Maravot world news

01.31.06 Update, 01.29.06 The rumour is that Iran will carry out a nuclear experiment in March...– Iran to continue exporting oil..

January 29 – Teheran is getting ready to counter a �preemptive strike� by USA and Israel. The Air Force Command of the Revolutionary Guard has ordered its Shahap-3 Missile Units to keep their mobile missile ramps in motion in preparation for such an attack. Responding to this order, in darkness of the night the primary missile ramps have been moved to Kirmanshah and Hamedan, and the reserve ramps to Isfahan and Fars regions.

The above actions are the basis for the efforts of the USA to attract Russia and China, as well as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to its side, and for commenting that a military intervention is always on the table. These actions are also the basis for Israel�s overt preparation for a possible offensive action and for making authoritative announcements that it �will not permit Iran� to proceed with its nuclear plans. Suddenly, all these activities have created a renewed global atmosphere of war. They are spreading anxiety and paranoia. [More>>turkishpress.com ; See related articles, iranfocus.com, "Rafsanjani says Iran must defend regional ally Syria," and via Iranfocus.com, timesonline.co.uk, "North Korea's plutonium pile attracts Iran."

January 31 Update, Jerusalem Post (AP) "Iran to continue exporting oil, for now." – Iran announced Tuesday afternoon that it would, for the time being, continue exporting oil from its territory. Earlier, Iran's top nuclear negotiator warned that if their nuclear file was referred to the UN Security Council, it would be the "end of diplomacy."

"Referring or reporting Iran's dossier to the UN Security Council will be unconstructive and the end of diplomacy," state television quoted Ali Larijani as saying. The Iranian Government Spokesman said that it was Iran's legitimate right to continue with its nuclear research and to persevere with its Uranium enrichment program. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council reached a surprising agreement Tuesday that Iran should be hauled before the powerful body over its disputed nuclear program...

January 31 Update, timesonline.co.uk, "Invade Iran? There's another way, stupid." – Martin Samuel's editorial reviews the options of doing nothing about Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, applying sanctions, taking out Iran's nuclear facilities through a limited war, or invading Iran as the US and Britain did in Iraq : There is no situation in the Middle East so dire, that we cannot get a white guy in to make it worse. Next on the agenda: let�s bomb Iran. Yeah. That�ll work. The gentleman who commissions these columns from me once described their leitmotiv as the phrase �I�m surrounded by idiots." He has a point. The word stupid was employed to deride eight opinions/government objectives/patterns of behaviour in society in the past year. And I wanted 2006 to be different, really I did. But, sorry, here we go again...]

01.30.06 Update, 01.28.06 Post-Katrina promises unfulfilled – Newsweek : Katrina's paper trail

January 28 – Nearly five months after Hurricane Katrina swamped New Orleans, President Bush's lofty promises to rebuild the Gulf Coast have been frustrated by bureaucratic failures and competing priorities, a review of events since the hurricane shows. While the administration can claim some clear progress, Bush's ringing call from New Orleans's Jackson Square on Sept. 15 to "do what it takes" to make the city rise from the waters has not been matched by action, critics at multiple levels of government say, resulting in a record that is largely incomplete as Bush heads into next week's State of the Union address. [More>>washingtonpost.com ; See related stories, wwltv.com, "Nagin [mayor of New Orleans] says White House balked at price tag of rebuilding plan." ; Update January 30, msnbc.msn.com, "Katrina's paper trail – Newsweek."] and Maravot News Historical trend on the New Orleans debacle]

01.30.06 Iraq health minister says dead teenager had bird flu

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) January 30 – An Iraqi girl who died on Jan. 17 in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya, had bird flu, Iraq�s health minister said on Monday, despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) having initially ruled that out. "The test of Tijan�s blood emphasized that she had bird flu from the kind that kills humans," Health Minister Abdul Muttalib Mohammed Ali told a news briefing in Sulaimaniya, referring to the teenager, Tijan Abdel-Qader...The WHO said on Saturday it was also carrying out tests on the girl�s uncle, who died last Friday. Sulaimaniya is close to Iraq�s border with Turkey, which has reported an outbreak of the deadly avian virus among people. Iraqi officials have said previously that the girl lived close to a lake that is a haven for migratory birds flying south from Turkey, where more than 20 people have been confirmed as having the H5N1 virus. [Full story>>khaleejtimes.com]

Updates: 01.30.06, 01.29.06, 01.28.06 Melting ice starts rush for Arctic resources ; Debate on climate shifts to irreparable change

January 28 – It is covered by thick ice, plunged into darkness for much of the year, and blasted by freezing winds. But the Arctic Ocean is being transformed by global warming from a no-man�s-land into the front line of a scramble for resources. The melting of the ice pack is opening up vast reserves of offshore oil and gas, new shipping routes and fishing grounds, according to experts at the World Economic Forum. But the scramble for Arctic wealth is complicated by the lack of agreement on which countries have legal claim to the territory, as well as border disputes, including those between Russia and the US. [More>>timesonline.co.uk ; See also independent.co.uk, "Canada issues warning to US over Arctic passage." and related story, nytimes.com, "Climate expert says NASA tried to silence him." and Historical trend on the New Orleans debacle.

