Shocking Setback for Sudan!

** Rioting and death in Sudan after news of the Rebel Leader's death **

VIDEO OF THIS DEVASTATING NEWS HERE

On July 8th, Rebel Leader John Garang was waving to a crowd of more than one million Sudanese who gathered in the capital of Khartoum to welcome the new Vice President of Sudan back home after a 21 year hiatus.

Today John Garang is dead!


More than a million Sudanese greeted John Garang in Khartoum's Green Square on July 8th. Garang was considered a hero for peace by many of the suffering Sudanese people.

The Vice President had been missing for two days. It was just announced he was killed in a helicopter crash:

Reports at dawn on Monday indicate that New Sudan's First Vice President John Garang died when a Ugandan military helicopter he was travelling in crashed on Saturday night.

Ugandan authorities lost contact with the helicopter carrying him to Juba, after a weekend meeting with President Yoweri Museveni.

The Ugandan military last night could only say that they had located a signal of the presidential helicopter carrying Colonel Garang after it lost contact in bad weather, at a spot on the border between Uganda and Sudan. However, they were yet to reach the site.


US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Vice President Garang on her trip to Sudan on July 21, 2005.

The President confirmed today (Monday) that John Garang died in the helicopter crash:

In a statement quoted by state television, it said Garang, six of his companions and a crew of seven had died.

"The march of peace will continue toward its goal and his death will only make us stronger and more determined to complete the march which he began and his companions began," it added.

On Sunday there were reports that his plane had landed safely, according to Sudanese state television.

The Sudan News Wires have yet to announce that he has died just as the video has stated above (as of 3:00 AM EST). I stand corrected. It has just been announced in Sudan! (3:00 AM EST)

This is shocking news that may have dire consequences:

Garang's absence would be a heavy blow to the January peace deal that ended a 21-year civil war between the mostly Muslim north and the Christian and animist south in which some 2 million people died.

For the latest on the 'New' Sudan Crisis go to this post.

"Saddam the Victim"... Are you buying it?

This could possibly will be the liberal litmus test of the year! The Pack of Thugs representing Saddam Hussein said that the poor, defenseless, "Butcher of Baghdad" was attacked in court the other day.

Reuters reported today that the former Iraqi dictator was attacked by an unidentified man during his appearance at a court hearing in Baghdad on Thursday.

According to the statement, the dictator and the man threw punches at each other in court: "As the president stood to leave the courtroom one of those present attacked him and there was an exchange of blows between the man and the president," Reuters quoted from the statement, which added that the head of the tribunal did nothing to stop the assault.

The tribunal, however, adamantly denied the charges.

So, we now see the defense strategy of "Team Saddam". Make Saddam out to be the victim! That is just sick!

It will be interesting, though, to see who from the Left migrates over to Saddam's corner. It is only a matter of time before this happens, it's not a question of "if". There is no way this trial will conclude without a few(?) hardcore Leftists having a hissy-fit over the mass murderer. Do you suppose we will see these guys in the court room?

And, what do you suppose the next accusation will be by the defense team? That Saddam was forced to wear women's underwear on his head?

Musharraf Calls UK "Terrorist Safe Haven!"

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf accused Great Britain today of being the "Club-Med" for Islamic extremists:

President Pervez Musharraf has said that Britain is regarded as a safe haven by Islamic extremists because it has failed to crack down on them despite urging other countries to do so, The Sunday Times reports.

In an interview with the paper, President Musharraf suggested that the UK had paid a price for putting the right of free speech before the need to curb militant Islamic organisations that openly advocate violence. He told the paper: “They should have been doing what they have been demanding of us to do – to ban extremist groups like they asked us to do here in Pakistan and which I have done.”

Ouch!

In Nepal, Women Join the Fight for Democracy!

When the going gets tough,... the Democracy Babes get tougher!

Female student activists from the Padmakanya Campus throw stones and bricks at the police, while shouting anti-monarch slogans against the Nepali king in Kathmandu, July 28, 2005. (Reuters)

The US criticized Nepal for jailing the former Prime Minister as more democracy protests broke out this week:

Mr Deuba and five others were convicted on Tuesday by the country's corruption commission, set up by King Gyanendra after seizing direct power in February.

Washington said the commission was "extra-judicial" and again called on the king to "restore civil liberties".

On Thursday, anti-king protesters and police clashed in Kathmandu.


This weekend the US strongly encouraged Nepal to return to democracy:

The US has asked King Gyanendra to reconcile with political parties for immediate restoration of multiparty democracy in Nepal.

"It is the Royal Palace's compulsion to reach a compromise with political parties to prove its democratic nature," US Ambassador James F Moriarty said at an interaction programme in eastern Nepal town of Dharan.

"Rather than expecting help from third parties, reconciliation among the legitimate political forces is the best option to resolve the crisis," the envoy said on Saturday.

Asserting that the US was in favour of restoration of democracy in the Himalayan Kingdom, Moriarty appreciated the seven party alliances' efforts to resolve the current political crisis. He called on "the eighth force"- the Palace to cooperate with the political parties.


A student (C) from the Padmakanya Campus is being taken to the hospital after she broke her arm during a protest against the Nepali king, in Kathmandu, July 28, 2005. (Reuters)

Meanwhile, Maoist rebels captured a van of Nepali lawmakers that they had captured earlier:

Maoist rebels on Sunday freed seven government officials they had seized in eastern Nepal, and all were safe and in good health, an official said.

