US: Obama ordered military strike on Yemen

From ABC News The Blotter thanks to Blasfémias. And of course, they are blaming US for the killing of civilians in the area (from Al-Jazeera aka Death to America! TV):

It is interesting to note though, that Yemen’s Govt has been doing regular attacks on Yemeni civilians, even with white prosphorus and no one in the international community has ever complained. Even when there were claims of Saudi Arabia using it on Yemen, there were no protests. It seems that people only complain when US or Israel are involved. Before there were only Muslims fighting, so if they do terrible things that is their problem, isn’t it? Specially in a country like Yemen, which nobody is interested in.

Finally, 4 AQ terrorists who were thought killed in strike, were found last Saturday in a hospital. About 30 AQ terrorists were killed and another 17 were arrested.

Spain: Prosecutors uncover plot against El Corte Inglés department store

Ideal.es

Despliegue policial en Granada durante las detenciones practicadas en Cartuja en 2005. / GONZÁLEZ MOLERO

(Translation T&P):

The Alicante-Almería-Granada axis is one of the main AQ’s logistical and recruitment basis in Spain. The evidence for that asessment is based on an official document from the National Court: the indictment against an alleged GSPC (now AQ in the Islamic Maghreb), broken up by Civil Guard nearly 4 years ago.

The public accusation considers that this alleged cell of terrorists wanted to “obtain materials to build explosive devices to commite terrorist attacks in the future”. More specifically, they consider as a reasonable possibility that they wanted to blew up El Corte Inglés department of store, located on Princesa St. on Spanish capital, Madrid. The prosecutor bases her accusations in some statements made by a protected witness, identified as A-1 in the indicment and who lives in Granada: “Bakel told me they had 100 kilos of explosive but needed more because they wanted to do a job” in the mentioned department store.

According to the Prosecution, this cell wanted A-1 to obtain explosives from two Granada residents, “Tito” and “Emilio”, who “had links with quarries in the area”. But they didn’t agree on the conditions and the alleged terrorists went back to explore “new contacts”. But on Nov 23rd, Civil Guard arrested 12 people, within the “Operación Gamo”. Of those 12, 7 has been freed, 2 of them being Granada residents. The prosecutor is asking now for 7-year prison terms for each one of the 5 indicted defendants.

And once again we have AQIM related to “jobs” in Spain, something not surprising considering this country as a basis for funding and recruitment. And yet they are speaking about Islamists’ imprisoned in Spain in connection to Spanish kidnapped by their own group in Mauritania.

US: Man charged with murder in ‘honor killing’

There is no honor in killing

An Iraqi immigrant accused of slaying his daughter in an “honor killing” has been charged with first-degree murder and could face the death penalty, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said Monday.Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, of Glendale, is accused of using his Jeep Cherokee to run over his daughter, 20-year-old Noor Almaleki, and another woman in a Peoria parking lot on Oct. 20. His daughter died of her injuries.

Almaleki was reportedly furious with his daughter for becoming “too Westernized,” police said.

… At Almaleki’s initial court appearance on Oct. 31, county prosecutor Stephanie Low said he admitted deliberately running down his daughter.

“By his own admission, this was an intentional act, and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family,” Low said. “This was an attempt at an honor killing.”

via Man charged with murder in ‘honor killing’.

Apparently, the girl had married in Iraq, but came back with another man. The father also tried to kill the lover.

Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, of Glendale, accused of running over his daughter, Noor Almaleki.

PS: I invite everyone of you, hating this “tradition” to join facebook’s group “NO HONOR IN KILLING“, from where I have taken the illustration above.

Photo @ azcentral.com.

Pakistan: Arrested Americans show no remorse about their terror plans

Five American Muslim youth arrested by Pakistani authorities on suspicion of terror links have shown no remorse about their plans to commit terrorist acts and one has even said they should be hanged so that they could become martyrs, a senior police official said today.

“They have no remorse about their plans to commit terror acts. Rather, they regret that they could not lay their lives while also killing some ‘US imperialists’,” said Usman Anwar, the police chief of Sargodha district where the youth were arrested earlier this month.

