I don't share the general revulsion to al-Jizz. I just regard it as "news from the other side," in the same vein as Jihad Unspun, only more refined. Qatar shouldn't own it — I'm against a government press on principle, to include NPR. But it shouldn't be put out of business. The solution is to have lots of good competition, something Fox News Arabic channels, for instance. Like CNN, al-Jizz will then either have to change or become a quaint irrelevance.
The tiny state of Qatar is a crucial American ally in the Persian Gulf, where it provides a military base and warm support for American policies. Yet relations with Qatar are also strained over an awkward issue: Qatar's sponsorship of Al Jazeera, the provocative television station that is a big source of news in the Arab world. Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and other Bush administration officials have complained heatedly to Qatari leaders that Al Jazeera's broadcasts have been inflammatory, misleading and occasionally false, especially on Iraq.
The pressure has been so intense, a senior Qatari official said, that the government is accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market, though Bush administration officials counter that a privately owned station in the region may be no better from their point of view. "We have recently added new members to the Al Jazeera editorial board, and one of their tasks is to explore the best way to sell it," said the Qatari official, who said he could be more candid about the situation if he was not identified. "We really have a headache, not just from the United States but from advertisers and from other countries as well." Asked if the sale might dilute Al Jazeera's content, the official said, "I hope not."
Estimates of Al Jazeera's audience range from 30 million to 50 million, putting it well ahead of its competitors. But that success does not translate into profitability, and the station relies on a big subsidy from the Qatari government, which in the past has explored ways to sell it. The official said Qatar hoped to find a buyer within a year. Its coverage has disturbed not only Washington, but also Arab governments from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. With such a big audience, but a lack of profitability, it is not clear who might be in the pool of potential buyers, or how a new owner might change the editorial content.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
01/30/2005 8:19:19 AM ||
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#1
Jazeera should be sold to its rightful owner: al Qaeda.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 10:19 Comments ||
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Just let us know where to send the payload check.
The US consulate in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah, which was stormed by extremists in a deadly attack in December, reopened for business Saturday, the American embassy in Riyadh said. Visa seekers from the western region of the kingdom were flocking lined up early Saturday at the consulate gates, the embassy said in a statement. Five non-American consular staff members and contractors were killed in the storming of the consulate on December 6 which also left four gunmen dead. The attack, claimed by Al Qaeda's Saudi branch, was the first on a diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia but one of a string of bombings and shootings in the kingdom which have killed more than 100 people and wounded hundreds more since May 2003. Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden paid tribute to the militants who attacked the consulate in an audiotape attributed to him 10 days after the assault.
No video, unfortunately, since he's residing in a cave in Tora Bora.
US embassy spokeswoman Carol Kalin said at the time of the attack that her government had no immediate plans to relocate the beachfront mission after reports of a Saudi request for moving the consulate to a more secure place.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Oman has been struggling with increasing infiltration from Iran. Officials said thousands of Muslims from Pakistan and South Asia have used Iran as a launching pad for illegal entry into Oman. They said the infiltrators charter boats to cross from Iran into the sultanate. Iran has been approached to help stop the infiltration into Oman. But so far little has been done to tighten security along the 900-kilometer Iranian-Pakistan border. Officials said thousands of Pakistanis and others nationals from South Asia have infiltrated Oman in a search for work. But they said the infiltrators were also believed to include Islamic insurgents and criminals.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Oman is a key chokepoint for sea vessels (i.e., navial supply ships) where two recent incidents of sea privacy were reported.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 9:01 Comments ||
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Kuwaiti lawmakers are divided over whether a special parliamentary session to discuss pertinent issues on terrorism and the security of the country on February 1 should be open to the public or held behind closed doors. The Council of Ministers, however, will decide on the issue at their regular session tomorrow. Their decision will depend on the sensitivity of the information garnered by the public prosecution in the interrogation of the arrested suspects in the two gun battles that took place between security forces and militants earlier this month. Interior Minister Shaikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah is expected to brief the Cabinet when investigations are complete and is also expected to elaborate on the nature of contacts that Kuwaiti authorities have with their GCC counterparts, mainly Saudi Arabia.
The official spokesman for the People's Front, Mussalam Al Barrak, MP, said, "such important issues should be discussed openly as we have arrived at a critical point and the situation is getting more dangerous. We have arrived at a stage where terrorists are labelling the entire Kuwaiti society as infidels and this is completely unacceptable."
Another lawmaker Bader Al Farisi, however, said, "if the information available is confidential and sensitive and endangers the security of the country it has to be deliberated behind closed doors." A ministerial source warned that any sensitive or critical discussions may cause a societal rift. "The Cabinet has to take into consideration the general political atmosphere in the country," the source said.
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Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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The US, French and British embassies warned their nationals of a terrorist threat in Kuwait on Thursday, with the Americans saying that militants have recently targeted a large apartment complex housing Westerners. The US warning was the fourth security message issued this month. Two suspected terrorists and two Kuwaiti police officers were killed earlier this month in shoot-outs. "Although a number of arrests have been made, we believe that individuals associated with these incidents are still at large and remain a threat to Westerners and Western interests," the British Embassy said Thursday. It urged Britons to remain vigilant and avoid "drawing unnecessary attention." The US Embassy said it had information that "the group behind the recent shootings did not distinguish between official and civilian targets and that they conducted surveillance of at least one facility known to house a large number of Western civilians."
The embassy identified the buildings as the Alia and Ghaliya towers in Fintas, south of Kuwait City. Additional security measures have been put in place at the location, the warden message said. "Heightened security awareness should be exercised in all residential complexes, as terrorists have specifically targeted a variety of Western housing facilities in the past," it said. About two years ago, a young Kuwaiti was arrested in possession of homemade explosives near the towers in Fintas. He had not used them.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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The controversial policy of detaining foreign terrorist suspects without trial was a key tool in preventing Britain from being attacked by al-Qa'eda militants, senior security officials believe. The officials say that the emergency measure, introduced after the September 11 attacks on America, deterred scores of terrorists from entering the United Kingdom, and they fear that ending the policy will increase the chances of an attack here. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, told the Commons last week that he was bowing to a law lords ruling to end the detention of foreign nationals suspected of threatening national security.
In future terrorist suspects, including those with British nationality, would be subject to a wide range of "executive control" orders, including house arrest and electronic tagging. The officials said they would have to "wait and see" whether the powers would be as effective. One security official added, however, that the threat from terrorism was as "real today as it was in the immediate aftermath" of the World Trade Center attacks. He said: "The terrorists knew that they could be detained indefinitely and so in many cases they stopped entering the country. It was simple but effective."
The officials described terrorism as a "covert conspiracy" in which family and friends of terrorists were oblivious to their activities and that the only way to counter the threat was to "develop tactics to subvert the threat". The evidence gathered by MI5 and the police in such circumstances cannot be used in court because it would compromise future intelligence-gathering operations and the human sources who helped to supply the information. In the cases of 12 foreign nationals being detained without charge by the British authorities, intelligence on their activities was revealed to the Special Immigration Appeal Commission, a court with powers to deport or detain terrorist suspects. The 12 suspects are being held under the 2001 Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act in Belmarsh and Woodhill prisons. When they are freed, they are likely to be held under house arrest.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/30/2005 12:46:17 AM ||
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One of the Guantanamo Bay detainees freed in London came face to face with Osama Bin Laden at a terrorist training camp, according to court documents revealed today. Richard Belmar, 25, and three others, were released without charge by Scotland Yard this week after officers concluded that there was not evidence to charge them with an offence. But the official US documents allege that all four were trained by al Qaeda in battlefield tactics and the use of assault weapons.
According to US Department of Justice transcripts of a military tribunal held last October, Mr Belmar admitted to living with Bin Laden as he finalised his plans for the September 11 attacks. He is also reported to have been a disciple of Bin Laden's "Ambassador in Europe" Abu Qatada - who is soon to be freed from Belmarsh jail. Mr Belmar, of St Johns Wood, said he did not realise he was at terrorist training camp and thought it was a "military camp for Muslims".
And the difference is...?
But when asked if he, "received basic weapons, war tactics and navigation training at a terrorist training camp?", Mr Belmar is alleged to have replied: "That is true."
All the detainees are accused of being al Qaeda members, according to the transcripts. Feroz Abbasi, 24 of Croydon, is said to have gone to Afghanistan to train to fight Americans and Jews, according to the transcripts obtained by the Sun. When asked about his role, he launched into a rant against "terrorist America".
Martin Mubanga, 32, from Wembley, was seized in Zambia and is accused by the US of being an al Qaeda member and fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan after receiving "advanced military training". Mr Mubanga denied all the allegations and later retracted his statement from the tribunal. The fourth Britain, Moazzam Begg, 36, from Birmingham, refused to take part in the tribunal.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/30/2005 12:43:18 AM ||
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In February, Georgia will send 550 Georgian servicemen to Iraq who will take part in peace-keeping operations there. The additional contingent will join 300 servicemen from Georgia who have been deployed in Iraq since last November, a representative of the Georgian Defense Ministry told Tass.
