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Three people were killed and over 50 wounded in a terror attack in Jerusalem shortly before noon. Driving a bulldozer on Jaffa Road between the Central Bus Station and the Mahane Yehuda market, a terrorist plowed into cars and pedestrians as well as two public buses (Egged buslines 13 and 60) carrying some 50 passengers. Police shot and killed the terrorist.
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Israel should use force to stop Iran from from obtaining nuclear weapons, Meir Amit, a former director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, advocated in an exclusive interview with WorldNetDaily. The comments from Amit, one of the most esteemed figures in the Israeli intelligence establishment, are particularly strong since until now he has refused to support an attack against Iran.
“I am in favor of using the power of force against Iran because if we let things go as they are we will find ourselves in a very dangerous situation,” Amit said. “We have good intelligence and we shall decide what is the right timing for any attack.”
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The majority of the Internet’s malware-infected websites are located on Chinese networks, finds a new report released today by StopBadware.org, the university-based research initiative aimed at protecting users from dangerous software. The report also identifies the 10 network blocks that contain the largest number of badware sites. Six of the 10 are located in China.
“Sites that infect visiting PCs represent some of the worst of digital pollution,” said Jonathan Zittrain, StopBadware.org co-director and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. “Malware is a global problem that requires cooperation across industries and across national borders.”
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Just months before China is set to take the world’s center stage during the 2008 Summer Olympics to showcase its many economic advances, it still ranks below the United States as a multifaceted power in the opinion of its Asian neighbors, according to a new report released today by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the East Asia Institute (EAI).
The report, which is based on public opinion surveys in five East and Southeast Asian countries and the United States, reveals that perceptions of China’s “soft power” - the ability to wield influence by indirect, non-military means - generally trail those of the United States and Japan. These perceptions persist despite China’s strong economic relationships in Asia and around the world, and concerted efforts by Beijing to leverage the Olympic Games to bolster its public image. But, at the same time, sizeable majorities in all the countries surveyed agreed that hosting the games will ultimately increase China’s prestige.
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The EU-Israel Association Council – the body, headed by foreign ministers, which conducts the bilateral relations between Israel and European Union member states – is announcing today an upgrade in the relations between Israel and the EU. The announcement will be made at a meeting in Luxembourg , attended by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni and EU foreign ministers. This will usher in a new era in Israeli-European relations.
More than a year ago, FM Livni attended a meeting of the Association Council and initiated the upgrading process between Israel and the EU in recognition of Israel ’s upcoming 60th birthday. At the meeting, a working group was set up to examine the Israeli foreign minister’s proposal and to determine the existing and new areas in which cooperation between Israel and the EU would be enhanced.
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On 25 June, Transparency International (TI) will release the Global Corruption Report 2008: Corruption in the Water Sector, which includes 35 country reports. Among them is a report on Pakistan which is documents and analyses the military’s role in land-grabbing, the legal and institutional changes in 2007, the application of public procurement rules and the judicial crises from 2007. The GCR 2008 also expands on the scale of the inroads made by the military into ‘civilian’ sectors of Pakistan’s economy.
“It is not news that Pakistan is drowning in corruption due to absence of rule of law,” said Syed Adil Gilani, the Chairman of TI Pakistan. He reminded the political parties to fulfill the commitment given to the nation in their election manifesto that “Judiciary shall be fully independent” and that “There will be no discretion in any administrative decision taken by government servants”.
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British holidaymakers are reporting a sickness bug and suffering from stomach cramps while staying at the Holiday Village Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt.
Travel law solicitor Andrew Morton at Manchester law firm Pannone LLP, says he is, “surprised and disappointed” to see reports that include people saying “We were all ill with very upset stomachs during our stay. The reps advised it was a bug”, “There were six adults in our party, a 10 year old and a 22 month old baby, everyone of us was ill with stomach cramps”, and “we still have side affects a week after returning to the UK”. One man wrote that “the best thing about the Holiday Village Hotel was the road away from it”.
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Iraq remains one of the most dangerous places in the world. Its refugee crisis is worsening. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, an estimated 4.7 million have been displaced both within and outside Iraq and for many the situation is desperate.
The international community is evading its responsibility toward refugees from Iraq by promoting a false picture of the security situation in Iraq when the country is neither safe nor suitable for return, Amnesty International said today.
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On the eve of the G8 energy ministers meeting in Japan, UK Energy Secretary John Hutton warned the West not to demonise China on environmental standards. Speaking to business leaders in Hong Kong on the second leg of a trade promotion trip that included visits to Hanoi (Vietnam) and Shenzhen (China), Hutton emphasized the importance of working constructively with the Governments of China, India and South Korea to resolve the issue of climate change.
John Hutton said “How we secure cheap, reliable, clean energy will be centre stage of this G8 meeting. And, as the world tries to negotiate a post-Kyoto deal on climate change, we must strongly resist the temptation to demonise the new Asia economies.”
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Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Pervez Mehdi Qureshi and Admiral (Retd) Fasih Bukhari have demanded setting up of a commission to probe the Kargil conflict of 1999. They claim that they were “not on board” when the Kargil operation was planned. Qureshi said the “whole world knew that the Pakistan Air Force was not on board when the Kargil operation was being deliberated”.
Speaking to ‘The News’ Qureshi said “The whole nation is aware of what had happened in Kargil since the initiation of the action.
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In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the IDF has formulated an extensive plan to ease restrictions for Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley. The plan will significantly improve Palestinian lives in the area. The plan was created following a series of meetings between regional IDF commanders, Palestinian security officials and other Palestinian Authority senior officials.
The IDF and the Civil Administration are constantly operating to make possible various relief measures for the Palestinian population while guaranteeing the security of the citizens of Israel.
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