Sameer Al Ansari, Chief Executive of Dubai International Capital told delegates at a private equity conference that it will take more than the combined efforts of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Kuwait Investment Authority and Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to save the bank.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, or ADIA, a sovereign wealth fund owned by the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, last year bought a 4.9% stake in Citigroup.
The Kuwait Investment Authority also said in January it would invest $3 billion in Citigroup.
Dubai International Capital, an investment firm controlled by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, owns a stake in HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBA.LN), bought 3.12% in European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co last year. More...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Osama bin London
The conviction in London this week of the Muslim fanatic known as “Osama bin London” and five of his followers is a significant blow to Islamist terrorism in the United Kingdom. In one of the biggest anti-terror trials in British history, Mohammed Hamid was found guilty of leading an al-Qaeda inspired terror cell and of running terrorist training camps on British soil with a view to sending recruits on to Afghanistan and East Africa.
According to Britain’s domestic intelligence service, MI5, there are over 2,000 identified al-Qaeda inspired terrorist suspects in the UK, with up to 200 terror networks in operation. In addition, there are an estimated 2,000 unidentified terrorists operating in Britain, giving a total of up to 4,000 al-Qaeda linked operatives based in the United Kingdom.
According to Britain’s domestic intelligence service, MI5, there are over 2,000 identified al-Qaeda inspired terrorist suspects in the UK, with up to 200 terror networks in operation. In addition, there are an estimated 2,000 unidentified terrorists operating in Britain, giving a total of up to 4,000 al-Qaeda linked operatives based in the United Kingdom.
Qaradawi, Mughyiah and Qutb
In a recent letter to the leader of Hezbollah from the International Union of Islamic Scholars, led by al-Qaradawi and published on the organization's official website, declares Imad Mugnhniyah a martyred hero to be revered:
Truly, we are deeply sorry fo the death of the martyred hero and our sadness can only be paralleled with our joy that Almighty Allah selected him to be a martyr; granting him a status that is only attained by those who have been true to their covenant with Allah (they have gone out for Jihad), of them some have fulfilled their obligations (have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed (betrayed their covenant) in the least.
Via Counterterrorism Blog
Truly, we are deeply sorry fo the death of the martyred hero and our sadness can only be paralleled with our joy that Almighty Allah selected him to be a martyr; granting him a status that is only attained by those who have been true to their covenant with Allah (they have gone out for Jihad), of them some have fulfilled their obligations (have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed (betrayed their covenant) in the least.
Via Counterterrorism Blog
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Release of New Book by Ayman Al-Zawahiri
On March 2, 2008, jihad websites, including Al-Ikhlas, posted a new 188-page book by Al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. The book, titled A Treatise Exonerating the Nation of the Pen and the Sword from the Blemish of the Accusation of Weakness and Fatigue, is a polemical defense of Al-Qaeda against its most prominent Islamist critic, the imprisoned jihadist Sheikh Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif.
Sayyed Imam is one of Al-Zawahiri's oldest associates in the jihad movement and is considered one of jihadism's most influential scholars. He is the author of a shari'a guide to jihad that was used in training camps in Afghanistan. The central argument of his recently published Document of Right Guidance for Jihad Activity in Egypt and the World is that jihad should only be undertaken when there is ability to do so, and that Islamist groups today cannot be considered to be in a state of ability. It is to this argument that the title of Al-Zawahiri's book refers.
The Treatise Exonerating the Nation is of great importance for two reasons. First, it is, in effect, an official statement of Al-Qaeda's positions and of the Islamic legal justifications it provides for its activities.
Second, Al-Qaeda's decision to publish such a work is strong evidence that it is deeply worried that radical Islamists could be influenced by Sayyed Imam and abandon the jihad. More...
Sayyed Imam is one of Al-Zawahiri's oldest associates in the jihad movement and is considered one of jihadism's most influential scholars. He is the author of a shari'a guide to jihad that was used in training camps in Afghanistan. The central argument of his recently published Document of Right Guidance for Jihad Activity in Egypt and the World is that jihad should only be undertaken when there is ability to do so, and that Islamist groups today cannot be considered to be in a state of ability. It is to this argument that the title of Al-Zawahiri's book refers.
The Treatise Exonerating the Nation is of great importance for two reasons. First, it is, in effect, an official statement of Al-Qaeda's positions and of the Islamic legal justifications it provides for its activities.
