...
"The Defense Department twice sought Mr. Obamas permission to use force to rescue Captain Phillips, most recently on Friday night, senior defense officials said. On Saturday morning, the president agreed, they said, if it appeared that the captains life was in imminent danger."
...
By implication the US forces had been under order not to use force even if the hostage's life was in imminent danger up until Saturday morning.
A Yemeni Interior Ministry official has said smugglers threw about 70 Somali and Ethiopian migrants overboard in shark-infested waters and at least seven of their bodies have washed ashore in Yemen.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk to the media, said the incident took place over the weekend.
The UN refugee agency said on Saturday that seven other migrants from the same group are presumed dead. It said some survivors reached Yemen and were given food and water before they were transferred to a reception centre.
Hundreds of Africans die every year trying to reach Yemen, with many drowning or being attacked by pirates and smugglers in the dangerous waters separating Somalia and the Arabian peninsula.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Things must be pretty bad if you're willing to risk death to reach...Yemen.
For the same reason the usual suspects didn't care about the killing fields in Cambodia. Those who help make the situation by selling guilt don't take responsibility for the results created by their 'higher moral ground'.
The British government's Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT), a 200-strong Home Office unit created 18 months ago, has said in meetings it wants to 'flood the internet' with 'positive' interpretations of Islam and plans to train government-approved groups in search engine optimization techniques, which it is hoped will boost their profile online and battle radicalization.
A Home Office spokesman confirmed search engine optimization training is part of the government's anti-radicalization strategy. 'In order to support mainstream voices, we work with local partners to help develop their communication, representational and leadership skills. This support could include media training, which can help make their voices heard more widely, and support the development of skills which allow communities to be more effective in debate.'
However the effectiveness of search engine optimization in reducing traffic to extremist websites has been dismissed by academics. A report produced by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) said young Muslims were much more likely to be directed to extremist material online by web forums and offline associates than by Google or other search engines. 'Tweaking the results for supposedly extremist terms would be largely ineffectual, not least because it is unlikely that any but the most callow wannabe terrorist would use a mainstream search engine to find banned material.'
Posted by: ryuge ||
04/13/2009 06:30 ||
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#1
Positive Isramic message.
"If you're not a Jew and have not sinned against Islam, we won't kill you---probably."
British counter-terrorism police believe that a team of Pakistan-born Al Qaeda suspects is still at large in the UK. It is feared that as many as three dozen potential terrorists may have slipped through security nets and may be waiting to strike. A police official told The People: "We think there were two teams on this -- one doing the preparation and another to come in right at the last minute to carry it out. The worry is that the second team may be in possession of explosive material. Officers are looking at the possibility of a 'dead drop' to transfer material. "If there are two teams, it is a clever tactic. It means any compromise in the first team leaves the second free to finish the job."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] British police were granted Saturday a further week to question 11 men arrested over an alleged al-Qaeda-driven major terrorist plot, while one was released without charge, British police said.
Twelve men, among them 11 Pakistani nationals -- 10 in Britain on student visas -- and a Briton were arrested in raids across northwest England on Wednesday. "The North West Counter Terrorism Unit was last night given warrants for the further detention of 11 men arrested," a Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said.
Suspects held in custody
An 18-year-old arrested in connection with the alleged plot was released without charge in relation to the anti-terror operation but is now in the custody of the U.K. Border Agency, which regulates immigration and can investigate the status of those entering Britain. The men, still held by police, are in custody in various locations across Britain. They range in age from 22 to 41, and can be held without charge for up to 28 days. Anti-terror police are still searching 10 addresses in the cities of Manchester and Liverpool as part of the probe.
A delay in the raid
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the case involved a "very big terrorist plot" that security officials had been tracking for some time.
The raids had to be brought forward because of a security blunder by Britain's top counter-terrorism officer, Bob Quick, who was photographed carrying a secret document on the operation that said the alleged plot was "AQ-driven," meaning al-Qaeda. He resigned Thursday over the security breach.
