[Al Jazeera] Thousands of police are reportedly being drafted into the Algerian capital ahead of planned pro-democracy marches, opposition groups have said.
Said Sadi, the head of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), said authorities were moving to prevent Saturday's protests in Algiers from taking place.
"Trains have been stopped and other public transport will be as well," he told the AFP news agency.
According to Sadi, around 10,000 coppers were coming into reinforce the 20,000 that blocked the last protest staged on January 22, when five people were killed and more than 800 hurt in festivities.
Attempts to appease
The latest rally is being organised by the National Co-ordination for Change and Democracy (CNCD), a three-week-old umbrella group of opposition parties, civil society movements and unofficial unions inspired by the mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt.
Demonstrators in the oil-rich nation have been protesting over the last few months against unemployment, high food costs, poor housing and corruption - similar issues that fuelled the uprisings in other north African nations.
At least 12 people have set fire to themselves in protest against the government since January, four of those dying.
Earlier this month, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the president, said he would lift emergency powers, address unemployment and allow democratic marches to take place in the country, in a bid to stave off unrest.
However, The infamous However... protests in Algiers remain banned.
Financial support
Bouteflika's attempt to appease protesters is just one of many undertaken by Arab governments concerned about spreading unrest in the region.
In Bahrain, the king offered each family $2,650 on Friday.
The small oil producer is considered the most vulnerable of the Gulf Arab countries to unrest, although seen as unlikely to fall in the same way as Tunisia and Egypt.
The Bahraini government has made several concessions in recent weeks, such as higher social spending and offering to release some minors nabbed during a security crackdown against Shia groups last August.
The official Bahrain news agency released a report saying: "To praise the tenth anniversary of the National Action Charter and in recognition of the people of Bahrain.... His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa ... will provide the amount of one thousand dinars for each family of Bahrain after adopting necessary legal procedures."
Activists have called for protests on February 14, the tenth anniversary of Bahrain's constitution, but it is not yet clear how widespread they will be.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] An unemployed man of 36 who had set himself on fire in the town of El Oued, in the far east of Algeria, near the border with Tunisia, died Friday from his burns, we learned from his family.
Lotfi Maamir, father of six children, died in the service of the burns in the hospital of Douera, a suburb southeast of Algiers, the source said.
He had been admitted after he doused himself with gasoline he ignited Jan. 17 in the Headquarters of the People's Departmental Assembly (APW, departmental assembly), where he had come to claim a job and housing.
This is the fourth self-immolation deaths recorded in Algeria since mid-January.
At least eight other suicide attempts by the fire were also recorded in this country since the outbreak in January of a movement of social discontent that triggered riots in the wake of the revolution in Tunisia.
These attempts immolation occurred after a return to calm in Algeria, shaken from January 6 to 9 by riots against the high cost of living, riots that left five people dead and over 800 maimed.
The move was partly motivated by soaring prices of essential commodities, including oil and sugar.
A demonstration demanding "the departure of the system" to be held Saturday in Algiers following the call of the National Coordination for Democracy and Change (CNDC), grouping of opposition parties, independent trade unions and representatives of civil society.
Born January 21 in the wake of the riots, this coordination wants to "change the system" to the "political vacuum" that threatens the bursting of the Algerian society.
Significant police reinforcements were deployed Friday in central Algiers on the eve of the march, banned by the authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
If they were that poor, where'd they get the money for the gasoline? And the lighter?
#2
Hmmm, let's see now, Break into any parked car, get the hood (Bonnet) open and cut or tear off any long small hose you can find, get a scrap bottle from any trash can, syphon gas into the bottle with the stolen hose, either tear off a sleeve or steal somebody's Laundry for a rag, Punch in the car's cigar lighter and Volla(Or is it ALLAH) Fire, cost, (To you) nothing.
The car owner is pissed, but he doesn't count.
(Probably a JUICE anyway)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/12/2011 12:07 Comments ||
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#3
Sounds like they got bored with the "show throwing" thing...
#4
He had been admitted after he doused himself with gasoline he ignited Jan. 17 in the Headquarters of the People's Departmental Assembly (APW, departmental assembly), where he had come to claim a job and housing.
hmmmm
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/12/2011 12:25 Comments ||
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[Ennahar] Significant police reinforcements were deployed Friday in central Algiers, less than 24 hours before a march from the National Coordination for Democracy and Change (CNDC), which claims the "departure of the system" said a journalist from AFP.
At Mauretania Square, less than one kilometer from "Place de la Concorde" (better known under its old name of May 1st), the planned starting point of this demonstration, anti-riot vehicles have already taken position as many coppers walk the streets around. Square
Police roadblocks set up at entrances to the capital since suicide kabooms in April and December 2007, claimed by Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), were also strengthened.
Capital markets have been stormed by the inhabitants of Algiers, fearing a breakdown of stocks of food that could lead to a deterioration of the situation after the event.
The president of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD Opposition) Said Sadi has confirmed to AFP Friday that the authorities "were trying to encircle the capital" to prevent any demonstrators from other regions, reaching Algiers.
"We're ready for Saturday's march, but they (the authorities) are trying to encircle the capital. The trains are not allowed into Algiers and transport links are being blocked," he said.
According to the president of the RCD, the authorities decided to deploy 10,000 police in Algiers, in addition to the 20,000 already deployed for the Jan. 22 RCD March banned then blocked by the authorities.
"Large amounts of tear gas canisters were unloaded in the night from Sunday to Monday in the port of Algiers," said Saadi.
Apart from the RCD, the CNDC, born January 21 in the wake of riots that killed 5 people, injured over 800, includes the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH), autonomous unions and representatives from civil society.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] The Egyptian army reportedly intends to sack the cabinet and both houses of Parliament, after the opposition called for the formation of a civilian government in the country.
