 Mahi Ramakrishnan, Press TV, Kuala Lumpur |  |
Friday, March 20, 2009
China to flex naval muscles in disputed seas
Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:45:17 GMT | PressTV
 The US has released this picture, claiming Chinese vessels were harassing its surveillance ships, the USNS Impeccable. |
China has decided to step up naval patrols in the waters of the South China Sea, following a confrontation with a US naval ship.
Fisheries department director Wu Zhuang said the motive behind the decision is that illegal fishing has increased and "unfounded territorial claims" have been raised in seas China sees as its own, state media reported Thursday.
"Faced with a growing amount of illegal fishing and other countries' unfounded territorial claims... it has become necessary to step up the fishery administration's patrols to protect China's rights and interests," the China Daily quoted the official as saying.
China sent a fisheries patrol ship to the South China Sea last week and said it could deploy other similar vessels.
China sent a fisheries patrol ship to the South China Sea last week and said it could deploy other similar vessels.
The patrol operations come after a fresh claim on the chain of islands by the Philippines and a confrontation with a US navy ship patrolling the waters. Beijing has criticized both incidents as illegal.
In early March, the Pentagon said five Chinese ships harassed and maneuvered dangerously close to the unarmed USNS Impeccable as the ocean surveillance vessel was some 75 miles south of the Chinese island of Hainan.
The US claimed the incident took place in international waters after several days of increasingly aggressive acts by Chinese ships in the region.
On March 13, the US Navy dispatched a guided-missile destroyer to the China Sea after the tense naval standoff between two countries.
The US claimed the incident took place in international waters after several days of increasingly aggressive acts by Chinese ships in the region.
On March 13, the US Navy dispatched a guided-missile destroyer to the China Sea after the tense naval standoff between two countries.
The arrival of the destroyer underscored a determination in Washington to continue with the surveillance mission in spite of Beijing's assertion that the operation amounts to an illegal military activity.
Chinese sources have said that the concerned US navy vessel had been consistently conducting illegal surveying in China's special economic zone.
Many have viewed China's stepped up patrols as a move to flex its increasing military muscles against the US -- which is critical of Beijing over a number of issues that include Tibet and human rights allegations.
Chinese sources have said that the concerned US navy vessel had been consistently conducting illegal surveying in China's special economic zone.
Many have viewed China's stepped up patrols as a move to flex its increasing military muscles against the US -- which is critical of Beijing over a number of issues that include Tibet and human rights allegations.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Unemployment among black Americans hits quarter-century high
| Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:56:47 Colin Campbell, Press TV, Washington |  |
The President Elect of Salvador.
March 18, 2009 - Journalist leads former guerrilla army to first presidential victory in history of Salvadoran left.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Opposition Leader Takes Power in Madagascar
18/03/2009 | AlmanarTV
Madagascar's youthful opposition leader Andry Rajoelina sought to consolidate his grip on power on Wednesday after the military named him president in a move that flouted the Indian Ocean island's constitution.President Marc Ravalomanana resigned on Tuesday, but analysts said he had effectively been given no option after the security forces backed his foe, who has led weeks of anti-government strikes and protests.
The nation's worst unrest in years killed at least 135 people, devastated a $390 million-a-year tourism sector and worried multinationals in its mining and oil industries. The outcome was a slap in the face for the African Union (AU), which has censured recent violent transfers of power that damage the continent's reputation with investors.
Ravalomanana's whereabouts were unclear, while Rajoelina supporters planned a big party in the city's May 13 square. They had accused Ravalomanana of losing touch with the majority of the population who eke out a living on less than $2 a day.
Rajoelina says his priority will be to address social needs in Madagascar, which lies off Africa's east coast and won independence from France in 1960.
The AU had demanded the constitution be respected "scrupulously." But the fact the army refused to take over on Tuesday, as Ravalomanana had requested, means the AU may not brand the events a coup which would have meant suspension.
After recent coups in Mauritania and Guinea as well as the killing of Guinea-Bissau's leader, Ravalomanana's fall raises doubts over the durability of democracies elsewhere in Africa.
South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, who is chairman of the SADC regional trade bloc, denounced the change of power -- underlining the diplomatic difficulties Rajoelina may face.
