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Showing posts from July 8, 2012

Mali's whisky-drinking rebel turned Islamist chief

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In the course of an eventful life, Iyad Ag Ghali, head of the al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine, has been a rebel, diplomat, negotiator and Islamist militant. In his latest avatar, he could also now determine the future of northern Mali.  On May 30, 2007, Iyad Ag Ghali, the current luxuriantly-bearded head of Ansar Dine, an al Qaeda-linked militant group, walked into the US embassy in the Malian capital of Bamako for a friendly chat with the ambassador. US diplomats at the meeting were clearly sympathetic to the man who would go on to turn into the scourge of the breakaway region of northern Mali. “Soft-spoken and reserved, ag Ghali [sic] showed nothing of the cold-blooded warrior persona created by the Malian press,” noted a leaked US Embassy cable . A fearsome Tuareg fighting man who, like many of his brothers-in-arms, had fought for a motley mix of bosses and rebel groups, Ag Ghali was attempting to negotiate yet another shotgun ceas

Groups hold confab in defense of schools for indigenous peoples

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By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com The policies of governments today puzzle me: a willingness to spend billions of dollars on military technologies yet next to none on education; the oppression and silencing of the few educational institutions that are improving the lives of marginalized people; the myriad of promises churned out during election years spurned during office and the unspoken commitments of making the rich richer, and the poor poorer. Free and compulsory education is a human right stated by the United Nations, but a free and compulsory quality education is the struggle of oppressed peoples in Mindanao and worldwide. -Adam Shaw, Missionary, Philippines. United Methodist Church MANILA –Groups asserting the rights of indigenous people’s to education and protesting against the attacks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) have embarked on a campaign of defense. Earlier this week, the Mindanao Conference in Defense of Schools Under Attack w

Lucrative surrender policy for Maoists

The nine Maoist-affected states in the country on Friday approved a revised surrender policy prepared by the Home Ministry to encourage rebels quit violence and join the mainstream. The draft proposal will now be considered by the Finance Ministry before being implemented. Following a meeting at the North Block here on Friday, sources said compensation for the Maoist cadres had been increased to Rs 1.5 lakh. Besides, they will be paid extra for surrendering arms, depending on the type of weapon. Weapons like 12 bore guns and Kalashnikovs will fetch more. Besides, they will get a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000 for the first three years after the surrender. Earlier, the compensation was a meagre Rs 10,000 for the Maoists who joined the mainstream and Rs 20,000 for those surrendering with arms. An estimated 300 Maoists surrender every  year. The meeting, chaired by Special Secretary, Internal Security, Ajay Chadha, and attended by representatives of para-military forces and st

26/11 trial: Pak court reserves decision on Lakhvi plea

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The Hindu Fire at Taj Hotel in Mumbai in this November 27, 2008 picture. Photo: Vivek Bendre A Pakistani court conducting the Mumbai attacks trial on Saturday reserved to July 17 its decision on LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s application challenging the report of a judicial panel that probed the 2008 strikes, besides rejecting the bail plea of one of the seven suspects. Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman, the judge of the Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court no. 1, reserved his judgement after hearing the arguments of defence and prosecution lawyers during the proceedings held behind closed doors at Adiala Jail. The judge will announce his decision on July 17, sources told PTI. Lakhvi, the mastermind of the 2008 attacks, had claimed in his application that the report of the Pakistani judicial commission should not be made part of the case as it has “no legal value”. Lakhvi’s counsel Khwaja Haris Ahmed objected to the agreement between India and Pakista

Beauty queen who turned communist rebel dies

She died in her sleep due to heart attack at 64 Manila: A beauty queen and one of Manila’s top fashion models in the 60s who joined the communist guerrillas leader during the martial law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos, died in her sleep due Thursday afternoon, sources said, Maita Gomez, 64, who was supposed to represent the country in the Miss World pageant in 1967 died in her sleep. According to her son, Antares Gomez Bartolome, she was supposed to wake up for lunch but was found lifeless in her room at past two in the afternoon. Gomez was studying medicine at the University of the Philippines and was modeled for top designer Pitoy Moreno before she became a beauty queen. She failed to represent the country in the Miss World pageant after she went underground to join the New People’s Army, the military arm of the the Communist Party of the Philippines.  She w

