BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say they have identified a suspected bank robber using the wallet he left behind.
Bethlehem police say 51-year-old Lloyd Virgil Barclay held up a KNBT branch on Wednesday morning, making off with $800. But Barclay forgot his wallet, which police say he placed on the teller's counter when he presented a note demanding money.
The wallet had two photo IDs, a Social Security card and a Philadelphia criminal registration card. Police say the ID pictures match Barclay's image in surveillance footage.
Barclay, of Philadelphia, has been charged with robbery and other offenses. He remained at large Wednesday.
CIANJUR, Indonesia (CNN) -- Rescue workers late Wednesday were trying to clear the road into the Indonesian town of Cianjur after a major earthquake triggered a landslide, trapping residents inside their homes. The 7.0-magnitude temblor jolted the Indonesian island of Java earlier in the day, killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 400, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Agency.
The landslide buried at least 11 homes where 32 people live in the town of Cianjur, local officials told CNN's Andy Saputra.
The quake struck shortly before 3 p.m. (4 a.m. ET). Its epicenter was located offshore about 190 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Jakarta, according the U.S. Geological Survey. The center was about 50 kilometers (31 miles) deep. A tsunami watch went into effect but quickly expired.
The brunt of the temblor struck the West Java province, including Cianjur, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Jakarta. The quake also damaged buildings and cut off electricity to Tasikmalaya, a mountainous city about 115 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of the epicenter, according to a witness named Maya. Residents panicked when the quake struck, running into the streets where they stayed hours later -- fearing an aftershock.
"The extent of the damage is pretty spread out, because this powerful earthquake was felt from the west coast of Java all the way to the east coast," said Saputra, who felt the 7.0-magnitude temblor in the capital city of Jakarta. The earthquake rocked high-rise buildings in Jakarta, prompting a mass evacuation in the capital's central business district.
Indonesia is no stranger to major earthquakes. It is located on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 2004, an earthquake measuring at least 9.0 in magnitude struck off the coast of the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, triggering a major tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries. About three weeks ago, a series of earthquakes -- ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.7 -- struck off the western coast of Sumatra. At least seven people were injured and one building collapsed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
[Bangla Daily Star] At least three people died and another 20 fell sick, nine of them being in a critical condition, after having toxic liquor at Kathpatti in Dariyapur Bazar under Sadar upazila early yesterday.
The dead are Abul Hossain, 45 and Rustom Ali, 43, of village Dariyapur and Jalil Mia, 52, of Laxmipur village of the Sadar upazila.
Police said some 30 persons consumed local liquor at the shop of Rustom Ali at mid-night and fell sick due to severe stomachache.
They were rushed to the Gaibandha Sadar Hospital at around 4:00am while three of them died on way to the hospital.
Later, nine of them were transferred to the Rangpur Medical College Hospital as their condition deteriorated, sources said.
Of the sick, Shamsul Alam, 42, was suffering from temporary blindness, the doctor said.
Rustom, who also died in the incident, had long been involved in illegal trading of liquor and hashish (cannabis) in the area ignoring the law-enforcers, locals said.
Police meanwhile, in a raid recovered 40 litres of local liquor from different places of Dariyapur and arrested Akhter Hossain, an alleged hashish trader, in this connection.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
Now if what they were drinking was methanol, the old adage of "hair of the dog" comes into play. Yup ethanol will dilute the methanol and save them or at least that's what the doc on House reckons.
[The News (Pak) Top Stories] British Asian of Pakistan origin has been jailed for life for murdering his doctor wife in an unprovoked attack at their home.
Or until a Scottish justice minister decides to be 'merciful' ...
Nabeel Khan strangled Dr Iffat Kamal, during an argument on December 10 last year in the Scottish city of Dundee. The pathologist died 10 days later in a city's hospital, where she had worked.
At the High Court in Edinburgh, Khan, 45, was ordered to spend at least 15 years behind bars before being eligible for release. Khan was described as 'compulsive gambler' who was driven to domestic violence after losing all his money on stock exchange speculations. The oldest of five children, Nabeeel Khan grew up in Lahore. His mother Nasim Yousaf served as Director of Education for the Rawalpindi region.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
is that for life or for "life"?
Posted by: Black Charlie Spick8465 ||
09/03/2009 0:28 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Mind boggles at British cultural insensitivity. This is a slap on the face to every Muslim in the World!
