Nah, Hugo. You're doing a good enough job for us. We'll save the money and just watch...
CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez warned that the U.S. government, allegedly frustrated by failed assassination plots against him, was now planning to sabotage the oil-producing country's economy. They almost killed me, like, twenty times...yesterday. Didn't you see it?
Chavez, speaking Thursday on his newly scheduled prime-time TV talk show, predicted that "one of the fiercest battle fronts" was coming ahead as Washington readied to destroy Venezuela economically. Setting up your fall guy already? Be like Bob and blame...THE MAN!!!
He said that recent comments by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accusing Chavez of "destroying" his country's economy meant that "the imperialist plan of the moment" had turned to economic sabotage. Quick! Print more Bolivars! We must fight the Gringo economic sabotage!
"(That's) one of the plans. The other is assassination," he said, reiterating past claims that the U.S. government is plotting to kill him. "We've neutralized various attempts, and I have faith we will continue neutralizing them. But they won't rest." Make sure you keep checking under your bed every night. Because the one night you don't...
Chavez said that recent urgings by President Bush for his country to reduce its oil dependency on unfriendly nations, including Venezuela, meant that Venezuela was already on "the drawing table" and Washington was laying its plans. BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Venezuela and the United States have had increasingly rocky political relations though they continue to be major trading partners in oil. The U.S. is the No. 1 market for crude from Venezuela, the world's eighth-largest oil exporter.
#5
Bobo pauses after reciting the above; and begins again, fellow countrymen, you have nothing to worry about, you have me, as chief oil minister, chief media mogul, head of crop production, technology R&D, and a whole host of newly creatyed departments soon to come under my control, and be named after me. My fellow venezuelans, reach out for me and I will be there, my face on every placard and sign as a reminder of my magnificent tallent all assigned to you. I ask; speak bravely in my defence as I unwind all the imperialist departments, I assure you I will do a better job with the economy than anyone man could do. With my new titles I shall strive to inform you and keep you connected to the progress that I will make, on your behalf.....fellow venezuelans, let me remind you of the struggle ahead, as I undertake the period of learning, about deep water drilling, heavy oil transformation and the nobel prise criteria, I'll need to capture the prize for Leader with the most On air time.
#7
[Read the following exceptionally slow]
My honorable friend wun fay-uh an' sqay-uh. I ver-fide it muh-seff. They-uh ain't no raysun why his wise egalitarun policies should fail.
The Raypubluh-cans, in fact Amer-kaa, must bay tuh blame.
Posted by: Dhimmi Carter ||
02/23/2007 15:49 Comments ||
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#8
The elections were likely rigged but I'll wager he won all three without the net. Venezuelans are big on gimme, and Hugo came along at the right time (oil prices) with enough gimmes. Course now chicken and fresh milk seem to have disappeared off the foodmart shelves. Course if you can find milk or chicken at the Mercals it's at a really, really good price.
Soviet style morning-lines are starting to appear.
#9
Looks like it's time to chop off a few more zeroes off of your currency, eh buddy?
Yeah, that's always a good way to aid your economy (which is already critically dependent on the price of one specific commodity) after you discourage foreign investment by threatening nationalizion.
How long will it be before Venezuela is begging for handouts from Cuba?
Christopher Hill, the top U.S. negotiator to six-party North Korean nuclear talks, used his first major public appearance in Washington since returning from negotiations last week to prepare critics and supporters alike for a long, tough process that will be fraught with problems.
In a speech and remarks this morning at the Brookings Institution, Hill singled out U.S. allegations that North Korea maintains a secret highly enriched uranium program as a likely source of future trouble in the talks. Hill charged that U.S. intelligence has discerned in the past a pattern of acquisitions, including aluminum tubes made in Germany, that is "entirely consistent" with a highly enriched uranium program. Hill said the tubes were of a sort that could be consistent with centrifuges believed to have been supplied by the network of rogue Pakistani scientist A. Q. Kahn. Hill said he was not sure whether North Korea has mastered uranium production techniques, but "we need to see what happened to this equipment."
Hill said that even in private, North Korea continues to deny the existence of an HEU program but is willing to discuss the topic. Disclosure of any HEU equipment and activities is a critical part of the nuclear deal's second phase, as part of a full declaration of any North Korean nuclear assets.
"To be sure, there will be problems coming out with that declaration," Hill said. He also reiterated a U.S. commitment to try to resolve financial sanctions against the Macao-based Banco Delta Asia, a bank accused by Treasury authorities of complicity in laundering counterfeit North Korean-made U.S. currency.
Hill used the occasion to distance the six-party deal reached last week from the Clinton administration's 1994 deal with North Korea. He said the negotiating structure he spearheaded is designed to create a series of "very short" deadlinesas a way to continue testing North Korean intentions.
Hill's remarks appeared designed, in part, to counter the political attacks from hard-liners disappointed at the Bush administration's willingness to begin seeing any rewards flow to North Korea before it has fully and verifiably shed its nuclear weapons and facilities. Critics, led by recently resigned U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, charge that the administration has fallen back on the Clinton administration's approach of allowing benefits to flow to Pyongyang simply for freezing its nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyon (though the 1994 Clinton deal also envisioned moving to eventual full nuclear disarmament). Bolton and others also have suggested that the administration could have gotten the sameor even a betterdeal years ago.
Administration officials, meanwhile, counter that what makes last week's deal different is that it is multilateral and could only have emerged with the pressure of the other countries in the six-nation negotiating group, especially North Korea's neighbor and ally China. The State Department also argues that the early benefits in the deal's first phasedelivered in exchange for a suspension of the reactor and the return of inspectors from the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agencyare modest, consisting of just 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil.
Still, people who have spoken privately with State Department officials in recent days say that the administration was taken aback by the vehemence of the conservative criticisms.
#5
Well, at least my US senator did not claim to have invented the Internet. [*sigh*]
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/23/2007 11:13 Comments ||
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#6
hey factually I happen to agree with Ted Stevens,
"I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?
Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially...
They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.
It's a series of tubes"
yep in fact some internets tubes [plumbing] run so slo that i was stuck in the sink trap a time or two even.
DAVID Hicks was al-Qaeda's "24 carat Golden Boy" and was willing to undertake suicide missions, including crashing a plane into a building, a former Guantanamo Bay inmate has claimed. In a 148-page document written for US government terrorism investigators, British former inmate Feroz Abbasi wrote that Hicks wanted to "go back to Australia and rob and kill Jews". Abbasi's account also made the claim that Hicks wanted to crash a plane into a building and details the Australian terror suspect's behaviour in al-Qai'da training camps in Afghanistan.
The claims made by Abbasi, who was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2005 and has never been charged, are detailed in next week's Time magazine. In a signed statement made on October 20, 2004, Abbasi - who was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001 after being caught carrying a hand grenade in his underpants - repudiated his written account of Hicks in its entirety, describing the allegations made against the Australian as "ludicrous in their content (yet believed by dense investigators)".
According to Time, Hicks was nicknamed "Golden Boy" because he was so clearly al-Qaeda's favourite recruit. Abbasi wrote in his original statement that Hicks, a former kangaroo skinner and father of two who converted to Islam, wanted to "go out with that last big adrenalin rush".
"He once told me in Afghanistan that if he were to go into a building of Jews with an automatic weapon or as a suicide bomber he would have to say something like, 'there is no God but Allah' ect (sic) just so he could see the look of fear on their faces, before he takes them out," Abbasi wrote. "I can only speculate as to why he likes capturing defenceless animals ... All these factors can only point to the reasons why he wanted to hijack a civilian plane and plough it into a civilian building."
