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Showing posts from December 26, 2010

Bomb explodes outside closed night club in Greece

Source: NEWSGRAM A police statement says the pre-dawn blast occurred just before 4 a.m.(0200 GMT) Friday near the city center. The explosion was heard across southern Athens and severely damaged the club’s facade. The investigation is being handled by the police department responsible for extortionists, who have carried out several similar attacks in recent years. On Thursday, suspected radical anarchists exploded a strong bomb outside an Athens administrative court, causing severe damage but no injuries. A warning call before the blast allowed police to evacuate the area.

ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa released from jail

Source: HT Arabinda Rajkhowa, chairman of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), released from the Guwahati Central Jail to facilitate peace talks between the Government and top ULFA cadres. Rajkhowa, who was on Thursday granted bail by a special TADA court, said the ULFA is ready for unconditional peace talks but wants the outfit to stay united. Rajkhowa, 54, was captured from Dhaka by sleuths of the Rapid Action Battalion and then handed over to Indian authorities December last year. He was at the Guwahati Central Jail for the past one year

Somali Islamist insurgents threaten US attack

source: HT A leader of Somalia's Islamist insurgency has threatened to attack America. Fuad Mohamed "Shongole" Qalaf said in Monday's radio message that US President Barack Obama must convert to Islam or Somalia's al-Shabab militia would seek to launch attacks in the United States. Al-Shabab has not yet launched an attack outside Africa but Western intelligence has long been worried because the group targeted young Somali-Americans for recruitment. About 20 have traveled to Somalia for training. The militia launched coordinated suicide attacks in Uganda in July that killed 76 people. It has also announced its allegiance to al-Qaida and is believed to be harboring a mastermind of the twin 2008 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people.

10 al-Qaida suspects detained in Turkey: Report

Source: HT Police have detained 10 people suspected of links to the al-Qaida terror network and accused of preparing to stage an attack before New Year's Eve, the state-run Anatolia news agency said on Thursday. The agency, citing police, said that the suspects were rounded up for questioning in simultaneous raids in the cities of Bursa and Istanbul earlier this week and on today. It did not elaborate. It was the latest in a string of raids against people described as al-Qaida suspects. The suspects were expected to be interrogated by prosecutors on Friday who will make decide whether to press charges against them. Some charges emerging from similar previous raids have been dropped because of flimsy evidence. Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul in 2003, killing 58 people. In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the US Consulate in Istanbul left three attackers and three policemen dead.

3 Car bomb hits church in Egypt, seven dead

Source: HT A car bomb exploded outside a church and killed seven people in Egypt's northern city of Alexandria as worshippers gathered to mark the new year, official said on Saturday. It said a further 24 people were wounded in the incident, which swiftly prompted hundreds of Christians to take to the street in protest. Some Christians and Muslims pelted each other with rocks, a witness said. Cars were torched. Christians in Muslim-majority Egypt make up about 10% of the nation's 79 million people. Tensions can flare into violence, often over issues such as the building of churches or relationships between members of the two communities. "We sacrifice our souls and blood for the Cross," shouted Christians near the Coptic Orthodox church where the blast struck, the witness said. Police used teargas to disperse the crowd. Ambulances were also at the scene where medical personnel gathered body parts that were scattered over the area by the blast. "This is a sce

Officials: Pakistan drone strikes kill 13

Source CNN From Nasir Habib, For CNN January 1, 2011 -- Updated 0549 GMT (1349 HKT) STORY HIGHLIGHTS Drone strikes target militants' hideout in northwest Pakistan The strikes are in a mountainous region bordering Afghanistan Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Two drone strikes killed 13 militants in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, two intelligence officials said. The first drone strike targeted militants' hideout in Miran Shah, officials said. Four missiles were fired, killing seven militants, officials said. In the second drone strike, two missiles targeted militants' hideout in Mandi Khel, killing six. The strikes were in North Waziristan, a mountainous region bordering Afghanistan. The officials asked not to be named because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

Reports: 30 Killed in Blast in Nigerian Capital

Source: VOA NEWS Photo: AP / Felix Onigbinde A woman who lost a relative in a bomb explosion, center, mourns at the Asokoro General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, Dec. 31, 2010. Officials in Nigeria say a bomb has exploded at a popular market inside an army barracks in the capital, Abuja. Nigerian television is reporting that at least 30 people died in the explosion. Police have not confirmed that figure. Officials say the bomb went off inside Mammy market where people were eating and drinking to celebrate New Year's Eve. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan blamed the bombing on the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. The group claimed responsibility for Christmas Eve bomb attacks in the central city of Jos, and for attacking several churches in the northern city of Maiduguri. More than 80 people died in those attacks. Abuja was shaken by car bomb attacks in October. Militants from the southern oil-producing

