Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.
From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for medical reasons. The clue to detecting the fake dissident is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal dissident was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.
One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.
MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.
Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.
Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.
Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's reformed revolutionary. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the imam on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.
He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following hunger strikes, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.
http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_27144.shtml
http://www.metimes.com/print.php?StoryID=20070126-084252-9594r
Suicide bomber attacks hotel in Pakistani capital
By Rana Jawad
AFP
Published January 26, 2007
A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital Islamabad Friday, killing a security guard who prevented him entering the five-star building, the interior minister said.
Five other people were injured in the powerful blast, the latest in a series of attacks on Western targets in Pakistan that the government blames on Islamic militants opposed to President Pervez Musharraf.
Major cities including Karachi and Peshawar were placed on high alert and security was stepped up across the country following the attack on the hotel, a favorite with diplomats and government officials.
The bomber set off explosives strapped to his body after the guard kept him away from a rear door of the Marriott, situated in a high-security zone of Islamabad, interior minister Aftab Sherpao said.
"It was a suicide attack. The suicide attacker and a guard were killed," Sherpao said. "The attacker tried to enter the hotel and was stopped by the security guard and there was a scuffle and the blast occurred."
Sherpao added: "The attacker's body was totally mutilated. There is hardly any body left. His limbs were scattered around the area."
Police officers cordoned off the site and placed a white cloth over the attacker's body after the blast.
The bomber's head was lying in the road and his mangled, scorched body was thrown over a crash barrier outside the hotel's nightclub and laundry room, opposite the guest car park, witnesses said.
Several cars had their windscreens smashed while the wall of the building was spattered with blood and pieces of flesh.
The attack happened hours before an Republic Day function at the hotel hosted by the High Commission of India, which is loathed by Pakistani radicals because of a dispute over the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.
A meeting of US, Turkish, and Afghan defense officials took place shortly before the bombing, officials said.
Bombings are rare in the heavily guarded capital.
An unexplained blast in the hotel's lobby in October 2004 injured a US diplomat and prompted the hotel to install tight security including rigorous checks on cars and X-ray detectors for guests' bags.
Another hotel security guard said that he was inside the parking lot when he heard the explosion.
"I ran toward the guards' room in front of the entrance and saw limbs and blood. It was very bad," said the visibly shaken man in his 40s who identified himself as Zafar. He was immediately taken away by the police.
Panicked guests poured out of the hotel after the explosion before being escorted to other areas.
"The entire restaurant was shaken by a bang. It literally shook us out of our seats. It was a huge bang. We rushed outside and there was chaos," said Mohammed Aamir, who was eating at the hotel's Thai restaurant.
Musharraf, a key US ally in the war on terror who has himself survived at least three assassination attempts by Islamists, strongly condemned the blast and ordered an immediate inquiry, state media said.
Five injured people were treated at a city hospital, minister of state for health Shehnaz Sheikh told reporters. One was undergoing surgery for serious injuries.
Sheikh blamed the attack on Islamic militants. "They claim to be the protagonists of Islam but they are spilling the blood of innocent people," she said, after meeting the blast victims, without naming any group.
Officials were trying to identify the bomber, said by witnesses to have been wearing a long tunic and a prayer cap.
"The bomber appears to be in his 20s. His face is not recognizable but we are fingerprinting him," said Brigadier Javed Cheema, head of the interior ministry's National Crisis Management Cell.
Copyright © 2007 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.metimes.com/print.php?StoryID=20070126-065936-7848r
Greece to enlist imams for its Muslim minority
By AFP
Middle East Times
Published January 26, 2007
The Greek government Thursday announced plans to hire 240 imams for the Muslim minority living in the northeast of the country, satisfying a longstanding local request in a goodwill gesture directed at neighboring Turkey.
The planned imam posts are part of an immigration policy bill to be tabled in parliament, the Greek education ministry - which also has responsibility over matters of religion - said in a statement.
"In principle, this is a positive reform but it should not give way to [Greek state] interventionism," Muslim MP Ilhan Ahmet, a member of the government majority in parliament, said.
