Quebec firm to build world’s third-largest mosque
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/04/04/qc-dessausoprinmosque20070404.html?ref=rss
Quebec firm to build world’s third-largest mosque Last Updated:
Wednesday,
April 4, 2007 | 10:36 AM ET
Quebec engineering firm Dessau-Soprin is reaping benefits from surging
oil
prices and a construction boom in Algeria, where the company has won a
bid
to build one of the world’s largest mosques.
The multimillion-dollar mosque will be built in Algiers as part of a
$9.3 billion complex that will include a hotel, convention centre,
Qur’an
house, three libraries, an amphitheatre, a laboratory and restaurants.
The sprawling mosque will include a 10-storey minaret and will house
120,000
worshippers at capacity, making it the third largest Muslim worship
centre
in the world.
Dessau-Soprin, based in Laval, stands to make $30 million from the
mosque,
which is the latest large-scale project in the North African country,
where
soaring oil prices have fuelled a construction frenzy.
“We were there at the right time,” said Dessau-Soprin CEO Jean-Pierre
Sauriol. “The Algerians, they do very much like working with Canadian
firms,
especially the ones from Quebec, because they speak French, and it’s
much
easier for them to negotiate and discuss projects.”
The mosque contract will create about 100 jobs in Algiers.
Dessau-Soprin
already employs about 150 people at its permanent office in the capital
city.
http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?fr=yalerts-keyword&c=&p=al-Qaeda+fbi&ei=utf-8
1. New York musician pleads guilty in al Qaeda case Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 04 11:40 PM
A New York City jazz musician and martial arts instructor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to pledging allegiance to al Qaeda and offering to train would-be terrorists in hand-to-hand combat.
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2. U.S. to use al Qaeda suspect’s words against him Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 04 3:29 PM
Evidence from alleged al Qaeda operative Jose Padilla can be used against him at trial despite defense claims the American’s arrest was based on information obtained through torture, a U.S. judge ruled on Wednesday.
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3. Bush success vs. al Qaeda breeds long-term worries Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 03 7:37 AM
President George W. Bush’s administration has crippled al Qaeda’s ability to carry out major attacks on U.S. soil but at a political and economic cost that could leave the country more vulnerable in years to come, experts say.
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4. Bronx Martial Arts Instructor Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Support al Qaeda Open this result in new window
[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News - Apr 04 2:03 PM
Tarik Shah, a martial arts instructor from the Bronx, pleaded guilty earlier today to a charge of conspiring to provide material support or resources to the al Qaeda terrorist organization, Michael J. Garcia, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced.
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5. Al Qaeda Open this result in new window
FOX6 WBRC-TV Birmingham - Apr 04 8:25 AM
CIA and FBI agents hunting for militants in the Horn of Africa have been interrogating terrorism suspects from 19 countries held at secret prisons in Ethiopia, which is notorious for torture and abuse, according to an investigation by The Associated Press.
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6. AP: Feds Working In Secret African Prisons Open this result in new window
CBS News - Apr 04 3:30 PM
CIA and FBI agents hunting for al Qaeda militants have been interrogating terrorism suspects from 19 countries held at secret prisons in Ethiopia, which is notorious for torture and abuse, according to an investigation by The Associated Press.
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7. Bronx Man Pleads Guilty To Pledging Fealty to Qaeda Open this result in new window
The New York Sun - Apr 04 10:57 PM
A jazz musician from the Bronx pleaded guilty yesterday to pledging to use his martial arts training to help Al Qaeda. Tarik Shah emerged at the center of a wide-ranging terrorism sting operation that involved an FBI agent who posed as a recruiter for Al Qaeda. In the presence of the agent, Shah swore fealty to Osama bin Laden in 2005, according to the indictment. As part of that oath, taken in a ...
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8. U.S. officials question Islamists held in Ethiopia Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 05 2:46 AM
U.S. officials have questioned suspected Islamist militants in Ethiopia in hopes of uncovering details about al Qaeda activities in East Africa, officials said on Wednesday.
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9. Report: U.S. Interrogating Terrorism Suspects Held in Ethiopia Open this result in new window
FOX 35 Orlando - Apr 04 8:23 AM
CIA and FBI agents hunting for Al Qaeda militants in the Horn of Africa have been interrogating terrorism suspects from 19 countries held at secret prisons in Ethiopia, which is notorious for torture and abuse, according to an investigation by The Associated Press.
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10. U.S. agents interrogating terror suspects held in Ethiopian prisons Open this result in new window
International Herald Tribune - Apr 04 11:44 AM
U.S. agents hunting for Al Qaeda militants in the Horn of Africa have been interrogating terrorism suspects from several countries held at prisons in Ethiopia, according to American officials who spoke to The Associated Press.
