MFS - The Other News

                    Afternoon   Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 01. Here .(Al-Jazeera)And  here (BBC).

• Sirya live blog - March 30  here.(Al -Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 4.3 and 5.5 today. More info here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 69. Source .

• HT:NuclearHistory.Evacuees warned not to return to homes for short inspections.Workers are racing to find the source of contaminated water that has been pooling in the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The leaks have often forced workers to flee the plant, preventing them from restarting important cooling systems.“The amount of water is enormous, and we need any wisdom available,” said nuclear safety agency spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama.A spokesman for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Thursday that radioactive contamination in groundwater 15 yards (meters) under one of six reactors there had been measured at 10,000 times the government standard. It was the first time the utility has released statistics for groundwater near the plant.The government did not say what the standard is but the elevated levels would only be an issue if contamination got into the water supply, and spokesman Naoyuki Matsumo said the water supply has not been affected. Also, no one is living there because everyone within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the plant has been evacuated.

Experts from French nuclear giant Areva, which supplied fuel to the plant, are helping figure out how to dispose of the contaminated water that has begun leaking into the ground and the sea.“We are not a supplier only for happy days,” CEO Anne Lauvergeon told reporters in Tokyo on Thursday. “We are effectively also there when things become difficult.” (Areva is the MOx maker.)Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the tsunami and magnitude-9.0 earthquake. Some saw their homes destroyed by the wall of water, while others have been ordered to leave the evacuation zone. Authorities have recommended that people in a 20-mile (30-kilometer) band might want to evacuate too.Frustrated evacuees had begun trickling back into the smaller zone to gather belongings and check on their homes, but officials in Fukushima prefecture posted warnings at evacuation centers telling them not to go back for any reason.“There is not only a risk that you may be contaminated, but also that you could contaminate others in the evacuation centers when you return,” the warnings said. “The national government is now considering whether to allow brief return visits, so please bear with us.”On Friday, the government said it planned more tests on a cow slaughtered for beef that had very slightly elevated levels of cesium, another radioactive particle. Officials stressed that the meat was never put on the market. Contamination has already been found in vegetables and raw milk near the plant.Health Ministry spokesman Taku Ohara said the cesium was found in a cow slaughtered March 15 more than 40 miles (70 kilometers) from the plant. It had a total cesium level of 510 becquerels per kilogram. The limit is 500.Radioactive cesium can build up in the body and high levels are thought to be a risk for various cancers. Still, researchers who studied Chernobyl could not find an increase in cancers that might be linked to cesium.

It is still found in the soil of Germany, Austria and France 25 years after Chernobyl and is found in wild boar in Germany, making the pigs off-limits for eating in many cases. The limit Germany has set for cesium in wild boars is 600 becquerels per kilogram.

In Japan, the radiation has forced police officers trying to recover the dead from the evacuation zone to don white hazmat suits and radiation monitors. Officials believe more than 19,000 people died, but so far only about 11,000 bodies have been found. Local media estimate that hundreds of corpses remain.(French President)Sarkozy, the first major international leader to visit since the disaster, praised the work being done at the plant.“Every image I have seen is really, really disturbing, and I am really impressed by the workers in Fukushima who work at the nuclear plant with courage,” he said before meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.After the meeting, he urged the world to learn from Japan’s crisis and suggested that the Group of 20 nations set international nuclear safety standards.“It’s completely abnormal that these international safety norms don’t exist,” Sarkozy said. The International Atomic Energy Agency does have standards, but nations are not bound by them.Any other industry with such a negative impact would be labelled criminal. The nuclear industry however labells victims and subject populations as “radiophobic” and gets away with it, as if the entire world were the USSR. Its not. And then there is this honest statement:

“Naturally, high radiation levels in soil, if continued over a long period of time…will likely affect human health, so we need to step up our (radiation) monitoring, and if need be take steps to deal with it,” Edano said.”Read the full story here.

