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Showing posts from January 15, 2012

Vietnam needs 'rights progress' for US weapons

Following a visit to the communist Southeast Asian nation, McCain told reporters in Bangkok that Hanoi had a "long long list" of arms it would like to buy. But the US delegation "specifically stated to the Vietnamese that our security relationship will be directly impacted by the human rights issues", said McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam. "There has not been progress on human rights issues, in fact there has been some backward movement on it." Senator Joe Lieberman added that approval from US Congress was necessary for ally Vietnam to get "lethal" weapons specifically. "There's certain weapons systems that the Vietnamese would like to buy from us or receive from us and we'd like to be able to transfer these systems to them, but it's not going to happen unless they improve their human rights record," he said. Rights groups say dozens of peaceful political critics and campaigners have been sentence

Does Social Media Help or Hurt Terrorism?

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Conflicting Claims About Terrorists’ Use of the Internet The recent headlines were enough to concern even the most cynical reader. “ Terrorist groups recruiting through social media ,” blared the headline at the CBC’s website.  “ Social Media Gave Terrorist Groups Second Wind ,” read the report at pixelsandpolicy.com. “ Terrorists making ‘friends’ on Facebook ,” topped the Digital Journal story , underscored by an image of a masked person brandishing an automatic weapon. Logo from Islamist site "AqsaTube", next to "YouTube." Why all the alarm? It turns out these and many similar stories were all prompted by a new study by University of Haifa communications professor Gabriel Weimann. In it, Wiemann asserts that “…90% of terrorist activity on the Internet takes place using social networking tools,” a claim also previously made by researcher Evan Kholmann.  That terrorists were using the Internet took no one by surprise; that nearly all of their activi

Uncertainty over fate of Afghan refugees in India

An Afghan Christian widow and three of her daughters were denied refugee status by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in New Delhi for the second time last month, and currently face imminent deportation to their home country where they could face imprisonment for apostasy and a potential death sentence. The widow and her daughters, whose names have not been released for security reasons, received a deportation notice from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs after their first application for asylum was rejected in October 2009, International Christian Concern (ICC), a global Christian advocacy group, informed The Christian Post. When the mother reapplied in July 2011 with her three daughters and a fourth daughter, who is widowed with a child, only the widowed daughter and the child were accepted. The others are no longer permitted to correspond with the UNHCR office and are currently living in India as illegal immigrants, ICC said. "

China faces 'bigger challenges' in Dragon year: Wen

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China faces 'bigger challenges' in Dragon year: Wen "We are going to face bigger challenges in the new year," Wen said in a meeting with top officials, ahead of Monday, the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, the most favourable and revered sign in the 12-year Chinese zodiac. The prime minister said China had made a good start to the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) "at a time of an austere and complicated international economic situation". The new year is set to be key politically, as President Hu Jintao ends his second term as party head and hands over to a successor, widely expected to be Vice President Xi Jinping, kicking off a once-in-a-decade leadership handover. The new party head will take over Hu's presidency in March 2013, when Premier Wen Jiabao and his government will also step down. Wen said the main government objective was maintaining price stability alongside rapid economic development. Last year, Beijing mad

Al Qaeda fighter killed in Yemen town

An Al Qaeda fighter was killed on Friday by residents of a town southeast of the Yemeni capital that the extremists seized just four days earlier, a tribal dignitary said. Residents, who had formed vigilante committees to defend their areas, had an armed clash with Al Qaeda militants trying to take over a school in the centre of Rada, just 130 km southeast of Sanaa, the source said. One Al Qaeda fighter was killed, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity. The militants had moved into Rada on Sunday night, meeting little resistance from security forces, tribal leaders said. Several sources in the town said more than 1,000 Al Qaeda gunmen invaded Rada, which is within striking distance of a strategic highway connecting Sanaa with the south and southwest. Al Qaeda-linked militants already control a string of towns in Abyan, Shabwa and Marib provinces, but Rada is the closest they have come to the capital. Government officials have said Al-

Australia a 'soft touch' for asylum

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'Australia gives citizenship if you have a good story.' Photo: Angela Wylie AFGHAN people smugglers have told their customers Australia is a soft touch for asylum seekers, as long as they have a ''good story'' and stick to it, according to a British report. The asylum seekers are reported to include an Afghan man who had worked as an interpreter for Australian troops and was duped out of $US40,000 ($A38,000) by smugglers. One of the smugglers openly boasted of coaching his customers in how to convince Australian officials that they were genuine refugees. The operations of the smugglers, and their claimed familiarity with Australian refugee polices, has been revealed in a detailed report on   The Guardian website. The report quotes a smuggler based in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad who charged asylum seekers $US11,500 and who, like other smugglers, recommended Australia to

