Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Thirty-Six

[nwctwx]

Afghanistan Calls for Crackdown at Border
(Full Story)

Pakistan needs to do more to crack down on terrorism along the Pakistani-Afghan border, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday.

Rahim Karimi said in the news conference that Afghanistan need greater "cooperation" from both its eastern neighbor and the international community in its battle against Islamic militants.

Coalition and Afghan forces have in recent days been fighting fierce battles against Taliban fighters near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

	Soldiers Kill 5 Militants in Afghanistan
	Joseph Farah: Real Bad News in Afghanistan
	Karzai Urges Coalition Forces to Show Restraint
	Zawahri's New Video Calls Muslims to Support Mujahideen

Thread Thirty-Six

Previous | TM Index

TM Terrorism Handbook

TM 'Be on the Lookout'

Godzilla's Summaries

Invaluable Tips

Preparedness

Search: News | Images

Threat Matrix HTML designed by: Ian Livingston

[nwctwx]

War Game Will Focus on Situation With Iran
(Full Story)

WASHINGTON — Amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran over the future of Iran's nuclear program, the Pentagon is planning a war game in July so officials can explore options for a crisis involving Iran.

The July 18 exercise at National Defense University's National Strategic Gaming Center will include members of Congress and top officials from military and civilian agencies. It was scheduled in August, before the latest escalation in the conflict, university spokesman Dave Thomas said.

US: All Options on the Table in Dealing with Iran

U.S. and Iran Take Tough Stances in Standoff

Oil Eases After Record High on Iran Worry

Russia Opposes Sanctions Against Iran

Senior Iranian Official in Washington

Threat Matrix: Since November 3, 2003
														36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26
25	24	23	22	21	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	09	08	07	06	05	04	03	02	01

"No matter where you live in the world, this is a message that bears repeating: Your assistance is needed to prevent terrorist acts." From TM'er and Freeper ~appalachian_dweller~
Submit Information Online: FBI Tips & Public Leads
CDC ::::: CIA ::::: DHS ::::: DOJ ::::: DOD ::::: FBI ::::: NSA
Government Web Sites			TerroristWarning.com		IR and Security Network
	Most Wanted Terrorists		HomelandSecurityUS.net		World Policy Institute
	FBI: Seeking Information		Homeland Security Weekly	Threat Matrix Related
	Are you Ready?: Ready.Gov		Terror-Alert.com		Terrorism Knowledge Base
	CDC: Preparedness/Response	Think Tanks			Terror Information Bank
	Defense Dept. War on Terror		The Terrorism Research Center		South Asia Terrorism Portal
	U.S. Immigration & Customs		The Jamestown Foundation		Terrorist Scorecard
	DOJ: Planning Information		The Brookings Institution		Iraq Pipeline Watch
	US-Cert: Current Activity		Council on Foreign Relations		National Security Archive
News & Information			SITE Institute		Islamic Dictionary
	IPN - Fire & Police Paging		CSIS		IACSP Terrorism/Antiterrorism
	MEMRI | MEMRI TV		RAND Corporation	Maps
	The Counterterrorism Blog		International Crisis Group		Terrorist Network in U.S. Map
	Jihad Watch		The Heritage Foundation		Nuclear Weapon Effects Calc.
	GlobalTerrorAlert.com		Foreign Policy Institute		Nuclear Terrorism: Blast Maps
	Laura Mansfield.com		Center for Defense Information		FEMA Nuclear Fallout Map
	Internet Haganah		The Cato Institute		U.S. Nuclear Targets Map
	Topix.net: Terrorism News		Hudson Institute	Pay Sites
	Faith Freedom International		Homeland Security Institute		Strategic Forecasting
	TrackingTerrorism.com		Nuclear Threat Initiative		IntelCenter
	DEBKAfile		NCI: Nuclear Terrorism		AlertUSA
New Links in Italics

"America Supports You" spotlights what Americans are doing in support of the military all across the land, encourages others to thank the troops and allows all to tell their stories by giving voice and visibility to their efforts.

Threat Matrix: Recommended Reading
Full Book List

Current Book

Protecting the Homeland
2006/2007

Being prepared is a good thing, no matter where one lives; no matter what alert level we are on.
From TM'er and Freeper ~Cindy~

Intelligence is the best weapon against terrorism.
National Commission on Terrorism: 1999

[nwctwx]

"Threat Matrix is a politically incorrect zone"
From TM'er and Freeper ~Oorang~

Threat Matrix : Code of Conduct

Please pay close attention:
PLEASE FOLLOW THE RULES

***Updated FR Excerpt and Link Only or Deny Posting List due to Copyright Complaints***

There will be NO bashing any mods, it will be taken private or there will be NO MORE Threat Matrix !!! That comes from the top!

