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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Pakistani Terror Army Eclipsing Al Qaeda (Skynews PII)

The myriad streets of Pakistan's towns and cities are breeding grounds for Islamic extremism - and one feared group threatens to eclipse al Qaeda.

Commander of Pakistani terror group Lashkar e Taiba commander talks to Sky's Stuart Ramsay 2

LeT commander talks to Sky's Stuart Ramsay

Terror groups live in normal society in these streets, mingling in Mosques and Madrassas, the religious schools.And the CIA is warning that one group, Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) - literally, the Army of the Pure - has grown so powerful, so pan-national, that its brand of violence is just an e-ticket away from the West.

Where is al Qaeda? where is Osama bin Laden? ... And who made al Qaeda? It came into being in Washington. 

LeT commander

The LeT has never spoken publically to western television, but after considerable negotiation I was taken to a safe house to speak to the commander of one of their terror cells.We met in a darkened room so that he could not be identified.The LeT was formed to fight India in Kashmir. They have always benefited from the tacit support of Pakistan's military and security establishment.

Sky's Stuart Ramsay in Pakistan

Ramsay in Pakistan

Many feel the support continues today, even though the organisation is banned.The commander denied that the LeT was behind the attack on Mumbai that saw scores of people killed and injured in an orgy of violence that brought the Indian city to a standstill.But few commentators believe them.The LeT's ability to raise money through a network of mosques and shopkeepers in Pakistan - as well as from fundraisers across much of southern Asia and crucially Great Britain - means that in a short period of time they have developed into a hugely powerful and well-funded organisation.The fear in Washington is that if they can paralyse Mumbai, they could export their violence elsewhere.So confident of their status, the commander - like other militants it must be said - refused to acknowledge the influence of al Qaeda.

Their support base in your country is huge and radical men have returned home from Pakistan. Britain is a very dangerous place.

Author Zahid Hussein on LeT threat to UK

"Where is al Qaeda? Where is Osama bin Laden? Osama bin Laden, once a close friend of the West. And who made al Qaeda? It came into being in Washington," he said in perfect English."In the name of al Qaeda, you want to snatch the resources of this region and it is not fair."We have no international agenda. The LeT's main aim is to liberate Kashmir and to attack Indian installations and Indian forces."But this is not quite as focused as it seems. The LeT's Indian strategy destabilises the entire region in which the two main protagonists are nuclear powers.

Author Zahid Hussein

Zahid Hussein

Commentators here believe the LeT does have a wider objective than simply Kashmir.It is thought Pakistani security forces are only beginning to realise that, by turning a blind-eye to the LeT's activities, they are not only allowing terror to spread throughout the world, they have actually lost the ability to control it."It is now obvious after Mumbai that the LeT has the capability of destabilising the entire region and also the ability to create conditions where Pakistan could be pushed into nuclear war," author Zahid Hussein said."Britain should be more concerned than anywhere else."Their support base in your country is huge and radical men have returned home from Pakistan. Britain is a very dangerous place."

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul makes landmark visit to Iraq

President Jalal Talabani of Iraq warned rebel Turkish Kurds based in the north of the country to lay down their arms or leave the country during the landmark visit by Abdullah Gul, Turkey's president.Iraq on Monday warned Turkish Kurdish rebels based in its northern mountains to lay down their guns or leave the country, during a landmark visit by Turkey's President Abdullah Gul."The PKK has two choices: lay down its guns or leave Iraq," President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, said of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at a joint news conference marking the first visit by a Turkish head of state in 33 years."The PKK must become involved in political and parliamentary life instead of resorting to weapons, since using guns does wrong to Kurds and Iraqis," Talabani said."Iraq's constitution forbids the existence of armed groups, the PKK along with others, and we are currently working towards this aim on the tripartite committee" comprising Iraq, Turkey and the United States, he said.The Turkish president said: "It is time to finish with these problems because they harm relations between our two countries ... Common action is needed to eliminate terrorism."Gul said the responsibility fell upon "officials in the areas where these terrorists are implanted," in reference to the Kurdish regional government of northern Iraq.He was also set to meet the premier of the Kurdish autonomous region during his trip, an official with the regional government said. Falah Mustafa said Nechirvan Barzani would meet Gul in Baghdad.Turkey has often accused the Iraqi Kurds, and the autonomous administration in northern Iraq, of tolerating and even aiding the rebels.

