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Syrian Troops Kill 57 amid Clashes near Lebanese Border
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
13:54 6 20:31 Fred [7]
13:11 9 23:47 canalzone [3] 
12:20 14 23:13 Winky Wittlesbach4082 [6]
11:32 6 22:32 USN, Ret. [4] 
08:29 0 [1] 
07:16 14 23:53 canalzone [2] 
07:14 11 23:54 Water Modem [4] 
06:53 4 18:32 Procopius2k [3] 
06:48 0 [2]
06:47 2 22:57 canalzone [9]
06:47 2 15:41 Gabby Cussworth [5]
06:46 4 21:44 Northern Cousin [4]
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06:46 3 00:00 JosephMendiola [3]
06:39 2 22:22 USN, Ret. [7]
06:31 2 23:08 JosephMendiola [4] 
06:29 1 12:50 trailing wife [6]
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05:11 1 16:09 Frank G [2]
00:00 1 02:13 JosephMendiola [4]
00:00 2 16:49 Uncle Phester [6]
00:00 9 21:49 Northern Cousin [6]
00:00 1 01:01 Eric Jablow [3] 
00:00 1 00:16 newc [6]
00:00 3 11:43 Pappy [5]
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00:00 2 15:38 crosspatch [4]
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00:00 1 19:12 Glenmore [4]
00:00 1 11:25 lotp [4]
00:00 1 00:24 texhooey [5]
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00:00 4 06:05 Glenmore [3]
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00:00 3 20:12 DepotGuy [5]
00:00 3 17:54 mojo [5]
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00:00 7 19:19 Alaska Paul [1] 
00:00 2 07:40 Procopius2k [3] 
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00:00 1 23:40 JosephMendiola [8]
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00:00 1 11:39 Steve White [1]
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00:00 3 10:38 Thing From Snowy Mountain [4] 
00:00 2 05:08 g(r)omgoru [8]
00:00 1 02:22 JosephMendiola [1] 
00:00 1 00:27 JosephMendiola [3]
00:00 2 18:44 Bright Pebbles [3]
00:00 9 22:28 trailing wife [5] 
00:00 1 11:37 Pappy [3]
--Tech & Moderator Notes
New front page
I've been continuing work on the new version of the front page. I think it's going to be faster and better-behaved than the current version -- the code's a lot simpler, for one thing.

The main problem I'm going to have will be the data import from MySQL. Postgresql shadows the MySQL version, but I broke it in 2010 (Don't ask. I've forgotten what I did, but it was stoopid.) The two databases have slightly different formats so I have to do a lot of hand work, the while deciphering the occasional cryptic error message.

I've got the headlines routine installed and there are a number of changes.
  • I think I'm going to leave it all in page order unless you're really unhappy about not having the current page at the top of the list. If you like it that way it's another trip to the database.

  • I've dropped the page hits column. That gets corrupted by various robots and spammers and who knows what else. I think the number of comments are a better gauge of what's most interesting.

  • Rather than opening a separate page, I have the headlines link to the article presentation on the front page. If you click on something that's not on the current page it'll take you to that article on the appropriate page. At least I hope it does. I haven't tested it was all browsers yet. Linking will work as it does now. Clicking on the logo will, as always, take you back to today's Page 1.

  • I've added the category to the headlines presentation, using the real estate the page hits column took up, plus a bit.

  • I've got headlines in category order, rather than posting order. I'm not sure which I prefer. I'll certainly bow to the majority on this...

  • I've added the option to view articles in posting order to the front page, without having to go to WoT Research.

  • I've widened the page a little. Modern screens are mostly wider than was customary last time I modified thing.
I've probably got lots of little digital cockroaches crawling around, especially when different browsers and operating systems come into play. Let me know when they're sighted and I'll try and fumigate.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 13:54 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's really fast, looks and works great in Chrome.
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 15:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Overall looks good and works well on my iPad.

But, there are some articles with a queer symbol between paragraphs and in random spaces between words: a diamond the colour of the page with a white question mark within.

Page order is fine -- colour is a good visual cue for which page I'm on, should I forget in those few moments while I'm scrolling down.

There are arguments for both category and posting order.

No issue about removing the page hits column, and I do like having the categories there instead.

I'm not keen on the shadowing of the article and comment boxes. It is pretty, but it feels uncomfortable when looked at long enough... possibly a sign I need to actually fill my new glasses prescription. On the other hand, as a visual marker that I'm looking at a work in progress, it's effective. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 16:06 Comments || Top||

#3  Fred, I'm not sure what-all you said, but thank you.

You are a GOD.
Posted by: Barbara || 03/28/2012 16:21 Comments || Top||

#4  I think you should have a button/ link at the bottom of the page to view the whole site + comments, so the main page is much shorter.

Also is it useful to know who last commented?

Might be more useful to have flags against articles so you can tell where the news item was from.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/28/2012 16:36 Comments || Top||

#5  It's fast and even works great on my iPhone 4S. Many thanks!
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/28/2012 18:26 Comments || Top||

#6  I've got the databases updated now. The Postgres version shows more records than the MySQL. I believe that's because the shadow hasn't been deleting duplicate records.

I'm going to let them continue running in parallel just to make sure nothing breaks before shutting MySQL down entirely.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 20:31 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Military academy hosts 'queer prom'
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 13:11 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Someone should organise a Straight-Prom too. Put the cat among the pidgeons...
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/28/2012 14:00 Comments || Top||

#2  Now you know that would be RACIST don't you?

(never mind that preference isn't a race - neither is religion...)
Posted by: CrazyFool || 03/28/2012 14:30 Comments || Top||

#3  The Military is an organization that should not allow division in the ranks. Making everybody special makes nobody special.

It's sickening to see a Military Academy pulled so far from it's moorings over feel good, bogus, political destruction.
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 14:56 Comments || Top||

#4  They are all to be trained in Middle Eastern dialects and used as prostitutes in the war on terror. Talk about taking one for the home team!
Posted by: Lampedusa Hatrack2021 || 03/28/2012 18:04 Comments || Top||

#5  They serve a purpose!
Posted by: Thriter Thinerong5649 || 03/28/2012 18:05 Comments || Top||

#6  They serve a purpose!It may save some small children will be given wax and lotion.
Posted by: Thriter Thinerong5649 || 03/28/2012 18:06 Comments || Top||

#7  I am with you newc. It should be about unit cohesion, not fragmented groups of special interests. I realize of course that I may be speaking against some sports teams, but overall, those teams tend to generate school cohesion. Rather than "dont ask, dont tell", maybe it should be "Dont flaunt Dont flash"

Interestingly, in Canada, we have been in a "one man, one kit, one fight" for years and have had antiharrassment policies for years. There have been incidents, there always will be I think, but not this. OMG, not this.
Posted by: Northern Cousin || 03/28/2012 21:21 Comments || Top||

#8  I've read recently that the repeal of DADT created the expected DOD-wide spousal benefit debacle; just as anticipated! KEWL!
Posted by: canalzone || 03/28/2012 23:34 Comments || Top||

#9  So. Sounds like we're getting a tad overly-dramatic, "Don't-cha think, small-nato guy?
Posted by: canalzone || 03/28/2012 23:47 Comments || Top||


Paper: Justices poised to strike down entire healthcare law
The Supreme Court's conservative justices said Wednesday they are prepared to strike down President Obama's healthcare law entirely.

Picking up where they left off Tuesday, the conservatives said they thought a decision striking down the law's controversial individual mandate to purchase health insurance means the whole statute should fall with it. The court's conservatives sounded as though they had determined for themselves that the 2,700-page measure must be declared unconstitutional.

"One way or another, Congress will have to revisit it in toto," said Justice Antonin Scalia.

Agreeing, Justice Anthony Kennedy said it would be an "extreme proposition" to allow the various insurance regulations to stand after the mandate was struck down.

Meanwhile, the court's liberal justices argued for restraint. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the court should do a "salvage job," not undertake a "wrecking operation." But she looked to be out-voted.
Since when do courts 'salvage' flawed legislation? Let the legislature write a non-flawed law...
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said they shared the view of Scalia and Kennedy that the law should stand or fall in total. Along with Justice Clarence Thomas, they would have a majority to strike down the entire statute as unconstitutional.
We can only hope it is destroyed in total. A mandate strike off, with the rest surviving leads to single payer since the insurance companies can not operate with those costs. Just as Obama wanted.
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/28/2012 12:20 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Why not call it treatment rationing law? It's more accurate as care and government are an oxymoron.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/28/2012 12:50 Comments || Top||

#2  Nursy Mae and Doctor Mac.

It's as economically unsustainable as Land Subsidies.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/28/2012 12:52 Comments || Top||

#3  Troubling this morning is the Justices discussing the merits of the law, as opposed to the constitutionality. I was shocked and delighted to hear Judge Sotomayor comment that [paraphrasing here] why don't we let the Congress sort it out.

I suspect virtually anything could happen at this point.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 13:17 Comments || Top||

#4  Striking down the law is good for America. Sadly, it's also good for Obama.
Posted by: Iblis || 03/28/2012 13:28 Comments || Top||

#5  I'm still not sure it's good for Obama or not. His signature legislation that stalled the recovery and was unconstitutional. Pretty easy stuff to campaign against. The only fear is tha turnout among anti-Obama folks might drop if this is already gone before Nov but I don't think that will happen.
Posted by: Rjschwarz || 03/28/2012 13:42 Comments || Top||

#6  I feel confident that this president will not be reelected, and the democrates will loose control of both the house and the senate. Of course, that is easy to feel out here in fly over country that gave W 86% of the vote.
Posted by: bman || 03/28/2012 14:21 Comments || Top||

#7  Why not call it treatment rationing law? It's more accurate as care and government are an oxymoron. Medicare is no different than Obamacare in this respect, however Medicare has been completely off limits in the current public & judicial discussion.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/28/2012 15:12 Comments || Top||

#8  If it is declared unconstitutional, it would be good for Romney who could say, 'it is a State issue; let each state come up with a way to deal with it and then states will learn which provisions work best and amend their own method'.

If it is not declared unconstitutional, Romney will make the same argument but the press will say, 'why oppose nationally what you agreed to at the state level' and Romney's answer will be lost.
Posted by: Lord Garth || 03/28/2012 18:05 Comments || Top||

#9  I don't get why people refer to Medicare as an entitlement. You pay into it your entire life. After retirement you pay Medicare monthly premiums. Additionally, you pay monthly premiums for a supplemental policy to cover what Medicare doesn't cover. The premiums for both increase each year. You pay co-pays for medical services which increase each year. You pay taxes on Medicare benefits. If you are self-employed after retirement you pay up to 13-1/2 percent of income for a self-employment tax which covers Medicare in addition to the fore-mentioned. ObamaCare will cost the taxpayers a great deal. ObamaCare will cause the national debt to skyrocket. ObamaCare was all about Progressive power, government overreach and very little about health care.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/28/2012 18:08 Comments || Top||

#10  Romney's answer will be lost. Only for those too simple-minded to realize there is a difference between how States function & how the United States (is supposed to) function. Romney can simply repeat, "It's an issue for individual states." Etc.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/28/2012 18:22 Comments || Top||

#11  "Only for those too simple-minded to realize there is a difference between how States function & how the United States (is supposed to) function."

That would be all of the Left and half of the rest of the people. :-(
Posted by: Barbara || 03/28/2012 18:33 Comments || Top||

#12  I don't get why people refer to Medicare as an entitlement.

Medicare taxes don't cover program expenses. Matter of fact, last year (2011) Medicare costs were greater than Social Security costs and growing much faster.

Medicare costs (including both HI and SMI expenditures) are projected to grow substantially from approximately 3.6 percent of GDP in 2010 to 5.5 percent of GDP by 2035, and to increase gradually thereafter to about 6.2 percent of GDP by 2085.
A SUMMARY OF THE 2011 ANNUAL REPORTS

2010:
Income: $486 billion.
Expenses: $522.8 billion
Deficit: $36.8 billion

Read the link. Both Medicare and SS will have to funded by general revenues (which we don't have).
Posted by: Shimble Guelph5793 || 03/28/2012 20:23 Comments || Top||

#13  Found it extremely interesting on my drive home today ( 5 pm PDT/ 8 PM on the east coast) the local ABC ( KOMO 1000) station at 5:30 and 6:00 had not one word about today's Supreme Court festivities. there was a brief 'political analysis about 3 minutes to the top of the hour that had some syrup to pour over the airwaves for the Seattle libs that needed their hands held; all 'this rejection will be great for Obama' kind of crap. seattle newspaper is also scarce on this.

think the libs are scared?
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 03/28/2012 22:42 Comments || Top||

#14  IIUC, the original hospitalization Medicare, now referred to as "part A", was the only one enacted with its own properly passed tax. The rest of the B-Z alphabet soup is smoke and mirrors, with a mishmash of premium payments and general revenues.
Posted by: Winky Wittlesbach4082 || 03/28/2012 23:13 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
More woes for Airbus A380s
Airbus's A380 superjumbo encountered fresh operational problems on Tuesday, when two aircraft had to abandon flights because of separate difficulties.

An A380 operated by Singapore Airlines and flying from Singapore to Frankfurt had to return to the Asian city state after one of its four engines developed a fault and had to be shut down. A superjumbo operated by China Southern Airlines ZNH and flying from Beijing to Guangzhou turned back to the Chinese capital after a malfunction with the air pressure system in the passenger cabin.

These incidents follow an order by regulators last month for inspections of all 71 A380s that have been delivered to Airbus customers because of a wing cracking problem.

The European Aviation Safety Agency wants airlines to check for cracks on wing components and carriers including Emirates Airline, the largest A380 operator, are having to repair their super jumbos.

Singapore Airlines said one of its A380 flying from Singapore to Frankfurt with 430 passengers onboard turned back almost three hours into the flight after the crew reported a problem with one of the superjumbo's four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines. The airline described the problem as a "surge", which typically involves a difficulty with airflow around the engine.

"We are looking into the incident and the engine will undergo thorough inspections in consultation with Rolls-Royce," said Singapore Airlines, the launch customer for the A380 in 2007.

