An update to this story. During the 2nd day of riots in Athens, over the alleged desecration of a quran by a police officer, a shop used by muslims for prayer has been firebombed. Deutsche Welle
At least three people were hospitalized in Athens on Saturday morning after a firebomb attack on a shop used as a Muslim prayer center for immigrants.
Police said unknown assailants smashed the shop's windows and poured gasoline inside before igniting it, a police source said.
An intelligence report due to be presented to US congress details how fighters from the US, Canada, Britain, Scandinavia, Pakistan are actively fighting for al Shabaab. Of course, any of our regular readers is already aware of the above.
Is Somalia becoming the #1 destination for jihadists? Times Online
Up to a thousand foreign fighters, including Britons, have answered the call to jihad in Somalia and are leading street-fighting Islamist extremists in the war-torn capital Mogadishu, The Times has learnt.[...]Related Posts:
Senior security officials in the region say that the foreign fighters are behind the recent success of the extremists. More than 290 fighters from Britain, the US, Canada, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia entered Mogadishu in the past two weeks.
An intelligence report seen by The Times, which is due to be presented to the US Congress next week, states: “An estimated ten foreigners have taken the lead to command both Somali and foreign fighters in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.”
“I have no doubt that some of the foreign fighters are British as well as North American and Scandinavian,” said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the top Somali diplomat for the United Nations. One Western diplomat with experience in Somalia said: “These foreigners are the ones with al-Qaeda links. I would be surprised if Britons were not the leading foreign members of al-Shabaab.”
This isn't the first mention of an Eritrea - al Shabaab link. An assassination plot, by al Shabaab, to kill President Obama on inauguration day had been supported by Eritrea. The US threatened Eritrea with war if the plot were successful.
President Obama's top official, Jonnie Carson, had expressed concern over the arms link between al Shabaab and Eritrea.
Al Shabaab is just confirming what we already knew. Reuters via Jihad Watch
"Eritrea supports us and Ethiopia is our enemy -- we once helped both countries but Ethiopia did not reward us," Aweys, dressed in a dark suit, told Reuters in an interview.[...]Will we see any muslims rioting over al Shabaab's supposed "misunderstanding" and "offensive" behavior towards islam?
"There may be two or three Arabs who were moved by Islam to fight alongside us. But there is no large number of foreign Mujahideen in Mogadishu. We and the Arabs are all Muslims -- so we are Arabs," he said.
"We are not fighting for positions, but for Islam. It is agreed upon within Islam that Christians and those they support are the same -- so war is incumbent upon us, like prayer."
"Somalia has no government we recognise," said Aweys. "We should not be deceived by Westerners like Sharif."
One hell of a game though ! If you watched it last night you would have seen Chicagos Havlat K.O.D before he hit the Ice , As Mickey Redmond always says "Keep you head up "
Slam sports....
CHICAGO - Chicago right wing Martin Havlat left Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Detroit on Friday night after taking a crushing hit from Niklas Kronwall.
As Havlat looked down to find the puck near the boards, Kronwall crashed into him and drove him to the ice. Havlat, who led the Blackhawks during the regular season with 77 points, appeared dazed as he stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the ice by a teammate and a trainer.
The play drew a five-minute interference penalty and a game misconduct on Kronwall at 13:08 of the first period.
Aw ! Now the Taliban is not going to have as much money to import their Goats for those crazy weekend Parties ! Maybe they will settle for Sheep instead !
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. and Afghan forces have killed 60 militants,
almost half in air strikes, and seized one of the country's largest
ever drug caches over a four-day operation in southern Helmand
province, the U.S. military said on Saturday.
The military had said earlier in the operation that 34 militants had been killed.
The troops were fighting for control of Loy Cherah Bazaar in
Helmand's Marjeh city, where they found 75 tonnes of poppy seeds, more
than 17 tonnes of morphine, opium and heroin, and caches of weapons and
equipment, the military said in a statement.
"We the Arab nations, and especially Syria will not change our view about peace as a strategic goal, including the full return of occupied lands," Assad said in the Syrian capital .
So In other words " No Middle east peace without the total removal Of Israel !"
Until the Arab countries get past their Denial Of History , There will never be peace !
....
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cast doubt on Saturday on reaching Middle East peace under what he termed as an "extreme" Israeli government but did not rule out resuming talks with the Jewish state.
"The failure of the peace process so far has clearly shown that Israel is the obstacle How can a state that was founded on illegal occupation and continues to murder the original inhabitants work toward peace?" Assad said.
