BAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. sailor testified Wednesday he saw a Navy SEAL punch an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding the killings in 2004 of four U.S. private security contractors, as the court-martial of another member of the elite unit allegedly involved in the incident opened at a military base outside Baghdad.

Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas, wearing his blue Navy uniform, appeared in a military courtroom at the Victory Base Camp on Baghdad’s western outskirts to answer charges of dereliction of duty and impeding an official investigation. He has pleaded not guilty.

Petty Officer Huertas, 28, of Blue Island, Ill., is the first of three Navy SEALs to go on trial in connection with the alleged assault of the Iraqi prisoner, Ahmed Hashim Abed. He is accused of failing to safeguard the prisoner and attempting to influence the testimony of another service member.

The SEALs’ case has gained widespread sympathy in the United States as well as support from at least 20 lawmakers in Congress who have urged Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to drop the charges.

Abed was arrested in September on charges of orchestrating the grisly killings of four Blackwater security contractors, whose burned corpses were dragged through the Iraqi city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad. Two of the guards’ bodies were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River in the insurgent attack.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Demartino, who is not a SEAL and was assigned to process and transport Abed after his capture, testified he saw Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe punch the prisoner and blood come from the prisoner’s mouth.

He told the court Petty Officer Huertas and a fellow SEAL, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, were also in the room and that he was the closest person to Petty Officer McCabe at the time of the alleged assault.

Petty Officer Huertas’ civilian attorney, Monica Lombardi, suggested that if he couldn’t stop the assault, nobody could have. “You could have stopped it, but it was too fast,” she said.

“You were the closest person to Petty Officer McCabe, but you didn’t know that was coming.”

A few hours after the incident, Petty Officer Demartino testified that Petty Officer Huertas told him, “Get in there and get the story straight.”

He admitted initially lying when questioned about why the prisoner was injured, telling the court: “I wasn’t prepared to rat those guys out,” but he then said he changed his mind when it became clear there would be an investigation.

Coming forward was “the hardest thing I’ve done in my life,” he testified. “It’s a SEAL team; it’s a life-changing event. It’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.”

All three of the SEALs involved could have received nothing more than a disciplinary reprimand in the case but insisted on a military trial to clear their names and save their careers.

If convicted by the six-person military jury, Petty Officer Huertas could face up to a year in prison.

In a rare ruling in January, a military judge ordered that trials for Petty Officers Huertas and Keefe, of Yorktown, Va., to be held in Iraq so that they could face Abed in court. Abed is still being held in Iraq, and the Iraqi government refused to allow him to be taken to the United States to testify.

Petty Officder Keefe also is accused of failing to safeguard the prisoner.

Petty Officer McCabe, of Perrysburg, Ohio, is charged with assaulting Abed at Camp Schwedler, a U.S. base near Fallujah. Petty Officer McCabe is scheduled to be court-martialed May 3 in Norfolk, where the three sailors are based.

Petty Officer Huertas has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Neither he nor the other two SEALs have been held in custody.

Petty Officer Keefe’s trial also was to begin last week at the court-martial room at the Victory Base Camp, but his legal team was delayed by the volcano eruption in Iceland that grounded tens of thousands of flights across the world.

Source: Newsmax

Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Pentagon’s first report to Congress on Tehran’s military.

The report on Iranian military power provides new details on the group known formally as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Islamist shock troops deployed around the world to advance Iranian interests. The unit is aligned with terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, North Africa and Latin America, and the report warns that U.S. forces are likely to battle the Iranian paramilitaries in the future.

The Qods force “maintains operational capabilities around the world,” the report says, adding that “it is well established in the Middle East and North Africa and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela.”

“If U.S. involvement in conflict in these regions deepens, contact with the IRGC-QF, directly or through extremist groups it supports, will be more frequent and consequential,” the report says.

The report provides the first warning in an official U.S. government report about Iranian paramilitary activities in the Western Hemisphere. It also highlights links between Iran and the anti-U.S. government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has been accused of backing Marxist terrorists in Colombia.

The report gives no details on the activities of the Iranians in Venezuela and Latin America. Iranian-backed terrorists have conducted few attacks in the region. However, U.S. intelligence officials say Qods operatives are developing networks of terrorists in the region who could be called to attack the United States in the event of a conflict over Iran’s nuclear program.

Qods force support for extremists includes providing arms, funding and paramilitary training and is not constrained by Islamist ideology. “Many of the groups it supports do not share, and sometimes openly oppose, Iranian revolutionary principles, but Iran supports them because they share common interests or enemies,” the report says.

Qods force commandos are posted in Iranian embassies, charities and religious and cultural institutions that support Shi’ite Muslims. While providing some humanitarian support, Qods forces also engage in “paramilitary operations to support extremists and destabilize unfriendly regimes,” the report says.

The report links Qods force operatives and the larger IRGC to some of the deadliest terrorist attacks of the past 30 years: the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983, the bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina in 1994, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia and many insurgent attacks in Iraq since 2003.

Qods forces in Afghanistan are working through nongovernmental organizations and political opposition groups, the report says. Tehran also is backing insurgent leaders Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Ismail Khan.

“Arms caches have been recently uncovered [in Afghanistan] with large amounts of Iranian-manufactured weapons, to include 107 millimeter rockets, which we assess IRGC-QF delivered to Afghan militants,” the report says, noting that recent manufacture dates on the weapons suggest the support is “ongoing.”

“Tehran’s support to the Taliban is inconsistent with their historic enmity, but fits with Iran’s strategy of backing many groups to ensure that it will have a positive relationship with the eventual leaders,” the report says.

In Iraq, Qods forces are supporting terrorists through Iranian embassies. The report says the outgoing Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, is a member, as well as the new ambassador in Baghdad, Hassan Danafar.

Iranian support for Shi’ite militants in Iraq has included the supply of armor-piercing explosively formed projectiles, as well as other homemade bombs, anti-aircraft weapons, rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives.

The report says the elite Iranian fighters are controlled by Iran’s government, despite efforts by the group to mask Tehran’s control.

“Although its operations sometimes appear at odds with the public voice of the Iranian regime, it is not a rogue outfit,” the report says. “It receives direction from the highest levels of the government and its leaders report directly, albeit informally, to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,” the report says.

Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East specialist with the Congressional Research Service, said the report’s identification of Qods force operatives in Venezuela is significant.

“The new information on an increased Qods Force presence in Venezuela … amplifies the warnings of some experts about an increasingly close, anti-U.S. relationship between Iran and the government of Hugo Chavez,” Mr. Katzman said.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recently played down the growing Iranian influence in the Chavez government. Asked about Iran’s ties to Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, Mr. Gates said, “I think it makes for interesting public relations on the part of the Iranians, the Venezuelans.”

“I certainly don’t see Venezuela at this point as a military challenge or threat,” Mr. Gates said during a visit to the region.

The report also states that Iran could conduct a test of a long-range missile by 2015 and now has missiles that can strike all of Israel.

“Iran continues to develop a ballistic missile that can (reach) regional adversaries, Israel and central Europe, including Iranian claims of an extended range variant of the [620-mile-range] Shahab-3 and a [1,242-mile] medium-range ballistic missile, the Ashura,” the report says.

The report notes that Iran has the largest missile force in the Middle East, with about 1,000 missiles with ranges of between 90 miles and 1,200 miles. The missile program was developed and expanded with extensive help from North Korea and China, the report says.

The missiles have grown in sophistication with increased accuracy, warhead lethality and advanced technology that includes solid propellent for quick launches and anti-missile-defense capabilities for warheads.

The report says Iran is developing its military forces with some asymmetric weapons, including armed unmanned aircraft and coastal anti-ship missiles that can hit targets throughout the Strait of Hormuz, where up to 40 percent of the world’s crude oil passes.

Iran’s military is growing but “would be relatively ineffective against a direct assault by well-trained, sophisticated military such as that of the United States or its allies,” the report says.

However, Iranian special forces, like the Qods force, “would present a formidable force on Iranian territory,” the report says.

The report provides no new details on Iran’s covert nuclear program that was described as geared toward developing nuclear weapons. Iran’s purchase of advanced Russian S-300 air defense missiles, which so far have not been delivered, are for use at nuclear sites, the report says.

The U.S. is leading a U.N. Security Council effort to sanction Iran for its presumed attempts to develop an atomic weapon in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

(Pakistan) Suicide bomber kills 7 in Pakistan’s northwest
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6364J320100418
– Kohat struck by another suicide attack, seven dead
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/19-three-people-dead-in-fresh-bomb-attack-in-kohat-on-sunday-hh-01

(Pakistan/U.S.) NY Times report on Ramy Zamzam background: “A Thanksgiving Meal, Then Charges of Jihad: A Mother’s Tale”
– Zamzam’s mother Amal Khalifa is being supported by CAIR
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/world/asia/18mother.html?ref=asia
– January 4, 2010: Ramy Zamzam  (DC Howard University student): “We are not terrorists. We are jihadists, and jihad is not terrorism”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6975973.ece

(India) Mumbai Attacks – 26/11 attackers trained in Afghan Taliban camps?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/26/11-attackers-trained-in-Afghan-Taliban-camps/articleshow/5826880.cms

(Afghanistan) London Times: “Taliban’s supreme leader signals willingness to talk peace”
– London Times: “The supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has indicated that he and his followers may be willing to hold peace talks with western politicians.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7100889.ece
— This is the same Taliban Terrorist leader Mullah Omar for whom the U.S. Government’s “Rewards for Justice” Offers a $10 Million Reward.
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/index.cfm?page=MullahOmar
http://www.realcourage.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rewards_for_justice_mullah_omar.jpg

(Afghanistan) More than 100 die in week of Afghan violence: govt
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100418/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistannatounrest

(Afghanistan) 20 Taliban militants killed in N. Afghanistan
http://bit.ly/8Zz6m2

(Afghanistan) Shock in Germany at Taliban attack
http://bit.ly/bCRDXH

Iraq: Al-Qaeda in Iraq using new bomb tactics
–  HBIED (house-borne improvised explosive device)
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38478

(Iran) Ahmadinejad: No One Would Dare Attack Iran
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/18/ahmadinejad-extolls-irans-military-263023253/

(Iran) Ahmadinejad extolls Iran’s military might
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ixeFBxfLzaSjs8Mb8cuFmtPOT6-wD9F5CC482

(Iran) Gates Says US Lacks Policy to Curb Iran’s Nuclear Drive
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63H01V20100418?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
– White House ‘not ready’ for nuclear Iran
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7101161.ece
– Gates mulls ‘secret’ military operation against Iran
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38481

Iran News: “Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon have expressed support for Iran’s nuclear program and stated that Israel should be forced to dismantle its nuclear weapons.”
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123619&sectionid=351020104

(UK) Home Office security breach at terror court
– Daily Telegraph: “Secret documents containing intelligence reports and details of highly sensitive diplomatic negotiations have been mistakenly released by the Home Office to a suspected terrorist’s solicitor”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/7601790/Home-Office-security-breach-at-terror-court.html

(U.S.) Michigan/Ohio: Ohioan unaware of any Christian militia plots to kill
– Kristopher Sickles interviewed in jail
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2010/04/18/ohioan-unaware-of-any-plots-to-kill.html?sid=101

(Israel/Syria) ‘Hizbullah a division of Syrian army’
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=173420
– Syria warned over Hezbollah attacks
– London Times: “Israel has delivered a secret warning to Syria that it will respond to Hezbollah missile attacks by retaliating against Syria”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7101106.ece

Gaza: 2 armed men killed in explosion in Gaza Strip
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3877311,00.html

Israeli vehicles pelted with stones in West Bank
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3877588,00.html

Somalia violence kills 14, parliament fails to meet
http://bit.ly/d9enoD

“Somalia, allies recruiting refugees to fight Islamists”
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2010/04/18/somali_refugees_recruited_to_fight_islamists/

Russia: 20-year-old woman detained in connection with Moscow blasts
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/20-year-old-woman-detained-in-connection-with-Moscow-blasts/articleshow/5828327.cms

Greece: Explosives found at suspected Greek militant hideout — Revolutionary Struggle
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Explosives-found-at-suspected-Greek-militant-hideout/articleshow/5827472.cms
Other News:

(U.S.) Los Angeles: Nazi White Supremacists Rally, Counterprotests Get Violent — R.E.A.L. Condemns Hate and Violence
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/los-angeles-nazi-rally/

