Kenya: Fine young cannibals...and terror scumbags come home.

whee-doggies

Okay, they're not really cannibals, (that I know of) but the thought did come to mind after seeing these guys pictures. Yikes.

Connections with the 1997 Nairobi Embassy bombing mastermind. Nice, real nice.

Nine Kenyans who trained under fugitive terrorist Fazul Abdullah were discretely flown back early yesterday (Friday), following months of protracted row with human rights groups.

Accused of acting at the behest of the United States, and suppressing Muslims under the guise of war against terrorism, many other suspects were also brought back from what is now Africa’s Guantanamo Bay. It is not clear what the Government’s intention is, bringing them back. At the same time, the Government concedes they were trained and dangerous, but still allowing them to melt into the civilian population, even as it insists it is contemplating what to do.

The terror suspects are Swaleh Ali Tunzi, Bashir Hussein Mohammed Sader aka Chirag, Kassim Musa Mwarusi, Ali Musa Mwarusi, Abdalla Khalifan Tondwe, Hassan Shaban Mwasume, Said Hamisi Mohamed aka Star, Salim Awadh Salim and Abdulrashid Mohammed.

But the Government insists even the eight linked to the dreaded Al-Qaeda’s point man in East Africa suspected to have masterminded the 1997 bomb attack in Nairobi, will remain on the police radar as the next course of action is considered.

"Since none of these individuals offers any plausible reason for taking part in terrorist training in Somalia or indeed for their links with international terrorists, the Government will determine the appropriate action against them,’’ read a statement discretely sourced from a key national security unit.

Though released, and flown to Ethiopia for screening and possible transfer to Guantanamo Bay, the notorious US terrorist holding ground in Cuba, their indictment by investigation is unnerving. Apart from confessions of training under the Mujahidin programme in war-torn Somalia, one of them even acceded he chauffeured Fazul, who last month escaped police dragnet in the Coast.

There's more here.

What now, my loves?

Dusting off the old crystal ball.

The bailout bill passed. So why did the stock market experience a 457 point swing and its worst week since 9/11?

Because passing that piece of crap sandwich of a rescue plan was the easy part.

The bailout's passage was already priced into the market and the traders are already looking ahead. What did they see today? Economic indicators that suck. Jobless claims are up and are expected to continue to rise - there were 159,000 jobs lost in September, the most in 5 years.

Today, LIBOR (the rate banks charge each other) hit an all time high and credit markets are not only still frozen, they're a mere shadow of their former self. There's talk of the fed having to step in on Monday with an emergency rate cut. Earnings season kicks off on Tuesday (when publicly traded companies report their earnings numbers to the street) and this is when the full extent of the credit crunch will start to be seen as the economic downturn and increased financing costs start showing up on balance sheets.

The short selling ban will expire Wednesday, October 8 and that will likely result in an increase in downward pressure and lots of roller coaster volatility. Unless it gets extended that is. Look for pressure on the small and mid caps of the Russell 2000. These companies have to rely more on credit than companies found in the other indices and will likely be hit harder. These guys should be a pretty good indicator of what's going on.

Oil will probably continue to shadow the stock market barring any unforeseen upsets in the global market and world at large. Recession = decreased demand for oil. Decreased demand for oil = decrease in price. That age old theory of supply and demand in action.

Having said all that, it's still a big mess. (Master of the Obvious here - hah-hah)

And it's gonna be a mess for a while.

So what's next? Treasury will be taking steps to purchase the toxic assets from the banks, injecting confidence back in the system - hopefully. The cash proceeds from the sale of these assets will then allow the banks to inject liquidity back into the credit markets - hopefully. And the banks will start lending again. (Back in the day I remember that the Wall Street firms used to look down their nose at the Commercial Banks. Hah! Now there are only two of the White Shoe wall street firms left! )

The status of the mark to market accounting rule change is still up in the air: The SEC is to conduct a study and Congress wants a report in 90 days.