• Two UN staff beheaded and eight others murdered in protest against U.S. pastor who burnt Koran.Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish and Nepalese nationals among those killed Ten United Nations staff were murdered - two by beheading - after extremists stormed their compound in northern Afghanistan today.Protesters broke into UN offices in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif after a demonstration against Koran burnings in the U.S. turned violent.

A small breakaway group attacked the UN compound, throwing stones and climbing on blast barriers to try to gain entry.They seized weapons from guards and opened fire before storming the site. An Afghan police source, who asked not to be named, said the chief of the mission in the city was wounded but survived.

Among those murdered were Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish and Nepalese nationals. Two were decapitated, it is understood.General Daud Daud, commander of Afghan National Police in several northern provinces, said those killed included five Nepalese guards who were working for the UN and two other foreigners employed at the complex.

A UN spokesman confirmed that workers had been killed at the mission, but he said the situation on the ground was still confusing and it was difficult to 'ascertain facts'.Staffan De Mistura, the top UN representative in Afghanistan, was heading to Mazar-i-Sharif to handle the matter personally, he added.

Over a thousand demonstrators had flooded into the streets of the normally peaceful city after Friday prayers, where they heard reports about the Koran burnings in America last month.Mohammad Azim, a businessman in Mazer-i-Sharif, said that clerics with loudspeakers had driven around the city in two cars to invite residents to the protest.Thousands of demonstrators also marched through the western city of Herat. There, protesters burned a U.S. flag at a sports stadium and chanted 'Death to the US' and 'They broke the heart of Islam'.Around 200 also protested near the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Both protests remained relatively peaceful.Demonstrations against the Koran burning also took place in Pakistan today.Women representing the Working Women Welfare Trust marched through the streets of Karachi voicing their anger against Pastor Jones.Just last week, Afghan president Hamid Karzai had announced Mazar-i-Sharif would be one of the first parts of the war torn country Afghan security would take from Nato forces.Hmmmm....."The religion of Peace".I wonder why they are beheading Russian soldiers in the Caucasus as well.And will they compensate the family with Diyya(Bloodmoney)?Read the full story here. More here.

• Updated : UN officials told The Daily Telegraph the final toll could rise as high as 20.And there were unconfirmed reports that the head of the United Nations Military Assistance Mission (Unama) in Mazar-e-Sharif had also been seriously injured Local residents said about 2,000 demonstrators attacked UN guards stationed outside Unama compound, seized their weapons and began firing at police. Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a police spokesman, said the protesters beheaded two of the guards and shot others before scaling an anti-blast wall to topple a guard tower and set fire to buildings. Few details were available on how the attack took place, but local residents said crowds began gathering there after a cleric at the city's central mosque urged worshippers at Friday prayers to call on the UN take action against Wayne Sapp, an evangelical preacher who burned a Koran at a service at a small fringe church in Gainesville, Flordia, on March 20. There was confusion over the numbers of dead after Atta Mohammad Noor, the governor of Balkh province, said seven UN staff had been killed, including a woman. Later reports, however, placed the number at eight. Unama said it was aware of the incident, but did not disclose details on casualties, saying it was "working to ascertain all the facts." Local police spokesman Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai said "two of the killed UN staff were beheaded." General Abdul Rauf Taj, a senior official, had earlier said that two guards were "shot in the head."Security at Nato and UN buildings in Afghanistan had been upgraded in recent weeks amid fears of attacks in protest at revelations that a 'Kill Squad' of American soldiers had killed innocent civilians and taken photographs of the bodies as trophies. The US government has apologised for the atrocities, but its officials have been braced for retaliatory attacks since the photographs were published. Read and see the full story here.

• Florida Pastor Responds to Slaughter of UN Workers in Afghanistan Over Koran Burning.Thousands of protesters angry over the burning of a Quran by a Florida pastor stormed a U.N. compound Friday in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 12 people, including eight foreigners, and that pastor has issued a response:

In regard to the riots that have just taken place in Afghanistan at the UN headquarters, the actions of breaking in, setting on fire, and killing of at least 10 individuals so far is highly unacceptable for the government of the United States.