Updated article, January 29, washingtonpost.com, "Debate on climate shifts to issue of irreparable change." ;

Updated article, January 30, timesonline.co.uk, "World has only 20 years to stop climate disaster."]

01.29.06 Blair and Bush 'conspired to go to war regardless of United Nations'

January 29 – Tony Blair knew that George Bush was only "going through the motions" of offering support for a second UN resolution in the run-up to the Iraq war, it was claimed last night. According to reports in The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister and the US President decided to go to war regardless of whether they obtained UN backing. The allegations will undermine claims that the final decision to go to war was not made until MPs voted in the Commons a day before military action. It will also bolster claims that the President and Mr. Blair decided to go to war months before military action began.

An updated edition of a book by Philippe Sands QC, a leading human rights barrister and Professor of Law at London University, to be published in Britain this week, is expected to strengthen claims that President Bush decided to go to war with or without UN backing, and that he had Mr. Blair's support. [More>>independent.co.uk]

01.29.06 ABC News' Bob Woodruff and Cameraman in stable condition after Iraq attack

January 29 – "World News Tonight" co-anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt are both out of surgery and in stable condition following surgery at a U.S. military hospital in Iraq. The two and an Iraqi soldier were seriously injured when their convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device in Iraq today.

"We take this as good news, but the next few days will be critical," ABC News President David Westin said in a statement. "The military plans to evacuate them to their medical facilities in Landstuhl, probably overnight tonight." Woodruff and Vogt underwent surgery at the U.S. military hospital in Balad. Both men suffered head injuries. Woodruff sustained shrapnel wounds and Vogt was hit by shrapnel in the head and suffered a broken shoulder.

Woodruff, Vogt and their four-man team were traveling in a convoy with Iraqi security forces in Taji, Iraq. They had been embedded with the 4th Infantry Division and were in a mechanized vehicle on a combined operation with Iraqi Army and Coalition forces when the explosive went off. The explosion was followed by small arms fire.

"This is very common over there now," said White House correspondent Martha Raddatz on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" today. [More>>abcnews.go.com ; See related article (timesonline.co.uk, " Death of journalists in Iraq near Vietnam toll,") Maravot News1.15.06]

01.29.06 Bombs kill 20 Iraqis, target churches

January 29 – At least 20 Iraqis have been killed in attacks and bombings, including six coordinated car bombs set off near churches, while a roadside bombing has wounded a US television news anchor and his cameraman. At least 16 Iraqis were killed on Sunday in Iraq in a series of attacks which were followed by the bombings by churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk.

Car bombs exploded in a coordinated spree of attacks outside the Vatican mission and at least four churches in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk within 20 minutes, killing at least three Iraqis and wounding nine. Police Colonel Birhan Taha said three civilians were killed and one wounded in the attack on the Church of the Virgin in Kirkuk at 4.30pm on Sunday. Fifteen minutes earlier, a car bomb exploded outside an Orthodox church, wounding six civilians. Both cars were detonated by remote control, Taha said. [More>>aljazeera.net]

01.29.06 Zahar: Israel must change its flag

January 29 – A senior Hamas leader indicated Sunday that his group's landslide victory in Palestinian legislative elections changed little in its stance toward Israel. Mahmoud Zahar's comments came after Minister Shaul Mofaz said in Sunday's cabinet meeting that Hamas was, at this point, acting "responsibly," and added that he believed that the organization would soon attempt to rein in terror.

Asked if a Hamas-led Palestinian government would accept Israel's right to exist, Mahmoud Zahar of the Gaza Strip told CNN's "Late Edition": "The question should be answered first by Israel, because they are not accepting us, except as minority, not the owner of the land."

Among his several conditions he placed on israel was an outrageous request that it change its flag. "Israel must remove the two Blue stripes from its National flag", said Zahar." The stripes on the flag are symbols of occupation. They signify Israel's borders stretching from the River Euphrates to the River Nile."