Please everyone here review the following rules, they are not posted just for fun, they must be adhered to!

Do lead by example - Nothing improves a forum more than posters who reason sharply, write well, and have some perspective about it all. Be one of them.

Do preview - Preview twice, post once. And, ahem, close your HTML tags before you hit the reply button.

Do keep it clean - A bruise or two between Freepers is tolerable, but refrain from abusive attacks, engaging in senseless flame wars, and using profane language. Considering the range of topics we discuss, it's hard to be a family site, but that's what we aim for when at all possible.

Do "take it to the Alley" - The Alley is a public chat room. A link to it is provided on the latest posts page. Invite people there if you want to talk things over or settle a score, so to speak, off site.

Do use common sense - If you read a post that sounds too good or strange to be true, it probably is.

Do stay on topic - FR has varied topics for whatever you need to say

Do keep "vanity" posts to a minimum - Free Republic is primarily a place to discuss news, articles, and editorials. Vanity posts, creations of the poster him or herself, should meet a high standard of quality before one is even considered worthy of posting.

Don't jump threads - If you get involved in an argument in one thread, it's considered poor manners to restart the previous argument in the middle of an unrelated thread.

Don't play games - Don't represent yourself as another person, create or use another screen name to avoid a revocation of posting privileges, misrepresent the site or your role in it

We cannot stress the following enough:
{{{Don't be a whiner - If you really, really find Free Republic or Threat Matrix not to your liking, let the webmaster know directly (jimrob@psnw.com), learn to live with it, or move along.}}}

Rules Created by: JustPiper

Contact nwctwx to be added to or removed from the Threat Matrix ping list.

[nwctwx]

ping to tm #36

[nwctwx]

ping to tm #36

[Cindy]

THANK YOU very much nw.

[nwctwx]

I may have missed a few people if they asked to be on the ping list since the last thread. If you want on or off, don't hesitate to send me a freepmail.

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.truthusa.com/911news.html
http://www.truthusa.com/911news2.html
http://www.truthusa.com/911.html

http://www.internet-haganah.com/jihadi
http://www.internet-haganah.com

http://www.memri.org/jihad.html
http://www.memri.org
http://www.memritv.org

http://www.jihadwatch.org

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

ihttp://www.internet-haganah.com/jihadi/hamas.html
http://www.internet-haganah.com/jihadi/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hamas

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=russia

---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1615843/posts

"Russia offers aid to Hamas"
Reuters ^ | April 15, 2006 | n/a

Posted on 04/15/2006 9:08:30 PM PDT by sageb1

SNIPPET: "Russia said it had promised emergency aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, breaking with fellow mediators the EU and the US, which have stopped funding to try to force Hamas to recognise Israel."

[Cindy]

Thanks to MamaDearest for pointing to this article:
---

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18859735-29280,00.html

"Lodhi 'planned power grid bombings'"
From: AAP

April 19, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A SYDNEY man plotted to bomb Sydney's electricity grid and various defence sites in "violent jihad", a New South Wales Supreme Court jury has been told.

Faheem Khalid Lodhi, 36, today pleaded not guilty to four counts of preparing to commit a terrorist act between October 3 and 26, 2003.

In reading the indictment against Lodhi, Justice Anthony Whealy said it was alleged he had collected two maps of Australia's electricity grid with the intention of seriously damaging it by detonating an explosive or incendiary device.

He did this with "the intent of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, namely violent jihad," the indictment says."

[Cindy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060417/ap_on_re_eu/terror_recruiting_white_muslims_lh1


ON THE NET...

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=20142_Terrorists_Recruiting_White_Muslims

Monday, April 17, 2006
"Terrorists Recruiting 'White Muslims'"

[Cindy]

Thanks to Doctor Zin for starting this thread:
---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1617488/posts

"Iranian Alert - April 18, 2006 - Russia and China offer Iran to join their alliance"
Regime Change Iran ^ | 4.18.2006 | DoctorZin

Posted on 04/18/2006 11:08:24 PM PDT by DoctorZIn


===

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HD18Ad02.html

Apr 18, 2006

"China, Russia welcome Iran into the fold"
By M K Bhadrakumar

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which maintained it had no plans for expansion, is now changing course. Mongolia, Iran, India and Pakistan, which previously had observer status, will become full members. SCO's decision to welcome Iran into its fold constitutes a political statement. Conceivably, SCO would now proceed to adopt a common position on the Iran nuclear issue at its summit meeting June 15."

