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Locked on 06/01/2006 7:13:39 PM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
New thread here. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1642083/posts |
Posted on 04/18/2006 11:09:45 PM PDT by nwctwx
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Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_2901.html
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Wed Apr 26 2006 11:35:01 GMT-0700.
April 26, 2006
This Public Announcement is issued to alert Americans to ongoing security concerns in Honiara, the Solomon Islands. This Public Announcement expires on May 24, 2006.
American citizens are cautioned to reconsider any travel plans to Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands. Although the presence of foreign forces and police has resulted in relative calm following two days of ethnic violence on April 18 and 19, the potential for violence remains.
The Department of State advises U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Honiara to be alert to the potential for violence when traveling downtown. U.S. citizens in Honiara should exercise caution, closely follow media reports, and avoid areas where crowds are expected to gather. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.
U.S. citizens living or traveling in Honiara are encouraged to register with the Consular Agent in Honiara, the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, or through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Honiara. Embassy communications with the resident American citizen community, or Warden Messages, can be found on the U.S.
Virtual Presence Post website at http://usvpp/solomonislands.org or the Embassy’s website at http://portmoresby.usembassy.gov/index.html.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Cautions, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings can be found. Travelers should also consult the Department of
State’s latest Consular information Sheet for the Solomon Islands. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby can be reached at 675-321-1455 between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time or the duty officer outside business hours at 675-683-7943.
The Consular Agent in Honiara can be contacted at 677-23426 or 677-94731.
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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2006/04/011204print.html
April 26, 2006
Job offer
I just received this email:
Robert,
Why don't you use your talent and energy in something positive that can be more benfitted to human being than running this jihadiwatch website?
Regards,
Hasan
Gee, Hasan, it's swell of you to be concerned about my professional prospects. I can't tell you how grateful I am. But just one question: Don't you think that standing for human rights against a global totalitarian and violent movement that would deny many basic rights to women and religious minorities is beneficial to human beings?
Posted at April 26, 2006 10:26 AM
Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2006/04/011206print.html
April 26, 2006
Jury Convicts Calif. Man in Terrorism Case
Khan urged Hayat to attend a jihadi camp, but now of course it was all made up to please interrogators. Hamid Hayat Update from AP, with thanks to Mackie:
A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a 23-year-old man of supporting terrorists by attending an al-Qaida training camp in Pakistan three years ago.
Hamid Hayat, a seasonal farm worker in Lodi, an agricultural town south of Sacramento, was convicted of one count of providing material support to terrorists and three counts of lying to the FBI.
The verdict came hours after a separate jury hearing a case against the man's father deadlocked, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial.
The father, 48-year-old ice cream truck driver Umer Hayat, is charged with two counts of lying to the FBI about his son's involvement in the training camp. Defense attorneys and prosecutors will meet in court May 5 to decide whether he will be retried.
Both men are U.S. citizens and stood trial in federal court before separate juries. They have been in custody since their arrests last June....
Prosecutors described Hamid Hayat as having "a jihadi heart and a jihadi mind" who returned from a two-year visit to Pakistan intent on carrying out attacks. Possible targets included hospitals, banks and grocery stores....
Their biggest hurdle was trying to persuade jurors to discount the men's videotaped confessions. The statements were given separately last June during lengthy interrogations by the FBI in Sacramento.
Defense lawyers said the confessions were made under duress, after the men had been questioned for hours in the middle of the night.
The father and son eventually told the agents merely what they thought they wanted to hear, without realizing the legal consequences, their lawyers argued....
That investigation ultimately fizzled, but it did lead agents to Naseem Khan. The 32-year-old former Lodi resident was working a variety of fast-food and convenience store jobs in rural Oregon when agents approached him in October 2001, just a month after the terrorist attacks.
Khan, a Pakistani native who moved to the U.S. as a teenager, was recruited to infiltrate Lodi's Pakistani community.
He initially investigated the money laundering allegations and then targeted a pair of local imams before finally befriending Hamid Hayat. The Hayats grew to eventually consider Khan almost a member of the family.
