As police and protesters continued to clash outside the Republican National Convention, county prosecutors charged eight people on Wednesday with conspiring to cause a riot as part of a terrorist act.
Boy howdy, that twitched the surprise meter ...
The eight were arrested in connection with raids of private homes in the Twin Cities conducted before the convention began by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department.
The charges are highly unusual because of the addition of terrorism to the crimes. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said she could recall no such cases in her 24 years with the prosecutor's office. "This was the most serious charge that we found that was supported by the evidence," she said. "The terrorism aspect is appropriate. This is not your average criminal charge, but this was not your average crime."
If convicted, each of the eight could face up to five years in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both.
Bruce Nestor of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, which is representing several of people, called the charges ridiculous. The accusations are "an effort to equate publicly stated plans to blockade traffic and disrupt the RNC as being the same as acts of terrorism," Nestor said in a statement.
"No, no, certainly not!"
Seven of the eight are being held at Ramsey County Jail on $75,000 bond: Max Jacob Specktor, 19; Erik Charles Oseland, 21; Eryn Chase Trimmer, 23; Luce Guillen-Givins, 24; Nathanael David Secor, 26; and Robert Joseph Czernik, 32; all of Minneapolis; and Garrett Scott Fitzgerald, 25, of Kasota, Minn.
Just a bunch of young punks. Welcome to the real world ...
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/04/2008 11:11 Comments ||
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#2
These no doubt were the anarchist Republican Welcoming Committee people who were caught with bombs, weapons chemicals and kidnapping lists. They haven't got a chance, and it's a pity we'll probably never hear about the twenty or so who were not caught that day... nor the others listed on computer hard drives and cell phones. Mr. Nestor has been a lawyer in private practice for twelve years according to Fred's Linkedin thingy -- the computer files, etc should be quite interesting.
#3
These protesters need to learn that the First Amendment does NOT protect speech that includes things like bombs, kidnapping, assault, and other crimes.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
09/04/2008 13:06 Comments ||
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#4
These protesters need to learn ... a whiff of grape!
#6
If they were plotting violence and kidnapping, then they deserve to be shot for sedition and treason.
End of story. Free speech does not allow for illegal activity. Big puppets and bullhorns, great. Disrupting rallies, tasteless but not criminal. Plotting violence, illegal.
Somali fighters have vowed to intensify their attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as residents of Mogadishu, the capital, took shelter from mortar fire.
Nothing sez Ramadan like the sound of mortars ...
Witnesses said at least four people were killed in fighting on Wednesday, as fighters and the Ethiopain forces backing the Somali government exchanged mortar and heavy machine-gun fire.
Abdirahin Issa Adow, a spokesman for the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) fighters, said the rebels had "decided to redouble attacks against the Ethiopians and their stooges during the holy month of Ramadan", which began on Monday. He said the Ramadan attacks do not violate the Quran because his fighters are battling "enemies of Allah".
"It's in the rule book! You could look it up!"
The battles started in the early morning and continued unabated for several hours.
Mohmoud Dhere, a military spokesman, declined to comment on Wednesday's casualties, but criticised the insurgents for "destabilising the country".
Residents flee
It appeared to be the most sustained fighting in Mogadishu since August 21, when four hours of fighting outside the presidential palace killed 12 people. Some residents fled their homes to other parts of the capital, carrying their belongings.
As fighting continued in the capital, pirates seized a French sailing yacht off Somalia's northern coast. The French foreign ministry said two French nationals were aboard the yacht that was seized in the Gulf of Aden, where hijackings of vessels have increased in recent months.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
...but criticised the insurgents for "destabilising the country".
(AKI) - An Al-Qaeda cell dismantled by Moroccan police last week had been planning a terrorist attack against United Nations' peacekeeping forces in the Western Sahara, an Arab newspaper has claimed.
According to Rabat security sources cited in the Arab daily, al-Sharq al-Awsat, members of the Fath al-Andalus cell were planning to attack soldiers from the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara based in al-Ayoun.
According to investigations, the five members of the cell had been in contact via the Internet with Arab Afghanis that had also operated in Iraq, Algeria and Lebanon and were ready to teach them long distance bombing techniques.
Security forces intercepted communication between members of Fatah al-Andalus and representatives of Al-Qaeda as they were discussing preparations for the attacks in a country defined as "very dangerous."
Three of the five members of the group were found in possession of chemicals and bomb making equipment, according to reports.
The UN mission, known as MINURSO, was deployed in September 1991 to monitor a ceasefire in the Western Sahara, a region which has been in dispute since the withdrawal of Spain in 1976.
