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Showing posts from December 19, 2010

Russia: War on Terrorism in Afghanistan Depends on Anti-Drug Efforts

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Source: farsnews TEHRAN (FNA)- Chief of Russia's Federal Drug Control Service (FDCS) Viktor Ivanov underlined the importance of anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan for ending the problem of terrorism in the war-torn country. "Resolving the problem of terrorism in Afghanistan is impossible without dealing with the issue of drug production in the country," Ivanov told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with Commander of the anti-narcotics squad of Iran's Law Enforcement Police General Hamid Reza Hossein-Abadi here in Tehran today. "Production of narcotics in Afghanistan boosts crimes in that country as well as the other regional countries," Ivanov added. "Drug production in Afghanistan causes a spread of terrorism, and Iran, Pakistan and Russia hold common views on this issue," the Russia official noted. He also lauded Iran's performance in drug campaign, and stressed, "We are eager to cooperate with the Islamic Republic of I

Lawsuits, terrorism and the economy: pakistan

Source: Daily times Last month, a lawsuit was filed against top officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and leaders of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) in a court in New York by the family of a couple who lost their lives in the Mumbai 2008 terror attacks. The lawsuit has alleged that the ISI “provided critical planning, material support, control and coordination for the attacks” to the 10 men who carried out the attacks. The Brooklyn court has apparently summoned ISI chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and his predecessor Lieutenant-General Nadeem Taj, among others, to appear before the court next month. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani assured the National Assembly on Thursday that if the current and former ISI chiefs do not “agree to appear before the American court, nobody can send them”. He was responding to Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar’s remarks that the government should not allow this to happen. Practically speaking, the inherent character of spy agencies and t

Dutch arrest 12 on suspicion of terrorism

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Source: CNN The Rotterdam internet cafe searched by police as they investigate 12 men suspected of planning violent attacks. STORY HIGHLIGHTS 12 men of Somali origin arrested in Rotterdam They are in custody on suspicion of terrorism No weapons or explosives were found RELATED TOPICS Somalia Netherlands (CNN)  -- Dutch authorities have arrested 12 men of Somali origin they believe were about to carry out a terrorist attack, authorities said Saturday. The country's intelligence service provided information that led to the arrests in Rotterdam, Public Prosecution Service spokesman Wim de Bruin told CNN. No weapons or explosives were found, he said. The suspects are in police custody. "The attack was said to be imminent so the national police started an investigation which led to the arrest of 12 Somalis later on Friday in Rotterdam," de Bruin said. "We are not sure about what the target was, how they were going to carry out the attack or when." A Dutch coun

45 killed in Pakistan suicide blast

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45 killed in Pakistan suicide blast The blast took place at a World Food Programme distribution centre in Khar, close to Afghan border - a Taliban and al Qaida stronghold. PESHAWAR: At least 45 people have been killed and nearly 100 injured after a suicide bomber attacked a large crowd of people in Pakistan's north western Bajaur tribal region on Saturday. The blast took place at a World Food Programme (WFP) distribution centre in the town of Khar, headquarters of Bajaur Agency, close to the Afghan border - a Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold. Most of the victims are believed to be civilians who had fled the fighting between Taliban militants and the Pakistani army. Around 1,000 people displaced by military operations had been receiving food at a distribution centre when the attacker struck, said a local government official. Officials and eyewitnesses feared that the death toll could rise. Most of the injured were shifted to Peshawar in helicopters. Saturday'

Australians 'added to terrorism watch list'

By Craig McMurtrie Updated Tue Dec 7, 2010 12:34pm AEDT The New York Times is reporting that 23 Australian citizens have been added to a US terrorism watch list because of their activities in Yemen. The details are included in a diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Sanaa, sent to the Times by WikiLeaks but not released publicly. The cable reportedly says 23 Australian citizens and residents were added to terrorism watch lists because of their activities in Yemen, or because of their connection to an American radical cleric who was hiding there. The US embassy in Yemen was tracking expatriates suspected of having links to extremists. According to the US newspaper, many of the Australians were women. The January cable says Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen wanted to identify a female for a future attack. The US State Department's counter-terrorism chief has refused to comment on the WikiLeaks report. Daniel Benjamin, who is currently in Australia, says he will not verif

Rome embassy blasts wound 2; anarchists suspected By FRANCES D'EMILIO,

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Source: katu Story Published: Dec 23, 2010 at 6:37 AM PST Security personnel work at an embassay in Rome under the watch of police. AP Photo. Comments (3) ROME (AP) - Mail bombs exploded in the hands of employees at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome on Thursday, seriously wounding two people and triggering heightened security checks at diplomatic missions just as holiday deliveries deluge their mailrooms. Italian investigators suspected the attacks were the work of anarchists, similar to the two-day wave of mail bombs that targeted several embassies in Athens last month — including those of Chile and Switzerland. One of last month's boob

Government faces legal challenge over training of Bangladeshi 'death squad'

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Source: Gaurdian Lawyers seek judicial review into assistance provided to the Rapid Action Battalion, arguing it breaches international law Ian Cobain guardian.co.uk , Thursday 23 December 2010 20.09 GMT Article history Members of RAB have been held responsible for hundreds of extrajudicial killings. Photograph: Abir Abdullah/EPA The government faces a legal challenge to its support for a Bangladeshi paramilitary group described by human rights organisations as a "government death squad". Lawyers are to seek a judicial review of the legality of training assistance provided to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), arguing that it places the UK in breach of its obligations under international law. Members of RAB have been held