Second, Al-Qaeda's decision to publish such a work is strong evidence that it is deeply worried that radical Islamists could be influenced by Sayyed Imam and abandon the jihad. More...
The Psychological Asymmetry of Islamist Warfare
U.S. military lawyers acknowledge that "civilians may not be used … to render an area immune from military operations… [or] to shield a defensive position, to hide military objectives, or to screen an attack. Neither may they be forced to leave their homes or shelters in order to disrupt the movement of an adversary." Such restraint is not unique to the United States but also extends to Europe, Israel, and in the post-World War II era, many Asian countries as well. Increasingly, though, Israel's Arab foes and Islamist groups discount such constraints in order to seek psychological advantage against technologically superior foes. Western governments are challenged today by an enemy whose behavior is inspired by theological doctrines that not only disregard the Western concept of ethical combat but for whom the killing of civilians—on both sides of a conflict—also serves a vital purpose.
Policymakers and military officials often discuss asymmetrical warfare in the context of strategies weak states or terrorist groups adopt to confront stronger military powers.
The ideology of Islamism has created a paradoxical form of asymmetric advantage for terror groups and states: By rejecting the entire Western concept of the rules of war, Islamist groups turn the adherence of Western military powers to restrictions on battlefield conduct. More...
Policymakers and military officials often discuss asymmetrical warfare in the context of strategies weak states or terrorist groups adopt to confront stronger military powers.
The ideology of Islamism has created a paradoxical form of asymmetric advantage for terror groups and states: By rejecting the entire Western concept of the rules of war, Islamist groups turn the adherence of Western military powers to restrictions on battlefield conduct. More...
Muqtada Al-Sadr Comatose In Iranian Hospital
Shi'ite cleric and leader Muqtada Al-Sadr was secretly transferred a few days ago from Iraq to Iran for hospitalization as he was comatose.
It was reported that his illness resulted from food poisoning.
Al-Sadr is being treated by Iranian specialists, as well as by Russian doctors brought in to help the Iranian medical staff treat him.
Via The Memri Blog
Long-range rockets fired from Gaza are Iranian: Israel army
A senior military intelligence official said that over 20 Katyusha-type rockets, also known as Grad, were fired against Israel since last Thursday. "We are talking about regular Iranian-made rockets," an official quoted the intelligence official as saying.
The 122-millimetre rockets have a range of about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) and carry a large payload which caused heavy damage to buildings in the southern coastal town of Ashkelon, which bore the brunt of the Grad rocket fire.
Israel believes that over 100 such rockets were smuggled into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through its porous border with Egypt in recent months following the Hamas violent takeover of the territory.
The 122-millimetre rockets have a range of about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) and carry a large payload which caused heavy damage to buildings in the southern coastal town of Ashkelon, which bore the brunt of the Grad rocket fire.
Israel believes that over 100 such rockets were smuggled into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through its porous border with Egypt in recent months following the Hamas violent takeover of the territory.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Dichter: Human Shields for Terrorists are Also Terrorists
Arutz Sheva - "We are creating an atmosphere of ghost towns with our own hands, with our own policy," Minister for Public Security, Avi Dichter, told the cabinet Sunday. "The terrorists, unlike the IDF soldiers and the citizens of Israel, are a perishable product, that is to be stopped and killed," he said. "In a state of war with a terror entity we must not shirk from hitting terrorists who try to carry out a terror attack from within an envelope of civilians. Civilians who provide a human shield for terrorists are terrorists, plain and simple."
"The citizens of Israel are not a perishable product, neither physically nor mentally. I expect you to instruct the IDF to completely stop the rocket fire at Israel, at any cost," the former head of the Shabak (General Security Service) told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"The citizens of Israel are not a perishable product, neither physically nor mentally. I expect you to instruct the IDF to completely stop the rocket fire at Israel, at any cost," the former head of the Shabak (General Security Service) told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Harvard Sets Women-Only Hours for Gym, Complying With Muslim Students' Request
Ola Aljawhary, a student and a member of the Harvard Islamic Society, said the women-only gym is needed. "These hours are necessary because there is a segment of the Harvard female population that is not found in gyms, not because they don't want to work out, but because for them working out in a co-ed gym is uncomfortable, awkward or problematic in some way," she told Boston University's Daily Free Press.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in Washington D.C., said modesty may prevent some Muslim women from exercising in a co-ed environment.
