Genetic testing has shown that an animal scientists thought was the common ornate wobbegong is actually a new species of shark. Charlie Huveneers says scientists originally thought that the dwarf-like shark was a juvenile wobbegong. "We first thought the small wobbegong was a juvenile of the large ornate wobbegong shark but then realised there were some differences with the major one," he said.
The new species has so far only been found on Australia's east coast. Now that scientists have confirmed that there are three types of wobbegong that call Australian waters home, they now want to see how many more are out there. Luciano Beheregaray, of Macquarie University, says that numbers of the species are in decline, and action needs to be taken to preserve them. "The numbers are one-third of what they used to be 10 years ago," he said. "It's important for us to understand how these populations are distributed along the east coast in order to propose effective management strategies."
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/04/2004 4:31:00 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Just remember... fish are friends, not food!
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
12/04/2004 23:08 Comments ||
Top||
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency knew dissident military officers were planning a coup in 2002 against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, according to purported U.S. intelligence documents posted on the Internet. Citing the documents, Chavez lashed out at U.S. officials on Thursday, saying they knew a coup was brewing but failed to tip off Venezuela's government. "The CIA knew that a coup was coming ... the government of George Bush knew," said Chavez, whose so-called "peaceful revolution" for the poor and close ties to Cuban leader Fidel Castro have often put him at odds with U.S. policies.
CIA had damned well better know of this, and a hundred other things in Venezuela. That's their friggin' job.
The apparent declassified CIA documents are posted on the pro-Chavez Web site www.venezuelafoia.info, which contains links to other requests for U.S. documents by freelance investigative reporter Jeremy Bigwood. An April 6 senior intelligence executive brief — just five days before a coup that briefly ousted Chavez — said "disgruntled senior officers and a group of radical junior officers are stepping up efforts to organize a coup against President Chavez, possibly as early as this month." As early as March 11, another brief noted "increased signs that Venezuelan business leaders and military officers are becoming dissatisfied with President Chavez" and said if the situation were to further deteriorate "the military may move to overthrow him." The authenticity of the documents could not be immediately confirmed, though the scanned briefs, with certain portions whited out, appeared to be formerly top secret documents that are regularly circulated among top officials in the Bush administration. A 2002 State Department review of U.S. policy, however, said the U.S. government did warn Chavez of impending plots. In his speech broadcast on state-run television Thursday, Chavez said documents showing U.S. involvement in the coup "are emerging" and "will continue to surface."
"Having a government of this type in the United States is a threat to the world," added Chavez, who accused the Bush administration of actively supporting the short-lived coup. William Brownsfield, U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, said differences between the two countries can be resolved, according to a report published by the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal on Thursday. The newspaper also said he rejected allegations that U.S. officials backed Venezuelan coup leaders or endorsed Carmona's interim government, saying Washington considers the events in April 2002 "a closed chapter." "We are willing to work with the Venezuelan government to improve relations," Brownfield was quoted as saying. The State Department in July 2002 released a review of its policy and the U.S. Embassy's actions in Venezuela from November 2001 to April 2002, in which it confirms knowledge of plots to oust Chavez. But it says that "far from working to foment his overthrow, the United States alerted President Chavez to coup plots and warned him of an assassination threat that was deemed to be credible."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/04/2004 12:56:34 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Whatever happened in 2002, proper US doctrine should be to shun Chavez, encourage the Venezuelan people to strive for a better government, and officially support their fight against Chavez.
Same as should be happening against Castro, Mugabe, and every dictator on Earth. It wouldn't cost anything to show some spine here.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore has been cast as the Grinch who stole Christmas after decorating her city's town hall with just one meagre Christmas tree out of fear of offending non-Christians. Moore has been accused of political correctness gone mad after residents in Australia's largest city woke to newspaper headlines demanding "Where's Our Christmas?" and complaints the city had not done enough to celebrate the festive season. Sydney's The Daily Telegraph compared Sydney's Scrooge-like approach with opulent Christmas displays in major capitals like London, New York and Paris. It invited readers to send a cutout postcard, depicting Moore as children's author Dr Seuss' famous character, the Grinch, to the Town Hall in complaint. "You're a mean one, Ms. Grinch."
