote for president of all of Sudan.
"We are supporting Salva Kiir," NCP spokesman Fathi Shayla told reporters on Wednesday.
NCP presidential adviser Ali Tamim Fartak told Reuters the decision not to field a candidate for president of the south, which will vote on Jan. 9, 2011 on independence, was to "maintain a good partnership" with the SPLM.
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01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] With the exception of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, different political parties expressed deep satisfaction over the execution of killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The implementation of the court verdict on Bangabandhu murder case had upheld the rule of law, they observed.
BNP, the main opposition in parliament, however, surprisingly did not give any reaction, even none of the party leaders agreed to make their personal comments over the long-expected event of the execution of the killers.
BNP's standing committee member Moudud Ahmed, also a former law minister, said: "The party will give its reaction and that is why I should not comment over it," he told The Daily Star.
Asked about the party reaction, BNP's senior Joint Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, however, said they had not yet taken any decision on it adding: "We will take our decision in consultation with the senior leaders including the secretary general."
Nazrul Islam Khan, member of the standing committee, said BNP may give its reaction but he does not know anything about it as he was busy.
However, a senior leader of the party expressing anonymity said all leaders are cautious about giving any reaction as individual reactions given by some leaders on the verdict of Bangabandhu murder case on November 19 had irked all the party top brass.
Meanwhile, different political parties hailed the execution of the court verdict in the Bangabandhu murder case.
"Trial of the killers and implementation of the verdict have put the rule of law on a strong footing," said Gano Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain. He also urged the government to bring the plotters of August 15, 1975 under trial.
11-party Coordinator Mahmudur Rahman said the nation got relieved from its long-standing stigma after the court verdict was implemented.
Workers Party in a statement said the rule of law was upheld by ensuring the punishment of killers. The party also urged the government to bring back fugitive killers of Bangabandhu who are still holing up abroad.
Hailing the execution of the verdict, Communist Party General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim in a statement said foreign forces that were behind the conspiracy should also be identified.
Demanding quick trials of other killing cases he also urged the government to put the war criminals under trial.
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SEOUL, Jan 26 (Reuters) - North Korea has declared a no-sail zone off its west coast, indicating it may be readying to test-launch missiles in the area, South Korean news broadcaster YTN on Tuesday quoted a military official as saying.
The area is near a contested sea border with the South that was the site of a brief naval clash in November between the states, technically still at war, that left a South Korean ship pockmarked with bullet holes and a North Korean vessel limping back to port in flames.
About a month before that clash, North Korea rattled regional security by firing short-range missiles off its east coast.
"We are closely monitoring the area to inspect whether this announcement was made as a part of their winter training or to launch short-range missiles," the unnamed official told YTN.
South Korean military officials said they were checking on the YTN report.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Are we redying Anti-Missile destroyers?
Why not?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2010 12:34 Comments ||
Top||
#2
ION ISLAMONLINE.NET > {Manila Bulletin]PHILIPPINE ULEMA [Pan-Muslim NUCP]EYES NATIONAL BODY. Unified organz of 200 Muslim Groups from around the Phillipines.
* SAME > [Manila Standard] MANILA EYES PARTITION OF MUSLIM MINDANAO; + EU MUSLIMS LAUNCH ISLAMIC RIGHTS COUNCIL.
#3
WMF > NORTH KOREA'S NEW MISSLES CAN REACH PAST/BEYOND JAPAN, EFFECTIVELY THREATENING ALL OF JAPAN, US FORCES ON OKINAWA, AND SEAS NEAR NORTHERN TAIWAN [anti-USN Aircraft Carrier CVBGS, amphib USMC EBGS].
Lawyers Fear Trial Turns to 'Spectacle' as Aafia Siddiqui Testifies in NY Court
After a series of outbursts resulted in her twice being kicked out of the courtroom in which she is on trial, a Pakistani woman accused of trying to kill American soldiers at a detention center in Afghanistan in 2008, finally took the stand Thursday and denied she ever fired a shot. "It's just ridiculousÂ… I never attempted murder, no way. It's a heavy word," Aafia Siddiqui, a devoutly Muslim, MIT-trained neuroscientist and mother of two told jurors in a Manhattan federal court.
The allegations for which Siddiqui, 37, is being tried are deadly serious, if convicted, she could be sentenced to life in prison, but the courtroom antics of the so-called "Lady al Qaeda" border on a farce. A petite woman who keeps all but her eyes hidden behind a white headscarf and veil, Siddiqui's own lawyers fought to keep her from testifying in her own defense claiming her "diminished capacity" would "turn the trial into a spectacle." But the events of recent weeks, some observers could argue, have already turned the trial into a spectacle.
Siddiqui, 37, is charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors say while being held for questioning at an Afghan police station in July 2008, she grabbed an unattended military rifle, shouted "Allah Akbar," and shot two rounds at a U.S. soldiers and FBI agents. When captured earlier in 2008, U.S. officials say Siddiqui, an alleged al Qaeda operative, had in her possession plans for a "mass casualty attack" on several New York City landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty.