"If the women are dressed in a manner that makes it more comfortable to exercise, they may not feel it’s appropriate for them to be viewed by men in that particular attire," he said.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in Washington D.C., said modesty may prevent some Muslim women from exercising in a co-ed environment.
"If the women are dressed in a manner that makes it more comfortable to exercise, they may not feel it’s appropriate for them to be viewed by men in that particular attire," he said.
Americans Fire Missiles Into Somalia
NYT - Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington, said the target was a “known Al Qaeda terrorist,” and another American military official said the attack was carried out with at least two Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a submarine.
Russian Money Wins the Battle for Grozny
Even at temperatures of minus 6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit), workers are to be seen on the scaffolds of innumerable construction sites. Schools and hospitals are being built, and in the city center, the evening sun reflects off the windows of futuristic-looking apartment buildings.
The Chechen state university once again has around 16,000 students who are studying towards some 70 different professions. Russian cell phone providers are tapping into the Chechen market, promoting a calling plan that parents can use around the clock to reassure themselves that their children are well. Companies are courting customers who, just a few years ago, camped out in the cellars of a ruined wasteland. At long last, civilian life is returning to Grozny. More...
The Chechen state university once again has around 16,000 students who are studying towards some 70 different professions. Russian cell phone providers are tapping into the Chechen market, promoting a calling plan that parents can use around the clock to reassure themselves that their children are well. Companies are courting customers who, just a few years ago, camped out in the cellars of a ruined wasteland. At long last, civilian life is returning to Grozny. More...
Message of Armenian President Robert Kocharian To The People
In order to prevent the immediate threat to the constitutional order in the Republic of Armenia and for the purpose of protecting the rights and legal interests of the population, I consulted with the Chairman of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister, after which I signed a decree guided by point 14 of Article 55 and point 6 of Article 117 of the Republic of Armenia Constitution, whereby a state of emergency is declared in the city of Yerevan from March 1, 2008, for a period of 20 days.
The following measures are foreseen by the state of emergency.
1) Ban on holding meetings, public rallies, demonstrations, marches, and other mass events.
2) Ban on strikes and measures to stop or otherwise suspend the activities of organizations.
3) If necessary, restriction by law-enforcement bodies of the movement of individuals, means of transportation, and implementation of inspection.
4) Publications of mass media concerning state and internal political issues can be implemented solely within the limits of the official information of state bodies.
5) Ban on leaflets and implementation of political propaganda by other means without permission of corresponding state bodies.
6) Temporary suspension of the activities of political parties and other nongovernmental organizations obstructing the removal of the circumstances serving as a basis for the declaration of the state of emergency.
7) Expulsion of individuals who break the regime of the state of emergency and not residing in a given territory at the expense of their means, and if they don’t have means – at the expense of the means of the Republic of Armenia state budget on the condition of the further return of the expenses made.
I urge all to show restraint and wisdom. Under this situation it is more than ever necessary to show consolidation, to implement the requirements of the law without deviation. I assure that the state of emergency will stop immediately after the circumstances serving as a basis for it are removed.
Via Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty
The following measures are foreseen by the state of emergency.
1) Ban on holding meetings, public rallies, demonstrations, marches, and other mass events.
2) Ban on strikes and measures to stop or otherwise suspend the activities of organizations.
3) If necessary, restriction by law-enforcement bodies of the movement of individuals, means of transportation, and implementation of inspection.
4) Publications of mass media concerning state and internal political issues can be implemented solely within the limits of the official information of state bodies.
5) Ban on leaflets and implementation of political propaganda by other means without permission of corresponding state bodies.
6) Temporary suspension of the activities of political parties and other nongovernmental organizations obstructing the removal of the circumstances serving as a basis for the declaration of the state of emergency.
7) Expulsion of individuals who break the regime of the state of emergency and not residing in a given territory at the expense of their means, and if they don’t have means – at the expense of the means of the Republic of Armenia state budget on the condition of the further return of the expenses made.
I urge all to show restraint and wisdom. Under this situation it is more than ever necessary to show consolidation, to implement the requirements of the law without deviation. I assure that the state of emergency will stop immediately after the circumstances serving as a basis for it are removed.
Via Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty
Egyptian Chopper Strays Over Gaza
The pilot of an Egyptian helicopter lost in the fog found himself over the Gaza Strip and under fire from Hamas militants Monday until Israeli warplanes escorted his aircraft back across the border.
