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Showing posts from December 25, 2011

Where Will Hackers Strike Next: Transportation?

Practically every industry these days needs to be prepared for some kind of cyber threat, but the nature of the attacks and how the hackers carry out their assaults is ever-changing. Two news stories that popped onto my radar this week point to the different kinds of potential hacks that might occur, and both have to do with the transportation industry. The first, as reported by Reuters, shows the vulnerabilities of railways, which increasingly use wireless technologies (GSM-R, which is more secure than the GSM used for phones) to control train switching systems. The potential threat, identified by professor Stefan Katzenbeisser of Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, speaking at a hacking conference in Berlin is a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. By overwhelming the systems, trains would literally have to halt in their tracks. A DoS hack of this kind couldn't cause trains to crash, added Katzenbeisser, "but service could be disrupted for quite some time." The ma

Pro-Pak hackers invade government site

Pro-Pakistanis have broken into the Maharashtra government’s server and hacked the Wardha zilla parishad (district council) website (www.zpwardha.gov.in). They put up an abusive message in poor English claiming that Jammu and Kashmir had been ruined by the Indian army and that the state was never a part of India. The hackers, who go by the name of ‘XXx_Death_xXX’, went on to mock Indian websites, saying, “Everyday you guys get hacked but still learn nothing (sic) .” Zilla parishad officials came to know of the hacking on Friday evening and promptly shut down the site. Rajesh Aggarwal, IT secretary, said. “Many of the sites put up by zilla parishads or even by gram panchayats are done by local operators and security can be a bit weak.” Arguing that no site in the world is hacker-proof, he admitted that as more government departments at various levels put up websites to make information available at the click of a mouse, threat from rogue groups remains a concern. “We are shiftin

Norwegian right-wing terrorist insane, say experts, may avoid jail

By Elham Asaad Buaras Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik may be committed to a psychiatric institution indefinitely rather than sent to jail after psychiatrists declared he is criminally insane on November 29. Breivik killed 77 people in July by bombing central Oslo and then gunning down dozens of mostly teenagers at a summer camp for the ruling Labour Party’s youth wing. The 243-page report by the court-appointed psychiatrists also mentions that Breivik suffers from grandiose delusions, alluding to himself as the future regent of Norway and describing plans to carry out selective breeding on humans. “The conclusion...is that he is insane,” Prosecutor Svein Holden told a news conference. He lives in his own delusional universe and his thoughts and acts are governed by this universe.” If the court accepts the psychiatrists’ conclusions, the anti-immigration terrorist could be held as long as he poses a threat to society and may be released if found to be healthy. Hol

Latest website leak hits Security Bureau

Glitch allows unauthorised access to personal information on 4.4 million mainlanders who applied for online travel permits in Guangdong Fiona Tam Dec 31, 2011 Personal details of more than four million Guangdong residents who applied online for travel permits to Hong Kong and Macau have been leaked because of a glitch in the Guangdong Public Security Bureau's website, mainland police have confirmed. Source http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2c913216495213d5df646910cba0a0a0/?vgnextoid=97b628e9e0f84310VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=teaser&ss=China&s=News

Uygur abductors headed for overseas terror training

Fifteen Uygur men who were branded as "terrorists" after they took two herdsmen hostage in the restive Xinjiang autonomous region this week had been trying to sneak out of China for jihad training through a county that bordered Pakistan and India, but got lost on the way, the Xinjiang government said yesterday. Regional government spokesman Hou Hanmin said the 15 Uygurs lost their way in Pishan, which borders the Kashmir region, while trying to cross into neighbouring countries to receive terrorist training. They forced two local herdsmen who were looking for their lost sheep to lead the way, but the pair managed to escape and contact police, leading to a police operation on Wednesday. Police shot dead seven of the kidnappers, while a police officer was hacked to death. Hou declined to disclose where the Uygurs had come from or which terror group they belonged to, saying only an investigation was continuing. Officials have warned of a growing trend of terrorists sne

Russia slams US for its hypocrisy and human rights abuse

A new 90-page report released by Russia’s Foreign Ministry highlights human rights abuses by the US and says it’s hypocritical in its criticism of human rights abuses of other countries around the world. Mikhail Troitsky, a political analyst in Russia, says this report didn’t come as retaliation for the Obama administration comments on the recent Russian parliamentary elections but can rather be regarded as a friendly advice to the US society at large. http://english.ruvr.ru/data/2011/12/30/1246888186/Crystal_Mikhail%20Troitsky_Russia%20Slams%20US_122911.mp3

