NATO-member Norway will not send special forces to southern Afghanistan despite the alliance's appeal for additional forces to battle Taliban insurgents, the government said on Wednesday. "Norway will not expand its military contribution to ISAF with special forces at present," said a joint statement by Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and Defense Minister Anne-Grete Stroem-Erichsen. The statement said that Norway will instead increase aid for the Afghan people, and will work to strengthen international civilian efforts in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, NATO expressed fresh concern about insurgents crossing into Afghanistan and warned that it was closely monitoring a Pakistani peace deal in a volatile border area to see if it had any effect. "That border needs to be addressed," said NATO spokesman James Appathurai. "There are certainly concerns in many circles that there is support for the spoilers, in particular the Taliban coming from across the border," he told journalists in Brussels.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Norway won't even send special forces into Oslo when jihadis finally overrun the place.
#2
Okay, I'll bite, didn't I just read that Norway is now forced to recruit wuuhmen [women] into its armed forces, including for combat roles, due to shortage of MALE, DRAFT manpower???
#5
Too bad. Special forces are being used effectively once targeting is fixed. It is the infantry that is taking the snipes, IEDs and RPGs. The terrorists get 1, then we take out 30.
Hmmm... I guess ol' UK (from yesterday) might kinda sort be full of shite. Who'da thunk it? Officials say group sees July 7 attacks as 'just the beginning' of UK campaign
Britain has become the main target for a resurgent al-Qaida, which has successfully regrouped and now presents a greater threat than ever before, according to counter-terrorist officials. They have revised their views about the strength of the network abroad, and the methods terrorists are able to use in the UK.
Intelligence chiefs with access to the most comprehensive and up to date information have told the Guardian that al-Qaida has substantially recovered its organisation in Pakistan, despite a four-year military campaign to seek out and kill its leaders. In that time, the organisation has become much more coherent, with a strong core and a regular supply of volunteers.
More worrying, officials say, is evidence of new techniques that would-be terrorists within the UK have adopted. The structure of individual al-Qaida-inspired groups is much more like the old Provisional IRA cells, with self-contained units comprising a lead organiser/planner, a quartermaster in charge of weapons and explosives acquisition and training, and several volunteers.
Officials describe these groups as "multi-tasking" - involved in fraud and fundraising and courier work as well as planning attacks. "There is a hierarchy within each cell with a very tightly run command and control," said one counter-terrorism source.
Many suspects appear to be aware they are under surveillance and have taken to having important conversations outside - in parks and other public spaces - similar to the tactics used by PIRA leaders during the Troubles.
Intelligence experts fear the UK is a target as never before, with extremists intent on carrying out a huge spectacular, on the scale of the US atrocities in 2001.
"They viewed 7/7 as just the beginning," said one senior source. "Al-Qaida sees the UK as a massive opportunity to cause loss of life and embarrassment to the authorities." A second source agreed: "Britain is sitting at the receiving end of an al-Qaida campaign."
Britain is an easier target, they have concluded, because of its traditional links with Pakistan which is visited by tens of thousands of people each year. Intelligence agencies have found it very difficult to penetrate the camps there.
Previously, security chiefs described the UK terrorist threat as comprising small groups which shared the same basic jihadi philosophy but lacked structure and were largely self-taught. Now, intelligence suggests a much more hierarchical system, with a far greater degree of organisation and inter-linkage, and sophisticated methods of recruitment, training and planning attacks.
However, core al-Qaida figures in Pakistan and their emissaries to Europe are still happy to delegate initiatives to different cells. The cells, intelligence shows, have different approaches - some might discuss a method of attack before talking about a target, while others discuss a potential target first.
Potential new recruits are carefully selected and targeted - mainly Muslim men in their late teens and early 20s - with recruiters often shunning the more obvious recruiting grounds of mosques and Islamic bookshops.
These young men are then put through a psychologically compelling indoctrination of weekend and evening briefings which start with legitimate religious lectures and prayer, but move gradually to more radical teachings and political discussions about the position of Islam in relation to the western world.
"It's all about building up these recruits to consider themselves as Muslim 'patriots' and encouraging them to make the leap and ask themselves 'This is how the west treats Muslims, what are we going to do about it?'" said one source.
The next stage often involves technical instruction in bomb-making, and during this phase, the recruiters do their best to engender a sense of brotherhood and bonding, sometimes putting recruits through bizarre initiation rites, such as staying out all night in remote areas in bad weather to prove their macho credentials and that they will not let their comrades down.
From this, the cells will move into latter-stage preparations, making martyrdom videos and shaving all their body hair off in readiness for an imminent suicide attack.
Even though the police and M15 have disrupted terror plots and groups influenced by al-Qaida, they describe the networks as very resilient.
They say there is a frightening number of young men willing to step up and replace those who have been arrested or gone to ground.
"It's like the old game of Space Invaders," said one senior counter-terrorism source. "When you clear one screen of potential attackers, another simply appears to take its place." So it's not just a US problem. Wowsers, UK. Don't forget to always take the tube, dood.
#2
I am looking forward to a time when the USA can deal with its own problems. If you are so wonderful and all knowing you don't need to be of nato you can do everything yourselves which would suit the rest of the world just fine if all else fails you have Israel and to finish off we the British have 8000 troops in iraq 5000 in Afghanistan 15000 in Northern Ireland and another 2000 spread around the world engaged in other operations not bad for a country with a standing army of 98000 and a population a fifth the size of yours. The USA is happy to give out the talk about other countries but cannot take it when it is sent their way, after you are all so clever you voted bush into power!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#3
The British may be hampered by their blame America mentality, but I still hold hope that they will get a clue. AQ may should have stuck with France and Spain.
#5
Noticed the same thing, Shipman. JoeM is good for some zingers every once in a while, eh?
Posted by: BA ||
10/19/2006 9:56 Comments ||
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#6
"This is how the West treats Muzzies ". Noooo, this is how the west has coddled Muzzies. Just keep up your shit and I believe you're going to diecover how the West treats Muzzies.
#7
I guess Al-Q has decided the US is too tough a nut, and has decided to attack easier targets. I expect France was ignored because it's already 2/3 Muzzie-dominated. The Germans aren't quite at the tipping point yet, but if either of those suitcase bombs had exploded, I believe they'd have gone over to the offensive (as well as the Brussels Bureaucrats will allow).