Australian authorities have long maintained that Hicks received the highest level of terrorist training of any caucasian who attended al-Qai'da training camps in Afghanistan. Hicks, 31, from the northern Adelaide suburb of Salisbury, was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 and has since been held in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. He is yet to stand trial under the US military commission process. US judge Susan Crawford will soon decide whether to recommend charges of attempted murder and providing support for terrorism.
By his own account, Abbasi first met Hicks while jogging around the al-Farooq training camp near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. He claims the Australian was allowed to break rules while undergoing training and avoided routine punishments. "We had to stand next to a shooter and catch his bullet shells as they were ejected from the rifle before they hit the ground. Golden Boy Hicks thought it was childish and stupid and absolutely refused." Attorney-General Philip Ruddock declined to comment last night on the claims made by Abbasi.
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has raised the possibility of military action to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. He has endorsed Republican senator John McCain's proposition that the only thing worse than a military confrontation with Iran would be a nuclear-armed Iran.
In an exclusive interview with The Weekend Australian, Mr Cheney said: "I would guess that John McCain and I are pretty close to agreement."
The visiting Vice-President said that he had no doubt Iran was striving to enrich uranium to the point where they could make nuclear weapons. He accused Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of espousing an "apocalyptic philosophy" and making "threatening noises about Israel and the US and others".
He also said Iran was a sponsor of terrorism, especially through Hezbollah. However, the US did not believe Iran possessed any nuclear weapons as yet. "You get various estimates of where the point of no return is," Mr Cheney said, identifying nuclear terrorism as the greatest threat to the world. "Is it when they possess weapons or does it come sooner, when they have mastered the technology but perhaps not yet produced fissile material for weapons?"
Mr Cheney also condemned Kevin Rudd's plan to withdraw all Australian combat troops from Iraq. Although he did not mention the Opposition Leader by name, Mr Cheney said the withdrawal of Australian troops "would clearly be a disappointment from our standpoint". He encouraged further Australian involvement: "The more allies we have and the more committed they are to the effort, the quicker we can anticipate success."
Mr Cheney said the allied coalition could not afford to "anticipate failure" and said that the outcome in Iraq would affect not only US security: "We all have a stake in getting the right outcome in Iraq." The US, he said, would stay in Iraq until it "got the job done".
"We deeply appreciate Australia, the Brits and others who have been there from the beginning and made a contribution and have been willing to get into the fight with us."
Earlier, in an address in Sydney to the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue, Mr Cheney had emphasised the importance of the challenge of defeating Islamist terror, underlining the long-term nature of the struggle for the US and its allies. "We have never had a fight like this, and it's not a fight we can win using the strategies from other wars," he said.
In his interview with The Weekend Australian, Mr Cheney said the US-Australian alliance was, based on his knowledge of the relationship, now closer than ever and that this was in part because of John Howard. However, he believed that new institutional closeness between the US and Australia, as evidenced in new intelligence-sharing arrangements and in the trilateral security dialogue among the US, Japan and Australia, would outlast individual politicians.
Mr Cheney paid tribute to the Australian military contribution in Iraq and Afghanistan. He singled out the elite SAS for particular praise, saying: "The SAS troops are great. We like very much working with the Australians."
Mr Cheney, who is regarded as the most hardline member of the Bush administration, was unrepentant about the Iraq operation. "The world's better off now that (Saddam Hussein) is dead and there's a democratically elected Government in his place in Baghdad," he said. "The Iraqi people are well on the road to establishing a viable democracy.
"In the long term when we look back on this period of time that will be a remarkable achievement. We're not there yet. We've still got a lot to do."
#1
He accused Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of espousing an "apocalyptic philosophy" and making "threatening noises about Israel and the US and others".
That's a statement of fact - a matter of public record - not an accusation.
...he had no doubt Iran was striving to enrich uranium to the point where they could make nuclear weapons.
Now, that's an accusation since the evidence isn't part of the public record.
I know Rantburgers don't need to be reminded of this, but it's one of my pet peeves with the MSM (along with the misuse of alleged): if they can't even use the language correctly why should we believe any of their assertions?
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/23/2007 12:55 Comments ||
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#3
You mean you do believe their assertations?
Let's just say that if they told me the sky is blue, I'd look out the window before accepting it - then I'd wonder why they're telling me and what they're not telling me.
#4
WORLDNEWS/BBC/IHT > Israeli INTEL > believe Iran is hiding a PARALLEL NUKE DEV PROGRAM, which Israel says is for Uranium conversion into Plutonium for warheads.
An Iranian human rights activist living in exile in Germany has founded a group called the Central Council of Ex-Muslims. She's now under police protection after members received death threats.
Earlier this month, Iran-born human rights activist Mina Ahadi founded the Central Council of Ex-Muslims, in the Western-German city of Cologne. Ahadi told the German news magazine Focus: "I happened to be born in a Muslim family, and I have decided not to be a Muslim." That was the motivation for forming the group, whose members consists of some three dozen people who have turned their back on the religion.
Ahadi's decision to form the group is a controversial one considering that in most strictly Islamic countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan und Mauritania, a Muslim who rejects his or her religion faces the death sentence in accordance with the Sharia Law. Other countries may not try apostates in a court of law, but they may be ostracized instead. The topic is also sensitive in Europe. An official renunciation of Islam is almost unheard of.
Continued on Page 49
A Rotterdam court ruled on Wednesday that the terrorist suspects in a new recruiting case must stay in jail for at least three more months, De Volkskrant writes. The attorneys appeal to transfer the detainees from the special penitentiary for terrorists in Vught to a more humane institution was dismissed. According to the court, the terrorist wing at the prison is not barbarian and inhumane but strict and restrictive. The attorneys have claimed that their clients were subject to a rigid and unhealthy regime. The public prosecutor said he could do nothing about the prison conditions since the ministry of justice has determined that persons with a terrorist background must be kept in the special wing at Vught.
"So sorry. The decision is out of my hands."
All the defence lawyers said that the prosecution had little evidence against their clients. The suspects in the case are five men and a woman who were arrested in Amsterdam and The Hague in November. Two of the detainees are Moroccans, one is Turkish, one is Tunisian and two are Dutch nationals of immigrant background. The men are being kept at the prison in Vught, the woman in the De Schie prison in Rotterdam.
Away from all the other prisoners, if you're smart.
Determined to challenge President Bush, Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to limit the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq, effectively revoking the broad authority Congress granted in 2002, officials said Thursday.
While these officials said the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled, one draft would restrict American troops in Iraq to combatting al-Qaida, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.
The officials, Democratic aides and others familiar with private discussions, spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying rank-and-file senators had not yet been briefed on the effort. They added, though, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to present the proposal to fellow Democrats early next week for their consideration.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/22/2007 20:40 Comments ||
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#2
Hmm, let's see. A non-binding, idiotic and ill-advised resolution gets filibustered successfully (with a decent vote margin). A binding resolution unconstitutionally over-riding the president's C-in-C responsibilities to direct troops in the field in war-time - I don't see much chance for that.
Perhaps we'll be treated to another outrageous, absurd NYT/MSM headline and story about Senate GOP "blocking debate" when in fact they've blocked a vote.
One is tempted to conclude that the Dems have not improved their war-time political instincts one iota. This sort of stunt is unlikely to play well with most of the country - and will be noted by many as confirming their unserious nature.
Love the stamp! Wow - a Quisling stamp. Only Rantburg delivers obcure and apposite graphics like that ....
#3
Reid will "present the proposal to fellow Democrats early next week for their consideration" (after they consult with their pollsters over the weekend).
