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
Thanks to Milford421, for this report.
More Iraqis Caught in Texas Crossing Illegally From Mexico
http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=6012801&nav=2FH5
Text Size
Iraqi family caught in Texas crossing border illegally
HARLINGEN, Texas Customs officials in South Texas say an Iraqi
family was caught within miles of the Rio Grande after crossing the
border illegally.
The family of five was detained Saturday night near U-S Highway 281
in Pharr.
Border Patrol spokesman Oscar Saldana says computer searches
revealed no ties to terrorism.
Saldana says the family remains in Customs and Immigration
Enforcement custody while being processed for deportation.
Saldana confirmed the capture after an anonymous tip was phoned in
to the Valley Morning Star newspaper.
He said he could not disclose whether there had been similar
apprehensions of Iraqi nationals within the sector.
He also could not say whether the family claimed they were in the U-
S for religious reasons, as did eleven Iraqis caught with illegal
passports last week in northern Mexico.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thanks to Mark Taylor and Milford421.
Police On Lookout For Suspicious Men
POSTED: 4:36 PM CST January 26, 2007
UPDATED: 5:22 PM CST January 26, 2007
http://www.wsmv.com/news/10854547/detail.html
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Police are on the lookout for a man described
as being of Middle Eastern descent who tried to gain access to a
firearms plant.
Rutherford County sheriff's deputies were called to the Barrett
Firearms Manufacturing Inc. Plant Thursday, a day after a plant
employee reported that a Middle Eastern-looking man had tried get
inside the building.
Barrett Firearms makes .50-caliber rifles for the U.S. Military,
which has used them in combat since the 1991 Gulf war. The powerful
gun is also sold to the general public.
Critics have warned that the rifle could be used by terrorists to
bring down commercial airliners or penetrate rail cars and storage
plants holding hazardous materials.
The plant worker said the man had asked questions about the plant
and began demanding access when the employee did not respond,
sheriff's spokesman Dan Goodwin said in a news release issued
Friday.
The man was asked to leave after he became upset when the employee
began to examine his pickup truck.
The white truck was described as having dual rear tires and towing a
white utility trailer. Two other men were in the truck, and there
was luggage in the bed of the vehicle.
The sheriff's office was working with officials at Barrett Firearms
and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to pursue any leads.
Anyone with more information about the men can call Rutherford
County Sheriff's Office at (615) 898-7770.
January 30, 2007 PM Anti-Terrorism News
(US) Court reinstates key Padilla charge - federal appeals court
reinstated a key terrorism charge, the only one carrying a potential life
sentence
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_re_us/padilla_terror_charges_1
Judge: Doctors Who Treat Terrorists Under Terror Organization's Orders
Can Be Prosecuted
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248787,00.html?sPage=fnc.specialsections/waronterror
US: Pakistani student terror suspect convicted - Shiraz Syed Qazi
guilty on gun charge - ties with Taliban - Houston paramilitary training
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467851550&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Pakistan: Attacks May Signal Rise of Islamist Religious Hardcore
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.381509280&par=0RE
(Pakistan) Suicide, rocket attacks in Pakistan raise sectarian tension
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-01-29-pakistan-rockets_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA
Update - (UK) Beheading Video At July 21 'Bomb Factory'
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1249535,00.html
UK baroness: Islamic extremism greatest threat to West - Caroline Cox
said in an address at the House of Lords
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467850121&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(UK) Commentary: Exclusive: How The UK Threatens US Security Part One
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/global.php?id=668213
Update - (Iraq) On Shiites' holiest day, 58 dead in Iraq - 23 killed by
suicide bomber in Shiite mosque
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=AqtVcBwLkGEOJRmMHWJJ9NHMWM0F;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-
Iraq: Al-Qaida leader captured - Provincial leader of al-Qaida in Iraq
group north of Baghdad killed, 58 captured
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070130/wl_afp/somaliaunrest_070130204329;_ylt=Ajz_hSNUJXWCaHVKAyZaYOXMWM0F;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY
(Iraq) Analysis: Najaf battle raises questions and Group Did Not
Participate In An Najaf Battle - Questions raised over Shiite group's alleged
involvement
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_what_happened_2
http://www.indiadaily.com/breaking_news/85647.asp
(Iraq) US Senator Obama Barack calls for US combat troops out of Iraq
by March 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070130/ts_alt_afp/usiraqmilitaryobama_070130233121;_ylt=AmhTkDi.HSE8_S1Co_nl2sVX6GMA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Iranian-Made IEDs Are the Most Deadly U.S. Forces Have Seen, and Their
Use Is on the Rise
