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Showing posts from August 21, 2011

Somali pirate-LeT tie-up is BIG threat for India

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Source: rediff      Image: An Al-Shahbab fighter Vicky Nanjappa The coming together of Lashkar-e-Tayiba and southern Somalia-based Al-Shahbab poses new maritime protection issues for India. The interrogation of several pirates who have been nabbed in Indian waters has revealed that the Somalis have been sponsored directly by the deadly Islamic terrorist group Al-Shahbab. Intelligence sources told rediff.com that the Al-Shahbab group has links with the Al Qaeda and carries out the latter's operations. The cadres of this group specialise more on sea and have been using the pirates for their operations. The IB says that every one out of ten attacks is attributed to some terrorist group.  India has witnessed at least 200 attacks so far from pirates. The IB believes that the pirates may be collecting logistical data for terrorist groups. They also raise funds for terror outfits through hijacked vessels. The detail that has been most reveal

Violence Continues in Papua, Soldier Murdered

Source: Jakartaglobe An Indonesian Military officer stationed in Papua was stabbed to death by unknown attackers on Tuesday. Capt. Tasman, 53, from the Cenderawasih XVII Military Regional Command, was on his way to work when the attack took place near a housing complex on Jalan Baru in Heram, Jayapura. A Cenderawasih University student who witnessed the incident told Suara Pembaruan that he was riding a motorbike behind Tasman when two men approached him. One man used a knife to stab him repeatedly and the other one used a sword. Tasman fell to the ground and the men ran away. Kiki reported the attack to a nearby police precinct but Tasman was already dead when police arrived at the scene. He had been stabbed or slashed in the neck, back and stomach. Neither the police nor the military in Papua were willing to comment regarding the latest attack in the region. On Aug. 3, suspected Papua separatists attacked an Army helicopter in Jayawijaya district as it evacuated the body of

DEEPER PEACE STILL ELUSIVE FOR BASQUES

Source: Chronicle by Jonathan Gleave, Reuters After 10 years working as a bodyguard in Spain’s Basque country, where mayors need 24-hour protection and university professors check their cars for bombs, Julen knows when he’s not welcome. The animosity that fuelled decades of separatist violence has softened with recent political developments, which includes surprise electoral wins for nationalist candidates in May. But he cautions that does not mean it is gone, he said. n the towns where he accompanies local councillors and ex-politicians about their daily lives, Julen -- a false name he uses when he’s working -- is still seen by many as a lackey for Spain’s centuries-old repression of the Basques. “Everyone wants this to end, but let’s not confuse hope with reality,” said the athletic 50-year-old. “We still get refused food

Tribal clashes kill at least 600 people in South Sudan

KHARTOUM, Aug. 22 ( Xinhua ) -- At least 600 people were killed and hundreds others were injured in tribal clashes in Jongolei State in South Sudan. "Jongolei State witnessed tribal clashes last week which resulted in the killing of more than 600 people and injury of hundreds others," an anonymous security source in the South Sudanese government told Xinhua via phone on Monday. "The region is now calm after intervention of South Sudan government authorities," the source added. Southern Sudanese rebel groups in the state, including the rebel militia led by Gen. George Ator who defected from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), are active against the South Sudan government. The United Nations has recently reported bloody tribal clashes in South Sudan, indicating instability in the country only few weeks after its independence. The UN statistics indicated that around 2,368 people were killed in 330 violent incidents in various parts o

FARC Landmines Hit Coca Eradication Efforts

Questions over the effectiveness of coca crop eradication have an extra dimension in Colombia , where FARC rebels guard drug crops with landmines. Antipersonnel landmines have traditionally been a key feature of the military tactics of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - FARC ). There is evidence that, following a tactical shake-up in 2009 by leader Guillermo Leon Saenz Vargas, alias “ Alfonso Cano ,” which saw the group revert to more traditional guerrilla methods o f attack, this weapon is being increasingly deployed as a means to protect coca crops, as well as to attack and demoralize the armed forces. Colombian security forces have discovered a number of stockpiles of explosive devices this year, including the seizure of 683 landmines belonging to the FARC in Antioquia, a north-central province which is currently the most mine-affected department in Colombia. In an interview earlier this