They haven't done as bad a job as the Pakistani army, but perhaps that's because Egypt had a long history before the Mamluk caste was formed.
The report followed the transfer of power from Hosni Mubarak to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, which is headed by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Tantawi.
Egypt's main opposition party, the Moslem Brüderbund, called for the establishment of a civilian government and constitution that "guarantees freedom and human rights." ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you...
The transition of power to the military comes while Mubarak, Vice President Omar Suleiman ... Now former Vice president of Egypt. From 1993 until his appointment to that office in 2011 he was Minister without Portfolio and Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID)... and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq are all former military men. Analysts believe despite the transition Mubarak would still remain in power.
This is while millions of Egyptians have for the past 18 days called for the departure of Mubarak and the establishment of a democratic government.
Earlier in the day vigilantes opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Egypt in a move unprecedented over the past couple of days.
The shooting in El-Kharga came as protestors took over several government buildings in major cities across Egypt on Friday. The last time that live bullets were used against protesters was on Wednesday, when six protesters were killed and hundreds of others were maimed -- some of them critically.
Reports say protesters have also clashed with security forces and attacked cop shoppes in El-Arish. About 1,000 protesters attacked the cop shoppe in El-Arish in an attempt to free political prisoners held by the regime for their anti-Mubarak stance.
More than 20,000 Egyptians have marched towards the City Council in the port city.
Millions of protesters in various cities across Egypt are calling on geriatric President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
A large number of Egyptians have surrounded the Presidential Palace and the state Radio and Television building in Cairo as the Mubarak regime dispatches scores of vigilantes to attack pro-democracy protesters. The Army, however, has prevented protesters from entering the buildings.
According to a Press TV correspondent, the republican guards have been deployed around the palace with snipers positioned on the rooftop of the building.
The measure was taken after protesters began gathering outside the presidential palace following the Friday Prayers.
This is while, a huge crowd of pro-democracy protesters have already gathered in Cairo's Liberation Square.
Reports say protesters have marched to the US Embassy, which is under tight security. The families of US diplomats have already been evacuated from Cairo.
Aside from Cairo, Alexandria and the port city of Suez have also been the scene of large protests since the country's pro-democracy rallies began 18 days ago.
Suez has also seen some of the most violent festivities in the same timescale.
Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.
More than one million pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Alexandria. Protests have also broken out in Mansura, Port Said and Beni Suef. About 10,000 people erupted into the streets of Ismailia.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Leading Egyptian opposition figure Mohammed ElBaradei on Friday said that he did not believe that newly resigned Egyptian geriatric President Hosni Mubarak should be tried for crimes he committed against the Egyptian people during his 30 year dictatorship.
Of course not. If ElBaradei ever achieves his pipe dream of becoming president of Egypt, he might later face the courts as to where a simple former bureaucrat got the money to run for president in the first place.
"We don't need to worry about retribution at this stage. Mubarak needs to go with dignity. Let's focus on the future. We need a country at peace with itself," ElBaradei said in an interview with CNN.
Has anybody asked his opinion? Besides CNN and their fellow international journalists, I mean.
ElBaradei did, however, say that he believed Mubarak and other Egyptian officials should be forced to give money back that was taken from the Egyptian people.
"This is money that is owed to the Egyptian people. We don't need a trial, but that money is one of our priorities. We need the money for development," ElBaradei stated.
The opposition leader said that he hoped the B.O. regime would say "loud and clear" that the US supports the Egyptian people and would never support an authoritarian regime in the country again. He added that the Egyptian people needed their confidence in the US government and its commitment to democracy restored.
ElBaradei said that he felt "a sense of liberation" for himself and all Egyptians when Omar Suleiman ... Now former Vice president of Egypt. From 1993 until his appointment to that office in 2011 he was Minister without Portfolio and Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID)... made the announcement that Mubarak was stepping down.
He said that he hoped the army, who were handed the reins of the country by Mubarak, will realize that the people are in control. ElBaradei said that the Egyptian people would have to be "vigilant" to guarantee fair and free elections.
"We need to go back to law and order," said ElBaradei. "We need to go back from a country that was going down the drain to a country that is looking to the future."
ElBaradei said that he believed the country would need a year-long period to prepare the infrastructure for free elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
He said that he hoped the army, who were handed the reins of the country by Mubarak, will realize that the people are in control.
Yeah, that's why Mubarak handed the show over to the army instead of "the people". Looks like Mr. Potato Head is still right on top of his game.
#2
"This is money that is owed to the Egyptian people. We don't need a trial, but that money is one of our priorities. We I need the money for development to buy votes," ElBaradei stated.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/12/2011 12:27 Comments ||
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[Ma'an] German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday welcomed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's decision to resign and hand power to senior military commanders as a "historic change".
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday saluted Egyptian geriatric President Hosni Mubarak's "courageous and necessary" decision to step down, and called for free and fair elections be held in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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The linked post has a dry recitation of what the Egyptian armed forces have available to them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
A useful listing of inventory and manpower. Then comes the History section, which so often amuses:
The performance of the army during the October 1973 War against Israel helped restore the militarys prestige after its defeat in the Six-Day war in 1967, and justified President Anwar Sadats emphasis on professionalism and avoidance of civilian politics.
Like personal faith, as long as it helps them be better people in the public square, I'm not going to argue the historicity or consistency of the details. But how their heads don't explode is beyond me.
The Egyptian government shut down most of its country's internet not by phoning ISPs one at a time, but by simply throwing a switch in a crucial data center in Cairo.
But we'd never have anything like that in the U.S., and we'd never pass a law to let a president shut down our internet, nope, nope.
That according to a February presentation to the Department of Homeland Security's Infosec Technology Transition Council. The presentation -- made by Bill Woodcock, research director of the Packet Clearing House -- argues that the Egyptian Communications Ministry acted quite responsibly in the procedure it used to cut ties from the net, after the shutdown was ordered by Egypt's much-feared intelligence service.