The Fath al-Andalus translates as "Combat fo Islamic Spain" is believed to refer to the Muslim kingdoms that ruled the Iberian Peninsula in southern Spain in medieval times.
The organisation is believed to base their activities on the model established by the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has carried out many terror attacks in Algeria and Mauritania.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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Cpl Tomos Stringer, from Gwynedd, north-west Wales, was turned away from the Metro Hotel in Woking, Surrey. He had travelled to the area to help with preparations for the funeral of a friend killed in action and needed to stay over night.
After showing his army pass when asked for identification by the hotel's receptionist, Cpl Stringer was told "we don't accept military personnel here" and that this was "company policy", according to his mother Gaynor. He spent the night in his car after failing to find any other available accomodation late on a Sunday evening, she said.
It is the mark of a man like Cpl. Stringer that he didn't tear the place apart.
Cpl Stringer, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, the Royal Logistic Corps, has returned to duty in Afghanistan. Mrs Stringer said he remains angry at the incident, which the Ministry of Defence has called "deplorable".
"It's a disgrace. He is in Afghanistan for the third time and has been in Iraq twice and this is the way he is treated," Mrs Stringer said. "I can't believe this has happened to one of our soldiers in his own country. He just didn't know how to react,"
"These lads are on the front line, putting their life on the line every day. And in their own country they are treated like this - I think it's outrageous.
"Lads here are frightened of wearing their uniform when they come home - you hear that they are spat at. We've been to America and their military get treated like heroes. I think it's terrible they can't even wear their uniform with pride."
Mrs Stringer said her son had travelled back to Britain from Afghanistan to have a wrist re-set. He broke it after falling from his truck when it came under fire. "All he has ever wanted to do is be in the Army. He was in the cadets and then signed up when he was 16. He told me he would die for his Queen and country and he just wants to make a difference," said Mrs Stringer.
Derek Twigg, a Defence Minister, said: "This case is especially egregious given that the individual concerned was on injury leave from Afghanistan and visiting an injured colleague.
"The Government and, it is fair to say, the vast majority of people in this country, hold the professionalism, courage and contribution made by all those who serve, and have served in the armed forces in very high regard.
"I am delighted that the armed forces generally enjoy immense respect and gratitude on the part of the nation and that contrary sentiments are rare, though evidently they exist."
A spokesman at the Metro Hotel said it was not currently commenting on the incident.
#2
Tommy
by Kipling
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!
#4
After a resolute silence, the hotel, owned by a company called American Amusements, issued a statement.
The Metro Hotel, Woking, sincerely regrets any upset caused towards Corporal Stringer and his family. The hotel management has always had an open-door policy to all its visitors and guests, including members of the military and Armed Forces.
The statement said that the receptionist on duty at the time had made a mistake.
Perhaps the receptionist was a member of No Particular Religion?
#5
The "receptionist on duty at the time" got the idea from somewhere.
Anyway, the only thing I want to hear is "receptionist on duty at the time has been FIRED."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/04/2008 13:46 Comments ||
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#6
I'd love to see that Defense Minister wear an enlisted mans uniform for a week in normal environs for the typical soldier. Might be an eye opener for him.
South Korea said Wednesday that North Korea had begun restoring its nuclear facilities. But the U.S. played it down, saying the country apparently only moved some equipment out of storage.
The North said last week it had stopped dismantling its nuclear reactor on Aug. 14 because Washington had not held up its end of their disarmament deal -- a promise to remove North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. At the same time, the North threatened to restore the nuclear facility.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said in a new report that North Korea had already removed "essential" equipment from its nuclear facilities by the time it decided to stop disabling them last month, suggesting it would take some time to restore its main reactor to an operational state.
South Korean and U.S. officials have said that it would take at least a year for the North to restart the facilities after they are completely disabled.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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The troop surge in Iraq has been more successful than anyone could have imagined, Barack Obama conceded Thursday in his first-ever interview on FOX News' "The O'Reilly Factor."
As recently as July, the Democratic presidential candidate declined to rate the surge a success, but said it had helped reduce violence in the country. On Thursday, Obama acknowledged the 2007 increase in U.S. troops has benefited the Iraqi people.
"I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated," Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. "I've already said it's succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."
However, he added, the country has not had enough "political reconciliation" and Iraqis still have not taken responsibility for their country.
Neither has Congress ...