The additional contingent will be airlifted to Iraq by planes of the US Air Force.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/30/2005 1:39:47 AM ||
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What are the odds that these guys are training with GI's? I would say very high...
#2
ZF, IIRC, we have had S.O. troops in Georgia for a couple of years training their troops to erradicate Chechens with Al Queda ties from the Pankisi Gorge. So no bets here.
FAR across the frozen river two figures hurried from the North Korean shore, slip-sliding on the ice as they made a break for the Chinese riverbank to escape a regime that, by many accounts, is now entering its death throes.
It was a desperate risk to run in the stark glare of the winter sunshine. We had just seen a patrol of Chinese soldiers in fur-lined uniforms tramping along the snowy bank, their automatic rifles slung ready for action.
Police cars swept up and down the road every 10 or 15 minutes, on the look-out for refugees. A small group of Chinese travellers in our minibus, some of whom turned out to have good reasons to be discreet, pretended not to notice.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/30/2005 8:32:00 PM ||
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Paradise on Earth.
Air-drop all of our LLL SocioFascistIslamoBats⢠immediately!
NSW would do what it could to help the Federal Government keep an eye on Mamdouh Habib, Premier Bob Carr said today. The former Guantanamo Bay inmate returned to Sydney yesterday, ending more than three years of detention in the US as a terrorist suspect. Although Mr Habib has not been charged with any offences, the Federal Government said it would continue to monitor his whereabouts and activities. Speaking on the campaign trail in Sydney with new federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, Mr Carr told reporters that NSW police would assist in any way they could. "It's a matter for police and their counter terrorism unit. We will cooperate with commonwealth police but it is not a matter that I will direct or give a public account of," he said. "The police have got responsibilities and they will fulfil them with a high level of cooperation from the commonwealth police."
Posted by: God Save The World ||
01/30/2005 12:01:21 AM ||
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Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi hailed Sunday's voting in Iraq as confirmation that Iraqis want to defeat terrorism and establish democracy. This day "also belongs to us," added Berlusconi, whose government has staunchly supported U.S. President George W. Bush on Iraq. The conservative premier said that with the election, "the Iraqis today confirm their will to defeat terrorism and acquire freedom and democracy." Speaking of the US-led coalition of troops in Iraq, Berlusconi praised security efforts "not only by our soldiers but also those of all the pacifying forces of the other countries, in the first place, those of the United States who have paid and are paying the highest price in terms of human life." Earlier this month Italy suffered its latest military casualty in Iraq with the shooting death of a soldier on helicopter patrol. Italy has 3,000 troops in Iraq, one of the largest contingents after the Americans.
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday that cooperation between Iran and Ukraine in the fields of industry, trade, investment and energy are in line with mutual interests. In a meeting with new Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Kharrazi outlined Iran's future plans in the areas of oil and gas and added such mutual cooperation would promote industrial and trade ties. "Effective cooperation between Iran and Ukraine will lead to strengthening stability and peace in the region and will be in the interests of all regional states," Kharrazi said. The Ukrainian president said Iran is among important and reliable partners of Ukraine, adding his government's policy attaches importance to expansion of ties with Iran. He added the joint economic commission between the two countries should be seriously followed up and stressed joint cooperation in the fields of plane and wagon manufacturing and ship-building. Yushchenko expressed his country's readiness to play an active role in holding multilateral meetings on Iran's gas pipeline to Europe.
#3
Oh, I agree. Uninvited foreign troops should pull out at a proper time after the Iraqi government is established, so they won't interfere with US soldiers invited by the Iraqi government to form semi-permanent garrisons in their country.
#14
I think it's time to pull our business and tourism out of France.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/30/2005 16:36 Comments ||
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#15
France, together with Germany and Spain, and the rest of OLD EUROPE lost big time today in Iraq. America is winning you LOSERS. Wake up and smell the khat.
Posted by: Mark Z. ||
01/30/2005 17:07 Comments ||
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#2
They're out of synch with their American agents, e.g. Kennedy spewed yesterday. Amazing the level of desperation in those terrified that the Bush Doctrine will succeed. Anything to derail it, no matter how transparent or blatantly anti-democratic, mercenary, and asinine.
Via Lucianne: In a testament to the power of the Web, and to the power of political freedom, Internet viewers now have access to two very different images of war, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston. One is run by a single man with a shoestring budget, and the other is backed by all the resources of the U.S. military.
But on the Internet, the ideas behind both are on an even playing field.
Maj. Scott Bleichwehl says he believes there is too much focus on news that isn't so good in Iraq. To combat this focus on negativity, he runs a Web site featuring images showing progress in Iraq. "We're trying to reach the media and the general public with the information that we feel was pertinent to that operation," he says.
Trevor Davis, a 26 year-old blogger, runs a Web site that features disturbing images that most Americans don't see on the evening news or in a newspaper. Davis says he created crisispictures.org because he doesn't feel Americans are getting the whole picture from Iraq. "I really believe that if we're going to take responsibility for this war we have to know what its costs are," he says.
Davis's Web site focuses on images of suffering in Fallujah. His site features pictures of an Iraqi man weeping on a coffin, a little girl who lost her parents, and Iraqi men who lost their lives.
There is a real difference in tone between the two sites. In a sequence on Fallujah, the military's images focus on maps, weapons, and a torture chamber where an Iraqi captive was beheaded. There are few pictures of people. Bleichwehl says there are no pictures of military or civilian causalities because "the point we were trying to make is that Fallujah is no longer a safe haven for these terrorists."
Viewers can look at both and decide for themselves if one is more persuasive than the other. I need to take a shower - for See-BS to put out this shit - it's not just the blogger.
Posted by: Spemble Hupains4886 ||
01/30/2005 12:09:35 AM ||
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File this under "find a funeral for the anaugeration" reporting.
Davis says he created crisispictures.org because he doesnât feel Americans are getting the whole picture from Iraq
They are. Their sources include ABC, NBC, CBS [which by the way is the source of this piece of crap], PBS, CNN, MSNBC, NYT, WoPo, AP, Al Rueters....
But its nice to have people put their names on the list voluntarily.
#2
This fella is apparently a front for the anti-war left. He is closely tied to lesbian media dog Rosie O'Donnell in some form or another.
No question in my mind the site is politicaly motivated. This could be the left's big stab to try to stampede an American withdrawl from Iraq before the job is done.
Crisis Pictures is a non-commercial organization dedicated to building awareness of global crisis areas through pictures. Our goal is to make distant events personal by showing real people living through them. The face of a mother mourning her child needs no explanation. Crisis Pictures makes âstories about other peopleâ into âstories about other people just like me."
Crisis Pictures is a public information service that is free and open to the public.
Our Position on Iraq
We are NOT against the war in Iraq.
We are NOT for the war in Iraq.
Therefore, they are against the war in Iraq.
We want YOU to examine your own conscience and decide if this is worth it. We encourage you to research other aspects of the story and then make up your mind.
If we must take a side, it is the side of the mother who has lost a child, whatever her nationality might be.
Do Pictures Lie?
Pictures don't tell lies, people tell lies. That being said, this is not is it the whole story nor does it claim to be. . It is an aspect of the truth that is not shown elsewhere.
All of our pictures come from verifiable, legitimate sources which we pay licensing fees.
Who do you work for?
Crisis Pictures is not affiliated with any political organization or cause. We are neither Democrat, nor Republican.
Actually they are affiliated with Air America, and with Rosie O'Donnell, and whomever she fronts for.
#6
They may not want the world to know who they are, but I know for a definitive fact the server that serves their pages is on the same basic network segment as airamericaradio.com The server is out of New York at Globix Corporation, the same folks that host airamericaradio.
My thinking is this fella is not operating 'on a shoestring budget' and is by no means independant.
Departing Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said on Friday he believed another attack on the United States was inevitable, and warned that America should not focus just on Al Qaeda, but also on similar groups that could carry out attacks. "I have accepted the inevitability of another attack or attacks," Ridge said in an interview on the eve of his departure from the department launched two years ago to guard against another attack like that of September 11, 2001. "It could be Al Qaeda or it could be Al Qaeda-like organisations," said Ridge, who departs on February 1. "I do think, when we talk about global terrorism, (it is) better ... that America doesn't focus just on Al Qaeda." "There are a lot of Al Qaeda-like organisations and there are quite a few (Osama) bin Laden wannabes out there - you've got one of them operating in Iraq right now," he said, referring to Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Ridge said the other groups he views as possible threats are driven by the same ideology as Al Qaeda and they would use "terrorist attacks" as their means to that end. When asked what type of attack he viewed as the biggest threat, Ridge said a biological or nuclear attack were of concern since they could involve "catastrophic" loss of life. "I'm convinced that if they had a nuclear weapon they'd use it," he said in a joint interview with Reuters and the Associated Press.
