Ayalon: US only country capable of advancing peace - Jerusalem Post

 
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02/20/2011 11:05 Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Sunday that the veto on the UN Security Council settlement vote has proven that the US is the only country capable of advancing the peace process.

Speaking during an interview with Israel Radio, Ayalon explained that the US is a country that speaks the truth, which is "the need for direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians."

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Ayalon said that the UN serves as a rubber stamp for the Arab states and that they have an automatic majority in the General Assembly.

Ayalon called on the Palestinians to realize they could not impose anything on Israel; it is best to resume negotiations without preconditions.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Authority confirmed that Abbas had received a phone call from President Shimon Peres following the US veto, apparently urging him not to abandon the peace process.

A PA official said that Abbas reiterated his commitment to the peace process and the two-state solution and stressed the need for a complete cessation of settlement construction.

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Bahrain protesters remain in square - Aljazeera.net

 

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A landmark junction in the heart of Bahrain's capital, Manama, continues to be occupied by opposition protesters, hundreds of whom spent the night there after another day of anti-government demonstrations in the tiny Gulf state.

Some woke early on Sunday morning in the Pearl Roundabout area and staged a noisy protest, chanting "Get out Hamad" as they pressed their demand that the king, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, should step down.

A small tent village has sprung up complete with stalls selling hot milk, scrambled eggs and tomatoes - catering to the hundreds who decided to stay overnight in the public square.

The protesters reclaimed on Saturday the junction that they had previously used as a focal point for pro-reform protests, but which was then violently taken back by security forces.

The calls against Sheikh Hamad and his inner circle are a recent escalation in the political uprising, which began with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy's power and address claims of discrimination against Bahrain's Shia Muslim majority.

Abdul-Jalil Khalil, a leader of the main Shia political bloc, said on Sunday the opposition was considering the monarchy's offer for dialogue, but he noted that no direct talks were yet under way. Seven opposition groups said they would meet later in the day to co-ordinate a response.

They were responding after Bahrain's crown prince, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who is also the deputy supreme commander of the country's armed forces, appealed for calm and political dialogue in a brief address on state TV on Friday.

On his orders, troops and armoured vehicles withdrew from Pearl Roundabout on Saturday, which they had taken over on Thursday after riot police staged a night-time attack on a sit-in by protesters, killing four people and wounding 231.

On Friday, army units shot at marchers streaming towards the square, injuring more than 50 people and preventing protesters from gathering there.

But after security forces withdrew, the protesters swarmed back to the square and confidently set up camp for a protracted stay.

As night fell on Saturday, the protesters erected barriers, wired a sound system, set up a makeshift medical tent and deployed lookouts to warn of approaching security forces.

Conciliatory tone

In an interview to CNN, Sheikh Salman said protesters would "absolutely" be allowed to stay in the Pearl Roundabout area.

"All political parties in the country deserve a voice at the table," he said of the proposed dialogue, adding the king had appointed him to lead it and to build trust with all sides.

"I think there is a lot of anger, a lot of sadness, and on that note I would like to extend my condolences to all of the families who lost loved ones and all of those who have been injured. We are terribly sorry and this is a terrible tragedy for our nation."

Barack Obama, the US president, has discussed the situation with Sheikh Hamad, asking him to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.

He said in a statement that Bahrain must respect the "universal rights" of its people and embrace "meaningful reform".

For his part, William Hague, the British foreign secretary, in a telephone call to Sheikh Salman, said he welcomed the government's military withdrawal and strongly supported efforts to initiate a dialogue.

The Bahraini demonstrators have emulated protesters in Tunisia and Egypt by attempting to bring political change to the government in Bahrain, home to the US navy's Fifth Fleet - the centrepiece of US efforts to confront Iranian military influence in the region.

Source: Agencies 

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Wisconsin protests continue; counter-demonstrators support governor's bill - Washington Post

A clear, cold Saturday saw some of the largest crowds yet descend upon Wisconsin's state capitol to march, chant and shout about Republican Gov. Scott Walker's controversial proposal to trim benefits and curtail collective-bargaining rights for many of the state's unionized workers.

The overwhelming majority of protesters were teachers, students and other public-service workers who spent the better part of a week demonstrating against Walker's bill. But Saturday's throngs included a sizable and vocal collection of tea party activists who arrived to show support for the embattled governor.

