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Posted on 07/02/2008 7:02:59 PM PDT by nwctwx
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Note: The following text is a quote:
https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=87258
YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Mindanao (Philippines) Extreme Caution Urged
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
East Asia / Pacific - Philippines
10 Jul 2008
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RELATED REPORTS
29 May 2008
WARDEN MESSAGE: PHILIPPINES-ZAMBOANGA CITY EXPLOSION
28 May 2008
VIOLENT EXTORTION ATTEMPTS INCREASE IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
15 May 2008
PHILIPPINES 2008 CRIME & SAFETY REPORT
1 Apr 2008
WARDEN MESSAGE: ZAMBOANGA CITY (PHILIPPINES) KIDNAPPING THREAT
13 Feb 2008
TRAVEL WARNING: PHILIPPINES
U.S. Embassy Manila released the following Warden Message on July 10:
The Embassy is monitoring recent bombings in Mindanao against electrical power lines, as well as the defusing of improvised explosive devices on July 4 and 5. These acts may indicate a planned escalation of attacks, which could include shopping malls, commercial centers and other public gathering places. U.S. citizens should exercise extreme caution in Mindanao, particularly over the next several weeks.
U.S. citizens living and working in Mindanao are urged to reassess their personal security, keep a low profile, and avoid public gathering places. Americans living or traveling in the Philippines are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website, http://travelregistration.state.gov so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within the Philippines.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warning for the Philippines, and Country Specific Information for the Philippines can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada 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 American Citizen Services section at the U.S. Embassy in Manila can be reached at (02) 301-2000, ext. 2246; the after hours emergency number is (02) 301-2000; the fax number is (02) 301-2017. The Embassy’s web site, which includes consular information and the most recent messages to the American community in the Philippines, is at http://manila.usembassy.gov.
https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=87295
YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Uzbek Military Base Explosions
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
South / Central Asia - Uzbekistan
10 Jul 2008
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_932.html
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Fri Jul 11 2008 05:01:11 GMT-0700 (PDT).
SAUDI ARABIA
July 09, 2008
This Travel Warning updates information on the security situation in Saudi Arabia and reminds U.S. citizens of recommended security precautions. It supersedes the Travel Warning issued December 19, 2007.
The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia. There is an ongoing security threat due to the continued presence of terrorist groups, some affiliated with al Qaida, who may target Western interests, housing compounds, and other facilities where Westerners congregate. These terrorist groups may also target Saudi Government facilities and economic/commercial targets within the Kingdom.
In February 2007, four French tourists were killed in a terrorist incident on a desert track north of Medina. A gunman fired shots at the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah in May 2006. In February 2006, an attack was attempted on Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq in the Eastern Province. An armed attack on the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah on December 6, 2004, resulted in five deaths and eleven serious injuries among non-U.S. staff members.
Although terrorists have not conducted a successful attack against Westerners since February 2007, the United States Mission in Saudi Arabia remains an unaccompanied post as a result of continued security concerns. The Department of State has approved a family visitation program, in part because of the significant progress Saudi security forces have made in counteracting the terrorist threat within Saudi Arabia as they continue to arrest and break up terrorist cells.
From time to time, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia may restrict travel of official Americans or suspend public services for security reasons. In those instances, the Embassy and Consulates will keep the local American citizen community apprised through the Warden system and make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. Warden messages can be found on the U.S. Embassy Riyadh website: http://riyadh.usembassy.gov.
American citizens who choose to visit Saudi Arabia are strongly urged to avoid staying in hotels or housing compounds that do not apply stringent security measures and are also advised to maintain good situational awareness when visiting commercial establishments frequented by Westerners. American citizens also are advised to keep a low profile; vary times and routes of travel; exercise caution while driving, entering or exiting vehicles; and ensure that travel documents and visas are current and valid.
The Department of State advises that under Saudi law, married women need the permission of their husbands to leave Saudi Arabia and their children will require their father’s permission to exit the country. This is true regardless of nationality. The U.S. Embassy has very limited ability to facilitate exit permission.
On February 20, 2008, a new regulation took effect. It requires Saudi men seeking the mandatory permission from their government to marry a foreign woman to sign a binding document granting irrevocable permission for their foreign-born spouse, and children born to them and that spouse, to travel freely and unhindered in and out of Saudi Arabia. However, this regulation is not retroactive. Under Saudi law, women married to Saudi males prior to the effective date of these new regulations still need the permission of their husbands to leave Saudi Arabia, and their children require the permission of their fathers to leave the country.
Updated information on travel and security in Saudi Arabia may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 from within the U.S. or Canada or, from outside the U.S. or Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays.) For additional information, consult the Department of State’s Country Specific Information for Saudi Arabia, and the Worldwide Caution at http://travel.state.gov.
