Israeli military leader - Iran building nuclear warheads
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2306
While the world, thanks to a US intelligence assessment, is slacking its efforts to pressure Iran into ending its pursuit of nuclear power, Israeli Defense Minister and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak believes that Tehran is "probably already working on nuclear warheads for ground-to-ground missiles" that can reach not only Israeli but also European, and even American, targets.
The Iranian program was "quite advanced, much beyond the level of the Manhattan Project" Barak said in an interview published Saturday in the Washington Post.
Iran's Islamic leadership has repeatedly vowed to destroy Israel even as it has pooh-poohed international efforts aimed at curbing its quest to acquire an A-bomb for Allah.
Unlike the Soviet Union, whose nuclear weapons were largely neutralized by the "Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)" doctrine that kept the Cold War from turning hot, Iran is led by men who publicly glory in the prospect of being "martyred" in the act of killing Jews and destroying Israel.
While more and more members of the international community are holding Holocaust memorial days and swearing "never again" to permit the attempted extermination of the Jews, the world is demonstrating an abject unwillingness to put its money where its mouth is, precisely as just such a threat is raising its head in the Middle East.
Barak, in his interview, reportedly refused to say whether he believes Israel is able to militarily deal with Iran on its own.
He did, however, wonder aloud about the accuracy of the US intelligence assessment that has pulled the plug on pressure on Iran.
Many Israelis believe that their country has no choice but to confront the Iranian beast on its own if the US and other western nations cannot or will not do so.
Abbas moves to capitalize on Gaza chaos
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2308
PLO/PA chief terrorist Mahmoud Abbas wants to use the violence and anarchy in Gaza to the "Palestinians'" advantage by obtaining full control of the crossing from Egypt into the Strip.
This is according to the Israeli daily Ha'aretz, which reported Sunday that Abbas planned to argue for PA control of the Gaza-Sinai border during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem.
The PA has sought full control of the strategic gateway since Israel abandoned Gaza to the terrorist leadership in 2005.
Israel has resisted this despite pressure from the West - including the United States – that it agree to the demand.
Even without controlling the border, the Palestinian Arabs have succeeded in smuggling tons of arms and explosives into Gaza since Israel's "disengagement," turning the area into a Mecca for terrorism that poses an increasing threat to Israel's security.
Analysts believe that with Palestinian Arabs manning the crossing the flow of weaponry will immediately turn into a flood.
Interestingly, hours before Olmert and Abbas were to meet Sunday, the pro-Palestinian BBC ran a report showing the Arabs’ breach of the Gaza-Egypt border in a positive light.
The move was "opening up the Palestinian economy" the British news anchor reported, smiling broadly before screening footage of delighted Arabs bringing food and fuel across from the Sinai into Gaza.
Israel has been tightening the economic screws on Gaza in an effort to end the daily barrages of terrorist rocket fire against its citizens in the south.
Meanwhile, Israel Arabs and leftist Israeli Jews marched one-thousand strong near the Israel-Gaza border Saturday in an expression of solidarity with the Palestinian Arabs in the strip and against Jerusalem’s effort to quash the terrorism through economic pressure.
Addressing the crowd, arch-leftist and former Knesset Member Uri Avneri said they had come "to say - we are not partner to this crime [sic], we are shamed of this siege. Our hearts are with our Palestinian brothers who are demonstrating on the other side. Our hearts are also with our brothers residing in Sderot. The Kassam threat must stop, but it won't stop through 'an eye for an eye,' but rather when we talk to Hamas."
Israel's leftists have worked for years to prevent the Jewish state from bringing a decisive and effective end to Arab violence and terror through the use of military force.
Mexico Arrests Alleged Drug Cartel Hitman in 1993 Assassination of Catholic Cardinal
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325850,00.html
An alleged drug cartel hit man who is among the suspects in the 1993 slaying of a Mexican cardinal was arrested in the border city of Tijuana, authorities announced on Saturday.
Alfredo Araujo Avila, also known as "Popeye," allegedly worked for the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel for more than two decades, Gen. German Redondo, commander of the local army base, told reporters.
Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo was riddled with bullets on May 24, 1993, while he was sitting in his car at the airport in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city.
Investigators concluded that gunmen working for the Arellano Felix cartel mistook the cardinal's luxury vehicle for that of a rival drug trafficker whom they were targeting for assassination — and whose own security forces were at the scene and returned fire.
But Church authorities have long disputed the official version of events, arguing that Posadas Ocampo was killed because he knew about alleged relationships between drug dealers and government officials.
Six people besides the cardinal were also killed. Twelve people have since been convicted and imprisoned in the attack, most recently ex-police commander Humberto Rodriguez Banuelos in 2005.
Redondo said Saturday that Araujo Avila is also suspected in the 1997 shooting of Tijuana journalist Jesus Blancornelas, who survived and died of natural causes at age 70 in 2006.
Araujo Avila was detained at a house in Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, California, on outstanding warrants. Redondo said he is also wanted on charges in the United States, but did not elaborate.
The general said the suspect holds American citizenship, but U.S. consular authorities were not immediately available to confirm that. A pistol and a police identification card were found in the house.
