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Showing posts from June 17, 2012

NDF hails tribal people’s attacks on Mindanao mine facilities

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GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—The National Democratic Front on Saturday   defended the attacks mounted by armed B’laan natives on facilities of Xstrata’s Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), and of firms associated with the mining company in the hinterlands of Davao del Sur, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. In a statement, the NDF Southern Mindanao said these attacks, including Thursday’s ambush by the group led by the Capion brothers Dagil, Batas and Kitari, were justified as they were in defense of their ancestral domain. Retired police officer Superintendent Villamindo Hectin, an SMI security consultant, and Police Officer 2 Rey Tonzo of the Davao del Sur police office were killed in Thursday’s ambush in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur. The NDF said the B’laan natives were standing up against SMI, whose large-scale mining project threatened their ancestral domain. The NDF said that based on what the Capion brothers told its officials, the attacks were part of a “pangayaw” or the n

Landmine defused

A landmine planted by Maoists was defused by security personnel in Odisha's naxal-hit Nabarangpur district today. Following a tip off, Superintendent of Police Niti Sekhar along with other police officials rushed to the spot near Jodenga village in Raighar block and located the landmine and defused it. "We suspect planting of more such landmines. A thorough search operation has been launched along the road from Raighar to district border," the SP said. He said the landmines were planted under the road, which was known as the life line of the block. The landmine was planted at the time of construction of the road. Source:  http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/landmine-defused/24058/

One killed in bomb explosion

One person was killed and two others injured while making high intensity bombs in Kenduakula village in Jajpur district, police said today. The trio, said to have criminal background, was making bombs illegally in a secluded thatched house owned by one of the injured yesterday. The explosion was so powerful that it was completely destroyed. The deceased was wanted in some cases, they said, adding that materials used in making bombs were seized. Source:  http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/one-killed-in-bomb-explosion/24071/

Blast at Afghan music market, two dead: officials

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KABUL: An improvised bomb exploded at a music market in an Afghan city on Saturday, leaving two people dead, officials said, a day after Taliban militants stormed a lakeside resort near Kabul, killing at least 18. The blast at the market in the eastern city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan's militant-infested tribal areas, wounded four people, local government spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said. Two of the casualties later died from their injuries, Sayed Afandi Sayedi, a senior doctor at the local hospital, said. Under the hardline rule of the Taliban, overthrown by a US-led invasion in 2001, music was regarded as un-Islamic and banned, and Afghan music shop owners particularly in Jalalabad, have recently complained of being threatened by extremists. Saturday's blast and Friday's bloody 12-hour siege at a hotel popular with families will add to fears that the Taliban are seeking to re-impose their extreme moral code as the departure of foreign force

Carpet bombs in Syria kill 28

(AGI) Nicosia - Carpet bombs in residential areas of Deir Ezzor have killed 28 civilians, including women and children, in Syria. The bombing on the capital city of Deir Ezzor Province (after which it is named) in Eastern Syria, which is a rebel stronghold, was carried out by regular troops. The attack has been condemned by local hospital sources cited by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. . . Source: http://www.agi.it/flash-news/201206231538-cro-ren1045-carpet_bombs_in_syria_kill_28

US & French Embassies in Kenya: bombing alert in Mombasa

(AGI)Nairobi-The US & French Embassies in Kenya informed their nationals of the threat of an imminent terrorist attack in Mombasa. Mombasa is an important tourist destination. The announcement was made in a communique' after the Kenyan police arrested 2 Iranian nationals suspected of planning terrorist attacks. "All trips to Mombasa by American citizens are suspended until the 1st of July", the communique' reads. Also the French Embassy called on its citizens to be "extremely watchful" in Mombasa and surroundings. However, the Kenyan police immediately invited everyone to keep calm: "There is no alert, the security forces are monitoring the situation and we are even collaborating with the FBI". . . Source: http://www.agi.it/english-version/world/elenco-notizie/201206231541-cro-ren1046-us_french_embassies_in_kenya_bombing_alert_in_mombasa