[Cindy]

NOTE: The following text is a quote:
---

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2006/20060417_4840.html


Reports Citing Imminent Attack on Iran Are Wrong, Official Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2006 – Recent news reports citing an imminent U.S. military attack against Iran are flat wrong, a senior Defense Department official said here today.
Such reports constitute "wild speculation," DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters, reiterating previous policy remarks President Bush has made on the Iran issue.

The president has chosen diplomacy in concert with the international community as the preferred approach in persuading the Iranian government to jettison its nuclear programs, Whitman said.

Yet, it would be unrealistic, Whitman suggested, for people to believe that DoD doesn't have plans for all types of potential military contingencies, including Iran.

"We plan for all sorts of things," Whitman said.

News reports have said the United States government is planning to attack Iran over its nuclear policies. Iran has so far refused to comply with U. N. entreaties to relinquish its activities to develop atomic fuel.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadienejad announced on April 11 that Iran had produced enriched uranium using 164 centrifuges. Such material can be used in nuclear reactors to produce electricity or to make nuclear weapons.

Bush voiced his displeasure at Iranian efforts to develop nuclear technology during an April 10 speech given at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University here.

"We do not want the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon, (or) the capacity to make a nuclear weapon, or the knowledge as to how to make a nuclear weapon. That's our stated goal," the president said.

Iran is on a U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism. The Iranian president has also voiced his belief that Israel, a major U.S. ally, should be destroyed. Senior U.S. officials believe that any nuclear technology the Iranians develop will eventually be used to produce nukes.

The U.N. Security Council put out a March 29 statement declaring that body's "serious concern" about Iran's decision to resume its uranium-enrichment activities.

The Iranian government had ceased to cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear regulatory organization. Iranian officials have said their country has a right to possess nuclear technology.

The Iranian government's persistence in further developing its nuclear program "only further isolates the regime from the rest of the world," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters during an April 11 news briefing.

[Cindy]

http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/michellemalkin/2006/04/19/194211.html

"No tears for terrorists"
Apr 19, 2006
by Michelle Malkin

[Cindy]

The question is, "ARE THEY FOR US OR AGAINST US?"
http://www.truthusa.com/AgainstUSorForUS.html

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

SOFIR.ORG
http://www.sofir.org/

===


http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005571.html
14 April 2006
"The web browser and operating system preferences of the users of the Tajdeed forum"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "From an upcoming report by the Society For Internet Research regarding the users of the Tajdeed forum (tajdeed.org.uk and tajdeedi.co.uk) operated in the UK by the Saudi exile group Party of Islamic Renewal (PIR)"

---

http://tajdeed.org.uk
http://tajdeedi.co.uk/

===

http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369957
Terrorism Focus
"Intelligence War Breaks out on the Jihadi Forums"
By Stephen Ulph

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In mid-March, a further impetus to suspect al-Hesbah was voiced by members of the Tajdeed jihadi forum (http://www.tajdeed.org.uk ), who blamed the site for the arrest of the infamous cyber-mujahid Irhabi007, also known as Younis Tsouli, by British intelligence last October. Irhabi007 had been hunted for two years as an al-Qaeda webmaster and the suspected source of many of the al-Qaeda declarations posted on the net. With his close links to al-Qaeda, his arrest is considered an important event in the struggle against jihadi sites. Members also wondered aloud how the report by the Society for Internet Research (SOFIR), analyzing the readership of the al-Hesbah site, could have been compiled without inside collaboration. Some of these suspicions focused around the fact that al-Hesbah's administrators requested that applicants for registration provide their country of origin, and rejected the applicants' use of proxies to disguise their personal details; these requests are unusual for a jihadi forum. There were also concerns that there was an unusual concentration of a single nationality—Jordanians—on the administration staff and that this surely opened up the possibility of security penetration."

===


http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005568.html
12 April 2006
"Everybody be cool..."


===

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005565.html

08 April 2006
"The on-going soap opera formerly known as the al-Hesbah forum"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "We haven't had this much fun since Irhabi007 thought his favorite forum was infested with Polish spies..."

===

http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2006/04/alqaida_in_saud.html
April 07, 2006
"Al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia Denies Being Infiltrated in Purported Internet Sting"

===

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005557.html
03 April 2006
"al-Hesbah admin(s) arrested?"