Speaking on other national security matters, Obama said he would not take military action off the table in dealing with Iran, but diplomacy and sanctions can't be overlooked. The Islamic republic is a "major threat" and it would be "unacceptable" for the rogue nation to develop a nuclear weapon, he said.
"It is unacceptable for Iran to possess a nuclear weapon, it would be a game changer," Obama said. "It's sufficient to say I would not take military action off the table and that I will never hesitate to use our military force in order to protect the homeland and the United States' interests."
But Obama also warned against the current U.S. administration lumping radical Islamic groups together. "They have fueled a whole host of terrorist organizations," Obama said of Iran, but "we have to have the ability to distinguish between groups. ... They may not all be part and parcel of the same ideology."
Obama sat down with O'Reilly in York, Pa., after holding a discussion on the economy with voters nearby. The Illinois senator has been campaigning in battleground states since accepting the Democratic presidential nomination last Thursday at his party's convention in Denver.
Obama said he "absolutely" believes the United States is fighting a War on Terror, with the enemy being, "Al Qaeda, the Taliban, a whole host of networks that are bent on attacking America, who have a distorted ideology, who have perverted the faith of Islam."
He repeated his campaign's foreign policy position that Afghanistan must become the "central front" in the War on Terror.
Obama was first asked to come on "The O'Reilly Factor" in early 2007. The interview will air in three more parts after Thursday, from Monday through Wednesday next week.
I don't think Sen. Obama understands about the documents that underlie faith. He claimes to be Christian, but as far as I can tell has no clue what Christianity is about. And now this comment showing that he has NO clue on what the core tennants of Islam are.
Someone this out of touch would not be good for the country.
#7
The first part of the interview could have been better. I understand Obama not wanting to put details on the table regarding Iran but what about North Korea? Russia? China? I hope they are not done talking about Foreign policy.
Investigation into the terrorist incidents across the country has established the involvement of a spy agency of a neighbouring country in most of the bloody incidents, official sources told The News.
"There are proofs that many of the terrorist gangs operating in the Frontier, the Fata and other parts of the country are being funded and provided explosives and weapons by the spy agency of a neighbouring country," a senior investigator said while requesting anonymity.
The official added that secret agents and some individuals of another neighbouring country were facilitating contacts between agents of the aforesaid spy agency and members of the criminal rings that were bombing and rocketing places all over the country.
"The make of the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used in different blasts is a clear indication that these bombs were made by properly skilled military people and not untrained locals, working for different rings," the official disclosed.
The official said the spy agency transported explosives and money to the criminals through another neighbouring country. "The DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) circuits, the RDX (explosive) material and plastic explosives that are being used in roadside IEDs are purely of the latest technology that is coming from abroad. The detonators and the latest model remote control system are also being provided from a foreign country," the official disclosed.
Sources said criminals, as members of their rings, operating in Peshawar and Charsadda were being paid monthly salary and huge share in booty. Money for this purpose, these sources continued, is being provided by the spy agency of the neighbouring country.
"Police had got incontrovertible evidence that apart from bomb blasts in different districts and tribal agencies of the country, the aforesaid spy agency was involved in the killing of three Chinese technicians in suburban Daudzai village of Peshawar last year. The purpose was to affect the ideal Sino-Pak relationship," the official claimed.
In that case, people in Afghanistan, the source disclosed, gave the accused persons a huge amount in dollars. The source added that another such connection was found about three persons who were killed in a blast in Yakatoot area while handling their own IED. "One of the deceased was an Afghan, having connections with a foreign spy agency," the source revealed.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
RUSSIA > MOSCOW SAYS US SEKS CONTROL OF FORMER SSRS [ + Central Asia].
The crème de la crème of Indian business houses have expressed an interest in investing in Pakistan over the last few years but no one has had any luck. Unbeknownst to the public, Indias most famous tycoon Ratan Tata flew into Isloo on his private jet, accompanied by five of his top directors. This was in early 2007. Tata met Shortcut and he and his team had a long and interesting discussion about investment opportunities in Pakistan. Tata said he wanted to start with an investment of US $ 2 billion to begin with. Shortcut told Tata that he was welcome to do so but that there had to be a political breakthrough before it could be business as usual. Then the fabled Mukesh Ambani, son of Dirubhai of the House of Reliance, expressed an interest in buying the largest PTA plant in Pakistan, one located in the Punjab. No deal. For Anand Mahindra, of Mahindra & Mahindra, Indias largest automobile manufacturers, it was a matter of overwhelming nostalgia. Born in Rawalpindi before the Partition, Mahindra wanted to set up a SUV manufacturing plant in the environs of Rawalpindi. No deal. The Suris, also originally a Rawalpindi family put in a bid for Lahores famous Falettis which they wanted to turn into a 7 star hotel. No deal. For how long will the interests of the subcontinents people be held hostage at the alter of politics?