The freed hostages telephoned from the town of Birtamod, about 350 miles east of Katmandu to report they had been released, said Vijaya Poudel, the administrative chief of Illam District, where the officials were seized on Saturday.

The rebels stopped the officials as they were traveling in a van on the Mechi highway near Kolbung village, 20 miles north of Birtamod. Of the 10 people in the van, two officials and the wife of one were not held. The officials had apparently defied a rebel order to stay off the road.

I'm dedicating this post to Lynne, Sue, Becky, and big sisters everywhere!

Publius Pundit has more democracy news this morning!

Previous posts on Nepal:
Nepali Protest ends Violently
Nepal Cracks Down on Journalists

Jimmy Carter Stoops Lower

The latest news of the embarassment that is Jimmy Carter comes via Polipundit, via Betsy's Page.
Ugh.

The Dean Girls Return to Herring, Iowa

On Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, the fighting from World War I ceased at 11 am. Around the world people celebrated the end to the final and greatest war the world had witnessed up to that point in history. The small town of Herring, Iowa joined in the julilation. The town's people and area farmers gathered at the bottom of the Herring Hill near the center of town. They took two long poles and spliced them together with wire. Later that night the Herring folk celebrated the end of the Great War by hoisting the towering flagpole and proudly flying Old Glory in the town center.


Dorothy and Shirley Dean (r to l) on a sunny day atop the hill in Herring, Iowa in 1928.

Many years had passed when Ralph Dean, one of the children there on that 1918 Armistice Day celebration in Herring, took over the Herring general store in 1931 and brought his family there to live. Herring at that time had a country store complete with post office, a grain elevator, a Northwestern Railroad Depot, a lumber yard, and a dance hall. The country school was down the hill by the train tracks. Herring was established as a trading town and at one time previously had a pool hall, a blacksmith shop, and a livestock yard for the railroad. But that was before Ralph and Alice Dean moved there to raise their 3 girls, Dorothy, Shirley and Betty and run the country store.


Dorothy is helped up the Herring Hill today by her grandson David (l) and her son Tim (r).

Today, the Dean girls returned to Herring, Iowa. There is no longer a train depot in the town. The country store burned down in the 1950's. The dance hall was torn down after World War II by returning veterans to use the needed lumber in building homes for their families. The houses are no longer standing there. But the Dean girls were coming home!

It has been more than 80 years since Armistice Day, in 1918. A lot of water has trickled down that stream at the bottom of the Herring hill since that time. The Dean girls moved on from Herring and raised their families and lived their lives. Ralph and Alice have since passed away. Dorothy, the eldest Dean girl, is nearing her 80th birthday celebration. But Dorothy and her sisters wanted to go back to see Herring, Iowa. So, today after the annual round of golf at the "Ralph Dean Golf Classic", Dorothy, Shirley and Betty went back to Herring. Dorothy, who has had health problems these last few years, was lifted over the barbed wire fence surrounding the hill by her sons and grandson. And, the three Dean Girls climbed the Herring Hill as they had done a thousand times before.

It is the same hill, but, Herring has changed. It is not the same country town they remembered...

In fact if you were driving west of Wall Lake, Iowa and didn't know when or where to stop, you would drive right past Herring. The only remnant of Herring left standing was put up on an Armistice Day nearly a century ago. The flag pole,... the one that was spliced together to celebrate the end of World War I, still stands tall in the town center, now a meadow.

But, the Dean Girls didn't care. The Dean Girls were home!


(l to r) Shirley, Dorothy and Betty, "The Dean Girls" return to Herring. The Herring flag pole stands tall in the background.

Today's dedication goes to my mother and her sisters "the Dean Girls" and to Ralph and Alice Dean. I am also dedicating this to the lost "Herrings" in every state, and to all of the Great Americans who made this country what it is today!

Zimbabwe Continues Secret Genocide

The news stations are silent now for the people. The radio station was jammed by the government. No photographs are allowed. The people are dying a secret death!

Reader "Zimbo in America" sends me a letter from Zimbabwe sent to him by Zimbabwe John*:

I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn. We are all terrified of what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually plowing down brick and mortar houses and one white family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when 100 riot police came in with AK's and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house - 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings - because it was "too close to the airport"... so we are feeling extremely insecure right now. You know - I am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know - how can you help? I feel so cut off from you all knowing I cannot tell you what's going on here simply because you will feel uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave so that is not an option.



I just ask that you all pray for us in the way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive vibes... that's all. You can't just be in denial and pretend its not going on. To be frank with you, its genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by Amnesty International which says we are IN level seven (level 8 is after its happened and everyone is in denial). If you don't want me to tell you these things then it means you have not dealt with your own fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our situation.

We need you to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say - oh well, that's what happens in Africa. This government has GONE MAD and you need to publicize our plight or how can we be rescued? You can't just say "oh you attract your own reality". The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 degrees Celsius with no food water, shelter and bedding are a reality.

Today a family approached me, brother of the gardener's wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 people and a child on this property and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water. How can I take another family of 4 - and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open? I am not asking you for money, or a ticket out of here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and I want you to pass on our news and pictures and don't just press the delete button. Help in the way that you know how. Face the reality of what is going on here and SEND OUT THE WORD. The more people that know about it, the more chance we have of United Nations coming to our aid.