During jury selection earlier this month, Siddiqui said she was "boycotting" the trial and demanded Jews be excluded from serving on the jury. "I have a feeling everyone here is them [Jews], subject to genetic testingÂ… They should be excluded if you want to be fair," she told federal Judge Richard Berman. That same day she tossed a note across the courtroom to prosecutors asking for time off to pray.
On Monday a clandestine soldier who was at the police station when Siddiqui allegedly began shooting, broke down on the witness stand while describing the injuries he sustained during his tour in Afghanistan. Siddiqui interrupted his testimony, lunging across the table where she sat, and while pointing at the soldier said cryptically: "I feel sorry for you. Don't do that. It will make American look bad in international court." The outburst resulted in two federal marshals restraining her, and ejecting her from the courtroom. It was the second time she was removed following an outburst.
Also on Monday, two jurors were excused from duty after they told the judge that a man in the visitors' gallery made a hand motion as if he were firing a gun at them and mouthed an obscenity. One of the jurors told the judge he was "really freaked out" by the incident and another said he could not remain impartial "anytime anyone makes what I view as a death threat."
Siddiqui fought with her lawyers to be allowed to testify in her own defense. Her lawyers said she was "driven by her severe mental illness" and should not be allowed to testify, fearing she would incriminate herself. Prosecutors argued she was more cagey than crazy and should not be denied the fundamental right to defend herself if she chose to.
On Thursday, Judge Berman allowed Siddiqui to testify. In turns during her testimony she came off as combative and intelligent but sometimes appeared to be bordering on the delusional. She denied shooting soldiers and FBI agents with the unattended the M4 rifle saying: "What does an M4 look like?"
Siddiqui, who was shot in return by U.S. soldiers and taken to a military hospital, claims she was shot while trying to escape. She said she had been tortured in a secret prison and feared being taken back there. She told jurors her case is an example of how authorities "frame people" and that she chose to testify because she alone "can end the war." She said there were anonymous American agents acting against the interests of the U.S., people she called "fake Americans" who she could expose to end the war. "Let me talk," she said, "I can bring you peace."
#3
She denied shooting soldiers and FBI agents with the unattended the M4 rifle saying: "What does an M4 look like?"
So she attended MIT and got herself a degree in neurology or something like it. Which would demand a certain capacity for memorization and logical thinking.
And she has no idea what an M4 looks like, even though it's been close to the center of this case.
The Nigerian terrorist suspect accused of attempting to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day had been arranged by the Israeli-owned 'International Consultants on Targeted Security' to perform a "walk around" without a passport in Amsterdam.
Despite tighter screening processes since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Northwest Airlines Flight 253 experienced no delays in takeoff. According to the Mathaba News Agency "It is evident that clearing the terrorist with higher-ups took a matter of a minute or so and the Indian man, who had arranged the boarding, obviously had a high-level security pass.
Then, during the flight, onlookers noted that another passenger spent a great deal of time filming the 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab with his camcorder. Even stranger, once the suspect tried to ignite his "crotch bomb," throughout the incident, the man continued filming the terrorist, calmly and without interruption.
Next, after the plane landed, another Indian man was led away in handcuffs after the bomb-sniffing dogs detected explosives in his luggage. Officials, however, have refused to release the Schiphol CCTV airport footage from Amsterdam, the air-bound "video passenger" film, or the identity of the man arrested in Detroit.
The Indian link doesn't seem surprising since Israel and India are very close business partners, especially via their military contracts. Also, the Indian intelligence agency works hand-in-hand with Israel.
Abdulmutallab's home country, Nigeria, is also clandestinely controlled by the Israeli army and Mossad.
Mossad's reach extends even further, directly into Yemen. On Oct. 7, 2008, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said that security forces had arrested a group of militants linked to the Israeli intelligence agency.
Abdulmutallab has at times denied any association with the militant al-Qaeda group and claimed that he was trained in Yemen. Washington, however, accuses him of being instructed in the Arab country, which US authorities claim is infested with al-Qaeda militants.
According to military analyst and counterinsurgency specialist Gordon Duff, "There is no al-Qaeda in Yemen. George Bush released a couple of phony operatives from Guantanamo, and after traveling to the Middle East, they hooked up with the Mossad. The only reason Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez released them is because they're assets."
Abdulmutallab's story is intended to keep ratcheting up Orwellian-style trauma and project Yemen, as well as the African continent, are the brand-new focus of the American so-called 'war on terror.'
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#2
This news is going to be terribly disappointing to the various islamonut groups that tripped over each other in the race to claim responsibility for the Sad Sack bomber. Why Bin Laden himself claimed responsibility for Al Quaida's role. How can Binnie be wrong?
US Vice President Joe Biden says that Washington will increase investment in its nuclear arsenal and infrastructure in the country's new budget.
In an opinion piece appeared in The Wall Street Journal's website on Thursday, Biden said that the administration will propose USD 7 billion to maintain US nuclear weapons stockpile, which would be USD 600 million more than Congress approved last year.
"Even in a time of tough budget decisions, these are investments we must make for our security. We are committed to working with Congress to ensure these budget increases are approved," Biden said.