Mindset of Hindu Kush and adjacent peak-dwellers
| Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:44:12 GMT | |
The ebullient youth in the rural stretches and outskirts of urban areas in Afghanistan as well as the tribal belt in the North-Western Frontier Province in Pakistan and even in parts of Balochistan share a common hate-radiating slogan: "Foreign troops get out of our land; we do not want you here." The inadmissibility of Western uniforms is so staunchly asserted that not only promises but also the introduction of development plans to uplift their traditional patterns of existence and their living conditions are either flatly rejected or dismissively spurned. Traveling on foot long distances seems to be a natural part of everyday life and a necessary assertive adjunct of the robust male ethos. Roads are suspiciously judged as paved arteries that facilitate foreign traffic. Bound by a common ancestral language and dialects, the geographic boundaries imposed by the now defunct colonial masters do not very well fit into the tall attitude of that rough and tough culture. The British, who were in the habit of ruling with roaring guns, were forced to respond more positively to their roar for independence. Whether they controlled the areas as they wanted or willed, they willingly endorsed the independence of Afghanistan in 1919. Encouraged by their victory in World War I in 1918, the British dispatched two divisions to establish their suzerainty in Afghanistan. Sporting rickety tanks and trucks and other impressive weaponry of that time, they proudly pushed their way into the heartland of Afghanistan. When everything seemed accomplished, the massive shroud that time had woven and history had unfolded from time to time closed in upon them from the peaks. Every brave soldier was unrelentingly gunned or gutted; 39,999 of the two divisions, except a surgeon, who after being duly incapacitated was neatly tied to a steed and directed back to the area he had driven from to recount the harrowing tale of the proud British army. Only his picture survives the onslaught. Born with a rugged peak-mentality, efforts to change the socio-cultural and psycho-political framework that history has diligently brewed are deeply resented. Any attempt to change the traditional status-quo is considered an attempt to emasculate their male ethos. The male ego that hovers high, considers such democratic endeavors as a deliberate satanic attempt to undermine the uninterrupted supremacy of the patriarchal dynasty. "War is to man as maternity is to woman" is the order of the day, and any endeavor to change what centuries have deeply delved in their psyche is considered a deliberate attempt to violate what time itself has legislated. Whirlwinds of modernity that claim to enfranchise women are viewed as rude efforts to imbue the minds of females with dangerous, rebellious, revolutionary tendencies. The women have to remain obedient to the dictates of the male mentality. Men eat first is the law that time itself seems to have made. In many places, women themselves seem to be content, and if not so, are forced to remain content by a known authority in the air vouchsafed by custom and tradition. Among these people, it is an accepted norm that women can be changed the way shoes are. He-manship is apparent in the guns they prize. The worth of a man is determined by the gun he carries or owns. Since birth, gun-culture prints on the mind of children the bearing it can have on their social personality. Gun is the symbol of their manhood, freedom and history. The word freedom-fighter reverberates this deep-rooted belief. Gun is not a weapon of defense but a telling reminder of the dominant aggressive male instinct. Boys grow with this elemental pattern of thought into men with this unobtrusive ethos of culture. Freedom, a gift of history and time, has been guarded by all kinds of weapon ranging from stone, steel and guns. They have their own ordinance factories producing a homemade brand of weapons. The quality of high-tech military hardware produced in the West is countered by strengthening prejudice and even fortifying hatred. The willful male ego readily absorbs the aggressiveness native to this attitude. Semiotically, their deep interest in pointed projectiles is embedded in their ferocious masculinity. A monkey is shown in paintings, darting from one peak to another and in the middle of the way without having a solid rock to spring back from changes its mind, and instead of falling down in the gaping ravine below, is able to move back to the place it started from. This feat of extraordinary strength is made possible by a habitual intake of a glutinous black substance that oozes out the mountain peaks. Men become super male studs if they make use of that magical product obtained from the stubborn mountain peaks. A strange lizard found in the mountains is often sported in the alleys. It gives out an oily substance from its mouth when it is swung from its tail and then dashed to the ground. The magical oil that comes out of the dead creature is fabled to have special potency and is an inalienable part of the male superiority and prowess sustaining culture. Knives are loved as they depict the fundamental roughness of the frontier brag. The murderous knife that tells tales of cold-blooded brutality is whetted by their unrelenting inborn thirst for revenge. Bitter blood feuds keep vendettas alive for centuries. Akin to this culture is what existed in the frontier America about a hundred and fifty years ago. The murderous knife of Jim Bowie and gunslingers like Jack Slade are naked references of the rough cruelty and lawlessness that reigned supreme in America at that time. Smothering life out of a sleeping victim by crushing his head with a big boulder is considered an act of just retribution. The ferocity behind their trigger-happy, gunaholic and knife-thrusting implacable pride is their geographically sustained male ego. The Hindu Kush mountains, which means killer of Hindus, also assert their