Please stop ignoring and denying what's happening. Would you like to be protected from the truth and then if we are eliminated how would you feel? Surely you would say "if only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some way". I know we chose to stay here and so we "deserve" what's coming to us. For now we ourselves, have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next meal - but what is going to happen next? Will they start on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State now. We no longer have SW radio which told us everything that was happening because the government jammed it out of existence - we don't have any reporters, and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here they would have an absolute field day. Even the pro government Herald has written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of everyone's homes which are supposed to be "illegal", but which a huge percentage of them actually do have licenses for.

Please - have some compassion and HELP by sending out this report so that something can be DONE! Please pray for us!

* I changed the names on this post due to safety concerns.

Update: Cox & Forkum get it!

Spain's Media Scandal

It looks like Spain is going through its own media scandal. Of course the Spaniards are blue in the face accusing the White House of intimidation to reporters. Meanwhile they are having their own kind of scandal.

Barcepundit has all of the story that so far the media is not touching in Spain.

Protesters Thrashed by Thugs in Egypt

VIDEO OF THE VIOLENT ANTI-MUBARAK PROTEST HERE

It was a brutal scene at this Egyptian protest today.

Pro-Mubarak thugs stormed opposition protesters today in Egypt:

Police and Egyptian government supporters beat dozens of opposition activists with batons, sometimes kicking them as they lay on the ground, during a protest Saturday against President Hosni Mubarak days after he announced his bid for re-election promising greater democracy in Egypt.

Several hundred men and women were still gathering to begin their march toward Cairo's main square when men in plainclothes descended on them, swinging billy clubs and assaulting the demonstrators.

Circles of burly government supporters surrounded activists sprawled on the pavement, kicking them in the head and ribs and tearing at their clothes. Others lifted protesters in the air by the arms and legs, hauling them off to police trucks. One elderly man wandered in a daze, his head bleeding.


Pro-reform activists were clubbed by police for nearly an hour in the scuffle:

Opposition groups were gathering to stage a demonstration in Cairo's main Liberation Square two days after Mubarak announced he would run for re-election in a Sept. 7 vote.

The election will be Mubarak's first in which he faces an opponent, and his government has touted it as a launching pad for greater democracy. The United States also praised the elections, though Mubarak opponents are more skeptical.

Riot police blocked protesters from reaching Liberation Square, and plainclothes officers wielding police batons quickly descended on them and beat them.

The scuffles lasted for about an hour, and an Associated Press reporter saw least 15 protesters being beaten.


Opposition leaders were briefly held by police after the attacks:

Egyptian security briefly detained senior members of the opposition Kefaya (Enough) Movement on Saturday during a protest against the nomination of President Hosni Mubarak for a fifth 6-year presidential term.

The protest, during which police beat protesters with batons and manhandled journalists, comes a day after Mubarak submitted his nomination papers to stand in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election.

"Five of the people from Kefaya were released ... Those released include Kamal Khalil, George Ishak and Amin Iskander," a police source said without giving further details after nearly 30 people were detained.


Protesters were kicked by the thugs after they had fallen to the ground.

Uzbekistan Evicts the US

Also, yesterday, the 450 refugees who fled to Kyrgyzstan after the May 13th Massacre were flown to Romania for safe haven in a UN sponsored action. (AFP)

The Uzbek Government formally evicted the US from the Karshi-Khanabad airbase it has been using since shortly after 9/11,yesterday. Tensions have been increasing between the two countries since the US put pressure on the Central Asian country to allow an international investigation following a government slaughter of protesting civilians in May:

Uzbekistan formally evicted the United States yesterday from a military base that has served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan since shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pentagon and State Department officials said yesterday.

In a highly unusual move, the notice of eviction from Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, was delivered by a courier from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry to the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, said a senior U.S. administration official involved in Central Asia policy. The message did not give a reason. Uzbekistan will give the United States 180 days to move aircraft, personnel and equipment, U.S. officials said.


If Uzbekistan follows through, as Washington expects, the United States will face several logistical problems for its operations in Afghanistan. Scores of flights have used K2 monthly. It has been a landing base to transfer humanitarian goods that then are taken by road into northern Afghanistan, particularly to Mazar-e Sharif -- with no alternative for a region difficult to reach in the winter. K2 is also a refueling base with a runway long enough for large military aircraft. The alternative is much costlier midair refueling.

The Registan has much more on the Uzbek refugees relocating to Romania.

And, Robert Mayer at Publius Pundit has much more on the refugee transfer.

US Proves North Korea AQ Khan Ties

The US let North Korea in on its "allegation evidence" at the talks this week:

The United States has for the first time presented North Korea with specific evidence behind its allegations that North Korea secretly obtained uranium enrichment technology from Abdul Qadeer Khan, the New York Times (NYT) quoted two senior administration officials as saying.

According to NYT, the two officials said that the decision to share the intelligence with North Korean negotiators was part of an effort to convince North Korea that any discussions about disarmament must cover not only the nuclear weapons programme it boasts about, but a second one that it now denies. Putting on the table the evidence that North Korea obtained technology from the network built by Abdul Qadeer Khan is significant because it is an effort to break an impasse over the scope of North Korea’s nuclear program, the paper said.