“Saudis to build nuclear, renewable energy centre”
– Middle East Online”Oil giant Saudi Arabia on Saturday gave its strongest signal yet that it wants to develop atomic power by announcing a new centre for nuclear and alternative energy technologies.”
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38475
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\18\story_18-4-2010_pg7_5

(Saudi Arabia) “Top Saudi clerics finally take stand on terrorism”
– article makes no mention of “jihad”
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/features/article_1548982.php/Top-Saudi-clerics-finally-take-stand-on-terrorism-Feature

Brunei: “Warning on anti-Islamic entertainment”
– Borneo Bulletin: “Public entertainment producers, providers and managers were urged to take proactive steps to curb any forms of entertainment that are reckless and extravagant.”
– “Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman made the call yesterday at the Tafsir Al-Qur’an lecture held at Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah.”
– “He said some forms of entertainment contain elements that could influence the public to forget about religious etiquette and customs.”
http://news.brunei.fm/2010/04/18/warning-on-anti-islamic-entertainment/

Brunei: “Curb over-the-top entertainment: MoRA”
http://news.brunei.fm/2010/04/18/curb-over-the-top-entertainment-mora/
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/news-national/2010/04/18/curb-over-top-entertainment-mora

Brunei: “First home-grown Syariah-compliant investment fund”
http://news.brunei.fm/2010/04/16/first-home-grown-syariah-compliant-investment-fund/

(Pakistan) Karo-Kari: Youths asked to play role to eliminate karo-kari
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\18\story_18-4-2010_pg12_9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karo-kari

EU woes laughable: Islamic finance chief Tun Musa
– Former Malaysian deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/business/08-eu-woes-laughable-islamic-finance-chief-ts-04
– Tun Musa Hitam: “Just consider me Islam’s marketing officer”
http://www.iabrotterdam.com/#pagina=1065
– “The sukuk market in Malaysia is now the biggest and most developed in the world. It accounts for more than 60% of total outstanding sukuk globally which is valued at approximately US$66 billion.”
http://www.forbescustom.com/EconomicDevelopmentPgs/MalaysiaSafeHarborP2.html

“Switzerland: Young converts could pose national security threat”
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2010/04/switzerland-young-converts-could-pose.html

Africa: “Christians, Muslims almost equal in numbers in Africa”
– WT views as “flashpoint” area
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/16/christians-muslims-almost-equal-in-numbers-in-afri/

Sudan votes, and stands on the brink of splitting in two
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/18/sudan-election-north-south-independence

(U.S.) FOX News: “Church Status Allows Funeral Protesters to Avoid Taxes — Westboro Baptist Church”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/17/church-status-allows-funeral-protesters-avoid-taxes/
– Father Of Dead Marine Ordered To Pay Legal Fees Of Westboro Baptist Church “Hate Group” Protesters
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/03/father-of-dead-marine-ordered-to-pay-legal-fees-of-westboro-baptist-church-protesters/
– Hate Group “Westboro Baptist Church” Cheers on Shooting of NYC Police Officer
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/03/westboro-hate-group-cheers-police-shooting/
– Kansas: “Westboro Baptist Church” Promotes Anti-Semitic Hate Videos – Promotes Holocaust Denial
http://www.realcourage.org/2009/10/kansas-westboro-baptist-church-promotes-anti-semitic-hate-videos-promotes-holocaust-denial/
– NYC: “Westboro Baptist” Hate Group to Protest New York Area Synagogues
http://www.realcourage.org/2009/09/nyc-westboro-baptist-hate-group-to-protest-new-york-area-synagogues/
– NYC: “Westboro Baptist Church” Hate Group Spreads Anti-Semitic Hate
http://www.realcourage.org/2009/08/nyc-westboro-baptist-church-hate-group/
Against Totalitarianism News:

Communist China: Facebook to launch operations in China
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/Facebook-to-launch-operations-in-China/articleshow/5827730.cms
Against Racial Supremacism News:

Los Angeles: Nazi White Supremacists Rally, Counterprotests Get Violent — R.E.A.L. Condemns Hate and Violence
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/los-angeles-nazi-rally/

New Hampshire: In New Hampshire newspaper Pat Buchanan states Confederate States of America “vilified” because Confederate supporters “are Southern white Christian men”
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Pat+Buchanan%3A+Intolerance%2C+terrorism+and+our+memory+of+the+Civil+War&articleId=3cc3bf55-6b0e-4ac6-a6b3-b574e7042ec7

Source

Israel has delivered a secret warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad that it will respond to missile attacks from Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese-based Islamist group, by launching immediate retaliation against Syria itself.

In a message, sent earlier this month, Israel made it clear that it now regards Hezbollah as a division of the Syrian army and that reprisals against Syria will be fast and devastating.

It follows the discovery by Israeli intelligence that Syria has recently supplied long-range ballistic missiles and advanced anti-aircraft systems to Hezbollah.

“We’ll return Syria to the Stone Age by crippling its power stations, ports, fuel storage and every bit of strategic infrastructure if Hezbollah dare to launch ballistic missiles against us,” said an Israeli minister, who who was speaking off-the-record, last week.

//

The warning, which was conveyed to Damascus by a third party, was sent to reinforce an earlier signal by Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister. “If a war breaks out the Assad dynasty will lose its power and will cease to reign in Syria,” he said earlier this year.

The Israeli decision to hold Syria directly responsible for Hezbollah’s actions is believed to be the result of intelligence assessments that Beirut has lost control of the Shi’ite organisation, which has become an increasingly powerful force in Lebanon.

Reports that Syria has supplied Hezbollah with Russian-made Scud ballistic missiles have alarmed Israeli ministers. The missiles have the potential to reach the entire country and could carry chemical warheads. New gas masks are being supplied to Israel’s entire population, with an intensive television advertising campaign underway to stress their importance.

Hezbollah, which was set up in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and fought a 34-day with Israel in 2006, has built-up an arsenal of 40,000 missiles and rockets, according to Ehud Barak, Israel’s defence minister.

Uzi Rubin, an Israeli missiles expert, estimated that 13,000 are aimed at Israel at any one time. “Iran is financing Hezbollah and Syria, which has opened up its military supplies to them, is being repaid by Iran,” said an Israeli intelligence source.