Pakistan is going to have to be dealt with, and soon. As I commented yesterday, there are only four kinds of people living in Pakistan - islamonazis, enablers, sympathizers, and non-muslim victims (Christians, Hindus, etc.). Pound hard, pound often, and tell the rest of the world to f$$$ off.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/19/2006 15:12 Comments ||
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UK refuses to back cluster bomb ban as extent of use in Lebanon revealed
· Global ban also opposed by China, US and Russia
· Unexploded devices still killing three people a day Proof? Hey - no DU stats? Slackers.
Britain has joined the US, China and Russia to block a proposed ban on cluster bombs in the wake of extensive use of the weapons during the war in Lebanon.
A group of countries, led by Sweden, is urging a worldwide ban on cluster bombs at arms talks in Geneva. Each bomb contains hundreds of small "bomblets", many of which fail to explode until picked up by inquisitive children or stepped on by civilians.
Israeli forces dropped an estimated 1m cluster bomblets in southern Lebanon this summer - 90% of which were dropped in the last three days of the conflict, a new report from Landmine Action said yesterday. The weapons have left a trail of unexploded munitions that is killing between three and four civilians each day and impeding relief work.
In just one month, the UN identified more than 500 areas hit by cluster bombs, the report said.
Richard Moyes, policy and research manager of Landmine Action, which supports the proposed ban, said Britain's refusal to back a ban was "incredible". "Unfortunately, it is not surprising because the UK has been one of the biggest users of the munitions, in Kosovo and in Iraq," he added.
Mr Moyes said he did not want to speculate on why Israel had dropped so many cluster bombs in the last days of the war in Lebanon that ended in August. One theory was that Israel hoped it would make it more difficult for Hizbullah to fire its rockets from southern Lebanon.
Aid agencies and human rights groups, such as Landmine Action, have repeatedly called for an international ban on the use of cluster weapons
Most Israeli cluster strikes hit built-up areas. Landmine Action says when the research for its report was undertaken a month after the ceasefire, water and power supplies had been blocked, and schools, roads, houses, and gardens were still littered with unexploded devices.
The report says: "In many affected areas, farmers have not been able to safely harvest what was left of this summer's tobacco, wheat, and fruit; late-yielding crops such as olives will remain too dangerous to harvest by November and winter crops will be lost because farmers will be unable to plough their grains and vegetables."
Simon Conway, the director of Landmine Action, said: "Every day women and children are killed or injured as they sift through the rubble of their former homes by cluster munitions that failed to go off. If they were any other kind of product, they would have been recalled."
The Foreign Office confirmed that the UK is opposing the diplomatic push led by Sweden in Geneva to change the certain conventional weapons treaty.
It said: "The UK believes existing humanitarian law is sufficient for the conduct of military operations, including the use of cluster munitions, and no treaty is required. The UK remains committed to improving the reliability of all munitions with the aim of achieving lower failure rates and leaving few unexploded ordnance in order to minimise the humanitarian risk." It said this had been longstanding British policy.
Sweden is supported by various countries, including Austria, Mexico and New Zealand, as well as the Vatican and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Cluster bombs have been used in most conflicts since the Vietnam war. Belgium has banned them and Australia and Norway have declared a moratorium on their use. Germany has said its forces will stop using them.
The Foreign Office minister, Lord Triesman, told peers in a debate this month that "cluster munitions are legitimate weapons when used in accordance with international humanitarian law".
He added: "They provide a unique capability against certain dispersed and wide-area military targets, for which other munitions are not necessarily practical." He said Britain expected the Israeli government to investigate any "well-founded allegations of the misuse of munitions by their armed forces".
The British embassy in Tel Aviv was pursuing the matter with the Israeli authorities, Lord Triesman said.
According to the UN's mine action coordinating centre, Israeli forces fired 1,800 rocket systems, each with 12 individual rockets, into south Lebanon.
The high failure rate meant that 450,000 cluster bomblets were left on the ground, according to the Liberal Democrats.
Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said: "There is now an irrefutable case for a comprehensive international ban on the use, production, and transfer of cluster munitions."
Flawed weapons And flawed unsubstantiated one-sided reportage - but that's okey-dokey, cuz we're alG and we're your moral superiors.
· Cluster bombs are usually dropped from medium to high altitudes and consist of dozens of bomblets in an outer casing. They have anti-armour and anti-personnel capabilities
· They do not have precision guidance. With a 5% dud rate, unexploded bombs become landmines
· According to Human Rights Watch, Nato aircraft dropped nearly 2,000 during the campaign in the former Yugoslavia in 1999
· They also estimate that 1,600 Kuwaiti and Iraqi civilians were killed by the estimated 1.2m duds left after the 1991 Gulf war I estimate that not one single stat reported in this article is authoritative.
#4
OK, I'll bite: Just how do the 'unexploded devices' manage to kill three people a day? Do they fall on them and crush them? hold their heads underwater until they drown?
I'm guessing, just guessing mind you, that these devices did explode, but later than intended.
#5
IIRC, most US-manufactured cluster bombs are wired to explode either on contact, or within 36-48 hours of being dropped. The dud rate in Vietnam was believed to be less than 2%. Aerial-laid mines, on the other hand, could still be "active" somewhere in those jungles. Mines still kill people in dozens of countries daily. More than 80% of those are Russian-made mines sold indiscriminately to anyone with hard currency, or given to anyone willing to "oppose" the US. Someone needs to have a little fist-to-face with the anti-war nuts in Sweden and at Al-Guardian - with an axehandle.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/19/2006 15:18 Comments ||
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After further voting on Tuesday it has still not been decided whether Guatemala or Venezuela will occupy the fifth seat on the U.N. security council. There have been 22 rounds of votes so far and voting will be continued on Thursday.
There are many who think that this is because Chavez's government has not achieved a consensus in the region.
The proof of the lack of consensus is that many Latin American countries indicated that they would vote for Guatemala. Guatemala's supporters were Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, Bolivia and Cuba are suspected to have voted in favor of Venezuela, jointly with China, Russia, Iran, Belarus, Syria, Lebanon and some African countries. However, it is not possible to know for certain because it was a secret ballot.