murderous authority. The casket-shaped depiction of the historical coffin on the map shows that legions that love to flirt with history dig their own graves when they dare challenge the evil ferocity of the saw-shaped peaks that resemble the jaws of sharks. History stands witness to the defeat of invincible empires that tried to crush the ego that thrives within the peaks. The Bermuda Triangle is just an imaginary place not shown on any official map but the Hindu Kush is a living monster that has baited superpowers to their death. About twenty years ago, the ex-Soviet Union died after being bitten by the monsters living in the peaks. The British lost most of their Empire after thirty years of their snobbish thrust into Afghanistan at the end of World War I. The concept and the definition of freedom as envisaged by the West is the main reason of the widening split between their way of thinking and that of Western countries. According to the peak-dwellers, Western countries try to pull wool over their eyes by talking big of their freedom. To them, the Western culture is sick, and it stinks. According to them, the West has exploited both the human and the natural resources and has thus caused the destruction of morals and detriment of nature. Gay marriages officially recognized between same sexes both religiously and socially are a shameless violation of the laws of nature. A man giving birth to a child may be considered a great scientific achievement by some techies but a loathsome opprobrium and insult to the time-venerated concept of woman and especially that of motherhood. The melting ices and the economic-environmental crisis are all due to selfish abuse of human and natural resources. Freedom when applied to women means liberty to do what they desire. The rough easygoing tomboy mentality in girls is seen as an end of the coy revered beloved for whom chivalry demands a treatment par excellence. The evolvement of a male-militaristic mentality in women is debunked outright as a downright violation of the great values associated with the idealistic concept of womanhood. The exposure of young girls to unbridled freedom through the courtesy of satellite dishes stiffens male attitude. It is not surprising to see the Taliban purging the Swat Valley of Western cultural influence, and the Pakistani government tacitly accepting and even approving their demands. Flogging of individuals seems cruel but it is definitely less baneful than the systematic mass encroachment on their ideals of existence leashed out by the propaganda machine on their traditional values and the willful bombardment of civilians by foreign forces. If a lash that punishes an individual for the crime committed is considered barbaric, then what word can be used to describe the slaying of human life on a much greater scale in the name of democracy and the introduction of cheap, ignominious, debasing, immoral rubbish in the name of freedom, which they themselves do not approve of? The mindset of the peak-dwellers counterbalances the idealistic with the militaristic, the propagandistic with the dogmatic, freedom with thralldom and unleashed democracy with absolute theocracy. The West and especially the new administration in the White House will do well to look at the peaks of the Hindu Kush and gaping the caverns below many times before escalating the conflict with death. |
Civilians at risk in Sri Lanka, UNICEF says
Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:23:54 GMT | PressTV
 Children in war-torn Sri Lanka |
The UN children's agency UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have warned of the terrible humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka.
"Children and their families caught in the conflict zone are at risk of dying from disease and malnutrition," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman in a statement Tuesday.
The ICRC in Colombo said that civilians in rebel-held territory endured daily attacks and an increased danger of epidemics.
"The area is affected by shelling every day, and the cramped conditions and the lack of water and proper sanitation are putting people at risk," the ICRC Colombo office said in a statement.
About 70,000 civilians are trapped in Sri Lanka's northeast along with around 500 Tamil Tiger fighters, according to the Sri Lankan government.
However, the UN said that the number could be around 200,000.
Tamil Tiger rebels have been surrounded by the Sri Lankan military in a small patch of jungle.
The ICRC in Colombo said that civilians in rebel-held territory endured daily attacks and an increased danger of epidemics.
"The area is affected by shelling every day, and the cramped conditions and the lack of water and proper sanitation are putting people at risk," the ICRC Colombo office said in a statement.
About 70,000 civilians are trapped in Sri Lanka's northeast along with around 500 Tamil Tiger fighters, according to the Sri Lankan government.
However, the UN said that the number could be around 200,000.
Tamil Tiger rebels have been surrounded by the Sri Lankan military in a small patch of jungle.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Another leftist wins in Latin America
Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:26:12 GMT
 Mauricio Funes is a former TV journalist |
El Salvador's left-wing party candidate Mauricio Funes has won the presidential election to end the ruling of right-wing after two decades.
Right-wing candidate Rodrigo Avila conceded defeat late Sunday.
Funes from the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) won 51.3% of the vote.
"My party, the FMLN, has shown to the whole world it is ready for a new government," Funes was quoted as saying by Reuters in a victory speech.
Avila of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), which has ruled El Salvador since 1989, trailed with 48.7% support.
It was a historic victory after a bitter campaign that split the small Central American nation, where memories of the 1980-92 civil war that killed 75,000 people are still strong.
