Archive through January 31, 2003
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Archive through January 31, 2003
Cyn | Monday, January 20, 2003 - 11:10 am     CHILLING RICIN TWIST By NILES LATHEM January 20, 2003 -- EXCLUSIVE WASHINGTON - The terrorists arrested in Europe for planning to carry out attacks there with ricin are part of the vicious Algerian network behind the millennium bomb plots in the United States, sources say. U.S. officials are monitoring the recent arrests in Britain and France amid concern that the "Algerian wing" of Osama bin Laden's terror empire has been activated for assassinations and biological and chemical attacks in America and Europe. Sources told The Post that the 20 Algerians arrested in the ricin plot in Europe are part of a network now being directed from al Qaeda's European branch. British police this month arrested at least 10 Algerian men - including two teens seeking asylum and living on British taxpayers' money - in connection with the discovery of traces of ricin in a London pad Jan 5. Early this morning, British anti-terrorist police raided a London mosque that, they said, was linked to the ricin discovery. Officers arrested seven people in the raid. No chemicals had been found on the mosque premises. Scotland Yard had been led to seven men in London by French police following arrests of several Algerian men in a Paris suburb who had chemicals and training manuals to make chemical weapons. British police are unsure what the men were planning. But one of the terrorists arrested in Paris told interrogators that the group was planning a series of simultaneous attacks in London and Paris involving ricin and, possibly, other chemical and biological weapons, sources said. The fears that there may be other cells in the Algerian network using ricin and other easy-to-make poisons prompted the NYPD to send an investigator to London last week. The FBI also issued a bulletin to police departments nationwide about how to recognize and handle ricin, which, though derived from simple castor beans, is one of the world's deadliest natural poisons. U.S. officials said the London cells appear to be the same group of former Algerian Islamic rebels who fled their country and aligned with bin Laden in the 1990s. The Algerian group is infamous for trying to smuggle would-be homicide bombers into the United States to carry out attacks in Los Angeles and Seattle during the New Year's celebrations of 2000. copyright New York Post (nypost.com) |
Cyn | Monday, January 20, 2003 - 11:16 am     Mohamed Atta's Connections: FEDS CONVINCED OF 9/11 HIJACKER'S LINK TO IRAQ New York Post; New York; Aug 3, 2002; ANDY GELLER Abstract: Last October, Czech Interior Minister Stanislav Gross announced that [Mohamed Atta] had flown to Prague in April 2001 and met with Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir Ani, a vice consul at the Iraqi Embassy. SADDAM & AL QAEDA New York Post; New York; Sep 27, 2002 Abstract: According to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, much of the information America now has about Iraq-al Qaeda contacts comes from al Qaeda operatives captured since 9/11. She added: "Several of the detainees, in particular some high ranking detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al Qaeda in chemical weapons development." 2 MORE SEPT. 11 HIJACKERS TIED TO IRAQ New York Post; New York; Nov 12, 2001; WILLIAM NEUMAN Abstract: The CIA has evidence that two more hijackers, besides terror leader Mohamed Atta, met with Iraqi intelligence officials earlier this year - bolstering arguments for a Baghdad role in the attacks, it was reported yesterday. ps - these are from old cover stories of the local NY Post. These same articles only written differently can also be found within any local NY paper by doing a search using Atta Iraq. |
Crossfire | Monday, January 20, 2003 - 11:38 am     The United Nations gains an ounce of credibility by returning the United States to a seat at the Human Rights council, alarmed officials quickly move to shred it by electing Muammar Gaddafi's Libya to chairman of the council. Pick your favorite source to read more, some consider the bbc to be impartial, so I link them. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2672029.stm |
Halfunit | Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 07:50 pm     Fox News reporting 7+ earthquake in Mexico City. |
Draheid | Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 07:52 pm     <sneaking in to peek - wondering why the headline "HalfNuti heads to chat" isn't in here???> |
Kaili | Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 07:52 pm     I just saw the EQ on local news and was going to put it here but they moved onto another story about some people who fell through the ice and they are still looking for one guy (this was 2 hours ago they fell through!) |
