AUSTRALIAN troops in Afghanistan have been accused of mistreating a number of Taliban detainees.
"Australian commanders in Afghanistan have ordered an investigation into alleged mistreatment of suspected insurgents," a Department of Defence spokesman said. "Australian commanders have immediately committed to investigating the allegations."
ABC radio reports the allegations were made by four members of the Taliban who were taken into custody after Australian soldier Jason Marks was killed during a battle in southern Oruzgan province on April 27.
However, the Defence spokesman would not confirm details of who had made the allegations. He said the Australian Defence Force (ADF) took all claims of this nature "extremely seriously". "The ADF has consistently shown its willingness to support full investigation into allegations of this nature," the spokesman said.
Sounds like an al-Q detainee found a way to mouth off to the press. Straight out of their playbook.
#5
the allegations were made by four members of the Taliban
Sounds like a pretty good tactic for causing an enemy to waste time and effort investigating all these bogus charges. And we play right into their hands, don't we?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/09/2008 11:58 Comments ||
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#6
just kill these bastards on the field of battle --->
Posted by: Dan ||
05/09/2008 16:03 Comments ||
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A Dhaka court yesterday granted Criminal Investigation Department (CID) permission to take Harkatul Jihad (Huji) leader Arif Hasan Sumon on a five-day remand in connection with the CBP rally blast on July 20, 2001.
CID inspector Delwar Hossain on May 6 implicated Suman in the case and prayed before the court for a 10-day remand.
Suman is also an accused in the Ramna Batamul blast on April 14, 2004, in the August 21, 2004, and the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami league rally on Bangabandhu Avenue that killed 24 people and injured over 300 others.
Suman has already confessed his involvement in the Ramna Batamul blast before the court.
CID inspector Delwar Hossain who is also the investigation officer (IO) of the CPB rally blast case, told The Daily Star, We take him into CID custody today or tomorrow for the interrogation.
Earlier, Huji boss Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman, another Huji leader Sharif Shahidul Alam alias Bipul and several others were also shown arrested in connection with the case.
CID had earlier submitted the final report in the case on December 17, 2003, during the BNP-led four party alliance regime, saying that accurate, impartial and reliable evidence had not been found that could prove the charges against the arrestees.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
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A former British hostage held in Iraq today revealed that he helped pay the bail for jailed radical preacher Abu Qatada. Norman Kember, a 77-year-old peace campaigner from Pinner, said he gave the money out of kindness in return for Qatada's help while he was being held by his kidnappers.
Mr Kember was saved by the SAS after four months in captivity at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds. He was criticised after his release over claims which he later denied that he had failed to thank his SAS rescuers.
Extremist cleric Qatada is viewed by the Home Office as a serious danger to the public. Officials are trying to deport him to Jordan but yesterday he won an appeal against his detention and will now be freed on bail under a 22 hour-a-day curfew.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and opposition parties have hit out at the ruling amid concern that the release of Qatada once described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe
will pose a threat to national security.
Today, however, Mr Kember said he felt that Qatada should be freed because the British authorities had failed to prosecute him. He said that if Qatada, who has been in jail awaiting deportation since 2002, had been convicted then he should serve his sentence, but in the absence of a trial it was wrong to continue to detain him.
If you want to keep him in jail you have to have good reasons for doing it otherwise al Qaeda have you if you don't follow your process of justice, he said.
Mr Kember said he had given hundreds, rather than thousands, of pounds and had sent Qatada a copy of his book, Hostage In Iraq. He added that he expected to be criticised. He said that he hoped Qatada's release would encourage a conversation with Muslims and greater understanding of the religion and urged more people to try to speak to the cleric to understand what his position is and why he takes it.
He added: I always think we are in danger of demonising Islam and I think we have to have a more open discussion about these things. The Government obviously doesn't.
Qatada, a Palestinian-Jordanian, was convicted in his absence in Jordan of terrorist offences in the 1990s. Judges last week blocked a government bid to deport him back to Jordan because of the risk that evidence obtained by torture would be used to prosecute him, although the Home Office is mounting an appeal.
Mr Kember and three other men were kidnapped in Baghdad in November 2005 by a group calling itself the Swords of Truth Brigade. One of the hostages, American Tom Fox, was murdered by his captors. After his rescue, the head of the British Army, General Sir Mike Jackson, said he was saddened by Mr Kember's apparent lack of gratitude towards his SAS saviours.
Colonel Bob Stewart, a former British Commander under United Nations command in Bosnia from September 1992 to May 1993 suggested that Mr Kember and people like him were a liability, since he had ignored advice not to go to Baghdad and the security services, the British government and multinational forces had diverted valuable time and resources to rescue a "foolish, albeit well-intentioned, meddling civilian".
On 7 November 2006 Iraqi government troops arrested individuals suspected of involvement in the kidnap and imprisonment of Norman Kember. The same day, Kember released a statement in which he refused to testify against them.
Strathclyde Police Friday welcomed the creation of Scotland's first Muslim Police Association, which is aimed to tackle the rise of Islamophobia. "The formation of the Muslim Police Association is a positive step," said the chief constable of Scotland's biggest police force, Steve House. "These are officers who are positive about seeing the police force as a career and want to use their association to reach out to Muslims," House said.
The formation follows the creation of a Muslim Police Association in England, which has been reported to quite successful, not only within the Muslim community, but also with tackling institutional Islamophobia within their own police forces. The formation of the association in Scotland comes despite their only being around 31 Muslim officers in Strathclyde's 7,000 strong force, which is based around Glasgow, and some 30,000 Muslims living in the region that make up a mere 1.5 per cent of the population.
Police constable Amar Shakoor, Scotland's first Muslim officer, said there had been recent negativity directed towards the Muslim community, which is being treated with suspicion and increased scrutiny. The association wanted "to highlight some of the positive things Islam can provide to the communities and not just the police services," Shakoor was quoted saying by the BBC. He also suggested it would help to recruit more Muslim officers.