We, at Stand Up America Now, find this a very tragic and criminal action. The United States government and the United Nations itself, must take immediate action. We must hold these countries and people accountable for what they have done as well as for any excuses they may use to promote their terrorist activities. The time has come to hold Islam accountable.

Our United States government and our President must take a close, realistic look at the radical element Islam. Islam is not a religion of peace. It is time that we call these people to accountability. We demand that our United States government stand up and speak out against these acts. These people must be called to justice.

We demand action from the United Nations. Muslim dominated countries can no longer be allowed to spread their hate against Christians and minorities. They must alter the laws that govern their countries to allow for individual freedoms and rights, such as the right to worship, free speech, and to move freely without fear of being attacked or killed.Dr. Terry Jones.President Barack Obama strongly condemned the attack and stressed the importance of work of the U.N. staff in Afghanistan.

"Their work is essential to building a stronger Afghanistan for the benefit of all its citizens. We stress the importance of calm and urge all parties to reject violence and resolve differences through dialogue," Obama said.Hmmm......No word about butchering people in the name of Islam, as usual "I will stand with my Muslim Brothers".Source.

• Afghanistan - Jailed for being abused.Sima is 15, but looks even younger. I met her in Kabul, in the female juveniles section of the Badam Bagh prison, earlier this month. She talks very little, but her eyes are full of grief. A defense lawyer told me it is likely she had been raped.What is Sima’s crime? She is serving her sentence for running away from domestic violence. About half of all women in Afghan prisons are there for the same “crime.” Some of them are in prison with their babies. The youngest ones are no older than 12. Having spent time in jail, they will rarely be accepted back by their families and communities.Ten years since the Taliban fled Kabul and new laws, policies and development aid have brought some benefits to Afghan women, but deep-rooted challenges remain. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recently issued a report on harmful traditional practices against women and girls in Afghanistan. About half of women marry before the age of 15. It is estimated that 70 to 80 percent of marriages are forced. Selling girls or giving them away in settlement of a conflict is common practice. The literacy rate of Afghan girls aged 15 or older is just 12 percent. Unsurprisingly, violence and abusive behavior against them is widespread. Afghanistan has ratified the convention on the elimination of discrimination against women, but their initial report is long overdue. A law on eliminating violence against women was adopted recently, but its enforcement is a real challenge: victims are reluctant to seek help from police officers, 99 percent of whom are male.So, what can they do when they face abuse? Desperate girls and women all too often commit suicide, an increasing number of them by self-immolation. Those who have the courage to run away and seek refuge within their family are often returned to their abusive husbands or parents. Those who try to find a safe haven at their neighbors’ or friends’ houses face criminal charges for the intent to commit “zina” (adultery, or sexual relations out of marriage). The punishment is not provided by law, nor, I was told by experts, is it consistent with shariah, which requires witnesses and proof. It is based merely on an instruction of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. The only safe havens for victims are NGO-run shelters for women and girls, yet Afghan authorities have recently threatened to halt their continued operation.This week the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the U.N. assistance mission in Afghanistan. It “strongly condemns” continuing discrimination against women and girls; calls for enhanced efforts to secure their rights; and supports women’s shelters. It also addresses the main problem: empowerment of Afghan women and ensuring that women’s rights are an integral part of peace, reintegration and reconciliation efforts. If girls are not educated and women not included in political life and public administration and justice system, traditional harmful practices will continue and their human rights will never be protected. Only if they are present and active in peace talks can they rest assured that even the modest gains secured to date will not be used as bargaining chips.Hmmmm.......Welcome to 'Escape from A.D. 620'.Read the full story here.

