SOME of the biggest names in cricket will be interviewed by police after revelations Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer may have been murdered in Jamaica during the World Cup. All members of the Pakistan squad, including superstars Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf, will face police after cricket plunged into crisis last night with more news of Woolmer's death.
It was revealed there were two marks on Woolmer's throat after he was found unconscious and lying in his hotel room bathroom near pools of blood and vomit two days ago, less than 24 hours after Pakistan's shock World Cup defeat to debutants Ireland. Vomit in unusually high places on the walls indicated to police that Woolmer may have been involved in a struggle.
Unless he engaged in a little projectile vomiting.
If so, may have known his assailant, given there was no evidence the door to his room had been tampered with.
Investigators have also begun to trawl through security tapes from the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica where the team is staying with claims last night the former Pakistan coach was about to reveal the shady world of match-fixing in a new book.
Jamaican police have made it clear no one is above suspicion but Pakistan officials insist the team would still head home from the World Cup on Saturday.
Deputy commissioner of police Mark Shields confirmed a murder investigation was under way. "We have already informed the Woolmer family of these developments," he said. "Having met with the pathologists, our medical personnel and investigators, there is now sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer, which we are now treating as suspicious."
Woolmer, 58, ordered room service after returning to the hotel on Saturday night after the match. He was found by a hotel attendant who called an ambulance, but was pronounced dead soon after arriving at hospital. The room in which he collapsed remained sealed off by police with investigators searching for clues.
Hotel staff were last night banned from talking about the incident, which has left players questioning whether the World Cup should continue.
"There are many conspiracy theories," Pakistan media manager Perves Mir said. "The police are definitely treating it as suspicious. We cannot believe what has happened."
Woolmer's wife, Gill, said that her husband had not complained of any chest pain after the match.
There were allegations last night by former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfaraz Nawaz that Woolmer had been murdered by a betting syndicate. Nawaz felt that almost everybody in control of the game is involved in betting and Woolmer was perhaps about to reveal all in a book called Discovering Cricket. "Has Woolmer carried with him to the grave dark secrets that could have brought ruin upon Pakistan's players?" he said. "Did he pay for being the unwitting receptacle of information that was never to be shared?"
Nawaz claimed that at least five bookies from Pakistan had landed in the West Indies when the World Cup began and had been in touch with Pakistani players.
Pakistan, which cannot make the Super Eight phase, was scheduled to play its final match last night against Zimbabwe. The team returned to the training park early yesterday in Jamaica and, in a mark of respect, started their session with a game of soccer, as Woolmer always liked to do.
Team manager Talat Ali denied suggestions his squad would not be allowed to head home on Saturday. "There are no police restrictions on the team," he said. "As planned, we are flying back on Saturday."
#2
Jamaican police have made it clear no one is above suspicion but Pakistan officials insist the team would still head home from the World Cup on Saturday.
"It would be Humiliating if we weren't allowed to return!"
Cricket's worst nightmare could just be beginning. After the shame of match-fixing and betting controversies, there is a growing possibility of murder - that of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.
Already the Jamaica police have said his death was ''suspicious'' and are launching a full investigation into the sinister developments.
Police have reportedly found traces of poison on the floor of Woolmer's hotel room. There was blood on his cheek and eyes and scratches on his neck.
''There is now sufficient information to continue a full investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer, which we are now treating as suspicious,'' said Jamaica deputy commissioner of police Mark Shields.
The postmortem report, expected to solve the riddle of Woolmer's death, was inconclusive and further investigations are being carried out by a toxicologist and a histologist, who will examine the body tissue.
Several persons close to the coach, including the Pakistan physio, were interrogated by homicide detectives but police said none were seen as serious suspects.
The police isn't as yet calling it a murder, but the air is thick with talk of this possibility.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/21/2007 19:52 Comments ||
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"Specialists," are they? Boy, that's what I want on my business card: "Specializing in locust swarm control since 1958"... (IRIN) - Field teams combating swarms of migratory locusts that descended upon 2,700 hectares of farmland in western Yemen say they have the situation under control. "The locusts have not caused damage since they are found on acacia trees, and our teams are working hard to halt their spread," Abdu Far'e al-Rumaih, General Director of the Desert Locusts Control Centre (DLCC) at the agriculture ministry, told IRIN on Sunday.