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/01/iranianmade_ied.html
U.S. unveils evidence Iran fueling Iraq war - Expert who exposed nuke
program says Tehran agents hold top posts in Baghdad
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54019
(Iran) US 'reluctant' to hold direct talks with Iran: top US official
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070130/wl_mideast_afp/usirannuclearpolitics_070130200448;_ylt=AjY74IbR1gxeOevt6GVskwFSw60A;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
(Iran) US Senators warn against war with Iran
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_go_co/us_iran_21;_ylt=AhjaA49DXeZcK6QfBve2JshSw60A;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
(Hezbollah) What's Pulling Lebanon Apart - Forces From Inside, And All
The Way From Iran Threaten To Topple A Mideast Democra
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/30/world/main2411200.shtml
Hamas strengthened ties with Iran - UK Parliament Report
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467850684&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Baker says talks could lead Hamas to recognize Israel
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070130-1440-us-syria.html
Report: Russia calls for lifting of Hamas blockade
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3359035,00.html
Senior Hamas member killed as he left mosque
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467848407&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Hamas, Fatah swap hostages under Gaza truce deal and Hamas militant
killed in Gaza despite truce
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013000940.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070130/wl_afp/mideastpalestinian_070130175416;_ylt=AuPuFt22hmgWEPU_kkQXFoms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b3JuZGZhBHNlYwM3MjE-
Report: Egyptian forces aided suicide bombing? Israel studying
possibility Eilat attacker had help infiltrating Jewish state
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54012
Commentary: Welcome to Palestine
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467841899&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Somali extremists threaten to attack peacekeepers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070130/wl_afp/somaliaunrest_070130204329;_ylt=Ajz_hSNUJXWCaHVKAyZaYOXMWM0F;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY
Somalia: European fighters in custody
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2007/01/somalia-european-fighters-in-custody.html
(Somalia) Islamist Swedes reported dead in Somalia
http://www.thelocal.se/6245/
Sudan's dictator is snubbed by African leaders - over genocide by
"Janjaweed" militias
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/30/wsudan30.xml
(Egypt) Muslim Brotherhood denounces members' detention
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467849142&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
French court agrees to hand over ETA suspects
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=35964
Other News:
(UK) Cleric 'wed vulnerable woman to live in UK' - woman with the
mental age of seven
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=432476&in_page_id=1770
Some Shiite children are into bloody rite
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ashoura_children;_ylt=AhUyA6SD9n.FqfwF.wN__AYLewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
Kommersant-Vlast: Chechnya solves its 2008 problem
CHECHNYA SOLVES ITS YEAR 2008 PROBLEM
Shamil Idiatullin
Chechnya: an update on the activities of Ramzan Kadyrov; Ramzan
Kadyrov has advanced on three fronts at once, without waiting to
become president of Chechnya: ordering a comprehensive performance
review for all of Chechnya's ministries and agencies, indicating an
alternative candidate, and promising to review the cases of unjustly
convicted Chechens.
Some Chechen and federal officials said last week that a change of
leadership in Chechnya might happen within a month: President Alu
Alkhanov would take a job at the federal Interior Ministry's
headquarters, and Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov would finally replace
him as president of Chechnya. These conclusions were prompted by
President Alkhanov's statement at a press conference: "I have no wish
to be president in 2008." Strictly speaking, this does not imply that
Alkhanov intends to step down in 2007; but Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov,
speaker of the Chechen parliament, immediately declared that a change
of leadership might happen "very soon," with Kadyrov certain to take
over as president. This information was supported by sources from the
staff of Dmitri Kozak, presidential envoy for the Southern federal
district.
Ramzan Kadyrov's official appointment as president of Chechnya was
widely anticipated last year, but it never happened after all. Kadyrov
already controls almost everything in Chechnya, and it was assumed
that he would be appointed president as soon as he turned 30 in
October. But soon after his birthday Kadyrov suddenly said that he
wasn't ready for the level of responsibility involved. This was soon
after the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya; commentators hinted
insistently that Chechnya's security and law enforcement agencies were
somehow involved in that murder. Under the circumstances, the public
might not have accepted an immediate promotion for Kadyrov - but his
self-imposed pause appeared quite noble.