Over the past few months, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened Israel with reprisals, promising that any attack on Beirut’s airport would be followed by a rocket attack on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.

The supply of Scud missiles to Hezbollah is seen as a serious threat by the Israelis. “This is the first time that an internationally known terror organisation has been equipped with ballistic missiles,” said the minister.

Washington and moderate Middle Eastern leaders, including King Abdullah of Jordan, are worried. “We are obviously increasingly concerned about the sophisticated weaponry that is allegedly being transferred,” said Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman.

Last week Syria’s Foreign Ministry denied that there had been any transfer of Scud missiles. It claimed the allegations were aimed at giving Israel a pretext to attack Syria and avoid making concessions for peace.

But the Israelis remain defiant. “We’ll not hesitate to attack Syria if our national security is in jeopardy,” said the Israeli minister. “Assad knows that, and he’s playing with fire.”

(Pakistan) Burqa bombers kill 41 in Pakistan – some reports say Shia refugee camp
– Hindustan Times: “Two suicide bombers dressed in burqas blew themselves up on Saturday in a camp for refugees fleeing military offensives in northwestern Pakistan, killing 41 people and wounding 62, officials said.”
– “The United Nations said it was temporarily suspending its programs helping displaced people in Kohat and neighbouring Hangu as a result of the bombings.”
– “The camp in the Kohat region is sometimes used by foreign humanitarian groups, including the World Food Program, to deliver aid.”
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/pakistan/Burqa-bombers-kill-41-in-Pakistan/Article1-532662.aspx
– Dozens killed in attack on Pakistan camp
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/17/pakistan.blast/index.html
– Dawn report
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-two-explosions-take-place-in-idp-camps-in-kohat-ss-01
– UN condemns attack on IDP camp in Kohat
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/12-un+condemns+attack+on+idp+camp+in+kohat–bi-03

(Pakistan/U.S.) American suspects linked to militants: prosecutor
– Dawn: “Evidence showed contacts between the five detained Americans and a reputed al-Qaeda-linked militant leader.”
– “prosecutors say they made contact with Qari Saifullah Akhtar, the leader of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami militant network, which is believed to have extensive contacts with al-Qaeda and the Taliban.”
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-american-suspects-linked-to-militants-prosecutor-ss-09

(Pakistan/U.S.) Mom of Virginia man charged with terrorism in Pakistan says son, others were beaten by authorities
– DC suburb Alexandria, Virginia’s Amal Khalifa – mother of Ramy Zamzam
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-pakistan-us-arrests-mother,0,6541530.story
– January 4, 2010: Ramy Zamzam  (DC Howard University student): “We are not terrorists. We are jihadists, and jihad is not terrorism”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6975973.ece

(Pakistan) More than 60 alleged terrorists go underground
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\17\story_17-4-2010_pg7_15

(Afghanistan) Two NATO soldiers killed in southern Afghanistan
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1548944.php/Two-NATO-soldiers-killed-in-southern-Afghanistan

(Afghanistan) UN bodyguard ‘executed by Afghan police’
– Daily Telegraph: “A United Nations bodyguard who saved 17 colleagues by holding back Taliban fighters who stormed a guesthouse was minutes later executed by Afghan police, according to a video which has been seen by officials.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7601596/UN-bodyguard-executed-by-Afghan-police.html

(Afghanistan) U.S. Gen McChrystal defends pullout from Afghan Taliban bastion
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\17\story_17-4-2010_pg7_35

(Afghanistan) Taliban targets U.S. contractors working on projects in Afghanistan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/16/AR2010041604521.html

India: Third explosive device defused at Bangalore cricket stadium
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Third-explosive-device-defused-at-Bangalore-cricket-stadium/articleshow/5826212.cms
– after two explosions
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Two-blasts-before-Bangalore-IPL-match-15-injured/articleshow/5825227.cms

India: Terrorists may be planning attacks in India: US advisory
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Terrorists-may-be-planning-attacks-in-India-US-advisory/articleshow/5824221.cms

Hamas vows to kidnap more Israeli soldiers on Prisoner’s Day
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1548955.php/Hamas-vows-to-kidnap-more-Israeli-soldiers-on-Prisoner-s-Day

Iran: US ‘is the atomic criminal’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7600901/Iran-calls-US-the-worlds-only-atomic-criminal.html

Iran opens ‘alternative’ nuke summit
– Jerusalem Post: “Iran’s conference brought together representatives from 60 countries, including China, Russia, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey and France, as well as delegates from international bodies and non-governmental organizations, according to Iranian media.”
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=173376

Philippines: Three suspected Islamic militants killed in southern Philippines
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1548854.php/Three-suspected-Islamic-militants-killed-in-southern-Philippines

Philippines to drop charges against massacre clan suspects
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100417/wl_asia_afp/philippinespoliticsmassacre_20100417185015

Other News:

Egypt: Report of Acid Thrown at Christian Convert Dina El-Gowhary
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/egypt-attack-on-dina/

(U.S.) Fathima Rifqa Bary: Christian convert runaway Rifqa Bary is “doing well” in foster care
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features-the-religion-world/2010/04/16/fathima-rifqa-bary-christian-convert-runaway-rifqa-bary-is-doing-well-in-foster-care/

Sudan’s election flawed, say observers
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sudan/7600794/Sudans-election-flawed-say-observers.html

Bangladesh: Hizb-ut Tahrir protests against US military exercise in Chittagong District
http://hindu.theuniversalwisdom.org/hizb-ut-tahrir-protests-against-us-military-exercise-chittagong-district

(Canada) Controversy swirls around Muslim scholar’s Montreal visit – Tariq Ramadan
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Controversy+swirls+around+Muslim+scholar+Montreal+visit/2912476/story.html

(UK) “Over 2 million Muslims urged to change shape of British politics”
http://www.abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=184565

Iran slaps travel ban on Opposition Leader Khatami
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=173330

Afghan attack kills 10 foreigners
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7596537/Afghan-suicide-attack-targets-foreigners.html

Afghanistan: Taliban seen behind 2 car bomb attacks in downtown Kandahar
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100416/ZNYT03/4163001/1051/NEWS?Title=Taliban-seen-behind-2-car-bomb-attacks-in-downtown-Kandahar