"Christmas is a time of wonder, fun and festivities, for young and old. As the nation's premier city...surely we deserve better," the paper said. Talkback radio programmes were flooded with calls and even conservative Prime Minister John Howard joined in. "This is political correctness from central casting. It is unbelievable," Howard told Sydney radio 2UE. "This is the ridiculous thing about this blanding out of any kind of distinctive identity we might have. Christmas is not only a religious festival...it is also part of the history and culture of this country," he said.
Moore defended her approach to the holiday season, saying Sydney had this year spent A$300,000 ($NZ325,624.38) more on decorations around the city than in 2003. "Today, Christmas is a celebration for everyone and I'd like to encourage everyone to get out in the city and celebrate and I especially urge building owners and retailers throughout the city to get into the Christmas spirit," she said in a statement. Sydney is a multicultural city of some 4 million people, with about 200 separate ethnic groups represented, according to official figures.
Posted by: Korora ||
12/04/2004 12:02:34 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I'm sure the Hindus in Sydney will be happy she's not offending them with a big ol' wreath. You know how they get.....not to mention the Buddhists and Wiccans.
#3
"Today, Christmas is a celebration for everyone and I’d like to encourage everyone to get out in the city and celebrate and I especially urge building owners and retailers throughout the city to get into the Christmas spirit," she said in a statement.
Huh??? If she was afraid of offending non-Christians, why the encouragment for "everyone" to celebrate Christmas?
#4
First she minimises the official celebration of Christmas, proving that she's much more concerned about Muslims and radical left atheists than she is about Christians. Then, under great public pressure, she does an about-face and makes a pretence of all-inclusive benevolence by inviting "everyone" to celebrate Christmas.
It's a curious left-wing mix of stubborn, blind idealism and gross hypocrisy.
#6
.... The Daily Telegraph compared Sydney’s Scrooge-like approach with opulent Christmas displays in major capitals like London, New York and Paris.
Damn. I'll have to read more of those Telegraph columns. Until now I was completly unaware that New York City was the capital of anything.
#7
JFM - Nah, you're not alone. I don't think the Aussies would really have cared if she put other, non-Christian things up, like a bunch of other places have done to avoid offending someone.
Looks like they were just used to having the place decorated this time of year, and since it only had a very small tree, people felt let down. I work in a government agency, and we have a bunch of secular decorations (pine and glitter garlands, a big ol' tree with "gifts" underneath and snowmen). No one's ever complained about it, and believe me, there are members of the public who will bitch about damn near anything.
#8
Guys, this season check the schedule for the History Channel's program the History of Christmas. Surprises in store - like, did you know the New England Puritans banned Christmas because of its pagan origins? The modern version which we celebrate is attributed to New York merchants of the early 19th century?
It is interesting though that most of these PC actions are just fronts for people in power to carry out their anti-Christian agenda. Those of us who have been stationed in Japan and S.Korea have witnessed countries of non-Judeo-Christian heritage celebrate the season with just as much joy as any Redlander; lights, sales, and even Santa, in cultures more oriented to Buddism or Taoism.
Posted by: Don ||
12/04/2004 9:45 Comments ||
Top||
#9
"I'm sure the Hindus in Sydney will be happy she's not offending them with a big ol' wreath."
My wife is Hindu, she LOVES Christmas and all the traditional trappings that go with it. She isn't the least bit bothered by Christmas Trees, Carolling (sp), presents etc. etc. Don't get between her and her turkey and dressing either.
-AR
Posted by: Analog Roam ||
12/04/2004 15:14 Comments ||
Top||
#10
But Ms. Moore and Sydney will always have Ramadan. Bring out the goat sacrifices.