Flint | Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 03:52 am     From Korea Herald http://www.koreaherald.co.kr//index.asp Virus attack paralyzes Internet service In an unprecedented incident, Korea's Internet and e-mail services were completely paralyzed Saturday in the aftermath of a virus attack, apparently from abroad, incurring astronomical damages to local businesses and over 10 million Netizens. Internet service companies and security firms managed to repair the extensive network failures late Saturday night, but businesses and Netizens still complained of extraordinarily slow Internet and e-mail services yesterday. In many parts of the country, the Internet services were offered in an on-and-off manner, with public and private firms and individuals dependent on the Internet for day-to-day businesses reporting hundreds of billions of won in losses. Besides Korea, a number of countries across the world came under a similar virus attack over the weekend. But damages were particularly severe in Korea, which boasts the world's highest ratio of computer distribution and Internet access. The authorities warned of a recurrence of the similar network virus attacks today, as businesses resume regular operations. Scurrying to cope with the disastrous situation, the Ministry of Information and Communication announced that the culprit behind the nationwide Internet paralysis has been identified as a new kind of worm virus. "The spread of a high destructive worm virus, apparently from abroad, randomly attacked domestic Internet networking servers using Microsoft's database software, SQL Server 2000, resulting a nationwide halt of Internet and e-mail services Saturday," said Minister Lee Sang-chul. "Unlike the conventional worm viruses targeting computers and servers, the new virus, named SQL Slammer or SQL Overflow, made direct attacks on the network servers. Breakdown of servers tends to paralyze the entire Internet system," he explained in a press conference. The minister, while expressing his deep apologies for the confusion and inconvenience caused by the unprecedented failure of the Internet, vowed to take immediate countermeasures through local network security firms. The National Police Agency, also convinced that the latest virus attack may have originated from abroad, said that it will launch an extensive probe into the worm virus in conjunction with Interpol, an international police agency. The new virus is known to seek out victim servers and computers on the Internet among servers using the MS SQL (short for structured query language) Server, randomly and send out thousands of virus files each second to Internet data pipelines. Minister Lee, however, admitted that the government has yet to exactly determine the number of the MS servers in use in the country. Internet service providers said a sudden surge in traffic jammed their networks Saturday afternoon. A KT spokesman said excessive traffic was initially loaded to the domain name server (DNS) of KT's Hyehwa office in downtown Seoul to shut down the server. The service shutdown then spread to all of the Internet service systems of KT, Hanaro Telecom, Dacom, Thrunet and other service providers. The system was restored after several hours, but the service remained slow throughout yesterday. "Excessive traffic caused one of KT's main domain servers to fail, forcing other servers to shut down in a chain reaction," said a KT official. "The failure affected busy weekend Internet banking and shopping traffic ahead of the lunar New Year holiday." By Yoo Cheong-mo Staff reporter |
Flint | Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 03:56 am     http://observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,882512,00.html US buys up Iraqi oil to stave off crisis Seizing reserves will be an allied priority if forces go in Faisal Islam and Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow Sunday January 26, 2003 The Observer Facing its most chronic shortage in oil stocks for 27 years, the US has this month turned to an unlikely source of help - Iraq..... |
Crossfire | Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 04:41 am     Interesting and timely demonstration of the point I was making in another thread. If the US wants Iraq's oil, they need only ask. |
Maris | Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 10:30 am     from Afghanistan http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2696343.stm |
Flint | Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 06:11 pm     Jan. 24, 2003. 01:00 AM Support for Bush slips in latest U.S. polls WASHINGTON—Doubts are growing about U.S. President George W. Bush's handling of Iraq and the U.S. economy, though Americans support his campaign against terror and he remains personally popular, polls suggest. The public's bond with the president, forged after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, offers him opportunities to bolster his standing in the polls during Tuesday's State of the Union address, pollsters say. "The president has an opportunity to do two things that are necessary for the well-being of his administration," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. "One is to make the case on Iraq — where he needs help because support levels are slipping," he said. "It also would be good for him to improve confidence in the American public about the future direction of the economy and his stewardship of the economy." Bush's job approval was at 58 per cent in the Pew poll and 54 per cent in a new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, both released yesterday. Several other polls have shown Bush's approval rating in the 50s, still relatively healthy but down from the 90 per cent levels it reached after Sept. 11. Bush's standing on foreign policy has dropped, with about half, 51 per cent, approving of his efforts in the NBC-WSJ poll. Associated Press |