I am Wikipedia, hear me roar

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Full Comment’s Araminta Wordsworth brings you a daily round-up of quality punditry from across the globe. Today: This may be the week U.S. lawmakers finally got it about the power of the Internet and social media. The fact protest movements in the Arab Spring had been organized mainly over the Internet just hadn’t penetrated. Not so Wednesday’s protest blackouts, which affected millions of their constituents. Wikipedia and other knowledge-based websites went dark in protest at what they say is badly crafted anti-piracy legislation. Enraged Americans bombarded their members of congress and signed online petitions. Internet companies say the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate would promote online censorship, disrupt the Web’s architecture and harm their ability to innovate. Google collected more than seven million signatures from the U.S. for its online petition to Congress, while Wikpedia said more

Arms dealer Gary Hyde facing March trial

A British weapons dealer accused of smuggling illegal AK-47 parts into the United States for sale by a Chili-based arms distributor is scheduled to go on trial here on March 12. U.S. District Judge Charles Siragusa Friday scheduled the trial, noting that the proceeding may not be as complex and reliant on a supposed vast arsenal of evidence as once portrayed. The arms dealer, Gary Hyde, is accused of conspiring with two other European men — Karl Kleber and Paul Restorick — in the alleged smuggling of the AK-47 magazines, which could not legally be imported into the U.S. because they were Chinese made. American Tactical Imports, the Chili-based weapons distributor that purchased the magazines, has not been accused of any crime. Federal prosecutors have been awaiting evidence from British and German authorities for use at trial. Law enforcement in both of those countries conducted investigations into alleged gun-running by the men, court records show. In court papers t

NPA: 6 soldiers killed in Bukidnon attacks

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Six soldiers were killed while 16 others were wounded when the New Peoples’ Army launched simultaneous attacks on soldiers in a town in Bukidnon early this week, an NPA spokesman said on Friday. In a press statement issued Friday, Rigoberto Sanchez, spokesperson for the Merardo Arce Command of the NPA, said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) suffered heavy toll in the two separate attacks the guerrillas launched in Kitaotao town. Also, Sanchez claimed the AFP had tried to conceal the fatalities it suffered. Meanwhile, the 10th Infantry Division, in a statement it issued to media last Tuesday, said the division only suffered four casualties during the attacks led by two NPA Fronts based in the provinces of North Cotabato, Bukidnon, and Davao del Sur in Northern and Southern Mindanao regions. At around 630 a.m., the rebels ambushed a private vehicle with soldiers from the 23rd Infantry Battalion along the highway in Barangay Sinuda, Kitaotao, the San

Who is responsible for U.S.-Iran tensions?

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The United States is working to gain consensus for tougher sanctions on Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that the country was engaging in research that could only be used for developing a nuclear trigger. Iran has consequently threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil exports. There is also increased concern that Israel will prepare to take tough measures against Iran. In an article in Foreign Policy , author and historian Mark Perry describes a series of CIA memos revealing a false-flag operation involving Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad. The memos report that Israeli spies posed as American agents to recruit members of Jundallah, a Pakistan-based separatist group, to carry out attacks in Iran. Adding to tensions, an Iranian nuclear scientist was killed last week, and Iranian officials blame the United States and Israel for the death. In this episode of The Stream, we talk to Vali Nasr, former senior

Drug War: Time For An Exit Strategy

The Mexican government's reluctant release of updated homicide statistics reveals the grim costs of the failed drug war -- and the growing need for an exit strategy. As The Times notes, at least 50,000 people have been killed because of the drug war in the last five years -- nearly as many casualties as the U.S. suffered in Vietnam. Many of these victims had no connection to the drug trade. Though the Mexican government announced a slightly lower figure (47,515 people as of September), experts and advocates suggest the actual death toll may already be much higher, as only 2% of crimes in Mexico even get investigated. Further, the government has shown a total lack of transparency, exemplified by its drawn-out refusal to make these damning data public. Regardless of the exact figure, the death toll is incomprehensible and unacceptable. And to this toll must be added the thousands of people disappeared, the hundreds of thousands displaced and the hundreds of th