Rolls-Royce said it was investigating the issue with Singapore Airlines. Airbus, the main subsidiary of EADS, the European aerospace group, declined to comment.

Of the 71 A380s that have been delivered by Airbus to airlines, 39 have Rolls-Royce's Trent 900 engines.

In November 2010, the A380 suffered its worst safety scare when one of the Rolls-Royce engines on a Qantas superjumbo exploded. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing in Singapore and Qantas responded by temporarily grounding its entire A380 fleet.

Around the same time, Singapore Airlines grounded three of its A380s to replace some of the Rolls-Royce engines after finding signs of oil staining.

In December 2010, an investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that an oil fire was the most likely cause of the Qantas A380 engine explosion.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/28/2012 11:32 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  As someone who has a vested interest in the race between Boeing and Airbus as my BIL is an engineer on the Boeing, I do have do say I am laughing my ass off at Airbus.
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/28/2012 11:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Just as long as the B787 doesn't have similar problems...
Posted by: Steve White || 03/28/2012 13:07 Comments || Top||

#3  If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going!
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 13:14 Comments || Top||

#4  after a malfunction with the air pressure system in the passenger cabin.

That's worrisome. I remember from a few years ago there was a scandal where the European maker of cabin pressure regulators basically destroyed an American engineer when he went public about a failure mode that could suck the air out of a airline cabin.
Posted by: Shimble Guelph5793 || 03/28/2012 21:04 Comments || Top||

#5  From 2005: Airbus whistleblower faces prison
Joseph Mangan thought he was doing Airbus a favour when he warned of a small but potentially lethal fault in the new A380 super-jumbo, the biggest and most costly passenger jet ever built.

Instead, Europe's aviation giant rubbished his claims, and now he faces ruin, a morass of legal problems, and - soon - an Austrian prison. Mr Mangan is counting the days at his Vienna flat across the street from Schonbrünn Palace, wondering whether the bailiffs or the police will knock first.

His troubles began in September 2004 when he contacted the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), claiming that the cabin pressure system in the A380 might not be safe, and that this had been concealed.
Posted by: Shimble Guelph5793 || 03/28/2012 21:09 Comments || Top||

#6  As someone who is currently working for a maker of interiors for the A380 and A330 cargo versions, this isn't good news. But as for the Screamliner; I am waiting 5 years before i jump in one. I fully expect one to come apart in flight due, not to the design, but to unreported damage as a result of impact with ground equipment. Metal airplanes leave dents ( witness marks) when they get hit, carbon fiber doesn't, but that doesn't mean that sub-surface delaminations between the plies can't start and grow into failures. throw in the pressurization cycling and resultant flexing, and things can go wrong in a hurry. Had that happen on the plastic winged A-6s due to tools being dropped. Good design, human errors caused damage. and stuff.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 03/28/2012 22:32 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Gary Gygax Memorial Fund
I know a lot of folks here are great fans of the D&D creator, as am I. This memorial, headed by his wife Gail (I met her last year - nice person) seems to be a continuing 'Work In Progress'.

Check it out.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/28/2012 08:29 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Culture Wars
The Trayvon Martin looting and riots begin
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 07:16 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Surprise meter, per favor.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 8:45 Comments || Top||

#2  How soon before the 'Carbeques'?
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/28/2012 8:47 Comments || Top||

#3  Those whacky urban kids go rioting and looting after basketball games. They just need an excuse.

And folks wonder why prices are higher in so many urban areas? Not racism, its the cost of insurance.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 03/28/2012 8:55 Comments || Top||

#4  Notice the same subgroup, within a self defined community, historically never seems to move on to the 'oppressive' white(-Hispanic) neighborhoods to express similar outrage. Unless they arrange to have a police escort, which then takes a lot of the looting and destruction out of the protest.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/28/2012 10:11 Comments || Top||

#5  Time for more Midnight Basketball?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 03/28/2012 11:38 Comments || Top||

#6  I remember during the Rodney King riots, I was working in Orange County and living in Riverside County. The lines at the gun stores in Orange County were long. We could see the smoke rising from fires in LA county. The rioting seemed to stop right about at the county line.

People in Orange county at that time were preparing to fight to protect their property.

One of the best clips I saw on the TV news was where some thug broke the lock on a door to a liquor store and went in. Then about 45 seconds later you see him BACKING out. As he exits, you see an arm with a pistol pointed at him poke out of the door.

The looting might go on in the more "liberal" areas but it won't be tolerated everywhere.

Posted by: crosspatch || 03/28/2012 12:38 Comments || Top||

#7  Those aren't looters! They're simply enthusiastic advance wealth re-distributors!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 03/28/2012 12:48 Comments || Top||

#8  Ok, we got Michelle jet setting at the expense of hard working tax payers.

We got the left trying to shut Rush up for calling a college girl who is demanding tax payers pay for her $3,000/year contraception bill a ...

We got President Obama and the left standing up for a kid who was shot by the person whose head he was banging against a concrete sidewalk.

Time to lock and load yet, Pilgrim?
Posted by: George Ebbeamp4828 || 03/28/2012 14:22 Comments || Top||

#9  They're just taking reparations the way Farrkhan and Shaprton told them. I give them points for honesty: these violent thieves are skipping the middle-man (government) and stealing directly from the productive people, collectivism with its more bare face (and fangs) exposed.
Posted by: OldSpook || 03/28/2012 14:52 Comments || Top||

#10  calling a college girl

If that's a college girl, then I'm on the starting center for the football team.
Posted by: Lemuel Ulirong8195 || 03/28/2012 15:04 Comments || Top||

#11  SEIU apprentice training program.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/28/2012 15:37 Comments || Top||

#12  I expect no rioting over this yoof blown away yesterday in Detroit. For one thing, no cute pics of the perp at age 8 have yet been published!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/28/2012 17:18 Comments || Top||

#13  No rioting expected over the Bud Ugly suspect in this incident near Detroit either. The tattoos gave him away:

Elderly Vet Fights Off Would Be Carjacker in Lincoln Park: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/28/2012 17:25 Comments || Top||

#14  Please...
Don't get me started.
Posted by: canalzone || 03/28/2012 23:53 Comments || Top||


Justice Scalia to Obama’s Solicitor General: ‘We’re not stupid’
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 07:14 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "If you're not stupid, how come our man got elected?"
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 8:50 Comments || Top||

#2  Justice Alito on Monday:

“General Verrilli, today you are arguing that the penalty is not a tax. Tomorrow you are going to be back, and you will be arguing that the penalty is a tax. Has the Court ever held that something that is a tax for purposes of the taxing power under the Constitution is not a tax under the Anti-Injunction Act?”
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 10:32 Comments || Top||

#3  ...but the reality is you’ve got to go to the store and buy milk...

Who says? Where in the Constitution does it guarantee that you will always find milk on the shelves? Butt out, moron. Let the market take care of itself. The market is smarter than you are.

Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 03/28/2012 11:28 Comments || Top||

#4  Just listened to audio of Verrilli trying to make his argument. It was so painful I couldn't get through the whole thing. He's not good at defending the indefensible like some of them are. Ginsberg and Kagan had to speak up and make his arguments for him.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 03/28/2012 11:35 Comments || Top||

#5  The phueching REASON people can walk into hospitals and get FREE CARE is that the federal government has MANDATED it!!!!

The government has created the problem. Of course the hospital must pass along the costs, just as 'uninsured motorists' fees are passed along!
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 13:21 Comments || Top||

#6  Mandated for anybody and everybody, Besoeker. If you can get across the border the hospitals will take care of you. They can't even ask where you're from.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 03/28/2012 13:45 Comments || Top||

#7  ...which is why some of the hospitals in San Diego have gone under.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 03/28/2012 13:46 Comments || Top||

#8  Thank God for the wisdom He gave our Founding Fathers for setting such a system of checks and balances..
Posted by: George Ebbeamp4828 || 03/28/2012 16:50 Comments || Top||

#9  Got Flood Insurance?

• The federal government provides flood insurance because no in the private sector will, because not enough people buy flood insurance.
• Hoping to entice people to buy insurance — which proves cheaper for everyone after a disaster — the government subsidized many rates. Many homeowners still choose not to buy.
• After paying out claims on many of those subsidized premiums in recent years, the government says it has to raise rates.
• Higher premiums might force people to drop their insurance. Those who keep their policies could pay a higher price for being responsible.

Posted by: DepotGuy || 03/28/2012 20:06 Comments || Top||

#10  What if I'm lactose intolerant? I'm not, and I do not consume milk outside of an ingredient such as cheese, butter, so forth...so shall I be forced to purchase milk at a rate where it would be as if I drank 8oz of milk per day even if it goes to waste?

Lack of commerce is still affecting commerce? So every time I walk by a store I must go in and purchase something because not to do so affects that store's commerce?

What about auto insurance, certainly automobiles enter someone's life at some point, should I have auto insurance so that, at some point in my life, I buy a car?

Some people do not have phones; they have only their cell phone or smart phone. Should they also have to pay for a physical landline?

Television. Should every household have to have a TV service?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/28/2012 23:08 Comments || Top||

#11  swksvolFF - I am flat out allergic to cows milk and chicken eggs. The fricking FDA had no problem with adding those two ingredients to everything under the sun. In all fairness would it not even out the score to demand soy for folks like me everywhere milk or whey is used and say almond or coconut for those allergic to milk and soy? BTW... look at the price of almond and coconut milk ice cream or drinking milk.... (triple or more than subsidized cows milk)...
So up the subsidies on everything to equalized all products and create huge costly bureaucracies of illiterate Democratic workers to smother whole fields.
Posted by: Water Modem || 03/28/2012 23:54 Comments || Top||


FBI and Justice Dept wrong again, Hutaree militia acquitted
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 06:53 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Heh
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 10:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Turns out being a dumb-ass loud-mouth isn't actually a crime.
Posted by: mojo || 03/28/2012 11:32 Comments || Top||

#3  Turns out being a dumb-ass loud-mouth isn't actually a crime.
Thank heavens for that! Our judicial & penal systems would otherwise collapse under the load.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/28/2012 15:15 Comments || Top||

#4  ...I thought that is what the TSA is for since we're all treated as criminals. It's just one big penal colony. It's that just most of us get to do time in the trustee section.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/28/2012 18:32 Comments || Top||


Economy
Detroit on the Orange River - The Institutionalised Urban Poverty Trap
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 06:48 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:


Terror Networks
Taliban Talkback: Militants Answer Your Questions Online
Want to know why the Afghan Taliban opened talks with the United States even though they have fought the world's most advanced military to a virtual stalemate or prospects for girls' schools if they regain power? Go online and post your question.

The Taliban have opened an online forum on their website, called "Your questions and Zabihullah Mujahid's answers" where readers are invited to leave queries for their front man to answer.

One of the burning issues of the moment is the Taliban's secret dialogue with the United States, their sworn enemy whose forces they have vowed to drive out of Afghanistan.

Questioner Ahmad Ahsan said Taliban supporters had long trusted the leadership but a proposal to open an office in Qatar for talks with foreigners was causing disquiet.

"We have always believed in our leaders and elders. Now we are restless in our minds," Ahsan wrote in the Pashto language.

Mujahid defended the decision, saying the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - the name the Taliban use for their movement - was led by Mullah Omar
... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality...
, a "person who had proved himself to the world" and that was enough.

He said the Taliban remained steadfast in their objectives.

"Leave the rest to Allah and pray," he wrote.

A female, Madiha Khalid from Germany, asked what would happen to girls' schools if the Taliban came back. The Taliban banned girls from school during their hardline rule.

But Mujahid blamed a lack of funds to ensure girls' schools were run according to Islamic tenets.

"We want our mothers and sisters to have education according to Islamic framework," he said.

The Taliban have made extensive use of the Internet to spread their message. Mujahid told another questioner that the group kept a close eye on Facebook, YouTube and scoured the media for reports about them.

"We try to look at everything that gets published and then announce our position."
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 06:47 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  "We want our mothers and sisters to have education according to Islamic framework,"

Islamic Framework LOL

You are educated to nine then married off to an older man where you are basically a slave to his needs and have children contantly from the age of 14 whilst not allowed outside the house without a male relative ala Saudi Arabia and rape must been seen by for males.

What freedom!
Posted by: Gruth McGurque5303 || 03/28/2012 11:36 Comments || Top||

#2  Love this place, but it could easily pass for "Islamic Framework."
Posted by: Gabby Cussworth || 03/28/2012 15:41 Comments || Top||


Britain
MP Receives Death Threats For Israel Support
Conservative parliamentarian John Howell asked pro-Paleostinian activist about the '100 rockets which hit Israel' earlier this month.

A British MP says he fears for his life after receiving death threats for defending Israel in an exchange with a constituent.

The Conservative MP for Henley, John Howell, has been offered police protection for meetings with voters after an email exchange with the constituent was posted online.

He has also been forced to remove the details of his district offices from his website. Constituents who want to meet him must now call a constituent hotline.

Pro-Paleostinian activist Harry Fear, from Watlington in Oxfordshire, sent Howell an email on March 10 asking what he was doing "to see that Israel halts the military actions that are taking place in defiance of international law and basic human decency."

A photograph of a building exploding accompanied the email with a caption stating: "Only a few hours ago, Israel felt it necessary to inflict this destruction and death on the [Gazoo] Strip." The photo was in circulation back in 2009 and is completely unrelated to recent events in Gazoo.

Responding to the email, Howell said: "And what is your position, Harry, on the 100 rockets which have landed in Israel over the weekend?" Fear posted the question, together with the MP's reply, on his blog and Facebook page. He included the MP's contact details and instructed people write to Howell "civilly, expressing discontent with his conduct."

The Conservative MP said he received around 30 emails; some were "worrying."

"There are a huge number of emails from pro-Paleostinian and Arab fanatics, some from the UK and some clearly not, some equally threatening," Howell said.

One email said: "You will suffer the consequences of this corruption and callousness."

There was also a series of emails from some calling himself "Jihad Alshamie," who told him: "It is people like you who deserve to die."