Zahar was also asked if Hamas, which America views as a terrorist organization, would renounce terrorism. "What is the international definition of terrorism?" he responded. "When (Israeli forces) attack houses by F-16, just when they are using helicopters, when they are killing people and children and removing our agriculture system, this is terrorism." Zahar said Hamas planned to work with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas..[Full story>>Jerusalem Post]

Editorial note: Rumours and myths work behind the sidelines of strife Saddam Hussein expressed the same view at the time he was attacking Israel with Scud missiles (See guardian.co.uk, January 18, 1991, "Iraqi missiles strike Israel," Saddam complained about the Israeli territorial ambitions, reaching from the "Nile River to the Euphrates." This complaint derives from a promise made to Abraham in the Book of Genesis 15.18, where Abraham was told, "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.. " The Israeli's have concluded that the "River of Egypt" was not the Nile River but rather a wadi where its current border with Sinai / Egypt is. Details on this argument and others are discussed in "Philistia triumph thou because of me," a book listed in the sidebar. It is unfortunate that the leaders and media on both sides of the strife involving Israel have not read the documents that relate to the formation of Israel, including those of the UN, Israel, the Bible, the Koran, etc. Rather, they listen to myths and rumours and kill using the myths and rumours.
Mel Copeland

01.29.06 'Suicide bombers' among nine arrested in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, January 29 – Afghan security forces have arrested nine people, including would-be suicide bombers and two Pakistan nationals, for allegedly planning attacks, a provincial governor said Sunday. The nine were arrested in a series of search operations over the past few days in insurgency-hit southern Kandahar province, governor Asadullah Khalid said.

"They were arrested with explosives and vehicles which they planned to use for attacks," Khalid said. "Among the nine are people who were suicide bombers." The army said meanwhile that it had apprehended a senior military commander for the ousted Taliban regime and four alleged attackers in the province over the past two to three days. [More>>jang.com.pk]

01.29.06 Force alone won't defeat extremism

WASHINGTON (PPI) January 29 – President General Pervez Musharraf, a crucial United States ally in the war on terrorism, has a message for US President George Bush. Interviewed after the recent US airstrike against alleged Al-Qaeda targets in Bajaur Agency, he discounted importance of capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.
"A military strategy alone won�t defeat forces of extremism," President Musharraf told Newsweek-Washington Post�s Lally Weymouth at annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and published on Saturday. He outlined his view of how to win the war on terrorism.

01.29.06 Suspected Turkish Al-Qaeda militant held in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, January 29 – Pakistani security forces arrested a suspected Turkish Al-Qaeda militant in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, a security official said Sunday. The man, seized on Saturday, identified himself as Mohammad Yusuf and said he was a Turkish national, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The 25-year-old was apprehended when security forces stopped a vehicle at a check point at Shah Alam, five kilometers (about three miles) from Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan region, he said.

Pakistan has deployed thousands of troops into the tribal areas to hunt down Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who crossed the border after Afghanistan's hardline Taliban Islamic regime fell in late 2001. Security officials say Pakistan has captured some 700 Al-Qaeda linked militants and conducted a series of operations to flush out militants from the rugged tribal terrain. Around 250 Pakistani soldiers and many more alleged militants died in a crackdown on insurgents in 2004. [jang.com.pk]

01.29.05 Update, 01.28.06 The fears of the West, China and Saudi oil; China's use of cars accelerating rapidly

January 27 – An economic expert said that if China becomes a country using cars at the same rate of Western countries, it would need to consume the total annual Middle East oil production. A World Bank report urged China to change its current growth pattern since it would lead to daily and disastrous environmental threats because of the coal consumption in its economic production.

Undeniably, the visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, to China and India is of paramount importance. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stores the biggest oil reserves in the world and is the primary source of oil to China, which imports 17 per cent of its needs from the Kingdom. China is looking for a political partner that would contribute to providing its oil needs. [More>>daralhayat.com ; See also January 29 chinabroadcast.cn, "One in ten Beijingers owns a car."]

Update 01.29.06, 01.26.06 Indonesian vendor dies of bird flu – hospital; Bird flu confirmed in Cyprus

JAKARTA (Reuters) January 26 – An Indonesian chicken seller whom local tests showed had been infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus has died, a hospital official said on Thursday. If confirmed by outside laboratories recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the case would take total known deaths in Indonesia from avian flu to 15. "The 22-year-old man died at 2 p.m. He was the vendor from a traditional market and the only positive case that we were treating today," said Ilham Patu, a spokesman of the Jakarta hospital designated to deal with bird flu patients. [More>>thestar.com.my ; See related story, khaleejtimes.com, "Bird flu found in northern Cyprus" : NICOSIA (AFP) : Bird flu has been detected in poultry in the Turkish-held north of Cyprus, but it was not yet clear whether it was the highly infectious strain of the virus that is deadly to humans, a senior Turkish Cypriot official said...; Update January 29, bbc.co.uk., Deadly bird flu found in Cyprus."]