Chavez toured the world promising millions of dollars of support to a wide range of countries in an attempt to win support for Venezuela's bid. Bolivia, for example, received US$140 million in loans, scholarships, donations and agricultural machinery.
In the final round of voting on Tuesday, when 120 votes would have been enough for either country to win, Guatemala received 102 and Venezuela 77. Twelve countries abstained, including Ecuador and Chile.
In Venezuela Chavez's followers say that Venezuela received a good share of the vote in each round and "that for the Venezuelan politics is already a triumph."
Guatemala has in fact received more votes than Venezuela in each round.
This it is the second time that a vote for a place on the Security Council has gone into a high number of rounds. During the Cold War in 1979 when Cuba and Colombia were contending for the position, there were 155 rounds of votes over three months. In the end Mexico was elected by consensus.
It was expected that a third Latin-American country would be put forward to break the deadlock, but in meetings on Wednesday no consensus country was found.
Making reference to the United States's extensive support for Guatemala, the Venezuelan ambassador to the U.N., Francisco Arias Cardenas, has said that the fight for the Security Council seat is not against a "brother country" but against "the owners of the universe."
The United States are anxious to ensure that Venezuela does not win the seat because Chavez hopes to use it to extend his international influence. The Venezuelan president has been vocal in his opposition to the U.S. foreign policy. This is what his UN "speech" was about. He figured that he would bash Bush, get the GA asshats on his side, and sweep the UNSC seat. I'm surprised it didn't work.
#1
Fighting and promising that the Poor = the Masses = the People = the Landless will get land as forcibly taken from the decadent capitalist landowners, ergo under Communism = Radical Leftism/Socialism NO ONE GOT ANY SAVE THE STATE = STATE-CONTROLLED/ORDERED COLLECTIVES.
#14
Venezuela and its resident nutbag loon Chavez on the Security Council?. This is like having Lybia on the Human Rights Council. Is there no limit to the stupidity these UN morons engage in? How is it that much of the civilized world does not rise up in outrage at such insults to common sense and decency?
#15
BOBO is lilkim in the making. He's subverted is own economy and the idiots without any education, but that is the way it always is. The platitudes of socialism are alluring to those driven by envy and greed.
An eminent 92-year-old Turkish archeologist is to go on trial for inciting religious hatred because she angered Islamist circles with a scientific paper saying the use of headscarves by women dated back to pre-Islamic sexual rites.
Muazzez Ilmiye Cig, who devoted her career to studying the Sumerians, the first known urban civilisation (dating from the 4th millennium BC), was to appear in court on November 1 in Istanbul, her editor, Ismet Ogutucu, said.
In a book published last year, Cig says the headscarf - a controversial issue in Turkey - was first worn by Sumerian priestesses initiating young people into sex, but without prostituting themselves.
A lawyer from the western city of Izmir took offence and filed a complaint against Cig, resulting in a prosecutor charging both her and her publisher with "inciting hatred based on religious differences". If convicted, the two face up to three years in jail.
Cig, a staunch defender of mainly Muslim Turkey's strictly secular political system, recently wrote to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's wife, Emine, calling on her to discard her Islamic headscarf and set an example to young people.
"She can wear whatever she likes at home, but as the wife of the Prime Minister, she cannot wear a cross or the headscarf," Cig said in an interview this week in the popular daily Vatan.
The Islamic-style headscarf is viewed by secular Turks as a symbol of political Islam and is banned by law in public offices and universities. The issue has polarised Turkish society, particularly since Mr Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party swept to power in 2002 with an end to the headscarf ban high on its list of electoral promises - one it has so far been unable to keep.
#3
I haven't followed all the details, but there certainly is evidence that headcoverings predate Islam.
For instance, the headpiece of traditional Christian nuns' habits go back to the headdresses that women habitually wore in the middle east when Christianity and monasticism were new there.
THE United States and South Korea are on a collision course over sanctions against North Korea because Seoul refuses to close projects that are channelling money to Kim Jong Il.
Condoleezza Rice will press South Korea to halt operations at two symbols of cross-border co-operation today. The Kaesong industrial complex and the Mount Kumgang tourist resort are a few miles north of the border dividing the neighbours.
Both are funded by the South Korean Government and the huge Hyundai conglomerate, and are intended to build co- operation and trust between North and South. But the US, backed by Japan, believes that the projects Mount Kumgang in particular are cash cows for Mr Kim. The hiking resort seems to be designed to give money to the North Korean authorities, Christopher Hill, the chief US diplomat on the North Korean crisis, said.
The controversy has caused deep divisions within South Korea between conservatives who hate the idea of rewarding a country that is building nuclear weapons and liberals who believe engagement is the only way to bring North Korea out of its xenophobic isolation.
Kim Hyung O, leader of the South Korean Opposition, said yesterday: The Governments position that it will maintain the projects is tantamount to letting the North take the South Korean people hostage.
But President Roh Moo Hyun shows no sign of abandoning the schemes, which have cost South Korea almost a billion dollars and are central to his policy of constructive engagement with the North.
For the US, money being sent via the Mount Kumgang project and the Kaesong complex is important, the head of Mr Rohs ruling party, Kim Geun Tae, said. But for us, what is important is that the two Koreas meet and make exchanges.
There was a temporary surge in cancellations after the nuclear test, but 40,000 South Koreans have spent a million dollars every month travelling to Mount Kumgang.
Dr Rice, the US Secretary of State, flies into Seoul today for talks with her opposite number, Ban Ki Moon, soon to be installed as the new UN Secretary-General. They will discuss the Security Council sanctions designed to punish Pyongyang for its first nuclear test.
But the Americans are being accused of hypocrisy for complaining about cash going to Mr Kim. A South Korean official drew attention to $23 million (£12.3 million) that the US paid to the North Korean military between 1996 and 2005 as expenses for repatriating the remains of 225 US servicemen.
Dr Rice, in Tokyo yesterday, underlined Washingtons commitment to defend Japan, which was spelt out in their mutual defence treaty of 1960. Her words were designed to emphasise the solidity of the Japan-US alliance and scotch calls for Japan to start its own nuclear programme.