"I wanted Scott Walker to know that there are tons of people behind him," said Karen Wartinbee of Oconomowoc, Wis., who carried a sign that read, "Go Scott Go!"

Law enforcement officials ramped up security Saturday, bolstering their ranks with officers from nearby counties to guard against any violent clashes. But the protests remained largely peaceful, if not altogether friendly.

The opposing groups traded ear-splitting chants of "Kill the bill!" and "Pass the bill!" Some demonstrators ended up in nose-to-nose arguments over whether unions were bankrupting the state or protecting its workers. Others simply traded insults and made obscene gestures from a distance.

Walker's bill would force public workers to put 5.8 percent of their wages into the pension system and pay a larger share of their health insurance in addition to curtailing their collective-bargaining rights.

Opponents argue that Walker helped create the budget shortfall by giving away millions in tax breaks to private businesses. Union leaders have offered to make concessions on benefits but have drawn the line at restrictions on their collective-bargaining rights.

Meanwhile, the state's 14 Democratic senators showed no sign of returning from out of state, where they headed last week to stall a vote on the controversial measure. Walker urged them to return in a statement Saturday, saying they "should come back to Wisconsin and do their jobs."

For all the populist feel at the capitol, progressive and conservative political figures have seized on the Wisconsin protests as an opportunity to shape the national debate.

Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, paid a visit to the capitol Friday, as did civil rights activist Jesse Jackson. President Obama's organizing arm was on hand, as was the Services Employees International Union and other national labor groups.

On Saturday, influential conservative groups such as Americans for Prosperity, funded in part by billionaire industrialist brothers David and Charles Koch, helped to organize the counter-rally at the capitol in support of Walker's proposals.

"He's actually trying to do the right thing and something we believe is responsible government," said Ned Ryun, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush and the president of American Majority, a grass-roots political training organization that also helped coordinate Saturday's rally alongside tea party groups across Wisconsin.

By mid-afternoon, neither side had done much to win over the other, and both vowed to return day after day until resolution came.

"Government is too big," said Dane Christiansen, a hardwood-floor refinisher who drove from his home south of Madison. "I voted for Walker to come and cut the budget."

Stacy Smith, a first-grade teacher who was marching with her husband, said, "People are willing to give up the money, but we're not willing to give up our rights." She said she planned to return to protest another day.

Staff writer Peter Whoriskey in Washington contributed to this report.

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Sen. Reid balks at cuts to Social Security - Reno Gazette-Journal

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that cost-cutting in large government benefit programs is possible "as long as you eliminate Social Security" from the discussion, registering opposition to prominent proposals to hold down spending.

"Social Security has contributed not a single penny to the deficit. So we can talk about entitlements as long as you eliminate Social Security," said Reid, D-Nev. "Because Social Security is not part of the problem we have in America with the deficit."

Reid's spokesman, Jon Summers, said the Nevada Democrat opposes any cuts for Social Security recipients, as well as any reduction in benefits promised to future retirees. He also rejects an increase in the age at which workers can begin to draw full Social Security retirement, Summers said, because "he sees that as a benefit cut."

Senior lawmakers in both parties have talked in general terms of seeking a broad deficit-reduction agreement later this year. Reining in the growing costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is widely cited as essential to any such compromise.

"We'll have to bring down health care costs further, including in programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which are the single biggest contributor to our long-term deficits," President Barack Obama said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"I believe we should strengthen Social Security for future generations, and I think we can do that without slashing benefits or putting current retirees at risk," Obama said.

Obama omitted any major changes to the three big benefit programs when he released his 2012 budget earlier in the week, but a presidential deficit-reduction commission floated several late last year. Among them was an increase in the age for full retirement benefits under Social Security and steps to slow the growth of future benefits.

Medicaid is a state-federal program that provides health care to lower-income people. Social Security and Medicare, in particular, are politically sensitive, providing retirement and health benefits for millions of seniors.

Any political party that seeks major changes unilaterally leaves itself open to attack, and Obama noted at his news conference that in the past, significant changes to Social Security were bipartisan.

"We're waiting for presidential leadership," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on Wednesday. "We know and will say again that entitlement reform will not be done except on a bipartisan basis with presidential leadership."

On Tuesday, House Republicans issued a statement that said, "Our budget will lead where the president has failed, and it will include real entitlement reforms."