He added that four teams, consisting of 28 men with six vehicles, had so far decontaminated 450 hectares of the locust-infected Ras Katheeb area of the Red Sea coastal province of al-Hudeidah, 226km from Sana'a, the capital. "The teams will fumigate the whole invaded area until 21 March. Residents, who are helping our teams, have taken their animals to other areas," he said, ruling out the possibility of more locust swarms in other areas.
Al-Rumaih added that there were about 15 to 30 locusts in each square metre of the swarm. With one hectare being the equivalent of 10,000 square metres, an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 locusts would be in Yemen's swarm. According to specialists, an adult locust can consume its own weight, two grams, in food per day. A small swarm can eat as much food in a day as 2,500 people and is therefore capable of destroying a crop field in seconds. Nearly all crops, and non-crop plants, are at risk.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
RIGHTNATION > WORLD'S GREATEST RIVERS AT RISK. Taken collectively wid other news, apparently the world is about to view the debut of LOCUST-ZILLAS WASP-ZILLAS, and ANT-ZILLAS, etal, besides the awakening of the mythical Russian octopus Cthulu. Only the Global Toga can save us.
#6
I do wonder what they're using to fumigate the locusts. There are checmicals in use today to fight insect pests that will be in our food chains for years if not longer - and despite my own rejection of Rachel Carson's arguments in "Silent Spring", there are dangers of overuse of pesticides or using them in an improper manner.
It is precisely this kind of overuse and abuse of insecticides in the past which results in recurring locust swarms today. Insects go through many generations per year and it only takes 1 genetic abnormality at 1 location to be passed onto the next generation to make that generation resistant to a particular insecticide.
The problem is that nations like Yemen utilize "experts" which have little training in proper insecticide use and fumigate entire areas of cropland with overdoses and heavy concentrations of persistent chemicals rather than follow conservative principles of usage.
It's like using nerve gas to take out an ant hill - and it has much the same effect.
#7
Oh, yeah...and these so-called specialists are idiots.
There are species of locusts right here in California that eat up to 16 times their own weight in food each day (yes, I said and meant 16 times) - and they're not particularly finicky about what type of food it is they eat either (there have been reports of attacks upon humans as locusts, while primarily herbivorous, will shift to omnivory when plant food supplies are low).
Bangladeshs army-backed interim government, hunting illegal money belonging to corrupt politicians, has found millions of dollars in frozen bank accounts, officials said on Tuesday. We made headway in the drive against black money holders as part of an ongoing anti-corruption campaign. So far the authorities have frozen 53 bank accounts belonging mostly to politicians, said an official of the National Board of Revenue. These accounts have an estimated undisclosed sum of 26 billion taka ($377 million), the official told Reuters, but asked not to be identified. He said more accounts of political figures, some of whom have been detained, were being investigated as part of a crackdown on tax dodgers and holders of undeclared money.
Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since Jan 11 and security forces have arrested more than 160 senior politicians. Past elections were rigged, heavily influenced by illegal money used to buy votes and membership of main political parties, including Khaledas Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Awami League led by her rival Sheiklh Hasina, also a former premier.
The NBR has asked banks to freeze suspicious accounts at home while detectives investigated accounts of Bangladeshi politicians and businessmen abroad, government officials said. They said many politicians were suspected of transferring large sums to foreign banks since the interim government took charge in October, when Khaleda ended her five-year term.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Give it to the RAB. Their shutter gun needs refurbishing.
#3
I wish we could do here, what they're doing there. I'd really like to administer a sound bitch slapping to ALL of our politicians and bureaucrats. And the corrupt business people that put up the money.
Two British sailors have died in an accident on a nuclear submarine. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed there had been an explosion on HMS Tireless during an exercise under the Arctic icecap at 0420 GMT on Wednesday. One other member of the crew of the Devonport-based submarine was injured and is receiving medical treatment.
Failed air-purification equipment is thought to have caused the explosion. The MoD expressed its "deep regret" and said an inquiry would be carried out.
The SSN Attack Submarine was on a joint British-American exercise off the coast of Alaska when the incident happened. The MoD said a small explosion had caused "a small amount of smoke", which had been contained in the equipment and the immediate area. The MoD said the ship's company dealt with the incident "quickly and professionally" and, as a result, there was only superficial damage to the forward compartment.
A spokesman said the reactor was unaffected by the accident and stressed Tireless was not one of the submarines that carries Trident missiles. The submarine was safe and on the surface, it confirmed.