Azerbaijani parliament appeals to French Senate over genocide bill

The Azerbaijani parliament has appealed to the French Senate to exercise caution in its discussions of a bill on criminalizing the denial of genocide. The bill will make it a crime to deny any genocide recognized by France. This includes denial that the 1915 killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were genocide. The Milli Majlis appeal, adopted on 30 December, was read out by Sahiba Gafarova, a member of the Azerbaijan-France parliamentary friendship group, Gun.Az reports. "We call on you to take a cautious approach to distant historical events which lack clarity," the appeal says. "There is no doubt that, if adopted, such a law will badly damage freedom of speech and thought which take pride of place amongst the human rights and freedoms that are the foundation of democracy. "In the very recent past, on 26 February 1992, hundreds of civilians in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly were massacred by Armenian armed forces simply because they were Azerbaijani. I

Where will the “war of pipelines” lead?

It looks like towards the end of the year, a number of countries have, for some reason, rushed to sign gas contracts with one another. Russia received Turkey’s approval for its ambitious project to build the “South Stream” pipeline. Turkey and Azerbaijan also signed an agreement to jointly build the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline, which will form part of the so-called “South gas corridor”. The other parts are the much-discussed “NABUCCO” and the less known ITGI (which stands for “Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy”). According to experts’ assessments, the implementation of the Turkish-Azeri joint project will cost $ 5 bln. The new pipeline’s capacity will amount to 35 bln cubic meters per year. It is expected that the Trans-Anatolian pipeline will start pumping oil from 2017. The President of Azerbaijan’s State Oil and Gas Company Rovnag Abdullaev has promised that the construction of the Trans-Anatolian line would not hinder other gas pipeline construction projects in the regi

Top events in Serbia in 2011

Ten events that marked the year of 2011 according to Tanjug news agency given in chronological order: Ten events that marked the year of 2011 according to Tanjug news agency given in chronological order: 1.The Serbian government reshuffle With the authority of the Democratic Party (DS) to back him up, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic decided on February 14 to stop the series of disputes and individual political actions taken by former economy minister and leader of G17 Plus Mladjan Dinkic, and to strengthen the unity and efficiency of his cabinet by dismissing certain ministers who openly opposed the government's fiscal and economic reform and achieved unsatisfactory results. The government was formally reshuffled one month later, yielding changes in two key ministries, namely the Ministry of Economy where Dinkic was succeeded by Nebojsa Ciric, and the Ministry of Finance, which the Prime Minister himself took over from Diana Dragutinovic. As a result, instead of en

Israel says it killed senior jihadist in Gaza strike

GAZA CITY: Israel said its warplanes killed a senior jihadist militant in the Gaza Strip today, two days after saying it was weighing a wider campaign to stem an increase in rocket fire from the territory. Israel's military identified the man killed as a "senior operative in the global jihad movement" who was suspected of involvement in planning an attack from Egypt. Palestinians said that Moamen Abu Daff, a member of the Jund Ansar al-Sunna, a small jihadist faction that follows the hardline Salafist brand of Islam, was killed in a raid east of Gaza City that also wounded another man. There were no banners or flags at his funeral later today and no political speeches were made or slogans chanted by the group of about 100 mourners, although the men present wore the full beards typical of Salafists. The Israeli military said the strike targeted a group of men preparing to fire a rocket into Israel. Palestinian witnesses said they saw militants in the area immediatel

New satellites to extend China's military reach

HONG KONG: China this week reached a milestone in its drive to master the military use of space with the launch of trials for its Beidou satellite global positioning network, a move that will bring it one step closer to matching US space capabilities. If Beijing can successfully deploy the full 35 satellites planned for the Beidou network on schedule by 2020, its military will be free of its current dependence for navigation on the U.S. global positioning network (GPS) signals and Russia's similar GLONASS system. And, unlike the less accurate civilian versions of GPS and GLONASS available to the People's Liberation Army (PLA), this network will give China the accuracy to guide missiles, smart munitions and other weapons. "This will allow a big jump in the precision attack capability of the PLA," said Andrei Chang, a Hong Kong-based analyst of the Chinese military and editor of Kanwa Asian Defense magazine. China has launched 10 Beidou satellites and plans to la

