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Showing posts from September 11, 2011

Taiwan tracking IP of terror threat e-mail

Source: etaiwan Law enforcement authorities are tracking the Internet Protocol (IP) of an e-mail received by Taipei police Wednesday that threatened to attack skyscrapers in Taiwan's two biggest cities, Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah said Friday. "Based on previous experience, the terror threat will most likely turn out to be a hoax, but we are still following standard operation procedures to tighten security at places mentioned in the e-mail and investigating whether the message came from a terrorist organization," Jiang said. Because an initial investigation showed the threatening e-mail came from abroad, Jiang said law enforcement authorities were seeking foreign assistance in tracking the e-mail's IP. The message, received by the Taipei City Police Department, was signed by a sender calling itself "Aryan Nation" and said "flammable chemicals" would be placed in four of Taiwan's tallest buildings -- Taipei 101 and Shin

Terror victims unite in quiet war on terrorism

Source: etaiwan Victims of terror attacks and their families could become a powerful tool for states' attempts to combat future attacks, according to an organizer of a conference bringing together those who suffered injuries and loss from terrorists. "When victims of terror attacks are recognized, cared for and respected, they can be a force in their own right and be a useful tool to states fighting terrorism," said Guillaume Denoix de Saint Marc, head of the French Association of Terrorism Victims. He spoke as hundreds of terror attacks victims from around the world are in Paris for the 7th International Congress of Victims of Terrorism, which ends Saturday. Those that unleashed horror on those attending the three-day meeting include an alphabet soup of terror groups from around the world: from ETA in Spain, to al-Qaida's affiliate in North Africa and FARC in Colombia. Denoix de Saint Marc said the gathering "gives the victims a chance

FBI Denies Targeting Islam

Source: OnIslam CAIRO – Facing huge criticism over its Islamophobic programs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) denied targeting Islam, adding that its training materials does not reflect the bureau’s views, the New York Times reported on Saturday, September 17. The training material “does not reflect the views of the FBI and is not consistent with the overall instruction provided to FBI personnel,” FBI said in a statement posted on its website. The FBI added that the materials were presented only once, in April, to an audience of 37 agents at the Northern Virginia Resident Agency. Such a program “was quickly discontinued because it was inconsistent with FBI standards on this topic.” “As of August 2011, the individual who delivered the presentation no longer provides training on behalf of the FBI,” the agency said. “These corrective measures were made before recent media attention was given to this topi

Muslims reach out to help with blood drive at UMD

Source: MENAFN Sep 17, 2011 (Duluth News Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- An effort to collect 10,000 units of blood in September as a statement against terrorism is well along the way, a local organizer said on Friday. M. Imran Hayee, director of graduate studies in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth, wrote about the "Muslims for Life" campaign in an opinion piece in Sunday's News Tribune. Forty-three people signed up for a blood drive Friday in conjunction with Memorial Blood Centers on the UMD campus, and several others came as walk-ins, Hayee said. Another blood drive at UMD last week brought 30 units of blood. Several would-be donors were turned away for medical reasons. Two more blood drives are scheduled for September in UMD residence halls as part of the drive, Hayee said. It's a small part of the national "Muslims for Life" campaign that already ha

China/Islam: Chinese Uygar confusion and terrorism

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Source: iina BEIJING, 19 Shawwal/17 Sept (IINA)-Four men accused by the government of being behind the bloodshed this summer that claimed dozens of lives in the far western region of Xinjiang have been sentenced to death, the state news media reported on Thursday. Two other men were given 19-year prison terms. Scores of people were detained after a series of violent outbursts in Kashgar and Hotan, two Silk Road outposts whose large Uighur populations have chafed under Chinese rule for years. The condemned men — Abdugheni Yusup, Ablikim Hasan, Muhtar Hasan and Memetniyaz Tursun — are all Uighurs. They were convicted of homicide, leading a terror group, manufacturing illegal explosives, arson and “other crimes.” A report in the state-run Xinjiang Legal Daily said the trials, which took place on Tuesday in Kashgar and Hotan, were “open and fully protected the suspects’ legal rights.” Uighur exile groups, however, said that the defendants were tortured i

