#1
This puts the onus on the detainees to handle things. The alternative would be to paint an arrow in each cell and public room in the prisons, thus forcing all who walk through to accept the weight of the Muslim presence. The ony thing is, I'd issue a compass for first incarceration only -- if they lose it during or between incarcerations, they're on their own... or make them available for purchase alongside the chocolate bars and cigarettes in the prison's shop. Call it a cost-savings measure, because national finances are so tight.
A £1bn cost over-run is threatening the future of the publicly-funded project to build Britain's biggest aircraft carriers, the BBC has learnt. A memorandum from the lead contractors seen by the BBC suggests there will "be a fight for the programme's survival". The project's cost is now expected to rise from £3.9bn to around £5bn.
The memo also discusses ways to cut costs, including the possibility of 400 to 500 redundancies. The Ministry of Defence said it was currently re-costing the programme and accounts would be published in July.
Work on the two warships - HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales - had been delayed in December but was due to begin soon. They were due to come into service in 2014 and 2016, as the biggest and most powerful warships the UK has ever built. Much of the work is due to take place at Scottish shipyards on the Clyde, where 4,000 jobs are dependent on the project.
The memo was written for the chief executives of the companies participating in the project and attributed the cost increase to "a combination of direct costs, inflation and accounting adjustments. The MOD [Ministry of Defence] will publish its annual report and accounts in July; these will show £1bn of QE Class cost growth and the project will come under severe pressure through the opposition and the media," the memo said. "This is a very real fight for the programme's survival," it adds. The memo also suggests the future of the Appledore shipyard in Devon could be under threat and possible measures to reduce costs include "substantial redundancies" of the order of 400 to 500.
The BBC's business editor Robert Peston said the increase in costs would be seen as alarming, especially at a time when there are intense pressures on the government to cut public spending. He added that if the project was scrapped, the knock-on effects would be serious. For example, some 80,000 tonnes of steel worth £65m has been ordered from Corus, the beleaguered Anglo-Dutch steelmaker.
A consortium of companies are involved in the project including BAE System, VT Group, Babcock and Thales. BAE Systems said that the delay to the project announced earlier was always expected to lead to an increase in costs. The work is split between various yards, including Portsmouth, Rosyth, and Hebburn.
#2
Read something on this yesterday. The current economic downturn is responsible for 75% of the extra cost. The MoD has scrapped a 1bn pound contract with the Hadley Climate Center as part of the belt-tightning. I would expect inflation to run the price up to about 9bn in the long run.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/30/2009 14:18 Comments ||
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#3
DEFENSETECH.ORG > SUBMARINES AT ISSUE [USN Shipbuilding Budget], + FLEETS OPT/PLAN FOR SMALLER WARSHIPS.
The leader of a group of militants killed last week by Kyrgyz security forces was trained in Pakistan, officials said on Monday.
The ex-Soviet Central Asian state, home to a US military air base, reported two gunfights between security forces and militants last week. The State National Security Committee on Monday said it had identified the body of the leader of three fighters killed in the southern region of Osh on Saturday.
"The leader of the killed terrorist group (was) Khasan Suleimanov, born in 1977 in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, trained at the international terrorist centres in Pakistan," it said. The committee said both Suleimanov's group and five militants killed days before in the nearby town of Jalalabad likely had links to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Western security analysts say the IMU was largely wiped out during US-led operations in Afghanistan. Some have pointed to a possible rise in its activity in recent months alongside a parallel resurgence in Taliban operations.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
dead militant trained in Pakistan
and poorly, it seems.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/30/2009 12:36 Comments ||
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#2
student-exchange program
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/30/2009 19:00 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON A U.S. official says a North Korean ship has turned around and is headed back the way it came, after being tracked for days by American vessels on suspicion it was carrying illicit weapons. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, says it is unclear whether the Kang Nam is going back to its home port in North Korea or diverting elsewhere.
The ship left a North Korean port on June 17 and is the first vessel monitored under U.N. sanctions that ban the regime from selling arms and nuclear-related material. It was suspected the Kang Nam was going to Myanmar. But the U.S. official says that after a week-and-a half at sea, it turned around on Sunday or Monday. It was off the coast of Vietnam on Tuesday.
#1
Mis-direction? Did another ship slip out without the US noticing? Is this another Kimmie game? A bluff that failed? I hope we hear more about this, especially what triggered the recall.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/30/2009 16:04 Comments ||
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#2
At this point I'd say Hong Kong, Macau, or any other Chinese port where they can get a fuel barge.
North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he ordered the deployment of a ground-based, mobile missile intercept system and radar system to Hawaii amid concerns the North may fire a long-range missile toward the islands, about 4,500 miles away.
"Through the U.S. forces' clamorous movements, it has been brought to light that the U.S. attempt to launch a pre-emptive strike on our republic has become a brutal fact," the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary. The paper also accused the U.S. of deploying nuclear-powered aircraft and atomic-armed submarines in waters near the Korean peninsula, saying the moves prove "the U.S. pre-emptive nuclear war" on the North is imminent.
The commentary, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, said the North will bolster its nuclear arsenal in self-defense.