Selection of the imams, who will have nine-month contracts, will be supervised by a committee composed of ministry officials and Islamic religion specialists from universities, in cooperation with local muftis - religious leaders nominated by the Greek state.
The education ministry indicated that it would pay the new imams' salaries, breaking with past practice of only footing the bill for priests of the Orthodox Christian faith, the dominant religion in Greece.
The measure addresses a longstanding demand by the local community of Turkish origin, which numbers around 100,000 people and currently pays the salaries of its clerics from its own funds.
It is also aimed as an "example" to neighboring Turkey, Greece's interior minister said Thursday.
"We are gradually addressing omissions of the past, and we are giving the best example to neighboring Turkey ... to do the same," interior minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said.
Greece wants Turkey to relinquish its hold on hundreds of properties once owned by a large Greek community that lived in Turkey until the 1960's, which the Turkish state took over after thousands of ethnic Greeks emigrated, frequently to escape persecution.
It also wants Ankara to recognize the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul as the spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Greek Orthodox believers.
For its part, Turkey in September claimed that Greece violates its Muslim minority's rights by denying it full freedom in electing its religious leaders.
Greece rejected the charge, insisting that it treats all its citizens equally.
Copyright © 2007 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lidelays0126,0,6565348.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines
Broken rail stalls LIRR, morning commute
BY JOHN VALENTI
Newsday Staff Writer
January 26, 2007, 8:56 AM EST
The morning rush ground to a halt on the Long Island Rail Road's Montauk Branch this morning, as a broken rail caused 20-to-30 minute delays on the line east of the Bay Shore station, railroad officials said. Believed to be weather-related, the broken -- or, possibly displaced -- rail was reported at 6:45 a.m. and repair crews made a temporary repair.
A railroad spokesman said a permanent fix would be made to the section of track located in the vicinity of Brentwood Road following the morning rush -- and that the track work would not affect the evening rush. Officials could not say how many trains were affected by the track damage, but said a speed restriction was in place this morning, causing the delay to numerous trains.
The section of train is so-called "diesel territory," since the tracks are not electrified east of Babylon station.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lidead0126,0,4776437,print.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines
Funeral, investigation in Syosset murder
BY MICHAEL FRAZIER
Newsday Staff Writer
January 25, 2007, 9:50 PM EST
Relatives of the Syosset couple found slain in their home prepared for a funeral Saturday, while police continued to try to find suspects in the killings.
Police have released few details of the investigation since the killings Tuesday, and it remained unclear Thursday whether Jaspal and Geeta Singh were targeted. Investigators have received preliminary autopsy results but are awaiting the complete report, said Det. Lt. Michael Fleming, Nassau's Homicide Squad commander.
The Singhs were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds about 3:10 p.m. Tuesday by their sons, Josh, 13, and Ankur, 12.
Since the discovery, the brothers have been living with their uncle, Joginder Singh, 37, at his Bethpage home. Outside that house Thursday, a relative said only that the family was all right.
Funeral services for Jaspal Singh, 46, and his wife, Geeta, 38, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fredrick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in Bethpage, the funeral home said. Their bodies will be cremated after the service.
Anyone with information is asked to call Nassau's Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
Arab League's Moussa warns US on Iran attack
http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/January/middleeast_January264.xml§ion=middleeast
Arab League's Moussa warns US on Iran attack
(Reuters)
25 January 2007
DAVOS, Switzerland - There is a 50/50 chance the United States will
attack Iran and any such strike would risk spreading sectarian violence
through the Middle East, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said
on Wednesday.
"It's a 50/50 proposition, and we hope that it won't happen. Attacking
Iran would be counterproductive," Moussa told Reuters at the World
Economic Forum.
US President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union address on
Tuesday, spoke of an "escalating danger" from Shia extremists, many
taking direction from Iran. Bush called them just as dangerous to the
United States as Al Qaeda.
Iran and the United States are also at loggerheads over a nuclear
program that Washington says is to make bombs. Tehran denies this. The
United States favors diplomacy to resolve the standoff, but has not
ruled out strikes if that fails.
Asked about Moussa's comments, US State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack reiterated that all options remained on the table but he said
the United States was working in a "cooperative fashion" with its
allies
in the Gulf over Iran.