Transcript: Mike Huckabee on 'FOX News Sunday'
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325876,00.html
The following is a partial transcript of the Jan. 27, 2008, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace":
"FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: As we continue our series "Choosing the President," we are joined by former governor Mike Huckabee, who comes to us from the campaign trail in Florida, which holds its primary on Tuesday.
And, Governor, welcome back to "FOX News Sunday."
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MIKE HUCKABEE: Well, Chris, it's good to still be on my feet and still plugging away and great to be back with you.
WALLACE: Let's start with the two frontrunners in Florida. John McCain says that Mitt Romney once supported a timetable for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Romney says McCain is being, quote, "dishonest." Who's right?
HUCKABEE: I've never known John McCain to be dishonest. He and I disagree on some issues, certainly on immigration and how we ought to build a border fence by a time certain, which I believe. I support a human life amendment. He does not.
But dishonest? I've never seen John McCain say something that was just blatantly untrue. The reason that I'm aware of Mitt Romney's statement about the secret timetable is because that was originally proposed by a senator from my state, Senator Mark Pryor.
And there are published reports that I've witnessed and seen, more than one, in which Mitt Romney did, in fact, talk about support for not a public timetable but a secret timetable that would be held by administration officials, members of Congress.
WALLACE: Governor Romney says that with the economy now the top issue in voters' minds that he's the most qualified to fix it because of his long career in business, but I understand that you are not quite so impressed by his record in the private sector.
HUCKABEE: Well, not only not as impressed with the record in the private sector, but also think that it's more important to be able to run the public sector to run a government, which I did longer than anyone running for president, Democrat or Republican.
And I steered a state through good times and bad times. We went through a recession. I saw our state go from a $200 million deficit to an $850 million surplus.
I also presided over the largest job creation in the history of my state as well as a per capita income increase of 50 percent during my tenure.
That's the kind of record people want you to be able to bring to the table when you're president of the United States. So I would argue and contend that I've really got probably the best preparation to lead this country during a time like this.
And I would also remind people that when Mitt Romney and other Republicans a few months ago in Dearborn, Michigan at the debate were talking about how great the economy was -- I was jeered and sneered, but I was the one who said, "Well, it may not be that great," and I said, "You're talking only to the people who are like you on this stage, who are at the top of the economy."
I said then, "If you'll talk to people who are driving the trucks across the interstates of America, if you talk to the people handling the bags and serving the food, they'll tell you a different story of the economy."
We often hear about trickle-down economics. Well, there's a sense in which there is a trickle-up effect of a recession. It starts and hits hardest at the people who are just making it from paycheck to paycheck.
It takes a while for it to get to Wall Street, but it hits Main Street pretty hard, and it hits them early. And I was understanding that, seeing it and predicting it. People were laughing at me then.
Now they have to admit I was right. And I think that that's the kind of president we need, is someone who's in touch with all sectors of the American public, not just the people at the top.
WALLACE: On the other hand -- and you have been critical of Romney for the fact that he laid off people when he was at Bain Capital -- you've been much kinder to John McCain, although, as you did at the top, you pointed out some differences with him on some issues, but so much kinder that some people have suggested that maybe you're trying to help McCain beat Romney in order to get a position either as vice president or cabinet official in a McCain White House.
So you can put that to rest right here right now, Governor, if you want to slam John McCain.
HUCKABEE: I don't have to slam John McCain. I think that presidential politics can be civil. I think people can have mutual respect for each other.
John McCain and I have entered into this race both looking for the same job. I'm not looking to be on his ticket. I don't think he's looking to be on mine.
I think that the issue is that we have a civil approach to the presidential process. Neither of us have sought to win the office by cracking the kneecaps of the other. We've talked about what we want to do.
And what I've focused on is that I think my experience as an executive of a government -- I think my experience both in the private and public sector give me the right kind of understanding of how to lead this country not only in issues of economics, but also in terms of national security, understanding America's got to be strong, and also being a person who has clarity when it comes to wanting to do some things that would really change the economy of the nation, like getting rid of the IRS, implementing the fair tax, which really would give us a completely different dynamic, focusing on things like infrastructure when nobody else has been talking about it.
But I also am a person who believes very strongly that at the centerpiece of our culture and civilization, we need to be a culture of life. We need to respect human life and its worth and its dignity.
That's brought people to the campaign, not just evangelicals, but Catholics and even people who aren't people of faith but people who do believe that if we go wrong on how we treat each other as human beings, then everything else can't be right.
WALLACE: Let's talk a little bit, if we can, about the horse race, Governor. According to the latest polls, you're running a somewhat distant fourth in Florida, which is winner take all.
So why waste your time and money in Florida? Why not focus on states that you might have a better chance in, such as Super Tuesday?
HUCKABEE: We are spending some time in the Super Tuesday states. We also are doing quite well in those states. If you look at our numbers in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, we're going to have a good day on Super Tuesday. I don't think...
WALLACE: Yes, let me just interrupt...
HUCKABEE: ... we've wasted time in Florida.
