Emergency.Blog

China Earthquake - Supplemental/Rescue Operations (Reference)

ESR12-134a - Addendum to Daily emergency service reports (ESR)

12:22 PM - 05/13/2008

SUBJECT: China Earthquake - Supplemental/Rescue Operations (Reference)

Following is a summary of some selected earthquake rescue articles previously produced by ERRI and EmergencyNet News:

1. BUILDING COLLAPSE RESCUE, By Clark Staten, EMT-P I/C
Asst. Chief Paramedic, Chicago Fire Dept. (ret.)
Former Chairman, National Society of EMS Administrators
Former Chairman, Emergency Management Committee, National Assn. of EMTs
Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/bldgclps.htm

2. "The Politics of Disaster; Unnecessary Deaths Editorial," By: Paul Anderson ENN correspondent Chicago, IL, (ENN) June 7, 1995
Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/dstr-pol.htm

3. "Major Earthquake Devastates Osaka, Kobe," Chicago, IL, January 16, 1995
Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/jpnquake.htm

4. "Series of Continuing Emergencynet News Real-Time Reports Concerning A Major Earthquake in Turkey -- 16 Aug 99 to 17 Aug 99,"
Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/1999/turkquak.htm

5. "Series of EmergencyNet News 'Real-Time' Reports Concerning a Devastating Earthquake in India: 25 Jan 2001 to 03 Feb 2001,"
Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/2001/India_quake2001.htm

Additional references, links, and resources can be accessed at:
http://www.emergency.com/disaster.htm

Afghan President escapes assassination bid

27 Apr 2008 - 01:30 CDT

Afghan President escapes assassination bid

AFGHANISTAN: President Hamid Karzai was hussled away but escaped unhurt after an assassination attempt during an official celebration in the capital of Kabul.

A Presidential Palace source said Mr Karzai was safe, but the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said three of its fighters were killed. "Yes, he is safe and fine," a palace source said, declining to be named.

Government ministers were also seen leaving the celebration near the presidential palace and state television cut off live transmission of the celebration, which marked the 16th anniversary of fall of Kabul to the Mujahideen. Sounds of gunfire could be still heard after television stopped coverage of the event.

Taliban insurgents are behind the firing at President Karzai a Taliban spokesman said. "We had our people there who fired at Karzai," Zabihullah Mujahid told a Reuters from an undisclosed location. "We had place six personnel in the area. Three of our men have been killed."

He did not immediately say how they were killed but an AFP reporter at the scene said there was an exchange of gunfire, apparently between the attackers and troops. A security official at the scene said one suspected attacker was arrested....

-- Source/continues: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/27/2228416.htm

Hamas Cleric Predicts 'Rome Will Be Conquered by Islam'

Monday, April 14, 2008

Hamas Cleric Predicts 'Rome Will Be Conquered by Islam'

A sermon last Friday by a prominent Muslim cleric and Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament openly declared that "the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital," would soon be conquered by Islam.

The fiery sermon, delivered by Yunis al-Astal and aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, predicted that Rome would become "an advanced post for the Islamic conquests, which will spread though Europe in its entirety, and then will turn to the two Americas, even Eastern Europe."

"Allah has chosen you for Himself and for His religion," al-Astal preached, "so that you will serve as the engine pulling this nation to the phase of succession, security and consolidation of power, and even to conquests through da'wa and military conquests of the capitals of the entire world.

"Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our prophet Muhammad," he added...

-- Source/continues at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351242,00.html

[ERRI counter-terrrorism analyst question: Does this sound like the kind of person/group with whom the United States should go and try to negoitate? For example -- for comparison and analytical purposes only -- what would happen if a Catholic priest was quoted in the national media as saying that they were going to "take over Mecca"? And, most of all...where's the outrage and condemnation of al-Astal's remarks by the international community or the the United Nations]

Zawahiri says U.N. is enemy and vows attacks on Jews

Wed Apr 2, 2008, 21:36 PM BST

Zawahiri says U.N. is enemy and vows attacks on Jews

DUBAI, U.A.E.: Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri described the United Nations as an enemy to Muslims and vowed attacks on Jews both inside and outside Israel in a statement posted on the Internet on Wednesday. "The United Nations is an enemy of Islam and Muslims," he said in remarks made in response to questions posted on the Internet.