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Milky Way Stuffed with 50 Billion Alien Worlds - Discovery News

How's this for an astronomical estimate? There are at least 50 billion exoplanets in our galaxy. What's more, astronomers estimate that 500 million of these alien worlds are probably sitting inside the habitable zones of their parent stars.

So how many of these exoplanets have life? Unfortunately, there's no estimate for that question.

WIDE ANGLE: The Age of the Exoplanet

DNEWS VIDEO: FINDING EXOPLANETS

This announcement was made on Saturday by Kepler science chief William Borucki at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington D.C. However, Kepler didn't actually count 50 billion exoplanets, this number comes from extrapolations of the data taken so far by the exoplanet-hunting space telescope.

For example, as Kepler has spotted 1,235 exoplanet candidates so far -- 53 of which orbit stars in their habitable zones -- knowing approximately how many stars there are in our galaxy (there are thought to be around 300 billion stars in the Milky Way), an estimate can be made of how many worlds are orbiting these stars.

Kepler has only studied 1/400th of the sky, and it can only detect exoplanets that pass in front of (or "transit") their parent stars. Also, it needs more time to detect exoplanets that orbit further away from their stars.

Taking all these factors into account means that a lower estimate can be made. There's likely to be more than the 50 billion exoplanets Borucki describes.

Making this estimate is a relatively simple task, not so simple is estimating how many of these worlds might play host to life. As we know that only one planet in the Milky Way has life on it (Earth, in case you were wondering), no amount of statistical guesswork can arrive at an estimation for the number of alien beings that are out there.

Making estimates may sound trivial, but it does put the search for ET into perspective. There's at least 50 billion worlds, which have fostered the development of basic lifeforms? How many have allowed advanced civilizations to evolve?

If there are any space-faring alien races out there, "the next question is why haven't they visited us?" Borucki asked. He responded with: "I don't know."

I wonder if we'll ever know.

ANALYSIS: Chances of Exoplanet Life 'Impossible'? Or '100 percent'?

Image: An infrared observation of the core of the Milky Way as imaged by the Spitzer Space Telescope (NASA/JPL-Caltech/S. Stolovy SSC/Caltech)

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Libyans vow to protest despite violence from government - CNN International

Protester in Benghazi: "There are a lot of people getting killed for their freedom" An army official siding with the opposition says the government "caused a massacre"The Libyan government's tight controls make it difficult to verify information

(CNN) -- Libyans protesting against longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi vowed to hit the streets again Sunday, saying a violent crackdown by security forces since demonstrations started last week has left them energized.

Meanwhile, a doctor in Benghazi said her facility is taking on trauma patients because a trauma hospital in the city is inundated by those injured in the unrest.

"All of them have been injured by bullets," said the doctor, whose identity is not being released for security reasons. She said most suffered gunshot wounds to the head, chest or neck.

Benghazi, the North African nation's second-largest city and hub of its eastern province, was home to some of the bloodiest clashes Saturday. Still, an anti-government demonstrator there said that despite having been barraged for days by tear gas and bullets, many of his colleagues slept outside the city's courthouse and planned another rally at 1 p.m. Sunday.

"There are a lot of people getting killed for their freedom," the man, who was not identified for safety reasons, told CNN Sunday morning. "Our goal is simple: We want Gadhafi to leave. We want freedom. ... We want democracy."

Our goal is simple: We want Gadhafi to leave. We want freedom. ... We want democracy.
--Libyan protester

The man, a technology expert who has set up cameras airing live online video streams around Benghazi, estimated that the numbers of anti-government demonstrators in the city has grown by 20% since the protests began Tuesday.

"We are peaceful people," he said. "They are killing unarmed civilians."

Another protester in Misratah, a city about 250 km (155 miles) east of Tripoli, said that roughly 1,300 remained on the streets there through the night and into the morning Sunday, burning pictures of Gadhafi and calling for an end to his rule.

CNN could not independently confirm information on the escalating unrest in Libya, the most isolated nation in the region, though it has interviewed numerous witnesses by phone. The government has not responded to repeated requests from CNN for access to the country and maintains tight control over communications.

Instead, a report from Libya's state-run JANA news agency blames "acts of sabotage and burning" on outsiders aiming to undermine the nation's stability, security and unity. The report claims that the unrest has been fomented in Libya as well as Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon and Iran by an Israeli-led network of covert operatives.