WALLACE: ... you for a second if I can, and let's put up...
HUCKABEE: OK.
WALLACE: ... a map we have of what's called the so-called southern strategy of Mike Huckabee. And this is seven states, border states and southern states. Those are where you're going to be focusing on Super Tuesday.
But aren't you going to get swamped if you're focusing in those states and not competing actively in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California?
HUCKABEE: You know, a lot of polls I've seen -- we're second in California. We probably aren't going to win New York, although, you know, we've been in some states where we didn't win.
But you know what, Chris? People are forgetting I'm second in delegate count. And the last polls that came out this week, that -- where the Wall Street Journal NBC polls had me second nationally, a pretty strong second, in fact, significantly ahead of Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.
So when people say, you know, "How come you're not doing well in," I say, "Wait a minute, back up and look at this. This is a national election. And at the national level, I'm doing quite well."
And particularly if you look at the fact that we're doing it with volunteers. We're doing it with people who go to MikeHuckabee.com, meet each other in these meet-up groups. In all 50 states there are people gathering on their own. They're buying their own materials, their own yard signs.
We have hundreds and hundreds of truck drivers who are putting magnetic signs on their trucks driving across America campaigning for us. It's a pretty remarkable story. And it's being driven not by, you know, a handful of folks writing big checks.
It's being driven by ordinary people like the janitor I met last night in Birmingham, Alabama who has a wife who's disabled. He's giving us $20 a month because he's just convinced that I'm the kind of person who will represent him and his family, and I think that's the remarkable story of our campaign.
WALLACE: Governor, I know you're pretty busy with the Republican race, but I wonder whether you've had time to notice what's going on with the Democrats and the way that Bill and Hillary Clinton are tag- teaming Barack Obama.
HUCKABEE: I do pay attention, because, after all, you've got to remember, I'm the only person running for president who's faced the Clinton political machine before. I understand it better than anybody else running for president.
And I can certainly watch with some sense of, I guess, maybe educated perception about what's taking place.
WALLACE: Well, let me ask you about that. Are you at all surprised by the way Bill Clinton is going after Barack Obama?
Some say he seems more like a vice presidential hatchet man than he does like a former president. Are you surprised by the way he's going after Obama? And how do you think a Clinton White House would work? Would they share power?
HUCKABEE: Well, Chris, you know, because we've talked before, I have great respect and have a cordial and civil relationship with the Clintons, even though we've been on opposite sides of political races every time I've ever run or every time they've run.
But I understand there are not two people who are better at street fighting politics than Bill and Hillary Clinton. And I've been telling people a long time, "Don't underestimate the scrappiness with which they'll approach this race." So no, I'm not surprised.
And in fact, I think the one thing you have to keep your eyes on is that tactics will change, but the goal will never, ever fade, and that is win, whatever it takes to do it.
And they didn't get to where they are, either Bill or Hillary Clinton, by sort of just mapping out a plan and saying, "That's what we're going to do regardless of the results."
If the results start changing, as they did in South Carolina, look for different tactics. They'll do what they think it will require in order to win.
WALLACE: Governor, we have less than two minutes left, and I want to get into one last area with you.
You surprised some people at the last Republican debate when you said that Saddam Hussein may, in fact, have had weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. invaded in 2003. Let's take a look at what you said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUCKABEE: Now, everybody can look back and say, "Oh, well, we didn't find the weapons." It doesn't mean they weren't there. Just because you didn't find every Easter egg didn't mean that it wasn't planted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Governor, the Iraq survey group looked around Iraq for months after the invasion, could find no evidence that Saddam Hussein had an active program, a WMD program, when he was ousted, any active stockpile of weapons.
Do you have any evidence for that contention?
HUCKABEE: Oh, I don't have any evidence. But he was the one who announced openly that he did have weapons of mass destruction. He was also the one who had used similar weapons in the past.
I think let's remember, too, that both Democrats and Republicans and our intelligence agencies believed that he had them.
My point was that, no, we didn't find them. Did they get into Syria? Did they get into some remote area of Jordan? Did they go to some other place? We don't know. They may not have existed.
But simply saying, "We didn't find them, so therefore they didn't exist," is a bit of an overreach. And the bigger point is that at the time we went into the war -- and that was really the question, should we have gone in.
If we had not have gone in and he had unleashed weapons of mass destruction, then everybody would be second-guessing the president and saying, "We should have taken action. The president was derelict in his duty."
So it's so easy. It's like sitting down Monday morning at breakfast with your buddies and talking about why the quarterback of the NFL team didn't get the winning play.
But you know what? If you've been on the NFL field and you've taken a couple of hits from 300-pound linemen, it's a little, I guess, maybe different perspective in what you should have done.
So I think let's give the president some credit for taking action that he thought would, in fact, help America. And Democrats agreed with him. And now it's easy to second-guess, but I'm grateful that the president was willing to take what actions he thought would make America safer.
WALLACE: Governor Huckabee, we're going to have to leave it there. Thank you so much for coming in today. Always a pleasure to talk with you, sir.
HUCKABEE: Thank you, Chris.