UN Human Rights Chief Condemns Boko Haram Attacks

G ENEVA - The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is condemning the recent deadly bomb attacks on churches by the radical Boko Haram group in Nigeria.  High Commissioner Navi Pillay says the violent acts may amount to crimes against humanity. Over the past week, scores of people have died in a wave of violence and killings, including suicide attacks on churches in Nigeria by the Boko Haram group.  Some of the victims reportedly died in subsequent retaliatory attacks by Christian youths in the city of Kaduna and in clashes between security forces and protesting Muslims. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemns the repeated attacks by Boko Haram on places of worship and on religious freedom.  Her spokesman, Rupert Colville, says she is very concerned about this extremist Muslim group's attempts to stir sectarian tension and violence between two communities that have lived together peacefully for so long. “Members of Boko Haram and other grou

Mexico admits mistake in high-profile drug case

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Lawyer Veronica Guerrero shows a photograph of her client Felix Beltran, who was detained by Mexican marines on Thursday, during a news conference in Guadalajara June 22, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Alejandro Acosta MEXICO CITY | Sat Jun 23, 2012 12:23pm IST (Reuters) - Mexico on Friday admitted it had mistakenly claimed to have captured a son of Mexico's most wanted drug lord, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, which the ruling party had hailed as a major victory in its war on cartels. Mexican marines seized the man on Thursday outside Guadalajara and flew him to Mexico City, where they paraded him in front of the media and identified him as Jesus Alfredo Guzman, alias "El Gordo" or "The Fat One." The man's lawyer, Veronica Guerrero, told a news conference earlier on Friday her client's real name was F

Tibetan herder’s death marks wider spread of protest

Two Tibetans set themselves on fire in the north-western Chinese province of Qinghai on Wednesday according to state media reports, with the death of a herder in a remote county suggesting that the self-immolation protests in Tibetan areas — at least 40 over the past year — are spreading beyond monastery towns. A video released by overseas groups showed two young Tibetans engulfed in flames before collapsing in what appeared to be a parking lot in front of a store selling construction material. Shocked passersby looked on as the men waved small flags — symbols of the Tibetan independence movement which are banned in China. The official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday that Tenzin Khedup, a 24-year-old herder, died after the protest in the township of Kardo in Yushu, a Tibetan prefecture in Qinghai. The protest took place at 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities were still trying to identify the second protester, reported to be a carpenter from a T

Syria army shells city near Iraq, kills 28-activists

AMMAN: Syria's army battled rebels and shelled neighbourhoods in Deir al-Zor on Saturday, killing at least 28 people in the eastern city in an oil-producing region close to the border with Iraq , opposition activists said. The victims, who included three women and several children, were mostly civilians killed when shells hit their houses in the city's Old Airport and al-Hamidya districts , a source at a city hospital told Reuters. "The death toll is likely higher. There are more bodies at the morgue, but they have not been identified yet," the source said. Syria has restricted media access since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, making it hard to verify accounts from authorities or activists. Loyalist forces have lost control of parts of the surrounding Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland as alliances between Assad's ruling elite and Sunni tribes have collapsed.

Bomb Blast Hits Nigeria’s Capital

Nigerian authorities say a bomb exploded outside a nightclub in the capital, Abuja, late Friday. Officials say no one was injured, but the windows of nearby buildings were shattered and a number of cars were damaged. The explosion came just hours after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan fired his national security adviser and defense minister. Nigeria has been hit by scores of bombings blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram. President Jonathan has been sharply criticized for attending an environmental summit in Brazil this past week while violent clashes continue to plague Nigeria. Boko Haram does not recognize Nigeria's government or constitution and says it is fighting to establish a strict Islamic state. Authorities say the radical sect is responsible for attacks that have killed scores of people, mostly in the north. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation with about 150 million people, divided roughly between Muslims and Christians. Source: http:/

Syrian military says it downed Turkish fighter jet

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The Syrian military has said that it shot down a Turkish warplane "flying in airspace over Syrian waters". A spokesman said the plane, an F-4 Phantom, was dealt with "according to the laws that govern such situations", the state news agency Sana said. The Turkish prime minister said his country would "take the necessary steps" once all the facts were known. The Turkish and Syrian navies are meanwhile engaged in a joint search for the two missing crew members. The F-4 Phantom disappeared over the Mediterranean, south-west of Turkey's Hatay province, near the Syrian coast. Continue reading the main story Analysis Jim Muir BBC News, Beirut The tone of the Syrian statement was strictly factual, and there was no expression of regret. If the plane did indeed violate Syrian airspace, that, and the apparent ease with which it was shot down, will be a considerable embarrassment to the Turkish