Last night President Bush also warned North Korea against exporting nuclear weapons. If we get intelligence that they are about to transfer a nuclear weapon, we would stop the transfer, Mr Bush said.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/19/2006 1:16 Comments ||
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#2
The Koreans seem to be of 2 minds about us when they really need to be of one mind. Time for us to leave the south as well. Let them be hostage to the North I don't really care.
#3
DEMOLEFT > criticize Dubya-GOP for either being too rough wid North Korea or now failing to prevent North Korea from getting a nuke(s). How many times during the Cold War agz the USSR-Commie Bloc, and even post-Cold War/USSR, has the DemoLeft argued that NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION, i.e. MANY OR ALL NATIONS HAVING NUKES, makes the USA + World SAFER. DARE SAINT BILL + AL GORE REMEMBER THEIR ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION!?
#4
Remember Eisenhower's paranoia... strength in Vietnam, Korea, Japan and the Phillipines to contain China's naval expansion.
I think we have surrendered the strategy. If you believe the news, the tactics of capitalism have converted them. SPOD may be right in recommending withdrawal.
#5
Japan can get a nuke like [*snaps fingers*] that, and they've already got the missile to put it on.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/19/2006 6:40 Comments ||
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SKors get Hinky? They have been for quite some time.
We should reduce our presence to a fig leaf, but we should not leave Korea. It is still a daggar pointed at Japan. If we aren't there, Korea will become a Chinese puppet and Japan won't sit for that long. Having us as a buffer is a key to keeping Northwest Asia peaceful. Unfortunately dealing with the Koreans is a headache. But at least they shoulder their military responsibility, unlike the Eurobabies we have to suckle.
I am beginning to think this is the disadvantage of having such overwhelming military preponderance. Everybody else thinks, the Americans are so powerful, we don't make a difference and they quit trying, confident that we will show up to save the day.
I anticipate the qualitative gap in power to continue to widen for the forseeable future with more abandonment of responsibility by supposed allies and increasingly adolescent behaviour from dependents.
We should be binding their militaries more closely to ours in equipment, training and procurement. The Euroforces are a sterling example of how wrong things can go. They are killing NATO. We are at the point where it is no longeer safe for even the Brits to be on the battlespace near us. We need to get them back in the tent or completely outside. And the completely outside option is worse. It's just that we don't know how much worse, so the grass is greener effect makes it appear preferable. But it's not.
#7
South Korea has a long and deep history of bribes, influence money and similar practices in their own politics. Why should we be surprised if they use those favored techniques with the north?
We should be binding their militaries more closely to ours in equipment, training and procurement
That assumes they are willing to do that. I don't see it happening in Europe and probably not in Korea either. Both groups will consider it a matter of pride either to produce their own systems in competition with ours or to refuse to collaborate in joint security efforts. And if we just give them the technologies, they will proliferate to 3rd parties faster than you can sneeze.
I would love to get the Brits back in the tent. Do they want to be there, tho? I think they're torn, the French and Germans don't want to play at all, the Italians change governments every year or two or three. Spain is embracing Eurabia with public glee.
And some key technologies of the 90s were sold to China under Clinton. The Chinese both have fielded them and are proliferating them selectively.
Which means we must continue to press ahead on newer technologies, which widens the gap with putative allies other than those such as Australia whom we trust and those such as Japan, who may not prove to be allies in the future but who have great indigenous capabilities to draw on.
#10
LOTP, there won't be any change in the Euro mentality until tens of thousands are dead. They have to undertake a total change in their approach to government. Their socialist model is unsustainable, but they will keep at it until/unless they are forced to change. Their militaries will suffer until that time. The only thing that will force the change is a devastating attack on one or more of the nations. Perhaps the change will only occur individually, as each nation is hit in turn. Depending on the nature of the attack, by that time it may be too late.
TOKYO - Foreign ministers of the five countries in stalled negotiations with North Korea plan to meet on the nuclear crisis Friday in Beijing and are asking Pyongyang to join, a Japanese newspaper said.
The report was immediately denied by Christopher Hill, the US envoy to the six-way talks, who was in Tokyo accompanying US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a tour of the other four countries involved in the negotiations.
"Not going to happen, and see you Friday in Beijing!"
The Sankei Shimbun newspaper, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources, said Rice and the foreign ministers of China, Japan, Russia and South Korea planned to meet Friday in Beijing. It said top Chinese diplomat Tang Jiaxuan, who the United States says is in North Korea, was trying to persuade Pyongyang to join the talks in Beijing. If North Korea turns up for the talks, the other five nations would present North Korea with an ultimatum to completely abandon its nuclear weapons, the conservative daily said.
China declined comment on the report. At present we have no information on this, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said when asked both if Tang was in Pyongyang and if five-way talks were planned in Beijing.
"No comment. Go away."
US State Department spokesman Tom Casey, confirming Japanese media reports about Tangs whereabouts, said Wednesday the Chinese official was either in Pyongyang or on his way there. My understanding is that his trip would be part of Chinese efforts to convince the North Koreans to comply with (UN) Resolution 1718, as well as the other relevant Security Council measures that are out there, Casey said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Cool, who will cut the deck?
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/19/2006 1:23 Comments ||
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Posted by: DanNY ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Also have been [mostly] unconfirmed reports of Norkie border guards allegedly firing on their Chicom border comrades + convoys; + also rampaging = looting around in NK-China border areas.
#3
Actually the border between China and North Korea is quite long, and passes through some mountanous areas with populations that have made their living from smuggling for generations. Also the Chinese have not, until lately, done much to fence/fortify that border. That is changing, however.
#4
The last I heard, the Military Power of the People's Republic of China should be more than a match for the border with North Korea, and for any populations along it dedicated to smuggling. The PRC is exceptionally good at non-nuclear population control, don't know why they don't do what they're good at.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il made his first known public appearance since his nation's nuclear test, official media reported yesterday, amid concerns that the regime was readying a second detonation.
Ayup. Pyongxatawney Kim appeared, saw his shadow, and predicted six more weeks of nuclear tests...
Kim, accompanied by top Communist Party officials and military officers, attended a performance of songs praising him, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. The exact date of the performance was not specified, but Kim most likely attended the event Tuesday evening on the 80th anniversary of the "Down-with-Imperialism Union" a political platform on which the ruling party was built.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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Prob'ly went to get a little nukie?