Nigeria violence: Scores dead after Kano blasts

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There are fears that the death toll in Kano will rise Eyewitnesses in the northern Nigerian city of Kano say they have counted scores of bodies after co-ordinated bomb attacks on Friday. A 24-hour curfew is in place in the city. Police have confirmed seven deaths in various locations. Police stations and the state police HQ were among the targets, and gunfire was heard across the second biggest city. The militant Islamist group Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden", said it was responsible. The group has been behind a recent campaign of violence in the mainly Muslim north. Meanwhile, organisers of a controversial civil activists' mass rally set for Saturday in the commercial capital Lagos called off the event in light of the attacks. At the scene Mark Doyle BBC News, Kano The atmosphere in the centre of

Syria Blast Kills 11

Reports say at least 11 people have been killed in a roadside bomb blast in Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors events in Syria, reports that the explosion hit a prison truck carrying detainees in Idlib province in the country's northwest. Syria rarely allows foreign reporters within its borders, so no independent confirmation was available. Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Syria-Blast-Kills-11-137815453.html

Bomb blast kills one in southeast Turkey

Turkish officials said Friday that a remote-control bomb explosion has killed one person and injured 27 others in southeast Turkey, Anatolia news agency reported, citing authorities. A hand-made bomb, comprising of five kilogrammes of TNT explosives, was detonated in the centre of the city of Hakkari on Thursday afternoon, as a police car was passing by, police told state-run Anatolia. The bomb was placed in the trunk of a car, they said. The provincial governor of Hakkari, Muammer Turker, earlier said 13 people, including three police officers, were injured in a blast. One of the injured, Zeki Yesil, a university student, died at hospital after the blast, Anatolia said. The injured included three police officers, according to the governor. Kurdish rebels on Friday denied any link with the bombing. "Our forces have no connection to the bomb attack that killed one Kurdish youngster in Hakkari city centre ... Considering current winter

It's time to list Iran's Revolutionary Guard as terrorists

Iran's Supreme Court has now confirmed the death sentence of Iranian-born web programmer Saeed Malekpour, a Canadian permanent resident. Malekpour was convicted of "crimes against Islam" and "spreading corruption on Earth" - which have emerged as classic trumped-up charges in the Iranian pattern of the criminalization of innocence. For supposedly creating pornography websites in Iran, Malekpour is set to receive the death penalty. Malekpour maintains his innocence, insisting that image-uploading software he developed as a web programmer was used by an illicit site without his knowledge or consent. The international community spoke out against his death sentence when it was first handed down, and Iran moved to suspend it; however, with the escalation of rhetoric between the West and Iran - and the case disappearing from the radar screen - Malekpour is back on death row. When he was first arbitrarily arrested in 2008 - while visiting his ailing f

Judge Orders Phone-Hacking Computer Search

By PAUL SONNE and CASSELL BRYAN-LOW LONDON—A British High Court judge has ordered News Corp.'s U.K. tabloid-newspaper unit to search a number of its computers for evidence that the company concocted and started carrying out a plan to conceal phone hacking-related evidence. WSJ London Bureau Chief Bruce Orwall has details of settlements reached in phone-hacking lawsuits brought against News corp Those settling with News Corp. include U.K. politician Chris Bryant, who spoke to media in London Thursday. Geoffrey Vos, the High Court judge who has been presiding over civil claims related to voicemail interception at News Corp.'s now-closed News of the World, told a courtroom Thursday he had seen evidence suggesting executives activated a preconceived plan to hide emails in 2010, just before the phone-hacking matter began mushrooming into a major global scandal, British media reports said. The judge alleged that the evidence he had seen suggested that a News Corp. unit, u

No 'religious mobilisation' in Naxal areas: Jairam to Catholic org

New Delhi: Union Minister Jairam Ramesh today made a strong pitch for roping in organisations like those run by Catholic Church to bring development in Maoist-hit areas but asked them to respect the ‘Lakshman Rekha’ and not engage in “religious mobilisation”. “I expect Caritas to respect the sentiment of not getting involved in religious mobilisation. That is not the objective,” Ramesh said inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of Caritas India, a Catholic organisation. “The objective is to use the powers of the organisation like yours to help us breakdown the deficit of trust between the Government and the tribal communities. That is our objective,” he said. Addressing a packed audience of Catholic priests including Archbishops and bishops, the Minister said he does not talk about Caritas as a Catholic organisation but as a social organisation run by Catholics. Focusing on the issue of Maoist influence, Ramesh said the challenge is “how we deal with the whole issue of M