"The president has always said 'You never take any option off the
table,' but I think we're being quite transparent in the ways that
we're
seeking to deal with the various threats posed by Iran, really to the
region," McCormack told reporters in Washington.
Moussa did not go into details of how he assessed the likelihood of a
US
attack.
Asked about Bush's remark on Shia extremists, Moussa said, "I would
agree that any kind of extremism, in thoughts or in policies or harsh
conservatives, any kind are very dangerous."
But he stopped short of blaming Iran. "It would not be appropriate" to
say whether Iran is responsible for destabilizing Iraq through support
of extremists, he said.
Moussa said the United States needs to move from use of military force
towards dialogue, both to resolve the violence in Iraq and to reduce
US-Iranian tensions. He added that he favored proposals for talks with
Iran and Syria.
"If there were to be a war, other genies will get out of the bottle.
You
cannot imagine the impact on the Gulf countries, on the Mediterranean,"
Moussa said.
Spillover
His concern over a looming US-Iran confrontation was shared by business
leaders and political commentators at an opening session on the Middle
East at the Forum, an annual gathering of the world's rich and
powerful.
Some said it would risk sectarian divisions spilling over to Lebanon,
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It would also undermine three years of strong
regional economic growth seen as important for stabilizing the region.
One panelist said a serious danger would be any crash in the crude oil
price, engineered by Saudi Arabia, to squeeze Iran's finances as a way
to bring the country to its knees.
As a major crude producer, Iran relies heavily on oil revenues. These
have soared since crude prices roughly doubled in the past three years,
almost reaching $80 a barrel last summer before retreating to the mid
$50s currently.
Moussa also said that Bush's plan to build up troops in Iraq and pursue
a military solution will not resolve sectarian clashes that are ripping
the country apart, he said.
"Iraq is broken," Moussa said.
He proposed a diplomatic solution, advocating a United Nations'
Security
Council resolution that Iraq should not be partitioned, an agreement on
reconciliation and amendment to its constitution.
Moussa also threw his support behind renewal of long-suspended
Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative, saying time is running out to
make
real progress. The United States, European Union, United Nations, and
Russia, known as the Quartet, are due to hold talks in February.
"What we need is a process of peace, but a viable process of peace not
just photo opportunity," he said.
Concrete issues, such as the borders for a Palestinian state, must be
on
the table, not merely general guidelines to lay the groundwork for
peace, he said.
"I believe very firmly, I believe very strongly that if we don't do
something in 2007, it will be very difficult to do something later on,"
Moussa said.
An interesting blog, in Lebanon, written by a young American school teacher.
Good photos.
http://janerubio.blogspot.com/index.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iran
Bush OKs countering Iranians in Iraq
7 minutes ago
WASHINGTON -
President Bush has authorized U.S. forces in
Iraq to take whatever actions are necessary to counter Iranian agents deemed a threat to American troops or the public at large, the White House said Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The aggressive new policy came in response to intelligence that
Iran is supporting terrorists inside Iraq and is providing bombs _ known as improvised explosive devices _ and other equipment to anti-U.S. insurgents.
"The president and his national security team over the last several months have continued to receive information that Iranians were supplying IED equipment and or training that was being used to harm American soldiers," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
"As a result American forces, when they receive actionable information, may take the steps necessary to protect themselves as well as the population," Johndroe said.
continued............
BAE faces action on anti-arms group's papers
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8f463d08-ace2-11db-9318-0000779e2340,_i_rssPage=34c8a8a6-2f7b-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html
BAE faces action on anti-arms group's papers
By Michael Peel,Legal Correspondent
Published: January 26 2007 02:00 | Last updated: January 26 2007 02:00
BAE Systems, the weapons maker, faces a court challenge from anti-arms
trade campaigners who want to know how private documents belonging to
them ended up in the company's hands.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade wants to force BAE to reveal the source
of the documents, which relate to a legal challenge the campaigners are
mounting to the Serious Fraud Office's decision to end an investigation
into alleged bribery by the company in Saudi Arabia.