The comment comes at a time when the US and Russia are negotiating a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which entails decommissioning of both sides' nuclear weapons.
The administration of US President Barack Obama will publish its budget for fiscal year 2011 on Monday February 1.
The proposal will include a budget increase for nuclear issues while paring back other areas in an effort to control record deficits.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I hope this means good news for my longevity. work is a little thin in the piping whore business.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Accounts from passengers of the Flight 253, aboard which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate explosives, suggest that the attack was staged.
According to American Free Press, the security firm in charge of Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is the Israeli-owned International Consultants on Targeted Security (ICTS) -- the same security firm at the airports where the 9/11 terrorists hijacked the three planes.
Despite tight security screening procedures performed after the 9/11 attacks, passengers who boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 said they found security at Amsterdam's airport to be surprisingly lax.
Richelle Keepman, who was one of the passengers onboard Flight 253, told CNN that security did not have them remove their shoes as they walked through the scanners and metal detectors.
Keepman also said that her mother was allowed to take a large bottle of water onboard the plane.
Another passenger onboard flight 253, Detroit attorney Kurt Haskell, told CNN that he saw a polished Indian man escort Abdulmutallab to the ticket agent, and tried to convince the agent to allow Abdulmutallab board the plane without a passport.
"This man needs to board the plane, but he doesn't have a passport." Haskell quoted the Indian as telling the agent.
When the agent refused to let him board the plane, the Indian man responded, "He is from Sudan. We do this all the time."
The ticket agent, then, took them down a hallway to meet with a supervisor.
Haskell said the next time he saw Abdulmutallab was when he tried to ignite the explosives hidden inside his underwear.
Keepman told CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 show that when she first boarded the plane, she noticed a man with a camcorder filming the goings-on inside the plane.
After the incident took place, Keepman said the man with the camcorder was the only one standing as he continued to film the scene.
Haskell said that after the plane landed, another Indian man was led away in handcuffs after bomb-sniffing dogs detected explosives in his carry-on luggage.
To date, FBI officials have refused to acknowledge the arrest of the Indian man.
Abdulmutallab has at times denied any association with the militant al-Qaeda group and claimed that he was trained in Yemen.
Washington, however, alleges he was instructed in the Arab country, which US officials claim is infested with al-Qaeda militants.
According to military analyst and counterinsurgency specialist Gordon Duff, "There is no al-Qaeda in Yemen. George Bush released a couple of phony operatives from Guantanamo, and after traveling to the Middle East, they hooked up with the Mossad. The only reason Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez released them is because they're assets."
This article starring:
American Free Press
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I like the idea of ex-Guantanamo inmates as Western intelligence assets.
The White House ordered the Justice Department to consider other places to try the 9/11 terror suspects after a wave of opposition to holding the trial in lower Manhattan. The White House took the action hours after Mayor Bloomberg called Attorney General Eric Holder to say he would "prefer that they did it elsewhere."
"It would be an inconvenience at the least, and probably that's too mild a word for people that live in the neighborhood and businesses in the neighborhood," Bloomberg told reporters. "There are places that would be less expensive for the taxpayers and less disruptive for New York City."
State leaders have railed against a plan to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in Manhattan federal court since Holder proposed it last month.
The order to consider new venues does not change the White House's position that Mohammed should be tried in civilian court.
"President Obama is still committed to trying Mohammed and four other terrorist detainees in federal court," spokesman Bill Burton said Thursday. "He agrees with the attorney general's opinion that ... he and others can be litigated successfully and securely in the United States of America, just like others have," Burton said.
Burton referred questions about the location debate to the Justice Department.
Officials there have apparently been caught off guard by the fiery opposition in New York, an insider told the Daily News. "They're in a tizzy at Justice over Bloomberg," a federal law enforcement official said. "It's like a half-baked souffle - the plan is collapsing."
Meanwhile, a source told The News that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly was the driving force behind the push by Manhattan business leaders to change the mayor's mind on the trial. Kelly made an "extremely powerful" speech to a roomful of 150 prominent business leaders about how disruptive and costly the trial would be for lower Manhattan at an annual police charity event on Jan. 13, the source said.
"What turned this around was when Ray made a presentation to the Police Foundation," the source said. "Everyone went from thinking, 'Justice will be served' to thinking 'We are screwed.'"
What followed was a barrage of complaints to the mayor from some of New York's most powerful tycoons - part of a tide of pressure that led Bloomberg to turn against hosting the trial.
Estimates put the cost of a multiyear terror trial in lower Manhattan at about $200 million a year. Leaders have suggested other venues for the trial, such as the Military Academy at West Point or Stewart Air National Guard Base in upstate Newburgh.
The federal government has said they would reimburse the city for the costs, most of which cover overtime for increased security, but they won't reimburse business owners for lost revenue during the chaos, said Steven Spinola, president of the heavyweight business group Real Estate Board of New York.
"Is the federal government going to give the city $1 billion plus the cost of propping up businesses? I don't think so," Spinola said. "The mayor clearly has been thinking about this. The tide is turning," He said.
By the end of the day Thursday, Bloomberg's open opposition to a Manhattan trial had snowballed into a near total rebuke of the plan by politicians statewide.