The victory boosts a growing group of left-wingers in Latin America, led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
It is also a defeat for Washington after spending billions of dollars in supporting a string of right-wing governments in the fight against the FMLN during the civil war, although Funes insists he will look for good relations with the US.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
CIA report: Israel will fall in 20 years
Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:44:41 GMT | PressTV
A study conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has cast doubt over Israel's survival beyond the next 20 years. The CIA report predicts "an inexorable movement away from a two-state to a one-state solution, as the most viable model based on democratic principles of full equality that sheds the looming specter of colonial Apartheid while allowing for the return of the 1947/1948 and 1967 refugees. The latter being the precondition for sustainable peace in the region." The study, which has been made available only to a certain number of individuals, further forecasts the return of all Palestinian refugees to the occupied territories, and the exodus of two million Israeli - who would move to the US in the next fifteen years. "There is over 500,000 Israelis with American passports and more than 300,000 living in the area of just California," International lawyer Franklin Lamb said in an interview with Press TV on Friday, adding that those who do not have American or western passport, have already applied for them. "So I think the handwriting at least among the public in Israel is on the wall...[which] suggests history will reject the colonial enterprise sooner or later," Lamb stressed. He said CIA, in its report, alludes to the unexpectedly quick fall of the apartheid government in South Africa and recalls the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, suggesting the end to the dream of an 'Israeli land' would happen 'way sooner' than later. The study further predicts the return of over one and a half million Israelis to Russia and other parts of Europe, and denotes a decline in Israeli births whereas a rise in the Palestinian population. Lamb said given the Israeli conduct toward the Palestinians and the Gaza strip in particular, the American public -- which has been voicing its protest against Tel Aviv's measures in the last 25 years -- may 'not take it anymore'. Some members of the US Senate Intelligence Committee have been informed of the report. |
Olmert pronounces Greater Israel dead
 |
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the idea of "Greater Israel"-- the main motto of the Zionist founders of the Israeli regime-- is dead.
"'Greater Israel' is finished. There is no such thing as that anymore. Whoever talks in those terms is only deluding himself," the prime minister admitted at a cabinet meeting.
"It doesn't help Israel. The international community has changed its perspective ahead of the possibility of Israel becoming a bi-national state," he said.
" I believed that the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean was all ours since in every place there that is excavated, there is evidence of Jewish History. But finally, after a lot of suffering and misgivings, I came to the conclusion that we need to share the land with whom we are residing if we don't want to become a bi-national state," Olmert said.
The premier also warned that the clock is "not ticking in Israel's favor."
The remarks came as the Israeli regime faces one of its worst political crises in its history. While Olmert is likely to be indicted over his corruption cases, the ruling Kadima Party is grappling with a power struggle.
The 33-day war against Lebanon during which Hezbollah managed to prevent the regime from achieving its goals, also dealt a serious blow to Israel.
revisited : excerpt Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:36:07 GMT | PressTV
"It doesn't help Israel. The international community has changed its perspective ahead of the possibility of Israel becoming a bi-national state," he said.
" I believed that the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean was all ours since in every place there that is excavated, there is evidence of Jewish History. But finally, after a lot of suffering and misgivings, I came to the conclusion that we need to share the land with whom we are residing if we don't want to become a bi-national state," Olmert said.
The premier also warned that the clock is "not ticking in Israel's favor." The remarks came as the Israeli regime faces one of its worst political crises in its history. While Olmert is likely to be indicted over his corruption cases, the ruling Kadima Party is grappling with a power struggle.
The 33-day war against Lebanon during which Hezbollah managed to prevent the regime from achieving its goals, also dealt a serious blow to Israel.
revisited : excerpt Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:36:07 GMT | PressTV
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tsvangirai: Fatal car crash genuine
Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:30:29 GMT | PressTV
 File photo of Morgan (L) and Susan Tsvangirai |
Zimbabwe's premier says that the car crash which killed his wife has been an accident after reportedly hinting that it had been planned.
"There is a one in a thousand chance that there was foul play,” said Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday almost dismissing that the incident had been premeditated, African Press Agency reported.
The fatal accident took place on Friday on the highway from the capital, Harare to Masvingo where Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, were traveling in a three-car convoy. A Semi reportedly veered off its lane hitting their middle vehicle and causing it to roll over several times.
The prime minister sustained non-threatening injuries, but lost his wife and driver.
Later, Tsvangirai told officials from his party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that the lorry had deliberately moved into their lane, LeadershipNigeria website reported.