Kristylovesbb | Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 07:58 pm      |
Cyn | Monday, January 27, 2003 - 03:07 pm     CNN reduced number of World Trade Center victims to 2,936 on Jan 3, 2003, but the number has risen once again to 2,941 with the following names being added: Gavkharoy Kamardlnova, 26; Shakila Yasmin, 26; Efrain Romero Sr., 57; Adriane Victoria Scibetta, 31; Douglas Jason Irgang. Each death is listed as a homicide. |
Cyn | Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 06:30 am     SAG Awards are on live on TNT! |
Curious1 | Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 06:42 am     '3 year old boy found chained to bed'. This is horrific! And this was a foster care family! They took these children out of their homes and placed them into this home????? http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/01/27/boy.chained.ap/index.html |
Cyn | Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 07:59 pm     Sandy Hook, Highlands-Based Coast Guard Boats Ordered To Deploy To Persian Gulf (Newark-AP, January 29, 2003) — Two New Jersey-based cutters along with a total of about 35 officers and crew will be among the U.S. Coast Guard's first mobilization of forces to a potential combat zone since the Vietnam war, the Coast Guard announced Wednesday. Vice Adm. James Hull ordered the deployments "as the United States repositions some of its military forces where required to support the war on terrorism and to prepare for future contingencies," the Coast Guard said in a statement. The USCGC Adak out of Sandy Hook and the USCGC Bainbridge Island, based at Highlands, are among eight 110-foot high-speed patrol boats, or 110s, ordered deployed. Their precise departure dates and destinations are classified, officials said. "We're pretty rarin' to go," a member of the Adak's crew, Operations Petty Officer Matthew James, 27, said Wednesday. A Coast Guard spokesman, Cmdr. Jim McPherson, said the aim of the deployment is to "deter the suicide bomb threat." McPherson said the cutters - 110-foot high-speed patrol boats - will depart within the next few days and said their role will be to protect "high value targets" such as Navy ships, oil tankers and military command vessels. James, who lives in Sandy Hook with his wife and young daughter, is an eight-year veteran of the service, whose closest duty to combat was patrolling New York Harbor immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks. "From where we were in Sandy Hook, we could see the smoke from the twin towers," James recalled in a telephone interview from Virginia, where he and crewmates have been training for three months. "In a way, it's exciting," James said of the deployment, although he added that he has been deployed before, including off Puerto Rico for drug interdiction duty. But, he added, "This is different, going into a potentially hostile area." More than 60,000 troops are already in the Gulf region, to be joined by about 120,000 more over the next few weeks. The buildup is expected to be complete before the end of February. President Bush has not yet said whether he'll use the troops to force Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to give up weapons of mass destruction that Saddam denies having. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that another 15,718 National Guard and Reserve forces have been called to active duty over the past week. The total number of active duty now stands at 94,624, most of whom are for homeland security. The exact number called up for duty in the Persian Gulf region was not disclosed, but it is expected to increase substantially in coming weeks as the prospect of war approaches. (Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) ))copied, cause no idea how to make the typed address line live.(( |
Twiggyish | Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 08:04 pm     This is all getting scarier and scarier. =( |
Kristylovesbb | Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 08:28 am     BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. military personnel were killed when an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a routine training mission in Afghanistan on Thursday. A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said the crash had resulted in "multiple fatalities." There was no indication of hostile fire, the command center said, and the crash was not caused by hostile activity related to recent U.S. military battles with Afghan fighters. The Black Hawk helicopter crashed about 10 kilometers (six miles) east of the Bagram Air Base while on a training mission in an area known as the East Training Range. It was not immediately known how many were on the helicopter. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/central/01/30/helicopter.crash/index.html |
