[Bangla Daily Star] Police yesterday recovered the decomposed body of Hossain Altaf, publisher of now-defunct Dainik Bajrakontho, from inside the septic tank of his house in the capital's Uttara, nine days after he went missing.
Altaf, 62, had been residing in his own one-story house on Road-11 of Sector-4.
Law enforcers recovered his body around 12:30am and sent it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue for his appointment with Doctor Quincy, said Khandaker Rezaul Hasan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Uttara Police Station.
According to police, some locals had been putting pressure on Altaf to sell the land on which his house stood. Last year they even held him for sometime and tried to grab the property from him forcibly.
Later, Altaf filed a case against six people. After staying behind bars for sometime, some of them came out on bail.
Police jugged two of them on Wednesday evening and recovered the body according to information provided by them, the OC mentioned.
Morgue sources said the mouth of the victim was tied with polythene and a piece of cloth. There were cut marks on the throat.
Syed Badrul Alam, brother-in-law of Altaf, told The Daily Star that he had a conversation with Altaf on the night of March 27. Caretaker of the house Jalal informed him that Altaf had been missing since the evening of March 28.
Failing to trace him, they informed police about the matter, added Badrul.
Altaf's wife and son live in Sweden. Jalal, along with a security guard, looked after the house.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2011 00:00 ||
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Just in case it ever arrives.
The Geospatial Research Unit, a collaborative effort of WVUÂ’s Division of Plant and Soil Sciences and the National Soil Survey Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, is examining the soils of Pacific Coast states to determine their ability to sequester, or trap, airborne radiation, in the extremely unlikely event that it drifts from Japan to the western United States. At least it's not AGW grant money.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/08/2011 07:53 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] A strong earthquake measuring 6.5 struck southern and central Mexico yesterday, but there were no initial reports of damage or casualties, Mexican and US officials said.
The tremor was strong enough to shake buildings and restaurants in the capital Mexico City, residents said.
US experts said the quake hit the Veracruz region at 8:11am some 57 kilometres from the city of Las Choapas. It was 167 kilometres deep.
The US Geological Survey measured the quake at 6.5 on the moment magnitude scale, and said the epicentre was almost 600 kilometres east of the capital.
No warning of a destructive tsunami was generated, the Pacific Tsunami Warning centre said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The 03/11th Sendai Quake repor moved the seabed near Japan 24 meters, mostly to the SW.
More evidencia/indicia as per OLD PERSONAL DRAMS/VISIONS of mine of formerly underwater = ocean-submerged land rising to the surface off GUAM-WESTPAC + ELSEWHERE.
[Arab News] A major aftershock rocked northeast Japan on Thursday and a tsunami warning was issued for the coast devastated by last month's massive quake and tsunami that crippled a nuclear power plant.
The warning was later lifted and no tsunami were reported. No damage from the quake, measured at magnitude 7.4 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, was detected at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said.
Workers struggling to bring the plant under control were evacuated soon after the aftershock struck, shortly before midnight.
Large parts of northern Japan, where infrastructure was severely damaged by the March 11 quake and tsunami, were without electricity following the latest of many aftershocks, the biggest since last month's killer quake.
Toru Hanai, a Rooters photographer in Oshu, Iwate prefecture, near the epicenter of Thursday's aftershock, said his hotel lost power and a water pipe burst.
"Everything fell. My room is a complete mess and power is widely out in this area," he said.
In the capital, Tokyo, buildings also shook.
"It started out as nothing much, then the building started swaying quite strongly," a Rooters witness said.
As of 01:30 a.m. (1630 GMT) seven people were reported injured, two of them seriously, a front man for the National Police Agency said.
Last month's huge 9.0 magnitude quake triggered tsunami waves which swept in along the coast, wiping out towns. About 28,000 people were killed or are missing.
The disaster also disrupted industry and affected supply chains around the world but it was not immediately clear if Thursday's aftershock would compound those problems.
At the Fukushima nuclear plant, TEPCO said it was continuing to inject nitrogen into reactor No.1 after no irregularities were reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
This was initially reported as TWO MAG 7.4's BACK-TO-BACK, then was became a single, + has now been dowgraded to a MAG 7.1 at last check.