Threats From Cyber to Terror Supplant Cold War’s Dangers

The U.S. is searching for ways to deter, defend against and respond to ever-increasing cyber attacks and more diverse terrorist threats, even as it tries to cut spending and finance weapons conceived during the Cold War. That consensus emerged from a daylong Bloomberg Government conference yesterday that featured senior U.S. lawmakers, defense analysts and military officials. While the world may be safer than it was at the height of the Cold War, when the superpowers were on a constant hair- trigger alert, threats such as cyber attacks and terrorism are more complex and difficult to detect and trace than a Soviet missile test was, participants said. In addition, the U.S. faces stiffer economic and technological competition from nations such as China. “Cyber espionage is stealing America’s future,” Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said. Cyber attacks are increasing exponentially while also becoming more sophisticated and destructive, acco

Washington’s cyber war - at home and abroad

After reports that the US designed the greatest cyber viruses in history with Flame and Stuxnet, Washington faces a predicament in justifying the duality in its cyber policy and defending its anti-piracy rhetoric. While the US has repeatedly condemned cyber-attacks and hacking when aimed at itself, Washington’s involvement in the coordinated US-Israeli cyber attack on the Natanz nuclear facility raises a troubling problem for the government. “We’re setting a precedent for other nations,” Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation told RT. “And that’s where the real problem lies, because we’ve been criticizing China for allegedly attacking United States companies and the US government, while at the same time we’ve been engaging in the same conduct with other countries.” Given the US policy of cyber-espionage, some analysts are concerned that this aggressiveness may provoke a reciprocal response. “When you attack, for instance, Iran’s nuclear program, you pro

NZ staff in failed attack on Red Cross workers

Two New Zealand aid workers have been caught up in a failed targeted attack on a hospital in Afghanistan. Although shaken, the New Zealanders were unharmed when a motorcycle-borne explosive device was detonated outside the entrance of a hospital in the Kandahar district yesterday afternoon. "Fortunately only the fuse detonated, so the injuries sustained were instead minor, two ICRC staff hurt by plastic shrapnel," the New Zealand Red Cross said in a statement. The aid workers were evacuated from Mirwais Hospital to the ICRC compound immediately and their activities at the hospital have been suspended for the next three days. As well, the 30 to 35 expatriate ICRC staff in Kandahar have since been evacuated to Kabul. However, one of the New Zealand aid workers was asked to stay in Kandahar with a few key personnel until further notice. The organisation said full security measures have been put in place. "This incident again highlights the gr

'Nazi' far right lurks in dawn of new Greece

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New Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, left third, with newly appointed cabinet ministers as they leave the Presidential palace in Athens after the swearing-in yesterday.   Source: AP GREECE regained some political normalcy yesterday with the appointment of a new coalition government but MPs and voters are only now coming to terms with a disturbing new feature on their political landscape. In the past seven weeks the far-right party Golden Dawn has entered parliament for the first time and then, in a second election that was called to break a coalition impasse, consolidated its position to emerge as the most blatantly "neo-Nazi" party to enjoy such success in post-war Europe. In parts of central Athens, gangs of black-shirted party members now "patrol" the streets at night and they have been accused of almost daily

Burundi Sentences Journalist to Life in Prison for Terrorism

KAMPALA, Uganda — A journalist from Burundi has been sentenced to life in prison as a terrorist for what the government has called his involvement in a deadly gun attack there last year. Hassan Ruvakuki, a correspondent for Radio France Internationale in Burundi, in East Africa, was convicted on Wednesday along with 13 others for his involvement in what the Burundian government called a terrorist attack at a bar in September in the country’s east near the border with Tanzania. The attack, in which gunmen wearing army fatigues and carrying military-grade weapons burst into the crowded bar, left more than 50 people dead and wounded. The government blamed an armed opposition political party for the attack. Mr. Ruvakuki was accused of involvement in the attack in part because he interviewed a rebel leader. Local and international human rights organizations criticized the court decision. “It’s the duty of any reporter to interview both sides in a