Rep. Pete King made a push against a Manhattan trial by introducing a bill that would prohibit the use of Justice Department funds to try Guantanamo detainees in civilian courts. The Long Island Republican called the White House plan "one of the worst decisions ever made by any President" and insisted Mohammed should be tried by the military.
Gov. Paterson reiterated his opposition to a Manhattan trial because of the price tag and the burden it will put on the downtown residents. "I think New Yorkers have been through enough," Paterson said on ABC's "The View." "In my opinion, maybe we all need to sit down and see if there isn't another venue."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Why New York? Take him to Area 51 or Antarctica.
BEIJING: China has signaled it wants to go the US way and set up military bases in overseas locations that would possibly include Pakistan. The obvious purpose would be to exert pressure on India as well as counter US influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"(So) it is baseless to say that we will not set up any military bases in future because we have never sent troops abroad," an article published on Thursday at a Chinese government website said. "It is our right," the article said and went on to suggest that it would be done in the neighborhood, possibly Pakistan.
Beijing may be able to pressurize Islamabad to accept its diktat using the threat of withholding military supplies.
"As for the military aspect, we should be able to conduct the retaliatory attack within the country or at the neighboring area of our potential enemies. We should also be able to put pressure on the potential enemies' overseas interests," it said.
A military base in Pakistan will also help China keep a check on Muslim Uighur separatists fighting for an independent nation in its western region of Xingjian, which borders the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Beijing recently signed an agreement with the local government of NWFP in order to keep a close watch on the movement of Uighur ultras.
"I have personally felt for sometime that China might one day build a military base in India's neighborhood. China built the Gadwar port in Pakistan and is now broadening the Karokoram highway. These facilities can always be put to military use when the need arises," Ramesh V Phadke, former Air Commodore and advisor to the Institute of Defense Studies told TNN.
Phadke said the article in very significant. "The purpose may be to see how the international community reacts to it," he said.
China, which has no military bases outside its territory, has often criticized the United States for operating such overseas bases. It has not just changed its standpoint but also wants to enter the lucrative protection business.
"With further development, China will be in great demand of the military protection," the article said. Pakistan, which buys 70% of its military hardware from China, is likely to be an eager buyer for such protection. Beijing may also be able to pressurize Islamabad to accept its diktat using the threat of withholding military supplies.
A Pakistani expert on China-Pakistan relationship has a different view on the subject. "The Americans had a base in the past and it caused a political stink. I don't think it would be politically possible for the Pakistani government to openly allow China to set up a military base," he said while requesting anonymity. Pakistan might allow use of its military facilities without publicly announcing it, he said.
A Chinese military base can tackle several international relations issues, it said. One of them is "the relationship between the base troops and the countries neighboring to the host country." This is another indication that Beijing is considering Pakistan as a possible base. China's argument is that a foreign base would actually help regional stability.
"If the base troops can maintain the regional stability, it will be probably welcomed by all the countries in the region," the article said. Beijing is conscious that the move might result in opposition from the US, UK and France which has overseas military bases.
“Thirdly, the relationship between the big countries in the world. The establishment of the troop bases is sensitive to those big countries which have already set up the bases abroad," the article said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Beijing is conscious that the move might result in opposition from the US, UK and France
#2
Ahhhh, an important first test/crucible for CHINDIA RISING???
* WMF > 2010-2020: ECON-TROUBLED RUSSIA ABILITY TO SUPPORT THE CSTO-SCO, NORTHEAST ASIAN SECURITY, AND PEACEFUL NORTH KOREAN DEVELOPMENT, INTEGRATION WID REST OF ASIA IS DUBIOUS | CHINA MUST PREPARE TO ACT INDEPENDENTLY AND DECISIVELY IFF RUSSIA FAILS.
SAME > RETIRED US GENERAL DILA GIVES UNIQUE VIEW OF US VICTORY, DEFEAT IN THE FIRST KOREAN WAR: CHIN DID NOT LOSE THE KOREAN WAR AGZ USA-UN COMMAND IN TERMS OF CASUALTIES OR STRATEGIC FAILURE. STALIN AND THE SOVIET UNION LOST MORAL, IDEOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP OVER CHINA [Mao] AND ENTIRE COMMUNIST BLOC.
* SAME > CHINA'S RESURGENT INTEREST, MILITARY BUILDUP IN THE DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEAS REGIONS IS A SUBTLE COVERT DEMAND FOR THE US TO WITHDRAW ITS REGIONAL MILITARY FORCES | US MILITARY STUDIES FAVOR THE PHILIPPINES, HONG KONG AS IDEAL SITES FOR POST-COLD WAR, MULTIPLE SERVICE OR JOINT-SERVICES US BASES WHICH FUNDAMENTALLY THREATEN CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY.
* SAME > INTERNAL COLLAPSE OF SOCIALIST NORTH KOREA WILL BE THE SECOND GREATEST FAILURE OF SOCIALISM SINCE THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION, AND THREATENS THE GEOPOL SECURITY OF RUSSIA, CHINA, + WHOLE OF EAST ASIAN REGION.