#2
BHARAT RALSHAK > JAPAN: THOSE THAT STAY BEHIND [Fukushima = Sendai region] MUS ADAPT TO TURMOIL.
Chaos + confusion + not having.
* SAME > JAPAN INSISTS THAT ITS DISCHARGE OF RADIOACTIVE WATER DOES NOT [immediately?] BREACH INTERNATIONAL LAW.
* SAME > FUKUSHIMA NO. ONE PLANT DESIGNED ON A "TRAIL-N-ERROR" BASIS [a "learning experience" = curve], as compared to the kilometers-away Fukushima No. Two Plant which handily survived the 03/11/2011 Quake-Tsunami.
#3
ION TOPIX/FREEREPUBLIC/WAFF > IS JAPAN HIDING [covert] ATOMIC BOMB PROCESSING AT FUKUSHIMA ? | IS JAPAN'S ELITE HIDING A WEAPONS PROGRAM INSIDE NUCLEAR PLANT?
#5
AZ legislature hits another homer. Arizona becomes first state in the US to protect professionals from having their license or certification revoked because of their religious practices.
SB 1288 forbids any government entity from denying, suspending or revoking a professional or occupational license, certificate or registration based on a person's exercise of religion. It also forbids a government from denying someone a position on a board, commission, committee or public body based on that person's religion.
SB 1288 would apply to state and local governments, schools and the state Bar Association, among others.
Protected religious beliefs include those that are part of a recognized religion as well as those that are not, such as personal religious beliefs.
The bill excludes protection for any criminal behavior or sexual misconduct. It also would not limit an employer's ability to hire or fire someone for their actions.
[Arab News] Egypt's property investment market suffered a further jolt on Wednesday with the arrest of a second housing minister as part of an anti-corruption campaign.
Ibrahim Soliman, housing minister under ousted president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , was responsible for several controversial deals with real estate firms.
The charges against him say he gave a plot of land to SODIC Rooters showed.
SODIC's non-executive chairman Magdi Rasekh is the father-in-law of Mubarak's eldest son Alaa. The charges accuse Soliman of squandering 600 million Egyptian pounds ($101 million) of public funds in the land deal.
An official in the Public Prosecutor's office said Soliman will be jugged for 15 days pending investigation and Rasekh was to be incarcerated for his role in the case.
SODIC said in an e-mailed statement that it was an independent firm and was not a party to any investigations, adding that Rasekh's ownership did not exceed 0.0017 percent of the firm's shares.
The firm denied there was any wrongdoing in the contract in which it received the plot of land, saying the parcel was priced in accordance with its market value at the time.
"The company ... is appealing to all administrative bodies to help it in clarifying the reality of the picture and is relying on documents which confirm its solid legal position," it said.
Property companies already have been reeling under a string of legal challenges contesting their land holdings since a court ruled last year that a deal with Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG), the country's biggest developer, was illegal.
TMG has been in a long-running legal battle for its $3 billion Madinaty project because the land was not auctioned and was sold below market value.
That suit has prompted several copycat cases, including one against Egypt's second biggest listed developer Palm Hills and Egyptian Resorts.
Palm Hill's Chairman and Chief Executive Yasseen Mansour is also facing trial in a case connected to the other housing minister, Ahmed el-Maghrabi, for profiteering and wasting public funds.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Cote d'Ivoire's presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara, the official winner of the strife-torn West African nation's disputed election, has addressed his people from the main city of Abidjan.
Thursday's televised speech comes as his rival and incumbent Laurent Gbagbo ... President-for-Life of Ivory Coast since 2000. Gbagbo lost to Alassane Ouattara in 2010 but his representtive tore up the results on the teevee and Laurent refused to leave despite the international community's hemming, hawing, and broad hints... is believed to be hiding in an underground bunker in the city, surrounded by Ouattara's troops.
Ouattara said a violent standoff caused by Gbagbo's defiance has plunged Abidjan into a humanitarian crisis.
He also said that he had asked for EU sanctions on the main ports and other businesses to be lifted as a first step to bring the country back to normal.
"These immediate priority decisions have an objective, to secure the population, the gradual recovery of economic activities and return to normality," Ouattara said in a speech broadcast on French television channel TCI.
'Conflict will lighten'
"Our country is going through a serious crisis because of the refusal of the incumbent president Gbagbo and his team to recognise the ballot box," he said.
