Government eyeing financial sanctions on Iran
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The government is considering imposing financial sanctions on Iran if it continues to reject demands from world powers, including the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, that it scrap its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, sources said Saturday.
The government would ban the remittance of money from Japan to Iran under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law if Iran refuses to comply with the demands, the sources said.
Japan has maintained a stance of seeking a diplomatic solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear problem. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday expressed his intention to reject the offer of a package of incentives for Iran, agreed by the five Security Council members and Germany, in return for his country ending its uranium enrichment activities.
The government has therefore started discussing the imposition of financial sanctions.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060604TDY01002.htm
Perry OKs deployment of Guard
By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
Texas Gov. Rick Perry addressed the opening session of the Texas GOP convention Friday in San Antonio. Perry told delegates he'll use state law officers and equipment to combat illegal immigration and won't wait on the federal government to secure the Mexican border. (Delcia Lopez / San Antonio Express-News )
AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry authorized the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to the border Friday, signing an agreement that requires the federal government to reimburse state expenses for the mission dubbed Operation Jump Start.
"The Texas-Mexico border is becoming an increasingly dangerous and violent place for peace officers and the citizens they protect," Perry said. "We are pleased that we will soon have more resources and personnel to address the border threat."
Governors of all four Mexican border states -- Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas -- have now signed agreements that allow the fulfillment of President Bush's call last month to put 6,000 National Guard troops on the U.S.-Mexico border.
http://elpasotimes.com/ci_3894006
Wen Ho Lee Settles With Justice Dept., News Groups (Update2)
June 2 (Bloomberg) -- Wen Ho Lee, the former Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory scientist once suspected of spying for China, will receive $1.65 million from the government and five media organizations to end a lawsuit that alleged his privacy was violated by news leaks.
The government agreed to pay $895,000 to resolve his suit, and the Associated Press, the New York Times, ABC News, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times will pay $750,000 in a separate settlement, according to Betsy Miller, an attorney with Jones Day in Washington who represented Lee.
Lee was fired from Los Alamos in New Mexico in March 1999, accused of spying and held in solitary confinement for nine months. He was never charged with espionage, and the government later dropped all but one charge of mishandling classified data. Lee pleaded guilty to the charge in 2000.
``We are hopeful that the agreement reached today will send the strong message that government officials and journalists must and should act responsibly,'' Lee said in a statement through his attorney. ``The rush to judgment that occurred in my case was prompted by a number of calculated, unlawful leaks by government officials who were seeking to preserve their credibility.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aEiApU.BDO1k&refer=top_world_news
Terrorists Target Milwaukee!
And other headlines you're unlikely to see.
Saturday, June 3, 2006; Page A16
MICHAEL CHERTOFF took control of the Department of Homeland Security calling for a more rational, risk-based allotment of federal resources to prepare for and combat the threat of terrorist attacks. So where is the rationality, and what is the risk, that would justify increasing homeland security grants to Charlotte, Omaha, Milwaukee and Tampa and cutting those to New York and Washington?
Unfortunately, Mr. Chertoff and his team aren't offering satisfying explanations for those funding decisions, which were determined according to a formula -- ostensibly risk-based -- whose details are secret. If there is a sound reason why Louisville's grant has jumped by 70 percent while the Washington area's and New York's have plummeted by 40 percent, we haven't heard it. If there is any sense to rating the risk of catastrophe in Washington in the bottom 25 percent of the nation's cities, while rating the Washington metropolitan area in the top 25 percent, we haven't heard that, either.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060201516.html
US soldier gets hard labour for abuse
FORT MEADE, June 2: A US army dog handler was demoted and sentenced to 90 days of hard labour on Friday for using his dog to assault a prisoner at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Sgt Santos Cardona, 32, of Fullerton, California, the 11th US soldier convicted for abusing Abu Ghraib detainees, also will have to forfeit $7,200 in pay, an army spokeswoman said. He will not be confined during the term of hard labour but will be demoted to specialist.
A US military court-martial panel of four officers and three enlisted personnel convicted Cardona on Thursday of two counts that could have led to 3 1/2 years in prison — failing to handle his dog properly and using the unmuzzled Belgian shepherd to threaten a detainee with a force “likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm.”