CRUDE BOMB EXPLOSION IN AGRA HOSPITAL, 8 INJURED

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Zeenews Bureau Agra: At least 8 people were injured when a crude bomb exploded in a hospital in Agra on Saturday. The explosion near the reception area of Jai Hospital on Sikandra Road here took place around 6 pm today.  Meanwhile, PK Tiwari, the Inspector General of Police, Agra, told a news channel that preliminary probe suggests the use of a crude bomb in a bag, which was kept under a seat in the lobby area. The people waiting at the reception area are the ones who received injuries. "As of now, we are not able to ascertain the nature of the explosion. Bomb disposal squad and anti-terrorist squad have been called at the site for further investigations," Deputy Inspector General of Police Asim Arun told a news agency. While initial reports suggested that it may have been an oxygen cylinder blast, one of the doctors of the hospital, Manvendra Sharma, said no such cylinder is installed at the reception. Some media reports suggested that there

Macedonia: 20 years of independence in limbo

Source: pravda Macedonia has recently celebrated its 20 th birthday. The country had to prove the rights for existence during all of those years. The separatism of Albanians and the disputes with Bulgaria and Greece threaten the future of the country. Which are the prospects for the country in the future? Macedonian Ambassador to Russia Ilia Isailovski and historian Vladimir Putyatin, an expert for Balkans, expressed completely different opinions on the subject in the interview with Pravda.Ru. "Owing to constructive politics of the Republic of Macedonia, we managed to achieve independence without considerable losses and without our participation in the war that was going on in the Balkan countries for many years," Ambassador Isailovsky said. According to him, Macedonia is not afraid of separatism on the part of Albanians, who make up nearly a quarter of the country's population. "Macedonia is one of those countries that has done everything p

Four Uyghurs sentenced to death in Xinjiang

Source: Asianews Two others get 19 year in prison. All of them are accused of terrorism, murder and arson. However, Uyghurs say that the police crackdown transformed their peaceful demonstrations into a confrontation. The four sentenced to death were tortured and their lawyers allowed to see them only an hour before their trial. Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Chinese authorities have sentenced to death four ethnic Uygur accused of terrorism, but activists believe the condemned did not receive a fair trial. The four were found guilty on Wednesday for allegedly setting up and running terrorist organisations, illegally making explosives, murder and arson. Two others were jailed for 19 years. Sentences stem from three terrorist attacks following a harsh crackdown in July by Chinese authorities (see “Xinjiang, Chinese police kill dozens of Uyghurs,” in AsiaNews , 19 July 2011, and “More deaths in Xinjiang, Beijing announces tough measures during Ramadan,” In AsiaNews , 1

Lawyers claim alleged IRA dissident was framed

Source: CBSNEWS (AP)  VILNIUS, Lithuania — The Lithuanian lawyer for an alleged IRA dissident accused of trying to purchase and smuggle weaponry says he is the victim of entrapment orchestrated by Britain's intelligence service. Inga Botyriene says that Irishman Michael Campbell was provoked into buying guns and explosions in January 2008 in Lithuania and that the entire operation was conducted by Britain's secret service working in conjunction with Lithuanian agents. In her closing argument Friday Botyriene said Campbell was never a member of the Real IRA. Lithuanian prosecutors have requested that Campbell be sent to prison for 16 years for attempted smuggling, supporting a terrorist group and illegal possession of weapons.

Eight detained in anti-KCK operation in Şemdinli

Source: Todayszaman Turkish police detained eight people in an operation carried out against the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella political organization that includes the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization, in the Şemdinli district of the southeastern province of Hakkari on Friday.   The state-run Anatolia news agency said simultaneous raids were carried out by counterterrorism units in a number of premises in Şemdinli and Altunsu village early Friday. Eight people, including a Şemdinli municipality official and an official from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party's (BDP) local branch in Şemdinli, were reportedly detained during the raids. The KCK investigation started in December 2009 and a large number of Kurdish politicians, including several mayors from the BDP, have been detained in the case. There are a total of 152 suspects in the ongoing KCK trial. They stand accused of various crimes, inclu

Future fighters of terrorism gather in Tashkent

Source: centralasiaonline TASHKENT – Tashkent is hosting the Asian Unifighting Championship to determine the title of a sport combining boxing, kick-boxing, sambo, karate, knife throwing, firing of air guns and an obstacle course. The “Unifighting against Terrorism” tournament is sponsored by the Asian Unifighting Federation (AUF) and runs May 24-27. Unifighting was created in Russia in 1996 to develop the fighting skills of special forces, regular troops and internal affairs officers. Unifighting contests have two stages. First, competitors race through an obstacle course and fire air guns and throw knives for accuracy; after that, they head into a ring for hand-to-hand combat. Qualifying rounds and the eighth-finals, quarter-finals and semi-finals took place May 24-26. At least one member of each team – Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, South Korea and Benin – reached the finals. Ruslan