Racial Tensions Flare Anew in a Texas Town

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Michael Stravato for The New York Times The grave of James Byrd Jr., whose grisly killing in 1998 made Jasper notorious. JASPER, Tex. — For more than 100 years, a rickety iron fence separated the black graves from the white ones at a cemetery in this East Texas town. Months after the brutal murder here of James Byrd Jr. , a black man chained to a pickup truck and dragged to death by three white men on June 7, 1998, the fence was torn down by residents as a sign of unity and reconciliation.  Fourteen years later, Jasper City Cemetery remains segregated: blacks, including Mr. Byrd, are buried near the bottom of the hill, while whites are buried at the top. “It’s our custom, here in the South, here in Jasper,” said Albert K. Snell, 80, a retired teacher who is white and a member of the cemetery’s board of directors. “We have the same cemetery, but we don’t mix the white and the black graves. They’re separate. Put a black up here? No, no, we wouldn’t d

Turks see terrorism as country’s major problem

June 22, 2012 - 13:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A majority of Turks have indicated that they consider terrorism to be Turkey’s most important problem for the first time, putting the issue ahead of economic difficulties, according to a survey conducted among 3 000 people, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Some 67.1 percent of Turkish people consider terror to be Turkey’s biggest problem, while only 17.2 percent find economic problems more important, according to a survey recently conducted by the Sonar Research Center. Unemployment ranked in third place at 8.7 percent, while 6.1 percent say Turkey’s biggest problem is education. The results of the report, “Political Approaches in Turkey,” also showed that 61.2 percent of Turkish society objected the idea of negotiations between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan to solve the Kurdish question. Only 10.2 percent of participants said negotiations should definitely be he

Death in the Desert

NO matter how the Supreme Court rules this month in Arizona v. United States, which will determine the fate of Arizona’s aggressive illegal immigration law, the national conversation about illegal immigration has shifted. As recent data from the Pew Hispanic Center and the United States Border Patrol indicate, illegal immigration is on the wane, with arrests of migrants trying to cross the United States-Mexico border at a 40-year low and with net migration to the United States at a standstill — and perhaps even reversing direction. In the eyes of many, this is cause for celebration: no more straining the resources of border states while migrants risk life and limb for a shot at a better life. But this rosy image of “success” ignores the larger, sobering picture of which migrant death and suffering is still very much a part. To see this, all you need to do is visit the southwest desert of Arizona, where migrants crossing into the United States continue to peris

Maoists lend help to NLFT for reviving extremism

AGARTALA: Maoists have reportedly extended a helping hand to National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) for expanding the latter's area of operation in the state, intelligence sources claimed on Friday. Quoting the statement of five surrendered NLFT militants - Dhanu Koloi, Bishu Koloi, Rathashri Koloi, Asitu Mog and Dalphin Koloi - who had been arrested for allegedly working for the outfit, police said Maoists have opened a new front in Tripura. Besides NSCN (K) and PLA of Manipur, NLFT has made an alliance with the Maoists to restart extremism in the state, they said. According to their confession, as many as 29 tribal youths had been sent to Myanmar to undertake arms training in Maoist camps last November. "All of them were from the Mandai area on the outskirts of Agartala and they have been approached by a group of surrendered NLFT militants, who are staying in government accommodation, and are drawing monthly remuneration under rehabilitation

Jolie donates $100,000 to help refugees

Actress Angelina Jolie has reportedly made a donation of $100,000 to the United Nations Refugee Agency to help Syrian refugees. The 37-year-old, who is a special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), gave the money on World Refugee Day, which was Wednesday. She released a statement to mark the World Refugee Day, hailing the inspirational strength of those who have been displaced and urged better responses to political conflict, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "In the past year 4.3 million people have become displaced. There are still 2.7 million refugees from Afghanistan; 12 million people are stateless. And for the fifth consecutive year the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide exceeded 42 million," she said in the statement. "The international community should rededicate itself to preventing conflict, addressing it when it erupts, and solving it more quickly, for that is the only way to create durable solutions for

Six more killed in violence

Karachi—At least six more persons were shot dead in different areas of the city on Thursday, while Rangers arrested three suspects during operation. Two dead bodies were recovered from Qasba Colony and Liaqatabad No 10. The deceased were kidnapped before being killed. A young man Syed Ali Shah was gunned down in Orangi Town. His body was sent to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for post-mortem. A man named Asif Ahmed was brutally gunned down by unidentified motorcyclists in front of his wife outside Noman Apartment, Jauhar Moud. He was an activist of MQM. Tension prevailed in the area after the killing. Another man Asif Masood, a trader , was shot dead near Maskan Chowrangi, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Family of the deceased said that he had no enmity with anyone. Gunmen shot dead a youth in Zia Colony, Korangi. Nasir Qadri, activist of a religious party, was injured in a firing incident in Orangi Town. Meanwhile, the Rangers launched operation in different parts