Libya on Thursday told Italy it would no longer help protect Italian shores from waves of illegal African migrants because Rome and other European Union states had failed to come up with promised support. The move was announced shortly after Silvio Berlusconi took an oath to serve as prime minister -- his third time leading Italy's government -- and heralded potentially stormy relations between diplomatic and economic allies Rome and Tripoli. Italy is OPEC member Libya's main European trade partner and Italian oil company ENI holds stakes in pipeline, natural gas and oil projects in Libya.
"Libya has been suffering in the struggle of warding off the flow of illegal migrants to Italy by depleting its material resources and spending huge amounts of money to protect Italian coasts from waves of illegal migrants," the Interior Ministry said in a statement. "Libya is no longer responsible for protecting Italian coasts from illegal migrants .... because the Italian side did not make good on its commitment to provide support for Libya."
Libya watchers said the timing of the unprecedented statement from Tripoli was deliberate because Berlusconi ignored Libya's warning against appointing a far-right lawmaker to a cabinet post. A Libyan charity group, chaired by Libyan leader Muammar Gathafi, had warned of "catastrophic repercussions" for ties between the two countries if Roberto Calderoli became a minister. Anti-Islamic actions by Calderoli have triggered rioting in Libya.
A member of the Northern League party within previous Berlusconi's coalition, he angered Muslims in 2006 by wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that prompted riots in Libya. The politician further outraged Italy's Muslim community last year by promoting a "pig day" protest where he threatened to walk a pet pig in an area reserved for a new mosque.
The Gathafi International Foundation -- which made a similar warning on bilateral ties when the riots erupted in 2006 -- is headed by Gathafi's son Saif al-Islam, widely thought to play a major role in Libya's diplomacy with Western states.
Libya's Interior Ministry said it expected an increase in the number of illegal migrants from sub-Saharan countries to cross to Italy via Libya this summer -- usually a peak season for migrants because Mediterranean waters are calm.
#1
I have a feeling that a Singapore-style combination of fines, flogging and significant jail terms for illegal immigrants should do the trick. The problem is that Italians no longer have the stones to do this kind of thing.
#2
It's been pretty clears for quite some time now that african countries are using immigration as a lever to pressure the european countries - not only does their exported population give them leverage in internal european policies (like the french muslim council which is a tool of the moroccans & algerians), but the rising tide of migration allows them to blackmail euro gvts. So, they really get to win on all sides, lybia is pretty good at that, extorting money and ressources to "fight" immigration (which it can certainly do, as demonstrated by the occasional severity of the repression against the black africans migrants, up to and including mass pogroms by the locals, I recall reading about one in the late 90's that did over 300 deaths - generally speaking, north african arab countries plays rather hard with african migrants, a 180° from the european treatment they get here), but they can play the "bad cop" and ask for more, or they won't do anymore what they already don't do... plus kaddaffy can boast to a tumbuctu crowd that thanks to immigration, Europe will soon be muslim.
Morocco does that a lot too, they pressure Spain with letting illegals cross their side of the border around the spanish enclaves and then rush the spanish side... but when they want to act out, they certainly do so, and have no qualms leaving hundred of blacks stranded in the desert, to be cared for by... western NGOs!
Five years after it was set up by Nicolas Sarkozy, France's official Muslim council has hit a wall: hamstrung by infighting, critics accuse it of failing the country's five million Muslims while giving fundamentalists a stronghold in French public life.
President Sarkozy created the French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM) when he was interior minister to bring together the rival currents in French Islam and give an official voice to the country's second largest faith. Charged with hands-on duties -- organising the pilgrimage to Mecca, appointing prison chaplains -- it was also intended to discourage what Sarkozy called the "Islam of basements and garages", sever French Islam from foreign influences and keep tabs on Islamic fundamentalists by including them.
But five years on, its track record is "zero", says Olivier Roy, a French specialist on Islam. "It's just not working," he said. "On the training of imams, nothing, on appointing chaplains, nothing. On contributing to public debates, nothing." "We've failed in our mission," admits Chems-eddine Hafiz, lawyer for the Great Mosque of Paris and a board member of the CFCM. "Our work has been crippled by conflict and rivalries between different camps."
Experts point the finger at interference by France's former colonies in north Africa, the original homeland of the overwhelming majority of French Muslims, that prevents the different communities from working together. "This is a conflict between Morocco and Algeria for the control of France's Muslims," Roy said.
But according to Abdelwahab Meddeb, a Tunisian-born poet and Islamic scholar, the council's troubles also reflect the wider battle gripping the Muslim world, "between traditional Islam, official or state brands of Islam, and Islam as a militant ideology -- i.e. Islamism." He believes the Paris mosque -- though it will not say it outright -- fears losing ground to the radical Union of Islamic Organisations in France (UOIF), the third major force in the CFCM with 10 of the board's 43 seats.
More than 100,000 people are expected this week near Paris for the annual congress of the UOIF, considered part of the global Muslim Brotherhood movement which seeks to introduce elements of Islamic law by political means. "The fact the UOIF is so present in the council gives it a very powerful and dangerous means of applying pressure," Meddeb argues. "It gave them an extraordinary amplifier." Hafiz admits that "of course" the growing influence of radical Islam is a problem for the Paris mosque, which promotes a traditional, republican view of Islam, in sync with secular French values. "But there are some issues on which you need to be diplomatic," he said.
For Meddeb, "the Paris mosque doesn't know where it stands, just like the whole of traditional Islam. They are are petrified, they don't dare confront Islamism." Intelligence reports suggest only a few dozen French mosques are under the influence of hardline radicals, but Meddeb says it is a "fact" that many more mosques are warming to the UOIF's tougher brand of Islam. Meddeb also believes the council is missing a key component: "secular" Muslims who believe in a clear separation between religion and politics and who are thought to make up the vast majority of France's Muslims.
The French interior ministry this week repeated its "attachment to the longevity of the CFCM" and called on "all trends" to take part in next month's election, but several commentators suggested the CFCM was on the verge of collapse. "It wouldn't be a bad thing if it did," Meddeb said. "The whole structure is lop-sided, it was a rush job. I see no other solution but to start all over again."
Posted by: ryuge ||
05/09/2008 06:19 ||
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#1
:: holding up a handful of springs ::
These fell out of my surprise meter a while back and it hasn't worked since...