(Afghanistan) Taliban insurgents kidnap five UN workers in north Afghanistan
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/afghanistan/taliban-insurgents-kidnap-five-un-workers-in-north-afghanistan-1.613491

(Afghanistan) U.N. Guard Probably Killed By Afghan Police – Officials
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/04/16/world/international-uk-afghanistan-un-guard.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

(Afghanistan/Iran) McChrystal: Signs Taliban Training in Iran
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/16/world/main6403245.shtml

Pakistani suicide blast leaves 88 dead
http://www.canada.com/news/Pakistani+suicide+blast+leaves+dead/2398641/story.html

Pakistan: 11 killed in Quetta hospital suicide blast
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\17\story_17-4-2010_pg1_1
– Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claims responsibility
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\17\story_17-4-2010_pg1_2

Pakistan: Drone strike kills 6 Taliban in N Waziristan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\17\story_17-4-2010_pg7_2

Pakistan: Benazir Bhutto assassination: Pakistan under pressure for full inquiry
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7598774/Benazir-Bhutto-assassination-Pakistan-under-pressure-for-full-inquiry.html
– Benazir did not have security she deserved: US State Dept
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\17\story_17-4-2010_pg7_22
– Pakistan Unlikely to Act on Bhutto Report, UN Envoy Haroon Says
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=apX3874T2aKc
– Musharraf aide brands UN Bhutto report ‘lies’
http://bit.ly/cemThn

Bangladesh: Briton arrested in Bangladesh over terrorism charges — Golam Mostafa
http://bit.ly/a0U4BG

US targets Pakistanis for funding Al Qaeda, Taliban
– Muhammed Mazhar and Mufti Abdul Rahim
– “Al-Akhtar Trust and Al-Rashid Trust are both Pakistani charities previously identified as Specially Designated Global Terrorists”
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/apr/160410-US-Pakistanis-funding-Al-Qaeda-Taliban.htm

US Shifts Gears to Tackle Domestic Terrorism
– report includes debate between Mark Souder and Lee Baca on unindicted co-conspirator group CAIR
http://www.cnbc.com/id/36596995

(U.S.) Domestic terrorists as big a threat as al-Qaeda, says FBI head Robert Mueller
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7100318.ece

(U.S.) Islamic charity in US wiretap case wants $612K
– Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/national/index.ssf?/base/national-40/1271457798228340.xml&storylist=national

UK: “Waking up to a nightmare of nuclear terrorism”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthcomment/geoffrey-lean/7599133/Waking-up-to-a-nightmare-of-nuclear-terrorism.html

Iran: Ahmadinejad threatens US over Mid East peace plans
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7590529/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-threatens-US-over-Mid-East-peace-plans.html

Gaza: UN criticizes executions of ‘collaborators’ in Gaza
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8625166.stm

Egypt: Israel issues ‘urgent’ warning of terrorist attacks in Sinai
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/7587223/Israel-issues-urgent-warning-of-terrorist-attacks-in-Sinai.html

Somalia: Al-Qaeda video aims at child recruits
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.1.261331670

Mali: Al-Qaeda frees Italians in Mali
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8626306.stm

(Canada) Terror suspect Mohamed Harkat admits talking with al-Qaida
http://www.canada.com/technology/Terror+suspect+Harkat+admits+talking+with+Qaida/1371160/story.html

Turkish soldier killed, two others injured in heavy clashes with PKK rebels
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2076187&Language=en

Philippines: Military says 50 foreign terrorists in south
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.1.260299960
War on Women News:

Egyptian Sunni Cleric Denounces Women’s Rights, Promotes Wife Beating — Mazen Al-Sarsawi
– also promotes hatred against Shiites
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/mazen-al-sarsawi/

Turkey Detains Mother for Newborn’s “Honor Killing”
– Reuters: “The baby was suffocated by her grandmother after the family learned the 25-year-old mother became pregnant out of wedlock, Anatolian said.”
– “‘My family decided to kill my baby,’ the mother told the police, according to Anatolian. ‘My 55-year-old mother choked the baby with a cloth. Then, my brothers buried the baby in a hole in the garden and covered the hole with cement.’”
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=10396031

Australia: Judge warns of honour killing cases
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/judge-warns-of-honour-killing-cases-20100416-shzi.html

Congo: Sexual violence ‘becoming normal’ in Congo
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7098932.ece
Other News:

United Kingdom: Attack on Manchester-Area Mosque Caught on Video
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/eccles-mosque-attack/

Attack on Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque – Israel Army Condemns Mosque Vandalism
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/bilal-ibn-rabah-mosque/

Senegal: Islamic schools forcing children to beg
http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/04/16/13606111.html

Germany: Study of German Imams — and “radical preachers”
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2010/04/germany-study-of-german-imams.html
– Der Spiegel report
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,686713,00.html

India: SC upholds ban on book against Islam
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/SC-upholds-ban-on-book-against-Islam/articleshow/5822303.cms

U.N. cancels Congo trip, more Iran talks planned
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100416/tpl-uk-congo-democratic-un-9562ed3.html

Congo militia releases 8 Red Cross hostages
http://bit.ly/bhhFiH

Against Racial Supremacism News:

US: Paul Schlesselman sentenced to 10 years for conspiring to kill Barack Obama
– and 102 other Americans
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=102885&catid=2

UK: Inside Britain’s neo-Nazi underground
http://hurryupharry.org/2010/04/16/inside-britains-neo-nazi-underground/

Afghanistan: Taliban claim victory after US leaves ‘Valley of Death’
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/International/15-Apr-2010/Taliban-claim-victory-after-US-leaves-Valley-of-Death
– US troops pull out of death valley
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7097901.ece
– Taliban defiant following Marjah operation
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LD16Df03.html

Afghanistan: Obama reaffirms 2011 Afghanistan withdrawal
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36545654/ns/politics/
– Three U.S. lawmakers sponsor Afghan pullout plan
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63D4O520100414

(Pakistan/Afghanistan) NATO forces fail to capture fleeing Taliban: Pak military official
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/15-Apr-2010/Pak-army-anger-at-Nato-border-tactics-after-forcing-militants-out-report