ADVERTISEMENT
The row over the documents, which BAE representatives returned
voluntarily, is the latest twist in the controversy over the scrapping
of the SFO investigation last month amid public lobbying by the company
and Saudi anger.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade said it had successfully persuaded a
judge to allow a High Court hearing next week over whether BAE should
reveal how the "confidential and legally privileged material" arrived
in
the company's possession.
BAE declined to disclose what the documents were, or how it obtained
them.
It said it would make no further comment ahead of the hearing, other
than that no wrongdoing appeared to be alleged by the campaigners.
"CAAT has made an application simply to obtain certain information
which
they believe BAE may have," the company said. "This type of application
is commonly used to obtain evidence from parties against whom no
wrongdoing is alleged."
This is not the first time controversy has surrounded the relationship
between the Campaign Against Arms Trade and BAE. In 2003, newspaper
reports claimed the campaign's offices had been spied on and
confidential information passed on to the company by third parties.
BAE declined to comment yesterday on those allegations, although it was
quoted at the time as saying it would never encourage anyone to do
anything illegal.
The campaign said it planned to go ahead with its court challenge to
the
scrapping of the Saudi investigation, although this would be put on
hold
until after the hearing over the documents.
The challenge, brought jointly with Corner House Research, an
anti-corruption group, is likely to argue that the Serious Fraud
Office's action breached an international anti-bribery convention to
which Britain is a signatory.
The campaign and Corner House said a letter defending the decision sent
to them late last week by the government's solicitors had not persuaded
them the decision was lawful.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development convention
forbids countries to take into account commercial considerations or
relations with other states when deciding whether to investigate or
prosecute bribery.
Last week, the OECD's 36-nation anti-bribery group said it had "serous
concerns" Britain might have breached the convention.
The investigation was examining whether BAE had paid bribes to Saudi
officials while winning tens of billions of pounds worth of work since
the 1980s.
BAE has denied any wrongdoing.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
[how-to, from Pakistan]
Muslim Pilgrims Offered Apology, Compensation by NW Airlines
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2007/Jan07/26/05.HTM
Muslim Pilgrims Offered Apology, Compensation by NW Airlines
Southfield, MI: The Michigan office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-MI) announced January 17 that Northwest Airlines is
offering an apology and limited financial compensation to a group of 40
American Muslim pilgrims who were allegedly denied passage on a January
7th flight returning to Michigan.
The pilgrims say they were denied boarding on a Northwest Airlines
flight from Germany to Detroit while returning from the
recently-concluded annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Northwest
Airlines says the Muslim travelers arrived too late to make the
connecting flight. That claim has been refuted by the pilgrims who say
they arrived at the gate with time to spare and that they were
mistreated by airline representatives.
CAIR-MI held a news conference in Dearborn, Mich., last Tuesday to
demand an investigation of the incident. On January 17, an official of
Northwest Airlines told CAIR that the Muslim travelers would receive an
apology for the inconvenience they suffered and would be compensated
for
any extra flight or hotel costs they incurred.
SEE: Northwest Apologizes, Vows to Reimburse Muslims Barred from Flight
(Detroit News)
"We welcome Northwest Airlines' apology and offer of limited
compensation as a positive step toward addressing the concerns of the
Muslim passengers," said CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid.
Walid also said some of the travelers are considering legal action
against the airline.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices
and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
Radioactive traces found in Romanian scrap iron in Bosnia
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Radioactive_traces_found_in_Romania_01252007.html
Radioactive traces found in Romanian scrap iron in Bosnia
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Thursday January 25, 2007
Sarajevo- Management of the Mittal Steel Company in the
central Bosnian town of Zenica refused late Wednesday to unload a
freight car of scrap iron from Romania, which had high levels of
radiation, media reported Thursday.
The company's sensors, according to reports, found radioactive
traces in scrap iron in one freight car of a huge load of the
material imported from Romania through the Schulz Company for Mittal
Steel in Zenica, 70 kilometres north of Sarajevo.
The car was immediately isolated and the supplier was informed
about the findings.
The radiation level, according to unofficial sources, was five
times higher than the limit.
© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency
January 26, 2007 Anti-Terrorism News
(Afghanistan) NATO attacks Taliban post in Afghanistan - killing senior militant leader, 10 terrorists die in clash with police in east
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan_5
Afghanistan: Suicide attack on aid office wounds 3
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467818456&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(Somalia) Gunmen kill 5 in restive Somali capital
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_on_re_af/somalia_36
(Somalia) U.S. Won't Rule out a Last-ditch Strike in Somalia
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/01/us_wont_rule_ou.html
(Iraq) Bomb kills 15 in new attack on Baghdad pet fair
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC628002.htm
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070126/wl_nm/iraq_dc_60
(Iraq) Insurgents post video of downed copter
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070125/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_helicopter_video
Report: U.S. troops authorized to kill Iranians in Iraq
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16818179/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502199.html
(Iran) Tehran's Influence Grows As Iraqis See Advantages
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502087.html
Report: Iran Preparing to Put Satellite in Orbit - report by Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246958,00.html
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/IRAN01257.xml
Iran may be developing ICBM
http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20070125-102834-8043r.htm
(Pakistan) Suicide blast in Islamabad Marriott hotel, guard killed - hours before Indian High Commission to host reception
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070126/ts_afp/pakistanattacksblast_070126111740
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Blast_in_Islamabad_hotel_three_killed/articleshow/1464793.cms
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1834552.htm
(Pakistan) Militants kill policeman in Pakistan tribal belt
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070126/india_nm/india285136_1
(Pakistan) Militants fire rockets at Shakai post
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\01\26\story_26-1-2007_pg1_6
Pakistan jail ordered to present British terror suspect - jail chiefs failed to bring Rashid Rauf to a legal hearing
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070126/wl_uk_afp/britainattacksairline_070126093743
Pakistan High Court seeks govt position on Al Qaeda detainee - seeking official comments on the reported handing over of Al Qaeda leader Khalid Mohammad Shaikh and three of his relatives to the United States
http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/26/top16.htm
Pakistan winning war on terror, claims Aziz
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/January/subcontinent_January929.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
U.S. government seeking change in bill linking Pakistan aid to anti-terror effort
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/26/asia/AS-GEN-Pakistan-US.php
Yemen steps up security at ports to guard against possible al-Qaida infiltration from Somalia
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/26/africa/ME-GEN-Yemen-Somalia-Al-Qaida.php
(Morocco) Trial postponed for more than 50 suspected terrorists accused of planning plots in Morocco
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/26/africa/AF-GEN-Morocco-Terrorism-Trial.php
(Israel) IDF explodes 2 Hizbullah bunkers in north
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3357231,00.html
(Lebanon) Army patrols expand in tense Beirut
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_1
Three militants killed in Hamas-Fatah fighting in Gaza
http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10099651.html
Indonesia plans Hamas meeting to end infighting
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3357229,00.html
(Philippines) Overconfidence led to top Philippine terror suspect's death, official says
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/26/asia/AS-GEN-Philippines-Slain-Terrorist.php
(EU) El Pais: Condoleezza Rice to Insist for Changes in European Laws Regarding Fight Against Terrorism
http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n104294
Greek guerrillas threaten more US attacks
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21118725-1702,00.html
U.S. Homeland Security chief says passenger data essential
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/26/europe/EU-GEN-Germany-US-Security-Official.php
(US) Secrecy is at issue in U.S. suits opposing domestic spying
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/26/america/web.0126nas.php
(U.S.) Saudi Arabian who worked at Universary of Washington deported - Majid Al-Massari allegedly linked to al-Qaida group, arrested in 2004 for overstaying visa and drug conviction
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Deportation.html
Wanted ETA terrorist arrested on his way to Spain - Iker Aguirre Bernadal wanted for 2004 attacks
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=35824
(UK) Government plans tougher border controls
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=ASIXICAJ2NIITQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/01/26/nborder126.xml
(UK) War on terror must be tough in defending rights, says Cameron
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13130-2566674,00.html
Houston rebukes terror proposal
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_5092190
(Sri Lanka) Police arrest 38 as Sri Lanka vows to fight terrorism
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070126/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaunrestsecurity
Other News:
Netherlands: Death threats quickly ignored
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2007/01/netherlands-death-threats-quickly.html
(Minnesota) CNN Interview: Muslim cabbies refuse customers carrying booze
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/25/oppenheim.cabbies/index.html
Medical jet crashes at airport in Butler
A medical jet attempting to land at the Butler County Airport Wednesday
morning came in high and fast before going off the end of the runway,
the
airport's manager said.