"The last thing I want to appear as is a drama queen, but you have to take seriously a threat when it says, 'I would like to see you dead,'" Howell said. "It is not just a question of me, it is my family and my staff. All it takes is one person out there who is weird enough, with a distorted view of life, to make an attempt to carry this out."

In 2010, Labor MP Stephen Timms was stabbed at a constituency meeting by Roshonara Choudhry, who was said to have been inspired by radical websites, for his support of the Iraq war. She was found guilty of attempted murder and nabbed for life.

Last year, members of the Moslems Against Crusades group made death threats against Conservative MP Mike Freer for his support of Israel, when he visited constituents at a north London mosque.

"I have been helped by the House authorities in Parliament, who are assessing the level of risk, and also by Thames Valley Police, who have provided extremely good security advice. If I feel at all unsafe there can be a policeman with me at a surgery [district office]," Howell said.

Howell said that Fear was not responsible for the threats but questioned the way Fear interpreted his response. He said he only wanted to address the lack of balance in Fear's email.

"My stated position on the Middle East is that in order to have peace we need a secure and universally recognized Israel alongside a sovereign and viable Paleostinian state," Howell said.

Continuing to pursue the issue, Fear said that the MP's response was "deeply disturbing" and "latently abusive," as Howell "did not extend me the professional practice (or even human courtesy) of writing a proper and serious reply."
He sent Howell an email, and he's complaining about the lack of a 'proper and serious reply'?
Fear has sent a complaint to Parliament and the Conservative Party. He has also sent the correspondence to The Guardian and The Independent.

The Zionist Federation of the UK has called for people to write letters expressing support for Howell.
This article starring:
Moslems Against Crusades
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 06:47 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Welcome to the world of cultural diversity, Mr. Howell.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 03/28/2012 14:03 Comments || Top||

#2  "Pro-Paleo-stan-ian activist", Harry Fear...",
Sez it all.

There's plenty of tough-sledding ahead for Israel and her supporters(whomever those might be).

Our Almighty mutual +GOD+ has been suppressing His WRATH until the most opportune moment. Stay tuned for the World-Wide Major Societal Melt-Down (WWMSM).

Accept the Christ Jesus as The Son of +GOD+ Who was nailed to the Cross to cancel all the sin of accepting believers. Confess (the sins of your past)| Repent (Simply put: change any sinful thought and behavior as you understand it). In simple prayers, ask +GOD+ to help you remember past sins (mistrust of others-this isn't easy) and pray again to be forgiven; which you will be). +GOD+ wants to hear; via our simple, quiet prayers, our humble requests for His Grace.
Pray hard. Pray often. Pray in a quiet place; darkened or well-lit. At the end of your prayer, say, "In Jesus' name, AMEN". Get a Bible and read the New Testament at a pace that is comfortable for you. Bibical resources available on the internet are absolutely astounding!
Posted by: canalzone || 03/28/2012 22:57 Comments || Top||


Europe
Student Beaten Outside Ozar Hatorah School In Paris
A Jewish boy reportedly was beaten outside the Ozar Hatorah school in Paris by youths shouting anti-Semitic epithets.
It's time to add Krav Maga to the curriculum.
The incident occurred Monday outside the school, which the 12-year-old victim attends. He was not seriously injured.

The attack came a week after a gunman opened fire on the Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse, killing a rabbi and his two young sons, and the daughter of the school's principal.

The boy in Paris reportedly was beaten about 100 yards away from the school, out of sight of police who have been guarding the school since last week's attack in Toulouse.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 06:46 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:


German-Afghani Terror Suspect Links Iran To Al-Qaida
Ahmad Wali Siddiqui says in trial that Islamic Theocratic Republic supports the terrorist group.

KOBLENZ -- Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, a German-Afghani who is alleged to have been a member of al-Qaeda, said on both Monday and Tuesday during his trial that Iran harbored al-Qaeda terrorists.

The revelations were fresh evidence of Shi'ite Iran's ongoing support of Sunni snuffies in al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

"Life in Germany is not good. You live with gays, lesbians and Jews. Islam rules here," Siddiqui, 37, told his mother in Hamburg in a wiretapped telephone conversation disclosed during his trial. He is charged with being a member of a terrorist organization.

A group of German Islamists planned to return from Pakistain in 2010 to mount attacks targeting Europe's economy. American forces in Kabul jugged Siddiqui in 2010 when he was on his way to Germany.

He said during the trial that two of his fellow conspirators -- Rami Makanesi and Naamen Meziche -- flew from Vienna to Tehran so as not "to not get caught." An Iranian-operated travel agency in Hamburg arranged their trip. Makanesi and Meziche established contact with a controller known as "Dr. Mamoud," who works for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Siddiqui continued.

The travel route allowed the two men to travel unimpeded to the eastern Iranian city of Zahedan, which serves a hub for snuffies seeking to enter Afghanistan and Pakistain. Dr. Mamoud "welcomed them" to Zahedan and from the border city they made their way into Pakistain, Siddiqui said.

Pak authorities jugged Makanesi in 2010 while disguised as a woman wearing a burka. Meziche is believed to be in Iran.

Presiding Judge Angelika Blettner poised tough questions to Siddiqui about his views toward the West and Jews. She said his anti-Jewish and homophobic comments revealed contempt for life in Germany. When asked by federal prosecutor Bernd Steudl who had taught him to hate Jews, gays and lesbians, Siddiqui replied that "every mujahideen [people involved in jihad] holds this opinion."

Siddiqui said at the trial, "I have nothing against Jews."
Other than what he was taught...
Sources connected to the trial said it is expected to reveal an intricate network among al-Qaeda members, the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran, and other Islamic terrorist groups operating in Europe, Afghanistan and Pakistain.
This article starring:
Ahmad Wali Siddiqui
Naamen Meziche
Rami Makanesi
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 06:46 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  Not to worry. Iran will "reject" the charge in a day or two.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 9:13 Comments || Top||

#2  Sometimes some good comes from public trials, such as the information coming from this one. The German system allows the judge to ask a lot of questions, hence the questions from the bench -and some very interesting answers. Is the North American media covering this -nope not all. They are busy generating division and angst. Is there a special course in asking the stupid and the obvious questions in journalism. And who cares what people "feel"? God I hate that lazy question. I want to know what they saw, did, and observed through their other senses. That how I feel. Opps ranting before the first coffee on the West Coast.

Anyway back to Uzbekistan - and the Iranian alleged link: name a country that does not have some al-Qaeda like cell within it? Particularily one east of say Cyprus?
Posted by: Northern Cousin || 03/28/2012 11:19 Comments || Top||

#3  ION ALLEMANIE, WAFF > "LITTLE INSTANBUL":TURKS TO [legally] RENAME PARTS OF GERMANY THEY ARE COLONIZING, e.g. City of Manhem in electoral referendum.

Arise, ISLAMO/OTTO-GERMANIA, arise???

And so it begins.

versus

* TOPIX > TURKEY WANTS TO BE A GLOBAL POWER.

More than just Regional.

* SAME > ARAB REVOLTS [Arab-Muslim Springs] BRING ISLAMIST REGIONAL VISION CLOSER TO BEING REALIZED.

* DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > COMMISSION: SCRAPPING TRIDENT SLBMS TO SAVE UK L$83.5BILYUHN.

HMMMM, HMMMM, so IIUC the UK may have to rely on an Ireland + independent Scotland? wid no Militaries, Surrender-is-not-Defeat France + the wily Propellers of the CV Charles De Gaulle, future Otto-Germania, + weak Mama Russia for UK + EU Security???

D *** NG IT, LONDON MUST BUILD THE "QUEEN LIZ" CVF IN ORDER TO MOTHBALL IT!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/29/2012 0:00 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Iran Flies 1000s Of Pro-Palestinian Activists To Syria, IDF Fortifies Borders
Debka.
Israel boosted its Syrian and Lebanese border units as special flights carrying thousands of pro-Paleostinian activists from Tehran touched down in Damascus
...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world...
Tuesday, March 27 for the international Global March to Jerusalem Friday, March 30. Before taking off, they were split into small groups and tutored by Iranian Al Qods Brigades officers in tactics for breaching Israeli border barriers, bursting through and challenging the Israeli military forces defending the border.

On arrival in Damascus, one group of activists was sent by special bus to Leb, where Hizballah officers stood by to lead them to villages close to the Israeli frontier; a second is assigned to face Israeli lines on the Golan.

These anti-Israeli activists from several countries are being planted at strategic points to carry out the plan hatched together by Iran, Syria and Hizballah to ignite Israel's two northern borders in solidarity with the annual Israeli-Arab Earth Day next Friday.

Earlier reports from Damascus that the demonstrators would keep the Quneitra sector of the Golan and the Lebanese Beaufort were meant to put the Israeli command off its stroke by disguising the real scope of their plans and their objective:  a mass assault on Israeli borders. They are programmed to coincide with the outbreaks the Paleostinian Authority is preparing for Jerusalem and the West Bank and Israeli-Arab disturbances inside Israel -- all on the same day, as DEBKAfile reported earlier Tuesday.

The Paleostinian gunnies of the Gazoo Strip will certainly not stand aloof.
 
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 06:46 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Uh, are these actual Palestinians, or Iranians? In other words, are we talking about International Brigades, or Condor Legions?
Posted by: Mitch H. || 03/28/2012 9:58 Comments || Top||

#2  I assume it's Iranians, Mitch, although I haven't yet seen this anywhere else. What's a Condor Legion?
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 15:48 Comments || Top||

#3  The Condor Legions were four squadrons of Luftwaffe bombers sent to the Spanish Civil war by Goering, which remained under German command. Responsible for the bombing of Guernica.
Posted by: Grunter || 03/28/2012 18:14 Comments || Top||

#4  Perhaps the wording should be "Hazaris" Hazaris of protesters. That in fact is the word for 1000 and refers to the basic 1000 person military structure of the Mongul Horde. It would however be somewhat unfair to the Hazaris of Afghanistan whom I found to have suffered the most yet are the most agreeable ethnic group of all the Afghan groups. (with exceptions of course)
Posted by: Northern Cousin || 03/28/2012 21:44 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Texas and Arizona want Afghan and Iraq war surplus material for border security
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 06:39 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Army surplus gear has actually been coming to Texas, it's just that the equipment has not been going where it's needed the most. On the border.
Posted by: texhooey || 03/28/2012 18:51 Comments || Top||

#2  Fat chance. Look for Holder to work a 'deal' with that POS Panetta to give to the Black Panthers for the next round of election place monitoring. Armored up HUMVEES are needed for such activities, ya know.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 03/28/2012 22:22 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Russia's Medvedev blasts Romney for telling it like it is
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has rebuked US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for saying Russia is the "number one geopolitical foe" of the US.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 06:31 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well, yeah. I mean, everybody knows that Russia has slipped and now it's China.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 03/28/2012 13:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Speaking of CHINA ....

* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > CHINA READY TO ABANDON "NO MILITARY ALLIANCE" POLICY | CHINA'S ALLIANCE STRATEGY AIMS TO CONTAIN US, i.e. counter-isolate/contain the "weak/declining USA".

End of Chinese "Unilateralism" + "ONE COUNTRY, ONE SYSTEM"???

* SAME > [US] EXPERTS CAUTION US ON OVERCONFIDENCE ON WORLD STAGE, before Congressional hearing.

IOW, MURPHY'S LAWS apply - US shouldn't be too heady.

* WORLD MIL FORUM > EXPERTS: DESPITE DIFFERENCES, COOPERATION OR ALLIANCE WID WEAK RUSSIA IS STILL CHINA'S "BEST OPTION".
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 23:08 Comments || Top||


Europe
Vigilance call after French Jews hit by new attacks
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/28/2012 06:29 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Toulouse police are investigating threats against the Jewish school where the murders occurred.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 12:50 Comments || Top||


Posted by: || 03/28/2012 05:22 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Ahmedabad Blasts Suspect Held In Aurangabad
In a major success for the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, its officers locked away Mohammad Abrar Babu Khan alias Abrar Sheikh, a suspect in the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts, and his accomplice Mohammad Shakir, 32, following a fierce shootout at the Himayat Baug area in Aurangabad on Monday.

Their aide Khaleel Qureshi, 20, was killed in the cross-fire.
All the cool authorities do crossfires, these days.
The group reportedly has links with the banned terror outfit, Indian Mujahideen
A locally recruited auxilliary of Pakistain's Lashkar-e-Taiba, designed to give a domestic patina to Pakistain's terror war against its bigger neighbor...
(IM).

The group, all former Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) members,
Kicked out because they're too old...
had also plotted to eliminate the judges of the Allahabad high court who had pronounced the verdict in the Babri Masjid case, said sources.
"We must have dire revenge!"
For the last three months, the police had been working on information that the group, led by second-in-command Abrar, has been trying to set up their base in Maharashtra and were active in Aurangabad, Jalna and Buldhana, revealed ATS chief Rakesh Maria.
Mahmoud the Weasel's Indian cousins do thriving business on their side of the border...
"They were planning to commit robberies in the state and we have been trying to track them," he said.
Typical of the noble Lions of Islam -- unable to get enough dosh legitimately from their fellow worshippers, they turn to a life of crime.
In July-June 2011, the Madhya Pradesh police had locked away Abu Faisal, who has links with the IM, from the Juhu Gully area in Mumbai.

"The group had carried out a spate of robberies in Madhya Pradesh and used the money for terror funding. After Faisal was locked away, Abrar took charge," said Maria.

During interrogation,
"Corporal Mukkerjee: bring the utensils of questioning!"
"Even the number seven Craftsman, Captain?"
"Especially the number seven Craftsman!"
Faisal had told the police that his group was planning to kill two high court judges who had given judgment in the Babri Masjid case," said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

On the formation of the group, an officer said that after security agencies turned the heat on Faisal, he had gone into hiding at at his in-laws' place in Madhya Pradesh.

"There he met senior SIMI leader Safdar Nagori, who is currently in jail. Later Faisal went to Kerala for terrorist training. Faisal and Abrar were also in touch with top SIMI functionary Abdus Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer. Abrar's name also figures in the 2008 Ahmedabad blast case charge sheet. Another key member of the group Aqeel Khilji, 42, is still on the lam," said the officer.