===

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005528.html

18 March 2006
"al-Hesbah posts fake "suspended site" message"

===

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005516.html
11 March 2006
"Irhabi007 as a case-study in jihadi counter-intelligence efforts"

===

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005497.html
02 March 2006
"The global distribution of the readers of al-Hesbah forum"


===

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005496.html
02 March 2006
The Decline and Fall of Irhabi007: Episode Three, The Internet (pg. 1)
http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005495.html
02 March 2006
The Decline and Fall of Irhabi007: Episode Three, The Internet (pg. 2)
http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005494.html
02 March 2006
The Decline and Fall of Irhabi007: Episode Three, The Internet (pg. 3)
http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005493.html
02 March 2006
The Decline and Fall of Irhabi007: Episode Three, The Internet (pg. 4)

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005490.html
01 March 2006
"The Decline and Fall of Irhabi007: Episode Two, The Bust"

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005488.html
28 February 2006
"The Decline and Fall of Irhabi007: Episode One, The Name"

[Cindy]

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/stormwatch/

---


http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=760352
April 19th, 2006
"Storm Experts Preach Individual Responsibility"
Apr 18th - 2:22pm

By KRISTEN WYATT
Associated Press Writer

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "LAUREL, Md. (AP) - Think you could get by for three days without power, water or leaving the house for food and medicine?

If not, emergency responders in Maryland are looking to change your habits."

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/top.htm

===
===

ON THE NET...

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-terrorist-group-targeted-japan-linked-power-plant-/2006/04/16/1575854.htm

[April 16, 2006]

"Terrorist group targeted Japan-linked power plant"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "(Yomiuri Shimbun, The (Tokyo) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) JAKARTA, Indonesia _ The al-Qaida-linked Jemmah Islamiyah militant network based in Southeastern Asia planned last year to bomb a power plant in the east of Java island that is capitalized by Japanese, British and U.S. companies, according to a source in the Indonesian security authorities.

The source said JI was also investigating whether citizens of the United States and its allies were working at Paiton coal thermal power plant, located about 150 kilometers southeast of Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.

It is the first time that a terrorist attack planned by JI targeting Japanese-related facilities has been discovered."

ARTICLE SNIPPET #2: "The source said the attack was plotted early last year by Noordin Mohamed Top, a JI leader and the mastermind of the suicide bombings on Bali in October that killed 20 people.

The plan is believed to be aimed at throwing the region into confusion by causing a large-scale blackout on Java island. Noordin ordered JI members to stake out the plant, the source said.

Two JI members who were arrested on suspicion of harboring Noordin and are currently on trial told local prosecutors that they were ordered to check whether foreign citizens, including Americans, worked at the plant.

Noordin is believed to have picked the power plant as a target because it is capitalized and operated by foreign companies."

[Cindy]

I really like the header layout nw.
Very clean and informative.

[Cindy]

Note: The following video clips (with links to transcripts) are on the current front page of MEMRITV.org. The clips from Al_Manar TV and Al-Qaeda are links to separate pages.

---

QUOTE:

http://www.memritv.org

CLIPS FROM AL-MANAR TV AL-QAEDA


#1113 - Footage of New Iranian Uranium Enrichment Facility
Iran Ch.1 - 4/11/2006 - 00:00:44


#1112 - Sudanese Scholar Hassan Al-Turabi Elaborates on His Revolutionary Fatwa on Muslim Women and Christian Men and Adds: Women Should Cover Chest, Not Face; Women Can Be Imams, Political Leaders; No Punishment for Drinking Alcohol at Home
Al-Arabiya TV (Dubai) - 4/10/2006 - 00:08:14


#1110 - Saudi Cleric Sa'd Al-Breik Complains: Whoever Says Anything Good about Hitler is Accused of Anti-Semitism
Iqra TV (Saudi Arabia) - 3/9/2006 - 00:02:02


#1111 - Iranian Nuclear Physicist Dr. Hassan Ghafuri-Fard: We Will Have 54,000-60,000 Centrifuges within Two Years
Iran ch.3 - 4/12/2006 - 00:01:02

[Cindy]

ICC-CCS.ORG: THE WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT
http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php

Snippet - Quote:

Weekly Piracy Report
11-17 April 2006

The following is a summary of the daily reports broadcast by the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre to ships in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean Regions on the SafetyNET service of Inmarsat-C from 11 to 17 April 2006.

ALERT

Somalia - NE and Eastern Coast
Forty one incidents have been reported since 15.03.05. Heavily armed pirates are now attacking ships further away from the coast. Ships not making scheduled calls at Somali ports are advised to keep at least 200 nm from the Somali coast.