Mark-to-market accounting will remain the standard for the banking industry’s books: The financial-system bailout signed into law by President Bush today won’t require that the SEC suspend mark-to-market rules, as some House conservatives had wanted.

Instead, the House went along with the Senate’s language on the issue, giving the SEC the authority to suspend the rules, but not mandating the move.

In the interim:

Under political pressure, the SEC and the Financial Accounting Standards board eased up on the rules in a "clarification" issued Tuesday. The change may allow banks to avoid further huge write-downs of mortgage assets. That was enough to satisfy House conservatives, for the moment.

You'll be hearing a lot about TARP, the Targeted Assets Relief Program and this is what I've been able to find out about it so far:

A Treasury official, speaking on condition of anonymity because details of the agency's plans are still being worked out, said it's unlikely that Paulson would begin purchasing distressed assets from Wall Street banks until after the Nov. 4 election.

It could take up to six weeks, the official said, for Treasury to hire about two dozen full-time employees for the effort and to contract anywhere from five to 10 asset-management companies to help purchase and later resell troubled assets. Treasury also will have to publish procurement rules, adding to the delay before bad assets can actually be purchased and relief come to troubled banks.

"We would expect the Treasury to start ramping up the size of auctions over the next several weeks to fund the program - with an initial target of perhaps $100 to $200 billion in the program account by mid-November, but ... actual purchases of securities are not likely until perhaps the second half of November," said Brian Bethune, an economist with forecaster Global Insight, in a note to investors.

Over the next several weeks, Treasury must convert the legislation - so vaguely worded that it amounted to a virtual blank slate - into an action plan. "They need to figure out how best to ensure there are no conflicts of interest, they need to think about accounting treatment, how sales affect balance sheets of firms that have like assets," said Travis Larson, a spokesman for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

What Larson's getting at is this: Current accounting rules require that banks express on their balance sheets the present-day value of these assets that no one wants to buy, which means those assets aren't worth much at all. Once banks start unloading distressed mortgage bonds to the government, the banks must reflect on their balance sheets not the price they received from government, but the assets' present-day market price. If someone sells similar assets for less, that price must count.

Part of what Paulson hopes to accomplish is to help create a price level in dysfunctional markets for products no one now wants.

"The reality is the markets are frozen today in part because buyers and sellers can't agree on a price, and this process will create price discovery and find a market price," Larson said. But for that to happen, another important detail will be how Treasury carries out the expected reverse auctions. Instead of offering a starting price for the bad assets and bidding it up, the government will lay out the most it will pay for a particular asset and the companies interested in unloading will race each other down in price.

Treasury must walk a fine line. It can't pay too high a price above what's perceived as fair-market value or there will be public outcry, but it must pay a price high enough to accomplish its goal - to provide banks an infusion of cash large enough to boost their balance sheets so they'll begin lending again.

"Treasury will be buying something higher than the distressed price, but they are not going to buy them at a price so high that it is going to make everyone solvent," said Vincent Reinhart, a former top economist at the Federal Reserve and now a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. "In some ways what the legislation does is help facilitate consolidation" in the financial market.

It's going to be all about the pricing of these assets and is just getting interesting, possums. Stay tuned and keep that seat belt fastened low and tight across your lap...

Pakistan: Another missile strike

A US missile strike on alleged havens for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters left at least 12 dead yesterday.

A pilotless drone aircraft targeted two Pakistani villages near the Afghan border. One TV report said 21 died. American strikes from Afghanistan have angered Pakistan, straining ties between the allies. But the US claims Pakistan is unwilling or unable to eliminate rebels on its territory.

The militants have been blamed for a surge in attacks on US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.

Were foreigners among those killed?

Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. missile strike has killed at least nine people, including foreigners, along the Afghan border.

There is no word as to the identity of the foreigners.

Fingers crossed it was somebody big.

Delaware: The corporate tax haven of the USA

Another Joe Biden patriotic moment.

Say Joe, what was that about taxes being patriotic again?