"The group had bought a house in Jamshedpur in Jharkhand where fake passports could be prepared," said another police officer.
It would be a bit difficult to bring the usual in from Pakistan...
On Monday, the Aurangabad ATS had got a tip-offthat Abrar Shakir and Qureshi would arrive at Himayat Baug.

"When the police approached them, they opened fire. The police fired nine rounds, while the three men fired five rounds. Constable Sheikh Arif Sheikh Ismail got shot on his left shoulder and Qureshi was killed in the encounter.
Those Indians are showing initiative again. Not just a crossfire, but an encounter, too! D'you suppose the X marking the spot would show up on Google Earth?
Shakir, who was shot on both his thighs, is in hospital," said Maria.
Dr. Quincy awaits events with his customary sang froid.

This article starring:
Mohammad Abrar Babu Khan
Posted by: || 03/28/2012 05:11 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  nice thing about Craftsman, is that if you break it off in an interrogation, they'll replace it free of charge
Posted by: Frank G || 03/28/2012 16:09 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Yemeni army arrest six Somalis planning terrorist operations
[Yemen Post] Yemeni army forces tossed in the calaboose on Tuesday six Somali nationals believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula.

Defense Ministry said that army forces managed on Monday to detain 6 Somali nationals planning to carry out terrorist operations intending to target army and security bases and personnel.

Troops from 39th army brigade tossed in the calaboose six Somalis in the southern restive town of Zinjubar, the quiet provincial capital of Abyan, while they were plotting attacks on the army, according to a short statement posted on the official website of the Defense Ministry.

In the past two months, the army forces have already jugged 29 terrorist belonging to the Shabaab al-Islam, the Somali al-Qaeda wing, said the statement.

After being tossed in the calaboose, they have been moved to Aden security headquarters for further investigation, the statement added.

The Yemeni and Somali governments talked last month of more than 300 hard boyz of Shabaab al-Islam smuggling into Yemen with the aim of reinforcing their fellow Yemeni hard boyz who have been battling army forces since may last year.

Last month, then new Yemeni President Abdul Rabu Mansour Hadi vowed to eradicate the terrorists, but prompted the Orcs and similar vermin to yet intensify their assaults.

Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Africa Horn
UN calls for calm in Sudan after clashes
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] UN chief Ban Ki-Moon appealed for calm after Sudan on Tuesday suspended an April summit between President Omar al-Bashir
Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it.
and his southern counterpart after fresh border festivities.

"The government announced that it suspended Bashir's visit to Juba after the South Sudanese army attacked (the oil-rich territory of) Heglig," state radio reported early Tuesday. The two leaders had been due to meet on April 3.

Comments by the South's leader Salva Kiir that his troops had taken the northern oil centre "reflected extreme hatred to Sudan," said Information Minister Abdullah Ali Massar, the official SUNA news agency reported.

South Sudan had engaged in "deceptive and misleading acts" when it signed accords with Khartoum at African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
-led talks in Ethiopia, and when last week it invited Bashir to the summit, said Massar.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Bangladesh
Many key witnesses 'untraceable or sick'
[Bangla Daily Star] After repeatedly failing to produce witnesses in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi
...Islamic orator and politician. He was a former Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2008, and is one of the most prominent leaders of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami...
, the prosecution yesterday prayed to the International Crimes Tribunal-1 to accept witnesses' statements as testimonies.

Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali told the tribunal that many of the 19 key prosecution eyewitnesses have become "untraceable" while others are too sick to travel from their homes to the court.

He referred to a legal provision that allows statements recorded by the investigation officer to be accepted as testimonies in court in case of difficulties in producing a witness.

An application was placed on March 20 in response to a March 18 court order which asked the prosecution to submit the application explaining its future course of action regarding witness testimonies.

Tribunal Chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq yesterday asked prosecutor Haider Ali to read out the application before the court as it was a "different kind of application".

The prosecutor then read out the application detailing the situation of 19 eyewitnesses, who were either sick or missing.

"We have reports that some witnesses have left their areas after being threatened by supporters of the accused," said Haider Ali.

Another 78-year-old witness Usha Rani Malakar of Pirojpur was seriously ill and could die if she travels from home, said the prosecutor, adding that the witness has also lost her voice and memories.

Shukharanjan Bali, another witness in the case, went to Parerhaat bazaar in Pirojpur one day and did not return, according to a general diary filed by his daughter, the prosecutor added.

Three other witnesses--a mother, her son and another person--could not be found, and their neighbours said that they had probably left for India.

The prosecutor said a group of gunnies had been patrolling Sayeedi's native Pirojpur district and threatening potential witnesses with dire consequences.

As the witnesses could not be traced, producing them before the court would be "time consuming" and "expensive".

As a result, their statements given to the investigation officer should be accepted as their depositions, said Haider Ali.

Abdur Razzaq, chief defence counsel of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader, said it was "a very serious application" and an "unprecedented one". He prayed to the court that the defence be allowed to deliver its counter arguments today.

Earlier, the three-member tribunal rejected a defence petition seeking to examine parts of the investigation report used for bringing formal charges against Sayeedi.

So far 27 witnesses have recorded their testimonies against Sayeedi. According to Sayeedi's defence counsels, the prosecutors had previously failed to produce witnesses for at least 15 times.

Delwar Hossain Sayeedi was produced before the court yesterday. He is among six Jamaat and two BNP leaders who are facing charges of crimes against humanity at the tribunal.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami

#1  [OLIVER STONE = "JFK" + WARREN COMMISSION here].
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 0:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Since it's 40 years after the fact it's not surprising, is it? Most of the youngest of the Freedom Fighters are now in their 60s.

And since the JI is an organization dedicated to the raising and nurture of hard boyz it's even less surprising.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 9:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Delwar Hossain "Bugsy" Sayeedi
Posted by: mojo || 03/28/2012 17:54 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Saudi Religious Police to Cut Undercover Patrols
[An Nahar] The new head of Soddy Arabia's notorious inquisitors religious police has said he will cut back on the number of "undercover" patrols by his organization which enforces the kingdom's strict Islamic rules.

"The number of undercover vehicles will be reduced in all regions, and we shall reconsider their tasks by either regulating their work or cancelling it all together," Abdullatif al-Sheikh said, quoted by local media on Tuesday.

He said that members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice will "stop chasing" violators and in the case of "minor breaches" will note down the culprit's vehicle registration number and pass it on to regular police.

"We shall not tolerate any mistakes," he said referring to the behavior of his 4,000-strong force, after several incidents stirred anger among Saudis.

The monarch, a cautious reformer, in January appointed Sheikh, a moderate member of an influential religious family, to replace Abdulaziz al-Humain at the helm of the organization which ensures strict application of the country's ultra-conservative version of Islam.

But the head of the Association for Civil Rights, Mohammed al-Qahtani, downplayed the importance of the step, describing it as just a "cosmetic change."

"They are trying to convince people that they are doing something, but their job will not be regulated without political reforms," he told Agence La Belle France Presse.

"It is an attempt by authorities to blame a former chief and appoint another... while authorities, especially the interior ministry, are responsible for the commission," he added.

In 2002, the force, known as the mutaween, reportedly prevented firemen from entering an all-girls school that was ablaze because of the segregation-of-sexes policy, and blocked the girls from escaping because they were not wearing the obligatory veil.

Fourteen girls were trampled to death and 50 hurt in a stampede after the fire broke out.

The inquisitors religious police prevent women from driving, require them to be covered from head to foot in black, ban public entertainment, and force all commerce, from supermarkets to petrol stations, to come to a halt at prayer times, five times a day.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We just can't fergit about happened wid Dr. Indiana Jones all those many decades ago, can't we???

LOL.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 2:32 Comments || Top||

#2  ION IIRC WAFF > [StrategyPage] SAUDIS SEEK END TO SHIA SCHISM.

Shia Islam thinks they should should be in charge of the Islamic Holy Places = Mecca + Medina, not the Sunni Saudis.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 2:37 Comments || Top||

#3  y'know, I see the word "undercover" and I'm wondering if they're wearing Burqas while doing so.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 03/28/2012 10:38 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Malik vows to bring peace to Karachi in 24 hours.
[Dawn] Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik
Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men.
on Tuesday said that he will come to Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
and analyze the security situation of the city, DawnNews reported.

The interior minister has demanded a 24-hour deadline to restore the peace of the city.

"A committee has been formed to investigate the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement
...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
(MQM) worker Mansoor Mukhtar," Malik added.

Speaking to the media representatives outside the Parliament House in Islamabad, interior minister said that extortion and murders in Bloody Karachi had been brought to a halt but these activities have again erupted in the metropolis.

"The perpetrators of the crimes involving assassinations and extortion would face the legal implications on non-discriminatory basis," Malik assured.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Africa North
Calm Restored After Violence Leaves 15 Dead in Southern Libya
[Tripoli Post] Relative calm has returned to southern Libya Libyan News Agency, LNA has reported after inter-tribal festivities over control of territory left around 15 people dead

Abdel Maguid Saif al-Nasr, a member of the ruling National Transitional Council, NTC, has been reported saying Tuesday that government troops were able to restore calm in the city of Sabha after festivities erupted on Monday following the death of a government employee, who was kidnapped in a robbery.

The security chief in the city, Mohamed Abu Seif, went on to say that a delegation of tribal leaders in the area is working on solving the dispute between the rival tribes of Abu Seif and Tabu, and with the Abu Seif's leader claiming that his people came under attack as they arrived at a meeting with the Tabu elders in order to try and settle a dispute.

Clashes between the tribes over control of territory in the far southeast of Libya, have been going on since last week when violence erupted in Al Kufra.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  "Miss me yet? Muammar
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 5:09 Comments || Top||

#2  Decades, not years?
Posted by: Pappy || 03/28/2012 11:24 Comments || Top||

#3  We came, we saw, he died.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 03/28/2012 20:12 Comments || Top||


Tunisia constitution will not be based on Islamic law: party
[Dawn] Tunisia's governing religious party said it will not enshrine Islamic law in the new constitution and will maintain the secular nature of the north African state, putting it sharply at odds with hardliners.

Ennahda, which emerged as the biggest party after Tunisia's first democratic elections last year, said on Monday that it would keep the first article of the 1956 constitution in the new basic law now being drafted.

"We are not going to use the law to impose religion," Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the moderate religious party, told a presser.

The first article of the previous constitution stipulates that "Tunisia is a free, independent and sovereign state, its religion is Islam, its language is Arabic and it is a republic."

The Ennahda decision "aims to strengthen the national consensus and promote the country's successful democratic transition by uniting the majority of political forces to confront the challenges facing the country," added another leading figure in the party, Zied Doulatli.

The decision angered the ultra-conservative Salafists
...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them...
in Tunisia, who have been pushing for sharia to be enshrined in the constitution and staged a number of demonstrations to press their demands.

"This is a betrayal of all those who voted for this party...and the principles of the Islamist movement," Hechmi Haamdi of the hardline Islamist Al-Arydha movement told AFP.

Ennahda won 90 of the 217 seats in the new constituent assembly following the first election after longtime dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali was toppled in January.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  We missed the AQ Flags + Banners, etc. flying in the post-Uncle Muammar parades in Libyuh, didn't we???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 2:22 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
New Sudan clashes as battle rages after North attacks South oil fields
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] South Sudan on Tuesday accused Sudanese air force of escalating a series of aerial bombardments that started on Monday.

A Sudanese plane dropped rounds of bombs in two locations in the oil-rich Unity state this morning despite UN calls for calm, officials said.

"This morning again, they have already started with their aerial bombardment north of Bentiu at a junction between Rubkona and Mayom County," Unity state information minister Gideon Gatpan Thoar said, referring to two localities next to the state capital Bentiu.

"Most of their bombardment is based on oil fields, the main production areas," he added.

A local official on the ground confirmed the bombings, saying civilians were desperately running to seek shelter from the bombs.

Mr Gideon said the magnitude of the damages caused hasn't been assessed yet. "We have not received any report yet on any damage on the oil infrastructure," he said.

Sudan Armed Forces front man Al-Sawarmi Khalid has denied the bombings. "No, it is their army with rebels attacked us," Mr Khalid said.

The alleged bombing is an extension of a deadly clash between armies of the two states that broke out on Monday.

South Sudan said its forces repulsed a ground attack on her bases and in response overran Sudanese army posts, eventually taking over control of the disputed oil-rich border town of Heglig.

President Salva Kiir said it was a war imposed on his country.

Bashir has reportedly cancelled a visit to South Sudan scheduled for April 3 to formally sign previous agreements reached between the two delegations in Addis Ababa.

"After a day of attacks by air and ground troops on Monday, this morning we heard the Antonov (aircraft) return, and dropped two bombs," said Gideon Gatpan, information minister for South Sudan's Unity state.

"We believe the Arclight airstrikes were targeting the oil fields," said Gatpan, adding the bombs, which landed some 35 kilometres from the state capital Bentiu, were not believed to have caused casualties or damage to oil infrastructure.

On Monday, President Kiir said his troops had driven northern forces back across the undemarcated border and seized Khartoum's Heglig oil field, parts of which are claimed by both sides.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan

#1  South Sudan has most of the Oil. North Sudan has the pipeline and the port. Bashir wants it all plainly put. It was 60/40. Now he wants 80/20?
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 0:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Ohh, moreover - South Sudan may enter agreements with OTHER Countries.
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 0:13 Comments || Top||

#3  They have already agreed to build a pipeline thru Ethiopia and I think Eritrea.
Posted by: phil_b || 03/28/2012 1:47 Comments || Top||

#4  IIRC, China has a major investment in those oil fields.
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/28/2012 6:05 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
UNHCR halts relief activity at Jalozai after attack
[Dawn] The United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) suspended relief activities at Jalozai camp on Monday after internally displaced persons from Khyber Agency attacked its workers and official vehicles.