(Pakistan/Afghanistan) Pakistan Daily Times: “critics say Islamabad is picking and choosing which groups to pursue, with little effect on the nearly nine-year Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\15\story_15-4-2010_pg7_37

(Pakistan) U.S. Drone strike kills 4 Taliban in Waziristan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\15\story_15-4-2010_pg7_14

(Pakistan) Taliban threaten to foil plans of Mehsud tribes’ rehabilitation
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\14\story_14-4-2010_pg7_20

(Pakistan) 2 people injured in Panjgur grenade attack — bombing of barber shop
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\14\story_14-4-2010_pg7_30

(Pakistan) Girls school blown up in Bara
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/14-Apr-2010/Girls-school-blown-up-in-Bara

(Pakistan) Two girls attacked with acid in Balochistan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\14\story_14-4-2010_pg7_8

(Pakistan) Lashkar-e-Islam ready for talks with government
– Dawn: “The banned militant group appealed the government to stop the on-going military operation in the Bara tribal region.”
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/07-lashkar-e-islam-ready-for-talks-with-government-ha-01

India: Bomb detected on Delhi-bound train, defused
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Bomb-detected-on-Delhi-bound-train-defused-/articleshow/5810183.cms

Iraq says it foiled 9/11-style plot — against Shi’ite shrines
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2010/04/15/iraq_says_it_foiled_911_style_plot/

(Iraq) Bombs and shootings kill six, injure 13 in Iraq
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\15\story_15-4-2010_pg7_38

(Iraq) Apartment building in Baghdad falls in fiery blast — police
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2075795&Language=en

(Iraq) Senior officer in Iraq Counter-Terrorism bureau assassinated
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2075708&Language=en

(U.S.) NYC Zazi Case: Imam to be sentenced in NYC subway-plot case — Ahmad Afzali
– AP: “Afzali was arrested in September as authorities scrambled to thwart a plot by Najibullah Zazi to attack subways in Manhattan.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gT-Kwm3eHQPp5qw5B5yzpuy07XuwD9F3FQHO0

(U.S.) Ohio terrorist ties to al-Qaida operative revealed
– Tribune Chronicle: “Guantanamo Bay detainee Mohamedou Ould Salahi sent Christopher Paul a fax in 1997 asking for advice on where to send would-be jihadists, or holy warriors, and later referred to Paul as ‘a man of great respect in Al-Qaida,’ according to the ruling Friday by U.S. District Judge James Robertson in the District of Columbia.”
http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/106972.html?isap=1&nav=5031

(U.S.) Holder: NYC ‘not off the table’ as site of 9/11 terror trial
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/14/AR2010041402992.html

Jihad Recruitment, From the Rocky Mountains to Yemen
http://hurryupharry.org/2010/04/13/jihad-recruitment-from-the-rocky-mountains-to-yemen/

(UK) Police “need more powerful weapons to tackle terrorists” — Yates
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2075893&Language=en

Iran could have nuclear weapon in 3-5 years: top US official
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jUP-F4mC2Y36vp6QNWKh_CCAL_Ww

(Iran) US seeks five-pronged Iran sanctions
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7097936.ece

Lebanon: Hezbollah confirms report it received scud missiles
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=173204
– Syria “Strongly Denies” Scuds Going to Hezbollah
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20002567-503543.html
– US concerned Syria may supply Scuds to Hezbollah
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gNU1tGuyPXPQO9mnAHavQp-eZ0UQ

Syrian Government Daily: U.S., Israel behind Moscow Bombings
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4102.htm

Gaza: Hamas executes two Palestinians in Gaza — accused of collaborating with Israel
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-47717420100415
– Gaza: Hamas executes two for ‘informing’ for Israel
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.1.255405371

Gaza: IDF kills four Islamic Jihad men who were planting bombs
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1162958.html

Hamas: “Blood Libel on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV – American Center for Islamic Research President Dr. Sallah Sultan: Jews Murder Non-Jews and Use Their Blood for Passover Matzos”
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4099.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2443.htm
– on Ohio’s Sallah Sultan — also spelled Salah Sultan or Salah Soltan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sallah_Sultan
– his web page – Salah Soltan
http://salahsoltan.com/main/26.0.0.1.0.0.phtml

West Bank: “Israeli settlers burn Palestinian vehicle, smash others near Nablus”
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2075733&Language=en

Israel warns of terror threat in Egypt
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/04/14/Israel-warns-of-terror-threat-in-Egypt/UPI-62711271258321/

Yemen stresses cleric Awlaqi wanted for Qaeda links
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100415/twl-yemen-stresses-cleric-awlaqi-wanted-3cd7efd.html

Somalia’s Al Shabab recruits ‘holy warriors’ with $400 bonus
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0415/Somalia-s-Al-Shabab-recruits-holy-warriors-with-400-bonus

(Canada) Video of alleged terror leader shown in court — Fahim Ahmad
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/04/14/13581521.html

(Canada) CSIS destroyed Harkat records: Lawyer
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/CSIS+destroyed+harkat+records+Lawyer/2752498/story.html

(Turkey) Seven PKK rebels surrender to Turkish forces
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2075924&Language=en

EU: Court fines Italy for deporting terrorist Mourad Trabelsi
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2010/04/eu-court-fines-italy-for-deporting.html

Netherlands: Number 3 on the PVV list was radical imam’s lawyer
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2010/04/netherlands-number-3-on-pvv-list-was.html

Philippines: 12 dead as Muslim militants attack Philippine city
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100413/ap_on_re_as/as_philippines_muslim_rebels

Philippines: Bishop fears for life as Muslim separatists attack city
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=6030

Philippines  troops hunt Abu Sayyaf militants after terrorist bombings on Basilan
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0414/Philippines-troops-hunt-Abu-Sayyaf-militants-after-terrorist-bombings-on-Basilan

Australia: Top terrorist recruiter of Al-Qaeda at Sydney mosque — Anwar al-Awlaki
– apparently in November 2009
– Canberra Times: “Since Mr Awlaki’s lecture, all speakers must now be approved by the mosque.”
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/top-terrorist-recruiter-of-alqaeda-at-sydneymosque/1803557.aspx?storypage=0
– Australian Federal Govt looking into Al Qaeda sermon reports
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/15/2873940.htm?section=justin