01.28.06 Washington was warned by Israel; Now we wait for the 'Hamas Effect' to hit Amman and Cairo

January 29 – An editorial by Aluf Benn analyzes the "wave of democracy" spawned by Washington in the Middle East. He reviews how the Shah of Iran, criticized by Washington, collapsed, leaving a hostile regime in place. He says .." Israel saw in Bush's democratization initiative a pretension of naive Americans who had no idea of the reality in the region. Israel still remembers the Shah of Iran, who fell from power after America reprimanded him for the infringement of human rights, and was replaced by a hostile regime seeking to annihilate Zionism and make atom bombs.

The Israelis warned the Americans that unsupervised Arab democracy will bring the Muslim Brotherhood to power, not pro-Western liberals. But Washington refused to listen and insisted on holding the elections on schedule. The new reality requires both Washington and Jerusalem to reevaluate the situation, before the Hamas effect hits Amman and Cairo. In any case, it will be hard to turn back democratic change and resume the comfortable relations with the old dictatorships. [Full story>>haaretzdaily.com]

01.28.06 Chavez warns US over spy case

January 28 – Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela, has warned he could jail US Embassy officials caught spying after accusing them of links to Venezuelan officers suspected of espionage for the Pentagon. The charges of US spying are the latest test of relations between the United States and Chavez, a fierce critic of Washington who wants to bring socialist revolution to the world's fifth-largest oil exporter. Chavez, a close ally of communist-run Cuba, calls George Bush, the US President, "Mr. Dange" and has often charged Washington with planning to overthrow him since he survived a 2002 coup he says was backed by the US government.

"We have uncovered a case, another espionage case," Chavez told an audience at a World Social Forum event on Friday where he was joined by peace activists and Ricardo Alarcon, the National Assembly Speaker of Cuba. "I warn the US government ... the next time we detect an officer or a civilian official, above all US military officers, trying to get information from our armed forces, we're going to lock them up," he said. [More>>aljazeera.net]

01.28.06 Iran warns US, Britain of reprisals

TEHRAN, January 28 – Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Saturday warned the United States and Britain that Iran would respond with its missiles if attacked, a clear threat to Israel, which lies within easy range of such a launch. "The world knows Iran has a ballistic missile power with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles)," Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi said on state-run television.

Iran's improved version of Shihab-3 missile can strike more than 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from their launch site, putting Israel and US forces in the Middle East in easy range. "We have no intention to invade any country. We will take effective defense measures if attacked," he said. "These missiles are in the possession of the Guards." [More>>Jerusalem Post]

01.28.06 Fatah activists enter PA Chairman Abbas' compound, pray at Arafat's grave

January 28 – Hundreds of Fatah activists, angry at their party's election defeat, entered the compound of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday to pray at the grave of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The group, which included several gunmen, were allowed into the compound by guards and peacefully proceeded toward Arafat's tomb in an empty lot inside. Abbas' security force formed a cordon around the activists to prevent them from approaching the nearby building that holds the Palestinian leader's office. As the protesters marched toward the compound they chanted: "Abu Amar, we are defending you with our souls," referring to Arafat by his nickname.

Earlier Saturday, Fatah gunmen and PA police, angry at Hamas' election victory, briefly took over parliament buildings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and opened fire in the air, witnesses said. Thousands of angry Fatah activists, led by masked gunmen firing wildly in the air, marched in the West Bank towns on Saturday, demanding the resignation of party leaders following Fatah's defeat by the Islamic militant Hamas in this week's parliament election. Some of the gunmen threatened to resume attacks against Israel, and others warned they' by would kill Fatah politician who join a Hamas government. [More.>haaretzdaily.com ; See related story, dailystar.com.lb, "Arab press hails 'election coup' but wary of a future under Hamas."]

01.28.06 India changes tune, defends Iran

NEW DELHI, January 27 – India on Friday distanced itself from US-led calls to isolate Iran at next week�s meeting of the IAEA after controversial remarks on the issue by Washington�s envoy to Delhi enraged the nation as seldom seen before. The Indian foreign ministry, facing a barrage of criticism for apparent obsequiousness towards Washington that ranged from allies in the Left Front to former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, appeared to have rowed back from its recent bonhomie with the United States.

�During the past two weeks, India has been undertaking active consultations with all key members of the IAEA Board of Governors and with Iran, in order to avoid confrontation and to promote the widest possible consensus on handling the Iran nuclear issue,� a spokesman for the Indian foreign ministry said. He explained that in all the consultations, India has urged �that Iran�s right to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy for its development consistent with its international obligations and commitments should be respected." [More>>dawn.com ; See also khaleejtimes.com, " India pushes softer line in dealing with Iran's nuclear program."]