He was cleared on seven other counts, including accusations of letting his dog bite a prisoner and of conspiring with another dog handler to frighten inmates into defecating and urinating on themselves.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/03/top14.htm
Pakistan bans Da Vinci Code, Christians hail decision
Saturday, June 3, 2006 (Islamabad):
Pakistan on Saturday banned cinemas from showing The Da Vinci Code, following protests by the country's minority Christian community.
Although the film has not been screened in Muslim majority Pakistan, the government announced that the decision to ban the film is out of respect for the feelings of Christians.
The ban came a couple of days after Christians staged protests in two cities against the film, demanding a global ban on the movie.
Christians make up about three percent of Pakistan's 150 million population.
Shahbaz Bhatti, a prominent Christian leader in Pakistan, hailed the ban and thanked the country's leadership for taking the right decision.
"The Da Vinci Code is a sacrilegious act in the guise of freedom of expression and fiction. It has hurt the religious sentiments of Christians and Muslims throughout the world," Bhatti said.
Bhatti last week wrote letters to the country's president, Pervez Musharraf, and superior court judges, demanding a complete ban on the sale of CDs or screening of the movie in theaters. (AP)
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Pakistan+bans+%3CI%3EDa+Vinci+Code%3C%2FI%3E&id=88675
error sweep: Eight held in Canada
Saturday, June 3, 2006 (Toronto):
At least eight people were arrested in the Toronto area on terrorism-related charges, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
The arrests were made on Friday in cooperation with the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, Cpl. Michele Paradis, a RCMP spokesperson, said in a news release.
The national police force said it would reveal more details at a news conference today.
"The investigation is ongoing," Paradis said.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that more than 100 officers were involved in the sweep in the Greater Toronto Area and that more arrests were expected overnight. (AP)
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Terror+sweep%3A+Eight+held+in+Canada&id=88650
Rumsfeld praises Musharraf's war on terror
Saturday, June 3, 2006 (Singapore):
US Defence Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld lavished praises on the Pakistani President's campaign against terrorism.
He however, sidestepped charges that Islamabad has not done enough to flush out Taliban fighters hiding along the border with Afghanistan.
Speaking at a security conference, Rumsfeld described Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf as a "courageous man" who understands the danger of terrorism.
"President Musharraf has done an excellent job in a difficult country in a difficult environment, and is clearly dedicated to defeating terror," Rumsfeld said.
He was answering a question on whether he, in his speech earlier, was right in praising Musharraf as a key player in the fight against terrorism. "I think I am right," he said.
Crackdown on Taliban
The questioner suggested that Musharraf does not deserve the praise as Afghan leaders have accused Pakistan of failing to crack down on Taliban militants hiding in tribal areas.
Rumsfeld said "there is a lot of history" between the two neighbours working to "sort through some of their historical differences and some of the current perspectives that differ".
Rumsfeld said Musharraf's security forces have been "highly successful" in rooting out extremists from urban areas, but acknowledged they have been nowhere near as successful in controlling the problem in tribal areas. (AP)
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Rumsfeld+praises+Musharraf%27s+war+on+terror&id=88649
Taking soldiers out of harm's way
June 01, 2006
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Over the past three years, thousands of American soldiers in Iraq have been horribly injured or killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The explosives, placed near or buried under roadways and often detonated by remote control, frequently target U.S. military vehicles and convoys - often with deadly success.
At Florida State University, one researcher is working on new technologies that could reduce the carnage. Emmanuel G. Collins, the John H. Seely Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Florida A&M University-FSU College of Engineering, envisions the creation of an unmanned ground vehicle that could patrol large areas without putting U.S. soldiers in harm's way.
"We're already using drones (unmanned airplanes) for surveillance in the skies over Iraq," Collins said. "It's much more difficult to design a ground-based vehicle to perform surveillance functions - but we're working out the logistical issues right now."
