[25 Feb 2014] Media outlets have reported an Israeli airstrike on the...
Media outlets have reported an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese-Syrian border area for which Tel Aviv has not denied responsibilty. Prime Minister...
Media outlets have reported an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese-Syrian border area for which Tel Aviv has not denied responsibilty. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will do what it takes to protect Israel\'s safety.
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[02 Jan 2014] israeli fighter jets carry out 2 airstrikes on Gaza Strip;...
israel has launched at least two air-strikes in the Gaza Strip.
There has not been any report of casualties yet. The attack comes just a few...
israel has launched at least two air-strikes in the Gaza Strip.
There has not been any report of casualties yet. The attack comes just a few hours after Palestinians fired a rocket to Israel and Israeli forces shot a Palestinian teen in the leg. The rocket fell in an open area in Eshkol Regional Council. An explosion was reportedly heard in the nearby area but no injuries or damage has been reported. Attacks by Israeli forces on Palestinians have recently escalated. On Sunday, two people were wounded by Israeli tank shells in central Gaza.
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[Islam & Life] Should there be another Leveson inquiry into covering...
An Islamic TV channel is planning to run an "alternative Leveson inquiry" to investigate the way in which Muslims and Islamic affairs are...
An Islamic TV channel is planning to run an "alternative Leveson inquiry" to investigate the way in which Muslims and Islamic affairs are reported in the British media.
The Channel intends to appoint a judge and independent panel of assessors for the inquiry, just like the Lord Justice Leveson-run probe into press standards following the UK phone hacking scandal.
The enquiry will examine the link between the British media coverage and the social attitude towards Muslims.
The inquiry will follow the public poll done last summer where 29 % of people blamed the media for the Islamophobia and creating a climate of fear against Muslims.
In this edition of the show we ask the following question: Should there be another Leveson inquiry into covering Islam in the press?
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[06 July 2012] Comment with George Galloway: Arafat poisoned by polonium...
[06 July 2012] Comment with George Galloway: Arafat poisoned by polonium (I) - English
Scientists of a Swiss institute say they have...
[06 July 2012] Comment with George Galloway: Arafat poisoned by polonium (I) - English
Scientists of a Swiss institute say they have evidence that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with polonium. According to the findings of laboratory research conducted at the Institute de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland, Arafat was poisoned by polonium, a rare, highly radioactive element, al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday. "I can confirm that we measured an unexplained, elevated amount of unsupported polonium-210 in the belongings of Mr. Arafat that contained stains of biological fluids," said Dr. Francois Bochud, the director of the institute.
Bochud stated that the tests focused on biological samples taken from his belongings, which were given to his wife Suha Arafat by the hospital in Paris where he died. "If (Suha Arafat) really wants to know what happened to her husband (we need) to find a sample -- I mean, an exhumation... should provide us with a sample that should have a very high quantity of polonium if he was poisoned," he added. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat died on November 11, 2004, following several weeks of medical treatment. At the time, French officials refused to reveal the exact cause of his death on grounds of privacy laws, fueling rumors that the Mossad had poisoned him with thallium, another radioactive element.
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[27 Oct 2013] In Bangladesh, clashes continues on the second day of a...
Political tension raging on in Bangladesh with four more deaths reported in the latest clashes between opposition and ruling party activists....
Political tension raging on in Bangladesh with four more deaths reported in the latest clashes between opposition and ruling party activists.
The new killings raise the overall death toll to 15 since Friday. Schools and businesses remain shut across the country on the second day of the nationwide strike called by the opposition. Phone talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia on Saturday failed to halt the three-day strike and defuse the crisis. The opposition wants Hasina to give up power and set up a caretaker administration to oversee elections in January 20-14.
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[28 Oct 2013] Report: Al-Qaeda plans to launch attacks in Turkey - English
Local Turkish media have reported that the gendarme forces which are a branch of the military in control of civilian incidents have sent a letter...
