'Rapture': Believers perplexed after prediction fails

Followers of an evangelical broadcaster who declared that Saturday would be Judgement Day are trying to make sense of the failed prediction.

Some believers expressed bewilderment or said it was a test from God of their faith, after the day passed without event.

Meanwhile, the evangelist at the centre of the claim, Harold Camping, has not been seen since before the deadline.

He had predicted that Jesus Christ would return to earth on Saturday.

True believers would then be swept up, or "raptured", to heaven, he had pronounced.

The 89-year-old has used broadcasts on a Christian network and billboards to publicise his ideas as part of a campaign that went global.

He said biblical texts indicated that a giant earthquake on Saturday - which he said would begin at 1800 at various time zones around the world - would mark the start of the world's destruction, and that by 21 October all non-believers will be dead.
'Some scepticism'

Robert Fitzpatrick, a retired transportation agency worker in New York, said he had spent more than $140,000 (£85,000) of his savings on advertisements in the run-up to 21 May to publicise the prediction.

After 1800 passed and nothing had happened, he said: "I do not understand why... I do not understand why nothing has happened."

"I can't tell you what I feel right now. Obviously, I haven't understood it correctly because we're still here."

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13489641

Headley says he was trained in espionage by ISI

Mumbai attacks co-accused David Coleman Headley has testified that he received espionage training against India from Pakistan’s spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

“ISI did provide me (espionage) training,” Headley told a Chicago court as he was grilled by the defence attorney Charles D Swift on the third day of the trial of Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana, another co-accused in the 26/11 attacks, in a Chicago court.

The statements formed part of the testimony of Headley, who has pleaded guilty.

These disclosures, which further cements India’s charges that elements of ISI were involved in the Mumbai attacks, is also corroborated by information given by federal prosecutors in the documents to the court, which were unsealed on Wednesday.

The ISI training to Headley was provided by Major Iqbal, who was his ISI handler, in a two-storey safe house in Lahore near the airport, the Mumbai terror suspect told judges during the course of questioning by Swift.

Headley told the court that when he met Major Iqbal in 2006, he expressed dissatisfaction at the military and espionage training that he had received from the LeT earlier.

Major Iqbal told him that the training received from LeT was “not very good” and was “very elementary”, so he decided to give instructions to him.

Headley told the defence attorney that this training in espionage against India was given to him in Lahore on the streets and a safe house near the airport.

It was a two-storey house in a residential neighbourhood and there was a small compound outside the house, Headley said when pressed by Swift during the closing hours on the third day of the trial.

Despite repeated questioning, Headley said that he did not know the full name of Major Iqbal, but was sure that he was from the ISI.

He was introduced as Major Iqbal to him.

Although Major Iqbal was never seen by Headley in military uniform, he came to meet him several times in a military jeep and his subordinates had military designations, Headley said.

Headley said he never went to the ISI headquarters and added that he was introduced to Major Iqbal by military personnel, a fact corroborated by the unsealed document.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2050374.ece

President Obama hosts star-studded farewell dinner

US President Barack Obama has hosted a dinner in honour of the Queen at the end of his state visit to the UK.

The president and his wife Michelle organised the intimate evening as a thank-you to the Queen for Tuesday's state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

It was held in London at the official home of the US ambassador to Britain.

Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Colin Firth, England footballer David Beckham and Harry Potter author JK Rowling were among the guests.

While the state banquet on Tuesday night had been a white-tie affair, the dress code for the Obamas' dinner was black tie.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed when they arrived by the Obamas. The two couples greeted each other warmly, shaking hands, and exchanging smiles and a few words before posing for the waiting international media.

The Queen wore an Angela Kelly white evening dress with gold and silver sequins, and an emerald necklace and matching earrings.

Mrs Obama was dressed in a black off-the-shoulder dress, and wore what appeared to be a diamond necklace and matching bracelet.

The two heads of state led the way through the residence's entrance, which was flanked by two US marines.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13554520

Peter King: Al Qaeda will seek revenge for bin Laden killing

CBS News Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes spoke to House Homeland Security Chairman Pete King (R-N.Y.) today on the eve of the first congressional hearing examining security in the United States in the wake of Osama bin Laden's killing. "Al Qaeda is still deadly and right now in this immediate future al Qaeda I believe is going to seek revenge.

They're going to show that they are very much alive that they are capable of the attack. And I expect the attack, if it does happen, to come from within the United States," he said. King said he specifically worries about lone wolves who might be plotting an attack from within the United States. He added that he gives the President Obama full credit for killing Osama bin Laden, and that it was a great achievement, but that he is holding the hearing to keep make sure the public understands that the United States must still play defense against terrorism.

"My concern is that too many of the American people believe now the war is over, that al Qaeda has been dramatically weakened. They haven't been. In many ways the threat- at least in the short run- is greater now than at any time September 11th."

Read More http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20065868-503544.html

India's unwanted girls

India's 2011 census shows a serious decline in the number of girls under the age of seven - activists fear eight million female foetuses may have been aborted in the past decade. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi explores what has led to this crisis.