Mexican soldiers uncover 'narco-tunnel' to US

(CNN) -- Mexican soldiers have discovered a so-called "narco-tunnel" in Baja California that extends under the U.S. border, Mexican military officials said Friday. The unfinished tunnel is 298 meters (977 feet) long, two meters (6.5 feet) high and about half that wide, and is thought to be intended for smuggling drugs, the National Defense Secretariat said. Ten people, including one woman, were arrested as they were excavating, the agency said. Tools were also confiscated from the site. The tunnel, which started inside a house and has lighting and ventilation, is thought to have started a year ago. Mexican military personnel came across it around 6 a.m. Friday, said Gen. Alfonso Duarte. "They were approximately 100 meters (109 yards) into American territory," Duarte told reporters. "They had already crossed (into the U.S.), but they had no exit." A small altar near the entrance to the tunnel contained figures for Santa Muerte -- t

India Inc loses 1,000cr in two years to cyber attacks

Source: TOI MUMBAI: Indian industry has made the internet an important conduit for conducting business. But by doing this, it has also opened itself to assaults by cybercriminals . In the last two years, Indian businesspersons have incurred a loss of around Rs1,000 crore because of data theft through phishing. Hackers, no longer content with mass-mailing spam containing malware, have of late started targeting specific, highprofile individuals, as the recent attempt to hijack ADAG chairman Anil Ambani's email account shows. You need not be a captain of industry to be at risk, though. Even if you own a small business, but have an online presence with your own domain, you are a potential target. "In the Ambani case, a corporate official crosschecked the received email with the supposed sender—a reporter with a foreign wire service—and found that the person had not sent any such mail. An investigation showed that the mail had been sent from Israel . Apart from

Inside the Ministry of Defence's cyberdefence unit

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Sourcxe: BBC Newsbeat The MoD's cyberdefence unit deals with threats from around the world. When it comes to defending the United Kingdom and carrying out missions overseas everybody knows the RAF, Army and Navy each has its own role to play. Protecting the computer systems and networks that help servicemen and women carry out those missions is something all three branches of the military are involved in. It's called the MoD's Cyber Policy Unit and is located on a recently-built base in Wiltshire that's all glass and landscaped gardens that wouldn't look out of place in Silicon Valley. Newsbeat was given a rare invitation to go and speak to the people who work there. We're not allowed to give out his full name for security reasons but Rick is a corporal in the RAF and part of the unit. How important is cyber defence to the mili

Somalia to Unveil Security Plan

Source: VOA An official of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) says the administration will soon unveil a “holistic” plan to bolster security in the capital, Mogadishu, and other parts of the country. Government spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman said the plan is the administration’s commitment to ensuring unarmed civilians are protected from attacks by the Islamic insurgent group, al-Shabab. “The government of Somalia has completed the initial draft of our national and security stabilization plan. It is a document that will help us bring peace and stability not only in Somalia, but [also] to the Horn of Africa,” said Osman. “The document is holistic in terms of dealing with the multi-faceted nature of security issues, which includes community participation [and] engaging with the people.” A few weeks ago, Islamic militant group al-Shabab abruptly withdrew from the capital following daily clashes with African Union Peacekeepers (AMISOM) and government forces.

30,000 people involved in UK riots: Police

Source: IE Scotland Yard today said around 30,000 people were suspected to be involved in the recent violence that gripped the British capital for more than four days. Metropolitan police figures released today showed 3,296 crimes were committed during the widespread arson, a media report said. This means an average of about ten people being linked to each crime, report said. Even the overwhelming figures, have not deterred the police from nabbing all those involved in the loot and riots. “It was the true definition of mob violence and the Met is keen to find out who all these people are,” a police source said. The violence witnessed a volley of criminal activities ranging from handling of stolen goods to firing at police. Source said on Sunday 1,875 people had been arrested so far and more than 1,070 people were charged in connection with the disorder between August 6 and 9. The prison population in England and Wales is less than 1,500 short of the usable operational

Ansar Burney announces Anna-style anti-corruption campaign in Pak

Source: IE Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney said today he would launch a campaign against corruption and terrorism in his country after Eid-ul-Fitr, mirroring an anti-graft drive by Anna Hazare in India that has gained thousands of followers. Pakistan is confronting a "dire and painful period in its history, with rampant and continuously growing corruption and terrorism destroying every fabric of our nation and any prospects of a decent future for our children and grandchildren", Burney said in a statement. Burney made no reference to Hazare, whose movement has captured the public imagination in India, but said his movement would get underway after the Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr that will be celebrated at the end of this month. "It is now up to civil society to take steps to rid the country of this evil before it is too late, and the Ansar Burney Trust will kick-start a massive anti-corruption campaign and anti-terrorism movement followi