Posted by: john frum ||
09/04/2008 18:26 Comments ||
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(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - A top Pakistan security official, Rahman Malik, on Wednesday rejected reports that Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, narrowly escaped capture in the tribal region of Mohmand. Malik told a media conference at Government House in Karachi that reports quoting him had been "distorted".
"Dr Ayman Al-Zawahiri was not in Pakistan and therefore there is no question of his escape during the Bajaur operation and in this connection my statement was distorted," said Malik, the Pakistani premier's advisor on interior affairs.
"He's, um, somewhere else."
Asked about Wednesday's assassination attempt on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, Malik said he had spoken to the premier and he was alright. He confirmed that three suspects had been arrested and a report on the attack would be released within 24 hours.
Malik also confirmed reports that the the government had suspended its offensive in the troubled Bajaur agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan during Ramadan and noted a fall in attacks. "We have acquired the results from the Bajaur operation and now there is a reduction of suicide attacks by 80 percent," he said.
"We have only suspended the operation to facilitate the return of nearly 500,000 displaced people during the holy month of Ramadan. But let me assure you that if the militants again dared to attack the security forces, they will get a strong response," he maintained.
He said the government's strong stance had delivered results. "For the first time militants are begging for a ceasefire and we have refused. We will confront them by all means unless they surrender to state authorities."
However, Malik said Pakistan's major cities were under heavy surveillance and expressed concern about reports that some Taliban members had cut their hair, trimmed their beards and reached the country's major city centres.
On Tuesday Malik reportedly said his men had come close to arresting al-Zawahiri. But the country's mountainous terrain had enabled al-Zawahiri to slip away, he said. Al-Zawahiri is moving between Pakistan's tribal areas and the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Pakita, Malik said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Is he safe because he was living in an ISI resort?
(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani survived an apparent assassination attempt near the capital Islamabad on Wednesday. The prime minister's motorcade was showered with bullets from the hills near Islamabad International Airport as it was arriving to collect him.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior, Gillani was returning from a day trip to Lahore and was not in the vehicle at the time of the attack.
A Pakistani militant told Adnkronos International (AKI) on condition of anonymity that the attack was retribution for the government's offensive in the Bajaur agency bordering Afghanistan.
The prime minister's special assistant, Ahmead Mujtaba, said three people had been arrested in relation to the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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The war in Afghanistan spilled over on to Pakistani territory for the first time yesterday when heavily armed commandos, believed to be US Special Forces, landed by helicopter and attacked three houses in a village close to a known Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold.
I believe they were Ruritanian Special Forces. Prove me wrong.
The surprise attack on Jala Khel was launched in early morning darkness and killed between seven and 20 people, according to a range of reports from the remote Angoor Adda region of South Waziristan. The village is situated less than one mile from the Afghan border.
Time to pack the bags and move to Karachi. Or Mauritania ...
Local residents were quoted as saying that most of the dead were camp-followers civilians and included women and children. It was not known whether any Taliban or al-Qaida militants or western forces were among the dead.
Furious official Pakistani condemnation of the attack followed swiftly, amid growing concern that the Nato-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan could spread to Pakistan, sparking a region-wide conflagration.
Owais Ahmed Ghanisaid, the governor of North-West Frontier province, adjoining South Waziristan, said 20 people had died and called for retaliation. "This is a direct assault on the sovereignty of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan expect that the armed forces ... would rise to defend the sovereignty of the country and give a befitting reply," he said.
Good luck with that. They're busy planning how they're going to save Perv ...
The foreign ministry in Islamabad termed the incursion "a gross violation of Pakistan's territory" and a "grave provocation" which, it said, had resulted in "immense" loss of civilian life. "Such actions are counterproductive and certainly do not help our joint efforts to fight terrorism. On the contrary, they may fuel the fire of hatred and violence we are trying to extinguish."
As if we'll be able to tell ...
"This is a very alarming and very dangerous development," said a former senior Pakistani official. "We have absolutely been telling them [the US] not to do this but they ignored us."
Why should we pay attention to you? It's not like you control your country's land or borders. Sovereignty only works if you enforce it. Let the Talibunnies across the border to attack us and we'll decide that the border is no good.