Delaware is the country's corporate tax haven, with over half of its publicly held corporations registered there, including 58% of the Fortune 500. Corporations are attracted by Delaware's exemption from taxation of the subsidiaries of holding companies (so the holding-company headquarters are located in Delaware and the operating subsidiaries generally elsewhere). Financial institutions are attracted by its absence of usury limits. The fees paid by hundreds of thousands companies allow it to be one of five states with no sales tax. Combined state and local taxes in 2003 amounted to 7.3% of income, the 3rd smallest percentage in the US, ahead of only New Hampshire and Alaska. In Delaware's state tax revenues come primarily from levies on personal and corporate income, inheritance and estates, motor fuels, cigarettes, state lottery, and alcoholic beverages.

There's more here.

Putting lipstick on a power pump...

Call me a silly girl, but I thought that the Governor's choice of footwear for last evening's debate made a powerful statement.

You go, girl.

But then again, I also thought that Joe Biden found himself succumbing to the Palin charm about mid-debate. He looked at times like he was quite taken with her. Smitten, in fact. I remarked to the L&M, 'If these two were having this debate in a bar, Joe Biden would be trying to get in her pants.'

Saudi Arabia: Cleric favors "One-eyed" veil for women.

No more come hither looks from you, Missy.

(with a wink and a nod to our friends at the Religion of Peace)

A Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has called on women to wear a full veil, or niqab, that reveals only one eye. Sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan said showing both eyes encouraged women to use eye make-up to look seductive.

Damn hussies!

Somalia: Ukraine drawing up plans for hostage release scenarios?

"Ukraine will never negotiate with pirates, terrorists, other criminals." says the First Vice Premier. He then goes on to discuss the negotiations between the ship owners with mediators. Oh, and those tanks belong to Kenya. Honest Injun.

"The Cabinet of Ministers ordered a number of agencies, including the military intelligence, SBU, to elaborate scenarios of hostage release in case of force majeure conditions, including with the help of third countries. Such negotiations are being held now," he said.

According to Oleksandr Turchynov, a key requirement of the Ukrainian side is safety during a hostage release operation. Speaking about a situation with the Faina vessel, the official stressed that tanks onboard the ship were purchased under the contract with Kenya. "This means that the ship cargo fully belongs to the Kenyan Defense Ministry," he emphasized. The Faina ship owner is the Panamanian AG water company, while the company's manager is registered in Switzerland.

"Ukraine will never negotiate with pirates, terrorists, other criminals. Anyway, terror and hostage taking will be one of the most spread activities in the world," the First Vice Premier said.

At the same time, Mr Turchynov noted that according to the international practice, the talks about a crew release and ship's further fate shall be held by the ship-owners with mediators. "The talks are being held through mediators, so there is no clear position fixed yet. The requirements are approximately within USD 20 million. But the negotiations have started in deed," the Ukrainian First Vice Prime Minister underscored.

Between accusations of providing arms to Georgia during their dustup with Russia and now, the questionable ownership of tanks and weapons seized on the MV Faina, the whole subject of Ukraine's illegal arms dealing is starting to heat up within the Ukrainian government.

Details of arms deals -- and who is responsible for authorising them -- have become part of increasingly fierce accusations being traded between President Viktor Yushchenko and his prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.

Tymoshenko this week said authorisation of transactions was "under the direct control of the president and the National Security Council". She demanded an investigation of illegal arms trade "which, unfortunately, is occurring today in Ukraine". Her allies have called for control to be transferred to the government.

Bondarchuk, however, said the government had sufficient control over the arms trade to prevent illegal transactions. "Holding talks, signature of contracts and shipment of weaons is conducted strictly on the basis of authorisation of the Export Control Service. This body is part of the government," he said.

From coast to coast the gears of Government starting to grind to a halt...

As if they could grind any slower...

From the Sunshine State: The State of Florida has not been able to borrow money for three weeks.