01.27.06 New coalitions forming against the US due to Bush's medaevil policies

January 27 (Maravot News – a letter sent to Senator Feinstein) –

Senator Feinstein,

Are you aware of the trends now taking place in Hamas that are on a new front: An alliance among Iran's Ahmendenijad, Syria, and Hamas; that Khalad Mashal is returning from exile (in Damascus) to Gaza? He, Mahmoud Zahar and Ismail Haniyeh are "widely considered to be the three most senior figures in Hamas?" We have posted these links at Maravot News – in today's stories, to the effect that both Mashal and Zahar are committed to continuing the resistance against Israel. The development spells out a coalition forming between Palestine, Syria and Iran. In today�s publication Iran has announced forming greater ties with the new South American "Socialist" countries.

It's on the surface all about oil which is being used as a trump card to undermine US interests and influence, and this is the beginning, as it appears, since we all know that Iran has also played that card in solidifying support with China, India and Pakistan, who need Iranian pipelines and Russia, who has not only oil interests with Iran (sharing the Caspian Sea, etc.) but also a few days ago announced that it intends to become the world's foremost supplier of nuclear power plants, including Iran's.

01.27.06 Iran to develop relations with Latin America

TEHRAN, January 27 – Chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Borujerdi said on Friday that the political, revolutionary and anti-imperialistic developments in Latin America as well as its great economic potential form the main grounds for boosting Iran�s relationship with Latin American countries. Upon arriving in Tehran after his one-week visit to Bolivia where he attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new Bolivian President Evo Morales, Borujerdi referred to his victory as a new turning point in the modern history of Latin America.

The ceremony was attended by the presidents of Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Sahara Republic and Slovenia, as well as the vice presidents of Cuba, Dominican and the Spanish prince. Borujerdi underlined the great potential of Latin American countries to establish economic cooperation with Iran, adding that Iran has lots of motivations to develop cooperation with Latin American countries. [More>>mehrnews.ir]

01.27.06 GDP nosedive could handcuff Bush

January 27 – A surprising government report this morning showed US economic growth slowed considerably in the fourth quarter of 2004, an indication that skyrocketing energy prices were hitting consumers' wallets and slowing spending. The Department of Commerce report showed that the nation's economy grew at an anemic 1.1 percent — the worst performance in three years. [More>>abcnews.go.com] ; See related stories, xinhuanet.com, "China's economy grows 9.9 percent in 2005" and xinhuanet.com, January 25, "China, India still highest-growth economies: UN report" : The world economy will grow by slightly more than 3 percent in 2006, with China and India still the highest-growth economies, according to a report released by the United Nations (UN) here on Wednesday. The slowing trend in the world economy following 2005 reflects a maturing of the recent global economic recovery, the UN's World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006 reports.

Predicted growth in 2006 is similar to the average growth of the world economy in the past ten years. Benefiting from a favorable international environment of low interest rates, low inflation and strong commodity demand, the developing world is projected by the UN report to grow by slightly more than 5.5 percent this year, following an estimated 5.7 percent growth in 2005 and 6.6 percent in 2004.

Growing at 6.6 percent, the 50 least developed countries are expected to reach the fastest average growth they have had for decades, says the report. However, the per capita income of the least developed countries is still not enough to meet the Millennium Development Goals of halving the number of the world's poor, said the report...]

01.27.06 World has very limited extra capacity for oil production

LONDON (AFP) January 28 – The additional capacity of the world's leading oil producers is very limited at present. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – which produces 40 percent of global oil supplies – with the ability to pump significantly more fuel. While Iraq's spare capacity is similar to that of Saudi Arabia, it does not have the ability to supply the extra oil owing to violence and sabotage to energy facilities in the troubled country. Iran, which is pushing for a cut in OPEC production, would anyway be unlikely to hike its own output owing to rising tensions over its nuclear ambitions. Outside OPEC, other large producers are also pumping at full speed, including the United States and Russia. Analysts estimate the world's total extra production capacity is about 1.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) but could reach 2.0 mbpd by the end of 2006.

These figures exclude Iraq and Nigeria because of ongoing troubles in both countries. It also discounts Venezuela because of unreliable data from the South American country and Indonesia, which recently became a net importer of oil. [More>>(AFP) thejakartapost.com]

Editorial note: The oil sands in Alberta, Canada are believed to have considerably more reserves in capacity than Saudi Arabia's, according to a recent CBS "60 Minutes" report.