Diplomatic spat
" Pakistan has got the problems of... groups of terrorists in their country operating from their country "
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
The operation caused a diplomatic spat between Britain and Pakistan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who wanted more assistance from Pakistan in rooting out extremists targeting Britain, held telephone talks with President Asif Ali Zardari.
Brown told the media that two-thirds of the terror plots investigated in Britain originated from Pakistan. "Pakistan has got the problems of . . . groups of terrorists in their country operating from their country," he said. "We need all the cooperation that we have with the Pakistani authorities to deal with these problems."
Pakistan fights back
Most terrorism plots in Britain since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, have had links to Pakistan, including suicide bombings which killed 52 people on London's underground and bus network in July 2005.
Pakistan's top diplomat in Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, said Friday Pakistani authorities could help carry out background checks on student visa applicants but were not allowed to. "It is at your end, you have to do something more," Hasan told BBC television.
Though 10 of the 12 arrested were in Britain on student visas, Immigration Minister Phil Woolas insisted checks on applicants to weed out extremists were adequate.
Britain has been on high security alert ever since the July 2005 attacks on the London transport system, which killed 56 people including four suicide bombers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A draft U.N. Security Council statement "condemns" North Korea's long-range rocket launch Saturday and said it contravened a previous council resolution banning ballistic missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang.
The draft statement, which the five permanent members of the Security Council and Japan agreed and circulated to the other nine council members on Saturday, also called on the U.N. sanctions committee to take steps to enforce existing sanctions against North Korea. To be adopted, such a declaration requires unanimous approval from the 15 members.
"The Security Council condemns the 5 April 2009 launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is in contravention of Security Council resolution 1718," the U.S.-drafted statement said.
Resolution 1718, passed shortly after Pyongyang's Oct. 2006 nuclear test, forbids North Korea from launching ballistic missiles or carrying out further nuclear tests.
"The Security Council demands that the DPRK not conduct any further launch," it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Whew, glad that's over! The UN has, once again, done what it does best....
#6
Silly rabbit, EU6305. Of course not, that would have been an act of aggression by the US. NKorea is free to explore space, just like the rich countries, even as its people starve. The US should shut up and provide food and fuel oil for free.
And stop complaining about their peaceful nuclear weapons program.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/13/2009 19:26 Comments ||
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The so-called human rights activist, Teesta Setalvad who paraded the Gujarat riot victims before the Supreme Court and claimed they had been denied justice suffered embarrassment on Monday after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) gave sufficient grounds for the apex court to doubt the authenticity of incidents highlighted by her NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace.
The SIT, headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan along with former DGP CB Satpathy and three senior IPS officers Geetha Johri, Shivanand Jha and Ashish Bhatia had been entrusted with the enquiry into post-Godhra riot incidents in Godhra, Gulbarg Society, Naroda Gaon, Naroda Patiya and Sardarpura.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the State, read out portions of the report that refuted the petitioners charge of the States complicity in the riots.
Pointing out a specific instance, the SIT report stated how the evidence of 22 witnesses was suspect owing to the identical submissions made in their affidavits submitted to the court. On enquiry, the SIT found that all the 22 affidavits were drafted, typed and printed from the same computer, giving sufficient grounds to believe they were tutored. When the SIT questioned those who signed the affidavits, it was shocked to learn that these complainants were not even aware of the incidents.
Referring to another instance that exposed the Citizens for Justice and Peaces much trumpeted charges, Rohtagi said the SIT investigation found untrue allegation about a gangrape of a pregnant woman Kauser Bano, whose stomach was allegedly pierced by sword and her foetus killed.
Even the instance of dumping of bodies into a well at Naroda Patiya and a charge of the police allegedly shielding accused persons in murder of a British national was found to be untrue, Rohtagi said.
Firing a salvo at the NGO, Rohtagi said, It is clear from the report that the horrendous allegations made by the NGO were false. Cyclostyled affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made in them were untrue, he added, with an obvious reference to Setalvad.