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/19/2006 1:25 Comments ||
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South Korea's foreign minister, who was appointed the next UN secretary-general, warned North Korea on Thursday against a second nuclear test, saying such a move would trigger a "much more serious" international response.
We urge again that it's desirable for North Korea to sincerely comply with the UN Security Council resolution and not to take any additional action that would aggravate the situation...
"We urge again that it's desirable for North Korea to sincerely comply with the UN Security Council resolution and not to take any additional action that would aggravate the situation," said Ban Ki-moon upon his arrival in Seoul from a trip to the United Nations to accept his appointment as head of the world body.
"If North Korea conducts an additional test, the response of the international community will be much more serious," he said, without elaborating. North Korea's first-ever nuclear test on Oct. 9 sparked global uproar, prompting the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution on Saturday that imposed sanctions while warning Pyongyang not to worsen the situation.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
FOX NEWS + CNN > CONDI RICE = USA will use its full military might to defend JAPAN; FREEREPUBLIC.com > Dubya = USA will stop NK from selling its nuke tech; XINHUA.com./PEOPLE'S DAILY > PLA Units engaged in "Queshan-2006" MILEX near NK border > testing battle readiness in EM = NUCLEAR BATTLEFIELD [radioactive] environment.
TWO peace campaigning grandmothers were arrested at a US spy base on the day a new Act aimed at terrorism prevention came into force, a court heard today. Helen John, 68, and Sylvia Boyes, 63, were detained at the Menwith Hill base, near Harrogate, on April 1 and charged with trespassing.
John, of Wren Street and Boyes, of Wimborne Drive, both Keighley have pleaded not guilty. They appeared before District Judge Martin Walker, sitting at Harrogate Magistrates' Court, to be told they faced a three-day trial beginning on January 9.
Each told the judge they were unwilling to indicate the basis of their defence in advance of the trial beginning but prosecutor Mark Haigh said it appeared from the record of police interview with the pair that they were relying on Ministry of Defence Police who arrested them acting beyond their authority because the base was operated by the US authorities.
Both women were bailed until January 9 with Frances Taylor, for John, failing in a bid to have her bail terms altered. John sought to have a ruling which bans her from going within 100 metres of Menwith Hill reduced to a 10-metre distance so she could attend peaceful demonstrations.
Posted something similar last night that didn't make it to the list. These fuckers are really trying to boost morale, eh?
Every time you believe mainstream media simply cant debase themselves any further, they pull something like this.
CNN is airing a terrorist propaganda video showing the killing of US troops: Video shows snipers chilling work in Iraq.
(CNN) Chilling scenes from a videotape made by insurgents show the work of snipers in Iraq, targeting and killing American troops, taking them down with a single bullet from a high-powered rifle.
The graphic video of 10 sniper attacks was obtained by CNN through intermediaries from the Islamic Army of Iraq, one of the most active insurgent organizations in Iraq.
In one scene, U.S. soldiers mingle among Iraqi civilians on a city street as a U.S. Humvee with a gunner in its turret stands guard nearby.
From a distance, possibly hundreds of yards away, a sniper watches for his opportunity to strike as a fellow insurgent operates a camera to capture the video for propaganda purposes.
They know its for propaganda purposes, and they gleefully put it on their front page anyway. CNN is openly doing the work of the enemy.
#6
Welcome to: Ted Turner's Tet Offensive. The only thing missing is the voice of Walter Cronkite narrating the "insurgent" sniper video explaining to the uninformed American people how the US militry is outclassed and doomed...doomed...and that Uncle Walter was saying all of this in February 2003 if only we had listened.
Here's an idea: identify the city where the video was made. Surround the city. Give the women & children and old folk inside 48 hours to evacuate. Detain all males ages 13-65. Then level the f**kin' city. Ground the rubble. Salt the earth. Repeat as needed.
To date we have not tried this technic, so what have we got to loose? It worked for Baby Assad's father circa 1981. The only difference being he didn't give time for an evac. It's called Hama Rules. It works.
As for what happens to the detained males ages 13-65 that take advantage of the evac: you cull the arabs, chechens, yemeni, iranians, syrians, egyptians, afghans, turks, kuwaities (sp?), paleos, pakis et al. All of whom will be repatriated in due course. Discreetly. From 30,000 feet.
Survival of iraqis aged 13-65 will depend, in great part, on their innate ability to lie.
Has my patience been exhausted in the manner in which the war has been prosecuted? Yes, it has. I'm now of the opinion you crush the enemy and those that suppoort the enemy and then maybe...maybe...you worry about rebuilding. It does not work trying to be nice. We know. Because we've tried.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
10/19/2006 15:13 Comments ||
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Posted by: Mark Z ||
10/19/2006 19:06 Comments ||
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#12
Twenty-four hours notice: Evacuate. Then level the whole "effing" place with a B-52, B-2, and B-1 led area bombing campaign. Of course, first chuck the 1977 Geneva Accord against area bombing, a plank we never should have signed to begin with.
Once the place has been reduced to smouldering rubble, say bye-bye to the shitty Sunnis and Shiites of Iraq. Let them all go hell.
#15
LoD: I thought you were advocating carpet bombing downtown Atlanta, lol! CNN headquarters. I'd just ask that you not hit the Federal Center a block or two away. Do some of my finest ranting from that building during lunch, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
10/19/2006 21:11 Comments ||
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#16
RC and Dunno: CNN proudly gives voice to the enemy. Your respective question answer themselves, don't they?
Has CNN HQ in Atlanta ever been fire bombed? Of course not. It's clearly enemy territory albeit occupied by innocent civilians. The good guys have not sunk to the level of the enemy.
Not yet.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
10/19/2006 21:14 Comments ||
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#17
LoD: I thought you were advocating carpet bombing downtown Atlanta, lol!
Somebody say somethin' about burning Atlanta? It's been done, you know...