Deadly building collapse in Nigeria

Two people have died after a four-storey building collapsed in Lagos in southern Nigeria.Another 14 people were pulled from under the rubble of the residential block in the city's densely populated Idi-Araba neighbourhood on Tuesday, with others feared trapped, rescue workers said.One male and one female were killed during the incident near to Lagos University Teaching Hospital in the country's largest city."There are about 14 people so far rescued alive. It was a four-storey building, fully residential. There are still some people trapped inside," Umo Okon, a Red Cross spokeswoman, said.What caused the building to collapse was not immediately apparent, and the police are yet to comment.Construction workers close by helped to remove the roof of the building to aid rescue attempts.Poor quality materials used in construction and negligible building standards in Nigeria are often blamed for such collapses.

F1 pulls U-turn over race winners

Formula One's governing body has confirmed that the 2009 drivers' championship will be decided by the same points system as last year rather than awarding it to the winner of most races.The International Automobile Federation (FIA) triggered a controversy last week when it announced after a meeting of its world motor sport council that the title would go to the winner of most races, even if someone else scored more points.The governing body then backtracked on Friday, agreeing to postpone any change to 2010 if teams did not agree with the new system.The teams had accused the FIA of ignoring the rules by imposing a change without the unanimous agreement of all competitors entered in the championship.Now the FIA have published the updated sporting regulations."The Formula One world championship driver's title will be awarded to the driver who has scored the highest number of points," they said on Tuesday.The race winner will get 10 points with the rest allocated in a sequence of 8-6-5-4-3-2-1.The 2009 season starts on Sunday with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

IMF plans to simplify loans, relax conditions

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Tuesday a simplification of its lending procedures, with fewer conditions attached to loans, in a bid to more easily help countries suffering from the global economic crisis.The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday announced a major overhaul of its lending practices to distressed countries, including launching a credit line without a cap or conditions."These reforms represent a significant change in the way the Fund can help its member countries -- which is especially needed at this time of global crisis," said IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn."More flexibility in our lending along with streamlined conditionality will help us respond effectively to the various needs of members. This, in turn, will help them to weather the crisis and return to sustainable growth," he said.The main innovation in the overhaul is the creation of a new lending instrument, dubbed the Flexible Credit Line, which is designed for member countries the IMF views as having well-managed economies, "with very strong fundamentals, policies, and track records of policy implementation."The Flexible Credit Line (FCL), without conditions required after the loan is granted or a limit on the amount of money that can be borrowed, will allow countries to obtain the credit line as a "precautionary instrument" and will be available to be drawn on at any time.The FCL replaces the Short-Term Liquidity Facility, which since its creation in late October has never been used.Under the terms of the FCL, the credit line initially could be for six months or 12 months with a review of eligibility at the six-month mark. The repayment period is extended to between three years and three months to five years.

Obama: Strong confidence in dollar

Calls from China and other emerging economies for the creation of a new global currency to replace the US dollar are unnecessary because confidence in the dollar is "extraordinarily strong", Barack Obama has said.In a televised news conference on Tuesday which focused heavily on the economic crisis, the US president rejected the idea of moving away from the dollar as the world's main reserve currency.The head of China's central bank had earlier called for the introduction of a new single currency, to be overseen by the International Monetary Fund.Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, said the global financial crisis had exposed the danger of relying on one nation's currency for international payments.The crisis, he said, had shown the "inherent vulnerabilities and systemic risks in the existing international monetary system".In an online essay published in both English and Chinese, Zhou said the move to a new single currency would give governments - particularly in the developing world - the ability to manage their economies more efficiently.

25 dead in 5 days of battles in Kashmir

Five days of gunbattles between the Indian army and separatist militants in Indian-administered Kashmir have left at least 25 dead -- eight Indian army troopers, including one officer, and 17 militants, the Indian military said Tuesday.Defense Minister A.K. Antony, meeting with India's military chiefs in Delhi, reviewed the situation in the Himalayan region and told the Army to deal with the situation in the Himalayan region with "utmost firmness."Kashmir has been in the throes of a violent separatist campaign for nearly two decades during which authorities say 43,000 people have been killed. However, various NGOs and rights groups put the number of dead at twice the official count.In Srinigar, Kashmir, Army spokesman Lt. Col. J.S. Brar told the Army was moving against the militants "based on sound intelligence inputs as well as human intelligence provided by our own sources."Kashmir has been the source of bitter dispute and two wars between India and neighboring Pakistan. Both control parts of the region which is predominantly Muslim.