JuD collecting donations against Pak govt order

Source: IE Pakistan-based outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawah, blamed by India for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has been holding gatherings at pre-dawn prayers in Lahore during Ramzan to collect donations, despite government orders barring it from such activities. The JuD has been organising speeches by its chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed at various places and advertising them through posters, pamphlets and mass text messages. Addressing a meeting held yesterday at a marriage hall at Moon Market in Gulshan-e-Ravi, Saeed began his speech by condemning India for allegedly "trying to flood Pakistan by deliberately releasing water in its rivers" and ended with a plea for donations. He accused India of trying to flood Pakistan's agricultural land and destroy thousands of acres of crops. He alleged the government was letting India "get away with it", The Express Tribune newspaper reported.  The JuD has organised a special programme to give people affected by floods a br

Fierce riots on Indonesia's Tiaka Island leaves one dead

Source: daijiworld PALU, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS), Aug 23  -- At least one person was shot dead on Monday after riots broke out on the northern Indonesian island of Tiaka, officials said on Tuesday. The riots began on Sunday and intensified on Monday afternoon as angry mobs attacked the Pertamina-Medco E&P Tomori Joint Operating Board offices and facilities, located in the Morowali district on Tiaka Island in Central Sulawesi, local authorities told the Antara news agency. The riots worsened when hundreds of residents from mainland Mamosalato traveled to the island by motor boats and joined the riots, vandalizing the oil facilities which are jointly managed by Pertamina and Medco. Mobs, using machetes, spears, sickles and Molotov cocktails, also took several Pertamina employees hostage. In addition, the Antara news agency reported that an oil well on Tiaka island was also attacked with Molotov cocktails, causing it to catch fire. Sulawesi Police Chief Brigadier G

HK relatives mourn Philippine bus slaughter

Source: AFP MANILA — Relatives of eight Hong Kong tourists killed in a Philippine bus hostage fiasco cried out for justice as they returned to the site of the slaughter Tuesday for an emotional one-year anniversary ceremony. Buddhist monks lit incense and offered food and drinks on a makeshift altar on the pavement of Manila's Rizal Park where the hijacked bus stood for 11 hours before a bungled rescue attempt led to the bloodbath. Last year's chaos was replaced by a peaceful atmosphere, the mournful hymns and chants of the monks broken only by the rapid shutter clicks from the cameras of a Hong Kong press contingent. "We will never forget the pain," said Tse Chi Kin, whose brother Masa Tse Ting-chunn, was the tour guide on the bus and was among those slain. He said the family came back seeking closure of sorts, but they had largely failed after President Benigno Aquino rejected an appeal to meet with them and personally apologise. "It has bee

UML to throw weight behind NC candidate

Source: The himalayantimes   Party's central committee endorses roadmap prepared by the two parties ARJUN BHANDARI KATHMANDU: A day after the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress came up with a common roadmap to conclude the peace process, UML central committee meeting today concluded that the Unified CPN-Maoist could not be given the leadership of a consensus government unless the latter handed over its weapons to the government, officially announced the return of the seized property and ended the dual security enjoyed by Maoist leaders. “But the UCPN-M is not prepared to meet these preconditions,” UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal said at today’s meeting, chaired by party Chairman and Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal. After party General Secretary distributed copies of the common roadmap prepared by UML and NC to all CC memb

Maoists end ceasefire, kill CPM man in Bengal

Source: IE After three months of ceasefire, Maoists shot dead a CPM worker in Bhulabheda area of Bengal’s West Midnapore district Monday. The victim was identified as Tapan Deshali, a CPM worker from Tungbhedua. Maoists posters were found near his body, Jhargram SP Gaurav Sharma said. The killing took place at a time when a team of interlocutors is talking with some factions of the Maoists in Junglemahal. “These are stray incidents. We don’t think it will hamper the peace process,” said one of the interlocutors. Significantly, in last two weeks, the police have arrested some people including students, doctors and others from Belpahari on the suspicion of them having links with the Left extremists. “A strong Maoist squad is active and several senior Maoists leaders have taken shelter in the area,” a senior police official, who did not want to be named, said.