The pause was broken last week. Ramzan Kadyrov advanced on three
fronts at once, without waiting to become president. First, he ordered
a comprehensive performance review for all of Chechnya's ministries
and agencies, and the cabinet as a whole. A purge in the Chechen
police force has already begun: two district police chiefs have been
replaced by officers from regiments controlled by Kadyrov. Secondly,
Kadyrov solved the problem of democratic rules for nominating
presidential candidates: he indicated "the best presidential
candidate" - Magomed Vakhayev, Chechnya's minister for social
development and labor - and even recommended him to President Vladimir
Putin. This display of altruism is unlikely to affect Putin's choice,
but at least it complies with procedures stating that there must be at
least one alternative candidate.
Thirdly, Kadyrov launched a public relations campaign aimed at
bolstering his own approval rating, already sky-high. On January 25,
Kadyrov said: "It's an open secret that many Chechens are behind bars
on fabricated charges." He promised to ensure that such cases are
reviewed with the assistance of "experienced lawyers and attorneys who
will carry out all procedures competently and strictly according to
the law." Kadyrov attributed this initiative to the interests of
justice: "The separatist guerrillas responsible for killings and
bombings are probably glad to see others paying for their crimes."
Kadyrov cited the case of Zara Murtazaliyeva as an example: she was
found guilty of attempting to carry out a terrorist attack in Moscow.
Kadyrov said that he has doubts about her guilt, and intends to have
her transferred to a prison in Chechnya, at least.
Thus, Ramzan Kadyrov has portrayed himself as defending the interests
of Chechnya's residents - and even Chechens scattered across prisons
all over Russia. This initiative may be interpreted in various ways,
but it's clear that President Alkhanov - a career police officer -
couldn't possibly play the same role.
Source: Kommersant-Vlast, No. 3, January 29, 2007, p. 22
Translated by Elena Leonova
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/
Army recruits hit by gastric flu
More than 300 army recruits have been treated for gastric flu at training centres in Surrey and Hampshire.
The Army Training regiments sites at Sir John Moore Barracks in Winchester and Pirbright, near Woking, have seen 303 cases of the bug since last week.
Ninety recruits in Pirbright and 20 in Winchester have a severe form of gastroenteritis and are in medical blocks with vomiting and diarrhoea.
The rest have a mild form of the virus, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said.
A handful needed hospital treatment but have now been released.
Flu-like virus
Officials from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) went to the barracks last week to take swabs.
"We still do not know what it is. It is a flu-like virus," the spokeswoman said.
"We thought we would have the results last Friday but they have not come as yet."
She said that nearly all those affected are basic training recruits, with a few instructors also taken ill.
The infection was first discovered in Pirbright and spread to Winchester after recruits from both camps exercised together last week.
The virus appears to have a 10-day incubation period.
Many blocks of accommodation at both camps are now in quarantine and are undergoing a deep clean.
An HPA spokeswoman said the Army had the outbreak under control.
Currently 871 recruits undergoing basic training at Pirbright and 395 at Winchester.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/6310835.stm
Published: 2007/01/29 16:34:37 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Sent to me by Promedmail.org ..............................
The predominant symptoms (vomiting and diarrhea) and the circumstances
(congregation in restricted accommodation of individuals from diverse
backgrounds) would be consistent with an outbreak of norovirus
infection.
However, the failure to establish a firm diagnosis is strange and may
indicate that more than a single agent is responsible for the outbreak.
Clarification is awaited. - Mod.CP]
....................cp/pg/dk
Police hand over Litvinenko file
Scotland Yard has handed a file on the investigation into the death of the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The 43-year-old, a fierce critic of the Kremlin, died in hospital in London in November last year. His body contained the radioactive substance polonium-210.
Police have said they cannot reveal the contents of the file.
Prosecutors will now consider whether there is sufficient evidence to charge anyone over Mr Litvinenko's death.
Secret agents
Mr Litvinenko is reported to have fallen out with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the late 1990s.
At the end of last year, Scotland Yard officers travelled to Russia to question witnesses in the case.
Mr Litvinenko, a former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer, met three other former Russian secret agents just before he fell ill in London - Dmitry Kovtun, Andrei Lugovoi and Vyacheslav Sokolenko. They have denied any involvement in his poisoning.
His friends have accused the Kremlin of ordering his assassination in response to his criticism of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian government has rejected the claims.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6317129.stm
Published: 2007/01/31 13:05:46 GMT
© BBC MMVII
>>>"Nuke spy's" barman is dying
I'd venture to guess there are several moer out there who were exposed as well.