Collins serves as director of the Center for Intelligent Systems, Control, and Robotics (CISCOR), a multidisciplinary research center in the College of Engineering that uses state-of-the-art technology to develop solutions for industry and government. In addition to the unmanned ground vehicle, other automated systems being developed at CISCOR include one that will enable wheelchairs to traverse uneven terrain more effectively, and another that will assist automobile drivers in the always-tricky task of parallel-parking.
At CISCOR, Collins and his fellow researchers devise complex algorithms - precise sets of rules that specify how to solve a specific problem - in designing systems that allow for the automation of various devices.
"An algorithm is essentially a mathematical equation that tells something how to respond to certain variables," Collins said. "A cruise control system on an automobile is a relatively basic example of an algorithm at work. With cruise control, the algorithm regulates the car's throttle so that it maintains a constant speed, no matter how uneven the terrain or how much weight the car is carrying. It also controls how quickly the car accelerates to the desired speed and makes sure it doesn't overshoot this speed."
Creating an algorithm to control the functions of an unmanned ground vehicle is much more difficult because of the number of variables involved, Collins said.
"We have to take into account such factors as terrain, any obstacles that might block the vehicle's path, the rate of fuel consumption, the type of ground surface, weather conditions and the structure of the vehicle itself," he said.
Once such an algorithm is prepared, various sensors employing laser, optical and/or radio-frequency technology would feed a constant stream of data to the vehicle's computer to help it make sense of its surroundings and react accordingly. Several versions of such vehicles currently are being tested within the CISCOR labs.
The work taking place at CISCOR has the attention of the U.S. military. The Army Research Lab currently is funding the center with $500,000 per year for eight years to pursue its research on unmanned robotics. Another $200,000 also has been provided to fund research on human-robot interaction, with prospects for a second year of funding.
"To be able to assist in the creation of a new technology that might one day save soldiers' lives is a wonderful thing," Collins said. "But we're also excited about some of the other potential applications for this technology that could be used right here in Florida. Search-and-rescue teams could directly benefit from this research, for example, and office, factory and agricultural environments also could see breakthroughs based on this technology."
For more information about CISCOR's research projects, please see www.eng.fsu.edu/ciscor/.
http://www1.destin.com/articles/article.showarticle.db.php?a=119
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The government is considering imposing financial sanctions on Iran if it continues to reject demands from world powers, including the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, that it scrap its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, sources said Saturday.
The government would ban the remittance of money from Japan to Iran under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law if Iran refuses to comply with the demands, the sources said.
Japan has maintained a stance of seeking a diplomatic solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear problem. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday expressed his intention to reject the offer of a package of incentives for Iran, agreed by the five Security Council members and Germany, in return for his country ending its uranium enrichment activities.
The government has therefore started discussing the imposition of financial sanctions.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060604TDY01002.htm
Perry OKs deployment of Guard
By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
Texas Gov. Rick Perry addressed the opening session of the Texas GOP convention Friday in San Antonio. Perry told delegates he'll use state law officers and equipment to combat illegal immigration and won't wait on the federal government to secure the Mexican border. (Delcia Lopez / San Antonio Express-News )
AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry authorized the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to the border Friday, signing an agreement that requires the federal government to reimburse state expenses for the mission dubbed Operation Jump Start.
"The Texas-Mexico border is becoming an increasingly dangerous and violent place for peace officers and the citizens they protect," Perry said. "We are pleased that we will soon have more resources and personnel to address the border threat."
Governors of all four Mexican border states -- Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas -- have now signed agreements that allow the fulfillment of President Bush's call last month to put 6,000 National Guard troops on the U.S.-Mexico border.
http://elpasotimes.com/ci_3894006
Wen Ho Lee Settles With Justice Dept., News Groups (Update2)
June 2 (Bloomberg) -- Wen Ho Lee, the former Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory scientist once suspected of spying for China, will receive $1.65 million from the government and five media organizations to end a lawsuit that alleged his privacy was violated by news leaks.
The government agreed to pay $895,000 to resolve his suit, and the Associated Press, the New York Times, ABC News, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times will pay $750,000 in a separate settlement, according to Betsy Miller, an attorney with Jones Day in Washington who represented Lee.