The North routinely accuses the U.S. of plotting to invade the North. But the U.S., which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has said it has no such plan.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been running high since the North defiantly launched a rocket in April and conducted an underground nuclear test last month, prompting U.N. Security Council sanctions. North Korea responded to the U.N. resolution on the nuclear test with threats of war, and pledged to expand its nuclear bomb-making program.
In what could be the first test of the U.N. sanctions, an American destroyer has been tracking a North Korean ship sailing off China's coast amid suspicions that it is carrying illicit weapons. The Kang Nam, which left a North Korean port on June 17, is the first vessel monitored under U.N. sanctions that ban the regime from selling arms and weapons-related material. The resolution requires member nations to request permission to inspect the cargo of ships suspected of carrying banned goods. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said on CBS television Sunday that Washington is "following the progress of that ship very closely." Rice would not say whether the U.S. would confront the Kang Nam.
North Korea has said it would consider any interception of its ships a declaration of war.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION WORLD MIL FORUM > SOUTH KOREA MAY LAUNCH A PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGZ NORTH KOREA IFF IT BELIEVES THE NORTH INTENDS TO LAUNCH NUCLEAR-WMD MISSLES. STRENGTHENING OF SOUTH KOREAN
"PRECISION STRIKE" MILSYS TO COVER THE WHOLE OF NORTH KOREA.
* SAME > "NEW DELHI COMMENTS": INDIA'S MILITARY INTENDS TO USE ITS AIRCRAFT CARRIER SUPERIORITY TO DEFEAT OR DESTROY THE PLAN [China] IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS IN CASE OF WAR.
* SAME > CHINA RELEASES VIETNAMESE FISHERMEN CAPTURED BY PLAN ARMED CONVERTED PATROL BOATS NEAR THE SINO-VIET DISPUTED XISHA ISLANDS [Paracels]. CHINA PLANS TO DEPLOY A STRONGER NAVAL-AIR PRESENCE [Large-sized Destroyers, Submarines, Mil-controlled Armed-Recce offshore Platforms]: + VIETNAM CALLS CHINA'S FISHING BAN [ends AUgust 1st] WHOLLY "UNACCEPTABLE" AS THE BAN COVERS VIET-CLAIMED "SOVEREIGN VIETNAMESE TERRITORY" IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.
#2
ION WORLD MIL FORUM > SOUTH KOREA MAY LAUNCH A PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGZ NORTH KOREA IFF IT BELIEVES THE NORTH INTENDS TO LAUNCH NUCLEAR-WMD MISSLES. STRENGTHENING OF SOUTH KOREAN
"PRECISION STRIKE" MIL SYS TO COVER THE WHOLE OF NORTH KOREA.
* SAME > "NEW DELHI COMMENTS": INDIA'S MILITARY INTENDS TO USE ITS AIRCRAFT CARRIER SUPERIORITY TO DEFEAT OR DESTROY THE PLAN [China] IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS IN CASE OF WAR.
* SAME > CHINA RELEASES VIETNAMESE FISHERMEN CAPTURED BY PLAN ARMED CONVERTED PATROL BOATS NEAR THE SINO-VIET DISPUTED XISHA ISLANDS [Paracels]. CHINA PLANS TO DEPLOY A STRONGER NAVAL-AIR PRESENCE [Large-sized Destroyers, Submarines, Mil-controlled Armed-Recce offshore Platforms]: + VIETNAM CALLS CHINA'S FISHING BAN [ends AUgust 1st] WHOLLY "UNACCEPTABLE" AS THE BAN COVERS VIET-CLAIMED "SOVEREIGN VIETNAMESE TERRITORY" IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will maintain its position that North Korea's "unreasonable" demands over a joint business park cannot be accepted, the unification minister said Monday, as the two sides are set to meet again over the troubled venture this week.
At least the translators will eat well for the duration of the talks. The negotiators, I'm sure, eat well all the time.
Seoul heads to the third round of inter-Korean talks set for Thursday in the North's border town of Kaesong amid few signs of compromise from either side. Pyongyang has demanded a hefty wage and rent raise, but refused to discuss Seoul's major concern about a detained worker.
"We will continue to pursue the stable development of the Kaesong industrial park. But we will do so with principles. We have been emphasizing that unreasonable demands cannot be accepted," Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said in a briefing for the National Assembly unification, foreign affairs and trade committee.
In the first round of talks on June 11, North Korea demanded a four-fold monthly wage increase to US$300 for its workers employed by South Korean firms at the park. It also sought to raise the rent for 50-year development rights to $500 million from the $16 million paid by South Korean developers when the joint park opened in 2004.
South Korea rejected the demands in the second round held eight days later. North Korea insisted on its initial offer, but showed some flexibility, proposing to lift a traffic curfew it imposed along the inter-Korean border in December to protest Seoul's conservative policy.
Hyun said the two Koreas share an understanding that the last remaining inter-Korean venture should remain intact despite the political stalemate. "We head to the talks with an understanding that North Korea does not intend to quit the Kaesong industrial complex," Hyun said, asked by Rep. Chung Ok-il of the ruling Grand National Party about Pyongyang's stance. "We will try to explain to North Korea sufficiently that the businesses should make profits" if the business park is to continue.