Taliban commanders held secret exploratory talks with a United Nations special envoy this month to discuss peace terms, it emerged tonight. Regional commanders on the Taliban's leadership council, the Quetta Shura, sought a meeting with the UN special representative in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, and it took place in Dubai on 8 January. "They requested a meeting to talk about talks. They want protection, to be able to come out in public. They don't want to vanish into places like Bagram," the Reuters news agency quoted a UN official as saying, referring to the Bagram detention centre at a US military base outside Kabul.
The Dubai meeting was confirmed to the Guardian by officials with knowledge of the encounter, but they said they could provide no further details. It was the first such meeting between the UN and senior members of the Taliban. The fact that it took place suggests that peace talks have revived since exploratory contacts between emissaries of the Kabul government and the Taliban in Saudi Arabia last year broke down. It also suggests that some Taliban members might be prepared for the first time to put faith in an international organisation to broker a deal to end the nine-year war.
Although an important development, it was unclear how significant a faction Eide had met in Dubai or how serious they were. A western official confirmed that there were indications of splits in the Taliban over the prospect of a settlement. "We believe there are mid-level commanders tired of fighting and who have realised neither side is going to win," the official said. "There is a younger generation of Taliban commanders who believe it was a colossal mistake to side with the Arabs [in al-Qaida]. In fact the vote at the shura [meeting] in Kandahar in 2001 was only narrowly in favour of sticking with the Arabs."
[Iran Press TV Latest] Although US President Barack Obama vaguely acknowledged Israel as the cause of Palestinian "plight," he affirmed that he will never waver from support for Tel Aviv.
Obama made the remarks in a speech to a crowd in a gymnasium in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday when he was asked about his policy on Israel.
"Here's my view: Israel is one of our strongest allies. It is a vibrant democracy. It shares links with us in all sorts of ways. It is critical for us, and I will never waver from Israel's security." Obama said.
Obama referred to Israel as a "vibrant democracy," while Israel does not even have a constitution, "since the Constituent Assembly and the first Knesset were unable to put a constitution together," reads a statement on the Israeli Parliament (Knesset)'s website.
Furthermore, Israel does not have a bill of rights and has a history of legislating unequal civil rights, privileges and access to public funds. And its pursuit of a so-called "Jewish State" is an apparent discrimination against the non-Jewish.
Obama, however, went on to say that "the plight of the Palestinians is something that we have to pay attention to."
He said it was not good for the security of the US and Israel if millions of Palestinians feel hopeless.
His comments were a vague reference to numerous violations of human rights and international law by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
About 1.5 million Palestinians are suffering from a grave humanitarian crisis as a result of an Israeli-imposed blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has been in place since 2007.
This is while in West Bank, Palestinians are constantly being kidnapped during overnight raids conducted by Israeli troops.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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I could watch the "plight" of the Palestinians all day. I might even bring some popcorn.
#2
The usual Iranian dig in the last sentence (their version of food for thought )
What they actually meant was : "This is while in West Bank, callous murderers are constantly being taken into custody during overnight raids conducted by Israeli troops"
But hey the whole article reaks, a bit like the smell emanating from that maggot infested turd pile anyway.
Posted by: Oscar ||
01/29/2010 4:41 Comments ||
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Just talk to them, Barack, that works so well these days ...
President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Israel and the Palestinians to make compromises to help revive peace talks, signaling he has not given up Middle East diplomacy despite his administration's shaky efforts so far.
Speaking at a townhall-style meeting in Florida, Obama said he was still working to bring the two sides to the negotiating table to resume a peace process that has been frozen for the past 13 months. His teleprompter He also reasserted his administration's ability to act as an even-handed broker, saying he was committed to Israel's security but also was sympathetic to the Palestinians' plight.
"We are working to try to strengthen the ability of both parties to sit down across the table and to begin serious negotiations," Obama said.
His efforts to restart talks have made little progress since he took office a year ago with a commitment to make ending the 62-year-old conflict a high priority. Critics say he was naive about obstacles such as Israeli settlement building.
Given that the last six or seven presidents haven't done a lot with the peace process, it shows you just how clueless, and how arrogant, Bambi has been ...
Obama blamed internal politics both in Israel and the Palestinian territories for constraining peace diplomacy. He cited problems faced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who the president said "is making some effort to move a little bit further than his coalition wants to go."
Netanyahu's right-leaning government includes pro-settler parties strongly opposed to ceding occupied land to the Palestinians for a future state.
Obama said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants peace but has to contend with Hamas, an Islamist group that denies Israel's right to exist. Abbas, a pro-U.S. moderate, is also weakened by Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip.
"Both sides are going to have to make compromises," Obama said, calling on Israelis to acknowledge Palestinians' "legitimate grievances" and for the Palestinians to "unequivocally renounce violence" against the Jewish state.
Obama declined, under questioning from an audience member, to condemn Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. "Israel is one of our strongest allies," he said. "I will never waver from ensuring Israel's security."
But he insisted, "The plight of the Palestinians is something that we have to pay attention to. It is not good for our security and for Israel's security if you have millions of individuals who feel hopeless."
Unless they're Republicans ...