01.27.06 Hamas supreme leader 'returning from exile'

January 27 – Khaled Mashal, the exiled supreme leader of Hamas and one of Israel's most wanted men, has signalled his intention to return to the Gaza Strip following the organisation's landslide victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections. The European Union is said to be facilitating Mr. Mashal's return from Damascus next week, when he will begin talks with President Mahmoud Abbas over a possible political partnership with the ousted Fatah party to form a new government.

01.27.06 Fatah members, protesting Hamas win, storm Gaza streets

January 27 – As leaders worldwide offered varied responses to Hamas's landslide victory in Palestinian Legislative Council elections, thousands of members of the ruling Fatah Party burned cars and shot in the air in demonstrations across the Gaza Strip, demanding the resignation of corrupt officials and insisting that Fatah form no coalition with Hamas.

About 1,000 angry party activists, including 100 gunmen, drove by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' resident in Gaza, calling from loudspeakers for all corrupt leaders to step down and urging Abbas not to form a coalition with Hamas. Abbas was in the West Bank town of Ramallah at the time.

"We don't want to join the Hamas government. We don't want corrupt leadership. We want reform and we want to fire all the corrupt," one group of thousands of people gathered outside a Palestinian government building in Gaza City said. Several gunmen shot in the air. About 15,000 Fatah activists were demonstrating throughout Gaza. [More>>Jerusalem Post and T.V. networks]

01.26.06 Columbia dismantles false passport ring

BOGOTA, Columbia (Reuters) January 26 – Colombia arrested 19 members of a passport-forging ring with links to Islamic militant groups Hamas and al-Qaida that enabled foreign nationals to travel in the United States and Europe under false documents, the attorney general�s office said Thursday. "Some of the suspects are wanted for extradition by the United States for collaborating with terrorist groups Hamas and al-Qaida," Deputy Attorney General Alberto Otalora told reporters. [More>>msnbc.msn.com ; See more details, in Spanish, elespectador.com, "Autoridades colombianas capturaron a ocho personas solicitadas en extradición por EE.UU" : En total, fueron 19 las personas capturadas. Entre éstos figuran dos agentes activos y uno inactivo del DAS, quienes harían parte de una red que falsificaba documentos para personas pertenecientes a Al Qaeda y Hamas.

El vicefiscal general, Jorge Armando Otálora, dijo a la prensa que las detenciones fueron realizadas durante una gran redada contra una red de tráfico de personas que también permitió el arresto de otros once individuos...]

01.26.06 Kerry will try Alito filibuster

WASHINGTON, January 26 – Senator John Kerry will attempt a filibuster to block the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, CNN has learned. Kerry, in Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum, was marshaling support in phone calls during the day, he told CNN.

Kerry said he told a group of Democratic senators Wednesday, and urged that they join him. Kerry said he has the support of fellow Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. Some senior Democrats told CNN they are worried that the move could backfire.

Republicans would need 60 votes to overturn a filibuster – a procedural move that extends Senate debate indefinitely, effectively blocking a vote. Senior White House officials said the move would make the Democrats look bad, and that Republicans believe they have enough votes to overcome any filibuster attempt. [More>>cnn.com]

01.26.06 Bush: To be a peace partner, Hamas must give up violence

January 26 – Following reports on Thursday of Hamas's expected victory in the PLC elections, the organizations supporters clashed with Fatah loyalists outside the Palestinian parliament building in Ramallah. The Hamas members broke into the building and raised its flag over the parliament. Both sides threw stones and broke windows. The riots reportedly spread throughout Ramallah. By early Thursday morning it had become clear that Hamas had shocked prognosticators by winning 75 parliament seats, including virtually all 66 seats in electoral districts.

01.26.06 Deadly freeze stretches gas supplies to eastern Europe

January 26 – The exceptionally cold weather in eastern and central Europe has claimed scores of lives, forcing factories to suspend work and stretching some countries' gas supplies to breaking point. Parts of Ukraine, Romania, the Baltic republics and the Czech Republic were reporting temperatures of minus 30C as the biting cold that held Russia in its grip for so long gradually moved westwards and towards the south of Europe.

Unusually, temperatures below minus 30C have been recorded in the mountains of northern Italy, and in Athens a fine patina of snow is covering the Acropolis. In the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where the winters are usually mild, the government struggled to keep people warm. In Tblisi yesterday, the misery caused by temperatures of minus 10C was compounded by a mysterious explosion a few days ago that ripped through the main pipeline supplying Georgia with Russian gas. [More>>independent.co.uk]

01.26.06 Spyware developer arrested over online money theft

TOKYO, January 26 – Police said Thursday they have arrested the developer of a spyware program that was used in the theft of 216,000 yen from a Japan Net Bank account last year...which is designed to steal data from computers..attaching the spyware in an email sent to a jewelry company in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, in June last year and stealing its ID and PIN code...[Full story>>crisscross.com]

01.25.06 Russia to mine on the moon by 2020

January 26 – Russia is planning to mine a rare fuel on the moon by 2020 with a permanent base and a heavy-cargo transport link, a Russian space official says. "We are planning to build a permanent base on the moon by 2015 and by 2020 we can begin the industrial-scale delivery ... of the rare isotope Helium-3," Nikolai Sevastyanov, head of the Energia space corporation, was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying at an academic conference.