Kaili | Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 01:53 pm     4 Americans Die in Afghanistan Crash By ROBERT BURNS WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. Army helicopter with four Americans aboard crashed near the Bagram air base in Afghanistan on Thursday and all four were killed, an American official said. It was the deadliest day for the American military in Afghanistan since March 4, 2002, when seven soldiers were killed and 11 wounded at the outset of an offensive against Taliban and al-Qaida remnant forces. The UH-60 helicopter crashed several miles east of Bagram air base in an area known as the East Training Range, said Jim Wilkinson, director of strategic communications at Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla. ``I can confirm that there are U.S. casualties and at this time this incident does not appear to be related to hostile action,'' Wilkinson said. He said all four aboard were killed, but he declined to provide other details about them or the circumstances of the crash. The helicopter and its crew were on a routine training mission, he said. Wilkinson did not immediately have information on the military service or unit to which the four victims belonged. Details were sketchy and officials said it was not immediately clear what caused the helicopter to crash. They stressed that it appeared to be an accident. The UH-60, known as a Black Hawk, is a utility transport aircraft that is a key to the Army's mobility. Bagram is the main base of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. The Black Hawk normally is flown by two pilots and a crew of two. It is designed to carry 11 combat-loaded, air assault troops, and it is capable of moving a 105-millimeter howitzer and 30 rounds of ammunition. The Black Hawk was first deployed in 1978 and it made its combat debut in the October 1983 invasion of Grenada. It performs a variety of missions, including air assault, air cavalry and aeromedical evacuations. In addition, modified Black Hawks operate as command and control, electronic warfare, and special operations aircraft. The last American killed in Afghanistan was Sgt. Steven Checo, 22, a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne. He was shot Dec. 21, 2002, while on a nighttime operation in the eastern province of Paktika, near the border of Pakistan. Since U.S. military action in Afghanistan began in October 2001, at least five U.S. helicopters have crashed or had hard landings that have injured U.S. troops. Two Army Rangers and two Marines have been killed, and at least 11 other troops have been injured. 01/30/03 15:21 CNN.com |
Mygetaway | Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 11:14 pm     Clerk says she saw missing California woman last month. 01/31/2003 Associated Press LONGVIEW, Wash. – Police plan to begin reviewing surveillance tapes from a Longview grocery store where a clerk came forward late last week to say she believes she saw a missing, pregnant California woman sometime in December. According to a report in The Daily News of Longview on Thursday, the clerk told police that a pregnant woman came into the Market Place and said: "This is serious. I was kidnapped. Call the authorities when I leave." The 45-year-old clerk said she intended to call police but became distracted and forgot, according to a police report. Late last week, the clerk was watching CNN and saw a story about Laci Peterson, 27, who vanished from Modesto, Calif., on Christmas Eve. She told police the report triggered her memory of an unusual pair of customers who passed through her checkout line. The woman appeared to be in her 20s and in a late stage of pregnancy; Peterson was due to give birth to a boy on Feb. 10. The clerk said the woman was a "classic beauty" with sleek brown hair. The woman was accompanied by a much older man with "strong features" and a ruddy complexion, the clerk reported. After the man stepped out of line to get something he forgot, the clerk remarked to the woman that she should be wearing a coat on such a chilly day. The woman told the clerk she didn't have time to take a coat because she was kidnapped. She also told the clerk that the man had a weapon. The clerk told police she wasn't sure whether to take the woman seriously. When the man returned, he asked what the two talked about while he was gone, the police report says. "She said you kidnapped her," the clerk said. The clerk said the statement seemed to make the man angry, and she teasingly added that her husband always kidnapped her to take her to dinner. The man relaxed and laughed. "Yeah, I guess I kidnapped her," she recalled him saying. After they left, the clerk unsuccessfully tried to find a phone book to call police, then became distracted and forgot about the incident. She told police she feels terrible about it now. Longview Police Detective Dan Jacobs told the newspaper Thursday afternoon that police had not retrieved the store's video surveillance tapes for December but planned to do so. Officers will advise Modesto Police if a woman on the tape appears to be Peterson. When contacted by The Associated Press on Thursday, a manager at the grocery store said he didn't have any information and hung up the phone. Scott Peterson, 30, has told investigators he last saw his wife the morning of Christmas Eve. Police have not named Peterson as a suspect in his wife's disappearance, but attention has focused on him, in part because he admits he told his wife he was having an affair shortly before she vanished. Have to register at site: Link To News Site |
Goddessatlaw | Friday, January 31, 2003 - 04:32 am     I could have had heart failure when I saw this this morning, but my brother was logged on the internet chats when it came up. It's going to be a long couple of months. "A powerful bomb destroyed a bridge outside Khandahar Friday, killing 18 people on a bus . . . Al Quaeda suspected . . ." |