Kulwant has three daughters aged 24, 23 and 20 and a son who is 16.

In the years between the birth of her third daughter and her son, Kulwant became pregnant three times.

Each time, she says, she was forced to abort the foetus by her family after ultrasound tests confirmed that they were girls.

"My mother-in-law taunted me for giving birth to girls. She said her son would divorce me if I didn't bear a son."

Kulwant still has vivid memories of the first abortion. "The baby was nearly five months old. She was beautiful. I miss her, and the others we killed," she says, breaking down, wiping away her tears.

Until her son was born, Kulwant's daily life consisted of beatings and abuse from her husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law. Once, she says, they even attempted to set her on fire.

"They were angry. They didn't want girls in the family. They wanted boys so they could get fat dowries," she says.

India outlawed dowries in 1961, but the practice remains rampant and the value of dowries is constantly growing, affecting rich and poor alike.

Kulwant's husband died three years after the birth of their son. "It was the curse of the daughters we killed. That's why he died so young," she says.

Her neighbour Rekha is mother of a chubby three-year-old girl.

Last September, when she became pregnant again, her mother-in-law forced her to undergo an abortion after an ultrasound showed that she was pregnant with twin girls.

"I said there's no difference between girls and boys. But here they think differently. There's no happiness when a girl is born. They say the son will carry forward our lineage, but the daughter will get married and go off to another family."

Kulwant and Rekha live in Sagarpur, a lower middle-class area in south-west Delhi.

Here, narrow minds live in homes separated by narrow lanes.

The women's story is common and repeated in millions of homes across India, and it has been getting worse.

In 1961, for every 1,000 boys under the age of seven, there were 976 girls. Today, the figure has dropped to a dismal 914 girls

Read More

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13264301

VETTEL READY FOR NEW CHALLENGE IN MONACO

Sebastian Vettel appreciates this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix will represent something of a venture into the unknown.

Although Sunday's race will be Vettel's fifth at what is regarded as the most prestigious event on the calendar, the new rules this season could turn the occasion into a lottery.

Tyre manufacturers Pirelli are unveiling the super-soft tyre for the first time this year, and there are concerns as to how badly it will degrade, resulting in further pit-stop chaos.

Then there is the DRS (the drag reduction system), or moveable rear wing that aids overtaking, with drivers allowed to use it along the short main straight, with fears expressed it may be dangerous.

All in all, it should guarantee that Sunday's race will be like no other Monaco Grand Prix.

"There are a lot of question marks going into this year's race in terms of how the tyres will be, and the strategy could be the most complicated of the year," said reigning champion Vettel.

"Traditionally in Monaco overtaking has been very difficult, but it could be possible this year, mainly because of the tyres.

"Some drivers may be on old tyres, other drivers on new tyres, and as we've seen in the races so far there has been a big difference.

"Usually it is a question of time before you pass someone, but it could become more difficult because of the layout of the track.

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http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/11/05/24/AUTO_Monaco_Vettel.html&BID=678

Microsoft Head Announces Windows 8 Release

Microsoft leader Steve Ballmer announced that the next version of his company’s operating system – Windows 8 – will be available in 2012.

At the Microsoft Developer Forum in Tokyo on Monday, Ballmer said the software giant is hard at work producing Windows 8, which is also expected to hit tablet computers, PC Magazine reports.

Ballmer has yet to comment on rumors regarding the features of the new OS.

But he did hint that "there will be a day in the future where it will be hard to distinguish a phone from a slate, from a PC.”

Read more:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/05/23/microsoft-head-announces-windows-8-release/#ixzz1NFAm6Pxb

Obama cites peace in Northern Ireland, alluding to Middle East

Reporting from Dublin, Ireland—
Lauding the ability of former warring sides to "reimagine their relationships," President Obama paid tribute to the Northern Ireland peace process during a visit to this once-troubled island, a thinly veiled allusion to the possibility that peace is attainable even in such unlikely places as the Middle East.

Obama did not mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by name during remarks after landing in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland. But he cited the greatly diminished sectarian violence in the British province of Northern Ireland — since the 1998 Good Friday agreement was signed under American guidance — as a beacon to others caught in seemingly intractable conflicts.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-europe-20110524,0,7898913.story

Icelandic Ash Triggers Dozens of Flight Cancellations

The Icelandic volcanic eruption triggered dozens of flight cancellations on Tuesday and an emerging backlash from airlines concerned that regulators are being too hasty in deeming airspace unsafe.

The ash cloud from Grimsvotn, the country's largest volcano, spread south and west towards the U.K., and authorities in continental Europe initiated contingency plans, though concerns emerged that regulators had not absorbed the lessons from the mass airspace closures following a similar eruption last year. That eruption led to the biggest shutdown of European airspace since World War II.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303654804576341413428852714.html

Obama begins tough trip with family time in Ireland

Reporting from Dublin, Ireland—
President Obama lands Monday in Ireland to begin a weeklong visit to Europe, trying to forge a common way forward with allies facing two wars, turmoil in the Middle East, and economies still struggling to recover from the 2008 collapse.