But these are totalitarian Maoists, or whatever the North Korean version of that is. Kimists, perhaps? At any rate, they aren't going to understand anything other completely draining the blood of the mixed-breed South Korean plutocrats.
Hyun's uncompromising stance on North Korea's wage demands garnered general support in the parliamentary briefing, which was held in the absence of the major opposition Democratic Party. The liberal opposition was boycotting the Assembly plenary session to protest the ruling party's push for controversial media bills.
Good timing, guys.
A rare criticism came from Gu Sang-chan of the ruling party, who rebuked the government's procrastination on its promise to build dormitories and nurseries for North Korean workers, mostly women in their 20s and 30s. He also called on Seoul to ease its own restrictions on border traffic that were imposed after North Korea's May 25 nuclear test.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The Kaesong workers are only paid $75/month? That's hardly enough to eat bark on after deducting $70/month for the Party.
#2
Chosun Ilbo: The basic monthly salary of North Korean workers at the complex is US$63.4, consisting of $55.1 in wages and $8.3 in social insurance. In addition, overtime work pay amounts to between $11 to 18.3 a month, and a welfare package subsidizing lunches, snacks and transport costs is provided at a range of between $36.6 and 47.9 per month. In total, the monthly salary of a North Korean worker ranges from $110 to 130, which, the companies argue, is comparable to that earned by workers in China and Vietnam.
A survey of some 40 firms operating at the complex was carried out after the first round of talks on April 25 to discover why these firms were having difficulty accepting North Korea's demands. According to the survey, the productivity of an individual North Korean worker is just 33 percent that of a South Korean worker. In comparison, the productivity of Chinese and Vietnamese workers is 96 and 85 percent that of South Korean workers, respectively.
Posted by: ed ||
06/30/2009 8:42 Comments ||
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North Korea has sought various legal and illegal ways to dodge the tightening net of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative for the past few years, a government source said Sunday.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies believe the North exported some US$800 million worth of weapons including missiles, submarines, multi launch rockets and field artillery to Iran, Syria and Burma between 2000 and last year.
I wonder what the curve of dollar value of exports over time for that period looks like: constant, increasing or decreasing. More devious shipment methods/routes generally cost more both in terms of time and money, which generally cuts profits significantly... and I wouldn't expect these particular customers to have significant excess funds to cover increased prices.
Until the 1990s, such exports were relatively easy for the West to track since the North exported finished goods directly to recipients with its own cargo vessels. But tighter controls by the international community of weapons of mass destruction and restraints on the North's arms industry meant Pyongyang had to look for more devious ways.
For instance, the North took a roundabout land route via China and Russia, which is harder to trace, or used transport planes at night. It also exported weapons by building assembly factories in importing countries. To circumvent an entry ban on its ships in ports, North Korean chartered ships under the names of foreigners, falsified the country of origin, or did business through a third country. That is mostly how it was able to export to Iran, Syria, Burma and Laos.
Due to these opaque methods, the U.S. is now keeping an eye on a number of ships and airplanes in addition to the North Korean cargo ship Kangnam it is tracking. As the North becomes more sophisticated in its methods, the international community too must become smarter in tracing and controlling the North's movements, a government official said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Nork shipping wouldn't be hard to trace if it all happened to have an "unfortunate accident" while in transit, and sank. Just saying...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/30/2009 15:23 Comments ||
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The White House is forming an interagency team to coordinate sanctions efforts against North Korea with other nations, senior administration officials said yesterday. The team will be led by Philip S. Goldberg, a former ambassador to Bolivia who is slated to leave for China in the near future as the United States seeks concerted action to punish North Korea for recently conducting a second nuclear test.
Goldberg is the ambassador who got thrown out of Bolivia for opposing what Morales was doing to the country. I'm rather surprised Bambi is putting him into another important job.
Does the president consider this job important? What odds that one even so silver throated as the president himself could persuade China to punish their pet rabid dog?
"There is a broad consensus about the need to have a focused and engaged effort to see that these sanctions are implemented . . . and that we're sharing information with each other," one official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The officials said they are hoping the group -- with representatives from the State Department, the White House, the National Security Agency, the Treasury Department and others -- will help "shine a spotlight" on Pyongyang's actions. "We wanted somebody who woke up every morning and thought about nothing but sanctions implementation," one official said. "It's a huge difference when you have somebody who isn't worried about any of the other aspects of this."
If he can truly work to get Treasury, State and the White House on the same page to start shutting off Nork access to the world financial markets, etc., then it's a good choice.
Stephen W. Bosworth, the administration's special envoy for North Korea, works on a part-time basis.
Administration officials say they will not stop pursuing sanctions unless North Korea takes "irreversible steps" to dismantle its program to show it is serious about talks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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[ADN Kronos] By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistani Taliban leader Gul Bahadur, once an arch rival of Baitullah Mehsud, apparently shelved a ceasefire agreement with security forces when he and his militants attacked a military convoy killing two officers and 12 soldiers at the weekend.
But shelving them when they become inconvenient is what hudnas are for.
Militants claimed to have killed 60 personnel in the attack carried out in Miran Shah area of North Waziristan.