He defended attacks on U.N. offices in an apparent reference to twin bomb attacks on U.N. buildings in Algiers which killed 41 people in December and the bombing of a U.N. building in Baghdad in 2003 which killed 22.

Zawahiri also called for attacks on Jews. "We promise our Muslim brothers that we will do our utmost to strike Jews in Israel and abroad with help and guidance from God..."

-- Source: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=
worldNews&storyid=2008-04-02T215218Z_01_L02643688_
RTRUKOC_0_UK-QAEDA-ZAWAHRI.xml

April 02, 2008

Al-Qaida's Zawahri says militant organization doesn't kill innocents, threatens Egypt

The Associated Press

CAIRO, EGYPT: Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri responded to criticism Wednesday about the organization's notoriously brutal tactics, maintaining that it does not kill innocents, in hour-and-a half-long audio response to questions submitted to the movement on extremist Web sites.

The audio message, which was accompanied by a 46-page English transcript, was the first installment of answers to a raft of online questions and focused mainly on future al-Qaida efforts elsewhere in the region, particularly Egypt.

"We haven't killed the innocents, not in Baghdad nor in Morocco, nor in Algeria, nor anywhere else," he said according to the English transcript which, like the audio message, appeared on Web sites linked to the group.

The answer was in response to the question "excuse me, Mr. Zawahiri, but who is it who is killing with Your Excellency's blessing the innocents in Baghdad, Morocco and Algeria?"

-- Source/continues: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/02/africa/
ME-GEN-Al-Qaida-Zawahri-Questions.php

Dalai Lama: China causing 'cultural genocide'

19:15 CDT -- 16 March 2008

Dalai Lama: China causing 'cultural genocide'

(CNN) -- The Dalai Lama on Sunday called for an international probe of China's treatment of Tibet, which he said is causing "cultural genocide" of his people.

The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet spoke at a news conference Sunday in Dharamsala, India, two days after violent clashes between pro-autonomy demonstrators and Chinese security forces in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.

A spokesman for the self-declared Tibetan exile government said it has confirmed at least 80 deaths in Friday's violence and that protests were continuing outside the capital Sunday, further undermining China's hopes of a smooth run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Tibet Watch, a group based in Dharamsala, India, said 34 people have died in the Nwaga County area of Sichuan province in western China.

The dead include women and children, the group said in an e-mail, adding they were killed by Chinese police attempting to stop the protests. Eight bodies were brought to the Nagaba Kirti monastery, the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Dharamsala said. Of the eight, two are the bodies of monks, the center said.

The streets of Lhasa were silent and deserted Sunday night, a contrast to the violent protests of days earlier. Chinese paramilitary troops and riot police were patrolling, and shots could be heard from time to time, according to James Miles, a reporter for The Economist in Lhasa.

"People are now too afraid to come out of their homes," Miles said. "People are afraid to go about their normal business." Residents were worried about encountering roving patrols or being shot, he said. Even if people ventured out to shop, most markets have been ransacked, he said.

"People are going to start running out of food pretty soon. They're going to need essential supplies," Miles said...

-- Source/continues: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/16/tibet.unrest/index.html

Rioting, Fires and Protests in Tibet

Friday, 14 March 2008, 14:00 GMT

Shops on fire amid Tibet protests

LHASA, TIBET: Fires have broken out in the Tibetan city of Lhasa amid reports of rioting, as rare street protests led by Buddhist monks appeared to gather pace. One eyewitness told the BBC how large groups of people were setting fire to cars and shops and destroying anything of Chinese influence. The US embassy in Beijing said US citizens had reported hearing gunfire.

Rallies have continued all week in what are thought to be the largest protests against Beijing's rule in 20 years.

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, released a statement expressing deep concern, saying the protests were a "manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people".

The Dalai Lama, who heads Tibet's government-in-exile in India, called on the Chinese leadership to stop using force and begin dialogue with the Tibetan people. He also urged Tibetans not to resort to violence.

"As I have always said, unity and stability under brute force is at best a temporary solution. It is unrealistic to expect unity and stability under such a rule," the statement said.