Posted by: ed ||
12/04/2004 15:21 Comments ||
Top||
#11
My wife is Hindu, she LOVES Christmas and all the traditional trappings that go with it.
LOL! That's because has one RB Denizen (maybe you?) put it, she understands that Santa is really a blue Elephant with a beautiful garland of white flowers.
About 150 people, backed by D-day veterans, have demonstrated against plans to build a garbage dump near a site of the 1944 allied landings. During the war, parachutists and British commandos landed at Maizeret. The demonstrators, who include local politicians and former soldiers, have waved banners demanding that the site be preserved as a "place of memory". The association of veterans of the 46th Royal Marine Commando have also expressed their concern in a letter to the regional governor. They say that as the recent 60th anniversary of D-day commemorations showed, thousands of Normandy veterans are still alive and would be distraught at seeing a dump at a place where French and allied lives had been lost fighting Nazism. Maizeret lies just outside Sannerville, which was evacuated of its civilian population and then totally destroyed in a massive bombing raid in July 1944 designed to assist a breakout from the landing beaches.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/04/2004 4:39:10 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
In the eastern Congo, scene of an operation that began as an EU military display under French leadership and is now one of the U.N.'s biggest peacekeeping missions ever, the blue helmets have apparently been routinely sexually abusing pre-pubescent refugee girls, creating a camp full of 13-year-old mothers. Months ago, the U.N. promised to issue a report on the situation. It was finally released two weeks ago, according to the BBC. The outcome: Kofi Annan released a statement saying "it is vital that the investigations be speeded up." Meanwhile, according to Le Nouvel Observateur, an effort to investigate the atrocious killing of at least 20 civilians in Ivory Coast by French soldiers operating under a U.N. mandate is being opposed by a member of Chirac's party. Bruno Jose Lebeau's blog draws the instructive parallel between what the French army did in Abidjan and what went on in Abu Ghraib.
In New York, Kofi himself is the star of the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food scandal, of course. The world's biggest humanitarian heist is playing to amused readers in Paris. Le Monde reports that every European's favorite bureaucrat (along with the sacred bureaucracy for which he works) was under fire from the likes of Sen. Norm Coleman, National Review, and a roster of conservative allies. Since the French role in the scandal has been largely unreported, Le Monde's story has a taint of the witch-hunt about it. Besides, according to an AFP report on expatica.com, Chirac and Schroeder are behind Annan 100 percent. (Annan is frantically looking for his wallet.)
In Brussels, fraud is, as always, on the rise in the EU, according to the EU Observer. The report glosses over the EU's detention of Stern investigative reporter Hans-Martin Tillack and the seizure of his files. Tillack's reporting focuses on EU corruption. Two weeks ago, I noted here news reports that showed that almost none of the EU's spending could be warranted to be fraud-free.
In Germany, the International Herald Tribune is reporting that the abuse of German army conscripts is part of a widening scandal. "The accusations involve stories of instructors dressed in Arab costumes beating recruits, giving them electric shocks and dousing them with cold water," the paper reports, even though none of the recruits are Iraqis. The report comes after scandals surfaced in German defense spending. Meanwhile, Spiegel reports that a couple of U.S. leftists have been welcomed into German courts to file a suit against Donald Rumsfeld for "war crimes" committed by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib.
I haven't even gotten to the EU-Palestinian money scam and all the rest, but I just can't go on — mostly because I'm not paid by the word. The point is you could be forgiven for thinking that opposition to U.S. policies in Iraq and elsewhere is a consequence of ideological or strategic disagreements. But there is no ideology any more. There's only anti-Americanism, scandal, and corruption. And of course stupidity: According to a survey of 4,000 Britons under the age of 35 reported in the Independent, 60 percent of them have never heard of Auschwitz, and of those who thought the name was familiar, three quarters really didn't know much about what had gone on there. At least they'll never forget.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/04/2004 9:24:48 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled on Friday that a disputed presidential election won by the country's prime minister was invalid. Chairman Anatoly Yarema, delivering the court's ruling after five days of deliberations, said a "repeat vote" was required. He said this ballot should take place three weeks counting from December 5 - meaning December 26 - suggesting it would be a re-run of last month's run-off vote which opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko alleged was rigged by authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2004 12:18:50 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
(2004-12-04) -- Wal-Mart today announced a deal to market the new 'Made in China' ballistic missile submarine through its 4,900 retail stores, adding a "big-ticket item" to help boost sales just in time for the holidays.