The nation's credit crunch has frozen Florida's ability to borrow money, but that isn't yet causing problems for the state, a top state money manager said Tuesday. Florida has been unable to borrow money for nearly three weeks, said Ben Watkins, director of the division of the state's Division of Bond Finance. As such, the state cannot issue bonds for schools, roads or programs to purchase environmentally sensitive land, Watkins said.

Florida, which works on bonds months in advance, is not in a dire need for extra cash, he said. (yet)

"It's not creating a problem for us currently," Watkins told Gov. Charlie Crist and members of the Florida Cabinet. "But if this goes on for an extended period of time we will be challenged to have access to the credit markets."

(To tell you the truth, I'm not sure that purchasing environmentally sensitive land would be one of my top three priorities given the situation we're finding ourselves in.)

To the Golden State: Schwarzenegger warns that California may need federal loan. (another bailout of sorts)

California Gov.warned U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in a letter emailed Thursday that the state might need an emergency federal loan of up to $7 billion within weeks, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing a copy of the letter that the newspaper obtained. California, among several states frozen out of the bond market by the credit crunch, is nearly out of cash to fund day-to-day government operations and can’t access routine short-term loans it relies on to remain solvent. If the state’s inability to access cash continues, Schwarzenegger aides say, payments to schools and other government entities in California could be suspended and state employees laid off

Watching the wheels come off...

Not only do I have a BIG love of the American automobile, I also have immense fondness for the Big 3 automakers. I hail from the rust belt and automobile manufacturing is a huge part of our daily lives there. In fact, if the L&M and I hadn't decided to strike out into the larger world and seek our fortunes, we would have ended up on the assembly line of a car plant. So when I heard Kimberley Rodriguez of Grant Thornton speaking about them yesterday, I sat up and paid attention. Ms. Rodriguez is one of the most respected supply chain management and restructuring experts in the automotive field and she knows her stuff, IMO.

Auto sales are now at levels not seen since 1993. And when I heard that Chevrolet's largest dealership, Bill Heard, out of Atlanta was closing it's doors, well, I knew the auto industry was grinding to a halt.

Earlier this year, Grant Thornton forecast 2,700 dealerships would need to shut down in order to maintain 2007 sales levels of about 750 cars and trucks per dealership. Given the steep drop in auto sales, Grant Thornton now puts that number at 3,800 dealerships.

"Significant consolidation is necessary, especially among Ford, General Motors and Chrysler retailers, because U.S. sales already have declined more than 1 million units this year," Grant Thornton analyst Paul Melville said.

What does the loss of 1 million units mean? How many manufacturing facilities would need to be shut down to support such drastically reduced sales levels? Well, according to Ms. Rodriguez (no link - sorry, I was watching her being interviewed on FBC. Update: Finally! I found a link - and more detail):

4 production plants
2 engine plants
2 1/2 transmission plants
50 Tier I just in time assembly/powertrain sites
Over 500 supplier manufacturing locations
With losses cascading down to Tier II, Tier III operations and
the truck and rail companies that ship components

It's not over yet.

"Yesterday's results put the entire industry on alert, as many experts had expected some level of recovery to occur in the second half of this year," said Rodriguez. "Nine months into 2008, sales and economic conditions are worsening. We may not have seen the bottom."

"The full effect of such a 2 million unit decline from 2007 is generally underappreciated and will likely lead to even higher unemployment numbers,"she added. "Potentially, more than 100,000 jobs are at risk."

And this is where the wheels start coming off -and it's right in the middle of Main Street.

Dubai: No thanks, Sharia. Count me out of Cat Fight Central.

Dubai builds women only high-rise.