An injured sailor was airlifted to a military hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage with non life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.
In a statement, the MoD said: "The two members of the crew died as a result of the initial accident. Their next of kin have been informed and our sympathies are with them and their friends at this difficult time."
Tireless was launched in 1985, but the piece of air-purification machinery thought to have failed was fitted as part of an update in 2001. The piece of equipment which malfunctioned is fitted to all Trafalgar Class submarines. The MoD said it had a 100% safety record to date but, as a precaution, its use on other boats would be restricted until safety checks could be carried out.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/21/2007 22:19 ||
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The Home Secretary admitted yesterday that the Government does not know enough about the scale of knife violence and ordered police forces to start collecting statistics on the use of knives in crime. Mr Reid told the Commons that from next month, data on "serious or violent" offences involving knives would be recorded separately to give a "more detailed understanding of the prevalence of the problem". Currently, few forces follow Scotland Yard in separately recording "knife-enabled" crime.
#5
Sue Charlton: He's got a knife.
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: [chuckling] That's not a knife.
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: [Dundee draws a large Bowie knife]
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: *That's* a knife.
Yes, France matters. They have nukes.
French President Jacques Chirac lent his Judas kiss support to Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential bid on Wednesday, setting aside longstanding hostility between the pair to strengthen the right's campaign. Chirac steps down after 12 years in office following the second round of the election in May but he had kept silent over whether he would back his ambitious former protege.
In a brief televised statement Chirac said Sarkozy had been chosen as the candidate of the ruling UMP party, a center right formation he set up in 2002 and which Sarkozy now leads. "So it is totally natural that I give him my vote and my support," he said in a statement that lacked any sign of personal warmth. Failure to secure Chirac's endorsement could have undermined Sarkozy's credentials as the right's candidate. "I am very touched by this decision," Sarkozy said in a statement. "It is important for me on a political but also on a personal level."
Chirac said Sarkozy would step down next week as interior minister, the post in which the 52-year-old made his name as a law and order hard-liner, to focus on his campaign ahead of the first round of the election on April 22. Sarkozy has consistently led his Socialist rival Segolene Royal in opinion polls which suggest he would secure a clear victory if they faced each other in the second round on May 6. But he faces a growing threat from centrist Francois Bayrou who has been campaigning as the man to overcome the traditional divisions of French politics. Though continuing the traditional anti-Americanism.
He is running third in polls but would have a good chance of winning, if he made it through to the run-off, by rallying the anti-Sarkozy vote.
Sarkozy fell out with Chirac after backing his rival Edouard Balladur in the 1995 election and he began his campaign by antagonizing Chirac with repeated pledges to break with the policies of the past. But he has come to count on the president's endorsement to soften his image as a divisive hard-liner.
Although polls showed Chirac would have been humiliatingly defeated had he chosen to seek a third term, his position as the Godfather elder statesman of French politics and embodiment of the French Republic still carries weight. He underlined his status immediately after giving his endorsement by attending the funeral of Lucie Aubrac, one of France's wartime resistance heroes.
Sarkozy will be replaced as interior minister by Francois Baroin, minister of France's overseas territories. Health Minister Xavier Bertrand, Sarkozy's main campaign spokesman, will also step down on Monday, his office said.
#1
Okay, Ill bite, am I to understand that humanism-luving Enviros, whom for decades had argued that mankind needs to do more to save the threatened specias of the world, now wanna see animals saved by such a life-saving prog destroyed??? For some reason I'm reminded of an AMERICAN DAD episode, the one where the Lefty daughter's enviro boyfriend is so dedicated/obsessed wid the enviro agenda he had lower 1/2 of his body buried in a large container of potted soil - when tipped over, he screams in horror "OMG, OMG, I'VE BEEN DE-POTTED/DE-SOILED", or something to that effect.
The zoo says Knut should be strong enough to make his first public appearance at the end of this week, having amassed an army of fans who have followed his development - from walking to weaning - in the city's newspapers.
He has already posed for the world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz as part of an environmental campaign, and next week is to be the subject of a documentary series by German broadcaster ARD.
I'm pleasantly surprised.
Posted by: Mike ||
03/21/2007 6:14 Comments ||
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#3
Cute, cuddly teddy bear vs looney animal rights activists. I'll take the Bears and the points.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/21/2007 7:30 Comments ||
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#4
LOL, Steve!