• Libya: Allied strikes crime against humanity.Libyan spokesman lashes out at West, says "mad, criminal prime ministers and presidents of Europe leading crusade against Arab Muslim nation; meanwhile, rebels says Gaddafi forces shelling city, 'destroying everything'.Libya described coalition air strikes against it on Friday as a "crime against humanity," saying at least six civilians were killed in an attack on a village in the east of the country. "Some mad and criminal prime ministers and presidents of Europe are leading a crusade against an Arab Muslim nation," a government spokesman, Mussa Ibrahim, told reporters. "Sounds familiar? ... It's a crime against humanity."One resident said an attempt by government forces to take control of the city centre had been fought off by rebels but that afterwards pro-Gaddafi forces started indiscriminate shelling of Misrata's port and the city centre. "They used tanks, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and other projectiles to hit the city today. It was a random and very intense bombardment," a rebel spokesman called Sami told Reuters by telephone. "We no longer recognize the place. The destruction cannot be described." "The pro-Gaddafi soldiers who made it inside the city through Tripoli Street are pillaging the place, the shops, even homes, and destroying everything in the process."They are targeting everyone, including civilians' homes. I don't know what to say, may Allah help us," he said.Also Friday, The Libyan government rejected ceasefire conditions set out by rebel leaders saying government troops would not leave Libyan cities as demanded by the opposition. "They are asking us to withdraw from our own cities. .... If this is not mad then I don't know what this is. We will not leave out cities," said Mussa Ibrahim, the government spokesman.Hmmmm.......The Obamamination grows?Read the full story here.

• Israeli PM Netanyahu Asks UN Chief To Stop “Islamist Infiltrated” Gaza Flotilla, Says They Will Use Force If Necessary.Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Friday asked visiting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help stop a planned international aid flotilla to Gaza.The prime minister charged the “Freedom Fleet 2,” which plans to sail to Gaza in May, will be infiltrated by radical Islamists bent on violence, The Jerusalem Post reported.“Because of the attempt to smuggle weapons into Gaza by sea, Israel must act with force against the flotilla,” Netanyahu said.The pro-Palestinian Free Gaza movement says the flotilla will include 15 ships from various countries and thousands of participants. At a meeting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the activists called on the governments of participating nationals to protect them.Source.

• UN to Israel: Surrender!by Israel Today.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday reiterated that the world body expects Israel to immediately surrender to internationally-backed Arab demands that it relinquish all claims to the Jews’ biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria and half of their ancient capital of Jerusalem.The Jewish presence in the so-called “West Bank,” which includes the eastern half of Jerusalem, is “morally and politically unsustainable, and must end,” Ban insisted during a press conference in Uruguay.Meanwhile, the Palestinians are moving forward plans to unilaterally declare an independent state with the support of the UN, outside the framework of a land-for-peace deal with Israel.Palestinian leaders indicated that they will make such a move later this year. The motion is almost certain to be shot down in the UN Security Council, where the US exercises veto power, but will be widely adopted by the UN General Assembly, which most will see as more than adequate for “Palestine” to be declared a state.Israeli officials are busy lobbying various nations against supporting this move. But diplomats fear their efforts are bearing little fruit, since Israel is not presenting any kind of alternative plan or process.Many within Israel are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop playing the diplomatic game by the Arab world’s rules, and to instead begin insisting that the UN approach the peace process from the viewpoint that the West Bank and Jerusalem are disputed territories, where Jews have just as much, if not more, claim than local Palestinian Arabs.But it is likely too late for that. And if it comes down to the UN General Assembly recognizing “Palestine,” Israel may be forced into desperate action.An unnamed Israeli official told the Associated Press on Tuesday that if the Palestinians seek recognition of their sovereignty in the UN, Israel may annex the parts of the West Bank most populated by Jews - the much-maligned “settlement blocs.”Israel already annexed the eastern half of Jerusalem decades ago, but that decision is all but ignored by the international community.Hmmmm.....Was there ever a 'Palestinian' people mentioned in the Bible or the Torah?Read the full story here.

