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2013-05-27T11:01:00.001-07:00

Syria fighting rages, more chemical attacks reported

Heavy fighting raged around the strategic Syrian border town of Qusair and the capital Damascus on Monday and further reports surfaced of chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar al-Assad's forces on rebel areas.

The Syrian military pounded eastern suburbs of Damascus with air strikes and artillery and loud explosions echoed around al-Nabak, 80 km (50 miles) north of the capital, where fighting has cut the highway running north to the central city of Homs, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said.

Government offensives in recent weeks are widely seen as a campaign to strengthen Assad's negotiating position before a proposed international peace conference sponsored by the United States and Russia and planned for next month.
Opposition activists said Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters were pressing a sustained assault on Qusair, a town long used by insurgents as a way station for arms and other supplies from Lebanon.

For Assad, Qusair is a crucial link between Damascus and loyalist strongholds on the Mediterranean coast. Recapturing the town, in central Homs province, could also sever connections between rebel-held areas in the north and south of Syria.

Each side gave conflicting accounts of the fighting.
The Homs branch of the National Defence Forces, formed of pro-Assad militiamen, said on its Facebook page that government forces had now divided Qusair into four sectors and had made major gains in all but the one that includes the town center.
"All of the mercenaries' supply routes were cut off completely," it said, referring to the rebels.
Islamist rebel groups, including the Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, said they had sent reinforcements to Qusair. But one opposition activist said these were stuck on the outskirts and had yet to link up with the town's defenders.
"So far they are just fighting and dying, their assault hasn't resulted in much yet, unfortunately," the activist said.
Rebels posted a video of fighters in what they said was central Qusair.
"We will keep fighting to the last man here who can say 'there is no god but God'," one insurgent said.
Hezbollah's deepening involvement in Qusair has raised the prospect of renewed civil war in neighboring Lebanon, where two rockets hit the Shi'ite Muslim movement's stronghold in south Beirut on Sunday and one was fired from south Lebanon towards Israel.

The rockets struck hours after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah promised that his anti-Israel guerrillas, fighting alongside Assad's forces, would win whatever the cost.

A Lebanese security source said another 107mm rocket, which did not go off, had been aimed at Beirut airport. The launch sites were near Aitat, in the hills just south of the capital.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced "deep concern" at Hezbollah's admitted combat role and the risk that the Syrian conflict will spill into Lebanon and other neighboring states.
"CHEMICAL ATTACK" AFFECTS DOZENS
The U.S.-Russian initiative so far appears only to have intensified the violence, especially around Qusair and Damascus.
In Harasta, an eastern Damascus suburb largely under rebel control, dozens of people were afflicted by respiratory difficulties after an apparent overnight chemical attack, according to opposition sources. Video showed victims lying on the floor of a room, breathing from oxygen masks.
The sides in the conflict, now in its third year, have accused each other of using chemical weapons. France's Le Monde newspaper published first-hand accounts on Monday of apparent chemical attacks by Assad's forces in April.
The newspaper said one of its photographers had suffered blurred vision and breathing problems for four days after an attack on April 13 on the Jobar front, in central Damascus.
Another video from Harasta overnight showed at least two fighters being put into a van, their eyes watering and struggling to breathe while medics put tubes into their throats.
It was not possible to verify the videos independently.
Syria, which is not a member of the anti-chemical weapons convention, is believed to have one of the world's last remaining stockpiles of undeclared chemical arms.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters in Brussels there was "increasingly strong evidence of localized use of chemical weapons" in Syria and said Paris would consult its partners on what action ought to be taken.

He was in the Belgian capital for a meeting of European Union foreign ministers who discussed calls from Britain and France to ease an EU embargo on arming Syrian rebels.
All EU sanctions on Syria could collapse unless the 27-nation bloc agrees on the fate of the arms embargo before it expires on Saturday, but several EU members oppose any change.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague signaled that his country was ready to see EU sanctions lapse rather than retreat from his demand to expand support for rebels.
Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, whose country provides U.N. observers posted between Syrian and Israeli forces on the Golan Heights, opposed any arming of rebels, saying the EU should remain a "peace community".
OPPOSITION DISARRAY
The U.S.-Russian initiative provides the first slim hope in almost a year for a diplomatic end to a conflict that has cost more than 80,000 lives and caused a refugee exodus that the U.N. refugee agency expects to top 3.5 million by the end of 2013.
China, which along with Russia, has three times blocked U.N. Security Council action on Syria, said on Monday it would join the proposed talks and would push all concerned towards peace.

Damascus has indicated it will take part in the talks, but the fractured opposition, which has previously required Assad's exit to be guaranteed before any negotiations, has yet to lay out its position and remains mired in internal quarrels.

The opposition crisis deepened on Monday when liberals were offered only token representation, undermining international efforts to lend the Islamist-dominated alliance greater support.
To the dismay of envoys of Western and Arab nations monitoring four days of opposition talks in Istanbul, the 60-member Syrian National Coalition thwarted a deal to admit a liberal bloc headed by opposition campaigner Michel Kilo.
The failure to broaden the coalition, in which a Qatari-backed bloc influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood is prominent, could sap Saudi support for the revolt.
The coalition's Western backers had wanted more seats for liberals, an idea backed by Saudi Arabia, which had been uneasy about Qatar's rising influence, coalition insiders said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were due to meet in Paris later on Monday to discuss the conference they want to hold in Geneva in June.
source : yahoo news

Mahasen bearing down on coast

2013-05-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

A boat goes for safer place Wednesday afternoon as the sea sees rough tide with Cyclone Mahasen approaching Bangladesh coastal region. Photo: Focus Bangla

Cyclone Mahasen moved slightly north-northeastwards and lies over north Bay and adjoining west central Bay Wednesday night after approaching within around 500 kilometres of Bangladesh coastline.
It is likely to intensify further and move in a north-northeasterly direction and may cross between Patuakhali (Khepupara)-Teknaf coast near Chittagong by Thursday morning, said a special weather bulletin of the Met office published at 9:00pm.
Its peripherial squally wind has started affecting coastal regions of Bangladesh, the bulletin added.
Maritime ports of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar have been advised to keep hoisted danger signal No. seven.
It was centred about 635 kms south southwest of Chittagong port, 580 kms southwest of Cox’s Bazar port and 515 kms south southwest of Mongla port at 9:00pm Wednesday.
Maximum sustained wind speed within 54 kms of the storm centre is about 62 kph rising to 90 kph in gusts/ squalls. Sea will remain very rough near the storm centre.
The coastal districts of Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Bhola,

A sattelite image of Mahasen

Borguna, Patuakhali, Barisal and their offshore islands and chars will come under danger signal No. seven.
On the other hand, maritime port of Mongla has been advised to keep hoisted danger signal No. five.
The coastal districts of Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars will come under danger signal No. five.
Under the influence of the storm the low-lying areas of the coastal districts of Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by storm surge of eight to ten feet height above normal astronomical tide.
The coastal districts of Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Barisal, Bhola, Pirojpur, and their offshore islands and chars are likely to experience wind speed up to 90-100 kph in gusts/squalls with heavy to very falls during the passage of the storm.
The coastal districts of Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars are likely to experience wind speed up to 80-90 kph in gusts/ squalls with heavy to very falls during the passage of the storm.
Due to very heavy rainfall, landslide may occur at places over the hilly regions of Chittagong division.
All fishing boats, trawlers and marine vessels over north Bay have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief on Wednesday sent a list containing guidelines and precautions for the locals to the deputy commissioners’ offices of the vulnerable districts, ministry sources said.

source : The Daily star

We don't have monster in our blood,' says Ohio suspect's daughter

2013-05-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

First came the pain -- a decade of torture, torment and terror for three captive women and one of their young daughters.

Now comes the prosecution and -- if there's a conviction -- punishment for the man accused of being responsible for their hell.

Ariel Castro appeared silently in court Thursday, his head down, as he was arraigned on four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape, accused of holding the women captive in his Cleveland home. Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren Moore ordered Castro held on $8 million bond -- $2 million for each of the three women and the child born to Amanda Berry before they were freed Monday evening.

Hours later, the top prosecutor in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, announced he'd press for more charges -- "for each and every act of sexual violence ... each day of kidnapping, every felonious assault (and) all his attempted murders."

Furthermore, Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said he'd try to persuade a grand jury to indict the 52-year-old Castro for "aggravated murder" for the termination of his captives' pregnancies. He cited a state law that a person can be charged with murder -- a conviction that could lead to the death penalty in Ohio -- for killing unborn children.

Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued

Disturbing ties between Castro and victims

Kidnapping victim's aunt: God heard us

Officer reflects on Castro encounter

CNN Exclusive: 'We don't have monster in our blood'

According to an initial incident report obtained by CNN, Michelle Knight said she became pregnant at least five times while in Castro's 1,400-square-foot home. When that happened, she told investigators, Castro "starved her for at least two weeks, then he repeatedly punched her in the stomach until she miscarried."

It is not known how many times, if any, the other two women got pregnant only to miscarry. One of them, Berry, gave birth to a daughter while in captivity.

That's just one of the brutal tales reported so far about the women's captivity, which McGinty described as "beyond comprehension."

"The child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the heart of the city," he told reporters. "The horrific brutality and torture that the victims endured for a decade is beyond comprehension."

Castro's own mother is among those trying to make sense of the horror.

"I have a sick son who has done something serious," she told Univision and Telemundo. "I'm suffering very much. I ask for forgiveness from those mothers; may those girls forgive me."

Source: Writings detail actions, reasons behind them

So what was going through the suspect's mind, when he allegedly lured three women into a car between 2002 and 2004, took them to his home three miles away and held them there -- where they were chained, threatened and repeatedly sexually assaulted?

Neither Castro, his attorneys nor police have spelled out a motive publicly.

The suspect has talked with investigators, confessing to some of the actions of which he's accused, said a law enforcement source closely involved with the investigation. The source did not describe precisely what Castro confessed to when he was interrogated.

Plus, investigators have asked the state crime lab to expedite tests to create a DNA profile of Castro -- something that typically takes 20 days, but should be back Friday -- said Ohio Attorney General's office spokesman Dan Tierney.