Zogby: Huckabee Now Leading Giuliani in Florida
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/zogby_huckabee_giuliani/2008/01/27/67834.html
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has drawn even with Arizona Sen. John McCain in the Republican presidential nomination fight in Florida, the latest Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby telephone tracking poll shows.
And there is drama in the wings as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has surpassed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 14% to 13%. Giuliani, who has invested most of his time and campaign treasure into Tuesdays Florida vote, is finding his support slipping away. In yesterdays tracking poll, he was in third place.
Nine percent of likely voting Republicans in Florida remained undecided.
This release is the second in a series of three-day tracking polls leading up to Tuesdays primary. The telephone poll included 814 likely voters and carries a margin of error of +/-3.4 percentage points.
McCain had a slim 32% to 29% lead over Romney among men, while Romney had a 30% to 28% lead among women. More men than women liked Giuliani, with the genders giving him 14% and 11% support respectively. Women, however, liked Huckabee a bit more, as 15% of them said they backed him. Just 13% of men supported Huckabee.
Romney and McCain are nearly tied in almost every demographic group. More people over age 65 said they would vote for Romney than McCain, with seniors giving the former Massachusetts governor 35% of their support, compared to 33% who support the Arizona senator. That demographic group makes up more than a third of the sample in Florida. Romney also had more support from voters under 30, getting 28% of their support, compared to McCains 25% support from them.
Conservative voters, who make up more than half the sample, liked Romney best, giving him 34% of their support, compared to 28% for McCain, 17% for Huckabee and 10% for Giuliani. Voters who said they were “very conservative” much preferred Romney, giving him 40% of their support, compared to 19% for McCain. Huckabee won 20% support from that group, while Giuliani garnered just 8%.
McCain dominated among moderates, getting 42% of their number to Romneys 17%.
Born-again Christians liked McCain and Huckabee, giving those two candidates 27% and 28% of their support, respectively. Romney, a Mormon, got 22% of their backing.
Huckabee Endorsed by Anti-Abortion Group
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/huckabee_anti-abortion/2008/01/27/67835.html
Missouri Right to Life, an anti-abortion organization, has endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for president.
Thr group's board of directors and political action committee cited Huckabee's issue positions, his level of support nationwide and in Missouri, and his "steadfast support of pro-life principles during more than ten years of public service."
Dave Plemmons of Missouri Right to Life said the group's board chose to weigh in on the race after Fred Thompson dropped out of the presidential race.
"Mike Huckabee was the most acceptable candidate on life issues," Plemmons told KY3-TV.
"Other candidates who are viable have problems with either abortion, or embryonic stem cell research. Mike Huckabee's pro-life record is stellar," Plemmons added, referring to John McCain and Mitt Romney -- both of whom endorse some embryonic stem cell research.
Huckabee Touts 'Fair Tax' in Florida
http://www.newsmax.com/politics/huckabee_florida/2008/01/27/67842.html
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Sunday he is counting on the traditionally conservative Panhandle to push him to a strong finish in Florida.
"We knew we needed to get to the Panhandle, it is a very, very critical area," Huckabee said. "The Panhandle is historically a very conservative part of Florida and that would be an ideal constituency for us. I wish we could spend more time here."
The former Arkansas governor met with supporters and held a news conference at a small airport Sunday night.
Early Sunday, he told a supporters at a rally in Jacksonville that he is the only major candidate supporting the "fair tax," a proposal to replace federal income taxes with a 23 percent national sales tax.
"It's fair. It's flat. It's finite and it's family friendly," he told a crowd of about 300.
Under the proposal, federal income and investment taxes would be eliminated in favor of the federal sales tax. People living up to the poverty level would pay no net sales tax and every household would receive a rebate equal to sales taxes paid on essential goods and services.
In Pensacola, Huckabee also discussed another former Arkansas governor _ Bill Clinton.
Huckabee said he didn't know whether the former president's aggressive campaigning for his wife, Hillary, would have consequences on Clinton's legacy.
"Bill Clinton is a street-fighter politician, as anybody who survives Arkansas politics has to be," Huckabee said. "So now he is changing from that role of senior statesman, retired president and world global leader to back in the days when he was attending barbecues and being (a) street-fighting politician."
Polls shows Huckabee and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani trail Republican rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney in Florida, which will send 57 delegates to the national convention.
Huckabee Campaigns in Florida Grassroots
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/311081.aspx
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is making the rounds among the grassroots of Florida. Today he visited citris growers in Lake Whales and attended a pig festival in Lakeland. Sources in Huckabee's Florida campaign says there's a huge grassroots effort to get out the vote for Huckabee.
Watch video from the festival on the player.
One blogger who created "floridaforhuckabee.blogspot.com" says the campaign is seeing people change their political party registration from Democrat and Independent to Republican just so they can vote for the former Arkansas Governor, "They've seen someone who could articulate their values. They're jazzed about that and changed parties to vote for him."
There's word of a phone calling campaign within the state to drum up more votes for Huckabee and even Huckabee supporters outside the state are helping make the calls.
Supporters are canvassing the streets with Huckabee signs near early voting sites in Tallahassee.