Salt to taste, but please don't increase blood pressure beyond safe limits. Not my favorite author but he was the WSJ's resident rad back in the day.
By ANDREW COCKBURN
Six weeks ago, President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime that, according to those familiar with its contents, "unprecedented in its scope."
Bushs secret directive covers actions across a huge geographic area from Lebanon to Afghanistan but is also far more sweeping in the type of actions permitted under its guidelines up to and including the assassination of targeted officials. This widened scope clears the way, for example, for full support for the military arm of Mujahedin-e Khalq, the cultish Iranian opposition group, despite its enduring position on the State Department's list of terrorist groups.
Similarly, covert funds can now flow without restriction to Jundullah, or "army of god," the militant Sunni group in Iranian Baluchistan just across the Afghan border -- whose leader was featured not long ago on Dan Rather Reports cutting his brother in law's throat.
Other elements that will benefit from U.S. largesse and advice include Iranian Kurdish nationalists, as well the Ahwazi arabs of south west Iran. Further afield, operations against Iran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon will be stepped up, along with efforts to destabilize the Syrian regime.
All this costs money, which in turn must be authorized by Congress, or at least a by few witting members of the intelligence committees. That has not proved a problem. An initial outlay of $300 million to finance implementation of the finding has been swiftly approved with bipartisan support, apparently regardless of the unpopularity of the current war and the perilous condition of the U.S. economy.
$300 million to dump the Mad Mullahs? Cheap at twice the price!
Until recently, the administration faced a serious obstacle to action against Iran in the form of Centcom commander Admiral William Fallon, who made no secret of his contempt for official determination to take us to war. In a widely publicized incident last January, Iranian patrol boats approached a U.S. ship in what the Pentagon described as a "taunting" manner. According to Centcom staff officers, the American commander on the spot was about to open fire. At that point, the U.S. was close to war. He desisted only when Fallon personally and explicitly ordered him not to shoot. The White House, according to the staff officers, was "absolutely furious" with Fallon for defusing the incident. That I can believe, expecially as Fallon has kept a very low profile since his departure and he didn't seem like he would.
Fallon has since departed. His abrupt resignation in early March followed the publication of his unvarnished views on our policy of confrontation with Iran, something that is unlikely to happen to his replacement, George Bush's favorite general, David Petraeus.
Though Petraeus is not due to take formal command at Centcom until late summer, there are abundant signs that something may happen before then. A Marine amphibious force, originally due to leave San Diego for the Persian Gulf in mid June, has had its sailing date abruptly moved up to May 4. A scheduled meeting in Europe between French diplomats acting as intermediaries for the U.S. and Iranian representatives has been abruptly cancelled in the last two weeks. Petraeus is said to be at work on a master briefing for congress to demonstrate conclusively that the Iranians are the source of our current troubles in Iraq, thanks to their support for the Shia militia currently under attack by U.S. forces in Baghdad.
Interestingly, despite the bellicose complaints, Petraeus has made little effort to seal the Iran-Iraq border, and in any case two thirds of U.S. casualties still come from Sunni insurgents. "The Shia account for less than one third," a recently returned member of the command staff in Baghdad familiar with the relevant intelligence told me, "but if you want a war you have to sell it."
Even without the covert initiatives described above, the huge and growing armada currently on station in the Gulf is an impressive symbol of American power.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Important note: There are two ways they could approach Iran in this way, taking the fight to Tehran and the leaders; or destabilizing the minority regions.
If they are concentrating on the minority lands, then perhaps it is a signal of our intent to partition Iran.
#2
The US government is hardly going to support the MeK. They would be more likely to support unions. The Ayatollahs routinely use Basij Nazis to break strikes. Iranians resent the millions that the clerics have taken in sweetheart contracts with family firms. The current regime has no future.
#3
Iff Radical Islam = Iran is indeed on a drive 2008-2012/13 to procure strategic weapons + strategic retaliatory capabilities, to include ISLAMIST = PERSO-ASIAN EMPIRE/BLOC IN CENTRAL ASIA, THEN TO PRECLUDE NUCLEAR TERROR + NUCLEAR IRAN DUBYA-US WILL HAVE TO EITHER INVADE OR INDUCE REGIME CHANGE REGARDLESS OF GEOPOL CONSEQUENCES, i.e. REGARDLESS OF ANY POTENTIAL = RISK OF "GREAT POWERS" CONFRONTATION OVER US ACTIONS.
*Iran + OSAMA + Islamists know it, as does RUSSIA-CHINA, etc.
AND, lest we fergit, Radical Islamism's + Iran's drive for strategic capablities is PC SEPARATE UNIQUE OR EXCLUSIVE FROM RUSSIA-CHINA'S "WAR NOT ONLY POSSIBLE BUT DESIRED" ANTI-US WAR 2014 - 2018 [NLT 2022].
Again, the MOST DANGEROUS PHASE-PERIOD of this WOT nominally lies ahead of us, NOT behind us.
#8
"Six weeks ago, President Bush signed a secret finding"
... and then immediately telephoned Andrew with the news so he would get the exclusive scoop ahead of everyone else.
"Petraeus has made little effort to seal the Iran-Iraq border"
... so as to enable Iran to kill more of the soldiers in his charge which will act to enrage the American people who will then allow him to fulfill his megalomaniacal dream of a much larger slaughter. .... riiiiiiiiiight
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2008 18:44 Comments ||
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#10
As I understand it, his name is pronounced "coe burn". Or at least that is how people with that name would like it pronounced.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
05/09/2008 21:04 Comments ||
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#11
yeah, and I'd like my last name to be pronounced as "he's extremely hung". My ex-partners beg to differ
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2008 22:44 Comments ||
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#12
IRANIAN.WS > THE FIRST IRANIAN SATRAPS [Provinces]. Articles describes Persian Histry, but which I deemed as indir appropriate given the brouhaha now going on in Beruit, and given that artic should rightly had been titled or denoted as "PERSIAN" SATRAPS, NOT IRANIAN AS IRAN WAS PERSIA IN THE ARTIC'S OWN TIME FRAME OF HISTOIRE'.
