Libya: Hundreds feared dead as migrant boat capsizes
Several hundred people are feared to have drowned off Libya, after a boat carrying some 600 refugees trying to reach Europe broke up at sea on Friday.
The UN's refugee agency said 16 bodies, including two babies, had been found. UNCHR has said all ships using the Mediterranean should be ready to assist such vessels, as thousands continue to flee North Africa in inadequate boats. Nato has denied claims that its naval units left dozens of migrants to die aboard another boat in distress. It said it was unaware of the plight of the boat, which reportedly was adrift for more than two weeks. The Guardian newspaper said 61 of the 72 people on board the boat died of hunger or thirst, despite being spotted by a military helicopter and Nato ship.
Doubts grow on US version of strike against bin Laden
LONDON: The head of the CIA has admitted that there was no live video footage of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound as further doubts emerged about the US version of events. Leon Panetta said there was a 25-minute blackout during which the live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the US special forces was cut off. A photograph issued by the White House appeared to show the President and his aides in the situation room watching the action as it unfolded. In fact they had little knowledge of what was happening for long periods.
Stephen Lendman: False Flags: An American Tradition
Larry Chin: The Growing Coverup: Osama and "The Big Lie"
Stephen Lendman: Media Lies and Misinformation on Bin Laden
Stephen Lendman: New Bin Laden Tapes Appear Fake Like Earlier Ones
Michael C. Ruppert: Osama and the Ghosts of September 11: "Proof that Obama is Lying"
Bin Laden dead long before US raid
Iran's intelligence minister says the country has reliable information that former head of the al-Qaeda terrorist group Osama bin Laden died of disease some time ago.
We have accurate information that bin Laden died of illness some time ago, Heidar Moslehi told reporters on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting on Sunday. He questioned Washington's claim that bin Laden was killed by American troops in a hiding compound in Pakistan on May 1. If the US military and intelligence apparatus have really arrested or killed bin Laden, why don't they show him (his dead body) why have they thrown his corpse into the sea? Moslehi asked.
US Wants "Access" to Bin Ladens Widows: Top Official
The U.S. government is interested in "accessing" al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Ladens three widows and any intelligence material left behind at bin Ladens Abbottabad, Pakistan compound, U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said on Sunday. His three widows and several children, who remained in the compound even after U.S. commandos killed bin Laden on May 2, are believed by the United States to now be in Pakistani army custody.
NATO Chief: Stay the Course in Afghan War
In an interview today with the Associated Press, Afghan War Commander General David Petraeus suggested that the death of Osama bin Laden would harm putative ties between al-Qaeda and the Taliban. He estimated between 50 and 100 al-Qaeda members were in Afghanistan. At the same time, Petraeus said the death wouldnt end the war, and fighting would continue with the massive Taliban insurgency. He also warned that other transnational terror groups might set up in Afghanistan.
Asian women subjected to 'virginity tests' at Heathrow
The government is facing calls for an official apology after documents showed that Asian women were subjected to humiliating virginity tests when they tried to move to Britain in the late 1970s.
At least 80 women from India and Pakistan hoping to emigrate to Britain to marry were intimately examined by immigration staff to check their marital status, according to confidential Home Office files. The files show the practice was more common than previously thought. The technique was banned in February 1979 after a national newspaper revealed that a 35-year-old Indian woman was examined by a male doctor at Heathrow to check whether she was in fact a virgin. The Home Office initially denied that any internal examination had taken place. The woman was offered 500 in recognition of distress caused but there was no apology.
Nato units left 61 African migrants to die of hunger and thirst
Refugees from Libya reach Lampedusa. A Nato ship failed
to rescue a boat in trouble leaving 63 people on board to
die. Photograph: Francesco Malavolta/EPA
Boat trying to reach Lampedusa was left to drift in Mediterranean for 16 days, despite alarm being raised.
Dozens of African migrants were left to die in the Mediterranean after a number of European and Nato military units apparently ignored their cries for help, the Guardian has learned. A boat carrying 72 passengers, including several women, young children and political refugees, ran into trouble in late March after leaving Tripoli for the Italian island of Lampedusa. Despite alarms being raised with the Italian coastguard and the boat making contact with a military helicopter and a Nato warship, no rescue effort was attempted. All but 11 of those on board died from thirst and hunger after their vessel was left to drift in open waters for 16 days. "Every morning we would wake up and find more bodies, which we would leave for 24 hours and then throw overboard," said Abu Kurke, one of only nine survivors. "By the final days, we didn't know ourselves everyone was either praying, or dying."
While Bahrain demolishes mosques, U.S. stays silent
MANAMA, Bahrain In the ancient Bahraini village of Aali, where some graves date to 2000 B.C., the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque had stood for more than 400 years - one of the handsomest Shiite Muslim mosques in this small island nation in the Persian Gulf. Today, only bulldozer tracks remain. In Nwaidrat, where anti-government protests began Feb. 14, the Mo'men mosque had long been a center for the town's Shiite population - photos show it as a handsome, square building neatly painted in ochre, with white and green trim, and a short portico in dark gray forming the main entrance. Today, only the portico remains.
Malawi expels UK diplomat after UK remarks that the country doesn't tolerate criticism (!)
The president of Malawi has explained his decision to expel the British High Commissioner for the first time. Fergus Cochrane-Dyet was told to leave after he was quoted in a leaked cable as saying President Bingu wa Mutharika does not tolerate criticism. President Mutharika said he would not accept insults just because Britain was the country's largest aid donor. Britain ordered the acting High Commissioner of Malawi to leave the UK in response to the move last month. According to the diplomatic cable published by the local Weekend Nation newspaper last month, Mr Cochrane-Dyet described President Mutharika as "becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism". He said local civil society activists were afraid after a campaign of threatening phone calls and said the government was restricting the freedom of the media and minorities.
Ecuador votes to end 500 years of bullfighting
As well as ending the killing of bulls in the ring, voters in a referendum held on Saturday outlawed cockfighting and casino gambling. More controversially, President Rafael Correa won approval for new controls on the countrys media and financial sectors.
Voters backed all 10 constitutional reforms backed by the popular Mr Correa, who campaigned hard in favour of the new measures. Provisional results though from electoral authorities show the margin of victory was tighter than expected. The presidents opponents had claimed the referendum was the latest moves in his campaign since taking power in 2007 to strengthen the power of Ecuadors executive. However, at a victory rally on Saturday night, Mr Correa called the result a victory for his citizens revolution, saying voters had not been scared off by a ferocious opposition and a corrupt press. We have beaten them all, he told supporters.