#18
Don't fergit - the Motherly Commie Airborne Invasion Army = UNO Peacekeeping Force + Hillaristas will save mainstream Amerika's sacred National Communism from arrogant warmongering imperialist error-prone Bushite Fascists. * FASCISTS > both HATED HITLERISTS-NAZIS = WELL-MEANING BUT ERRORFUL DELINQUENT LIMITED COMMUNISTS-TOTALITARIANS.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The Red Thingy Cross said Thursday it had passed a message from an alleged Southeast Asian terror chief held at Guantanamo Bay to his family in Indonesia. It was the first time the detainee Hambali has been allowed to contact his family since his arrest in Thailand in 2003, said Marcal Izard, a local spokesman for the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross.
A Red Cross team passed the message to his family on Java island on Wednesday, he said. "He was able to give his greetings to them," Izard said. "At least the family knows he is there (in Guantanamo) and can now write a message to him."
"Dear Ma, send gunsmoney swimwear."
Hambali, also known as Riduan Isamuddin, was allegedly the key link between al-Qaida and Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. The group is blamed for a string of bombings in Indonesia, including 2002 attacks on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people. He is one of 14 terrorist suspects recently transferred to U.S. military custody at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in southeastern Cuba after being held by the CIA at a secret location.
And if it's too hot for him there we'll transfer him to Ice Station Zebra.
Hambali dictated the message to Red Thingy Cross officials who wrote it down, said Izard. The note was first checked by U.S. censors and was also shared with Indonesian authorities, Izard said, saying he would be allowed to send more messages later.
More messages than the 202 victims at Bali can send their loved ones, but ya gotta follow the Red Thingy rules.
The other 13 suspects recently transferred to Guantanamo from secret locations were also given the chance to send messages to their families, the Red Thingy Cross said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2006 01:01 ||
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Translated message as follows: "Each day they tell me I should have more exercise for my health. They keep telling me swimmimg is very healthful. They say the water is very warm offshore and that I should try to make a one mile swim each day. I don't like water. They are getting more insistent. Any ideas ? "
#2
Lots of hammerheads off Guantanamo. Hammerheads are man-eaters. I approve of daily swims for all Guantanamo detainees - supported by a leaky maccaral boat.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/19/2006 15:42 Comments ||
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#3
"Hey Mom, please don't worry if I get caught sending you messages in support of the jihad. The f**kin stupid infidel give their own women ONLY a max of 28 months if doing the same thing!!! I'm serious!!! If I'm caught it'll be LESS time for me 'cause...you know... I'm a man !!! Inshallah (and here's hoping) I do get caught !!!: Then I can have all of that expensive dental surgery completed by a qualified Paki muslim before coming home to Quetta.
Luv to You and All My Hate to the Infidel,
Abu
Posted by: Mark Z ||
10/19/2006 20:35 Comments ||
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Indias Law Ministry said there was no compelling reason to stop the hanging on Friday of a Kashmiri Muslim found guilty of plotting a 2001 attack on parliament, a report said Wednesday. The ministrys advice came after President Abdul Kalam sought the opinions of the law and home departments ahead of deciding on a mercy petition filed by the family of the condemned man, Mohammed Afzal Guru.
Last month, a court set October 20 as the date for the execution of Guru, who was convicted of helping plot the raid that left 14 people dead, including the five attackers, and brought nuclear-armed India and Pakistan close to war. India blamed Pakistan-backed militants fighting against its rule in Indian Kashmir for what it called a terrorist strike at the heart of Indian democracy, but Islamabad denied involvement.
The Law Ministry said there was no compelling reason or circumstance or strong legal ground to commute Gurus death sentence under the constitution, the Indian Express newspaper said. There is no substantial legal point involved in the case, except the argument that there was no direct evidence against Guru, the report quoted unnamed Law Ministry sources as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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Drop him twenty feet. If his head is not severed, allow him to sway in the breeze 10 minutes. Repeat again just to make sure.
Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday told Pakistan that bilateral talks between the two countries would collapse unless the government of Pakistan clearly deals with the issue of terrorism. He said that the resumption of the stalled composite dialogue process next month depended on Pakistans dealing with the terrorism issue that troubles India the most.
We have put Pakistan on notice that any democratic government of India would find it difficult to continue on the present path (of dialogue) to address all outstanding issues unless the government of Pakistan clearly deals with the issue of terrorism, Singh told a weeklong conference of Indian Armed Forces commanders that concluded here on Wednesday.
He said that the institutional joint anti-terrorism mechanism agreed by him and President Pervez Musharraf at talks in Havana will be a test of Pakistani intentions and capabilities to implement the assurances that they have given us since January 2004.
Singh said that our enemies were using Bangladeshi migrants to incite terrorism in India. The economic pull on migrants from Bangladesh of the Indian market offers opportunities to our enemies who seek to incite terrorism in India, he said.
Singh urged the conference to accommodate Indias neighbours and give them greater stakes in Indias economic prosperity. Essential to our quest for a modern India true to its genius is a peaceful and prosperous periphery. I have often said that the countries of South Asia have a shared destiny. We can, to an extent, help create such thinking by giving our neighbours a greater stake in our economic prosperity. We must be willing to make necessary adjustments in our domestic policies to accommodate this, he said.
The Indian prime minister talked of a dangerous and unstable neighbourhood and uneven development and its consequences and stressed that political stability and a focus on human development in the region are in our strategic interest. He said that the commanders should think of both conventional and anti-terrorism wars. Terrorists are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the way they deal with death and destruction. Our armed forces also have to deal with insurgents in difficult terrain. There is, thus, a necessity for us to upgrade our capabilities, which have traditionally been geared towards conventional threats, as well as our surveillance and interdiction systems, he said.
Singh said that technology had empowered non-state actors to the point where terrorism was a major trans-border threat in many countries and the commanders should include in their strategy a transformed security challenge that now include anarchistic ideologies, communalism of various kinds, threats from pandemics and terrorism over and above conventional threats. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and chiefs of all three forces were also present.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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Well, that settles it then. Talkin's over. Time to reach for the big stick.
Pakistan is due to hang a British national on November 1, coinciding with a planned visit by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, officials said yesterday.
Mirza Tahir Hussain, 36, from Leeds in northern England, has spent half his life in a Pakistani jail fighting a death sentence for killing a taxi driver. The decision on his fate follows three stays of execution ordered by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and comes despite a vocal campaign by Hussain's family to save his life. "Mirza Tahir Hussain's new execution date is November 1," an official at Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi, a garrison city adjoining the capital Islamabad, told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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In the 1870s, the British diplomat/explorer/writer Richard Frances Burton paid a visit to a local king in West Africa. The king was very cordial, reported Burton, and even had a man crucified in his honor. I am pleased to see that this fine old British diplomatic tradition continues.