Since Wednesday, authorities have arrested "dozens of foreign members of this network who were trained on starting clashes," the JANA story said, adding that the outsiders were of Tunisian, Egyptian, Sudanese, Turkish, Palestinian and Syrian descent.

Meanwhile, the toll from the unrest continued to mount. Human Rights Watch, citing interviews with hospital staff and witnesses, reported at least 84 deaths since Tuesday. CNN could not independently verify the numbers.

Medical sources at a Misratah hospital said at least three died and 70 were wounded in clashes Saturday between security forces and anti-government protesters. Three of those injured were in critical condition, the sources said.

A doctor at a Benghazi hospital said at least 30 people died Saturday, most from gunshot wounds to the head. Hovering helicopters fired into the crowds and the hospital was receiving a steady stream of injured people, said the doctor, who CNN is also not identifying for security reasons.

His count did not include casualties from a clash between the protesters on the funeral march and soldiers at a military camp. Soldiers there fired tear gas and guns; the protesters hurled rocks and at least two hand grenades, witnesses said.

The female doctor in Benghazi said Sunday she worries that her hospital will not be able to keep up with the need.

"Every day it's increasing," she said.

Lt. Col. Mohammed al-Majbari, who helped lead Libyan military forces in Benghazi before deciding early this week to join the opposition, claimed that government forces -- aided by mercenaries from other African countries -- "caused a massacre."

"It is time for freedom," al-Majbari said. "(Gadhafi) is not a human being. A Libyan would never do this to his people. He is a dictator."

Several eyewitnesses told CNN that cars of riflemen drove past protesters, indiscriminately firing at them.

The soldiers... said, 'We are with you.' We believed them. After that, they started shooting the people. Why?
--Libyan woman

A Libyan woman supportive of the protesters, who was not identified to protect her safety, told CNN that army soldiers on Saturday initially claimed solidarity with the demonstrators, only to reverse their tack and open fire on the crowd.

"The soldiers ... said, 'We are with you.' We believed them," she said. "After that, they started shooting the people. Why? Why did they lie?"

Others in Libya reported similar protests in the cities of al-Baida, Ajdabiya and significantly in Misratah -- an indication that the demonstrations centered in the east were spreading west.

A protester identified only as Moftah told CNN that Libyans, inspired by the toppling of dictators in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, had simply had enough of Gadhafi.

"He will tell you that his secret police are everywhere," Moftah said. "It's time to break this fear barrier. We reach a point that we don't care anymore."

The official Jamahiriya News Agency reported that Gadhafi had spoken in recent days with fellow leaders from Guinea, Liberia and Yemen.

The government also sent out, via text, a tacit warning against "the inappropriate use of telecommunications services (that) contradict our religion ... our customs ... and our traditions." Internet service in Libya shut down Friday evening, though it was more available by Sunday.

The government's firm grip on power heightened the concerns of a woman from Benghazi, who urged U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders to help the Libyan people in the face of the government crackdown.

"We have no freedom here," she said. "I speak to all the world, to America, to Mr. Obama: Please help us. We (did) nothing. We want to live a good life."

The female doctor at the Benghazi hospital said Sunday she worries more violence will ensue.

"I think -- and I hope not -- it's going to be (a) more disastrous situation than yesterday because yesterday was more of a disaster than the two days before," she said. "I'm so scared."

CNN's Moni Basu, Amir Ahmed, Yousuf Basil, Greg Botelho, Salma Abdelaziz, Zain Verjee, Anderson Cooper, Holly Yan and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report.

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PM: Crossing of Iranian warships viewed with utmost gravity - Jerusalem Post

 
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02/20/2011 11:18 Talkbacks (3) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel views with utmost gravity the intent of Iran to send warships to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, a move he termed "an Iranian attempt to expand its influence in the region."

Netanyahu said during the weekly cabinet meeting that Israel's "security needs are growing and the defense budget will be allocated accordingly."

"We will insist that we must promote the economy and stabilize it," the prime minister continued.

Earlier on Sunday, Iranian media reported that the two vessels have begun their passage through the Suez Canal, Al Alam reported.

"Two Iranian warships have passed through the canal and are heading towards a Syrian port," the Iranian television network reported.

The reports however could not be officially confirmed and Egyptian officials said the ships had not yet begun to transit the canal.