Senior Pakistani officials and political pundits have expressed concern over the newly-elected government's decision to request a UN-led inquiry into the death of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Bhutto was killed during a rally in Rawalpindi on December 27 last year, creating a wave of support in the country that helped her party win the most seats in February's parliamentary election.
"It will will open the door to foreign intervention in our domestic affairs that may extend, eventually, to the nuclear programme."
Mushahid Hussain, secretary-general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), a party which firmly supports Pervez Musharraf, the current president, told Al Jazeera: "[The investigation] will have adverse ramifications for Pakistan's national security since it will open the door to foreign intervention in our domestic affairs that may extend, eventually, to sensitive domains like the nuclear programme. It will also send a message that the government of Pakistan has no confidence in its own security institutions, which are under its control. Pakistan's sovereignty and security could both be at stake."
Resistance to the idea of a foreign-led inquiry may be gaining momentum. Last week two senior members of the government resigned. Pakistani media suggested that the resignations were in protest against the idea of a UN investigation.
"Lethal" commission Tariq Fatemi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Jordan and the EU, says a UN commission to investigate Bhutto's killing would be compromising sovereignty and independence and interfering in a "purely domestic" affair.
"The commission could be lethal. The UN will feel it is able to come and investigate issues such as differences within the provinces or non-conventional weapons," Fatemi told Al Jazeera.
This article starring:
Mushahid Hussain
Tariq Fatemi
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I wouldn't worry too much about it, folks. By the time the UN gets it all figured out, nobody will remember who Benazir Bhutto was.
The security situation in NWFP has improved but cannot be called exemplary, Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on Thursday.
Sometimes they say stuff like that and I blow whatever I'm eating or drinking right out my nose. I've taken to eating soft tacos. The hard ones are too painful when reading Pak press releases.
We shall request special co-operation from the central government to ensure security during the by-polls, he said. Asked about the NWFP governments request the Election Commission postpone by-elections, Hussain said it was done at the behest of the federal government.
On establishing peace in Malakand, he said the government was ready for talks with all elements interested in establishing peace. Once we are sure there would be no violence, we shall also call for armys withdrawal from Swat as demanded by the other side, he added.
This article starring:
Mian Iftikhar Hussain
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
QARGUHLIYAH, Iraq One man is known for his eloquence. When Abu Amosh speaks before a group, eyes and ears lock in.
The other is a man of fewer words. Abu Mohanned, gruff and surly, was a former sergeant major in Saddams army.
These two Sons of Iraq leaders one Sunni and one Shiite are the glue in the ethnically mixed Baghdad suburb of Qarguhliyah, according the soldiers who work with them.
Thats my politician and my warrior, said Capt. Troy Thomas, commander of the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiments Troop A. Weve been able to make it safe again. Weve got Sunni and Shia sheiks working together.
At Patrol Base Assassin, just about everyone knows that Amosh, the smooth talking Sunni, and Mohanned, the Shiite who somehow managed to rise in a Sunni dominated Army, are the linchpins to the peace that has emerged in Qarguhliyah.
It wasnt so long ago that kidnappings, carjackings and streetside shootings were the norm. But 14 months after the unit arrived in Madain Qada as part of the so-called surge force, life in Qarguhliyah has been transformed.
This is the model. This is what you want the rest of the country to be like, said 1st Sgt. Myron Kennedy of Task Force 1-35 Armor.
Weve got a great opportunity here to build upon what theyve done, said Kennedy, whose Baumholder, Germany-based unit is replacing the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Divisions cavalry troop.
While the soldiers of the 3rd ID redeploy to Fort Benning, Ga., the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division will step in to take control of Madain, an area southeast of Baghdad with a population of 1.2 million.
Across this region, the initial violence that distinguished the early part of 3rd IDs deployment has been transplanted. While commanders describe the relative peace as fragile and reversible, the focus now is on improving essential services, strengthening the local governments and getting more grass-roots involvement.
Soldiers say the spark has been the rise of the Sons of Iraq, an armed civilian group funded by the U.S. military.
Perhaps one the best illustrations of the Hammer Brigades success is the area controlled by 3-1s Troop A soldiers. When the soldiers first arrived, the streets were filled with garbage. Businesses were failing and villagers were under siege by the extremists who found sanctuary there.
But in a matter of months, progress became apparent, according to the solders.
After building their patrol post a Spartan base constructed on a slab of concrete roughly the size of two football fields the unit went to work. The first thing we did was we shook the place down. We respected the culture, but we set the tone, 1st Lt. Mike Resnick, Troop As executive officer, said.
Aggressive patrols and raids were conducted around the clock. In a matter of weeks there was a distinct change. Thomas said he knew he was having the desired effect when his name popped up on an al-Qaida operative list being circulated in town. Thats how desperate they had become, he said.
After the roundups, Thomas started his search for local leaders. He found Amosh and Mohanned. The two men quickly built up their ranks and established checkpoints and intelligence-gathering operations. Amosh also set up a headquarters building where weekly meetings could be held. That meeting developed into the Local Community Council, the first of its kind in the greater Jisr Diyala area.
The trust the unit has built up in many of the villages they patrol didnt happen overnight, however. They definitely didnt want us here when first got here, Spc. Zachary Winburn.
The partnership with Amosh and Mohanned also took time, Thomas said.
But when fighting erupted in Sadr City in March, the local security force, along with the National Police, proved its willingness to stick together, Thomas said. These guys deserve a lot of credit. They stood their ground, he said. They even went across the river to reinforce another group that had fled.
For all the success, though, there are still flickers of devastating violence. In early April, a bomb exploded along the main route through town, killing two 3rd ID soldiers from another unit that was passing through.
By the end of that night, though, Thomas had obtained pictures of all the suspects, which are now posted at various checkpoints. That would never have happened a year ago, Thomas said. Most of the people here dont see us as the 10-foot bogeyman anymore.
Riyadh, May 8, (VOI) - Saudi authorities initiated efforts to hold talks with the Iraqi officials on jailed Saudi citizens in the Iraqi detention centers. The two sides agreed to choose Jordan as a place of their meeting to tackle this issue.