Anwar quoted Ramy Zamzam, 22, one of the arrested youth, as saying, “Since our plan to embrace ‘shahadat’ (martyrdom) could not materialise, we want to become martyrs in another way. Hang us.”

The other four youths did not disagree with Zamzam in this regard, said Anwar, who is part of the joint investigation team that is interrogating the youths in Lahore

via Arrested Americans show no remorse about their terror plans – dnaindia.com. Thanks to Free Republic.

And yet, CAIR has warned not to prosecute them as that “would alienate US Muslims”:

South Africa: Communist Party Gives Peace Prize to Chávez

The South African Communist Party SACP gave its highest award, the Chris Hani Peace Prize, to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this week in recognition of Chavez’s leadership in the worldwide struggle against imperialism and for socialism.

Chavez was chosen to receive the award because he is “a principal fighter in the anti-imperialist struggle, the Bolivarian Revolution, and for his commitment to the struggle for the peace, solidarity, and socialism of the working class,” said SACP General Secretary Blade Nzimande.

via South African Communist Party Gives Peace Prize to Venezuelan President | venezuelanalysis.com.

It’s telling they give Chávez a “Peace Price” award, while there’s no award for Chinese dissident Liu Xiao Bo, nor to FARC’s victims.

Police expect Mumbai-style terror attack on City of London

Mumbai terrorists caught in video surveillance (2008)

Scotland Yard has warned businesses in London to expect a Mumbai-style attack on the capital.

In a briefing in the City of London 12 days ago, a senior detective from SO15, the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command, said: “Mumbai is coming to London.”

The detective said companies should anticipate a shooting and hostage-taking raid “involving a small number of gunmen with handguns and improvised explosive devices”.

The warning — the bluntest issued by police — has underlined an assessment that a terrorist cell may be preparing an attack on London early next year.

via Police expect Mumbai-style terror attack on City of London – Times Online.

Let’s hope they don’t have this kind of plans for London 2012.

Mumbai terrorist attacks @ Wikipedia.

Cardinal Joachim Meisner: “restrictions on Christians in Islamic nations have led to aversion against Muslims“

One of Germany’s most senior Catholic leaders, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, criticized on Sunday what he described as restrictions on Christians in Islamic nations. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, Meisner, who is archbishop of Cologne, charged that this led to “an aversion against Muslims” among Germans.

The often outspoken cleric said he had been campaigning for the past two years for the Church of St Paul in Tarsus, Turkey to be permanently opened for worship by any Christian.

The Turkish government which treats the early medieval church at Paul’s birthplace as a museum granted access to Christian groups from mid 2008 to mid 2009 to use it, but restrictions are back in force.

“It’s a battle that is pointless. And then you get the feeling, this just is not right. And that is one of the reasons for all this aversion towards our Muslim fellow citizens,” Meisner said.

via German Catholic leader criticizes Islamic treatment of Christians : Religion General.

Despite the term (“aversion) which I think is somewhat over the edge (looks as if Europeans had something personal against Muslims), he is right in pointing out the problem: the extreme differences (and absolutely unjusrified ones) between the situation of Muslims in Europe and that of non-Muslims in Islamic countries.

China: trial of dissident Liu Xiao Bo, before Christmas

Liu Xiaobo faces 15 years in prison, if convicted

Despite Liu’s trial coming shortly before Christmas, it is sure to receive widespread international attention. Political leaders in Europe and Washington have expressed concern about the case.Liu has been among his country’s best known critics of restrictions on citizens’ rights, and was detained late last year while helping oversee the launch of the “Charter 08″ petition for political change. [Note he was just asking for democracy]

Chinese authorities said last week they had decided to try Liu on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” for publishing essays critical of the ruling Communist Party and for his role in organizing the “Charter 08″ petition.

Liu’s lawyer Shang Baojun said on Sunday that a Beijing court had notified him the dissident would be tried on Wednesday. Shang said he had been notified by telephone and was awaiting formal written notice of the precise time of the trial.

via China to try prominent dissident on Wednesday: lawyer | Reuters.

Photo @ Ansa.it.