U.S. citizens who require emergency services may telephone the Embassy in Riyadh at (966) (1) 488-3800, the Consulate in Jeddah at (966) (2) 667-0080, or the Consulate in Dhahran at (966) (3) 330-3200.
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08070055.htm
Thursday, July 10, 2008
“Frontline Fellowship Missionaries attacked near Cape Town”
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (ANS) — During the Reclaiming Africa for Christ Biblical Worldview Summit, the Deputy Director of Frontline Fellowship, Charl van Wyk, and Creation Science lecturer Philip Stott, were held up in an attempted hijacking at Khayelitsha near Cape Town, South Africa, while en-route to record a radio program.
In an e-mail to ASSIST News, Frontline Fellowship reports that while two thugs pointed their automatic pistols at Philip Stott threatening and manhandling him, Charl van Wyk drew his pistol and opened fire, sending the assailants scurrying for cover.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/china
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2043869/posts
“Terror threat to Games: China shuts mosques”
Times of India ^ | 11 Jul 2008, 0101 hrs IST, | Saibal Dasgupta,TNN
Posted on July 11, 2008 5:10:32 AM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
placemark
bttt
The bannable comments that could be made with their TQ concept in mind.....
New deadly weapon stalks US troops in Iraq
U.S. fighting forces have been ducking “RPGs,” or Rocket Propelled Grenades, for years in Iraq, now they face an even deadlier weapon -- “IRAMs,” or Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions, fired by remote control from the backs of hit-and-run trucks.
The low-tech devices now favored by suspected Shiite militiamen use powerful 6.7-inch rockets to lob propane tanks jammed with hundreds of pounds of high explosives at Coalition targets....
IRAMs..yep.
Thanks MamaDearest.
UPDATE:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50481
“Remains Found in Iraq Identified as Missing Soldiers”
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2008
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50475
Coalition Troops in Iraq Detain Nine Suspected Terrorists
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2008 – Coalition forces in Iraq detained an alleged al-Qaida leader and eight other suspected terrorists during separate operations in Mosul, Beiji and Baghdad today, military officials said.
— Near Beiji, coalition forces captured the suspected al-Qaida bombing-cell leader. The detainee is linked to attacks on security forces and civilians in the Tigris River Valley. Two additional suspects were detained during the operation.
— In Baghdad, coalition forces detained two more suspected terrorists.
— In Mosul, four additional suspected al-Qaida terrorists were detained during another operation.
In other news, U.S. soldiers detained a key suspect during an operation in eastern Baghdad yesterday. The detainee is believed to be a criminal leader with ties to attacks in eastern Baghdad this year.
“Taking an individual like this off the streets of Baghdad is an important stepping stone toward the continued establishment of security for the people of Iraq,” said Army Maj. Joey Sullinger, a spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team. “Taking out these threats to Iraqi stability strengthens Iraq now and for future generations.”
In July 9 operations:
— U.S. soldiers seized contraband ordnance during two separate actions in and around Baghdad. The soldiers confiscated four rockets, 74 mortar rounds, two rocket fuses, and hundreds of rounds of small-arms ammunition.
— Iraqi soldiers patrolling the Sadr City district of Baghdad uncovered contraband weapons and materials. The Iraqi troops seized six mortars and four rockets. The weapons were turned in to U.S. soldiers at a joint security station. In a separate action, Iraqi soldiers found 171 copper blocks.
— U.S. soldiers detained two known criminals in Baghdad’s Bayaa neighborhood.
In July 8 operations, Iraqi scouts led U.S. military members to a large cache of explosives located near Numaniyah. The cache contained more than 1,300 anti-aircraft shells, 60 high-explosive artillery shells, six tank shells, and several shell casings. U.S. Navy explosives experts destroyed the cache.
Also July 8, U.S. soldiers detained six suspected terrorists and discovered three munitions caches during operations in southern Baghdad.
— Two suspected murderers were detained in Baghdad’s Zubaida neighborhood.
— Four suspects were detained in Baghdad’s Masafee sector.
— A concerned Iraqi citizen turned in two grenades and a battery to U.S. troops.
— U.S. soldiers discovered a 120 mm mortar round in Baghdad’s Jazair community.
— U.S. troops picked up two rocket-propelled grenades from a checkpoint manned by the “Sons of Iraq” citizen security group in Baghdad’s Hadar community.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
BLOG:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/07/taliban_shadow_gover.php
“Taliban “shadow” governor slain; Female warlord surrenders”
By MATT DUPEE
July 11, 2008 4:53 PM
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http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/07/more_than_100_terror.php
“”More than 100 terror camps” in operation in northwestern Pakistan”
By BILL ROGGIO
July 11, 2008 9:05 AM
GREAT Numbers guys and gals.