Panel Event -Zionism, Jewishness and Israel, Is Now Online (Must Watch)
Panel event- 'Zionizm, Jewishness and Israel' from Tali Atzmon on Vimeo.
I am very proud to announce that our last week panel event is now online (see bellow). In spite of the pathetic attempts by Zionists and their Jewish anti Zionist allies to crash the event, the panel was a great success. The room was packed. We explored some of the most complicated issues to do with current world affairs. Some of London Jewish activists broke away from their segregated 'Jews only cells' and marched with us. Interestingly enough, our detractors who promised to picket the event didnt dare showing up. I believe that the panel was a crucial contribution to this movement and freedom of thought. I vow to do it again and again and again. I will keep you posted. (Uprooted Palestinians)
Israel blasts former spy chief over Iran
Israeli officials have criticized ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan for calling a possible attack on Iran "a stupid idea," saying he should not share his personal views with others.
In his first public appearance since leaving office in early January, Dagan publicly argued against an airstrike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Addressing the Hebrew University on Friday, he described the possibility of a future Israeli airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities as the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Dagan noted that any military strike may prompt a regional war and missile attacks from several fronts on Israel, adding that any attack on Iran would have no advantage for Tel Aviv. On Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Dagan's statement was not correct, and that he should not have shared his personal thoughts with everyone, Ynetnews reported. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz also said that Dagan should have kept the remarks to himself.
AWIP: Former Mossad chief: Israel air strike on Iran 'stupidest thing I have ever heard'
05/08/11
Soldiers arrest Hamas leader at Jenin checkpoint
JENIN (Maan) -- Israel's army arrested a Hamas leader Saturday in the occupied West Bank, prisoners advocates said.
Khaled Al-Haj, 45, was passing through a military checkpoint at the entrance of Araba when he was arrested, the Ahrar prisoners center said. Al-Haj served as a spokesman for Hamas, and he was recently released from prison. Soldiers had apparently installed the checkpoint to catch Al-Haj, specifically, the center said in a statement. Another person whose identity was not known was also taken to an unknown location, the prisoners group said. Al-Haj is considered a prominent party official. He served as the movement's spokesman in Jenin and represented Hamas in the factional coordinating committee that eventually led to a unity deal last week. He has spent years in Israeli custody, including three without charge under Israel's "administrative detention" policy. It allows Israel to jail Palestinians for six-month periods which can be extended.
Former Mossad chief: Israel air strike on Iran 'stupidest thing I have ever heard'
In first public appearance since leaving post as Mossad chief, Meir Dagan warns of regional war if Iran is attacked; says fall of Assad regime would benefit Israel.
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan referred to the possibility a future Israeli Air Force attack on Iranian nuclear facilities as "the stupidest thing I have ever heard" during a conference held at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem on Friday. Dagan said that Iran has a clandestine nuclear infrastructure which functions alongside its legitimate, civil infrastructure. It is the legitimate infrastructure, he said, that is under international supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Any strike on this legitimate infrastructure would be "patently illegal under international law," according to Dagan.
Baghdad prison mutiny leaves 18 dead
A deadly mutiny between an insurgent inmate and police officers at a Baghdad interior ministry jail complex has claimed lives of eight policemen and 10 detainees.
The mutiny began when Hodayfa al-Batawi, the mastermind of Baghdad's deadly church siege in October 2010, snatched an officer's gun in the middle of an interrogation and killed his interrogator, AFP reported on Sunday. He then released a group of fellow inmates, who made their way to the office of head of counter-terrorism for Baghdad's central Karrada district Moayed al-Saleh and shot him dead. They later discovered a cache of weapons and grenades.
Among the eight policemen killed in Sunday's incident was a lieutenant colonel and two first lieutenants, a senior counter-terrorism official said on condition of anonymity. "This cell, which was dismantled in November, was accused of a large number of terrorist operations -- not just the one against the church," the official said. According to the official, six other people were wounded in the fighting at the interior ministry detention facility, but he did not elaborate more on the matter. The security reinforcements, however, killed the group of five when the insurgents stormed out of the prison in order to escape.
Washington Post: 17 killed in clashes at Iraq security HQ when al-Qaida detainees overpower guards
Syrian Human Rights: Over 800 killed in Syria so far
Beirut, Lebanon: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement that security forces have killed at least 800 civilians since protests erupted in Syria, Reuters reported on Saturday.
The organization also said that it has the names of the 800 people, adding that 220 of them were killed in attacks by the Syrian army in Daraa. This is substantially higher than the number reported by the Syrian revolution 2011 the Facebook group which has emerged as the organizing force behind the demonstrations. It reported yesterday that 683 protesters have been killed so far by the Syrian security forces since the unrest started. The protests started on March 15 in the southern Syrian town of Daraa and had since spread to most of the Syrian cities.
Europe's debts - mapped
Greece is not the only country in Europe with problems with credit and debt.
NYT: Greek Leader Irked by Speculation on Debt
MotherJones: Neither Ireland nor Greece will ever be able to make good on their debts
05/07/11
Syrian Troops Reportedly Enter Restive City
BEIRUT, Lebanon Troops backed by tanks stormed a city on Syrias Mediterranean coast on Saturday that has proved one of the most restive in the seven-week uprising, besieging neighborhoods and cutting electricity and phone lines, opposition groups said.
The militarys move against Baniyas, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city that witnessed some of the largest protests in nationwide demonstrations a day earlier, was another signal that the Syrian government was determined to crush by force dissent that has posed a sweeping challenge to President Bashar al-Assads 11-year rule. It comes nearly two weeks after the military stormed Daraa, a poor town near the Jordanian border where protests galvanized demonstrations across the country. Gunboats were spotted off the coast.
Bahrain sets activist's home on fire
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) says Saudi-backed forces have attacked the residence of a human rights activist and set it ablaze amid a strict martial law in the tiny Persian Gulf monarchy.
Video footage has surfaced online showing flames coming from the burning house of Saeed Ayyad after Bahraini forces attacked his home on Friday, using teargas which carried flames. According to the BCHR, Ayyad is an activist that has been taking international visitors around to talk to witnesses and victims and document human rights violations in Bahrain. The group said it had reasons to believe that his house was targeted due to his activities.