But before he gets down to the hard stuff, Obama will indulge in a dash of the Irish roots politics so beloved by American presidents who trace their ancestry to this island.

The White House and Irish officials planned the one-day stop in Ireland around a drop-in visit to Moneygall, a one-pub village about 48 miles from Dublin on the road to Limerick. In 1850, Fulmouth Kearney, the second son of a Moneygall shoemaker, joined the mass exodus fleeing the Irish famine in hopes of finding a better life in America.

Now, 160 years later, his great-great-great-grandson returns as president of the United States, to be welcomed by a tiny village that sees its own possibilities for prosperity in the connection.

It won't be the first time. Whether greeting Irish American presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan or pouring a pint for Bill Clinton, the Irish have been eager to boast of their ties to the U.S. presidency. And presidents have been happy to go along with propping up an ethnic connection that could appeal to some voters. "There is special symbolism in going to the country of origin for many Americans of European immigrant descent," says Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, a political science professor at Northwestern University.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-europe-20110523,0,7833376.story

Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for Pakistan naval base attack

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for a deadly weekend attack on a naval base in Karachi.

The group's spokesman, Ihsan Ullah, told CNN on Monday that the attack at the naval air station in the coastal city was to avenge the killing of innocent civilians. The group said Pakistani security forces are carrying out the killings on the instruction of the United States in the name of a "war on terror."

At least 10 militants attacked the base with guns and grenades about 11 p.m. Sunday, leading to several explosions and an hours-long gun battle with Pakistani forces that killed four naval officials, authorities said.

Besides the four dead, nine navy personnel were injured in the attack on the grounds of the Mehran base, said Pakistani navy spokesman Irfan Ul Haq early Monday. He did not have the number of militants who died or were injured.

Two witnesses -- Amjad Bashir and Talha Hashmi -- reported at least 10 explosions in the subsequent hours.

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http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/23/pakistan.base.attack/

Iceland's most active volcano erupting

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhuanet) --Iceland's most active volcano, Grimsvotn, has started erupting, accompanied by a series of small earthquakes. Amateur video filmed by a passenger on a commercial airlines flight showed what appeared to be an ash cloud of about 20 kilometers rising into the sky.

The volcano lies under the uninhabited Batnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland and last erupted in 2004. Officials say the eruption is not expected to affect European airline traffic at least for the next 24 hours although a flight ban has been imposed around the area. Whether widespread disruption occurs will depend on how long the eruption lasts, how high the ash plume rises and which way the wind blows.

The eruption last year caused most airports in northern European countries to close for five days. Authorities halted flights due to fears that dust and ash would get into aircraft engines and cause accidents after the cloud was blown into European air traffic lanes.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-05/23/c_13889214.htm

Twitter faces legal action by footballer over privacy

A footballer has launched legal action against Twitter after a number of the microblogging site's users purported to reveal the name of the player who allegedly had an affair with model Imogen Thomas.

The footballer's legal team began the legal action at the high court in London on Wednesday, in what is thought to be the first action against the US social media firm and its users.

The lawsuit lists the defendants as "Twitter Inc and persons unknown". The latter are described as those "responsible for the publication of information on the Twitter accounts" in the court document, according to reports.

Earlier this month, an unknown person or individuals published the names of various people who had allegedly taken out gagging orders to conceal sexual indiscretions on a Twitter account. The account rapidly attracted more than 100,000 followers.

Twitter declined to comment.

The lord chief justice, Lord Judge, on Friday said Twitter and its users were totally out of control when it comes to privacy injunctions and court orders.

Although there was no mention of Twitter in Lord Neuberger's long-awaited report on superinjunctions, published on Friday, Lord Judge said readers placed greater trust in the contents of traditional media than in those "who peddle lies" on websites.

Twitter and other social networks were accused of making "an ass of the law" by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and politicians after a number of celebrities with injunctions were allegedly exposed online.

The socialite Jemima Khan was among those claimed on Twitter to have obtained an injunction. Khan described rumours, which had suggested falsely she had obtained a gagging order to prevent publication of "intimate photos" of herself and Jeremy Clarkson, as a "bloody nightmare".

Twitter has said that it "strive[s] not to remove tweets on the basis of their content", but that it would remove "illegal tweets and spam".

Mark Stephens, a senior media lawyer at Finers Stephens Innocent, said the lawsuit had little hope of succeeding.

"This is not only scraping the bottom of the barrel, this is beneath the barrel. This [injunction] information is already available on servers outside of this jurisdiction and on website outside this jurisdiction," he said.

"You would have to be a moron in a hurry to suggest to this footballer that he throw good money and publicly excoriate himself yet further."

Read More

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/20/twitter-sued-by-footballer-over-privacy

Man tries to board train with pony in Wrexham

A man has been captured on CCTV trying to board a train accompanied by a pony.

Shocked staff watched as the man tried to get on the train at Wrexham General station with the white pony in tow

After a conductor refused him entry, the man returned to the ticket booth where he tried to buy two tickets - for himself and the animal.

Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) said horses were not permitted on safety grounds. The RSPCA said it was concerned and was viewing the CCTV tapes.