Sad.
s/b several "more"
:)
Are We Ready For The Next Generation Of Terrorism?
Jan 31, 2007 08:30 AM CST
Police arrested eight people Wednesday in a predominantly Pakistani neighborhood of Birmingham, England, on suspicion of committing, preparing or instigating terrorism. Do you think we are ready to deal with the new technology of terrorism.
CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports that the alleged plot apparently involved plans to kidnap and behead a serving British soldier of Muslim descent, according to law enforcement sources. The suspects also may have intended to videotape the execution, Palmer reported.
British officials have not officially confirmed or denied the kidnapping or execution elements of the alleged plot.
Targeted kidnappings and executions are terror tactic used frequently by insurgents in Iraq and the Mideast, but it has not yet been seen used against targets in the West by Islamic extremists.
Sources say the raids, which hit several addresses beginning before sunrise on Wednesday, followed a six-month investigation.
No background on any of the suspects has been made public, but CBS News has learned that one of the Birmingham addresses targeted by the operation and where an arrest was made is an Islamic bookshop named Maktabah.
British television quoted police sources as saying 12 addresses in the Birmingham area had been sealed off as part of the investigation.
The operation was led by the Midlands Counterterrorism unit, supported by West Midlands Police and London's Metropolitan Police.
A news conference is expected Wednesday morning.
Five people were arrested last week in terror investigations in Manchester and Halifax, England. Two people are charged with possession of information useful to terrorists. The three others are being held but haven't been charged.
Palmer reports that British law enforcement sources say they are currently monitoring 1600 suspects under terrorism laws enacted several years ago.
http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6015374&nav=menu78_2_1_1
Subway evacuated after breakdown
A rush-hour breakdown led to the evacuation of Glasgow's underground.
Up to 100 passengers had to walk about half a mile through a subway tunnel linking Govan to Partick station after the breakdown at 0845 GMT.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) blamed an engineering fault which caused an electrical fault, leaving the train without power.
A spokesman apologised to passengers for any distress and said the evacuation may have been unpleasant.
SPT said the normal procedure is to try and restore power, but this failed.
The electrical fault created fumes and smoke.
It took about 10 minutes to escort passengers to Partick station.
A few people were upset, one woman was crying and there were schoolchildren on board
David Hewitson
Train passenger
Normal service was restored on the Outer Circle at 1000 GMT.
Bob Wylie, communications director of SPT, said: "We have to apologise to the people who were on the train for any distress or inconvenience this caused.
"The necessary emergency procedures were put into action by subway staff.
"Understandably, some people may have found walking through the tunnel an unpleasant experience."
David Hewitson, 29, a media manager from Glasgow, was on the train.
'Toxic smell'
He said: "The train just stopped suddenly and they told us we would have to walk up the tunnel.
"A few people were upset, one woman was crying and there were schoolchildren on board.
"There was a toxic smell.
"But it was orderly and we were moved to the front of the train and into the tunnel while passengers reassured the woman.
"There was lighting on the tunnel and everyone left when we got to Partick."
Were you caught up in the incident. Do you have pictures Send them to the BBC Scotland news website. Click here to send an email.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6316989.stm
Published: 2007/01/31 13:31:13 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Serial sniper targeting motorists
A serial sniper with an air rifle has been targeting motorists passing under a bridge in County Durham, police say.
Since January 2006, 34 vehicles have been hit by air rifle pellets on the A693 at Greencroft, near Stanley.
Durham Police believe the same person is behind all the attacks, but extra patrols and specialist operations have so far failed to catch the offender.
No-one has been badly hurt, but police said they feared someone could end up being hurt or even killed.
We are seriously concerned that if this continues someone could end up being hurt, or even killed
Acting Inspector Susan Murray
Durham Police
Acting Insp Susan Murray said: "If you are unlucky enough to be a victim then pull off the main road safely, stop the car and ring 999 as soon as possible.
"We are also urging residents or people out walking their dogs to ring us if they see anyone who appears to be in possession of an air weapon of any kind.
"We are seriously concerned that if this continues someone could end up being hurt, or even killed."
Over the same period there have been 21 incidents of missiles, mainly rocks or stones, being thrown at vehicles from the same bridge.
Anyone with information about the attacks should contact Durham Police.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/6316677.stm
Published: 2007/01/31 11:06:07 GMT
© BBC MMVII
I have BBc open now, and am not finding any more than what you posted.