Jharkhand: Naxals attack Municipal official’s convoy, hold her captive

Gadva: 11 police officers were killed when Maoists blew up their vehicle in Gadva District, Jharkhand, on Saturday. According to reports, Bhandriya station incharge Rajveer Choudhary is feared dead and BDO seriously injured in the explosion. A concealed landmine exploded when Municipal Council chairperson Sushma Mehta's convoy was crossing Badbil forests. Reports state that the naxals attacked the convoy and have held the District council, her body gaurd and some police officers captive. A team of police and CRPF men have reached the spot. Source http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/BIH-jharkhand-naxals-attack-municipal-officials-convoy-hold-her-captive-2775000.html?HT2=

Somalia: AU forces win major battle for northern Mogadishu

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Troops of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have secured two new positions outside the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after a fierce battle with the Al Shabaab, in a continuing effort to further their grip on strategic locations. AMISOM officials said the group successfully advanced to consolidate their positions in northern areas of Mogadishu, Somalia, on Friday. “The push forward enabled AMISOM, and the TFG forces, to secure the northern edges of the city,” the AU said. “AMISOM can confirm that Mogadishu University and Barakaat Cemetery are now under the Somali government’s control,” the statement said. The Force Commander said that the operation started well, and the forces were able to quickly achieve their objective. “Our troops fought bravely, achieving their objective to secure the Northern frontier of the city,” the AU official said. Somali President Sharif Ahmed praised the troops on their successful battle on Friday, calling the succe

News-Nigeria: Boko Haram claims responsibility for Nigeria attacks

Lagos, Nigeria - The Islamic sect Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the series of bomb and gun attacks targeting security agencies in Nigeria's northern city of Kano on Friday evening. According to the local Daily Trust newspaper, the leader of the group, Abul Qaqa, said the attacks were in response to the refusal of the Kano state government to release some of the sect's members who had been arrested in the state. He said they were forced to resort to the attacks after an open letter they had sent late in 2011 to the Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; and several other top personalities in the state went unheeded. According to the paper, the attacks included the one by a suicide bomber, who rammed his explosive-laden car into the zonal police headquarters, killing an unspecified number of people, including police officers. An eyewitness said he saw three bodies lying around and that 30 persons were taken to various hospitals. Gun and bomb attacks

DR Congo: Over 100,000 flee fresh violence in eastern DRC since November

Nairobi, Kenya - The UN refugee agency is concerned about fresh violence in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has forced more than 100,000 civilians to flee their homes since November. In North Kivu province, an estimated 35,000 people have been displaced as a result of attacks and clashes between rival militia groups in Walikale and Masisi territories. At least 22 people were reported killed and an unknown number of women raped during the fighting, UNHCR said in a statement from Kinshasa, DRC, Friday. Attacks in South Kivu's Shabunda district have displaced some 70,000 people since November. Harassment of the population continues and, according to local sources, some 4,400 civilians are estimated to have fled violent attacks during the past two weeks. Many of the displaced are reported to be moving towards the neighbouring provinces of Maniema and Katanga, the agency said. 'UNHCR is very concerned about the consequences of this violence

Senegal: 7 injured as Senegalese army vehicle hits landmine in Casamance

Ziguinchor, Senegal - A Senegalese army vehicle hit a landmine that left seven soldiers injured, two of them in critical condition, on Wednesday near the town of Diokadou, located about 100km north of Ziguinchor, the regional capital, PANA learnt from reliable sources. The injured were all evacuated to the regional hospital in Ziguinchor, the sources said, adding that the incident occurred between 10 and 11 am local time. Shortly after the explosion, there was an exchange of gunfire, apparently between Senegalese troops on their way to the scene of the explosion, and rebel fighters. The area where the incident occurred is close to the Gambian border, and is considered very dangerous because it harbours the bases of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), which has been fighting for the region's independence for over 30 years. The Senegalese army has sent reinforcement to the area in recent days, following numerous attacks against its troops Source http://ww

Two killed in former somalia US embassy explosion

Mogadishu (Mareeg.com) - A huge explosion went off at former US embassy in Mogadishu’s Wadjir district, killing two civilians and wounding two others, some seriously, witnesses said Thursday. Witnesses confirm to us that a beneath landmine blast was heard in a refugee camp at former US embassy in Wadajir district claming the live of two people and injured two others who were taken to hospitals. Some of the internally displaced people (IDPs) homed at a refugee camps in the area have helped the victims of the landmine blast and rushed injured people to Madina hospital in Mogadishu, Somali capital. No group has so far claimed the responsibility of the blast. Source http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.php?sid=22664&tirsan=3