"It's Wal-Mart's first truly intercontinental strategic nuclear delivery system," according to a company news release. "The 094-Class sub offers better first-strike survivability when compared with land-based nuclear missile launch platforms and Wal-Mart sells it an everyday low price, backed by a no-hassle return policy."
Wal-Mart will market the Chinese submarine under the 'Faded Glory' brand name.
Posted by: Korora ||
12/04/2004 12:05:01 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Chicom + Walmart = ChiMart?
Posted by: Don ||
12/04/2004 9:46 Comments ||
Top||
#2
IMHO Wal-Mart has done more to damage small community America that the Red's ever could have even if given a thousand years to try!
Posted by: RJB in JC MO ||
12/04/2004 10:03 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Wal Mart needs to raise their prices to help small town America.
I figure they should be on a par with Sears and Target and Toys R Us. It just makes sense, if Wal Mart would raise their prices they could afford to pay their "Associates" a living wage of $45,000 a year and provide decent health care. I mean it just so simple. Also raise interest rates so my Dad can retire more easily, he doesn't trust the stock market.
#5
I've been waiting to see what the K-Mart/Sears merger will bring as far as a new name. I hope they go with the line Bruce Campbell used in "Evil Dead 3": "Shop smart; shop S-Mart!"
Posted by: Dar ||
12/04/2004 15:00 Comments ||
Top||
#8
It's nice to see that this board is aware of just how damaging Wal-Mart is. Not only do they hollow out small business in whatever community they settle into, but I've also heard that they end up being a tax burden because their underpaid workers are forced to rely upon community services so much. Anyone have a link on this subject? I'm beginning to think that Wal-Mart goes well beyond capitalism and into the realm of predatory marketing or just plain greed.
Americans should step up to the plate and pay more to take care of Mom and Pop and main street. Just because you can buy a product for less doesn't mean you should, perhaps you should put that money in your pocket and walk down the street to Mother Jones Hardware Store and buy 7 lonely self-actualizing wood screws. Even at $1.50 each they are a bargain, because Mother will personally ignore you.
#10
Mom and Pop concern? This on the internet? Hello, you're looking at an even bigger killer as American gets more wired and broadband. I'll price shop on the internet first, then check the locals. The problem is not price. The problem is the locals don't stock the stuff. Even the big bookstores come up with the "we'll order that for you" line. Pardon me, I can order it myself and it will be delivered to my front door so I don't have to drive into town for it.
Posted by: Don ||
12/04/2004 17:43 Comments ||
Top||
#11
That's pretty damn selfish Don, you should go downtown and buy a local phone book and read it, it's good for the soul, you might even stumble across some faith based iniatives that you might find helpful.
There's outrage at the United Nations. A U.N. worker was accused of genocide and yet was allowed to stay on the U.N. payroll.
The carnage was horrific. Some 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered in 1994 by rampaging Hutus in Rwanda. Among those alleged to have done the killing is an employee of the U.N. in Rwanda — a Hutu named Callixte Mbarushimana. Today, Mbarushimana remains a free man, living in Paris. But there are troubling questions about his conduct in Rwanda a decade ago and the actions of the United Nations.
"They killed on his orders," says Tony Greig, an investigator with the International Criminal Tribunal. "They manned road blocks, they killed people, they got rewarded with cows and beer."