Hamas mistook the Egyptian aircraft for an Apache attack helicopter used by Israel in airstrikes and tried to shoot it down. The Israeli military said its radar picked up an unidentified aircraft crossing into Gaza airspace, which Israel controls. Fearing an attack, Israel scrambled jet fighters to investigate. After a few tense minutes, Israeli radio operators contacted the pilot, who said he had lost his way.
An Egyptian security official said the aircraft belonged to an oil company, while an Israeli defense official said it was a military helicopter.
Hamas mistook the Egyptian aircraft for an Apache attack helicopter used by Israel in airstrikes and tried to shoot it down. The Israeli military said its radar picked up an unidentified aircraft crossing into Gaza airspace, which Israel controls. Fearing an attack, Israel scrambled jet fighters to investigate. After a few tense minutes, Israeli radio operators contacted the pilot, who said he had lost his way.
An Egyptian security official said the aircraft belonged to an oil company, while an Israeli defense official said it was a military helicopter.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
A man to emulate
Jesus was a religious leader.
Muhammad was religious leader and a military leader.
Jesus never killed anyone.
Muhammad killed an estimated 3,000 people, including beheading 700 Jews of the Banu Qurayza tribe in Medina.
Jesus never owned slaves.
Muhammad received a fifth of the prisoners taken in battle, including women. (Sura 8:41)
Jesus never married.
Muhammad had many wives.
Jesus never forced followers to continue believing. After Jesus made a difficult saying, "many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Will ye also go away?' Then Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.'" (John 6:31-69)
Muhammad forced followers to continue believing, "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." (Hadith al-Bukhari, Vol. 9, Bk. 84, No. 57)
And more
Muhammad was religious leader and a military leader.
Jesus never killed anyone.
Muhammad killed an estimated 3,000 people, including beheading 700 Jews of the Banu Qurayza tribe in Medina.
Jesus never owned slaves.
Muhammad received a fifth of the prisoners taken in battle, including women. (Sura 8:41)
Jesus never married.
Muhammad had many wives.
Jesus never forced followers to continue believing. After Jesus made a difficult saying, "many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Will ye also go away?' Then Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.'" (John 6:31-69)
Muhammad forced followers to continue believing, "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." (Hadith al-Bukhari, Vol. 9, Bk. 84, No. 57)
And more
Gunmen have destroyed two mobile telephone towers in southern Afghanistan, a police officer said on Sunday, after Taliban insurgents warned operators to shut networks at night or face attacks.
The Taliban last week ordered mobile phone operators to switch off their networks from five in the afternoon until seven in the morning, saying foreign troops in Afghanistan used mobile phones to track the militants.
The Taliban last week ordered mobile phone operators to switch off their networks from five in the afternoon until seven in the morning, saying foreign troops in Afghanistan used mobile phones to track the militants.
Al Qaeda for Women
The U.S. military announced the capture of an insurgent leader who was recruiting and training women, including his wife, to wrap themselves in explosives and blow themselves up — the latest sign that Al Qaeda in Iraq plans to keep using women to carry out the deadly attacks.
U.S. Plan Widens Role in Training Pakistani Forces
The United States military is developing a plan to send about 100 American trainers to work with a Pakistani paramilitary force that is the vanguard in the fight against Al Qaeda and other extremist groups in Pakistan’s restive tribal areas, American military officials said.
Pakistan has ruled out allowing American combat troops to fight Qaeda and Taliban militants in the tribal areas. But Pakistani leaders have privately indicated that they would welcome additional American trainers to help teach new skills to Pakistani soldiers whose army was tailored not for counterinsurgency but to fight a conventional land war against India.
Pakistan has ruled out allowing American combat troops to fight Qaeda and Taliban militants in the tribal areas. But Pakistani leaders have privately indicated that they would welcome additional American trainers to help teach new skills to Pakistani soldiers whose army was tailored not for counterinsurgency but to fight a conventional land war against India.
Israel aims to stamp out missile jihad by destroying Hamas rule of Gaza
DEBKAfile’s military sources report the Israeli military command is now targeting Hamas rule of the Gaza Strip as ultimately the only effective way of halting the Palestinian missile offensive against civilian locations. It therefore proposes to systematically destroy Hamas institutions one by one until its rule of Gaza caves in.
The IDF has now set itself the following targets:
Every Palestinian military and security installation belonging to Hamas, as well as its Al Dawa social welfare branches used as meeting places and the money changers’ places of business.