-- Source/continues: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7296041.stm

War Drums in Latin America

Posted 04 Mar 2008

War Drums in Latin America

Monday, Mar. 03, 2008

By TIM PADGETT

Few world leaders rattle a saber as flamboyantly as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez does. On Sunday, in a piece of vintage Chavez theater, he ordered thousands of troops and tanks to the border with Colombia after that country's military had ventured a mile into Ecuador on Saturday to kill Raul Reyes, a top commander of Colombia's FARC guerrillas. The left-wing Chavez called conservative Colombian President Alvaro Uribe a "criminal" and a "lapdog of the U.S. empire," warning ominously that "this could be the start of a war in South America."

Don't bet on it.

Sure, Chavez and Uribe, two of Latin America's most outsized egos, loathe each other. Each has significantly fattened his military arsenal in recent years, and tensions have rarely been this high between their countries. Nor are they alone on the Latin street when it comes to martial upgrading: Brazil's 2008 federal budget, for example, includes a 53% increase in military spending, leading many to wonder if Latin America is undergoing an arms race not seen since the heyday of military rule across the continent. But that doesn't mean that either Chavez or Uribe can afford an armed conflict.

There are at least six reasons to doubt that the bluster could morph into bullets...

-- Source/continues at: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1719158,00.html

[The views expressed above are those of the author and/or publisher and do not necessarily represent those of ERRI or EmergencyNet News. They are presented to give our readers alternative viewpoints from around the world and to encourage discussion and further study of important topics.]

Venezuela's Chavez: Colombia incursion would be war

02 March 2008

Venezuela's Chavez: Colombia incursion would be war

Saber-Rattling Increases in Latin America

CARACAS, VENEZUELA: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (picture with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left) warned his Colombian counterpart that war would break out between the South American neighbors if Colombia's military crossed into Venezuelan territory.

Chavez railed on Saturday against Colombian forces for entering Ecuadorean territory on a raid that killed a senior commander of Colombia's largest guerrilla group, and he cautioned President Alvaro Uribe against similar actions along Venezuela's border. "Don't think about doing that over here, because it would very serious, it would be cause for war," Chavez said. "How far is President Uribe willing to go in his warlike madness?"

Chavez, who maintains warm relations with the Colombian guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, said that "it was obscene to see the smiling faces" of Colombian military commanders standing behind Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos as he announced the death of FARC spokesman Raul Reyes and 16 other rebels on Saturday.

"The Colombian government audaciously acknowledges they entered Ecuadorean territory," said Chavez, speaking during a televised meeting with his Cabinet. "We call on Colombia's government to clarify this."

On Sunday, Colombia denied it violated Ecuador's sovereignty and said it acted in self-defense.

"The terrorists, among them Raul Reyes, have had the custom of killing in Colombia and taking refuge in the territory of neighboring countries. Many times Colombia has suffered from this situation that we must avoid to protect our citizens," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Colombia's military tracked Reyes' location through an informant and bombed a camp on its side of the Ecuadorean border, where Reyes was thought to be, Santos said. Ground troops moved in, but came under attack from another camp across the border in Ecuador. When the military overran that camp, they found Reyes' body, Santos said.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said Uribe had informed him of the raid, but later announced that he was misled after Ecuadorean officials inspected a bombed rebel camp.

"The (Colombian) president either was poorly informed or brazenly lied to the president of Ecuador," said Correa, who called home the ambassador to Colombia for consultation and promised a diplomatic note of protest. "Clearly Ecuadorean airspace was violated" in the bombing, Correa said.

Uribe earlier called Reyes' death a step forward in defeating terrorism...

-- Source/continues: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080302/
ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_colombia

Bosnian Serb rioters try to storm U.S. consulate

26 Feb 2008

Bosnian Serb rioters try to storm U.S. consulate
Protest against Kosovo independence turns violent in Bosnia-Herzegovina

MSNBC News Services

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Police fired tear gas at Bosnian Serb rioters Tuesday to prevent them from storming the building of the U.S. consulate after protests against Kosovo?s independence.

A group split away from the almost 10,000 peaceful protesters in Banja Luka and headed toward the consulate, breaking shop windows and throwing stones at police who blocked the streets leading to the building with armored vehicles.

A rain of stones poured down on police before officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Several officers were seen limping. Police were also seen detaining several demonstrators as they withdrew to a nearby park...

Article continues at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23351136/

Serbia: US 'culprit' in Kosovo violence

Sat Feb 23, 4:23 PM ET

Serbia: US 'culprit' in Kosovo violence

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, KOSOVO: Serbia's hard-line leaders on Saturday called the U.S. "the main culprit" in the violence that has broken out since Kosovo declared independence.