Local Turkish media have reported that the gendarme forces which are a branch of the military in control of civilian incidents have sent a letter to the Turkish Interior Ministry warning of possible attacks by al-Qaeda militants. Local media also say Turkish authorities have warned police and gendarme forces throughout the country about such attacks.
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[29 Dec 2013] Egyptian security forces attack protesting al Azhar...
State television reported that the violence took place near the university\\\'s main entrance. Two student protesters were killed yesterday during...
State television reported that the violence took place near the university\\\'s main entrance. Two student protesters were killed yesterday during similar protests. More than 100 others were also arrested. Egypt has been witnessing mass anti-government protests since the army toppled the first democratically-elected president in July. Security forces have intensified their crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters after the interim government designated the group as a terrorist organization. The Brotherhood has been organizing anti-government protests. Human Rights Watch denounced the decision as politically-motivated and against the peaceful activities of the group.
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[16 Feb 2014] Saudi interior minister to become new intelligence chief -...
Saudi media outlets have reported that the country\'s interior minister, Mohammed bin Nayef, will take over the intelligence chief post following...
Saudi media outlets have reported that the country\'s interior minister, Mohammed bin Nayef, will take over the intelligence chief post following his return from a trip to the US.
Saudi media outlets, citing Western security sources, say Mohammed bin Nayef will succeed Bandar bin Sultan as the intelligence chief. Nayef will also take over a number of external security affairs which have no relation with the intelligence department of the Interior Ministry. Bandar bin Sultan is accused of masterminding the terrorist networks that train and finance terrorists in Syria and some other countries in the region. Political analysts believe that the new appointment is being made to enhance the influence of Nayef in the government, especially in the area of ties with the US.
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israel shooting at International and Palestinian Activists - 25 April...
Palestinian medics treat Maltese peace activist Bianca Zimmit at al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip on April 24, 2010.
After the Israeli...
Palestinian medics treat Maltese peace activist Bianca Zimmit at al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip on April 24, 2010.
After the Israeli forces shot and injured a Maltese national during a pro-Palestinian protest in Gaza, Malta's Foreign Ministry moves to condemn the attack.
Twenty-eight-year-old Maltese activist Bianca Zimmit was wounded by a live Israeli round on Saturday during a demonstration against Tel Aviv's decision to declare large parts of Gaza's arable land a "no-go" area, Ma'an news agency reported.
In a Sunday statement, the Maltese Foreign Ministry "deplored and condemned in the strongest possible terms" Zimmit's shooting, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported.
Local residents and international activists had gathered around the restricted zone in the central Gaza Strip to protest the ban that makes 20 percent of arable lands inaccessible to farmers.
The zone reportedly intrudes into the Strip beyond the areas from which Israel is supposed to have withdrawn in 2005.
The Sunday Times of Malta quoted Zammit as saying that "We were not doing anything illegal. I don't expect to be shot for holding a Palestinian flag or holding a camera, especially since we were chanting peaceful songs."
Israeli troops also injured five more protesters including a 22-year-old, who was shot in the stomach, Ma'an reported.
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Hariri plans November visit to Iran for improving ties - Nov2010 - English
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri plans to visit Iran in November in an effort to expand ties with the Islamic Republic, a newspaper close to his...
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri plans to visit Iran in November in an effort to expand ties with the Islamic Republic, a newspaper close to his political alliance has reported.
Hariri announced his plans to visit Iran in a recent meeting of his Future Movement political party, major Lebanese daily An-Nahar reported, quoted by IRNA on Sunday.
The Lebanese daily, affiliated with the March 14 Alliance which is close to the Lebanese premier, said Hariri's visit will likely take place in late November.
Another influential Lebanese daily As-Safir also confirmed the reported planned visit and siad that Hariri's trip to Iran will likely take place on November 28 and 29.
An IRNA report from Beirut, however, quotes an informed source in Hariri's office as describing the reports as "media speculations."
While not denying the planned visit, the source stated that the "official date" of the visit has not been announced "though it will not take long for it to be set."
The Lebanese prime minister is due to visit Russia on Monday and then travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for an official visit.