Guantanamo Closure Recedes Into Distance

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Source: IPS NEWS By Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, Dec 23, 2010 (IPS) - President Barack Obama's hopes of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility appear as far from being realised as ever in the wake of new legislation approved by Congress this week. Wednesday's approval by the Senate of an a mendment banning the use of Pentagon funds for 2011 to transfer detainees at Guantanamo, the U.S. naval base on Cuba, to the United States or its territories appears to guarantee that the facility will remain open for business at least through next September. The House of Representatives, which passed a similar provision last week, is expected to quickly approve the Senate version. Despite the administration's objections, the amendment is unlikely to be vetoed by Obama. It was strongly denounced by human rights groups that have campaigned for Guantanamo's closure since it first began receiving detainees allegedly captured in what became the George W. Bush administration&

Cyberattacks Cripple Rights Groups as Culture Wars Move Online

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Source: technews By Rob Spiegel TechNewsWorld 12/22/10 2:08 PM PT The Internet affords the lowliest individual with opportunities to communicate with the world, but it's also fairly easy for one individual to muffle an entire website. DDoS attacks are nothing new, but they're on the rise, Harvard researchers have found, as the Web increasingly becomes a battleground for opposing ideas. Human rights groups, which often have slim IT resources, have been taking a beating. Human rights groups are increasingly getting shut down by distributed denial of service (DDoS) and other cyberattacks, according to a report from Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society . The center reported that 280 independent media and human rights websites were hit by 140 attacks between September 2009 and August 2010. Only high-profile attacks were reported so many more probably occurred during that period, the report suggests. The attacks took a variety of f

Iraq's churches cancel Christmas festivities; beseiged Christians live in fear of terrorism

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Source: Cleaveland View full size Associated Press Iraqi women pass by a closed church in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010. Church officials in Iraq say they have canceled Christmas festivities in two northern cities over fears of insurgent attacks.    SAMEER N. YACOUB and YAHYA BARZANJI, Associated Press KIRKUK, Iraq — No decorations, no midnight Mass. Even an appearance by Santa Claus has been nixed after Iraq's Christian leaders called off Christmas celebrations amid new al-Qaida threats on the tiny community still terrified from a bloody siege on a Baghdad church. Christians across Iraq have been living in fear since the assault on Our Lady of Salvation Church as its Catholic congregation was celebrating Sunday Mass. Sixty-eight people were killed. Days later Islamic insurgents bombed Christian homes and neighborhoods across the capital. On Tuesday, al-Qaida insurgents threatened more attacks on Iraq's beleaguered Christians, many of whom have fled

Somaliland to probe Puntland military supply plane

( AFP ) – 11 hours ago MOGADISHU — Authorities in autonomous Somaliland said Sunday they opened an investigation into a plane seized en route to neighbouring Puntland that contained military supplies and two South Africans posing as journalists. "We have sent transferred the case to the prosecutor and the affair will now go through the courts," said Transport Minister Mohamud Abdi Hashi. The government of Somaliland, a northern region of Somalia which has declared independence but is yet to be internationally recognised, made the decision to investigate on Saturday evening, Hashi said. Hashi said prosecutors would probe a violation of Somaliland airspace, the violation of an international embargo on arms to Somalia, and the presence of two South Africans who passed themselves off as journalists. Somaliland authorities seized the plane on December 10 after it was forced to land in regional capital Hargeysa because it was short on fuel. It was heading to Pun

Black Water wants to go into Somalia'

Source: press tv Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:16PM Interview with Independent Journalist, Thomas Mountain As tension in Somalia continues to escalate, the US banking institutions and corporations seem to reap the benefits by destroying any stability and sovereignty through creating conflicts. Press TV interviews Thomas Mountain regarding the US support of conflicts in Africa and how the US is funding the Ethiopian President to invade Somalia. Press TV: Welcome to On the Edge coming from sunny downtown Tehran, Iran. Let's talk with Thomas C. Mountain. Thomas is an independent journalist living in Eretria and writes often on the Horn of Africa. Thomas, welcome to the Edge. Mountain: Thanks Max, it's nice to be back. Keiser: Thomas C. Mountain, you are an expert on the Horn of Africa. So what are your thoughts on the recent WikiLeaks cable gate revelations that the US essentially hired Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi to invade Somalia in 2006. Mountain: Well,

Congress goes after RSS on terror, wants probe into Parivar links

Source: express india New Delhi The Congress is set to step up its attack on the RSS demanding in its political resolution, to be passed at the party’s plenary session on Sunday, that the government of India should investigate its links with terror attacks. “The Congress calls upon the government to investigate the role of the RSS and all like-minded sister organizations in terror attacks,” stated the draft political resolution that was discussed at the party’s Subject Committee meeting here on Saturday. It was to be given a final shape late in the evening. Congress sources said that it is the first time that the RSS and terrorism will be hyphenated in a party resolution. This comes amidst a concerted attack from the BJP and other affiliates of the Sangh Parivar on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s remarks to US Ambassador Timothy Roemer stating that radicalised Hindu groups posed a bigger threat to India than Pakistan-based terror outfit Las