They're also poring over evidence, including more than 200 items seized from Castro's Seymour Avenue home. Among them are writings authorities believe were written by the suspect, said two law enforcement sources closely involved in the case.

Those contain "specific detailing of actions and reasons behind actions" tied to the women's abduction and their kidnapper's behavior toward them, one of the law enforcement sources said. The author cites his own history of abuse by family members as justification.

Castro's daughter doesn't want to see him

Source: Women helped each other survive

Neighbor's insight into Castro's life

Dr. Drew: This guy is a monster

The latest developments in the Cleveland case

The source -- who described the "pretty lengthy" writings as "more of a diary" -- said they included talk of suicide, though that's just one of many aspects.

Authorities are working "meticulously" to see whether others were involved in the kidnapping plot. Two of Castro's brothers, Pedro and Onil, were initially arrested in the case only to be released Thursday -- after appearing in court on unrelated cases -- when investigators found nothing, including from the victims' interviews, linking them to the abductions.

One of his daughters, Angie Gregg, told CNN that she "just wanted to die" upon hearing her father had been implicated.

But looking back, she thinks there were signs of something awry -- such as how her father "kept his house locked down so tight" and would sometimes leave mysteriously for an hour or so, then return, with "no explanation."

"Everything's making sense now," Gregg said. "It's all adding up, and I'm just disgusted."

Source: Death threat if newborn died

According to the initial incident report, the women said Castro first chained them in the basement but later let them live upstairs on the second floor.

The women went outside only twice during their ordeal -- and just "briefly" at that, Cleveland Public Safety Director Martin Flask said.

Most of the time the three would be in different rooms, though they interacted occasionally and came to "rely on each other for survival," said a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation.

One thing they could count on was that their alleged captor wouldn't let them out.

Castro would often test his captives by pretending to leave, the law enforcement source said. Then he'd suddenly return; if there were indications any of the women had moved, they'd be disciplined.

Survival the key difference from 'House of Horrors' case

While Knight told investigators Castro forced her to miscarry her own unborn children, she said he ordered her to deliver Berry's child, according to a police source familiar with the investigation.

The baby was delivered in a plastic tub or pool in order to contain the afterbirth and amniotic fluid, the source said.

Panic ensued soon after. The child stopped breathing, and everyone started screaming, the source said, citing accounts by the young women.

Knight said Castro threatened to kill her if the baby did not survive, the initial police report states.

"What's most incredible here is that this girl who knows nothing about childbirth was able to deliver a baby that is now a healthy 6-year-old," the source said.

'I don't think she would have lived very much longer'

Knight remained hospitalized in good condition Thursday, said MetroHealth Medical Center spokeswoman Tina Shaerban-Arundel.

The others held -- Berry, her 6-year-old daughter and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus -- are back with relatives.

FBI specialists who talked with them feel they "desperately need space and time," said McGinty.

Who are Berry, DeJesus and Knight?

"These victims need to be decompressed," he said. "They need a chance to heal before we seek further in-depth evidence from them."

Those close to them, as well as residents of Cleveland and beyond, are trying to make sense of the alleged depravity.

One of them is Arlene Castro, the suspect's daughter and once a very good friend of DeJesus. She was interviewed on an "America's Most Wanted" segment in 2005 talking about how she'd been with DeJesus, hoping to spend the afternoon with her, shortly before her abduction.

Speaking Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America," she said she last spoke with her father late last month, adding the two had never been close. Whatever their relationship, she insisted, "I had no idea" what was happening.

"I'm really disappointed, embarrassed, mainly devastated," Arlene Castro said. "... I would like to say that I'm absolutely so, so sorry."

Women crushed by news her father allegedly abducted her friend

Fern Gentry said on CNN's "Starting Point" Thursday that hearing Berry, her granddaughter, was alive 10 years after her disappearance was the "most important thing that ever happened in my life."

Gentry, who spoke to Berry by phone from her Tennessee home Tuesday, said she's grateful for all involved in the case -- from police to helpful neighbors -- and that her granddaughter can now live her life.

"If she hadn't got out, I don't think she would have lived very much longer," Gentry said.

source : cnn

Syria's protracted conflict shows no sign of abating

2013-05-09T21:21:00.001-07:00

The Free Syrian Army has not yet shown itself to be a cohesive force

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said that in a guerrilla war the rebels only had to not lose to win; however, unless a regular army was clearly winning, it was losing. The Syrian crisis has, for the time being, turned that maxim on its head.

When the uprising began, the West and its allies in the Gulf expected it to last weeks or maybe months - but not years.
Now, by hanging on this long, the regime in Damascus increasingly thinks that by not losing it is winning.
That new confidence - along with what is believed to be a steady supply of arms from its supporters in Iran and Russia - is helping the regime to take back some areas which it had previously lost.
In the capital Damascus, you can hear the sound of mortar fire as the regime slowly pushes fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) out of the parts of the city that it took the rebels months to get hold of.
The situation in Syria is complicated. If you are not confused by what is going on there, then you do not understand it.
However, to try to make the crisis less confusing to the outside world, policymakers, politicians and journalists have tried to boil it down to good versus evil: the FSA versus President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The emergence of radical Islamist groups has further complicated the conflict

And the regime has played its part - so far more than 70,000 people are believed to have died in the conflict.
But to start to understand why this crisis is so intractable, two things must first be understood.
'Men with guns' Firstly, the FSA - that you have been hearing so much about - does not exist.
A better title would be MWG, or men with guns, because having guns and firing them in the same direction is the only thing that unites them.
The word "army" suggests a cohesive force with a command structure. Almost two years after the FSA was created, that remains illusive.
The situation has been further complicated by the introduction into the arena of al-Qaeda-linked jihadists and armed criminal gangs.

“Start Quote

It is clear that nobody knows how to end this crisis”

Secondly, the Syrian opposition's political leadership - which wanders around international capitals attending conferences and making grand speeches - is not leading anyone. It barely has control of the delegates in the room with it, let alone the fighters in the field.

These two things can help explain why this crisis has so far shown no sign of being resolved politically.
America is not acting because it does not know what to do or whom to do it with.
Neither do the European countries.
Having spent the last few days in Beirut and Damascus, talking to the international community, Western diplomats, FSA activists and Syrian regime supporters, it is clear that nobody knows how to end this crisis.
That's just about the only thing all sides agree on.
Saudi and Qatari 'meddling' The vacuum created by Western inaction has been filled by two of the Gulf states - Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
These are both sorely undemocratic states, they are not champions of democracy either at home or abroad.

Qatar has viewed the upheavals of the Arab Spring as an opportunity to extend its influence

So, why in Syria did we have a "free world" standing by and watching the democratic uprising being brutally crushed, when suddenly from over the horizon came the cavalry from the very un-free Gulf world to arm and support the aspirations of the people?
This bit is simple - they did not.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar are meddling in Syria for thoroughly selfish reasons. Freedom, democracy and human rights have absolutely nothing to do with why they are arming the rebels.
President Assad's Alawite community is a splinter from the Shia faith - its closest allies are in Shia Iran.
Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia hates Shia Iran, so it is using the war in Syria to try and weaken it.
The Saudi interest in the conflict dates back 1,300 years to the split within Islam. That is where its ambitions over the outcome of the civil war begin and end.
Qatar is more complicated. Nobody really understands the minutiae of the Qatari foreign policy - perhaps not even the Qataris. Small nations like to feel important and they like to have bigger friends.
The Qataris are a tiny nation with lots of money. They are looking at the post-Arab Spring Middle East as a giant tombola, they are using their vast wealth to buy up as many of the lottery tickets on offer as possible because they just want to win something, somewhere.

“Start Quote

The Syrian people are losing their lives, their homes, their wealth”

They might end up with a prize that is nowhere near what they paid for it - but it will be theirs. It is the winning - not necessarily the quality of the prize - that counts.

Qatar wants to have lots of grateful friends once the turmoil in the region is over who will hopefully look after them in the future.
The only thing that is certain in Syria is who is losing: The Syrian people are losing. They are losing their lives, their homes, their wealth. Their children are losing their childhoods.
'Societal crisis' The Syrians are also losing Syria, because the longer this goes on the more society is losing what little sense of identity it has.
"The country is moving from a political crisis to a societal crisis," is how one of the few genuinely knowledgeable people trying to manage this crisis explained events here to me.
This societal crisis is manifesting itself in steadily increasing small acts of sectarian violence.

The increasingly sectarian nature of the conflict is undermining Syrian society's sense of identity

All across the country, every day, there are brutal events, none of which in itself is big enough to warrant the attention of international or local media, but each of which breaks another strand of this country's fragile weave of sects and religions.
Each one is an act of revenge for an offence committed by another member of the victim's religious community.
Women are being raped because they are Sunni or Alawite and their men are assumed to be involved in the fighting.
Christian women are being hauled off buses and attacked by Salafist fighters for not covering their hair.
Murders lead to revenge massacres.
When will the Syria crisis end? God knows.
God knows because this crisis is increasingly not about freedom but about religion.
The Syrian war is turning into a sectarian conflict whose influence will spill beyond the country's borders.
There was the chance at the beginning to stop that being the case. That chance has been lost.

source: BBC news

Kamaruzzaman to hang

2013-05-09T01:13:00.002-07:00

A former head of Jamaat’s diplomatic relations and liaison team, this former Al-Badr man committed crimes at the age of 19 when he was a local leader of Jamaat’s erstwhile student wing, the Islami Chhatra Sangha, in and around Sherpur.

Justice Obaidul Hassan-led International Crimes Tribunal-2 gave out the verdict.

The Jamaat itself perpetrated war crimes – listed by the Guinness Book of Records as among the five deadliest 20th-century killing – during the war against Pakistan and facing widespread call for being outlawed as a political party.

Justice Mohammad Shahinur Islam began reading the 62-page summary of the 215-page verdict at 11:21am in an overcrowded courtroom, bdnews24.com Correspondent reported.

Judge Md Mozibur Rahman said five of the seven charges levelled against him had been proven.