The four crew members of the twin-engine Cessna Citation II operated by
Florida-based Air Trek were treated for minor injuries at Butler
Memorial
Hospital.
State police identified the crew, all from Virginia, as pilot Stephen
White,
62, of Warrenton; copilot Angela Aman, 42, of Stephens City; and
therapist
Kerry L. Dudley, 43, and nurse Vicki E. Carr, 50, both of Winchester.
Aman
was at the controls during the landing, state police said.
The flight originated at Air Trek's base in Winchester, outside
Washington,
and was scheduled to pick up a passenger at the airport for a
destination in
the Northeast, said Dana Carr, director of operations for Air Trek, an
air
ambulance provider that has its corporate headquarters at the Charlotte
County Airport in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National
Transportation Safety Board were investigating. A preliminary report is
expected in seven to nine days, with final findings in six to nine
months.
The jet went off the end of the 4,800-foot runway, traveled through an
antenna structure 300 feet from the end of the runway and a fence, then
crossed Three Degree Road before coming to rest about 800 feet from the
end
of the runway in a field behind the Penn Township Volunteer Fire
Department.
Firefighters extinguished a small fire outside the plane after the
crash.
Airport Manager Don Bailey said he was outside on the taxiway when he
saw
the plane come in for landing about 9 a.m. He said conditions were
hazy,
with fog and a thin coating of snow on the runway. Bailey said the jet
appeared to come in "a little bit high" and "awfully fast."
"It looked like he touched down further down the runway than normal,"
he
said.
The airport's runway was extended from 4,000 feet to 4,800 feet last
year,
Bailey said.
No one was at the volunteer fire station at the time of the crash. Fire
Chief Jeff Crede said a plane went off the end of the runway and almost
struck the fire hall in 2005.
According to the FAA, Air Trek has a relatively clean record. A company
plane ran off a runway during an emergency landing in the Bahamas in
May,
according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Two other
incidents
involved an engine fire in 2004 and a deer running into a plane in 1998
in
Williamsport.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_490155.html
2 small cargo planes collide at Milwaukee airport; pilots escape safely
MILWAUKEE: Two cargo planes collided and burned on an airport taxiway
Wednesday night, but no serious injuries were reported.
Both pilots escaped after the crash between small cargo planes at
General
Mitchell International Airport, though one had a minor hand injury, an
official said.
The planes a Cessna 402 and a Beech 99 both belonged to Freight
Runners Express Inc. of Milwaukee, airport officials said.
"I'm told that one (plane) had just landed and was taxiing into the
cargo
area," said airport director Barry Bateman. "A significant fireball
occurred."
The airport closed immediately, and crews put out the fire, officials
said.
It reopened about 8:30 p.m., about a half-hour after the accident.
It was unclear what caused the collision.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/25/america/NA-GEN-US-Cargo-Plane-Coll
ision.php
[unknown url]
French aircraft skids into truck at airport, killing driver
PAU, France: (AP) An airplane skidded off the runway at an airport in
southwest France on Thursday and hit a truck, killing the vehicle's
driver,
local officials said.
No one among about 50 people on board the plane was hurt in the
accident at
the airport in Pau, officials at the local prefecture said. The plane
belonged to a company called Regional, an Air France subsidiary.
Passengers
were quickly evacuated.
The aircraft, a Fokker 100, was preparing to fly from Pau to Paris'
Charles
de Gaulle airport before it crashed into the truck. The local
prefecture
said the runway may have been slippery after storms.
Russia Should Be Sanctioned for Sellin g Arms to Iran --- U.S. Official
http://mosnews.com/news/2007/01/25/ussanctions.shtml
Russia Should Be Sanctioned for Selling Arms to Iran --- U.S. Official
Created: 25.01.2007 14:46 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:36 MSK, 15 hours 45
minutes ago
MosNews
The U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Wednesday,
Jan. 24, that a recent delivery of Russian Tor-M1 missile system to
Iran
may cause the United States to impose new sanctions against Russia.