[Cindy]

http://www.airportbusiness.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=6161

Updated: April 18th, 2006 12:05 PM EDT
Home > Top News Headlines
"Luggage that Didn't Get Put on Sept. 11 Jet Provided Lead to Terrorists"
Newsday (Melville, NY) (KRT)
via NewsEdge

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Apr. 17--Former federal terrorism investigators say a piece of luggage hastily checked in at the Portland, Maine, airport by a World Trade Center hijacker on the morning of Sept. 11 provided the Rosetta stone enabling FBI agents to swiftly unravel the mystery of who carried out the suicide attacks and what motivated them.

A mix-up in Boston prevented the luggage from connecting with the plane that hijackers crashed into the north tower of the trade center. Seized by FBI agents at Boston's Logan Airport, investigators said, it contained Arab-language papers revealing the identities of all 19 hijackers involved in the four hijackings, as well as information on their plans, backgrounds and motives."

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.rewardsforjustice.net
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/wanted_captured/index.cfm?page=Wanted_Terrorist

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorists/fugitives.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/terrorismsi.htm

http://www.ice.gov/pi/investigations/mostwanted.htm
http://www.ice.gov/pi/investigations/wanted/fugitives.htm
http://www.ice.gov/doclib/pi/investigations/wanted/mostwanted.pdf

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=russia

http://www.memri.org/iran.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran

===


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1617503/posts
"Russia says no to sanctions against Iran"
EuroNews ^ | 19APR06 | EuroNews

Posted on 04/19/2006 12:52:02 AM PDT by familyop

[Cindy]

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200604/INT20060418a.html



"China-Japan Dispute Tied to Quest for Energy"
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
April 18, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) - Asia's two biggest economies are locked in a dispute over undersea natural gas reserves claimed by both, a row underlining the increasingly important role energy is playing in China's foreign relations."

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT - DAILY BRIEFING - APRIL 17, 2006
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2006/64625.htm


===
===

ON THE NET...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060419-120250-9400r.htm

Page 1 of 2

"Iranian official's presence in U.S. raises entry queries"
By Nicholas Kralev
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
April 19, 2006

[Cindy]

http://www.mipt.org/murrahfinalrpt.asp
"Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Bombing, April 19, 1995: Final Report"

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/901664/posts

"Appointment with The Apocalypse- the Waco Files"
various FR links | 04-28-03 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

Posted on 04/28/2003 5:05:20 AM PDT by backhoe



---

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/19/newsid_2489000/2489769.stm

BBC NEWS - ON THIS DAY - April 19, 1993
"1993: Waco cult siege ends with inferno"

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

---

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06040068.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com


Tuesday, April 18, 2006

CHRISTIAN LEADER MAY BE FINED FOR ORGANIZING BIBLE STUDY

By Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

BELARUS (ANS) -- The administration of the town of Baranovichi in western Belarus, is trying to fine a local Pentecostal leader for organizing a Bible study group within his congregation.

Belarus is located in Eastern Europe, east of Poland.

According to Forum 18 News Service, Tatyana Zhitko, head of the Ideology Department of the town administration had no comment about the situation.

“Why are you calling me?” Forum 18 reported Zhitko said. “I don't know your publication and I'm not prepared to give you any information.” According to Forum 18, Protestant churches have borne the brunt of increased use in recent months of the Administrative Violations Code to restrict the activity of religious communities.

In the wake of a police raid on New Generation Church at the beginning of 2006, local officials accused Gennady Akhrimovich, who chairs the church's council, of organizing a study group of eleven church members without registering its statutes.

Forum 18 reported that in a Feb. 22 report, officials said this violated Article 193 of the Administrative Violations Code - a Soviet-era provision punishing the foundation and leadership of an unregistered religious congregation or a group within a religious community not connected with the performance of religious rituals with a fine of up to five times the minimum monthly wage (up to 53 U.S. Dollars).

However, at its hearing on April 6, at which Akhrimovich set out his position, the Administrative Commission postponed further consideration of the case for another two weeks, complaining that it had insufficient time to prepare properly.

Forum 18 reported that Akhrimovich argued the study group was not a separate organization but an integral part of the church's work, since its aim was “in-depth Bible study, in particular such issues as Biblical foundations of the family and marriage, the nature of faith, prayer, the Holy Spirit, the Church.”

Akhrimovich maintained, Forum 18 reported, that organizing such study groups is within the parameters of his church government as outlined in its statutes, and as a registered religious community under the country's 2002 Religion Law.

Forum 18 reported that under Belarus' “tight web of restrictions on all religious activity - and in defiance of the country's international human rights commitments,” the government maintains that all religious activity without official approval is illegal.

While New Generation Church has managed to re-register under the 2002 law, it has encountered difficulties acquiring a place of worship. Last year Pastor Leonid Voronenko told Forum 18 that, although his 150-strong congregation bought a 530-square-yard warehouse in 1997 with the intention of converting it into a church, the town authorities refused to allow the designated purpose of the building to be changed or to give the church full rights over the land beneath it.