Hydra Properties, one of the leading real estate developers in the UAE, has completed excavation work on what is being billed as the world's first tower exclusively for businesswomen, the Abu Dhabi-based developer said as reported by Arabian business online. Evés Tower, located within Dubaìs Business Bay development, will be the first tower where only women can own office space. Men will be allowed to work there, but women will be provided special facilities such as entrances, elevators and car parks. Hydra CEO Sulaiman Al-Fahim told Arabian Business the project will "encourage entrepreneurship amongst women". "This project will give women the chance and incentives to own their own office space," Al-Fahim said. Hydra said piling work on the 20-storey tower is expected to start soon, with the project expected to be finished by 2010. Evés Tower is part of the Hydra Towers Project that comprises five, high-rise buildings at the centre of Business Bay.

Separate, and not equal. That's mighty modern.

(a big Meow to the Religion of Peace.)

This is why Harry Reid should be sent back to Searchlight, NV

You know this isn't my blog's focus here at Dinah Lord, but I'd just like to point out to everyone how that fool Harry Reid's big mouth is wreaking havoc in the US insurance market.

Thanks a lot Harry, you ass.

This is JUST what the jittery markets needed.

"Reid also warned that a member of the Democratic caucus had warned a major US firm was among those at the risk of foundering if a bailout bill was not passed soon.

"One of the individuals in the caucus today talked about a major insurance company, a major insurance company, one with a name that everyone knows that is on the verge of going bankrupt.

"That is what this is all about."

Reid did not identify the company, and it was not immediately clear which firm he was referencing."

Hartford, Prudential, MetLife Credit Swaps Widen to Records

The cost to protect against default by Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Prudential Financial Inc. and MetLife Inc. soared to records and shares fell on speculation turmoil in financial markets may be spreading to insurers. Credit-default swap traders were demanding upfront payments to protect against a default by Hartford, Prudential and MetLife for five years. Shares of Hartford fell as much as 13 percent; MetLife by as much as 23 percent; and Prudential by as much as 4.3 percent on concern the companies face losses as the value of fixed-income assets plunge amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

U.S. Senator Harry Reid may have helped push the markets into a panic after saying yesterday that a ``major'' insurer may be on the brink of failure, Donelan said.

Companies are now being forced to come out and issue statements denying Harry's rash claim which seems to be nothing more than anecdotal. (At least I sure hope so.)

From Metlife: The statement yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid does not apply to MetLife. MetLife is financially sound and has high ratings from all of the major insurance ratings agencies. MetLife is fully able to meet all its obligations.

Stocks are reacting accordingly: Prudential down 9% Hartford down 11% at this writing.

Somalia: MV Faina ransom back at $20 million

The Somali standoff continues. And the government of Kenya is still loudly proclaiming their ownership of the ship's cargo. (Methinks they are starting to protest too much.) Andrew Mwangura is still under arrest for his statements that the cargo was intended for the Sudan and the Islamists are telling the pirates to burn the ship, cargo and crew to the waterline if they are not paid.

"If they do not get the money they are demanding, we call on them to either burn down the ship and its arms or sink it," Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, a spokesman for the Shabab movement, told AFP in an interview.

The other part to this saga that is of interest and that is, arms trafficking by the Ukraine.

The pirate hijacking of a Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks off Somalia has refocused attention on arms-trafficking by the former Soviet republic, one of the world's 10 biggest arms exporters. Experts say Ukraine has greatly improved arms-export controls after a string of scandals but remains a potential source of weapons for pariah states and rebel groups worldwide.

Ralph Peters in "Exterminate that plague of pirates" has this to say about that:

Chartered through a Ukrainian front company, the Faina's a typical post-Soviet arms smuggler: Its cargo is manifested to the Kenyan military, but the true destination for those T-72 tanks is either Sudan's government, which is under an international arms embargo, or southern-Sudanese rebels chafing under a rickety peace deal. The Kenyans are just middlemen making a buck. The pirates attacked the wrong ship and screwed up everything.

Naval vessels are having an impact, but it's not enough.

Lieut. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for Combined Task Force 150, based in Bahrain, insisted the naval vessels were having an impact since setting up a safe corridor for shipping four weeks ago. "We have deterred pirate attacks - 12 in the past month - so we are having an impact," he said. "But this is an international problem and needs an international solution. It will take more than the six or seven ships we have in 6,215,971sq km (2.4 million sq ml) of sea." Mareeg.