He said, according to the charges brought by the prosecution, Kamaruzzaman was the ‘chief organiser’ of the Al-Badr, a militant outfit formed to assist the Pakistan army to thwart Bangladesh’s freedom struggle in 1971, of greater Mymensingh region.

The prosecution had presented a report run by the Jamaat mouthpiece Daily Sangram during the war to support its allegation.

Judge Rahman said the defence had failed to prove otherwise.

Charges of Genocide at Sohagpur, torture of lecturer Abdul Hannan, muder of Golam MOstafa, and the murder of five were proved.

The verdict said that the charges of killing eight against Kamruzzaman could not be proved beyond doubt.

Kamaruzzaman was brought to the courtroom at 11:45am. Five minutes later the judges arrived.

Chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal-2, Justice Obaidul Hassan, thanked the lawyers of both prosecution and defence, and began reading out the details of Kamaruzzaman’s case.

Justice Mohammad Mojibur Rahman Mia read out the second part of the verdict with ICT-2 Chairman giving the final verdict.

Kamaruzzaman was clad in a white shirt and black trousers. When brought, he headed straight to the place designated for him without looking anywhere. His oiled hair was brushed neatly, and was not wearing a cap.

Freedom Fighters, eminent personalities and leaders of Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee were seen at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) premises despite a drizzle on Thursday morning, awaiting the verdict of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman.
The three-member judge panel of ICT arrived at the court premises at around 10:00am.

Media, lawyers, and many others from various walks of life were gathering at the tribunal premises since morning, bdnews24.com Correspondents at scene reported. Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Kamaruzzaman was brought to the tribunal from Dhaka Central Jail at around 9:30am.

Ghatak Dlal Nirmul Committee chief Shahriar Kabir, Professor Muntasir Mamun, Sammilita Sangskritik Jote President Nasiruddin Yousuf Bachchu were present at scene and were talking to journalists. They were all hoping for capital punishment for Kamaruzzaman and all war criminals.

Muktijoddha Sangsad Central Command Council members arrived at tribunal premises with national flags and their own flags at around 10:45am. Council Chairman Retired Major General Helal Morshed Khan was seen leading them.

They were chanting slogans demanding execution of war criminals.

Special security arrangements were made at the tribunal premises, Ramna zone police Assistant Commissioner (patrol) Imanul Islam told bdnews24.com. Traffic has been curbed through Doyel Chattar, Kadam fountain and other areas.

Police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were seen alert outside the tribunal premises.

ICT-2 started hearing Kamaruzzaman’s case on Jun 4 last year. The Jamaat leader has been charged on seven accounts of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

The prosecution accused Kamaruzzaman, who then was the head of the Mymensingh unit of Jamaat’s student affiliate Islami Chhatra Shangha, of setting up the Al Badr collaborator force with handpicked activists in Jamalpur on Apr 22.

The force was accused of involvement in genocide, killing, rape, looting, arson, and deportation of people in the greater Mymensingh district including Jamalpur, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Sherpur and Tangail, the prosecution said.

Kamaruzzaman is the fourth defendant to be convicted of crimes against humanity since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government opened the war crimes tribunal in 2010.

The tribunal sentenced former Jamaat leader Abul Kalam Azad to death in January for crimes during the war. Abdul Quader Mollah was sentenced to life in prison on Feb 5 on similar charges.

Jamaat’s number two Delwar Hossain Sayedee was found guilty on eight counts involving mass killings, rape and atrocities on Feb 28. Five other top party leaders are currently on trial while Jamaat-e-Islami guru Ghulam Azam’s verdict is expected any day.

Source : bdnews24

Tribunal reading out verdict

2013-05-09T01:07:00.000-07:00

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman is being taken to International Crimes Tribunal for judgement for wartime offences. Photo courtesy: Shahbagh Chattar Facebook group

A tribunal in Dhaka, which is dealing with the wartime crimes against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, started reading out the summary of the judgement Thursday morning.
A prison van carrying Kamaruzzaman entered the tribunal premises around 9:30am amid tight security.
Assistant secretary general of the Jamaat, which was instrumental to foil Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, faces charges of seven wartime offences.
The three-member panel of International Crimes Tribunal-2 is set to pronounce its judgement soon.
Kamaruzzaman was known to have been a key organiser of the Al-Badr, an auxiliary force of then Pakistani army which planned and executed the killing of Bangalee intellectuals at the fag end of the Liberation War in 1971, according to historical records.
The tribunal fixed the judgement day on Wednesday, 22 days after the completion of the case proceedings.
THE CHARGES
Abduction and killing of Badiuzzaman; inflicting inhumane torture on pro-liberation intellectual Syed Abdul Hannan; advising the killing of 164 people and rape of many women in Sohagpur; abduction and killing of Golam Mostafa; abduction, confinement and torture of Liakat Ali and Mujibur Rahman Panu and the killing of eight people; abduction and killing of Tunu; and the killing Zahurul Islam Dara and five others.
THE TRIAL
Kamaruzzaman was arrested in a criminal case on July 13, 2010, and shown arrested on war crimes charges on August 2 the same year.
The prosecution pressed formal charges against him incorporating nine counts of crimes against humanity on January 15, 2012, and Tribunal-1 took the charges into cognisance on January 31. The case was transferred to Tribunal-2 on April 16, 2012.
On June 4, 2012, the tribunal indicted Kamaruzzaman on seven charges of crimes against humanity, including murder and torture of unarmed civilians and complicity in other crimes during the nine-month-long war.
The indictment order, in a brief profile of the accused, said Kamaruzzaman, as the president of Islami Chhatra Sangha of greater Mymensingh in 1971, had played the role of a key organiser in the formation of the Al-Badr force.
Under the leadership of Kamaruzzaman, all members of Chhatra Sangha of greater Mymensingh were absorbed into Al-Badr within a month. They, after receiving summary training, launched atrocities targeting the Hindus and unarmed Bangalee civilians in greater Mymensingh, the order said.
As many as 18 prosecution witnesses, including the investigation officer of the case, testified against the accused, while five people, including Kamaruzzaman’s son and brother, testified in favour of the accused between July 15, 2012 and March 24, 2013.
The prosecution and the defence held closing arguments from March 24 until April 16.
The two tribunals dealing with the war crimes cases have already delivered verdicts in three cases. Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Delawar Hossain Sayedee and expelled Jamaat member Abul Kalam Azad were sentenced to death while Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah received life imprisonment.
The verdict delivery in the war crimes case against former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam is pending with Tribunal-1.

Source : The Daily Star

Iran talks tough as Syria claims Israel attacked military facility

2013-05-06T01:59:00.002-07:00

Iran has no doubt Syria will deal a "crushing response" to Israel and the Shiite regime stands ready to train its ally's soldiers, officials in Tehran have said.

The remarks, delivered by various Iranian officials and reported in state media, came Sunday after Syria claimed that Israel launched a fresh attack inside its borders.

"As a Muslim and friendly country, we stand by Syria and if there is need for training, we will provide them with necessary training," Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, told reporters Sunday.

Around the same time, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said he had no doubt Syria and its allies will "give a crushing response to the aggressions of the Zionists," the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Explosions rock Damascus

Syrian official: Israel has declared war

King: Arming rebels could help Al Qaeda

Did Israel conduct airstrike on Syria?

Israel has not confirmed or denied that it fired rockets that hit a military research center in the Damascus suburbs Sunday.

But Syria says it was the second Israeli airstrike in three days, and Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad told CNN the attack was a declaration of war by Israel.

The airstrikes have riled Syria's allies in the region: Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Why Syria matters

The Syrian civil war has pitted rebel fighters against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has ruled the country for four decades. More than 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the bitter conflict during the past two years.

Syria matters to Iran because it is believed to be the main conduit to the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, the proxy through which Iran can threaten Israel with an arsenal of short-range missiles.

In 2009, the top U.S. diplomat in Damascus disclosed that Syria had begun delivery of ballistic missiles to Hezbollah, according to official cables leaked to and published by WikiLeaks.

The last thing Iran wants is a Sunni-dominated Syria -- especially as the Syrian rebels' main supporters are Iran's Persian Gulf rivals: Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Hezbollah's feared scenario is Israel on one side and a hostile Sunni-led Syria on the other.

'We are watching everything'

Sunday's reported attack comes days after U.S. officials told CNN that they believed Israel had conducted an airstrike against Syria on Thursday or Friday.

The Israeli military did not comment on the U.S. claim either.

But Israel has long said it would target any transfer of weapons to Hezbollah or other terrorist groups.

"We are watching everything when it comes to the movement of these types of weapons. We have the means to do that," a senior Israeli defense official told CNN's Sara Sidner on Sunday. The official is not authorized to speak to the media.

Shaul Mofaz, a lawmaker in Israel's Knesset, told Israeli Army Radio on Sunday that Israel isn't meddling with Syria's civil war. But Israel must protect itself from Lebanese militants, he said.

"For Israel, it is very important that the front group for Iran, which is in Lebanon, needs to be stopped," Mofaz said.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment after Sunday's claims.

'Everything kept exploding'

Syria said Sunday's attack targeted the Jamraya research center in the Damascus suburbs. But state media reports did not provide details about what type of research occurs in the facility, or how much damage occurred.

"Until now, the details are not clear on what happened," al Mekdad told CNN. "Did they fire missiles? ... It is not clear for me, because I don't know how it happened, and of course it is worrying, but Israel will suffer the same."

The blasts rocked a large military area in the suburbs of Syria's capital, prompting terrified residents nearby to run for cover.

"Everything kept exploding over and over again," said Anna Deeb, whose family lives just over a mile away. "We could hear gunshots, we could hear people screaming. ... We didn't know what to do, and there was a problem with us breathing because the smoke was too much."

In January, Syrian authorities said Israeli warplanes killed two workers and injured five others when they struck the same research facility that officials said was targeted on Sunday.

A U.S. official told CNN at the time that the Syrian claims were false.