US and Nato commanders say Taliban and al-Qaida fighters use the unruly, semi-autonomous tribal areas of Pakistan to stage attacks on coalition forces inside Afghanistan and create "safe havens" where they are immune from attack. Nato and civilian casualties in Afghanistan have reached record levels in the past 12 months in the face of a spreading Taliban offensive.
US forces have used missile-carrying drones - unmanned aerial vehicles - to attack militant targets inside Pakistan in the past. But yesterday's assault, involving up to three helicopters and infantry commandos, marked the first time the fight has been taken directly to the enemy on Pakistani soil.
Major-General Athar Abbas, a spokesman for the Pakistan army, said Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) had carried out the raid. "Two helicopters of Isaf landed very early in the morning and conducted a raid on a compound there. As per our report, seven civilians were killed in this raid."
But a Nato spokesman denied involvement. "There has been no Nato or Isaf involvement crossing the border into Pakistan," a Nato spokesman, James Appathurai, said. There were unconfirmed reports that the incursion was carried out by US Special Forces, which are not under Isaf command and can operate independently. A US military spokesman at the Bagram base near Kabul did not deny an attack had occurred but declined to comment.
"No comment. Ask the Ruritanians."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
Let's hear it for the ol' 'butcher and bolt'. And let's see a hell of a lot more of it. If the fuckers want to play 'ghazi raiders 'cross the border', that can be a game with two players.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
09/04/2008 9:10 Comments ||
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#3
Makes one wonder who was snatched.
Posted by: ed ||
09/04/2008 9:22 Comments ||
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#4
The pakistani complain when impersonal drones are used.
Then they complain when there's the "personal touch".
Relief items sent by the Punjab government for people affected by the Bajaur operation were handed over to the NWFP authorities here Tuesday.
Punjab Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Dost Muhammad Khosa handed over 33 truckloads of relief items to his counterpart in the NWFP, Bashir Ahmad Bilour and Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain at the office of regional coordination officer (RCO).
Former NWFP chief minister Pir Sabir Shah, Senator Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Punjab Relief Commissioner Rizwanullah Baig, NWFP Relief Commissioner Jamil Amjad, Frontier Secretary Food Hifzur Rehman, RCO Arbab Shahrukh, DCO Sahibzada Anis and other authorities were also present.
The relief items included 23 trucks of flour, three trucks of sugar, two trucks of rice, three trucks of mineral water, one truck of pulses and one truck of ghee. Earlier 30 trucks were sent which carried medicines besides food items.
The Punjab Relief and Crisis Management Department had dispatched the relief goods from different districts including Lahore, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Multan, Attock, Jhelum, Sargodha and Sialkot.
Speaking to media on the occasion, Dost Muhammad said keeping in view the miseries of internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Bajaur Agency, the Punjab government decided to contribute as much in the assistance. Under the directives of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, relief items were collected and transported to help the victims, he added.
The Punjab minister said being Pakistanis it was obligatory on all citizens, especially the rich, to come forward and help the needy and affected people in this hour of need. To a question, he said the Punjab government was strong and stable and was facing no threat. Regarding restoration of magistracy system, he said all the four provinces had agreed upon restoration of the old system under the 1973 Constitution.
To another query, the Punjab minister said his province had honoured the promises made with the Frontier regarding wheat and flour supply to the NWFP. Assuring more help to the IDPs, Khosa said the federal government should provide all kinds of assistance to the affected people though the provinces would do their best to contribute their share.
Bashir Bilour thanked the Punjab government and people for their contribution to the affected people. He said the provincial government was providing every kind of relief to the affected people in camps established at different parts of the province.
He said there was no shortage of flour and prices of daily-use commodities would be kept under control during Ramazan. Special teams are conducting raids to check prices and quality of food items at various markets and bazaars, he added.
To a query, the ANP leader said 100 per cent of his party votes would go to Asif Zardari in the presidential election. The party has a principled stand and would fulfil its commitment made with the allies, he added.
In his chat with the media on the occasion, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said there were no chances of his party sitting with the Pakistan People's Party in the government. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would sit in opposition, but would not try to weaken or topple the government, he said, adding rather legislation in national interests would be supported to strengthen democracy.
Jhagra said the PML-N government in the Punjab was strong and stable and every effort would be made to save it in case of any move to topple it. He said the PML-N was campaigning for its candidate in the presidential election and the party members would not only cast their votes in favour of Justice (R) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqi but would also seek votes from other members.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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Ma'an -- The Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq urged the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Wednesday to end the use of military courts in trials of civilians in order to stop a dangerous slide towards authoritarianism.