Single trip to US enough to put one on terrorist watch list

Source: toi WASHINGTON: The government has modified the terrorist data base and the process as a result of which even a single trip to the US would add a suspect to this list which now numbers more than 440,000, a media report said today. A year after a Nigerian man tried to blow up a plane over the US air skies, US officials have now "effectively in a broad stroke lowered the bar for inclusion," The Washington Post reported. Timothy Healey, Director of FBI's Terrorist Screening Centre, said the new guidelines balance the protection of Americans from terrorist threats with the preservation of civil liberties. He was quoted as saying by the daily that the watch list today is "more accurate, more agile," providing valuable intelligence to a growing number of partners that include state and local police and foreign governments. The government's master watch list is one of roughly a dozen lists, or databases, used by counter-terrorism officials, the daily s

South American drug gangs funding al-Qaeda terrorists

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Source: telegraph South American drugs gangs are providing millions of pounds of funding for al-Qaeda terrorists by paying them to ensure the safe passage of cocaine across north Africa and towards Europe. FARC or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia now use a new drug route through North Africa   Photo: ALAMY By Robin Yapp in Sao Paulo 4:31PM GMT 29 Dec 2010 Islamic rebels familiar with the barren terrain of the Sahara have struck deals under which they provide armed security escorts for drug traffickers in return for a slice of their profits. Counter-terrorism experts said that the terrorists belong to the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group, which has kidnapped a series of Westerners and killed a British tourist last year. They warned that the money they receive from drugs gangs could be used to attract new recruits and plan terrorist attacks on

Denmark, Sweden jointly arrest 5 terror suspects

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Source: Xinhua Head of Denmark's PET security police Jakob Scharf (R) and Director-General of Sweden's security service SAPO Anders Danielsson talk to the media at a news conference in Copenhagen December 29, 2010. Danish police arrested five people suspected of planning a Mumbai-style attack to kill as many people as possible in a building housing a Danish newspaper that outraged Muslims in 2005 with cartoons of Prophet Mohammad.  (Xinhua/AFP Photo) COPENHAGEN, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said Wednesday that the PET and the Swedish Security Service (SAPO) have jointly arrested five individuals suspected of plotting a terror attack in Copenhagen. The arrests were made at two flats in Herlev and Greve, both municipalities of Copenhagen. The PET believed that the suspects were preparing a terror attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in Copenhagen. Three of the suspects are living in Sweden and have entered Denmark dur

Persecuted Hindus : In Pakistan, to be a minority is a curse

Source: Pioneer December 30, 2010 12:46:09 PM The Pioneer Edit Desk Pakistan, which does not let go of any opportunity to heckle India on perceived human rights violations, stands exposed as at least 27 Hindu families from Balochistan have approached the Indian High Commission in Islamabad seeking political asylum in this country. The drastic step taken by the Hindus, who have been living in the Province for centuries, shows their miserable plight and that they can no longer live in fear of abduction for ransom, armed robberies and murder. When a Pakistani official — Regional Director for the Federal Ministry of Human Rights Saeed Ahmed Khan — expresses great concern and urges the Pakistani Government to take immediate measures to improve the law and order situation, it serves to underscore that it has failed miserably in its duty to protect the religious minorities from growing Islamist violence. Most important, the Pakistani Government cannot even term it as a false allegation be

Ivory Coast UN ambassador warns of genocide risk

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Source: BBC NEWS   Mr Gbagbo's supporters have said they will storm the hotel where Mr Ouattara is holed up Continue reading the main story Ivory Coast: Two presidents, one crisis Armed and ready Siege mentality Cocoa high Q&A: Ivory Coast election crisis Ivory Coast's newly appointed ambassador to the UN has warned the country is "on the brink of genocide". In a TV interview, Youssoufou Bamba said there had been large scale violation of human rights as a result of the ongoing political unrest. Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to step down despite his rival, Alassane Ouattara, being internationally accepted as the presidential election winner. The UN has accused state media of inciting hatred against it. Mr Gbagbo has said Mr Ouattara's victory in November was illegitimate. Both men have been sworn in as president. Mr Bamba, who was appointed by Mr Ouattara, was formally