Huckabee told supporters in Orlando that the country needs leadership to help put it back on course toward values that make it strong. He says a country needs three things to remain strong and independent. It must be able to defend itself, feed itself and provide for the majority of its energy needs according to Huckabee.
"We have learned how disastrous it is to be dependent on other countries for our energy needs - we must never be dependent for our food needs. Being able to feed ourselves is not just sound economic and agricultural policy, it is wise national security policy." Huckabee stated.
Huckabee also told his Florida supporters that he plans to finish well in Florida, on February 5 and later in the year at the Republican convention where he'll receive the parties nomination for President of the United States.
Catholics in Vietnam pray for return of church land
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/catholics.in.vietnam.pray.for.return.of.church.land/16508.htm
Vietnamese Catholics are holding a weekend of prayer vigils, part of their efforts for more than a month to press the Communist government for the return of church land in Hanoi seized 50 years ago.
Hundreds of people, warmed by an open wood fire, prayed and sang by candlelight in the cold on Friday and Saturday nights on a one hectare (2.5-acre) piece of mostly vacant land about a block from St Joseph's Cathedral.
Catholics have also gathered in two other places in the capital, demanding return of a presbytery and land that has been used for a textile factory they say also belonged to the church before the Communists ended French colonial rule in 1954.
The vigils began on December 18 and have maintained momentum, attracting more than 1,000 people at times, despite authorities in Hanoi telling church leaders the activities were illegal and should be stopped. Parishioners are cautious, mindful of times when religious activities were restricted.
Life-long Catholic Dao Trong Khanh, 50, said, "maybe you can imagine what will happen. It is not easy to speak out about what will happen in the near future. The prayers and non-violent demonstration will continue."
In a procession during the day on Friday, witnesses said there was a scuffle with police and one woman was slightly injured near the site, which once housed the Vatican Embassy during French rule.
Religion remains under state supervision in the mostly Buddhist country and there are about six million Catholics among its 85 million people.
LAND USE RIGHTS
A government spokesman said the claim would be resolved under Vietnamese land laws, which do not allow private ownership, only land use rights.
"Regarding the request the claim of the Hanoi bishopric, the People's Committee of Hanoi will consider it carefully and implement it in compliance with the law," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Dung said.
Public displays of criticism or disagreement with the ruling Communist Party are rare, but over the past decade, peasant farmers have also challenged the government over land use.
The government seems to be taking notice of the Catholics, apparently because it is working toward establishing formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited the Pope at the Vatican a year ago.
Observers of Catholic relations have said the Communist Party wants Vietnam to benefit from services that the Roman Catholic Church can provide for the poor. Living standards have improved in Vietnam under 20-year-old economic reforms but average per-capita income is just $835 a year.
On December 31, nearly two weeks after the prayer vigils began, the prime minister visited the diocese and the disputed site, said parishioners, some of whom live in squalid rooms near the cathedral in the city centre.
They said there had been an exchange of letters between the Hanoi People's Committee and Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet over the use of the land and a French-colonial era villa as a motorbike parking lot, eatery and sports centre.
The Archbishop could not be reached for comment.
Deadly explosion rocks Christian area in Beirut
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/deadly.explosion.rocks.christian.area.in.beirut/16511.htm
An explosion in the Christian area of Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday killed at least six people, wounded more than a dozen and set several vehicles on fire, according to local reports.
The blast apparently targeted a top-level intelligence officer who handled sensitive files on terrorist bombings. Capt Wissam Eid, who had two previous attempts on his life, and his bodyguard were both killed by the bomb as they drove down a street in Hazmieh, on the Christian eastern edge of the capital, according to The Associated Press.
The country's national police chief, Brig Gen Ashraf Rifi, said Eid was an engineer who dealt with “very important” files, including “all those having to do with the terrorist bombings” in Lebanon, AP reported.
Ashraf confirmed that the blast was a car bomb that killed Eid.
Video footage showed huge clouds of black smoke rising from the streets and orange flames shooting up to the sky. The blast left a giant crater in the asphalt.
Local Future TV station, a private media with close ties to the government and the Interior Ministry, reported that 10 people died. Other Lebanese stations said at least six were killed and 18 wounded.
Friday’s blast is the latest in a series of explosions that has hit Lebanon, including some outright political assassinations. Syria – considered a terrorist government by the United States and Israel – has been blamed for many of the bombings, but has denied any involvement.
In September, a bomb also exploded in the Christian area outside of Beirut killing a prominent Christian parliament member.
Antoine Ghanem, a member of the Christian Phalange party, was the eighth anti-Syria figure and fourth lawmaker to be assassinated in less than three years. Ghanem had only returned from refuge abroad two days before his unexpected death. Lebanese lawmakers blamed Syria for Ghanem’s death.
Moreover, several months before Ghanem’s death, another bomb exploded in an empty bus parked in the Christian neighbourhood outside of Beirut, wounding seven passers-by.
Media reports noted that the police intelligence department, of which Eid was a member, is close to the Lebanese Government’s anti-Syrian majority, and has often received criticism by the pro-Syrian opposition.