Although there were no new attacks during Ridge's tenure, the administration was criticized for not giving him enough leeway or resources to properly set up an effective department. Ridge was assailed for the five-tiered, color-coded terror alert warning system he created.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/30/2005 12:15:33 AM ||
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"I have accepted the inevitability of another attack or attacks,â
That's gratifying to hear, Tom. Ho-hum, ZZZZZZZ.
But âitâs an imperfect world,â he said, and the agencies needed more work on the list to ensure the right people are stopped and the right people are allowed in.
Right, ye old lists, we need to apply our energies to compiling better lists, they will keep us safe all right. Original ideas coming out of Homeland Security is as exciting as watching mud harden. What is wrong with the GOP leadership? Are they so focused on their stock portfolios that they cannot see the obvious? Duh. National security is not achieved through open borders. Do these clueballs think that terrorists are so stoooopid that they are going to go to the well again and use hijacked airplanes? Maybe Michael Chertoff should consider that not all bad guys are going to appear on a "no fly" list because they are going to come here by foot,not by plane, along with their illegal compadres from Mexico. Maybe America should take some lessons from Israel with regards to how it protects itself from extremists. Does the Israeli gov't put a welcome mat on its borders with a few CPR-trained border guards and some fresh water for thirst quenched illegals? Hello, is anyone home at the WH? Ringadingding.
http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/LatinAmerica/mexico1.html
"Mexico discovers Islam"
THE son of the United Nations secretary-general has admitted he was involved in negotiations to sell millions of barrels of Iraqi oil under the auspices of Saddam Hussein. Kojo Annan has told a close friend he became involved in negotiations to sell 2m barrels of Iraqi oil to a Moroccan company in 2001. He is understood to be co-operating with UN investigators probing the discredited oil for food programme.
The alleged admission will increase pressure on Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, who is already facing calls for his resignation over the management of the humanitarian programme. The oil for food programme allowed Saddam to sell oil to buy humanitarian supplies under UN supervision. However, it has emerged that the programme was riddled with corruption as Saddam used it to buy influence around the world. Several senior UN staff are alleged to have profited from the scheme, and the apparent connection between Kojo and the programme has become the subject of intense international scrutiny. Critics claim that Kofi faces a significant conflict of interest if Kojo sought to profit from the discredited scheme. Initially it emerged that Cotecna, the company awarded the contract to monitor humanitarian supplies imported into Iraq, had previously employed Kojo and paid him fees throughout the term of the oil for food programme. However, a friend of Kojo's said: "He has explained to the investigators that his only involvement with Cotecna was in Nigeria and that he knew nothing about the deal in Iraq. He is looking forward to the investigation report being published so that he will be exonerated on this point."
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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Snicker. Is this the only link you have Duke? The Times?
#2
I really, really liked the oil business; all that money, but I feel like I am accomplishing something by holding conferences and by being better than the USA and all those red-staters in jesusland.
BTW, I got a really good deal on paper plates the other day, but I am afraid if I use them in a UN conference I will be attacked by the Greens for using rainforest trees.
#3
Since the Iraqi deal collapsed, Kojo, 31, has set up a company that imports oil to (sic) Nigeria from (sic) the Balkan states. He is a regular visitor to England, where he was educated, and has a ã500,000 flat on Londonââ¬â¢s King Road. He socialises with other well-known Nigerians, is always impeccably dressed and enjoys the use of a chauffeur-driven Mercedes.
Like a rubber ball I come bouncin' back to you.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/30/2005 7:25 Comments ||
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#4
.... âHe has explained to the investigators that his only involvement with Cotecna was in Nigeria and that he knew nothing about the deal in Iraq. ...â
.... Kojo acted as a director for [Saudi] Hani Yamaniâs company and was a close business associate. .... In 2001 Yamani lined up a deal to sell about $60m worth of Iraqi oil to a Moroccan company. .... Kojo was involved in the deal. Kojo ... travelled to Morocco to help finalise the sale and was present at key meetings. However, the sale was abandoned by Yamani. ....
So, right now it still seems to me that Kojo Annan had nothing to do with Cotecna getting the a UN contract to participate in the Oil-for-Food program.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/30/2005 9:22 Comments ||
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#5
Kojo no way! He's clean until he confesses on Court TeeVee and even then we can't be sure.
I am a bit confused as to why Muslims cannot use (give/get) interest. Living in a non-muslim country, it is almost impossible not to deal with interest. ..... Islamic foundations such as ISNA say that they will help pay your house, but they take money from people too, it's under a different title, but it's the same thing as interest.
In the Torah (Old Testament) where intoxicants, fornication and the consumption of pork are declared unlawful interest is also prohibited. ..... But the Jews in their egoism and transgression revolted against this divine law with such intensity that they became proverbial USURERS and INTEREST EATERS. .... This accursed nation was continuously afflicted with punishments and calamities even up to the present day. Their empires and kingdoms were repeatedly overthrown and they wandered from door-to-door. This was in reality the consequences of their insatiable evil deed to consume interest and their insanity ..... When the Christian empire was established, one Jew deluded Christians by proclaiming that Jesus was the son of God, thereby distorting the reality of Christianity. ....
Interest in the Holy Qur'an is referred to as 'Riba,'.derived from the word, 'Ribwun' which literally means 'increase'. This outward increase, in reality, is a loss. Allah most High sanctions in the Noble Qur'an: 'Allah has blighted Usury and made almsgiving fruitful' .... In the above verse, the word 'Yurbi' is used in its literal meaning which means increase and the word 'Riba' is used in its figurative meaning: that excess in a transaction, against which there is no value. If the above meanings are not observed, the correct translation of this verse will not be possible. This verse informs us that the apparent (outer) increase in Interest is in reality decrease and loss and the apparent (outer) decrease in charity is in reality expansion and increase. .... the prohibiting factor is also found in it i.e. decreasing and abolishing. These two realities i.e. prohibition and decreasing are original qualities of the very nature of interest and because the original properties can never be abandoned. From it, no portion of interest can be free from these two qualities. Consequently, each and every part of interest is forbidden and Haraam. The conclusion that little interest and single interest is lawful proves total ignorance of the reality of interest or is based upon false imputations. ....
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Are student loans in the United Kingdom permissible? The loan works around a concept called inflation. What this means is that, as the value of the amount received will depreciate in the following years, an additional amount would be returned, not as interest, but to make up for the loss of the initial value. Therefore, even though (for example) £1000 was received and £1200 was returned, the same amount of gold (or any other item) is purchasable with both amounts. In reality there is no change in the value received and the value returned?
The student loans as explained by you is interest and not permissible.
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I am a university student and have taken out a loan to help me with my studies. Under what circumstances must I pay the loan back, the loan is taken from the kafir in their country (U.K)?
At the outset, we wish to point out that it is not permissible to take out an interest bearing loan. If you did take a loan, it is compulsory to repay the loan even if it is from a non-Muslim in a non-Muslim country
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Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/30/2005 1:49:19 PM ||
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#1
"Is it haram to make a living playing soccer or other sports?
"Allah Taãla - the Creator of our Universe - declares in the Noble Qurãn, 'I have not created Man and Jinn except for (the purpose) of worship.' .... Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Ãlayhi Wasallam) said, 'Every game of man is Haraam except three: a man plays with his wife, breaking (training) oneâs horse and archery.' Rasulullah (Sallallaaahu Ãlayhi Wasallam) said, 'Teach your children swimming and archery.' ... A sport/game which has no religious Or worldly benefit is not permissible. .... the sport/game should not resemble the sport/games specifically identified with other religious communities e.g. Yoga; which may have some worldly and/or religious benefit but includes an impermissible act e.g. wrestling (exposing the awrah). Due to the many evils in contemporary sports, it is not permissible to earn oneâs living through that."
Good heavens! No golf, baseball, or shooting hoops! And what is the awrah?
#3
Thanks, Mike. Bandwidth is like memory, the price just keeps falling.
This should be put with the classics, in case any other Burgers have insomnia.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/30/2005 16:53 Comments ||
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#4
I stand beside myself with amazement.
Such a system, where things are so unclear that you must ask the Mullah if you can take a job . . . you cannot play soccer for a living?
As a Mormon, we don't hold with drinking, gambling, etc., but if we go to work for someone it is not our responsibility for selling the stuff (owning the business is distinctly different). You have to use your heart and your head (working for an abortion clinic would cross that line, IMHO) in who you will work for.
But not working for an institution which is in the business of providing captial in a way that no one else can? Even I can think of a multitude of simple methods around the strictures, which makes them meaningless. Have the bank buy the house, then charge you for it twice (look at your mortgage and this is what you are doing).