Officials said that several gunshots were fired and stones were pelted at relief workers in the camp. A bullet mark was visible on the side window of a bullet-proof vehicle, said an official.

The relief workers remained safe, he said. The agency immediately suspended activities and withdrew entire staff from the camp after the attack.

Witnesses said that situation went out of control when about 5,000 IDPs thronged registration centre in the camp. The IDPs had been waiting for registration and relief assistance.

The perturbed IDPs threw stones at the UN workers and opened fire that caused panic. The registration and distribution of goods were suspended and UNHCR pulled out its staff from the camp.

Thousands of people including women and kiddies have shifted to the camp from Khyber Agency where security forces have launched a fresh offensive against myrmidons.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Arabia
Gunmen attack central prison in Aden
[Yemen Post] Unidentified gunnies attacked on Monday afternoon the Central Prison compound in the southern port city of Aden, a security source told Yemen Post.

The attack came simultaneously with violent riots by the inmates inside the Al-Monsoura Central Prison, said the source.

The unknown gunnies assaulted the prison's guards at the back gate, compelling the guards to repress the fire with a barrage of bullets. The cut-throats then were being forced to run away.

The attack was probably intended to release some beturbanned goon prisoners, according to the source.

No causalities were recorded so far, another security source told Yemen Post.

Ministry of Interior has announced early this month that it had information that terrorist groups were planning to carry out attacks on the Central Prison with the aim of setting some of their cronies free.

Eyewitnesses told Yemen Post unanimously that heavy security presence were witnessed in and around the Central Prison.

Like other southern provinces, Aden has lately witnessed sharp deterioration of security order with beturbanned goon groups believed to be linked with al-Qaeda are more frequently seen roaming the streets of the city.

Aden Central Prison in al-Mansoura area was the scene of riots and prisoners escape in December last year.

Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Africa Horn
Somali president seen on front lines in fight against militants
(Sh.M.Network)-- Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, the president of the Transitonal Federal Government of Somalia on Tuesday visited Adado town frontline battles, as heavy confrontations between Al-shabab and Ahlu Sunna fighters are continuing in central regions.

The president's visit was to observe the developments Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a fighters aided by Ethiopian troops made in face of the Al shabaab fighters, who control few parts in southern and centralSomalia.

Speaking at Adado town, the president of Somalia said that pro-Somali government forces of Ahlu Sunna have penetrated into new Al shabaab military bases in centralsomalia.

He urged Ahlu Sunna fighters to strengthen and keep on battling until peace returns to the entire country.

President Sheik Sharif has previously toured wearing Clad with military uniformMogadishufrontiles, appraising the operations of Somali army backed African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
peacekeepers.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Europe
'Gunman's father should keep silent in shame'
[Emirates 24/7] French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Tuesday that the father of a gunman who has threatened to sue over his son's death at the hands of police should keep silent in shame.
What they call in the diplomacy biz a frank and open statement. Good for him.
"If I were the father of such a monster, I would shut my mouth in shame," Juppe told Radio Classique.

A senior advisor to President Nicolas Sarkozy
...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit...
, Henri Guaino, also lashed out at the lawsuit threat by Mohamed Merah's father Mohamed Benalel Merah.

"It is his right, but only one word comes to mind: indecent," he told La Belle France Culture radio. "This guy was a monster who killed in cold blood."

Mohamed Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchie of Algerian descent, was rubbed out by police at the end of a 32-hour standoff on Thursday after claiming the killings of seven people in a series of shootings in southwestern La Belle France.

His father Mohamed Benalel Merah told AFP on Monday he planned to sue La Belle France for having shot his son instead of taking him alive.

"La Belle France is a big country that had the means to take my son alive. They could have knocked him out with gas and taken him in," he said. "They preferred to kill him.

"I will hire the biggest named lawyers and work for the rest of my life to pay their costs. I will sue La Belle France for having killing my son."
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  The dead and buried families sue his ass for raising a murdering bastard.
Posted by: texhooey || 03/28/2012 0:24 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Victim of acid attack
[Dawn] THE posturing by political forces as Fakhra Younis's body reached Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
on Sunday belittles the monumental courage displayed by the woman herself. Her ordeal began when she married former MPA Bilal Khar in 1998, only to learn that he was already thrice-married. After she finally gathered the courage to leave her husband, on March 14, 2000, she was attacked with acid, allegedly by her husband. She was left with horrifying injuries but somehow found the courage to claw her way back to life. Yet there was to be no justice for her. Mr Khar was held briefly, tried and acquitted in 2003. Ms Younis, given asylum by the Italian government, was left to carry on as best as she could. On March 17, she finally lost hope, reportedly leaving behind a note expressing her grief over the lack of justice meted out to her by Pakistain's legal system.

When Ms Younis was attacked, acid crime was treated by the law as an assault. Now, it has specifically been criminalised through the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2011. Yet controlling such crime will involve far more. First, we need to see more prosecutions in such cases, which continue to be reported across the country. Then it has been suggested that the sale and purchase of acid should be covered by stringent restrictions; certainly, more regulation of the substance is required. Yet the fact is that where the will to maim and disfigure exists, some method can always be found. What needs altering is Pak's society's vengeful patriarchal mindset, where women are viewed as commodities and criminal attacks against them are considered justified when men's 'honour' is challenged. The best this country can do for Ms Younis now is to ensure that more women do not suffer as she did.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  I don't mind early release of acid attackers, provided that beforehand they are treated to slow sprays of the same, in the genital area.

Say, daily for a week or so, to make the point clear.
Posted by: lotp || 03/28/2012 11:25 Comments || Top||


Britain
Al-Qaeda Plotting Cyanide Attack At Olympics
AL-QAEDA fanatics are plotting a deadly cyanide poison attack on the London Olympics, a Sun investigation has found.

Extremists on a website with links to the terror group have posted detailed instructions on how to cause carnage at this summer's Games.

The chilling online plot was uncovered as two convicted al-Qaeda forces of Evil were released early from jail and put back on the streets ahead of the Olympics.

And the specific nature of the "cyanide slaughter" web posts suggest they should be taken seriously by the security services.

An cut-thoat who called himself Abu Hija Ansari said the poison should be mixed with a handcream that would enable it to be absorbed through the skin.

He wrote in Arabic: "Through skin: 1 -- cyanide, 2 -- skin cream. Mix the ingredients. The skin cream will open the pores in the skin and speed up the absorption and effectiveness of the poison."

He said plotters should wear "medical gloves" when producing the lethal mixture.

A second cut-thoat said on the website: "It is a good idea and you need to plan well."

She added chillingly under a logo of the 2012 Games: "It's time to prepare for the event, as once again they are interfering with innocent Mohammedans."

Our investigator used a false identity to access the website which has 17,000 members worldwide and known links to six al--Qaeda terrorists.

He said: "There is a contingent using this site who want to strike at the Games. The explicit nature of what is being said would indicate more than just sabre-rattling but a wish to do real harm to the event and the people at it."

Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the all-party homeland security group, said: "I hope the individuals are identified so action can be taken. Those who believe there is no terrorist threat are living in cloud cuckoo land."

Britannia's security services are on high alert to counter any attack on the Olympics, which start on July 27 in the main stadium.

They will not be helped by the early release of fanatics Nabeel Hussain and Tariq al-Daour.

Hussain, 28, was given eight years in 2009 for being part of a plot to bomb 19 jets flying from Heathrow to America. Al-Daour, 26, got ten years after he was found guilty of inciting murder online in 2007. They have both been freed to London bail hostels.

Their release boosts to more than 100 the number of convicted forces of Evil likely to be on Britannia's streets before the Olympics.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [6 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  What? you expected better?
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 0:18 Comments || Top||

#2  innocent Mohammedans.
now that's funny
Posted by: Jan || 03/28/2012 0:40 Comments || Top||

#3  I don't get it. They were going to force people to apply skincream at gunpoint or something?
Posted by: gromky || 03/28/2012 0:51 Comments || Top||

#4  Netters are repor in angst that the IOC wants the Beach Volleyball Babes to stop wearing Bikinis - CLEARLY THE IOC WANTS PEOPLE TO STOP WATCHING BEACH VOLLEYBALL ENTIRELY AS FEW WATCH THE MEN'S PLAY TO BEGIN WITH.

OH THE BOOB/BUTT-MANITY!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 2:20 Comments || Top||

#5  If they want the beach volleyball girls to go au natural I can accept that. In the intest of sports and all.

Al Queda attacked the world on Sept 11 but most of the world acted as if it was simply an attack on one country. It would be harder to do so after an attack on the Olympics.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 03/28/2012 8:50 Comments || Top||

#6  Al Queda attacked the world on Sept 11 but most of the world acted as if it was simply an attack on one country. It would be harder to do so after an attack on the Olympics.

Harder, but not impossible.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 8:53 Comments || Top||

#7  Like the White Queen, many are capable of believing 6 impossible things before breakfast.
Posted by: lotp || 03/28/2012 11:22 Comments || Top||

#8  Welcome back milady.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 15:02 Comments || Top||

#9  I assisted with the military planning for the Winter olympics in 2010 in Vancouver. Interesting intelligence came out of that. Fortunately most of these clowns can't ski or skate. Nevertheless we had our own home grown clowns. Legal brothrels will help though. A nice diversion.
I recommend same to the Brits.
Posted by: Northern Cousin || 03/28/2012 21:49 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
DPC says no to resumption of Nato supplies
[Dawn] Thousands of people from right-wing, religious and banned
...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization
s demonstrated in Islamabad on Tuesday, calling on Pakistain not to reopen its Afghan border to NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
and US supplies.
Don't worry, Champ won't have us there much longer...
Hafiz Saeed
...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat...
, the head of banned charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa
...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba...
seen as a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba
...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...
terror group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks addressed the heavily guarded crowd, after being banned from a similar rally last month.

The Defence of Pakistain Council (DPC) called the protest with parliament due to debate recommendations for resetting Pakistain's troubled relationship with the United States to pave the way for Islamabad to reopen NATO supply lines.

The two land border crossings were closed on November 26 after US air strikes killed 24 Pak soldiers along the Afghan border.

"American agents will once again sneak into Pakistain and start killing our innocent citizens," Saeed told the crowd.

"People of Pakistain will never allow a resumption of NATO supplies and if Pak leaders, including army chief General Ashfaq Kayani
... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI...
, think they cannot safeguard national interests, they should step down," he added.

Pakistain had put Saeed under house arrest a month after the Mumbai attacks, but he was released in 2009 and in 2010 the Supreme Court upheld his release on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to detain him.

The group of several thousand protestors waved party flags and chanted "death to America," "American subjugation is unacceptable," "down with the America-India-Israel nexus," and called for holy war, an AFP news hound said.

The coalition has attracted large turnouts at rallies across the country that some see as a build up to contesting Pakistain's next general election, widely expected within the next year.

Banners denounced the government for its alleged US bias and branded NATO troops fighting the Taliban a "murderous alliance".

"Our main target is to steer Pakistain out of the so-called war on terror, which is directed against Mohammedans," said the coalition's chairman Maulana Samiul Haq, who runs an hard boy madrassa that educated several Taliban leaders.

He warned the government of "serious consequences" if it again allowed NATO supplies to transit through Pakistain and described politicians as "hypocrites" who had a one-track agenda of appeasing the United States.

Hundreds of riot police stood alert at the heavily guarded site of the demonstration overlooking parliament and the presidential palace.

Pakistain's 10-year alliance in the US-led "war on terror" and in neighbouring Afghanistan is deeply unpopular among ordinary Paks who blame it for much of the religious violence sweeping the country.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  See also NEWS KERALA > US APOLOGY OVER NATO AIR STRIKES IN PAKISTAN "NOT GOOD ENOUGH", SAYS RABBANI KHAR.

IIUC, IOW Pakland wants to feel the love, vee lotsa $$$ + other new Econ Goodies.

and

* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > PAKISTAN OPPOSITION BLOCKS NATO [supply] ROUTES.

* SAME > ISLAMABAD SUPPORTS/BACKS [peaceful = NucEnergy]]IRANIAN NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES: PAKISTAN SENATE CHIEF.

D *** NG IT, and just because Iran repor supports the local insurgency agz Islamabad = Pakistan is no reason for Pakistan to think otherwise!

Espec given ...

* WAFF > IRAN AND THE AZERI PROBLEM.

'Tis "Bigger than just Baluchistan", ala IRPAK/PAKRAN.

Yuuup, yessirree, you betcha.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 23:40 Comments || Top||


Blast near politician's house injures three in Peshawar
[Dawn] A kaboom near the residence of Malik Nadeem of Pakistain People's Party-Sherpao on Tuesday injured three people in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, DawnNews reported.

According to initial reports, the blast took place on Dilazak Road in Faisal Colony.

Security and rescue officials reached the site and cordoned off the area immediately after the incident.

The unknown myrmidons planted kaboom near the hujra of the PPP-S local leader and later detonated it with a remote control device. The blast injured three persons and partially damaged the boundary wall of the hujra.

The injured were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital where their condition was stated to be out of danger.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under: TTP

#1  Are the PPP-S good guys or just a different brand of bad guys?
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/28/2012 19:12 Comments || Top||


International-UN-NGOs
World leaders urge action against nuke terrorism
[Dawn] World leaders called on Tuesday for strong action to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism, including minimising civilian use of highly enriched uranium (HEU), which can be turned into bombs.

"Nuclear terrorism continues to be one of the most challenging threats to international security," said a joint communique at the end of a two-day summit in South Korea bringing together leaders or brass hats from 53 nations.

"Defeating this threat requires strong national measures and international cooperation."

The leaders, including US President Barack Obama
Ready to Rule from Day One...
and Chinese President Hu Jintao
...Hu has been involved in the Communist party bureaucracy for most of his adult life, meaning his viewpoint has a lot more theory than it does practice. He espouses a Harmonious Society approach, suggesting everybody should play nice or they'll be shot...
, stressed the "fundamental responsibility" of all nations to safeguard nuclear material and keep it out of the hands of terrorists.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  See also DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > {2012 Seoul Summit] FROM ISLAMIC BOMB TO JIHADI BOMB.