Meanwhile, BCHR has warned of further tortures and persecutions by the Manama regime amid tight security conditions imposed by the ruling Al Khalifa family to choke the protests in the small island nation. In its latest report, BCHR said that prominent activist Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, a Danish citizen, has been tortured beyond recognition by Saudi-backed regime forces.
Hezbollah slams UN for biased briefing - Video
The UN's Special Representative for the Implementation of Resolution 1559 -- Terje Roed-Larsen -- spoke before the Security Council on Friday in a closed session.
1559 calls for the withdrawal of Syrian and Israeli forces from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to disband. Roed-Larsen has delivered more than a dozen such reports to the Security Council -- even though 1559 was rendered obsolete by Resolution 1701 -- which was intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. The question is why Roed-Larsen is still delivering briefings on an outdated resolution?
Abboud adds that recent events across the Arab world make Roed-Larsen's work as Lebanon special envoy even more redundant. Hezbollah has slammed the briefing as unjust and biased, and described the UN special envoy to the Middle East as "international official servant in the Zionist media system that reflects the full participation of hostility towards the Resistance, Lebanon, Arabs and all just causes in the world."
Colonial secret papers to be made public
A collection of sensitive documents from Britain's colonial past are to be made public through the National Archives for the first time.
The files were sent to the UK from various former territories, mostly at the time they achieved independence. The documents emerged when four Mau Mau veterans sued the UK, saying they were tortured by Kenyan colonial government in the 1950s. The British government says it cannot be held responsible. It wants the claim thrown out by the High Court. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Foreign Office only became aware of the significance of the files in January because of research linked to the court case.
Judge Files Complaint against Merkel over Bin Laden Comments
Schadenfreude, the enjoyment of others' suffering, may be a famously German concept, but it is apparently not a feeling that many Germans aspire to. The political and public fallout following Chancellor Angela Merkel's statement on Monday that she was "glad" Osama bin Laden had been killed was among the most hotly debated topics in the German media this week.
Politicians, including those within her own center-right coalition, said that no death was cause for celebration, and reproved the remark as un-Christian and vengeful. But Hamburg judge Heinz Uthmann went even further. He alleges that the chancellor's statement was nothing short of illegal, and filed a criminal complaint against Merkel midweek, the daily Hamburger Morgenpost reported Friday. "I am a law-abiding citizen and as a judge, sworn to justice and law," the 54-year-old told the paper, adding that Merkel's words were "tacky and undignified."
Germany: Cops attend a peaceful protest undercover... get mazed and punched in the face by cops on duty
[Google Translate] Five of the first attacked May in Kreuzberg injured policemen have been apparently by colleagues. As the police announced on Tuesday evening, two officers have filed a complaint against unknown police officers for assault in office. They were in civilian clothes at the gate Kottbusser been on the road, as they "were suddenly hit by pepper spray and injured by blows to the face". They would have to finish their service. Three other civil officials who have so far paid no ads have been taken according to the police through the tear gas. Originally had even been talk of eight injured. According to witness interviews have the number be reduced to five, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.
The four Mounties involved in the Taser death of Robert Dziekanski in October 2007 will face criminal charges
B.C. special prosecutor Richard Peck is recommending laying perjury charges against all of the officers related to misinformation given during the independent inquiry into Dziekanski's death, the provincial Criminal Justice Branch confirmed Friday. Peck's recommendations will now be forwarded to the provincial attorney general's office for review. The veteran lawyer ruled out proceeding with any criminal charges linked to the officer's conduct at the airport the night Dziekanski died.
Syrian forces kill dozens on Day of Defiance rally
Syria's security forces shot dead 21 people on Friday as thousands rallied on a "Day of Defiance" against Bashar al-Assad, whose forces responded by opening fire and sending tanks to attack protests.
Syria's security forces shot dead 30 people yesterday as thousands rallied on a "Day of Defiance" against Bashar al-Assad's rule. The president's forces opened fire and sent tanks to attack protesters. About 100 tanks were stationed between the outskirts of Damascus and Homs. The latest killings came as a divided European Union failed to agree on sanctions to target President Assad despite his regime's history of violence. After talks in Brussels, a group of southern European countries blocked measures to issue a travel ban and freeze the president's assets.
Financial Times: Assad to escape EU sanctions
Israeli Wikileaks: Journalists demand not to try Haaretz reporter
Photo: Ynet News
Israels Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has summoned Haaretz journalist Uri Blau to a formal hearing the last procedural step before prosecuting Blau in a criminal court. The 7th eye website reports that the hearing will take place towards the end of the month. Last March, The Tel Aviv Office for the General Prosecution announced that it was considering prosecuting Blau for unauthorized possession of classified information.
Uri Blau, an investigative reporter, received hundreds of classified IDF documents from former soldier Anat Kamm. Blau published several pieces in Haaretz based on the documents, including one story which revealed that senior IDF officersincluding Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazymight have knowingly violated a Supreme Court decision when they ordered targeted killings of Palestinian militants even when those could have been captured alive. Following the procedures against Blau, dozens of Israeli journalists have signed a petition, demanding not to put Haartezs reporter on trial (my translation from Hebrew).
We journalists and media people who fear for our professional freedom call upon the Attorney General not to prosecute Haaretzs journalist Uri Blau for holding classified documents. Some of us have our reservations regarding the conduct of Blau and Haaretz throughout the affair. Yet we are all concerned about the consequences of the Attorney Generals decision regarding the work of all journalists in Israel.
Putting a journalist on trial for possession of secret documents constitutes significant injury to the independence of the media. The immediate significance of the decision will be in putting restraints on our ability to reveal injustice and corruption [...] This precedent would severely harm the [ability to conduct] investigative journalism, which is at the heart of the free press. It is impossible to expose corruptionin any fieldwithout holding documents, also those that are considered classified [...]
Jonathan Cook:
● The dark underbelly of Israel's security state
● Mossad operation threatened against reporter
● Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?
Stephen Lendman:
● Accelerating Fascism in Israel
● Eroding Free Expression in Israel
● Growing Thought Control in Israel
05/06/11
How strong is the Israel lobby in Washington?
Former U.S. ambassador Chas Freeman spoke yesterday at the Palestine Center for the annual Sharabi lecture at the Palestine Center. Follow the link to view his excellent discussion.