Extremist on Trial for Supplying Aceh Militants With Arms, Cash Mohd Adhe Bhakti | December 29, 2010

Source: Jakarta globe Another key terrorism trial began on Wednesday with Abdullah Sunata facing charges of helping organize a training camp in Aceh to prepare militants for Mumbai-style attacks during the Aug. 17 National Day celebrations. Sunata, 32, is accused of collecting funds and providing arms for the Aceh camp, according to his indictment read at the East Jakarta District Court. “The defendant collected Rp 195 million [$21,600] from various sources to buy weapons for the paramilitary training in Aceh,” prosecutor Asep Amirudin said. “Of that amount, Rp 30 million was accepted from Abu Tholut and used to buy three M-16 rifles,” he said, referring to another suspected militant who was arrested this month for allegedly masterminding an armed bank heist in Medan and also for his role in the Aceh camp. Sunata was charged under articles of the Anti-Terrorism Law that carry death sentence. Long before the Aceh camp was uncovered by police in February, Sunata had surveyed

Denmark terrorism plot thwarted with arrest of five suspected militants, authorities say

Source: LA TIMES The reported target is the Copenhagen newspaper that published cartoons in 2005 lampooning the prophet Muhammad. Suspects described as 'militant Islamists' are arrested in Sweden and Denmark. Reporting from Beirut — Scandinavian authorities thwarted what they describe as a terrorist attack in Denmark, arresting five suspected militants Wednesday. Danish state-run media quoted a security official as saying the militants' target was the Copenhagen offices of Jyllands Posten, the newspaper that in 2005 published cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad, the seminal figure in the Islamic religion, prompting an international uproar. Jakob Scharf, head of Danish intelligence, was quoted by the state-owned Danish broadcaster as saying that the aim of the alleged militants was "to kill as many people as possible." He reportedly described them as "militant Islamists" wit

Jharkhand Police launch a mass campaign to counter Maoist influence

Source: Sify news Jharkhand Police launched a mass awareness campaign here to enlighten the villagers about the misconceived objectives of the Maoists so that they do not get influenced by the ideology of the ultras. The motive of the campaign, which began in Jharkhand's Gumla District on Sunday, is to unleash the real face of Maoism. The local police tried to portray the real picture in front of the villagers through a street play. Praveen, a local youngster said that people got inspired from the play and came to know the real face of Maoism. "This campaign has been started by government. The play based on Anti Maoist operation has portrayed that today youngsters have morally digressed. Today youngsters are going towards Maoism to improve their life but instead they are devastating it," said Praveen, a local youth. Villagers also took active part in the campaign. The play portrayed how Maoists mislead innocent villagers and target them to get involve into Maoist activiti

No armed cadres in CPI (M) camps, Buddha to PC

Source: Headlines today No armed CPI (M) cadres or supporters are sheltered in the camps set up by the party in Bengal's three Maoist-dominated districts, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has informed union home minister P Chidambaram in a letter faxed on Tuesday morning. State secretariat sources claimed Bhattacharjee also alleged in his reply that the number of Left supporters who have fallen to Maoist violence as mentioned in Chidambaram's December 21 letter is lower than the actual figure. Bhattacharjee himself remained mum on the contents merely saying, "The reply has been sent. The contents will be revealed at an appropriate time." The grapevine at the chief minister's secretariat indicated Bhattacharjee has reiterated that the government has proof of Trinamool's ties with the Maoists, an allegation that he and other CPI (M) leaders have been harping on for the past several months. Bhattacharjee is also supposed to have gone on the offensi

Hindus and Jews seek Romanian Church Patriarch's help to end Roma apartheid

Source: one india Nevada (US), Dec 28 (ANI): Hindus and Jews have urged Patriarch of majority Romanian Orthodox Church, its Holy Synod, and National Church Assembly to help improve the plight of Roma (Gypsy), who face apartheid conditions in Romania and Europe. Well known Hindu statesman Rajan Zed; and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement in Nevada today, urged His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel Ciobotea to openly and strongly condemn the continuous maltreatment of Roma as religions told us to raise the voice for the helpless. Condition of Roma in Romania had most of the signs of "apartheid" and something should urgently be done to stop their mistreatment. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich argued that Jesus Christ clearly told the world to help the helpless, defenseless and downtrodden and love them and he showed the way also. Patriarch, being the claimed representative of