Thanks to all who have signed up to protect and serve our country.
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http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12052
“DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for June 2008”
(July 10, 2008)
July 11, 2008
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://washingtondc.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/wfo071108.htm
FORMER DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL SENTENCED TO 57 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ESPIONAGE VIOLATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gregg William Bergersen, age 51, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today in the Eastern District of Virginia to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to disclose national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it, in violation of 18 U.S.C., Sections 793(d) and (g). Bergersen pleaded guilty to this offense on March 31, 2008, after being arrested by federal authorities on February 11, 2008.
Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg of the Eastern District of Virginia; and Arthur M. Cummings, II, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema imposed the sentence.
“Mr. Bergersen betrayed his oath to serve and protect our nation when he used his government position to access and pass national defense information to a person he knew was not entitled to receive it. Today, he is paying the price for his actions,” said Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
“Mr. Bergersen predicted he would go to jail if anyone discovered he was unlawfully providing classified information to a foreign government. We did. He is,” said U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg.
“Espionage is one of the most serious crimes any American, much less a government official entrusted to serve and protect our Nation’s defense, can commit,” said FBI Executive Assistant Director Arthur M. Cummings, National Security Branch. “The FBI is working diligently with our partners in the law enforcement and intelligence community to safeguard America’s national defense information and to ensure individuals who commit such treasonous acts against the United States will be held fully accountable.”
According to a Statement of Facts filed in Court with Bergersen’s Plea Agreement, the criminal conduct spanned the time period of March 2007 to February 2008. During this time, Bergersen was a Weapons Systems Policy Analyst at the Arlington, Va.-based Defense Security Cooperation Agency, an agency within the Department of Defense.
While in this position, Bergersen provided national defense information on numerous occasions to Tai Shen Kuo, a naturalized U.S. citizen and a New Orleans businessman. Much of the information pertained to U.S. military sales to Taiwan and was classified at the Secret level.
During the course of the conspiracy, Kuo cultivated a friendship with Bergersen, bestowing on him gifts, cash payments, dinners, and money for gambling during trips to Las Vegas. Unbeknownst to Bergersen, Kuo passed along to an official of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) the information Bergersen had provided him. As described in court documents, Kuo operated within the United States under the PRC official’s direction, committing numerous acts of espionage during the time period of the conspiracy.
In some of his meetings with Kuo, Bergersen cautioned that the information he was providing was classified. On one such occasion, in July 2007, Bergersen handed Kuo a classified document with jagged cut marks at the top and bottom of each page. Bergersen pointed out to Kuo that he had cut off the document’s title and had also removed the classification markings from the top and bottom of every page, ensuring Kuo that he was being given classified information.
On May 13, 2008, Tai Shen Kuo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government, namely, the PRC, in violation of 18 U.S.C., Section 794(a), (c). Kuo is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8, 2008 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
On May 28, 2008, another conspirator in the case, Yu Xin Kang of New Orleans, La., pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an unregistered agent of a foreign government, namely the PRC, in violation of 18 U.S.C., Sections 2 and 951. According to court documents, Kang assisted Kuo by periodically serving as a conduit for information between Kuo and the PRC official. Kang faces up to ten years in prison when she is sentenced on August 1, 2008.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) provided substantial assistance and cooperation throughout the course of the investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil Hammerstrom and Aaron Zebley from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorney Ryan Fayhee from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://sanfrancisco.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2008/sf071108.htm
For Immediate Release
July 11, 2008
FORMER HEWLETT PACKARD VICE PRESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO THEFT OF IBM TRADE SECRETS
WASHINGTON - A former vice president of imaging and printing services at the Hewlett Packard Company (HP) pleaded guilty today to stealing trade secrets, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello for the Northern District of California.
Atul Malhotra, 42, of Santa Barbara, Calif., was charged on June 27, 2007, in a one count information with theft of trade secrets. According to court documents, from Nov. 17, 1997, to April 28, 2006, Malhotra was employed by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) as director of sales and business development in output management services for IBM Global Services. In pleading guilty, Malhoutra admitted that on March 15, 2006, while employed at IBM, he requested and received confidential information concerning IBM Global Services, CC Calibration Metrics. The trade secret information, marked confidential on each page, included data concerning product costs and materials that IBM used to compete in the marketplace. In providing the requested information, a pricing coordinator at IBM Global Services directed Malhotra not to distribute the information due to its sensitive nature.