Egyptian official from the Suez Canal Authority confirmed that the authority had decided to allow the ships to travel through the canal but did not confirm if the transit had started.

The official said that the vessels were due to arrive at the southern part of the canal later Sunday and will enter the Mediterranean on Monday morning.

The Egyptian approval follows a weekend of mixed reports as to whether Egyptian authorities had approved the vessels' passage or not.

function initServerVars() {_headup.clientHost = 'http://newstopics.jpost.com';_headup.termsFromServer = "Ahmadinejad$$The Egyptian$$Suez Canal$$Israel's$$Egypt$$Suez$$Iran";_headup.annotatedTerms = ['dbpedia:Suez_Canal$$1', 'dbpedia:The_Egyptian$$1', 'dbpedia:Israel$$1']_headup.widgetMode = 'snippet';_headup.snippetButtonStyle = 'banner';_headup.blackListedUrl = false;}  Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive news updates directly to your email         Author:   nycdanCountry:   02/20/2011   11:45
So 2 Iranian ships, now isolated from their county, are in the Mediterranean.. just as Iranian ships fire on ships that enter its territorial waters, these ships take the same risk. at the first sign of aggression.. we give the Mediterranean sea a new reef..

Author:   hans-PeterCountry:   Nederland02/20/2011   11:25
So, 2 Iranian ships are crossing the Suez canal? USA warships do that all the time and also Israeli ships have passed the Suez canal, even submarines. The canal is formally open since the camp david agreement, that allowed israel passage for all nations that want to use it and pay the 250.000 $ to pass. Why not iran with a freight, most likely arms, to Syria. What is the problem ? Please don't come with the broken record that Iran is a threat. we all know wher the real threat to peace lives.

Author:   johan Country:   new zealand02/20/2011   11:14
Ever since 1948 israel has reigned the Middle east with the iron fist of violence. The times are changing and new superpowers emerge, read China and Iran. no more reliance on the partner USA, using its veto in the UNSC against the rest of the world. Bob Dylan sang it so well: The times they are - a - changing. Get used to it is probably the way to survive it.

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Court-Appointed Guardian Tried To Stop Twins' Adoption - NBC Miami

A concerned court-appointed guardian doggedly tried to prevent Jorge and Carmen Barahona from being allowed to adopt fraternal twins Nubia and Victor Doctor, the Miami Herald reports.

Paul Neumann became gravely concerned for the twins around 2007, records show. He discussed Nubia's welfare with officials at her school, interviewed the children during a lunch visit, contacted their relatives in Texas, and expressed his concerns to multiple parties in the child welfare system.

The Barahonas, in three letters defending themselves to then-Governor Charlie Crist, dismissed Neumann's interference as a "personality conflict" and claimed he was tampering with witnesses.

The pair, who were allowed to adopt the twins and two other foster children, are now at the center of one of the most horrifying child abuse cases in recent memory: Jorge Barahona was found passed out Monday near his truck on the side of Interstate 95, with 10-year-old Victor doused in chemicals, severely burned, and suffering seizures in the passenger seat.

Hours later, when workers attempted to decontaminate the truck, they Nubia's body stuffed in a bag and steeped in chemicals. A source reports the twins may have been sprayed with pesticides.

Police had been frantically searching for the children after the couple's biological grandchild told a therapist she had witnessed the twins being bound and forced to remain in a bathtub for hours, prompting a report to the Department of Children and Families. Seven-year-old Alessandra Perez was removed from her mother's custody Friday, and is also considered to be a victim of abuse.

Though DCF has so far declined to release their file on the Barahonas, limited records obtained by the Herald show there were plenty of hints things were amiss at their home in suburban Miami. In addition to Neumann's concerns, several employees at the childrens' school testified against the adoption, and three abuse reports were filed on Nubia's behalf in three years after the Barahonas gained custody in 2004.

The first came when Nubia informed someone at her school that she was being "touched" by her father. Records show child welfare professionals suspected she referred to her birth father, who had already lost custody, and took no action.

A year later, the girl arrived at school with bruising on her face and neck; teachers suspected abuse. Though the Barahonas were ordered to present themselves and Nubia to the Department of Health’s Child Protection Team, they waited so long to comply that the marks had faded, and doctors accepted the couples' story that the girl had fallen.