Don't get your hopes up, they have started the spitting on folks and Jane Fonda will give them fuel for the fire.
II posted one this morning, that said our terrorists would come from England, not the mideast, but would still be jihadi.
I also posted one, no, maybe I didn't, but still have it I think, it has been another of those pass out nights, so am not clear as yet on what I posted, anyway, it said there was a white man, involved in the kidnapping of the American Soldiers a few days ago, the attack, that they lett them in, as they were in stolen uniforms and spoke english....
You are right, it is time to act, soon we will have waited too long.
Yes, there has to be more that are sick, there is also the German connection.
A woman and her small child were being checked and traces were in their apartment, he stayed there on a trip.
Can you translate #3200? it is about poison in russia.
LOL
British soldier of Muslim descent<<<<
The radio does not say that it was a muslim soldier.
That explains why the article in our post 3188, which says that the drive to enlist muslims in the military had signed up about 50 muslims.
In our post 3157, there is a link to a FR Anthrax thread, I think it is post 131 that is from Calpernia, it is at the end, was only 1 or 2 after it, she has a link to an article and if you check the articles archive on the left, look for the authors name and you can find all 4 in the series.
It also tells of a witness having given warning of the coming attack on 9-11.
It is an anti site, but that series, appears to be accurate and is full of things, we may have forgotten.
In the past, whatever was planned for one of us, meaning England and U.S., also Australia and Canada, has been planned for the others, but then I have been posting for the past couple weeks alerts of expecting coming attacks for 2 weeks or more, India too.
I wonder if there is a connection to hezbollah and ul-fuqra, yet?
No stoning, Canada migrants told
Don't stone women to death, burn them or circumcise them, immigrants wishing to live in the town of Herouxville in Quebec, Canada, have been told.
The rules come in a new town council declaration on culture that Muslims have branded shocking and insulting.
Quebec is in the midst of a huge debate on integrating immigrant cultures.
Montreal police are investigating an officer who wrote a song called That's Enough Already, which says immigrants are undermining Quebec culture.
'Not racist'
Herouxville, which has one immigrant family in its population of about 1,300, is 160km (100 miles) north-east of Montreal.
Its council published the new rules on the town's website.
I was shocked and insulted to see these kinds of false stereotypes and ignorance about Islam and our religion
Salam Elmenyawi,
Muslim Council of Montreal
"We wish to inform these new arrivals that the way of life which they abandoned when they left their countries of origin cannot be recreated here," the declaration reads.
"We consider it completely outside norms to... kill women by stoning them in public, burning them alive, burning them with acid, circumcising them etc."
It points out that women are allowed to drive, vote, dance and own their own homes.
The rules ban Sikh children from carrying ceremonial daggers to school, even though the Supreme Court has ruled they can.
The man behind the declaration, councillor Andre Drouin, told the National Post newspaper the rules were not racist.
"We invite people from all nationalities, all languages, all sexual orientations, whatever, to come live with us, but we want them to know ahead of time how we live," he said.
Mr Drouin said there had been a number of recent incidents of culture clashes that meant the new rules were needed.
In one a Toronto judge ordered a Christmas tree removed from a court so as not to offend non-Christians. In another a Montreal gym installed frosted windows after a Hasidic synagogue complained the sight of adults exercising was offensive.
However, the president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, Salam Elmenyawi, condemned the council, saying it had set back race relations decades.
He told Reuters news agency: "I was shocked and insulted to see these kinds of false stereotypes and ignorance about Islam and our religion."
A poll in a Montreal newspaper this month revealed that 59% of Quebecers admitted to some kind of racist feelings.
Montreal police are considering disciplinary action against the 37-year-old officer who wrote the song urging immigrants in Quebec to assimilate.
The song includes the lines: "We want to accept ethnics, but not at any price... if you're not happy with your fate, there's a place called the airport."
Police spokesman Yan Lafreniere said the song did not uphold the values of the Montreal police force and that the officer would be questioned as to his motives.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6316151.stm
Published: 2007/01/31 10:09:12 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Germany issues CIA arrest orders
Germany has ordered the arrest of 13 suspected CIA agents over the alleged kidnapping of one of its citizens.
Munich prosecutors confirmed that the warrants were linked to the case of Khaled al-Masri, a German national of Lebanese descent.
Mr Masri says he was seized in Macedonia, flown to a secret prison in Afghanistan and mistreated there.