"Faced with this situation, international organisations, such as the African Union have intervened to find a peaceful and diplomatic solution. All of these have failed in order to give a last chance to peace.
"In spite of numerous calls and those of the international community, the outgoing president did not take them into account and continued to commit breaches of the rights of man by committing killings.
"It is in this context that the republican forces of Cote d'Ivoire and new forces have intervened to protect the civilian population and protect the country and establish law and order," Ouattara said.
He said "a block has been established around Gbagbo" and that "the conflict will lighten from tomorrow".
"This priority decision will ensure peace following the post-election crisis. I would like to express compassion to the families of all those injured and wish them a speedy recovery. I would like to assure them there is light at the end."
He assured the families of all those who have died that the "creators of those crimes will be punished".
"All measures will be taken to ensure collaboration with international law and an inquiry will begin to pursue and severely punish the criminals," he said.
"To all those who have been victims of pillaging, I offer my solidarity, and we will ensure that that we will take all necessary measures and will compensate you."
'Restoration of democracy'
"I would finally like to thank the international community, which has supported us in our restoration of democracy," Ouattara said.
He called on the public to "abstain from all acts of violence".
"Ivorians - dear brothers in peace. Ivorians, from the North, the South, the East and the West, Ivorians of all faiths - whether you voted for me or not, I call on your sense of dignity and responsibility.
"I ask all compatriots to abstain from all acts of violence. Knowing that, through love and kindness, we will have the resources necessary to rebuild Cote d'Ivoire in peace and fraternity. It is in this unity that we will rebuild the country, my fellow Ivorians.
"Let us work with all our energy - let us rise and rebuild our country, let us do it through our love of our country, and in the memories of all those who have fallen for the restoration of democracy in Cote d'Ivoire. I have promised you a great country within five years. Together we will achieve it," he said.
Ouattara ended his speech by saying: "Vive la republic, vive la Cote d'Ivoire".
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2011 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] French forces hit military vehicles belonging to troops loyal to Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo ... President-for-Life of Ivory Coast since 2000. Gbagbo lost to Alassane Ouattara in 2010 but his representtive tore up the results on the teevee and Laurent refused to leave despite the international community's hemming, hawing, and broad hints... during a helicopter-borne mission that rescued Japan's ambassador to the West African country yesterday.
The French went in after Gbagbo soldiers broke into the residence, where Ambassador Yoshifumi Okamura and seven of his staff had taken shelter inside a safe room, armed forces front man Thierry Burkhard said.
French forces, who have already joined helicopter raids to destroy Gbagbo's heavy weapons, also struck two pick-up trucks belonging to armed assailants who tried to break into the French ambassador's residence in the former colony.
The strikes came as forces loyal to presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara laid siege to Gbagbo's own residence after an attempt to extract him from his bunker on Wednesday met with fierce resistance.
Fighting continued in the economic capital Abidjan as Ouattara's forces tried to unseat Gbagbo, who has refused to cede power after losing last November's presidential election to Ouattara, according to results certified by the United Nations ...an international organization whose stated aims of facilitating interational security involve making sure that nobody with live ammo is offended unless it's a civilized country... .
Sporadic gunfire could be heard coming from Gbagbo's presidential palace in the Plateau district yesterday, a week after Ouattara's soldiers arrived in the city.
Gbagbo is believed to be holed up in his personal residence, which lies in a cul-de-sac at the heart of the leafy, upscale Cocody embassy district.
The Japanese ambassador said mercenaries had stormed his residence. Burkhard said pro-Gbagbo loyalists had set up rocket launchers on the roof of the building.
"I was blocked in my room and these people had seized my residence," Okamura said.
French troops abseiled down a rope from their helicopter before it landed and Okamura was taken on board.
Burkhard said the French forces, who were shot at, fired back in self-defence, destroying at least one armoured vehicle and two pick-up trucks. No French soldiers were maimed but one of the Japanese officials was hurt.
Meanwhile, ...back at the precinct house, Sergeant Maloney wasn't buying it... Defence Minister Gerard Longuet told the French Senate Gbagbo had around 1,000 men, 200 of whom are in his residence.