China says immolations will not change Tibet policy

BEIJING: A spate of self-immolations by ethnic Tibetans in China over the past few months in protest at government controls will never succeed in forcing any policy changes, a senior Chinese official was quoted as saying in remarks published on Friday. Twelve Tibetans have set themselves on fire so far this year, all but one in a heavily Tibetan part of the southwestern province of Sichuan, which is historically part of Tibet. At least six of the protesters have died. Zhu Weiqun, a vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department -- which has led unsuccessful on-off talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys -- said there were "divisions" in the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader's camp. "I can honestly say to our friends that even if such a thing happens again, the direction of the Chinese government's policies in Tibet and our attitude toward the Dalai clique's struggle will not change in any way," Zhu said in comments carr

Somali govt deplores killing of MSF doctors

MOGADISHU - Somali government on Friday condemned as "barbaric" the killing of two aid workers with the Medcines Sans Frontier (MSF) in Mogadishu Thursday by local worker of the medical aid agency, saying the perpetrator will be brought to justice, a government statement said. "The Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, confirmed that the perpetrator of yesterday's (Thursday's) shooting of two aid workers would be brought to justice," the statement said. The attacker who was logics officer of the medical group MSF or Doctors Without Borders was sacked from his position a day earlier when he came on Thursday and shot the two, 53-year-old Belgian and 43-year old Indonesian at the agency compound in Mogadishu. The Somali prime minister sent his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the two slain MSF doctors and praised them for "their enormous contribution to making the lives of Somalis better."

15 killed, over 20 injured in blast in Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan - At least 15 people were killed and over 20 others were injured when a blast hit Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta on Friday night, said local media and police sources. Local Urdu TV channel Dawn quoted sources as saying that the death toll of the blast has risen to 15. Earlier District Inspector General Nazir Kurd, top police officer in Quetta, capital city of Balochistan province, said that ten people were injured and some 30 others injured in the blast. He also told local media that initial information collected showed that the attack was a car bomb blast. However, a local separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army later claimed the responsibility for the attack and said that it was a suicide bomb attack instead of a car bomb attack. The group even disclosed the name of the person who carried out the suicide bomb attack as Darvesh Baloch. The bloody attack took place at about 7:00 pm Friday outside a house of a son of a former chief minister of Bal

Clampdown on Al-Shabaab opens corridors

NAIROBI - Kenya's onslaught on Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia and the intensified clampdown by African Union peacekeepers from the AMISOM mission in the capital Mogadishu have opened new safe corridors for relief delivery to starving Somali fleeing insecurity and fighting. But humanitarian relief agencies have to contend with new asymmetrical tactics being used by the Al-Shabaab militia group that is blamed for escalating violence and insecurity in the capital and towns that have fallen to Kenya's defense forces in the south. In its latest update on the refugee crisis in the Horn of Africa, Refugee International, a humanitarian organization supporting refugees, reports starvation and an upsurge of waterborne disease during the current long rains season. "In Mogadishu, non-traditional donor countries have created much- needed new streams of assistance. However, their inexperience in aid distribution and coordination is resulting in vast disparities in the delivery of aid

Egypt's Virginity Tests Stopped; Somalia Rapes Rise

Cheers: An Egyptian court ordered the Egyptian army on Dec. 27 to stop forced virginity tests on female detainees, Agence France Presse reported. The decision has been made months after the practice sparked a national outcry and stained the ruling military's reputation. The Cairo Administrative Court ruled in favor of Samira Ibrahim, who sued the army over the practice, which has been slammed by rights groups as torture and sexual violence. Ibrahim was one of several women subjected to forced virginity tests when they were detained during a March demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square. More News to Cheer: Women in Saudi Arabia will not need a male guardian's approval to run or vote in municipal elections in 2015, The Huffington Post reported Dec. 28. Women in the conservative kingdom cannot travel, work, study abroad, marry, get divorced or gain admittance to a public hospital without permission from a male guardian. The Uruguayan Senate has passed legislation to d

Bomb blast kills five at Nigerian mosque

ABUJA, NIGERIA At least five people were killed in a bomb explosion at a mosque in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri after Friday prayers, police sources said. Several more worshippers were wounded and the blast took place as people were leaving the mosque, police said. “I heard a large blast as we were coming out of the mosque after the Friday prayers, followed by another blast within seconds, everywhere became dark from the smoke,” witness Inuwa Bello told the German news agency dpa. He said at least two of the dead were children. Maiduguri is the base of Boko Haram, the Islamist group that claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day attacks on churches in Nigeria in which 27 people died. On Thursday, Boko Haram emailed a statement to some Nigerian media that said: “If God is willing we will carry out further attacks.” Some Maiduguri residents believed Boko Haram was behind Friday’s bombing, while others feared it could be a reprisal attack by the Christian communi