Several thousand Serbs chanting "Kosovo is Serbia!" and "Russia, Vladimir Putin!" protested peacefully in the ethnically divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica, the sixth day of demonstrations against Kosovo's break with Serbia. Russia backs Serbia's fierce resistance to Kosovo's secession.

On Thursday night, protesters in the Serbian capital Belgrade set fire to the U.S. embassy, angered by Washington's recognition of Kosovo. The U.S. and the European Union responded by demanding Serbia protect foreign embassies.

"The United States is the main culprit ... for all those violent acts," Serbia's Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic said in Belgrade.

Other Serbian leaders have called for calm after the riots. But an aide to hard-line Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said any future violence also will be blamed on the U.S.

"If the United States sticks to its present position that the fake state of Kosovo exists ... all responsibility in the future will be on the United States," Kostunica adviser Branislav Ristivojevic said in a statement.

The comments were an indication that Serbia is drifting further from the West and more toward ally Russia...

-- Source/continues: Yahoo/AP, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080223/ap_on_re_eu/serbia_kosovo

[The views expressed above are those of the author and/or publisher and do not necessarily represent those of ERRI, EmergencyNet News, or Emergency.Blog. They are presented to give our readers alternative viewpoints from around the world and to encourage discussion and further study of important topics.]

Attack/Fire at U.S. Embassy in Belgrade (Video)

U.S. Embassy Attacked in Serbia

EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report

21 Feb 2008 - 12:20 CST

U.S. Embassy Attacked in Serbia

BELGRADE, SERBIA: EmergencyNet News is receiving early and largely unconfirmed reports about unrest and an arson attack in the vicinity of the U.S. embassy in Belgrade, Serbia. According to eyewitnesses, entry into the embassy building was made by protestors and a fire may have been set in the building. Troops and police were seen on the street in the vicinity of the U.S. embassy. Other unrest was noted outside the building and teargas has reported been fired at the protestors.

It is not presently known if U.S. embassy personnel suffered any injuries, as it is believed that the embassy was placed at minimum staffing since the 17th of February. Only security personnel and Marine guards were thought to be in the compound at the time of the protest.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack strongly urged the Serbian government to protect the U.S. Embassy. He said the U.S. ambassador was at his home and was in contact with U.S. officials.

There are also unverified reports of damage and protests at other countries' embassies in Belgrade.

Events and details are dynamic and confusing at the time of this report. There were previous protests outside the embassy, after the United States recognized the new country of Kosovo (see previous reports this blog). Watch EmergencyNet News for more on this emerging story...

Additional Reference:

Serbian Protesters Break into US Embassy in Belgrade

By VOA News, 21 February 2008

Can be found at: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-02-21-voa22.cfm

Fidel Castro announces retirement

Tuesday, 19 February 2008, 07:42 GMT

Fidel Castro announces retirement

Cuba's ailing leader, Fidel Castro has announced he will not return to the presidency in a letter published by official Communist Party paper.

In a statement published on the Web site of the Communist Party's Granma newspaper he said: "To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honour in recent days of electing me a member of parliament ... I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept ... the position of president of council of state and commander-in-chief."

Mr. Castro handed over power temporarily to his brother, Raul, in July 2006 when he underwent intestinal surgery, and has not been seen in public since. The 81-year-old has ruled Cuba since leading a communist revolution in 1959.

In December, Mr. Castro indicated that he could possibly step down in favor of a younger generation.

-- Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7252109.stm

Kosovo declares independence

Kosovo declares independence

By Dan Bilefsky Published: February 17, 2008

PRISTINA, KOSOVO: As some 30,000 ethnic Albanians swarmed through the streets, Kosovo's leader on Sunday declared independence from Serbia in a ceremony intended to cap a long and bloody struggle for national self-determination.

The proclamation of what hopes to be Europe's newest country - a decade after a civil war that killed 10,000 people and after years of limbo under United Nations administration - marks the final dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia 17 years after its dissolution began.

It brings to a climax a showdown between the West, which argues that Slobodan Milosevic's brutal subjugation of Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians negated Serbia's moral and legal claim to rule the territory, and Belgrade and its ally Moscow, which counter that Kosovo's independence is a reckless breach of international law that will spur other secessionist movements across the world

Ethnic Albanians from as far away as America streamed into Pristina this weekend, braving freezing temperatures and heavy snow, to dance in frenzied jubilation. Beating drums, waving Albanian flags and throwing firecrackers, they chanted "Independence! Independence! We are free at last!"