#4
Could be fatal too. There's a chance this could be enough to get Lieberman to jump parties, the point to which Frankie was alluding, I suspect. This balloon will not get off the ground.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/23/2007 7:20 Comments ||
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#5
And to think these are the folks that were of age during the Viet-Nam war and saw what that did to the effort there. The Senate and Congressional leaders that side with this should be ashamed!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/23/2007 8:12 Comments ||
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#6
Pan, they don't care. What happened in Vietnam is what they want. Another 'defeat' for America.
For many of them (Kerry, Kennedy) that was their 'glory' days. Never mind the millions of dead which resulted in the aftermath of their betrayal of our allies.
#9
one draft would restrict American troops in Iraq
The Democrats have publicly denounced a mission that is currently underway, are moving to further restrict the Military commanders options, and now are considering changing the rules of engagement. But did you hear they support the troops.
#17
yeah lets tie our troops hands behind their backs. Their kids aren't in the military putting their lives on the line to protect us, probably in college somewhere getting brainwashed.
Posted by: Jan ||
02/23/2007 15:39 Comments ||
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#18
I would like to see the entire US citizenship rise up in arms against the traitors in the House and Senate. That would require educating them on the treason being committed, something the MSM is dead set against.
I doubt there will be a military coup. The military doesn't think like that. The best possible outcome would be an immediate call for petitions to recall any person that advocates the defeat of the United States in the War on Islamic Fascism. Taxachusetts is a lost cause, but the petition may carry some weight in Texas and elsewhere.
We (bloggers, letter-writers, etc.) need to find a way to educate the average joe on the Constitution and the delegation of duties and responsibilities. The donks seem to think they can ignore it with impunity. The separation of powers was put there for a very specific reason. We're seeing one of those reasons in the actions of the dummycritters currently in Congress.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/23/2007 16:33 Comments ||
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#19
This is AFU. I will give them no quarter for anything at all on that hill. Whatever you want to do you foolish democrats, I will sabotage it all the way. Time to start playing games with the little rats. Enjoy 2007 demonrats and enjoy your curses.
It took a man of the stature of George Washington and the respect and love of the men he lead to prevent the first and so far only coup when the Continental Congress abused the military. Unfortunately, I don't think we have a Washington on duty at the moment. While the most senior level of the military are likely to adhere to the tradition, it is the middle ranks, officer and enlisted, in which the loathing is growing while Nero the Donks fiddle.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing stiff opposition from two Western states, the Pentagon on Thursday scrapped plans for a 700-ton non-nuclear test blast that would have produced the first mushroom cloud of dust over the Nevada desert in decades.
The Defense Department said it would find other ways to test the nation's ability to penetrate underground bunkers that produce and store weapons of mass destruction.
#1
The Defense Department said it would find other ways to test the nation's ability to penetrate underground bunkers that produce and store weapons of mass destruction.
There's a good spot in Iran for DoD to do that.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
02/23/2007 13:28 Comments ||
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#2
Does this mean Harry Reid can move in and buy up the land...cheap?
#4
The Defense Department said it would find other ways to test the nation's ability to penetrate underground bunkers that produce and store weapons of mass destruction.
#5
The loudest critics said the plan revived bitter memories of government "lies" during Cold War-era tests, when officials said there would be no danger.
Wah. Sounds like using Spotted Owls to stop logging in the Northwest. And they fell for it again! Do we always have to satisfy the lowest common denominator? No wonder the US is so hamstrung.
South Korean businessman Tongsun Park, who was accused in the 1970s of trying to buy influence in Congress in the "Koreagate" scandal, was sentenced to five years in prison for accepting at least $2 million to work on Iraq's behalf to influence the U.N. oil-for-food program.
Park was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Denny Chin for his conviction seven months ago on conspiracy charges. A jury had rejected his claims that he was a middleman representing the U.N.'s interests in relieving the pain of Iraqis under Saddam Hussein. The judge called it a "harsh" sentence for a 71-year-old man in poor health but said it was reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances. "You acted out of greed, acted to profit out of what was supposed to be a humanitarian program," the judge said.
Park said he didn't want to speak in court. His lawyer noted his client's age, poor health and desire to get his life back on track. Park's health problems include diabetes, high blood pressure and a kidney transplant.
He was indicted in the 1970s in the Koreagate scandal in which agents of the Korean government were accused of trying to buy influence in Congress but the charges were dropped. Just before the judge imposed the oil-for-food sentence, he noted that Park had signed a document Nov. 29 agreeing that his misconduct involved more than $2.5 million, that he would not appeal his sentence and that he would be sentenced within a range of four years, nine months to five years, the maximum sentence allowed. Federal prosecutors said at Park's trial in July that he was part of a corrupt group of bureaucrats and oil tycoons who enabled a humanitarian effort to be twisted into a corrupt venture for bureaucrats, oil tycoons and Saddam.
This article starring:
Tongsun Park
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Perhaps this is what's needed to break Mr. Park's habit of corruption.
#2
About the use of military against Iran Gen. Talat Masood observed that the Chapter 7 of the UN resolution forbade the use of military means against Iran.
I guess someone should tell him that the US and Iran have been at war since 1979 when Iran attacked and occupied (still occupy) the US Embassy in Teheran.
Hamelin, GERMANY (AP) - In the wake of the removal of rats, and the kidnappings of all the children by the pied piper, and exterminator has been engaged by the town council.
Senators from both the treasury and opposition benches on Thursday criticised the government and private TV channels for calling Muhammad Sarwar, the assassin of the Punjab social welfare minister, a maulvi.
No religious scholar can even think of directing anyone to kill a person and Muhammad Sarwar killed the provincial minister of his own will.
Senator Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), raising the issue on a point of order, said that a conspiracy was being hatched against ulema. The killer was not a maulvi, as this title was only conferred upon a student after completing his studies from a seminary. No religious scholar can even think of directing anyone to kill a person and Muhammad Sarwar killed the provincial minister of his own will, he said. How's that square with Azam Tariq or Hafiz Saeed?
Kulsoom Parveen of the PML said that a female relative of Sarwar should be killed in the same manner.
Kulsoom Parveen of the PML said that a female relative of Sarwar should be killed in the same manner as he killed the minister, Zill-e-Huma. Jamal Leghari said that the Interior Ministry should come up with a policy statement on this issue and provide security guards to parliamentarians.
This article starring:
Abdur Rahim Khan Mandokhel
Chaudhry Anwar Bhindar
Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada
Dr Kausar Firdos
Gulshan Saeed
Jamal Leghari
Kulsoom Parveen
Muhammad Sarwar
Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Pakhtoonkhaw Milli Awami Party
Pakistan Muslim League
Zill-e-Huma
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
So did this happen in Pakistan or Planet of the Apes? I have a tough time telling them apart...
The first 10 bodies of Pakistanis killed in Samjhauta Express blasts arrived at Wagah on Wednesday night. Six of them belong to Ayaz Ahmed's family. He lost his parents, his aunt, uncle and their two children, including an 18-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl. Ayaz was denied a visa so his cousins from Farikabad in India identified the bodies and brought them till the border. "Just imagine how my children are at this time. It has been three days and I have not seen the face of my dead parents," he said.
Ayaz had hoped that his cousins could cross over to Pakistan so that the family could mourn together. But a brief meeting on the no man's line was all they got because they did not have passports. Desperate to reach out to his family across the border, Ayaz sent out a message through NDTV. "I want all my cousins in Fariqabad to be patient, to take care and pray for my parents, elder sister. Such a big tragedy, calamity has taken place. Please control yourself, take care of yourself," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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Investigations into the Samjhauta Express bombings have provided some clarity about what exactly happened. Investigators believe there were not two but perhaps four bombs in the coaches that were targeted. The police believe that the fire originated near the two doors of each coach, which means that four bombs exploded. Considering that two unexploded bombs were recovered, the above implies that there could have been at least six bombs in all. Each bomb is believed to have three detonators, and these were geared up in such a way that if one failed, then another would trigger the explosives. Also the weight of each suitcase was more than 20 kg.