Iranian Prez Honors the "Art of Martyrdom"

In his speech broadcast on Iranian airwaves on July 25th, Iran's President-Elect, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, honored the "Art of Martyrdom":

"Art reaches perfection when it portrays the best life and best death. After all, art tells you how to live. That is the essence of art. Is there art that is more beautiful, more divine, and more eternal than the art of martyrdom? A nation with martyrdom knows no captivity. Those who wish to undermine this principle undermine the foundations of our independence and national security. They undermine the foundation of our eternity.

Bahrainis Protest for Political Reform

Up to 10,000 demonstrators protested Friday in Bahrain.


The Bahrainis were out in force yesterday demonstrating for political reform in the small Kingdom of Bahrain:

About 10,000 people, with their mouths covered, passed by the Government House in Manama, calling upon all societies to work together to ensure that the law is either withdrawn or replaced with a more modern law, organisers of the rally said.

The protesters stressed that the law should acknowledge the ideals of a true political environment and political group activities on the basis of a democratic set-up accepted by the international community.

The protest march culminated in a meeting at King Faisal Park, where Al Wasat Al Arabi Society president called upon the participants to exert pressure on the government and mobilise public opinion to stop the government and its supporters from issuing other laws that aimed to curb freedoms such as the laws on organising rallies and combating terrorism.

There have been several protests this year in Bahrain pushing for reform.

Bahrain protesters took to the streets today to demonstrate against a new law that restricts political parties in the country:

About 4,000 activists demonstrated to protest the ratification of a law regulating political associations in Bahrain, which opposition groups said will restrict their activities.

Many protestors had tapes on their mouths as they marched toward the seat of the government in the center of Manama.

"The law is another step back on the way to free opinion," said Jassem Al-Mehzea, head of the Al-Wassat opposition association.

The law was passed by parliament early this month and ratified by King Hamad last Saturday.

The associations, which stand in place of banned political parties, said the law would restrict their funding by banning donations from foreign countries.

Opposition groups also object to a provision raising the minimum age to join associations from 18 to 21.

Bahrain has been pushing for democracy all year with demonstrations

The new law allows the justice minister to close political societies (parties) in the tiny Gulf kingdom. The biggest concern for political societies is the powers the new law gives the justice minister, who can request a civil court order to suspend, close and liquidate a society. (AP)

Great minds think alike! I see that Robert Mayer at Publius Pundit is reporting on the protest in Bahrain as well.

More Positive Economic News!

The great economic news continues! I am talking about the "factual economic news" and not the "make believe kind" that we hear from the media and the left.

Jayson at Polipundit has the whole story:

The Commerce Department just reported the U.S. economy grew at an inflation-adjusted rate of 3.4 percent last quarter.

The economy has posted the following (annualized) real growth rates over the past thirty months:

3.4 - Q2 2005
3.8 - Q1 2005
3.8 - Q4 2004
4.0 - Q3 2004
3.3 - Q2 2004
4.5 - Q1 2004
4.2 - Q4 2003
7.4 - Q3 2003
4.1 - Q2 2003
1.9 - Q1 2003

On the other hand, if you surveyed a bunch of those 80 year-old lifelong Democrats – you know, the kind of people who hold the surreal distinction of having voted for Harry Truman, on the one hand, and John Kerry, on the other, and who get their economic *news* from the likes of “60 Minutes,” NPR, Lou Dobbs, the Philly Inquirer, and the Detroit Free Press – you’d learn many of them believe the country still is mired in a recession.

No, seriously, many of them actually *believe* we’re still in a recession!

And, California Conservative shows when they can't complain about the economy, they have to fall back on this topic where they have a hard time convincing themselves.

Russia Furious Over ABC's Basayev Interview

** How would Americans react to a foreign journalist meeting with Osama bin Laden or Abu Masad al-Zarqawi in a "secret" hiding place, interviewing him, and then posting the video up on their website? **

ABC uses the "Freedom of the Press" excuse to explain their "Nightline" interview with the mastermind behind the Beslan Massacre, the Moscow Theatre Massacre, and countless other terrorist attacks in Russia!

ABC SPREADS CHECHEN TERRORIST LEADER'S PROPAGANDA,
VIDEO HERE


A TV screen grab shows US ABC journalist Andrei Babitsky (L) interviewing Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev. The United States, pleading freedom of the press, steered well clear of a row between Russia and a US television network that interviewed a Chechen guerrilla leader(AFP/ABC NEWS) (AFP)

"I admit I am a bad guy, a bandit, a terrorist!"

Basayev shares with the cameraman as Russian children are shown running from the besieged Beslan school after bombs started exploding during their three days of hell.

As Americans blast Al Jazeera for broadcasting Osama Bin Laden or Al Zarqawi tapes and videos, including beheadings, one of the big three networks from America goes to the backwoods of Chechnya and interviews directly, Shamil Basayev, leader of the Chechen terrorists.

But, Russia responded quickly to ABC's terrorism propaganda:

The parliamentarian said the “appearance of an interview of Basayev is unacceptable for Russia, just as an interview of the Russian mass media with Osama bin Laden would be unacceptable for the Americans”.

“This fact cannot but cause indignation,” he said.