• Somali terrorists lure Toronto women. Two Somali-Canadian women who vanished from Toronto in early January travelled to Somalia and are believed to have joined Al Shabaab, say community members who fear the increasing appeal of this outlawed terrorist group among youth.

“No one knows what happened . . . how they were brainwashed,” said Mohamed Gilao of Dejinta Beesha, a Rexdale-based organization that helps Somali-Canadians. “It’s very, very worrying.”It is the first known case of women being recruited by Al Shabaab in North America, sending shock waves through Toronto’s Somali community. Their disappearance is particularly troubling for those still reeling from news of the Tuesday night arrest of Mohamed Hersi, 25, at Pearson airport before boarding a flight for Cairo. Police allege he planned to make his way to Somalia to join Shabaab. The Scarborough man, facing terror-related charges, is scheduled to appear in a Brampton court Friday to set a bail hearing.It has long been believed that Shabaab was targeting only young men to take up arms with the Islamist youth militia. In the United States, two Somali-born American women were indicted in 2010 for their alleged role in a fundraising scheme for the group. While fundraising efforts were focused in the U.S., they also allegedly solicited funds in Canada.The Toronto women, believed to be good friends, are between the ages of 18 and 20. They disappeared from their west-end homes one morning in January, leaving behind unsuspecting families. The two later emailed saying they were in Somalia, recalled a community member who knows both families and did not want his name disclosed. “They told their parents they were fine and not to look for them. Their parents are devastated. . . . They don’t know what to do.” He said the two families had no indication their daughters were being radicalized. “They never saw it coming. Now they are very worried for the other kids, too.” The women have since emailed their families a few times, but have never called, said another member of the Somali community. Both women lived with their families and are believed to have been born in Canada. One was a student at the University of Toronto; it’s not clear where the other studied. An uncle of one missing woman confirmed she was missing but did not want to talk about it. Omar Jamal, who works with the UN’s Somali mission in New York and is well-known among the Somali diaspora in the U.S. and Canada, said women are more susceptible to indoctrination than men. “We are slowly starting to realize that,” a shocked Jamal said in an interview. “I think the Shabaab is now targeting girls because they are believed to be more dedicated.”But the Canadian Security Intelligence Service would not comment on their disappearance or how many others they suspect have joined the ranks of the Shabaab. “We are actively engaged in investigating security threats to Canada and Canadian interests, including the threat posed by radicalization and terrorism,” said agency spokesperson Tahera Mufti. “However, we will not publicly discuss specific operational activities or interests.”The women are among the latest in a growing number of local youth suspected to have been recruited by the Al Qaeda-inspired movement.Others from Toronto include a group of six young men who vanished in late 2009. Of the so-called Somali Six, Mohammed Elmi Ibrahim of Scarborough, died in battle about a year ago.Ahmed Hussen, president of the Canadian Somali Congress, also says another man, who is about 20, fought with Shabaab between the ages of 16 to 18 but has since returned and is living in the Dixon Rd. neighbourhood known as Little Mogadishu.Hmmmm......Sounds like Canada is having a serious homegrown Jihad movement,"The ennemy within"?Read the full story here.