The shocking piece of the speech was picked up by Paul Woodward and Phil Weiss,
In late November 1988, shortly after the election of George H. W. Bush as president, I was invited to lunch by a senior Israeli official with whom, in pursuance of U.S. policy, I [as deputy assistant secretary of State for African affairs] had worked closely to expand Israels diplomatic and military presence in Africa. I had come to like and respect this official. He wished to thank me, he said, for what I had done for his country. I was pleased. Over lunch, however, he asked me what I planned to do in the new administration, adding, tell me what job you want. We can get it for you. The casual arrogance with which this representative of a foreign power claimed to be able to manipulate the staffing of national security positions in the U.S. government was a stunning belittlement of American patriotism. Twenty years later, I was to be reminded that agents of foreign influence who can make appointments to national security positions in the United States can also unmake them. Who said that there was no Israel lobby?
MOVE OVER AIPAC (website)
Janet McMahon: AIPAC, a Not-So-Benign Night Flower
Rome Meeting Sets in Motion Mechanism to Fund Libyan Rebels
An international coalition pledged on Thursday in Rome to fund Libyan rebels in the hopes of ending the stale mate in their fight against Moammar Gadhafis forces.
The conference, attended by about two dozen NATO and Arab nations, plus international organizations, was held to discuss ways to put more pressure on Gadhafis regime and eventually topple it. The money will come from Gadhafi's own coffers via a request for the partial unfreezing of blocked funds in banks or financial institutions to make available the basic necessities of Libyan population, said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. Frattini said that $250 million is already available to help the rebels. More will is likely to come when the assets are unfrozen.
Reuters Africa: Giving frozen assets to rebels is piracy--Libya
Patrick OConnor: Washington funnels confiscated Libyan assets to rebel leadership
Activist: 6 killed in Syria by security forces
A human rights activist says Syrian security forces have killed six people during widespread protests on Friday.
Thousands of protesters held rallies in major areas across the country, including the capital, Damascus, and its suburbs. The activist said five people were killed Friday in the central city of Homs and one in Hama. He asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals by the government. He is a senior member of a human rights group that compiles death toll figures in Syria. The protesters turned out despite a bloody crackdown on the seven-week-old uprising against President Bashar Assad's autocratic regime. More than 565 civilians and 100 soldiers have been killed since thee uprising began in March, according to rights groups.
US drone attack kills eight people in Pakistan
At least eight people have been killed in the latest unauthorized US drone attack on Pakistan's tribal district of North Waziristan.
A senior Pakistani security official was quoted by AFP as saying that eight missiles were fired in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. Islamabad has frequently criticized Washington over the non-UN-sanctioned drone strikes, saying the attacks are a blatant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. The US has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. Washington says the attacks target pro-Taliban militants but thousands of civilians have been killed since the drone attacks started in 2008.
BBC: US drone 'kills eight' in North Waziristan
Spring scenery in Kyrgyzstan
Photo taken on May 1, 2011 shows the spring scenery around the Issyk-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan. (Xinhua/Sadat)
Thursday: 40 Iraqis Killed, 100 Wounded
A significant blast targeting police just south of Baghdad left scores dead or wounded. At least 40 Iraqis were killed and 100 more were wounded in this and other attacks across the country. New developments concerning the Arab League summit meeting and the P.M.O.I. arose as well.
At least 30 policemen were killed and more than 75 were wounded when a suicide bus bomber attacked a group of policeman who were in the middle of a shift change at a Hilla police station. Thirty of the wounded are seriously injured, so the death toll could climb. The vehicle contained 330 pounds of explosives and also caused significant material damage. Fortunately, the blast occurred before many civilians arrived for work in the heavily trafficked commercial area where the station is located. Al-Qaeda was blamed for the attack. A bomb targeting a major general in charge of security for Asayesh forces in Tuz Khormato killed two of his bodyguards and wounded seven others. The chief was seriously injured. In Baghdad, a blast on al-Nidhal St. killed one person and wounded three others. A defense ministry official was assassinated in Jamila. Four people were wounded in a blast in Zaafaraniya.
bin Laden's Abbottabad Mansion Becomes Tourist Attraction
Millions of dollars to Osama bin Laden, near Abbottabad Villa night was a magnet for tourists ghoulish, reports the Daily Mail of London. Even if the doors are closed compound, visitors have left the area of free access to Pakistani investigators had searched the house. Local residents Ali Abbas, 43, began last season destination bin Laden to bring the report by e-mail. Abbas has expressed interest to tourists are welcome. He said that to reach the largest number of visitors to the United States and Europe. Abbas said ... "Westerners are stupid, but people or not, surely the foreigners when they declared a landmark, is very good for the city, people should visit and see where the greatest terrorist in the world lived."
Pakistan Warns US Over Repeats of Bin Laden Raid
Pakistani officials today warned of serious consequences should the Obama Administration attempt another unilateral attack like the one that Sunday morning that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.
The Pakistani government expressed concern at the time because the US did not contact them until after the raid, but those concerns have grown dramatically since the White House reported yesterday that they might keep launching such raids. Osama bin Laden was clearly a special case since the US had been seeking him for so long, and while the lack of communication was annoying, most analysts agree that the Zardari government would not file a formal complaint about that particular raid. Pakistani Army Chief General Parvez Kayani, however, warned that if the US made a habit of such raids the military would reconsider its relationship with the US.
SF Gate: US-Pakistan relations in trouble
Blackout in US bin Laden oper. exposed
The head of the CIA has revealed that there was no live footage of the main part of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, contradicting earlier reports that the US president was watching the action.
CIA Director Leon Panetta stated on Thursday that there was a 25-minute video blackout during the raid on the fortified compound owned by the al-Qaeda chief and that the US President Barack Obama and his national security aides had little knowledge of what was happening during the 38 minutes of the US special forces' operation on Pakistani soil, the Daily Telegraph reported.
This is while a photograph of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, along with defense staff and national security aides in the Situation Room was released by the White House, appearing to show them anxiously watching as the mission unfolded.
AWIP: Blackout during raid on "bin Laden compound"
empirestrikesblack: Staged: White House Situation Room Photos Part Of Bin Laden Fable
Irish prisons in 'tinder box' situation
Overcrowding, drug use and poor management of prison officers' time have led to a "tinder box" situation in Irish jails where criminals band together in gangs and violence is commonplace, according to the Prison Officers Association.
The association says within the last two weeks three officers were injured in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, one sustaining a broken nose, one suffering a severe shoulder injury and a third receiving slash injuries to his chest and face. The association described as "savage" another attack on a young prison officer in Wheatfield Prison which left the officer hospitalised. Speaking at the association's annual conference in Kilkenny this morning, deputy general secretary Jim Mitchell said violence in prisons was increasing as a result of overcrowding, with stabbings and assaults a regular feature.