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French fighter jet crashes in Chad, pilot survives
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/48153.html
French fighter jet crashes in Chad, pilot survives
Posted : Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:28:02GMT
Author : DPA
Paris- A French Mirage F1 fighter jet crashed Thursday during an
intelligence-gathering mission in the north of the central African country of
Chad, the French Defence Ministry reported. The causes of the crash
were unknown, and there was no confirmation from the government of Chad.
According to French sources, the pilot survived after ejecting from the
craft before the crash. No other damage was reported.
The French military provides logistical help to the Chadian army in its
fight against rebel groups. There are around 1,100 French soldiers in
Chad, a former colony of France.
Copyright © 2007 Respective Author
I am not figuring this site out, but in the past have caught important posts on it for history, such as clinton history.
A speed read of this proves interesting:
http://pnews.org/news/index.php/AnimalConsciousness
Consciousness in Animals and People with Autism
Temple Grandin, PH.D. - October 1998
Department of Animal Science
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA
http://pnews.org/news/index.php/RecentChanges
I couldn’t make this one work for Cuba:
http://pnews.org/news/index.php/CategoryCuba
http://pnews.org/news/index.php/HomePage
Yes, this is a lefty site.
Suspect tells police he took scanner on bridge to monitor
http://www.gatewaynewspapers.com/bridgevilleareanews/77331/
Suspect tells police he took scanner on bridge to monitor
By Jeffrey Widmer, Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Early last month, a resident confronted a man police believe was
Jeffrey Angelo Ramous, who now faces trial in multiple rock-throwing
incidents along the Parkway West.
The conversation between the man and Ramous took place along the train
tracks, near where police say Ramous dropped rocks and bricks from the
Norfolk Southern Railroad trestle.
“Hey, what are you doing?,” police said the man asked Ramous.
“Spying on trains,” was his response.
Ramous, 48, appearing unshaven and dressed in a red Allegheny County
Jail suit, pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of aggravated assault,
recklessly endangering another person, propulsion of missiles, and
causing or risking a catastrophe. He will remain in jail on $100,000
straight bond while he awaits trial.
Trooper Francis Murphy of the Pennsylvania State Police, who
interviewed Ramous on March 22, said the Scott resident denied committing the
rock-throwing incidents at first. As evidence was presented to him,
however, he began to make a verbal confession to police.
“He said he was the person who threw rocks from the trestle onto the
parkway,” Murphy said. Ramous said he would walk from his apartment on
School Street, located just behind his place of employment at Rocky’s Bar
and Lounge, through wooded areas to the tracks.
He took a scanner with him, Ramous told police, to monitor police
activities. Following his arrest, police found three scanners in Ramous’
apartment.
During the police interview, Ramous confessed that he got a “sense of
euphoria” from the rock-throwing acts. He used bricks from a small pile
he found at a nearby refuge site, he told police.
He dropped rocks or bricks from the trestle facing away from the city
until he heard screeching of tires or people screaming. Ramous wore
headsets and was under the influence of alcohol or marijuana when some
incidents occurred.
It was then that he “walked away,” Murphy said Ramous told police.
During the interview at a state police barracks, Ramous pointed out
several dates — Dec. 29, Feb. 17, March 6 and March 20 — that he took
part in rock-throwing at the parkway.
Trial of Saddam ‘sleeper agent’ begins
http://www.centredaily.com/116/story/59165.html
Posted on Wed, Apr. 04, 2007
Trial of Saddam ‘sleeper agent’ begins
CHICAGO — The trial of an alleged “sleeper agent” for Saddam Hussein’s
intelligence service began Tuesday with a federal prosecutor accusing
him of spying on Iraqi dissidents in the United States.
Sami Latchin, a 59-year-old Iraqi-born U.S. citizen, is accused of
spying on U.S.-based critics of the deposed Iraqi dictator, who was hanged
Dec. 30.
The former airline employee was arrested in August 2004, when
prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging him with making false statements to
immigration authorities on a U.S. citizenship application.
Authorities claim he failed to disclose that he had been a member of
the Baath Party and had served in Iraq’s intelligence service. If
convicted on all counts, Latchin could face a maximum of 25 years in prison.
La. pupils accused of having sex in class
NEW ORLEANS — Five fifth-grade students face criminal charges after
authorities said four of them had sex in front of other students in an
unsupervised classroom and kept a classmate posted as a lookout for
teachers.