The measures are likely to follow because Bush administration had
harshly criticized Russia's defense contract with Iran and urged the
Kremlin to terminate it.
Washington believes that Russia should not have sold up-to-date arms to
the country which refuses to meet the UN Security Council's
requirements
for development of nuclear industry. The international community should
review the selling of Russian systems for anti missile defense of
Teheran, McCormack said.
Another diplomat from the U.S. State Department, who wished to remain
anonymous, was quoted by Pravda.ru website as saying that punitive
measures could be applied against the direct seller of the
above-mentioned missile complexes and probably the buyer, but not the
Russian government. The official did not specify whether the U.S.
administration has already initiated the process connected with the
Russian-Iranian arms deal.
Russia fulfilled the arms contract with Iran at the end of December
2006. The adequate announcement made by Russia's Defense Minister
Sergei
Ivanov raised serious concerns with the U.S. and Israeli
administration.
U.S. officials emphasized that Russia had sold modern weapons to the
country supporting international terrorism.
Sergei Ivanov believes, though, that the contract with Iran did not
violate any UN resolutions. "The contract is based on international
rules. If Iran needs defensive weapons, we would be ready to assist,"
the minister added. Russian news agencies reported that Tor-M1 missile
complexes could be used only for defensive purposes.
When Russia signed the contract with Iran for the delivery of 29
missile
complexes Tor-M1 in December 2005, the US administration said that the
contract could not comply with interests of both the USA and the
region.
Sergei Ivanov responded that it was a legitimate deal between the two
countries, no matter if someone liked it or not.
Olympic security expert predicts terrorist attacks
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2007/01/25/0125sportterror.html
Olympic security expert predicts terrorist attacks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published on: 01/25/07
London (AP) --- A leading Olympic security expert believes it is "just
a
matter of time" before terrorists target a major sports event.
Peter Ryan, who was in charge of security at the 2000 Sydney Olympics,
said the threat was not just to stadiums but also to public areas and
electricity stations.
"We have, in my view, been extremely lucky that the first division, as
I
call the top level of terrorist groups, have not targeted a large,
major
event for many years," Ryan said Thursday at a sports security
conference. "It's probably just a matter of time."
Ryan was also the principal security adviser for the 2004 Athens
Olympics. He is a security consultant for the International Olympic
Committee on the 2008 Beijing Games.
Ryan said open-air venues where fans watch events on big screens were
"extremely vulnerable" to attack. Critical infrastructure --- such as
electricity and water supplies --- could also be a target.
"If they go wrong or break down or get attacked, it really will have an
incredible effect on the major event," Ryan said. "If an electricity
substation goes down, for example, or the water's contaminated, it can
have an enormous impact right across many, many areas, not just the
event itself."
Ryan also said organizers of major events should consider screening
spectators before they get on mass transportation.
"How do we actually screen those people? We've already had attacks on
the London Underground system and it could happen again at any time,"
he
said, referring to the July 2005 suicide attacks that killed 52
commuters on three subway trains and a bus.
"Quite often in planning, where I think we've got it wrong is to where
we actually put pedestrian screening," Ryan said. "They're too close to
the venue."
On Wednesday, the security chief for the 2012 London Olympics, Tarique
Ghaffur, said the al-Qaida terrorist group is the top security threat
to
those games.
Pakistan Detains Christian Woman For "Insulting" Islam
http://www.bosnewslife.com/asia-pacific/pakistan/2729-pakistan-detains-christian-woman-for-insultin
Pakistan Detains Christian Woman For "Insulting" Islam
Thursday, 25 January 2007 (8 hours ago)
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian married mother with six
children remained detained in a Pakistani jail Thursday, January 25,
and
could face the death penalty for allegedly insulting Islam, her
supporters told BosNewsLife.