Friday’s blast came 10 days after a car bomb targeted at a US Embassy car killed three bystanders and wounded 16, according to Reuters.
Anti-family tax system out of line with rest of Europe - CARE
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/antifamily.tax.system.out.of.line.with.rest.of.europe.care/16514.htm
Many British families are paying a far higher proportion of their income in tax than their counterparts in other advanced countries, according to a major new research study.
The study, believed to be the first of its kind, has been conducted for the charity Christian Action, Research and Education (CARE), which is campaigning for fairer tax treatment of families with children.
It charts the way over the past 40 years in the UK, the tax system has been increasingly tilted against one-earner married couples with children.
In 2006, a one-earner married couple with two children on average earnings of £30,800 a year paid 40 per cent more tax in the UK than in comparable countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Compared with European Union states, one-earner married families are paying 25 per cent more tax.
The study also finds that the UK tax system disadvantages families in comparison with single people without children.
In other OECD countries, the tax paid by one-earner married couples on average wages is around 50 per cent of that paid by a single person on the same income.
In the UK, however, the figure is 75 per cent even when tax credits and child benefit are taken into account.
“Among highly developed economies, the UK is almost alone in operating a tax system that ignores spousal obligations,” the report says.
Only Finland, Sweden and New Zealand have a system like the UK’s. All other such OECD countries - including the US, France, Germany, Australia and Canada - take account of family circumstances.
The study reveals that since the 1960s, in the UK the tax burden on a one-earner married couple with two children earning 75 per cent of the average wage has trebled. But the burden on a single person with no dependents has risen by only 16 per cent.
In the mid-60s, a one-earner family on an average wage paid just 9 per cent of its income in tax. In 2006/7 that figure was 20 per cent more than double the level of the mid-60s.
The authors of the study, fiscal consultants Don Draper and Leonard Beighton, warn that the UK’s bias against families is deepening child poverty. They point out that more than two million children live in one-earner homes and they estimate that reducing the tax burden on one-earner couples could take as many as 500,000 children out of poverty.
The new study will galvanise the debate over family taxation and child poverty with the Conservative leader David Cameron pledging to bring in a tax allowance transferable from a stay-at-home parent to a working spouse and the Liberal Democrats arguing that tax credits should recognise the financial needs of a second parent.
The authors conclude that if in 2006 there had been a transferable tax allowance this would have gone a long way towards bringing the UK into line internationally, making the tax system fairer and reducing child poverty.
In the mid-60s, a one-earner family on average income paid just 9 per cent of its income in tax. By 2006/7 that figure was 20 per cent, the study finds, and this increase is out of line with the rest of the world,the study's authors believe.
The average tax burden in OECD countries, excluding the UK, is 14.5 per cent and among 15 EU states it is 16 per cent. This compares with the 20 per cent figure in the UK.
In a foreword to the report, Professor Robert Rowthorn of Kings College, Cambridge says: “At one time, marriage and family obligations were extensively acknowledged in the British tax system through special arrangements for married couples and tax allowances for dependent children.
"These have been almost entirely abolished by politicians who regard themselves as the standard bearers of modernity and women’s emancipation."
He continues: “There is now a groundswell of support for reforming the British tax and benefit system. The system is resented because it so biased against one-earner couples who wish to look after their own children.”
“There is growing recognition that it penalises stable couples and encourages family breakdown and un-partnered childbearing."
Religious violations in Belarus continue, warns Christian Solidarity Worldwide
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/religious.violations.in.belarus.continue.warns.christian.solidarity.worldwide/16513.htm
Zmitser Dashkevich, the 26-year-old pro-democracy activist imprisoned in 2006 in Belarus, has been unexpectedly released after his 18 month prison term was shortened to a year.
On 1 November 2006, Zmitser was jailed for involvement in a youth pro-reform movement and charged with “organising or participating in the activity of an unregistered non-governmental organisation”.
He was also fined the equivalent of £412 in November 2007 for refusing to reveal the names of his friends in the Young Front movement, prompting a European Commission statement urging the Belarusian authorities to release all political prisoners.
Zmitser’s release coincides with the publication of a report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) on freedom of religion in Belarus. The report, released this month, gives a detailed analysis of the gross violations taking place on a daily basis and calls on the international community to recognise the targeting of religious minorities. It also urges Belarus to respect human rights and the freedoms of expression and assembly.
CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, “While pleased that Zmitser Dashkevich has been released, he and many in Belarus like him should not have been detained in the first place.
"We remain gravely concerned at the severe and continuing violations of fundamental rights of Christians in the country, as is evident from our latest report."
Citing the frequent violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Belarus is a party, the report explains how religious freedom is restricted both directly and indirectly by the authorities.
NGOs, religious institutions and religious leaders are subject to frequent harassment, prosecution, fines, repression and even imprisonment under the terms of the 2002 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations.
Over the past eighteen months, two pastors and one human rights defender were arrested for so-called unregistered activities, a practice not heard of since the fall of the Soviet Union.