Help in probe
Forensic experts believe that the IEDs had a very complex circuit and, interestingly, they had an indicator flashing on top of the suitcase, which meant that everything was fine with the circuit. Based on all this, investigators believe that there could have been at least four to six bombers and possibly more. Although described as crude bombs, the use of three detonators in each bomb and the sophistication indicates that they were assembled by an expert or experts. And this almost certainly had to be done in somebody's house in Delhi, because had it been done in a hotel or a guesthouse, then it would have raised suspicions. "It was a work of an expert who knew about explosives," said J S Mahanwal, Director, FSL.
But all this hasn't helped the police to identify just which group or individuals are responsible. On Thursday, the Haryana Police admitted that it needed help in the probe, as they have no experience in investigating such a terrorist attack. In the coming days, the focus of the investigations could shift out of Haryana and to Delhi where the specialized agencies will take over.
Six detained
Also, six people have been held by the police in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.Of the six people, two were picked up for questioning in western UP and four in Rajasthan. Among the four people detained in Rajasthan is a married couple from the Naya Sahar locality of Bikaner. The couple provided the police with leads which led to two more people being held in Bikaner. The police sketches were based on eyewitness descriptions of the men who left the train just before the bombs exploded.
Sharing information
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has voiced hope that India would share information on the Samjhauta Express blasts investigation with Pakistan before the joint anti-terror mechanism meet on March 6. Speaking to NDTV, Kasuri said that it's impossible to arrive at a conclusion quickly on who is responsible. On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had ruled out any joint investigation. However, India will share information about the probe at the March meeting.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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The suitcases used to plant bombs in the Samjhauta Express were bought from Saharanpur, investigations have revealed. This vital clue, which is being seen by the police as the only real chance of solving the Samjhauta Express blasts, was received by them on Thursday from the manufacturer of the suitcases used by the bombers.
Delhi Police had on Wednesday detained the Old Delhi-based manufacturer of these suitcases, which are sold for barely Rs 120-150. This man was subjected to intense interrogation during which he revealed that these suitcases are sold only in Saharanpur now. Officials involved in his interrogation said that he had stopped supplying these suitcases in Delhi and other places almost eight months ago. In fact, the manufacturer has categorically said that except for Saharanpur, there is no other place where these suitcases, which come wrapped in blue denim, are sold.
This latest development in the investigations is likely to confirm the suspicion that the blasts were the handiwork of Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to security agencies, Saharanpur is one of the few towns in western UP where LeTs roots run really deep. A joint team of Delhi and Haryana police is now camping in Saharanpur. The cops are also focusing on the make of the bottles which had been kept in these suitcases. Each of these bottles is of a hitherto unknown make,
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor will name the first suspects accused of committing war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region next Tuesday, the prosecutor's office said on Thursday. Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in December his investigators had found evidence of rape, torture, murder and sexual violence in Darfur. His announcement is keenly awaited to see if he charges government figures as well as rebels. "Moreno-Ocampo will submit evidence, in connection with named individuals, of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur," his office said in a statement, adding that the prosecutor would hold a news conference at 1300 GMT on Feb. 27. Once Moreno-Ocampo has filed the evidence, pre-trial judges will decide whether to issue summons or arrest warrants for the named individuals. Formal charges will only follow later.
Looks like hubris and his big mouth may sink his scheme, but I can't see Murtha backing down without a tantrum fight.
Party leaders in the House are likely to present a proposal for binding legislation to the Democratic caucus next week, according to lawmakers in that chamber. But lawmakers and senior Democratic aides said Murtha's plan would have to be scaled back dramatically, after a week-long Republican assault.
Murtha, chairman of the Appropriations defense subcommittee and a leading critic of the war, had intended to fully fund Bush's $100 billion war request for the remainder of this fiscal year. But under his plan, those funds could be spent only to deploy combat troops deemed fully rested, trained and equipped... Wash Post sugar coats the "slow bleed" But that approach may be all but dead, according to several Democratic lawmakers. Murtha doomed his own plan in part by unveiling it on a left-wing Web site, inflaming party moderates. "Congress has no business micromanaging a war, cutting off funding or even conditioning those funds," said Rep. Jim Cooper (Tenn.), a leading Democratic moderate, who called Murtha's whole effort "clumsy." Get some popcorn and wait for the mass hysteria on the Left
#3
Like George WIll said the other day, they don't have the "courage of their convictions". They only want to dance around the issue and embarras Bush. If it encourages the Jihadis, or results in a few dead soldiers, well....if Bush hadn't lied, nobody would've died.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/23/2007 15:56 Comments ||
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#4
Maybe the 'chambers' would be a good place to temp store those 'non-existent' 500+ chemical warheads so far collected in Iraq. Just be be sure they don't fall into AQ hands.
#5
The Repubs = at least Dubya are correct and winning, but its not official until a Democrat is in the WH. thus saving anti-PC PC Universal Libertarianism = Universal Governmentism.
A Man With a Spine--God Bless Him!
Vice President Dick Cheney refused Friday to take back his charge that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's opposition to President Bush's Iraq war buildup is playing into the hands of the Al Qaeda terrorist network.
"If you're going to advocate a course of action that basically is withdrawal of our forces from Iraq, then you don't get to just do the fun part of that, that says, 'We'll, we're going to get out,' and appeal to your constituents on that basis," Cheney said.
During Friday's interview in Sydney, Cheney said, "I'm not sure what part of it is that Nancy disagreed with. She accused me of questioning her patriotism. I didn't question her patriotism. I questioned her judgment."
"You also have to be accountable for the results. What are the consequences of that? What happens if we withdraw from Iraq?," he said. "And the point I made and I'll make it again is that al-Qaida functions on the basis that they think they can break our will. That's their fundamental underlying strategy, that if they can kill enough Americans or cause enough havoc, create enough chaos in Iraq, then we'll quit and go home. And my statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, that then we will validate the strategy of al-Qaida. I said it and I meant it."
Asked if he was willing to take back his criticism of Pelosi, Cheney replied, "I'm not backing down."
#3
"And the point I made and I'll make it again is that al-Qaida functions on the basis that they think they can break our will. That's their fundamental underlying strategy, that if they can kill enough Americans or cause enough havoc, create enough chaos in Iraq, then we'll quit and go home. And my statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, that then we will validate the strategy of al-Qaida. I said it and I meant it."
#5
My opinion: Cheney and everyone else in the administration should have started talking like this-- blunt, commonsense, and pointed-- five years ago, and kept it up nonstop. Had they done so, we wouldn't be in the fix we're in now.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
02/23/2007 19:55 Comments ||
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#9
FREREPUBLIC/LUCIANNE/WORLDNEWS > CHENEY [paraphrased] > Iran = Radical Islam has aggressive regional AMBITIONS. Not just traditional ME nations, or from Spain to Indonesia, "BUT WON'T STOP/END THERE".
More stuff you'll never see in the New York Times or Washington Post AQI Leader Captured:
Soldiers from the 5th Iraqi Army Division captured a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) cell leader February 15. The suspect is believed to be responsible for coordinating and carrying out several improvised explosive device and rocket attacks targeting civilians and Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in the area. During the operation, in which Coalition Forces (CF) accompanied the ISF in an advisory role, several munitions caches were recovered. No civilian, ISF or CF casualties were reported.