Posted by: Mac ||
03/21/2007 7:36 Comments ||
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Methinks some of these animal rights activists need some "humanising". I'll take the same bet as Steve.
Posted by: DanNY ||
03/21/2007 7:40 Comments ||
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#7
"It is not correct to bottle-feed a small polar bear. He will always be fixated on his keeper and will never grow to be a proper polar bear,"
I guess that's true in that he won't be out hunting seals, but I suppose they could allow him to hunt animal rights activists. A win-win for us and the bear.
#12
Fine, we'll kill the ones demanding the bear be killed and feed them to the bear. How's that for a solution. I mean, it's obvious to me that they'll never be proper human beings, fixated on killing animals for no decent reason such as food or survival.
#14
"Hand-rearing a polar bear is not appropriate and is a serious violation of animal rights," the Bild newspaper quoted animal rights campaigner Frank Albrecht as saying.
Can I see those animal rights amendments? Did you allow the animals to vote on them? Were the animals consulted on what they thought their rights should be? Who are you, Frank, to decide what the rights of animals should be?
Isn't assuming animals are capable of having rights humanizing them? If so, shouldn't they all be killed?
How long are people gonna put up with this insane bullshit?
#15
Give Mr. Environment a club and tell him to whack the critter himself if he wants it dead so bad.
Just to be sporting, let's give the bear a year and then allow Mr. Environment to try it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/21/2007 12:41 Comments ||
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The old "wasn't meant to live" arguement. Are we to take it that all these lunatics have signed DNR orders on themselves? Must have - same argument. No life support for you! Twits.
#18
"It is not correct to bottle-feed a small polar bear. He will always be fixated on his keeper and will never grow to be a proper polar bear," he said.
The culture of death liberals are now after the polar bear cub. Will it ever stop? Besides, he's never going to grow up to be a proper polar bear anyway in the zoo. Also, doubtful the cug will stay fixated on the keeper. Bart the Bear of Hollywood fame had to be handled 10-12 hrs. a day, everyday, to be kept from reverting to his wild ways (like eating his trainer).
Misguided "morality" and arrogance are probably the most dangerous things on the planet.
Which applies rather well to a lot of these so-called animal rights activists. Two centuries ago, how many of these counter-productive maroons would have been left at the village's edge when winter came?
Trust me, you don't want the liver. Eskimos know, from hard learned lessons, that a grown polar bear's liver contains enough vitamin A to kill you a few times over.
From behind the scenes on Capitol Hill: Former Vice President Al Gore, despite being given major preferential treatment, has violated the Senate Environment & Public Works Committees (EPW) hearing rules. Gore first demanded to be granted an unprecedented 30 minute opening statement to the Senate EPW Committee for Wednesdays (March 21) global warming hearing scheduled for 2:30 pm ET.
The GOP minority on the EPW committee agreed to the 30 minute opening statement.
But then Gore demanded a waiver of the EPW committees 48 hour rule that requires all witnesses before EPW to submit their testimony in advance. The GOP minority on the EPW committee then agreed to waive the 48 hour rule in favor of allowing Gore to submit his testimony 24 hours before the hearing. But in a breaking news development on Capitol Hill -- the former Vice President has violated the new 24 hour deadline extension by failing to submit his testimony even with the new time extension granted to Gore.
As of 8pm ET Tuesday evening, the testimony still has not been received by EPW, a clear violation of committee rules. The word on Capitol Hill says not to expect Gores testimony to the Senate EPW committee until Wednesday (March 21) -- the day of the hearing. It appears that Gore does not believe the same rules apply to him that apply to every other Senate EPW witness.
Still no binding legal authority, Al?
The question looms on Capitol Hill: Is Gore delaying the submission of his testimony until the very last moment because he fears it will give members of the EPW committee time to scrutinize it for accuracy?
I'll take "Yes" for $500, Alex
Stay tuned
Posted by: Steve ||
03/21/2007 08:15 ||
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The minority is being helpful, wonder if maybe they're setting up a GoreFest.
#4
I heard part of his testimony on FOX this morning (and later on the Jerry Doyle Show). In 19 seconds he managed to combine planet, fever, babies, fire retardent, science fiction (a back-handed slap at Michael Crighton), and medicine in an incoherent rant of epic proportions with his characteristic "lecturer" voice (you know, the one that says "I know more than you ignorant children do, so listen to what I have to say and no one else").