Glad to see that Russia is doing it's part (/sarc)... and get this. According to a naval spokesman they won't be using any force when they finally do get there! Neustrashimy won't rush to fight pirates in Somalia.

The Russian Navy will not be using force against the pirates that have hijacked the Ukrainian ship Faina off the coast of Somalia so far. "Some media reports quoting unnamed sources have assumed that the missile frigate Neustrashimy crossing the Atlantic in the direction of the Mediterranean and from there to Aden Bay immediately after arrival in the area of Somalia will enter combat with the pirates who have seized the ship Faina sailing under the flag of Belize," Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told Interfax on Wednesday. He said the claims are provocative and may harm the talks on the release of the captured crew and threatened the lives of the people kept by the pirates.

Iraq: Big Ramadan blowout at Shiite Mosques

I guess all that fasting makes them peckish. Maybe that's why they strap on bombs and blow themselves up like crazy during the festive holiday season???

Twin suicide bombings near Shiite mosques in Iraq's capital killed 20 people on Thursday as worshippers celebrated Eid al-Fitr, which ends the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, officials said.

Another six people were shot dead in an ambush north of Baghdad.

Security officials said a suicide bomber blew himself up as he was being frisked outside the Al-Rassol mosque in Jadida, a Shiite district of southern Baghdad, killing 12 people and wounding 30. In the second attack, a bomber slammed his explosives-filled car into an Iraqi armoured vehicle at a checkpoint near a mosque in the nearby district of Zafaraniyah. The blast killed eight people, including four Iraqi soldiers, and wounded 10 worshippers.

Meanwhile, back in Pakistan

Zardari vows to suck the oxygen from the Taliban system. I'll believe THAT when I see it.

From Long War Journal: Hizb ut-Tahrir Pakistan advocated for the government to cut diplomatic and military ties with the West and deploy its nuclear weapons if the US continues to violate Pakistan’s territorial integrity. In an earlier release, Hizb ut-Tahrir urged Pakistan to attack US bases in Bagram and Doha with nuclear weapons and suggested all of Pakistan's 160 million citizens conduct martyrdom operations.

And another one of those martyrdom operations (this one actually targeting a Pakistani politician) took place last night. I'm sure glad that Happy Ramadan is over, how about you? Strapping on explosives and turning yourself into a bomb for the holidays or drinking egg nog and singing carols in front of the fire? Tell me again, which religion is the Religion of Peace?

Marriott officials deny plan to host Pakistani leaders on night of bombing. I thought it odd at the time that it seemed like every, Mohammed, Achmed and Abdul in Pakistani government was claiming to be the target of the blast. Why would you politicize a tragedy of this magnitude? It's outrageous to me that these guys would seek to gain political advantage in this way. Who do they think they are? The US Congress? From Rehman Malik, Pak Interior Minister and target wannabe in the worst old way:

"At the 11th hour, the president and prime minister decided that the venue would be the prime minister's house. It saved the entire leadership." But a spokesman for the hotel denied any knowledge of the dinner arrangements. "We didn't have any reservation of such a dinner that the government official is talking about," Jamil Khawar, a spokesman for the hotel, told the Associated Press. The owner of the hotel, Saddrudin Hashwani, also told BBC News that no arrangements for the dinner, or any other government function, had been made for the night of the attack."

The Implementation of Sharia in the NWFP is experiencing problems and is expected to cause even more unrest in the region. Gee, what a surprise. The NWFP govt instituted it to shut up radical Islamist and all around scumbag, Maulana Fazlullah, but it's not working out that way. Let's hope their plan to drain their cash-strapped treasury by purchasing luxury cars for their Islamist govt bigwigs goes better.