Several hundred people are feared to have drowned off Libya, after a boat carrying some 600 refugees trying to reach Europe broke up at sea on Friday.
The UN's refugee agency said 16 bodies, including two babies, had been found. UNCHR has said all ships using the Mediterranean should be ready to assist such vessels, as thousands continue to flee North Africa in inadequate boats. Nato has denied claims that its naval units left dozens of migrants to die aboard another boat in distress. It said it was unaware of the plight of the boat, which reportedly was adrift for more than two weeks. The Guardian newspaper said 61 of the 72 people on board the boat died of hunger or thirst, despite being spotted by a military helicopter and Nato ship.
Doubts grow on US version of strike against bin Laden
LONDON: The head of the CIA has admitted that there was no live video footage of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound as further doubts emerged about the US version of events. Leon Panetta said there was a 25-minute blackout during which the live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the US special forces was cut off. A photograph issued by the White House appeared to show the President and his aides in the situation room watching the action as it unfolded. In fact they had little knowledge of what was happening for long periods.
Stephen Lendman: False Flags: An American Tradition
Larry Chin: The Growing Coverup: Osama and "The Big Lie"
Stephen Lendman: Media Lies and Misinformation on Bin Laden
Stephen Lendman: New Bin Laden Tapes Appear Fake Like Earlier Ones
Michael C. Ruppert: Osama and the Ghosts of September 11: "Proof that Obama is Lying"
Bin Laden dead long before US raid
Iran's intelligence minister says the country has reliable information that former head of the al-Qaeda terrorist group Osama bin Laden died of disease some time ago.
We have accurate information that bin Laden died of illness some time ago, Heidar Moslehi told reporters on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting on Sunday. He questioned Washington's claim that bin Laden was killed by American troops in a hiding compound in Pakistan on May 1. If the US military and intelligence apparatus have really arrested or killed bin Laden, why don't they show him (his dead body) why have they thrown his corpse into the sea? Moslehi asked.
US Wants "Access" to Bin Ladens Widows: Top Official
The U.S. government is interested in "accessing" al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Ladens three widows and any intelligence material left behind at bin Ladens Abbottabad, Pakistan compound, U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said on Sunday. His three widows and several children, who remained in the compound even after U.S. commandos killed bin Laden on May 2, are believed by the United States to now be in Pakistani army custody.
NATO Chief: Stay the Course in Afghan War
In an interview today with the Associated Press, Afghan War Commander General David Petraeus suggested that the death of Osama bin Laden would harm putative ties between al-Qaeda and the Taliban. He estimated between 50 and 100 al-Qaeda members were in Afghanistan. At the same time, Petraeus said the death wouldnt end the war, and fighting would continue with the massive Taliban insurgency. He also warned that other transnational terror groups might set up in Afghanistan.
Asian women subjected to 'virginity tests' at Heathrow
The government is facing calls for an official apology after documents showed that Asian women were subjected to humiliating virginity tests when they tried to move to Britain in the late 1970s.
At least 80 women from India and Pakistan hoping to emigrate to Britain to marry were intimately examined by immigration staff to check their marital status, according to confidential Home Office files. The files show the practice was more common than previously thought. The technique was banned in February 1979 after a national newspaper revealed that a 35-year-old Indian woman was examined by a male doctor at Heathrow to check whether she was in fact a virgin. The Home Office initially denied that any internal examination had taken place. The woman was offered 500 in recognition of distress caused but there was no apology.
Nato units left 61 African migrants to die of hunger and thirst
Refugees from Libya reach Lampedusa. A Nato ship failed
to rescue a boat in trouble leaving 63 people on board to
die. Photograph: Francesco Malavolta/EPA
Boat trying to reach Lampedusa was left to drift in Mediterranean for 16 days, despite alarm being raised.
Dozens of African migrants were left to die in the Mediterranean after a number of European and Nato military units apparently ignored their cries for help, the Guardian has learned. A boat carrying 72 passengers, including several women, young children and political refugees, ran into trouble in late March after leaving Tripoli for the Italian island of Lampedusa. Despite alarms being raised with the Italian coastguard and the boat making contact with a military helicopter and a Nato warship, no rescue effort was attempted. All but 11 of those on board died from thirst and hunger after their vessel was left to drift in open waters for 16 days. "Every morning we would wake up and find more bodies, which we would leave for 24 hours and then throw overboard," said Abu Kurke, one of only nine survivors. "By the final days, we didn't know ourselves everyone was either praying, or dying."
While Bahrain demolishes mosques, U.S. stays silent
MANAMA, Bahrain In the ancient Bahraini village of Aali, where some graves date to 2000 B.C., the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque had stood for more than 400 years - one of the handsomest Shiite Muslim mosques in this small island nation in the Persian Gulf. Today, only bulldozer tracks remain. In Nwaidrat, where anti-government protests began Feb. 14, the Mo'men mosque had long been a center for the town's Shiite population - photos show it as a handsome, square building neatly painted in ochre, with white and green trim, and a short portico in dark gray forming the main entrance. Today, only the portico remains.
Malawi expels UK diplomat after UK remarks that the country doesn't tolerate criticism (!)
The president of Malawi has explained his decision to expel the British High Commissioner for the first time. Fergus Cochrane-Dyet was told to leave after he was quoted in a leaked cable as saying President Bingu wa Mutharika does not tolerate criticism. President Mutharika said he would not accept insults just because Britain was the country's largest aid donor. Britain ordered the acting High Commissioner of Malawi to leave the UK in response to the move last month. According to the diplomatic cable published by the local Weekend Nation newspaper last month, Mr Cochrane-Dyet described President Mutharika as "becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism". He said local civil society activists were afraid after a campaign of threatening phone calls and said the government was restricting the freedom of the media and minorities.
Ecuador votes to end 500 years of bullfighting
As well as ending the killing of bulls in the ring, voters in a referendum held on Saturday outlawed cockfighting and casino gambling. More controversially, President Rafael Correa won approval for new controls on the countrys media and financial sectors.
Voters backed all 10 constitutional reforms backed by the popular Mr Correa, who campaigned hard in favour of the new measures. Provisional results though from electoral authorities show the margin of victory was tighter than expected. The presidents opponents had claimed the referendum was the latest moves in his campaign since taking power in 2007 to strengthen the power of Ecuadors executive. However, at a victory rally on Saturday night, Mr Correa called the result a victory for his citizens revolution, saying voters had not been scared off by a ferocious opposition and a corrupt press. We have beaten them all, he told supporters.