According to the IRNA report, Abu-Dhabi will be Hariri's next destination before his visit to Iran.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led a high-level delegation in a landmark visit to Lebanon last October in which he emphasized Iran's determination to expand ties with the country in all fields.
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Ziyarat Ashura | Arabic Sub English
Reported from Imam Baqir (as) & Imam Sadiq (as)
Unlike other ziyaraat that have been reported from the Masumeen...
Reported from Imam Baqir (as) & Imam Sadiq (as)
Unlike other ziyaraat that have been reported from the Masumeen (as),Ziyarat Ashura is reported from the Apostle of Allah (saawa) to whom it wasrevealed from the Allah swt through the trustworthy Jibraeel (as).
Imam Sadiq (as) has said, ‘masumeen (as) have guaranteed, for someonewho recites this ziyarat and the dua after it, his ziyarat will be accepted and his pledges granted. He will be among those who will be blessed with the Paradise.
With the right to intercede for others.’
It has been a practice of the pious and is recommended to recite Ziyarat Ashura everyday. For best results awareness of the Ziyarat is required and one must be in line with it.
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Qadir Submarine - Praying Underwater - Persian Sub English
Iran's navy on Wednesday (28th November) launched anew, domestically made Ghadir-class light submarine in the waters of the Gulf, local...
Iran's navy on Wednesday (28th November) launched anew, domestically made Ghadir-class light submarine in the waters of the Gulf, local Fars news agency reported.
The submarine outfitted with the latest military and technological equipment was launched in a ceremony on the occasion of the Navy Day in a military base in Bandar Abbas, the report said.
The new Ghadir-class light submarine was designed and manufactured by the Iranian industrial universities with 10 years of work, according to the report.
The submarine's capabilities are equal to those of foreign types and due to its light weight, it is able to carry out missions at a very high speed, Iranian navy experts were quoted assaying.
Iran's official media had reported that the new Ghadir-class light submarine can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously and operate with sonar-avoiding capability.
According to foreign military experts, Iran's inventory of submarines patrolling Gulf waters includes at least three Russian-built Kilo-class diesel submarines.
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Saudis are American Slave - Master preview - English
The Israeli spy agency Mossad may have used intelligence provided by an Arab country to carry out assassinations in the region.
Israeli sources...
The Israeli spy agency Mossad may have used intelligence provided by an Arab country to carry out assassinations in the region.
Israeli sources confirmed on Monday that Mossad chief Meir Dagan's reliance on cooperation with an Arab country was the reason behind the successful completion of Israeli operations in various countries, IRNA reported.
The Arab country does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, the sources added.
Among the operations attributed to the Israeli regime is the assassination of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement's top commander Imad Mughniyah and Syrian army officer Brigadier-General Mohammed Suleiman.
Israel is also accused of carrying out the recent bombings in Syria and Lebanon.
Lebanon's Al-Manar TV station reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia was the country that provided the intelligence to Mossad, suggesting that Saudi Secretary General of the National Security Council Prince Bandar bin Sultan played a role in the cooperation between the intelligence agencies.
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سیدرضی شاہ کاظمی کو گلا کاٹ کر شہید کیا...
Syed Razi Shah Kazmi, Parachinari cleric and preacher and high specialist education, who was kidnapped by Yazidi terrorists in his way to work last...
Syed Razi Shah Kazmi, Parachinari cleric and preacher and high specialist education, who was kidnapped by Yazidi terrorists in his way to work last week, has martyred in a horrible crime on Saturday, "ABNA reported.
According to this, terrorists took police arms without any struggle and kidnapped Syed Razi Shah.
Some Parachinari Shia announced he had martyred on Saturday and Shiite should take an action for receive his body.
Moreover, terrorists have kidnapped another two panachenari inhabitants, Dr. Syed Momtaz Hussain & Karbalaee Nasir Ali, and extorted mony in front of their release.
"Terrorists main objects are to keep insecure and unsafe Sarhad province such as kidnapping and suicide attacks against Shia inhabitants" ABNA reported.