"How can a country that has chosen the most extreme government in its history be a partner for peace?" he added.
Assad, who was addressing a foreign ministers meeting of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, was referring to the Israeli government of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which took office two months ago.
"We the Arab nations, and especially Syria will not change our view about peace as a strategic goal, including the full return of occupied lands," Assad said in the Syrian capital .
‘This time it has been decided to take the operation to its logical conclusion aimed at eliminating the terrorists,’ he said.
And it is About Time ! Now just keep up the Pressure !
Dawn.com....
KHWAZAKHELA: Major-Gen Sajjad Ghani, who is leading the ongoing military offensive in the upper part of the valley, ruled out any possibility of talks with militants.
‘Today they stand isolated, not only in the valley but also at the national scene. I think this is a big achievement of the government as well as the military,’ military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said.
Maj Ghani said the military was determined to eliminate the Taliban and ruled out the possibility of any talks or a ceasefire with the militants.
‘This time it has been decided to take the operation to its logical conclusion aimed at eliminating the terrorists,’ he said.
Gen Ghani said civilian casualties were ‘less than double figures’ in areas under his command.
He said two major militant strongholds had been secured in upper Swat and people who had fled the area would soon be asked to return to their homes.
Though I feel for the Innocent people of Somalia , Most of which have fled the country , I have no pity for what happens there ! Somalia has been handed , several times , a new lease on a calm country ! They have continuously pissed it away ! They have no respect for life ! Somalia will most definitely fall to radical Muslims , And the rest of the world will watch ( Nobody Wants any part of this one ), we only have to figure out how to stop them from spreading their Disease outside of the little Cesspool that is Somalia
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Rebel reinforcements rushed to Mogadishu
Saturday to confront a government offensive after one of the bloodiest
days of combat in the Somali capital in months.
"The fighting in Mogadishu will intensify the coming days," an opposition source said.
At least 45 people were killed and 200 wounded Friday in clashes between Islamist insurgents and pro-government forces.
Neighboring states and Western governments fear Somalia, which has
been mired in civil war for 18 years, could become a haven for
militants linked to al Qaeda unless the new government can defeat them.
Islamist insurgents took up arms in 2007 to drive out invading
Ethiopian troops propping up a Western-backed government which failed
to wield any control over swathes of the Horn of Africa nation.
15 years later , The only problem I have with this is the fact that he only faces life in prison ! That is way to nice of a sentence for a person who has committed Crimes like this guy has !
....
OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian court found a Rwandan man guilty on Friday of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, making him the first person convicted under Canada's war crimes act.
Desire Munyaneza, 42, was convicted by a Superior Court judge in the province of Quebec on seven charges that stemmed from the part he played in killings and rapes in the Rwandan region of Butare.
In 1994, extremists from Rwanda's Hutu majority hacked and shot to death 800,000 minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus.
"The evidence showed beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused participated in the hunting down of Tutsi ... Desire Munyaneza was at the forefront of the genocidal movement," Judge Andre Denis wrote in his judgment.
Munyaneza faces life imprisonment. His lawyer has already made clear he will appeal.
Chapeter 4, Verse 89
They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks.
From the National Post
When the landlady of my Toronto apartment building said an outraged neighbour had filed a complaint about me over an apparently inappropriate hallway interaction with his wife, my mind raced through the countless conversations I've had with fellow tenants, none of which seemed a possible source of offence.
It turns out, it wasn't a salacious transaction that had caused the complaint, but rather a neighbourly and -- to me -- entirely forgettable greeting, little more than a brief "good morning" as I passed my neighbours on the way to work.
Still, it was enough of an affront for the man -- once a doctor somewhere in the Middle East, my landlady clarified -- to feel I had broken a cultural taboo. The incident started an awkward feud which has involved warnings not to repeat my indiscretion and one face-to-face shouting match, which included allusions to my impending death.
This muslim obviously didn't get the memo that islam is a tolerant religion. Sowetan News
Pastor Thulani Cele of the Sakha Umuntu Church is angry after he and members of his congregation were allegedly locked out of their church by a “Muslim” man who also “dismissed Christianity as nonsense”.
The man allegedly also accused Cele of “degrading the value of a Muslim building”.[...]
Cele said he received a call from members of his church telling him that they had been locked out of their church.
“I hurriedly drove to the building where I found the Muslim man known as “AK”. He had locked our members out of the building,” he said.