• Militant Muslim warns Royal wedding terror attack is ‘highly likely’.Firebrand cleric Anjem Choudary has warned that a terror attack is 'highly likely' at the Royal wedding.The hate preacher has told all Muslims to stay away from Westminster Abbey on April 29, describing it as 'a prime target'.Choudary has also been preaching to followers of the hate group, Muslims Against Crusades, and is backing its plan for a 'forceful demonstration' at the wedding.Choudary said: 'All Muslims should stay away from the public gatherings like the Royal wedding and the Olympics because there is a very high likelihood of an attack. 'Prime targets most probably would be public gatherings like that, so I think Muslims in general should stay away to avoid injury.'Maybe when the priest says "is there anyone who objects to this wedding speak now or forever hold your tongue" - who knows what will happen at that time? 'If my brothers decide to use the opportunity when the world is looking at the Royal Family to pass a message so that we can avoid more deaths of innocent men, women and children in Afghanistan, that should be applauded.'Prince William has been on military duty in Afghanistan, as well as his brother. 'I believe that the Queen and her children are supportive of the war in Afghanistan, which translates to us as a war against Muslims.'He became leader of Islam4UK but it was banned last year under the Terrorism Act 2000.Now a new group has emerged in its place and Choudary admits he is involved.Muslims Against Crusades is attracting the same fanatics who caused uproar with their planned protest at Wootten Bassett.They sparked outrage when they demonstrated on Armistice Day, burning poppies during the two-minute silence.The group has set up a website with a clock counting down to the Royal wedding, calling the Royal Family 'enemies to Allah and his messenger'.Choudhary says the disruption to the Royal wedding could include hardliners from the group setting fire to Union Jack flags.He said: 'It's not illegal in this country to burn a Union Jack. There may be placards and people addressing the crowd.'A lot of them are former students of mine. Also they were previously with al-Muhajiroun so I do know them. I'm not their spokesman but they invite me from time to time.A spokesman for Scotland Yard said, in reference to burning the Union flag, that any words or behaviour likely to cause 'harrassment, alarm or distress' to a reasonable person could be dealt with under public order legislation - as with the poppy burning incident.He added: 'When planning for major events the threat or terrorism is always a consideration. The Royal wedding is no exception to this.'Hmmmm....First we burn flags,then poppies next the Royals?It seems Brittain has forgotten the Oliver Cromwell days?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Saudi Sheikh: One Who Kills Himself and Others in Order to Win the Virgins of Paradise Is Not a Martyr but a Suicide; Only the Truly Virtuous Will Gain Paradise.When the Heart of a Young Man Fills with Yearning for the Virgins, It Is Easy for Him to Don an Explosive Belt

"Sometimes, young people [see] the scarf or the pretty legs of a young woman and go [completely] mad. They think only of her and believe they cannot live without her... And if they find no other way to meet [a young woman], they hasten their own death, because clamorous preachers and imams have convinced them that martyrdom is the bride-price [they must pay for the Virgins of Paradise], and that death is the only option... [Why] wait when the only thing separating you from the pleasure [of the Virgins] is death? Moreover, [these preachers tell them:] if you are martyred, the pain of death will be no more than a pinprick, and then you will immediately find yourselves in the arms [of the Virgins]."When the heart [of the young man] fills with yearning, and the desperate reality of his life overwhelms him, it is very easy for him to put an explosive belt around his waist, and even to shove the dynamite up his ass, as long as the goal is a lofty one, the prize is a Virgin [of Paradise], and the price is so low. The poor wretch does not realize that the price he is offering for his [heavenly] bride – namely his life, which he is ending by exploding a bomb and killing himself and others around him – will not necessarily be accepted, because those who marry the Virgins of Paradise must meet certain conditions. The first of these is that [the candidate] did not end his life in order to escape from a state of fatal despair... According to Islam, that is suicide.

"Lest anyone get on a high horse and accuse me of ignoring what is said in the Koran and the Sunna regarding the 'fair ones with wide, lovely eyes, like hidden pearls' [Koran 56:22-23], I hereby declare that I am well aware [of this verse], and that I yearn for [these virgins] myself and hope to attain them at all times. But I wish to point out that one who is crazy [with lust for them] has failed to read [some of the other Koranic] verses, for example... 'But [only] the sincere servants of Allah [will attain Paradise. Koran 37:40]'... [One who ignores these verses] does not know the qualities of [these sincere servants of Allah] and does not behave like them."Some of the Worst Human Devils are Those Who Pretend to Preach Religion, but in Effect are Only Turning Our Youth into Cannon-Fodder".