"Most of the outage was effected through a breaker flipped in the Ramses exchange, and the rest was phone calls and arm-twisting," the presentation says. 'Ramses exchange' refers to a central building in Cairo where Egyptian ISPs meet to trade traffic and connect outside of the country, a facility known as an Internet Exchange Point.
The report's timeline also contradicts many observers' guesses that a smaller internet provider called Noor escaped the initial shutdown because it provided connectivity to Egypt's stock market and several government agencies. According to the presentation, Noor seems to have been hunted down by the intelligence service, just like many other small Egyptian ISPs.
[Woodcock's] company's monitoring equipment was shut off, as was equipment from other companies; that the intelligence service did call some ISPs; and that the shutdown didn't involve manipulation of BGP, a routing protocol, as many had originally assumed.
Most media, including Wired.com, reported that government officials contacted individual ISPs and told them to shut down their networks, under threat of losing their communications licenses. But the document contradicts that narrative, providing new details on the outage -- largely laying the blame on Egypt's internal security service, while describing the "flip-the-switch" shutdown as a "politically liberal" choice by the Egyptian communications ministry.
That's because turning off the internet at the center exchange made it very easy to switch it back on, prevented surveillance, made it clear to everyone what had happened, and prevented spyware from being placed on the networks.
Compare that to Tunisia, where Facebook login pages were manipulated -- presumably by the government -- to grab the passwords of Tunisian activists in order to delete their accounts and protest pages.
The presentation suggests the weeklong shutdown had severe effects on Egypt's economy, in the short term from loss of commerce, and in the long term from a likely plummet in tourism, and an exodus of call centers from Egypt.
The presentation concludes that the ministry's course of action in obeying the orders may have some positive effects in the future: "Itʼs unlikely that Egyptʼs communications ministry will ever be asked to flip that switch again."
A timeline is presented, as is a Powerpoint show, at the link.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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we'd never pass a law to let a president shut down our internet
There does not need to be a law to allow it, nor will a law prohibiting it prevent it: All that matters is the ability to shut it down and the willingness to do so.
[Iran Press TV] Nine activists in Soddy Arabia have announced the formation of the first political party in the country, amid ongoing revolutions and pro-democracy protests in other Arab countries.
The move comes despite the kingdom's ban on forming political parties.
The founders of the "Islamic Umma Party" have conveyed a statement to King Abdullah asking him to recognize the group, AFP reported on Thursday. If you have to ask then you're not free.
"It is not hidden from you that the Islamic world has seen great political developments and the strengthening of freedoms and human rights, ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... which Islam already approves ... It is now time for the kingdom to keep pace with this development and contribute to it," a copy of the letter published on the their website reads.
"We have established the Islamic Umma Party to contribute to forwarding the peaceful political reform movement, to which all the people look forward," the statement adds.
The nine founders, who are lawyers, businessmen, professors and political activists, believe in "freedom," "political pluralism, and the peaceful transfer of power, and the right of the (Islamic) nation to choose its governments," it says.
Sheikh Mohammed al-Qahtani, a founder of the party, says the formation of the party "was a natural response to the development of the political situation in the region and the development of political action in the kingdom."
"The time has come to approve political rights and launch general freedoms, especially to approve the right of the people to elect the Shura Council and the creation of legislation to govern all these political rights," Qahtani added.
Soddy Arabia does not have a parliament. Instead, it has a consultative Shura Council, which is totally an appointed body, aimed at providing the king with consultations on policies, laws, and other matters.
The initiative for founding the Islamic Umma Party is taken as Pro-democracy movements have been spreading across Arab countries in recent weeks.
Last month in Tunisia, nationwide outrage at the government's suppressive policies sparked a revolution, ending the 23-year-long rule of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and forcing him to flee to Soddy Arabia.
Egypt has been rocked by millions-strong nationwide revolution against beleaguered geriatric President Hosni Mubarak since January 25. The protesters want Mubarak to step down.
Other pro-democracy uprisings have also been taking place in Yemen, Algeria and Jordan and more Arab countries are expected to witness similar popular revolts.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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Abdullah might consider it, as long as it is done in a polite, and most importantly, a conservative manner. More than anything else, the Saudis are firm believers in very relaxed gradualism. Stuffy wins the day.
It was hilarious when they had their first experiment with representative democracy a while back.
Abdullah thought he was being dangerously cutting edge and trendy when he permitted some seats in what was the equivalent of a minor planning and zoning board to be put up for a popular vote.
Terrified that it could cause a revolution, both the police and military were on high alert. But the vote itself was dull as dishwater, unimpressive turn out, and if anything, the public selected candidates that were just a *tad* more conservative than those who had previously held those seats.
Abdullah was thrilled. He had risked and won. This democracy stuff is entertaining. I must try this again some time when I'm feeling daring again. Not too much, of course. Wouldn't be prudent.
SEOUL, Feb. 11 -- South Korea's military has not spotted any unusual activity from North Korea's armed forces following the North's walkout on inter-Korean military talks this week, but is closely monitoring the situation, officials said Friday.
The first inter-Korean contact since the North's bombardment of a South Korean island last November collapsed on Wednesday as the two sides failed to agree on the agenda and other procedural issues for a higher-level meeting to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has reacted angrily to the collapse of working-level military talks, saying it feels "no need" for further talks with "scoundrels" in South Korea. Such angry responses raised speculation in the South that Pyongyang might provoke Seoul again.
"Currently, we have not detected any meaningful movements from North Korean military," said an official at the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). "The North Korean military has carried out winter exercises as usual.
"But we are doing everything possible to ensure our combat readiness to deal with any contingency," the JCS official said.