“When I asked why he had locked us out, he said he did not want us there anymore.
“He said we were decreasing the value of their building which was for Muslims only.
China is demanding that developed nations, such as the US, Canada, Europe etc..., cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels. But China, the world leader in greenhouse gas emissions, will not subject itself to the same stringent cuts. Bretbart
China confirmed Thursday that it will demand rich nations cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 in upcoming global climate change negotiations.
In a position paper published for negotiations to be held in Copenhagen in December, China -- one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases that cause global warming -- did not commit to any legally binding reductions.
"Developed countries shall undertake to reduce their GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in aggregate by at least 40 percent below their 1990 level by 2020," said the paper, posted on China's planning agency's website.
A Russian officer said that it would be very likely that Russia would place surface to surface missile in Kalingrad in response to a battery of US Patriot missiles that is to be deployed in Poland by years end. Vancouver Sun
MOSCOW - Russia could deploy its latest Iskander missiles close to Poland if plans to install U.S. Patriots on Polish soil go ahead, Interfax quoted a senior Russian officer as saying on Thursday.
Polish Deputy Defence Minister Stanislaw Komorowski told Reuters on Monday Warsaw wanted U.S. Patriot air defence missiles to be deployed this year regardless of whether President Barack Obama decided to press ahead with missile defence plans in Europe.[...]
Russia had proposed as a counter-measure "to deploy the tactical Iskander missile in the Kaliningrad region", which borders NATO member Poland, in response to deployment of the U.S. missile shield, Interfax reported.
"One cannot exclude that the issue of the Iskander will arise again," he added.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged last November to station surface-to-surface Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad if the United States went ahead with its plans.
If muslims are so easily offended by the mere hint of insulting islam then why don't we see these kinds of riots against islamic terrorism?
In Greece, around 1500 Muslims took to the streets of the capital Athens on Thursday to demonstrate against the police. The protest was prompted by reports that a policeman tore up a copy of the Qur'an while checking the identity papers of four Syrian immigrants. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd when unrest broke out.
Israel agrees to nuclear annihilation by Iranian nukes.
CIA director Leon Panetta on Wednesday said that Jerusalem knew it needed to coordinate its strategy on Iran with other nations and was aware of the fact that launching an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would mean "big trouble."[...]
"Yes," he said, "the Israelis are obviously concerned about Iran and focused on it. But [Netanyahu] understands that if Israel goes it alone, it will mean big trouble. He knows that for the sake of Israeli security, they have to work together with others."
Could it be the Chinese? Breitbart
WASHINGTON (AP) - Law enforcement computers were struck by a Mystery computer virus Thursday, forcing the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to shut down part of their networks as a precaution.
The U.S. Marshals confirmed it disconnected from the Justice Department's computers as a protective measure after being hit by the virus; an FBI official said only that that agency was experiencing similar issues and was working on the problem.[...]
At no time was data compromised," said Credic. The type of virus and its origin were not determined.
Ever since Pakistan illegally tested a nuclear device, Canada has imposed ban of arms sales to Pakistan. Globe & Mail
The Harper government moved Thursday to quash Defence Minister Peter MacKay's assertion that Canada is considering lifting a ban on arms sales to Pakistan, asserting that it has no plan to allow military exports to resume.
It appeared to be an embarrassing contradiction of Mr. MacKay, who three days ago told The Globe and Mail that the Conservatives are “contemplating” an end to the 11-year-old ban.[...]
“Canada's policy regarding military exports to Pakistan remains unchanged,” said Catherine Loubier, Mr. Cannon's communications director.
She added: “Was it considered? No. There are no plans to lift restrictions on the arms sales ban with Pakistan.”
The last phase ? Which one they had several ! If it is the very last one then the 6200 Ltte ,were killed in about two days , But no report of how many civilians have been killed .
....
COLOMBO (Reuters) - More than 6,200 soldiers died and nearly 30,000 have been wounded since the last phase of Sri Lanka's 25-year war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) began in July 2006, the defense secretary has said.
Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave the figures for the first time during an interview late on Thursday with the state-run Independent Television Network.
By comparison, in the six years and one month since the United States went to war in Iraq, nearly 4,600 U.S., British and other nations' troops have been killed.
Sri Lanka had only given its own casualty figures erratically if at all during the final 34-month phase of the war, dubbed Eelam War IV, and stopped giving them altogether last year.
The military had said several months ago it had killed at least 15,000 Tamil Tigers in the course of fighting but has not given a final tally.