The NGOs counsel Aparna Bhatt objected to such comments being made on the strength of the report, which had also added several persons as accused in the case. Refusing to be drawn into the slanging match between the opposing parties, the Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat said, In riot cases, more the delay, there is likelihood of falsity creeping in. So, there should be a designated court to fast track the trials.
The court asked the State Government, petitioners and amicus curiae senior advocate Harish Salve to suggest recommendations on these lines. Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the Centre, suggested selection of public prosecutors on consultation from the SIT. Salve informed the court that the matter would be taken up with the SIT. Based on a suggestion by another NGO petitioner counsel Indira Jaising to evolve a witness protection system, Salve assured that the same would also be discussed in the light of the sensitivity attached to the case. The bunch of petitions was posted for further hearing after next week.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009 17:06 ||
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Shocked, I am. Or not. Any outfit that has "citizens", "justice", and "peace" in the title is advocating for none of those things.
The US will help India and Pakistan "find a new way forward" only if they stop "pointing fingers at each other," a visiting top Senator said on Monday, even as Islamabad asserted that a "calm eastern border" is essential to focus on its war against terror in Afghanistan.
And remember, death is not an option: Is John Kerry the most clueless person in the U.S. Senate? Discuss.
The US will help both countries "find a new way forward" but at the same time New Delhi "needs to look at where it is going to be in 10 years," visiting US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry said at a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
If India and Pakistan spent all their time "pointing fingers at each other and on the past", they would "never get to the future," Kerry added.
"The world wants Pakistan to focus on the western border because extremism and terrorism has to be dealt with. But to focus on the western border, Pakistan wants a calm eastern border," Qureshi said.
"And if we have a calm eastern border, it certainly makes our task easier," he added.
The US Senator also made it clear that Richard Holbrooke had been appointed the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan and India is not included in his brief. Issues like Kashmir have to be resolved separately, he said.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009 15:33 ||
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Typical dem leftist moral relativism. The problem is that the Paks are enablers and supporters of Islamic jihadi terrorism. Kerry tries to reduce the issue to a neighborhood dispute, which it is not. Kerry meets and exceeds my expectation.........as a tool of the left.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/13/2009 21:25 Comments ||
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#2
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > US PLANS GO BEYOND PAKISTAN'S EXISTENCE/KISSINGER, BREZINZKI: US FACES STRATEGIC DEFEAT IN AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN, OR FIGHTING ON WITH OR WITHOUT ALLIED HELP.
ALso on SAME > US MAY CEDE TO IRAN'S NUCLEAR AMBITION [POTUS BAMMER's ADMIN - Nukulaar "Zero Enrichment" for IRAN is NOT FEASIBLE/REALISTIC]. Read, SHORT OF WAR WITH IRAN; + INDIA: IFF ELECTED TO POWER, BJP WILL SEND INDIAN ARMY TROOPS INTO PAKISTAN[to help PK crush/defeat MilTerrs]???
General Xu Qiliang, the air force commander People's liberation Army of China has been conferred the high honour of Nishan-i-Imtiaz. The award was given by Pakistani president Asia Ali Zardari at Aiwan e Sadr, the presidential residence in Islamabad, on Saturday.
The honour reflects Pakistan's appreciation for Xu's efforts in forging cooperation between the air force of the two countries that led to the joint production of JF-17 fighter aircrafts in Pakistan. Islamabad is now trying to sell this aircraft, produced with Chinese assistance, to some Arab nations. But it has also promised to increase its purchases of other Chinese fighter aircrafts.
"General Xu Qiliang, commander China People's Liberation Army (Air Force) is reputed as an accomplished military Commander and a distinguished aviator. He has played a significant role in promoting and strengthening the bonds of goodwill and cooperation between the Air Forces of China and Pakistan," the award citation read,
After receiving the award, Xu used an air force idiom to describe the friendship between China and Pakistan, saying the two nations will "always fly wing by wing". Pakistan has always extended its support to China on issues like the Taiwan and Tibetan problems and the threat of extremism, he said.