"If there had been a police escort maybe what happened Friday could not have happened," said the MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti speaking at a Friday press conference.
"(The) Police escort would have warned oncoming vehicles of a VIP arriving. I think authorities must understand the omission."
"We hope that this omission will be rectified, that the prime minister must be given the protection that ought to be accorded to a prime minister."
Yesterday, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) in South Africa also expressed doubts.
"(We are) deeply suspicious as to the cause of the crash coming less than a month after Mr. Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister and with Mr. Tsvangirai having been a victim of multiple political assassination attempts," said the party in a statement.
Tsvangirai's row with President Robert Mugabe has been implicated in the case. The two have just set aside their differences after last year's presidential election which saw Mugabe controversially extending his 20-year-old rule over Zimbabwe.
MDC also argues that the ruling regime has done without many of his supporters in a 'systematic terror campaign'.
The fatal accident took place on Friday on the highway from the capital, Harare to Masvingo where Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, were traveling in a three-car convoy. A Semi reportedly veered off its lane hitting their middle vehicle and causing it to roll over several times.
The prime minister sustained non-threatening injuries, but lost his wife and driver.
 |
"If there had been a police escort maybe what happened Friday could not have happened," said the MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti speaking at a Friday press conference.
"(The) Police escort would have warned oncoming vehicles of a VIP arriving. I think authorities must understand the omission."
"We hope that this omission will be rectified, that the prime minister must be given the protection that ought to be accorded to a prime minister."
Yesterday, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) in South Africa also expressed doubts.
"(We are) deeply suspicious as to the cause of the crash coming less than a month after Mr. Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister and with Mr. Tsvangirai having been a victim of multiple political assassination attempts," said the party in a statement.
Tsvangirai's row with President Robert Mugabe has been implicated in the case. The two have just set aside their differences after last year's presidential election which saw Mugabe controversially extending his 20-year-old rule over Zimbabwe.
MDC also argues that the ruling regime has done without many of his supporters in a 'systematic terror campaign'.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Guantanamo detainees admit to orchestrating 9/11
Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:49:40 GMT | PressTV
 The world-changing attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center in New York killed some 3000 American civilians. |
Five detainees at Guantanamo Bay charged with plotting the 9/11 attacks have accepted responsibility for the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
Five men held in the notorious US prison camp have filed a document admitting that they belonged to a consultative assembly responsible for planning the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
According to the New York Times, the five detainees, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who has described himself as the mastermind of the attacks, have "expressed pride at their accomplishment".
An unnamed government official, who had access to the document, told a reporter that the inmates believed the American government's accusations had brought no shame on them.
"To us," read the document, "they are not accusations. To us they are a badge of honor, which we carry with honor."
The military judge presiding over the case, Col. Stephen R. Henley of the Army, said the strategic aim of filing the document is not clear and the men have sought no specific legal action.
President Barack Obama issued an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp on his first day in office. He, however, added that the order would take a considerable amount of time to be operational.
As a result of the presidential command, all the military proceedings at Guantanamo have been halted and the case of the five men is on hiatus until the government decides on how to proceed.
According to the New York Times, the five detainees, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who has described himself as the mastermind of the attacks, have "expressed pride at their accomplishment".
An unnamed government official, who had access to the document, told a reporter that the inmates believed the American government's accusations had brought no shame on them.
"To us," read the document, "they are not accusations. To us they are a badge of honor, which we carry with honor."
The military judge presiding over the case, Col. Stephen R. Henley of the Army, said the strategic aim of filing the document is not clear and the men have sought no specific legal action.
President Barack Obama issued an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp on his first day in office. He, however, added that the order would take a considerable amount of time to be operational.
As a result of the presidential command, all the military proceedings at Guantanamo have been halted and the case of the five men is on hiatus until the government decides on how to proceed.
Dalai Lama: Tibetans suffer 'hell on earth'
Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:38:12 GMT | PressTV
 Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama |
The Dalai Lama has accused China of having caused "untold suffering and destruction" to the Himalayan region since the March 1959 revolt.
"These thrust Tibetans into such depths of suffering and hardship that they literally experienced hell on earth," the Tibetan spiritual leader said Tuesday on the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising.
In a speech broadcast via the Internet to exiles and supporters worldwide, the 73-year-old Dalai Lama said justice "will prevail" for Tibet.
Buddhist monks led peaceful protests in Lhasa in 2008 on the anniversary of the Tibetan protest 50 years ago, but the demonstration transformed into a wide-scale anti-China insurrection.
Tibetan exiles say more than 200 people were killed last year by Chinese security forces.