Many in the Muslim world accused Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, of bias in favor of Israel. Obama had pledged full engagement in Middle East peace efforts, something the Bush administration was widely seen as avoiding. Despite that, Obama made no mention of the Middle East conflict in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
millions of individuals who feel hopeless
The hope in question is the hope to exterminate the Jews.
CAIRO (AP) - Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has called in a new audiotape for the world to boycott American goods and the U.S. dollar, blaming the United States and other industrialized countries for global warming. and he supports the Obama Health Plan and wants the minimum wage raised also
In the tape, aired in part on Al-Jazeera television Friday, bin Laden warns of the dangers of climate change and says that the way to stop it is to bring "the wheels of the American economy" to a halt.
He says the world should "stop consuming American products" and "refrain from using the dollar," according to a transcript on Al-Jazeera's Web site.
The new message, whose authenticity could not immediately be confirmed, comes after a bin Laden tape released last week in which he endorsed a failed attempt to blow up an American airliner on Christmas Day.
Posted by: lord garth ||
01/29/2010 08:20 ||
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#1
It's official. Global Warming has jumped the shark.
Posted by: ed ||
01/29/2010 8:42 Comments ||
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#2
This bin Laden fellow must really be in a cave if he's now jumping on this train that doesn't run.
#4
in retrospect, this seems to be evidence that Adam Yahiye Gadahn, an American convert, has taken control of the Al Q agiprop operation. The claim that the pantybomber was a Bin Laden op also seems to be a similar Gadahn type announcement. The memes on these announcements are lefty memes that are ubiquitous on Kos, Huffpo, MoveOn and their eu equivalents and these are undoubtedly the audience that Gadahn is going for.
Posted by: lord garth ||
01/29/2010 13:30 Comments ||
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#5
Islamists are not needed to bring the "wheels of the American economy" to a halt. The USA has done & is continuing to make excellent progress on that job of that without help from OBL. Global Warmism is another burr under our saddles.
#6
OTOH WAFF > MUSLIMS VS. ISLAMISTS. Author defines Radic Islamism as aANTI-JEWISH, ANTI-CHRISTIAN, ANTI-WESTERN, + ANTI-CAPITALIST, DYSTOPIAN POLITICAL IDEOLOGY attempting to derive or enforce legitimacy via vital distortions from true, histor Islam.
ARTIC > IIUC also describes ISLAMISM as being defined more by WHAT -ISMS IT STANDS AGZ, NOT BY WHAT CORE -ISMS, VALUES,ETC. IT STANDS FOR OR SUPPORTS PREMISORILLY.
E.g. COMMUNISM > Islamists intrinsically accept or tolerate Communism while also hating it becuz it was "founded by Jews" + deemed "Pro-Western", NOT MUHAMMED OR MUSLIMS, NOR AS PER "ORIENTALISM/ASIANISM"???
IOW, IIUC ARTIC > ISLAMISTS are also SHADOW/CLOSET COMMUNISTS [Dedicated Maxists, Leftists-Socialists, Socialists, etc.?] whom refuse to recognize KARL MARX + other Communist Founding Fathers due to REAL ANDOR ALLEGED, CURRENT OR HISTORICAL, JEWISH ANCESTRY-LINEAGE???
Sri Lanka settles back into being just another thug-kleptocracy ...
Beaten Sri Lankan presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka says he could consider seeking asylum in Australia. The former army chief lost Tuesday's presidential election and is coming under increasing pressure from the Sri Lankan government.
General Fonseka fears for his safety and his officials have already approached several embassies in Colombo about possible asylum. He says he would also consider seeking asylum in Australia, but Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says there has been no official request as yet.
"No such approach has been made," he said.
"I think it is very important that General Fonseka be provided with two things - that he be provided with freedom of movement and he be provided with security, personal security in the circumstances that he is in."
The Sri Lankan Government is accusing General Fonseka of planning to assassinate the President Mahinda Rajapakse. Government spokesman Lakshman Hullugale says General Fonseka and several former army officers were involved in the plot "to assassinate his excellency the President Mahinda Rajapakse and his family members, and also to enter into the Defence Ministry and assassinate Defence Secretary."
General Fonseka has rejected the allegation, which came only a day after he labelled members of the government as murderers and said they were trying to assassinate him.
Centre for Policy Alternatives executive director Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu says it is unclear whether General Fonseka should stays and fight, or flee abroad. "I suppose General Fonseka has to consider whether he wants to continue in a political career and if he's going to do that, the general election is the next sort of watershed event," he said. "Is he going to come forward as a candidate and if so, on which party's platform?"
Mr Rajapakse is expected to dissolve parliament and hold the general election before it is due in April. He is still celebrating his strong win in the presidential poll, and says it is an answer to his critics.
As for opposition activists, they are looking for answers of their own as to why General Fonseka lost.
Liberal Party deputy federal director James McGrath, has been in Sri Lanka as a special adviser to the opposition and General Fonseka's campaign. "He lost for a variety of reasons - he lost because of the abuse of government resources, he lost because of voter fraud and intimidation, and he lost because the Tamils in the north were unable to vote," he said.