This week's inter-Korean military meeting at the border village of Panmunjom ended in hostility as the North's delegates abruptly stormed out of the meeting room, angered by the South's demand for an explicit apology in connection with the two military provocations last year, Seoul's officials said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
ION TOPIX > JAPAN MILITARY TO MONITOR RUSSIAN ACTIVITY IN DISPUTED ISLANDS.
as complemented by ...
* SAME/PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > [Japan FM] MAEHARA: RUSSIA OCCUPATION OF DISPUTED ISLANDS IS ILLEGAL, widout standing in International Law.
#3
The Norks don't want military confrontation; they can't afford it. Change their political calculation. Next time they launch a military provocation, hit back and take out something that hurts.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
02/12/2011 10:23 Comments ||
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#6
I think NORK is more desperate than we know, China(Their benefactor) is having a Harvest failure, SO who gets fed? Not NORK. The peoples of Chin get fed and the poor beggars starve.
All that's needed now is to wait.
I give them 5 years unless they do something stupid, like invade SKOR then they're going to die a whole lot sooner.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/12/2011 12:38 Comments ||
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BEIJING/SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) -- China expressed concern about North Korea's uranium enrichment program (UEP), but insisted the issue should be dealt with at six-party nuclear talks, South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator said Friday.
"China does not agree with taking the issue to the U.N. Security Council," Wi Sung-lac told reporters after returning home from a two-day trip to Beijing for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei.
China's stance runs counter to South Korea's position that the U.N. Security Council should first take up the matter because the uranium program represents a violation of U.N. resolutions and Pyongyang's own 2005 commitment to forsake its nuclear ambitions.
Wi's visit came after China expressed "concern" about the North's uranium program for the first time in last month's summit with the United States. That had raised hope that Beijing could change its position and back Seoul's efforts to bring the issue to the Security Council.
"South Korea and China expressed concern about North Korea's UEP and agreed to respond to it rightly and continue close consultation," a diplomatic source in Beijing said earlier on condition of anonymity. "Compared with before the U.S.-China summit, China made a lot of mention of concern over the North's UEP."
"China's basic view is that everything, including the UEP, should be discussed at six-party talks," the source said. "The two sides conveyed their respective positions to each other sufficiently. Though no agreement was made, I would like to put meaning in that mutual understanding has deepened."
"China expressed a position that the six-party talks should be resumed at an early date, but still agreed the talks can be resumed only after relations between the two Koreas are normalized," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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North Korea is reportedly importing animal feed grain from China to distribute on the market for human consumption as the regime struggles with food shortages.
According to Radio Free Asia, Pyongyang gave the animal feed to its military as well as to merchants, bringing down the surging cost of rice.
A source in North Korea said the feed is commonly darker in color than normal rice and is often mixed with chaff and stones.
The U.S.-based broadcaster said lower prices caused by several natural disasters in China last year allowed the North to import a vast quantity of low-quality animal feed for its people to consume, stirring mixed responses from North Koreans.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Seriously, thee's no difference except the labeling. Migh be a few rocks in it, but they'll be picked out.
(I remember buying Sacks of Horse feed WITH small stones Intentionaly in it Rounded small size river gravel, I was told this improved the Horse's digestion) I was skeptical, but they were in every sack.
(At the time I figured They were to cheat me by paying feed price for rocks.)
But Fellah liked it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/12/2011 12:18 Comments ||
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#2
Why pick out the rocks? Good source of minerals. And iron...
#3
The US.-based broadcaster said lower prices caused by several natural disasters in China last year allowed the North to import a vast quantity of low-quality animal feed for its people to consume, stirring mixed responses from North Koreans..
ahhh yes. Only in Communism does a shortage(?) lower prices
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/12/2011 12:32 Comments ||
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Iran has allegedly paid North Korea US$2 billion over the past three years in exchange for enriched uranium.
Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper claimed Thursday that North Korea exported enriched uranium from a nuclear facility in Yongbyon to Tehran, which needed the material for its nuclear program. North Korea is said to have received hard currency to purchase the necessary equipment and centrifuges to build other nuclear plants.
The newspaper added that an Iranian delegation traveled to Pyongyang once a year since 2008 to handle the financial transactions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has a seven-year-old son with his live-in paramour, the Liberty Forward Party lawmaker Park Sun-young of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee claimed Thursday.
"I heard from a senior Chinese official that Kim Jong-il has a seven-year-old son with Kim Ok (47), and that they got officially married about two years ago," the hard-right lawmaker claimed.
Kim Jong-il (69) is believed to have three sons and three daughters -- his eldest son Jong-nam with Song Hye-rim, who died in 2002; two sons, Jong-chol and Jong-un, and a daughter, Yo-jong, with Ko Yong-hui, who died in 2004; a daughter Hye-kyong with Hong Il-chon, who was born in 1942; and another daughter, Sol-song, with Kim Yong-sook, who was born in 1947.
Kim Jong-il began living together with Kim Ok in 2004 after Ko Yong-hui died.
Kim Ok was said to have acted as the regent when Kim collapsed with a stroke in August 2008. There is speculation that they got officially married either in late 2008 or in early 2009, after he recovered his health.
Since then Kim Ok has played a role as the North's first lady. In August 2009, she attended luncheon between Kim Jong-il and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun in Pyongyang. She also popped up in September 2010, when Kim Jong-il and his son and heir Jong-un posed for a group photo with the new North Korean leadership after an extra party congress.
But a South Korean intelligence officer said the rumor is "difficult" to verify.
Park said she was also told that Kim Ok, who is regarded as dovish, will highly likely be purged if Kim Jong-un takes power.