-- Source/story continues at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/17/europe/17kosovo3.php

Serbs stone U.S. embassy after Kosovo breakaway

By Ellie Tzortzi

February 17, 2008

BELGRADE: Angry Serbs stoned the U.S. embassy in Belgrade to protest at Kosovo's declaration of independence on Sunday, smashing windows before riot police appeared to regain the upper hand.

"Kosovo is the heart of Serbia," many shouted as up to 2,000 demonstrators, mostly young men, surrounded the embassy, which was guarded by more than 500 police in full riot gear.

Washington has strongly backed Kosovo's bid for independence.

Protesters chanting patriotic songs ripped up paving stones and prised concrete and tiles from nearby buildings to throw them at the police along with bottles, firecrackers and flares. The area was thick with smoke.

"Kill and hang them until there's no Albanians left!" cried some of the protesters.

Several police were taken away injured to a nearby ambulance, before police charged the demonstrators to chase them away from embassy, succeeding in dispersing most of the crowd. Several windows were smashed in the building, where no lights were on.

Police detained several people. Some protesters were seen, hurt and bleeding.

-- Source: Reuters, can be found at: http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/
articles/2008/02/17/serbs_stone_us_embassy_after_kosovo_breakaway/

Previous Reference:

Conflict in Kosovo (series of reports)

Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/1999/kosopage.htm

Attack on U.S. Embassy vehicle in Beirut kills Four

15 Jan 2008

Attack on U.S. Embassy vehicle in Beirut kills Four

BEIRUT, LEBANON: An explosion targeted a U.S. Embassy vehicle Tuesday in northern Beirut, killing four Lebanese and injuring a local embassy employee just ahead of a farewell reception for the American ambassador, U.S. and Lebanese officials said today.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said two embassy employees -- including the driver -- were in the vehicle damaged in the blast, which could be heard across the Lebanese capital and sent gray smoke billowing near the Mediterranean coast.

The driver was slightly wounded and the other staffer is fine, McCormack told reporters. He said no American diplomats or American citizens were in the car.

"My understanding is there were four Beirut residents who do not work for the embassy who were killed in the blast," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families."

A senior U.S. official, who was not authorized to release the information and spoke condition of anonymity, said no Americans injured or killed.

A senior Lebanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military rules, told The Associated Press the explosion targeted the U.S. vehicle and was in the predominantly Christian Dora-Karantina neighborhood.

-- Source/continues at:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080115/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_explosion

Tape Shows Iranian Boats Surrounding U.S. War Ships

Jan. 8, 2008

US Releases Dramatic Video of Iran Boat Incident
Tape Shows Iranian Boats Surrounding U.S. War Ships, Ignoring Order to Leave

STRAIT OF HORTMUZ: The U.S. Navy released dramatic video and audio of this weekend's stand-off with Iran. The video shows Iranian speedboats swarming around three American warships going through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

On the tape, the crew of the destroyer USS Hopper can be heard repeatedly warning the Iranian boats to identify themselves and move away. "I am engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law," a sailor on the bridge of the USS Hopper says. "I intend no harm."

As the Iranian boats get closer, the USS Hopper sounds its horns. "You are approaching coalition warships," the USS Hopper's crew warns. "You are straying into danger and may be subject to defensive measures. ... Request you alter course immediately to remain clear."

It is at that point that a heavily accented voice can be heard over the radio, apparently coming from the Iranians. "I am coming to you," the voice says. "You will explode after a few minutes..."

-- Source/continues: http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=4105110&page=1

Iranian "Serious Provocation" of U.S. Navy

07 Jan 2008 - 12:00 noon CST

Pentagon says ships harassed by Iran

WASHINGTON, DC/STRAIT OF HORMUZ: In what U.S. officials called a serious provocation, Iranian boats harassed and provoked three U.S. Navy ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, threatening to explode the American vessels.

U.S. forces were on the verge of firing on the Iranian boats in the early Sunday incident, when the boats -- believed to be from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy -- turned and moved away, a Pentagon official said. "It is the most serious provocation of this sort that we've seen yet," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman called it a "serious incident. This is something that deserves an explanation."