US Post Raided by Insurgents:
Insurgents launched a raid February 19 on a US military outpost north of Baghdad, killing two US soldiers and wounding another 17. Authorities said at least one suicide car bomber either rammed into or drove up beside two trucks carrying fuel into the base, igniting an explosion. Insurgents then opened fire with rockets mounted on a truck and from a nearby building. According to Iraq police officials and witnesses, US helicopters landed at least five times to evacuate casualties. The Iraqi Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mouse roars again. Film at eleven...
CAIRO (AFP) - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Friday some European countries had decided to resume aid to the Palestinian government, which has been crippled by a Western funding freeze since Hamas rose to power."Some European countries have decided on an annual support sum for the Palestinian government and have been in contact with Palestinian officials," the exiled Hamas politburo chief told a news conference in Cairo. He declined to specify which countries so as "to not hamper" what he described as a positive move. The check is in the mail...
Meshaal is on a tour of various capitals to push acceptance of the so-called Mecca Accord, signed on February 8 between rivals Hamas and Fatah in order to forge a new unity government. Step right up. There's a sucker born every minute...
At a top-level meeting in Berlin on Wednesday, the Quartet on the Middle East -- United States, Russia, European Union and United Nations -- said it would wait until the new Palestinian government takes office to decide whether or not to lift sanctions, which have been in place for nearly a year. "The blockade is a crime, in the past as it is today," Meshaal said. "It is unjustifiable. But after the Mecca accord, and after the formation of a unity government, it must not continue for another instant." Demanding little fruit, aint he? Well, watch this...
Meshaal, who on Thursday acknowledged "a policy of waiting and seeing," again urged the United States, which regards Hamas as a terrorist group, to adjust its stance. "The Americans must change their position," he said. Or...what? Dire Revenge?
"The international community and the entire world must realise that the post-Mecca accord is different than the pre-Mecca accord. And those who do not take account of this change are making a big mistake." Meshaal added, however, that "Hamas has not changed its priorities. We choose what suits us, not what suits the Quartet." Yeah, that sounds real different...
He also dismissed comments by an Israeli government spokesman on Friday who reiterated the Jewish state's position that no one should have dealings with Hamas, describing them as a "fatwa," a term typically used for Muslim religious edicts. Meshaal said: "Neither Arabs nor Muslims are concerned by the Israeli fatwa and I think that the international community, for whom Israel has become a burden, will not pay attention either." A "burden"? You mean like that useless little shithole you're in charge of...
Meshaal on Monday heads to Russia -- the only one of the four major powers sponsoring the stalled peace process to have diplomatic ties with the radical Islamist movement -- to drum up support for ending international embargoes. Make sure you shake them down for dollars, not rubles.
#1
Some European countries have decided on an annual support sum for the Palestinian government and have been in contact with Palestinian officials," the exiled Hamas politburo chief told a news conference in Cairo. He declined to specify which countries so as "to not hamper" what he described as a positive move.
It says a lot when countries are ashamed to be publicly associated with you and their intent to fund your little charade cannot stand the light of day. So, either he is engaging in typically arab prevarication or Palestine is a social leper.
#2
We choose what suits us, not what suits the Quartet."
Hmmm bitter, delusional, suspicious, and desperate. I finally figured out who this guy reminds me of. Seriously, if Khaled were to sport a flannel shirt and a filthy pair of blue jeans he would remarkably resemble my crack-head neighbor. BTW, I think it would be very dangerous to give a bunch of money to either one
#3
Well, Khaled, yer buddies in Iran only want Euros, so don't come to us looking for a handout. The Israelis ought to shut down the power for a few hours to a day, and the water for a day or so, and send a message, too.
This guy is quite the arrogant little sh*t, isn't he. Condi and Co would be absolute fools to deal with the likes of him and his cronies---ever.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/23/2007 23:00 Comments ||
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The next time the leaders of rival political factions here in the Palestinian territories come to a podium with smiles and handshakesas Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh recently did to announce a unity government they pray will end factional fighting between their Fatah and Hamas partiesremember Majed Ghrayeb, a top Fatah security official.
One evening, a little over a month ago, Ghrayeb was at home when the interior ministry's Executive Forcethe Hamas addition to the more than a dozen militias, mafias, and gangs that ply their trade in the Gaza Stripattacked his house in the Jabaliya refugee camp. In the ensuing gun battle, Ghrayeb was wounded and taken from his home by the Hamas gunmen.
Within minutes of the attack, Abbas, whom everyone calls Abu Mazen, called Haniyeh in an effort to get Ghrayeb released. Haniyeh reached the commanders on the ground, ordered them to release Ghrayeb, and was promised that he would be let go "in five minutes," according to an official in the room at the time.
About five minutes later, the Hamas fighters executed Ghrayeb and dumped his body in the street. they lie to their own leaders. the nobility and integrity of the palestinian people knows no bounds.
Despite Abbas' and Haniyeh's recent moves toward cooperation, the two men have failed to address what might be the only issue that currently matters: who will command the thousands of underpaid and overarmed gunmen who wander the streets of the Gaza Strip "keeping order." ignorant, hate filled, murder-accepting and armed. quite a combination.
It's great news that Hamas is now willing to share ministry portfolios with Abu Mazen's Fatah party. Great news, that is, if you or a family member are chosen for a cabinet position. But for the rest of the Gaza Strip's poor and frustrated residents, all that matters is the lack of money, the number of guns in the hands of young men, and how it seems that Haniyeh and Abu Mazen have little, if any, say in the behavior of their own security forces.
The tax revenues collected by Israel and the huge amounts of international aid given to the Palestinian government are the only things that keeps Gaza eating. And because of Hamas' refusal to recognize the state of Israel, most of that revenue has dried up since the party's January 2006 election victory. At the same time, since Israel evacuated its Gaza settlements in the summer of 2005 and Israel turned over the Egyptian border to Palestinian authority in November of that year, local black-market trade in guns, rocket launchers, and drugs has boomed. plenty of money for weapons and drugs. food? not so much.
It's easy for Americans and Israelis to sayas they recently havethat the Palestinians need to unify their security forces and support a government that recognizes Israel's right to exist. But doing so would require a series of impossibilities. First, the Palestinian Authority would need to find an interior minister who could integrate a slew of different factions that hate each other and whom the fighters on the street would respect. However, any potential minister who was himself untainted by factional bloodletting would also lack the gunmen needed to bring the others in line. Hamas will never accept the command of Fatah security boss Mohammed Dahlan, and Dahlan's men are loyal to him only as long as he pays their salaries. And if Haniyeh can't even keep his men from killing senior Fatah officials against direct orders, it seems unlikely that he can force his more militant allies to accept the terms that would reopen the aid spigot the government desperately needs. in other words, peace with Israel is absolutely impossible because the palis hate each other so much. what a bizarre set of circumstances. even more bizarre is the fact that the world doesn't see it for what it is -- purely out of convenience and self interest.
In the Khan Yunis refugee camp, a Hamas stronghold, the Executive Force is housed and trained, not without irony, in a former Israeli settlement. Where Israelis once worked and raised families, palis train to kill.
In new blue camouflage uniforms, Hamas militants go through the motions of training to be real police officers. For the most part, they're sweet kids, quick to laugh and joke with an American visitor, and a few even speak fondly of the days before the intifada when Israeli settlers would come to Khan Yunis to shop and hang out. To a man they insist that while they are Hamas party members, they want to be part of a police force that protects all Palestinians, regardless of affiliation.