Indonesia: Terrorist involved in the beheading of three Christian female students killed in Aceh
– Enal Tao
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Terrorist-involved-in-the-beheading-of-three-Christian-female-students-killed-in-Aceh-18124.html

Indonesia: Two dead and scores injured after violent clashes in Jakarta over fate of tomb of Muslim cleric
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1266114/Two-dead-scores-injured-violent-clashes-Jakarta-fate-tomb-Muslim-cleric.html

Indonesia: 1,000 police officers deployed for Islamist rally
– AKI: “Thursday’s rally was due to include members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR), whose members were also involved in Wednesday’s standoff.”
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.1.254970365

Burma: Nine killed in bomb blasts in Myanmar’s main city: official
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/37785

Colombia: Chiquita Faces New Claims by Families Over Colombia Terrorism
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=abpecCfbRHbs
War on Women News:

(Pakistan) Male lawyers throw acid on female lawyer in Multan
– Pakistan Daily Times: “he victim suffered serious burn injuries and was shifted to the Nishtar Hospital in Multan.”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\15\story_15-4-2010_pg7_7

(Pakistan) Two girls attacked with acid in Balochistan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20104\14\story_14-4-2010_pg7_8

(Pakistan) Girls school blown up in Bara
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/14-Apr-2010/Girls-school-blown-up-in-Bara

Congo rape crisis ‘increasing’
– Daily Telegraph: “As many as 14 women are raped every day in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, almost half of them in broad daylight and more than half in their own homes, according to a study published on Thursday.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/democraticrepublicofcongo/7593710/DR-Congo-rape-crisis-increasing-despite-peacekeepers-Oxfam-report-says.html

India: Hindu Khap leaders protest verdict in “honor killing”
http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/13/khap-leaders-protest-verdict-in-honour-killing.html
Other News:

Somalia: Islamists order Somali radio stations to stop playing music
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7097344.ece

Nigeria: Islamic Preaching Bill may breach peace?
http://en.afrik.com/article17340.html

Wall Street Journal: “Amnesty International and Jihad – Why is a human rights group working with a Taliban supporter?”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303720604575169414119507770.html

UK: “Students” of Anti-Democracy, Islamic Supremacist Leader Attack UK Legislator George Galloway
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/uk-attack-on-george-galloway/

UK: Teen arrested following damage to Muslim graves
http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/news/s/1215331_teen_arrested_following_damage_to_muslim_graves_

French Government Bans Egyptian Al-Rahma TV – Based on MEMRI Research
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4097.htm

Bosnia: Karadzic ‘called for Muslim homes to be attacked’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8621171.stm

(U.S.) Dad sues ‘Thank God for Dead Soldiers’ church
– “Westboro Baptist Church” hate group
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36449471/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts

Pakistan: “NWFP officially renamed as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa”
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/07-senate-begins-voting-on-18th-amendment-ha-02

Pakistani Christian demand Separate Christian Province
– Pakistan Christian Post: “The PCC President warned government of Pakistan that renaming NWFP as Khyber-Pukhtunkhawa is foundation to break Pakistan and Pakistani Christians have reservations on 18th Amendment.”
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=1917

Canada: Sharia MasterCard for Canada
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1235582/Sharia-MasterCard-for-Canada
Against Totalitarianism News:

Human Rights Group Launches “North Korea: 50,000 for 50,000″ Campaign
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/north-korea-50000-for-50000-campaign/

North Korea Freedom Week to Be Held in Seoul April 25-May 1
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/north-korea-freedom-week-to-be-held-in-seoul-april-25-may-1/

Washington Rally Celebrates Eroding Communist Influence in China
– speakers include Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)’s Jeffrey Imm
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/33290/
Against Nazi News:

UK: White Supremacist Nazis Accused of Terror Plot — Father and Son Team of Ian and Nicky Davison
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/uk-white-supremacist-nazi-terror-plot/

Virginia: Nazi William White Sentenced to Prison for Threats
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/virginia-nazi-bill-white-sentenced-to-prison-for-threats/

Germany – John Demjanjuk trial: Court expert says ‘Nazi guard’ ID card authentic
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5huA1f0-1f7AikfEOlU8aoK-8oeNQ
Against Racial Supremacism News:

Florida: KKK Fliers Distributed in Flagler County
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/florida-kkk-fliers-distributed-in-flagler-county/

Colorado: Boulder Student Arrested In Ethnic Intimidation Case – Threats To Kill Minorities Found At 2 Schools
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23150601/detail.html

A congressman whose district includes Camp Lejeune, N.C., wants fellow lawmakers to review the rules of engagement used by NATO forces in Afghanistan, saying “they have proved too often to be fatal” to U.S. troops.

Rep. Walter Jones, a Republican, said he has become increasingly concerned about whether the rules of engagement, or ROE, limit U.S. forces from protecting themselves on the battlefield. He is calling for the House Armed Services Committee to hold a hearing, saying active-duty Marines and the families of troops killed in combat contact him regularly about the issue.

“I have great trust and respect in the leadership in the military, both Army and Marine Corps. There’s no question about that,” said Jones, a member of the committee. “But sometimes it’s good that Congress follows through on its responsibility and oversees and discusses policy.”

Specifics of the ROE are classified. But they have come under sharp criticism since July, when Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, issued guidelines directing “leaders at all levels to scrutinize and limit the use of force like close-air support against residential compounds and other locations likely to produce civilian casualties.” He also restricted the use of air-to-ground munitions and indirect fire, such as artillery rounds, against residences.

The concerns stretch beyond that, however. In February, Marines involved in the assault on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah told an embedded Associated Press reporter that they frequently hesitated and held fire in some dangerous combat situations.

“I understand the reason behind it, but it’s so hard to fight a war like this,” Lance Cpl. Travis Anderson told AP. “They’re using our rules of engagement against us,” he said, adding that his platoon repeatedly saw men drop their guns into ditches before walking away to blend in with civilians.

Jones questioned the rules March 10 on the House floor, saying that “if that’s the way we’re supposed to fight a war, that’s a poor way to fight the war.” He waved a copy of Marine Corps Times as he spoke, quoting from a Nov. 2 story in which the families of several Marines killed in Afghanistan blasted the tactics used there. He followed up March 25, sending Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, a letter asking for the hearing.