The International Space Station (ISS) would play a key role in the project and a regular transport relay to the moon would be established with the help of the planned Clipper spaceship and the Parom, a space capsule intended to tug heavy cargo containers around space, Mr. Sevastyanov said.

Helium-3 is a non-radioactive isotope of helium that can be used in nuclear fusion. Rare on earth but plentiful on the moon, it is seen by some experts as an ideal fuel because it is powerful, non-polluting and generates almost no radioactive by-product. [theaustralian.news.com.au]

01.25.06 The case for impeachment – It's not just for radicals anymore

SAN FRANCISCO, CA., January 25 – Steven T. Jones, The San Francisco Guardian, "outlines the case for impeaching President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney...The article, written by City Editor Steven T. Jones, cites top Constitutional lawyers and scholars as well as political figures to make the case that Bush and Cheney have abused executive authority to the point where they may well have committed impeachable offenses.

The article chronicles a growing grassroots movement that has largely escaped the notice of the mainstream news media. Jones' piece and an accompanying note by Executive Editor Tim Redmond, chide the leadership of the Democratic Party for its failures to press the impeachment issue." (David Swanson, afterdowningstreet.org): Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, held a Jan. 14 town hall meeting back home in San Francisco. It's the sort of thing congressional representatives do routinely, and in safe districts it's often more of a pep rally and love fest than anything else. But on this day Pelosi was quickly confronted by a new political reality.

Antiwar protesters have already been dogging Pelosi for some time now over her failure to push Democrats to support withdrawal from Iraq. About 30 activists wielding antiwar signs filed into the Marina Middle School auditorium shortly after Pelosi's presentation began, first lining the walls, then moving up to stand right in front of the stage.

01.25.06 White House declines to provide Storm Papers

WASHINGTON, January 25 – The Bush administration, citing the confidentiality of executive branch communications, said Tuesday that it did not plan to turn over certain documents about Hurricane Katrina or make senior White House officials available for sworn testimony before two Congressional committees investigating the storm response.

The White House this week also formally notified Representative Richard H. Baker, Republican of Louisiana, that it would not support his legislation creating a federally financed reconstruction program for the state that would bail out homeowners and mortgage lenders. Many Louisiana officials consider the bill crucial to recovery, but administration officials said the state would have to use community development money appropriated by Congress. The White House's stance on storm-related documents, along with slow or incomplete responses by other agencies, threatens to undermine efforts to identify what went wrong, Democrats on the committees said Tuesday. [More>>nytimes.com]

01.25.06 South Korean President Roh cautions Washington hawks

January 25 – President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday warned there will be conflict between Seoul and Washington if the United States tries to pressure or bring down the North Korean regime. "There is no difference in views between Korea and the United States ... but the Korean government does not agree to the opinions of some in Washington who wish for a collapse of the North Korean regime or their attempts to pressure it," Roh said in his New Year news conference at Cheong Wa Dae. "If the U.S. government tries to solve a problem through such a method, there will be differences in views between Korea and the United States." Visible strains have appeared between Seoul and Washington lately over the latter's financial countermeasures against alleged money counterfeiting by the communist regime. [More>>koreaherald.co.kr]

01.25.06 US officials stashed cash and wasted money in Iraq

January 25 – American officials in charge of reconstruction spending in Iraq kept millions of dollars in cash in their bathroom lockers and filing cabinets, according to the latest audit of financial practices in the country. One officer went to the Philippines and gambled away thousands of dollars of tax payer's money on a junket with the Iraqi Olympic Team.

Incidents of waste, unregulated spending and contracts that went nowhere fill a 48-page audit released yesterday by the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), the watchdog appointed to oversee the $18.4 billion allocated to the Iraq�s Coalition Provisional Authority to rebuild the country. More than 2,000 contracts with a total value of $88.1 million, were examined by the report. Many of the projects lacked documentation, any evidence of a competitive bidding and were not followed up to see if they were completed.