Beijing says the Tibetan spiritual leader seeks independence for Tibet, while the Dalai Lama maintains he only wants more autonomy within China.
"From time immemorial, the Tibetan and Chinese peoples have been neighbors," the Dalai Lama said from the main Buddhist temple in Dharamsala, the north Indian town where the Tibetan government-in-exile is based.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has reacted to the Dalai Lama's comments, describing them as "lies".
"I will not respond to the Dalai Lama's lies," Ma Zhaoxu told reporters.
"The Dalai Lama clique is confusing right and wrong. They are spreading rumors. The democratic reforms (under Chinese rule) are the widest and most profound reforms in Tibetan history," Ma said.
In a speech broadcast via the Internet to exiles and supporters worldwide, the 73-year-old Dalai Lama said justice "will prevail" for Tibet.
Buddhist monks led peaceful protests in Lhasa in 2008 on the anniversary of the Tibetan protest 50 years ago, but the demonstration transformed into a wide-scale anti-China insurrection.
Tibetan exiles say more than 200 people were killed last year by Chinese security forces.
Beijing says the Tibetan spiritual leader seeks independence for Tibet, while the Dalai Lama maintains he only wants more autonomy within China.
"From time immemorial, the Tibetan and Chinese peoples have been neighbors," the Dalai Lama said from the main Buddhist temple in Dharamsala, the north Indian town where the Tibetan government-in-exile is based.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has reacted to the Dalai Lama's comments, describing them as "lies".
"I will not respond to the Dalai Lama's lies," Ma Zhaoxu told reporters.
"The Dalai Lama clique is confusing right and wrong. They are spreading rumors. The democratic reforms (under Chinese rule) are the widest and most profound reforms in Tibetan history," Ma said.
China reacts to 'illegal' US navy operations
Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:48:11 GMT | PressTV
 |
China responds to US claims that its ship was harassed, accusing Washington of illegally surveying off its southern island of Hainan.
The Chinese embassy in Washington issued a statement on Monday in response to Pentagon claims that one of its ocean surveillance ships was shadowed aggressively in international waters.
"The US navy vessel concerned has been in China's special economic zone conducting illegal surveying activities," the website of Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television quoted Beijing as saying in the statement on Tuesday.
"China cannot accept these baseless accusations. China demands that the United States halt all illegal surveying activities," reads the statement.
According to the Pentagon, five Chinese vessels maneuvered dangerously close to a US Navy ship in the South China Sea -- about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Hainan Island -- on Sunday, approaching within 25 feet (8 meters) of the unarmed surveillance ship.
China says it has repeatedly used diplomatic means to demand that the US side halt its activities in the Chinese special economic zone -- where Beijing authorities have also sent vessels to carry out law enforcement activities.
The Chinese embassy also rejected the US claim that it had been operating in the high seas, adding that the Chinese government would issue a formal statement about the incident.
Republican Congress member Mark Kirk said "It's surprising in that the Chinese challenged a United States ship just two and a half weeks before the Obama/Hu Jintao summit" scheduled to be held in London in April.
Kirk recalled a similar challenge against former president George W. Bush just two months after he took office in January 2001 and urged a forceful response from the Obama administration.
He suggested that Washington once again send its surveillance ship USS Impeccable to the region escorted by a destroyer to send a clear message that it cannot be bullied in international waters.
US-China Working Group in the US House of Representatives will formally condemn the confrontation in a "strongly worded letter" to Chinese President Hu Jintao, Kirk continued.
"The US navy vessel concerned has been in China's special economic zone conducting illegal surveying activities," the website of Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television quoted Beijing as saying in the statement on Tuesday.
"China cannot accept these baseless accusations. China demands that the United States halt all illegal surveying activities," reads the statement.
According to the Pentagon, five Chinese vessels maneuvered dangerously close to a US Navy ship in the South China Sea -- about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Hainan Island -- on Sunday, approaching within 25 feet (8 meters) of the unarmed surveillance ship.
China says it has repeatedly used diplomatic means to demand that the US side halt its activities in the Chinese special economic zone -- where Beijing authorities have also sent vessels to carry out law enforcement activities.
The Chinese embassy also rejected the US claim that it had been operating in the high seas, adding that the Chinese government would issue a formal statement about the incident.
Republican Congress member Mark Kirk said "It's surprising in that the Chinese challenged a United States ship just two and a half weeks before the Obama/Hu Jintao summit" scheduled to be held in London in April.
Kirk recalled a similar challenge against former president George W. Bush just two months after he took office in January 2001 and urged a forceful response from the Obama administration.