She doesn't have to be 'dovish' to be purged. Jong-un will behave like any newly-crowned king with lots of siblings and half-siblings. Each is a threat to his crown power base, so each will be either eliminated or co-opted. I can look at any history book of royalty, western or eastern, to know how this story is going to go.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[CNSNews.com] - If they're going to do joint military exercises, Syria needs to be brought up to snuff, never mind the concerns of Turkey's NATO allies or Israel. Also, they will jointly build a "friendship dam" straddling the border.
#1
This could be very bad, but it could also be very good.
To start with, Turkey is NATO standard everything, but Syria is still Soviet and Russian everything. So compatibility will be like trying to put Ford F-150 replacement parts into a 1957 DeSoto Fireflite.
The Turks, for their part, will quickly realize that Syria's army is third rate, but there will be a ton of intelligence information about them valuable to NATO and Israel. And since a lot of their officers don't give a flip about the Islamist government, information shall freely flow.
#2
And since a lot of their officers don't give a flip about the Islamist government, information shall freely flow.
Not so fast, Kowalski. Ima thinking the officers noticed who the strong horse is on Friday. And the younger ones have a different, shall we say, world view than their elders. This is another step in the withdrawal of Turkey from Nato. And it will be confirmed when the TEA Partiers cut off foreign aid and the upper echelons of the officer corps no longer get their vigorish and the lower level start getting Soviet toys to play with. Because they're cheap and plentiful.
And if that isn't enough, read about the purge of the Turkish senior command that occurred Friday.
#3
The Islamists would assume that the Turkish military is just like every other organization in the Middle East. An Asian model of a small elite of big bosses, and everyone else are petty subordinates. If you take out the small elite, the organization ends. This was how things were done for 1500 years.
However, the Turkish army isn't like that. It was created and composed in the western model. And this might make all the difference in the world.
Say, for example, if Obama decided to start arresting all US military flag officers. How many of them would he have to arrest before the military became loyal to him? And if he decided to replace all these military men with leftist college professors, how long do you think they would last as "generals"?
The point is that the game is far from being over. The western model assumes that leaders will be taken out, one way or another. But that leaves all those lower ranking officers that might have a thing or two to say about that.
#4
Suppose every flag officer in the US was being paid $500,000 by Obama and was a registered Democrat. And further suppose every Captain and Lieutenant was getting squat, and had a picture of Sarah Palin in his locker and was a member of the TEA Party. That's closer to the makeup of the Egyptian Army. Fragging? Oh, the allowance for the flag officers has been cut off. So sorry.
Game over. Insh'Allan.
Unless some general is willing to toast the MB. In which case, he'd better make sure the check from Abdullah clears first. Cause B. Hussein will leave him twisting slowly, slowly in the wind.
A PAKISTANI anti-terrorism court has issued an arrest warrant for former president Pervez Musharraf over the assassination of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto, a public prosecutor says.
"Judge Rana Nisar Ahmad has issued non-bailable warrant for former President Pervez Musharraf and directed him to appear before the court on February 19," Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said.
He said that "a joint investigation team that had been formed to probe the assassination said in its report Musharraf had involvement in the case and was equally responsible".
"The report said it was a broad conspiracy involving Pervez Musharraf, two police officials and terrorists," Mr Ali said after the closed-door hearing that took place in Rawalpindi's Adiala prison.
Mr Musharraf, who was president when Ms Bhutto was killed in 2007, is in self-imposed exile in London and is unlikely to return to Pakistan.
Asked what would happen if Mr Musharraf did not appear in the court on the next date of the hearing, the prosecutor said: "We will see when the time comes."
In December, police arrested two senior police officers, Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad, for alleged dereliction of duty over the assassination of Ms Bhutto after a court issued their arrest warrants.
Mr Aziz, who was city police chief at the time of the killing, and Mr Shahzad, another senior policeman in Rawalpindi, had been arrested for their "failure" to protect Ms Bhutto.
Ms Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide attack after addressing an election campaign rally in the garrison city, near the capital Islamabad, on December 27, 2007.
#1
Hopefully, when he read the news in The Times, while sitting on his easy chair, he snorted, then asked the Abdar (head servant) if one of his bhai (serving boys) might refresh his tea.
[Geo News] The US embassy in Islamabad and Pak ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, denied any reports suggesting that the United States has threatened Pakistain to snap diplomatic relations if Raymond Davis was not released by Friday.
Ambassador Haqqani went on Twitter to say: "No US official, incl the NSA, has conveyed any personal threats 2 me or spoken of extreme measures."
ABC News claimed US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon had threatened to expel Pakistain's ambassador to Washington, shut US consulates and cancel a forthcoming visit by President Asif Zardari if Davis is not released.
The US embassy said it was working with the Pak government to resolve the issue and expressed regret for the loss of life.
Courtney Beale, spokeswoman for the US embassy in Islamabad, said: "The ABC report is not true. The description of the conversations in the report are simply inaccurate."
"Eye witness reports show the American diplomat acted in self-defence. There's no doubt he has diplomatic immunity," said spokeswoman.
While on the other hand, Lahore city police chief Aslam Tareen said, "It has been proved that Raymond Davis committed murder".
"It was cold-blooded murder. Eye witnesses have told police that he directly shot at them and he kept shooting even when one was running away. It was an intentional murder," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
It should be made clear that the US will no longer respect any claimed diplomatic immunity by any Pakiwakiland diplomat, that open season for parking tickets on up is now in session and that diplomatic bags of Pakiwakiland will not be respected.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
02/12/2011 2:26 Comments ||
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[Arab News] Pak police alleged Friday that an American held in a pair of shootings committed "cold-blooded murder," while a judge ordered the man's detention extended for 14 days in a local jail and told the Pak government to clarify if he has diplomatic immunity.
The police claims and extended detention are likely to further inflame tensions over the case between the US and Pakistain, whose always-uneasy partnership is considered key to ending the war in Afghanistan.