A new Missile test ? Most likely , and a little antagonism !
....
TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea is warning ships to stay away from waters off its eastern city of Kimchaek, near a missile base, a Japan Coast Guard spokesman said on Friday, suggesting North Korea could be preparing for a possible short-range missile test.
Kimchaek is about 40 km southwest of the Musudan-ri missile base and the nearest urban area to the site from which the country launched a long-range rocket in April.
A Japan Coast Guard ship heard the warning from North Korea on Thursday saying that ships should stay away from waters in the 130 km (81 miles) range from Kimchaek until May 30, said Masahiro Ichijo, a spokesman at the Japan Coast Guard.
The Japanese ship was patrolling in the Sea of Japan when it caught the warning, Ichijo said, adding that it was not uncommon for countries to issue such warnings without going through an international organization.
North Korea did not give the reason for the warning, Ichijo said, adding that 130 km was a short distance considering the size of the Sea of Japan.
Several U.S. senators expressed outrage over problems associated
with Chinese drywall during a Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday.
“We’ve
got a problem here and we’ve gotta get to the bottom of it,” said Sen.
Bill Nelson, D-Florida, who has been at the forefront of the
investigation into problems said to be associated with the material.
Sen.
Mark Warner, D-Va., expressed outrage over a federal toxicologist’s
comment that government investigators have felt sick after a few
minutes of being inside a home with Chinese drywall.
“I fear that we may just be at the tip of the iceberg on what could be a natural and national disaster,” he said.
The
Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and
Insurance conducted Thursday’s hearing to determine what health and
product safety issues might be associated with the high-sulfur imported
drywall.
A growing product liability crisis over the drywall may
include up to 35,000 homes in several states, with Florida being among
the hardest hit. Several senators said federal money will be needed to
deal with the problem.
I would think that this would be a good thing ? With all that is going on in Pakistan , does it not seem like a good Idea to give these retards a bit of a squeeze play ?
....
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military offensive in southern Afghanistan could push Taliban fighters into Pakistan, whose troops are already struggling to combat militants, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday.
The comments by Admiral Mike Mullen raised the prospect that Pakistan, waging battles with militants who have forced about 2 million people from their homes, could face even greater turmoil in the months ahead.
The United States is pouring thousands of troops into Afghanistan this year to try to reverse gains by a resurgent Taliban, particularly in its southern heartland.
Mullen, the most senior U.S. military officer, said the United States had a clear national security interest in taking on the Taliban.
"They want Afghanistan back. We can't let them or their al Qaeda cohorts have it. We can't permit the return of the ... very same safe havens from which the attacks on 9/11 were planned and resourced," Mullen said.
"Yet we can't deny that our success in that regard may only push them deeper into Pakistan," he told the U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations Committee.
As if things are not bad enough in Detroit , A couple of well paid thugs in the Detroit School system , ripped off money that should Have gone to the Kids ! This is not the first time this has ever happened but it is no less disgusting ! This is the biggest problem for Detroit and Michigan in general , for some reason there is always a thug or a scam artist elected to any office , whether it be In actual politics or the school system ! (or even the lovely local unions )Maybe these Jackass's will get lucky and Kwame Kilpatrick Convicted felon ex Detroit mayor , will get his law license back and defend them , after all this occured under his watch ! ( or rather lack of )
Freepress....
Two former Detroit Public Schools employees were indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges they fraudulently obtained more than $400,000 from the school district, according to U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg.
From 2000 to 2005, former payroll manager Toni Gilbert, 44, issued regular payroll checks to Anton Carter, 55, after Carter had retired and was receiving disability checks from DPS, according to the indictment.
“Today’s indictment sends a strong message that theft from Detroit Public Schools will no longer be tolerated,” DPS emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said, noting more investigations are underway into the theft and misuse of district funds.
Said Andrew Arena, FBI special agent in charge, “Public schools are one of the largest recipients of federal funding. The FBI continues to aggressively investigate individuals and entities that misuse and/or misdirect funds that are originally designated for the Detroit Public Schools and the children of the City of Detroit.”
The former school employees face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if they are convicted.
DPS officials will hold a news conference at 5 p.m. to discuss the indictment as well as the suspension without pay of two employees in a separate matter, district spokesman Steve Wasko said.