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
01/30/2005 17:35 Comments ||
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#5
JR - They pay / collect "fees" which are simply usury by another name. Wotta joke.
#7
Interest is a problem for Jews and Christians too because of Ex 22:25, Leviticus 25:36-37. Jews have a partial leniency from Deut 23:19-20 but there are numerous anti interest verses from the prophets.
#8
The difference, BH, is that the Koran disallows one, but not the other. When the Koran speaks, reason, logic, even common sense are shut out. When people ask about the Pharisees, tell them they are like Islam, but not so nit-picky.
In the Koran there are two expressions that could be translated as interest:
Riba An-Nasia - Interest on lent money
Riba Al-Fadl - Interest on things, e.g., you lent me a shovel when it snows, then you have to pay back a shovel and a broom.
There are a number of verses in the Quran and many more in the Hadith and still more in the long discussions of the 4 schools of Islam about this. It is possible that, despite this, one could translate these terms as 'usury' rather than interest but its quite a stretch and it requires' basically ignoring huge numbers of legal precedents. In addition, the Quran and the Hadith specify some really, really nasty punishments.
By contrast, Jews and Christians have translated the hebrew words, 'neshekh and mashsha' and the greek word 'tokos'are frequently translated as 'usury' and there is a long history of post Talmudic and Christian jurisprudence that could support such a translation. Finally, the Hebrew and Christian bibles are light on specifying punishment (in contrast to the Quran)
Indonesia and Aceh separatists have agreed to work toward a lasting peace deal to help rebuild the province that took the brunt of the Dec. 26 tsunami. The two side said on Saturday after talks in Helsinki that they would meet again soon. After three decades of fighting that has claimed 12,000 lives, Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) put aside differences to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Aceh, where 230,000 people died or disappeared in the tsunami. The scale of the tragedy prompted ceasefire offers, and Indonesia sent its most senior delegation so far to meet the GAM's exiled leaders, who have been based in Stockholm since 1976. Jakarta is offering limited autonomy for the gas-rich province of four million people on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. The GAM has rejected that in the past, but the Finnish mediators said it formed the basis of these talks.
Lord knows what's going to come of it, but it's certainly nice to see. Next year they'll probably be back where they were last year, but there's always a chance...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Just that brief glimpse of the behind the scenes activity that's just as important as moving divisions around. I'm sure there's some reason we shouldn't be doing it...
Israel and the United States have launched an effort to recruit European parliamentarians to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program. Israel's Knesset and the U.S. Congress have begun a joint effort to persuade European Union deputies of the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. The Knesset and Congress plan to send representatives to Europe for meetings in Brussels with EU parliamentarians on defense and security committees. The Knesset program was spawned in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and would seek to focus on lobbying parliamentarians from Britain and Germany. Members of the committee discussed the effort with leading members of Congress. Sen. Jon Kyle, a Republican from Nevada, was appointed to lead the Congress-Knesset panel. Kyle said during a meeting of the panel on Jan. 11 that the EU was required for any diplomatic offensive to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
We shouldn't do it because it is yet another proof that Israel and the US are together aiming to subdue the World. Obviously, Fred! I'm shocked you didn't pick up on that ;-)
#2
Whatever the reason is, I'm sure the M$M will tell us what it is. And you can be sure that an underlying theme will be that we are working with the Jooooos. But it will be good for legislators to have a first hand experience of working with the EUniks.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/30/2005 7:20 Comments ||
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#3
Actually, I see this as a "don't make us have to bomb the shit out of them" move. One can't seriously believe that this effort would have any true impact on the euros.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 9:57 Comments ||
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The new era in Iraq finally began to dawn with a massive voter turnout in Sunday's election and some bloody incidents.
Criminal terrorists tried to sabotage the election by carrying out attacks on polling stations, but the determined Iraqi people braved the threats of the gunmen.
After enduring eight decades of dictatorship and crime, the Iraqi nation has taken the first steps on the path toward a bright future and democracy -- a new phenomenon in Arab world.
The Iraqi people have experienced great suffering due to dictatorships, geopolitical conditions, and demography.
And, unfortunately, some neighboring Arab countries played a direct role in setting up despotic governments in Iraq, since they cannot tolerate the rule of democracy in Iraq due to its complicated ethnic makeup.
Indisputable evidence discovered after the fall of the Baath regime showed that Saddam Hussein could not have committed such crimes against his own people without these Arab states' support.
The Shia in the south of Iraq and the Kurds in the north succeeded in liberating 14 of the country's 18 provinces in 1991, shortly after the Iraqi Army was driven out of Kuwait. But certain Arab states pressured former U.S. president George Bush and he eventually gave Saddam the green light to brutally suppress the Shia and Kurdish uprising.
Saddam's government was on the brink of collapse, but the leaders of some Arab countries helped the Baathists quell the Iraqi nation's uprising mercilessly, since they preferred a weak Saddam to a democratic government.
Some 450,000 Shia and Kurds were massacred by Iraqi troops loyal to Saddam, who continued carrying out crimes due to the Arab states' misunderstanding of the Shias.
If power had been transferred through holding a free referendum under the supervision of the United Nations and the international community in 1991, Iraq and the rest of the region would not have witnessed such painful events.
In addition, the United States would not have felt compelled to sacrifice so many lives and spend such a huge amount of money to overthrow Saddam, and the Iraqi nation would have been able to establish a popular government calmly and without carnage.
Yet, the Iraqi people, despite their ethnic and sectarian differences, have maintained their national identity and cast their votes freely in order to find a logical way to resolve the current crisis.
Although the election cannot put an end to the current crises and challenges in Iraq, it will open a new horizon in the country's political life.
However, Iraq faces several challenges in the post-election era, such as establishing security, expelling foreign Arab terrorists, setting a timetable for the withdrawal of occupying forces, and beginning the process of economic reconstruction.
Iraqi officials must adopt new policies according to the country's history and should determine which neighboring countries really seek the interests of the Iraqi nation.
#1
TehranTimes? Wow! Is it actually available to Iranians?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/30/2005 20:21 Comments ||
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#2
I think they're just saying that Arab regimes have had their way up till now - and it's time to let the Persians (in the form of Mad Mullahs) have a shot at fucking up Iraq.
#3
Agreed, but it's still a more positive commentary than you'd get from several Democratic Senators.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/30/2005 20:54 Comments ||
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#4
Lol! Point taken. Sigh. Brit Hume & Co were particularly amazed today by the lameness / transparency of Kerry's statements attempting to play down & minimize the election's success. The Kool Aid seems to be getting stronger.
A religious revival is sweeping Syria, challenging the secular, ruling Baath Party to allow more Muslim influence in government and worrying many Syrians schooled for decades to fear political Islam.
Growing religious feeling can be seen across the landscape, from the proliferation of head scarves worn by young women in Damascus to an enormous privately funded mosque nearing completion in downtown Aleppo. Muslim clerics are growing increasingly bold in asking for democratic political reforms that could give them a larger role in government.
Alarmed by the trend, some within Syria's secular intelligentsia and middle class have begun writing and organizing against it.
Writer Nabil Fayyad accused the government in September of softening its stand against the increasingly popular Islamic movement amid U.S. pressure to reform.
"It's a temporary cooperation," said Fayyad, 49, a Sunni Muslim who was arrested soon after his columns appeared in a Kuwaiti newspaper. "They have the same enemy: the United States. But once the U.S. soldiers leave Iraq, what happens to us?" he said...
Sunni cleric Salah Kuftaro runs Syria's largest Islamic education and charitable foundation, and in the past three years, enrollment has jumped from 5,000 to 7,000 students. "The revival we are witnessing has nothing to do with September 11, but the total failure of secular Arab governments," said Kuftaro, 47.
The profusion of head scarves in even the most upscale Damascus neighborhoods is a sign of piety and silent protest against the Alawites in power, those who wear them say.
"When I see all of these symbols," said Ghada Dassouky, 53, a host of women-only meetings that offer eclectic interpretations of Islam, "... I feel terror, really, because we are worrying about whether or not a woman can show her toes and the Americans are researching deep space. How far away are we?"
#3
When I see all of these symbols," said Ghada Dassouky, 53, a host of women-only meetings that offer eclectic interpretations of Islam, "... I feel terror, really, because we are worrying about whether or not a woman can show her toes and the Americans are researching deep space. How far away are we?"
Yup -- that's what is at stake for you. I sincerely hope you and the women with whom you work can mitigate the rise of Islamicism in Syria.
The new US Foreign Minister Condoleeza Rice who will start work today said that they were not making preparations for war against Iran.
German magazine Der Spiegel said that Rice met German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer last week during his trip to the US and assured him that the country was not preparing for war against Iran. It reported that Rice wanted Fischer to continue the efforts of Germany, France and UK to limit the nuclear program of Iran.