Police took Martha Bibi into custody late Monday, January 22, in the
town of Kot Nanak Singh
in District Kasur, southeast of the city of Lahore, after the local
Imam
urged Muslims to attack the Christian family saying "Martha uttered
derogatory words against the Holy Prophet Muhammad," said the All
Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) advocacy group.
"On hearing the continuous announcement [from the mosque] and voices of
people outside who were gathered to attack her home, Martha's family
left to hide in one of the neighboring houses," APMA said. However
soon,
"police came and arrested Martha Bibi."
She was charged under section 295 C of Pakistan's controversial
Blasphemy Law and could face the death penalty if convicted, APMA. In
many cases Christians have however received long prison sentences. Bibi
has denied the charges.
LOCAL MUSLIMS
Police apparently detained her after on false accusations of blasphemy
made by local Muslims, suggested APMA, which is providing legal
assistance to the woman. APMA investigators said the problems began
when
Marti Bibi asked for money from Muslim men working in the Mosque with
material they rented from her husband's construction shop.
The men refused to pay the rent and instead started to beat her, APMA
said, citing local sources in the region, an area where about 12
Christian families live among 500 Muslim families. "On the intervention
of local passersby, she was freed and returned home," APMA said, before
being arrested later in the day by local police.
APMA Chairman Shahbaz Bhatti told BosNewsLife that he appealed to the
chief justice of the Supreme Court to take against "the alarming misuse
of the blasphemy law." He has the government to repeal the law which
Bhatti said has become "a tool in the hands of extremists to persecute,
victimize and terrorize religious minorities and opponents."
FREE AID
APMA lawyers have been providing free legal aid to Martha Bibi and the
group is assisting the family. A Pakistani official said Tuesday,
January 23, that Islamabad wants to reform its controversial blasphemy
law, just days after a mentally-ill Christian and a Christian teenager
were released from prison.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed reportedly said the law, would be
changed
after a general election due late this year or early 2008. (With
BosNewsLife reports and BosNewsLife Research).
There is a link on the left to the Pandemic diseases, Bird Flu, it goes to a blog of the latest news on Bird Flu.
http://www.globalmuseum.org/
Today in History:
January 26, 1990 - Thailand
Separatists Proclaim State
Separatists in four southern provinces proclaimed the establishment of the Islamic State of Langkasuka.
January 26, 1978 - Tunisia
Black Thursday
Labor riots broke out in Tunis and were violently put down by government forces.
January 26, 1954 - Korea (Republic of)
US/ROK Mutual Security Treaty
Ratification of the U.S. Mutual Security Treaty with the Republic of Korea.
January 26, 1950 - India
Republic Day
India's constitution was promulgated and India became a republic within the commonwealth. Also called Constitution Day.
January 26, (year ?) - Australia
Australia Day
National holiday.
Upcoming Significant Events:
January 27, 1987 - Philippines
Marcos Loyalists Seize Station
Marcos loyalists and mutinous troops tried to seize military and communications installations in Manila. A radio-television station was held by the mutineers for sixty-one hours before their surrender, but Marcos was prevented from returning to the country.
January 28, 1961 - Rwanda
Republic Day
Celebrates the proclamation of the Republic. Also known as Democracy Day.
January 28, 1982 - Turkey
Turkish Consul General Killed
The Turkish consul general to the U.S. was assassinated in Los Angeles by members of a group calling itself the "Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide."
January 28, 1987 - Lebanon
U.S. Bars Travel To Lebanon
No information provided.
January 30, 1933 - Germany, Europe (Region-Wide)
Nazis Come To Power In Germany
No information provided.
January 30, 1948 - India
Mahatma Gandhi Assassinated
No information provided.
January 30, 1991 - Iraq
Skirmish at Khafji
Iraqi and multi-national force elements had their first ground engagement in the Persian Gulf War.
Russia slams U.S. space weapon plans
Posted on Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 7:43am
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized U.S. plans for space-based weapons, saying they were the reason behind a recent Chinese anti-satellite weapons test. Asked about the Chinese test at a news conference in New Delhi after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Putin avoided directly criticizing the Chinese, saying only that Russia was against putting any weapons in space.
Full Story
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070125/ap_on_re_eu/russia_us_missile_test
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