Source : CNN

Hefajat Strikes Horror

2013-05-05T13:41:00.003-07:00

Bangladesh has seldom experienced brute violence of this scale. Several parts in downtown Dhaka now resemble a burned-out and looted zone.
Thousands of radical Hefajat-e Islam men, instigated and bolstered by Jamaat-Shibir activists, exploded into an awe-striking force and set fire to hundreds of shops and police outposts as the evening descended.
Dhaka’s night skyline turned orange, as flames leaped from burning establishments after power supply was cut off. The Hefajat men forced into a parking lot at Dilkusha area and torched at least 50 government buses.
The affected areas were rocked with loud explosion of bombs set off by Hefajat and Jamaat men, while police rained thousands of teargas shells and rubber bullets on the marauding Islamists.
As police and Hefajat men fought on the streets — from Paltan to Bangabandhu Avenue, and from Motijheel to Bailey Road — at least three people were killed in the violence.
A few thousand shops, including jewellery, electronics and furniture outlets, were looted at Paltan, Baitul Mukarram and stadium markets.
Hefajat had earlier promised to hold a non-violent rally at Shapla Chattar to protest what it called anti-religion write-ups by “atheist bloggers” and press home its 13-point charter of demands, including introduction of a blasphemy law.
But it eventually turned nasty after police tried to block a procession of Shibir men at Nayapaltan around 11:30am.
The clash there soon spread to Bangabandhu Avenue, as Shibir and Hefajat men tried to attack the Awami League office there around 1:30pm.
Violence broke out in the Paltan area, and the office of the deputy Commissioner (traffic) was set ablaze.
The government issued a warning to the Hefajat men that they either leave the capital immediately or face stern action. But the zealots ignored it and vowed to stay put.
As their Dhaka siege programme was over, Hefajat men started marching towards Motijheel for attending the rally. Wielding sticks, thousands of men in white robes converged in Motijheel by the afternoon.
CAPITAL TURNS BATTLEGROUND
Large parts of the capital, including Purana Paltan, Baitul Mukarram, Bijoy Nagar, Dainik Bangla intersection, Bangabandhu Avenue and Motijheel turned into battle ground during the mayhem that began in the morning.
Two of the dead were identified as Siddiqur Rahman, 28, a worker of Hanif Paribahan, and Mohammad Nahid, 21, an employee of a shop in Baitul Mukarram area.
The identity of the other victim could not be known.
Meanwhile, a branch manager of an insurance company died of cardiac arrest while trying to escape the violence in Motijheel area.
Kamaluddin Khan, 55, of Desh General Insurance, was on the way home from his workplace in Motijheel in the evening.
Hefajat men vandalised more than 150 vehicles, including 50 buses of the public administration ministry, and set fire to 30 of those at Rajuk Avenue.
At least 10 vehicles were set ablaze last night in Sukrabad, Dhanmondi, Dolaikhal, Sadarghat, Uttara, Malibagh, and Tejgaon industrial area in the capital and two places in Gazipur.
They also torched 100 shops and business establishments in Bijoy Nagar and Paltan areas, and looted shops in Baitul Mukarram market last evening.
The Islamists also set fire to the deputy commissioner’s (traffic-east) office, showroom of Ideal products and office of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), smashed windows of most of the offices on both sides of the roads from Dainik Bangla intersection to Janata Bank intersection.
More than 5,000 rounds of rubber bullet, teargas canisters and bullet were fired during the clashes, said police.
The clashes followed the explosion of a crude bomb at Paltan around 11:30am, hours before the Hefajat rally began in Motijheel.
More than 200 people were injured in the violence.
Several hundred Hefajat men tried to march towards Gonojagoron Mancha in Shahbagh defying police barricades, said Sheikh Maruf Hasan, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Ramna Division).
When police barred them, they got into scuffles with law enforcers, he said.
Attacks on AL office
Thousands of Hefajat men aided by Shibir activists swooped on the roadside shops in front of Awami League’s central office around 2:30pm.
As the AL men and police tried to resist them, they attacked the AL office. At one stage, police fired bullets from shotguns. Siddiqur, a worker of Hanif Paribahan, sustained severe bullet wounds during the clash.
He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
The doctors said more than 100 injured people, including five police men, were taken to the hospital. Most of them were hit by bullets.
A traffic constable sustained severe burns when Hefajat men set fire to a police box at Bijoy Nagar. The radical Islamists also beat up a constable near Paltan intersection.
During the clashes with police, Hefajat and Shibir activists set off hundreds of cocktails, creating panic among the commuters.
Many people remained stranded in their offices in Motijheel and Paltan areas following the clashes. Electricity supply was cut off in the two areas last night.
The Hefajat men attacked several TV cameramen, including Mohammad Nasir Uddin of Mohana Television, while they were taking video footage of their vandalism.
They also assaulted several journalists, including a female reporter, and torched the toll collection booth on Babubazar bridge in old Dhaka in the evening.
Talking to reporters at his office yesterday noon, Home Minster Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said Jamaat-Shibir activists mingled with the Hefajat men resorted to violence during Hefajat’s Dhaka blockade programme.
“Hefajat leaders kept constant contact with me. They said no Hefajat men indulged in violence, rather it was Jamaat-Shibir men who, in the guise of them, created anarchy,” said the minister.

Source : The Daily Star

Top news of Bangladesh

2013-05-04T12:51:00.002-07:00

Hefajat to muscle in

The Qawmi madrasa-based Islamist group Hefajat-e Islam is to lay siege to the capital today.
The organisation claimed that it would mobilise several lakh workers and supporters at Amin Bazar, Abdullahpur, Demra, Jatrabari, and at Kanchpur, Postogola and Babubazar bridges to make the Dhaka siege programme a success.
The organisation has recently been campaigning to realise its 13-point demand that includes stern punishment of “atheist leaders of the Shahbagh movement”.
Hefajat Secretary General Junaid Babunagri told The Daily Star yesterday that their programme would begin at daybreak. He said Hefajat’s ameer Shah Ahmad Shafi would say when to end the siege.
With the country’s main opposition BNP rendering its support to the siege, Hefajat-e Islam yesterday rejected the prime minister’s call to call off the programme.
It said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina failed to give any assurance in meeting its 13-point demand.
“In her speech, there was an effort to confuse the nation through contradictory and wrong interpretations [of the demands],” said Mufti Fayezullah, joint secretary general of Hefajat-e Islam.
“That’s why, we have decided to continue with the May-5 Dhaka blockade programme,” he said.
Additional Secretary Khandakar Mainuddin of the home ministry said law enforcers would cooperate with Hefajat in holding peaceful rallies at the entry points of the capital.
However, a Hefajat appeal for holding a rally in front of Baitul Mukarram mosque this afternoon was turned down.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmood Khandker, who yesterday had a meeting with different deputy commissioners of Dhaka and superintendents of police of different districts surrounding the capital, told The Daily Star that public life would not be disrupted during the siege.
Asked whether people would be able to get in and out of the capital, the IGP said they would try their best to make sure people do not have to suffer.
The organisers of today’s siege hoped that around three lakh people from Chittagong, one lakh from Sylhet and 50,000 from Rajshahi would join activists and supporters of Hefajat-e Islam in Dhaka.
According to sources, many Hefajat adherents, some of whom support different pro-Islamist components of the BNP-led 18-party combine, reached Dhaka over the last two days and had also attended the 18-Party rally at Shapla Chattar in the capital yesterday.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in her rally speech yesterday asked the audience if they were ready to stay there for 24 hours.
Amid chants and slogans in support of Khaleda’s suggestion, Khaleda said Hefajat’s siege programme was scheduled for today and that was why she issued an ultimatum to the government to meet the opposition demand for restoration of the caretaker government system within 48 hours.
Hefajat had announced the siege programme on April 6 during its rally at Motijheel to press home its demands.
news source : The Daily Star,Bd

Governors accompany White House to action automated cuts

2013-02-24T07:27:00.002-08:00

Governors from both parties are warning of the damaging economic impact if the White House and Congress fail to reach a deal to stave off across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect Friday.

"It's senseless and it doesn't need to happen," said Gov. Martin O'Malley, D-Md., during the annual meeting of the National Governors Association this weekend.
"And it's a damn shame, because we've actually had the fastest rate of jobs recovery of any state in our region. And this really threatens to hurt a lot of families in our state and kind of flat line our job growth for the next several months."
Some governors were pessimistic about the prospects for a compromise. They said the budget impasse was just the latest crisis in Washington that is keeping business from hiring and undermining the ability of governors to develop state spending plans.
"I've not given up hope, but we're going to be prepared for whatever comes," said Gov. Brian Sandoval, R-Nev. "There will be consequences for our state."
The White House booked several Cabinet secretaries on the Sunday talk shows to detail the potential impact of the spending cuts on the public, from airports to classrooms.
The administration is bracing the country for widespread flight delays, shuttered airports, off-limit seashores and hundreds of thousands of furloughed employees.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said travelers could face delays because the Federal Aviation Administration is in line for $600 million in spending cuts.
"We're going to try and cut as much as we possibly can out of contracts and other things that we do," LaHood told CNN's "State of the Union." ''But in the end, there has to be some kind of furlough of air traffic controllers, and that then will also begin to curtail or eliminate the opportunity for them to guide planes in and out of airports."
There are fewer signs of urgency among congressional leaders, who have recently indicated their willingness to let the cuts take effect and stay in place for weeks, if not much longer.
The cuts would trim $85 billion in domestic and defense spending, leading to furloughs for hundreds of thousands of workers at the Transportation Department, Defense Department and elsewhere.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the cuts would harm the readiness of U.S. fighting forces.
Obama has not been able to find success for his approach of reducing deficits through a combination of targeted savings and tax increases. House Republicans have said reduced spending needs to be the focus and have rejected the president's demand to include higher taxes as part of a compromise.

Yahoo news

Deadly Bangladesh clashes over 'blasphemous' bloggers

2013-02-22T22:54:00.002-08:00

At least four people have died in Bangladesh in clashes between police and Islamist protesters who took to the streets accusing bloggers of blasphemy. Dozens more were reported injured.

Some were calling for the execution of the bloggers, whom they accuse of insulting Islam.

Last week, blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was killed outside his home.

The protests come days after authorities blocked some websites for "hurting religious feelings".