"We urge the international community, and particularly the European Union, to recognise the scale of violations of the rights of religious minorities that is currently underway in the very heart of Europe," Mr Thomas.
"It is vital that the Belarus authorities begin to engage in meaningful dialogue with civil society activists like Zmitser, and to respect the international agreements to which they are subject.”
World remembers Holocaust; antisemitism lurks, waiting
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2305
As a number of different nations Sunday observed International Holocaust Memorial Day, Israel's cabinet heard a grim warning from Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog:
"Let us not make the mistake of assuming that antisemitism is waning," the minister, who is also responsible for liaising with Jews still living outside Israel, told his colleagues during their weekly meeting.
"This vile phenomenon lurks just around the corner, waiting for the right time to rear its ugly head."
International Holocaust Memorial Day has only been held since 2005, when the United Nations - an overwhelmingly antisemitic organization - passed the resolution instituting it on the annual anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This year the Muslim Council of Britain will also, reluctantly but for strategic purposes, participate in the commemoration.
Instead of working successfully to educate nations about the perversity and unacceptability of antisemitism, this global day of remembrance serves effectively to draw a distinction between the so-called "classic antisemitism" of the kind that prepared the ground for, and fed, the Holocaust, and the widely-embraced modern antisemitism that is purposefully disguised with other names: anti-Zionism or anti-Israelism.
That there is a direct tie-in between the two manifestations of this age-old prejudice has been tracked and documented by concerned groups, some of whom recently noted how Israel's Second Lebanon War of 2006 triggered an upsurge in "classic" antisemitic incidents worldwide.
The international media's overwhelmingly anti-Israel coverage of that war, and both before and since of Israel's ongoing battle against "Palestinian" terrorism, has compounded the age-old negative stereotyping of the Jewish people, fueling worldwide hatred of the Jews.
This weekend, Arun Gandhi, grandson of the renowned Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi, was forced to resign from the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence he founded at the University of Rochester, New York, in the wake of antisemitic and anti-Israel comments made by him earlier this year.
Writing on the Washington Post's web site, Gandhi said the Jewish people were guilty of "overplay[ing]" the Holocaust.
"Israel and the Jews" were also "the biggest players" in a "culture of violence [that] is eventually going to destroy humanity," he said.
In an effort to extricate himself from his self-dug hole, Gandhi reiterated his "criticisms of the use of violence by recent Israeli governments."
In doing so he only further exposed his prejudice, which is clearly based on the perception polished by the biased press.
No other nation has been willing or able to emulate Israel's consistent practice of restraint in the face of an avalanche of hatred and terrorism like that relentlessly poured out upon the Jewish state.
Israel is unprecedented and incomparable in its readiness to carry out pinpoint operations that risk the lives of its own citizens rather than endangering Arab civilians, and in its quest for non-violent responses (like building the security fence and cutting off fuel supplies) instead of massively retaliating militarily against the Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, Samaria and Judea.
To the world, however, fed daily by anti-Israel "journalism," Israel is a heinous war criminal, abuser of human rights, robber of "Arab lands" and, in Gandhi’s words again, "the biggest players" in a "culture of violence [that] is eventually going to destroy humanity."
While the world hides behind the fig-leaf of International Holocaust Memorial Day, history will one day indict today's "objective" western media for the major role it is playing in laying the groundwork for another holocaust of the Jews.
Arch-terrorist Habash departs this world, for the next
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2307
One of Israel's most vicious enemies, Popular Front for the Liberation [sic] of Palestine [sic] leader George Habash, entered eternity by way of a massive and sudden heart attack in Jordan Saturday night.
The man, described by the BBC as "a Christian, an Arab nationalist and a Marxist," was also a medical doctor – sworn to save lives, not to take them.
As PFLP founder and leader, Habash oversaw the hijacking of airliners in the 1970s as well as an attack on Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport in 1972, during which 27 people were murdered.
His organization has claimed credit for the perpetration of numerous other acts of terrorism against Jews down the decades.
Even though Habash denounced the Israeli-"Palestinian" "peace process," his fellow terrorist, PLO/PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas - the man US President George W. Bush vouches for as "sincere about making peace with Israel" - Sunday declared three official days of mourning for the PFLP chief.
According to the BBC, despite his group's waning influence since the 1990s, the "Christian" remained "a fierce opponent of Israel until the end."
Now dead, he is in the presence of the Lord God of Israel, the Judge of all the earth.
Jewish schools celebrate $3.75m donation from Christian friends
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/jewish.schools.celebrate.3.75m.donation.from.christian.friends/16503.htm
ORT, a network of Jewish schools in the former Soviet Union, has praised the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) for securing a brighter future thanks to a $3.75 million donation.
This “fantastic support” is the result of the IFCJ’s staggering $45 million commitment to the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) over the next three years which has enabled JAFI to commit $3.75million to ORT’s educational projects in the CIS and Baltic States over the same period of time.
The funds will enable ORT to provide competitive salaries for teachers as well as advanced training options, nutritious meals for students and dedicated transport for the widely dispersed Jewish community.