The man tried to travel on Saturday's 1902 BST service to Holyhead on Anglesey with his four-legged companion.

The ATW spokeswoman said: "Arriva Trains Wales allows dogs and small animals to travel on board trains.

"All animals, except dogs, must be conveyed within a fully enclosed basket or pet carrier with dimensions not exceeding 85 x 60 x 60cm.


Read More

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13437279

Double bombing in Iraq kills 27, injures dozens

Reporting from Kirkuk, Iraq, and Baghdad—
A double bombing killed at least 27 people, almost all of them police officers, and wounded dozens in a parking lot outside the main police offices in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Thursday, according to security officials.

The attack came after a car bombing early this month outside a police station in the southern city of Hillah that killed 16 people, including some officers, and a later failed jailbreak from Baghdad's Interior Ministry compound that left six police officers dead, including a counter-terrorism general.

Eight police officers were wounded when a roadside bomb targeted their convoy as they rushed to the scene in Kirkuk.

The spate of attacks and daring attempts to escape jail has put Iraq's forces under new scrutiny as the last of the U.S. troops prepare to leave the country at the end of the year. "This has the fingerprint of Al Qaeda," said Brig. Jamal Tahi, Kirkuk's police chief.

Read More

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-bombing-20110520,0,6719256.story

Plane crash kills 22 in Argentina

All 22 people aboard a commuter plane were killed when it crashed in southern Argentina, the airline said Thursday.

The Sol Lineas Aereas plane was headed to the city of Comodoro Rivadavia from Neuquen on Wednesday night when the pilot issued a distress call, said airline spokesman David Avellanda.

Shortly after, the plane went off the radar, he said. It had on board 18 adult passengers, a child and three crew members.

Authorities later found the wreckage of the plane in Rio Negro province. There were no signs of survivors, the airline's website said.

"Last night, when the emergency happened, we put in place a search and rescue operation in the area, which at the time was experiencing very bad weather conditions," said a spokesman for the country's National Civil Aviation Administration, according to the state-run Telam news agency.

Once the wreckage was found, federal investigators were called to the scene to determine the cause of the crash, he said.

On Thursday, the company suspended some flights from the Falklands and rerouted those planes to mainland Argentina, where they would be used to transport the family members of the victims, the company said.

Read More

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/05/19/argentina.plane.crash/

FIFA President Sepp Blatter flags possible new vote for 2022 World Cup

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has not ruled out a rerun of voting for the 2022 World Cup host, after claims of corruption rocked last year's vote.

A rerun would give Australia a chance to snare the finals after it was knocked out in the first round of voting in December last year.

The right to host the world's biggest sporting event was controversially award to Qatar.

But Blatter told UK newspaper The Independent that an inquiry, sparked by claims of corruption made in The Sunday Times, could see the FIFA executive cast their votes again.

Blatter told the Press Association there was a groundswell of support "circulating around the world" for the voting process to be rerun.

"But don't ask me now yes or no, let us go step by step. It's like we are in an ordinary court and in an ordinary court we cannot ask: 'If, if, if'," he told the Press Assocation.

FIFA president since 1998, Blatter is being challenged by Qatari Mohammed Bin Hammam, 61, president of the Asian Football Confederation, at the June 1 poll.

The 75-year-old Swiss says Bin Hammam wants "total change", which could lead to the "dismantling" of FIFA.

"I'm very confident," Blatter said during a recent interview.

"FIFA isn't ready for total change, where the running of operations would go to the six confederations. If we dismantle the pyramid, it will fall down.''

Blatter said he had been boosted by support from UEFA president Michel Platini and the Oceania Federation.

Slim and trim Thorpedo still as cagey as ever

He's dropped 18kg since his odyssey began eight months ago, he's happy - yet typically guarded - about how fast he is swimming, but above all, Ian Thorpe says he is satisfied with where his comeback has taken him since he made it public back in February.

Thorpe returned to Australia on Tuesday, having recently spent a few days in London attending the Royal Wedding, and 10 days in St Moritz - not holidaying and partying with Will and Kate - doing altitude training with members of the Swiss swimming squad, his new training partners under Russian coach Gennadi Touretski.

While it was the scene of some of his most memorable victories at the 2000 Olympics, training at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre yesterday morning must have seemed a little humdrum for Thorpe, although he did have the opportunity to train alongside a man he hopes to beat at next year's Olympic trials, national 100m champion James Magnussen.

''When I'm away I'm thinking about home,'' Thorpe said, admitting his biggest challenge training overseas had been homesickness.

''It's not easy to pick up and go somewhere else and do your training somewhere else when all your friends and family are here and your teammates as well.

''But it's what I think is going to be the best way for me to prepare for the team.''

Thorpe's trip home is a brief one. He will only be in town until the weekend before heading back to Switzerland.