Seven Afghans killed in bus bomb

A bomb planted on a minibus killed seven Afghans when it exploded in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the country's interior ministry said. Nine others were wounded.A bomb planted on a road ripped through a minibus in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday and killed seven passengers, the interior ministry said, blaming the attack on insurgents."There was an IED (improvised explosive device) planted by the enemies of the people of Afghanistan that hit the vehicle," ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP."As a result seven civilians, including a woman, were killed and nine other civilians wounded" in the attack in Khost, he said.

Beirut appoints Syrian nominee for ambassador to Lebanon

Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman approved the nomination of Ali Abdel Karim Ali as Syria's first ambassador to Beirut as the two countries formally establish diplomatic ties. Lebanon's ambassador to Damascus was named at the start of the year.Lebanon approved on Tuesday Syria's nominee for its first ambassador to Beirut, five months after the two neighbours established diplomatic ties for the first time, an official said."President Michel Sleiman on Tuesday approved the nomination of Ali Abdel Karim Ali as the Syrian Arab Republic's ambassador to Beirut," the official in the president's office said.Lebanon's ambassador to Damascus, career diplomat Michel el-Khoury, was named at the start of the year and an embassy was opened in the Syrian capital earlier this month.After several years of strained relations, Lebanon and its former powerbroker agreed to establish diplomatic ties in October for the first time since their independence 60 years ago.Syria pulled out its troops from Lebanon after almost 30 years of political and military domination in April 2005 following the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri.

British forces will be in Afghanistan for another five years: Sedwill

LONDON British forces may be in Afghanistan for another five years while civilians could stay more than 20 years, the new UK ambassador to Afghanistan has said. Mark Sedwill, who will take up his post next week, told British radio the Afghan army and police should be strong enough in five years to take over.But he said British workers would be there much longer helping with reconstruction and development. 

Obama urges patience on economy

The US president has urged patience over his plans to boost the country's ailing economy."We will recover from this recession. But it will take time, it will take patience," Barack Obama told a media conference in Washington on Tuesday.The economy dominated the nearly hour-long news conference, with no mention of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan despite Obama being expected to reveal the results of a review of US policy on Afghanistan this week.Obama said he was "beginning to see signs of progress" in his strategy to confront what many say is the worst US economic crisis since the 1930s.Since taking office in January, he has introduced an economic stimulus package, announced a proposed $3.5 trillion budget and pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into the financial markets.

Computer Virus 'Time Bomb' Could Go Off April 1

The Conficker Internet worm could strike at infected computers around the world on April 1, a security expert warned Monday.Conficker is a sophisticated piece of malicious computer software, or malware, that installs itself on a Windows PC's hard drive via specially written Web pages. It then conceals itself on a computer. Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos confirmed that Conficker is programmed "to hunt for new instructions on April 1."However, he added, "This does not mean that anything is going to happen, or that the worm is actually going to do anything. Simply, it is scheduled to hunt a wider range of Web sites for instructions on that date."

One strange thing about Conficker is that no one yet has any idea what it is programmed to do.In February, Cluley told The Times: "It's as if someone is assembling an army of computers around the world, but hasn't yet decided where to point them."A worst-case scenario for April 1 would be for all the world's millions of infected computers to receive simultaneous instructions to attack, or to flood the Internet with spam e-mail.

Rescuers try to save Australia’s beached whales

Rescuers assist beached long fin pilot whales at Hamelin Bay on March. — AFP
Rescuers assist beached long fin pilot whales at Hamelin Bay on March

PERTH Rescuers on Tuesday used trucks and cranes fitted with giant slings in a bid to transport 11 surviving whales from a mass beaching on Australia’s west coast to a safe harbour for release.The survivors were among a pod of about 80 long-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins that stranded in Hamelin Bay, south of the city of Perth, on Monday. About 70 volunteers worked through the night to try to keep the remaining 17 animals alive, said conservation department spokeswoman Leanne O'Rourke, adding that despite efforts, some of the creatures had died. At dawn a risky operation began to transport the 11 survivors by road to nearby Flinders Bay, a safer and more sheltered area for release.‘They were using trucks, and they were using cranes to get them onto the trucks with slings,’ O’Rourke told AFP.‘We did lose a few overnight and it’s a very traumatic experience for the animals so there's definitely a lot of risk involved. But at this stage it’s all operating fairly smoothly so we're very hopeful that we can get them out to sea and healthy and happy,” she said.A mother whale and her calf were the first to make the 20 kilometre road trip to the spot where all the mammals are to be held in the shallows for simultaneous release before nightfall.