#2
This guy's been on death row for 18 years? Pakiland is as slow as the US! Wonder why Perv stayed his execution three times - was the taxi driver who was killed on the Musharraf 'enemies' list?
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Three Camp Pendleton Marines will face courts-martial on murder and kidnapping charges in the death of an Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania, but will not face the death penalty, the Marine Corps said Wednesday. The three were among seven Marines and one Navy corpsman charged with kidnapping and killing 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad last April.
Lance Cpl. Tyler Jackson, Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington and Cpl. Trent D. Thomas will also face charges including conspiracy, housebreaking and larceny.
Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general in the case, has not announced a decision on whether the squad leader, Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, will go to trial and what charges he will face. Three other Marines also have been referred to courts-martial.
The Marines Corps dropped some charges against Jackson, Pennington and Thomas, including an assault charge and a charge of wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation. Thomas will face an additional assault charge related to a separate incident uncovered during the probe into Awad's death.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2006 01:10 ||
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Vice Premier Shimon Peres told a conference call of 500 top AIPAC officials on Wednesday that he was concerned that many Middle Eastern countries could develop nuclear technology over the next decade and create an existential threat to Israel. He said the best way to prevent such a scenario was to achieve a far-reaching peace agreement with the countries of the region and that the path to progress with the Palestinians was via economic ventures.
Right. My path to carnal whoopee with Patty Ann Browne lies via hair growth and my gut spontaneously disappearing. Motel 6, here we come!
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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I'll say it again, he even looks like Carter. So there.
"The Outer Limits" might be a little more appropriate for this wingnut. This loon needs five different kinds of smackdowns so bad it hurts.
It's time for us to take the propaganda they spew a lot more seriously. It may be only for public consumption, but it still drives the decision-making process of a lot of people. We really need to break the effectiveness of this cheap and easy way for them to program their masses.
Imagine the effect of us detonating a MOAB out in some unoccupied area near Tehran within hours of Ahmadinejad spewing his bullshit. Follow this with a nice leafletting campaign downtown and his credibility would take a major hit.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/19/2006 20:40 Comments ||
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#20
Is God's name "kimmy", Mahmoud? Aren't you a little ticked that god's bomb fizzled. Are you going to have to wait a couple more weeks til God connects with you again?
Posted by: Howling Wolf ||
10/19/2006 22:48 Comments ||
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#23
FREEREPUBLIC.com > MOUD > will take a "desive step" against Israel towrads the "liberation of Jerusalem"; FR.com/WND.com > Norkie General = WAR is coming against the USA iff the USA continues to work to force NK to kneel and beg, and will begin in North Korea.
BEIRUT - The Lebanese army said on Wednesday that the countrys borders were under tight control and rejected Israeli claims of weapons smuggling from Syria. The land and sea borders are controlled in a very meticulous and effective way, and there are no acts that indicate that there are arms entering Lebanon, the army command said in a statement. Therefore, the army command considers that the declaration of the Israeli defence minister is an interference in Lebanese internal affairs that aims at shaking (Lebanons) stability, it said.
Then their lips fell off and their noses grew.
On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz said Israel would continue surveillance flights over Lebanon as long as arms smuggling from Syria continued in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
His remarks are just... pretexts to pursue aggressions on Lebanon, through ever-increasing airspace violations and a failure to abide by Resolution 1701, it said.
"Just wait til we sic the French on those dastardly Zionists!"
On Sunday, a senior Israel intelligence officer charged that Syria was aiding arms smuggling into Lebanon in violation of Resolution 1701 which ushered in a truce on August 14 after 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Syrian President Bashar Al Assad was quoted as saying by the Spanish newspaper El Pais earlier this month that no army deployment along the border could be efficient if there is a will to smuggle arms into Lebanon.
The requisite nod and wink from the chinless wonder.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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What he means is that when the weapons are brought in openly, with full Lebanese knowledge, it is not smuggling.
Iran warned on Wednesday that a likely UN Security Council resolution for imposing sanctions against Teheran would wreck any possibility for a compromise to resolve the standoff over the country's nuclear program. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, insisted Wednesday that continuing talks with EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana is "still possible."
Yeah. Right. And I could be getting slender and svelt at this very moment. [Urp!]
But he warned that "in the case that a new resolution is passed by the Security Council, we will not be in the current point to resume possible talks. Resorting to arm-twisting through the Security Council would be considered a security threat to Iran and will change (Iran's) behavior," he said in an interview with the semi-official news agency Mehr. Larijani said the West knows that their path would incite regional crisis, but he reiterated that Iran is ready for unconditional talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2006 00:00 ||
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He's got yur ballz in the palm of his hand
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/19/2006 1:28 Comments ||
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#2
Chances?! What "chances"? I never saw any "chances"!
London, 19 Oct. (AKI) - Nearly a third of people worldwide back the use of torture in prisons in some circumstances, the results of a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) survey suggest. Although 59 percent were opposed to torture, 29 percent thought it acceptable to use some degree of torture to combat terrorism. While most polled in the US are against torture, opposition there is less robust than in Europe and elsewhere.
More than 27,000 people in 25 countries were asked if torture was acceptable if it could provide information to save innocent lives.
Some 36 percent of those questioned in the US agreed that this use of torture was acceptable, while 58 percent were unwilling to compromise on human rights.
"The dominant view around the world is that terrorism does not warrant bending the rules against torture," said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), whose organisation helped conduct the survey, told the BBC.
All of the countries surveyed have signed up to the Geneva Conventions which prohibit the use of torture and cruel and degrading behaviour.
But countries that face political violence are more likely to accept the idea that some degree of torture is permissible because of the extreme threat posed by terrorists.
Israel has the largest percentage of those polled endorsing the use of a degree of torture on prisoners, with 43% saying they agreed that some degree of torture should be allowed.
However, a larger percentage - 48% - think it should remain prohibited.