Just to refresh you,... This is the same man who is behind the Beslan School Massacre that killed over 200 Russian Beslan children on their first day of classes. This is the same man who made a practice attack video before is men and suicide bomber women attacked the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow and killed 130 Russians in a three day siege.

It was also confirmed just today that Basayev was behind a village attack on July 19th killing 14 officers and his involvement in Beslan has now been proven.


Russians furious over ABC-Basayev interview:

Russia's foreign ministry summoned the senior US diplomat in Moscow and expressed "strong indignation" over an interview aired on the ABC television network with radical Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev.

Daniel Russell, who as charge d'affairs heads the embassy in the current absence of a permanent ambassador, was called in to hear "strong indignation with the fact of the airing of the Basayev interview," a ministry spokesman told AFP.

Basayev, a veteran guerrilla commander in Chechnya's decade-old separatist conflict with Russia, has claimed responsibility for several large-scale attacks on civilians, including last year's bloody mass hostage-taking at a school in Beslan, near Chechnya.

In his interview, thought to be the first face-to-face meeting with a journalist in years, Basayev said he had turned to terrorism because Russia was killing so many Chechen civilians. (at least it wasn't Iraq!)


The interview was reported on ABC's "Nightline" last night!

Russia's most wanted man also warned of further Beslan-type attacks.

More than 320 people - around half of them children - were killed in the attack at the school in September.

Russia is offering $10m (£6m) for the capture of the warlord, who it also accuses of several other major attacks.

The interview with Shamil Basayev - recorded at his hideout in Chechnya - was aired on ABC's Nightline programme.

“It’s not the children who are responsible,” Basayev said. But he added: “Responsibility is with the whole Russian nation... If the war doesn’t come to each of them individually, it will never stop in Chechnya.”

Russia is asking the US Congress to help stop the media attention given to international terrorists . AMEN!

** "Nightline" still has the video up on their page here. **

Update: (Saturday PM) The Great Lori Byrd at Polipundit is linking to this news story and has another horrific account of the Beslan Massacre with her posting.

Indian Attacks Leave 18 Dead

* Train Blast leaves 13 dead and 20 seriously injured
* Terrorists slit throats of 5 Hindus in gruesome Kashmir siege


An "unreserved" compartment like this one was the scene of a bomb blast in India, on Thursday. Police suspect the bomb was planted in a toilet.


Police in India are searching for clues on who is behind the train blast that killed 13 yesterday:

Police in India said on Friday that an explosion in a train that left 13 people dead and dozens wounded was caused by a bomb planted in a toilet.

Indian railway officials had earlier suggested the blast late on Thursday near Jaunpur town in northern Uttar Pradesh state may have been caused by a cooking gas cylinder, sometimes carried by villagers on trains.

But bomb experts discounted this on Friday.

"There is enough evidence to confirm the use of RDX explosive," a member of a police bomb squad, who did not want to be named, told Reuters from the site.

Uttar Pradesh Home (interior) Secretary Alok Sinha said authorities did not have any specific leads on who was behind the blast which occurred in an unreserved coach.

"It certainly is not an accident. It is some explosive planted in the coach," Sinha told Reuters.

"But who could have been behind it has not been ascertained."

The train was full of passengers at the time:

Indian Railways Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav has ordered an investigation into the explosion, which happened near the town of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh.

The "condition of 20 (injured passengers) is serious".

The unreserved compartment where the blast took place was packed to capacity, and eyewitnesses said people were blown to pieces or thrown out of the train.

In Kashmir 5 Hindus had their throats slit by Muslim extremists in a gruesome siege on a village:

Suspected Muslim militants have raided a village in Indian-administered Kashmir, slitting the throats of five Hindus, police have said.

The attackers entered Dhoob village, 200km (125 miles) north-west of Jammu and segregated Muslims from Hindus before the killings, the police said.

Bangladesh Protests Against Tancredo's Comments

Bangladesh Muslims protest earlier today against Colorado Republican Representative Tom Tancredo's comments advocating the bombing of Islamic holy sites as a response to future terror attacks. (HT)

Convicted Vote Fraud Defendant Says More Dems Should Be Charged

Sheila Thomas, convicted of vote fraud last month in East St. Louis, says high ranking Democrats should also face a jury.

Sheila Thomas is the first of five convicted defendants of vote fraud in East St. Louis to make a public statement since the guilty verdict last month:

Sheila Thomas said she is innocent, but added that if her vote fraud convictions were justified, then high-ranking county Democrats should also have faced a jury.

Thomas is the first of five defendants convicted of vote fraud in federal court last month to make a public statement after the verdict.

"We got into this because they gave us money," Thomas, 31, said about $73,000 passed out in East St. Louis two days before the Nov. 2 election. St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague distributed the funds by giving checks to city Democratic precinct committeemen.

"If we never would have got money, we probably would have never got into this," Thomas said.

Thomas also said she does not know whether county Democratic officials knew the money might be used to pay for votes.

"Bob Sprague is the one who gave us our checks. He gave us the money. He, too, should have been tried.... We all should have been sitting at the same (defense) table. All of us. All the (East St. Louis) precinct committeemen. All the guys in Belleville. Not just the five of us because that wasn't fair," she said.

Thomas said she felt that other county Democratic officials should have been charged but wasn't sure who.