The students were arrested Tuesday at the Spearsville school in rural
north Louisiana, authorities said. Two 11-year-old girls, a 12-year-old
boy and a 13-year old boy were charged with obscenity, a felony. An
11-year-old boy, the alleged guard, was charged with being an accessory.
“After 44 years of doing this work, nothing shocks me anymore,” said
Union Parish Sheriff Bob Buckley. “But this comes pretty close.”
EPA reviewing Calif. effort on emissions
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Bush administration has reopened California’s
stalled petition seeking to control greenhouse gases after the Supreme
Court’s ruling this week that the government can regulate emissions
from cars.
The action by the Environmental Protection Agency breathes life into
California’s effort to become the first state to cut tailpipe emissions
from cars, light trucks and sport utility vehicles. It also could
influence the outcome of an auto industry lawsuit in California to block the
state regulations, contained in a 2002 state law.
FCC keeps ban on cell-phone use aloft
WASHINGTON — Striking a blow for cell phone haters everywhere, a
government agency on Tuesday said it will keep a rule in place that requires
the divisive devices to be turned off during airline flights.
The reasoning behind the decision was technical. But the avalanche of
comments the Federal Communications Commission has logged from airline
travelers have been nothing short of visceral.
“These days it’s impossible to get on a bus without at least one person
hollering into their cell phone, invading the private space of everyone
around them,” one member of the public wrote in an e-mail to the FCC.
“That’s bad enough when one can get off in 10 minutes. To have to suffer
through HOURS of such torture, with nowhere to go and miserably cramped
conditions — someone is going to explode.”
Pelosi’s Syria visit slammed by Bush
DAMASCUS, Syria — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mingled with Syrians in a
market and made the sign of the cross at a Christian tomb Tuesday in a
visit to hard-line Syria that was criticized by President Bush.
Bush said the visit sends mixed signals to Syria’s government, which
his administration accuses of supporting terrorism. The United States
says Syria allows Iraqi Sunni insurgents to operate from its territory,
backs the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups and is trying to
destabilize the Lebanese government. Syria denies the allegations.
From wire reports
Woodbridge shopping Jane’s, sources say
http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070404.wjanes0404/GIStory/
Woodbridge shopping Jane’s, sources say
GRANT ROBERTSON
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Fred Jane was a young British naval officer in the late 19th century
when he began sketching warships as a hobby, but quickly realized there
was money to be made selling them as military intelligence.
Now the publishing empire that grew out of that small enterprise may be
on the brink of being sold for several hundred million dollars by its
Canadian owners.
Jane’s Information Group — known for its flagship publication Jane’s
Defence Weekly, which tracks the military might of nations and is read
closely throughout government, academic and intelligence circles — is
being shopped by its owners, Woodbridge Co. Ltd., sources said.
An outright sale could fetch $250-million, though details of the
process are not public. Toronto-based Woodbridge is a privately held company
controlled by Canada’s wealthiest family, the Thomsons, and is also a
40-per-cent owner of CTVglobemedia Inc., which includes The Globe and
Mail.
The sale of Jane’s Information and its dozens of titles has the
potential to spark interest around the world, given the nature of the
properties. Through its 109-year history, Jane’s has compiled information on a
variety of military and industrial subjects, starting with descriptions
of warships, then moving to railways, aircraft and the weapons
capability of nations. Today, it has more than 100 different publications
spanning 140 countries. Because of his work, Mr. Jane was later involved in
establishing Britain’s intelligence service.
Jane’s Defence Weekly rose to prominence as a leading authority during
the Cold War, particularly after it published leaked satellite photos
of Soviet aircraft carrier Leonid Brezhnev while it was under
construction in 1985.
After Iran seized 15 British sailors and marines in the Persian Gulf
last month, governments, academics and security experts would have been
reaching for various Jane’s publications to brush up on Iran’s military
tendencies and might, said Tony Campbell, a former intelligence
specialist with the Canada’s Privy Council between 1993 and 2000.
“In a world in which information is crucial for decision-making, Jane’s
plays the role of a kind of weather forecaster,” said Mr. Campbell, who
is now a consultant specializing in intelligence.
The business of tracking global military data was thought to be in
decline in the years after the Soviet Union fell apart, however the
post-Sept. 11 world has revived the appetite, particularly for data on ground
troops and strike capabilities of countries in the Middle East.
In addition to governments, security agencies and companies looking to
do business in unstable nations often consult the guides, which include
titles such as Jane’s Naval Weapons Systems and Jane’s Terrorism and
Security Monitor. The company also sells consulting on military and
terrorism issues.