SANTIAGO, Chile -- A Chilean judge on Tuesday ordered the arrests of 129 former security officers on charges tied to the disappearance of leftists and the slaying of the communist party leadership during the Pinochet dictatorship. It was the largest number of arrests ever ordered in an investigation of human rights abuses during the "dirty war" waged while Gen. Augusto Pinochet ruled in 1973-90.
Judge Victor Montiglio said the 129 were members of the army, air force and uniformed police who worked for the Dina secret police agency, which has been accused of many of the political killings and other rights violations of the Pinochet era.
The alleged crimes were said to have been committed as part of Operation Condor, the Colombo Operation and the Street Conference, campaigns aimed at the leftist opponents of military regimes in Chile and other South American nations.
"We are investigating all who have participated ... in the deprivation of liberties of the victims," Montiglio said. "We are much nearer the end" of the process, the judge added.
The identities of those named in the warrants were not released. Officials said the 129 would be notified of the warrants between Tuesday and Friday.
Hector Salazar, a lawyer and human rights activist who has worked to bring justice for the victims of the dictatorship, praised Montiglio for his resolution in pursuing the case. "This proceeding is quite large, (and) implies a very extensive work of investigation," Salazar told The Associated Press.
Pinochet led a military junta that overthrew elected Marxist President Salvador Allende in 1973 and launched a brutal campaign to root out leftists. An official report says 3,197 suspected leftists were slain for political reasons before he left power in 1990. Many "vanished" - likely kidnapped and killed, then buried in unmarked graves - leaving relatives no word on their fate.
Several attempts were made in Chile and abroad to prosecute Pinochet for human rights abuses, but none succeeded before he died two years ago at age 91.
Operation Condor was a joint campaign by military regimes in the southern part of the continent to brutally stamp out leftist political movement.
The Colombo Operation was a program by Dina to cover up the "disappearance" of 119 leftists.
The Street Conference case involved the killing of the top leaders of Chile's Communist Party between April 30 and May 6 in 1976. In 2007, Montiglio ordered the arrest of 74 former security agents in that case - the second largest arrest order.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Several attempts were made in Chile and abroad to prosecute Pinochet for human rights abuses."
Have any serious attempts been made to prosecute Castro for his human rights abuse? I don't know enough about Allende except that he was a miner diety of some kind but is there any reason to seriously believe he would have been different than Castro and other Communists of the era?
#2
What is dangerous about going after Pinochet is that he and his entourage gave up power without a bloody full blown civil war. It was similar to what South Africa opted for. To renege on the pledge to keep their hands off, it sets the precedent for future situations where those in power see no reason not to go down hard, taking a lot of others with them.
#3
The problem with Pinochet was that he imprisoned his prisoners instead of killing them. The Argentinian Generals (who were fighting their own "Dirty War") warned him to kill all his prisoners, but he refused. As a result they lived to testify.
It is significant that the Argentinian Generals were never prosecuted, but all their prisoners were dead.
You can bet that Assad and Hugo are paying close attention.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
09/03/2009 20:14 Comments ||
Top||
BOGOTA -- Colombia's lower House has approved a bill calling for a referendum on whether to change the constitution to allow President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third term. Lawmakers have voted 85-5 with 76 abstentions in favor of the referendum. The bill, which has already passed the Senate, must now go to Colombia's Constitutional Court.
The referendum would ask voters if Colombia should modify its constitution to allow presidents to run for two consecutive re-elections. The constitution, which was already modified once to let Uribe run for a second four-year term, allows for a single immediate re-election.
Uribe has not yet said publicly if he will run again.
The Chamber of Representatives's secretariat announced the result early Wednesday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I love Uribe. I think he has been a fantastic leader for Colombia, and a good friend of the United States. He is definitly a friend in this region. With that said, I don't think he should run this election cycle. He needs to endorse a candidate for President who represents his beliefs, and values. He needs to enforce the Constitution, not alter it. The strongest message to send Chavez is that truly strong countries have many leaders.
[Maghrebia] Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will lead a delegation of energy, foreign affairs, planning and communication ministers to Algeria on Wednesday (September 2nd), local and international press reported. Chavez will discuss energy and other common interests with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika during the 2-day visit, Le Temps d'Algerie reported. Chavez is also expected to invite Bouteflika to the Africa-South American (ASA) summit this month in Caracas. This is Chavez' fourth official visit to Algeria.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
In a decision that could put an end to trade between Turkey and the breakaway region of Abkhazia, a Georgian court has sentenced a Turkish ship captain to 24 years in jail for sailing his freighter to Abkhazia without Tbilisi's consent.