As the post mortem continues, Mr Rajapakse is settling in for another term in office.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Barack Obama's Iran Outstretched Hand holds a hangman's noose.
A senior hard-line Iranian cleric has called for more activists to be executed to silence anti-government protests, a day after two men were hanged. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati says in a Friday prayer sermon that the clerical leadership's opponents must be killed "for the sake of God" and that Islam permits rulers to execute "hypocrites." I'm guessing 308 million Americans minus ~2 million are also included in this category.
He also praises the hanging on Thursday of two men who were accused of belonging to armed groups aiming to topple the ruling system.
Nine other people arrested in the heavy crackdown against opposition protests have been sentenced to death, according to officials. Massive protests erupted after disputed presidential elections on June 12, and hundreds have been arrested.
Posted by: ed ||
01/29/2010 07:29 ||
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"A senior hard-line Iranian cleric has called for more activists to be executed"
If this comes to pass, then the demonstrators will begin killing Basij and other security forces and what had been mostly peaceful demonstrations can become very violent. If they are going to be executed for protesting, then they have nothing to lose at that point by taking a few of the regime with them.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says imperialist powers are trying to seize control over the energy resources of the Middle East.
Addressing a group of officials in Tehran on Thursday, President Ahmadinejad said that Iran, together with other freedom-loving countries in the region, will never allow imperialism to succeed.
"They (imperialist powers) seek to dominate energy resources of the Middle East, but the Iranian nation as well as other nations will not allow them succeed," he emphasized.
The President also reiterated that the Iranian nation is making a lot of progress and the enemies are not happy about it.
President Ahmadinejad said the Iranian people will foil enemy plots against the country by massively turning out for this year's events celebrating the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He added that the nation's participation in the nationwide rallies commemorating the Islamic Revolution will be a show of solidarity.
The president fiercely criticized the ban imposed by some western countries on wearing the Islamic headdress, the Hijab, as well as minarets.
President Ahamidnejad's comments comes in response to the imposition of a constitutional ban on minarets in Switzerland in late November and fresh efforts by French politicians to impose a ban on wearing of the Hijab by Muslim women in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Moslem Culture seems to produce people like Abujibberjabber. Line of Death. Dire revenge. Mother of all Battles...that sort of thing.
And as the tanks head North the Republican Guard shucks their uniform and head south dressed up in a Burqa.
And in Afghanistan and Pakistan its the same character traits you see among Palestinians. Hide in the basement and shout Ya Allah. Same old same old. Blow up your kids and stand in line for free macaroni.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Israeli threats against the Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah are threats against Lebanon itself, the country's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri during a visit to Cairo on Thursday.
"We take Israeli threats seriously," Hariri said after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
"Any threat against Lebanese territory, whether in the south, Bekaa, Dahie (Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold) or any place in Lebanon is a threat against all of Lebanon and the Lebanese government," Hariri said.
"The protection of any place in Lebanon is the responsibility of the Lebanese government," he told a news conference, calling for "Arab solidarity" with Beirut "to counter these threats."
Hariri said last week in an interview with the French daily Le Monde that he feared "an Israeli intervention" following an increase in overflights over his country by Israeli warplanes.
An Israeli minister without portfolio, Yossi Peled, said last week that a new confrontation between the Jewish state and Hezbollah was inevitable in the long run.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
We take Israeli threats seriously," Hariri said
Gonna build yourself a bunker like Nasrallah's, Saad?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would let President Barack Obama impose sanctions on Iran's gasoline suppliers and penalize some of Tehran's elites, a move aimed at pressuring Tehran to give up its nuclear program. The sanctions, approved on a voice vote, would target companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand the country's oil-refining capacity by, in part, denying them loans and other assistance from U.S. financial institutions.
The House of Representatives has already passed similar legislation. Differences between the two bills will have to be worked out before the measure becomes law.
Many in Congress want to give Obama more tools to pressure Iran. Cutting off gasoline supplies would hurt Tehran's economy; while Iran has the world's third biggest oil reserves, it must import 40 percent of its gasoline to meet domestic demand because of a lack of refining capacity.
This is something we should have done in 2005 ...
In his State of the Union address on Wednesday, Obama warned Tehran faced "growing consequences" over its nuclear program. The administration has been working with several other major powers to build a consensus on new sanctions to be imposed jointly.
But U.S. business groups have warned the White House that the lawmakers' approach threatens to undercut this joint strategy. The critics say broad-based sanctions sought by lawmakers would upset U.S. allies whose companies would be affected, and frustrate joint action with other countries against Iran.
Isn't that just too bad? How hard are those allies pressing Iran? You can see all the results of their pressure, can't you?
The sanctions in the Senate bill would extend to companies that build oil and gas pipelines in Iran and provide tankers to move Iran's petroleum.
Plus good!
The measure also prohibits the U.S. government from purchasing goods from foreign companies that do business in Iran's energy sector.
Double-plus good!
The Senate acted on the same day that Iran hanged two men convicted in the wake of political unrest in the country. "The situation in Iran is terrible and it's worsening. People are dying in Iran as we speak," said Senator John McCain just before the Senate vote.