Previous posts on the Democratic Voter Fraud Trial in East St. Louis:
East St. Louis makes Voter Fraud a Business
$5 for Non-Racists; Racists are $10
ESL Prosecution Witness Falters
Damning Tapes in East St. Louis Voter Fraud Trial
Witness Grilled at ESL Vote Fraud Trial
How to Buy Votes at ESL Vote Fraud Trial
"Showing Appreciation" at ESL Voter Fraud Trial
Democratic Vote Buyers May Get Pass
ESL Vote Fraud Trial Gets Nasty
Ugly Politics, Ugly Trial in ESL
Closing Arguments Wrap Up in ESL Voter Fraud Trial
"Guilty" Verdict in ESL Voter Fraud Trial

West Virginia Democrats Charged with Vote Buying

Glen D. Adkins, "Hound Dog", is charged with conspiracy to buy votes in West Virginia

Logan County Clerk Glen D. Adkins (left) exits the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston with his attorney, Dwane Tinsley, following his arrest Thursday, July 21st. As with past election fraud probes, the latest case targets solely Democrats, who dominate the voter rolls and local governments through the region.

At least one dozen democrats have been charged with voter fraud in Logan and neighboring Lincoln County is west Virginia:

Federal grand jurors allege one person conspiring to keep the political support of Logan County Clerk Glen D. Adkins paid more than $4,000 for the college tuition of one of Adkins’ relatives, as well as cash to be placed on Adkins’ political slate.

Adkins was brought into a federal courtroom in Charleston Thursday shackled at the ankles after being arrested on a federal charge of conspiring to buy votes. He was released on a personal recognizance bond.

Adkins allegedly took money from other people known to the grand jury to buy votes for candidates on slates he and others supported.

Adkins is the latest person to be arrested in the election fraud probe that began last year in Logan County and spread to neighboring Lincoln County. A dozen other people have been charged, including Lincoln County Circuit Clerk Greg Stowers, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to buy votes.

Last year, John Mendez resigned as Logan County sheriff after pleading guilty to election fraud and Logan attorney Mark Hrutkay was sent to jail after admitting paying to help get his former wife, Delegate Lidella Hrutkay, D-Logan, on a political slate.

It alleges that in 1992, he took about $2,000 in cash from two people to buy votes for unidentified candidates for Logan County sheriff and the House of Delegates, along with other candidates on a slate backed by the co-conspirators.

St. Louis Democratic Convictions Are Adding Up

Since the November elections 16 individuals in the St. Louis area have been convicted of voter fraud or election violations.

(this is also posted over in the sidebar)

In the last 7 months in the St. Louis Metro Area here is a slice of what we have witnessed:

Nov. 18: Nine precinct committeemen appear before a federal grand jury probing vote fraud during the Nov. 2 election.

December: In St. Louis Six volunteers pleaded guilty in December of dozens of election law violations for filling out the cards with names of the dead and other bogus information. One still faces charges.

January 21: Kelvin Ellis, a top administrator at East St. Louis City Hall, was indicted for plotting to kill a witness in the year long East St. Louis, Illinois federal vote fraud investigation.

February 10: In St. Louis Nonaresa Montgomery was found guilty by a jury of perjury in a trial in St. Louis Circuit Court in the St. Louis vote fraud trial.

March 22: Precinct committeemen Leroy Scott Jr., 46; Lillie Nichols, 51; Terrance R. Stith, 43; and his wife, precinct worker Sandra Stith, 54; plead guilty to one count each of vote-buying.

March 23: The chairman of the East St. Louis Democratic Central Committee and councilman Charles Powell Jr. is charged with conspiracy to commit election fraud. Charged with conspiracy as well as election fraud are East St. Louis City Hall employees Jesse Lewis, Sheila Thomas, Kelvin Ellis, and Yvette Johnson.

June 29: All five defendants are convicted on all counts.

That comes out to 16 different Democrats convicted of election violations in the last 7 months in the St. Louis area!

And, one Democrat is still being held for attempted murder (trial scheduled for Oct. 17) of a government witness!

Militant Arrested for Daniel Pearl Murder

One of the Militants wanted for the kidnap and murder of American Daniel Pearl was arrested yesterday in Pakistan:

Police and intelligence agents Wednesday arrested a suspected militant who was wanted for a role in the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, officials said.

The man, identified as Hashim Qadeer, was captured from a bus at a terminal in the eastern Pakistan city of Gujranwala, a police and an intelligence official said on condition of anonymity. Both requested anonymity because they are not authorized to make media statements.

Pearl was kidnapped and later beheaded in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi while he was researching a story on Islamic militancy in 2002.

Months later, a court in Karachi convicted four Islamic militants in Pearl's killing, including British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was sentenced to death. The three others were given life imprisonment.

The Karachi-based intelligence official said Qadeer is believed to have arranged a meeting between Sheikh and Pearl at a hotel in Rawalpindi, a city near the capital of Islamabad.

Two other militants wanted in Pearl's case were killed in shootouts with security forces last year. Five others remained at large, and Qadeer was one of them, the police official said.

Publius Pundit's Excellent World View

Publius Pundit continues to push for excellence!

Today, Robert Mayer has an excellent post on Burma's New Best Friend
and Zimbabwe's China Embrace. Great Reads!

Not to be outdone, A.M. Mora y Leon, comments on the CAFTA Countdown.