Xu conveyed to Zardari the best wishes from Chinese president Hu Jintao.
Pakistan is sending two of this navy ships led by its chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir, in the founding celebrations of China's navy on April 23. They will be among the 40 odd navel ships that will be sent by 15 different countries.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009 12:59 ||
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That'd be not counting the Japanese and US warships hanging around in the Sea of Japan.
#4
You're looking at the Chinese version of the F-20, with a few add-ons from experience with the Mig-21 and the Mig-23. It's cheap, and useful in a war with another second-rate Air Force, but India will clean their clocks. Factor in in'sallah maintenance and sloppy piloting, and you've got an air force facing a disaster.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 16:42 Comments ||
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#5
F20 mission, yes. But look at the JF-17 from the top down. It's outline looks very much like the F-16.
Posted by: ed ||
04/13/2009 22:00 Comments ||
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#6
ION CHINA, WORLD MILITARY FORUM > IIUC USA: CHINA WILL HAVE ASIA'S/WORLD'S LARGEST AIR FORCE IN TEN YEARS [2019-2020]. TWO CONVENTIONALLY-POWERED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS CIRCA YEAR 2015, TWO NUCLEAR-POWERED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS CIRCA YEAR 2020.
Also from CMF, IIUC US GENERAL: AT THIS TIME US NEEDS ONLY ONE AIRCRAFT CARRIER BATTLE GROUP, ONE LR MISSLE DIVISION TO DEFEAT CHINA IN WAR; + ECONOMIC WOES RESULTS IN RISING HOMELESSNESS IN JAPAN, + SINO-JAPAN RELATIONS IN RISING TURMOIL OVER DAOYU ISLANDS DISPUTE [Senkaku Islands], + CHINA TO FINANCIALLY, ECONOMICALLY DEFEAT THE US-WEST.
POSTER - claims a newly potent/modernized CHIN PLAN should arrive in IRAN by 2020 to protect China's OIL/ENERGY INTERESTS IN IRAN + CENT-SOUTH ASIA. The INDIAN OCEAN likely to become the GEOPOL DANGEROUS PLAYGROUND OF WORLD'S MILITARY = MAJOR POWERS IN COMING DECADES.
Also on WAFF > WORLD POWERS MUST ACCEPT A NUCLEAR IRAN.
How could Rashid Rauf, a "high value" Al Qaeda target, be plotting terrorist attacks in Britain in April 2009 -- as claimed by the British authorities -- if he was killed months ago in a famous drone strike in Waziristan, as US officials claimed, in November 2008, the Newsweek magazine is asking.
According to one UK expert, some British investigators as well as Rauf's family think that he may have survived.
Rauf, a former British resident, was allegedly a central figure in an August 2006 plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners. The plot was foiled after Rauf was arrested in Pakistan. But in December 2007, he escaped from custody. US officials suspected 'inside' help and the White House was delighted when a Predator operation supposedly took him out. Soon afterwards, however, Rauf's Pakistani lawyer asked authorities to produce the body which they were apparently unable to do.
US officials talking to the Newsweek said US agencies still believed Rauf was killed in the strike. "While it is not 100 percent confirmed," said one of the officials, "there are good reasons to believe Rashid Rauf is dead."
"And even if he's dead," the magazine says, "US and UK officials said it's possible the Easter plot was hatched prior to November 2008 -- meaning that Rauf's reach may extend beyond the grave."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Pakistan is a strong, vibrant country that is no danger of collapse, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
Talking to Karan Thapar in the Devil's Advocate programme on CNN-IBN, he said that statements from senior US officials on Pakistan facing internal collapse were exaggerations. He said only certain 'pockets' of Swat are under the control of the Taliban or under attack. "I will not deny that it's a concern," he said, adding that the government feels that dialogue is one of the options that can help "clear those pockets" of the insurgents.