"There was no reason for the attack. The military was not conducting any operation so there was no reason for such an attack," said Major General Athar Abbas, spokesperson for the Pakistan Army at a media conference late on Monday in Islamabad.
Pakistani minister information Qamaruzaman Kaira was also present and explained the government policies.
He denied that there was a military operation in either North or South Waziristan to rival what the military was doing in the northwestern Swat valley. "The military operation called Raye Rasat in South Waziristan is only aimed to establish the writ of the government it is not against any commander, tribe or the area," Athar Abbas maintained. "It should be borne in mind that the operation in South Waziristan was only aimed against the people who are a source of terrorism in the entire country and they are brutally killing the people of security forces," federal minister Kaira added.
However, the Sunday attack showed that this is not what the militants believe.
Pakistani security forces had tried to take the anti-Baitullah Mehsud warlords into their confidence. Two little known commanders, Qari Zainuddin and Haji Turkestan, vowed to support the government. But Qari Zainuddin, who could barely muster a few dozen fighters to combat Baitullah Mehsud, was assassinated last week. He could not get even get a burial plot in his home town and Haji Turkestan's whereabout are unknown since Zainuddin's assassination.
Gul Bahadur, the chief of Taliban in North Waziristan, and warlord Mullah Nazir, the chief of the Taliban in Wana, South Waziristan, were arch rivals of Mehsud even though they were sceptical of government moves against him.
The prevalent idea was that an operation against Mehsud could turn against all the Taliban groups. So Mullah Nazir was the first who refused to give passage to the army and warned that he would not tolerate the military presence in or around his area. Although Bahadur had expressed similar views to Naziran, an attack launched by Bahadur's militants aginst the army convoy on Sunday showed that ideological connections overrode tribal differences. The attack also indicates that all the Taliban commanders are united against the military.
Well-placed sources in the military establishment believe that Sunday's attack could have a far-reaching effect and could threaten the military operation's success.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The military was not conducting any operation so there was no reason for such an attack
Therein lies the problem - have the military conduct aggressive and competent operations and there won't be such attacks anymore.
[Geo News] Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Monday said that the second and third tier of terrorists, against whom the Army is fighting, has been eliminated.
Speaking in the National Assembly, the Prime Minister said Pakistan Army was fighting the extremists bravely and soon the top tier of terrorists, on whom the government has announced head money, will be eliminated.
Responding to a point of order from Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, the Prime Minister said that the aim of recruiting former army personnel in police was to train police force.
He said at present there were some difficulties for recruitment in police and law enforcement agencies as they are prime targets of terrorists and extremists.
He said there is also a lack of trained police personnel and since ex-army men are already trained therefore they have been hired.
He said once the situation improves, recruitment in police force will be made locally.
The Prime Minister asked the ministers to refrain from issuing statements on situation in Swat or the army operation as information minister is the focal person to speak on the subject along with representatives of NWFP government and ISPR.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"STFU, ya attention whores!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/30/2009 19:05 Comments ||
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[Geo News] The operation commencing from different directions has linked up at critical Junctions and with securing of Biha valley in the North and Shamozai in the West, main areas occupied by terrorists have been cleared.
According to Director General ISPR Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, their command structure has been totally dismantled, their training centers discovered and destroyed, their recruits either killed or driven away / ran away, their ammunition dumps destroyed and their Headquarters at Peochar, Chaprial, Matta, Khawazakhela, Mingora, Kabal, Banai Baba Ziarat, Sakhra Valley, Saidu Sharif and Biha have been destroyed.
During last 24 hours, Security forces killed 18 terrorists in Swat and North Waziristan Agency and also recovered cache of arms, ammunition, while 16 soldiers embraced shahadat including 3 Officers. 6 Soldiers including 1 Officer were injured.
A totally unprovoked attack by terrorists on the convoy of security forces with intense fire followed by IEDs at Inzar Kas when convoy was moving from Gharlamai to Wucha Bibi in North Waziristan Agency.
Security forces effectively responded the attack, while soldiers including Lieutenant Colonel Tahir, Captain Abid and Lieutenant Zishan embraced Shahadat, whereas 10 terrorists were killed. 12 Soldiers embraced shahadat yesterday while 4 succumbed to injuries later in the Combined Military Hospital, taking the toll to 16.
Meanwhile, security forces operating in Swat successfully established link up at Khel Kandao, while operating at Buner and are consolidating their positions in areas around Dangram, Kukarai and Jambil.
Security forces secured area around Khazana, Zarra Khela and Garai and are consolidating secured areas of Kabbal, Dhadara, Akhun Khalle, Rangeela, Zarra Khela.
Security forces commenced clearance and search from Shalkosar towards Jukhtai and Balasur towardsShah Dheri.
Security forces during search operation, apprehended a terrorist Muhammad Raheem alias Bhai resident of Sambat near Shangla.
On a tip off Security forces conducted a raid on a compound in Khawazakhela, resultantly 8 terrorists were killed and also recovered few weapons and some explosives.
It is heartening to know that hundreds of young men are showing their inclination for induction in community Police force in Upper Dir. Appropriate steps are being taken to recruit them.
In Upper Dir Lashkar has further closed on to terrorists trapped in a village Shortkas-Dogdarra.