In 2007, a third report was filed, stating that Nubia regularly complained of hunger, was dirty, and smelled.

In June of 2010, a similar report was issued: Nubia was so "uncontrollably" hungry that she was stealing food, had begun losing her hair, and was "nervous" and "jittery."

Jorge Barahona pled not guilty to his son's attempted murder Friday; no charges have been filed yet in Nubia Doctor's death. Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman ordered last week that adoption subsidies estimated at $950 per month for the couple's three surviving children be cut off immediately.

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Congress, Obama brace for showdown as government shutdown looms - Washington Post

The prospect of a government shutdown appeared more possible Saturday after the House passed a budget measure in the pre-dawn hours that cuts $61 billion - and was immediately rejected by Senate Democrats and President Obama.

The House plan, which was approved on a party-line vote at 4:40 a.m. after five days of debate, eliminates dozens of programs and offices while slashing agency budgets by as much as 40 percent. Federal funding for AmeriCorps and PBS would cease. Hundreds of millions would be cut from border security, and tens of millions would be withheld from funding for the District of Columbia.

The debate over the size and scope of the government now moves to the Senate, where leaders have already said that the House plan cuts way too deep and that they are planning a far more modest proposal. But with the Senate out of session all next week, senators have left themselves just a few days to take up a bill before March 4, when the stop-gap measure that is currently funding the government expires.

Given the tight time frame, it's unlikely the two chambers can agree on a compromise. If they don't, the government will either shut down or congressional leaders will have to agree on another temporary measure, perhaps for as little as a couple of weeks.

But even that could be difficult. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he won't approve another extension unless it also includes significant cuts. And it's unclear whether the scores of Republican freshmen who were elected last fall on their promise to dramatically downsize the federal government will agree to any sort of deal, particularly after insisting on the deep cuts agreed to Saturday.

"Nobody really knows where this is going from here," said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who helped craft the $61 billion in cuts as a member of the Appropriations Committee.

For Boehner, Saturday's vote marked an early political victory, allowing his party to honor a 2010 campaign pledge to trim spending to 2008 levels.

"It's democracy in action," Boehner said in an impromptu, triumphal news conference off the House floor just past 9 p.m. Friday, when it was clear the bill would pass. "I'm proud of this vote," he added.

The bigger victors were the 87 Republican freshmen, whose dismissal of an earlier plan that would have cut about $35 billion led House leaders to quickly draw up the larger package of cuts.

Unshackled by Boehner's commitment to a freewheeling process, the freshmen dominated the floor Friday and Saturday morning in passing amendments that moved the legislation further to the right, limiting the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to enforce clean-air standards and defunding the Consumer Product Safety Commission's ability to create a database of injuries.

All of the Republican freshmen supported the final legislation, including a couple of dozen from Midwestern states whose capitals are under siege from public worker unions protesting proposed cuts at the state level.

"We are committed to changing the status quo in Washington and restoring our fiscal stability," Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a leader of the 2010 class, said after the vote.

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Pak investigators to seek Musharraf extradition - Indian Express

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency will seek the extradition of former President Pervez Musharraf after his refusal to appear before an anti-terrorism court on charges that he failed to provide adequate security to slain former premier Benazir Bhutto.

"We have decided to write to the Home Secretary of the UK for General Musharraf's extradition," an unnamed senior FIA official was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.

The decision was made at a meeting chaired on Saturday by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, the report said.

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi had issued a warrant for the arrest of Musharraf after the special prosecutor handling the case alleged that he had not cooperated with the investigation into Bhutto's assassination. Pakistan and Britain do not have a formal extradition treaty, which is likely to make the process complicated, said legal expert Salman Akram Raja.

Any extradition request will depend on relevant British laws, he said.

Musharraf's legal advisor Muhammad Ali Saif said there was "no possibility" of the former military ruler appearing in court despite the warrant. He also challenged the allegations levelled against Musharraf.

The FIA earlier named Musharraf as an "absconder", saying he had failed to cooperate with investigators.

Musharraf was accused of failing to provide adequate security to Bhutto after she returned to Pakistan from self-exile in October 2007.

Bhutto was killed by a suicide attacker in Rawalpindi two months later. Investigators have also alleged that two police officers, who were recently arrested for negligence in providing security to Bhutto, were acting on Musharraf's instructions.

... contd.