In long-running correspondence on the issue between the church and Baranovichi Municipal Executive Committee seen by Forum 18, committee chairman Mikhail Pavlov claimed in July 1997 that conversion of the warehouse was “inexpedient.”

Forum 18 reported that his successor Viktor Dichkovsky wrote to Voronenko in Aug. 2004 that there was “no basis” to alter the building. He warned, Forum 18 reported, that if the designated usage of the plot of land was not complied with - in this case, storage of goods and products - then the church's right to use it would be terminated in accordance with the Land Code.

With the help of public pressure, Forum 18 reported that New Generation Church has so far managed to resist state threats to seal and demolish the building (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=619).

A fellow Full Gospel Association congregation in a similar predicament is the Minsk-based charismatic New Life Church. On April 18, Forum 18 reported that its administrator Vasily Yurevich told the news service that the church had just received a court summons from Minsk City Economic Court to attend an April 24 preliminary hearing on the forced sale of the church's worship building to Minsk City Property Department.

Yurevich told Forum 18 that the church is still considering its response, but is determined “not to sell our church building at any price.” A copy of the summons was seen by Forum 18, the news service reported.

In late Oct. 2005 New Life Church lost its challenge in the same court against Minsk City Executive Committee’s Aug. 17 instruction curtailing the church's land rights and ordering the sale of its worship building, a disused cowshed it purchased in 2002 (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=700).

The Executive Committee's decision was based on the church's alleged violation of Article 49, Part 4 of the Land Code, Forum 18 reported, which states that rights to land may be curtailed if it is not used in accordance with its designation.

Forum 18 added that the 2002 Religion Law requires state permission for religious gatherings in premises not specially designed for worship, but the Minsk municipal authorities have consistently refused to grant both this - on the grounds that the building is a cowshed - as well as permission to change the designated usage of the building and reconstruct it as a church (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=516).

Two Protestants have recently been freed after each serving ten days in prison for religious activity the government regards - against international human rights standards - as illegal, Forum 18 reported. Sergei Shavtsov, a religious rights lawyer who was imprisoned for ten days on charges of organizing an unapproved Christian seminar in a privately owned restaurant, was freed at the end of his sentence on 3 April (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=750).

“Conditions in prison were not too bad,” Forum 18 reported he told the news service, “though of course it was not up to the standard of foreign prisons.”

On April 5, Vladimir Bukanov, a Reformed Baptist pastor based in Gatovo (Minsk region), told Forum 18 that neither his congregation nor that of Pastor Georgi Vyazovsky had encountered any restriction since Vyazovsky's release from prison on 13 March (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=737).

Also facing charges for leading unapproved home worship is the Pentecostal bishop of Minsk region, Sergei Tsvor, but he told Forum 18 that he as unaware of further developments since the March 9 postponement of a court hearing to consider his case (see F18News
www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=743).

“They told me to wait for a summons,” he told Forum 18, “but all has gone quiet.”

Meanwhile, Forum 18 reported, Christians and political opponents of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, detained by police during election demonstrations in Minsk and elsewhere, are now gradually being released from prison.

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observers found that the March 19 presidential election “failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections,” and that “arbitrary abuse of state power, obviously designed to protect the incumbent President, went far beyond acceptable practice.”

Freed on March 28, Kristina Shatikova from the town of Mogilev, told the opposition news website Charter 97 that members of the OMON special riot police confiscated Bibles from some female demonstrators as they arrested them. Forum 18 reported she claimed that when they asked for their Bibles back, the OMON members laughed and threatened to rape them. Members of some Christian churches took part in the demonstrations and a number were detained for up to two weeks.

In the wake of the expulsion from Belarus in Dec. 2005 of the Catholic parish priest of Borisov, Polish citizen Father Robert Krzywicki, Forum 18 reported that a group of his parishioners wrote to the government's Religious Affairs Committee demanding that he be allowed to return (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=715).

In his March 22 response, however, Forum 18 reported that Committee deputy chairman Vladimir Lameko said the complaint had been sent on to the Minsk regional executive committee as this group had originally given Father Krzywicki permission to serve in the parish. At the same time, Lameko pointed out that, as the Catholic leadership holds the exclusive right to name priests to parishes, Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek appointed Father Zbigniew Grigorzewicz to the Borisov parish. “The state does not interfere in the activity of religious organizations.”

Local journalist Viktoriya Ravinskaya wrote on a Borisov website, Forum 18 reported, that the parishioners said the response had been as they had predicted.