But when pressed, one of their top officialsa huge, gregarious man named Abu Mutanaadmits that even with the new deal, the chances of preventing more intra-Palestinian bloodshed are slim. On his giant hands, he checks off the problems: hate for Dahlan by his own men, family feuds and revenge killings that continue unabated despite the pleas of the leaders. Finally, he admits that unity is a charade, as would become clear if he were ordered to arrest Ghrayeb's killers. "If you ask me once, I am the interior ministry police. You ask me again, I am Palestine's police force." He pauses and grins. "You ask me a third time, my friend, and I am Hamas; only Hamas." "I'm whatever I need to be in the moment. My loyalties are for sale."
An hour later, back in Gaza City, more than 3,000 armed young men aligned with Fatah were marching and shooting guns in the air. My driver and I assumed the war had resumed, for who would send thousands of armed men to fire wildly in the air in front of the Islamic University of Gaza, a hotbed of Hamas support that was recently burned and looted by Fatah gunmen.
But it seems they just want jobs. After what they claimed was eight months of trainingalthough their ability to march and handle automatic weapons makes me suspect they need another eight monthsthey have no jobs, only uniforms and weapons.
As they shouted and fought over whose turn it was to shoot the machine gun in the air, a local journalist leaned over and whispered in my ear. "This is about money," he said. "Fuck Fatah, and fuck Palestine. If [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert called right now and offered them each [$250] a month, they'd all become Jews and join the Israeli Defense Forces."
#1
The tax revenues collected by Israel and the huge amounts of international aid given to the Palestinian government are the only things that keeps Gaza eating
#3
Seriously, this would be a bad movie script, wouldn't it? There's suspending belief and then there's just disbelief...
Ask me if I care about what happens in that god-forsaken place....
- tumbleweed -
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
02/23/2007 11:23 Comments ||
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#4
Just found a goldmine. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights website:
PCHRs preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 16:30 on Wednesday, 21 February 2007, Adham Atallah Shaath, a 25-year resident of Gaza City, was killed by a bullet in the back. Ahmad Khader El-Shamali (23) was injured by a bullet in the right foot. They were hit when bullets were accidentally fired from a firearm they mishandled in Johr El-Deek village, southeast of Gaza City. They were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where Shaath was pronounced dead upon arrival and transferred to the forensic medicine department in Shifa Hospital. El-Shamalis injury was listed as moderate.
At approximately 13:00 on Wednesday, 21 February 2007, Nahda Sadi Hasanein, a 20-year old female resident of Shejaeya Quarter in Gaza City was admitted to Shifa Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound in the abdomen. She was injured while inside her house; and the source of the shot was not determined. When members of the young womans clan were inside the hospital, a verbal dispute broke out when they refused to give information about the injured woman to the Executive Force station in the hospital. At approximately 19:30 on the same day, the Executive Force prevented members from Hasanein clan from entering the hospital because they were armed. An gunfight broke out between both sides in the hospital compound, and led to the injury of 10 people.
At approximately 12:00 on Wednesday, 21 February 2007, Zaki Hussein Abu El-Thieb (39) from Deir El-Balah was admitted to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city. He was suffering from a gunshot wound in the right leg. El-Thieb, who works in the security apparatus Force 17, was injured from a firearm he was carrying when he attempted to fire during a dispute in a mechanics garage in Deir El-Balah.
At approximately 1:45 in the morning of Wednesday, 21 February 2007, an explosive charge was detonated in front of the house of the Director of Police Security, Abdel Naser Doghmosh (45), in Tal El-Hawa Quarter in Gaza City. The explosion shook the area, and caused damages to the house entrance. In addition, the house windows were shattered. No injuries were reported.
PCHR is concerned over the continued falling of victims by the misuse of weapons. In addition, the Centre strongly condemns the clashes inside Shifa Hospital. The Centre reiterates the call to the PNA, represented by the Attorney-General, to seriously investigate these crimes, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
At approximately 20:30, 13 February 2007, 4 persons were wounded when bullets were fired in celebration of a wedding party in al-Sabra neighborhood in the east of Gaza City:
1)Saleh Nafez al-Nemer, 27, wounded by a bullet to the left foot;
2)Yousef Ahmed al-Azbaki, 17, wounded by shrapnel to the left leg;
3)Samer Hanna Shihada, 22, wounded by a bullet to the left foot; and
4)Zaki Mohammed al-Gharbli, 22, wounded by a bullet to the left foot.
In another incident, at approximately 13:30 also on Tuesday, Mohammed Zaher Abu Nasser, 15, from Jabalya refugee camp, was wounded by a bullet to the right foot, when he carelessly checked his fathers gun.
PCHR is gravely concerned for the increasing number of casualties resulting from the misuse of weapons. PCHR reiterates its call for the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate such attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never cover anything with the muzzie muzzle that you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until the target is in your sights.
4. Always be sure of your target.
#8
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 15:30 on Monday, 22 January 2007, Sameeha Hammad Eissa, 34, was killed by 3 live bullets to the head fired by mistake, when she attempted to stop a quarrel between two of her brothers. Her body was transferred to the forensic medicine department at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
#9
Clashes broke out in Ramallah on Thursday afternoon after Palestinian security officers accidentally killed a Palestinian youth.
The incident began when a Palestinian military intelligence forces instructed a vehicle traveling in the West Bank city to stop. The driver refused and continued driving. The force opened fire at the vehicle, missed, and accidentally killed a teenager standing next to the vehicle. The boy, Ahmed Abu Nefisa, was killed on the spot. In response to the killing, the boy's family members began attacking Palestinian Authority security officers and vehicle and set fire to police vehicles. The rioters also vandalized several shops in the city and vandalized them. Almost all businesses in Ramallah were shut down in response for fear the clashes would continue.
Several hours later, senior members of the security organizations reached an agreement with the family members after promising them that the dead youth would be declared a "shahid" (martyr) and his family members would be compensated by the PA.
The people injured in the riots and their family members would also be compensated, and in return, the riots would be halted until the three mourning days are over. After the mourning period, the parties would agree on the amount of compensation. The security organization which killed the boy apologized for the incident.
#10
The dream of President Abbas, whom everyone calls Abu Mazen, to push the Jews off the land by outbreeding them, is looking farther off with every visit tu3031 makes to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights website. ;-)
#11
PCHRs preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 19:00 on Saturday, 20 January 2007, Ashraf Matar (22) was injured by a bullet in the head during weapons training in a camp for Izzedeen El-Qassam Battalions to the southwest of Gaza City. He was taken to Shifa hospital for treatment, where his injury was listed as serious.
At approximately 11:30 on Friday, 19 January 2007, Salim Sobhi Ibrahim Abu El-Kheir, a 51-year old resident of El-Amal Quarter in Khan Yunis, was killed by bullets to the head and chest. Unknown gunmen traveling in a car fired at the victim as he was heading to the mosque in his neighborhood. The Police started an investigation into the murder.
On Thursday, 18 January 2007, Kamal Mohammad Sarhan El-Bashiti (32) was killed and two children were injured by gunfire in a wedding celebration in Khan Yunis. PCHRs fieldworker reported that a gunman lost control of an assault rifle he was firing in the air during the wedding celebration, in the Batn El-Samin area in Khan Yunis. The injured were taken to Naser Hospital for treatment. Kamal, the grooms brother, died of his wounds at the hospital; while the childrens injuries were listed as moderate.
At approximately 16:00 on the same day (18 January), Mahmoud Adnan Abu Marouf, a 23-year old resident of Jorit El-Lout area in Khan Yunis, was moderately injured by a bullet in the left leg. The injury occurred due to the accidental discharge of a bullet from a friends weapon in El-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis. Abu Marouf was taken to Naser Hospital for treatment.
At the same time as the previous incident, Anwar Badawi El-Yazji (51-year old resident of Gaza), was injured by shrapnel in the back while he was in El-Remal Quarter in the city. El-Yazji informed PCHRs fieldworker that masked gunmen fired at him after they failed to abduct him.