Security forces conducted search operation at Nek Ikthair house at Lower Dir and recovered 11 tons of wheat stolen from World Food Programme on 4 May 09. The wheat has been distributed amongst the IDPs.
Tribesmen from Chamarkand and Kamangara areas of Bajaur met security officials and vowed full support to the government and security forces in eradication of the anti state elements.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
OTOH PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > PAKISTAN-BASED BANNED MILITANT GROUPS "EXPAND" [Operations, recruitment, + entrenchments in WAZIRISTAN].
D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, apparently nobody told them they were "banned" by Paki since 2002!
A MILYUHN-AND-ZILYUHN DOLLAR, BUDGETED US FEDERAL AGENCY, AND YET NO ONE THOUGHT, TOLD OR TRAINED TEEN AGENT CODY BANKS HOW TO TALK TO A GIRL!
#2
* ISRAELI MIL FORUM > [Gen McChrystal]TALIBAN RETURNING TO TERRITORY HELD PRIOR TO 9-11. Infiltration = penetration and set-up into village structures most feared. US-AFGHAN GOVTS had NOT yet dev the TROOP CAPACITY = MILPRESENCE to effec stop or obstruct them.
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > PAKISTANI ARMY NOW FACING A "COMBINED INSURGENCY" CAMPIGN IN WAZIRISTAN [ Multi-MilTerr Groups now fighting together]???
[Geo News] A proposal has been presented before National Assembly for imposing tax on having many children while Minister for Population Welfare Firdous Aashiq Awan observed that increasing population is linked with terrorism. To a question in National Assembly, Aashiq Awan said due to poverty and illiteracy people tend to engage with elements who exploit them in negative activities. He said if tax is to be imposed on having many children it should be started from members of the Parliament. The Minister said the government admits that it has failed in controlling the population.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
So, more sex-selective abortions and medical care, right? Boys are more valuable than girls, you know.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
06/30/2009 8:18 Comments ||
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MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) lashed out Monday against the US demand for a settlement freeze, labeling it "extortion" and warning it could set back Israeli readiness for peace.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Schneller assailed Obama administration officials as holding beliefs shaped by "far-Left opinions outside of the Israeli consensus."
Schneller, who has been involved in peace deals with the Palestinians and Jordan since 1994, sent a letter Sunday to Defense Minister Ehud Barak in advance of the minister's visit to the US in which he said he "searched for ways to find a meeting-point between Israel's desire to advance peace, the recognition of the agreement of the majority of Israeli people to recognize a Palestinian state, and the fatalism of America that is pushing us into a corner."
"The most dangerous thing to the peace process is to push the Israeli public into a corner," he said.
#1
See it is odd. Presumably O's strategy is to break the current bibi govt, and get Kadima in in place of HabayitHayehudi (and maybe in place of Lieberman and even Shas).
You dont advance that by picking on an issue (a broad freeze in settlement construction, even in E Jerusalem) that tends to alienate Kadima.
It could be that they expect nothing real to come out of this, its all show for the benefit of the arabs. Or, its possible, they expect a compromise on settlements but want to lead with a big request, and also get PR benefits of that. Or it could be they want to isolate Israel. Or it could be they have misjudged Israeli politics. Or it could be they are tied up in internal disagreements within the administration.
I dont know.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
06/30/2009 12:28 Comments ||
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#2
The other strategy may be adjunct to that: to pressure the current government into an agreement, using the "only Nixon can go to China" rationale. If the Netanyahu government falls in the process, it's an acceptable fallback result.
Either way, the Israeli left gets placated (remember the President's casual 'stopping-by' during Barak's visit) as well as a subset of Obama's domestic supporters.
And you're right - in any case, it's part of the 'diss your allies to impress your not-allies' routine.
LARNACA, Cyprus: Twenty-one activists from 11 countries set sail from Cyprus Monday to the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade on the impoverished Hamas-ruled territory.
The US-based Free Gaza movement said it is carrying a "symbolic" cargo of humanitarian aid to pressure governments and international relief groups to do more to rebuild Gaza, which was devastated by an Israeli war on Hamas this year.
"We are sending 20 symbolic kits to families to show the effects of the siege which deprives people of electricity, water, cement and other basic amenities," Free Gaza organizer Caoimhe Butterly told AFP. "The $4 billion pledged by donors for reconstruction is not being translated on the ground and the people of Gaza are living in humiliating conditions and the international community must act."
Pro-Palestinian activists have made five successful missions to Gaza from Cyprus since August 2008 - but boats have been turned back twice by Israeli forces. The last attempt in mid-January was intercepted and forced back.
"We are hoping the Israeli Army and Navy will realize this is a humanitarian mission and allow us through," said Butterly.
The activists - including Nobel peace prize winner Mairead Maguire and former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney - are expected to reach Gaza on Tuesday following a 30-hour trip.
Israel has maintained a strict blockade on the Palestinian territory for the past three years.
"The people living there find themselves unable to rebuild their lives and are sliding ever deeper into despair," a new report by the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
Looks like their Dog and Pony Show has hit a snag...
Gaza Maan Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded, and took control of a converted ferry bound for Gaza, towing its passengers, crew, and cargo to Israels port of Ashdod on Tuesday afternoon.