Meanwhile, the President of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Muhammad Al-Baradey remarked that they were in agreement with Iran's claims that it is not producing nuclear weapons. Making a statement at Davos, Baradey stressed that IAEA inspectors could not find any proof in the research they made in Iran about production of nuclear weapons. Baradey added, "If anyone has any knowledge about these issues and or reason to claim that Iran's nuclear program produces atomic weapons, I want them to share this knowledge." The president of the agency expressed that they had received no information about this yet.
#1
Duh. The last people you'd want to tell what you're up to are the French, Germans, or the Russians.
As Iraq has demonstrated, those people are not friends.
#5
Yup. This is a woman who spent her childhood in the black middle class of Birmingham AL when that was a recipe for being lynched and harassed. She is the daughter of a black man who patrolled their streets, along with neighbors, carrying a shotgun to protect his family. And she herself definitely supports the right to keep and bear arms today. People like Boxer and Kerry aren't fit to shine her shoes.
Dr. Rice was also one of the most noted scholars who thought long and hard about dealing with the Soviets. There's a REASON Brent Scowcroft mentored her, Dick Cheney sponsored her and Stanford made her a provost at a ridiculously young age.
#6
Here ya go, Barbara... I'm counting the times Mikey sez, "Nope. Ain't gonna happen. La la la la la... I can't hear you cuz I have my fingers in my ears and my head up my ass... La la la la la. Kofi is a great man and the UN is here to stay. La la la la la..."
The United States and Gulf Arab states are discussing ways of pressuring Iran over a perceived threat from Tehran's nuclear and missile programme, the top U S diplomat in charge of disarmament said today.
U S Undersecretary of State John Bolton told reporters in Bahrain he was trying to coordinate policies on Iran with its Gulf Arab neighbours, and that Washington sought a "peaceful and diplomatic solution".
"We discussed ways of putting additional diplomatic pressure on Iran to prevent it from acquiring the technology they need for nuclear weapons programme, and also elaborated the steps we see coming in the future," Bolton said.
Washington accuses Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian atomic energy programme -- a charge Iran denies.
"We want to get the views of some of the countries most threatened by nuclear-capable Iran," said Bolton, who has already visited Kuwait and will also travel to the United Arab Emirates during his visit to the oil-rich region.
"The central purpose of discussion in these three countries is to exchange views on the threat that we see posed by Iran's nuclear weapon programme and its ballistic missile programme." Iran has said it would continue to improve its missile capability and has unveiled the latest version of its medium-range Shahab-3 that it says could hit targets up to 2,000 km away. Yet another US-led diplomatic effort to prevent war. It will not be remembered.
#1
Never forget: The Gulf "States" view Iran's aspirations with alarm because they're Shi'a and Persians. They'd be the first to rise and give a standing ovation if the Islamic "State" of Iran nuked Israel.
While he's over there, it would be kinda nice if Bolton would mention to the Qatari emir, Hamadi bin Khalifa th-Thani, that we'd like to use a large FAE on Al Jizz HQ. Please stand back. Way back. Thanks.
The chief executive of Halliburton said on Friday that the company would withdraw all employees from Iran and end its business activities there after its Iranian energy exploration contracts came under criticism this month.
Halliburton, the nation's largest energy- and military-services company, plans to cease dealings in Iran when it completes its present commitments, David J. Lesar, Halliburton's chief executive, told investors on a conference call.
Those commitments include a gas-drilling deal with an Iranian partner valued at about $35 million that the company secured this month, he said.
"The business environment currently in Iran is not conducive to our overall strategy and objectives," Mr. Lesar said.
Speculation has been increasing about potential military action by the United States in Iran.
Halliburton and a handful of other American companies have been able to circumvent sanctions against doing business there.
Halliburton operates in Iran through a unit based in nearby Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that in turn is registered in the Cayman Islands. No American citizens are permitted to work in Iran for Halliburton, and its investing there is limited to no more than $40 million.
Yet Halliburton's decision to no longer be in Iran, even working within the restrictions, suggests that it is still sensitive to criticism about its operations in the Middle East and its connections to Vice President Dick Cheney, who ran the company for five years until 2000.
Mr. Lesar also signaled on Friday that the company was moving forward with plans to split off KBR, the unit responsible for carrying out its military-services contracts in Iraq.
"In Iran they figured it's probably not worth the grief," said Michael Urban, an analyst at Deutsche Bank.
Halliburton's Iraq-related work accounted for $1.7 billion of revenue in the most recent quarter, out of a total of $5.2 billion. Leaving Iran raises an eyebrow, but why divest of KBR?
#2
The KBR divestiture may have more to do with the outlook for large construction projects (refineries, petrochemical plants, etc.) than any Iraq or other political considerations.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/30/2005 14:45 Comments ||
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#3
They'll just give their Mad Mullah Money to a Russian or Chinese company. Nothing is actually accomplished by this - except saving expat lives, of course, when the steel hard rain starts to fall.
The NYT doesn't care about anything but appearances. Image over content. That's why they suck so much and have made themselves irrelevant. This was merely an opportunity to prove that fact - and repeat the LLL Cheney meme, of course, lol.
Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani announced Iran's readiness to 'renovate and strengthen Lebanon's defense industry' during a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Abdulrahim Murad who arrived here Sunday for a four-day visit.
Shamkhani hailed the visit, saying it indicates the two countries' perception of the regional developments and the need for creation of a united regional (front) against common threats.
"Iran believes one of the effective ways in confronting expansionist ambitions of the world arrogance and the Zionist regime is to strengthen convergence and unity among regional countries," he said.
Condemning Israel's threats and 'insinuous moves' against regional countries, especially Lebanon, Shamkhani said, "the Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the international community to intervene and end repeated violation of Lebanon's sovereignty by the Zionists."
The Lebanese Defense Minister expressed his satisfaction with the visit, describing Iran's role in helping establish peace and stability in the region as pivotal and outstanding.
Murad outlined the prevailing situation in the region and stressed the need for solidarity among Muslim nations to fend off existing threats of the world arrogance.
The Lebanese minister described expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Beirut as indispensable, saying that establishment of enduring peace and stability in the region is impossible without their cooperation.
Murad's visit is Lebanon's response to an official visit by Shamkhani to Beirut and Damascus last February, which included conclusion of an agreement for defense and military cooperation with Damascus.
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
01/30/2005 11:15:03 AM ||
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#1
No, no, no...rooters got the story all wrong --
"Iranians Fried Steaks Over At the Uranium Mine" is the way it should read, per the IAEA.
However, we understand that the CIA will be sending Joseph Wilson and his secretive wife over to investigate.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 10:32 Comments ||
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#2
Graham Davidson, the general manager for operations at Rossing, said in a letter to Reuters that the company's board of directors only permits the sale of uranium for use in generating electricity. "The government of Iran has held a 15 percent shareholding in Rossing Uranium Limited since 1975," he said. The U.S.-backed shah ruled Iran until the 1979 Islamic revolution.Rossing Uranium Limited, which is majority owned by Anglo-Australian firm Rio Tinto, sells its uranium to nuclear power plants in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Sweden.
What's the problem? Did you read the article, #1?
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has assured the German government that the United States has no plans for military intervention in Iran, according to a report Saturday. Rice issued the assurances to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in Washington this past week, said the report in Der Spiegel news magazine. Fischer also elicited a verbal assurance from Rice that she supports diplomatic efforts by Germany, France and Britain to resolve the standoff over Iran's purported nuclear programmefor now.
"You boys keep talking for now whilst we get things lined up at our end, 'k?"
But she categorically rejected any US participation in those diplomatic talks. Ahead of President George W. Bush's visit to Germany, on February 23, Rice said the US Administration would welcome a more positive attitude from Berlin toward the election in Iraq. Rice, who will be in Berlin this coming week, was quoted as having said that any statement which could be construed as being critical of the voter turnout or of the fairness of the election would be viewed by Washington as hindering the democratisation process in Iraq.
In Washington last Tuesday, Fischer conferred with Rice for 90 minutes at the White House. Afterward, Fischer said only that the American and European positions on Iran are "not far apart". Iran has denied US accusations that it is using its nuclear programme to build weapons, but the United States has threatened to take the issue to the U.N. Security Council if Iran does not better cooperate with international inspections. The Germans opposed a referral during a gathering of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors last year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Now, being inveterate liars themselves, the mullas are really scared
#2
.... the United States has no plans for military intervention in Iran .... Rice ... supports diplomatic efforts by Germany, France and Britain to resolve the standoff over Iranâs purported nuclear programme
The plain truth.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/30/2005 9:27 Comments ||
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#3
Make no mistake, there is a "red line" here. Right now the US would prefer to let the EU-3 come to the realization for themselves that they are fooling themselves to think Iran is going to abide by the NPT or any other obligation.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 10:08 Comments ||
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#4
I'd bet that there is no specific 'numbered' Oplan yet too. However, since planning of any such operation is the responsibility of CENTCOM not State or even the Pentagon [IAW the Goldwater-Nichols Act], that a certain amount of data collection and resource projections are being done as normal staff work just to be ahead of any prep curve when the word does come down.