Yudhoyono: “No Need for Large Scale Operations in Papua”

TEMPO Interactive , Jakarta :The disorder in Papua has led President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to speak up again. The authoritiesmust crack down firmly on separatist movements, but they must also be careful not to violate human rights. However, the Presidentconfirmed that there was no need for a massive military operation. "The government is using the community approach," he said while at a briefing to young officer candidates (capaja) at the Army and the Police Academy 2012 at the Military Academy, Magelang, on Wednesday evening, July 11, 2012, as quoted by Antara. The president made the statement in response to a question by one of the cadets about the dilemmas of soldiers on duty: they are performing their duty yet people accuse them of committing human rights violations. Yudhoyono said the land of Bird of Paradise is often referred to as one of the bases of separatist movements. Handling separatist movements requires special skills on the part of the aut

Russia kills six militants in Caucasus clash: report

MOSCOW: Russian forces have killed six militants in a clash in the troubled Caucasus region of Dagestan that also claimed the life of a member of the security forces, a report said Saturday. The clashes overnight started on a main road south of Dagestan's main city of Makhachkala and then continued in the surrounding forests and vineyards as the security forces gave chase to the militants. "As of now, the bodies of six militants have been found. The operation is continuing," a security source told the Interfax news agency. The source said that one member of the security services was killed and three others were wounded. The Islamist-tinted insurgency the Kremlin has fought in the northern Caucasus in the last years has become increasingly focused on Dagestan, a mainly Muslim region on the Caspian Sea inhabited by a patchwork of ethnic groups. Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Jul-14/180585-russia-kills-six-mi

Uzbek man jailed in U.S. over plot to kill Obama

MIAMI: A U.S. federal judge sentenced an Uzbek man to more than 15 years in prison Friday on terror and weapons charges for threatening to kill US President Barack Obama, US prosecutors said. Ulugbek Kodirov, 22, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison for providing material support to terrorism, threatening to kill the president and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, they said in a statement. Kodirov, who entered the United States on a valid visa but later was in the country illegally, will be deported to Uzbekistan after he completes the sentence, the statement said. "This case has a happy ending -- Kodirov is going to prison for more than 15 years and no one was hurt," said US Attorney Joyce White Vance. Kodirov was arrested on July 13, 2011, at a motel in Alabama, after attempting to buy explosives and guns from an undercover agent. He pleaded guilty to all charges in February. As part of his plea agreement with pr

LTTE’s strong anti-India posture continues; Govt extends ban

Government has extended the ban on LTTE declaring that it continues to adopt a strong anti- India posture and pose a grave threat to the security of its citizens. In a notification, the Home Ministry said the activities of LTTE are detrimental to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India and there is a continuing strong need to control all such separatist activities by all possible means. “LTTE continues to adopt a strong anti-India posture as also continues to pose a grave threat to the security of Indian nationals, it is necessary to declare LTTE as an ‘unlawful association’ with immediate effect,” the Home Ministry notification issued by joint secretary Dharmendra Sharma said. LTTE was banned in India in the aftermath of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The organisation was also defeated and virtually decimated by the Sri Lankan forces in 2009 when its supremo V. Prabhakaran was also eliminated. The Home Ministry sai

Cyprus court orders terrorism suspect into police custody

NICOSIA, Cyprus — A Cyprus police spokesman says a court has ordered the continued custody of a 24-year-old foreign national on suspicion of helping to plot a possible terrorist attack. Andreas Angelides said Saturday that the man is being investigated on charges relating to national security and terrorism. He says the man was arrested last week in the coastal town of Limassol, and the court had ordered him to be detained to assist police in their investigation. Angelides would not identify the suspect, the level of his involvement in the attack, the intended target, or if he had any accomplices. But state CyBC radio reported the suspect is a Swedish passport holder of Lebanese origin and that documents and photographs were found in his possession detailing movements of Israelis on the island. Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/cyprus-court-orders-terrorism-suspect-into-police-custody/2012/07/14/gJQAgwyAkW_story.html