Terrorists killed at least 20 people and at least 80 injured by a bomb placed near a Shia mosque in Peshawar, 2 days ago.
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Iranian Sunni and Shiite clerics visit South Lebanon and Rabab Sadr -...
New documentary titled \"Eyes Wide Open\" covering the journey of Iranian Shiite and Sunni clerics to South Lebanon. In their journey...
New documentary titled \"Eyes Wide Open\" covering the journey of Iranian Shiite and Sunni clerics to South Lebanon. In their journey they meet influential figures and visit various religious locations. A rare meeting between the clerics and Sheik Hassan Nasrallah will also be translated shortly. In this segment, the religious scholars visit the sister of Imam Musa al-Sadr, Rabab Sadr.
Sayyid Musá a?-?adr (1929-disappeared in 1978) (Arabic: ????? ???? ??????, Persian: ???? ???? ???, also transliterated Musa-ye Sader, Moussa Sadr and many other variants), was an Iranian-born Lebanese philosopher and a prominent Shiah religious leader who spent many years of his life in Lebanon as a religious and political leader.
Musá a?-?adr was born in Qom, Iran in 1929 to the prominent Lebanese a?-?adr family of theologians. His father was Ayatollah ?adr ad-Din a?-?adr, originally from Tyre. Grand Ayatollah Mu?ammad Baqir a?-?adr is a distant cousin.
He is said to have
worked tirelessly to improve the lot of his community - to give them a voice, to protect them from the ravages of war and intercommunal strife ...
A?-?adr was widely seen as a moderate, demanding that the Maronite Christians relinquish some of their power but pursuing ecumenism and peaceful relations between the groups. He was a vocal opponent of Israel but also attacked the PLO for endangering Lebanese civilians with their attacks.
In 1974 he founded the Movement of the Disinherited to press for better economic and social conditions for the Shiah. He established a number of schools and medical clinics throughout southern Lebanon, many of which are still in operation today.
In August 1978, al-Sadr and two companions departed for Libya to meet with government officials. The three were never heard of again. It is widely believed that the Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi ordered a?-?adr\'s killing, but the motivation is unknown. Libya has consistently denied responsibility, claiming that a?-?adr and his companions left Libya for Italy. Some others have reported that he remains secretly in jail in Libya. A?-?adr\'s disappearance continues to be a major dispute between Lebanon and Libya. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri claimed that the Libyan regime, and particularly the Libyan leader, were responsible for the disappearance of Imam Musa Sadr, London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, a Saudi-run pan-Arab daily reported on 27 August 2006.
According to Iranian General Mansour Qadar, the head of Syrian security, Rifaat al-Asad, told the Iranian ambassador to Syria that Gaddafi was planning to kill a?-?adr. On August 27, 2008, Gaddafi was indicted by the government of Lebanon for al-Sadr\'s disappearance. [8]
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Israel Planning and Preparing for New Offensive on Gaza - 07Jan10 - English
An Israeli Television Channel has reported that Israel is conducting military exercises in the Negav in preparation for a new offensive on Gaza....
An Israeli Television Channel has reported that Israel is conducting military exercises in the Negav in preparation for a new offensive on Gaza. Israel has reported told residents in the Negev to prepare for attack on Gaza. Aired on January 7, 2010.
0m:38s
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Pakistani Talat Hussain Missing on Flotilla after israeli Attack? Urdu
Last Interview of Talat before he went missing. At least 20 passengers have been reported dead and over 60 wounded, Aaj News reported. Executive...
Last Interview of Talat before he went missing. At least 20 passengers have been reported dead and over 60 wounded, Aaj News reported. Executive Director Aaj News Talat Hussain along with his team members is onboard, whose where about could not be known.
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West, israel linked to SE Iran blasts - 16 July 2010 - English
A ranking official with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has implicated "the US, Israel and some European countries" in...
A ranking official with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has implicated "the US, Israel and some European countries" in the deadly blasts in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan.