Greig says eyewitnesses directly linked Mbarushimana to more than 30 murders, including killings of fellow U.N. workers. In witness statements obtained by NBC News, one eyewitness says, "Mbarushimana... shot [a man] in the head as he was standing up." Another claims Mbarushimana "told his [men] to shoot them. The people on the ground were all then shot whilst they were sitting down."
Among those Mbarushimana is accused of killing is a woman and other fellow U.N. employees. "He was a U.N. employee," says Greig. "He abused his position in the U.N. to kill other U.N. workers."
So what did the United Nations do?
After learning of the allegations in 1999, the U.N. kept Mbarushimana on its payroll. In fact, when he was arrested for genocide, he was working for the U.N. in Kosovo — on a project to stop genocide.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Mbarushimana condemns genocide and denies wrongdoing. "I am innocent of any of the allegations," he says. "No, I have not murdered anybody. I have not participated in the ordering of killing of anybody."
"Lies! All lies! Really! You gotta believe me!"
The charges against Mbarushimana eventually were dismissed. Prosecutors say the evidence wasn't strong enough. Investigators dispute that and say prosecutors decided to focus instead on leaders of the genocide and considered Mbarushimana a mid-level figure.
An employee of the UN giving orders to kill people is a "mid-level" figure?
"The decision not to prosecute him was made on the grounds of expediency, not legal grounds, however the U.N. wants to dress it up," says Greig. "He killed many, many people."
This year, investigators were further outraged when a U.N. tribunal ruled that Mbarushimana had been treated unfairly because he was not re-hired after charges were dropped. The tribunal awarded him 13 months of back pay.
Mbarushimana says the accusations have ruined his life. He has been separated from his wife and three children for six years and forced to live as refugee in Paris, where he has no job and has not actually received any compensation to date.
Quelle horror! A refugee in Paris. He prolly ran into Suha on the party circuit. Wonder if they compared notes?
"My family has suffered a lot," he says. "They have suffered because of the lack of financial assets and the education of my children — who are very young — has been interrupted."
U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard says the U.N. has to abide by the tribunal's ruling, even if awarding back pay to a man accused of genocide and of murdering U.N. employees seems absurd. "It certainly does [seems absurd]," says Eckhard. "But again, the tribunal considered that this person had not been proven guilty. And, in fact, he hasn't."
Many U.N. officials are furious and embarrassed and some investigators are looking for some way to bring Mbarushimana to trial.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/04/2004 4:13:27 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Well, maybe it was just "ethnic cleansing". I think the UN cuts them some slack for that.
#6
I think Mike S is a worker of MORAL MAGICK (tm). Using MORAL MAGICK, he and his co-magicians can declare a man guilty via elaborate chains of "reasoning", but when it comes to those that they support, they wave their arms about, clap their hands, and POOF! THEY'RE INNOCENT.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2004 12:12:07 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Let's up the ante, Veto Membership, won't have any affect except dilute the French Veto. Since we have no intention of being constrained by the UN anyway. Give one to Japan, Australia and Germany too.
#2
Mmmm! Other reports are saying exactly the opposite to this Pakistani source.
"If we go to the enlargement of the permanent seats of the Security Council, I am convinced that they should have the veto power," Putin was quoted as saying by Associated Press Television News. "Otherwise, it will be a one-sided reform of the United Nations."
Putin said if there was no veto for the new members, all vetoes would have to go. "If we agree that future permanent members should not have veto power, the next step would be the abolition of veto power," he said. - Seattle Post
#3
Give vetoes to both India and Pakistan, but put them together in a separate room.
Posted by: ed ||
12/04/2004 15:06 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I thought Putin's remarks were highly significant. He doesn't want the UNSC constraining future Russian actions. Adding more veto holders or removing vetos entirely both have the same effect, to dilute the power of the UNSC.