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the weekend incident was "something normal" and was resolved.

National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the United States urges the Iranians "to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future..."

-- Source/continues at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080107/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_navy_iran_19

Election - 2008

Both the Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI) and the EmergencyNet News Service (parents of this website) are non-partisan, non-political, and completely independent. We do not receive any funding or entertain any influence from any political, ethnic, religious, or ideological group or organization...

We also do not report on election news, unless it impacts on Military, Emergency Service, Crisis, Terrorism, and Disaster issues. Please visit one of our colleagues from main-stream-media (MSM) organizations, who are currently providing extensive coverage of U.S. political and election matters.

Kenya: Will March Ignite Civil War?

Updated:06:52, Thursday January 03, 2008

Violence Looms Ahead Of Kenya Rally

Kenya's main opposition party is set to defy the police and hold a rally to demand President Mwai Kibaki quits over allegations of vote rigging in the recent election that saw him returned to power. Humanitarian groups estimate that at least 300 people have already been killed and 100,000 displaced.

Both sides have accused each other of genocide - and fears are growing of a civil war.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga called today's "million man" rally in protest at the December 27 election, which he insists was a "sham."

He told reporters that the rally was meant to be peaceful, but the government has banned the demonstration. With security forces deployed in force, violence was likely to erupt if protesters follow the call.

More on this developing story can be found at SkyNews: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1299082,00.html?f=rss

Additional Reference:

Kenya Braces For More Violence

Opposition Leader Vows To Go Ahead With Banned Protest Despite Huge Security Presence...

More can be found at CBSNews: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/03/world/main3668671.shtml

KENYA: More Than 300 Killed, Country on Verge of Tribal War?

January 2, 2008

50 die in blazing church as spectre of tribal war looms

NAIROBI, KENYA: A mob set fire to a church where dozens of people had sought refuge from violence in Kenya yesterday, killing at least 50 and raising new fears that one of Africa's most stable countries would collapse into a bloody tribal war.

The dead were mostly of the Kikuyu tribe, which overwhelmingly backed President Kibaki's bid for a second term in last Thursday's election. Mr. Kibaki defeated his rival, Raila Odinga, by just 230,000 votes and Mr. Odinga's supporters, who are mostly ethnic Luo, believe that the election was "stolen".

The admission last night by Samuel Kivuitu, the head of Kenya's Electoral Commission, that he was pressured by Mr. Kibaki's Party of National Unity not to hold an inquiry into the results appeared to support the claim. European envoys and the state-run Human Rights Commission had called for an investigation.

More than 300 people have been killed in Kenya since the election, and last night there was no sign that security forces were willing, or able, to bring the rampaging mobs under control. Gangs of machete-wielding men set up roadblocks along the main road out of Nairobi to the west, pulling Kikuyus from their cars.

The Kenyan Red Cross said that 70,000 people had fled the violence, and some Kikuyus had reportedly crossed into Uganda for safety. "This is a national disaster," said Abbas Gullet, the agency's secretary-general...

Article continues at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3118970.ece

Pakistan rejects [International] help in Bhutto probe

29 Dec 2007

Pakistan rejects [International] help in Bhutto probe

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan rejected foreign help in investigating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Saturday, despite controversy over the circumstances of her death and three days of paralyzing turmoil.

The Islamic militant group blamed by officials for the attack that killed Bhutto denied any links to the killing on Saturday, and Bhutto's aides accused the government of a cover-up.

President Pervez Musharraf ordered his security chiefs to quell rioting by Bhutto's grieving followers that has killed at least 44 people over three days and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

"Criminals should stop their despicable activities, otherwise they will have to face serious consequences," Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party called a meeting Sunday expected to choose a new leader, decide whether to participate in Jan. 8 parliamentary elections and hear her last will and testament.

If the party pulls out, it would destroy the credibility of the poll, already being boycotted by rival opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. The U.S. government has pressured Musharraf, who seized power in a coup eight years ago, to push ahead with the election to promote stability in this nuclear armed nation, a key ally against Islamic extremism.

The riots destroyed nine election offices -- along with the voter rolls and ballot boxes inside, the election commission said. The commission has called an emergency meeting for Monday to decide how to proceed.