South Africa to host IPL

The Indian Premier League's Twenty20 cricket tournament will be played in South Africa from April 18."The overwhelming reason we chose South Africa is primarily the weather,'' said IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who met with Cricket South Africachief executive Gerald Majola.Modi also said South Africa had first-class facilities and excellent administration.England and South Africa were the two candidates to host the lucrative event. The tournament is being moved for security reasons because it clashes with general elections in India. In South Africa, elections are set for April 22."The decision to move the tournament outside India was one of the hardest decisions the board has taken,'' said Modi, noting that Indian fans were disappointed, but that TV coverage for them would include live broadcasts of key matches.

AIG shows 'broad failures' of system


The officials managing the bailout of AIG, venting their own frustration about huge bonuses paid to company executives, tell the U.S. Congress the government had no choice but to effectively seize control of the troubled insurer last September.

Airline group predicts 'grim 2009' with $4.7 billion in industry losses

The world's airlines will lose 4.7 billion dollars in 2009, according to a forecast by industry group IATA. Asian airlines will be hit hardest, and only North American carriers will show a profit, the group says.The airline industry association IATA on Tuesday sharply increased its loss forecast for carriers to 4.7 billion dollars (3.4 billion euros) this year due to a "rapid deterioration of the global economic conditions."The new forecast given at the International Air Transport Association's annual media event marked a sharp rise from the 2.5 billion dollars in losses predicted by IATA in December.The industry group also raised its estimate of total airline losses for 2008 from 8.0 billion dollars to 8.5 billion dollars, blaming a "very sharp fall in premium travel and cargo travel.""The state of the airline industry today is grim," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general."Demand has deteriorated much more rapidly with the economic slowdown than could have been anticipated even a few months ago.""There is little to indicate an early end to the downturn," he added, predicting a "grim 2009". 

Komodo dragons kill Indonesian fisherman

An Indonesian fisherman has been killed by Komodo dragons after he was attacked while trespassing on a remote island in search of fruit, officials said Tuesday.Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia's Komodo National Park, the park's general manager Fransiskus Harum told."The fisherman was inside the park when he went looking for sugar-apples. The area was forbidden for people to enter as there are a lot of wild dragons," Harum said.Other fisherman took Anwar to a clinic on nearby Flores Island, east of Bali, but he was declared dead on arrival, he added.

Bomb Vests And Beheadings In Pakistan Resort (Skynews)

The Swat valley in northern Pakistan was once the country's equivalent of the Lake District - a resort the Queen described as the "Switzerland" of the old empire.

Bomb vest in Squat, Pakistan

Recruit is trained to use a suicide bomb vest

Now, it is a Sharia law tribal land where hooded gunmen patrol the streets and the Taliban run everything.I had been invited there to visit the Taliban leadership but warned not to stop or speak to their men guarding the entry to the stunning valley that once made it such a popular destination.I would be killed, was the rather terse explanation.What is clear is that the elders oversee a well organised and brutal militia. Sky News was given previously unseen video footage of their men in action.

It is propaganda for certain - but when forensically examined, it is truly shocking. Everything is filmed in what used to be Pakistan's main tourist attraction.In the mountains, scores of men in combat clothes are taught unarmed fighting techniques, shooting and suicide bomb preparation.Pakistan has denied these camps exist but this is absolute proof that they do - and we are told the pictures were filmed just weeks ago.

Combat training in Swat, Pakistan

Combat training in the mountains

The United States in particular is furious this training still goes on.Until recently, suicide bombing in Pakistan was unheard of. But the Taliban dedicate a large chunk of their film to the bombers.They are all desperately young men, grinning with pleasure as their hooded colleagues hug them and congratulate them on their decision to blow themselves up for the cause.The men are shown strapping on suicide vests or checking cars and vans packed with high explosives.Both the attacks and the aftermath are filmed - the carnage, the dead bodies and the grieving relatives depicted as victories.

In Pakistan today, the bomb attacks are a daily occurrence, and as a rule, seem utterly pointless.Bus stops and markets are the softest of targets, but they are struck with mind-numbing regularity.Nobody even claims responsibility and the attacks generally change nothing - except in Swat where the suicide campaign has actually brought the security forces to their collective knees.