Uzbekistan fights terrorism, not religion, analysts say

Source: centralasiaonline TASHKENT – Uzbek government officials and analysts say fighting terrorism in Uzbekistan is not the same as imposing religious restrictions. “Terrorists have claimed in their messages to the population that the government fights faithful Muslims on the pretext of fighting terrorism,” National Security Council (SNB) analyst Solim Shakhrukhov said. “Those statements are meant to attract the public to terrorist ideas under a disguise.” “In line with the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations, any citizen of Uzbekistan is free to practise any religion or none at all,” Oliy Majlis Legislative Chamber member (Senator) Olimzhon Kurdibayev explained. “The state is secular and separated from religion and religious organisations. Prevalence of one religion over another is strictly forbidden, as are attempts to incite inter-ethnic strife, enmity or hatred toward representatives of other religions.” Intolerance

N. Tajikistan cracks down on unregistered mosques

Source: centralasiaonline KHUDZHAND – Unregistered mosques are leading to the growth of extremism in Tajikistan, government officials and analysts say. After Sughd Oblast Madjlis (parliament) deputies recently concluded that, they called for action against illegal mosques. “The main cause of the development of Islamic extremism is that many unregistered mosques are operating in the provinces,” Sughd Oblast First Deputy Chairman Dzhumaboi Sanginov said, analysing the reasons for growing extremist sentiments among the population. “Youth have been lured … into different Islamic groups, including Hizb ut-Tahrir and Salafia,” Sanginov said. “Salafists have been increasingly active in Khudzhand, the Babadzhangafur District and Isfara, especially in the past few years.” He faulted poor legal knowledge, especially among youth, deficient ideological work and an information vacuum as reasons. “The deputies were instructed to step up (anti-e

Gaddafi's overthrow gives China's leaders more to feel insecure about

Read more: smh Some of the Communist Party's darker currents are bubbling to the surface. THIS week China became the last major power to recognise Libya's National Transitional Council. Last week it admitted government-controlled companies had touted $200 million in weapons to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, despite China signing up to a United Nations arms embargo five months earlier. China's foreign policy is famously pragmatic, but even Beijing is having trouble reconciling how it "respects the choice of the Libyan people" with the fact that only weeks ago its companies were spruiking vast quantities of guns, rocket launchers and missiles to be used against them. For China's leadership there is much more at stake than Libya's oil. The rolling ''jasmine revolution'', the NATO mil

Rebels kill mining worker in Davao

Source: Philstar COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Xinhua) -- Suspected leftist rebels killed a miner on Friday in the southern Philippines, police said.   The victim, Cris Bual, an offsite land acquisition superintendent for Sagittarius Mines Inc., was attacked and killed by suspected members of New People's Army (NPA) at the Central Park subdivision of the southern city of Davao, said local police commander Senior Superintendent Rene Aspera, adding police were investigating if the incident was work-related.   The Tampakan mine, which SMI has been developing, is considered one of Southeast Asia's largest copper mine with an estimated yield of 11.6 million tons of copper and 14.6 million ounces of gold.

Gov't forces kill 2 NPA rebels: military

Source: Philstar MANILA (Xinhua) -- Two New People's Army (NPA) rebels were killed on Friday following a clash with government forces in Masbate province, more than a month after the NPA attacked a police station there, the military said.   Col. Generoso Bolina, spokesman of the military's Southern Luzon Command, said the clash occurred around 6:20 a.m. in Quintana village, San Pascual town.   The operation was prompted by the Aug. 14 rebel attack of the Mobo police station that resulted in the death of a soldier and wounding of 10 others, Bolina said.   "After weeks of hot pursuit operations, Army soldiers encountered about 15 NPA rebels," Bolina said, adding the fighting lasted for 15 minutes, after which the rebels withdrew, leaving behind their two dead comrades.   Found at the encounter scene were a cal. 30 machine gun with ammunition, an M16 rifle, an M653 rifle, three cal. 38 revolvers, 21 improvised explosive devices, a bando