Meanwhile,... Pamela from Trey Jackson and Atlas Shrugs is in Paris to show "Old Europe" how to blog! And, Trey has a great video on the Mullahs.

And,... Stefania from Free Thoughts is reporting that Iranian activist Manucher Mohammadi has slipped into a coma.

London Bomber Arrested

VIDEO OF ARRESTED LONDON BOMBER HERE



These photos show an x-ray view of one of the unexploded devices and another view of a home made bomb found in the trunk of a car belonging to Shehzad Tanweer, one of the July 7 bombers who attacked the London Underground. (AP)

Police arrested one of the London bombers yesterday in Birmingham:

The nail-studded devices were reportedly made by the same person who armed the second wave of would-be suicide bombers who attempted to blow up three London subway trains and a bus exactly one week ago. On that occasion their bombs failed to explode.

In a fast-moving police investigation, a senior officer said Somali-born Yasin Hassan Omar, 24, was arrested alone in a house where police carried out a pre-dawn raid Wednesday in the central English city of Birmingham.

Police made nine more arrests this morning in connection with the botched bombing attempts from last week:

Anti-terrorist officers arrested nine men in dawn raids Thursday in connection with the botched July 21 attacks on London's transit system, bringing to 20 the number of people police have in custody, including one of the alleged bombers.

With three of the suspected attackers still at large, Britain's most senior police officer warned of more possible attacks and thousands of officers patrolled the country's rail network to reassure the public.

"There are many thousands of police officers trying to ensure the safety of Londoners," said Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair — three weeks to the day after the July 7 attacks that killed 56 people, including four suicide bombers.

He said it was a "a race against time" to find the suspected bombers.

And, there is some speculation that the suicide bombers from 7/7 may not have known that they had signed on to a "suicide" mission!

Update: Zambian Officials are holding a suspect in the 7/7 Bombings.

Police Prevent Moscow Terrorist Attack

Russian police today are reporting that they have prevented a major terrorist strike planned on Moscow:

Police engaged in an operation against militants in Dagestan prevented a major terrorist attack in Moscow, Deputy Interior Minister Andrei Novikov told a Thursday press conference in Makhachkala.

"A man was preparing to perpetrate a terrorist act in Moscow and we managed to stop him. About 150 accomplices, including policemen, civilians and clerics, were detained," he said.


Three suspected militants were killed in this house raid in Dagestan earlier today. Two other suspects escaped and two police officers were wounded. (AP)

A large weapons cache was discovered in Dagestan earlier this week:

In the Tsumadin District, Dagestan Interior Ministry officers discovered a large weapons cache belonging to militants.

"The cache consisted of 123 122mm artillery shells and 130 detonators," the spokesman said. "The stockpile was destroyed by military specialists."

An explosive device, with power equivalent to 10 kg of TNT, was found on the Makhachkala-Krasnoarmeysk highway 100 meters from a bridge. "If the criminals had managed to activate this, there would have been more casualties," he said.

The radio-controlled, homemade explosive device consisted of a 10-liter metal bucket stuffed with a mixture of aluminum powder, ammonium nitrate, and pieces of metal, sealed with polyurethane foam and resin, with wires leading out of it.

Dagestan, which has seen nearly 80 terrorist attacks so far this year, is an impoverished region neighboring Chechnya, where the fighting between government forces and separatist rebels has spilled over into nearby regions.

And, police arrested the suspected train bomber this week in Dagestan. The attack killed one female passenger. Explosives similar to the ones used in the attack were found in the attacker's home.

Pakistanis Protest Against Terror

The Lahore protests earlier in the week by the more miltant Muslims got most of the media's attention. However, Pakistani lawyers had their own protest "against terrorism" in Lahore this Tuesday, July 26th. The lawyers are part of the International Bar Association and Lawyers Forum for Peace. (AFP)

Ugandans Vote for New Election System

UGANDANS VOTE FOR MULTI-PARTY SYSTEM,
VIDEO HERE


Ugandans line up to vote in the capital of Kampala today.

After blaming political parties for the past suffering in Uganda and outlawing them 19 years ago, the government is holding an election today to move back to a multi-party system:

President Museveni decided the country would be ruled under the "movement" or "no party" system of government. Since then, political parties have only been allowed to maintain a minimum presence through national offices.

The president blames multiparty politics for the decades of oppression Ugandans suffered under the East African country's past rulers, whom he has accused of dividing the population along ethnic and religious lines.

However, Wafula Oguttu, spokesman for the newly formed opposition political party, Forum for Democratic Change, argues that it was individuals, not parties, which had caused wars in Uganda.

"We have had wars in various regions of the country under Museveni's rule that was devoid of party politics, therefore it is wrong to suggest that parties caused trouble in Uganda," Oguttu said.

Oguttu said the country still suffered bad governance. "Key sectors of the economy are headed by people from the president's home area.

"We have got the most sectarian regime in the history of the country in spite the fact that there are no parties," he added.

A poster in Uganda shows voters the proper way to mark their ballot in today's elections. (AFP)

International donors and activists push Ugandans to accept multi-party politics as they head to the polls today:

Ugandans are choosing whether to allow multiparty politics in the East African country in a referendum Thursday, the first step in reforming the country's constitution, which forbids political parties from campaigning in elections.