Just listening to him I wanted to reach in and grab Al by the throat and yell "Who the fuck do you think you are lecturing anyone like this you ignorant moron!"
It was very clear from President Bushs brief statement and short news conference just ended that he does not intend to back down from his support of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, nor will he allow his top White House staff adviser Karl Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies to be subjected to open public testimony on Capitol Hill. He said the White House had offered a reasonable compromise to Congress as it investigates the firings of federal prosecutors; Mr. Gonzales and his staff would testify before Congressional committees to clear up confusion and offer the facts.
Theres no indication that anyone did anything improper, Mr. Bush said. He said both he and Mr. Gonzales were dissatisfied with the explanations offered to Congress so far, and promised to provide additional documents and testimony on the issue. Asked whether Mr. Gonzales still enjoyed his confidence, Hes got support with me.
Democrats on the Hill seemed to flatly reject the compromise offered earlier today by the White House counsel, Fred Fielding: that Ms. Miers and Mr. Rove were willing to be interviewed privately, but not under oath and not in public. Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said the president should not be telling the Senate how to conduct investigations.
The president countered that tonight, basically saying that if Congress tried to subpoena his aides, there would be a constitutional showdown.
Initial response by Democrats, unfortunately, shows some appear more interested in scoring political points than in learning the facts. It will be regrettable if they choose to head down the partisan road of issuing subpoenas and demanding show trials when I have agreed to make key White House officials and documents available.
I have proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse. I hope they dont choose confrontation. I will oppose any attempts to subpoena White House officials.
If we cut through all the partisan rhetoric, its important to maintain perspective on a couple of important points. First, it was natural and appropriate for members of the White House staff to consider and to discuss with the Justice Department whether to replace all 93 U.S. attorneys at the beginning of my second term.
He said he would go to the mat if Congress issued subpoenas to his staff.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Schumer and Leahy are playing a dangerous game - they actually know they have no cards to play - it wasn't illegal in any manner to fire or not renew the US atty's. Bush is right to call them out, and it WILL backfire on them
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2007 6:35 Comments ||
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Former UN Ambassador Bolton was interviewed on The Daily Show last night. He flat out told Jon Stewart that all presidents fire federal prosecutors and he doesn't understand why a fuss is suddenly being made now, except that Washington is such a political place. He flatly contradicted a number of other "of course" stupidities while remaining pleasantly fact-based, to the point where Mr. Wife's head was nodding at each point -- and Mr. Wife has never been pleased with this administration. At the end Mr. Stewart had to thank him for his courage in coming on to face such an audience.
#4
Alberto Gonzales has been responsible for numerous blunders since he took over for Ashcroft. No doubt Gonzales has intelligence and is personable but he simply is incapable of doing a good job as AG.
Bush's loyalty to his team is nice but I wish he could be loyal to someone more capable.
#5
I was at a book store yesterday, and skimmed through a moonbat tract, "Witch Hunts : From Salem to Guantanamo Bay." We need people like Gonzales, to counter morons who believe that the hundreds of Arabs who were caught in Afghanistan during the intervention, were innocent tourists.
#6
Let's see if I understand: Prosecutors, not judges, prosecutors, are under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice ie they are part of the Exceitive isn't it? The Chief of Executive is the President isn't it? The Chief can move or displace employees at will isn't it? The Legislative has no business in the internals of exexutive isn't it? When Legislative has no business on smething the Constitution allows the President to tell representatives to go f.. themselves isn't it?
Disclaimer: I don't have adetailed knowledge of the US Constitution.
#7
JFM---you have more knowledge of the US Constitution than the Dem Moonbats in Congress!!! The US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President. Just ask Slick Willie Clinton, who fired a crop of em.
The dems are using every front, from legislation, to resolutions, to Walter Reed, to appropriation to destroy the President. The public likes fairness. This stuff is eventually going to blow up in the feces faces of the dems.
And despite the MSM ignoring it deliberately, the CAIR connections between dems whoring for votes and things like that will come to the surface. It will get alot uglier before it gets better.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/21/2007 10:15 Comments ||
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#8
Schumer and Leahy are playing a dangerous game - they actually know they have no cards to play - it wasn't illegal in any manner to fire or not renew the US atty's. Bush is right to call them out, and it WILL backfire on them
Well, maybe in a legal sense, or among people who pay attention.