After Hamid Hayat left for Pakistan in spring 2003, Khan kept in touch and recorded their telephone calls _ some of which show Khan urging Hayat to attend a jihadi camp.
In one conversation, Khan exhorted Hayat to "be a man _ do something!"
Posted at April 26, 2006 12:18 PM
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200604/INT20060426b.html
"UN Rights Expert Has Controversial Track Record"
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
April 26, 2006
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1621975/posts
"NASA Chief Will Go to China to Discuss Space Cooperation"
Yahoo (Space.com) ^ | Wed Apr 26, 11:00 AM ET | Tariq Malik
Posted on 04/26/2006 11:41:30 AM PDT by The_Victor
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "NASA administrator Michael Griffin said Tuesday that he will visit China and open up a dialogue with the country's national space agency.
"The Chinese have offered an opportunity for me to visit with them and discuss the beginnings of a cooperation between us...in space," Griffin told a Senate subcommittee on science and space, during a Tuesday hearing in Washington, D.C. "The President has advised me to accept that decision, I'm looking forward to it."
Top officials with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) invited Griffin to their country earlier this month. NASA officials said then that U.S. space agency chief was considering the invite, which came from CNSA vice administrator Luo Ge.
While a formal date for the trip has yet to be disclosed, NASA officials have said it could occur this fall.
Griffin's Tuesday remarks came after an informal visit to NASA's Washington, D.C. headquarters by Chinese space agency officials this month, as well as the recent U.S. visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao. Hu met with U.S. President George W. Bush during that visit.
NASA also invited CNSA officials to an invite-only Exploration Strategy Workshop held Washington, D.C. this week. The workshop ends Friday."
http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=4416
Group Profile:
SNIPPET: "al-Qaeda Organization in the Land of the Two Rivers
Mothertongue Name: Tanzim Qa'idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn
Aliases: Monotheism and Holy Struggle, Organization of Jihad's Base in the Country of the Two Rivers, Tawhid and Jihad, al-Qaeda in Iraq, al-Zarqawi Network
Base of Operation: Iraq; Jordan"
ON THE NET...
MEMRITV.org - Video Clips: "AL QAEDA"
http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=139
===
Note: The following video clips (with links to transcripts) are on the current front page of MEMRITV.org:
QUOTE:
CLIPS FROM AL-MANAR TV AL-QAEDA
#1118 - Al-Qaeda Leader in Iraq Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi's First Televised Interview
The Internet - 4/25/2006 - 00:17:36
#1117 - Former Deputy Head of Egyptian Domestic Security Agency General Fuad 'Allam: Very Possible that Israel Is Behind the Sinai Bombings
Dream2 TV (Egypt) - 4/24/2006 - 00:02:21
#1116 - Iranian President Ahmadinejad Elaborates on His Plan for the Jews to Leave Israel and Return to Germany and Austria, "I am a very peace-loving man... I have never harmed an ant in my life"
IRINN (Iran) - 4/24/2006 - 00:06:14
#1115 - Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Criticizes Fatah and Calls to Donate Money to the Hamas Government
Qatar TV - 4/21/2006 - 00:02:29
Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/060425toledo.htm
April 25, 2006
Ohio man pleads guilty to money laundering, illegally transferring funds to Iran
Used "Hawala" scheme and foreign bank accounts to illegally move funds to Iran
TOLEDO, Ohio - A Fostoria, Ohio, physician pleaded guilty here yesterday to 36 counts of money laundering and illegally transferring funds to Iran. This guilty plea was announced by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent-in-Charge Brian M. Moskowitz; and Vincent C. Williams, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigative Division (IRS-CI) in Cleveland.
Mohammad Anvari-Hamedani, 72, is a naturalized U.S citizen originally from Iran. In April 2002, ICE and the IRS executed a search warrant at his residence where the seized documentary evidence revealed strong support for the current Iranian fundamentalist regime and the late Ayatollah Komeini. Other seized documents revealed bank accounts in the U.S., Great Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore which were used to illegally transfer about $4 million to Iran, which violated the U.S. embargo. Further investigation by ICE also uncovered that Anvari-Hamedani used a “hawala” scheme to transfer $169,000 to Iran.