#5
Putin like all Russian leaders is a hardcore realist who measures power strictly by what the Soviets used to call the "correlation of forces." He knows that the UNSC is powerless to constrain the US and powerless to deny him a free hand in the Russian near abroad. So this gambit will earn him great credit in the former fraternal socialist state of India, a nation that Russia very wisely is looking to develop strong ties with, while costing him absolutely nothing. Not brilliance; just common sense.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2004 12:02:07 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Well, yeah, unless some idjit nominates Pakistan for an expanded UNSC. Then he'd be all for it.
I mean, really, does it matter if the UNSC has five members, or twenty five? They're still going to have 1/3 of the resolutions denouncing Israel, 1/3 denouncing the US, and the rest determining where to have lunch. Yawn.
From Compass Direct
Members of a Protestant church in Indonesia are still waiting for resolution on an incident with Muslim neighbors, who attacked the church on October 24. The church was then closed down by authorities. According to Komintra News, the violent incident was the third since the Nusantara Indonesia Christian Church was established in 1997 in Puri Kosambi, Karawang. Approximately 500 attackers identified in press reports as members of the Front Pembela Islam (FPI) vandalized the church, causing damage to the roof, sound system, pews, doors and windows. As a result, the congregation ceased to hold meetings. A day later, the FPI approached local authorities and asked that the church be closed permanently. Meanwhile, results of a survey published in The Jakarta Post showed that 40.8 percent of Muslim respondents do not agree with Christians conducting worship services in a majority Muslim neighborhood.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/04/2004 5:30:51 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Please correct "Indonesial" to "Indonesian".
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/04/2004 17:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The Jakarta Post showed that 40.8 percent of Muslim respondents do not agree with Christians conducting worship services in a majority Muslim neighborhood.
From Islamic Q&A Onine, questions answered by Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Are husband and wife allowed to dance with each other alone in their room?
Dancing is prohibited.
==========
My wife wants to know if it is permissible to trim the eyebrows with a machine instead of plucking which is forbidden.
It is not permissible to trim one's eyebrows in any way, by using the machine or by plucking.
==========
Can husband and wife play wrestling?
Does a husband and wife really play wrestling?
==========
Is it permissible for women to cut their hair if there is fear that split ends might be coming soon?
A woman may use medication to avoid split ends.
==========
Should I allow my wife to dance on her brothers wedding if its just a small dance in presence of females only. Shes really insisting.
You should not permit your wife to dance even though she is insisting.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/04/2004 10:01:03 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Better to shackle her to the radiator. A good muslim can allow her to move to the bed when he is feeling horny, but back to the radiator the second one is finished.
From Compass Direct
An Egyptian Christian jailed without charges since March 2003 has become emotionally disturbed and lost vision in one eye from torture and lack of medical treatment, his widowed mother declared last week. Initially detained for 52 days at Lazogly, Cairo's notorious State Security headquarters, Hany Samir Tawfik has been continuously jailed since he was re-arrested 21 months ago, on March 3, 2003. Tawfik, 28, was arrested at the Cairo international airport upon his return from Saudi Arabia on June 15, 2002. Saudi authorities had reportedly deported him back to Egypt, saying the Coptic Christian had been suspected of wanting to marry a Muslim girl and convert her to Christianity. .....
However, no known charges were filed against Tawfik before an Egyptian court. So after nearly two months of what the young man's family and acquaintances described as "severe mistreatment" at Lazogly, he was set free. But seven months later, he was again arrested by security police, who sent him to Torah Prison near Helwan, outside Cairo. Several months later, he was transferred to Al-Gharbaliat Prison, located in the desert near Alexandria, where he now remains. According to Tawfik's family and church sources, police re-arrested him when he refused their demands to spy on an evangelical Christian pastor known to be ministering among Muslim converts to Christianity. "Hany said after the police picked him up, they showed him the house of this pastor and said they would only release him if he agree to spy on him and his activities," his mother told Compass. "When he refused, they put him in jail."
The pastor in question confirmed to Compass that he had known Tawfik three years ago, when he began attending a Coptic evangelical church. "I consider him my spiritual son," the pastor said.