In the capital, Dhaka, thousands of protesters from an alliance of Islamic parties went on a protest rally soon after Friday prayers in the country's national mosque.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters who threw stones and vandalised buildings, the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan reports from Dhaka.

Similar violent clashes were reported across the country. In some places, there were clashes between supporters of the ruling Awami League and Islamist activists, our correspondent reports.

Following Mr Haider's death last week a series of blog posts described as anti-Islamic have circulated, but their authorship was not immediately clear.

Strike call

The clashes come amid renewed tension over a tribunal judging war crimes committed during the 1971 independence war.

Last week, Bangladesh's parliament amended a law which will allow the state to appeal against the life sentence given by the tribunal to an Islamist party leader.

In recent weeks a group of bloggers, including Mr Haider, had launched mass protests demanding his execution and a ban on the country's largest Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami.

Islamist parties have called for a nationwide general strike on Sunday in protest at the killing of their supporters in recent clashes.

The Islamist party denies being involved in war crimes and says the tribunal is part of a government vendetta against the party.

Human rights groups have said the tribunal falls short of international standards.

Official estimates say more than three million people were killed in the 1971 war which resulted in independence from Pakistan.

Source : BBC

How Islamists are accepting arena in Syria

2013-02-22T22:43:00.001-08:00

A year ago, Ibrahim Qobani was an idealistic 19-year-old revolutionary who sang about freedom.

Always dressed in a scarf and fingerless gloves woven with the colors of the Syrian rebel flag, Qobani worked with a team of pro-democracy activists in Syria's northern Idlib province. He would sing from the rooftops during boisterous anti-government protests, complete with humorous animations that begged the international community to help stop Syrian government atrocities.

Gone is the scarf with colors of the rebel flag. Instead of leading the chants, the young man stands in the crowd smiling as one man sings, "We destroyed America with a civilian plane, turned the World Trade Center into a pile of dirt. If you call me a terrorist, I say it's an honor."

In another video, Qobani stands cheering with a crowd of bearded men as a little boy sings, "Our commander is Bin Laden. He showed the Americans the strength of our faith." A man gives the boy a knife, which he proceeds to slice through the air as he sings, "Our police is Nusra. Just wait Alawites. We will come to slaughter you."

It was a chilling warning to the minority religious sect of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has stacked the top ranks of his security forces with fellow Alawites.

Several of his friends, however, confirmed that he is now a member of Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front, the most famous of the hard-line Islamist rebel groups now fighting against the Syrian regime.

Qobani's ideological evolution is symbolic of a broader shift that many Syrians say they're seeing nearly two years after the anti-government uprising began.

"There is an increasing militarization and now increased radicalization of the revolution," said Rafif Jouejati. She is the English spokeswoman for the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, one of the first groups to organize peaceful anti-government protests in the spring of 2011.

"Jabhat al-Nusra continues to make gains," Jouejati said. "They continue to increase in popularity, particularly as they begin to implement social services."

In the last year, the Nusra Front has grown from a shadowy group claiming responsibility for deadly car bombs to what Syrians describe as a highly disciplined fighting force that continues to attract recruits from the more secular Free Syrian Army rebels.

Nusra Front fighters are said to be leading the ongoing siege of the Khweiris military airbase in Aleppo province. They are also credited with helping lead the capture of the Taftanaz helicopter airbase in Idlib province last month.

Opinion: Terrorist group fills power vacuum among Syria rebels

The high-profile Islamist victories on the battlefield have been accompanied by another trend. Gradually, black Islamist banners have replaced the distinctive green, black, white and red flags of the Syrian rebels at weekly anti-government protests.

"After two years of killings and butchering and the entire world standing by and watching us, now we depend on God only. So we started raising the banner of Shahada, the black banner of war," explained a Syrian activist who has spent much of the last two years organizing anti-government protests in Idlib province.

The Shahada refers to the Islamic creed "There is no god but God, Mohammed is the messenger of God." It is one of the most important pillars of Islam. It is also invoked for martyrdom on the battlefield.

After two years of killings and butchering and the entire world standing by and watching us, now we depend on God only.
Syrian activist

The rapid rise of hard-line Sunni Muslim groups like the Nusra Front -- some of which have seen their ranks swelled by foreign jihadi fighters -- is a trend that makes Jouejati and other more secular revolutionaries deeply uncomfortable.

It is also making Washington uneasy. In December, the U.S. government blacklisted the Nusra Front, labeling it a terrorist organization.

"We blacklisted the Nusra Front because of its intimate links with al Qaeda in Iraq ... which is responsible for the killing of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of Americans," said Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, "We know what al Qaeda in Iraq did and is still doing, and we don't want it to start doing that in Syria."

But some Syrian opposition leaders blame Western inaction for the recent growth of the Islamist groups.

"The U.S. and the European Union didn't help us, and that created an increase in Islamic radicalism here," said Marwan Gayed in an interview in Aleppo last month. Gayed was a judge who defected from the Syrian government and helped launch the United Courts Council, an opposition-run court that is trying to institute law and order in rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo.

Like many in the opposition, Gayed has viewed Islamist groups like Nusra as uneasy partners in the campaign to overthrow the al-Assad regime.

"They are our brothers in the revolution. They bleed for it. But we differ on how to build the state," explained Gayed, who now serves as the chief prosecutor for the United Courts Council. "We call for a civil, democratic nation. They call for an Islamic state."

U.S. branding of al-Nusra may have unintended consequences

Members of the Nusra Front declined to meet face to face with journalists. Instead, Salem Sabbagh, the spokesman for the Nusra Front in Aleppo, answered several questions submitted in print.

He wrote that the main object of the group in Syria was "to establish an Islamic state that can be based on the principles of the shura (consultations) where righteousness and justice will prevail based on applying God's laws."

"We already started carrying out God's law in some of the liberated areas," Sabbagh added. "And we noted a great reception among the people when it comes to these religious courts, especially when they discovered that these courts were not as some portrayed and tried to distort their reality that such a court system will enslave them and that their heads will be severed and that their only salvation is when they choose a secular Western-oriented system that can rule among them."

Competition between the United Courts Council and courts backed by the Nusra Front exploded this month. On Tuesday, the council accused Nusra Front fighters of raiding one of its courthouses in Aleppo.

"Jabhat Al-Nusra stormed the Second Circuit United Judicial Council and seized the building of the Council and attacked scholars and judges who were there and they beat them and insulted them and then they kidnapped them to Jabhat al-Nusra's headquarters," said the council in a written statement also signed by a group calling itself the Free Aleppo Lawyers.

Rebel court fills void amid Syrian war

It is not the first time tensions have flared between the Nusra Front and other revolutionaries.

One of Aleppo's most famous anti-government activists, a man known as Abu Maryam, told CNN he was briefly detained and flogged by Islamist fighters last week.

After his release, Abu Maryam posted a photo on Facebook of his bruised back.

"They accused me of protesting against the caliphate," Abu Maryam said in a brief interview.

Asked whether he thought the Nusra Front was taking over Syria's uprising, Abu Maryam said, "Yes, of course, that's true, but it's all because of the mistakes of the Free Syrian Army."

Nearly two years into the uprising, the rebel Free Syrian Army continues to be dogged by accusations of corruption.

In recent weeks, activists have mounted an online campaign accusing Ahmed Afash, a prominent commander based in Aleppo, of banditry and kidnapping. Afash has denied the charges.

But last week, a detachment of Afash's fighters raided the offices of the Aleppo Media Center. They briefly detained several Syrian journalists who had published reports that Afash's brigade had killed an innocent civilian.

Meanwhile, Islamist groups like the Nusra Front have been applauded for distributing food and fuel to hungry, freezing Syrians.

The Nusra Front also launched a cheap public service in rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo.

"Not only do they do the fighting, but they also perform a lot of civil duties such as cleaning roads, manning bakeries, installing and repairing city infrastructure like electricity," said the activist from Idlib province, who asked not to be named. "Some of the Nusra Front members are now playing even the role of street cleaners because of garbage in the city that has increased the rat population."

Even Syrians who criticize the Nusra Front concede the Islamists have offered hope to some members of a society traumatized by a brutal conflict that has claimed more than 70,000 lives and left millions of people homeless.

As Islamists within the uprising continue to attract support, leaders of the Free Syrian Army have been left fuming, blaming a lack of Western engagement for the ideological shift in the uprising.

"We see the Islamist factions gaining more ground, recruiting some of our own people," said Louai Miqdad, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army.

"The world is handing Syria over to the unknown, to the radicals, to the Islamists."

source: CNN

The Voice of Bangladesh

2013-02-09T07:49:00.001-08:00

The demonstrators at Shahbagh intersection continued their sit-in for the fifth straight day on Saturday demanding capital punishment of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah and all other war criminals.