Somalia: Landmine Blast Hits Ethiopian Military in Baladweyne

Baladweyne — A powerful landmine blast hit Thursday on Ethiopian military vehicle in Beledweyn town of Hiran region in central Somalia, killing two civilians while injuring five others, witnesses said. Reports said, the remote-controlled landmine explosion detonated a military pick-up with Ethiopian soldiers at Howlwadag village in the western of Beldeweyn town, the capital city of Hiran province, but none of targeted Ethiopian troops was killed, according to officials. Witnesses indicated that the blast did cause any casualty but fire shots by Ethiopians claimed the death of two nearby civilians and five others who have been rushed to the hospitals in the town of Beldweyn for treatment. Ten suspected people over the blast were detained by the Ethiopian troops in the western of Beledweyn town Thursday after operations and the situation is now quiet as reports said. No one has so far claimed the responsibility of the attack. Source http://allafrica.com/stories/201201191316.htm

4 soldiers hurt in Bukidnon ambush

SUSPECTED New People’s Army guerrillas using landmines ambushed a group of Army troopers in Quezon, Bukidnon, on Wednesday, injuring four of the soldiers before fleeing. A Police Regional Office 10 report said an undetermined number of the leftist gunmen were believed to have been wounded in an exchange of fire with members of the Army’s 8th Infantry Brigade led by Lt. Gaspar and T/Sergeant Pepito. Police said the soldiers were on board a Simba armored fighting vehicle when they struck an improvised landmine along the Zigzag Road in Bgy. Palacapao, Quezon municipality, at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. The troops then came under heavy fire from the rebels who were hiding in the bushes. Although wounded, the soldiers and their other colleagues managed to return fire, forcing their attackers to flee. Members of the Kitaotao Municipal Police Station reinforced the beleaguered soldiers. Alfred Dalizon Source http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/provincial/22109-4-soldi

US Congress puts Internet anti-piracy bills on ice

Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation in its tracks on Friday, delivering a stunning win for Internet companies that staged an unprecedented online protest this week to kill the previously fast-moving bills. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a critical vote that had been scheduled for January 24 "in light of recent events." Lamar Smith, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, followed suit, saying his panel would delay action on similar legislation until there is wider agreement on the issue. "I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products," Smith said in a statement. The bills, known as PIPA (PROTECT IP Act) in the Senate and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy

US Congress puts Internet anti-piracy bills on ice

Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation in its tracks on Friday, delivering a stunning win for Internet companies that staged an unprecedented online protest this week to kill the previously fast-moving bills. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a critical vote that had been scheduled for January 24 "in light of recent events." Lamar Smith, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, followed suit, saying his panel would delay action on similar legislation until there is wider agreement on the issue. "I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products," Smith said in a statement. The bills, known as PIPA (PROTECT IP Act) in the Senate and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy

Colombia: Caño-Limón pipeline blown up —again

Colombia's Caño-Limón oil pipeline was bombed by presumed FARC guerillas Jan. 20—with pumping still halted following a similar attack one week ago, the national oil company Ecopetrol said. The new rupture, at Convención in Norte de Santander department near the Venezuelan border, has local communities worried about an oil slick that is advancing on the Río Catatumbo. Authorities are racing to contain the oil before it contaminates the river. Two days earlier, a blast ruptured the smaller Zulia-Ayacucho pipeline through the region, also threatening the Catatumbo. The attacks come amid a new FARC offensive in Norte de Santander, which included a car bomb attack in Tibu that killed three civilians. The Caño-Limón pipeline, which can pump 220,000 barrels a day of crude but which over the past year has averaged closer to 80,000 barrels a day, links Occidental Petroleum's oilfields of that name with the Caribbean coast. Jointly run by Oxy and Ecopetrol, it is a frequent target of g

Nigeria: Timeline Of Boko Haram Attacks And Related Violence

Bombings and shootings by the militant Islamic group Boko Haram – also known as Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Lid Da’awati Wal Jihad – have increased sharply in recent months, leaving many worried that wide-scale sectarian violence could break out. Some 80 people have been killed in Boko Haram (BH) attacks in recent weeks, while 500 are reported to have been killed over the past year. Tens of thousands of Nigerians have been forced to flee their homes. As the government struggles to cope, experts are urging leaders to seek a political solution to try to quell BH violence, backed up by sharper intelligence-gathering and professional military support. Below is a chronology of proven or suspected BH attacks – both recent and over the past few years. 18 Jan 2012: A key suspect in the 2011 Christmas Day bombing in Abuja, which killed more than 40 people, escapes police custody. 17 Jan 2012: Two soldiers and four BH gunmen are killed in an attack on a military checkpoint in Maiduguri, Borno