For additional information, see Forum 18's Belarus religious freedom
survey at www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=478
Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org or http://www.christianity.com/joyjunction. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. He has five children and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jgreynalds@aol.com. Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1617513/posts

"Professor Who Trashed Pro-Life Abortion Display Apologizes, Will Retire"
LifeNews ^ | April 19, 2006 | Steven Ertelt

Posted on 04/19/2006 2:01:59 AM PDT by rhema

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Highland Heights, KY -- The Northern Kentucky University professor who encouraged her students to vandalize a pro-life display -- and then led them in trashing it -- has apologized. Dr. Sally Jacobson, a tenured 27-year British literature professor, issued her apology just days after saying she saw nothing wrong what she did. "I deeply regret my impulsive action in dismantling that display," Jacobson said late Tuesday. "It was a mistake of judgment for me to invite my students to participate in that action."

Jacobson told WKRC-TV in a taped interview that she hoped her actions did not damage the reputation of the college.

"I really love NKU and care very much about my students and don't want them to be harmed," she said. "At this point, I really want the university to be able to defuse the firestorm of attention around this."

NKU has suspended Jacobson and she will officially retire at the end of the school year. WKRC reports that other professors have taken over her classes for the remainder of the semester.

Local police are investigating the vandalism, which saw Jacobson and several students destroy a pro-life cross display Northern Right to Life set up in the grass outside the student center. A reported from the student newspaper caught Jacobson and her students destroying the display.

University officials authorized the pro-life display, meant to memorialize the 47 million babies who have died since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

NKU President James Votruba, who issued a statement Monday apologizing on behalf of the school, appreciated Jacobson's apology but said the infringement of free speech and the disregard for the exchange of ideas couldn't be tolerated on a college campus."

[Cindy]

Note: The following post is a quote:
---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1617515/posts


France and Italy detain suspects (Algerians)
BBC ^ | 19 April 2006

Posted on 04/19/2006 2:09:39 AM PDT by csvset


French and Italian police are reported to have arrested at least 10 people in a joint anti-terrorism operation.




The suspects, who are mainly Algerian, were detained during raids in Naples, Milan and Marseille.



Reports say police are investigating groups believed to be helping fund Islamic terrorism.



The suspects are thought to have links to the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat - an armed splinter organisation operating mainly in eastern Algeria.

[backhoe]

"Appointment with The Apocalypse- the Waco Files" various FR links | 04-28-03 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

Gratzi, for remembering...

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.newsmax.com/hottopics/China!Taiwan.shtml



---

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22107

"China's Fear of Freedom"
By Don Feder
FrontPageMagazine.com | April 19, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "On Thursday (April 20), Hu Jintao will visit the White House for the first time as China’s leader. Hu wants to talk trade. President Bush will seek more cooperation from the People’s Republic in reining in rogue states like Iran and North Korea.

Taiwan should also be discussed, along with China’s rapid militarization. The two are intimately connected.

China poses the principal military challenge to the United States, now and in the foreseeable future. The communists’ obsession with free, democratic Taiwan is the principal source of instability in East Asia.

For an apparchik, Hu is not completely devoid of pr finesse. To pave the way for his visit, China’s president dispatched a delegation to America to purchase an estimated $16.2 billion in aircraft, farm goods, computer software, auto parts and telecommunications equipment.

This trip to the mall is supposed to allay American anxiety over our burgeoning trade deficit with China – a record $203 billion last year.

Of more concern to the security-conscious is what China’s doing with at least part of that windfall. The People’s Liberation Army has been on a 15-year buying spree of its own."

[Cindy]

You're welcome backhoe.

I'll never forget.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1617519/posts


"Chavez begins training civilian militia"
Miami Herald ^ | April 19, 2006 | FABIOLA SANCHEZ, AP with Natalie Obiko Pearson, AP

Posted on 04/19/2006 2:33:16 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

CARACAS, Venezuela -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Critics of Chavez say the real goal of the mobilization is to create the means to suppress internal dissent and defend Chavez's presidency at all costs. Thousands of Territorial Guard volunteers - housewives, students, construction workers - are undergoing training, earning $7.45 per session."


ARTICLE SNIPPET #2: "Chavez also recently said the National Guard has even enlisted an army of 500 Indians to defend the country with poison-tipped arrows. He added: "If they had to take a good shot at any invader, you'd be done for in 30 seconds, my dear gringo.""