#5
When I level a sand pile, I don't call that "intervenion" either.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/30/2005 11:54 Comments ||
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#6
Der Spiegel is rabidly anti-American,so I don't trust their reporting. For the US to have no plans for dealing w/Iran is ridiculous. Of course there are contingency plans,and I would imagine somewhere a planning cell or two is updating them. Now there may be no current intentions of intervening in Iran,but that could change at a moments notice.
Posted by: Stephen ||
01/30/2005 19:18 Comments ||
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#7
You could get a fair idea from Global Security's Target: Iran page... if Mikey agreed, of course. I'm sure Mikey knows far more than John Pike, so this is clearly rubbish. Mikey's a connected guy. Pike's a piker.
You might find the countdown clock interesting, too, if Mikey agreed. Rubbish. Bad clock. Bad.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned European powers yesterday that they must take their nuclear negotiations with Iran seriously, otherwise Tehran would reconsider its co-operation. "The Europeans negotiating with Iran should know that they are dealing with a great, cultured nation ... if Iranian officials feel that there is no seriousness in the European negotiations, the process will change," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the Iranian media.
His comments followed the emergence of reports that the EU was hardening its stance towards Iran and calling on Tehran to completely dismantle its nuclear fuel programme in order to guarantee that it does not seek atomic weapons. Iran, accused by Washington of trying to build an atomic bomb, has suspended uranium enrichment as a confidence-building measure but the EU now wants the Islamic republic to definitively abandon enrichment as well as any activities for making plutonium. Khamenei told the Europeans that "wasting time could not impede Iran's path to nuclear technology since it is a part of its national interest." Iran insists that its nuclear activities are peaceful and that the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty guarantees its right to peaceful enrichment activities.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Khamenei told the Europeans that "wasting time could not impede Iranâs path to nuclear technology since it is a part of its national interest."
It should be painfully obvious by now to anyone in the EU that matters that Iran is simply playing them for fools.
#3
" if Iranian officials feel that there is no seriousness in the European negotiations, the process will change," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the Iranian media "
Definition of CHANGE - US ARMY BOOT UP YOUR ASS !!
#4
the EU was hardening its stance towards Iran and calling on Tehran to completely dismantle its nuclear fuel programme in order to guarantee that it does not seek atomic weapons.
If Iran does not completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program, the the European Union will impose economic sanctions.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/30/2005 9:33 Comments ||
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#5
Check out that picture ..
What does sticking your middle finger in the air mean in Iran ?
Iran has launched a crackdown on nuclear espionage. Officials said Iranian authorities have arrested more than a dozen people accused of relaying information on Teheran's nuclear program to opposition groups. They said some of the information has been used by the International Atomic Energy Agency as the basis of its inspections over the last two years. So far, four Iranians have gone on trial in Teheran on charges of espionage. The defendants were said to have been former employees or those with access to Iran's nuclear program. "These individuals, who infiltrated nuclear facilities and managed to win the confidence of the officials, were spying for foreign countries," Ali Mobacheri, the head of Tehran's revolutionary courts, told the government newspaper Iran. "They are in prison and their trial is under way."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Nyah, nyah, the ones you caught aren't ours -- ours are still out there, spying on you. Betcha can't find them, no matter how hard you look!
#2
With the IAEA, the E3, and the Mad Mullahs, well, it's rather unclear exactly who's pitchin' and who's catchin' at any given moment, but we promise to put a RUSH on that shipment of Sheikh Extra Extra Small condoms.
#4
I believe it was the IAEA that at one time also applauded North Korea and Saddam for their cooperation. Then the Israelis bombed the Iraqi nuke plant.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 10:11 Comments ||
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#5
tw, lol! It depends upon which color ink the size is stamped with...
Red Mediums are, indeed, 12". Blue Mediums are 4".
China has launched marketing of missiles designed for Iran. China's Hongdu Aviation Industry Group has exhibited three variants of two new guided missiles that were designed and developed for Iran. The anti-ship missiles, displayed at the China Air Show 2004 in November 2004, were identified as the JJ/TL-6B, JJ/TL-10A and KJ/TL-10B. Industry sources said the Chinese missiles are identical to Iran's Nasr and Kosar, also known as the TL-6 and TL-10. They said brochures by the state-owned Iran Aerospace Industries Organization contain photographs of the Iranian missiles that were identical to those exhibited in China. "It is now clear that two missile programmes revealed a few years ago by China National Aero Technology Import & Export Co (CATIC) - the FL-8 and FL-9 - were the TL-10 and TL-6, respectively, under yet another name," the London-based Jane's Defence Weekly reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Don't be too surprised if the Euro GPS technology hops from China to Iran either.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 9:59 Comments ||
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I think the confusion comes from al-Jizz expecting something different...
Confusion surrounds turnout statistics in Iraq's election, with the country's election commission backtracking on a statement that 72% had voted and top politicians insisting the turnout was high. The commission said its initial tally had been little more than a guess based on local estimates. "Turnout figures recently announced represent the enormous and understandable enthusiasm felt in the field on this historic day," a commission statement said. "However, these figures are only very rough, word-of-mouth estimates gathered informally from the field. It will take some time for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq to release accurate figures on turnout." Commission spokesman Farid Ayar indicated that around eight million people may have voted, or about 60% of registered voters. That would still be more than many had expected.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 9:06:36 PM ||
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I think it's safe to say that a lot of the leadership in the MSM, Iran, and Syria will be confused for awhile.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/30/2005 21:13 Comments ||
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#2
"On the basis of these results, we are unable to determine whether to spit or go blind."
Posted by: Matt ||
01/30/2005 22:51 Comments ||
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In the "triangle of death," where voting is a life-threatening experience, Karfia Abbasi held up her ink-stained finger, elated that for the first time she has been able to cast a ballot for someone besides Saddam Hussein.
"This is democracy," Abbasi said. "This is the first day I feel freedom."
For U.S. Marines helping guard Sunday's vote, the streams of men and women walking into the gritty polling places of this area south of Baghdad was a payoff more impressive than the toppling of Saddam's statue in the capital during the fall of his regime in April 2003 _ less spectacular but tougher to bring off.
"That was a work of triumphs _ those are always easy. This is the hard work of democracy now," Lt. Col. Bob Durkin of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines said Sunday morning, from a rooftop where Marine marksmen stood watch over voting sites.
"Even my Marines are saying, 'Boy, we're doing a good thing,'" Lt. Col. Vinny Coglianese said in the largely Shiite town of Seddah, where scores of voters lined up outside.
The election for a National Assembly was Iraq's first free vote in more than 50 years, and voters showed up in defiance of insurgents threats to kill anyone who cast a ballot _ a warning that rang especially dire in the collection of towns and villages south of Baghdad.
But the triangle of death had no deaths reported in attacks Sunday.
Not that there wasn't violence. The night before the vote, green and red tracer fire and white muzzle blasts lit up parts of the sky in heavy shooting. And in the morning, mortar blasts woke the heavily Shiite town of Musayyib to election day.
In the long stretch before dawn, U.S. troops moved the last concrete bomb barriers and razor-wire streamers into place around polling sites and police stations. They scoured for explosives, sealed off roads and bridges, and ferried last-minute needs _ like metal detectors, and then batteries to run them _ to election workers.
Daylight brought crowded streets, women's black shrouds billowing side to side as parents walked with their children to schoolhouse polling stations.
"We voted before but it was not democracy. You had to choose Saddam," said Abbasi, whose finger _ like those of all voters _ was stained with blue indelible ink to prevent multiple votes.
Abed Hunni, a stooped, whiskered man who walked an hour with his wife to reach a polling site in Musayyib. "God is generous to give us this day," he said.
In the past, "we were all scared of Saddam, but we could only drop the ballots in the boxes, we could do nothing _ Saddam would kill us," said Abdullah al-Seddei, an election worker in Musayyib. "Now everyone can vote for anyone."
On past election days, voters showed frenzied adulation, but only because Saddam's regime demanded it. Sunday, al-Seddei said, Iraqis showed a more realistic seriousness and purposefulness.
The triangle of death is a religiously mixed area. It was once heavily Shiite, until Saddam years ago encouraged Sunnis loyalists to move there from the north and west.
While many towns here have large shares of Sunni Muslims, all the dozen or so voters questioned in the streets and polling places identified themselves as Shiite.
Cpl. Florian Gonzales of Norwalk, Conn., looked on from the sandbagged police station roof.
The 22-year-old had a friend die and at least two others wounded in firefights and bombings on what is his second deployment here. Gonzales' first deployment, in the opening of the U.S. invasion, saw 18 Marines of his battalion killed at Nasiriyah.