Read More

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/sport/slim-and-trim-thorpedo-still-as-cagey-as-ever/2168069.aspx

Asia Stocks Gain as Yen, Dollar Slide on Stimulus

Asian stocks rose, with the region’s benchmark index set for its biggest two-day rally in a month, as Citigroup Inc. raised global profit estimates and Japan’s shrinking economy lifted chances for more stimulus. The yen and dollar fell against the euro for a fourth day. Silver rallied.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 0.4 percent at 12:33 p.m. in Tokyo, extending yesterday’s 0.9 percent jump. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures advanced 0.1 percent. Japan’s currency fell to 116.57 per euro from 116.37 yesterday, while the Dollar Index lost 0.3 percent. The Singapore dollar and Malaysian ringgit both advanced 0.5 percent versus the greenback. S&P’s GSCI Index of 24 raw materials gained 0.2 percent, with silver surging 1.2 percent and oil climbing 0.3 percent in New York.

The Bank of Japan may face increased pressure to add stimulus after the economy shrank more than estimated following the March 11 temblor, while Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said the U.S. central bank may keep its monetary-policy unchanged until late this year. Singapore raised its growth forecast for 2011, while Citigroup predicted global per-share earnings may rise 18 percent this year.

“People are increasingly reassured that there’s plenty of liquidity to support markets,” John Praveen, the Newark, New Jersey-based chief investment strategist at Prudential International Investments Advisors, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “The U.S. economy is going to rebound in the second quarter and interest rates are going to remain low. Reconstruction is going to be funded by public spending and the Bank of Japan’s additional stimulus.”

Read More

http://preview.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-19/yen-dollar-slide-on-record-stimulus-outlook-asia-stocks-silver-advance.html

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Resigns From I.M.F.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned Wednesday as head of the International Monetary Fund after explosive allegations that he had sexually attacked a cleaning lady in a midtown Manhattan hotel room.

“It is with infinite sadness that I feel compelled today to present to the Executive Board my resignation from my post of Managing Director of the IMF,” he said in a statement issued Wednesday. “I think at this time first of my wife—whom I love more than anything—of my children, of my family, of my friends.”

His resignation comes just days after he was taken off an Air France plane at Kennedy International Airport and arrested in connection with the alleged attack.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister, had been expected to declare his candidacy for the French presidency soon. He was seen as the figure most likely to oust President Nicolas Sarkozy.

In issuing his resignation Wednesday, Mr. Strauss-Kahn said, “I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me.”

News of the arrest produced an earthquake of shock, outrage, disbelief and embarrassment throughout France.

Read More

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/business/19imf.html

Osama bin Laden praises Arab spring in posthumously released tape

A tape recorded by Osama bin Laden before his death in an American special forces raid earlier this month has been posthumously released onto Islamic militant websites.

The message, recorded some time in the ten weeks before the 54-year-old al-Qaida leader was killed in Pakistan on May 2, praises the "Arab Spring" protest movements across the Middle East and predicts that revolutions will spread.

"I think that the winds of change will blow over the entire Muslim world, God willing," bin Laden said in the 12-minute message.

The message, though a video clip, contains only an audio track and an old photo of the terrorist leader, probably indicating that it was designed to be edited with images but that al-Qaida media technicians were either unable to do so or that a decision was taken to upload the tape quickly.

The senior al-Qaida leadership were caught out by the unrest in the Arab World this spring and had difficulty framing an effective response to an outpouring of enthusiasm for democracy and pluralism.

In deposing President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Zine el Abedine ben Ali in Tunisia, protestors achieved fundamental aims of al-Qaida itself without violence.

In the recording, Bin Laden accused rulers in the Middle East of building themselves into idols and manipulating the media to stay in power.

Al-Qaida figures have frequently blamed the media for the failure of the majority of Muslims to heed its call to arms.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Bin Laden asked in the most recent tape. "Save yourselves and your children, because the opportunity is here."

Bin Laden, who is thought to have been living in a three-storey house in the northern Pakistani town of Abbottabad for up to five years, spoke in high rhetorical language and avoided the more violent or apocalyptic language of many previous statements.

A full transcript of the tape is yet to be made available but bin Laden appears not to have threatened the West directly as has previously often been the case.

Read More

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/19/osama-bin-laden-tape-posthumous-arab-spring

Pressure Mounts on Strauss-Kahn to Resign

European officials closed ranks to defend their hold on the International Monetary Fund’s top job as pressure mounted on the agency’s jailed leader, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, to step down.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said the IMF needs to formally name an interim leader because Strauss-Kahn is “obviously not in a position” to run the fund. Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter told reporters in Brussels yesterday that Strauss-Kahn “risks damaging the IMF,” and Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, sought his resignation.

At stake is leadership of an institution that approved a record $91.7 billion in emergency loans last year and provides a third of bailout packages in Europe. Strauss-Kahn’s arrest may give emerging markets, the drivers of global growth, momentum to their push to end a postwar deal under which a European heads the fund and the U.S. picks the World Bank president.

Read More

http://preview.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-18/europe-seeks-to-keep-top-imf-post-as-strauss-kahn-starts-facing-exit-calls.html

Al-Qaida in the midst of fierce succession battle

A fierce succession battle appears to be gripping the senior ranks of al-Qaida in the wake of the death of leader Osama bin Laden earlier this month, pitting regional affiliates against the central "hardcore" of the organisation.