Communication is still underway between the two sides to set a date for their meeting in Jordan, the London-based al-Hayat International newspaper said in its edition on Thursday. Saudi-Iraqi contacts led to the agreement to hold a meeting between the Saudi human rights body and Iraqi Human Rights Ministry in Jordan, it added.
The Saudi move came after an international human rights organization announced that 2,000 Saudis killed in Iraq and there is unlimited number of Saudi in Iraqs jails, the paper reported. The Saudi human rights body had sent a delegation to Jordan to gather information from Iraqi and humanitarian bodies on the killing of 2,000 Saudi as well as the condition of Saudi detainees in the war-ravaged country. The Saudi body found that some Saudi was jailed because they entered the country illegally and some of them still behind bars despite they spent their time, the paper added.
So we and the Iraqis have whacked two thousand Saoodis. How interesting.
Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwafaq al-Rubaei had said that his government handed six Saudi citizens to the kingdom last March.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq
#1
I thourght Saudis were are allies.LOL!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
05/09/2008 10:22 Comments ||
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#2
Spell much?
The Saudis killed two birds with one stone. They placated the Wahhabis by looking the other way. They also got rid of a lot of men who would otherwise be causing trouble to the House of Saud.
The Iraqi minister of defense pushed the debate with the Iranians over their provision of weapons to Shia militias one more step on Monday. Minister Abdul Qadir Obeidi indirectly confronted the Iranians, without naming them, with new findings that prove their involvement in the arming of Shia militias.
On Monday, state-owned al-Sabah published a statement by the minister in which he spoke of the capture of a certain type of rocket that was never found in militia-held caches until now:
Defense minister Abdul Qadir Mohammed Obeidi revealed that army troops found a 200-mm ground-to-ground rocket manufactured in 2007 during a search operation by the troops north of Basra. Obeidi told al-Sabah in an exclusive interview that, under international laws and norms, this kind of rocket can be traded only with the approval of parliaments and is used only at times of extreme necessity during wars and wondered how this rocket entered the country. Obeidi added that this rocket can be launched only from a special platform and by specialized crews.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
Top|| File under: Mahdi Army
#1
Well, I think its time to send it back to them.
#2
or how about setting up special froces in small groups along the trade routes with snipers and bet the would stop appearing all of a sudden/ and tell the NYT too not tell the whole world
Israel and the Palestinians need to "draw a map and get it done," according to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, using language conveying a degree of impatience a week before President George W. Bush is scheduled to visit the region. The estimable Dr Prof Rice
#2
Whatever they come up with, the Palestinians won't agree unless their borders run from Jordan and Syria along the Jordon River to Egypt, from thence along the Mediterranean back to Jordan.
#3
So they draw up some borders? So what? Are State folks retards, delusional, or working for the Paleos? The Paleos will agree to ..... whatever, and they will attack again and again. This country is being sold out by morons, traitors, and greedy opportunists. It just boggles the mind.
Meanwhile, our troops are doing a tremendous job in getting things done, despite what our politicians do or do not do.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/09/2008 15:02 Comments ||
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in a dramatic statement late Thursday night, said he has never taken a bribe or "a single agora" for himself, but that he would resign if the attorney-general decides to indict him as a result of a new police investigation. Just to fund his election to (well paying) public positions---which is another matter entirely
"I hope and believe that we will not get to this stage," he said. I don't---no offence Udi, but you just can't say no to those who are willing to sacrifice Israel's vital national interests in pursuit of their "Democratic Middle East" fantasies
Olmert's brief statement at his Jerusalem residence came just minutes after a court decision lifted the gag order that had been preventing any publication of the details of the case and the publication of the name of Morris Talansky as a central figure in the investigation.
A police source said the funds in question were "very large," and were allegedly received over an extensive period of time, "both directly and indirectly." Hundreds of thousands of dollars are believed to be involved.
BEIRUT: The continued closure of Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport and all ground outlets leading to Syria will cause heavy losses to the economy, economists and bankers warned on Thursday. "If the airport remains closed for a few more days or weeks then the first casualty will be tourism in Lebanon," economist Elie Yashoui told The Daily Star.
The first casualties are actually in the streets.
Hizbullah and Amal supporters blocked all roads leading to the airport on Wednesday to pressure the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to abandon early decisions to remove the security chief of the airport and seize all the so-called "illegal telephone lines" that are used for Hezbollah's military purposes.
Responding to the closure of the airport roads, supporters of the Future Movement blocked the roads leading to Al-Masnaa highway, cutting trade links with Syria.
Yashoui said that Lebanon could lose $1 billion in revenues if the airport remained closed for few weeks. "The airport is a vital route as millions of tourists and businessmen travel each year to and from it," Yashoui said.
Lebanon depends heavily on tourism and exports to boost the balance of payments and inject badly needed cash into the country. The country also exports most of its agricultural and industrial goods though Syria and this means that producers will have to find other, more expensive routes to ship their products.
Alan Wanna, the head of finance at Byblos Bank, said there was not yet panic in the market, adding that demand for the US dollar was very limited. "So far Lebanese depositors are not converting their pounds to dollars," Wanna said.
But the banker warned that this could change if politicians escalated the crisis. "If the leaders refuse to start a dialogue and insist on escalating the situation the pressure on the local currency will increase," Wanna said.
Bank Audi said in its last report that the dollar was again on offer in higher volumes during this three-day week, compared to the previous four-day week. The Central Bank continued to intervene as a buyer of the greenback surpluses at LL1,512.5 on Tuesday and Wednesday, yet it lowered its intervention rate to LL1,512 on Friday, for the first time since the summer 2006 war with Israel. Within this context, the Central Bank continued to increase its foreign assets to reach $13.94 billion at end-April 2008, growing by $395 million during the second half of April.
Saad Andary, the deputy general manager of Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries, said that the tense situation has apparently kept many bank customers at home. "We did not see many people buying dollars. As a matter of fact the Central Bank offered large dollar quantities in the market but many depositors preferred to hang on their local currencies," Andary said.