Kidnapping, killing force Pak Hindus to seek political asylum in India

Source: TOI ISLAMABAD: Hindu families living in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province have approached the Indian High Commission in Islamabad , seeking visas and political asylum in India due to growing cases of kidnapping for ransom and target killing of members of their community, the Dawn newspaper reported. This was revealed by the regional director for the federal ministry of human rights, Saeed Ahmed Khan , at a seminar on "Provincial Conference on Baluchistan Crisis", held in Quetta, the provincial capital. Khan said that Hindus had been living in Baluchistan for centuries, but in recent weeks several members of the minority community had been kidnapped or murdered, forcing them to seek political asylum in India. "As many as 27 Hindu families from Baluchistan have sent applications to the Indian embassy for asylum in India," he said. According to statistics of the ministry of human rights, violation of human rights has been committed

Terror vigil along coast, Bangalore on high alert

Source: DNA A day before the fifth anniversary of the IISc terror attack, the state police have been placed on high alert – especially on the Karnataka coast – following an alert from the central intelligence agencies that some terrorists had sneaked into the state, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said on Monday. The alert has prompted the police to keep a quick reaction team (QRT) ready to thwart any possible terror attack in the state, he said. The intelligence agencies had sounded an alert that there could be terror strikes in the run-up to new year’s celebrations in Karnataka, including Bangalore. “We were told that coastal districts were vulnerable as the terror module was moving along the coast,” a senior police officer, who attended an emergency meeting called by the chief minister to review the security measures, said. Officials, who attended the meeting, said the alert was issued following strong suspicion that the four terrorists, who had entered Mumbai by a b

14 killed in fresh clashes after Christmas attacks in Nigeria

Source: TOI ABUJA: At least 14 people were killed and several others wounded on Monday in fresh clashes that broke out in Nigeria's central region after multiple blasts that claimed 32 lives in the deeply divided city of Jos, officials said. Bomb disposal squad and extra forces were dispatched to the riot affected Jos in northern Nigeria after clashes led to the death of 14 people on Monday, police said. Thirty-two people were killed, while more than 100 injured on Christmas eve when strings of bomb attacks hit the town just as suspected Islamic fundamentalists massacred six Christian worshippers in a nearby town of Maiduguri. A statement from the oil-rich African country's police headquarters here said that it dispatched the police bomb squad to Jos, while its men patrolled the city to contain the situation even as it awaited the state of affairs report from Plateau State of which Jos is the capital. The country also announced tightening of security in A

Death toll of bomb blasts reaches 80 in Nigeria's Jos

Source: Xinhua JOS, Nigeria, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the Christmas Eve bomb blasts in central north Plateau State had risen to 80, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Monday. The north central zonal manager for the agency Al Hassan Danjuma Aliu disclosed this to reporters in Jos, the state capital on Monday, adding that the figure covers the over all death tolls from Dec. 24. He said the injured number is above 100. A source in one of the hospitals told Xinhua that most of the victims died as a result of serious injuries they sustained. The source said the victims were also given mass burial at an undisclosed area in the state. The police in Nigeria's central north Plateau State on Sunday confirmed the killing of 32 persons after three blasts rocked Nigeria's restive Jos city. State police commissioner Abdelrahman Akano told reporters in Jos, the state capital, that 74 others were seriously injured and were receiving treatment at

Colombia takes Venezuela rebel accusation to OAS

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Source: BBC NEWS The left-wing Mr Chavez and pro-US Mr Uribe have frequently clashed The Organisation of American States (OAS) is to hold a special meeting on 22 July to hear Colombia's complaint that Venezuela tolerates Colombian rebel camps on its territory. Colombia says it has strong evidence that Venezuela is providing a safe haven for left-wing guerrillas. Venezuela strongly denies the charge. It has accused Colombia's President, Alvaro Uribe, of trying to provoke a diplomatic crisis before he leaves office next month. "Colombia has the right to denounce in front of the international community the presence of guerrillas in Venezuela", Colombian Interior Minister Fabio Valencia said. 'Exact co-ordinates' The Colombian government said on Thursday it had proof that five rebel leaders were sheltering across the border in Venezuela and planning attacks from there. It said it had the exact grid co-ordinates of camps of both the