Reports from Pakistan named an Egyptian former special forces officer known as Saif al-Adel as the acting leader of al-Qaida.

Al-Adel, who is in his late 40s, is a veteran militant who was close to bin Laden in the 1990s before being detained in Iran after fleeing Afghanistan following the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. According to Noman Benotman, a former Libyan militant now living in London, al-Adel was released from Iranian detention and returned to Pakistan last year.

The report in the Pakistani The News newspaper identified al-Adel as having been chosen as "interim leader" of al-Qaida after a meeting at "an undisclosed location". It also said that "none of sons of Osama Bin Laden has shown willingness" to take up a formal position within the organisation.

One of the 54-year-old al-Qaida leader's adult sons, Khaled, was killed with his father in the raid on Abbottabad. Others have been groomed for leadership roles but are currently too young or too inexperienced to command any real support.

If confirmed, the appointment of al-Adel is a major blow to bin Laden's close associate Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian extremist strategist who has long been seen as the group's number two.

Al-Zawahiri is reported to have been given the important, and usually shortlived, role of director of external or international operations for the group. This would nonetheless be something of a demotion for a man who was bin Laden's closest associate and a major figure in his own right.

Read More

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/18/al-qaida-succession-battle-saif-al-adel-acting-leader

Bin Laden's 'porn' more damning than his terrorism?

In the two weeks since Navy SEALs killed Osama Bin Laden, U.S. officials have waged a curious campaign to belittle him. First they implied that he had used a woman as a human shield. Then they released videos suggesting that he had dyed his beard to look younger. Then they said they'd found pornography in his compound.

The smear campaign seems ridiculous. Bin Laden was a mass murderer. Why bother calling him a sissy and a voyeur?

Bin Laden's "porn stash" are more than a joke. His sympathizers and potential followers are, by several measures, more categorically averse to pornography, adultery, and the mixing of men and women than they are to suicide bombing of civilian targets. If you want to sour these people on Bin Laden and his movement, calling him a terrorist won't cut it. You're better off portraying him as a hypocritical porn hound who lived in a million-dollar mansion, touched himself up for videos, and hid behind women when martyrdom called.

The porn story, like the human shields and the million-dollar mansion, is probably bogus. The 54-year-old zealot with three wives was the least likely guy in the compound to be watching erotic videos. Logically, the story makes no sense. But politically, it's perfect.


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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43065572/ns/slatecom/

Queen to visit emotive Croke Park stadium

The Queen is to visit sports stadium Croke Park in Dublin, where 14 spectators were killed by British forces more than 90 years ago.

On her second day in the Republic of Ireland, she will also attend a service honouring Ireland's war dead.

Later at a banquet at Dublin Castle, she will make her only public speech.

She is likely to acknowledge past difficulties, but is unlikely to apologise for past behaviour, BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said.

Wednesday will start with a trip to tourist attraction the Guinness Storehouse, but later the Queen will move on to Croke Park in inner city north Dublin, the home of gaelic sports.

The spectators were killed by British forces during the War of Independence in November 1920.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt described it as "the once unimaginable becoming the norm" when the Queen will walk on hallowed nationalist turf at Croke Park.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13434653

Facebook-loving parents name their baby "Like"

Though we haven't seen any of the baby pictures, the newest daughter of Lior and Vardit Adler is hopefully cute as a button. Because, well, she's named after one — Facebook's cherished "Like" button, that is.

Yes, this Israeli couple decided, after naming their first child Dvash ("honey") and their second kid Pie that it was time to go digital, and turned to "one of the most famous icons in the world" for inspiration, according to Lior.

He told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Like could be a modern equivalent of the traditional Jewish name Ahuva, which translates as "beloved."

But isn't Like a weird name? "I believe there will be people who will lift a eyebrow," acknowledged Like's proud father. And to be fair, it's got a slightly nicer ring than "Facebook," recently bestowed upon a newborn girl in nearby Egypt


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http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/05/16/6656187-facebook-loving-parents-name-their-baby-like

Winklevoss twins aim Zuckerberg case at Supreme Court

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the square-jawed Ivy League twins who were dope-slapped by mean li'l Zucky in the movie The Social Network – oh, and allegedly in real life, as well – have announced that they will take their lawsuit against Zuckerberg to the US Supreme Court.

The Reg's stateside readers must surely feel all warm 'n' fuzzy, knowing that their tax dollars will subsidize the adjudication of whether Cam and Ty were short-sheeted when they accepted a $65m pittance to drop their original suit against Zuckerberg and Facebook.

That settlement, by the way, consisted of a mere $20m in cash and $45m in Facebook shares – which according to some reports are now worth anywhere from $150m to $200m

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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/05/17/winklevoss_twins_to_take_case_to_scotus/

London bomb threat shuts down area around Buckingham Palace

Irish militants opposed to the peace process with Britain warned of a bomb in central London on Monday, a day before Queen Elizabeth makes a historic visit to Ireland, security sources said.