Outstanding issues: Qureshi said Pakistan and India have to address all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, to develop friendly relations. He said India's concerns could only be addressed through talks. "I understand your concern. You can only address that concern by cooperating with Pakistan and not accusing Pakistan. That negative policy will not be in your interest," he said. He said it was in the mutual interest of both countries to bring the culprits of the Mumbai attacks to justice, adding that Islamabad would not accept any conditions. "We had in place a process or the composite dialogue. Unfortunately, the tragic Mumbai incident put that on hold. I would be interested in restarting that process because I feel that was a meaningful process, we were making incremental progress," he added.
When asked about India's response to the 30 questions posed by Pakistan on the Mumbai attack, Qureshi said: "Everything has not been answered but we will proceed forward in a cooperative environment. If more is required, we will share it with you." He said Pakistan had not allowed the FBI to interrogate the Mumbai attack suspects, as the American agency's assistance was not yet required.
Global challenge: The foreign minister said terrorism and extremism were a global phenomena and "friends in India" should understand that "this is a common challenge" that needs to be countered collectively. To questioning, he said Pakistan has taken positive steps to dismantle the terror infrastructure "which are not being recognised and you are overlooking them". He said Pakistani authorities had arrested "very high profile people" and seized and frozen assets.
Al Qaeda help: On US accusations of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) having links to the Taliban or Al Qaeda, Qureshi said that people forget the positive contributions that the ISI has made in the fight against terrorism. He said that without the ISI's help, the coalition forces would not have been able to apprehend "700 or so Al Qaeda operatives". He said Pakistan was in the process of restructuring ISI, adding that the organisation "has been cleansed". He said the US should have conveyed any concerns related to the ISI through diplomatic channels instead of through the media.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > RUSSIA: PAKISTAN IS THE PRINCIPAL NUCLEAR THREAT TO RUSSIA [favors US takeover of any and all Paki Nukes].
* ISRAELI MIL FORUM > PAKISTAN: AFTER GETTING SHARIA LAW IN SWAT, ISLAMIC PARTIES DEMAND ISLAMIC LAW IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY [NWFP first, then rest of country]. To save/salvage Pakistan.
Ajmal Kasab, accused of being part of a 10-man group that attacked Mumbai in November last year, was ripe for recruitment by terrorists, police and security experts say. "He fits the profile if you look at the terrorists recruited by Lashkar-e-Tayyaba," said Wilson John, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi and a specialist in extremist groups.
"They come from lower-middle class or poor families. They're not entirely uneducated, just a little bit educated, they're unemployed and looking for a job. They're not religiously inclined but they can be brainwashed. He was a prime target," he told AFP.
The few biographical details that have come to light so far show that Kasab was born and brought up in Faridkot, Punjab.
His father Amir Iman ran a food stall in the village, and his mother was called Noor, Britain's The Observer newspaper said in December, citing the local electoral roll. Joining a group like Lashkar "offers them a sense of identity", John said.
"They find a purpose in these groups when they are without an objective in life. They're given the protection and comfort of a community."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > seems a woman is claiming that KAMAL is her biological son whom was forcibly taken = kidnapped from her when he was an infant, indoctrinated over time into becom a MilTerr, and that hence Kamal's life should be spared from execution and allowed to see her = return to her???
President Asif Ali Zardari has said the government is employing all its resources to arrest the killers of Baloch leaders, a private TV channel reported. The president made the comments while talking to the Balochistan chief minister over the telephone on Sunday. The president rejected that intelligence agencies could have been involved in the killings. He said details would be made public after an impartial probe. The CM told Zardari that he had ordered a judicial inquiry into the killings.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Any member of the National Assembly (NA) opposes the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in the assembly will be an apostate and will be allowed to contest the next election from minority seats, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat and the Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) separately said on Sunday. TTP Swat spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that any NA member opposing the regulation would contest the next election "if he remained alive". TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat told reporters that any member of the NA opposing the regulation during the debate in the assembly would be declared non-Muslim.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday referred the draft Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, 2009 to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, advising him to table it before parliament for debate prior to its implementation.
A statement issued by presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the draft regulation had been referred to the premier so it could be presented before the Lower House of parliament for final approval.