Another banker noted that Lebanon had endure a far more difficult experience during the 2006 war. "The Lebanese are accustomed to the political rhetoric and two days of clashes will not induce to transfer their money outside the country," the banker argued. He added that Lebanese expatriates had not stop sending remittances to Lebanon at the peak of the war and predicted that this was not going to change now.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I suspect the airport was closed to prevent foreign military forces from providing the Lebanese government with military aid.
#2
Yep, and you can bet that there are Hezzie ambush patrols along all the major roads to Beirut. One question though : who controls the neighborhood around the seaport? Because if Hez does not, all kinds of aid can be given to the Lebanese National Army and associated police forces; just have to ship it in on ships with anti-missile defenses.
#3
I heard on BBC that Hezzy uses their private network to stream video. The road from the airport is one of those streams. Although they already have burning tire barricades to slow things down, any airborne resupply would be detected and attacked.
MOSCOW - Russia has signed into law United Nations economic sanctions that world powers agreed to in March, according to a presidential decree published by the Kremlin on Thursday.
The United Nations Security Council imposed a third round of sanctions on Iran on March 3 for refusing to suspend sensitive nuclear activities. The Russian decree, signed by Vladimir Putin before he left office, calls for restrictions on travel and financial transactions with certain Iranian individuals and companies.
Russia has been building Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr on the Gulf coast, in southwest Iran. Iranian officials say it may start up later this year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
restrictions on travel and financial transactions with certain Iranian individuals and companies
Beirut - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah claimed a war was declared on Hezbollah, and vowed to continue holding Lebanon under siege until the government overturns decisions impacting the militia. "A war was declared against us. When the declaration ends, the disobedience ends," declared Nasrallah in a press conference on Thursday. "The decisions (of the government) are tantamount to a declaration of war and the start of a war... on behalf of the United States and Israel."
He directly said that he would go to war with the Lebanese people if he felt Hezbollah's was being forced to disarm. "Yes, we hit the streets, protested, cut off roads and blocked the airport. This is civil disobedience as it occurs in any country." In Hassan Nasrallah's fantasy world, most countries allow outlaws to take the streets with machine guns and RPG's?
Walid Jumblatt had clearly upset the Hezbollah chief, as most of his speech was leveled at the majority leader. Nasrallah threatened to "cut off" Jumblatt's hand if he dared to touch Hezbollah's weapons. "Whoever is going to target us will be targeted by us. Whoever is going to shoot at us will be shot by us."
He repeatedly referred to the ruling coalition as "Jumblatt's government", launching a series of personal attacks on the Druze leader, calling him a liar and a killer.
Nasrallah added that the government plans to turn the airport into a military base for the CIA and Mossad.
In his usually eloquent fashion, Nasrallah managed to link the firing of the Hezbollah aligned airport chief as an attack on a Shiite Muslim, adding that the government plans to turn the airport into a military base for the CIA and Mossad. "Walid Jumblatt's dream is Sunni-Shia strife. We will not fulfill his dream."
"If we wanted to stage a coup, you would have woken up this morning in prison, or in the middle of the sea," a visibly arrogant Nasrallah said, responding to allegations that Wednesday's chaos was a staged coup d'etat.
Nasrallah went to great lengths to justify the illegal communications network Hezbollah has in place, saying it is used in "defending the country against Israel."
Nasrallah alleges that the government offered to overlook the network if Hezbollah would shut down it's occupation of downtown Beirut. He continued to attack the government, calling them a "gang" for attempting to "blackmail" Hezbollah, claiming the resistance and opposition are two separate entities, a hypocritical statement given the fact that he launched his campaign of chaos on Wednesday hiding behind the umbrella of the opposition.
Regarding a forthcoming war with Israel, Nasrallah claimed, "no, it is not certain that we are headed for a July 2008," however he continued to add, "I have stationed five militant groups on the border, and they are still there for protection." He accused the government of taking actions to "protects the unparalleled monstrous state of Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Nasrallah vows to kill anyone in Lebanon who touches his weapons pizza.
Lebanon's long-simmering political crisis erupted into violent clashes between supporters of Hezbollah-led opposition and those of the government Wednesday, with explosions and gunfire ringing out across the capital after Hezbollah paralyzed much of the city with roadblocks of burning tires. The clashes threatened to degenerate into an all-out sectarian conflict, with Hezbollah seizing offices of a major Sunni group and the Sunnis' spiritual leader denouncing the militant faction and appealing to the Islamic world to intervene. "Sunni Muslims in Lebanon have had enough," Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani said in a televised address from his office, demanding an "end to these violations."
In unusually harsh words, he described Hezbollah as "armed gangs of outlaws that have carried out the ugliest attacks against the citizens and their safety," and called on Hezbollah leaders to withdraw their supporters from Sunni neighborhoods in Beirut.
Kabbani implicitly criticized Iran, saying "it is regrettable and sad that an Islamic state is funding such infringements that hurt the unity of Lebanese Muslims."
He warned Hezbollah against attacking the Lebanese civilians and hegemony over the Lebanese state and governmental institutions
What started Wednesday as a labor union strike supported by Hezbollah to protest the government's economic policies and demand pay raises quickly escalated into outright conflict at a time of rising political tension between the militant group and the government in their 17-month-long standoff.
Shiite opposition supporters remained on the streets after sunset, and many of the blocked roads remained closed, indicating the protest will likely continue at least until Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks at a planned news conference on Thursday.
Hezbollah supporters seized two local offices of Sunni parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri's group, security officials said. Lebanese troops had to intervene to evacuate the occupants, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Earlier in the day, an Associated Press photographer saw gunmen from Hezbollah and the allied Shiite Amal group controlled by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shooting toward one of the buildings housing Hariri's Future Movement office. Police also were seen firing toward a building.
This article starring:
Mohammed Rashid Kabbani
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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MP Nabil de Freij accused Speaker Nabih Berri of being a "dictator," saying Parliament's economic committee had been summoned for a meeting during his absence. De Freij, in an interview with Naharnet, said Berri is "the person most (responsible for) blocking presidential elections in Lebanon." "When I was away, Berri summoned the economic committee which I head through (MP) Ali Bazzi," de Freij said. "And when I asked Bazzi why Berri called for the meeting, he replied by saying: 'I did not call for the meeting.'"