"A bomb threat ... has been received relating to central London today. The threat is not specific in relation to location or time," London police said in a statement.

A security source said the caller had used a codeword known to the police, lending credibility to the threat.

The warning came on the eve of the first visit to Ireland by a British monarch in a century and a week before U.S. President Barack Obama makes a state visit to London.

Police said earlier that a security alert had led to the closure of the Mall, a broad avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth's residence, but refused to say what had prompted it.

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http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0517/London-bomb-threat-shuts-down-area-around-Buckingham-Palace

London bomb threat shuts down area around Buckingham Palace

Irish militants opposed to the peace process with Britain warned of a bomb in central London on Monday, a day before Queen Elizabeth makes a historic visit to Ireland, security sources said.

"A bomb threat ... has been received relating to central London today. The threat is not specific in relation to location or time," London police said in a statement.

A security source said the caller had used a codeword known to the police, lending credibility to the threat.

The warning came on the eve of the first visit to Ireland by a British monarch in a century and a week before U.S. President Barack Obama makes a state visit to London.

Police said earlier that a security alert had led to the closure of the Mall, a broad avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth's residence, but refused to say what had prompted it.

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http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0517/London-bomb-threat-shuts-down-area-around-Buckingham-Palace

War crimes prosecutor calls for arrest of Gaddafi

ICC prosecutor Luis Mareno Ocampo believes he has a strong case for the arrest of Gaddafi, one of his sons and his intelligence chief

PETER CAVE: The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court is calling for the arrest of Moamar Gaddafi, his son and his brother-in-law. The three are wanted on charges of crimes against humanity.

Saif al Islam was long considered the future face of Libya but the ICC says it now has firm evidence that Colonel Gaddafi's second son was closely involved in the mass killing of civilians.

Europe correspondent, Emma Alberici.

EMMA ALBERICI: The International Criminal Court in The Hague claims that members of the Libyan regime have secretly handed over evidence that proves without doubt that Colonel Gaddafi has been systematically killing his own people with the close assistance of his second son and his brother-in-law, who acts as his intelligence chief.

Luis Moreno Ocampo is the ICC's chief prosecutor

LUIS MORENO OCAMPO: Shot demonstrators with live ammunitions, use of heavy weaponry against participants in funeral processions and placed snipers to kill those leaving mosques after the prayers. The crimes are crimes against humanity.

EMMA ALBERICI: But the history of the world's first permanent tribunal to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide doesn't augur well for the prosecutor's efforts.

It was created in 2002 in response to the genocide in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, but its credibility has long suffered from the refusal of some of the world's most powerful countries to recognise its jurisdiction.

The US, Russia, China, India and all Middle Eastern countries, and Libya, are among those who have not signed the ICC treaty which has been ratified by 114 of the 193 recognised states.

The Libyan government issued a statement, claiming that the ICC was merely a baby of the EU that only targets African leaders.

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http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3218734.htm

Kerry Visits Pakistan with Warning on Aid

Saying this is a "critical moment" in relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, Sen. John Kerry was set to arrive in Islamabad Sunday night with a firm message: Cooperate more in uprooting terrorists in Pakistan or face losing vital aid.

On a visit to Kabul before traveling to Islamabad, Mr. Kerry said Sunday that Pakistan faces "profound" changes in its relationship with the U.S. unless it recognizes that the dynamics have fundamentally changed in the two weeks since U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in a night raid at a comfortable sanctuary 40 miles from the country's capital.

His location, in a garrison town that also is home to Pakistan's chief military academy, has prompted U.S. officials to suggest that bin Laden may have received some measure of support from elements of Pakistan's military or intelligence establishment though so far they have offered no proof.

"This is not a moment for anything except very sober, serious discussions with an understanding that there's a lot at stake," Mr. Kerry told reporters as he wrapped up a two-day visit to Afghanistan. "There's no other way to put it."

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281504576325274176490968.html

NATO bombs Libyan town near Tunisian border

TUNIS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- NATO planes on Sunday morning bombed barracks and radar installations in the Libyan town of Boukamache, some 17 km from the Tunisian border, the official TAP press agency reported.

The bombings which could be heard at the Ras El Jedir border crossing point, provoked panic among a number of Tunisians on their way back to Tunisia, TAP said, adding following the bombings, a large number of Libyan refugees fled the region and crossed into Tunisia.

On Saturday night, a Tunisian army patrol managed to thwart an infiltration attempt into Tunisian territory by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, TAP reported.

More than 200 people tried to enter the Tunisian border, near Tataouine, in an attempt to take rebel forces by surprise. They were repelled back into Libya. No clashes were recorded. In the meantime, the Tunisian army deployed more military vehicles to protect the border area, TAP said.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-05/15/c_13875997.htm

Australian police attribute man's death to internet photo trend

A growing internet photo trend is to blame for the death of a 20-year-old Australian man, police in Queensland said Sunday, warning other fans of the dangers surrounding "planking."

The activity has been growing in popularity in Australia as more and more people post photos of themselves "planking" -- or lying prone in various odd or humorous locations -- on various social media sites. A Facebook page called "Planking Australia" has garnered nearly 90,000 "likes" and has inspired similar pages such as "Planking Ireland" and "Planking Norway."