"One of the basic facts that [such a person] ignores is the true [purpose] of his existence: He was created to worship [Allah], to [establish] the Caliphate, and to spread the message [of Islam]... not in order to become a victim of a moment of despair, or in order to spill his blood for the sake of inventors of theories. [These theorists] pursue earthly goals they [can] attain only by spilling his blood and the blood of others like him whom they deceive, causing them to marry the darkness of death, imprisonment, and disobedience to their parents, or to [live their lives] in constant flight, hiding in caves and on mountaintops.

"Some of the worst human devils are those who pretend to engage in da'wa and jihad and to promote religion, and [thereby] control the minds of our youth – [but] not in order to provide them with knowledge, fill them with passion for our noble [Muslim] nation and its da'wa, or make them vehicles of culture and progress who can rival [our enemies] in technology and innovation. [Instead, their goal is] to send them to the front line of the war, to become cannon fodder..."

"The admittance test for entering Paradise is not one's [willingness] to don [an explosive belt] and press the button. The greatest test is [described] in religious texts that are eternal, irrevocable, and uncontroversial... One example will suffice... [According to a hadith], a man once approached the Prophet and told him he had come from afar to join the jihad. The Prophet asked him: 'Is your mother alive'? The man answered: 'Yes'. The Prophet said: 'Stay with her, for Paradise is under her feet.' Many of those [young people] leave their parents to weep and worry about their [fate]. If they [really] want to find Paradise, it is there [beside their parents]."Source.

• Medvedev’s Plan to Oust Putin Allies Tests Limits of Power.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev may be risking a power struggle with Vladimir Putin after an aide announced plans to oust Putin allies from some of the biggest state-owned companies a year before elections.

Medvedev this week will prepare orders to dismiss several government officials from state enterprises, including Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin as chairman of OAO Rosneft, the largest Russian oil company, Arkady Dvorkovich, his chief economic aide, said yesterday. Sechin has worked with Prime Minister Putin in several capacities since the two were colleagues at the St. Petersburg mayor’s office in the first half of the 1990s. Putin, 58, a former KGB colonel, kept power as prime minister after selecting Medvedev, 45, in 2008 to succeed him as president because of a constitutional ban on three consecutive terms. With 12 months left before the next presidential vote, it’s still uncertain which of the two men will run and Medvedev’s move may cause the biggest rift between them yet. “This risks triggering a war between the elites,” said Alexei Mukhin, director of the Moscow-based Center for Political Information, a research group. “It will mean a real conflict with Putin.”“The subject of replacing officials with independent directors has long been on the agenda,” he said by phone yesterday. “It is another matter, in the context of carrying out the instructions of the head of state, how we’ll monitor the implementation of state directives in those companies where the government is the majority shareholder.” Medvedev first advocated the idea during his presidential election campaign in February 2008. The president’s move now to confront Putin allies who remain dominant in the government shows that he has decided to assert himself, said Dmitry Oreshkin, an independent political analyst in Moscow. “This is a major development which marks the first independent move by Medvedev touching the interests of influential members of Putin’s team,” he said. Medvedev and Putin showed public discord last week over the U.N.-sanctioned military intervention in Libya. The president, who has spearheaded Russia’s efforts to improve ties with the U.S. and Europe, rebuked the prime minister for likening the allied campaign to a “crusade.” Medvedev wants to win a second term in 2012, Dvorkovich said last year. Putin also hasn’t ruled out running for the top position again. If the decision to remove Putin’s allies from state companies is implemented, it would show that Medvedev intends to carry out his free-market policies and is an independent politician, said Masha Lipman, an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center. “This can be interpreted as an attempt to show his authority,” she said. “This would be a very important step weakening people who are very strong players, who are powerful by virtue of being close to Putin.” Medvedev, who in his first year in office pushed through a constitutional change extending the presidential term to six years from four, and his team would be able to challenge the political and economic interests of Putin’s associates, said Oreshkin. “He could show a completely different side,” he said. “The closer the elections come, the more aggressively he is acting.” Hmmmm......The 'Russian Medvedev'(Bear) awaking from hibernation?Read the full story here.