Neo-Nazis scoop YouTube ad revenue from UK telcos

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Neo-Nazis operating in the UK have reportedly used YouTube's advertising revenue-sharing system to gobble up payments from companies that include BT, O2 and Virgin Media. None of the telcos were aware that the right-wing extremists who had posted the videos on Google's website were exploiting the search giant's Adsense network, which allows YouTube members who upload non-copyrighted vids onto the service to slurp up a portion of the advertising bucks. The payments have apparently helped neo-Nazi groups to generate funding after they posted videos on the site that are often marked by YouTube as "potentially offensive or inappropriate" material. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Google had since taken down the videos after been alerted to the fact that the extremists were benefiting from the ads displayed on the content. WARNING: This video is full of crap It's unlikely, however, that Google will be able to effectively police

Army intensifies info drive vs. NPA in Panay

MANILA, Philippines - Army troops in Panay Island and various state agencies have conducted an information drive on the government’s development programs to curb the influence of communist rebels in the area. Maj. Enrico Ileto, spokesman of the Army’s 3rd division, said the four-day seminar on peace and development started last Tuesday and was intended to enhance the skills of soldiers involved in development programs. It was attended by company commanders, civil-military operations officers and non-commissioned officers from different units under the Army’s 301st brigade. Those who joined the seminar are members of peace and development teams, which serve as conduit of state agencies in conveying the programs of the government. “This seminar will also ensure that the right information and the right solution to issues will reach the grassroots through the peace and development teams,” Ileto said. Personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, La

Maoists play mind game to discredit forces

Having received some severe blows at the hands of State police and paramilitary forces in recent weeks, the Maoist insurgents have now resorted to mind game claiming that many of their cadre have infiltrated into the ranks of security forces fighting against the menace in Bastar. The State police recently had smashed their supply line by arresting four persons who were allegedly engaged, for quite some time, in supplying of high quality arms and ammunition, which is generally used by security forces, besides supplying daily need merchandise to top Maoists camping in the dense and inaccessible forests of Bastar. The arrests also exposed the fact that the racket was not merely limited to Chhattisgarh but its roots are spread to much more beyond its borders. As the doubt about making available these high quality ammunition ultimately pointed towards the presence of some black sheep among the security forces, it also provided a chance for the Maoist leadership to crea

Abu Sayyaf sub-leader falls

COMBINED police and military forces arrested an Abu Sayyaf mid-level leader in Zamboanga City Thursday afternoon. The police identified the arrested Abu Sayyaf sub-leader as Alawie Pasihul, also known as Ustadz Alawie Jaji and Ustadz Usman. Pasihul was nabbed around 3:10 p.m. Thursday along Rizal Street, Barangay Zone IV in downtown Zamboanga City. The police said Pasihul is a brigadier general of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Special Force Command MinSuPala (Mindanao-Sulu and Palawan). The police added that Pasihul is facing charges for kidnapping and serious illegal detention for his alleged involvement in the March 20, 2000 kidnapping of 54 people in Sumisip town in Basilan province. The victims, mostly school children, teachers and the slain Claretian priest Fr. Roel Gallardo were seized by the Abu Sayyaf bandits from two schools in Barangay Tumahubong, Sumisip. Pasihul was also allegedly involved in the November 27, 2002 Cabatangan siege by a group

U.N. says 1.5 million Syrians in need of help

(Reuters) - The number of Syrians needing humanitarian aid has soared 50 percent since March to 1.5 million as escalating violence drives more people from their homes, the United Nations said on Friday. The fighting between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels is making it difficult to reach vulnerable civilians, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. "More and more people are leaving their homes, vulnerability is growing and assistance is needed," OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told a news briefing in Geneva. "The overall problem is the lack of security and the lack of access." The displaced include 350,000 in northern Idlib province and some 250,000 in the flashpoint city of Homs, where more than 100 public buildings have been turned into temporary shelters for the homeless, the OCHA said, citing figures from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Aid workers hoping to evacuate hundreds of trapped civilian