Thirty four taliban killed and 16.5 tons of heroin seized. AFP
KABUL (AFP) — Troops killed 34 Taliban rebels and seized 15 tonnes of drugs during an ongoing operation in southern Afghanistan's insurgent stronghold of Helmand, the US military said Thursday.[...]
"A total of 34 militants have been killed," the statement said. "The most recent enemy deaths were caused by a series of precision air strikes during heavy fighting in the area."[...]
The latest battle started when troops began to secure an area called Loy Cherah Bazaar, which the statement said was a militant stronghold and drugs-processing hub.
They found at the bazaar two "war rooms" stocked with maps, communication equipment, Russian-made night vision goggles, US military vehicle parts and weapons, the statement said.
The troops in the Marja operation had uncovered 15,000 kg of high-grade narcotics, including 14,750 kg of black tar opium, 11 kg of processed heroin and 30 kg of morphine.
All former Gurkhas who have served for four years with the British army and wish to live in the United Kingdom will be allowed to do so, the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced today.
In a reversal of previous guidelines that prevented all but a small number of Gurkhas being granted the right to settlement in the UK, Smith said: "Generations of Gurkhas have served the United Kingdom with great courage, sacrifice and distinction and they continue to make a vital and valued contribution to our operations around the world.
"We respect the will of the House of Commons on this issue and that is why I have now announced a new policy, the basis of which we have worked on with the home affairs select committee and Gurkha representatives. This means we can now welcome any Gurkha who has served for four years or more to settle in the UK."
The notorious Los Zetas gang has bought a ranch in Texas where it trains its members. Chronicle
The FBI is advising law enforcement officers across the country that a Texas cell of Los Zetas — an increasingly powerful arm of the Mexican Gulf Cartel drug trafficking syndicate — has acquired a secluded ranch where it trains its members to “neutralize” competitors in the United States.
In order to ensure its share of the lucrative illegal drug trade, the cartel’s members reportedly are operating north of the border to collect debts and spy on competitors. They have also protected cocaine and heroin shipments that were bound for Houston, where they were repackaged and shipped on to Alabama, Delaware, Georgia and Michigan, according to the FBI.
The information, which was disseminated Monday to state, local and federal agencies, does not provide specifics, such as the location of the ranch, but includes a notation that the information came from reliable FBI contacts.
The taliban don't need to raid NATO logistical bases in Pakistan to steal our weapons. They get from the Afghan forces. New York Times
KABUL — Insurgents in Afghanistan, fighting from some of the poorest and most remote regions on earth, have managed for years to maintain an intensive guerrilla war against materially superior American and Afghan forces.
Arms and ordnance collected from dead insurgents hint at one possible reason: Of 30 rifle magazines recently taken from insurgents’ corpses, at least 17 contained cartridges, or rounds, identical to ammunition the United States had provided to Afghan government forces, according to an examination of ammunition markings by The New York Times and interviews with American officers and arms dealers.
The presence of this ammunition among the dead in the Korangal Valley, an area of often fierce fighting near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, strongly suggests that munitions procured by the Pentagon have leaked from Afghan forces for use against American troops.
The scope of that diversion remains unknown, and the 30 magazines represented a single sampling of fewer than 1,000 cartridges. But military officials, arms analysts and dealers say it points to a worrisome possibility: With only spotty American and Afghan controls on the vast inventory of weapons and ammunition sent into Afghanistan during an eight-year conflict, poor discipline and outright corruption among Afghan forces may have helped insurgents stay supplied.
A 1 terabyte harddrive containing Secret Service operating procedures, and other sensitive information has gone missing from the National Archives.
Has anyone tried looking for it on ebay?
From The Hill
A massive amount of sensitive, national security-related information from the Clinton administration has gone missing from the national archives.
The Inspector General of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) told congressional committee staffers Tuesday that a hard drive containing over a terabyte of information -- the equivalent of millions of books--went missing from the NARA facility in College Park, Md., sometime between October 2008 and March 2009.[...]
That hard drive includes information on Secret Service operating procedures, event logs, and other "highly sensitive information," according to the office of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The data also includes 100,000 Social Security numbers, including the number of one of Al Gore's daughters.
Three jailhouse converts to islam and another muslim planned to blow up a synagogue with C4 explosives and planned to shoot down a jet airliner with a stinger missile. NY Daily
The FBI busted a homegrown terror cell late Wednesday night as the men sneaked around a Jewish temple in Riverdale planting what they thought was packages of C-4 explosives, sources told the Daily News.
The four African American men, three of whom were said to be jailhouse converts to Islam, also allegedly had what they believed was a working Stinger missile in their car.