They include his feared Republican Guard and youth militias armed with heavy weapons, who pushed back an assault by Ouattara's men on Wednesday after talks led by the United Nations and La Belle France to secure Gbagbo's departure failed.
The former colonial power in Ivory Coast has taken a leading role in talks to persuade Gbagbo to hand over to Ouattara and end the standoff over the contested election in November.
"Gbagbo's fall will happen, inevitably, in, I am not going to say the hours or days ahead, I am cautious," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said yesterday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/08/2011 00:00 ||
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"Rum, sodomy and the lash....." major components of life in the Royal Navy in the 18th and 19th centuries. Which mixture of the three caused this I wonder?
Or was it about finding space for the prayer rug while underway?
Senate Republicans are vowing continued efforts to thwart Environmental Protection Agency climate change rules after their amendment to strip the agency's regulatory power was defeated on the floor Wednesday afternoon. So we'll hafta de-fund and de-fang the female dog.
The Senate turned back Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) amendment to block greenhouse gas regulations in a 50-50 vote; 60 votes were needed for passage.
A trio of Democratic alternatives that would limit or delay the rules without killing them also failed. The GOP-controlled House is expected to pass legislation Thursday that strips EPA's power to regulate greenhouse gases. Exercising, while having some health benefits, increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, thus, it must be limited to healthy people, no more than 30 minutes per day in 2011, declining to 13 minutes per day by 2035, when all the glaciers melt.
Sen. Mark Begich (Dope-Alaska) said the Senate should move on.
Move on to what? "Hopefully to an energy plan that actually resolves this issue once and for all instead of the political games we are playing," Begich said in the Capitol. One man's energy plan is another's politics.
Begich supports crafting energy legislation that preempts EPA's rules while promoting low-carbon technologies and domestic oil-and-gas drilling. So he doesn't like the EPA rules, either? But only because he knows better! But the usual suspects got quoted:
"Today, the Senate stood up for children and families by defeating four amendments that would have interfered with EPA's efforts to protect the health and safety of the American public," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (Dim-Calif.), chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, in a statement prepared by someone a good deal smarter than the Senator.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/08/2011 07:40 ||
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Stupid A-hole ass maggots. Starting with Las Vegas. Time to make people representatives of their "representatives". Now, it is time to put the miter stone around the city and state instead of using names.
Democrat maggots want to get personal, now it is time to get personal.
I have little faith that this world is worth saving. Maybe outlining specific evil Gomorrah may help.
Screw you Las Vegas. May you bankrupt before Detroit (also Leeches).
There is so much double-talk and weasel-speak surrounding 'net-neutrality' that I assume it is more socialist mischief being enabled by the MSM. But anyway...
The House of Representatives approved a resolution to overturn the FCC's Internet rules with a 240 to 179 vote. Only six House Democrats voted in favor of the proposal, which drew support mostly from Republicans. It is unlikely the proposal will pass the Democratic-controlled Senate and earlier this week the White House threatened to veto the measure if it lands on President Barack Obama's desk.
The new rules would prohibit Internet providers from deliberately blocking or slowing legal Internet sites or services. The agency approved the new rules in December over the objections of Republican FCC members, who argued that the agency doesn't have the authority to enforce the new rules.
"There is no crisis warranting government intervention," said Rep. Greg Walden (R, Ore.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Fred Upton of Michigan, agreed, saying that "the Internet is not broken and this bill will assure that the FCC does not break it."
#1
Anyone else find it refreshing that the republican house has done more legislation work in three months than the entire dhimocrat bunch did the previous two years?
#2
Mixed emotions here. I prefer Net-Neutrality.
Hate these mega-corps that try to own everything and no trustbusters breaking them up.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
04/08/2011 18:36 Comments ||
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the FCC under "Butch Patrick" Genachowski has shown no congressional mandate allowing them to do any of this. I suspect the title has absolutely no connection to the underlying powers that could be abused, given the FCC's overreach. It is a creeping control over net gateways/sites. How long before the FCC decides that in the interest of net neutrality, Fred can't moderate comments? Far fetched? so was providing taxpayer bailouts to foreign banks without telling us
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/08/2011 21:26 Comments ||
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The problem with 'Net Neutrality' is that it isn't.