Activists aboard the ship, dubbed the Spirit of Humanity denounced the action as a violation of international law.
This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip, said Cynthia McKinney, a former US Congresswoman who was on board, according to a statement relayed through compatriots in Cyprus, where the boat left on Monday.
Free Gaza Movement Organizer Huwaida Arraf said No one could possibly believe that our small boat constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and reconstruction supplies, and childrens toys. Our passengers include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former US congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach Israeli waters, Arraf added.
The Israeli Navy confirmed that its forces seized the ship, claiming that it contacted the boat while at sea, clarifying that it would not be permitted to enter Gazan coastal waters because of security risks in the area and the existing naval blockade. Disregarding all warnings made, the cargo boat entered Gazan coastal waters, the Navy said. The Navy also said that no shots were fired, and that the crew will be handed over to the appropriate authorities. It also claimed that the humanitarian goods on board will be transferred to Gaza, subject to authorization.
According to an earlier statement from the Free Gaza Movement, the Sprit of Humanity ship was intercepted by Israels navy 60 kilometers from Gaza early Tuesday. The Israeli warships issued an ultimatum, urging the ship to turn back, though statements from the crew indicate the ship will continue on toward the Strip. The most recent communication from the ship said 21 more miles and they will be there. Still 'escorted' by two Israeli gun boats.
The ship set sail from the port of Lanarca, Cyprus on Monday after being delayed by Cypriot authorities. The activists planned to arrive in Gaza on Tuesday in what would have been their fourth successful voyage. Two other attempts to break Israels naval blockade were thwarted by the navy.
Twenty-one human rights advocates representing 11 different countries are aboard the ship. The passengers include Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire, former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and 83-year-old Holocaust survivor Heddy Epstein.
The converted ferry boat carries three tons of medical aid, children's toys, and rehabilitation and reconstruction kits for twenty family homes.
Israel's military spokesperson unit had no information to release about the ship. Attempts to contact the Israeli Foreign Ministry were unsuccessful.
This aid is desperately needed by the people of Gaza, said Nobel Laureate Maguire in a statement relayed from on board the ship. President Obama has called upon the Palestinians to abandon violence but Israel is denying them the right to non-violently resist the siege of Gaza.
At 1:30am, the crew of the ship said, Israeli warships surrounded the boat and threatened to open fire if they did not turn around. They said that when they refused to turn back, the Israeli navy began jamming their instrumentation, blocking their GPS, radar, and navigation systems.
Responding to this, Congresswoman McKinney declared, according to the statement, "I am extremely angry. We demand that the Israeli government call off their attack dogs. We are unarmed civilians aboard an unarmed boat delivering medical and reconstruction aid to other human beings in Gaza. Why in God's name would Israel want to attack us?"
Another ship was due to arrive in Gaza on 26 June, but the organizers cancelled the trip after Israel threatened to stop all solidarity ships and send them back.
#5
Break the right hand of all those "humanitarians" by slamming them repeatedly with a sledgehammer. You can do both hands of Cynthia McKinney, and I'll not say a word. These people are trying their best to destroy the legitimate government of Israel, and supporting one of the most bloodthirsty terrorist groups in the world. Hanging them from a bridge would work wonders on the general "smell" of the "humanitarian" organizations in this world.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/30/2009 15:32 Comments ||
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#6
a stern rifle-butt to the forehead might cure Cynthia of her chronic "Crazy-Eyes" syndrome. Consider it a clinical test. No, don't thank me
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/30/2009 19:22 Comments ||
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#7
ION CYPRUS, WAFF > US OFFICIAL: TURKEY IS THE ONLY SUPERPOWER IN THE REGION. US PRESSURE [on Turkey ala CYPRUS Issue-Negotiats wid GREECE] IS NOT POSSIBLE ANYMORE [Offic > proclaimed its NOT the 1970's-90's anymore].
ARTIC > "140,000 TURKISH REFUGEES ARE PREPARED TO 'INVADE' GREECE"!?
[Iran Press TV Latest] France calls on Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dispose of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is labeled as 'racist' by critics, a report says.
The French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged the Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu to dispose of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a report says.
During Netanyahu's meeting with the French president in Paris last Wednesday, Nicholas Sarkozy advised the Israeli premier to appoint opposition chairwoman Tzipi Livni in place of hardliner Lieberman, according to a report circulated by Israel's Channel Two on Monday.
"With her and (Defense Minister Ehud) Barak you can make history. I have always accepted Israeli foreign ministers, and I loved to have Tzipi Livni here at the Elysee, but with (Lieberman) I can't," Sarkozy was quoted as saying.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry in a statement censured Sarkozy's remarks and described them as "intolerable intervention in internal Israeli affairs."
Meanwhile, the Member of Knesset (Israeli Parliament) Ahmed Tibi welcomed Sarkozy's comments, saying that he hopes "the international community has started to absorb the danger of the fascism being taught by Lieberman."
Lieberman -- a West Bank settler who is seen as an ultra nationalist -- was dubbed 'racist' by his critics after making harsh statements about Arab Israeli lawmakers and refusing to recognize Palestine's statehood.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Why every piece of Eurogarbadge thinks it has a right to give instructions to Israel?