Yadollah Javani, the head of IRGC's political bureau, said late Thursday that the latest terrorist attack in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan points to the involvement of terrorist groups under the auspices of the United States, Israel and some Western countries, which seek sectarian division, Fars news agency reported.
Two explosions in the front of Zahedan's Grand Mosque on Thursday left more than 20 martyrs and over 100 injured.
The first explosion occurred at 9:20 p.m. local time (1650 GMT) in front of the city's Grand Mosque, and was followed by a second blast within minutes.
"The enemy seeks out division between Shia and Sunni Muslims in order to create chaos in the country," Javani noted.
"One could not doubt the involvement of secret foreign services in the efforts to generate tension amongst Muslims," he further explained.
The Iranian official also noted that confessions made by Abdolmalek Rigi, the Pakistan-based Jundallah terrorist group's ringleader, before his execution last month, unveiled widespread US support for waging an insurgency against the Islamic Republic.
"Rigi's confessions prove that the US, Zionists and some European countries are directly linked with the Zahedan blasts, because he had confessed that the US wants bomb attacks to be carried out across Iran," he said.
After Rigi's execution, Jundallah was effectively disbanded and experts say that the group is highly unlikely to have carried out the latest blasts.
It is widely believed that hard-line Wahabis and Salafis trained by the CIA in Pakistan are the main elements behind the bombings.
GHN/HRF/MGH
The death toll from the twin bomb blasts in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan has reached 27 while more than ten times as many have been injured.
The late July 15 blasts hit outside the city's Grand Mosque, leaving widespread devastations in its trail, IRNA reported on Friday.
The two explosions that took place in front of the mosque on also ripped through nearby shops.
The first explosion occurred at 9:20 p.m. local time (1650 GMT) and was followed by a second blast within minutes, local officials said Thursday.
Emergency efforts are underway to help those injured.
It is widely believed that hard-line Wahabis and Salafis trained by the CIA in Pakistan are the main elements behind the bombings.
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israel To Deport 400 Children - 1 August 2010 - English
The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) approves the deportation of 400 children and their families whom Tel Aviv considers a "tangible...
The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) approves the deportation of 400 children and their families whom Tel Aviv considers a "tangible threat" to Israel.
Those affected by the new measure fail to meet the regime's criteria of speaking Hebrew and having lived in Israel for more than five years, AFP reported on Sunday.
They have been given only 21 days to return to their homelands.
The motion passed 13 to 10 after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to table an earlier proposal, which he said "is much more harsh and dramatic," Ynetnews reported.
The Israeli Children organization warned that the decision targets kindergarten kids and other children, who "will fail to meet impossible bureaucratic demands."
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Israeli Rabbi Ovaida Yosef Calls For Genocide of Palestinians - English
Rabbi slammed for promoting 'genocide'
The chief Palestinian negotiator has urged worldwide condemnation of Israel's genocidal figures after a...
Rabbi slammed for promoting 'genocide'
The chief Palestinian negotiator has urged worldwide condemnation of Israel's genocidal figures after a top Israeli clergyman wished all Palestinians dead.
Referring to the Palestinians, the founder and spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox Shas party, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said on Saturday, "All these evil people should perish from this world," Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported.
He especially desired the demise of acting Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas, referring to him by name.
The remarks raised eyebrows partially as it came from a party partnering with Premier Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud in the ruling coalition. They also preceded upcoming direct peace talks between Israel and the PA.
The Palestinian official, Saeb Erekat, called on the international community "to condemn incitement to genocide by public figures in Israel," AFP reported.
Yosef "is literally calling for a genocide against Palestinians, and there seems to be no response from the Israeli government," he said in a statement.
"He is particularly calling for the assassination of...Abbas who within a few days will be sitting face to face with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Is this how the Israeli government prepares its public for a peace agreement?" Erekat pointed out.
He said Tel Aviv had "to do more about peace and stop spreading hatred."
The Shas spiritual leader made similar comments in April 2001, calling for the annihilation of Arabs.
