Haitians stand in line at a food distribution point in the Canapet Vert district
of Port-Au-Prince before receiving food aid as Haitian officials request "fees"
from aid groups before letting them off-load donated goods.
World
Click on the title to read more NMJ coverage... Aid
Groups: Agents Want 'Fees' Before Releasing Haiti Aid Source: USA Today
Haiti customs agents told those bringing in the donated goods that if they
didn't pay $120 that the aid would be held indefinitely, Brett Furlong,
executive pastor of the Cape Christian Fellowship said. The demand came despite
a sign at the point of entry stating, no fees for humanitarian aid. "Where there
isn't customs before, now there is," Furlong said. "This is the third time this
week we've been held."
Iran to Make 'Advanced' Attack Drones Source: The London Telegraph
Iran has begun making 'advanced' unmanned drones capable of carrying out
"assaults with high precision." Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian defense minister,
opened two production lines for the manufacture of the aircraft, the Fars news
agency reported.
The drones would be able to carry out "surveillance, detection and even assaults
with high precision," the report said.
India Hails Test of
Nuclear-Capable Missile Source: DefenseNews.com
India successfully tested a nuclear-capable missile on Feb. 7, a defense
ministry spokesman said, days after the government proposed a resumption of
talks with arch-rival Pakistan. The surface-to-surface Agni-III missile with a
range of more than 2,000 miles was fired from Wheeler Island, off the coast of
the eastern state of Orissa. "It hit the target with pin-point accuracy and met
all the mission objectives," a ministry spokesman said.
Ahmadinejad Orders Higher Enrichment of Uranium Source: AFP/Yahoo! News
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered Iran's atomic chief on Sunday to enrich
uranium to 20 percent, in a fresh challenge to world powers days after appearing
to accept a UN-drafted nuclear fuel deal. Ahmadinejad also blamed the world
powers for the stalemate over the fuel deal, but left the door open for possible
negotiation over the proposal.
Syrian Slips Hezbollah Missiles Able to Destroy Israeli Cities Source: DEBKAfile
The secret transfer of the mobile surface-to-surface Syrian-made Fateh-110
(range 250km) missile to Hezbollah sparked the prediction Friday, from an
unnamed US official that cross-border arms smuggling from Syria into Lebanon
outside state control was "very dangerous" and "paved the way to war similar to
Israel-Hezbollah conflict of 2006. The weapons are capable of reaching almost
every Israel city.
Taliban Have Returned to Flogging Men in Pakistan Source: AP/The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Taliban militants flog two men and a teenage boy in a video that has emerged
from Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghan border, showing the hold of
insurgents in at least one area there despite army offensives and intensified US
missile strikes in the region. The Taliban are known to beat people in areas
they control if they are suspected of criminal acts, spying or violating the
militants' ultra-strict interpretation of Islamic law. People accused of serious
crimes are often reportedly killed.
Northern Ireland
Leaders Agree to Peace Pact for Ulster Source: AFP/The Australian
Northern Ireland's leaders last night announced a hard-fought accord to transfer
key remaining powers from London to Belfast, hailed as opening a "new chapter"
in the long-troubled province. Responsibility for police and justice in Northern
Ireland will transfer to Belfast from April 12, they said, flanked by British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Irish counterpart, Brian Cowen, who flew in
for the occasion.
Romania 'to Host US Missile Shield' Source: BBC News
Romania has agreed to host missile interceptors as part of a new US defense
shield, its president says. President Traian Basescu said the plan was approved
by the defense council. It still needs parliamentary approval. The US scrapped a
previous missile shield, based in Poland and the Czech Republic, which had
infuriated Russia. Instead the new system would provide better defense from "the
emerging threat" of Iranian short- and medium-range missiles, a US official
said.
Rising Crime Takes
Caribbean Island Off Cruise Routes Source: The London Telegraph
A leading cruise line has cancelled all calls at Antigua following the murder on
the island of one of its passengers last month. The move by Star Clippers came
10 days after the body of a 30-year-old American woman was discovered near
Pigeon Point Beach, an area popular with tourists. The five Star Clippers
cruises that were due to call at Antigua will now stop at Nevis. The company has
yet to decide whether it will resume calls at the island next winter.
Iran to Hang Nine More Over Election Unrest Source: Thomson- Reuters/Yahoo! News
Iran said on Tuesday it would soon hang nine more rioters over the unrest that
erupted after the June presidential vote, and the leader of the opposition said
such repression showed the 1979 Islamic revolution had failed. "Nine others will
be hanged soon," said senior judiciary official Ebrahim Raisi. Influential
cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati praised the hangings and urged the judiciary on
Friday to execute more.
Turmoil Reported in
N. Korea After Currency Changes Source: The New York Times
North Korea’s sweeping attempts to revive socialist central economic planning
and crack down on private markets appear to have set off runaway inflation and
perhaps caused the country’s reclusive leaders to reconsider some of their own
measures, according to South Korean news reports and intelligence officials.
Another Iranian Diplomat Steps Down Source: Radio Free Europe
Iranian opposition websites and blogs are reporting that a second Iranian
diplomat has resigned to protest the postelection crackdown. The diplomat, whose
name is said to be Abolfazl Eslami, is reportedly the former counselor of Iran's
embassy in Tokyo. Earlier this month, Mohammad Reza Heydari, former Iranian
consul in Oslo, resigned from his post to protest Tehran's crackdown on
pro-reform demonstrators.