[Al Arabiya Latest] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party would defeat the rival Islamist faction Hamas if a legislative election were held now, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.
Discontent with Hamas over slow-moving Palestinian unity talks and Israel's ban on Gaza reconstruction aid have led to a sharp decline in the Islamist group's popularity according to the survey conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre (JMCC.) The poll showed Fatah would win 38.5 percent of the vote compared to 18.8 percent for Hamas, with the remainder going to smaller factions. In the 2006 election, Hamas won 74 parliamentary seats to 45 for Fatah.
According to the poll, 26.5 percent of those surveyed blamed Israel for the deadlock in the Hamas-Fatah dialogue while 23.5 percent pointed a finger at Hamas and 15.5 percent said Fatah was responsible. Only 17.8 percent of Palestinians trust Abbas, but he is still the most trusted Palestinian personality, followed by the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyah, with 14.8 percent, the poll showed.
Abbas has said he plans to call a general election in January 2010 at the end of the mandate of the current Hamas-dominated legislature.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Gosh I can't believe this! Hamas has done sooo much for those losers.
#3
spin A: see the Israeli incursion (and associated restrictions) worked. Things are bad in Gaza, improving in the West Bank, and the Pal street is turning away from Hamas. Olmert, not as dumb as folks on both left and right thought.
Spin B: Its obamas speech in Cairo, of course
Spin C: Polls in the Pal territories tend to be unreliable.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
06/30/2009 12:20 Comments ||
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Iranian Regime-Affiliated Organization: Europe and America Are Turning Muslim An Opportunity to Spread Shi'a Islam
On May 8, 2009, an article titled "France is Turning into an Islamic Republic" was posted on www.abna.ir, the official website of the Iran-based International Ahl Al-Bayt Foundation. [1] The secretary-general of this foundation, Mohammad Ahmad Akhtari, is deputy of international affairs in the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and former Iranian ambassador to Syria. [2] He was appointed by Khamenei to head the foundation in March 2004. [3]
The article surveyed the growth of the Muslim population in Europe, the U.S., and Canada, which, it claimed, is due to a higher birth rate among Muslims as compared to Christians, as well as to immigration. The article called on the Shi'ite institutions and clerics to take advantage of the situation, namely, that the Muslims will soon become a majority in most of the European countries and the U.S., and to introduce the local Christian population to the Shi'ite school of thought - since, according to the writer - it is more appealing than Sunni Islam.
Following are the main claims of the article. [4] It should be stressed that the data brought in the article is unsubstantiated and should be perceived as reflecting the positions of the Iranian foundation.
#1
See also PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM> THE GROWTH OF ISLAM IN EUROPE. France, Belgium, Netherlands, + Great Britain may be majority Muslim by 2030 = another 20 years.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Islamic law should not be recognized under the United Kingdom's arbitration laws because its principles are outdated and they contradict Western laws, a report by a British think-tank said on Monday, which UK Muslim figures have dismissed as ''scaremongering.''
The report, Shariah Law or One for All?, claimed to have discovered as many as 85 Islamic ''courts'' operating in Britain that hand out unofficial rulings, or fatwas, sought by devout Muslims from their mosque imams, which the report claims are in contrast to the laws applied in British courts.
''They are not official in terms of British law but they carry weight in terms of Shariah,'' Dennis MacEoin, author of the report published by independent think-tank Civitas, told Al Arabiya, adding such rulings are ''inappropriate with Western legislation.''
MacEoin said he believed the worst contradictions were in Shariah's laws on marriage and divorce and said Muslim men can easily divorce their wives, leaving the woman with no rights and turning Muslim women into ''second class citizens.''
When asked about Beth Din, the Jewish court that operates freely across the U.K., MacEoin said they only rule according to British law.
''It is discriminatory against a woman and I'm not happy about that," MacEoin explained.
According to Jewish law it is ''very difficult'' for a woman to get a divorce from her husband and this makes the arguments against Islamic law applicable to Jewish law.
MacEoin said he believed Shariah was outdated and was ''no longer appropriate for the modern period'' because ''it is not how the world works any more.''
He added it was not possible to integrate Shariah law into British law and said the current situation was harmful to relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and hindered Muslim integration into British society.
Last year, head of the Anglican Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, caused public outcry when he suggested that the adoption of aspects of Islamic law in the U.K. was "unavoidable."
The issue of integrating Britain's 1.8 million Muslims has been widely debated since July 2005, when four British Islamists carried out suicide bombings on London's transport system, killing 52 people.
However a member of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) criticized the report, splashed across the British press, for its lack of research credibility. ''It must be gratifying to be able to publish work without ever properly researching the subject matter,'' the unnamed MCB member wrote on Engage, a U.K.-based media awareness website. ''And it says something of any institute willing to even entertain the idea of publishing such poor quality work.''
Inayat Bunglawala, also of MCB, told Britain's the Telegraph: "To term them Shariah courts is ridiculous, it's just scaremongering."
Bunglawala was referring to the 85 ''courts'' allegedly operating across the U.K., which is a massive jump from only five believed to be dotted around the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Finnish-German telecom equipment maker Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) said Monday technology it sold to Iran in 2008 could be used to monitor calls, but denied claims it can be used for web censorship.