Panel Event -Zionism, Jewishness and Israel, Is Now Online (Must Watch)
Panel event- 'Zionizm, Jewishness and Israel' from Tali Atzmon on Vimeo.
I am very proud to announce that our last week panel event is now online (see bellow). In spite of the pathetic attempts by Zionists and their Jewish anti Zionist allies to crash the event, the panel was a great success. The room was packed. We explored some of the most complicated issues to do with current world affairs. Some of London Jewish activists broke away from their segregated 'Jews only cells' and marched with us. Interestingly enough, our detractors who promised to picket the event didnt dare showing up. I believe that the panel was a crucial contribution to this movement and freedom of thought. I vow to do it again and again and again. I will keep you posted. (Uprooted Palestinians)
Israel blasts former spy chief over Iran
Israeli officials have criticized ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan for calling a possible attack on Iran "a stupid idea," saying he should not share his personal views with others.
In his first public appearance since leaving office in early January, Dagan publicly argued against an airstrike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Addressing the Hebrew University on Friday, he described the possibility of a future Israeli airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities as the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Dagan noted that any military strike may prompt a regional war and missile attacks from several fronts on Israel, adding that any attack on Iran would have no advantage for Tel Aviv. On Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Dagan's statement was not correct, and that he should not have shared his personal thoughts with everyone, Ynetnews reported. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz also said that Dagan should have kept the remarks to himself.
AWIP: Former Mossad chief: Israel air strike on Iran 'stupidest thing I have ever heard'
05/08/11
Soldiers arrest Hamas leader at Jenin checkpoint
JENIN (Maan) -- Israel's army arrested a Hamas leader Saturday in the occupied West Bank, prisoners advocates said.
Khaled Al-Haj, 45, was passing through a military checkpoint at the entrance of Araba when he was arrested, the Ahrar prisoners center said. Al-Haj served as a spokesman for Hamas, and he was recently released from prison. Soldiers had apparently installed the checkpoint to catch Al-Haj, specifically, the center said in a statement. Another person whose identity was not known was also taken to an unknown location, the prisoners group said. Al-Haj is considered a prominent party official. He served as the movement's spokesman in Jenin and represented Hamas in the factional coordinating committee that eventually led to a unity deal last week. He has spent years in Israeli custody, including three without charge under Israel's "administrative detention" policy. It allows Israel to jail Palestinians for six-month periods which can be extended.
Former Mossad chief: Israel air strike on Iran 'stupidest thing I have ever heard'
In first public appearance since leaving post as Mossad chief, Meir Dagan warns of regional war if Iran is attacked; says fall of Assad regime would benefit Israel.
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan referred to the possibility a future Israeli Air Force attack on Iranian nuclear facilities as "the stupidest thing I have ever heard" during a conference held at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem on Friday. Dagan said that Iran has a clandestine nuclear infrastructure which functions alongside its legitimate, civil infrastructure. It is the legitimate infrastructure, he said, that is under international supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Any strike on this legitimate infrastructure would be "patently illegal under international law," according to Dagan.
Baghdad prison mutiny leaves 18 dead
A deadly mutiny between an insurgent inmate and police officers at a Baghdad interior ministry jail complex has claimed lives of eight policemen and 10 detainees.
The mutiny began when Hodayfa al-Batawi, the mastermind of Baghdad's deadly church siege in October 2010, snatched an officer's gun in the middle of an interrogation and killed his interrogator, AFP reported on Sunday. He then released a group of fellow inmates, who made their way to the office of head of counter-terrorism for Baghdad's central Karrada district Moayed al-Saleh and shot him dead. They later discovered a cache of weapons and grenades.
Among the eight policemen killed in Sunday's incident was a lieutenant colonel and two first lieutenants, a senior counter-terrorism official said on condition of anonymity. "This cell, which was dismantled in November, was accused of a large number of terrorist operations -- not just the one against the church," the official said. According to the official, six other people were wounded in the fighting at the interior ministry detention facility, but he did not elaborate more on the matter. The security reinforcements, however, killed the group of five when the insurgents stormed out of the prison in order to escape.
Washington Post: 17 killed in clashes at Iraq security HQ when al-Qaida detainees overpower guards
Syrian Human Rights: Over 800 killed in Syria so far
Beirut, Lebanon: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement that security forces have killed at least 800 civilians since protests erupted in Syria, Reuters reported on Saturday.
The organization also said that it has the names of the 800 people, adding that 220 of them were killed in attacks by the Syrian army in Daraa. This is substantially higher than the number reported by the Syrian revolution 2011 the Facebook group which has emerged as the organizing force behind the demonstrations. It reported yesterday that 683 protesters have been killed so far by the Syrian security forces since the unrest started. The protests started on March 15 in the southern Syrian town of Daraa and had since spread to most of the Syrian cities.
Europe's debts - mapped
Greece is not the only country in Europe with problems with credit and debt.
NYT: Greek Leader Irked by Speculation on Debt
MotherJones: Neither Ireland nor Greece will ever be able to make good on their debts
05/07/11
Syrian Troops Reportedly Enter Restive City
BEIRUT, Lebanon Troops backed by tanks stormed a city on Syrias Mediterranean coast on Saturday that has proved one of the most restive in the seven-week uprising, besieging neighborhoods and cutting electricity and phone lines, opposition groups said.
The militarys move against Baniyas, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city that witnessed some of the largest protests in nationwide demonstrations a day earlier, was another signal that the Syrian government was determined to crush by force dissent that has posed a sweeping challenge to President Bashar al-Assads 11-year rule. It comes nearly two weeks after the military stormed Daraa, a poor town near the Jordanian border where protests galvanized demonstrations across the country. Gunboats were spotted off the coast.
Bahrain sets activist's home on fire
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) says Saudi-backed forces have attacked the residence of a human rights activist and set it ablaze amid a strict martial law in the tiny Persian Gulf monarchy.
Video footage has surfaced online showing flames coming from the burning house of Saeed Ayyad after Bahraini forces attacked his home on Friday, using teargas which carried flames. According to the BCHR, Ayyad is an activist that has been taking international visitors around to talk to witnesses and victims and document human rights violations in Bahrain. The group said it had reasons to believe that his house was targeted due to his activities.
Meanwhile, BCHR has warned of further tortures and persecutions by the Manama regime amid tight security conditions imposed by the ruling Al Khalifa family to choke the protests in the small island nation. In its latest report, BCHR said that prominent activist Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, a Danish citizen, has been tortured beyond recognition by Saudi-backed regime forces.