"This morning we have seen a young man take this activity a step further and attempt to plank on a balcony," Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett of the Queensland Police said Sunday. "Unfortunately he has tragically fallen to his death. Police fear that as planking gains popularity there may be more injuries and potentially further deaths."

The danger, according to police, is followers of the trend are trying to "outdo" each other by taking bigger risks on where they try to "plank."

"The potential disaster increases as more and more risks are taken to get the ultimate photo," a statement issued by the Queensland police said.

Acton Beale, 20, died when he lost his footing and fell from the balcony of a high-rise building while attempting to "plank," the country's public broadcaster, ABC, reported.

Last week, a man caught photographing himself face down on top of a Queensland police car was arrested and charged with trespassing on police property, police said, warning that others will be charged "if they attempt the activity in areas that constitute trespass or in dangerous locations."

The trend appears to have been started in 2009 on Facebook as the "Lying Down Game" before reappearing in recent months as "planking."

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http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/15/australia.planking.death/?hpt=T2

Ireland beefs up security for Queen's trip

The largest security operation in the Republic of Ireland's history is underway amid fears dissident republicans will try to disrupt the Queen's historic four-day visit.

The royal state visit, which starts on Tuesday, is the first by a British sovereign to the south of Ireland since it gained independence from Britain in 1922.

Armed British police officers will patrol the streets alongside thousands of gardai (Irish police) and soldiers to protect the 85-year-old monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh as they travel around the republic.

The massive security operation is focusing on potential terrorist threats as well as plans for "a protest stunt" by breakaway factions opposed to the peace process.

The Queen's itinerary will take her to Dublin and counties Cork, Kildare and Tipperary.

It includes a visit to Croke Park, the scene of a massacre by British troops in 1920, and a wreath laying ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, which honours those who died for Irish freedom.

She will also pay tribute to the 49,400 Irish soldiers who died in World War I at the Irish National War Memorial Garden.

Events will be staged at Trinity College, the Guinness brewery in Dublin, the English Market in Cork, the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary and the world-renowned Thoroughbred racehorse Irish National Stud in Tipperary.

Irish president Mary McAleese said the visit was an extraordinary moment in the history of the island.

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http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/ireland-beefs-up-security-for-queens-trip-20110516-1ep6p.html

Here, everyone knows bhai is in Pakistan

MUMBAI: Any kid on South Mumbai's Pakmodia Street, where Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar grew up and then moved out after becoming one of the world's most wanted terrorists, knows where he now lives — in a Karachi neighbourhood.

"Its a very old story and everybody knows that seth (his underworld alias) is in Karachi. Bhai is in very safe hands there," says Dawood's former neighbour Usman Bhai.

A hotel owner on the nook of the Pakmodia street, speaking on condition of anonymity, says Dawood's presence in Karachi may be known but it would be hard to get him since he is protected by the Pakistan army. "He is Dawoodbhai.

It's not that easy as it was for the US to bump off Osama bin Laden. Dawood has round-the-clock protection and I have heard that he has his own army who can take on an attack."

Dawood's whereabouts, denied stoutly and repeatedly by the Pakistani authorities, isn't just wisdom on Pakmodia Street but also the stuff of police files.

Several Dawood aides deported from Dubai have told investigating agencies about his lifestyle in Pakistan and given details of his 2,000 sq ft bungalow — Moin Palace in Clifton neighbourhood — where the Bhuttos have their ancestral property and president Asif Ali Zardari stays there when in Karachi.

The bungalow is guarded by around two dozen heavilyarmed guards, including few Pakistani retired army officers, according to these accounts. The two-storey house is set amid bungalows of retired defence officers.

Interestingly, two recentlyarrested Dawood aides — Sajid Usman Batliwala and Karimullah Khan — who sneaked into India from Pakistan via Nepal and were arrested in 2009 and 2010 by Mumbai crime branch — have given details of Dawood and his cronies.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Here-everyone-knows-bhai-is-in-Pakistan/articleshow/8262126.cms

India still larger threat to Pakistan than al-Qaeda, Taliban: US lawmaker

India is still a larger threat to Pakistan than the al-Qaeda and Taliban, a top US lawmaker has said, while observing that certain members of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) continue to be sympathetic towards such terror outfits.

"We know that certain ISI members still have a sympathy toward the Taliban and certain al-Qaeda elements, and the Haqqani network," Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the house permanent select committee on intelligence, said at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a Washington-based eminent think tank.

"Our national interests haven't lined up. Pakistan has not really come to the conclusion that the Taliban and al-Qaeda is as big a threat as India. They believe India is their problem. And so that has been, I think, the United States' struggle all along.

"So they look at this as, gee, we'd like to help. We're going to try to help. But have you looked at India lately? Boy, that's a real problem. And so that's the struggle that we've had with Pakistan," he said in response to a question.

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http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_india-still-larger-threat-to-pakistan-than-al-qaeda-taliban-us-lawmaker_1542306