Sadiesmom | Friday, January 31, 2003 - 04:45 am     The al Quaeda have been back in Afghanistan for months. They came over the hills from Pakistan. This is not being covered in the US news. Try tocatch BBC on TV. or read international papers on the internet. |
Cyn | Friday, January 31, 2003 - 04:52 am     Al-Qaeda 'was making dirty bomb' Friday, 31 January, 2003, 00:13 GMT By Frank Gardner - BBC security correspondent British officials have presented evidence which they claim shows that al-Qaeda had been trying to assemble radioactive material to build a so-called dirty bomb. They have shown the BBC previously undisclosed material backing up their claim. It includes secret intelligence from agents sent by Britain into al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. Posing as recruits, they blended in and reported back. SAS officer inspects a deserted Afghan camp: They revealed that Osama Bin Laden's weapons programme was further on than anyone thought. British officials said on Thursday Bin Laden now had gained the expertise and possibly the materials to build a crude radioactive bomb. The government says evidence suggests that by 1999, Bin Laden's priority was to develop a weapon of mass destruction. He had acquired radioactive isotopes from the Taleban to do this, officials said, adding that development work on the "dirty bomb" had been going on in a nuclear laboratory in the Afghan city of Herat. Evidence 'credible': The government even has al-Qaeda training manuals which detail how to use a dirty bomb to maximum effect. For a second opinion, the BBC showed some of the material to an expert on al-Qaeda. "I think this is genuine," said Dr Mustafa Alani, of the Royal United Service Institute. From nuclear weapons the threat is very, very slim Gary Samore: "It is credible. This is proof that al-Qaeda put a lot of effort into collecting information and educating other members of the organisation. "It is possible to produce this sort of weapon." British military personnel worked with intelligence officers to gather material which was taken to Porton Down defence research centre in Wiltshire. Their conclusion was that al-Qaeda had a small dirty bomb but probably not a full blown nuclear device. "From nuclear weapons the threat is very, very slim," said Gary Samore, a former US National Security Council member. Al-Qaeda has built a lab in Herat To create one, he said, al-Qaeda would have needed to obtain weapons grade nuclear material - a difficult prospect. "On the other hand, the threat of a dirty bomb or radiological bomb, is much more plausible," he added. British officials say the "bomb" has never been recovered but at least one leading al-Qaeda weapons expert from Herat is still at large. Why the British government would release such top secret information has been questioned by some commentators in the Arabic world. Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor of Al Quds al Arabi, said it was an attempt to revive fears in Britain and the US about 11 September. "They would like to prove their point that there are links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda," he said. Full coverage: Key stories, Hunting an Iraqi link, Guantanamo update European probe: Spanish swoop, Italy on alert Hamburg connection, Europe's al-Qaeda hunt Background: Al-Qaeda battle update, Who's who in al-Qaeda, Roots of jihad, Al-Qaeda's origins In DEPTH: The investigation, The money trail See also: 01 Nov 02 | England, Armed officers fight terror threat; 30 Oct 02 | Politics Tougher airport security promised; 10 Sep 02 | Business; Terror attack: How would the City cope?; 09 Sep 02 | Americas; Al-Qaeda 'still a threat to UK'; 24 Jul 02 | Politics, UK terror 'failings' rejected by Blair; 03 Jul 02 | Politics, Hoon urges UK terror vigilance; 08 Nov 02 | Politics, Dirty bomb threat possible - expert Internet links: Home Office: Counter-Terrorist Action Since September 2002; Cabinet Office: Anti-terror progress report September 2002 Centre for Terrorism Studies |
Crossfire | Friday, January 31, 2003 - 09:07 am     police chase on msnbc, female mail truck driver being forced to drive at gunpoint apparently. |
Grooch | Friday, January 31, 2003 - 09:19 am     For you, Crossfire. Police in north Dade involved in mail truck chase sun-sentinel.com & NBC6 Posted January 31 2003, 12:29 PM EST MIAMI – An armed person believed to be man commandeered a mail truck and fired at least one shot at police while leading cops on a slow-speed chase through north Miami-Dade County early Friday afternoon. The chase began around 11:30 a.m. and continues. At 12:20 p.m., the commandeered truck was outside the Norland Elementary School complex. News reporters believe a man is holding a woman, a postal worker, at gunpoint and forcing her to drive. The person with the gun was talking with police via cell phone. The person has threatened to shoot at police and at media helicopters following the chase in the Carol City and Opa-locka areas and at least one gun shot has been fired. Police cordoned off side streets to block traffic for the slow-speed chase and public schools were placed in lockdown until the emergency is over. The chase started in the area around eastbound Miami Gardens Drive and 52nd Avenue. |
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