Woodbridge bought Jane’s in 2001 for $110-million (U.S.) from Thomson
Corp., the publicly traded company controlled by the Thomson family.
Potential buyers could include publishers such as Reed Business
Information; McGraw-Hill Cos. Inc., which has titles that track the aerospace
industry; and Oxford Analytica, an independent consulting firm that
compiles studies from senior faculty members at Oxford University in England.
Woodbridge chief executive officer Geoffrey Beattie declined to comment
Wednesday on possible outcomes of the process.
“We think it’s an excellent business and we’re always looking for
opportunities to improve the prospects for growth,” Mr. Beattie said.
Observers believe Woodbridge may look for a buyer that could combine
Jane’s with a similar business to create a larger player. One strategy
could be a partial sale, with Woodbridge staying on as an investor.
© The Globe and Mail
Afghan Top Diplomat Rejects German Call for Talks With Taliban
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evuvj1Ifwf2zzI1
Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta on Thursday
rejected a call by a German coalition party leader for dialog
with moderate elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“It’s a Bit Like Modern Surgery”
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evuvj1Ifwf2zzI2
DW-WORLD.DE spoke to French marine archeologist Franck Goddio,
who brought lost parts of the legendary port of Alexandria and
the ancient cities of Heracleion and Canopus back to light.
Greens Tread Fine Line With Stance on G8
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evuvj1Ifwf2zzI3
The Greens long ago shed their outsider status in German politics.
But by distancing itself from some anti-globalization activists,
the party risks losing its left-wing adherents, some say.
EU Offers Full Market Access to Former Colonies
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evuvj1Ifwf2zzI4
The EU has offered to scrap most tariffs and quotas it still
imposes on exports from African, Caribbean and Pacific nations
to boost talks on new trade pacts. But the proposal has been
met with scorn.
German Politicians Propose Climate Fee on Flight Tickets
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evuvj1Ifwf2zzI5
German politicians in the governing coalition are proposing
imposing a small fee on the price of airline tickets. The money
would be used to fund environmental development.
European Press Review: “Sophisticated Political Theater”
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evuvj1Ifwf2zzI6
“Sophisticated political theater,” “perfect British diplomacy,”
— or both? The international press reacted to the release,
after 13 days’ captivity, of 15 British sailors held hostage
in Iran .
MI6 debriefing could take up to three days
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/05/wiran1005.xml
MI6 debriefing could take up to three days
By Thomas Harding
Last Updated: 2:05am BST 05/04/2007
Although the former prisoners are likely to spend the immediate hours
after their release with their families, the intelligence community will
be anxious to give them a thorough debriefing.
The ratings and officers can expect to be held for up to three days as
they are asked by military intelligence and MI6 officers to provide
details of their captivity.
The interrogators will be eager to find out what the captives told the
Iranians.
advertisement
It is unlikely that they knew anything that would have been of major
interest to Iranian intelligence.
They might have provided them with an idea of morale, training and
standard operating procedures.
The two officers would certainly have attracted the most attention from
Iranian interrogators as they would have access to intelligence the
other ranks would not.
Encouragingly neither bore any marks of physical assault, but British
intelligence will want to know if the Iranians used a more “cute” form
of interrogation.
Military sources have suggested that all the captives should undergo
toxicology tests as soon as they board the aircraft to see if they were
drugged.
There have been suggestions that their buoyant mood on camera might not
just have been down to team spirit.
The 15 will also be shown numerous pictures of senior Iraqi
intelligence figures to see if they can identify their interrogators.
Intelligence chiefs will also want to know what, if any, forms of
coercion were used, or if the captives were threatened to force them to
“confess”.
While the television pictures provided snapshots of their 13 days in
captivity, the MoD will want to know how they were treated for the rest
of the time.
This will play an important part in how Iran is treated diplomatically
after the crisis.
They will all certainly undergo psychological tests and will be offered
counselling.
It appears the sailors and Marines followed their Conduct After Capture
training by not doing anything that could harm their colleagues.
This was possibly why they agreed to appear on television.
They certainly gave coded signals to show that they were talking under
duress during the broadcasts.
For example, constantly referring to the frigate Cornwall as “Foxtrot
Ninety Nine” - the number painted on its side - is something a ship’s
crew would never do.
ISRIA has issued an exclusive report dealing with security threats
against the Tibet’s leader in exil, the Dalai Lama.
Please, support our research effort by subscribing :
http://www.isria.info/monitorpack.htm
or by forwarding this special report to your friends, relatives and
colleagues.