Officials said they hoped to shoot down a plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh in Orange County.
Sources said the four men were arrested after a year-long investigation that began when an informant connected to a mosque in Newburg said he knew men who wanted to buy explosives.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four men were arrested on Wednesday in a
suspected plot to bomb a synagogue and Jewish community center in New
York City and to shoot at military planes with stinger missiles, law
enforcement officials said.
A joint release from the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern
District of New York, the FBI and the New York Police Department said
the suspects were charged with plotting to detonate explosives near a
synagogue in the Riverdale section of New York's Bronx borough.
The men were also charged with plotting to shoot military planes
located at New York's Air National Guard base at Stewart airport in
Newburgh, New York, with stinger surface-to-air guided missiles, the
statement said. Newburgh is about 60 miles north of New York City.
"The defendants wanted to engage in terrorist attacks. They selected
targets and sought the weapons necessary to carry out their plans," Lev
Dassin, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York,
said in the statement.
The four men, identified as James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta
Williams and Laguerre Payen, were arrested after buying an inactive
missile and inert explosives in a sting operation run by the FBI and
other agencies, the complaint said.
"While the bombs these terrorists attempted to plant tonight were --
unbeknownst to them -- fake, this latest attempt to attack our freedoms
shows that the homeland security threats against New York City are
sadly all too real," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a
separate statement.
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani soldiers have captured the main Taliban
stronghold in a district 100 km (60 miles) from the capital in heavy
fighting in which 80 militants were killed, the military said on
Wednesday.
Fighting in the Swat valley and the neighboring districts of Buner
and Dir has forced about 1.5 million people from their homes in
addition to about 550,000 people displaced earlier.
The United States has offered Pakistan $110 million to help the
displaced and said it was trying to redress 30 years of "incoherent"
U.S. policy toward the nuclear-armed country.
The military said security forces had captured the village of Sultanwas in Buner district, where the Taliban had built a stronghold complete with concrete bunkers.
"Security forces cleared Sultanwas last night after intense clashes.
Reportedly 80 militant terrorists were killed," military spokesman
Major-General Athar Abbas told a briefing. One soldier was killed and
nine wounded, he said.
Iran has apparently tested a new version of their Sajjil surface to surface missile. The rocket has a range of about 1200 miles and could hit Israel, Southern Europe and US forces in the region.My Way
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran test-fired a new advanced missile Wednesday with a range of about 1,200 miles, far enough to strike Israel, southeastern Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East.[...]Yeah, the missile test the Mullahcracy had to photoshop.
"Defense Minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target," state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He spoke during a visit to the city of Semnan, 125 miles east of the capital Tehran, where Iran's space program is centered.[...]
The solid-fuel Sajjil-2 surface-to-surface missile is a new version of the Sajjil missile, which Iran said it had successfully tested late last year with a similar range.
Now the Democrats are going to pay for this one ! Or at least they should ! Deciding not to fund the closing of Gitmo , coupled with Queen Bee Pelosi's Flat out lie about what she knows or doesn't Know about CIA torture techniques ! The agenda of the Democrats should be clear , They are unsure of what they are doing ,they have lied To America about important issues , and have been trying to railroad anyone from the Bush Administration right to Jail (At Times for warcrimes) All the while the country is being flushed down the drain ! The kicker of the whole Gitmo deal is that NOBODY Wants these guys , Not The U.S. , Not even their own countries ! Short of handing them over to the Taliban or Al Qaida !
Gulfnews.com....
Washington: US President Barack Obama’s Democrat allies have denied $80 million needed to support his plan to shut down Guantanamo Bay prison.
Democrats joined Republicans in saying that the plan to close the prison lacked planning for dealing with the 240 detainees in the facility.
Obama had asked for $80 million to shutter the facility as part of a massive supplemental spending plan to pay for fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The House of Representatives did not include the money in its $96.7 billion bill and the Senate was poised to remove it from its $91.3 billion version through an amendment expected to pass on Wednesday.
“The money was sought prematurely," because the president has yet to present a clear strategy for deciding the prisoners' fate, said Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Although about 80 of the detainees have been singled out for prosecution, the fate of those who have been convicted and sentenced to prison remains unclear.
The White House promised that Obama would unveil "a hefty part" of his plan for closing the facility in a speech Thursday.