The National Assembly (NA) will resume its session after a two-day break today (Monday). Prime Minister Gilani has already announced that the government would table the Nizam-e-Adl draft in parliament for its approval before President Zardari gives his assent. However, the Awami National Party has expressed frustration with the delay in presidential approval, saying it could jeopardise the peace agreement with the Taliban. A senior leader of the party told Daily Times conflict would erupt in the Swat region again without speedy implementation of the regulation.
Debate: The NA is also likely to start debate on President Zardari's address to the joint sitting of both houses of parliament. Sources in the NA secretariat said that the recommendations of a 17-member parliamentary committee on national security were also likely to be tabled before the Lower House in this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The chief cleric at India's largest mosque delivered a stinging attack against the country's major parties Friday, calling on India's Muslims to form their own political party less than a week before India's general elections.
Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of New Delhi's Jama mosque said Muslims in India were "victims of injustice" and have been "tortured and systematically sidelined by all political parties."
"A peaceful, secure and happy life is a distant dream for us," he said in a speech ahead of Friday prayers.
He accused the Hindu-majority that make up the bulk of India's main parties of being either overtly sectarian or otherwise trying to cynically woo the Muslim vote with "false promises."
"Look around and see the situation: some parties have an anti-Muslim agenda, some are trying to show sympathy towards us, but they will never be of any good to us," he said, adding that the Muslim community has lost all faith in the existing political parties.
Muslims vote "secular" to no avail
Bukhari called upon Muslims to group and launch their own party that will work for the community's benefit and accused current parties for using India's largest minority as just a vote bank without serving its welfare.
"Political parties use Muslims just as a vote bank. They are not really bothered about their rights or upliftment and welfare," Bukhari told Indo-Asian News Service Saturday.
"Muslims in this country have always been secular and have never voted on religious grounds. They have even voted for political parties whose leaders have been Hindus. They even supported the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 1977 and 1989 elections," he added.
"However, none of the political parties who the Muslims have voted for have done anything for their welfare. This is why I think the community should launch its own political party," he said.
India's general elections will be held over several phases between April 16 and May 13.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Welcome to democracy. You act like a minority bock, then you get treated like one. Minorities rightly come second in a democracy.
[Geo News] A jirga was held in Jacobabad on Sunday under the supervision of members of National and Provincial Assemblies to avert an armed clash between two local tribes.
Former provincial minister Mir Manzoor Khan headed the jirga.
Twenty people of the Sawand tribe and 14 tribesmen of Sabzwai were convicted for murders by the jirga. While a fine of about Rs13.2 billion was imposed on both sides.
It was also decided that a fine worth Rs2 million be imposed on the side involved in imitating the clash first.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] For the first time since taking office Israel's hawkish new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday saying he intends to advance peace through cooperation even though settlement expansion continued, as Pope Benedict called in his Easter message for a renewed push for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Netanyahu vowed to hold talks with the Palestinians, in his first remarks on the troubled Middle East peace process since taking office.
In a phone call with Abbas, Netanyahu "spoke of the cooperation and the discussions that they have had in the past and added that he intends to do so again in the future in order to advance peace between us and the Palestinians," a statement from his office said.
However, it quickly became clear that there was indeed no change in the Israeli stand as residents of a Palestinian Christian housing project in the West Bank village of Beit Sahour say Israel is encircling their community with a security road to separate them from a nearby Jewish settlement.
In his phone call to Netanyahu, Abbas had extended holiday greetings for the Jewish Passover festival and added that "both sides needed to work for peace." Those sides, it seems, lie along Israel's new security road.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
First Netanyahu offers the obligatory olive branch. Then he kicks their butts.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/13/2009 14:26 Comments ||
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#4
I once worked with a labor negotiator In San Francisco who told the representatives of public unions "you can have an icecream cone or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick". You can guess how that turned out - many one-eyed union bosses eating half an icecream cone.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's president expressed openness for talks with the United States, but again dismissed demands to halt nuclear work the West fears is aimed at making bombs, in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also called for "fundamental changes" in Washington's policies, echoing comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials.