On August 31, Mehmet Öztürk was found guilty of smuggling and flouting Georgian regulations on Abkhazia and the fellow breakaway region of South Ossetia -- territories that Georgia considers to be under Russian occupation -- local news portals reported. The law forbids foreign companies and governments from trading with the two territories. Despite the restrictions, there has been some maritime traffic between Abkhazia and countries that border the Black Sea, such as Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Georgian coast guards have been busy policing the waters to prevent unauthorized trade.
Öztürk's cargo ship was detained in mid-August for attempting to bring some 2,700 tons of fuel from Turkey to the Abkhaz capital Sukhumi. Russia, which has a defense assistance agreement with Abkhazia, has announced plans to dispatch military ships to escort vessels in and out of Abkhazia's coastal waters and to fend off the Georgian coast guard.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
BP PLC said Wednesday that it had made a "giant" oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico but had not yet determined the size and commercial potential of the find. The well, in Keathley Canyon block 102 about 250 miles (400 kms) southeast of Houston, is in 4,132 feet (1,259 meters) of water, the company said. The Tiber well was drilled to a total depth of 35,055 feet (10,685 meters), making it one of the deepest wells ever drilled by the oil and gas industry, BP said. BP has a 62 percent interest in Tiber, while Petrobras holds 20 percent and ConocoPhillips has 18 percent.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
To put this announcement in perspective, the largest oil field in the world is Ghawar in Saudi Arabia. It was discovered in '48 and started producing in '51. Total production from then until 2005 was 60 billion barrels. It produces over 5 million barrels / day, about 6.25% of world production. It also produces about 2 billion cu. ft. of natural gas/day. Total US production of crude per day is about equal to Ghawar's. The US consumes 19.5 million barrels /day.
Bobcat Co., which makes small loaders and light construction equipment, announced Wednesday its Bismarck plant will be closed permanently and the bulk of the 475 jobs shifted to its plant in Gwinner in southeastern North Dakota. Union officials say laid-off workers in Gwinner will have first shot at the positions.
Rich Goldsbury, president of Bobcat Americas, said the move was spurred by a weak worldwide economy and sluggish sales for the West Fargo-based company.
"We are facing a huge economic challenge and we need to adapt," Goldsbury said. "We have to do what we have to do to maintain our viability. This is a global decision we've had to make."
The Bismarck plant was shuttered for the day on Wednesday. Workers were directed to the Bismarck Civic Center early in the morning, where they were told of the news.
"There were a lot of chins hanging on the floor," said Ron Vogel, a welder at the plant for 26 years.
Separate unions represent workers at the Bismarck and Gwinner plants. Vogel said workers laid off earlier at the Gwinner plant will have first shot at the additional jobs there.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I blame BOOOOSSSSHHHH and AGW (trademark applied for).
#2
I once rented a Bobcat to smooth out my gravel road, piece of trash, unable to lift much when I trie to scoop pea gravel it just slipped and would not bite into the pile
Plus as a slip-steer it ate tires as a matter of coufse
Piss poor machine.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/03/2009 12:39 Comments ||
Top||
#3
It's what happens when this stuff is US build RJ. Messicans would have done a better job.
#6
Bobcats were hot shit when they came out, but that was a while ago, and they kept their prices high while competitors built cheaper - and equally able - knockoffs. RJ - I've seen wizards on these who do wonders in tight spaces - sounds like a personal skills issue that additional time in the seat may have helped
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2009 22:22 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Hey Frank...wat you think? Would Van Jones be a good Bobcat operator? I suspect he'll be 'under the bus' and looking for employment on Tuesday.
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - Fasi Zaka settles his 320-pound frame into a swivel chair in the small, stuffy FM studio, pulls his microphone close and lets it rip.
An upwardly mobile caller seeks a girlfriend and wonders whether he should move overseas for love and fortune. Adopting an exaggerated posh South Asian accent, Zaka gently mocks the man's concerns. "I want young girl. I am engineer," he says, speaking in a clipped, whiny fashion for comic effect. "Give me green card. I love America," he continues, before letting out a belly laugh and moving on to the next caller: "OK, buddy, hope you get someone."
In a country with conservative Islamic values whose government is battling the Taliban, rampant corruption, frequent suicide bombings and a limping economy, Zaka skirts the edge, variously insulting listeners, questioning sacred truths and dispensing mass therapy.