• Our claim to the land.We need clear understanding of why Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, Yoel Meltzer writes.What is more, this lack of clarity affects both sides of the political spectrum, leaving us with the bluff known as the Left-Right political divide. In other words, for years the Left has been saying to the Arabs “take Judea and Samaria and create a Palestinian state” whereas the Right, lacking any alternative approach, first flexes its muscles and drags its feet and only afterwards says to the Arabs “take Judea and Samaria and create a Palestinian state.” Thus, nothing changes and we're constantly "stuck" since for the most part there is only a quantitative difference, rather than a qualitative one, between the Left and the Right.

Hence, in order to stand strong in the face of all the demands and threats, and to begin actively changing the situation in a positive direction, we need to focus our energy on trying to elucidate this very fundamental issue. Moreover, it is our own lack of clarity on this issue and not what the Arabs or the rest of the world maintain that is the real source of the problem. Having said all that, the truth is there is only one thing that is capable of providing us with the level of certainty that is needed to keep from buckling under to the escalating local and international pressure. Simply stated, it is the unwavering belief that the Land of Israel was given to the Jewish people by God. This basic tenet of Judaism has the ability to instill within us the deep sense of conviction that is needed to fully believe in the justness of our cause and to stand strong against those who challenge our right to exist as a sovereign nation in the Land of Israel. Moreover it is this, and not the Holocaust or a UN vote, which is our real claim to the Land of Israel.The question is, do we as individuals and as a nation actually believe in this most basic principle of Judaism? This is a question that we no longer have the luxury to ignore, as our continued existence in this land is contingent upon it being addressed.Read the full story here.

• The Harper government has eroded Canada’s global reputation as a human rights champion, says a international watchdog.Amnesty blasts Tories’ rights record, citing pro-Israel stance.The government has defended its Middle East stance, saying it believes a non-violent end to the dispute and the creation of a separate Palestinian state that would live peacefully with its Israeli neighbour.The Conservatives had been given advance notice of some of the report’s contents but did not reply.At home, the report points to “devastating cuts” in funding to Canadian agencies such as KAIROS and the Canadian Council for International Co-operation for publicly disagreeing with government policy.“On the home front, Canada’s human rights movement feels under siege,” the report states.Hmmmmm.....Not satisfied with kicking Canada out of the UN human rights commision ,now attacking Canadians at home?Where is Amesty when Hundreds of Iranians are tortured and hanged?Stop bashing Israel and do what you're supposed to do !If anything Harper made us proud to stand up against the worldwide Anti- Semitism.Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Thousands Of Islamists Due To Return To Egypt From Abroad.A lawyer who works with various Islamist groups has predicted that 3,000 leading figures of the Jama'a al-Islamyia and Egyptian Islamic Jihad groups will return to Egypt in a few days, as their names have been dropped from the "wanted" list maintained by Egyptian security forces."They are coming back from Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, Somalia, Kenya, Iran and London," said Ibrahim Ali.He said that Jama'a al-Islamyia had requested the authorities to drop death sentences that had been issued in absentia by military courts against some of its members so that they could return to Egypt.Among those waiting to come back are Osama Rushdi, who lives in London, Hussein Shemeis, who was convicted of the 1995 assassination attempt on then-Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa, and Muhammad Shawki al-Islambouli, brother of Khaled al-Islambouli, who assassinated president Anwar Sadat.Hmmmm......Thank you Barack HUSSEIN Obama?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Video : Former Lebanese Minister and Hizbullah Ally Wiam Wahhab Compares Women Wearing the Niqab to Garbage Bags.Read and see the full story here.

• HT:Memri.In Saudi Arabia, New Restrictive Guidelines For Girls' Schools' Outings.The Saudi Education Ministry has issued new regulations banning girls' schools from taking field trips to beaches, pools, and dangerous places. The schools now require permission from the pupils' male guardian to participate in trips, and must observe religious rules and shari'a law during them. The new regulations stress that the places visited must have no men present.Hmmmm...."Only the educated are free".Epictetus.Source.