Collusory "Rogue Govts-States", to Autonomous or Independent "Lone Wolf(s)" - ASYMMETRICAL ALL ARE WE???

THE DEATH OF OBL AT ABBOTTABAD WAS NOT ENUFF TO REDUCE THE DANGER OF RADICALS-WID-NUKES = NUCLEAR TERROR, HEAVILY DAMAGED ORGS, NETWORKS LIKE [post-Osama]AL-QAEDA HAVE SEEEMINGLY FOUND NEW LEADERS WHOM ARE MORE INSPIRED TO THE CAUSE + SPIRIT OF JIHAD, NOT LESS.

and

* TOPIX > THE WEST [US-NATO] HAS LOST IN AFGHANISTAN.

AT worst the Taliban + AQ, etc. MilTerrs have only changed their methods - there is little to no sign that they have given up the fight or thier agenda as per "Hearts-n-Minds".
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 0:19 Comments || Top||

#2  Let me guess, everyone except Russia.
Posted by: crosspatch || 03/28/2012 15:38 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Canadian Court Rules to Allow Brothels
A Canadian court on Monday quashed portions of a law banning brothels and living off the avails of prostitution, lifting key barriers which it said put sex trade workers at risk of harm.
Well, that's convenient. Barcelona just outlawed street walking, so the Spanish hookers can now emigrate to Yellow Knife or Sakatoon...
The Ontario Court of Appeal, however, upheld a ban on communicating for the purposes of selling sex.

The ruling would effectively decriminalize prostitution in Ontario province. However,
women are made to be loved, not understood...
it was suspended for 12 months to give parliament an opportunity to redraft the legislation if so chooses.

It may also be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The effect of these laws is "grossly disproportionate to its goal of curbing problems such as noise and congestion caused by street prostitution," said the court of appeal in its decision.

The panel of judges said the ban is excessive also because it "prevents hookers from hiring bodyguards, drivers, or others who could keep them safe, and may actually increase the likelihood that hookers will be exploited by forcing them to seek protection from those who are willing to risk a charge under this provision."

Three Toronto women challenged Canada's anti-prostitution laws in October 2009, arguing that prohibiting solicitation endangers hookers by forcing them to seek customers on street corners.

They called for decriminalizing prostitution and for the right to open brothels to provide a safer environment for hookers.

A lower court agreed with them, saying "the danger faced by hookers greatly outweighs any harm which may be faced by the public."

Constitutional lawyer Alan Young, who represented Terri Jean Bedford, Amy Lebovitch and Valerie Scott, told a presser the judges recognized that "this law does not work and is hurting people."

"It's very rare that you see an endorsement from the Court of Appeal of this nature which I say is a stinging critique of what the parliament of Canada has been doing with the sex trade," he said.

"Sex workers will be safer and society will not be negatively impacted by this decision," he concluded.

Nikki Thomas, the executive director of Sex Professionals of Canada added that despite the decision, public opinion must still be swayed.

"We must convince people that sex workers are not to be feared, are not to be considered worthless, are not to be looked at as less than human," she said.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  IOW, the Global Economy is still going downhill so you might as well legalize 'em for tax.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 0:30 Comments || Top||

#2  That's civilization (not being facetious).
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 5:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Well, there goes the old balance of trade.....
Posted by: Chunky Gravitle2507 || 03/28/2012 14:35 Comments || Top||

#4  You mean the Government AREN'T the only ones allowed to screw you out of your hard-earned money?
Posted by: mojo || 03/28/2012 16:36 Comments || Top||

#5  I know some people from a prom that won't be going there unless the brothel is for gays. Them boys put up a nice piece on the internet before Africa and the Middle East got invaded think the enemy read it?
Posted by: Glavitch Poodle6394 || 03/28/2012 18:08 Comments || Top||

#6  Well, that puts them in line with the rest of the civilized world. Heck, even the US hasn't banned prostitution. That is left up to the local jurisdiction.
Posted by: crosspatch || 03/28/2012 18:10 Comments || Top||

#7  I took a tour out from Las Vegas. The tour guide said, "We are now passing the famous Mustang Ranch, the largest house of prostitution in the US". I sais, Why!!!!????"
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/28/2012 19:03 Comments || Top||

#8  We are trying real hard to encourage tourism. No longer can you claim its too cold up here in Canada. Now warm brothels to warm your cockles. And a reasonable exchange rate.

But we will impose GST (Goods and Services tax). I leave that for you to ponder.
Posted by: Northern Cousin || 03/28/2012 21:29 Comments || Top||

#9  Y'all are silly up there, Northern Cousin. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 22:28 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian Troops Kill 57 amid Clashes near Lebanese Border
[An Nahar] Syrian security forces killed at least 57 people on Tuesday across Syria, amid festivities with rebel troops, including near the border with Leb, activists said.

Thirty-one people were killed in Idlib, including 23 who were summarily executed, 12 people were killed in Homs, eight in Hama, five in the countryside around Damascus
...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world...
and one in Daraa, the uprising's Local Coordination Committees announced.

The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a man died in intense festivities near the Homs town of Qusayr, near the border with Leb.

Officials said the festivities spilled over into Leb as Syrian troops chasing rebels made a brief incursion into a sparsely populated area of Leb's eastern Bekaa region.

One Lebanese official, who requested anonymity, said Syrian troops briefly entered the Lebanese side of Masharii al-Qaa, a remote region that straddles both countries.

He said one house in the area was hit by mortar rounds and gunfire. Its residents had decamped shortly beforehand, he added

Another local resident said several houses were hit.

The border between both countries is poorly demarcated and residents on both sides travel freely across on a regular basis.

Syrian troops have made several brief incursions into Leb since the outbreak of the revolt against the regime of Bashir al-Assad a year ago.

A front man for Syrian refugees in Leb, Ahmed Moussa, told Agence La Belle France Presse that 75 families had crossed into the eastern Bekaa on Monday.

An AFP correspondent saw three mini-vans filled with women and kiddies fleeing the fighting in Qusayr.

Fierce festivities were also taking place on Tuesday in Saraqeb, in the northwest province of Idlib, where there were unconfirmed reports that 21 local residents jugged by regime forces had been killed, the Observatory said.

Most of Saraqeb's residents have decamped the town in recent days in the face of a fierce assault by regime troops seeking to stamp out Death Eaters in the area.

"Armed rebels have withdrawn from the town after attacking two security posts," the Observatory said.

In Deir Sanbal, also in Idlib province, two soldiers were killed in festivities with rebels.

In Damascus province, heavy gunfire was reported in fields between the capital's Qadam neighborhood and the town of Daraya, the Observatory said.

One woman was killed early Tuesday by a stray bullet in the Damascus suburb of Douma and two other women died in Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  per one of the anti assad websites, the fatality total is over 11,800 as of 3-25-2012.
Posted by: Lord Garth || 03/28/2012 0:09 Comments || Top||

#2  I thought they accepted Koffee's "peace plan"?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 5:08 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel Confirms Questioning Toulouse Terrorist In 2010
Defense sources confirm Mohammed Merah stopped in Israel en route to Afghanistan in September 2010, aroused suspicion of border officers but eventually allowed to enter country

Sources in the Defense establishment confirmed on Monday that Toulouse terrorist Mohammed Merah had visited Israel.
 
According to examinations conducted recently, Merah, who murdered a rabbi and three children in a Jewish school last week, stopped in Israel en route to Afghanistan in September 2010.

Defense sources confirmed that the terrorist entered Israel from Jordan via the Allenby crossing. He was questioned after arousing the suspicion of border officers but was eventually allowed to enter Israel after it was determined he wasn't involved in terrorist activity.
 
Merah entered Israel as a tourist with a French passport. The sources had no knowledge of reports that he had been caught with a knife in Jerusalem, as claimed by a French minister last week. Merah left Israel after three days and returned to Jordan.
 
Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard...
French newspaper Le Gay Pareeien revealed additional details from the terrorist's exchange with French police during the siege on his house. He told the officers that a day prior to the raid, he had noticed three suspicious cars parked outside his building. He also claimed he was being followed.
 
It was also reported that a day after the school shooting, where he shot to death four people, he drove to his hometown and played soccer.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Its gets better ...

* RUSSIA TODAY > TOULOUSE GUNMAN [Merah] WAS INFORMANT OF FRENCH INTELLIGENCE?

He allegedly had a "Correspondent" [liason = link] within French INTEL, ergo he wasn't too "innocent"???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 2:13 Comments || Top||


Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Nikki Sanderson (English) aka Gee Gee - Dance Teacher in "Clubbed (2008)" aka Audrey in "Boogeyman 3 (Video 2008)" aka Candice Stowe in "Coronation Street (UK TV 2005)" aka Dawn Bellamy in "Heartbeat (UK TV 2009)" (age 29)



Back-Gam-Mom?
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 03/28/2012 0:51 Comments || Top||

#2  In memory of Lt Francis Toner USN
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/28/2012 18:44 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Unknown gunmen shoot, injure Somali journalist
[Shabelle]--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Sunday's shooting of radio journalist Mohyadin Hassan Mohamed in the capital,Mogadishu, and calls on authorities to ensure his safety.

Two unknown gunnies opened fire on Mohamed, the news director of Shabelle Media Network's radio station, as he walked home from work at around 6 p.m., news reports said. The journalist told CPJ that he ran after the gunnies began shooting at him, and that one bullet grazed his chest.

Islamist Orcs and similar vermin Al-Shabaab
... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban...
grabbed credit for the shooting, according to Somalimemo, a website that supports the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. The group has also grabbed credit for the 2010 murder of journalist Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey.

Staff members at Shabelle Media Network,Somalia's largest media group, have been targeted in the past, CPJ research shows. The local police commander pledged to investigate the incident, local journalists told CPJ.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


S. Sudan Does Not Want 'Senseless War' with Khartoum
[An Nahar] South Sudan will not return to war with Khartoum despite a second day of Arclight airstrikes and bloody ground assaults in contested border areas between the rival states, a Southern minister said Tuesday.

"As our president (Salva Kiir) has said, we cannot be dragged into a senseless war, but we will be in position to protect our territory and integrity," South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told news hounds.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it.
suspended an April summit with his Southern counterpart following the flare-up, prompting U.N. chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
to appeal for calm between the former civil war foes.

Khartoum said the attacks were in response to raids by Southern troops on Sudanese territory Monday.

Philip Aguer, a South Sudan army front man, said fighting continued Tuesday between Southern and northern Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) troops.

"Bombing has never stopped, ground festivities happened this morning, and we are expecting them (SAF) to attack us in other places," Aguer told news hounds, adding that casualties were feared.

"Definitely you cannot fight from afternoon up until morning without casualties," said Aguer, adding he was awaiting further details.

On Monday, Kiir said his troops had driven northern forces back across the undemarcated border and seized Khartoum's Heglig oil field, parts of which are claimed by both sides.

The proposed talks between Bashir and Kiir had been aimed at easing tensions that many fear have dragged the two neighbors back to the brink of full-scale war.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan

#1  I realize there are some substantial engineering issues, but the sooner South Sudan can build pipelines southeast through Uganda and Kenya to the Indian Ocean, the sooner they can seal their northern border with Sudan and put an end to all this nonsense.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/28/2012 11:39 Comments || Top||


Sudan paper seized over anti-regime columns: editor
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Sudanese intelligence agents on Tuesday seized copies of an independent daily newspaper after it refused to pull an anti-government columnist, the chief editor said.

The confiscation of Al-Jarida's Tuesday edition adds to thousands of other newspaper pages already seized from publications this year in what the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said is an attempt to silence opposition news coverage.

"A few days ago they ordered us by telephone to stop one of our columnists from writing," Al-Jarida's editor, Osman Shinger, told AFP, referring to the security service.

"We refused. For that reason they stopped our paper from distributing."

After intelligence officers shut down Al-Jarida in late September without explanation, the newspaper resumed publication in January but quickly had one of its editions seized.

Three other newspapers have been ordered shut down this year.

"By closing news outlets and seizing newspapers, President (Omar) al-Bashir's government demonstrates its continuing appetite to censor critical news coverage," Mohammed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa coordinator, said in a statement this month.

"The government must immediately allow the shuttered newspapers to resume operations, and it should stop its practice of seizing every newspaper edition that carries an unflattering story."
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Europe
Spanish Police Arrest Qaida Suspect
[An Nahar] Spanish police said they set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock a suspected al-Qaeda member Tuesday, accusing him of showing videos on the Internet that encouraged "terrorist acts."

Officers jugged the man, who was identified only as M. H. A., in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia after a probe lasting more than a year, the interior ministry said in a statement.

"His Internet activity revealed his membership of the terrorist organization and the dissemination of audiovisual products to induce, provoke and encourage terrorist acts," it said.

Investigations into the man began in February 2011, the ministry said. Spain's National Court, which hears terrorism cases, had opened an inquest, it said.

In September last year, Spanish police set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock a Cuban man suspected of belonging to al-Qaeda and indoctrinating potential followers via his activities on the Internet.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


Africa North
Dem Juices Are Stealing Our Boys!
'Israel poaching Egyptian soccer players'
Egyptian media, politicians accuse Israel of luring Egyptian athletes to play on its teams at home and worldwide

Tensions over Israel's peace treaty with Egypt have been sidelined in recent weeks by an issue no less important -- soccer. According to Egyptian media reports, the local parliament has accused the Jewish state of poaching players of Egyptian heritage for the Israeli premier league.
 
Egyptian television first touched on the issue, mentioning Mahmoud Abbas of the Hapoel Tel Aviv team, George Imses of Bnei Yehuda and several members of Bnei Sakhnin as examples of athletes of Egyptian origin who have opted to play for Israel. According to the report, there are also 150 Arab players who are part of various Israeli soccer teams.

The head of Egypt's Defense and National Security Committee, Ahmed Ismail, has requested People's Assembly to "carefully study the possibility that Israel might be pulling or even luring Egyptian athletes to play for (its teams) at international capacity as well."