Other provisions in the bill would:
Impose a broad ban on direct imports from Iran to the United States and exports from the United States to Iran, exempting food and medicines;
Require the Obama administration to freeze the assets of Iranians, including Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, who are active in weapons proliferation or terrorism;
Allow state and local governments and private asset fund managers to easily divest from energy firms doing business with Iran;
Strengthen export controls to stop the illegal black market export of sensitive technology to Iran through other countries and impose tough new licensing requirements on those who refuse to cooperate.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, has condemned the US and other industrial economies, holding them responsible for the phenomenon of climate change.
In an audio tape obtained by Al Jazeera, bin Laden criticised George Bush, the former US president, for rejecting the Kyoto pact and condemned global corporations.
"This is a message to the whole world about those responsible for climate change and its repercussions - whether intentionally or unintentionally - and about the action we must take," bin Laden said.
"Speaking about climate change is not a matter of intellectual luxury - the phenomenon is an actual fact."
The tape follows one released earlier this week in which the al-Qaeda leader praised a Nigerian man accused of a failed attempt to blow up an airliner heading for Detroit on Christmas Day.
'Grave repercussions'
In the new recording, bin Laden says "all the industrial states" are to blame for climate change, "yet the majority of those states have signed the Kyoto Protocol and agreed to curb the emission of harmful gases".
"Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the US policies to those of the Mafia"
He continued: "However, George Bush junior, preceded by [the US] congress, dismissed the agreement to placate giant corporations. And they are themselves standing behind speculation, monopoly and soaring living costs.
"They are also behind 'globalisation and its tragic implications'. And whenever the perpetrators are found guilty, the heads of state rush to rescue them using public money."
The Kyoto Protocol, a UN treaty aimed at combating global warming, was adopted in December 1997 and has since been ratified by 187 states, but not by the US congress.
Although a signatory to the agreement, the US under Bush refused to ratify the treaty, saying that it should contain binding goals for developing countries to reduce emissions as well as those for industrialised nations.
Targeting US dollar
In the new recording, bin Laden said: "Noam Chomsky [the US academic and political commentator] was correct when he compared the US policies to those of the Mafia. They are the true terrorists and therefore we should refrain from dealing in the US dollar and should try to get rid of this currency as early as possible.
"I am certain that such actions will have grave repercussions and huge impact."
While continuing to attack America, bin Laden's comments mark a shift from his earlier, more regionally focused commentary.
In his previous tape, bin Laden warned that there would be further attacks on the US unless Barack Obama, the current US president, took steps to resolve the Palestinian conflict.
The Obama administration dismissed bin Laden's comments on the earlier tape and said intelligence analysts had not confirmed that the voice was that of bin Laden
#1
Binnie also endorsed Noam Chomsky again. That and his greenie shtick should make him a big hit with his favorite audience. He woulda killed 'em in Copenhagen.
#3
How to stop : Climate Change : Not To Blowup : Weather More Than LatterDay : Weathermen ! DUH ! Morton Iodized Salt & Million Trees In : Glendale , Shanghai , China : Sameness ! They Grow : Cleanup : Bigger Trees : Take Out : Mercury , Arsenic , Benzene , Thalioliomide , DDT & Dioxin ! So , Start It Up : Grow : Green : Morton Iodized Salt ! All : Grows : 100% The Million Trees ! Eliminate : Herbicide , Fertilizer , Fungicide , & Insecticide & Fumigation : Also !
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.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO said on Wednesday it had finalized an agreement with Kazakhstan on the transit of supplies to Afghanistan, hoping it will reduce its reliance on a route through Pakistan that has been attacked by the Taliban. The agreement should allow NATO to implement a deal with Russia for the transit of non-lethal supplies to the forces of the Western military alliance and its partners fighting a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.
Lawyers Fear Trial Turns to 'Spectacle' as Aafia Siddiqui Testifies in NY Court
[Iran Press TV Latest] Accounts from passengers of the Flight 253, aboard which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate explosives, suggest that the attack was staged. 
BEIJING: China has signaled it wants to go the US way and set up military bases in overseas locations that would possibly include Pakistan. The obvious purpose would be to exert pressure on India as well as counter US influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 
Taliban commanders held secret exploratory talks with a United Nations special envoy this month to discuss peace terms, it emerged tonight. Regional commanders on the Taliban's leadership council, the Quetta Shura, sought a meeting with the UN special representative in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, and it took place in Dubai on 8 January. "They requested a meeting to talk about talks. They want protection, to be able to come out in public. They don't want to vanish into places like Bagram," the Reuters news agency quoted a UN official as saying, referring to the Bagram detention centre at a US military base outside Kabul.
President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Israel and the Palestinians to make compromises to help revive peace talks, signaling he has not given up Middle East diplomacy despite his administration's shaky efforts so far.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would let President Barack Obama impose sanctions on Iran's gasoline suppliers and penalize some of Tehran's elites, a move aimed at pressuring Tehran to give up its nuclear program. The sanctions, approved on a voice vote, would target companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand the country's oil-refining capacity by, in part, denying them loans and other assistance from U.S. financial institutions.