Although Egypt's constitution and laws do not specifically prohibit proselytizing, individuals suspected of helping Muslims convert to Christianity are subject to heavy police harassment and regularly arrested for either "insulting heavenly religions" or "inciting sectarian strife." First registered as a political prisoner, Tawfik was re-classified in January 2004 under criminal statutes. His most recent case file number, issued by the Abbassiya Police Station in Cairo on August 3, was listed as No. 13826. Although lawyers have submitted court objections to Tawfik's detention without charges, the police have used Emergency Law regulations to re-arrest him every 45 days, minutes after the court orders him released. Security authorities approached by the local press and diplomatic missions claim Tawfik remains in jail awaiting a decision from the interior minister on his case, which allegedly involves issues of "national security."
Tawfik's mother said State Security officer Ahmet Mustafa told her bluntly, "Forget your son!" But he refused to say why he was under arrest. The officer claimed he had no jurisdiction over her son, whose case he said was being handled in person by Egypt's interior minister, Habib el-Adly. Tawfik's mother has appealed directly to Interior Minister Habib el-Adly to release her son in an open letter published by two Cairo newspapers. Watani newspaper printed her letter of appeal on October 17, followed by the liberal El-Osboa weekly on November 8.
His mother's persistence to win her son's release has brought repercussions from State Security officials. Once last year, two police officers knocked at her door at 4 a.m., forcing her to get up and accompany them to the police station to "discuss" her son's case with them. "I have been suffering over my son for nearly two years now, without any hope," Tawfik's mother said.
Her son has been brought back to a police station in Cairo's Shobra district at least twice, presumably to appear briefly in court. Although unable to visit him since he was moved to Al-Gharbaliat, his mother has been allowed to meet him a few times in the police station, she said. Tawfik complained of "black water in my right eye" this past spring in letters shown to Compass which he wrote from prison. "He has lost complete use of his right eye now," his mother said. Tawfik's mother said her son told her the police had taken away his Bible and destroyed it in front of him. "He cried when the authorities ripped it up and then went on to hit and beat him," she said. "He said they told him he was a 'special' case, so they had been told to give him extra suffering." ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/04/2004 6:00:30 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
Government supporters in the west African nation of Ivory Coast are threatening to stage mass demonstrations to demand the withdrawal of French peace-keepers.
"Pack your cheese and get the hell out!"
Armed youths known as the Young Patriots are calling on French troops responsible for the killing of civilians to leave Ivory Coast. The supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo say France can no longer be regarded as a neutral force.
Earlier this week, France admitted that its soldiers killed up to 20 people during violent demonstrations in the commercial capital Abidjan in November. South African President Thabo Mbeki has arrived in Ivory Coast on a four day peace mission. Mr Mbeki is holding talks with Government, rebel, opposition and French officials and he will report back to the African Union.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2004 9:30:18 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Pack your cheese and get the hell out!"
Oui! Truer words were never said...........Fred, heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/04/2004 3:22 Comments ||
Top||
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.
Genetic testing has shown that an animal scientists thought was the common ornate wobbegong is actually a new species of shark. Charlie Huveneers says scientists originally thought that the dwarf-like shark was a juvenile wobbegong. "We first thought the small wobbegong was a juvenile of the large ornate wobbegong shark but then realised there were some differences with the major one," he said.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency knew dissident military officers were planning a coup in 2002 against Venezuelan President 
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore has been cast as the Grinch who stole Christmas after decorating her city's town hall with just one meagre Christmas tree out of fear of offending non-Christians. Moore has been accused of political correctness gone mad after residents in Australia's largest city woke to newspaper headlines demanding "Where's Our Christmas?" and complaints the city had not done enough to celebrate the festive season. Sydney's The Daily Telegraph compared Sydney's Scrooge-like approach with opulent Christmas displays in major capitals like London, New York and Paris. It invited readers to send a cutout postcard, depicting Moore as children's author Dr Seuss' famous character, the Grinch, to the Town Hall in complaint.