Mohamed Hafez, who heads the Assembly's Youth and Sports Committee, demanded in response the athletes to return to Egypt. He said that he is meeting with bigwigs in the sports industry in an effort to prevent such "unacceptable" incidents from repeating.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  At least they didn't accuse Israel of luring Egyptian athletes to, well, Passover is coming in less than two weeks, and Israelis will be baking lots of matzah.

Oh, and Egypt cancelled its Premier League season, after last month's deadly riot, so what are the athletes going to do?
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 03/28/2012 1:01 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Boy bomber in attack on notable Australian aid worker
The suicide bomber responsible for the first Australian civilian casualty in Afghanistan was a boy of about 12, apparently part of a chilling new Taliban campaign to use children as weapons.

The injured man is David Savage, whose role with the Australian Federal Police as a peacekeeper in East Timor inspired a TV mini-series. Savage, whose condition is serious but stable, was treated at the Australian base at Tarin Kowt before being flown to Kandahar, and then Germany.

The bomber attacked as Savage was with a group of soldiers and staff outside a bazaar in the Chora Valley, Uruzgan, where he was helping local communities with development activities.

Three NATO troops and an Afghan National Army soldier were also wounded in the blast, which the Taliban claimed was payback for the alleged massacre of villagers by a US soldier.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Deputy Commander Colonel Ben James said members of the US patrol accompanying Savage saw the boy run towards them before a bomb he was carrying went off. He said, "It appears that the patrol was approached by an Afghan civilian estimated to be about 12 years old. The boy came into the middle of the patrol and detonated the device."

The child was wearing loose robes and a head covering and it is probable he was wearing a vest laden with explosives.

Savage and three US soldiers were injured in the blast, which occurred as they walked back to a joint Australian and US patrol base in the Chora Valley in eastern Uruzgan. The patrol had been at a shura - a traditional Afghan meeting - at a government building in Chora town as part of their work as a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).

On Tuesday there were reports that two boys aged between 12 and 16 had been arrested in the Mirabad Valley region of western Uruzgan. The local police chief said they had been sent from Pakistan with orders to kill him in a suicide attack.

While this is not a new tactic for the Taliban, the Chora Valley attack raises concern because there may be more children being groomed by Taliban commanders in Pakistan for suicidal missions.
Posted by: ryuge || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Copyright Troll surrenders
The copyright troll Righthaven seems to have given up and is not even bothering to show up at court.

According to Tech Dirt CEO Steve Gibson is working at another job
... hopefully something in the food service industry that requires a paper hat...
while he is being investigated by the Nevada Bar and main lawyer Shawn Mangano apparently has completely stopped responding to all attempts to contact him, even by the court.
"Psst! Tell 'em I'm not in! You think I went to South Africa!"
All the company's appeals have been dismissed "for lack of prosecution" and last week it had one of its main cases closed, with prejudice.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Another view at the Las Vegas Sun.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/28/2012 3:46 Comments || Top||

#2  That Sun article:

1) It's always someone else's fault, not Mr. Gibson's.

2) His office has the kind of tacky wallpaper you'd expect to find in Las Vegas.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/28/2012 11:43 Comments || Top||

#3  nice pic - he looks like the smarmy little prick I imagined
Posted by: Frank G || 03/28/2012 16:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Ah yes Righthaven; using the legal profession for criminal activity.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/28/2012 18:13 Comments || Top||

#5  "Steven Gibson . . . says the attorneys are unfairly trying to pin the blame on him for not producing the data. He claims the responsibility lies not with him or the company but with an attorney who has represented Righthaven."

Awwwww, da' poor bay-bee.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving weasel.
Posted by: Barbara || 03/28/2012 18:27 Comments || Top||

#6  AFAICT these trolls have paid nothing for their misdeeds, while they have cost their victims a great amount.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/28/2012 18:30 Comments || Top||

#7  The sued ones need to get a class action and go up the food chain, in my uninformed humble opinion.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/28/2012 19:19 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Bloody Nuevo Laredo: Shorty moves in
We have been hearing for at least two weeks just how bloody Tamaulipas state is going to get.

The capital city of Ciudad Victoria has been suffering intense intergang warfare since March 14th with at least seven dead during that time.

And now, it appears the Sinaloa/Gulf organization is planning to wipe out the only border crossing controlled by Los Zetas, Nuevo Laredo.

Graphic NSFW images at the link.
Posted by: badanov || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The question is, will Los Zetos try something to force the Mexican government to intervene? Or worse, something that will drag in the US government?
Posted by: Pappy || 03/28/2012 11:37 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Annan says Syria accepts UN-backed peace plan
[Dawn] Syria has accepted a six-point peace plan that was proposed by Kofi Annan
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo...
and backed by the UN Security Council, Annan said in a statement issued by his front man in Beijing on Tuesday.

Annan, the joint special envoy of the United Nations
...what started out as a a diplomatic initiative, now trying to edge its way into legislative, judicial, and executive areas...
and the Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
, "views this as an important initial step that could bring an end to the violence and the bloodshed, provide aid to the suffering, and create an environment conducive to a political dialogue that would fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people," the statement said.

But implementation of the plan will be key and Annan would be working with all parties at all levels to ensure it was implemented, the statement added.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


India-Pakistan
Ludhianvi somehow dodges police three times in Islamabad
[Dawn] Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) chief Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi on Tuesday dodged the Islamabad police, failing their three attempts to arrest the bad boy holy man, DawnNews reported.

The police tried to arrest him immediately after he participated in a rally of Difa-e-Pakistain Council or Defence of Pakistain Council (DPC) staged in defiance of potential restoration of NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
supplies, but their efforts gone in vain.

It was the latest show of support for Defence of Pakistain, a coalition of around 40 religious and semi-religious parties chaired by Maulvi Samiul Haq dubbed as "father of Taliban."

The joint sitting of parliament is looking to formulate new rules engagement with the US and NATO amid strained ties with the war ally in the aftermath of Nov 26 Salala check posts attack by the US forces which killed 24 Pak soldiers.

Ludhianvi 'successfully' dodged the police at Ninth Avenue and at Pindora Roundabout on second and third attempt consecutively for his arrest.

The chief of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain
...a Sunni Deobandi organization, a formerly registered Pak political party, established in the early 1980s in Jhang by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi. Its stated goal is to oppose Shia influence in Pakistain. They're not too big on Brelvis, either. Or Christians. Or anybody else who's not them. The organization was banned in 2002 as a terrorist organization, but somehow it keeps ticking along, piling up the corpse counts...
(SSP), now registered as ASWAJ, categorically refused to surrender himself and told this news hound that he would decide about the surrender after deliberations with his DPC colleagues.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF Foils Terror Attack On Gaza Border
IDF troops detect, defuse powerful bomb placed on border fence. Army says device was meant to be used as roadside kaboom against military forces patrolling sector

The IDF was able to foil an attack against troops patrolling the Gazoo border, Ynet learned Monday.
 
Military forces detected a powerful bomb that was concealed on the Gazoo border fence. IDF sappers defused it safely.
 
According to the IDF, the device -- packing 12 kilograms of explosives -- was meant to be used as a roadside kaboom against military forces patrolling the sector.
 
Military sources said that the gun-hung tough guys took a brazen chance by coming as close as they did to the border fence to place the bomb, noting that they usually place roadside kabooms within 100-200 yards of the fence.
 
No terror group has claimed the attempt at this time.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yet you had no Ariel surveillance? Tsk tsk -ohh, waiting. Ok, kewl!
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 0:16 Comments || Top||


Europe
Al-Jazeera Will Not Air France Shootings Video
[An Nahar] An angry La Belle France won a pledge Tuesday from the Al-Jazeera news channel not to air a video shot by an Islamist myrmidon during a murderous shooting spree targeting soldiers and Jewish children.

President Nicolas Sarkozy
...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit...
demanded that the channel not broadcast the video sent to its Gay Paree bureau, which includes graphic footage shot by Mohamed Merah during attacks this month in southern La Belle France that left seven people dead.

French officials also reacted with fury to threats from Merah's Algerian father to sue Gay Paree over the way in which he was slain in a gunbattle with police last Thursday at the end of a 32-hour siege of his Toulouse flat.

And police said they believed the al-Qaeda-inspired gunman, branded a "monster", may have had one or more accomplices who possibly sent the footage to Al-Jazeera and helped him steal the scooter used in the attacks.

"In accordance with Al-Jazeera's code of ethics, given the video does not add any information that is not already in the public domain, its news channels will not be broadcasting any of its contents," the Qatar-based network said.

The pan-Arab channel, which once owed much of its fame outside the Arab world to airing recordings of al-Qaeda's late chief, the late Osama bin Laden
... who abandoned all hope when he entered there...
, said it had declined "numerous requests from media outlets for copies of the video."

Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchie of Algerian descent, had previously boasted of filming his killings and witnesses had told police that he appeared to be wearing a video camera in a chest harness during the shootings.

He was not wearing the device during his final fatal shootout, but police said they had found the Go-Pro style camera in bag he had given to a friend.

Al-Jazeera's Gay Paree bureau chief, Zied Tarrouche, said the channel received the videos on a USB memory key, along with a letter in poorly written French that claimed the attacks in the name of al-Qaeda.

Tarrouche said the videos showed the attacks in chronological order and had been edited into a montage.

"There was a mixture of religious music and chants, lectures, and recitals of verses from the Koran," he said.

Leading French television networks all said they would also not broadcast the videos if they became available.

Latifa Ibn Ziaten, the mother of Imed Ibn Ziaten, the first of three French paratroopers bumped off by Merah, told Agence La Belle France Presse she was relieved the footage would not be shown.

"This is good, it is the right decision, the only decision to take," she told AFP by telephone from Morocco. "I am relieved because this was about my son's honor. I don't want my son to be dirtied."

Sarkozy had called on all channels not to broadcast the footage "under any pretext, out of respect for the victims and respect for the republic."

The French leader -- who is running for re-election in a campaign already marked by fierce debate on security and the integration of Moslems -- also lashed out at Merah's father, Mohamed Benalel Merah, for his lawsuit threat.

"It is with indignation that I learned that the father of the killer of seven people... wants to file a suit against La Belle France for the death of his son," Sarkozy said.

And Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said: "If I were the father of such a monster, I would shut my mouth in shame."

The father had told AFP on Monday he would sue French authorities because they "had the means to take my son alive... they preferred to kill him."

When police surrounded Merah's Toulouse apartment last week, the gunman fought off an initial assault and then, in a conversation with a police negotiator, grabbed credit for all three attacks.

He rubbed out three soldiers in two separate attacks in Toulouse and nearby Montauban on March 11 and 15.

Last Monday he shot up a Jewish school in Toulouse, killing a 30-year-old teacher, his sons aged five and four and a seven-year-old girl.

On Sunday, the authorities charged the gunman's brother, 29-year-old Abdelkader Merah, with complicity in the attacks but he denied any involvement.

Abdelkader Merah was charged with helping his sibling steal the powerful Yamaha scooter used in the shootings and police said Tuesday they were seeking a third person who may have been involved in the theft.

Police also said an accomplice may have been involved in mailing the videos to Al-Jazeera.

French Moslem officials said the family had asked for Merah's body to be transferred to Algeria for burial.

Merah's mother Zoulhika Aziri had asked for her son to be buried in Algeria to avoid his grave being desecrated.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Teen Skipped School To Stab Israeli Soldier
Police probe reveals Yehudit Aharon was stabbed by 18-year-old east Jerusalem resident on Light Rail earlier this month

Cleared for publication: An 18-year-old east Jerusalem resident has been identified as the assailant who stabbed Israeli soldier Yehudit Aharon in Jerusalem's Light Rail earlier this month. His remand was extended until all legal proceedings against him are completed.
 
Aharon, 19, was stabbed in the chest and hand while the train pulled into the Pisgat Zeev station. The suspect, who was inside the train, waited for it to stop and then stabbed the victim causing her moderate injuries.

According to the police investigation, the suspect headed towards his school armed with a knife on the day of the attack. He decided to skip classes and at 10:09 am boarded the Light Rail back to his home.
 
On the train, he recognized the soldier and sat opposite her. Seconds before the train pulled into the station he stabbed Aharon several times and decamped the scene. He returned home where he met his brother and recounted the attack.
 
He later boarded a bus heading to the Qalandiya checkpoint in the hopes of finding shelter with his family in Ramallah. He dropped his knife during the ride and was later incarcerated at the checkpoint.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  For an Arab student this would be considered an "Excused Absence".
Posted by: borgboy || 03/28/2012 16:16 Comments || Top||

#2  Extra credit would be given for this action by many of USA high schools, I suspect....
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 03/28/2012 16:49 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Maoist rebels kill 15 paramilitary police in India
[Dawn] Maoist rebels ambushed a patrol team in central India on Tuesday, killing at least 15 paramilitary coppers, a police official said.

The coppers were travelling through a densely forested area of Maharashtra state when the rebels set off a land mine, blowing up their vehicle, the official said.

Another 13 coppers were maimed in the powerful blast, he said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting for more than three decades in several Indian states, demanding land and jobs for agricultural labourers and the poor. They frequently target police and government officials, whom they accuse of colluding with landlords and rich farmers to exploit the poor.

The rebels are now present in 20 of India's 28 states and have an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 fighters, according to the Home Ministry. Thousands of people _ including police, Islamic fascisti and civilians _ have died in the violence in recent years.

Police and paramilitary soldiers were searching the area in Gadchiroli district where Tuesday's attack took place, but the rebels decamped after they set off the land mine, the official said. Additional troops were also sent to the Gadchiroli region in northeast Maharashtra, which is considered a rebel stronghold.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: Commies


Arabia
JMP suggests 12-point plan for successful dialogue
[Yemen Post] The alliance of the Joint Meeting Parties that headed the interim government has offered President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi a twelve-point plan for holding a successful national dialogue conference and reaching a political settlement.

Among the suggested points was the removal of the former president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
from the presidency of the General People Congress party and dismissal of the military commanders who involved in Yemen's political crisis.

An Emeriti newspaper, Al-Byan, quoted a big shot of the JMP as saying that secretary-generals of the Yemeni Socialist Party and the Islah Party informed Hadi about the JMP's suggestions.