“Hawalas” are a form of alternative money-transmitting business, common in many Middle Eastern and African countries, through which funds can be transferred between parties based on ties of kinship and individual trust. There is not an immediate physical or electronic transfer of funds. Money changers, aka “hawaladars,” physically receive cash or funds in one country. Correspondent hawaladars in another country dispense an identical amount (minus any fees or commissions) to a recipient or a designated recipient bank account. These arrangements could be exploited by terrorist groups or other criminal organizations to transfer large sums of money across international borders undetected.
Anvari-Hamedani pleaded guilty to 21 counts of illegal money transfers to Iran. Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), President William J. Clinton signed Executive Orders prohibiting any new investments in Iran by a U.S. person. Violating IEEPA carries a potential penalty of a $250,000 fine, 10 years imprisonment, or both.
Anvari-Hamedani's guilty plea also includes the following charges:
Eight counts of money laundering. The charges allege that the defendant's exporting funds from the United States to Iran violates the IEEPA. The money-laundering charges each carry a potential penalty of a $500,000 fine, 20 years' imprisonment, or both.
Four counts of filing false tax returns by failing to disclose Anvari-Hamedani's foreign accounts and foreign interest income. These charges carry a potential penalty of a $250,000 fine, three years' imprisonment, or both.
Three counts of failing to file Foreign Bank Account Reports. These charges carry a potential penalty of a $250,000 fine, five years' imprisonment, or both.
ICE will seize forfeited assets totaling $650,000 which will be deposited into the Treasury Forfeiture Fund.
“This is a serious violation of U.S. export laws, and those who ignore American economic sanctions against countries such as Iran will be prosecuted,” said ICE Special Agent-in-Charge Brian Moskowitz. “ICE will continue to use its expertise and authority to 'follow the money' whether it is here in the United States or around the world - as we work with our partners to bring these individuals to justice.” Moskowitz heads the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit which includes the states of Michigan and Ohio.
IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Williams stated, “When an individual launders money, conceals their ownership in foreign bank accounts from the IRS, and does not report over $750,000 in interest income generated by those hidden accounts, it becomes easy to see why IRS-CI calls money laundering tax evasion in progress. IRS-CI has the financial investigators and expertise that are critical to locating the money and prosecuting individuals that commit financial crimes both in this country and abroad. We are proud to be part of the team that brought this to justice.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Karol, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, Western Division prosecuted the case.
-- ICE --
ON THE NET...
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=20271_U_of_C_Shows_Cartoons_Muslim_Students_Show_Suicide_Bomb_Film
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
"U of C Shows Cartoons, Muslim Students Show Suicide Bomb Film"
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=20271_U_of_C_Shows_Cartoons_Muslim_Students_Show_Suicide_Bomb_Film#comments
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http://www.truthusa.com/MoreThanCartoons.html
Time sensitive Webcast (3pm-4:30pm Eastern):
Devising A New Strategy For Resolving The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
http://www.visualcommunications.com/brookings/webcast/brookingslivevideo.wvx
Wonder if Zarqawi and OBL would find the DU as amusing?
Snip: The Senate voted Wednesday to divert some of the money President Bush requested for the war in Iraq to instead increase patrols against illegal immigrants on the nation's borders and provide the Coast Guard with new boats and helicopters.
An amendment cutting Bush's Iraq request by $1.9 billion to pay for new Border Patrol agents, aircraft and some fencing at border crossings widely used by illegal immigrants was adopted on 59-39 vote.
Thanks nw.
OPINION: Well, I doubt heads would roll (in a manner of speaking) on this one.
Thanks to Calpernia for posting this thread.
Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1622056/posts
Chinese company refuses comment on claims it spread AIDS to hemophiliacs
MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS ^ | April 26, 2006
Posted on 04/26/2006 1:45:25 PM PDT by Calpernia
Chinese company refuses comment on claims it spread AIDS to hemophiliacs
SHANGHAI, China -- A Chinese pharmaceutical company's spokesman refused to comment Wednesday on accusations the company's hemophilia drugs spread HIV to scores of users.
Li Wanhua, spokesman for The Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, refused to address the claims in a brief telephone interview.
"I have no comment on this at the moment," Li said. Hemophiliacs and the parents of children with HIV say the institute made a hemophilia drug using HIV-infected blood and continued to sell it after the Ministry of Health banned it in 1995.
Family members have repeatedly met with institute officials who they say have refused to accept any responsibility or demands for compensation.
Several relatives have sued the company in local courts, but none has received a settlement.
"Not only did they not pull the drug when they were supposed to, no one even told the users that they were at risk of getting HIV/AIDS," Yin Ce, whose 15-year-old son has tested positive for the virus, said in an interview in Shanghai last week.
Relatives said they believe 123 Chinese hemophiliacs became infected with HIV by using medications. China estimated it had 650,000 people living with HIV at the end of 2005, and 75,000 with AIDS, although many experts believe the actual number is much higher.
The Health Ministry and Shanghai's Health Bureau have not responded to faxed questions about the allegations. City police officers broke up a news conference held by victims and relatives last week and detained at least one reporter who had spoken with them.
China's government treats with suspicion all attempts to argue complaints outside official channels, while local authorities frequently protect industries that are major tax payers.
Victims in similar cases in the U.S., Japan and other countries have frequently received major settlements from drug companies. Hemophilia is a debilitating inherited disorder that prevents the blood from clotting and patients who have it are treated with blood infusions.
Snippets: Seaboard Corp. said it will close its Guymon, Oklahoma, pork plant on Monday to allow workers to attend rallies planned for that day in support of immigration reform, the company said.
On Tuesday, Cargill Inc. said its five beef plants and two hog plants will be closed on Monday for the rallies.
Radio rumor causes 3 soccer forfeitures
Snip: The rumor mill proved costly to the Quad City Soccer League in its third week of the season last weekend, pinpointed to be the cause of three forfeits.
Three teams lost their games because of a rumor that the police and INS were in the area cracking down on illegal immigrants. Since this league is, for the most part, a Hispanic league, a lot of players chose not to deal with the threat.
Sprint won't let GI in Iraq cancel $68/month cell phone service
Snip: Federal law allows for soldiers called to active duty to get out of a lease on a house, apartment or car within 30 days. Against the all-mighty telecoms, even Uncle Sam is helpless, though. Our fighting men and women still have to pay their cell phone bills.
Pfc. Dane Gabrielson, a 25-year-old member of the Wisconsin National Guard, shipped out to Iraq a year ago, leaving behind a Sprint cell phone and a $68-a-month bill. Ever since then Dane's mother, Tamara Harris, has been begging Sprint to cancel or suspend his service, but to no avail.
"Dane is over there risking his neck, and he shouldn't have to deal with a cell phone company," Harris said. Gabrielson may finally getting some help from his local legislature. Republicans Representative Mark Gundrum and Senator Ron Brown are working to pass a law that would make relief possible.
Darwin award contender here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1622055/posts
"Man burned in electric pole climb"
The Item ^ | 25 April 2006 | CRYSTAL OWENS
Posted on 04/26/2006 1:44:26 PM PDT by aomagrat
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A Sumter man was severely burned late Sunday night after he reportedly climbed an electrical pole to try and steal copper wire"
ARTICLE SNIPPET #2: "Theft of copper wire and aluminum is on the rise, authorities said, because it can be sold at high market prices. The increase, officials have said, is fueled in part by a building boom in China that has pushed the demand for copper and aluminum to historic highs."
Mama Dearest,
Your "Radio Rumor" post surely is a Darwin Award contender, too.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1617489/posts?page=636#636
How's the weather?
The question is, "ARE THEY FOR US OR AGAINST US?"
http://www.truthusa.com/AgainstUSorForUS.html
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