A petition calling for a boycott against Nokia has begun circulating over the Internet, claiming the technology had helped Iran to monitor mobile phones and read emails during the recent post-election protests.
"There is a lot of misinformation out there," NSN spokesman Ben Roome said, pointing out that NSN is a separate organization from Nokia.
He explained that NSN had delivered a network expansion with voice call monitoring centre to Iranian telecommunication operator TCI in the second half of 2008. "Voice call monitoring is required by the courts to listen to phone calls coming from a particular phone number, the telecommunication systems have an ability to do that," Roome said.
He added that the standard for call monitoring was set by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute and available in many other countries as well.
The technology "we provide in Iran allows millions of Iranians to communicate every day," Roome noted.
A spokeswoman for the world's biggest mobile phone maker Nokia said the company had received some feedback relating to NSN delivery in Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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[ADN Kronos] Lebanon's Grand Mufti on Monday condemned the violence that occurred between rival factions in Beirut at the weekend. Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani said the violence, in which a woman was killed, was an act of aggression against the state and called for the arrest of those responsible. "Rioting on the streets of Beirut is an act of aggression against security in the country and against the state," said Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani in a statement quoted by Lebanon's English-language media site Naharnet.
He also called for "the arrest and punishment of the aggressors" and urged Lebanon's security forces to "address any breach of security and to intensify efforts to protect the safety of citizens."
According to Qabbani, the unrest was aimed at thwarting the formation of a new government to be headed by prime minister-designate Saad Hariri. The unrest took place on Sunday, a day after Hariri was appointed prime minister of Lebanon by the country's president Michel Suleiman. Supporters of the western-backed Sunni prime minister clashed with followers of the Shia Amal group aligned with Lebanon's re-elected parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri. Thirty-year-old Zeina Miri was killed by a stray bullet and six other people were injured. Gunfire was also reported in several districts of Beirut.
The Lebanese army has warned it would fire on any armed person in the streets and many people have reportedly been arrested in overnight raids.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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[ADN Kronos] Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked the head of the country's judiciary to investigate the death of Neda Agha-Soltani, the young woman killed during the protests against the presidential election. Iranian state media said Ahmadinejad sent a letter to judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi on Monday calling for a probe into what it called the "suspicious" death of 26-year-old Neda, suggesting her death could be linked to "opponents of the Iranian nation".
"Neda Agha-Soltan was shot dead in one of Tehran's streets on June 20 by unknown elements in a completely suspicious way," said the president, quoted by the English-language state channel Press TV.
Ahmadinejad used his statement about the investigation to attack foreign interference in the events that followed the disputed election.
"Amid vast propaganda by foreign media and many other evidence about the heartfelt event, it seems definite that opponents of the Iranian nation interfere (in Iran's internal affairs) for their political misuse."
According to Press TV, Neda's death was considered "suspicious" after sources said she was killed by a small-calibre pistol, a weapon not used by Iranian security forces.
Last week, one of Iran's most powerful clerics, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said that protesters were responsible for the death of Neda.
Khatami considers Ahmadinejad the official winner of the presidential election on 12 June despite complaints by defeated candidates including Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Official election results gave a landslide victory to Ahmadinejad but supporters of the defeated candidates including Mir Hossein Mousavi have disputed the result and taken to the streets of Tehran and other cities in the thousands.
It is the most dramatic upheaval seen in the country in more than 30 years since the Islamic revolution in 1979.
At least 17 people are believed to have died in protests after the disputed presidential poll, which the opposition complains was rigged.
At least 1,000 opposition supporters are reported to have staged a noisy rally outside a mosque in Tehran on Sunday evening before it was broken up by police and militia.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The old O.J. ploy. Dinnerjacket will find the real killers too?
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.
LARNACA, Cyprus: Twenty-one activists from 11 countries set sail from Cyprus Monday to the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade on the impoverished Hamas-ruled territory. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party would defeat the rival Islamist faction Hamas if a legislative election were held now, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.
Iranian Regime-Affiliated Organization: Europe and America Are Turning Muslim An Opportunity to Spread Shi'a Islam
[Al Arabiya Latest] Islamic law should not be recognized under the United Kingdom's arbitration laws because its principles are outdated and they contradict Western laws, a report by a British think-tank said on Monday, which UK Muslim figures have dismissed as ''scaremongering.''
[ADN Kronos] Lebanon's Grand Mufti on Monday condemned the violence that occurred between rival factions in Beirut at the weekend. Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani said the violence, in which a woman was killed, was an act of aggression against the state and called for the arrest of those responsible. "Rioting on the streets of Beirut is an act of aggression against security in the country and against the state," said Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani in a statement quoted by Lebanon's English-language media site Naharnet.
[ADN Kronos] Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked the head of the country's judiciary to investigate the death of Neda Agha-Soltani, the young woman killed during the protests against the presidential election. Iranian state media said Ahmadinejad sent a letter to judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi on Monday calling for a probe into what it called the "suspicious" death of 26-year-old Neda, suggesting her death could be linked to "opponents of the Iranian nation".