Turkish police and Kurds clash, bomb wounds 12

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Police fired water cannon and teargas as they clashed with stone-throwing Kurdish protesters in south-east Turkey on Saturday, while militants elsewhere in the region detonated a bomb which wounded 12 police officers. Kurdish members of parliament were caught up in the trouble as police and demonstrators battled on the streets of the main south-eastern city of Diyarbakir, where the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) was planning to hold a rally. The provincial governor had refused the party permission to hold the rally, planned in part to call for the release of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant leader Abdullah Ocalan. The rally coincided with the first anniversary of a declaration of "democratic autonomy" by Kurdish politicians, and it was also exactly one year after PKK guerrillas killed 13 soldiers in an attack in Diyarbakir. While the street cla

Gunmen kill five security in Iraq Turkmen town

KIRKUK, Iraq: Gunmen killed five soldiers and policemen on Saturday when they attacked a checkpoint in a Turkmen town in northern Iraq, an army captain said. The victims were manning the checkpoint in the town of Rashidiyah, northeast of the main northern city of Mosul, when the gunmen opened fire. Five members of the security forces were killed and two others were wounded, the source said, without giving a breakdown. Iraq's Turkish-speaking Turkmen community includes about 500,000 people living mostly in Mosul, Kirkuk and Tal Afar. They have been the target of a number of deadly attacks, blamed by local authorities on Al-Qaeda. The latest violence comes amid a spike in attacks, with Iraq suffering a wave of unrest in June. At least 282 people were killed, according to an AFP tally, though government figures said 131 Iraqis died. While violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, attacks remain common across the country.

Yemen factions invited to national dialogue: UN envoy

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The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, seen here in 2011, said that southern separatists and northern Shiite rebels have been invited to participate in a national dialogue set for November. AFP - The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, said on Friday that southern separatists and northern Shiite rebels have been invited to participate in a national dialogue set for November. "Contacts have been made with all the parties, including the Southern Movement and the Huthis (Zaidis), to join the national dialogue and there is now agreement to begin the preparatory phase," Benomar said at the end of a two-week visit. A dialogue aimed at facilitating political transition in Yemen was envisioned in the agreement that led to long-time president Ali Abdullah Saleh stepping down in February after months of deadly street protests. The Southern Movement groups activists pushing for greater autonomy for the south and those w

Indian-origin Tamils form new alliance in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Political parties representing Indian-origin Tamils have forged a new alliance, while the main Muslim party remained with the government for the upcoming provincial polls. Three of the island's nine provincial councils are to go to mid-term polls early September. "We have formed an alliance with Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) and Upcountry People's Front", Mano Ganesan of the Democratic People's Front (DPF), which is another minority Tamil party said. Ganesan said the CWC, UPF and DPF will be vying for votes from Tamils of Indian-origin living in the two districts of Ratnapura and Kegalla in the Sabaragamuva (southwestern) province. Sabaragamuva province along with north central province and the eastern province councils have been already dissolved mid-term to face polls in September. Ganesan's DPF is an opposition party while CWC and UPF are both allies of the president Mahinda Rajapaksa . Ganesan said both CWC and

Femme fatale: Pic showing bikini clad gun toting Israeli soldiers goes viral

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New Delhi: Picture of bikini-clad highly trained Israeli soldiers with rifles on a sunny beach went viral on internet recently. According to a report published in The Daily Mail, since the photo, snapped in Tel Aviv, was posted on the internet it has gone viral with many users reacted with shock at seeing such a hostile weapon on a sunny beach. Some internet users were perplexed as to why the woman in the photo would be at the beach with a rifle- which does not appear to have a magazine loaded - but not in her uniform, Daily Mail report said. But other users were quick to point out there could have been practical reasons for the solider to take the weapon to the beach. Under Israeli military regulations, if members take their weapon out from their military base they must keep them near at all times. Source: http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/WOR-TOP-femme-fatale-pic-showing-bikini-clad-gun-toting-israeli-soldiers-goes-viral-3524366.html