A series of ground operations on the same lines as the Sejayia raid will be launched to drive Hamas and its allied terrorist groups out of northern Gaza – the sites of most missile launches against Ashkelon and Sderot. Once this part of the territory is purged, Israeli military control can be exercised without reoccupation.
DEBKAfile’s Palestinian sources report that Hamas leaders are well aware of the IDF’s revamped tactics and have employed counter-measures.
1. Their heads of government, armed wings and clerical authorities have gone to ground.
2. Their rank and file have taken over an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 civilian homes around Gaza City active and set up a wall for the town’s defense. Each home is provisioned with sufficient ammo, water and food for three weeks’ combat.
3. All Hamas operatives have dumped their cell phones and all means of communication which could betray their whereabouts. Orders and messages are carried by courier, usually children.
4. Thousands of missiles and rockets of different types are stocked in private homes and schools inside Gaza City and its refugee camps to escape Israeli attacks. This stratagem allows Hamas to calibrate its missile barrages on Israeli civilians according to the intensity of Israeli strikes against them.
Attacks Widen: Netivot, Psagot and Jerusalem Under Fire
The city of Netivot, in the western Negev, as well as the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo came under fire Saturday night after midnight.
A Grad-type Katyusha rocket was fired from Gaza, landing in the Negev town of Netivot before dawn Sunday morning. It landed near the grave of famed Morrocan Jewish Kabbalist Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the Baba Sali, in an open field.
Hundreds of Jewish families living in the temporary village of Nitzan have begun hearing the “Color Red” warning system, which has been put into use in coastal towns near Ashkelon. However, residents of the village continue to live in caravans, and have no sheltered space to run to in case of missile or rocket attacks. “There is no protection in the area and no option to hide. We are exposed to fire and to danger with no possibility to seek protection anywhere,” a spokesman for the community said Saturday. A rocket that landed on a caravan last week destroyed the caravan completely, he added.
A Grad-type Katyusha rocket was fired from Gaza, landing in the Negev town of Netivot before dawn Sunday morning. It landed near the grave of famed Morrocan Jewish Kabbalist Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the Baba Sali, in an open field.
Hundreds of Jewish families living in the temporary village of Nitzan have begun hearing the “Color Red” warning system, which has been put into use in coastal towns near Ashkelon. However, residents of the village continue to live in caravans, and have no sheltered space to run to in case of missile or rocket attacks. “There is no protection in the area and no option to hide. We are exposed to fire and to danger with no possibility to seek protection anywhere,” a spokesman for the community said Saturday. A rocket that landed on a caravan last week destroyed the caravan completely, he added.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
USAF blocks blogs
The Air Force has determined that blogs are bad. Any site with the word “blog” in the URL or determined by content or layout to be a blog is now being blocked by the Air Force Network Operations Center.
AFNOC has imposed bans on all sites with “blog” in their URLs, thus cutting off any sites hosted by Blogspot. Other blogs, and sites in general, are blocked based on content reviews performed at the base, command and AFNOC level. More...
Via The Jawa Report
AFNOC has imposed bans on all sites with “blog” in their URLs, thus cutting off any sites hosted by Blogspot. Other blogs, and sites in general, are blocked based on content reviews performed at the base, command and AFNOC level. More...
Via The Jawa Report
Air Force Buys French Tanker
The Weekly Standard - Northrop Grumman and EADS have somehow managed to defeat heavy-favorite Boeing in the battle to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers. The initial contract for 80 aircraft is valued at $40 billion, and the service has plans to purchase as many as 100 more at an as yet undetermined cost.
The Northrop KC-30, which is based on the EADS Airbus A-330 passenger jet, had been considered the more capable aircraft.
The KC-30 will be assembled in Mobile, Alabama, but much of the work will be done in Airbus's facility in Toulouse, France. There had been doubts as to whether the Air Force, and Congress, would award such a massive contract to a French firm, but a thaw in relations following the election of Nicolas Sarkozy may have eased concerns.
The Northrop KC-30, which is based on the EADS Airbus A-330 passenger jet, had been considered the more capable aircraft.
The KC-30 will be assembled in Mobile, Alabama, but much of the work will be done in Airbus's facility in Toulouse, France. There had been doubts as to whether the Air Force, and Congress, would award such a massive contract to a French firm, but a thaw in relations following the election of Nicolas Sarkozy may have eased concerns.
Armenia's president imposed a state of emergency on Saturday after protests against alleged fraud in last month's presidential elections turned violent.
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