He suggested that Washington once again send its surveillance ship USS Impeccable to the region escorted by a destroyer to send a clear message that it cannot be bullied in international waters.
US-China Working Group in the US House of Representatives will formally condemn the confrontation in a "strongly worded letter" to Chinese President Hu Jintao, Kirk continued.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Mossad linked to 9/11 attacks: Report
Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:26:15 GMT | PressTV
 At least 2,970 people died on the morning of September 11, most of them civilians. |
New found information has implicated the Israeli Intelligence agency Mossad in the staging of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
According to a recent article published in the American Free Press proof weekly, the revelation that the cousin of alleged 9/11 hijacker Ziad al-Jarrah was in fact working as a longtime Mossad agent is that Israel had a hand in the terror attacks on US soil.
The New York Times recently reported that Lebanese national Ali al-Jarrah, a supposedly earnest Palestinian supporter, had been actually working as a highly valued spy for Israel over the past two decades.
Al-Jarrah reportedly admitted that he had been conducting covert espionage activities against Palestinian groups and the Lebanese Hezbollah since 1983.
"It is not the family's first brush with notoriety. One of Mr. Jarrah's cousins, Ziad al-Jarrah, was among the 19 hijackers who carried out the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001," said the Times.
His connections with one of the key masterminds of the terror attacks have fueled speculations about Israel's recruitment of people claiming to be Muslims as undercover assets.
Israeli connections to 9/11, according to the New York Times, can be traced back to the five 'dancing Israelis' who were witnessed jumping and high-fiving with shouts of 'joy and mockery' as Flight 11 and Flight 175 slammed into the World Trade Center in New York.
The Israelis were reportedly held in custody for 71 days before being quietly released after they were suspected of being Mossad agents.
Citing two former CIA operatives, the Forward weekly then reported that at least two of the detained Israelis were found to be members of a Mossad surveillance team.
"There was no question but that [the order to close down the investigation] came from the White House. It was immediately assumed at CIA headquarters that this basically was going to be a cover-up so that the Israelis would not be implicated in any way in 9/11," the weekly stated.
At least 2,970 people died on the morning of September 11, most of whom were civilians.
Former Italian prime minister Francesco Cossiga has touched on the issue, suggesting that the events of 9/11 were none other than a CIA-Mossad inside job.
"All the [intelligence services] of America and Europe ... now know well that the disastrous attack has been planned by the CIA and the Mossad in order to put under accusation the Arabic countries and in order to induce the western powers to take part ... in Iraq [and] Afghanistan," the Italian ex-premier was quoted by Corriere della Sera as saying.
Al-Jarrah reportedly admitted that he had been conducting covert espionage activities against Palestinian groups and the Lebanese Hezbollah since 1983.
"It is not the family's first brush with notoriety. One of Mr. Jarrah's cousins, Ziad al-Jarrah, was among the 19 hijackers who carried out the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001," said the Times.
His connections with one of the key masterminds of the terror attacks have fueled speculations about Israel's recruitment of people claiming to be Muslims as undercover assets.
Israeli connections to 9/11, according to the New York Times, can be traced back to the five 'dancing Israelis' who were witnessed jumping and high-fiving with shouts of 'joy and mockery' as Flight 11 and Flight 175 slammed into the World Trade Center in New York.
The Israelis were reportedly held in custody for 71 days before being quietly released after they were suspected of being Mossad agents.
Citing two former CIA operatives, the Forward weekly then reported that at least two of the detained Israelis were found to be members of a Mossad surveillance team.
"There was no question but that [the order to close down the investigation] came from the White House. It was immediately assumed at CIA headquarters that this basically was going to be a cover-up so that the Israelis would not be implicated in any way in 9/11," the weekly stated.
At least 2,970 people died on the morning of September 11, most of whom were civilians.
Former Italian prime minister Francesco Cossiga has touched on the issue, suggesting that the events of 9/11 were none other than a CIA-Mossad inside job.
"All the [intelligence services] of America and Europe ... now know well that the disastrous attack has been planned by the CIA and the Mossad in order to put under accusation the Arabic countries and in order to induce the western powers to take part ... in Iraq [and] Afghanistan," the Italian ex-premier was quoted by Corriere della Sera as saying.
 Jewish personnel working at the center were reportedly advised to skip work on September 11, 2001. |
His argument was further strengthened by leaked reports that employees of Israeli telecom firm Odigo -- which provides instant messaging services -- received a warning two hours before the attacks on the World Trade Towers and forewarned Jews to stay away from work that day.
Odigo headquarters is situated 2 blocks away from the former location of the World Trade Towers.