In the city of Milwaukee, officials are reviewing ballots in a warehouse on the city's north side, a process that will last into Friday, city election commission Executive Director Susan Edman said.
Advertisements for the "Trinny & Susannah Do Israel" show have sparked outrage among Muslims, because it shows the two British fashion advisors dressed in immodest clothing with the al-Aqsa Mosque in the background. Channel 10 has apologized for the incident and promised to change the ads immediately.
The Islamic Movement's al-Aqsa institution association slammed Channel 10 for publishing a picture of the two women wearing strapless dresses against the backdrop of the mosque.
The association's statement said that "the publication of such abomination against the backdrop of an image of the al-Aqsa Mosque, in order to promote a television program on fashion and clothes, is a blatant violation and a desecration of Islam's holy mosque. This is an insult to more than one and a half billion Muslims in the world."
They demanded that Channel 10 immediately remove the ads. "This is not the first time Israelis make use of pictures of the al-Aqsa Mosque, which violate the sanctity of Islam, whether with alcohol bottles or in order to promote tourism to occupied Jerusalem. We call for the immediate removal of the newspaper ads."
Channel 10 offered the following response: "The television show has no intention of offending any religion or faith in any way. The publication of the discussed ads will be stopped immediately. We had no intention and have no intention of hurting the feelings of Jews, Muslims, Christians or any other people. We apologize if these ads have offended any religious sentiments."
Anyone who knows how to replace the "rage boy" image with the ad image at the link, please feel free. ;-)
Back in 2007, the middle school Khalil Gibran Intl Academy opened in Brooklyn. It was controversial. Proponents said students would learn arabic, multicultural love and learning. Opponents said students would be gradually turned into terrorists.
Now the school is to close. Students and Parents criticized it and tests showed student progress as an "F". Sixth grade enrollment fell to 35.
NYC intends to try again and rebrand the school as a high school.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
04/08/2011 09:12 ||
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Buffalo: "I never met an Indian I didn't like - with the possible exception of Khalil Gibran."
H/t Instapundit, Ann Althouse
The latest vote count in the state Supreme Court race in Winnebago County indicates incumbent David Prosser is leading Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg in votes.
A tally compiled by The Associated Press Wednesday and used by news organizations statewide, including the Journal Sentinel, indicated Kloppenburg was leading the race by 204 votes. Figures on Winnebago County's website are now different from those collected by the AP.
Winnebago County's numbers say Prosser received 20,701 votes to Kloppenburg's 18,887. The AP has 19,991 for Prosser to Kloppenburg's 18,421.
The new numbers would give Prosser 244 more votes, or a 40-vote lead statewide.
#1
Overcome by events. It seems that Waukesha County did not include the town of Brookfield's votes in its initial count. With the votes, Prosser nets 7381 more than Kloppenburg. The Democratic Party leader signed off on those figures. HT: Hot Air, Glenn, everybody.
For a good laugh, look at Michael Moore's Tweets.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/08/2011 1:50 Comments ||
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Got news for ya, folks...the good news we've gotten since Nov. '10 - taking the House, Chris Christie and Scott Walker standing off with the public-sector unions, and now Justice Prosser hopefully keeping his seat...are combined, nothing more than the modern equivalent of Washington's victory at Trenton. The good guys have proven they can prevail against a splendidly organized, lavishly funded enemy - but do they have the staying power to hang on for a whole bunch of nasty battles ahead? Maybe it's just the bottle of good red wine I had with dinner talking, but it seems to me our Yorktown's a fair distance in the future...
I'm currently working my way through a book recommended by Hugh Hewitt: The Blueprint - How The Democrats Won Colorado (And Why Republicans EVERYWHERE Should Care). Some damned sobering reading about how four rich Colorado leftists orchestrated the Dem takeover of the Colorado statehouse, waged "lawfare" against Republican candidates, and basically destroyed the Colorado Republican Party. The techniques worked out by this "Gang of Four" are being replicated by leftists nationwide, and we underestimate them at our peril.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
04/08/2011 2:47 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Laurent Gbagbo
Advertisements for the "Trinny & Susannah Do Israel" show have sparked outrage among Muslims, because it shows the two British fashion advisors dressed in immodest clothing with the al-Aqsa Mosque in the background. Channel 10 has apologized for the incident and promised to change the ads immediately.