While President Obama is giving the Mullahcracy till the end of the year to make serious progress on something unspecified the Iranian general are making serious progress on determining how long it will take to destroy Israel.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the ISI is "playing both sides" and "Look, their maintaining of contact with this group [al Qaida & the taliban], in my view, is a strategic hedge,".
In my view the ISI wants the taliban to win. Times of India
WASHINGTON
: Accusing the ISI of engaging in "strategic hedging" and "playing both sides" in Afghanistan, top Pentagon officials have said that
getting rid of the al-Qaida "safe haven" in Pakistan is the "top priority" for the US to win the war against terrorism in the region.
The Pakistani intelligence agency is "playing both sides", US defence secretary Robert Gates said, adding that though Islamabad has committed itself to be part of the US-led war against terrorism in the region, it continues to maintain links with the extremist elements.
"Look, their maintaining of contact with this group, in my view, is a strategic hedge," Gates told the CBS news responding to a question that parts of Pakistan's ISI was still supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"They (Pakistanis) are not sure who's going to win in Afghanistan. They're not sure what's going to happen along that border area. So to a certain extent they play both sides," Gates said.
WRite summary here Financial Times
Brazil and China will work towards using their own currencies in trade transactions rather than the US dollar, according to Brazil’s central bank and aides to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president.
The move follows recent Chinese challenges to the status of the dollar as the world’s leading international currency.[...]
An official at Brazil’s central bank stressed that talks were at an early stage. He also said that what was under discussion was not a currency swap of the kind China recently agreed with Argentina and which the US had agreed with several countries, including Brazil.
“Currency swaps are not necessarily trade related,” the official said. “The funds can be drawn down for any use. What we are talking about now is Brazil paying for Chinese goods with reals and China paying for Brazilian goods with renminbi.”
President Obama has outline a timetable which would give Iran till the end of the year to make 'serious progress'. If Iran does not reciprocate President Obama's diplomatic outreach then they might face further sanctions.
I honestly have no idea what President Obama is referring to when he says he wants to see serious progress made by Iran. Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama set a rough timetable for his diplomatic outreach to arch-foe Iran for the first time on Monday, saying he wanted to see serious progress by the end of the year.
He also held out the prospect of tougher sanctions against Tehran "to ensure that Iran understands we are serious."[...]
But as the diplomatic efforts begin, Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta said "the threat posed by Iran has our full attention."
"Iran halted weaponization in 2003, but it continues to develop uranium enrichment technology and nuclear capable ballistic missiles, and that represents a danger for the future," Panetta said in Los Angeles in his first public speech since taking over the CIA in February.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Pakistan President Zardari stated that Pakistan is not ading to their nuclear arsenal. But at a congressional hearing last week, Admiral Mullen confirmed that Pakistan is indeed expanding their nuke stockpile.
There's nothing to worry about though because the US has a plan to secure Pakistani nukes in case the country falls to the taliban. Only problem is we don't know where all the nukes are. New York Times
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have been told in confidential briefings that Pakistan is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal even while racked by insurgency, raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether billions of dollars in proposed military aid might be diverted to Pakistan’s nuclear program.
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the assessment of the expanded arsenal in a one-word answer to a question on Thursday in the midst of lengthy Senate testimony. Sitting beside Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, he was asked whether he had seen evidence of an increase in the size of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.
“Yes,” he said quickly, adding nothing, clearly cognizant of Pakistan’s sensitivity to any discussion about the country’s nuclear strategy or security.
Inside the Obama administration, some officials say, Pakistan’s drive to spend heavily on new nuclear arms has been a source of growing concern, because the country is producing more nuclear material at a time when Washington is increasingly focused on trying to assure the security of an arsenal of 80 to 100 weapons so that they will never fall into the hands of Islamic insurgents.
Lose more ground does not begin to describe it , How about Depressing , Disgusting , Disturbing ... I lucked out with my current job , unfortunately I had to leave my family back here in Michigan while I work in Texas ! These are extremely stressful times ! Most everyone I know in Michigan are either not working , barely working , or have relocated to other states ! 4.5 Million jobs lost for males , Mr. Obama ! Manufacturing jobs are gone , Mr. Obama ! China is perched to take over the U.S. , Mr. Obama ! Now would be the time to do something ! Mr. Obama !
reuters....
One statistic that stands out in America's recession-stung economy is the unemployment rate for adult men: in April for the second month in a row it surged ahead of the national average to 9.4 percent versus 8.9 percent for all workers. The jobless rate for adult women was 7.1 percent.