Lee was fired from Los Alamos in New Mexico in March 1999, accused of spying and held in solitary confinement for nine months. He was never charged with espionage, and the government later dropped all but one charge of mishandling classified data. Lee pleaded guilty to the charge in 2000.
``We are hopeful that the agreement reached today will send the strong message that government officials and journalists must and should act responsibly,'' Lee said in a statement through his attorney. ``The rush to judgment that occurred in my case was prompted by a number of calculated, unlawful leaks by government officials who were seeking to preserve their credibility.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aEiApU.BDO1k&refer=top_world_news
Terrorists Target Milwaukee!
And other headlines you're unlikely to see.
Saturday, June 3, 2006; Page A16
MICHAEL CHERTOFF took control of the Department of Homeland Security calling for a more rational, risk-based allotment of federal resources to prepare for and combat the threat of terrorist attacks. So where is the rationality, and what is the risk, that would justify increasing homeland security grants to Charlotte, Omaha, Milwaukee and Tampa and cutting those to New York and Washington?
Unfortunately, Mr. Chertoff and his team aren't offering satisfying explanations for those funding decisions, which were determined according to a formula -- ostensibly risk-based -- whose details are secret. If there is a sound reason why Louisville's grant has jumped by 70 percent while the Washington area's and New York's have plummeted by 40 percent, we haven't heard it. If there is any sense to rating the risk of catastrophe in Washington in the bottom 25 percent of the nation's cities, while rating the Washington metropolitan area in the top 25 percent, we haven't heard that, either.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060201516.html
US soldier gets hard labour for abuse
FORT MEADE, June 2: A US army dog handler was demoted and sentenced to 90 days of hard labour on Friday for using his dog to assault a prisoner at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Sgt Santos Cardona, 32, of Fullerton, California, the 11th US soldier convicted for abusing Abu Ghraib detainees, also will have to forfeit $7,200 in pay, an army spokeswoman said. He will not be confined during the term of hard labour but will be demoted to specialist.
A US military court-martial panel of four officers and three enlisted personnel convicted Cardona on Thursday of two counts that could have led to 3 1/2 years in prison — failing to handle his dog properly and using the unmuzzled Belgian shepherd to threaten a detainee with a force “likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm.”
He was cleared on seven other counts, including accusations of letting his dog bite a prisoner and of conspiring with another dog handler to frighten inmates into defecating and urinating on themselves.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/03/top14.htm
Pakistan bans Da Vinci Code, Christians hail decision
Saturday, June 3, 2006 (Islamabad):
Pakistan on Saturday banned cinemas from showing The Da Vinci Code, following protests by the country's minority Christian community.
Although the film has not been screened in Muslim majority Pakistan, the government announced that the decision to ban the film is out of respect for the feelings of Christians.
The ban came a couple of days after Christians staged protests in two cities against the film, demanding a global ban on the movie.
Christians make up about three percent of Pakistan's 150 million population.
Shahbaz Bhatti, a prominent Christian leader in Pakistan, hailed the ban and thanked the country's leadership for taking the right decision.
"The Da Vinci Code is a sacrilegious act in the guise of freedom of expression and fiction. It has hurt the religious sentiments of Christians and Muslims throughout the world," Bhatti said.
Bhatti last week wrote letters to the country's president, Pervez Musharraf, and superior court judges, demanding a complete ban on the sale of CDs or screening of the movie in theaters. (AP)
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Pakistan+bans+%3CI%3EDa+Vinci+Code%3C%2FI%3E&id=88675
error sweep: Eight held in Canada
Saturday, June 3, 2006 (Toronto):
At least eight people were arrested in the Toronto area on terrorism-related charges, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
The arrests were made on Friday in cooperation with the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, Cpl. Michele Paradis, a RCMP spokesperson, said in a news release.
The national police force said it would reveal more details at a news conference today.
"The investigation is ongoing," Paradis said.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that more than 100 officers were involved in the sweep in the Greater Toronto Area and that more arrests were expected overnight. (AP)
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Terror+sweep%3A+Eight+held+in+Canada&id=88650
Rumsfeld praises Musharraf's war on terror
Saturday, June 3, 2006 (Singapore):
US Defence Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld lavished praises on the Pakistani President's campaign against terrorism.