"Hopefully, what happens today reflects what we've been trying to do for the last seven months," Gonzales said. "I don't want anyone else to have to come back here and go through what we've been through."
American forces called the elections a successful first test for Iraq's U.S.-formed security forces. So did their Iraqi cohorts.
"When these guys are very old, old guys, they will tell their grandchildren, 'I went to Iraq, to give them democracy and freedom," said Maj. Mohammed Salman Abass Ali Al-Zobaidi, local head of the Iraqi National Guard.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/30/2005 5:15:20 PM ||
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"When these guys are very old, old guys, they will tell their grandchildren, âI went to Iraq, to give them democracy and freedom," said Maj. Mohammed Salman Abass Ali Al-Zobaidi, local head of the Iraqi National Guard.
Yes, they are the lucky ones.
They're not shovelling shit in Louisiana.
Unlike the Senatorial clowns shovelling shit in Massachusetts.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/30/2005 22:12 Comments ||
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Pictures posted by Powerline. CLICK ON LINK ABOVE.
All cars were banned, so people walked to the polls, some for miles. The elderly and handicapped were carried, rolled in wheelbarrows, etc.
Americans who complained of long lines in our last election can SHUT UP.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/30/2005 3:21:32 PM ||
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Since the fall of 2001 various idiotarians have been warning us that if we fought back against the terrorists the "Arab Street" would rise up. Well, here's photographic proof that they were right -- just not the way they thought they would be right.
In particular I seem to recall our gallant ally (spit) Hosni Mubarak telling us that we would create 100,000 bin Ladens. Today it looks like we've created 10,000,000 of the kind of people Mubarak and his pals fear most: voters.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/30/2005 16:14 Comments ||
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Iraqi expatriate Benjamin Nissan, a beautician who said he likes to dress like Elvis Presley, casts his ballot Friday, Jan. 28 2005, in Skokie, Ill., as voting begins in Iraq's first independent elections in more than 50 years.
Posted by: tipper ||
01/30/2005 7:38:18 AM ||
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And then Elvis "left the building" applause, "thank you every much"
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/30/2005 10:27 Comments ||
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I LOVE America! :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/30/2005 10:29 Comments ||
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I think Elvis voted in our last election in Ohio. If Elvis were dead, he most likely would have rolled over in his grave if John Kerry had been elected.
Thousands of people have demonstrated in support of a Moroccan newspaper which claimed that the tsunami was an act of divine retribution. The newspaper of Morocco's Islamic party, PJD, said the disaster showed God's displeasure with South-East Asia's sex tourism industry.
So He clobbered Aceh? That makes sense. Islamic sense, but sense...
The comments have provoked outrage among people who aren't nuts human rights groups and rival political parties. But the protesters defended the newspaper's right to express its views.
I consider that to be a good sign. Everybody has the right to express an opinion, everybody has the right to throw rotted fruit when the opinion's stoopid...
The Attajdid newspaper said that Morocco could face a similar disaster to the devastating tidal wave if it did not stamp out immorality.
Moroccan immorality looks kind of different from the kind of immorality we're used to...
The articles have been condemned on Moroccan television and have prompted calls for censorship of the press.
Not a good idea. Rotted tomatoes work better...
The PJD said that 5,000 people took to the streets of the capital, Rabat, in support of the party.
It was an interesting sight, all those people rolling their eyes and jumping up and down...
A counter-demonstration called by human rights groups failed to materialise.
"Sorry. Can't make it. My eyes are too tired!"
The BBC's Pascale Harter says there is widespread fear among moderate Moroccans that support for radical Islamic opinions is growing. "They're raving loonies! We moderates know it was the HinJews wot did it."
Posted by: Bulldog ||
01/30/2005 7:07:22 AM ||
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From Alexander Pope's Essay on Man, written in 1733-1734:
And who but wishes to invert the laws
Of order, sins against th' eternal cause.
Ask for what end the heav'nly bodies shine,
Earth for whose use? pride answers, ''Tis for mine:
For me kind nature wakes her genial pow'r,
Suckles each herb, and spreads out ev'ry flow'r;
Annual for me, the grape, the rose renew
The juice nectareous, and the balmy dew;
For me, the mine a thousand treasures brings;
For me, health gushes from a thousand springs,
Seas roll to waft me, suns to light me rise;
My foot-stool earth, my canopy the skies.'
But errs not nature from this gracious end,
From burning suns when livid deaths descend,
When earthquakes swallow, or when tempests sweep
Towns to one grave, whole nations to the deep?
'No ('tis reply'd) the first almighty cause
Acts not by partial, but by gen'ral laws;
Th' exceptions few; some change since all began:
And what created perfect?'- Why then man?
If the great end be human happiness,
Then nature deviates; and can man do less?
As much that end a constant course requires
Of show'rs and sun-shine, as of man's desires;
As much eternal springs and cloudless skies,
As men for ever temp'rate, calm, and wise.
If plagues or earthquakes break not Heav'n's design,
Why then a Borgia, or a Catiline?
Who knows but he, whose hand the light'ning forms,
Who heaves old ocean, and who wings the storms;
Pours fierce ambition in a Caesar's mind,
Or turns young Ammon loose to scourge mankind?
From pride, from pride, our very reas'ning springs;
Account for moral as for nat'ral things:
Why charge we heav'n in those, in these acquit?
In both, to reason right is to submit.
Better for us, perhaps, it might appear,
Were there all harmony, all virtue here;
That never air or ocean felt the wind,
That never passion discompos'd the mind.
But all subsists by elemental strife;
And passions are the elements of life.
The gen'ral order, since the whole began,
Is kept in nature, and is kept in man..
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/30/2005 14:23 Comments ||
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No, Ship, Ima start to think maybe Mike is a Bandwidth Sucker.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/30/2005 14:38 Comments ||
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Iraqi women are almost guaranteed to win a significant chunk of seats in the National Assembly because by law they must make up 30 percent of each list of candidates.
The law means Iraqi women could have a strong influence on the policies developed by the country's new government.
It's a big change for candidate Amal Kashif al-Ghita, who paid dearly for her activism under Saddam Hussein's regime. A pharmacist, she was denied work, and her grown son was imprisoned.
Al-Ghita sees her campaign as a natural extension of her role as head of an Islamic charity that cares for women and children. "We should protect the rights of the family as a whole -- the man, the woman and the children."
Many female candidates, speaking recently of their reasons for deciding to run, describe suffering under Hussein's regime and the change that took place in their lives when it fell.
"There was a cover over our heads, but it was lifted once the regime was gone," said Salama al-Khafaji, who was a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council that preceded the interim administration of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
"There are now open opportunities for women to work in politics, in social reform and in any other field," she said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/30/2005 2:47:44 AM ||
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Interesting. That seems to contradict the LLL talking point about sooo emancipated Iraqi women during Saddam's rule.
Does that mean they shouldn't pull out? Make up your damned mind!
A humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip is looming, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan might be the final nail in the coffin, an Israeli report has warned. Dozens of Palestinians may die if Israel does not act to ensure their medical care after a planned military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip later this year, according to the report by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. Israel's current position is that it is not responsible for the fate of patients in Gaza, and is willing, at best, "to take into account humanitarian considerations" and "exceptional cases", without explaining what these may constitute, says the medical rights group.
About like we feel about the plight of patients in Mexico...
"Past and present experience shows that Israel does not interpret urgent medical need in a manner consonant with the accepted definition among medical professionals," said the report, titled The Morning After, which was released Thursday.
Does that make any sense to anybody? Bueller?
The Gaza health system is strained to serve about 1.5 million people. According to PHR, there is one bed per 715 people in Gaza hospitals, a rate almost a quarter that of the lowest acceptable standard in the Israeli healthcare system.
But they're not part of the Israeli healthcare system, are they? They're part of the Paleostinian healthcare system. You know, those guys who demand to be their own government? Who want to have their own state?
In addition, a number of services, including catheterisation and cardiac surgery, burn treatments, neurosurgery, radiotherapy, eye operations and organ transplants are unavailable in the war-torn coastal strip.
Life is tough, ain't it?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Maybe their Arab brothers would consider taking in the dozens of sick Palestinians? Haven't we been told the well being of Palestinians at the forefront of every Arab's thoughts?
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2005 1:07 Comments ||
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Dozens of Palestinians may die if Israel does not act to ensure their medical care after a planned military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip later this year, according to the report by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel.
Why is Israel responsible? If this group is all concerned, nobody's stopping their members from stepping in and filling the void. Sakes.
#6
Just because we blow up your cafes and buses does not mean you cant help us with our medical needs ?
What kind of shit is that ?
I know your " average " Palestinian is not a member of Hamas or a suicide bomber, but its time they ( as a people ) take care of their own.