Taliban chief Omar can run for President: Karzai

Kabul, Jul 12: Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Thursday on Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar to give up fighting his US-backed government in return for the chance to run for President of the war-torn nation. Mullah Omar, Taliban leader who has been on run since the United States toppled his regime in late 2001, is one of the world's most wanted men and is leading a Taliban insurgency aimed at ousting Karzai. Karzai has repeatedly called on Omar and other insurgents fighting against his administration to renounce violence and accept peaceful reintegration. "I repeat my call on all Afghans, those who aren't the puppets of others and have (only) issues with us at home - they're welcome for any talks," he told a news conference. "Mullah Mohammad Omar can come inside Afghan istan anywhere he wants to. He can open political office for himself but he should leave the gun." "He along with his friends can come and create his polit

LTTE brutally tortured and killed spies, traitors: Tamil Tigress

New Delhi: A new book by a former woman fighter has claimed that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) tortured and killed alleged spies and traitors while fighting the Indian peacekeepers in Sri Lanka. Niromi de Soyza had joined LTTE in early 1987 at age 17 who quit the group after she realised that violence cannot lead to a Tamil Eelam state. Niromi de Soyza in her 308-page book 'Tamil Tigress' has claimed that for them (LTTE) killing humans was no different to killing a cockroach. Citing an incident in her book Niromi reveals that one afternoon, in Jaffna, Niromi and her Tiger friends saw some of their male colleagues kick and punch a teenage LTTE member, Vellai, even as he kept begging for his life "I didn't do it, I didn't do it." They were accusing Vellai of being an Indian spy. Finally, an LTTE guerrilla, Justin, dealt a blow on the victim's skull with an axe. The book also says that people of Jaffna repeatedly pleaded

French police lose power to detain illegal immigrants

France’s highest court has ruled that the country’s police can no longer arrest and detain illegal immigrants unless they are suspected of having committed a criminal offence.  http://www.france24.com/en/20120706-police-lose-automatic-power-detain-illegal-immigrants-france-court   Illegal immigrants in France can no longer be held in police custody simply for not having residency papers, the country’s highest court ruled on Thursday. Until now, police could detain “sans-papiers” [“without papers”, the French term for illegal aliens] even if they had not committed a crime. Under French law, police detention only applies to people suspected of having committed an offence punishable with a prison term. Police detention is limited to 24 hours, although it can be extended to 48 if further inquiries have to be made. Being an illegal alien, under French law, is not a criminal offence. Being an illegal ali

Top Maoist in Odisha hints at giving up arms

July 13, 2012, DHNS: Panda will surrender if govt withdraws cases against him: Wife Odisha’s political and police circles are agog with intense speculation that Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, responsible for the kidnapping of two Italians in Kandhamal district a couple of months ago, is all set to give up arms and surrender before authorities very soon. The speculation gained currency following a statement by Panda’s wife Subhashree during an interview to a local TV news channel here on Thursday. She claimed her husband will give up arms if the state government assures him that all the criminal cases pending against him will be withdrawn. “He may consider to surrender and join the mainstream if the state government assures him that all the cases pending against him will be withdrawn and he will be allowed to lead a normal life,” she said. Subhashree’s latest statement, however, came as a big surprise to many as she had earlier made it clear

Five separatist guerrillas killed in Kashmir long gunfight

Posted on: 07 Jul 2012, 02:22 PM Srinagar : Five separatist guerrillas have been killed in a three day long gun battle in Kashmir, an official said on Saturday. "Five terrorists have been killed in the (Zachaldara) Handwara gun battle that ended late Friday night," J.S. Brar, spokesman for the army's Srinagar based 15th corps said. "Three houses were destroyed in the gunfight between the security forces and the terrorists."The houses were used by the hiding terrorists as fortified bunkers from where they engaged the security forces in sustained automatic gunfire," the spokesman said. Four soldiers and a police constable were injured in the exchange of gunfire. Source: http://post.jagran.com/five-separatist-guerrillas-killed-in-kashmir-long-gunfight-1341651153

Suicide bomber kills 4 in Syria

Syria’s state news agency says a suicide truck bomb in the central province of Hama has killed three civilians and one security officer. SANA said the attacker, who covered the bomb with onions, detonated the explosives in the town of Muhrada. The anti—regime Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bomb targeted the local military security headquarters. Both said the dead included two women and a child. Bombings of security buildings throughout Syria have grown more common as the uprising against President Bashar Assad has become dominated by the rebel insurgency seeking to overthrow his regime. Activists say more than 17,000 people have been killed since the uprising’s start in March 2011, most of them civilians. The government says the dead include more than 4,000 security personnel.  Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3639437.ece