5 arrested, military weapons seized as police refused huge bribe to break up Rayong gang

Five people were arrested and an arsenal of military-grade weapons seized after Region 2 police reportedly passed up a 1 million baht bribe and broke up a gang suspected of dealing drugs and death at Rayong Prison. Amnart “Q” Dulakanit, 25, Pairot “Berm Boy George” Ngernbukol, 28, another man known only as Tangkuay, and Kingkan Saengrak, 24, were captured by a team of officers Dec. 14. Police bring out for the media a gang suspected of dealing drugs and death at Rayong Prison. Police confiscated 11 grenades, a Thompson submachine gun, two shotguns, a 22-caliber rifle, three semi-automatic pistols and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. About 2.5 g. of crystal methamphetamines, eight ya ba tablets and two trucks were also seized. Pol. Col. Prakat Pongpanit, superintendent of Rayong’s Pluak-Daeng Police Station, said the gang members allegedly smuggled drugs into Rayong Prison and acted as enforcers for incarcerated dealers, sometimes killing those on the outside who owed money.

Somali leader shot in Kenya camp

Geneva - Gunmen shot and killed a Somali refugee leader at the Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya, the UN refugee agency said on Friday. The chairperson of the Community Peace and Security Team in Hagadera camp was shot as he was entering his compound around 19:45 (16:45 GMT) on Thursday evening," the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement. "Refugees rushed him to the hospital in Hagadera camp. Despite all efforts he passed away early this morning while being evacuated to Nairobi." The victim was shot several times and the gunmen reportedly escaped. UNHCR officials in Nairobi declined to give the victim's name, citing concerns for his family's security. The team he headed co-operates with local police and NGOs to ensure security in Hagadera, which is part of the Dadaab complex, some 100km from the Somali border. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres voiced his "deep regret" about the "

Somalis scramble for way to send relatives money

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Somalis caught off guard when more than a dozen Minnesota businesses stopped accepting wire transfers said Friday they were scrambling to find a way to get money to relatives in East Africa and options mentioned by the U.S. Treasury weren't realistic. Somalis in the U.S. use the businesses, known as hawalas, to send money to relatives in the famine-stricken nation and nearby refugee camps because Somalia hasn't had a functioning government since 1991 and has no banking system. But 15 Minnesota hawalas stopped accepting wire transfers Thursday because the bank that handles the majority of the transactions planned to close their accounts Friday. Minnesota-based Sunrise Community Banks has said it fears unintentionally violating complex regulations designed to combat terror financing. Abdirahim Hersi, 27, of Minneapolis, was among the Somalis who thought they could still send money Friday. He went to a money service busin

Pak panel to summon Haqqani, Ijaz, Pasha over memogate

A Pakistani parliamentary panel investigating the Memogate scandal on Friday decided to summon former envoy Husain Haqqani, businessman Mansoor Ijaz and ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Ahmed Pasha to appear before it next month. The Parliamentary Committee on National Security has been asked by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to conduct an inquiry into the alleged memo that sought US help to prevent a possible military takeover in Pakistan in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden in May. The panel's chief, senior Pakistan People's Party leader Raza Rabbani, said Haqqani, Ijaz and Inter-Services Intelligence chief Pasha would be summoned to appear before the committee to present their views on the memo. "Everybody would be called individually," he told reporters. The three persons are expected to be summoned after the next meeting of the committee is held before January 10. "We have circulated all the documents regarding the memo issue among the members o

KMSS working in cahoots with Maoists and ULFA : Congress MP

Congress MP from Arunachal Pradesh Takam Sanjoy on Friday raised a stink against the anti-dam movement - Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS). Sanjoy alleged that the NGO was getting funds from China and working in cahoots with CPI (Maoist) and ULFA to derail the 2000mw NHPC power project in the Lower Subansiri district. Sanjoy said that the NGO should be declared outlawed. "There should be thorough scrutiny of the KMSS as various agency reports have attributed KMSS having links with the CPI (Maoist) and ULFA. Maoists are linked to external forces bordering northeast that does not want any developmental activity in Arunachal Pradesh. If this continues, we are going to face dangerous situation both internally and externally," said Takam adding that he would be meeting the Prime Minister and the Union home minister soon to press his demand. Responding cautiously to aggressive overtures of Takam, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram described it as a very sensitive issue which