"They do things that they are ashamed of. Then they lie to cover up their deeds," he said.
De Freij said Berri's call for the committee meeting was aimed at directing media attention to "show embassies that he is carrying out his duties in Parliament."
"Nabih Berri is a dictator. He believes he can cheat the world by using this method, when this is all a lie," he went on to say. "Ali Bazzi was the one who signed the paper calling for the committee meetings. This is what I've been told," de Freij said. "Yet, he (Bazzi) denied the matter when I spoke to him."
De Freij accused Berri of closing Parliament doors as "part of the scheme aimed at hitting all institutions in Lebanon." He said a May 13 parliament session set to elect a president is unlikely to take place because there is no "green light" from Damascus to Lebanon elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN envoy for the implementation of UNSCR1559, held a press conference on Thursday urging the Lebanese to avoid confrontation with an armed and dangerous Hezbollah militia.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged opposition groups in Lebanon to end blockades of roads and the airport, Larsen said. "We remain gravely concerned about the potential for further escalation of the situation," he told the U.N. Security Council at a briefing on the situation in Lebanon.
"The secretary-general urges all parties to cease immediately these riots and to reopen all roads in the country," he said, adding that Ban was concerned about the continued failure to elect a president in Lebanon.
Wonder if the March 14th faction decided to use this and the 'communications setup' at the Beirut airport to make their move?
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#5
ION STRATEGYPAGE > ISRAEL: ARABS FED UP WITH PALESTINIANS; + COUNTERTERRORISM: THE SHIA REBELLION IN YEMEN.
ALso, TOPIX > ANALYSIS: THE SPREAD OF ISLAMIST RADICALISM IN CENTRAL AFRICA, "War for Oil", etc. in Africa belies Africa-specific transnational desire for improvement and reform. READ - US-WEST, DEMOCRACY, + JUDEOCHRISTIANITY ARE DROPPING THE BALL AND RISK LOSING THE WAR IN LT FOR HEARTS AND MINDS IN AFRICA VV ISLAM/ISLAMISM???
*ISLAMIST "ACTIVE DEFENSE" IN MIDEAST + AFRICA, while REAL FOCII IS CENTRAL ASIA???
You don't have to like OSAMA, ZAWI, or even WHITNEY HUSTON, BUT YOU BETTER RESPECT 'EM.
AGAIN, THE MOST DANGEROUS PHASE/PERIOD OF THE WOT LIES AHEAD OF US, NOT BEHIND US.
"Between overthrowing the government and overthrowing the resistance, down with the government."
Staunch ally of Syria Suleiman Franjieh vowed escalation, saying demonstrations across Lebanon will continue as long as the government is determined to stick to its decisions it had adopted against Hezbollah. "Between overthrowing the government and overthrowing the resistance, down with the government," he said. "If no compromise is reached, we will be facing a long internal war," Franjieh warned. He said the government decision to uncover the Hizbullah telecommunications network was aimed at "killing Hassan Nasrallah."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > THE FIRST IRANIAN SATRAPS [SHHHH, NOT "Persian"] + LEBANON'S GOVT ACCUSES HEZBOLLAH OF MOUNTING A COUP AGZ LEBANON + HEZBOLLAH WANTS ASSAD/SYRIA BACK IN LEBANON + BEZBOLLAH IN CONTROL OF WEST BERUIT IN IRAN'S PROXY WAR WITH THE USA.
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh responded to Hassan Nasrallah's rage filled press conference, accusing the Hezbollah chief of turning its weapons on the Lebanese people.
Nasrallah claims a war was declared on Hezbollah, and vowed to continue holding Lebanon under siege until the government overturns decisions impacting the militia.
Hamadeh, a prominent cabinet member and close ally of Walid Jumblatt, said Nasrallah's threats were better pointed at Israel than the Lebanese government. "We will not give up the government's decision to recover the rights of the states," he added.
Hamadeh expressed his refusal of the establishment of wilayat al-faqih (the Guardianship of the Jurist) by Syria and Iran on Lebanese lands and said Nasrallah would be held responsible for any harm done to the pro-government March 14 alliance. "Nasrallah turned his arms and political hatred on the government and the majority," he said. "Hezbollah has unfortunately been transformed from a resistance to a militia in the alleys of Beirut."
Nasrallah Inspires More Violence
Immediately following Nasrallah's hate mongering, Hezbollah supporters clashed with government supporters loyal to Hariri in West Beirut, including Msaitbeh, Mazraa, Ras Nabaa, Beshara Khoury.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Code Pink is now resorting to witchcraft to beef up the number of its supporters protesting Berkeley's controversial Marine Corps Recruiting Center. The women's anti-war group has told ralliers to come equipped with spells and pointy hats Friday for "Witches, clowns and sirens day," the last of the group's weeklong homage to Mother's Day.
"Women are coming to cast spells and do rituals and to impart wisdom to figure out how we're going to end war," Zanne Sam Joi of Bay Area Code Pink told FOXNews.com. The group's week of themed protests, which included days to galvanize grannies and bring-your-daughter-to-protest, appears to have done little to boost its flagging numbers. A FOX News camera, which has a 24/7 live shot of the recruiting center's front door, recorded little action, and the gatherings have, until this point, been ill attended.
In February, the Marine Corps Recruiting Center was the site of fierce pro- and anti-war protests. It made national headlines when Berkeley's city council voted to send a letter to the recruiting station advising the Marines they were not welcome. Council members later moderated their position, saying they oppose the war in Iraq but support the troops.
Code Pink which was given parking and noise permits by the city council and is allowed to protest during the recruiting center's business hours has been protesting daily since September. The group frequently announces bizarre theme weeks in front of the office, but their numbers have been dwindling and the events get little media attention.
Now, after three months of continual protest, their actions barely capture the attention of even the Marines at the recruiting center. Capt. John Paul Wheatcroft said he's unfazed by Code Pink's antics. "They're always in pink and wear funny things, half-shaved heads, one side with hair and the other one bald, yeah, I'm pretty much used to anything," he told FOXNews.com.