Hundreds of outraged students, activists and ordinary citizens under the banner of 'Bloggers and Online Activist Network' started the day's proceedings in the morning.
Meanwhile, miscreants exploded three cocktails targeting a group of journalists who staged a demonstration near Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital demanding scrapping of Jatiya Press Club membership of Mollah and war crimes suspect Muhammad Kamaruzzaman.
People from different parts of the city were seen converging towards the Shahbagh intersection with national flags and placard to join the ongoing non-stop protest since the morning.
A team from Chhayanat also joined the demonstration and is expected to perform patriotic songs to gear up the protest.
Like the previous days, police put barricades in front of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, Aziz Super Market and Institute of Fine Arts to divert the traffic, creating heavy jam on the roads that lead to Shahbagh.
Several hundred protesters have been staging sit-in, blocking the Shahbagh intersection since Tuesday afternoon after the International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah to life term imprisonment for his war crimes.
On Friday, the nation saw the biggest gathering in recent memory as tens of thousands thronged Shahbagh intersection to call for death penalty for the war criminals, including Mollah.
Tens of thousands of people took oath to boycott Jamaat and Shibir and also vowed to continue the movement from Teknaf to Tetulia until capital punishment is handed down on those Razakar and Al-Badr members who committed crimes against humanity like mass killing and rape in 1971.
In Chittagong, hundreds of people under the banners of Progotishil Chhatra Jote and Bloggers and Online Activist Network brought out a procession from Chittagong Press Club around 9:00am.
The procession ended in front of the press club after parading Jamalkhan and Anderkilla in the city.
The protesters also torched several copies of Amar Desh, a Bangla daily, claiming that the newspaper did not uphold the real picture of the movement.
Terming the report as biased, Ali Kaderi Joy, organiser of the Chhatra Jote and also president of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front city of Chittagong city unit, said the newspaper portrayed the agitation wrongly.
Meanwhile, the teachers, students and officials of Rajshahi University continued their demonstration on the campus for the third successive day on Saturday on the same demand.
Today’s agitation started in the morning through a grand procession on the campus with the participation of over two thousand people under the banner of ‘Ganamancha’, reports a correspondent form the university.
The agitators also hung the portraits of war criminals naming them as Razakars at Tukitaki Chattar on the campus around 12:30pm. Later, the outraged students set fire to the portraits.
Addressing the rally, the agitating students and teachers chanted, “Hang the war criminals or we will hang ourselves.”
Vowing to continue the movement, they also said, “We freed the country in 1971 and now we will free it from Razakars and Jamaat-Shibir. None can push us back.”
Meanwhile, the students of fine arts department declared to boycott classes until the announcement of death sentence of Quader Mollah.
In Khulna, the people announced to continue their demonstration until capital punishment to all Razakars was not implemented.
Besides, people of different districts including Comilla, Jhenidah, Magura, Narsingdi and Joypurhat are also continuing their demonstration.

Source: The Daily Star BD

2012-09-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

" I am a big fan of mango,papaya,and guava"
                                                    MITT ROMNEY

                           Republican US Presidential Candidate in response to a
                                       Cuban-American radio presenter's question about favorite fruit,
not knowing that "papaya" is Cuban slang for vagina.

"Resident Evil: Retribution" swims past "Finding Nemo"

2012-09-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

Horror sequel "Resident Evil: Retribution" grabbed the top spot at the U.S. and Canadian box office over the weekend with $21.1 million, studio estimates released on Sunday showed.

A 3D version of Walt Disney Co cartoon "Finding Nemo" took the No. 2 spot in the U.S. and Canadian box-office charts with $17.5 million, Disney said.
Demon flick "The Possession" slipped to third place after two weeks at No. 1, ringing up sales of $5.8 million.
"Resident Evil: Retribution" is the fifth movie in a franchise that stars Milla Jovovich as heroine Alice in a battle against the Umbrella Corporation and its army of zombies.
Domestic sales were in line with distributor Sony's pre-weekend projection for the low- to mid-$20 million range.
In international markets, the film added $50 million, for a worldwide total of $71.1 million. It did particularly well in Asia.
Sony president of distribution Rory Bruer credited Jovovich for the continuing success of the "Resident Evil" franchise.
"Every country she goes, they (audiences) fall in love with her," he said. "The 3D and Imax elements complement the franchise in a certain way, but the big money is on Milla."
The studio spent $65 million to produce the sequel. The four earlier films amassed global ticket sales of more than $660 million since the first movie in 2002.
Asked whether audiences should anticipate another "Resident Evil" installment, Bruer said: "I would count on it."
Meanwhile, families headed to theaters to see "Finding Nemo" for the first time in the 3D format. The movie ranks as one of the most successful from Disney's Pixar animation studio, generating global sales of $868 million during its original run. It won the Academy Award for best animated feature.
Disney spent less than $5 million to convert the film to the 3D format. Although weekend numbers came in slightly lower than Disney's original projections, Disney's executive vice president for motion picture distribution Dave Hollis said the tally was in line with previous 3D re-release openings.
"It's great for families during the day, and then couples at night," Hollis said, noting the fairly balanced age and gender spread of the weekend audience.
The movie is one of a handful of films Disney is bringing back to theaters in 3D after last year's success of "The Lion King 3D", which grabbed $94 million.
Rounding out the top of the charts, Prohibition-era drama "Lawless" earned $4.2 million during its third weekend in theaters to land in fourth place. Animated kids movie "Paranorman" finished in the No. 5 slot with $3 million.
Sony Corp's movie studio released "Resident Evil". Lions Gate Entertainment distributed "The Possession". The privately held Weinstein Co released "Lawless".

Palace to file criminal complaint over Kate pics

2012-09-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

Lawyers for Britain's royal family will make a criminal complaint against the photographer who took pictures of Prince William's wife Kate sunbathing topless in the south of France, William's office said Sunday.

The palace has already launched a civil lawsuit against France's Closer magazine, which published the paparazzi snaps of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, relaxing during a holiday at a private villa in Provence.
The couple is hitting back hard against publication of the pictures, which William's office called a "grotesque" abuse of the young royals' privacy.
A spokeswoman for William's St. James's Palace office said the couple's lawyers would file a complaint with French prosecutors on Monday against the unidentified photographer or photographers involved.
"The complaint concerns the taking of photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge whilst on holiday and the publication of those photographs in breach of their privacy," she said on condition of anonymity in keeping with palace policy.
The palace said it would be up to French prosecutors to decide whether to investigate and pursue a criminal complaint for breach of privacy or trespassing.
The couple's lawyers are already due in a Paris court Monday seeking an injunction against Closer's publisher, the Italian media group Mondadori. It also publishes Italy's Chi gossip magazine, which says it will publish 26 pages of the images on Monday.
The palace will seek damages from the publisher, which is owned by former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
The palace said it was considering "all proportionate responses" against Chi, though no decision has been made on legal action against it or the Irish Daily Star which reproduced the Closer photos on Saturday.
No British publication has run the pictures, and Britain's tabloids have lined up to denounce them as an invasion of the duchess' privacy.
The strong response stands in contrast to the reception of naked photos of Prince Harry partying in Las Vegas, which appeared online last month and were later published in Britain's Sun tabloid. The palace shrugged off the photos, snapped during a game of strip billiards, and took no action against those who published them.
Some see British papers' reluctance to run the Kate photos as a sign that the country's once-rambunctious tabloids have been cowed by a scandal over phone hacking and other wrongdoing, which brought public opprobrium and an ongoing media-ethics inquiry.
The incident also has evoked memories of the paparazzi hounding of William's late mother, Princess Diana. A coroner's inquest found that pursuing photographers were partly responsible for her death in a Paris car crash in August 1997.
In bad news for the Irish Daily Star, both its owners criticized it for publishing the Kate photos.
British company Northern and Shell, which co-owns the tabloid with Ireland's Independent News and Media, or INM, said it was "profoundly dismayed" the Dublin newspaper had run the pictures. Its chief, Richard Desmond, said he planned to pull out of the joint venture that runs the tabloid.
Independent News and Media chief executive Joe Webb offered his "deepest apologies" and said the company would be "launching an internal inquiry to ensure there will never be a repeat of this breach of decency." But Webb said in a statement he hopes to preserve the Irish Daily Star and its 70 employees.
In Italy, the newspaper La Repubblica — a longtime foe of Silvio Berlusconi — criticized Chi's decision to publish the photos, saying they were incompatible with his status as politician and statesman.
Berlusconi's daughter Marina, who heads Mondadori, defended her father, saying he could not interfere with the publisher's "editorial autonomy."
La Repubblica said she had written to the newspaper asking rhetorically: "What should he have done? ... Should he have forced himself to not publish that which the overwhelming majority of gossip papers, in every part of the globe, would have competed with each other to have?"
The storm over the photos erupted as William and Kate made an official tour of Singapore, Malaysia and the South Pacific. They arrived in the Solomon Islands on Sunday and will end their trip Tuesday in the island nation of Tuvalu.

Source: Yahoo News

Al Qaeda Praises Libya Consulate Attack as Anti-American Protests Subside

2012-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen praised the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya as a "great event" today, and urged followers to kill other American diplomats across the Muslim world.
But the violent anti-American protests that rocked the capitals of some 20 nations from northern Africa to southeast Asia on Friday, causing at least six deaths, largely subsided.
In Egypt, where Islamic fury first erupted over a crude amateur film produced in the United States denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, security forces moved today to end the demonstrations around the American embassy in Cairo.
They cleared the streets around the U.S. compound and nearby Tahrir Square, using tear gas and arresting scores of protesters who refused to disperse. They also expanded barriers blocking access to the embassy.
The Egyptian interior minister inspected the area for himself and said "our presence here is to clear the square of people who are breaking the law," adding, "We must preserve the square as a symbol of the revolution. That is the aim of our operation."
Issuing a stern warning, he said measures would be taken to ensure "those breaking the law" do not return.
Egypt's new president and his ruling party, the Muslim Brotherhood, angered President Obama and the State Department by not moving swiftly to stop the siege of the U.S. embassy on Tuesday and to condemn the violence. Egypt's new rulers have since acknowledged that they should have done more.
Meanwhile, state news media in Egypt today gave the first full accounting of casualties caused during the four days of clashes: A man was killed by shotgun fire and more than 224 people were injured, including at least 99 Egyptian security officers.
One of the few reports of violence today came from Australia, where 200 protesters clashed with riot police outside the U.S. consulate in Sydney. Demonstrators chanted "Obama, Obama, we love Osama" and waved signs declaring, "Behead all those who insult the Prophet."
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the terror group's Yemen branch is known, sought to ride the wave of anger in the Arab street with its web posting today that urged Muslims to step up their demonstrations and violence.
The group said the killing of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens on Tuesday by a mob that stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and set it on fire was the "best example" for Muslims in other nations to follow.
"What has happened is a great event, and these efforts should come together in one goal, which is to expel the embassies of America from the lands of the Muslims," the web statement said.
The group urged protesters in Muslim nations "to set the fires blazing at these embassies."
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula consists mostly of militants from Yemen and Saudi Arabia and is regarded by the United States as the most dangerous arm of the network founded by Osama bin Laden.
Muslims have blamed the U.S. government for the film -- even though Washington has condemned the movie and explicitly denounced insults to any religion.
Obama focused on the death of Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans in the Benghazi attack in his weekly address today.
"We must ... send a clear and resolute message to the world: those who attack our people will find no escape from justice. We will not waver in their pursuit. And we will never allow anyone to shake the resolve of the United States of America," Obama said.