Really the game they are playing--in particular Mr. Schumer--is a FUND RAISING game. It is doubtful that THAT game will backfire.
#9
And the House fires back -- I think Bush feels strongly about protecting WH aides from subpoenas, and will most likely take this all the way through the courts. One thing about Bush, he does fight to protect the separation of the branches.
This may bite the Dems -- talk radio I heard after Bush spoke -- from some Dems, "the Dems are just going too far this time. I may have to consider whether or not to vote for them again." 'Course, this was in a red state.
Hope Bush pushes it to the Supreme's. MSM will have to cover it, and folks can see the stupidness of the Dems in this "scandal."
from Fox --
In calling for the subpoenas, Democrats are rejecting an offer made by President Bush late Tuesday to allow former counsel Harriet Miers and his top political adviser Karl Rove as well as deputy White House counselors William Kelley and J. Scott Jennings and Rove deputy Sara Taylor to speak to judiciary panel members and staff. The president insisted that the consultations be given privately and not under oath.
Bush said his aides are free to speak with lawmakers and their staff to explain how the decisions to oust the prosecutors were made. He also agreed to release "all White House documents and e-mails involving direct communications with the Justice Department or any other outside person, including members of Congress and their staff, related to this issue."
But the president said any efforts by Democrats to go on a "partisan fishing expedition aimed at honorable public servants" will be met with resistance. He said he would "absolutely" take the matter to court if it went that route.
"It will be regrettable if they choose to head down the partisan road of issuing subpoenas and demanding show trials when I have agreed to make key White House officials and documents available. I have proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse. I hope they don't choose confrontation. I will oppose any attempts to subpoena White House officials," Bush said.
Shortly before the panel authorized subpoena power for its chairman, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow warned, "You don't need a showdown here."
Snow said the offer to make the advisers available for interviews is generous and reasonable. He asked, "Wwhat's more important, the truth or a spectacle?"
Before the vote on subpoenas, Conyers urged Republican panel members to join Democrats in the authorization, and said the subpoenas would be held in abeyance if the White House continued to cooperate with members of Congress.
Republicans weren't biting. Florida Rep. Ric Keller, the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, said the panel has a right to subpoena Rove and Miers, and Bush has a right to invoke executive privilege to protect them. Snow also said the White House will only provide documents about the fired U.S. attorneys, if Democrats accept the restrictions.
Cuba is leading a bid by a number of countries to strip the Human Rights Council of its power to investigate and condemn violations, a move some activists warn could jeopardise the whole UNs credibility. The 47 member states of the new UN watchdog, set up last year to replace its largely-discredited predecessor, are quietly negotiating a package of measures which will define its role. At stake is the fate of special procedures -independent investigators appointed to report on countries where abuses are suspected. The former Secretary-General Kofi Annan described these rapporteurs as the crown jewels of the UN machinery. Our fear is that some governments are trying to sell the crown jewels, trying to undermine the independence of special procedures, Irene Khan, secretary-general of Amnesty International, told reporters in Geneva. There are huge stakes here for human rights, not only for survivors of abuses but the credibility of the Council and the UN, she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Cuba -- which has never allowed a visit by the special rapporteur on Cuba, Christine Chanet -- is leading the charge to dismantle country investigators.
Cuba and its allies argue that countries should submit their own reports on their domestic records and that there is no need for intrusive rapporteurs.
I thought it was a People's Paradise there? Cindy Sheehan told me.
Surely, they could take a toss with no problems, right? They got nuthin to hide, right?
Not that the UN would actually do anything about what they find...
Jakarta, 21 March (AKI) - Five Islamic schools in the district of Jember, East Java, have said they are ready to welcome 169 prostitutes who will be forced to leave their homes, where they also work, by 1 April, the local press reported on Wednesday. The schools have reportedly offered the women a place to stay, a job, a small amount of money to start a new, different business and "moral guidance."
The women operate in the red light district of Puger, which will be closed by the local administration - following the example set by other local governments in Jakarta and other parts of the archipelago that are scrapping the status of 'legally protected area' to such districts.