Philippines says crew of hijacked oil tanker safe

Source: Boston MANILA, Philippines— The Philippine government says the 23-member crew of a Spanish-owned oil tanker hijacked off West Africa is reported to be safe so far. At least 14 crew members are Filipinos. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday that the ship's local recruitment agency reported the crew is safe and their families have been informed about the hijacking. The Spanish owners said Thursday they had not heard from the ship since it was hijacked the previous day as it idled 62 nautical miles (100 kilometers) from Benin's capital Cotonou, and are hoping pirates just want to steal the crude rather than seek ransom for the crew. Five Spaniards and two Ukrainians are also aboard. Pirates are separately holding 14 other Filipino seamen in West Africa

Gunmen force Mexico mayor to cancel 'El Grito'

Source: boston MORELIA, Mexico— Authorities in a small town in western Mexico canceled Thursday night's "El Grito" festivities ushering in Independence Day after 40 gunmen arrived at the main square threatening to attack civilians. Michoacan state police beefed up security in the town of Querendaro because of the threat, said the state police chief, Armando Soto la Marina. Mayor Filiberto Romero suspended the traditional event in which he was to cry "Viva Mexico!" from the balcony of the town hall, drawing the same shout in unison from hundreds of people gathered below. But men carrying rifles and grenades arrived and demanded they clear out or be attacked. People fled in panic. Some took refuge inside the government building waiting for the gunmen to leave. There were no reports of injuries. No information on who the gunmen were was available late Thursday, but the presence of high-caliber weapons indicated the incident might be drug

Press rights group alarmed by Nepal amnesty plans

Source: Boston KATMANDU, Nepal— A journalists' rights group says it is alarmed by reports of the Nepal government plan for amnesties in criminal cases dating back to years of conflict in the Himalayan nation. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists wrote to Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai saying it was disturbed by reports of amnesties. It said it fears that people convicted of killing journalists could go free based on political decisions. Several journalists were attacked during the fighting between government troops and Maoist guerrillas that ended in 2006.

Malaysia to abolish two unpopular security laws

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Source: Boston   Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, waves national flags after delivering a speech to mark Friday's anniversary of the 1963 union of peninsula Malaysia with Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo, six years after the country's independence from British rule, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011. Malaysia will abolish an unpopular, colonial-era security law allowing detention without trial and relax other measures curbing the media and the right to free assembly, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Thursday. (AP Photo) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— Malaysian leader Najib Razak is gearing up for early general elections with bold reforms to scrap two unpopular security laws and ease other civil rights, but critics warn the moves could be merely cosmetic. The surprising policy changes announced late Thursday were the most significant reforms since the prime minister took office in April 2009 and are seen as an attempt to bolster

5 Dutch Tamils on trial, accused of funding Tigers

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Source: boston THE HAGUE, Netherlands— Five Sri Lankans accused of supporting the Tamil Tiger rebels in their country's 26-year civil war went on trial in a Dutch court Thursday, in a case that hinges on whether judges rule that the Tigers were legitimate freedom fighters or terrorists. Prosecutors accuse the men -- all ethnic Tamils who live in the Netherlands -- of illegally funding the group, which has been branded a terrorist group by the European Union, and membership of an international terror organization. But a lawyer for two of the suspects said the men were just collecting money for Tamil victims of the bloody conflict and rejected the assertion that the Tamil Tigers, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE, is a terror group. Instead, he drew comparisons with Libyan fighters who battled to oust Moammar Gadhafi and received support from the international community. "There has not been any proper legal debate about whe

Spanish film festival opens with terror, comedy

Source: AFP SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain — Spain's San Sebastian international film festival opens Friday supplying a dose of terror and comedy, with a clutch of Asian films in the running for top prize. The September 16-24 festival, the oldest and most prestigious in the Spanish-speaking world, boasts some big talent despite being trimmed by a day since 2009 because the economic crisis has cut sponsorship money. Japanese, South Korean and Chinese works are among the 16 films in the official selection vying for the Golden Shell in this coastal city of Spain's northern Basque Country. Tokyo-born director Hirokazu Koreeda, one of the top names in Japanese cinema, enters his film "Kiseki" (I wish), about a young boy separated from his brother by their parents' divorce, who dreams of a miracle after a bullet-train line is completed between their mother's and father's home cities. From China, formidable director Wang Xiaoshuai's "11 F