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IAEA Discusses Israels Nukes - Interview with Former US Sen. M. Gravel -...
IAEA resolution looms large on Israel
Arab states remain adamant about bringing Israel to account for its nuclear activities by proposing a...
IAEA resolution looms large on Israel
Arab states remain adamant about bringing Israel to account for its nuclear activities by proposing a relevant draft resolution to UN's nuclear watchdog for its upcoming annual conference.
As the 54th annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to convene next week, there is great international anticipation for a major focus on Tel Aviv's nuclear activities, after so many years of ignoring the issue.
"The Arab Group urges to keep the item 'Israeli nuclear capabilities' on the agenda of the general conference and ... will submit a draft resolution," said the Sudanese envoy to the organization, Mahmound El-Amin on behalf of 22 Arab states, AFP reported.
"The Arab Group requests the IAEA member states to support the draft resolution and vote in favor of it," he added.
The Israeli regime is widely believed to have manufactured numerous nuclear warheads since 1958, a year after IAEA's inception.
The agency, however, has so far refused to ratify any resolutions on Israel's nuclear activities.
Former US President Jimmy Carter has attested to the existence of the Israeli nuclear arsenal, confirming that it includes between 200 to 300 warheads. Decades of recurrent reporting and aerial footage have also established the Israeli possession of atomic arms.
The IAEA Director General, Yukiya Amano recently reported to the agency's Board of Governors about the nuclear program, saying that Tel Aviv was restricting the agency from examining its nuclear potentials.
The report, however, merely calls on Tel Aviv to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and "place all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards," with no enforcement or follow-up measures behind it.
El-Amin called the report "weak and disappointing" and said that the organization uses "double standards" when it comes to Israel.
Efforts by Arab states and other countries caused an NPT review conference in May to issue a statement, highlighting the importance of Tel Aviv's acceding to the treaty and its allowing the IAEA to fully inspect its nuclear sites.
The United States, Israel's strongest ally, has served its Arab allies with a warning against supporting the draft resolution on Israel's nuclear activities, arguing that it poses risks to the renewed direct talks between the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Many Palestinian groups have already abandoned hope in the process, citing the White House's partiality in favor of the Israelis and arguing that the acting PA Chief, Mahmoud Abbas, does not represent most Palestinians.
Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/142772.html
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***VIEWER DISCRETION*** Turkey leads anti-Syria smear campaign - 13Jun11...
Turkey's smear campaign against the Syrian government is much worse than the propaganda spread by Arab media to tarnish the image of Damascus with...
Turkey's smear campaign against the Syrian government is much worse than the propaganda spread by Arab media to tarnish the image of Damascus with regards to its recent unrest.
While Syrian officials and residents of crisis-hit Syrian regions have repeatedly said that armed groups are responsible for the deadly clashes in the country, Turkey has tried to portray Iran and the Lebanese Resistance Movement, Hezbollah, as being behind the unrest in Syria and that they help Damascus quell protests.
The Turkish NTV news channel recently claimed that the Syrian soldiers who refused to open fire on protesters were shot dead by their commanders.
The broadcaster reported that a Syrian soldier taking refuge in the country says that he and his comrades were trying to avoid hurting protesters by firing warning shots, but those who refused to open fire on protesters were shot dead.
"I've seen Iranians and Hezbollah operators giving instructions to shoot, and those who refused were immediately shot dead," the alleged fugitive Syrian soldier told NTV, adding that the soldiers were mostly shot from behind or in the neck.
The Turkish broadcaster has also claimed that Syrian forces have opened fire on unarmed civilians in al-Rastan.
"We opened fire on everyone, the young, the old... Women were raped in front of their husbands and children," the army defector told NTV.
Political analysts in Middle East affairs have accused Ankara of playing a double game -- claiming to support the Damascus government in order to have greater influence in the Middle East, while at the same time supporting and providing a safe haven for armed gangs seeking to incite revolt in Syria.