[Cindy]

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=104&sid=760872

April 19th, 2006
"Cops Rescue Passengers From NYC Cable Cars"
Apr 19th - 3:52am
By ELIZABETH LeSURE Associated Press Writer


ARTICLE SNIPPET: "NEW YORK (AP) - All 69 people trapped for hours in two cable cars that were suspended above the East River after losing power have been rescued, police said Wednesday.

ARTICLE SNIPPET #2: "The cause of the outage of the Roosevelt Island Tramway cars was not known, said Herb Berman, president of the agency that operates the system, which offer breathtaking views of the city from up to 250 feet high."

[Cindy]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L17629557.htm

"Palestinian militants threaten to attack Jews abroad"
17 Apr 2006 12:48:56 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Nidal al-Mughrabi

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "GAZA, April 17 (Reuters) - Palestinian militants linked to President Mahmoud Abbas's increasingly fractured Fatah movement threatened on Monday to attack Jews overseas to force Israel to release Palestinian prisoners from its jails.

Two other main Palestinian militant groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, also said they supported violence to free more than 8,000 prisoners held by the Jewish state, but neither explicitly backed attacks on Jews outside Israel."

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:
---

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Wed Apr 19 2006 03:19:14 GMT-0700.

Worldwide Caution

December 12, 2005


This Public Announcement updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests overseas. This supersedes the Worldwide Caution dated August 2, 2005 and expires on June 12, 2006.

The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Ongoing events in Iraq have resulted in demonstrations and associated violence in several countries. Americans are reminded that demonstrations and rioting can occur with little or no warning.

Current information suggests that al-Qa’ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics to include assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings.

Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. The hotel bombings in Jordan in early November illustrate how terrorists exploit vulnerabilities associated with soft targets. Additional examples of such targets include residential areas, business offices, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays.

In the wake of the July 2005 London bombings and the March 2004 train attacks in Madrid, Americans are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems. In addition, extremists may also select aviation and maritime services as possible targets.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at http://travel.state.gov.

U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a heightened state of alert. These facilities may temporarily close or periodically suspend public services to assess their security posture. In those instances, U.S. embassies and consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. Americans abroad are urged to monitor the local news and maintain contact with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

[Cindy]

http://www.dhs.gov

---

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=a9013b8f-e3d4-4348-8370-2dec591a1885&k=44432

"Little chance of delay in border ID cards: U.S. czar"



The Canadian Press
Published: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Article tools
WASHINGTON (CP-AP)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1617526/posts


"9/11 gets the comic book treatment"
The Daily Telegraph ^ | April 19, 2006 | Catherine Elsworth

Posted on 04/19/2006 3:31:42 AM PDT by MadIvan

[bored at work]

Thanks for the ping nw. Great start to another thread. WOW

[Velveeta]

Thank you!

[Velveeta]

Government holds Ga. Tech student as terror suspect

ATLANTA - The FBI is holding a Georgia Tech student accused of planning terrorist activity, but the student's family says he is innocent of wrongdoing, an Atlanta television station reported Tuesday night.

The family of Syed Ahmed, 21, told WAGA-TV that he was arrested a few weeks ago, but details of the case have not been made public.

The federal government has sealed all information about Ahmed's arrest, the station said.

"I was shocked. He is being accused of something he didn't do. They put in him jail for nothing," the electrical engineering student's sister, Fica, told WAGA.

She said agents came to their Dawsonville home, stayed for almost three hours and confiscated compact discs from her brother's room, and copied his computer hard drive.

Ahmed's mother, Samia, said he did visit Pakistan in 2005 for a month, but for Islamic study.(snip)

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/14373522.htm

[fanfan]

Morning Cindy.

[all4one]

Thanks nwctwx for the new thread and the ping. I hope your are enjoying DC (a wonderful place in the spring), and your new job.

[appalachian_dweller]

Thanks for the new thread Ian. Nice work!

[angcat]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Velveeta]

Loophole lets immigrants sue for citizenship
Some applicants proceed without FBI checks, documents show
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3724850


Indybay.org welcomes racist and anti-Semitic material
http://www.israpundit.com/2006/?p=890

[Velveeta]

Terror raids net 11 suspects in France and Italy
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/April/theworld_April697.xml&section=theworld

[Velveeta]

Unexploded bomb found on French high-speed rail tracks

PARIS

French police forensics experts Wednesday were examining an unexploded homemade bomb found on a high-speed rail line, judicial officials said.

The small explosive device _ made from plastic tubing filed with a mixture of diesel fuel and fertilizer _ was found Tuesday on the line linking Paris with the western city of Nantes, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was ongoing.(snip)
http://www.tkb.org/NewsStory.jsp?storyID=116063

[Quix]

THANKS THANKS.