Terror attack on Hyderabad firm foiled in 2010: Chidambaram

Source: ndtv New Delhi:  Home Minister P Chidambaram today addressed concerns about recent terror attacks in Delhi and Mumbai. Mr Chidambaram referred to the bomb blasts in Mumbai in July, and last week's explosion at the High Court in Delhi as "a blot on our record." "Two terrorist attacks in the space of two months are indeed a blot on our records. Naturally, the central government and security forces have been severely criticized, " he said. The minister said it's important to credit security forces for having prevented several terror attacks since 2008, when 166 people were killed by nine Pakistani terrorists in Mumbai. "Since 26/11, security forces have neutralized 51 terror modules." Mr Chidambaram said that a group of 10 militants from SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) who were planning to assassinate three judges were arrested in June in Madhya Pradesh. He also said that a man named Zia ul Haq was

Norway massacre killer to appear behind closed doors

Source: TOI OSLO: A Norwegian appeals court decided Thursday that the self-confessed killer of 77 people in two July 22 attacks will appear behind closed doors in his court appearance next week. The decision overturned a lower court ruling earlier this week which said Anders Behring Breivik , 32, could appear in public for the first time. "Borgarting appeal court has just decided that the court meeting on Monday ... will be held behind closed doors," it said in a statement, adding that a press conference would be held after the hearing. A lower Oslo court said Monday it did not see how the suspect's presence in public would "complicate the case by divulging elements that would harm the inquiry." But police, who have previously asked for closed hearings out of concern that Behring Breivik might try to communicate with any possible accomplices, had appealed the decision. The September 19 hearing is aimed at extending the killer's

Suicide attack at funeral of tribal elder

ISLAMABAD: At least 30 people were killed and more than 60 injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the funeral of a pro-government tribal elder in a volatile village of north-west Pakistan on Thursday. The blast took place in Samarbagh village close to the Afghan border in Lower Dir district, an area which has witnessed considerable militant activity in the past. Following military operations against Taliban insurgents in Dir district, the locals had raised tribal volunteer militias , known as aman (peace) committees, to defend themselves against Taliban attacks. Some locals said that this latest bombing may be a reprisal for the tribal militia. "It was a suicide attack and 30 people were killed and 60 wounded. The explosion took place when people were offering funeral prayers," senior police official Saleem Marwat said. Marwat added that the death toll could further rise as many of the injured were in critical condition. Pakistani

Turkey's Erdogan tells Arabs to embrace democracy

Source: TOI CAIRO: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told Arab leaders on Tuesday popular uprisings jolting their nations were a "light of hope" for the oppressed and urged them to embrace democracy. "Democracy and freedom is as basic a right as bread and water for you, my brothers," Erdogan said in Cairo, his first stop on a tour of three Arab countries where "Arab Spring" revolts have toppled Arab autocrats, including Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak. "The freedom message spreading from (Cairo's) Tahrir Square has become a light of hope for all the oppressed through Tripoli , Damascus and Sanaa," Erdogan said to an enthusiastic audience gathered in an opera house in the Egyptian capital. Erdogan, whose has won plaudits across the Arab world through his growing criticism of Israel, was interrupted several times with standing ovations and chants of "Erdogan, Erdogan!". Some members of the aud

Suspected Israeli Arab militant cell arrested

Source: TOI JERUSALEM: Israel's Shin Bet internal security service said on Thursday that it had arrest a hardline Islamist group in northern Israel that was suspected of plotting attacks on security personnel. A Shin Bet statement said that five Arab men from the Galilee village of Daburiyya were suspected of planning to attack an Israeli police post, and a soldier and border policeman living in the village. It said that their arrests earlier this month had prevented the suspected plot, which also included stealing the servicemen's weapons. Apart from the Druze community, Israel's Arab citizens are not obliged to perform the military service which is compulsory for most Jews but some volunteer for the army or the paramilitary border police. The Shin Bet said the men followed the Islamic fundamentalist principles of the Salafi movement and were suspected of believing in jihad, or holy war. The Salafi movement, which is dominant in Saudi Arab

Cameron, Sarkozy visit Libya

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Source: TOI Arriving at Tripoli's airport in a French plane, Cameron and Sarkozy were greeted by leaders from the National Transitional Council, the closest thing Libya has to a functioning government. TRIPOLI: Libyans applauded as British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday became the first world leaders to travel to Libya since revolutionary forces seized the capital. The visit was a major endorsement for Libya's new rulers as they struggle to form a government despite continued fighting in areas still loyal to Muammar Gaddafi . Britain and France led international support for the rebellion and their countries were major contributors to NATO airstrikes that helped turn the tide in favor of the opposition. NATO forces continued to go after the holdout loyalist forces. Airstrikes hit targets 24 targets on Wednesday, including several radar systems and surface-to-air missile syste