Sky's Stuart Ramsay in Swat, Pakistan

Sky's Ramsay in Swat

The scale of the campaign is surprising. It does not matter where you travel, the ruins of buildings scar the landscape - a gloomy reminder this was a war zone and the Taliban won the war.The brutality of the video is perhaps the most shocking element of the film.A burglar is shot dead in the street, watched by dozens of local people.A police officer is questioned then decapitated bound to a chair, his headless body then displayed in the main square of Mingora, the regional capital.The locals have renamed it "Slaughter Square" because so many people have died there.The Taliban, apparently welcomed in Swat with their promise of fair justice for all, back up their "Liberation" with clear warnings to all of the consequences of stepping out of line.The alarm bells are ringing in London, Washington and Delhibut Islamabad's response has failed.This part of the country may never be the same again - worse, the transformation of Pakistan may not stop at Swat, it could so easily keep spreading.

Czech PM loses no-confidence vote

Mirek Topolanek, the Czech prime minister, has said he will resign following a parliamentary vote of no confidence which mainly concerned his government's handling of the country's economic crisis.In the 200-seat lower house, 101 politicians, the minimum needed, voted to oust the ruling coalition. The country's constitution says the prime minister and government must resign after it loses confidence in parliament. Following the vote, Topolanek, who heads the country's three-party coalition government, said: "I will behave exactly in line with the constitution."

Nobel meeting postponed over Dalai Lama visa denial

A planned South African peace conference involving Nobel laureats has been postponed over the nation's refusal to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama, an invitee.A planned South African peace conference involving Nobel laureates has been postponed over Pretoria's refusal to grant a visa to Tibet's Dalai Lama, organisers said Tuedsday."The convenors have therefore decided in the spirit of peace to postpone the South African peace conference to ensure it is held under conducive conditions," said Irvin Khoza, a top official for the South African organisers of the 2010 World Cup which was sponsoring the conference.Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former South African president FW de Klerk withdrew from the peace conference on Monday after the Tibetan spiritual leader was denied a visa.The laureates were meant to discuss how soccer can help fight racism and xenophobia, as South Africa gears up for next year's World Cup."In processing of the visa application by the Dalai Lama the South African government persuaded the Dalai Lama to postpone his visit to South Africa at this stage," Khoza told reporters at a press conference in Johannesburg.

Clashes erupt in Israeli-Arab town

Israeli police have used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse a protest by Arab residents of a northern Israeli town.The protest in Umm el-Fahm, one of Israel's largest Arab towns, erupted on Tuesday after Jewish hardliners tried to march through the town.Mickey Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said police swung into action after protesters hurled stones at security men.He said 16 policemen had been lightly wounded and ten protesters arrested.Mustafa Suheil, the town's deputy mayor, said 15 protesters had been lightly wounded.Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Umm el-Fahm, said a group of about 100 Israeli right-wingers wanted to march in the town, home to about 15,000 Palestinians. He said the group's march followed a supreme court decision that allowed them to "excerise their sovereignty over the city".

Critics Blast Obama's Scheduled Notre Dame Commencement Address

Nearly 65,000 people have signed an online petition protesting President Obama's scheduled May 17 commencement address at the University of Notre Dame, saying the president's views on abortion and stem cell research "directly contradict" Roman Catholic teachings."It is an outrage and a scandal that 'Our Lady's University,' one of the premier Catholic universities in the United States, would bestow such an honor on President Obama given his clear support for policies and laws that directly contradict fundamental Catholic teachings on life and marriage,"The Cardinal Newman Society, an advocacy group for strengthening ideals at the nation's 224 Catholic colleges and universities, created the Web site to end what it calls the "travesty" of Obama's selection. The petition, which had garnered 64,051 signatures as of midday Tuesday, asserts that thousands of other "accomplished leaders" in business, law or education would have been more appropriate selections. The group says it is sending the list to an independent firm Wednesday to ensure that there are no duplicate names.

Government earmarks €10 million for nuclear test victims

After decades of denial, the French government has announced a compensation scheme for victims of nuclear tests carried out by France in Algeria in the 1960s and in French Polynesia over more than three decades.More than 10 years after France carried out its last nuclear test on the Pacific Ocean atoll of Fangataufa, French authorities have finally moved to address the grievances of the victims of the country’s 210 nuclear tests. In aninterview with the daily newspaper Le Figaro, Defence Minister HervĂ© Morinsaid the government had earmarked an initial 10 million euros as part of a compensation scheme. Morin said an independent commission of doctors led by a magistrate would examine complaints on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the plaintiffs’ symptoms are indeed related to the 18 ailments identified by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, which include leukaemia, thyroid cancer and other diseases. The ministry added that the list of diseases could evolve in the event of new medical discoveries.