A leader of the JMP said there was an agreement on most points offered to Hadi, declining to comment on points rejected by Hadi.

He further mentioned that the plan included the transfer of the armed forces to outside the capital and dismissal of some military and security commanders, integration of the armed and security forces under the command of the Defense Ministry and the Interior Ministry, and formation of the presidential guard under the supervision of Hadi.

The points also included a formation of a committee to reform the diplomatic missions in line of the national reconciliation.

The points also included the reformation of the Republican Presidency Office, and the General Secretariat of Presidency to enable them performing their tasks properly and completing the perpetration of the transitional justice law.

The countries overseeing the GCC-mediated power transfer deal have called all Yemeni parties to commit to the agreement signed in last November, cautioning against any attempts to impede the deal.

Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [4 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Clash On Israel-Egypt Border Leaves 2 Suspects Dead
IDF soldiers, Paleostinian infiltrators exchange fire near southern border; two suspects killed. Motive for incident still unclear
Try hostile Paleostinian thugs for $500, Alex
IDF forces patrolling the Israel- Egypt border fence clashed with Paleostinian cells trying to infiltrate the northern part of the border on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The ensuing fire exchange left two suspects dead. No injuries were reported among the Israeli soldiers. It is still unclear whether in incident was criminal or terrorist in nature.

According to available details, at around 1:30 pm IDF forces deployed in the sector identified two men driving ATVs at high speed towards the border from the Sinai area. Two other suspects were simultaneously spotted approaching the fence.
 
The soldiers initiated suspect arrest protocol vis-à-vis the four, and when their warnings were ignored, they fired several warning shots.
 
At the same time, a cell lying in wait on the Egyptian side of the border opened fire on the troops. The soldiers returned fire.
 
During the exchange, one of the ATV riders decamped back to the Egyptian side of the border, crossing it under gunfire by Egyptian border guards.
 
An hour later, the soldiers reported hearing gunshot echoes emanating from the same area.
 
Egyptian reports said that two of the suspects were maimed in the incident.
 
IDF sources said that forces in the sector were on high alert as the defense establishment has intelligence indicating an imminent threat of terror in the sector.
 
The incident took place in an area where the new border fence is still under construction.
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the area Tuesday, saying that "soon we will complete surrounding Israel with ground-level obstacles that will improve our ability to defend our borders."
 
The new fence will stretch 230km. IDF source said that the existing, upgraded fence, which stretches some 110km, has so far proven very effective in curbing infiltrations from Sinai to Israel.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well, wall off the City... again.
Posted by: newc || 03/28/2012 0:14 Comments || Top||

#2  Egyptian reports said that two of the suspects were maimed in the incident.

Sounds like 'maimed' is a precursor to 'dead.'
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 03/28/2012 0:34 Comments || Top||

#3  one of the ATV riders decamped back to the Egyptian side of the border, crossing it under gunfire by Egyptian border guards.

Intercept fire, or covering?
Posted by: Pappy || 03/28/2012 11:43 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
A dozen killed as violence flares in Karachi
[Dawn] Gunmen and arsonists went on the rampage in Pakistain's financial capital Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
on Tuesday, killing at least twelve people and setting dozens of vehicles alight, officials said.

The unrest was sparked by the murder of a party worker and his brother late on Monday, reviving fears that the city of 18 million could return to horrifying levels of violence that left more than 1,700 people dead last year.

Violence is a major concern in Bloody Karachi, the economic powerhouse of Pakistain whose Arabian port is used by the United States to ship supplies to the war in Afghanistan, although Pakistain has blockaded the border for four months.

Mansoor Mukhtar, 37, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
(MQM), the largest political party in the city, was rubbed out late Monday when gunnies burst into the home where he was sleeping, police said.

His brother, Masood Mukhtar, also died and his sister-in-law was maimed in the attack in the central neighbourhood of PIB Colony, police said.

Soon afterwards, gunnies erupted into the streets and started setting fire to vehicles, in violence that left a further six people dead and more injured.

"Our hospitals have received a total of eight bodies of victims from today's firing incidents. They include an MQM member and his brother," said police surgeon Hamid Parhiar in the southern province Sindh, of which Bloody Karachi is the capital.

At least 38 vehicles, including buses, mini buses and trucks were torched in Bloody Karachi, bigwig Roshan Sheikh said.

The MQM, which represents the Urdu-speaking majority and sits in President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari
... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ...
's governing coalition, denied any responsibility.

"We have been keeping Bloody Karachi peaceful for a long time and such incidents have been perpetrated by those who don't want to see our country stable and peaceful," party front man Wasay Jaleel told AFP.

The funeral of Mukhtar brothers was held at Jinnah Ground Azizabad.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:


Police gives rioters free hand
[Dawn] Lahore: A lack of interest on the part of police to prevent a mob, protesting against power outages, from turning violent resulted in the death of a labourer and serious injuries to another near Shalamar Chowk on GT Road on Monday.

Witnesses told Dawn a good number of workers of small industrial units in the localities along Bund Road in Shalamar Town had started gathering in the Daroghawala main bazaar around noon.

A majority of the main bazaar traders succumbed to the demand of the workers to shut down their businesses and join the protest. After gaining ground, the protesters came on GT Road and started forcing shop owners, mechanics and others to shut down their concerns.

Asad Ali was getting petrol for his cycle of violence when some of the protesters approached the staff manning the filling station near Shalamar Chowk.

"Some half a dozen youth asked the salesmen to shut down the pump. The staff refused and the youth asked their colleagues to ransack it.

Someone from the pump staff ordered the security guards to open fire. "I pressed the accelerator and managed to rescue myself from there while hearing gunshots," the youth told Dawn.

Ashiq, a shopkeeper, said the coppers remained unmoved when two men sustained bullet injuries.

"One of the injured breathed his last in front of my eyes. The crowd became uncontrollable after the death of the man and the protesters ransacked everything in sight. Had the police taken action in time, the situation would not have worsened to this extent," he said.

Heavy contingents of police were present at Lakshmi Chowk, Scheme Mor on Multan Road, main boulevards of Allama Iqbal Town and Sabzazaar where traffic was disrupted by protesters, some of whom also pelted vehicles with stones.
Posted by: Fred || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  And here I thought the locale be in Europe.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/28/2012 5:06 Comments || Top||

#2  ...or LA.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/28/2012 7:40 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Badanov's Buzzkill Bulletin
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Between March 13th and March 20th Mexican Army units throughout Mexico have seized 4,654.52 kilograms of marijuana, 10.993 kilograms of methamphetamine, 40 liters of methamphetamine, 1.98 kilograms of glass methamphetamine and 2 kilograms of opium gum.
  • A Mexican Army unit with the 4th Military Zone conducted a search of a bus at a checkpoint near Querobabi, Sonora March 13th, arresting one unidentified individual with 10.993 kilograms of methamphetamine.

  • A Mexican Army unit seized several kilograms of marijuana in Villa Ahumada municipality in Chihuahua state March 14th. The unit was on patrol near ejido Eva Lucero when it happened on three abandoned vehicles which contained 6.4 kilograms of marijuana.

  • An army unit with the 9th Military Zone located a hidden synthetic drug laboratory in Sinaloa state March 14th. Th lab was found in the village of Rincon de los Monzon in Culican where soldiers found 40 liters of methamphetamine, 50 kilograms of caustic soda, 10 kilograms of tartaric acid, 975 liters of chemical precursors and various containers and other equipment.

  • An army unit with the 26th Military Zone encountered armed suspects in a firefight in Veracruz state March 14th. The incident took place on Calle Nicolas Bravo in Cruz dela Mision colony in Las Vigas de Ramirez municipality, where armed suspects fired on the unit. Army return fire ended the firefight, forcing an unknown number of suspects to flee. Following the end of the encounter, soldiers seized five rifles, 41 weapons magazines, 1,040 rounds of ammunition, one tactical vest and one vehicle. One unidentified armed suspect was detained at the scene.

  • A Mexican Army unit with the 5th Military Zone detained one unidentified individual with several guns March 16th in Chihuahua state. The incident took place in Nuevo Casas Grandes where soldiers found two vehicles containing five rifles, 12 weapons magazines, 655 rounds of ammunition and tactical gear.

  • A Mexican Army unit with the 8th Military Zone seized more than 3 metric tons of marijuana in Tamaulipas state March 17th. The unit was on patrol in Ciudad Miguel Aleman when it happened on an abandoned building with 1,482 packages of marijuana weighing 3,393.3 kilograms.

  • Units with the Mexican 9th and 26 Military Zones conducted searches in Veracruz state March 17th seizing a number of contraband items including drugs and guns. The seizures included personal quantities of marijuana and cocaine, six rifles, two handguns, 543 rounds of ammunition, 25 weapons magazines for different weapons and three vehicles. A total of five unidentified individuals were detained.

  • Nine unidentified individuals were detained in several incidents in Nuevo Leon state March 18th and 19th by army units with the Mexican 7th Military Zone. Contraband seized included four rifles, one handgun, three grenades, 25 weapons magazine, 380 rounds of ammunition, 10 kilograms of marijuana, 150 packages of marijuana divided for retail sale, three radios, communications equipment and four vehicles.

  • A total of nine unidentified individuals were detained by units with the Mexican 19th and 26th Military Zones in several incidents in Veracruz state March 18th where guns and drugs were found. Included contraband seized were two handguns, nine weapons magazines, 241 rounds of ammunition, personal quantities of cocaine and marijuana, one ATV and two vehicles.

  • A Mexican Army unit with the 2nd Military Zone found and destroyed a marijuana plantation in Ensendada municipality in Baja California state March 15th. The total area of was plantation was reported to be 2,600 square meters.

  • On March 16th in Baja California state an army unit with the Mexican 2nd Military Zone located two airstrips, one 50 kilometers east of Ensenada municipality, with a length of 290 meters by six meters and one 20 kilometers north of Heroes de la Independencia ejido, also in Ensenada municipality. The second airstrip was 20 meters by one kilometer long. Both airstrips were destroyed.

  • On March 16th soldiers with the Mexican 2nd Military Zone detained two unidentified individuals with drugs and guns. The incident took place in Altabrisa colony in Delegacion Mesa de Otay in Tijuana, in Baja California state. Soldiers seized three packages of glass methamphetimine weighing 1.98 kilograms, one rifle, one handgun, two weapons magazines, 71 rounds of ammunition and two vehicles.

  • On March 16th army units with the Mexican 2nd Military Zone found and destroyed two marijuana plantations 15 kilometers north of Ensenada municipality in Baja California state totalling 1,500 square meters.

  • On March 17th army units with the Mexican 2nd Military Zone destroyed a landing strip in the village of Guayaquil in Ensenada municipality in Baja California state with a length of 300 meters by eight meters.

  • On March 19th a Mexican Army unit with the 2nd Military Zone destroyed a landing strip in the village of El Rosario in Ensenada municipality in Baja California state with a length of 400 meters by 10 meters.

  • A Mexican Army unit with the 2nd Military Zone conducted a search of a tractor trailer unit at a military checkpoint in Miguel Aleman colony in Mexicali, Baja California March 18th. Inside the trailer soldiers seized 996 packages of marijuana totalling 1,244.720 kilograms. The driver was detained at the scene.

  • A Mexican Army unit with the 13th Military Zone detained two unidentified individuals in Nayarit with drugs and guns March 19th. The arrest took place as army forces were on patrol in the village of Los Leandros in Rosamorada municipality. Soldiers seized two kilograms of opium gum, one handgun and 72 rounds of ammunition.

  • In several incidents in Veracruz state, army units with the Mexican 19th and 26th Military Zones seized a number of drugs and other contraband March 20th in Zongolica, Naranjos and Coatzacoalcos municipalities. Included in materiel seized were 0.600 kilograms of marijuana, 32 packages of marijuana presumably divided for retail sale, one rifle, one motorcycle and two vehicles.

  • An army unit with the Mexican 12th Military Zone detained two unidentifed individuals and seized a number of drugs and guns in San Luis Potosi state March 20th. The raid took place in Ricardo Flores Mago colony in San Luis Potosi municipality where soldiers seized one rifle, 479 rounds of ammunition, 17 weapons magazines, communications gear and two vehicles, one of which was stolen.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
Posted by: badanov || 03/28/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Politicos + MSM-Net talk more about flying Drones over US Cities-Towns = Main Street, USA than down at the borders.

Welcome to OWG + NAU - you know, as early as Year 2015, not 2012!?
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/28/2012 0:27 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
30[untagged]
5al-Qaeda
5Govt of Pakistan
4Govt of Sudan
3Arab Spring
3al-Shabaab
2Govt of Syria
1al-Qaeda in Arabia
1Commies
1Jamaat-e-Islami
1Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
1Taliban
1Govt of Iran
1TTP

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On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2012-03-28
  Syrian Troops Kill 57 amid Clashes near Lebanese Border
Tue 2012-03-27
  Terror plot uncovered when 11 suicide vests found at Afghan military HQ
Mon 2012-03-26
  Toulouse killings: Mohamed Merah brother charged
Sun 2012-03-25
  Syrian Rebel Chiefs Form Military Council to Unify Ranks
Sat 2012-03-24
  At Least 26 Dead as Tens of Thousands Rally in Syria
Fri 2012-03-23
  German court gives online terror recruiter five year sentence
Thu 2012-03-22
  Gunman dead as French siege ends
Wed 2012-03-21
  French police in standoff with Jewish school killing suspect
Tue 2012-03-20
  Turkish Diplomat Says Two More Syrian Generals Defect
Mon 2012-03-19
  Heavy Shelling Kills 16 'Qaida' Fighters in Yemen
Sun 2012-03-18
  Five Killed In Bali Terror Raids
Sat 2012-03-17
  Qaeda suspects kidnap Swiss woman: Yemeni officials
Fri 2012-03-16
  Philly man arrested on charges of supporting Uzbeki terrorists
Thu 2012-03-15
   Karzai orders NATO out of all Afghan villages
Wed 2012-03-14
  Leon Panetta unhurt after suspected attack

Better than the average link...



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