President Yoweri Museveni banned multiparty politics when he came to power in 1986, insisting political parties were tribally based and responsible for years of partisan violence and civil war.

Under pressure from international donors and Ugandan activists, Museveni agreed to reintroduce multiparty politics, if a majority of voters approved.

Opposition groups have boycotted the US$12 million referendum, insisting it was a waste of money and the reforms should be instituted without a vote.

Electoral commission chairman Badru Kiggundu made a last-minute appeal late Wednesday to Uganda's 8.5 million registered voters to participate in the referendum.

"I appeal to voters to turn up in large numbers and exercise their democratic rights by choosing a system of their own choice," he said.

How to Kill Cops in St. Louis

On Tueday July 5th, Sgt. McEntee was talking to a 13-year-old boy about a fireworks disturbance when a man approached the passenger's side of Sgt. McEntee's patrol car and fired a 9 mm handgun several times, striking Sgt. McEntee in the face.

Sgt. McEntee died later that night at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur. He was 43.


Outside his life as a police officer, Sgt. McEntee coached baseball and soccer teams at the St. Simon the Apostle Catholic School for at least five years. His three children - Katie, 13, Brendan, 10, and Conor, 7 - attend classes there.

On Saturday July 9th, Mary McEntee and her children, hundreds of law enforcement officers, family members and friends packed St. Simon the Apostle Catholic Church in Affton to say goodbye to Sergeant Bill McEntee. As people inside the church celebrated his life and mourned his passing, people who never even met the fallen officer also showed their support.

Sergeant Bill McEntee was no ordinary officer:

During his career as a Kirkwood Police officer, Sgt. Bill McEntee touched many lives and saved a few too. Among those he rescued was Reid Williams, who wanted to share his story.

Williams says he and Sgt. McEntee had a special bond, one they forged a few years ago when McEntee saved his life.

The accident happened on South Kirkwood Road. Williams was in his electric wheelchair at the time, trying to cross the street. An 18-wheeler truck clipped his chair, knocking him over.

It was Sgt. Bill McEntee who pulled him out of harm's way.

But not everyone in St. Louis shares the same respect for Sergeant Bill McEntee and his fellow St. Louis police officers.

One week after Sgt. McEntee's burial two local deejays made a "joke" out of killing police officers on their morning show:

"DJ Kaos" and "DJ Sylli Asz" lived up to their names last Wednesday morning (July 13th) when they devoted part of their show on 100.3 The Beat (KATZ-FM) to methods of combating police officers.

They gave their audience tips on how to disarm and injure police officers. One bit of advice told people to fight for the officer's radio so he can't call for help.

This apparent attempt at humor, coming in the wake of the murder of a police officer in Kirkwood, inspired a firestorm of protest from local cops and some community members.

The two were suspended without pay.

But this controversy has not died down, yet. Many in the St. Louis Community are still in an uproar over the disgusting remarks made by the morning show hosts.

* St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa called on-air comments wrong and inappropriate, but seemed willing to forgive. "They made a mistake. I'm willing to move on and forget about it."

* But in O'Fallon, Missouri police Sergeant Tom Otten is livid. "They need to be fired, absolutely, they need to be fired. And I think there needs to be a public apology to officers on that radio station."

Sergeant Otten is far from satisfied by the punishment. "What does a suspension do? It does nothing. That shows a horrible lack of character and moral judgment"

* StLMedia.net goes a step further and is asking that the Clear Channel's Market Manager be fired from his state position:

Lee Armstrong Clear has shown his disinclination over the past few weeks to be responsive to the needs of the communities which his radio stations serve. He does not answer nor does he return phone calls concerning the furor he has allowed to continue.

Clear has allowed a pair of runaway thug DJ's on one of his stations to get away with threatening the health, safety and welfare of area police officers and be punished with only an "indefinite suspension", during which they will be paid their full salaries and benefits.

That he will lead the state broadcasters' association is incomprehensible, considering this matter.

* And, some area police officers are planning to organize a boycott:

Area Police message boards have called for his resignation or firing, and his actions have been the subject of letters from local and national FOP officers as well, and, unless Clear Channel corporate management intervenes with appropriate action, there may well be a nationwide boycott against the company's 1200+ stations and sponsors.

* And, that's not all...some local black residents are excusing the deejays:

"Black people feel a certain way about the police because of what they've seen in the news media or what happened to someone close to them or themselves," said local barber Eric Palmer.

The often adversarial and sometimes hostile relationship between police and the African-American community prompted 18th Ward Alderman Terry Kennedy to introduce a Citizens Review Board Bill because many local blacks don't trusts the police to justly police themselves.

Some regular listeners to the "Kaos Morning Show" thought it was unfair that the jocks were singled out for one incident, especially when the deejays also have mentioned the police in a positive light.

This story is far from being over...

But, in the mean time, Mary McEntee drops one of her children off at soccer practice. And, Mary and her three children, Katie, Brendan, and Conor, get used to life without Daddy.

Illinois Republicans Offer Reward for Daley's Head

Illinois Republicans Offer Reward on Daley

I have to admit that I liked when Mayor Daley stood up for the military, but after all of the scandal from the special cleanup favors to the Columbian heroin smugglers running drugs out of City Hall I'll throw in 20 bucks for the cause.

I am just playing... I don't believe in this type of tactics. I don't think it's dignified or honorable.<