The IFCJ is also directly investing more than $240,000 this year in ORT projects in India which provide pre-Aliyah training to the Bnei Menashe, a community of 10,000 people who claim descent from Menashe, one of the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel. The training will give them the skills to assimilate into Israel’s modern urban workforce and society.
“The Fellowship has been pleased to contribute millions of dollars in support to ORT training and school programmes over the last few years. Thanks to our new relationship with the Jewish Agency, we can now do so much more,” said Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, IFCJ Founder and President, whose organisation is funded primarily by American Christians who want to demonstrate their support for the State of Israel and Jewish communities across the globe.
Vladimir Dribinskiy, Head of London-based World ORT’s Coordination Department, said, “This is absolutely wonderful news. This money will ensure that our educational network in the CIS and Baltic States, which had suffered from four years of budget cuts, will enjoy stability over the medium term.”
ORT India Director Benjamin Isaac said he was thrilled with the IFCJ’s support: “The Bnei Menashe are very serious and devout Jews and they are very serious about making aliyah because of their love for the religion. But they face many obstacles because they are a small religious minority.”
Former drug dealer finds new future at Bible College of Wales
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/former.drug.dealer.finds.new.future.at.bible.college.of.wales/16489.htm
A former drug dealer, who spent five years in jail, has successfully completed the first term of a theology degree course at the Bible College of Wales in Swansea.
Brian Morris, 54, first took drugs at the age of 16 years and had become a dealer by the age of 19 years, in order to fund his habit. Trafficking drugs internationally through Holland, the UK, France and Nepal, Mr Morris’s life was in a downward spiral until his arrest in 1995.
When suffering ‘cold turkey’ and after a night in police cells, Mr Morris’s Christian faith was re-awakened and he resolved to change his life. During his lengthy jail sentence he used the opportunity to study theology and completed a number of further education and Bible courses.
On leaving prison, Mr Morris undertook voluntary work and was employed as a caretaker before deciding that he had to follow his vocation and embrace his Christian calling. This led him to apply to the Bible College of Wales.
Ewen Robertson, Principal of the Bible College Wales, said, "Through his faith Brian has been able to get his life back on track. We were delighted to welcome him at the college and have been impressed by his determination to succeed – he is a great example to the whole community."
On completing his three-year course, Mr Morris and his family hope to undertake Christian ministry in the Far East, perhaps working with victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka.
Commenting on his future plans, Mr Morris said, "My life experiences mean that I can connect with people who have encountered problems, are feeling hopeless or are involved with illegal activities.
"I hope that I can show through my experiences and the strength and support that God has given me, that anything is possible."
Brian’s experiences to date are recounted in his autobiography entitled "Chased by the dragon, caught by the lamb" www.brianmorris.org. For further information on the Bible College of Wales visit www.biblecollegeofwales.org
Slain Catholic Missioner Buried In Southern Philippines
http://zamboangajournal.blogspot.com/2008/01/slain-catholic-missioner-buried-in.html
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A Filipino Catholic priest killed by Abu Sayyaf militants during a kidnapping attempt in the southern Philippines was buried on Wednesday in his hometown in the Muslim province of Shariff Kabunsuan.
Oblate priest Jesus Reynaldo Roda was peppered with bullets by militants after he resisted the kidnapping July 15 in the remote village of Likud Tabawan in South Ubian town in Tawi-Tawi province.
Roda was killed outside his convent at the compound of the Notre Dame High School, where he also served as its director. The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped a teacher, Omar Taup and seized another Muslim villager as they escaped from pursuing policemen.
Hundreds of villagers and sympathizers, many were weeping, gathered at the Oblates cemetery in Datu Odin Sinsuat town where the priest was laid to rest.
Father Rito Daquipil, head of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate mission in Tawi-Tawi province, said the Abu Sayyaf raided the convent. He said the militants then tied Roda’s hands and then dragged outside the convent where he was shot in the head after resisting the kidnapping.
Roda was praying when the militants, about 10 of them armed with rifles and handguns, seized the priest and dragged him outside the chapel, Daquipil said.
“We are all sad. Father Roda was a good man and loved by everybody. He was there doing missionary works with our Muslim brothers and sisters for the past ten years,” Daquipil said.
Security forces have mounted a massive search for the gunmen, but failed to locate them and their hostages.
It was not the first time that the Abu Sayyaf killed a Catholic priest. In 2002, militants also kidnapped, tortured and killed a Claretian priest Roel Gallardo in Basilan province, several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.
In 1997, the Abu Sayyaf also assassinated a Catholic bishop Benjamin de Jesus in Jolo town in Sulu province. He was shot several times outside his church in a broad daylight attack.
Three years later, the Abu Sayyaf also ambushed a Catholic missionary, Benjamin Inocencio, in Jolo town while buying gifts for poor Muslims. The Abu Sayyaf also randomly attacked and bombed Catholic churches in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu and in Mindanao the past decade.
The Abu Sayyaf, which means "Bearer of the Sword," was originally fighting for a separate Islamic state similar to Afghanistan, but resorted to banditry and kidnappings for ransom after its Libyan firebrand founder, Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, was killed in 1998 in a firefight with policemen in Basilan province.
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