Odigo headquarters is situated 2 blocks away from the former location of the World Trade Towers.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Economic crisis to topple capitalism: Poll
Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:09:53 GMT | PressTV
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Respondents to a Press TV poll say that collapse of capitalism will be the most likely scenario for the aftermath of the US economic crisis.
Almost half of some 8,001 respondents to the recent Press TV survey are of the opinion that the biggest US economic crisis since World War II will lead to the collapse of capitalism.
Meanwhile, 43 percent believed that the capitalistic system will modify itself and survive the crisis.
Some 12 percent of the respondents said that US President Barack Obama would defuse the crisis without any major modifications in the capitalistic system.
In mid-February, US President Barack Obama signed a record 787-billion-dollar bill to bail out the beleaguered economy and keep burgeoning financial woes at bay.
Meanwhile, US home prices plunged to a record 18.5 percent in December from a year earlier, with the pace of decline accelerating, according to the S&P/Case Shiller home price index.
Meanwhile, 43 percent believed that the capitalistic system will modify itself and survive the crisis.
Some 12 percent of the respondents said that US President Barack Obama would defuse the crisis without any major modifications in the capitalistic system.
In mid-February, US President Barack Obama signed a record 787-billion-dollar bill to bail out the beleaguered economy and keep burgeoning financial woes at bay.
Meanwhile, US home prices plunged to a record 18.5 percent in December from a year earlier, with the pace of decline accelerating, according to the S&P/Case Shiller home price index.
US Sergeant converts to Islam, Marries Iraqi woman
An interesting video, on the AFP News website of how US Sergent Blackwell married a Muslim woman in Iraq. His US Army superiors objected to the Sargeants wish to convert to Islam and marriage. The commanders tried to press charges against him.
Strange when the US Administration say they are there for the benifit of Iraqi people, who are incidentally mostly Muslim.
Strange when the US Administration say they are there for the benifit of Iraqi people, who are incidentally mostly Muslim.
Anyway Sean is out of the Army and I wish Sean, Ehda and family all the best InshaAllah
US related truck triggers Tsvangirai road ordeal
Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:34:37 GMT
 Morgan Tsvangirai (L) and his wife Susan |
The truck involved in the death of Zimbabwean Premier Morgan Tsvangirai's wife belongs to a contractor for the US and British governments.
The truck was marked with a logo of the US Agency for International Development and was purchased using US government funds and its driver was hired by a British development agency, ABC News quoted unnamed American officials as saying.
The car crash took place around 5 pm on the highway from Harare to Masvingo when the articulated truck swerved from the oncoming lane into a three-car convoy in which the Tsvangirais were traveling, clipping their middle vehicle and causing it to overturn several times, police said.
The truck has been impounded by Zimbabwean authorities and its driver is in custody.
Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, along with an aide and the driver were all rushed to Harare hospital for treatment following the Friday accident which occurred while they were en route to their hometown in Buhera district.
The premier's wife was declared dead upon arrival at a hospital in Beatrice, south of Harare. Tsvangirai, however, did not sustain serious injuries and was reportedly in a stable condition.
Later, President Robert Mugabe, accompanied by his wife, Grace, as well as Vice-President Joyce Mujuru and government officials visited Tsvangirai at the hospital, the BBC reported.
There was no immediate statement from Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on the crash and party officials said there were no plans to issue one.
Heightened differences between Tsvangirai and Mugabe just three weeks after the formation of the national unity government following a bitter post-election standoff between the two have raised suspicions that the collision might have been politically motivated.
The car crash took place around 5 pm on the highway from Harare to Masvingo when the articulated truck swerved from the oncoming lane into a three-car convoy in which the Tsvangirais were traveling, clipping their middle vehicle and causing it to overturn several times, police said.
The truck has been impounded by Zimbabwean authorities and its driver is in custody.
Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, along with an aide and the driver were all rushed to Harare hospital for treatment following the Friday accident which occurred while they were en route to their hometown in Buhera district.
The premier's wife was declared dead upon arrival at a hospital in Beatrice, south of Harare. Tsvangirai, however, did not sustain serious injuries and was reportedly in a stable condition.
Later, President Robert Mugabe, accompanied by his wife, Grace, as well as Vice-President Joyce Mujuru and government officials visited Tsvangirai at the hospital, the BBC reported.
There was no immediate statement from Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on the crash and party officials said there were no plans to issue one.
Heightened differences between Tsvangirai and Mugabe just three weeks after the formation of the national unity government following a bitter post-election standoff between the two have raised suspicions that the collision might have been politically motivated.
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