Hezbollah slams UN for biased briefing - Video
The UN's Special Representative for the Implementation of Resolution 1559 -- Terje Roed-Larsen -- spoke before the Security Council on Friday in a closed session.
1559 calls for the withdrawal of Syrian and Israeli forces from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to disband. Roed-Larsen has delivered more than a dozen such reports to the Security Council -- even though 1559 was rendered obsolete by Resolution 1701 -- which was intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. The question is why Roed-Larsen is still delivering briefings on an outdated resolution?
Abboud adds that recent events across the Arab world make Roed-Larsen's work as Lebanon special envoy even more redundant. Hezbollah has slammed the briefing as unjust and biased, and described the UN special envoy to the Middle East as "international official servant in the Zionist media system that reflects the full participation of hostility towards the Resistance, Lebanon, Arabs and all just causes in the world."
Colonial secret papers to be made public
A collection of sensitive documents from Britain's colonial past are to be made public through the National Archives for the first time.
The files were sent to the UK from various former territories, mostly at the time they achieved independence. The documents emerged when four Mau Mau veterans sued the UK, saying they were tortured by Kenyan colonial government in the 1950s. The British government says it cannot be held responsible. It wants the claim thrown out by the High Court. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Foreign Office only became aware of the significance of the files in January because of research linked to the court case.
Judge Files Complaint against Merkel over Bin Laden Comments
Schadenfreude, the enjoyment of others' suffering, may be a famously German concept, but it is apparently not a feeling that many Germans aspire to. The political and public fallout following Chancellor Angela Merkel's statement on Monday that she was "glad" Osama bin Laden had been killed was among the most hotly debated topics in the German media this week.
Politicians, including those within her own center-right coalition, said that no death was cause for celebration, and reproved the remark as un-Christian and vengeful. But Hamburg judge Heinz Uthmann went even further. He alleges that the chancellor's statement was nothing short of illegal, and filed a criminal complaint against Merkel midweek, the daily Hamburger Morgenpost reported Friday. "I am a law-abiding citizen and as a judge, sworn to justice and law," the 54-year-old told the paper, adding that Merkel's words were "tacky and undignified."
Germany: Cops attend a peaceful protest undercover... get mazed and punched in the face by cops on duty
[Google Translate] Five of the first attacked May in Kreuzberg injured policemen have been apparently by colleagues. As the police announced on Tuesday evening, two officers have filed a complaint against unknown police officers for assault in office. They were in civilian clothes at the gate Kottbusser been on the road, as they "were suddenly hit by pepper spray and injured by blows to the face". They would have to finish their service. Three other civil officials who have so far paid no ads have been taken according to the police through the tear gas. Originally had even been talk of eight injured. According to witness interviews have the number be reduced to five, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.
The four Mounties involved in the Taser death of Robert Dziekanski in October 2007 will face criminal charges
B.C. special prosecutor Richard Peck is recommending laying perjury charges against all of the officers related to misinformation given during the independent inquiry into Dziekanski's death, the provincial Criminal Justice Branch confirmed Friday. Peck's recommendations will now be forwarded to the provincial attorney general's office for review. The veteran lawyer ruled out proceeding with any criminal charges linked to the officer's conduct at the airport the night Dziekanski died.
Syrian forces kill dozens on Day of Defiance rally
Syria's security forces shot dead 21 people on Friday as thousands rallied on a "Day of Defiance" against Bashar al-Assad, whose forces responded by opening fire and sending tanks to attack protests.
Syria's security forces shot dead 30 people yesterday as thousands rallied on a "Day of Defiance" against Bashar al-Assad's rule. The president's forces opened fire and sent tanks to attack protesters. About 100 tanks were stationed between the outskirts of Damascus and Homs. The latest killings came as a divided European Union failed to agree on sanctions to target President Assad despite his regime's history of violence. After talks in Brussels, a group of southern European countries blocked measures to issue a travel ban and freeze the president's assets.
Financial Times: Assad to escape EU sanctions
Israeli Wikileaks: Journalists demand not to try Haaretz reporter
Photo: Ynet News
Israels Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has summoned Haaretz journalist Uri Blau to a formal hearing the last procedural step before prosecuting Blau in a criminal court. The 7th eye website reports that the hearing will take place towards the end of the month. Last March, The Tel Aviv Office for the General Prosecution announced that it was considering prosecuting Blau for unauthorized possession of classified information.
Uri Blau, an investigative reporter, received hundreds of classified IDF documents from former soldier Anat Kamm. Blau published several pieces in Haaretz based on the documents, including one story which revealed that senior IDF officersincluding Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazymight have knowingly violated a Supreme Court decision when they ordered targeted killings of Palestinian militants even when those could have been captured alive. Following the procedures against Blau, dozens of Israeli journalists have signed a petition, demanding not to put Haartezs reporter on trial (my translation from Hebrew).
We journalists and media people who fear for our professional freedom call upon the Attorney General not to prosecute Haaretzs journalist Uri Blau for holding classified documents. Some of us have our reservations regarding the conduct of Blau and Haaretz throughout the affair. Yet we are all concerned about the consequences of the Attorney Generals decision regarding the work of all journalists in Israel.
Putting a journalist on trial for possession of secret documents constitutes significant injury to the independence of the media. The immediate significance of the decision will be in putting restraints on our ability to reveal injustice and corruption [...] This precedent would severely harm the [ability to conduct] investigative journalism, which is at the heart of the free press. It is impossible to expose corruptionin any fieldwithout holding documents, also those that are considered classified [...]
Jonathan Cook:
● The dark underbelly of Israel's security state
● Mossad operation threatened against reporter
● Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?
Stephen Lendman:
● Accelerating Fascism in Israel
● Eroding Free Expression in Israel
● Growing Thought Control in Israel
05/06/11
How strong is the Israel lobby in Washington?
Former U.S. ambassador Chas Freeman spoke yesterday at the Palestine Center for the annual Sharabi lecture at the Palestine Center. Follow the link to view his excellent discussion.