Code Pink said that grandmothers did show up for Monday's protest some over 90 years old, some in wheelchairs and began knocking on the door of the recruiting center. "The grandmothers were here and tried to get recruited," Joi said. "They tried to have conversations with the Marines, but the Marines were too scared to talk."
Wheatcroft, who was the Marine on the other side of the door, said that he was not afraid of the grannies. He just didn't open the door. "Most of the time they are just practicing their right to protest and their freedom of speech or whatever, so it's not usually a problem for us. But sometimes it crosses the line, and that happened [Monday] when the grannies were here blocking the entrance and banging on the door," Wheatcroft told FOXNews.com.
On Tuesday, Code Pink's theme was "Fierce mothers raging against war," Joi said, to talk about all the mothers killed and raped in war. Wednesday's theme was "Bring your daughter to the protest," where daughters explained why they don't want their parents fighting the war. Thursday is "Sisters don't allow sisters to live in war zones" day, and the week wraps up Friday with "Witches, clowns and sirens day."
Code Pink isn't the only group rallying around the Marine recruiting center that has seen its numbers drop. Kimberly Wagner, Berkeley College Republicans activism chair, who is dating a Marine, said her group has been trying to keep up a presence outside the center since Feb. 13, when Code Pink's parking permit went into effect. The college Republicans are fighting to acquire the same parking permits that Code Pink has. A resolution to grant the group an equal permit will be entered and voted upon in the May 20 city council meeting.
Wagner said showing up to rally is especially hard now due to final exams, which begin on Monday, but she said she will be there this week and every week "as a reminder to Code Pink that not everybody agrees with them." When asked if she was planning any special events to counter Code Pink's theme week, Wagner said: "We try not to do anything embarrassing." She added, "We're just going to stick with our regular thing because we have lives and they don't."
But if events this week are an attempt by anti-war protesters to remarket their cause, the Marine recruiters in Berkeley tell FOXNews.com that Code Pink's presence outside their office has helped not hindered their mission. "Ironically, it's actually helped us by putting our name out. We're now well known. And people know who we are, and where we are, and they come in to talk to us about enlisting. They've gotten us the publicity that we could've never afforded to pay for ourselves Just in the last three weeks, 10 people came in looking to apply, looking to become Marine officers, and that's much higher than normal," Wheatcroft said.
Wheatcroft could not give exact figures on recruiting numbers, and officials at the Marine Corps' national headquarters did not respond to repeated requests for information. As for what's brewing outside his recruiting center this week, Wheatcroft responded, "I think witches won't shock me, but it'll be a change of pace, so that's nice.
#1
Memo to Code Pink: There is a teacher in Florida that practices Wizardry, and he is currently available if you want to ante up the plane fare. He can do amazing things with a toothpick.
#8
Code Pink is just so stupefyingly idiotic that it's beyond parody. What's even more stupefyingly idiotic is that what it does is seen by some, like the Berkeley city council, as serious protest.
#13
This is why I love freedom of speech. Folks like this eventually so discredit themselves that they become an embarrassment to the left and a laughing stock to the right (ex: Cindy Sheehan).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/09/2008 13:36 Comments ||
Top||
#16
Call is 10 protesters, a couple are dressed in "witchy" attire, one is in a wheel chair. The Wheelchair granny made a run at the door and the police discouraged her pretty quick. There are maybe four counter protester on the sidewalk. Several media types. Wish we could have a Zoom in capability. A little audio as well.
#17
I have a friend with a shoebox containing a frog that puts on a song and dance act. Would it be OK if he came?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/09/2008 14:54 Comments ||
Top||
#18
I guess I'll have to dig out the old bat's wings, powdered dragon's tongue, and other assorted goodies, and put a curse on Code Pink (two [or more] can play this game, and I have a rather distinguished track record).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/09/2008 15:00 Comments ||
Top||
#19
I wonder what REAL witches think of this nonsense.
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.
AUSTRALIAN troops in Afghanistan have been accused of mistreating a number of Taliban detainees.
Strathclyde Police Friday welcomed the creation of Scotland's first Muslim Police Association, which is aimed to tackle the rise of Islamophobia. "The formation of the Muslim Police Association is a positive step," said the chief constable of Scotland's biggest police force, Steve House. "These are officers who are positive about seeing the police force as a career and want to use their association to reach out to Muslims," House said. 
Libya on Thursday told Italy it would no longer help protect Italian shores from waves of illegal African migrants because Rome and other European Union states had failed to come up with promised support. The move was announced shortly after Silvio Berlusconi took an oath to serve as prime minister -- his third time leading Italy's government -- and heralded potentially stormy relations between diplomatic and economic allies Rome and Tripoli. Italy is OPEC member Libya's main European trade partner and Italian oil company ENI holds stakes in pipeline, natural gas and oil projects in Libya.
Five years after it was set up by Nicolas Sarkozy, France's official Muslim council has hit a wall: hamstrung by infighting, critics accuse it of failing the country's five million Muslims while giving fundamentalists a stronghold in French public life.
BEIRUT: The continued closure of Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport and all ground outlets leading to Syria will cause heavy losses to the economy, economists and bankers warned on Thursday. "If the airport remains closed for a few more days or weeks then the first casualty will be tourism in Lebanon," economist Elie Yashoui told The Daily Star.
MOSCOW - Russia has signed into law United Nations economic sanctions that world powers agreed to in March, according to a presidential decree published by the Kremlin on Thursday.
Beirut - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah claimed a war was declared on Hezbollah, and vowed to continue holding Lebanon under siege until the government overturns decisions impacting the militia. "A war was declared against us. When the declaration ends, the disobedience ends," declared Nasrallah in a press conference on Thursday. "The decisions (of the government) are tantamount to a declaration of war and the start of a war... on behalf of the United States and Israel."
Code Pink is now resorting to witchcraft to beef up the number of its supporters protesting Berkeley's controversial Marine Corps Recruiting Center. The women's anti-war group has told ralliers to come equipped with spells and pointy hats Friday for "Witches, clowns and sirens day," the last of the group's weeklong homage to Mother's Day.