He says he was released in Albania five months later when the Americans realised they had the wrong man.
Mr Masri says his case is an example of the US policy of "extraordinary rendition" - a practice whereby the US government flies foreign terror suspects to third countries without judicial process for interrogation or detention.
Code names
Prosecutors in Munich said in a statement that the city's court had issued the warrants on suspicion of abduction and grievous bodily harm.
The suspects listed in the arrest warrants are believed to be so-called code names of CIA agents
Munich prosecutors' statement
The information on which the warrants was based came from Mr Masri's lawyers and a journalist and officials in Spain, where the flight carrying Mr Masri is thought to have originated.
"These findings, as well as other information uncovered in the probe, led to the strong suspicion that these 13 identifiable people were involved in the abduction of Masri," it said.
The names and nationalities concerned were not released but prosecutors said the names identified were thought to be the code names of CIA agents.
"The investigation will now focus on learning the actual names of the suspects," they said.
German arrest warrants are not valid in the US but if the suspects were to travel to the European Union they could be arrested.
Italian case
Mr Masri says he was abducted by US agents in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, on 31 December 2003.
He is seeking to sue the US government over his detention, but in May a judge dismissed a lawsuit he filed against the CIA, citing national security considerations.
The US government is not assisting the German authorities with the case.
Meanwhile in the Italian city of Milan, court hearings to decide whether to indict 25 alleged CIA agents and several Italians accused of kidnapping a Muslim cleric in 2003 are under way.
Osama Mustafa Hassan, or Abu Omar, says he was abducted from the streets of Milan and then tortured in Egypt.
If the case proceeds to trial, it would be the first criminal prosecution over America's rendition policy.
The practice has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups, legal experts and the international community.
But last week a European Parliament committee approved a report saying EU states knew about secret CIA flights over Europe, the abduction of terror suspects by US agents and the existence of clandestine detention camps.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6316369.stm
Published: 2007/01/31 11:53:41 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Australia denies Solomons plot
By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Sydney
Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has denied an allegation his government offered a bounty for the murder of his counterpart in the Solomon Islands.
An Australian man has been charged in the Solomon Islands with conspiring to assassinate PM Manasseh Sogavare.
Mr Sogavare has been at the centre of a diplomatic row with Australia.
An Australian newspaper has published what it said were police documents that claimed assassins had planned to murder Mr Sogavare for money.
The paper said the bounty of $39,000 (£20,000) was sponsored by Australia.
The suggestion has drawn a rather bemused response from Mr Howard.
He said he knew very little about the alleged plot and denied any involvement in it.
"Did we try and get anybody to assassinate the prime minister of the Solomon Islands? Of course not," he said.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has also denied being part of any conspiracy.
In a statement, officials said the allegation was preposterous.
An Australian expatriate has been charged with plotting to kill Manasseh Sogavare.
Bill Johnson has been living in the Solomon Islands for more than a decade.
Lawyers for the 61-year-old war veteran said the charges against him were crazy.
They have insisted the prosecution's evidence amounted to nothing more than drunken conversation.
Mr Johnson his due back in court in the Solomon's capital, Honiara, next week.
Four other men have also been accused of planning to kill the prime minister.
Diplomatic relations between the Solomon Islands and Australia have been strained in recent months.
The Sogavare government is refusing to extradite its attorney-general Julian Motie, an Australian citizen who is wanted by the authorities in Canberra on child sex charges.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6316319.stm
Published: 2007/01/31 09:27:33 GMT
© BBC MMVII
UN warning over counterfeit goods
Counterfeiting is costing the global economy more than $100bn (£51bn) every year and putting human health and safety at risk, a UN agency has said.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) told a conference that China was the worst offender in the trade of counterfeit goods.
Wipo says every product on the market is a target for counterfeiters and that 10% of the world's medicines are fakes.
The conference in Geneva is looking at new ways to fight counterfeiting.
Pirated goods are sold in almost every country in the world, an official from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development told the meeting.
European Union customs officials estimate that at least two-thirds of the counterfeit goods they seize come from China.
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the conference - attended by officials and business leaders - is about more than protecting lucrative brand names or music and film copyright.
Pirated medicines are putting the health of patients at risk, especially in developing countries, said the World Health Organization.
Up to 25% of drugs taken in developing countries are fakes, the WHO estimates.
The most commonly counterfeited medicines are treatments for HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6315647.stm
Published: 2007/01/30 22:51:55 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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