Threats against the Dalai Lama
(free, pdf, 1405 words) Lashkar-e-Taiba would plan to assassinate the
exiled Tibet Chief. Indian intelligence sources told the Dalai Lama,
nobel peace laureate and leader of Tibet’s peaceful resistance against
Beijing, is on the hist list of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT - Army of the
Righteous), an islamist terrorist group tied to Al Qaeda. This threat
against the exiled Tibetan Chief emerges almost one year after Bin Laden
told in a statement that “...Crusader International and pagan Buddhism
hold the 5 (UN) permanent seats and what is called the privilege of the
right of veto...
you can download the full report at:
http://www.isria.info/FILES/FREE/ISRIA_ThreatsagainsttheDalaiLama_6APRIL2007.pdf
Sincerely,
ISRIA - www.isria.com - contact@isria.com
Beslan memorial plan angers Russian Muslim leader
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0437788220070404?feedType=RSS
Beslan memorial plan angers Russian Muslim leader Wed Apr 4, 2007
10:23AM
EDT
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Plans to build a memorial to the 333 hostages killed
three years ago in the Beslan school siege have sparked a row between
Christians and Muslims in Russia.
The local Russian Orthodox diocese says it will build a church in the
grounds of Beslan’s school No. 1 to commemorate the victims — half of
them
children — killed in a clash between insurgents and Russian troops.
But one of Russia’s leading Muslim clerics has accused the Orthodox
church
of trying to hijack a national tragedy by building a memorial that he
said
would exclude the more than 20 million Muslims who live in the country.
“It is not acceptable to present this tragedy as the tragedy of
followers of
only one religion,” Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Council of
Russian Muftis, said in a statement.
“We need a monument on this site that symbolizes a national tragedy,
without
any religious undertones, where everyone can come and shed their
tears.”
Gainutdin is an outspoken Muslim leader in Russia, and other senior
clerics
have not spoken out about the memorial plans.
But the row has exposed faultlines between the communities which,
despite a
conflict between Moscow and rebels in Muslim Chechnya, have had largely
smooth relations. Russia is home to the biggest Muslim community in
Europe.
Wrangling over the memorial could also aggravate already raw divisions
between Muslims and Christians in the volatile North Caucasus region
that
includes Beslan.
Beslan and the area around it have a majority Christian population and
many
of them blame their Muslim neighbors for the bloodbath: the
hostage-takers
were Islamist militants from Chechnya and the neighboring Muslim region
of
Ingushetia.
BESLAN’S CHOICE
The local Russian Orthodox diocese said it plans to build the church
next to
the school sports hall, the spot where many of the hostages died after
a
bomb fixed to a basketball hoop went off, triggering a massive
gunbattle.
A spokesman for the diocese said a church was the memorial that the
people
of Beslan had chosen.
“It is not a case of someone coming along and taking this decision. It
is
the decision of the people who were hostages and whose children died
... and
it should be respected,” said spokesman Yevgeny Bronsky.
Asked about Muslims’ reaction to the plan he said: “We have not noticed
this
issue dividing anyone in Beslan.”
The administration of the North Ossetia region, of which Beslan is a
part,
contradicted the church, saying consultations on what form the memorial
would take were still being conducted.
“The people of Beslan ... will review the proposed options and will
make the
final choice,” it said in a statement.
Since the tragedy, the wrecked shell of the sports hall has become a
makeshift shrine, with candles on the floor and photographs of the
victims
pinned to the walls. Some victims’ relatives say it should be preserved
as a
permanent memorial.
[I had not heard that muslims were among the dead?]
CK: Dudieva: gym of Beslan school should be left as it is
Caucasian Knot / Memorial
4/4/2007
Dudieva: gym of Beslan school should be left as it is
Susanna Dudieva, chair of the “Beslan Mothers” Committee, thinks that
neither a temple nor a mosque can replace the “live” evidence of the
Beslan tragedy - the gym. “The school gym should be kept as it is in
the
capacity, if the word can suit here, of a historical value. The gym is
the tragedy venue. We think that the gym is not subject to renaming. It
cannot be named a preaching, exhibition or excursion hall. And it
cannot
be a part of a temple,” Susanna Dudieva told in her interview to the
correspondent of the “Caucasian Knot.”
We remind you that when Ravil Gainutdin, Chairman of the Russian Board
of Muftis, paid his recent visit to Beslan, he regretfully noted that
he
saw only an orthodox cross in the gym, while there was no Muslim symbol
- the crescent - in the place of the tragedy. The Mufti noted that
there
were believers of various confessions among the victims, including 178
Moslems.
Author: Alexandra Kondrasheva, CK correspondent
http://eng.kavkaz.memo.ru/newstext/engnews/id/1183259.htmlc