Source : ABC News

Expendables 2" admired to aphorism weekend box office

2012-08-17T13:34:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES - The bad-ass geezers of "Expendables 2" are the favorites to top a ample and all-embracing acreage at the box appointment this weekend.
Among openers, Whitney Houston's endure film, "Sparkle," takes on Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in his aboriginal absolute role in eight years in "Expendables 2." On the ancestors front, the 3D ghouls of "Para Norman" bout up adjoin the affable fantasy "The Odd Life of Timothy Green."
Reigning champ "Bourne Legacy" is aback for its additional week, forth with ‘The Campaign" and "Hope Springs." And in its fifth week, "Dark Knight Rises" is still traveling strong.
With the Olympics over, this week's abysmal calendar provides the best adventitious yet for the all-embracing box appointment to acknowledgment to course for the aboriginal time back the Colorado shootings. It's aswell the endure anniversary of summer in which a blur is acceptable to breach $20 actor in its debut.
"Expendables 2" will yield in amid $35 actor and $40 million, analysts say. Afterwards that, it looks like a clutter with "Sparkle," "Para Norman" and "Bourne Legacy" all in the $17 actor range. "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," which opened Wednesday, is accepted to accompany in about $15 actor for the 5 days.
Lions aboideau has top hopes for the R-rated activity aftereffect from ambassador Avi Lerner, but this one will not bastard up on anyone the way "The Expendables" did. That blur angled to $34 actor and topped the weekend two years ago, on its way to $274 actor in common grosses.
Stallone wrote the aftereffect with Richard Wenk but easily the administering affairs over to Simon West ("The Mechanic"). Stallone aswell stars forth with Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and Bruce Willis. Liam Hems account and Nan Yu are newcomers.
In this one, the aggregation reunites for what they anticipate is an simple paycheck, but if one of the aggregation is murdered on the job, the adventure for animus puts them abysmal in adversary territory. Sixty-two percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes accept been favorable.
"Sparkle" was a affection activity for Houston and was to be her blur comeback. She said that the aboriginal 1976 film, about a Harlem boyhood angry to accomplish her dream of a singing career, was a big access on her as a youngster.
Houston and her bearing accomplice Debra Martin Chase ("The Princess Diaries") formed for added than a decade to get the accommodate off the ground. A Warner Bros. adaptation starring Aaliyah Haughton was batty by the 22-year-old singer's afterlife in a even blast in 2001.
The activity fabricated its way to Sony in 2009, area the accession of administrator Salim Akil gave it a bang start. Akil directed endure year's "Jumping the Broom" for Sony, and that low-budget African-American askew blur fabricated $37 million.
Akil's wife, Mara Brock Akil, wrote the screenplay.
Houston, who died in February, accustomed an controlling ambassador acclaim on "Sparkle." In this Motown-set version, she aswell stars as the mother of the adolescent accompanist ("American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks) and her two sisters. Derek Luke and Mike Epps co-star.
The key to its success, according to the analysts, will be whether "Sparkle" can aggrandize above its amount abject of African-American women. It becoming a 54 appraisement on Metacritic, with 62 percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes absolute and 45 percent of those on Cine Review Intelligence giving it a thumbs up.
Focus Features' "ParaNorman' is a stop-action activated blur about a adolescent boy who battles ghouls, witches and grownups to save his hometown.
It is the best-reviewed of the weekend's openers. Eighty-six percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are absolute as are 69 percent on Cine Review Intelligence. MetaCritic gives it a 71 rating.
"ParaNorman" is the additional airing for Focus and Laika Entertainment, the aggregation abaft "Coraline." That cine was an Academy Award appointee for best activated affection and rang up $75 actor at the box appointment in 2009.
It will attempt for the ancestors army with "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" from Disney's Buena Vista. It stars Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton as a childless brace that buries a box in their backyard, absolute all of their wishes for an infant, and anon afterwards acquisition a adolescent (CJ Adams) at their door.
Peter Hedges, who directed "About a Boy" and co-wrote "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," writes and directs.
The critics are accept been air-conditioned to it, with just 41 percent of the Rotten Tomatoes reviews positive, but it took in a solid $2.3 actor on Wednesday, its aboriginal day of release.
Among holdovers, "Bourne Legacy" is accepted to accomplish a lot of acerb and yield in about $15 actor over the three days, the analysts say. "The Campaign" is searching at $13 million, and "Dark Knight Rises" and "Hope Springs" are projected to be in the $10 actor range.
This will be a cogent weekend for "Hope Springs," which Sony is acquisitive plays acerb over the next few weeks. A blur with Meryl Streep about has legs because of her fan base, but this one accustomed just a "B" CinemaScore from first-week audiences.

Obama to Romney: Release 5 years of tax returns, and we’ll shut up

2012-08-17T13:28:00.001-07:00

Looking to accumulate the burden on Mitt Romney to absolution added tax returns, Admiral Barack Obama's attack offered the Republican a accord on Friday: Absolution 5 years of returns, and we'll shut up about this.
Obama attack administrator Jim Messina apprenticed his case in a about appear letter to his analogue on Team Romney, Matt Rhoades. Messina said that the appeal for the tax allotment accoutrement 2007-2012 was "surely not unreasonable" but accustomed the Republican candidate's apropos that added disclosures will alone advance to added requests for acknowledgment from Team Obama.
"So I am able to accommodate assurances on just that point: if the Governor will absolution 5 years of returns, I accomplish in about-face that we will not criticize him for not absolution more--neither in ads nor in added accessible communications or annotation for the blow of the campaign," Messina wrote.
Rhoades responded bound and in identical fashion, not absolutely abnegation the angle but mockingly suggesting that Romney's taxes were the Obama campaign's "core issue."
"It is bright that Admiral Obama wants annihilation added than to allocution about Governor Romney's tax allotment instead of the issues that amount to voters, like putting Americans aback to work, acclimation the abridgement and reining in spending," Rhoades wrote.
The aback and alternating came a day afterwards Romney told reporters he had never paid beneath than 13 percent in taxes over the accomplished decade, a animadversion that prompted the Obama attack to insist: "Prove it."
The Obama abettor acclimated the letter—something of a accustomed political attack stunt, errr, "tactic"—to beating Romney about on the affair of his claimed finances. The bounden has approved to adverse criticisms of his administration of the sputtering abridgement by vowing to action for the average chic while painting the amateur as the best of the rich.
"A 5 year absolution would appropriately amount all the years that he has been a applicant for President," Messina said (translation: "You've been active for admiral for 5 years"). "It would aswell advice acknowledgment outstanding questions aloft by the one acknowledgment he has appear to date, such as the ambit in the able ante paid, the adopted accounts maintained, the adopted investments made, and the types of tax shelters used," Messina said (translation: "Look at these coarse claimed finances").
"I repeat, the Governor and his attack can apprehend in acknowledgment that we will burden from analytic whether he has appear abundant or acute for more,

source: yahoo news, Google news

How will Obama’s deferred activity plan affect the economy?

2012-08-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

As abounding as 1.76 actor adolescent humans could account from the Obama administration's deferred activity program, which gives actionable immigrants who were brought to the country as accouchement abatement from displacement and a acting plan permit. But what will the arrival of new acknowledged workers beggarly for the U.S. abridgement and government coffers?
Starting next Wednesday, the deferred activity affairs lets humans age-old 30 or adolescent who were brought to the country if they were accouchement administer for a two-year plan admittance and acting acknowledged status. (Applicants can't administer for abiding acknowledged cachet or citizenship.) The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates that about 620,000 adults ages 18 to 30 would accommodated the requirements--the blow of the 1.76 actor actionable immigrants who authorize are beneath 18. Eighty thousand of the abeyant applicants accept a bachelor's or accessory amount already, and addition 140,000 are currently enrolled in college.
While no academic estimates of the bread-and-butter applause yet exist, Jeanne Batalova, who studies the affairs as allotment of her plan at MPI, believes the net aftereffect will be positive. The affairs a lot of acceptable will aftereffect in added tax revenues because accustomed workers are beneath apt to be paid beneath the table. These new, acknowledged workers will appropriately be added decumbent to pay into Social Security and Medicare, programs they will apparently never accept admission to unless Congress passes an clearing ameliorate bill.
"When humans plan legally, it creates bigger opportunities for anybody because it reduces the likelihood that administering will be axis to undocumented workers," Batalova said.
The allurement of a plan admittance may as well animate added immigrants to break in academy and get their top academy diploma, which would as well beggarly academy approaching accomplishment (and thus, academy tax revenues) than if they alone out. And for the 220,000 adolescent actionable immigrants who already accept an accessory or bachelor's amount or are on their way to one, the plan admittance will apparently advice them get a better, higher-paying job that's added accumbent with their accomplishment level.
Overall, Batalova expects that the new permits would accept little aftereffect on humans who are already accurately working, mostly because the amount of permits is baby compared to the absolute workforce, and because 60 percent of the acceptable actionable immigrant adults are already working.
"While there ability be some abrogating applause on alone humans ... we don't apprehend to see a desperate applause on a assertive accumulation or in a assertive geographic location," she said.
But not anybody agrees with this assessment. Steve Camarota of the Center for Clearing Studies tells Yahoo News that because the majority of those acceptable for the plan permits do not accept a academy amount he expects their acknowledged cachet will accept little applause on tax revenue. The reason: Lesser-educated workers tend to accept lower incomes on average. "By legalizing them you ability get added money for Social Security, but [you] ability pay added out in [low-income tax credits]," he said.
The plan permits will accomplish it harder for American citizens who don't accept a academy degree--a accumulation that already faces a top unemployment rate--to attempt for jobs, says Camarota. The Center for Clearing Studies advocates for bargain acknowledged clearing levels and auspicious actionable immigrants to leave the country through added advancing administering of absolute laws.
The authoritative costs of the affairs are beneath clear. The Department of Homeland Security could charge to appoint as abounding as 1,400 new agents to handle the aggregate of applications, according to the Associated Press, but administering admiral told reporters endure anniversary that they apprehend the $465 appliance fee to awning the costs.

source: bbc, yahoo, routers

venture to China by James Cameron

2012-08-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Oscar-winning director James Cameron said on Wednesday that he will open a joint venture in China to provide 3-D filming technology, the latest move by Hollywood to secure a foothold in the country's booming movie industry.