In a recent tongue-in-cheek article, Zaka speculated what two fictional Pakistani Taliban leaders, Breath (bad) Nullah from Waziristan and Fuzz Gandah Nallah from Swat, might say at an English tea party. "We should also take action against Cartoon Network."
"Yes, we should. Tom is always chasing Jerry. They are always naked."
"Yes, it is an American conspiracy to spread sex."
Even as he's panned as frivolous or ignored by some critics and establishment types, Zaka's irreverent tone has hit a chord with the mostly 16- to 25-year-old set, making his radio program among the most popular in the nation. A core operating principle: Pakistanis are so weighted down by daily life that they need a laugh.
The 3-year-old "Fasi Zaka Show" on FM 91, which airs nationwide three nights a week from 10 to midnight, has been described as part Jon Stewart, part Monty Python, part stripped-down Howard Stern. "Stripped down because Howard Stern has no limits," says Hassan Gulfaraz, a frequent co-host. "We're in a very conservative country . . . which means we have to be more creative."
Zaka doesn't exactly fit the mold for someone in this line of work. The 32-year-old ethnic Pashtun from the woolly North-West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan is an Oxford graduate and Rhodes scholar. After school he ignored family pressure to become a doctor, lawyer or multinational functionary.
One recent riff on the show involved repeated playing of the military ballad "Oh Pak Navy!" "We are playing the Pakistani navy song in case someday the Taliban learns how to swim," Zaka explained into the microphone. "Or their donkeys," Gulfaraz said. "Oh Pakistan, you are the pride of our nation," Zaka continued. "The Pakistani army never had time to get ready for the Taliban, so we want to encourage the navy."
His irreverence occasionally draws threats. A religious caller seven months into the show threatened repeatedly to kill him. Text messages periodically heap abuse, including a recent one that read, "I'm from the Taliban. Let's see if you still have this show when we come to power." But those tend to be the exception.
"It's a good program that really connects with young people," says Fatima Hussain, 16, a student. "I love it." Others say Zaka is squandering a golden opportunity to be constructive and to foster moderation in a confused younger generation. "It bothers me when people do silly entertainment shows when we really need people to make a difference," says Mani, another radio host, who uses only one name.
Radio hosts don't have to be boring and didactic to get their message across, counters Zaka, pointing to frequent discussions on extremism, women's equality and the violence sweeping Pakistan. "They presume preaching is the way for change," he says. "It isn't."
The chain-smoking Zaka shows his more serious side and strong liberal leanings in regular op-ed columns.
Liberal there is not the same as liberal here, or in Europe.
In short order, over pizza in his bare-bones Islamabad apartment, largely devoid of pictures or much in the way of personal effects, he criticizes Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari as uneducated and small-minded, the Obama administration strategy for the region as naive and a feeding trough for corrupt local officials, and Pakistani society as unwilling to face tough problems. "We're an ostrich nation, really," he says. "We're just hoping it all goes away."
Despite the show's wing-it format, Zaka keeps a few ground rules. Sex, drugs and religion are addressed at best peripherally, in line with social mores. So when a guest host, a character named Mr. Enlightened Moderations, poked fun at "fundos," slang for Islamic fundamentalists, it was not for any extreme religious views, but for their poor dress sense, aversion to after-shave and limited use of deodorant. "You sound like a fundo," he'd say accusingly to callers. "You doesn't even wears a deo, smelly boy."
His recent targets include Junaid Jamshed, a former pop star turned Islamic preacher recruited by Lays after a rumor spread that its potato chips weren't halal, or in keeping with Islamic dietary laws. Jamshed's bid to save the beleaguered chip, Zaka says, may just be history's first case of "potato jihad."
[Dawn] The ministry of investment has decided to lend 700,000 acres of farmland to Arab countries on the basis of long-term investment.
An official of the ministry said, the decision has been taken keeping in view the interest of Arab countries in agricultural land of Sindh and Punjab. The government is also working to remove reservations of persons associated with the agriculture sector, a private news channel reported.
Investment Minister Waqar Ahmed Khan said if the government successfully achieves its objectives; it will pave the way to get the latest technology for the agriculture sector in the country.
'Over the past few weeks, the Saudi government has been in talks with us to lease 700,000 acres of farmland; and we are currently in the process of locating which land we could give them,' Tauqir Ahmad Faiq, regional secretary, Ministry of agriculture, said in an interview.
'The land we will provide to Saudi Arabia will be divided among the four sectors, and they will be using it to grow a variety of produce such as wheat, fruits and vegetables,' Faiq said.