"If the behavior of the United States changes, we can expect to see important progress," he said in the interview posted on Der Spiegel's website, referring to decades of mistrust between Tehran and Washington.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ISRAELI MUIL FORUM > HAARETZ - [Source]NASRALLAH INTENDS TO TURN EGYPT INTO LEBANON; + EGYPT: WE STOPPED US$2.0MILYUHN FUNDS TRANSFER TO HAMAS; + WASHINGTONHELPS CURTAIL IRAN'S COVERT SUEZ THRUST. PCorrect Strategic Diversion by Iran to draw attention away from its NUCDEVPROGS???
Wehel-l-l.methinks we learned once more in which strategic direction the SOMALI PIRATES will be heading to iff and when the USN, FRANCE, etc. decide to make = "bust-a-mil-move" agz the Pyri-i-i-tes.
A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats.
The report, titled "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," dated April 7, states that "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts."
However, the report goes on to suggest worsening economic woes, potential new legislative restrictions on firearms and "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."
#2
This article is a single dimensional analysis of a multi-dimensional problem. The government needs to make provisions for the worst case scenario that our country goes into a depression, for sure, but blaming veterans or the right wing leaves out much. If the governments puts the country into the toilet, the ensuing bloodbath wont be from Vets. I venture to say, Vets will be back at the recruiting stations signing back up as Reserves to fight rioters or going to weekend drills. The real rioters will probably come from all segments of society. Vets will be the least pervasive segment.
Veterans, in my opinion FWIW, are less of a threat than fringe lunatics, obviously. Veterans were willing subjects serving the state, and in many senses are more loyal to protecting the US on that count alone. Second thing this analysis leaves out is that many Vets are prescribed happy pills nowadays. Thirdly, any Vet that I've talked to is ecstatic to be back in the United States after consecutive tours in hellhole environments. Also, combat vets have considerable family and community support for their valor in most cases, something that this article completely ignores.
An important point is that our government (which apparently have short memory since Viet Nam) should not be prejudiced against the very people who fought for them, or they risk creating the beast they are so afraid of. They have nothing to fear but fear itself. If indeed the country goes into a depression, and homelessness and lack of credit liquidity is the precursor to "insanity" of the citizens of the United States, they have as much if not more to fear from non-vets such as inner city thugs, illegal immigrant gang members and disillusioned citizenry as well as opportunistic foreign terrorists in general as they do from "right wing extremists or vets"
What the goverment should be on the look out for is placing blame on Conservatives in general, and making them into a fringe element by categorically discriminating against religion, or the gun owning churchgoer. This article is quite ridiculous.
(U//FOUO) Rightwing extremist views bemoan the decline of U.S. stature and have recently focused on themes such as the loss of U.S. manufacturing capability to China and India, Russias control of energy resources and use of these to pressure other countries, and Chinas investment in U.S. real estate and corporations as a part of subversion strategy.
#5
The threat is from the Left. The Left will be frustrated when the economy truly hits the dumper and the masses then DON'T turn to them for salvation.
Right wing extremists are ineffectual. The so-called militia movement was a joke. But the Left likes to use these folks as their straw-men.
The threat has always been from the Left.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/13/2009 12:31 Comments ||
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#6
I thought they were talking about Zimbabwe.
I had the same thought when I clicked on the link.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/13/2009 13:35 Comments ||
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#7
The despicable thing about this article is that it DOESN'T see illegal immigration, loss of sovereignty and restrictions on firearms as a valid and important concern.
That these are only the concern of "right-wing extremists" means that the authors are down with the whole concept of tyranny by the "correct" people.
#8
Name the right wing extreme group that staged any armed insurrection. If you want to start naming far to center left wing groups, now that's another story and a very long list. Here's the problem, folks do not know their left from their right when it comes to the political spectrum. The farther left you move from the center, the more blood thirsty, violent and authoritarian they become. "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups" sound like descriptors of the democrat party.