01.25.06 Indonesia reports new case of bird flu

JAKARTA, January 26 – Indonesia reported another suspected case of bird flu on Wednesday as World Health Organization officials visited markets in the teeming capital to try to find ways to contain the virus. The 22-year-old market vendor from south Jakarta was being treated in the capital's infectious disease hospital, said senior health official Hariadi Wibisono. Details of his condition was not released. Local tests confirmed he had contracted bird flu, but blood and swab samples from the man had been sent to World Health Organization (WHO) sanctioned-laboratory in Hong Kong for further confirmation, said Wibisono.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed hundreds of millions of chickens and ducks since it started ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in 2003, also jumping to humans and killing at least 82 people in Asia and in Turkey. [More>>thejakartapost.com ; See related bird flu story, thestar.com.my, "Bird flu claims another life in China." and xinhuanet.com]

01.25.06 It's either a nuke deal or Iran pipeline – Pakistan to US

WASHINGTON (PTI) January 25 – Asserting that it is against proliferation of nuclear weapons, Pakistan has sought US cooperation in the field of civilian-nuclear energy as being done in the case of India and hoped to get a positive response during President George W. Bush's visit to the region in March. At a luncheon meeting with Bush at the Oval Office here yesterday, visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said "we are against proliferation of nuclear weapons by anybody."

....Aziz apprised Bush about Pakistan's growing energy requirements and the need to meet these through construction of trans-national gas pipelines from Qatar, Iran and Turkmenistan.

01.25.06 Amazon pipeliine plan fuels concern

January 25 – Environmentalists have been caught off guard by South American leaders' plans to build a massive natural gas pipeline through the Amazon rain forest from Venezuela to Argentina. The plan, unveiled earlier this month by the region's left-leaning leaders, was short on details, but one thing seemed certain: The $20 billion pipeline would destroy part of the environmentally sensitive Amazon, the world's largest wilderness.

Environmentalists contend construction of the network of pipelines would pollute waterways, destroy trees and create roads through the jungle that could draw ranchers and loggers.

At a meeting in Brazil's capital in mid-January, the presidents of Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil promised to prepare in-depth studies for the 10,000km pipeline by mid-year. The leaders said the pipelines would feed growing regional demand for gas and wean their countries from US economic influence. [More>>aljazeera.net]

01.25.06 Four Jordanians jailed for trying to join Iraq insurgents

AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) January 25 – Four Jordanians on trial for trying to join the insurgency in Iraq were sentenced on Wednesday to between four and five years in jail, judicial sources said. The state security court, a military tribunal, condemned Iyad Al-Aswad, 34, and Omar Al-Falugi, 19, to five years behind bars for trying to infiltrate Iraq via Syria to fight against US troops. But the court reduced the teenager�s sentence to three years �to give him a chance to mend his ways�.

The two Jordanians of Palestinian origin were arrested in July and accused of "illegal activity aimed at damaging (Jordan�s) relations with a foreign country." Charges were dropped against three others held in the same case. The trial opened on November 14, five days after the Al Qaeda suicide bombings in three Amman hotels that killed 60 people. In a separate trial, the court sentenced Mussa Ramadan and Munzer Saadeh to four years for "planning military operations" against American soldiers in Iraq and attacks on alcohol stores in Jordan. [More>>khaleejtimes.com]

01.25.06 Iran: We'll put Israel in 'eternal coma'

TEHRAN, January 25 – Were Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran would respond so strongly that it would put the Jewish state into "an eternal coma" like Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's, the Iranian defense minister said Wednesday. "Zionists should know that if they do anything evil against Iran, the response of Iran's armed forces will be so firm that it will send them into eternal coma, like Sharon," General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said. Najjar said the United States and Israel have been trying to frighten Iran, but neither country would dare attack to Iran. [More>>Jerusalem Post ; See also iranfocus.com."]

01.25.06 Double bomb attack in Iran leaves eight dead and dozens wounded

TEHRAN (AFP) January 25 – Eight people were killed and dozens more wounded in a double bomb attack Tuesday in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz, where a visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was cancelled at the last minute. A government spokesman later said Ahmadinejad had ordered a probe into what was described as a brutal act carried out by unnamed "international terrorists." Witnesses said the first bomb to rock the city – dominated by ethnic minority Arabs and capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province – was in front of a private bank and busy commercial area. The second was in front of a government building. The latest toll was eight dead and 46 injured, local hospital director Mansour Soltanzadeh told official media.

(2) The name, Allah, in Arabic is an expression of surprise. It is not unusual for the God of the Bible to be known by many names. Jewish Midrash quotes passages in the Old Testament (Torah) that cite as many as seventy names of God (and more). But they can all be reduced down to one name.
(5) The Law of the Locrians: "In the legislation of the Locrians, the proposer of a new law, with a halter round his neck, to be instantly tightened if the public assembly did not, on hearing his reasons, then and there adopt his proposition." [Mill, On Liberty, 2.475].

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Painting of Apple by Mel Copeland, early 70's
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