The US says the American, 36-year-old Raymond Allen Davis, shot two Paks on Jan. 27 because they were trying to rob him in the eastern city of Lahore. Washington insists his detention is illegal under international agreements covering diplomats because he was a US Embassy staffer, and American officials have begun curbing diplomatic contacts and threatening to cut off billions in aid to Pakistain if he is not freed.
Pak leaders -- loathe to incur a backlash in a public already rife with anti-US sentiment -- have for days avoided making definitive statements on Davis' legal status, saying the issue is up to the courts. The fact that rival political parties control the federal government and the government of Punjab province, where any trial would be held, is further complicating the Pak response.
Tareen said, the slain man's pistol had been examined and officers found that its magazine was loaded with ammunition but no round was in the chamber ready to fire.
On Friday morning, Judge Anik Anwar ordered that Davis be taken from police custody and held in a local jail for at least two more weeks. In response to defense requests, he also ordered that the government tell the court in the coming days whether the American has diplomatic immunity.
Later in the day, Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen declared that a police investigation into the shootings determined Davis was not defending himself.
"It was an intentional and cold-blooded murder," Tareen told a news conference.
The police chief said Davis told interrogators that one of the Pak men had pointed his pistol at him.
However, The infamous However... Tareen said, the slain man's pistol had been examined and officers found that its magazine was loaded with ammunition but no round was in the chamber ready to fire. Police also determined that the American shot and killed the second Pak as he tried to flee, hitting him in the back, Tareen said.
Tareen's remarks left open the possibility that the man with the pistol had still pointed the gun at the American.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
He should have waited until they put him in an orange jumpsuit before he shot them.
#3
Update President Barack Obama's national security advisor has threatened to boot Pakistan's ambassador Husain Haqqani from the country if a US official arrested in Lahore was not released by Friday, ABC News said. Citing two Pakistani officials, ABC News said late Thursday that National Security Advisor Tom Donilon made the threat after summoning Haqqani to the White House on Monday.
He also warned US consulates in Pakistan may be closed and an upcoming visit to Washington by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari could be cancelled if US official Raymond Davis was not freed.
So, let's see if Bambi just dances around there with his feather duster or is serious. Today will tell.
#4
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but some time back, iirc, a Georgian diplomatic employee while DUI killed a Virginian. The US sought and received a waiver from Georgia to prosecute. If you want a 'free kill' license, just remember there are a heck of a lot more foreign diplomatic personnel in the US than we have overseas, most of whom are here because of who they know back home and therefore unlikely to face any real consequences for their actions here.
[Asharq al-Aswat] Comments posted by Iraqis, both inside and outside of the country, on the social networking website "Facebook" in favor and support of the young Egyptians protesting in Cairo's Tahrir Square have now transformed into a call for Iraqi citizens to conduct peaceful demonstrations calling for improved government services, more security, and improved political and economic conditions. This comes as a knock-on effect from what is happening in Egypt, with regards to the protests against geriatric President Hosni Mubarak which have now entered their second week. The anti-Mubarak protests and demonstrations in Egypt are continuing strongly despite the fact that Mubarak has promised to implement the constitutional amendments demanded by the demonstrations and announced that he would be delegating the bulk of his presidential powers to his deputy, Vice President Omar Suleiman.
The intensity and enthusiasm of the Iraqi bloggers only increased after 3 demonstrators were killed last week in the al-Hamza district of the Diwaniya province in southern Ira after police opened fire on a crowd that was protesting against the lack of basic resources and services, most notably the lack of electricity services. This was followed by demonstrations in the cities of Basra, Ramadi, and parts of Storied Baghdad. This prompted one Facebook blogger to comment that "they went out to protest peacefully in Diwaniya and Basra, carrying lanterns and some rationed items, as an expression of our protest against poor conditions. They were met with live fire...and died as martyrs. What kind of a democracy is it where peaceful protesters are met with live fire?"
The following are excerpts from blogs and comments written by Iraqis calling for peaceful demonstrations on social networking sites, with the names of the bloggers and posters removed for their own safety:
One blogger wrote "those who possess weapons will transform any attempt to demonstrate into a disaster and a war on the streets. Therefore there must be peaceful protesting, and disengagement between the two sides of the equation. There are corrupt people here, murderers there; this is the issue in its entirety: [there is] a vicious circle in Iraq".
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... another blogger acknowledged that "we waited too long, and the timid protests that did occur were not commensurate with the extent of the disaster [in Iraq]. The only way to stop this is with more demonstrations and protests against corruption and senseless killing, but the demonstrations must [also] not to ignore the Baathist party, Al Qaeda, and enemies of the doctrine".
However the scene is not without its optimists, to the extent that one blogger commented: "I do not despair, for the Iraqi people will protect this country and its people, and the dignity of the Iraqis, as they are all the descendants of the 1920 Revolution [against the British]. We are with you and we are with every Iraqi who wants the best for his homeland. We are with you, my dear brothers, against all corrupt politicians and thieves, we raise our voices against all that is happening to Iraq and its people, against everything that is against humanity. Our people deserve prosperity and the people of Iraq will achieve this."
It is not just ordinary Iraqi citizens who are calling for demonstrations, some of the country's intellectuals have begun to put forward their views on this subject. Iraqi poet Hamid Qassim wrote "some say the Iraqi situation does not resemble what happened in Egypt and Tunisia, because of the security situation here, which may eventually lead the country into the abyss once again, and this is true. However the situation calls for peaceful protests on the streets every day, against the security forces who do not protect us from killers, and who infringe on our freedoms and rights. [We must protest] against officials and politicians acting as corrupt thieves, against unemployment, fraud, and a lack of electricity and services. We must raise our voices until those in power tremble with fear. Do not be afraid, thieves are usually cowards".