In a statement sent to journalists, the organization said these uses of the Military Judiciary "might lead towards an authoritarian regime, at the expenses of the fundamental rights and freedoms of Palestinians, the rule of law and the independency of the judiciary."
"Several calls and statements have been sent to the Palestinian president and prime minister as well as the Ministry of Justice and general prosecution, to stop military judiciary intervention in the civil judiciary. Despite this, the military judiciary still violates and intervene in civil judiciary jurisdiction," said Al-Haq Director Sha'wan Jabarin during a press conference at Ramattan News Agency in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The organization specifically called for the implementation of 28 August ruling by the Palestinian High Court of Justice dictating that the the Military Attorney General and Military Judiciary have no jurisdiction over civilians
Despite this decision, on 30 August 2008, the Military Attorney General and the Military Judiciary brought Mu'ayyad Yousef Atiyyeh Assaf, a civilian detained by the Palestinian Military Intelligence agency, before a military court in the West Bank town of Salfit.
Jabarin said ther trial of Assaf, and the use of the Military Judiciary in civilian cases in general, are violations of Article 101, Paragraph 2 of the Palestinian Basic Law.
An advisor to Al-Haq, Nasser Ar-Rayyis said that 280 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by the PA in the West Bank because of their political affiliation and another 100 are detained by the de facto government in the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's sister-in-law said Wednesday she is trapped in the Gaza Strip as Israel refuses to let her leave the Palestinian territory she entered aboard a protest boat.
Israeli authorities have rejected Lauren Booth's request to leave Gaza, arguing she did not enter legally when she and another 43 pro-Palestinian activists traveled by boat to the impoverished coastal strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade.
Booth asked over the weekend for authorization to leave Gaza through the Erez crossing with Israel. She was also prevented from crossing into Egypt through the Rafah crossing. "Her request presented at the end of last week was rejected because anyone who does not enter officially cannot leave officially," said Gil Kari, spokesman for the Israeli military office in charge of liaison with Gaza.
Israel controls air and sea access to Gaza, where it imposed a crippling blockade after the Islamist Hamas movement seized power in the territory in June 2007. "I'd actually like to say 'thank you very much' to the Israeli authorities at Erez for giving me this fantastic chance to feel just exactly what it is like to be inside what is effectively the world's largest internment camp, where individuals who should have the right to travel under international law are withheld in a 40 kilometer by 10 kilometer camp," Booth told the BBC.
She said three others were also prevented from leaving Gaza.
Most of the campaigners who had sailed to Gaza aboard two boats on August 23 returned to Cyprus five days later, although nine, including Booth remained in the Palestinian territory.
Jeff Halper, the only Israeli in the group, was held overnight by police upon his return to Israel through the Erez on August 26.
Booth's brother-in-law Tony Blair is currently on a week-long visit to Israel in his capacity as representative of the Middle East peace Quartet, which comprises the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#12
Hang in there, Lauren, baby. They're coming for ya...
Gaza Maan International human rights advocates plan to stage another siege-breaking voyage to the Gaza Strip on 22 September after two boats challenged an Israeli military blockade in August.
Palestinian lawmaker Jamal Al-Khudari, head of the Popular Campaign Against the Aiege, announced on Thursday that the activists will set sail from Cyprus, and that the new boat will have on board members of the European Parliament and doctors.
The Boat will also pick up nine international activists who are stranded in Gaza following the first voyage of the Free Gaza Movement. Among the stranded foreigners is British journalist Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Enjoy your extra 3 weeks in gaza. Soak up the lifestyle...
#13
Um, why will the passengers on the second boat be allowed to leave?
I don't think being a member of the European Parliament gives you diplomatic immunity. Of course, I suppose the European Parliament could pass a law that says that all members are exempt from the laws of other countries.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
09/04/2008 13:10 Comments ||
Top||
#14
Any EP wads going to Georgia?
No?
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
09/04/2008 20:50 Comments ||
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#15
So...is Tony happy about this?
Just wonderin'. ;)
Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields ||
09/04/2008 23:31 Comments ||
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Hamas' senior leader in the Gaza Strip says talks on exchanging captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit for Palestinian prisoners have frozen, and blames Israel.
Mahmoud Zahar says the Egyptian-mediated negotiations have broken down because Israel won't meet Hamas demands to release prisoners convicted of murdering Israelis.
Zahar also said Wednesday that the talks have stalled because Israel and Egypt won't open their border crossings with Gaza. Both countries sealed the border after Hamas seized power in Gaza in June 2007.
Hamas wants Israel to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldier. Israel has balked at Hamas' demand to release convicted murderers.