Other countries that polled higher levels of acceptance of the use of torture include Iraq (42%), the Philippines (40%), Indonesia (40%), Russia (37%) and China (37%).
The Israeli figure conceals a stark difference in attitude within the country, split along religious lines.
A majority of Jewish respondents in Israel, 53%, favour allowing governments to use some degree of torture to obtain information from those in custody, while 39% want clear rules against it.
But Muslims in Israel, who represent 16% of the total number polled, are overwhelmingly against any use of torture. Gee, I wonder why?
Meanwhile opposition to the practise is highest in Italy, where 81% of those questioned think torture is never justified.
Australia, France, Canada, the UK and Germany also registered high levels of opposition to any use of torture. Btw, this reminds me that yesterday the teevee talking head told us "the USA had just legalized torture", not something we Sophisticated and Nuanced Europeans would do, because we're so much more civilized.
The survey was carried out for the BBC World Service by polling firm Globescan and the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).
#2
I think this is because you are sensitivized (?) to the whole WOT/WOI problem, while in Europe, as far as I can tell, there's a denial about that issue... even the "clash of civilization" idea is denied, though this has lessened a bit I think (now the meme is "let's be very nice to the Moderate Muslims, so we can avoid the clash of civilization those brutal americans want to impose us to impose their rule on the worl").
#3
Survey funded by biased BBC finds what BBC wants, it's not news. My question is what does the BBC consider torture? Why is it torture when practiced by one nation but not when say Cuba, Iran or some other BBC favored state practices it?
The BBC fair game in the WoT, they are in full support of the other side.
Surely, you don't expect us to define torture, do you? I mean, we're still working on the definition of "terrorism." I doubt it'll even be brought up before I leave "office."
Posted by: Kofi Annan ||
10/19/2006 10:01 Comments ||
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#5
I often wonder just how the NYT and other demdiots would react if we had 100 pertent proof that there was a nuke hidden in NYC and the only way to find it would be to put the screws to somebody.
All of the countries surveyed have signed up to the Geneva Conventions which prohibit the use of torture and cruel and degrading behaviour.
Terrorists DO NOT qualify for protection under the Geneva Convention. People need to get this straight. It is a critical distinction and one that the terrorists weaponize against us along with every other Western trait of decency, kindness, honor and courtesy.
While forms of terrorism have existed over the centuries, the concept of a single religious organization using non-military combatants to wage assymetric warfare for political ends is rather different from previous models. Weapons of mass destruction change the equation even further.
Due to Islam's obsession with death, capital punishment has little deterrent effect. The knowledge that excruciating interrogation awaits offenders may provide at least some degree of mitigation. Simply put, the threat of Islamist terrorism is so profound that any and all means to combat it must be utilized, right down to nuclear weapons.
The constant stream of Islamic atrocities is rapidly undermining my resistance to first use of nuclear weapons. Islam is unflinching in its willingness to use whatever means that are available. We must begin steeling ourselves to the prospect of turning a similar spectrum of options against this virulent enemy.
#7
Rephrase the question properly. Do you find it acceptable to torture Mooselimb terrorists to get information which may save thousands of innocent lives ? Favorable response goes to 98.5 %. Only ones not in favor = Muzzies, of course.
#8
Some 36 percent of those questioned in the US agreed that this use of torture was acceptable, while 58 percent were unwilling to compromise on human rights.
Yet almost 100% of terrorists have no qualms about blowing up non-combattants, killing women and children, bombing hospitals and places of worship, and other "human rights" violations. The bleeding-hearts don't see the double standard they demand the US adhere to. These people are deluded fools who need to get out more.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/19/2006 15:51 Comments ||
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#9
We're getting closer Old Patriot, one more good attack and maybe they'll be ready to go for the neck.
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.
NATO-member Norway will not send special forces to southern Afghanistan despite the alliance's appeal for additional forces to battle Taliban insurgents, the government said on Wednesday. "Norway will not expand its military contribution to ISAF with special forces at present," said a joint statement by Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and Defense Minister Anne-Grete Stroem-Erichsen. The statement said that Norway will instead increase aid for the Afghan people, and will work to strengthen international civilian efforts in Afghanistan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il made his first known public appearance since his nation's nuclear test, official media reported yesterday, amid concerns that the regime was readying a second detonation. 
South Korea's foreign minister, who was appointed the next UN secretary-general, warned North Korea on Thursday against a second nuclear test, saying such a move would trigger a "much more serious" international response. 
TWO peace campaigning grandmothers were arrested at a US spy base on the day a new Act aimed at terrorism prevention came into force, a court heard today. Helen John, 68, and Sylvia Boyes, 63, were detained at the 
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The Red 
Indias Law Ministry said there was no compelling reason to stop the hanging on Friday of a Kashmiri Muslim found guilty of plotting a 2001 attack on parliament, a report said Wednesday. The ministrys advice came after President Abdul Kalam sought the opinions of the law and home departments ahead of deciding on a mercy petition filed by the family of the condemned man, Mohammed Afzal Guru.
Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday told Pakistan that bilateral talks between the two countries would collapse unless the government of Pakistan clearly deals with the issue of terrorism. He said that the resumption of the stalled composite dialogue process next month depended on Pakistans dealing with the terrorism issue that troubles India the most. 
Vice Premier Shimon Peres told a conference call of 500 top AIPAC officials on Wednesday that he was concerned that many Middle Eastern countries could develop nuclear technology over the next decade and create an existential threat to Israel. He said the best way to prevent such a scenario was to achieve a far-reaching peace agreement with the countries of the region and that the path to progress with the Palestinians was via economic ventures. 
BEIRUT - The Lebanese army said on Wednesday that the countrys borders were under tight control and rejected Israeli claims of weapons smuggling from Syria. The land and sea borders are controlled in a very meticulous and effective way, and there are no acts that indicate that there are arms entering Lebanon, the army command said in a statement. Therefore, the army command considers that the declaration of the Israeli defence minister is an interference in Lebanese internal affairs that aims at shaking (Lebanons) stability, it said.
Iran warned on Wednesday that a likely UN Security Council resolution for imposing sanctions against Teheran would wreck any possibility for a compromise to resolve the standoff over the country's nuclear program. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, insisted Wednesday that continuing talks with EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana is "still possible." 