Year that media suffered most

KATHMANDU: Security of mediapersons in the country remained a big question in 2011, according to a report. Though the Kathmandu-based media look objective and bold enough to express opinions, the situation outside the Valley was quite different, said the report published by South Asia Media Commission today. The commission had studied country-wise situation of journalists and press freedom in the South Asian region. “Journalists working in Tarai are subjected to frequent threats, violence and assaults,” said the report, slamming political leadership for their failure to provide security to mediapersons. The report said the Maoists, armed groups, local goons, smugglers, influential people and high-level security officers had earned an unannounced licence to intimidate media in 2011. It went on to add that cases of impunity were rife stemming from failure to investigate into abuses committed by both the government and insurgents during the decade-long Maoist conflict. In Committee

Israel kills militant

GAZA/JERUSALEM, Dec 30, Reuters: Israel killed the leader of an al-Qaeda-inspired faction in the Gaza Strip on Friday, accusing him of involvement in firing rockets and a planned attack on the Jewish state from the neighbouring Egyptian Sinai. The deadly air strike was Israel’s second against a Salafi Islamist militant this week. Militants identified him as Momen Abu Daf, chief of the army of Islam, among a loose network of Palestinian groups which profess allegiance to al Qaeda and have been reinforced by volunteers who slip in from the Sinai. Source http://www.deccanherald.com/content/215638/israel-kills-militant.html

Maoists kill four abducted villagers in Bihar

Patna, Dec 31 (IANS) The bodies of four villagers abducted by Maoists a day ago were found in Bihar's Banka district Saturday, police said. On Friday, nearly 100 armed rebels stormed Pipradih village in Jamui district, about 200 km from here, and attacked a family. They killed three members and abducted four of them. "Police and central paramilitary forces have launched combing operations in the area and security has been heightened in the village," Jamui Superintendent of Police Ram Narayan Singh said. Jamui is considered a Maoist stronghold.Two weeks ago, Maoists had blasted a state-run school and abducted seven labourers engaged in the construction of a bridge in Jamui. They were later released. Source http://www.deccanherald.com/content/215710/maoists-kill-four-abducted-villagers.html

Police detain Red Shirt Arisman after brief release

BANGKOK, Dec 28 - Red Shirt activist Arisman Pongruangrong on Wednesday was temporarily released from prison after the Court of Appeals granted him bail, only to be promptly detained again by police in a defamation case filed by Democrat Member of Parliament for Songkhla Sirichok Sopha. Bangkok Remand Prison wardens brought the red shirt activist to freedom after receiving the court order at 5pm. Mr Arisman was greeted with his parents and family as well as a crowd of Red Shirt supporters. Shortly afterwards, police took him into custody at Prachachuen Police Station pending transfer to Songkhla Provincial Court on Thursday. Mr Arisman has an outstanding warrant for a defamation lawsuit filed by opposition MP Sirichok. The move took the Red Shirt supporters by surprise. Mr Arisman however told them briefly that his freedom on bail for the terrorism case marked the beginning of a national reconciliation which needs the Thai people to forgive each other. A police vehicle

Maoist CC: war of ideology continues

KATHMANDU: The Maoist Central Committee (CC) meet—which still enjoys the limelight and where the establishment faction and the Maoist hardliner faction are locking horns— has resumed today also. At the party headquarters in perisdanda, Koteshwor, leaders aligned to the party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal who prioritised on peace and statute, and the Maoist standing committee members and politburo members affiliated to Maoist hardliner Mohan Baidhya, who stressed on struggle and revolt, are making their reflections and impressions over the proposals floated by Dahal and Baidhya. Meanwhile, Minister for Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta has claimed that the ideological rifts within the Maoist will come to an end through discussions on the political documents of Baidhya and Dahal. “The party will want a way out soon ,” said Bhatta hinting at the ongoing CC marked by ideological differences, at a programme organised in Reporter’s club on Friday. Leaders aligned to the Maoist hardline

Arunachal MP accuses China of funding KMSS to stall North East development

New Delhi, Dec 30 (ANI): The row over the construction of 2000 MW Subansiri lower hydroelectric project along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border intensified further, with Member of Parliament Takam Sanjoy on Friday accused the anti-dam agitators of getting funds from China to stop the infrastructure development in the North East region. Arunachal, which shares borders with China and Myanmar, has the potential to generate an estimated 50,000 MW of hydropower. The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) led by Akhil Gogoi and the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) are opposing the NHPC project and had announced on Thursday to block movement of men and materials related to the Lower Subansiri project at Gogamukh where the NHPC project site is located. The KMSS and four other anti-dam organizations have been alleged of carrying out the protest under the influence of the Maoists and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). The Maoists, who are mostly active in certain areas of Dhe