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In Pacific discovery, traces of Nantucket and 'Moby-Dick' - Boston Globe

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NANTUCKET — Remains of an 1800s Nantucket whaling ship with a poignant tie to the book “Moby-Dick’’ have been discovered on a remote reef almost 600 miles northwest of Honolulu.

The Two Brothers is the first wrecked Nantucket whaler to be discovered, and the chance find illuminates an era when close to 150 whaling ships from this tiny island set out across the world’s oceans in search of the lucrative oil extracted from blubber and left behind the near-extinction of many whale species.

While marine archeologists are ecstatic at the information they hope to glean from the coral-encrusted cooking pots and blubber hooks, the artifacts also complete the tale of a famously cursed captain: George Pollard Jr., who had commanded the Essex, the whaler from Nantucket that was sunk by an enraged sperm whale and inspired Herman Melville to write his classic novel.

Pollard survived the sinking of the Essex, resorting to cannibalism to do so, and returned home to Nantucket. He soon took command of the Two Brothers, only to have it sink on Feb. 11, 1823. Pollard again survived, but he never went whaling again.

“Pollard is the heart and soul of the whole story,’’ said Nathaniel Philbrick, who recounted the Essex tragedy and examined Pollard’s psyche in a best-selling book “In the Heart of the Sea.’’ “He has been through hell once again, slamming into destiny and almost going down with the ship. Something about there actually being physical remains [means] it is not just a story, but it really happened.’’

The ship’s remains were found by marine archeologists in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, an almost 140,000-square-mile US conservation area in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands known for its coral reefs and multitude of marine species. The atoll chain includes the location where the World War II air Battle of Midway was fought, and it is believed to entomb the remains of more than 120 aircraft and vessels.

Nearing the end of a research expedition in 2008, archeologists working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries came across a large anchor, three cast iron pots used for melting whale blubber, ship rigging, and other artifacts in 10 to 20 feet of water near French Frigate Shoals, where Two Brothers sank.

The items were clearly from an early 19th-century whaler, but a definitive identification took several more years. The remoteness of the site prevented the team from returning until 2009, and that year and again in 2010, they recovered more conclusive evidence, including blubber hooks, five whaling harpoon tips, three whaling lances, and glass.

The ship’s wooden hull had long since degraded, but American-made ceramics, probably used by Pollard because such high-quality goods would have been reserved for captains, were also discovered.

“We weren’t looking for the Two Brothers,’’ said Kelly Gleason, the monument’s marine archeologist. “While we know it sank on French Frigate Shoals, it was still like looking for a needle in a haystack. But by 2010, we began to put the pieces together.’’

Researchers feel confident they have located the Two Brothers because they painstakingly compared the artifacts to similar items preserved from the period of the sinking. The design of anchors, blubber hooks, and other ship gear evolved over time, so archeologists were able to date most of the items they found to the 1820s. Gleason also visited the Nantucket Historical Association to examine artifacts and look for clues in an epic poem about the sinking by Thomas Nickerson, who sailed with Pollard on both the Essex and the Two Brothers.

Nantucket still captures a whiff of the whaling heyday in the first half of the 19th century, with its magnificent captains’ homes on cobbled streets. Whalers first plied the cold waters off New England, with their catches providing the oil used to illuminate early America and to make a suite of goods from candle wax to soap.

But as the giant mammals were fished out locally, whalers fanned out from home. Many sailed around South America and passed through the low-lying atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, whaling along the way, and then onto whaling grounds off Japan and in the Arctic.

“These were little gold rushes each time they found new whaling grounds,’’ said James Delgado, National Marine Sanctuaries’ Maritime Heritage Program director and former president of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. “Nowhere was the leviathan safe.’’

Catching the beasts was a fantastically dangerous job. Men would leave for two years or more in boats that, early on, were only marginally bigger than some of the whales they were chasing. Most whalers seemed to have a near-death experience with the sea, whales, or wild weather.

But no story captured the imagination more than the Essex tragedy, one of the first times a whale was reported to have seemingly struck back at its would-be executioners by ramming and sinking a boat.

What followed was even worse: Pollard and a shipmate spent 94 days at sea in a small boat, eventually eating fellow crewmen to survive, including, according to Philbrick’s book, Pollard’s 18-year-old first cousin.