Iranian analyst Hadi Mohammadi says that the United States has now formed operational headquarters in southern Turkey close to the border with Syria to direct the riots in the Arab country after its attempts to cause unrest in southern Syria were unsuccessful.
Mohammadi said that the United States has assigned Turkey to carry out its anti-Syria plan. It has hence provided aid to the Turkish Army to assist Syrian dissidents in crossing into Turkey and settle in tent villages set up in Turkey's Hatay Province.
Meanwhile, a mass grave with bodies of at least 10 Syrian security forces was discovered near the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour on Monday.
Syria's state TV says the victims were killed by armed gangs and the bodies bore marks of torture.
Heavy clashes were reported as troops and tanks moved into the city on Sunday and gunmen targeted civilian areas including a hospital.
The government says it entered the town to restore order after some 120 security forces were killed there about a week ago. People in Jisr al-Shughour gathered to thank government troops for protecting them against the gunmen.
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Cracking Stuxnet - A 21st-century cyber weapon against Iran - Ralph...
When first discovered in 2010, the Stuxnet computer worm posed a baffling puzzle. Beyond its unusually high level of sophistication loomed a more...
When first discovered in 2010, the Stuxnet computer worm posed a baffling puzzle. Beyond its unusually high level of sophistication loomed a more troubling mystery: its purpose. Ralph Langner and team helped crack the code that revealed this digital warhead's final target -- and its covert origins. In a fascinating look inside cyber-forensics, he explains how.
The idea behind the Stuxnet computer worm is actually quite simple. We don't want Iran to get the Bomb. Their major asset for developing nuclear weapons is the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The gray boxes that you see, these are real-time control systems. Now if we manage to compromise these systems that control drive speeds and valves, we can actually cause a lot of problems with the centrifuge. The gray boxes don't run Windows software; they are a completely different technology. But if we manage to place a good Windows virus on a notebook that is used by a maintenance engineer to configure this gray box, then we are in business. And this is the plot behind Stuxnet.
So we start with a Windows dropper. The payload goes onto the gray box, damages the centrifuge, and the Iranian nuclear program is delayed -- mission accomplished. That's easy, huh? I want to tell you how we found that out. When we started our research on Stuxnet six months ago, it was completely unknown what the purpose of this thing was. The only thing that was known is very, very complex on the Windows part, the dropper part, used multiple zero-day vulnerabilities. And it seemed to want to do something with these gray boxes, these real-time control systems. So that got our attention, and we started a lab project where we infected our environment with Stuxnet and checked this thing out. And then some very funny things happened. Stuxnet behaved like a lab rat that didn't like our cheese -- sniffed, but didn't want to eat. Didn't make sense to me. And after we experimented with different flavors of cheese, I realized, well, this is a directed attack. It's completely directed. The dropper is prowling actively on the gray box if a specific configuration is found, and even if the actual program that it's trying to infect is actually running on that target. And if not, Stuxnet does nothing.
So that really got my attention, and we started to work on this nearly around the clock, because I thought, well, we don't know what the target is. It could be, let's say for example, a U.S. power plant, or a chemical plant in Germany. So we better find out what the target is soon. So we extracted and decompiled the attack code, and we discovered that it's structured in two digital bombs -- a smaller one and a bigger one. And we also saw that they are very professionally engineered by people who obviously had all insider information. They knew all the bits and bites that they had to attack. They probably even know the shoe size of the operator. So they know everything.
And if you have heard that the dropper of Stuxnet is complex and high-tech, let me tell you this: the payload is rocket science. It's way above everything that we have ever seen before. Here you see a sample of this actual attack code. We are talking about -- round about 15,000 lines of code. Looks pretty much like old-style assembly language. And I want to tell you how we were able to make sense out of this code. So what we were looking for is first of all is system function calls, because we know what they do.
And then we were looking for timers and data structures and trying to relate them to the real world -- to potential real world targets. So we do need target theories that we can prove or disprove. In order to get target theories, we remember that it's definitely hardcore sabotage, it must be a high-value target, and it is most likely located in Iran, because that's where most of the infections had been reported. Now you don't find several thousand targets in that area. It basically boils down to the Bushehr nuclear power plant and to the Natanz fuel enrichment plant.