#15
wonder what the diff in life expectancy is between Gaza and the WB. In the WB, at least, they seem to keep the wepons on "safety", except for celebrations and such, of course, like weddings, unexpected funerals, IDF arrests....
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/23/2007 20:34 Comments ||
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The military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Thursday denied Israeli reports that it had obtained Soviet-made anti-tank missiles in Gaza. The denial came in response to a report by the Israeli Ha'aretz daily that Hamas militants smuggled Sagger missiles into Gaza from Egypt.
But Abu Obaida, spokesman for Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, insisted that the Palestinian resistance have the right to get such missiles and more advanced rockets. It's a Legitimate Right™...
He said that the brigades has been developing homemade weapons to fight against "the Zionist enemy which always announces intentions to launch wide aggression against the Gaza Strip." He said that Hamas militants have made progress in this regard, terming the progress as "a tangible development in Palestinian resistance."
Israel and the Palestinians agreed on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip last November. Hamas committed itself to the deal and stopped rocket attacks against southern Israel.
This article starring:
ABU OBAIDA
Hamas
Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
An Israeli Defense Minister that has the keen ability to look at things from a distance, using binoculars with the cap, still on, has to be credible in anyones eyes.
#5
The latest versions of the SAGGER is ineffective against ultra-modern Western MBT's save causing their crews to psychologically check under their seats. Still useful [multi-hit]against Infantry- + other Infantry-Combat Support carriers. IMO, intended for Civilian Terror; or as per LEBANON SUMMER 2006 to attack = kill Israeli soldiers riding on Armor, notsomuch to knock out Armor per se - IOW, PYWAR.
Ineffectual Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday brought his ineffectual struggle for Western support of his incoming ineffectual coalition government with the Islamic militant group Hamas to Germany, which holds the ineffectual European Union presidency. Abbas, who is ineffectually seeking an end to the crippling international boycott of the Palestinian Authority, arrived in Berlin after meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The ineffectual PA chairman lied and says the Palestinians are committed to rejecting violence, to international law and to meeting all agreements reached previously with Israel - even though the power-sharing agreement between his Fatah faction and Hamas completely largely skirts these demands.
Abbas was holding ineffectual talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday before meeting Friday with Chancellor Angela Merkel. The ineffectual Palestinians have yet to form a government on the basis of the power-sharing agreement struck in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Hamas's rejection of international demands to recognize Israel is proving a problem abroad, and Israel has ruled out talks on a final peace deal with the ineffectual Abbas if he goes ahead with plans for the unity government.
Abbas's job in Europe will be to persuade the ineffectual EU to keep an open mind, said regional expert Thomas Birringer. "The Mecca deal is not enough," said Birringer, resident representative of Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the Palestinian territories. "There are voices that still say 'no cooperation with a government in which Hamas is participating'," said Birringer. "I think the ineffectual Abbas will try to keep people from closing the door before there is a government."
He said finding a finance minister who enjoys trust will be impossible key. The ineffectual EU was the major donor for the Palestinian authority, but aid has been cut off since Hamas, which has always sought seeks Israel's destruction, won parliamentary elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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Islamic dissident Ayaan Hirsi Ali has lived the low life apportioned to Muslim women. Now she describes it in a new bestselling autobiography and an interview with WORLD magazine.
In the early 21st century, all Russian army aviation, including helicopter units, was re-subordinated to the allegedly development-oriented Russian Air Force.
This decision did not make much sense because all Russia's cash-strapped armed services were unable to acquire modern military equipment at the turn of the century. The Air Force, for example, which only got the first new Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback tactical bombers in late 2006, managed to upgrade just a few aircraft per year, starting with 1992. Consequently, Air Force generals cared little about helicopter units.
The Ka-50 faced additional problems after the re-subordination because Army Gen. Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the Russian Air Force, preferred the Mil Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopter that had lost out to the Ka-50 in 1984.
This choice was justified because the Mi-28's maneuverability had improved greatly by 1999. The helicopter also received thicker armor, more powerful weaponry and was renamed the Mi-28N Night Hunter, meaning it could operate round the clock.
The Mi-28 was fitted with 16 long-range anti-tank guided missiles, developed at the famous Kolomna-based Machine-Building Design Bureau, which could pierce thick armor. For comparison, the Ka-50 had only 12 such missiles, contributed by the Tula Instrument Engineering Design Bureau.
Gen. Mikhailov's decision to adopt the Mi-28N can probably be explained by the fact that before being transferred to Moscow, he had commanded an air army in Rostov-on-Don, the city where the Rostvertol helicopter plant manufacturing Mi-8 Hip, Mi-17 Hip, Mi-24 Hind, Mi-26 Halo and Mi-28-N Havoc models, is located.
Though, this is mere conjecture because any new weapons systems are adopted through a collective decision-making process involving different experts.
However, the Mi-28N unexpectedly became more popular than the Ka-50. In December 2003, Gen. Mikhailov said the Mi-28N will become Russia's main attack helicopter, and will be supplied to all helicopter units. Commenting on the future of Kamov helicopters, Mikhailov said Ka-50 models will only serve with special weapons and tactics, or SWAT, units.
Fifteen years ago, when the two helicopters were fighting for their place under the Sun, I asked the late Mark Vainberg, general designer in charge of the Mi-28 project, which of the two models he preferred.
Vainberg replied it was like choosing between the left and the right eye, because one has to keep both eyes open in combat. In his opinion, success in battle depends on the generals' ability to prudently use their units and on the inherent advantages of each weapon and weapons-control system, rather than on weaponry, even the most advanced.
Unlike the Mi-28, which is mostly intended to attack ground targets, the Ka-50 can destroy enemy helicopters and aircraft more effectively. No universal weapon exists because all weapons systems supplement each other. But two or three flights of these helicopters can effectively cover the entire forward edge of the battle area, or FEBA.
Rostvertol officials confirmed this opinion, saying at the latest aerospace show in Zhukovsky that it would be incorrect to compare the Mi-28 and the Ka-50.
A swimming robotic watchdog that can keep an eye on harbors and shipping lanes will be unveiled next week at the IDEX 2007 weaponry show in the Abu Dhabi.
The Interceptor Unmanned Surface Vessel, or USV, is the creation of AAI Corporation and Marine Robotic Vessels. It is designed to keep up a constant patrol of the waters in seaports, around offshore oilrigs and in sensitive shipping lanes.
Protecting ships, energy platforms and harbor facilities have become high priorities since Sept. 11, 2001, and the earlier attack on the U.S. destroyer USS Cole. The companies said in a news release the USV could also be used to monitor waters where pirates tend to operate.
Port security in the United States by and large rests with Coast Guard and local law enforcement, although the Navy has a long-running project to train dolphins with ferret out interloping frogmen.
The companies said their decision to debut the Interceptor at IDEX was not coincidence since the location in the United Arab Emirates is in the Persian Gulf from where more than half of the world's oil is carried from.
Details about the Interceptor's specifications hadn't been released Friday. However the companies said in a news release that the versatile USV could be fitted with a number of different sensors, including vide cameras and radiation detectors.
"A fleet of small harbor vessels outfitted with sensors and detection systems and linked to land-based computers could provide accurate data --even down to whether arriving ships are carrying human cargos or perhaps, any radioactive materials," the release said. "The applications now range from simple navigation and photography or data collection to future platforms for quick disaster response and weapons platforms."
#1
A fleet of small harbor vessels outfitted with sensors and detection systems and linked to land-based computers could provide accurate data --even down to whether arriving ships are carrying human cargos or perhaps, any radioactive materials," the release said. "The applications now range from simple navigation and photography or data collection to future platforms for quick disaster response and weapons platforms."
waiting for the robotic nano vershun armed with miniaturized nuclear weapons.