Taliban ban on polio vaccination threatens 2.4 lakh children

Peshawar , Jul 14: The ban imposed on polio vaccination programme by the Taliban has put 2.4 lakh children in the troubled northwestern Pakistan at risk. Officials warned on Friday that the vaccination programme needed to be started next week urgently to save these children. Local Taliban and Pakistani warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur, whose outfit is fighting the western troops in the neighbouring Afghanistan, have imposed the ban on polio vaccinations in the tribal region of Waziristan to protest the continuing US drone attacks against militants. They have termed the vaccination campaign as a cover for espionage. A government health official said the campaign might have to be suspended in North and South Waziristan for there was no clearance from the army. "The situation is not conducive," he said, adding that any attempt to defy the Taliban threats would put their staff in great danger. The Taliban suspicion that the polio campaign would be used as an espionag

Suicide bomber kills top official, 22 more at Afghan wedding

A suicide bomber killed a prominent anti-Taliban politician and 22 other guests at a wedding reception in the northern Afghan province of Samangan on Saturday, officials said. The bomber blew himself up as he hugged lawmaker Ahmad Khan Samangani, who was celebrating his daughter's marriage, police said. The blast also killed the provincial intelligence chief and a senior police commander. Samangani was close to Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, and commanded thousands of men in the area. The Uzbeks are part of an uneasy coalition of minority tribes that fight the Taliban in their area. The attack, among the most lethal in recent months, raises the risk of greater insecurity in the relatively peaceful province, analysts said. At least 23 people were killed and 60 others wounded, said a statement from President Hamid Karzai condemning the attack. "The enemies of Afghanistan once again targeted mujahideen figures who strive for national unity," Karzai

Russian Parliament approves several "repressive" bills

The Russian Parliament wound up its spring session with the approval of several “repressive” bills designed to help the Kremlin crack down on a growing civic protest movement, according to opposition leaders. Before going on a summer recess on Monday the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, rushed through three controversial laws — one that could result in censorship of the internet, another that imposes tough rules on foreign-funded nongovernmental groups and one more that makes defamation a criminal offense. The Information Act purports to combat child pornography, suicide how-to instructions and narcotics propaganda but leaves the opportunity to blacklist whole domains when only part of the hosted content is illegal. The Russian-language version of Wikipedia went on strike to protest against the internet bill, while Russia’s biggest search engine Yandex said it “creates room for possible misuse.” With national television channels under Krem

Top anti-Soviet Afghan commander killed in blast

Afghan authorities say a suicide attacker blew himself up in a wedding hall in northern Afghanistan, killing more than 20 people, including Ahmad Khan Samangani, a well-known commander in northern Afghanistan who was also a member of Parliament. Ghulam Mohammad Khan, the criminal director of the provincial police, says more than 20 people were killed in the Saturday morning blast in Aybak, the capital of Samangan province. More than 40 others were wounded, including Gen. Sayed Ahmad Sameh, a western regional commander for the Afghan National Police, who was a relative of Samangani, Mr Khan said. Samangani became famous during Afghanistan’s fight against the Soviets, who left the country in 1989 after a 10-year occupation. He became a member of Parliament last year and was considered a key leader in Samangan and northern Afghanistan.  Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3639057.ece

Al-Qaida: Now Vying For Hearts, Minds And Land

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  Militiamen from the Ansar Dine Islamic group, an al-Qaida affiliate, ride on a vehicle in northeastern Mali in June. Mali is one of the places where al-Qaida-linked groups are trying to take over territory and win over local residents to their cause. Al-Qaida has been subtly testing a new strategy. In the past couple of years, the group's affiliates have been trying their hand at governing — actually taking over territory and then trying to win over citizens who live there. It happened with various degrees of success in Somalia and Yemen, and recently in the northern deserts of Mali. There is a tendency in the West to view al-Qaida as a straightforward terrorist organization whose only goal is to wreak havoc. I think it is a mistake to think that way. Al-Qaida wants to provide a way of life; it wants to