Hamas-led militants captured Sgt. Gilad Schalit in a cross-border raid two years ago.
Israeli security sources involved in the negotiations over the abducted IDF soldier said no significant progress was achieved in recent weeks' talks.
The ministerial meeting Sunday to reevaluate the criteria for releasing Palestinian prisoners was meant to send Hamas a message that Israel is willing to show a certain degree of flexibility, the sources said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Hamas leader in Gaza says Shalit talks frozen, Israel to blame
#2
And the last time his captors permitted the Red Cross to visit Mr. Shalit was....???? Oh, right -- Hamas is not a government, they are a sub-human gang of terrorists.
A top Palestinian negotiator rejected a suggestion by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday that Israel might allow certain parts of East Jerusalem to become the capital of a Palestinian state.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and a member of the Palestinian negotiating team said that East Jerusalem is not an entity that can be separated from the rest of the West Bank.
In an interview with Ma'an, he said that Israel must withdraw from all areas it occupied in 1967. Palestinian negotiators, he said, would accept nothing less.
Barak told Al-Jazeera television in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, "We can find a formula under which certain neighborhoods, heavily-populated Arab neighborhoods, could become, in a peace agreement, part of the Palestinian capital that, of course, will include also the neighboring villages around Jerusalem."
Barak did not specify whether this would include all Palestinian neighborhoods, or what would become of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.
Asked if a peace agreement is possible before the end of the year, Barak said "I'm not sure whether the gaps are close enough."
Illegal settlements in East Jerusalem have transformed the city into a patchwork of Jewish and Palestinian areas. Israel unilaterally annexed Jerusalem and a ring of surrounding territory after the occupation of 1967, although Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are not full Israeli citizens.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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Israeli intelligence experts increasingly think Hezbollah is determined to attack an Israeli target - most likely Israeli embassies or officials abroad, especially in third-world countries - to avenge the assassination of one of Hezbollah's top leaders.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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JERUSALEM - Some Arab neighbourhoods of Jerusalem could form the capital of the future Palestinian state, a senior Israeli minister said in an interview Wednesday. 'Our basic position is that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel but that we can find a formula under which certain neighbourhoods, heavily populated Arab neighbourhoods, could become in a peace agreement part of the Palestinian capital that of course will include also the neighbouring villages around Jerusalem,' Defence Minister Ehud Barak told the al-Jazeera news channel.
He did not mention whether that would include quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem, which houses the disputed Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary, sacred to both Jews and Muslims.
A former prime minister, he already offered Palestinian sovereignty in parts of Arab East Jerusalem during the 2000 Camp David peace negotiations with late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. But those negotiations ended in stalemate, paving the way for the outbreak of years of tit-for-tat violence and a freeze in the peace process.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and has since annexed, as the capital of their future state. Israel however wants Jewish settlements built on West Bank land in and near East Jerusalem to be part of its capital, and has vowed that it will continue to build in those settlements.
'We are not expanding (settlements.) We didn't announce even a single new settlement, but there is a well-known dispute. We clearly believe that within Jerusalem we have the right to build as we need,' Barak said.
On another highly-sensitive issue in the negotiations, Barak said no Israeli prime minister would allow large numbers of Palestinian refugees to return to what is now Israel. 'I can't see any Israeli prime minister, right or left, past or future, who will agree to accept even a single Palestinian refugee into Israel based on the right of return. That was my position when I was prime minister. It was the position of any prime minister, from Rabin to Peres from Shamir to Begin, and it will be the position of Israel in the future,' he said.
Israel may nonetheless allow the return of some refugees in 'certain humanitarian' cases on a 'very limited scale,' he said. He was referring to family reunification, Barak said.
He confirmed that Israel's controversial West Bank barrier would form the basis for the future border between it and the future Palestinian state. But Israel would change the route of the barrier and rebuild it in areas where it would deviate from the agreed-on border.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
who will agree to accept even a single Palestinian refugee into Israel based on the right of return.
Note that doesnt mean he wouldnt allow some Pals in as part of the peace treaty. Just wouldnt acknowledge its part of a right of return. Rather a few will be admitted for "humanitarian reasons" while the right of return is stated to apply to the new Pal state only.
(AKI/Jakarta Post) - Former Indonesian intelligence official Muchdi Purwopranjono has pleaded not guilty to the 2004 murder of a prominent human rights campaigner, claiming the charges against him were flawed.
Instead, the former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief on Tuesday blamed another former agent, Budi Santoso, for the assassination of Munir Said Thalib.