Box office revenues -- growing by leaps and bounds in China thanks to its fast-growing middle class -- have whet Hollywood's appetite despite complaints over government restrictions on access to screens, content control and piracy.
CPG China Division, the new arm of Cameron Pace Group, will offer Chinese film makers three-dimensional camera technology but will not be involved immediately in producing films, Cameron told Reuters in an interview.
"We're not going to tell Chinese film makers how to make movies. We are going to help them make a transition to 3D production technology as cost effectively as possible, and in a way that doesn't inhibit creativity," he said.
Three-dimensional films, which enhance depth perception by being shot from two perspectives, gained in popularity during the 2000s and achieved a breakthrough with Cameron's 2009 blockbuster "Avatar", a movie about blue aliens which set a $2.8 billion box office global earnings record.
Cameron also directed the second-highest grossing film of all time, the nautical disaster-romance starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, "Titanic".
Cameron said the deal was "huge", though he would not give details on the amount of the investment or the venture's equity split with two state-owned entities -- film distributor Tianjin North Film Group and Tianjin Hi-tech Holding Group.
"This is a huge investment for us, as much in sweat equity ... as it is financially," he said, noting that initial projects to "build muscle" will focus on 3-D films highlighting Chinese cities.
The Cameron Pace Group, formed 12 years ago with camera guru Vince Pace, earned $58 million last year renting its 3-D cameras to crews producing films, concert videos and sports broadcasts.
A die-hard proponent of expanding 3-D viewership, Cameron said the ambitions of the Chinese partners, as well as Chinese state television eager to try out live 3-D broadcast technology, exceeded even his own.
"We think we're on the verge of a kind of media revolution. And we certainly have the enabling technology, we have the methodology, we've honed our skills."
COPYCAT CONCERNS
The director's move follows a string of other high-profile Hollywood announcements in China.
The next "Iron Man" film will be co-produced in China under a joint agreement between Walt Disney Co, Marvel Studios and DMG Entertainment.
"Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" creator DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc plans to open a 20 billion yuan ($3.14 billion) theme park in Shanghai by 2016 with Chinese partners.
U.S. film producers were excited about a deal hammered out during Vice President Xi Jinping's February visit to the United States that paved the way for the import of 14 premium format films, such as IMAX or 3-D.
If the deal is implemented, those films will be exempt from China's annual import quota of 20 foreign films per year, a concession offered by Beijing after losing a World Trade Organization dispute over media distribution in 2009.
Technology transfers have been a stumbling block for other foreign invested joint ventures in China, as companies have complained that handing over intellectual property is sometimes the price of admission to access China's huge consumer market.
CPG China Division will rely heavily on cutting edge cameras, but the director downplayed copycat concerns.
"That's certainly a danger. We are going to look very carefully at how we protect our core technology. But frankly ... it is changing so rapidly that you can clone what we are putting in the field now, but we'll be coming out with something new in 18 months, anyway," he said.

source : yahoo news.google news

Armstrong recovering from heart surgery

2012-08-10T12:07:00.002-07:00

Former astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, is recovering from heart-bypass surgery, NASA said on Wednesday.

Armstrong, who turned 82 on Sunday, underwent surgery on Tuesday to relieve blocked coronary arteries. NBC news quoted his wife Carol Armstrong as saying he is "doing great."
As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. After piloting the module Eagle to the moon, he climbed down the stairs onto the dusty surface and said: "“That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden called Armstrong a "true American hero" and wished him a quick recovery.
"Neil's pioneering spirit will surely serve him well in this challenging time and the entire NASA family is holding the Armstrong family in our thoughts and prayers," Bolden said in a statement.
Armstrong flew combat missions during the Korean War and was a test pilot for a U.S. aeronautics agency that would become NASA. After leaving the space agency, he taught at the University of Cincinnati in his home state of Ohio.
He and his wife live in the Cincinnati area.

poll shows, Optimism about economy down

2012-08-10T11:54:00.002-07:00

The number of people who say the economy is starting to recover has dropped 5 points since April, from 24 percent to 19 percent, while the number who say that the economy remains in a downturn is up 6 points to 39 percent, a CNN/ORC International poll released Friday shows.

"That all seems bad news for President Barack Obama's re-election chances, but only if Mitt Romney can capitalize on it," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
The poll results come on the same day that The Washington Post reports that recent data indicate the economy might be gaining traction. The Post article cites encouraging signs in the housing market, an uptick in hiring, a drop in the number of people seeking unemployment insurance, and an improvement in U.S. exports.
The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International Tuesday and Wednesday, with 1,010 adults nationwide questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

source : yahoo news, google news

Three acclamation appearance Obama addition advance over Romney

2012-08-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

A bumpy overseas trip and a month of pummeling by Democratic ads depicting Mitt Romney as an out-of-touch plutocrat and possible tax evader appear to have taken a toll.
Three polls released in the last 24 hours show Present Obama widening his lead over the former Massachusetts governor to as much as 9 points. The surveys of registered voters, all conducted sometime between Aug. 2 and 8, also have Romney’s unfavorable ratings headed north. Two of the polls show his support among independents slipping.
A Fox News poll found the largest deficit, with Romney trailing by 9 points (49-40) That’s the widest gap Fox has reported all year. Its July survey had Obama up by 4 points (45-41). Fox found that Obama’s increasing advantage comes mainly on the strength of a big bump from independents, who now support the president by 11 points, up from 4 points in July.
Twenty-six percent of voters described themselves “extremely” or “very” comfortable with the prospect of a Romney presidency, while 71 percent said they were “somewhat” or “not at all” comfortable. Forty-one percent were extremely or very comfortable with a second Obama term, while 59 percent fell into the somewhat or not-at -all categories.
A new CNN/ORC International survey placed the race at 7 points (52-45), up from 49-46 in July. Among independents, Obama’s lead is at 9 points. Fifty-two percent of independents view Romney unfavorably, up from 40 percent in May. Sixty-four percent of all voters think he favors the rich over the middle class.
Voters also appear to be losing confidence in Romney’s ability to fix the economy, according to the CNN poll. Forty-five percent said they thought it would improve under Romney, down from 50 percent in May.
Romney’s overseas trip late last month was marked by misadventures. British leaders were miffed when he questioned their preparedness for the Summer Olympics. In Israel, he infuriated Palestinians by saying “culture makes all the difference” when looking at their lack of economic growth relative to the Israelis.
At home, the Obama campaign hammered on Romney’s business career at Bain Capital, with one ad showing images of closed factories and news stories about his foreign investments, accompanied by his off-key rendition of “America, The Beautiful.” Another spot, addressing Romney’s refusal to release additional years of income tax returns, asks “What is Mitt Romney hiding?”
A senior Romney adviser downplayed the new polls at a press briefing Friday morning, saying that they must be midsummer flukes because there had been no “precipitating event” to move the numbers so much.
One encouraging data point for Romney: he continues to solidify his party’s support. Fifty-six percent of Romney voters said they strongly support him, up from 47 percent in May.
The poll results only raise the stakes surrounding Romney’s forthcoming vice presidential rollout and the opportunity to reintroduce himself to the country at the Republican National Convention in Tampa later this month. Presidential nominees usually enjoy a bounce in the polls immediately following the convention.
Among the possible vice presidential selections, Republicans and GOP-leaning independents expressed a marked preference Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the CNN survey. Both were viewed favorably by at least 50 percent. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty had a favorable rating of 37 percent, with 52 percent either having no opinion or saying they’d never heard of him. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) was even more of a question mark. Twenty-nine percent viewed him favorably but 66 percent had no opinion or didn’t know who he was.
The new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Romney trailing Obama 49-42 percent, up a tick from the 6 point spread last month. This comes despite continuing voter pessimism about the country’s condition, Reuters reported. Only 31 percent said the country was moving n the right direction, the lowest proportion since December 2011. Reuters did not report any findings on independents.

source: Yahoo news, Google news, Fox news, Washington post, cnn

President Obama and Mitt Romney accept begin some new accepted arena

2012-08-09T04:10:00.003-07:00

President Obama and Mitt Romney accept begin some new accepted arena -surprisingly - on an affair of gay rights.
Obama today abutting Romney in about antagonistic with a arguable ban on gay associates of the Boy Scouts of America, one of the nation's better and a lot of acclaimed adolescence development groups.
"The admiral believes the Boy Scouts is a admired alignment that has helped brainwash and body appearance in American boys for added than a century. He aswell opposes bigotry in all forms, and as such opposes this action that discriminates on base of animal orientation," said White House agent Shin Inouye in a account to the Washington Blade, a LGBT newspaper
It's the aboriginal time Obama, who was called honorary admiral of the Boy Scouts of America in 2009, has about taken a position on the issue.
Romney aboriginal accurate abutment for gay scouts aback in 1994 - a position that his attack backer Andrea Saul said charcoal his position today.
"I feel that all humans should be accustomed to participate in the Boy Scouts, behindhand of their animal orientation," Romney said in the video from 1994 afresh re-surfaced by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. He added at the time that he supports "the appropriate of the Boy Scouts of America to adjudge what it wants to do on that issue."
Last month, the accumulation affirmed its ban on aboveboard gay scouts and leaders afterwards a two-year analysis of the policy, bidding the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to alarm on Obama to "reconsider" his honorary post.
White House columnist secretary Jay Carney today again the beforehand White House account that Obama "opposes bigotry in all forms" including the Boy Scouts policy. But he said the admiral would not footfall down from his honorary Boy Scouts position - suggesting that Obama, like Romney, accept to rhetorically argue bigotry on one duke but still embrace an alignment that practices it.
Every U.S. admiral back 1910 has captivated the honorary BSA column during his appellation in office, the accumulation says on its website.

source : yahoo news

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poll shows, Optimism about economy down

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President Obama and Mitt Romney accept begin some new accepted arena