Whilst poet Hashim al-Aqabi, who resides in Cairo, wrote the following on his Facebook page: "Even Iraqi children know that the Iraqis must rise up against the corruption that has engulfed their country...[there is] poverty, hunger and unemployment, amidst a security situation where services have declined to the extent that at times they are non-existent. Yet before all of this, there is a constitution which is supposed to govern the actions of those who run political affairs, from the lowest levels of state administration to the Prime Minister. This constitution recognizes that we have a democratic system of government, and clearly permits our right to demonstrate peacefully. Now we are see the people of Egypt rise up courageously against an unjust constitution, single party rule, and unilateral power; what is preventing the Iraqis from such a revolution? Were we not the first people to demonstrate and break down the walls of fear? In summary, I would like to say that if people are not paying attention to their daily injuries they should heed the words of [famous Iraqi poet] al-Mutanabbi who wrote "someone who is insulted once is easily insulted again, for only the dead feel no pain." God forbid the Iraqi people dying from such repeated injury.
He added "What began as a light breeze has transformed into a raging storm, shaking us to our core, and urging us to revolt. It is only natural for the people of Iraq to be affected in this way, for we were the first Arab people to rise up and confront the most fascist and bloodthirsty regime in the world, following the occupation of Kuwait. I don't think that any Iraqi monitoring the events in Egypt can forget the pain we felt during the 1991 uprisings [against Saddam Hussein]."
Another Iraqi citizen commented that the statement issued by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about the demonstrations during a presser in Storied Baghdad represented "a pre-emptive strike against those who want to demonstrate." Al-Maliki had said "it is not out of the question that demonstrations take place in the Iraqi street along the lines of what is happening in some Arab states" adding that "some of these demonstrations, should they take place [in Iraq], will be genuine because of a lack of services, however others will be conducted under the guidance and support of certain elements."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, on Friday hailed the resignation of geriatric President Hosni Mubarak as "the start of the Egyptian revolution" as scenes of jubilation erupted across the Gazoo Strip.
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[Arab News] Mohammedan rebel leaders have assured the Philippine government they are still in control of a rogue guerrilla commander who has rejected peace talks with the government.
Marvic Leonen, the chief of the government peace panel in talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Friday that rebel leaders have given assurances that they still wield influence over Ameril Umbra Kato, who reportedly has formed his own gang.
The two sides concluded their latest round of formal talks in Malaysia on Thursday.
Leonen says the Moro rebels have submitted a new draft of their negotiating position in which they claim 7-9 percent of the southern Philippines as the traditional homeland of Mohammedan Filipinos. He says the government will study the draft.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Straits Times] MALAYSIAN prosecutors filed charges that carry the death penalty on Friday against seven Somali pirate suspects in an attack on a Malaysian-operated ship, in the first such charges in Asia against the African sea bandidos.
The Somalis - some as young as 15 years old - took 23 Filipino crew members captive aboard a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Jan 20. Malaysian naval commandos responsible for protecting the vessel stormed it less than two hours later and freed the crew. The pirates shot at the commandos, but no injuries were reported.
Malaysian government lawyers on Friday charged the men with using firearms against Malaysian armed forces personnel with the intention of causing death or hurt.
The charge carries a penalty of death by hanging, but prosecutors said that if convicted, three of the Somalis are expected to have their sentence commuted to prison terms because they were 15-year-old minors.
The Somalis looked grim while handcuffed behind their backs and wearing bright orange overalls at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court. They did not immediately enter any plea. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing March 15.
South Korea and India also are holding dozens of Somali pirate suspects expected to be charged soon.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad said on Friday that a new Middle East is being created which will be free of the United States and Israel, as he backed uprisings rocking the Arab world and warned Egyptians to beware of America.
Massive crowds of Iranians, waving flags and chanting: "Death to (Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak!" and: "Death to America™!" descended on Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square to listen to the hardliner, who lashed out at the West and Israel in a speech marking the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
"We will soon see a new Middle East materialising without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for world arrogance (the West) in it," Ahmadinejad told the cheering crowds, who gathered despite the cold and cloudy weather.
In a speech directed in good part at the Arab uprisings, Ahmadinejad said Egyptians needed to be careful of the United States.
"They (the United States) have adopted a friendly face and say 'we are friends of the people of North Africa and Arab countries', but be watchful and united. You will be victorious... but your path of resistance is a lengthy one," he said.
"The Iranian nation is your friend and it is your right to freely choose your path. The Iranian nation backs this right of yours."
Iran, which has no diplomatic ties with Egypt, has backed mass protests there, now in their 18th straight day, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging the people to establish an Islamic regime in the Arab world's most populous nation.
The expressions of support came despite the deadly crackdown launched by the Iranian authorities when hundreds of thousands erupted into the streets of Tehran and other cities to protest against official results giving Ahmadinejad a second term in a June 2009 presidential election.
Dozens of Iranians were killed, hundreds maimed and scores nabbed by security forces during the protests which shook the pillars of the Islamic regime.
The Iranian authorities have also been jamming the BBC's Persian-language television channel, the broadcaster said on Friday, linking the move to its coverage of the protests in Egypt.
"This jamming should stop immediately," the director of the BBC World Service, Peter Horrocks, said.
"The events in Egypt are being viewed by the entire world and it is wrong that our significant Iranian audience is being denied impartial news and information from BBC Persian TV."
BBC Persian was also the victim of extensive jamming during its coverage of the anti-Ahmadinejad demonstrations of 2009.
Ahmadinejad appealed to the messianic beliefs of Iran's majority Shiite faith, saying the world was witnessing a revolution overseen by Imam Mehdi -- its 12th imam who disappeared as a five-year-old in the 10th century and who the faithful believe will return before judgement day.
"The final move has begun. We are in the middle of a world revolution managed by this dear (12th Imam). A great awakening is unfolding. One can witness the hand of the Imam in managing it," said Ahmadinejad, wearing his trademark jacket.