Senior lawyer Barrister Bacha called the NWFP government’s Shariah draft a cosmetic one, saying the government had been trying to end the ongoing unrest in the region through this law, but it would create judicial complications. “The people of Malakand and other districts of the province will challenge the Qazi Courts’ decisions in provincial high court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” he said.

Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) Secretary General Muhammad Essa Khan said that the Awami National Party (ANP)-led provincial government did nothing but brought a few changes in the Shari Nizam-e-Adl Act 1999. He said that Qazi Courts were set up by the federal government in the Malakand Division in 1999, but they could not bring any change, and the unrest swelled there.

The UK and the UN have announced that all children of their diplomatic corps and staff would be evacuated in light of the deteriorating security conditions. The West Indies Women's Cricket team has cancelled the Pakistani portion of their schedule for the same reason. Pervez Musharraf, on the other hand, says he's not leaving Pakistan and is planning on hitting the lecture circuit soon.

Gwen Ifill: Debate moderator and author breaks leg on eve of historic debate

MADAM CHAIR WOMAN: Moderator Gwen Ifill, who broke her ankle, inspects from a wheelchair the debate set in St. Louis yesterday.






Evidently the injury occurred as she was crawling into the tank for Barack Obama.

Al Qaeda in Iraq: 24 child suicide bombers in 24 months

Muslim Family values writ large. (hat tip: The Religion of Peace)

Al-Qaeda has over the past two years used 24 children to carry out suicide bombings in Iraq, the director of military operations for the Interior Ministry, Abdelaziz Mohammed Jasim, told pan-Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat.

"Of the 24 children, five had a mental disability. From analysing the others' remains, we established that they were homeless," said Jasim.

American soldiers stationed in Iraq have reported that the insurgency has armed children as young as 11 to fight against them.

Al-Qaeda is targeting orphans, street children and mentally disabled children as suicide bomber recruits as well as women, according to the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

There have been at least 16 suicide attacks carried out by women in recent months in the volatile Al-Qaeda stronghold of Diyala province, north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Iraqi children in general make up 20 percent of the civilian victims of bomb attacks in the country.

UK: Sham Bride busted at the altar...

and it couldn't have happened to a nicer gal!

Dressed head to toe in white, the bride certainly looked the part.

The only thing missing when she left the church after exchanging vows with her new husband was - her new husband.

This unlikely scenario gave police enough reason to pounce on the pair. And this was the moment the bride found herself hitched to the wrong side of the law accused of being involved in a sham marriage.

The 21-year-old woman, from Portugal, burst into tears when officers swooped following her wedding at a church in Dulwich, South-East London.

She was led away in handcuffs to be questioned on suspicion of helping an illegal immigrant into the UK. Her new 'husband', a 37-year-old Nigerian, was also arrested, taken into custody and is facing deportation on the grounds that he entered Britain illegally.

The arrests took place last month as part of a joint operation between the Metropolitan Police and the UK Border Agency.

Officers say that before the wedding the couple had been living in Southwark, South-East London but not together. The groom had been living on his own while the bride had been staying with friends.

Following the arrests officers carried out a search on another London address, where several passports were found all in different names but bearing the same photograph. This led to two other men being arrested, both of whom have appeared in court and been jailed for possessing false passports.

The scale of sham marriages in the UK is unclear, although registrars believe there could be at least 10,000 a year.

WTF? Publication of Jewel of Medina 'suspended' after firebomb attack???

You have got to be kidding me.

Plans for the British publication of a controversial novel about a young wife of the Prophet Mohammed have been postponed following a firebomb attack at the publisher's London office.

Martin Rynja of Gibson Square books intended to publish 'The Jewel Of Medina' by U.S. writer Sherry Jones. But following the attack on his London home, his plans are now said to be "in suspended animation".

Alan Jessop of Compass, the publisher's sales representative, said: "He (Rynja) is in good spirits, but has put publication in suspended animation while he reflects and takes advice on what the best foot forward is."

In good spirits??? He should be pi$$ed off as he[[!