#11
Most vets (me included) joined up to serve their nation. They DON'T like some disorganized "community organizer" trying to turn it into another France. Most of us remember our first duty: to support and defend the Constitution, and to bear true faith and allegiance to it. That oath says NOTHING about supporting the Democrap party as it tries to dismantle the Constitution. Most of us with an IQ above the freezing point of water also have read the Declaration of Independence, which provides a guideline of when revolution becomes necessary, and we ain't there yet. As long as OBambi understands that the Constitution limits HIS actions as well as those of Congress, we can get along. If he crosses the line, THEN it will be time to discuss "right-wing extremism".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/13/2009 16:33 Comments ||
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#12
feel free to make a note of this on your to-do list O-Team: create jobs Asshats. Thats what the business of your Administration should be all about.
That way when all the Vets come home, you wont be worried about being caught in sniper cross-hairs. And yes, I am a female veteran so I can fully understand the fear of us.
A disturbing story appeared last week in the Washington Times.
On his way home from a conference, the director of Development for Campaign for Liberty, Steve Bierfeldt, was detained for further screening at a Saint Louis airport by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners.
The TSA screener was suspicious because Mr. Bierfeldts luggage contained a metal box with about $4,700.00 in cash and some Ron Paul bumper stickers. This evidence the large amount of cash seems to have made him some kind of security risk in the mind of the screener, who detained and questioned him for about half an hour:
Mr. Bierfeldt was attending his organizations regional conference in St. Louis and said he was keenly aware, as the situation unfolded March 29, of a controversial report issued to Missouri law enforcement officials intended to identify members of radical militia members.
#15
I was expecting something like this to come out, just as during the Clinton Administration, so-called right wing domestic extremists became a top priority. People forget what that was like. It didn't take long for the new political appointees at the top of DHS to order up this report.
In the old days, the civilian population was indeed a threat to the government, and indeed overthrew it, AKA the American Revolution, but nowadays people don't care about constitutions and suchlike, and overthrowing tyrannical government is out of fashion.
#16
This isn't a report, it is another axe grinding. You have to plant seeds of doubt before you can demonize. In another couple of years we on the right could be the new "Juden".
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.
A Yemeni Interior Ministry official has said smugglers threw about 70 Somali and Ethiopian migrants overboard in shark-infested waters and at least seven of their bodies have washed ashore in Yemen.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A draft U.N. Security Council statement "condemns" North Korea's long-range rocket launch Saturday and said it contravened a previous council resolution banning ballistic missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang.
How could Rashid Rauf, a "high value" Al Qaeda target, be plotting terrorist attacks in Britain in April 2009 -- as claimed by the British authorities -- if he was killed months ago in a famous drone strike in Waziristan, as US officials claimed, in November 2008, the Newsweek magazine is asking.
Pakistan is a strong, vibrant country that is no danger of collapse, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
Any member of the National Assembly (NA) opposes the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in the assembly will be an apostate and will be allowed to contest the next election from minority seats, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat and the Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) separately said on Sunday. TTP Swat spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that any NA member opposing the regulation would contest the next election "if he remained alive". TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat told reporters that any member of the NA opposing the regulation during the debate in the assembly would be declared non-Muslim.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday referred the draft Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, 2009 to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, advising him to table it before parliament for debate prior to its implementation.
[Al Arabiya Latest] The chief cleric at India's largest mosque delivered a stinging attack against the country's major parties Friday, calling on India's Muslims to form their own political party less than a week before India's general elections.
[Geo News] A jirga was held in Jacobabad on Sunday under the supervision of members of National and Provincial Assemblies to avert an armed clash between two local tribes.
[Al Arabiya Latest] For the first time since taking office Israel's hawkish new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday saying he intends to advance peace through cooperation even though settlement expansion continued, as Pope Benedict called in his Easter message for a renewed push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's president expressed openness for talks with the United States, but again dismissed demands to halt nuclear work the West fears is aimed at making bombs, in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine. 