Pakistan Tribal Militia: Defenceless Under Fire – Analysis

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Source: Eurassiareview At least 56 persons were killed and 123 injured in a suicide attack during the Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid Madina in the Ghundai area of Jamrud tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), on August 19, 2011. According to locals, a young boy aged about 15 or 16 years, had entered the mosque through a window and blown himself up in the main hall during prayers. Officials confirmed that the blast was a suicide attack. Pakistan On August 20, 2011, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out in retaliation for local resistance against the outfit. TTP’s Tariq Afridi group spokesman, Muhammad Talha, released a statement asserting that the attack was directed against the Kukikhel tribe, whose members had killed four TTP fighters in Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency on August 16. He also claimed that the tribesmen had demolished the houses of TTP memb

One blockade on, another begins in Manipur

Source: HT Twenty days after a tribal group imposed an indefinite economic blockade to bargain for a separate hill district, another one to counter it began from on Sunday. The indefinite highway bandh called by the United Naga Council (UNC) from Sunday was one up on the blockade the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee imposed from July 31 midnight. It added the sparingly used National Highway 150 to NH39 and NH53 under the purview of the bandh. NH39 and NH53 are Manipur’s lifelines. These two highways pass through Naga-inhabited hills to reach Imphal Valley. Cutting them off to starve the state and exert pressure on local authorities has been the most preferred form of agitation. “The attempt to bifurcate the Naga areas to create new districts is not acceptable to us. We organized mass rallies across four hill districts to arrive at the decision of imposing an economic blockade,” an UNC spokesperson said. Nagas feel the Congress government led by Okram Ibobi Singh

2 civilians killed in market bomb blast

Source: the frontierpopst KANDAHAR (Agencies): A bomb hidden in a scrap metal shop blew up in a market in southern Afghanistan on Monday, killing two civilians, officials said.The early morning blast in the town of Gereshk in Helmand province killed the shopkeeper and a child sitting in a car parked outside the store, said deputy provincial police chief Kamaluddin Sherzad. Four people were wounded in the explosion.The attack is the second in as many days in Gereshk. On Sunday, gunmen killed community council member Jan Mohammad Khan in the town’s market, the Helmand governor’s office said in a statement.On the outskirts of the nearby provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, police killed a Taliban deputy commander on Sunday, the governor’s office said.Lashkar Gah is one of the first seven areas of the country that Afghan authorities have take over control of security from international forces. The city is still frequently targeted by insurgents and the areas around Lashkar Ga

Six suspected Qaeda gunmen killed in south Yemen

Source: HT Six suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen have been killed in the south Yemen province of Abyan in an air raid by government forces, a local official and a witness said on Tuesday. The official said the six militants were killed on Monday as Yemeni forces raided several Al-Qaeda posts in the area of Arkub, which was overrun Sunday by armed men suspected of belonging to the jihadist network. "I saw six bodies on the side of the road, half an hour after the raid," said a witness. Al-Qaeda gunmen have seized control of several areas in the lawless Abyan province, including the provincial capital Zinjibar, Jaar, and Shaqra. Meanwhile, the body of a suspected suicide bomber was torn into pieces when a booby-trapped motorbike he was riding exploded early Tuesday in Lawder, according to tribal sources. Tribesmen siding with government forces are battling Islamist militants in Abyan, mainly in Zinjibar, where militants have besieged the army's 25th Mechanised Br

'Arab Spring' Gives Way to an Uncertain Autumn

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Source: WSJ Libyan rebels' seizure of large parts of Tripoli marks a dramatic advance for revolutionary movements in the Middle East, but the impact depends on how the Libyans' success affects the potentially more important rebellion in Syria. While the Libyan rebels continue to face resistance, their swift march into the capital likely will be seen in the region as a lesson that not even widespread government brutality can deter citizens fed up with decades of abuse by authoritarian regimes. Arab Summer View Interactive The pro-democracy movement is showing widely disparate outcomes across North Africa and the Middle East seven months after it began; here is an update. More photos and interactive graphics That is an ominous sign for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, who has been shelling rebell

A Gandhi Model Galvanizes India

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Source: WSJ Fasting, White-Clothed Hazare Was Tapped by Anticorruption Activists Looking for an Icon to Put Spirit Back in Fight NEW DELHI—Last fall, a group of leading anticorruption activists in India had reached a dead end. Their appeals to authorities to crack down on graft after a wave of high-profile scandals were going unheeded. They needed a figurehead to galvanize the masses and shame the government into action. One of the activists traveled to a rural outpost in western India to enlist Kisan "Anna" Hazare, a military veteran best known for turning a village that was stricken by drought and hooked on alcohol into a model of economic development. In Mr. Hazare, the movement tapped a leader whose austere lifestyle and history of nonviolent protests, including fasts, recalled the spirit and tactics of modern India's most iconic founding father, Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi. In the ensuing months, Mr. Hazare has achieved much of what hi