The reasons are clear: male-heavy sectors such as construction and manufacturing have been hard hit. But the implications may be dire for the broader economy and hamper the recovery as families that once had male breadwinners struggle.
"In the 2001 recession, 51 percent of all job losses were for men. It was evenly split. But in this recession 80 percent of the jobs that have been lost have been men's," said Andrew Sum, a labor economics professor at Northeastern University who has studied this issue in detail.
Men also incurred about 80 percent of the job losses in the 1990-91 recession, but Sum said by his calculations the numbers this time were dramatically different. In the 1990-91 recession, men lost 1.037 million jobs. They have lost 4.5 million to date in this one
More proof that islam is backwards.
Katie price could be sent to jail for sun bathing in the nude while on vacation in the Maldives.
We here at Report on Arrakis fully support Katie Price in her desire to sun bath in the nude if she wants to. The Mirror
Lying naked on a sunbed, these are the images that could land Katie Price in hot water with the authorities on the Maldives.HA! He's probably PO that he didn't catch a glimpse of Katie Price nude.
The 30-year-old flouted strict Muslim laws by stripping off to catch some rays - a crime that can end up with unsuspecting tourists flung into jail.[...]
And an angry local fisherman said: "This woman's behaviour is unacceptable.
The lavishness of the Chinese military would not surprise me ! I'm sure it has always been ran just like the Government , The rich And elite ,get more rich and ... Elite ! O.K. for the government , not O.K. for the military I guess ! The real thing that caught my eye was this :
The circular comes after China's parliament announced in March a CNY480.7 billion ($70 billion) defense budget for 2009, a 14.9% increase over the previous year.
Following annual double-digit growth in defense spending over most of the last 20 years, China's rapidly modernizing military has kept pace with the nation's rising political and economic clout.
70 Billion dollars !!! A 15% increase , They now have A 2.4 million standing Military ! China will need to tame their beast to look good for the Sheeple of China !
Mr Obama , may want to take a little look at this and make some good decisions regarding The U.S . military , Before the new Beast wakens the sleeping Giant !
....
BEIJING (AFP)--Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for a crackdown on graft and extravagance in the military, kicking off a campaign to bring discipline to the world's largest army, state press said Monday.
In a recent circular he ordered the end to "prominent problems" in the military and reiterated the need to maintain a clean and honest defense force, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported.
"Faced with a severe and complex ideological struggle, senior and midlevel officers must maintain staunch ideological conviction and resolutely uphold political steadfastness," the paper quoted the order as saying.
Military officers must do more to follow orders, obey the law, end lax work habits and maintain Communist Party discipline, it said.
The circular was aimed at ending "luxury and hedonism" in the 2.3-million- strong military, the China Daily said.
"The public impression is that some army officers have lavish lifestyles," said Mao Shoulong, a researcher at People's University in Beijing, according to the paper.
"Army corruption is mainly caused by a relatively weak prevention network," he said, adding that the military remains largely not transparent on matters of internal graft.
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lankan troops won the final battle in one of
the world's most intractable separatist wars, and put the island nation
under government control for the first time since 1983, the military
said.
In the climactic final gun battle, special forces troops killed
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran
as he tried to flee the war zone in an ambulance early on Monday, state
television reported.
LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Soosai, head of the "Sea
Tiger" naval wing, were also believed killed, the report said.
Prabhakaran founded the LTTE on a culture of suicide before surrender,
and had sworn he would never be taken alive.
Army commander Lt-Gen. Sarath Fonseka said troops on Monday morning
had finished the task President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave them three years
ago.
"We have liberated the entire country by completely liberating the
north from the terrorists. We have gained full control of LTTE-held
areas," Fonseka announced on state TV.
The end of combat and Prabhakaran's death sent the currency and
stock markets to one-month and seven-month highs respectively by 0900
GMT. They had already surged at the opening in anticipation of the
war's end.
Ah yes , Finally got to watch a game from home !
....
DETROIT (AP) — Dan Cleary scored twice against the team that drafted him, leading the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday.
Cleary's second goal came midway through the third period, 1:27 after Mikael Samuelsson's go-ahead score, for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Detroit's Chris Osgood made 30 saves, and Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 38 shots for the Blackhawks, who gave up an empty-net goal to Henrik Zetterberg.
Adam Burish gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead 5:25 in, but Cleary tied it a few minutes later and Johan Franzen put Detroit in front 2-1 late in the second period.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Detroit.