“It defies our fundamental belief in the right of self defense to know that these ROE have proved too often fatal and have placed our service members in legal jeopardy, as well,” Jones said in the letter. “Also, it is extraordinarily difficult to explain to the family of a fallen service member that our government’s interest in winning the hearts and minds of a foreign population prevented their son from defending himself or even the air support on which he depends.”

There is no assurance the committee will take up Jones’ concerns, however. The Defense Department doesn’t publicly discuss ROE due to the sensitivity of the topic, so the committee doesn’t hold open hearings on the subject, said Jennifer Kohl, a committee spokeswoman.

Speaking on background, another committee staff member said it is unlikely the committee would call for a classified briefing on the subject unless more members call for it, or either Skelton and Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., the ranking Republican member, see a need for it.

“Frankly, we don’t have that many slots when members are in town, and there are other ways we can handle that,” the staff member said, speaking anonymously to candidly assess the options. “We could set up Representative Jones with someone who can answer his questions.”

That’s not good enough, Jones said. If a hearing can’t be held openly due to the ROE being classified, a closed briefing before the full committee should be held, he said.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility to knock on as many doors as I can to get a hearing,” he said. “We’re-in a 16th-century country. If we’re going to use our military, you have to give them the tools to defend themselves.”

Retired 1st Sgt. John Bernard, an outspoken critic of the ROE whose son was killed in August, said Jones contacted him in March, and has impressed him with his earnestness. It is unlikely that McChrystal or President Obama will overturn their policies in Afghanistan, but there is value in holding a hearing because it may get the attention of other members of Congress, Bernard said.

“I was reached out to by a representative with a heart for warriors … whereas my own senators haven’t contacted me in months,” said Bernard, of New Portland, Maine. “The reality is that throughout the country, that’s the case. When is the last time you heard a representative showing concern over the deaths of our guys and questioning whether the strategy is corrupt? Nobody’s questioning it at all.”

Google and an alliance of privacy groups have come to Yahoo’s aid by helping the Web portal fend off a broad request from the U.S. Department of Justice for e-mail messages, CNET has learned.

In a brief filed Tuesday afternoon, the coalition says a search warrant signed by a judge is necessary before the FBI or other police agencies can read the contents of Yahoo Mail messages–a position that puts those companies directly at odds with the Obama administration.

Yahoo has been quietly fighting prosecutors’ requests in front of a federal judge in Colorado, with many documents filed under seal. Tuesday’s brief from Google and the other groups aims to buttress Yahoo’s position by saying users who store their e-mail in the cloud enjoy a reasonable expectation of privacy that is protected by the U.S. Constitution.

“Society expects and relies on the privacy of e-mail messages just as it relies on the privacy of the telephone system,” the friend-of-the-court brief says. “Indeed, the largest e-mail services are popular precisely because they offer users huge amounts of computer disk space in the Internet ‘cloud’ within which users can warehouse their e-mails for perpetual storage.”

The coalition also includes the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Progress and Freedom Foundation, the Computer and Communications Industry Association, and TRUSTe.

For its part, the Justice Department has taken a legalistic approach: a 17-page brief it filed last month acknowledges that federal law requires search warrants for messages in “electronic storage” that are less than 181 days old. But, Assistant U.S. Attorney Pegeen Rhyne writes in a government brief, the Yahoo Mail messages don’t meet that definition.

“Previously opened e-mail is not in ‘electronic storage,’” Rhyne wrote in a motion filed last month. “This court should therefore require Yahoo to comply with the order and produce the specified communications in the targeted accounts.” (The Justice Department’s position is that what’s known as a 2703(d) order–not as privacy-protective as the rules for search warrants–should let police read e-mail.)

On December 3, 2009, U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer ordered Yahoo to hand to prosecutors certain records including the contents of e-mail messages. Yahoo divulged some of the data but refused to turn over e-mail that had been previously viewed, accessed, or downloaded and was less than 181 days old.

A Yahoo representative declined to comment.

“This case is about protecting the privacy rights of all Internet users,” a Google representative said in a statement provided to CNET on Tuesday. “E-mail stored in the cloud should have the same level of protection as the same information stored by a person at home.”

That is, in fact, the broader goal of the groups filing Tuesday’s brief. They’re also behind the new Digital Due Process Coalition, which wants police to be able to obtain private communications (and the location of Americans’ cell phones) only when armed with a search warrant.

Under a 1986 law written in the pre-Internet era, Internet users enjoy more privacy rights if they store data locally, a legal hiccup that these companies fear could slow the shift to cloud-based services unless it’s changed.

The judge should “reject the government’s attempted end-run around the Fourth Amendment and require it to obtain a search warrant based on probable cause before searching and seizing e-mails without prior notice to the account holder,” the coalition brief filed Tuesday says. The Bill of Rights’ Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and, in general, has been interpreted to mean warrantless searches are unreasonable.

The legal push in Colorado federal court, and a parallel legislative effort in Congress to update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, is likely to put the coalition at odds with the Obama administration.

A few weeks ago, for instance, Justice Department prosecutors told a federal appeals court that Americans enjoy no reasonable expectation of privacy in their mobile device’s location and that no search warrant should be required to access location logs.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in Colorado did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Update 8:15 p.m. PDT Tuesday: I’ve heard back from a Justice Department representative who says he’ll be able to answer questions on Wednesday after he talks to the cybercrime section.

Update 9 a.m. PDT Wednesday: The Electronic Frontier Foundation has posted a statement on the case, with EFF attorney Kevin Bankston saying: “The government is trying to evade federal privacy law and the Constitution.” Yahoo’s brief is also worth noting. Like the coalition’s filing, it argues that “users have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their e-mails” and says the Fourth Amendment requires police to obtain a warrant to peruse stored messages. And it confirms that prosecutors want “all e-mail” in the targeted Yahoo Mail accounts, even if it’s not relevant to the investigation or could include documents protected by the attorney-client privilege.

Update 9:30 a.m. PDT Wednesday: Yahoo has sent over a statement saying: “Yahoo values our trusted relationships with our users and works to protect their privacy while at the same time fulfilling our legal responsibilities. Yahoo’s filing in this matter is a public document. Beyond what is contained in that document, Yahoo has no comment on the specifics of the case.”