Let Hamas and Jihad use some of that money they spend on weapons and explosives and fund and staff a few hospitals. The Palestinian people should not ask, they should rise up and take from their own.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet within two weeks, officials on both sides said. The meeting will kick-start the renewal of peace talks between the two sides amid increased hopes for a breakthrough in the Middle East. "The meeting will apparently be during the week of February 8, with the objective being to make progress between both sides, contingent on continued efforts by the Palestinians to prevent terrorism to Israel," Israeli spokesman David Baker said. The meeting is expected to coincide with new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region.
Wonder how they're going to spin this as something Bush is screwing up?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Good news about Abbas and Sharon having ongoing meetings. I really really hope these 2 men can make a go of it long term. Nice that Dr. Rice will introduce herself so soon after her appointment.
#3
Sharon is giving Abbas a chance to prove himself trustworthy, and thus someone with whom negotiating would be worthwhile. If Abbas can't carry it off -- which is the likely scenario -- Abbas will be written off just like Arafat. But a lot faster.
President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday called on moderate forces to unite in defeating the designs of extremists who want to stop Pakistan progressing.
Pakistani moderates have such a great history of standing together and all ...
Addressing a public meeting here, the president said the "silent, moderate majority" must stand up to quell the minority of extremists who want to push Pakistan backward. "The time demands that all moderate forces make concerted efforts to curb extremism, which is a major challenge confronting the nation when IT is moving forward on the path of sustainable development and democracy," Musharraf said at the gathering, as Muslim League and Pakistan People's Party supporters waved their party flags.
Pakistan, he asserted, faces no external threat but internal challenges in the form of extremism. "Nobody will be allowed to retard Pakistan's progress. We all shall collectively confront the forces that try to impede the country's development." Musharraf asked the public to be pro-active in helping the government stamp out extremism. "The great religion of Islam stands for moderation. We should oppose elements who spread hatred and discord. We should practise the real values of Islam and foster love, unity and brotherhood." He said an "overwhelming majority" of Pakistanis want to pursue a moderate and enlightened path for development and prosperity and they are opposed to backwardness. He claimed his government had laid down "firm foundations for sustainable democracy" and vowed that there would be no early elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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DAVOS: Pakistan and Turkey have resolved to clamp down on terrorism in various areas besides projecting Islam in its true perspective. The consensus was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Davos on Friday evening. The two leaders discussed economic ties, promotion of bilateral trade, development in South Asia, the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Middle East and matters relating to the Economic Cooperation Organisation. Both leaders agreed to hold a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission before Mr Aziz's visit to Turkey in June this year to prepare ground for substantial cooperation in various fields.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 12:01:44 AM ||
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A key local Taliban militant expressed his willingness to surrender to the government after holding talks with tribal elders and clerics at an undisclosed location in South Waziristan Agency, said one of the negotiators on Saturday.
Yep. Any time now. Just you wait...
Baitullah Mehsud, a key tribal Taliban commander in the troubled South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan, expressed readiness to surrender, Brig (r) Qayyum Sher, a member of the peace committee that met the militant, told Daily Times from Tank. "He (Baitullah) is ready to settle the matter with the government," said the tribal negotiator. "We met him today and he said he is ready to resolve the matter." The tribal negotiator said Baitullah did not press his old demand that his comrade Abdullah Mehsud should also be pardoned if he surrenders. "He (Baitullah) will surrender alone," said Brig Qayyum. However, the peace committee will discuss modalities for Baitullah's surrender with the government. "The modalities will now be sorted out with the government. How, when and where he will surrender will be discussed with the military and the political administration," said Brig Qayyum.
A military source told Daily Times that Baitullah's surrender would prove a serious setback to Abdullah Mehsud. "That is what we want. But we have to wait for the moment when he (Baitullah) surrenders," the source said on condition of anonymity. Lt Gen Safdar Hussain exempted Abdullah Mehsud from amnesty after his alleged involvement in two Chinese engineers' kidnapping in October last year. Brig Qayyum said Baitullah, who unlike Abdullah Mehsud and Nek Muhammad was not in the media limelight, set no conditions for his surrender and the Peshawar corps commander had already declared amnesty for him if he laid down arms.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2005 11:45:04 PM ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The tiny state of Qatar is a crucial American ally in the Persian Gulf, where it provides a military base and warm support for American policies. Yet relations with Qatar are also strained over an awkward issue: Qatar's sponsorship of Al Jazeera, the provocative television station that is a big source of news in the Arab world. Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and other Bush administration officials have complained heatedly to Qatari leaders that Al Jazeera's broadcasts have been inflammatory, misleading and occasionally false, especially on Iraq.
Oman has been struggling with increasing infiltration from Iran. Officials said thousands of Muslims from Pakistan and South Asia have used Iran as a launching pad for illegal entry into Oman. They said the infiltrators charter boats to cross from Iran into the sultanate. Iran has been approached to help stop the infiltration into Oman. But so far little has been done to tighten security along the 900-kilometer Iranian-Pakistan border. Officials said thousands of Pakistanis and others nationals from South Asia have infiltrated Oman in a search for work. But they said the infiltrators were also believed to include Islamic insurgents and criminals.
The controversial policy of detaining foreign terrorist suspects without trial was a key tool in preventing Britain from being attacked by al-Qa'eda militants, senior security officials believe. The officials say that the emergency measure, introduced after the September 11 attacks on America, deterred scores of terrorists from entering the United Kingdom, and they fear that ending the policy will increase the chances of an attack here. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, told the Commons last week that he was bowing to a law lords ruling to end the detention of foreign nationals suspected of threatening national security.
One of the Guantanamo Bay detainees freed in London came face to face with Osama Bin Laden at a terrorist training camp, according to court documents revealed today. 
NSW would do what it could to help the Federal Government keep an eye on 
Departing Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said on Friday he believed another attack on the United States was inevitable, and warned that America should not focus just on Al Qaeda, but also on similar groups that could carry out attacks. "I have accepted the inevitability of another attack or attacks," Ridge said in an interview on the eve of his departure from the department launched two years ago to guard against another attack like that of September 11, 2001. "It could be Al Qaeda or it could be Al Qaeda-like organisations," said Ridge, who departs on February 1. "I do think, when we talk about global terrorism, (it is) better ... that America doesn't focus just on Al Qaeda." "There are a lot of Al Qaeda-like organisations and there are quite a few (Osama) bin Laden wannabes out there - you've got one of them operating in Iraq right now," he said, referring to Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
THE son of the United Nations secretary-general has admitted he was involved in negotiations to sell millions of barrels of Iraqi oil under the auspices of Saddam Hussein. 
Indonesia and Aceh separatists have agreed to work toward a lasting peace deal to help rebuild the province that took the brunt of the Dec. 26 tsunami. The two side said on Saturday after talks in Helsinki that they would meet again soon. After three decades of fighting that has claimed 12,000 lives, Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) put aside differences to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Aceh, where 230,000 people died or disappeared in the tsunami. The scale of the tragedy prompted ceasefire offers, and Indonesia sent its most senior delegation so far to meet the GAM's exiled leaders, who have been based in Stockholm since 1976. Jakarta is offering limited autonomy for the gas-rich province of four million people on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. The GAM has rejected that in the past, but the Finnish mediators said it formed the basis of these talks.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has assured the German government that the United States has no plans for military intervention in Iran, according to a report Saturday. Rice issued the assurances to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in Washington this past week, said the report in Der Spiegel news magazine. Fischer also elicited a verbal assurance from Rice that she supports diplomatic efforts by Germany, France and Britain to resolve the standoff over Iran's purported nuclear programme
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah 
Thousands of people have demonstrated in support of a Moroccan newspaper which claimed that the tsunami was an act of divine retribution. The newspaper of Morocco's Islamic party, PJD, said the disaster showed God's displeasure with South-East Asia's sex tourism industry. 
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet within two weeks, officials on both sides said. The meeting will kick-start the renewal of peace talks between the two sides amid increased hopes for a breakthrough in the Middle East. "The meeting will apparently be during the week of February 8, with the objective being to make progress between both sides, contingent on continued efforts by the Palestinians to prevent terrorism to Israel," Israeli spokesman David Baker said. The meeting is expected to coincide with new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region.
President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday called on moderate forces to unite in defeating the designs of extremists who want to stop Pakistan progressing. 
DAVOS: Pakistan and Turkey have resolved to clamp down on terrorism in various areas besides projecting Islam in its true perspective. The consensus was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Davos on Friday evening. The two leaders discussed economic ties, promotion of bilateral trade, development in South Asia, the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Middle East and matters relating to the Economic Cooperation Organisation. Both leaders agreed to hold a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission before Mr Aziz's visit to Turkey in June this year to prepare ground for substantial cooperation in various fields.
A key local Taliban militant expressed his willingness to surrender to the government after holding talks with tribal elders and clerics at an undisclosed location in 