Pollard was rescued, recuperated in Chile, and returned home to Nantucket to an awestruck, silent crowd of some 1,500 who had heard the tale, according to Ben Simons, curator of the Nantucket Historical Association who wrote a recent piece for Historic Nantucket about the Two Brothers. Pollard, meanwhile, had so impressed the captain of the Two Brothers, the boat that brought him home, that he was recommended as its next commander.

About three months later, he set sail again. On that journey, he was asked by a sailor how he could dare go to sea again, according to Philbrick’s book. Pollard reportedly answered “that the lightning never struck in the same place twice.’’

But, of course, it did. The Two Brothers broke up on a shoal in the middle of the night “with breakers apparently mountains high,’’ according to Nickerson’s careful account. Pollard was reluctant to leave the ship, but eventually did and spent a harrowing night with other crew in a small boat. All were rescued the next day by a sister ship.

Pollard never whaled again, instead taking a job as a lowly night watchman. Melville, who had never visited Nantucket before publishing “Moby-Dick’’ in 1851, met Pollard a year later. “To the islanders he was a nobody — to me, the most impressive man,’’ Melville later recalled.

Now, as archeologists plan a return to the reef to look for more of what is left of Pollard’s last ship, they say the seabed may hold new secrets about Two Brothers and other whalers.

“It sparks the imagination; it makes you wonder how many vessels are out there,’’ said Simons.

Earlier this week at the historical association’s library, he carefully opened a manila folder that contained Nickerson’s original account of the Two Brothers in careful script. One verse speaks to the horror Nickerson and Pollard must have felt when they realized they were about to lose another boat.

But here again, new terrors on us seize We have no food, our hunger to appease and thirst steals o’er our parched lips in vain Pale death’s stern visage threatens now again.

Beth Daley can be reached at bdaley@globe.com.

© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

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Body floating in canal thought to be California kidnapper - CNN International

Jose Esteban Rodriguez allegedly snatched 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas from his grandmother's arms on January 18.NEW: The kidnapped boy's mother says she's "relieved that all this is over"NEW: She tells Rodriguez's mother that she feels her pain, having lost a son herselfA water authority worker alerts police after finding a floating body in the Delta-Mendota CanalPolice believe the body is that of Jose Rodriguez, accused of kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend's son

(CNN) -- A floating body was found Saturday that authorities believe to be the man who kidnapped his ex-girlfriend's 4-year-old son and drove with him into a canal.

A California water authority employee saw the body, believed to be that of Jose Esteban Rodriguez, at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. It was discovered in a part of the 117-mile Delta-Mendota Canal in the northern California city of Patterson, according to a press release from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.

The employee alerted Stanislaus County Sheriff's detectives, who went to the scene along with members of the department's dive team and the West Stanislaus-Patterson Fire Department.

Authorities determined the body was that of an adult Hispanic male with clothing and a physical make-up matching that of Rodriguez. Authorities will now employ scientific measures, such as DNA tests and dental records, and examine other evidence to definitively identify the body.

The discovery comes 11 days after authorities found the body of young Juliani Cardenas, the boy who Rodriguez allegedly swiped from his grandmother's arms on January 18.

Tabitha Cardenas, the boy's mother, who broke up with Rodriguez five months earlier, told CNN affiliate KCRA that she was "relieved that all this is over." She also expressed sympathy for Rodriguez's mother, now that his body has apparently been found.

"I feel her pain, because I know what it's like to lose a son," Cardenas said. "She knows that I have always given her the utmost respect, through everything."

A day later, a farmer saw a car that appeared to be Rodriguez's 2003 silver Toyota Corrolla -- purportedly with a man and youngster inside -- careen into the canal.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said that the body found Saturday was about 11 miles south of where that car was driven into the water.

A homicide warrant had been issued for Rodriguez in connection with Juliani's death while authorities searched for him, Sheriff Adam Christianson said.

Last month, authorities found the man's Toyota trapped in 50 feet of water and intertwined with two other vehicles, according to Christianson. The windows of the car were opened and it was badly damaged, but there were no bodies inside.

Tabitha Cardenas had said Rodriguez either wanted to have her son for himself or wanted revenge for their breakup. She said she never thought Rodriguez, who is the father of her unborn child, would harm Juliani.

Rodriguez "wanted to be with my son," Cardenas said January 20. "He wanted to be with my son so bad that he took it to the extreme."

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