In May 2006, Malhotra became a vice president of imaging and printing services for HP. According to plea documents, shortly after starting in his new position at HP, Malhotra shared IBM trade secrets with his superiors. On July 25, 2006, Malhotra sent an e-mail to an HP senior vice president with the subject, “For Your Eyes Only,” and attached the trade secret information for which he is charged with sharing. Two days later, on July 27, 2006, he sent an e-mail to another HP senior vice president with the subject, “For Your Eyes Only - confidential,” and attached the same trade secret information. The court documents also reveal that in th e e-mail message, Malhotra noted that knowledge of this information would help specific HP sales teams better understand their competitors’ goals as the teams determined pricing for prospective deals.
Sentencing in this case was set for Oct. 29, 2008, by U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel, who accepted the plea at the federal courthouse in San Jose, Calif. At sentencing, Malhotra faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a three-year term of supervised release.
IBM and HP fully cooperated in the investigation of this case.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark L. Krotoski, presently at the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Susan Knight of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, with the assistance of Paralegals Glenn Gordon and Tracey Andersen. The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI. The California Attorney General’s Office also assisted on the case.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3567134,00.html
“2 hurt in Jerusalem shooting”
SNIPPET: “Terror attack in capital: Shots fired at Israelis standing at Old City’s Lions’ Gate from nearby cemetery Friday night; two Israelis wounded, taken to hospital in Jerusalem. Police seal off roads in area, searching for terrorist”
Efrat Weiss
Latest Update: 07.12.08, 01:38 / Israel News
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Two Israelis were hurt in a shooting attack near the Lions’ Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City Friday night. One of them sustained serious wounds in the incident while the other one was moderately injured.
Around midnight, several shots were fired at Israelis standing near the Old City gate. Large police forces and paramedics were promptly dispatched to the scene. Police officers were scouring the area for the shooter.
The two shooting victims were taken to hospital in Jerusalem. Shortly thereafter, Police sealed off roads around the attack site and called in a helicopter to assist them in the manhunt for the attacker.
An initial examination of the scene revealed that the two victims used their own weapons to fire back at their attacker. At this time, it is unclear whether the shooter was hurt. Police officers are searching for him inside the cemetery.”
Kuwait arrests militant leader honing youth for Afghan jihad
The State Security have detained a suspected Kuwaiti militant leader accused of coordinating activities of some youths who are planning to travel to Afghanistan and join the militants in the country, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily. No other details were able on the person who had been detained. Recently the Interior Minister had said that the authorities were keeping a close eye on all those who were involved in such activities as well as on ‘sleeper cells.’
Threat prompts UK to shift Pak visa office to Dubai
The British High Commission in the Pakistan capital is planning to move its visa office to Dubai apparently due to security concerns following a string of terror attacks.
Plans for the move had been in the pipeline for some time due to threats by Al Qaida and Taliban against Western citizens and installations in Pakistan.
Saudi religious police to receive weapons
Saudi religious police, under heavy criticism, plan to receive weapons. Officials said the Saudi religious police, who ensure the segregation of sexes and enforce Islamic law, would receive a range of light weapons for protection. They said the police, known as the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, have come under threats from young people in the kingdom.
"I am afraid of a new generation that is in the making in the kingdom, who despises the commission members and their activities," commission president Ibrahim Al Gaith said.
Officials said the decision to arm the 10,000-member religious police was based on an official study. The study by the King Saud University and the King Abdullah Institute for Research and Consultative Studies recommended that religious police acquire weapons and employ them during patrols and operations.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044213/posts
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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/999795.html
Last update - 08:18 08/07/2008
“Fear of calling a terrorist a terrorist”
By Bradley Burston
Mexico City police are investigating classified advertisements posted on the Internet by people offering their services as hired killers for as little as $6,000, police said on Friday.
One post on the Web site, which hosts free ads for people selling old home appliances or renting apartments, advertises the services of an "ex-military hitman, professional and discrete."
The man promises a "job guaranteed in 10 days or less" and adds "I have worked in Spain, only serious offers, $6,000."
New Mexico man pleads guilty as investigators target illegal gun sales
A New Mexico man pleaded guilty to fraud and forgery charges in Arizona Thursday in connection with arms purchases tied to gun trafficking. The case comes as federal, state and Phoenix-area law enforcement officials investigate links between Mexican gun runners, drug cartels and purchases made at Phoenix-area gun stores and dealers.
The Arizona Attorney General's office alleged that some of the guns purchased by 23-year-old Victor Varela in the Phoenix area are connected to crimes committed by Mexican drug cartels.
US sought extradition too late
The United States did not ask Mexico to arrange for a suspect's extradition in the death of a Border Patrol agent until the man had been freed, a Mexican government spokesman said yesterday.
“Saudi religious police, under heavy criticism, plan to receive weapons.”
That’s a shame.
I’m very glad I’m not there and have no plans to ever visit Saudi Arabia.
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