Defence lawyers representing 59-year-old Muchdi said the indictment, which alleged Muchdi was responsible for the murder, was based on "assumptions".
The charges were derived from the storybook version of human rights activists, they claimed.
"According to prosecutors, Muchdi killed Munir out of ill will and revenge. But how do they know about Muchdi's feelings?" defence lawyer Rusdianto asked the South Jakarta District Court.
In the indictment, prosecutors said Muchdi sought revenge against Munir, who was held responsible for the defendant's removal as chief of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) only 52 days after his inauguration in 1998.
The prosecutors said Munir had revealed in an investigation by the Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) that several Kopassus soldiers were involved in the abduction of 13 activists critical of the government between 1997 and 1998.
The elite force members, from the Rose Team, were eventually found guilty by the military court.
Rusdianto said Muchdi was not Kopassus chief at the time of the abductions, but was at that time still the Tanjungpura military commander for Kalimantan, having "no connection to the incident".
Defence lawyers instead accused BIN agent Budi Santoso, who had previously said Muchdi was responsible for the murder.
Prosecutors had earlier quoted the testimony of Budi, who admitted to having been told by pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto that the order to kill Munir had come from Muchdi.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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Iran on Wednesday defended opening new offices on a disputed Gulf island and rejected Arab monarchies' condemnation of the move as "interference", the official IRNA news agency reported.
"All our country's measures on Abu Musa island are completely legal and in accordance with Iran's rights governing this Iranian island," foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said in a statement.
Ghashghavi was reacting to a statement by the six-nation Gulf
Cooperation Council on Tuesday condemning the construction and calling for the closure of the offices on Abu Musa, which is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates.
Ghashghavi condemned the GCC statement as "interference in
Iran's internal affairs" and branded the UAE's claims to Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands as "repetitive, unfounded and rejected."
Tehran's establishment of a maritime rescue office and a ship registration office on Abu Musa island drew a formal protest from the UAE earlier this month.
Iran, then ruled by the Western-backed Shah, gained control of the three islands, which are strategically situated at the entrance to the Arabian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in 1971 when Britain granted independence to its Gulf protectorates
Iran took possession of the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, while Abu Musa -- the largest and only inhabited island -- was placed under joint administration under a deal with Sharjah, now part of the UAE.
But since then, the UAE says, the Iranians have taken control of all access to the strategic island, and installed an airport and military base there.
The oil-rich UAE has the full backing of fellow GCC states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia -- in its claim to the islands.
It has repeatedly proposed resolving the dispute through direct negotiations or international arbitration, but Iran has always refused.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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They're all singing the same song, aren't they?
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that any attack on Iran would be a disaster and he pledged to help find a peaceful solution to the nuclear dispute between the West and Tehran. "Nobody in the world will be able to bear the consequences of any action that is not peaceful because it would not result in a solution but in a disaster," Assad said after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the Syrian capital. "Obviously there is a lack of confidence between Iran and the countries involved in this issue. We will continue our efforts for dialogue," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2008 00:00 ||
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#3
Maybe he is warning us of real danger. According to Gen. Sada, Saddam gave orders to use chemical weapons on Israel if attacked by the US in 1990, but the US military took out his Air Force and delivery systems immediately except for a few Scuds that managed through on mobile launchers. Similar threats have been issued against America and Israel and our global interests by our blustery adversary and other Islamists. Russian arms sales and cooperation has given them the capability, and the Iranians have even practiced mobile missile launches from aboard boat decks, making any water craft potentially a deadly weapon. Nearly all US bases are within 200 miles of the coast, giving them the ability to carry out their threats from most anywhere. I just hope we haven't passed up the window of opportunity we had by delaying any decisive action.
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.
The troop surge in Iraq has been more successful than anyone could have imagined, Barack Obama conceded Thursday in his first-ever interview on FOX News' "The O'Reilly Factor."
The war in Afghanistan spilled over on to Pakistani territory for the first time yesterday when heavily armed commandos, believed to be US Special Forces, landed by helicopter and attacked three houses in a village close to a known Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold.
JERUSALEM - Some Arab neighbourhoods of Jerusalem could form the capital of the future Palestinian state, a senior Israeli minister said in an interview Wednesday. 'Our basic position is that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel but that we can find a formula under which certain neighbourhoods, heavily populated Arab neighbourhoods, could become in a peace agreement part of the Palestinian capital that of course will include also the neighbouring villages around Jerusalem,' Defence Minister Ehud Barak told the al-Jazeera news channel.