The shocking piece of the speech was picked up by Paul Woodward and Phil Weiss,
In late November 1988, shortly after the election of George H. W. Bush as president, I was invited to lunch by a senior Israeli official with whom, in pursuance of U.S. policy, I [as deputy assistant secretary of State for African affairs] had worked closely to expand Israels diplomatic and military presence in Africa. I had come to like and respect this official. He wished to thank me, he said, for what I had done for his country. I was pleased. Over lunch, however, he asked me what I planned to do in the new administration, adding, tell me what job you want. We can get it for you. The casual arrogance with which this representative of a foreign power claimed to be able to manipulate the staffing of national security positions in the U.S. government was a stunning belittlement of American patriotism. Twenty years later, I was to be reminded that agents of foreign influence who can make appointments to national security positions in the United States can also unmake them. Who said that there was no Israel lobby?
MOVE OVER AIPAC (website)
Janet McMahon: AIPAC, a Not-So-Benign Night Flower
Rome Meeting Sets in Motion Mechanism to Fund Libyan Rebels
An international coalition pledged on Thursday in Rome to fund Libyan rebels in the hopes of ending the stale mate in their fight against Moammar Gadhafis forces.
The conference, attended by about two dozen NATO and Arab nations, plus international organizations, was held to discuss ways to put more pressure on Gadhafis regime and eventually topple it. The money will come from Gadhafi's own coffers via a request for the partial unfreezing of blocked funds in banks or financial institutions to make available the basic necessities of Libyan population, said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. Frattini said that $250 million is already available to help the rebels. More will is likely to come when the assets are unfrozen.
Reuters Africa: Giving frozen assets to rebels is piracy--Libya
Patrick OConnor: Washington funnels confiscated Libyan assets to rebel leadership
Activist: 6 killed in Syria by security forces
A human rights activist says Syrian security forces have killed six people during widespread protests on Friday.
Thousands of protesters held rallies in major areas across the country, including the capital, Damascus, and its suburbs. The activist said five people were killed Friday in the central city of Homs and one in Hama. He asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals by the government. He is a senior member of a human rights group that compiles death toll figures in Syria. The protesters turned out despite a bloody crackdown on the seven-week-old uprising against President Bashar Assad's autocratic regime. More than 565 civilians and 100 soldiers have been killed since thee uprising began in March, according to rights groups.
US drone attack kills eight people in Pakistan
At least eight people have been killed in the latest unauthorized US drone attack on Pakistan's tribal district of North Waziristan.
A senior Pakistani security official was quoted by AFP as saying that eight missiles were fired in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. Islamabad has frequently criticized Washington over the non-UN-sanctioned drone strikes, saying the attacks are a blatant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. The US has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. Washington says the attacks target pro-Taliban militants but thousands of civilians have been killed since the drone attacks started in 2008.
BBC: US drone 'kills eight' in North Waziristan
Spring scenery in Kyrgyzstan
Photo taken on May 1, 2011 shows the spring scenery around the Issyk-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan. (Xinhua/Sadat)
Thursday: 40 Iraqis Killed, 100 Wounded
A significant blast targeting police just south of Baghdad left scores dead or wounded. At least 40 Iraqis were killed and 100 more were wounded in this and other attacks across the country. New developments concerning the Arab League summit meeting and the P.M.O.I. arose as well.
At least 30 policemen were killed and more than 75 were wounded when a suicide bus bomber attacked a group of policeman who were in the middle of a shift change at a Hilla police station. Thirty of the wounded are seriously injured, so the death toll could climb. The vehicle contained 330 pounds of explosives and also caused significant material damage. Fortunately, the blast occurred before many civilians arrived for work in the heavily trafficked commercial area where the station is located. Al-Qaeda was blamed for the attack. A bomb targeting a major general in charge of security for Asayesh forces in Tuz Khormato killed two of his bodyguards and wounded seven others. The chief was seriously injured. In Baghdad, a blast on al-Nidhal St. killed one person and wounded three others. A defense ministry official was assassinated in Jamila. Four people were wounded in a blast in Zaafaraniya.
bin Laden's Abbottabad Mansion Becomes Tourist Attraction
Millions of dollars to Osama bin Laden, near Abbottabad Villa night was a magnet for tourists ghoulish, reports the Daily Mail of London. Even if the doors are closed compound, visitors have left the area of free access to Pakistani investigators had searched the house. Local residents Ali Abbas, 43, began last season destination bin Laden to bring the report by e-mail. Abbas has expressed interest to tourists are welcome. He said that to reach the largest number of visitors to the United States and Europe. Abbas said ... "Westerners are stupid, but people or not, surely the foreigners when they declared a landmark, is very good for the city, people should visit and see where the greatest terrorist in the world lived."
Pakistan Warns US Over Repeats of Bin Laden Raid
Pakistani officials today warned of serious consequences should the Obama Administration attempt another unilateral attack like the one that Sunday morning that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.
The Pakistani government expressed concern at the time because the US did not contact them until after the raid, but those concerns have grown dramatically since the White House reported yesterday that they might keep launching such raids. Osama bin Laden was clearly a special case since the US had been seeking him for so long, and while the lack of communication was annoying, most analysts agree that the Zardari government would not file a formal complaint about that particular raid. Pakistani Army Chief General Parvez Kayani, however, warned that if the US made a habit of such raids the military would reconsider its relationship with the US.
SF Gate: US-Pakistan relations in trouble
Blackout in US bin Laden oper. exposed
The head of the CIA has revealed that there was no live footage of the main part of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, contradicting earlier reports that the US president was watching the action.
CIA Director Leon Panetta stated on Thursday that there was a 25-minute video blackout during the raid on the fortified compound owned by the al-Qaeda chief and that the US President Barack Obama and his national security aides had little knowledge of what was happening during the 38 minutes of the US special forces' operation on Pakistani soil, the Daily Telegraph reported.
This is while a photograph of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, along with defense staff and national security aides in the Situation Room was released by the White House, appearing to show them anxiously watching as the mission unfolded.
AWIP: Blackout during raid on "bin Laden compound"
empirestrikesblack: Staged: White House Situation Room Photos Part Of Bin Laden Fable
Irish prisons in 'tinder box' situation
Overcrowding, drug use and poor management of prison officers' time have led to a "tinder box" situation in Irish jails where criminals band together in gangs and violence is commonplace, according to the Prison Officers Association.
The association says within the last two weeks three officers were injured in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, one sustaining a broken nose, one suffering a severe shoulder injury and a third receiving slash injuries to his chest and face. The association described as "savage" another attack on a young prison officer in Wheatfield Prison which left the officer hospitalised. Speaking at the association's annual conference in Kilkenny this morning, deputy general secretary Jim Mitchell said violence in prisons was increasing as a result of overcrowding, with stabbings and assaults a regular feature.