Questions about Bhutto's assassination have intensified since she died Thursday evening when a suicide attacker shot at her and then blew himself up as she waved to supporters from the sunroof of her armored vehicle outside a campaign rally. The disputes were sure to further enflame the violence and have led to calls for an international, independent investigation into the attack.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that an international probe was vital because there was "no reason to trust the Pakistani government," while others called for a U.N. investigation.

Cheema dismissed the suggestion. This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which we require assistance of the international community. I think we are capable of handling it," he said.

Learn more about it from Yahoo/Associated Press at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071229/ap_on_re_as/pakistan

Bhutto Assasination in Pakistan (video)

Bhutto Assassinated, 20 Others Dead in Terror Attack

EmergencyNet *FLASH* Report

12/27/2007 - 12:17:14 PM CST

Bhutto Assassinated, 20 Others Dead in Terror Attack

PAKISTAN: Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday by an attacker who shot her after a campaign rally and then blew himself up. Her death stoked new chaos across the nuclear-armed nation, an important U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.

At least 20 others were also killed in the attack on the rally for Jan. 8 parliamentary elections where the 54-year-old Bhutto had just spoken.

Her supporters erupted in anger and grief after her killing, attacking police and burning tires and election campaign posters in several cities. Security forces have been placed on a state of "red alert" nationwide.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Analysts believe Islamist militants to be the most likely group behind it. Other observors suggest that the attack may be linked to elements within the government.

Watch EmergencyNet News for continuing developments on this important and emerging story.

-- AP, Reuters, and FoxNews contributed to this report

Benazir Bhutto's profile

By ANI, Thursday December 27, 07:43 PM

Previous Reference:

Emergency.Blog : More Than 100 Killed in Attack on Bhutto's Convoy in Pakistan

Killed in Attack on Bhutto's Convoy in Pakistan - More Than 100 Killed in Attack on Bhutto's Convoy in Pakistan Posted by C. L. Staten

http://www.emergency.com/archive/2007/10/entry_278.htm

Previous report from: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT, EmergencyNet News Service, Tuesday, October 23, 2007, Vol. 13, No. 296

Pakistan's Bhutto receives new threat

KARACHI, Pakistan - Benazir Bhutto received a new death threat Tuesday, her lawyer said, and a top official revealed there apparently were two suicide bombers behind last week's bloody attempt to kill her.

Sen. Farooq Naik, Bhutto's lawyer, said he had received a two-page handwritten letter in the Urdu language from an unidentified person threatening to kill the former prime minister "by any means." The writer claimed to be a friend of al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and extremists in Pakistan.

The authenticity of the letter could not be confirmed, but Naik said the party was taking it seriously. He said he asked the chief justice of Pakistan to get the government to investigate the threat and protect her.

"We cannot take anything lightly" after Thursday's bombing, he said. Bhutto's homecoming from an eight-year exile was shattered by the blasts that hit her caravan as she traveled through Karachi. She escaped injury, but 136 other people were killed.

Sindh provincial Gov. Ishrat Ul-Ebad Khan said people in custody in connection with seven previous suicide attacks in Karachi were being questioned in prisons in the city and elsewhere in Pakistan in the hope they can provide clues into the bombing.

Russia's Putin Named Time 'Person of the Year'

19 Dec 2007 - 12:00 CST

Putin is named Time 'Person of the Year'

NEW YORK - According to the Associated Press, Time magazine on Wednesday named Russian President Vladimir Putin its 2007 "Person of the Year."

The nod went to the Russian leader because of Putin's "extraordinary feat of leadership in taking a country that was in chaos and bringing it stability," said Richard Stengel, Time's managing editor.

Putin, 55, is enormously popular in Russia, presiding over a resurgent economy flush with revenue from oil and natural gas. But critics say he has moved the country away from Russia's democratic reforms of the 1990s by tightening control of the media, courts and parliament.

"He's the new czar of Russia and he's dangerous in the sense that he doesn't care about civil liberties, he doesn't care about free speech," Stengel said.

Get the whole story at: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/
article/1,28804,1690753_1690757_1690766,00.html

[Emergency.Blog editorial/opinion/comment: If Time magazine were Komsomolskaya Pravda, Putin is 'person of the year'. Otherwise, Gen. David Petraeus and his efforts for freedom of the Iraqi people wins "Person of the Year" honors...in the opinion of Emergency.Blog staff.]

Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities

November 2007

Can be found at: http://www.odni.gov/press_releases/20071203_release.pdf