So I told my assistant, "Get me a list of all centrifuge and power plant experts from our client base." And I phoned them up and picked their brain in an effort to match their expertise with what we found in code and data. And that worked pretty well. So we were able to associate the small digital warhead with the rotor control. The rotor is that moving part within the centrifuge, that black object that you see. And if you manipulate the speed of this rotor, you are actually able to crack the rotor and eventually even have the centrifuge explode. What we also saw is that the goal of the attack was really to do it slowly and creepy -- obviously in an effort to drive maintenance engineers crazy, that they would not be able to figure this out quickly.
The big digital warhead -- we had a shot at this by looking very closely at data and data structures. So for example, the number 164 really stands out in that code; you can't overlook it. I started to research scientific literature on how these centrifuges are actually built in Natanz and found they are structured in what is called a cascade, and each cascade holds 164 centrifuges. So that made sense, it was a match.
And it even got better. These centrifuges in Iran are subdivided into 15, what is called, stages. And guess what we found in the attack code? An almost identical structure. So again, that was a real good match. And this gave us very high confidence for what we were looking at. Now don't get me wrong here, it didn't go like this. These results have been obtained over several weeks of really hard labor. And we often went into just a dead-end and had to recover.
Anyway, so we figured out that both digital warheads were actually aiming at one and the same target, but from different angles. The small warhead is taking one cascade, and spinning up the rotors and slowing them down, and the big warhead is talking to six cascades and manipulating valves. So in all, we are very confident that we have actually determined what the target is. It is Natanz, and it is only Natanz. So we don't have to worry that other targets might be hit by Stuxnet.
Here's some very cool stuff that we saw -- really knocked my socks off. Down there is the gray box, and on the top you see the centrifuges. Now what this thing does is it intercepts the input values from sensors -- so for example, from pressure sensors and vibration sensors -- and it provides legitimate code, which is still running during the attack, with fake input data. And as a matter of fact, this fake input data is actually prerecorded by Stuxnet. So it's just like from the Hollywood movies where during the heist, the observation camera is fed with prerecorded video. That's cool, huh?
The idea here is obviously not only to fool the operators in the control room. It actually is much more dangerous and aggressive. The idea is to circumvent a digital safety system. We need digital safety systems where a human operator could not act quick enough. So for example, in a power plant, when your big steam turbine gets too over speed, you must open relief valves within a millisecond. Obviously, this cannot be done by a human operator. So this is where we need digital safety systems. And when they are compromised, then real bad things can happen. Your plant can blow up. And neither your operators nor your safety system will notice it. That's scary.
But it gets worse. And this is very important, what I'm going to say. Think about this. This attack is generic. It doesn't have anything to do, in specifics, with centrifuges, with uranium enrichment. So it would work as well, for example, in a power plant or in an automobile factory. It is generic. And you don't have -- as an attacker -- you don't have to deliver this payload by a USB stick, as we saw it in the case of Stuxnet. You could also use conventional worm technology for spreading. Just spread it as wide as possible. And if you do that, what you end up with is a cyber weapon of mass destruction. That's the consequence that we have to face. So unfortunately, the biggest number of targets for such attacks are not in the Middle East. They're in the United States and Europe and in Japan. So all of the green areas, these are your target-rich environments. We have to face the consequences, and we better start to prepare right now.
Thanks.
(Applause)
Chris Anderson: I've got a question. Ralph, it's been quite widely reported that people assume that Mossad is the main entity behind this. Is that your opinion?
Ralph Langner: Okay, you really want to hear that? Yeah. Okay. My opinion is that the Mossad is involved, but that the leading force is not Israel. So the leading force behind that is the cyber superpower. There is only one, and that's the United States -- fortunately, fortunately. Because otherwise, our problems would even be bigger.
CA: Thank you for scaring the living daylights out of us. Thank you Ralph.
(Applause)
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