Protected red light districts are known locally as 'lokalisasi' and are usually located in the largest cities of Indonesia where they often operate under the protection of the army, which is authorized in the country to seek self-financing business. "I'm not familiar with that insignia; what's your MOS, soldier?" "Whoremaster First Class, Sir!" "Carry on... say, do you take plastic?"
The most famous lokalisasi is Dolly located in Surabaya, the main city of East Java where approximately 1,600 prostitutes work.
That culture won't give them the opportunity. I mean, it takes a special kind of culture to make Paris Hilton rich and respectedfamous.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
03/21/2007 7:44 Comments ||
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I worked in Indonesia for a while and saw some of what happens there. Those poor women have the worst of both worlds. If they go to the madrassas they'll soon be providing their old services, except under duress and for free. Plus, they'll be despised by the people who use them for providing those services. I could tell some stories...
Islam is to religion what Orcs are to Elves.
Posted by: Mac ||
03/21/2007 8:05 Comments ||
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I could maybe put six or seven up at my place...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 10:34 Comments ||
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#6
Let me know how you explain that to the wife, Fred. That is, if you're able to use a phone afterward.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/21/2007 11:55 Comments ||
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The United States has pledged to help Vietnam build a nuclear power plant if the country switches to non-weapons-grade uranium in its test reactor, a Vietnamese diplomatic source said Tuesday. Washington was ready to help its former enemy turned trading partner meet its burgeoning energy needs but wanted to ensure it does not produce high-grade radioactive material that could fall into the wrong hands, the source said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Wish we could get the US Government to build them here in the US.
#3
California, despite recognizing the state's need for alternate fuels sources includ nuke power, is considered too over-regulated and pro-Environmentalist to allow new plants to be built, at least on the scale needed. IONews, RUMORMILLNEWS > GANGS, MOSTLY MEXICAN, HAVE ABOUT TAKEN OVER LA + TRI-STATE AROUND WASHINGTON DC. LA POLICE NO LONGER WILLING TO CONFRONT GANGS???
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.
(IRIN) - Field teams combating swarms of migratory locusts that descended upon 2,700 hectares of farmland in western Yemen say they have the situation under control. "The locusts have not caused damage since they are found on acacia trees, and our teams are working hard to halt their spread," Abdu Far'e al-Rumaih, General Director of the Desert Locusts Control Centre (DLCC) at the agriculture ministry, told IRIN on Sunday. 
Bangladeshs army-backed interim government, hunting illegal money belonging to corrupt politicians, has found millions of dollars in frozen bank accounts, officials said on Tuesday. We made headway in the drive against black money holders as part of an ongoing anti-corruption campaign. So far the authorities have frozen 53 bank accounts belonging mostly to politicians, said an official of the National Board of Revenue. These accounts have an estimated undisclosed sum of 26 billion taka ($377 million), the official told Reuters, but asked not to be identified. He said more accounts of political figures, some of whom have been detained, were being investigated as part of a crackdown on tax dodgers and holders of undeclared money. 
The Home Secretary admitted yesterday that the Government does not know enough about the scale of knife violence and ordered police forces to start collecting statistics on the use of knives in crime. Mr Reid told the Commons that from next month, data on "serious or violent" offences involving knives would be recorded separately to give a "more detailed understanding of the prevalence of the problem". Currently, few forces follow Scotland Yard in separately recording "knife-enabled" crime.
Cuba is leading a bid by a number of countries to strip the Human Rights Council of its power to investigate and condemn violations, a move some activists warn could jeopardise the whole UNs credibility. The 47 member states of the new UN watchdog, set up last year to replace its largely-discredited predecessor, are quietly negotiating a package of measures which will define its role. At stake is the fate of special procedures -independent investigators appointed to report on countries where abuses are suspected. The former Secretary-General Kofi Annan described these rapporteurs as the crown jewels of the UN machinery. Our fear is that some governments are trying to sell the crown jewels, trying to undermine the independence of special procedures, Irene Khan, secretary-general of Amnesty International, told reporters in Geneva. There are huge stakes here for human rights, not only for survivors of abuses but the credibility of the Council and the UN, she said.
The United States has pledged to help Vietnam build a nuclear power plant if the country switches to non-weapons-grade uranium in its test reactor, a Vietnamese diplomatic source said Tuesday. Washington was ready to help its former enemy turned trading partner meet its burgeoning energy needs but wanted to ensure it does not produce high-grade radioactive material that could fall into the wrong hands, the source said.