'We are expecting a Saudi delegation to arrive after the month of Ramzan to further discuss the deal and see the land, but there is no set date when the deal will be signed.'
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#2
It's a plot to get somebody else to care for the serfs.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 12:58 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Hey, that's a cute security gimmick. Didn't know about this till I lost my cookie....
Anyway, I figure that Zero is paying close attention and is figuring on "lending" parts of the US to China, Saudi and anyone else he's getting money from.
What was that line about watering the tree of Liberty?
#4
Of course, once that production is shipped to the Arabs, US aid will be expected to make up for the shortfall.
Posted by: ed ||
09/03/2009 15:42 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Not to worry AlanC, most decent Fed Lands will be needed for the Concetratios and New Universities - not to mention UFO landing sites.
Yes, universal health care will be paid for by selling your childrens kidneys to alliens.
ILLEGAL ALLIENS! WITH MATTRESS STRAPPED ON THEIR BUY HERE, PAY HERE FLYING SAUCER! THE SAME ONES THAT ARE USING THEIR 8 ARMS AND INSANE WORK-ETHIC TO TAKE YOUR WIFES JOB AT MCDONALDS. YOU CAN'T COMPETE.
[Straits Times] THE son of late Philippines democracy icon Corazon Aquino looks set to run for president, hoping to capture his mother's magic and build yet another political dynasty in the Southeast Asian nation.
Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III has emerged as a shock early contender for next year's presidential election thanks to a massive outpouring of sympathy for his mother, who overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos, after she died last month.
'Noynoy may get a whiff of the Cory magic,' former president Joseph Estrada, who is aiming to make a comeback and run again in next year's election, told AFP on Wednesday.
Mr Aquino, 49, had his path cleared to run for president when his main rival for the opposition Liberal Party's candidacy, Senator Mar Roxas, withdrew from the race on Tuesday.
He is expected to formally announce his candidacy at any time, potentially as soon as Wednesday night during a press conference.
Mr Roxas had spent big money on television advertising in recent months in an effort to secure the Liberal Party's nomination, but was overwhelmed by the public support for Mr Aquino amid recent saturation media coverage of him.
Previously regarded as having few legislative accomplishments during his 12 years in parliament, Mr Aquino sky-rocketed into the public consciousness during the Manila funeral for his mother which was attended by nearly 500,000 people.
'Definitely there will be a carry over of sympathy votes for him after his mum died,' said Jaime Garchitorena, a spokesman for advocacy group Youth Vote Philippines.
Liberal Party spokesman Butch Abad, who is a close friend of the Aquinos, also said he believed the public was hungry for the 'kind of leadership showed by Cory and Ninoy'.
'They are in search for someone who will carry that torch. He's the son, he's in public office, and it was logical for Noynoy to play a role here,' he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
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.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say they have identified a suspected bank robber using the wallet he left behind.
[Bangla Daily Star] At least three people died and another 20 fell sick, nine of them being in a critical condition, after having toxic liquor at Kathpatti in Dariyapur Bazar under Sadar upazila early yesterday.
[The News (Pak) Top Stories] British Asian of Pakistan origin has been jailed for life for murdering his doctor wife in an unprovoked attack at their home.
[Maghrebia] Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will lead a delegation of energy, foreign affairs, planning and communication ministers to Algeria on Wednesday (September 2nd), local and international press reported. Chavez will discuss energy and other common interests with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika during the 2-day visit, Le Temps d'Algerie reported. Chavez is also expected to invite Bouteflika to the Africa-South American (ASA) summit this month in Caracas. This is Chavez' fourth official visit to Algeria.
BP PLC said Wednesday that it had made a "giant" oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico but had not yet determined the size and commercial potential of the find. The well, in Keathley Canyon block 102 about 250 miles (400 kms) southeast of Houston, is in 4,132 feet (1,259 meters) of water, the company said. The Tiber well was drilled to a total depth of 35,055 feet (10,685 meters), making it one of the deepest wells ever drilled by the oil and gas industry, BP said. BP has a 62 percent interest in Tiber, while Petrobras holds 20 percent and ConocoPhillips has 18 percent.
Bobcat Co., which makes small loaders and light construction equipment, announced Wednesday its Bismarck plant will be closed permanently and the bulk of the 475 jobs shifted to its plant in Gwinner in southeastern North Dakota. Union officials say laid-off workers in Gwinner will have first shot at the positions.
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - Fasi Zaka settles his 320-pound frame into a swivel chair in the small, stuffy FM studio, pulls his microphone close and lets it rip. 