He hit out at the United States, calling it an "accomplice to the oppression of the Zionist regime."
"If you want people to trust you, first of all do not interfere in affairs of the region, including in Tunisia and Egypt. Let them be by themselves," he said.
"Come and take away the Zionist regime which is the source of all crimes... take it away and liberate the region. Free the region and give it to the people and take this regime, which is the child of Satan (the United States), out."
Chants of "Egyptians, Tunisians, your uprisings are just and we are with you," and "Hosni Mubarak 'mubarak' (congratulations) on the uprising of your people!" rang through the streets as the crowds marked the anniversary of the 1979 revolution which toppled shah Mohammad Reza, a key US ally.
Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington were broken off soon after and remain so to this day.
During last year's anniversary rally, Iran's opposition attempted to stage anti-government demonstrations which were crushed by the authorities.
Since then opposition supporters have stayed off Tehran streets but their leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have sought permission to hold a rally on Monday in support of the Arab uprisings.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I wish somebody would respond to wormy comments like his with something sarcastic. To not say anything just gives him a monopoly on blather.
Perhaps the best response would be to craft a whole volume of nutjob jokes that could be sneaked into Iran. A whole genre of toilet humor about him. That could be as effective as any number of economic sanctions.
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad said today that a new Middle East is being carved out that will be free of the United States and Israel, as he backed the revolts rocking the Arab world.
Massive crowds of Iranians, waving flags and chanting: "Death to (Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak!" and: "Death to America™!" descended on Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square to listen to the hardliner, who lashed out at the West and Israel in a speech marking the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
"We will soon see a new Middle East materialising without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for world arrogance (the West) in it," Ahmadinejad told the cheering crowds, who gathered despite the cold and cloudy weather.
In a speech directed in good part at the Arab uprisings, Ahmadinejad said Egyptians needed to be vigilant of the United States.
"They (the United States) have adopted a friendly face and say 'we are friends of the people of North Africa and Arab countries', but be watchful and united. You will be victorious ... but your path of resistance is a lengthy one," he said.
No diplomatic ties
"The Iranian nation is your friend and it is your right to freely choose your path. The Iranian nation backs this right of yours."
Iran, which has no diplomatic ties with Egypt, has backed mass protests there, now in their 18th straight day, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging the people to establish an Islamic regime in the Arab world's most populous nation.
The expressions of support came despite the deadly crackdown launched by the Iranian authorities when hundreds of thousands erupted into the streets of Tehran and other cities to protest against official results giving Ahmadinejad a second term in a June 2009 presidential election.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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The president of the UN-backed Lebanon tribunal said on Friday he expected the prosecutor to submit more indictments.
Enforcing them is another matter.
The president of the UN-backed Lebanon tribunal said on Friday he expected the prosecutor to submit more indictments to pre-trial judges in a probe into statesman Rafik al-Hariris assassination in 2005.
The prosecutor issued a draft indictment last month over the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister. The long-expected move set off a political crisis in Lebanon, where the militant Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies toppled the government of Hariris son, Saad al-Hariri.
The contents of the draft indictment, which are now being reviewed by pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen, have not been revealed. But Lebanese officials and Western diplomats expect the court to accuse members of Hezbollah of involvement in the assassination.
Details of the charge sheet may not emerge for several more weeks, when Fransen is expected to decide whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
However, Judge Antonio Cassese, the president of the United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, said in a statement on Friday that further indictments were likely.
The president has every confidence that the prosecutor and his office are working professionally and expects that further indictments will be submitted to the pre-trial judge in due course, Cassese said. The tribunal declined to comment further.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/12/2011 00:00 ||
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You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind's blowing.
A Turkish court ruled Friday that 133 current and former military officers must be jailed pending the outcome of their trial on charges of plotting to overthrow the government and issued warrants for the arrests of 29 other officers, Anatolia news agency reported.
Security forces immediately closed all courthouse doors and detained the defendants, including the former air force and navy chiefs, broadcaster NTV reported. The officers began chanting military songs to protest the court's decision, the TV station reported.
The officers, including several high-ranking generals, are on trial accused of conspiring to topple Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government in 2003. All but one officer had been free until Friday's hearing.
The case marks the government's increasing confidence in confronting a military that once held sway over Turkish political life. The arrests of high-ranking military officers would once have been unimaginable.
The military, which has overthrown three Turkish governments since 1960 and pressured a government to step down in 1997, has denied such a plot, saying documents used as evidence were from a military training seminar during which officers simulated a scenario of internal strife. I'd take even money that more Egyptian officers know this than American. I wonder when the halal torturing begins. Claire Berlinski comments here. It's every bit as bad as we think.
#1
Without a secular military to restrain them, Turkey becomes an Islamic theocracy overnight. And if the military ever gets the upper hand, it will have to kill each and every Islamist in the country. Something they should have done as a standard policy since 1960.
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.
Omar Suleiman
North Korea is reportedly importing animal feed grain from China to distribute on the market for human consumption as the regime struggles with food shortages. 
Iran has allegedly paid North Korea US$2 billion over the past three years in exchange for enriched uranium. 
[Asharq al-Aswat] Comments posted by Iraqis, both inside and outside of the country, on the social networking website "Facebook" in favor and support of the young Egyptians protesting in Cairo's Tahrir Square have now transformed into a call for Iraqi citizens to conduct peaceful demonstrations calling for improved government services, more security, and improved political and economic conditions. This comes as a knock-on effect from what is happening in Egypt, with regards to the protests against 
[Straits Times] MALAYSIAN prosecutors filed charges that carry the death penalty on Friday against seven Somali pirate suspects in an attack on a Malaysian-operated ship, in the first such charges in Asia against the African sea 
Mahmoud 
He hit out at the United States, calling it an "accomplice to the oppression of the Zionist regime."