Maoists gun down social activist in Jharkhand

Maoists have gunned down a social activist named Pradeep Prasad in Jharkhand's Latehar District. Prasad was shot dead while he was on his way back home on Thursday. Maoists have taken full responsibility of the killing as they suspected him of being a police informer. "We don't have full knowledge about the incident but we have received a letter which is written by Maoists. He used to do farming and was a social activist," said Raju Prasad, a relative of the deceased. Expressing anger over the killing, residents came down on streets in protest and demanded compensation and justice from the district administration. Protestors blocked the road for two hours and shouted anti-government slogans. Santosh Paswan, a protestor said that state government should provide employment to a family member of the deceased as Prasad was the sole bread earner in a family of eight members. "People in the district are very angry and are demanding that the fami

2011: Political instability tests Nepal peace process

Kathmandu Nepal was troubled by political instability in 2011, which stalled the landmark peace process and the framing of a new constitution, even as Kathmandu inked two crucial pacts with India to deepen bilateral ties. Nepal entered the new year without a government as political parties struggled to form a coalition even after making several attempts. On February 3, Communist leader Jhalanath Khanal was finally elected as the prime minister after 17 attempts over a seven-month period. But he failed to continue for long and was forced to resign within months. Khanal was succeeded by Maoist ideologue Baburam Bhattarai who was sworn in as Prime Minister in August after weeks of political wrangling among the major parties. The 57-year-old Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar ascended to the post at a crucial time, facing the twin challenge of integrating and rehabilitating over 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas and framing a constitution, two major conditions of a 2006 peace deal wh

Dangerous Anti-Shia Terrorist 'Mullah Omer' Removed from most wanted terrorist list of US

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar has been removed from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s list of “most wanted terrorists”. However, the names of Ayman Al Zawahiri and Hakimullah Mehsud still remain on the list, The Nation reports. Earlier, reports about the US establishing contacts with Omar had surfaced. According to the reports, the US wanted to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table in order to end the conflict in Afghanistan. So far, several claims have been made by the US about negotiations with the Taliban, but Pakistan and Afghanistan have never been taken into confidence over the much speculated-about talks. Omar was earlier wanted by the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program since October 2001, for sheltering Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda militants in the years prior to the 11 September attacks. It is to mention that hundreds of innocent Shias have been murdered by Mulllah Omar and his companions. Sourc

Al Qaeda sends fighters to Libya

Al Qaeda's leadership has sent experienced jihadists to Libya in an effort to build a fighting force there, according to a Libyan source briefed by Western counter-terrorism officials. The jihadists include one veteran fighter who had been detained in Britain on suspicion of terrorism. The source describes him as committed to al Qaeda's global cause and to attacking U.S. interests. The source told CNN that the al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, personally dispatched the former British detainee to Libya earlier this year as the Gadhafi regime lost control of large swathes of the country. The man arrived in Libya in May and has since begun recruiting fighters in the eastern region of the country, near the Egyptian border. He now has some 200 fighters mobilized, the source added. Western intelligence agencies are aware of his activities, according to the source. Another al Qaeda operative, of dual European-Libyan nationality, was arrested in an unnamed country on his way

So Much for Hamas’s Change of Heart

In recent weeks, we’ve been hearing a lot about the big changes going on inside Hamas. The Islamist terrorist organization is, we are told, about to drop its commitment to “armed resistance” against Israel and adopt a policy of non-violence. There has even been speculation it will soon drop its refusal to recognize or negotiate with Israel as the unity pact it signed with its Fatah rivals allow it to become part of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority that rules the West Bank. Source http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/12/30/hamas-non-violence-terrorism/

Unaccountable Killing Machines: The True Cost of U.S. Drones

Officials often portray the global expansion of deadly drone strikes as an unequivocal success. But are we really accounting for all the consequences? Reuters A series of articles have been published recently about the extent and, in some cases, failures of the drone program so famously expanded under President Obama's watch. The first, a blockbuster article by the Washington Post's Greg Jaffe, brings to light some truly worrying aspects of a policy that seems to have taken on a life of its own (emphasis mine): In Yemen, for instance, the CIA and the military's Joint Special Operations Command pursue the same adversary with nearly identical aircraft. But they alternate taking the lead on strikes to exploit their separate authorities, and they maintain separate kill lists that overlap but don't match. CIA and military strikes this fall killed three U.S. citizens, two of whom were suspected al-Qaeda operatives... Obama himself was "oddly passive in this world