Truce broken in Mindor between comunist rebels and army in philipines

By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated December 27, 2010  MANILA, Philippines - The military and communist rebels yesterday accused each other of violating the Christmas ceasefire when an Army squad clashed with New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro last Thursday. 1Lt. Frank Sayson, spokesman for the 2nd Infantry Division (ID), said the rebels ambushed soldiers who were supposed to meet with an NPA member wanting to surrender. “The 2ID believes it did not violate the truce between the government and the New People’s Army. The skirmish is an act of self-defense against an attacking NPA,” Sayson said in a statement. Despite sporadic fighting, including the killing of 10 Army soldiers in a Dec. 14 rebel ambush, both sides have agreed to resume formal talks on Feb. 15-21 in Norway’s capital, Oslo. The military and the rebels also approved a Christmas truce that took effect on Dec. 16 and will last until Jan. 3. The Armed Forces Souther

Turkish trio jailed in Germany for supporting far-left terror group

Source: haartez The three raised money in Germany to finance a series of terrorist attacks in Turkey. Two men and a woman were sentenced Thursday to several years in prison for raising money in Germany to finance a series of radical left-wing terrorist attacks in Turkey. Nurhan E, a woman aged 35, was given seven years and nine months for being the German leader of the Marxist-Leninist organization DHKP-C, the Dusseldorf court ruled. The group has been banned in Germany since 1998. One male accomplice, identified as 37-year-old Cengiz O, was sentenced to six years, while the third person, 41-year-old Ahmet I, was given three years and nine months in prison. All three are of Turkish origin, but have lived in Germany for many years. The DHKP-C, or Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, has mounted a series of bomb attacks in Turkey and also used suicide bombers in a bid to overthrow the state and establish a communist system.  

Twin bomb blasts kill 17 in central Iraq

Source: al jazeera Two consecutive bomb attacks have rocked the capital of Iraq's central province of Anbar, leaving at least 17 people dead. An explosion occurred on Monday when a bomber blew up the minibus he was driving near a government compound in the central city of Ramadi, the Asscociated Press quoted provioncial spokesman Mohammed Fathi as saying. The compound reportedly houses the provincial council as well as Anbar's police headquarters. A second bomb blast followed a few minutes later when a man detonated his explosive vest some 500 meters away. Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammed put the casualties from the attacks at seven dead and 28 wounded. But a police official at the sit of the explosions said the death toll had risen to 17. Most of the killed are police officers and 47 people have been wounded, he said on condition of anonymity, adding the blasts were caused by two successive vehicle bombs.

Maoism and State Paralysis in India

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Source: ISN Protesters demanding the release of Maoist Dr Binayak Sen A revolutionary movement that began several decades ago is acquiring the momentum to pose an enduring threat to India’s political stability and economic development. By Prem Mahadevan for ISN Insights Since 2004, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly described Maoist revolutionaries as constituting the country's most severe internal security threat. Notwithstanding such apocalyptic language, little consensu

3 Dead in Afghan Car Bomb Blast

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Source: VOA Photo: AFP US soldiers and Afghan security forces stand guard at the site of a car bomb in front of a branch of the Kabul bank in Kandahar on 27 Dec 2010 A car bomb has exploded in the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar, killing three and wounding at least a dozen people. Kandahar officials say Monday's blast happened outside a bank where police office

Sindh witnessed spiralling violence throughout 2010 (Terror Watch)

Source: calcutta tube December 26, 2010 (Calcutta Tube): Sindh, Pakistan’s Southern Province, witnessed spiralling violence throughout 2010, as did the rest of the country, with the number of terrorist attacks resulting in fatalities rising from 19 in 2009 to at least 62 in 2010 (all data till December 19, 2010). Significantly, after one of its worst incidents last year, the suicide bombing that killed 43 people in Karachi, the provincial and economic capital of the terror-ridden nation, on December 28, 2009, Asmatullah Shaheen, a Tehreek-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) ‘commander’, had threatened more attacks on “the US ally, declaring, “My group claims responsibility for the Karachi attack and we will carry out more such attacks within 10 days.” Though the outfit just missed its declared deadline, an explosion was engineered on January 8, 2010, killing six persons in a house near the Babri mosque in Karachi’s Baldia Town locality. This was only the beginning of an unrelenting succession