He however, sidestepped charges that Islamabad has not done enough to flush out Taliban fighters hiding along the border with Afghanistan.
Speaking at a security conference, Rumsfeld described Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf as a "courageous man" who understands the danger of terrorism.
"President Musharraf has done an excellent job in a difficult country in a difficult environment, and is clearly dedicated to defeating terror," Rumsfeld said.
He was answering a question on whether he, in his speech earlier, was right in praising Musharraf as a key player in the fight against terrorism. "I think I am right," he said.
Crackdown on Taliban
The questioner suggested that Musharraf does not deserve the praise as Afghan leaders have accused Pakistan of failing to crack down on Taliban militants hiding in tribal areas.
Rumsfeld said "there is a lot of history" between the two neighbours working to "sort through some of their historical differences and some of the current perspectives that differ".
Rumsfeld said Musharraf's security forces have been "highly successful" in rooting out extremists from urban areas, but acknowledged they have been nowhere near as successful in controlling the problem in tribal areas. (AP)
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Rumsfeld+praises+Musharraf%27s+war+on+terror&id=88649
Taking soldiers out of harm's way
June 01, 2006
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Over the past three years, thousands of American soldiers in Iraq have been horribly injured or killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The explosives, placed near or buried under roadways and often detonated by remote control, frequently target U.S. military vehicles and convoys - often with deadly success.
At Florida State University, one researcher is working on new technologies that could reduce the carnage. Emmanuel G. Collins, the John H. Seely Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Florida A&M University-FSU College of Engineering, envisions the creation of an unmanned ground vehicle that could patrol large areas without putting U.S. soldiers in harm's way.
"We're already using drones (unmanned airplanes) for surveillance in the skies over Iraq," Collins said. "It's much more difficult to design a ground-based vehicle to perform surveillance functions - but we're working out the logistical issues right now."
Collins serves as director of the Center for Intelligent Systems, Control, and Robotics (CISCOR), a multidisciplinary research center in the College of Engineering that uses state-of-the-art technology to develop solutions for industry and government. In addition to the unmanned ground vehicle, other automated systems being developed at CISCOR include one that will enable wheelchairs to traverse uneven terrain more effectively, and another that will assist automobile drivers in the always-tricky task of parallel-parking.
At CISCOR, Collins and his fellow researchers devise complex algorithms - precise sets of rules that specify how to solve a specific problem - in designing systems that allow for the automation of various devices.
"An algorithm is essentially a mathematical equation that tells something how to respond to certain variables," Collins said. "A cruise control system on an automobile is a relatively basic example of an algorithm at work. With cruise control, the algorithm regulates the car's throttle so that it maintains a constant speed, no matter how uneven the terrain or how much weight the car is carrying. It also controls how quickly the car accelerates to the desired speed and makes sure it doesn't overshoot this speed."
Creating an algorithm to control the functions of an unmanned ground vehicle is much more difficult because of the number of variables involved, Collins said.
"We have to take into account such factors as terrain, any obstacles that might block the vehicle's path, the rate of fuel consumption, the type of ground surface, weather conditions and the structure of the vehicle itself," he said.
Once such an algorithm is prepared, various sensors employing laser, optical and/or radio-frequency technology would feed a constant stream of data to the vehicle's computer to help it make sense of its surroundings and react accordingly. Several versions of such vehicles currently are being tested within the CISCOR labs.
The work taking place at CISCOR has the attention of the U.S. military. The Army Research Lab currently is funding the center with $500,000 per year for eight years to pursue its research on unmanned robotics. Another $200,000 also has been provided to fund research on human-robot interaction, with prospects for a second year of funding.
"To be able to assist in the creation of a new technology that might one day save soldiers' lives is a wonderful thing," Collins said. "But we're also excited about some of the other potential applications for this technology that could be used right here in Florida. Search-and-rescue teams could directly benefit from this research, for example, and office, factory and agricultural environments also could see breakthroughs based on this technology."
For more information about CISCOR's research projects, please see www.eng.fsu.edu/ciscor/.
http://www1.destin.com/articles/article.showarticle.db.php?a=119
Comments