Muslims ask 6 Flags employees not to wear shorts on Muslim day.

I kid you not. (courtesy of Islam in Action)

This Saturday is Muslim Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles.

Six Flags spokeswoman Sue Carpenter has said that Six Flags employees have been asked not to wear shorts that day out of respect for Islam, although she said it is not mandatory.

Read the whole damn thing.

Somalia: Kenyan police detain Maritime Official over Piracy Saga

Andrew Mwangura: What's his story?

Yikes. When I saw this I knew exactly who it referred to:

Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarer's Assistance Program.

When it comes to the Somali pirates, Andrew Mwangura is the man. He is widely quoted and seems to be pretty much the expert on the topic. Is he also a labor organizer, journalist, activist and socialist? Pretty much.

I knew the Kenyan authorities were none too happy with reports that the tanks and weaponry on the MV Faina had been destined for Sudan, not Kenya.

But, I can't believe they've arrested Andrew Mwangura.

Andrew Mwangura, who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, was held at a police station in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

"We have been looking for him since yesterday, but we have finally have him. He has been too vocal on the media, we want him to share with us what he knows of these pirates," a police official told AFP.

"We just want to question him on a few issues. It appears he knows more on the ship. We want him to tell us about this southern Sudan controversy about the arms," added another official.

Police said Mwangura was likely to be charged with making an alarming statement, a crime under the country's criminal procedure code.

"All I can tell you is that he is being investigated for issuing alarming statements. Those are the charges he is likely to face," said another official attached to the Criminal Investigations Department."

More about Andrew:

Earlier this week, Mwangura said Kenyan authorities had gagged him for speaking to the media on the piracy saga.

For several years, the Mombasa-based Mwangura has been a vocal advocate for seafarers rights, revealing the fate of hijacked vessels, the state of the hostages and ransoms, if any is paid.

So what's Andrew's deal? Is he a good guy or one of the guys who puts on his smart clothes and rushes down to the port of Eyl to get his cut?... Pirates stolen your supertanker? Here's the man to call.

When one of their ships goes missing, the millionaire owners telephone Andrew Mwangura, a former seaman who lives in a two-room shack and relies on internet cafes to communicate with his global network of contacts.

"The ship owners are wealthy but there is nothing for Andrew," he says, sipping a hot chocolate on a Mombasa hotel veranda. He dare not meet journalists at his home for fear his work will attract the wrong kind of attention.

"It doesn't matter because I'm proud that the US or British embassy officials come to meet me. They ask me what I think. That's very good for a common man."

Mr Mwangura, 45, has run the Seafarer's Assistance Programme for the past 12 years, tracking down missing vessels, investigating deaths at sea and negotiating the release of hostages. He is not paid for his expertise, but survives by working as freelance writer on the side. At one time he had 40 volunteers working for him, but the number is now nine after his organisation turned out to be riddled with informers.

He has moved from his home in the port of Mombasa up the coast to protect his wife and child. "The government doesn't like what we do and there are lots of people making money from piracy who would like us out of business," he says.

Read more about what Andrew has to say about how this pirate business works. He makes no mention of an al-Qaeda link, so I hope last evening's Snoopy dance wasn't premature

"The gangs, he says, are masterminded by crime lords in Dubai and Nairobi who monitor shipping routes for lucrative targets. They pass directions on to as many as five pirate gangs who pay a "licence fee" to Somali politicians or clan elders. "The majority of the Somali leaders are warlords or mafia-like businessmen connected to pirates, arms smugglers, people-traffickers, illegal fishing, logging," he says. "A thief can't catch a thief." The first Mr Mwangura hears of a hijack is a phone call from a Somali source or a shipping company desperate to trace a missing vessel. He uses a network of contacts in Somalia to find the ship and make contact with the hijackers. "If we can find a cell number for the gunmen and ask to speak to the crew to make sure they are safe, then often we can, as long as we don't give away the position of the ship," he says."

You note he doesn't give away the position of the ship...