COLOMBO - Sri Lankas Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday announced that they will resume their struggle for statehood after declaring that a Norwegian-arranged truce was worthless. The Tiger rebels said the truce, which came into effect five years ago on Friday, was now non-existent and warned that Colombos military campaign will only add to the bloodshed.
Now non-existent?
It has also compelled the Tamil people to resume their freedom struggle to realize their right to self-determination and to achieve statehood, the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said in a statement.
The Tigers said the ceasefire brokered by peace facilitator Norway in 2002 had initially promised to bring peace to a country where more than 60,000 people had been killed in three decades of bloodshed. Even though today it exists only on paper, it (the truce agreement) remains a unique document in the search for an end to the national conflict in the island of Sri Lanka, the statement added.
Stack it next to all the roadmaps for peace.
The guerrillas blamed the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse, who came to power in November 2005, of trying to force a military solution to the conflict.
Which seems to be working pretty well for them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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A UN report shows that Iran is still enriching uranium and the United States says that further sanctions are in order, though Iran still insists its uranium enrichment is for peaceful purposes, not nuclear weapons as the US claims. The news of the UN report on Iran's uranium enrichment came as no surprise after repeated diplomatic attempts to negotiate with Tehran failed.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Tehran had actually increased its uranium enrichment rather than curtail it as the UN Security Council had dictated to the Iranian government, giving Tehran a deadline to comply before sanctions would be imposed.
Mohamed El-Baradei, head of the IAEA, today turned over to the United Nations Security Council a six-page report on Iran's nuclear activities.
On 23 December 2006 the Security Council requested "within 60 days a report from the Director General of the IAEA on whether Iran has established full and sustained suspension of all activities mentioned in this resolution, as well as on the process of Iranian compliance with all the steps required by the IAEA Board and with the other provisions of this resolution, to the IAEA Board of Governors and in parallel to the Security Council for its consideration."
That report was simultaneously circulated to the AgencyŽs Member States and to the Security Council in New York this afternoon.
The 35-member IAEA Board will consider the report at its next meetings beginning in Vienna 5 March.
In December, the UN Security Council had voted to impose a 60-day deadline for Iran to unconditionally stop a pilot program that has begun small-scale uranium enrichment, as well as stop construction of a heavy water reactor and installation of a much larger enrichment facility.
While the IAEA has not released the content of its report to the public, UN sources say that El-Baradei states that Iran has actually increased its uranium enrichment activity and that "no progess" had been in getting Tehran to cooperate with the Security Council's ruling.
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02/23/2007 00:00 ||
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CNN + FOX > BARADEI > 100-plus machines is now 348, indic to the IAEA that Iran fully intends to proceed wid nuclear enrichment despite the UN deadlines. WORLDNEWS > NORTH KOREA Kimmie also adamantly refusing to give up nuclear weapons programs no matter what agreement is made vv the UNO. IOW, CLOCK IS TICKING TO US MIL ACTION.
Syria has embarked on an Iran-financed "unprecedented" effort to bolster its armed forces with Iranian and Russian help, the Israeli daily LLL Haaretz reported Thursday.
Damascus has large numbers of surface-based missiles and long-range rockets, including the Scud-D, capable of reaching nearly any target in Israel, the report said, and the Syrian navy has received new Iranian anti-ship missiles. Does the chinless wonder think his 'brave lions' will fight? Does chinless really want the IDF going "balls to the wall" on Syria's ass? And then there is the whole issue or arabs operating Russian military equipment, which hasn't worked well for them for the last half-century.
Russian military equipment is more than adequate to repress your own population, if that's what you've a mind to do: a T-55 is a formidable opponent to a cowed population. Put against a Western military that is well trained, well led and well equipped and it's a different story.
Haaretz also said Russia was about to sell Syria thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles, despite Israeli charges that in the past Syria has transferred those missiles to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. The KGB is back in business!
Syrian officials did not immediately comment on the Israeli reports, but President Bashar Assad said in a television interview immediately after the fighting that Syria was preparing to defend itself. "We have jundi and AK-47s and T-55s and all of these new-fangled goodies and stuff. We gotta win now!"
Israeli defense officials confirmed that Syria had ordered new stocks of the anti-tank weapons after noting Hezbollah's successful use of them against Israeli armor in last summer's fighting in south Lebanon. "We get copies of all POs and SOs that the Syrian MoD sends out".
Syria also ordered new supplies of surface-to-sea missiles after Hezbollah used one to hit an Israeli warship, killing four crewmen, off the Lebanese coast last July, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Well, this time I don't think the Israelis will allow any radar to operate anywhere in the area. I am also sure that next time, the IAF will go after all emitters and missile batteries first thing. I think the Israeli Navy will have spanking new ROEs which allow them to fire on any suspected emitter anywhere in the combat area. Period. That was a 1-time event, but ole chinless is using that as his model. Asshat.
Israelis got complacent and it cost them. Won't happen again for a long while ...
The officials said Syrian ground forces adjacent to the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights had been reinforced after the outbreak of last year's Israel-Hezbollah conflict and had not yet fully returned to their prewar footing. "We added some T-55s and some new ATGMs. They are very complex, though."
Israel and Syria are officially at war, though there have been no open hostilities between them for decades. Syria has demanded the return of the Golan, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed, as the price for any peace deal. Israel says it will not discuss a formal treaty with its northern neighbor as long as Damascus continues to back Hezbollah and the radical Islamic Hamas group. Gawd I hope chinless does something stoopid, something so bad, either the US or Israel ousts his regime and destroys all military equipement.
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Russian military equipment is more than adequate to repress your own population, if that's what you've a mind to do: a T-55 is a formidable opponent to a cowed population. Put against a Western military that is well trained, well led and well equipped and it's a different story.
Actually, Russian equipment is perfectly adequate. In fact, for Arabs, it's a lot better than US equipment because Russian one requires a lot less TLC.
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.
Christopher Hill, the top U.S. negotiator to six-party North Korean nuclear talks, used his first major public appearance in Washington since returning from negotiations last week to prepare critics and supporters alike for a long, tough process that will be fraught with problems.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing stiff opposition from two Western states, the Pentagon on Thursday scrapped plans for a 700-ton non-nuclear test blast that would have produced the first mushroom cloud of dust over the Nevada desert in decades.
South Korean businessman 
Investigations into the Samjhauta Express bombings have provided some clarity about what exactly happened. Investigators believe there were not two but perhaps four bombs in the coaches that were targeted. The police believe that the fire originated near the two doors of each coach, which means that four bombs exploded. Considering that two unexploded bombs were recovered, the above implies that there could have been at least six bombs in all. Each bomb is believed to have three detonators, and these were geared up in such a way that if one failed, then another would trigger the explosives. Also the weight of each suitcase was more than 20 kg.
The suitcases used to plant bombs in the Samjhauta Express were bought from Saharanpur, investigations have revealed. This vital clue, which is being seen by the police as the only real chance of solving the Samjhauta Express blasts, was received by them on Thursday from the manufacturer of the suitcases used by the bombers. 
The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor will name the first suspects accused of committing war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region next Tuesday, the prosecutor's office said on Thursday. 
A UN report shows that Iran is still enriching uranium and the United States says that further sanctions are in order, though Iran still insists its uranium enrichment is for peaceful purposes, not nuclear weapons as the US claims. The news of the UN report on Iran's uranium enrichment came as no surprise after repeated diplomatic attempts to negotiate with Tehran failed.
Syria has embarked on an 
