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Saturday, October 19, 2002
posted by gbarto at 2:26 PM:
Talent Cleared of Ethics ChargesGood thing, too. If he'd been ruled against, the Senate might have lost the only chance it had of having even an ounce of talent among its members.
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posted by gbarto at 2:22 PM:
Explosion at Moscow McDonald'sCar bomb at packed restaurant injures seven, one seriously
It's one of twenty restaurants in the city. The bomb appears to be homemade so it isn't known if this was done by a lone nut sympathetic to terrorist causes, a terrorist group on a low budget or someone with an unknown agenda. But when capitalism's restaurant gets attacked, I think we all know which conclusion is logical.
Meanwhile, some good news on the terrorist front:
Indonesian Cleric Arrested
Spiritual leader of militant group suspected in Bali nightclub bombing
He claims his group didn't do it - but that it was a good thing. Sounds like he needs a good talking to, either way, particularly since his group has been involved in other messes that weren't addressed sufficiently due to concerns about antagonizing fundamentalist Muslims.
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posted by gbarto at 1:59 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde: "Ireland: A second chance election." That is, a second chance to accept the Treaty of Nice - their acceptance or rejection has implications for the proposed expansion. As I write, the polls are hours from opening. In the first vote, the measure was narrowly defeated. This time out, it looks like the treaty will be approved, though if the undecideds go strongly "no" it will be dicy. One question: When we be holding this vote if the measure had passed the first time out? Or is it the case that in Euroland, the EU's reach can only expand. If so, look for trouble down the way.
Libé's also watching Ireland; their lead (like we noted): "The 'yes' camps in Ireland strenghthens."
Meanwhile, here's Le Figaro on Euroland:
The Europe of the 15 in turbulence
In qualifying the rigidity of the Stability Pact as "stupid" on Wednesday, The president of the Brussels Commission, Romano Pradi, unleashed trouble on Europe.
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Friday, October 18, 2002
posted by gbarto at 3:57 PM:
Deal Near on U.N. Iraq ResolutionNew draft omits threat of using 'all necessary measures' against Saddam
Because as we know, all the hype about Islamic violence is overblown and a guy passing out $25K per suicide bombing can't have an effect on the rest of the world. For example, Islamic terror would never make it as far as... the Philippines...
Bus Bomb Latest in String of Attacks
Deadly Philippines blast follows terror warnings from U.S. intelligence
Well, maybe, but better that innocents be blown to bits than US power be projected.
That is the line of thinking, isn't it?
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posted by gbarto at 3:54 PM:
You mean we don't think a country that can't even make a decent economy car did an a-bomb all on its own?North Korea May Have Gotten Help
Russia, Pakistan deny nuclear tech link, China also suspected
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posted by gbarto at 3:54 PM:
It would be nice to have a break in the D.C. sniper case, but I guess all we get is the arrest of an idiot who crossed the line between seeking attention and breaking the law: False Witness Arrested.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:19 AM:
Den Beste is also dubious about France's morning headlines.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:16 AM:
Remember Bali? It's fallen from the headlines, but that doesn't mean its effects don't continue. Even now, of course, 9/11 continues to affect us. Chris Kovacs is chronicling the aftermath of Bali, specifically the very real and very scary damage it's done to a long-time friend of his. Have a read, and remember October 13. (via Welch)* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:01 AM:
Out of town all day, but I didn't see much in the headlines, so here's the French news:Le Monde leads with "Iraq: A compromise in sight at the UN." This is curious, since I just read at Fox News that rumors of the US compromising were false. So, are we looking at wishful thinking on the part of people who support a) restraining the US, b) the international order and c) the idea of a resurgent France? Or is it Washington that's engaging in wishful thinking about the power and influence it can project? Probably a bit of both, though regardless, Germany's out of the loop.
Le Figaro is on the same track as Le Monde with the headline, "Iraq: Washington and Paris on the way to compromise." This apparently doesn't mean war plans are off, though, at least not according to the secondary headline, "Arabs, anxious, resign themselves to war."
Libé runs the UN/Iraq chatter in the number two position. Their lead story is "Europe: discord." Notes Libé, from the stability pact to enlargement plans to the question of whether Ireland will sign on to the Treaty of Nice - if they don't, enlargement is in trouble, the European project is in disarray.
Finally, we'll pass along Le Monde's number two item: There's a cease fire in the Ivory Coast.
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Thursday, October 17, 2002
posted by gbarto at 1:21 AM:
North Korea Admits to Secret Nuke ProgramIn a startling revelation, the country has told the U.S. it has a weapons operation in violation of a 1994 agreement with America
I thought Clinton had this all under control and Bush was unreasonable for not bending over backwards to talk to these people. Oops.
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posted by gbarto at 12:59 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "Iraq: Franco-American tensions." At the root of those tensions, Washington wants to move quickly on Iraq and France has the power to veto any plans with the UN.
Le Figaro cuts to the chase on the same issue with the headline, "Iraq: the threat of a French veto."
Libé puts education up top: "First Ruckus for Ferry," tells us that the education folks are up in arms over staff and budget cuts and we got some demonstrations yesterday.
In the number two position at Libé, we have "A bombing in the south of the Philippines kills 3, injures 55." Not astonishingly, Muslim extremists top the list of suspects.
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Wednesday, October 16, 2002
posted by gbarto at 9:34 AM:
Israel's Protection on the AgendaBush, Sharon to discuss threat from Iraq, easing Palestinians' woes
Let's not forget that it's Israel that is still digesting the possibility of a Palestinian state, while Yassir's folks still haven't gotten around to officially ceasing to call for Israel's destruction. Israel needs all the help it can get and if we're wise, we'll provide it.
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posted by gbarto at 9:31 AM:
Bush Signs Iraq ResolutionCongressional bill authorizes use of force against Iraq; about 100 lawmakers of both parties join him for ceremony
The only way this would have been news is if he'd vetoed it. However, we also get this headline:
Former Dem Presidents Don't Back Bush Iraq Plan
I think this is almost as meaningful as when former President Bush didn't agree with something Clinton was doing. Especially considering that Noble Jimmy knows very well that a certain set of stances are critical to assuring that his presidency doesn't get used against him by the liberal media.
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posted by gbarto at 2:02 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde tells us "Bali Bombing: the inquiry progresses." Specifically, they're working out details about the bomb and they've interviewed 50 witnesses.
Le Figaro leads with "Raffarin: 150 days to decentralization." Local control, greater right to experiment with government programs, et cetera, on the table. Any of this sound familiar? (Hint: it's why France is more on our wavelength than most people realize.) Libé is leading with the same basic story.
Everybody also notes Saddam's 100% approval in the Iraqi referendum; glad to say, they're skeptical too.
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Tuesday, October 15, 2002
posted by gbarto at 9:47 AM:
Here's an ugly story:11 Bodies Found in Railroad Car in Iowa
No surprise, the bodies are presumed to belong to Mexican immigrants. They got on the train - if speculations are accurate - four months ago.
I know we can't just let people break the immigration rules willy-nilly, but there's gotta be a better approach than this. I still say that instead of the usual green card hassle, we let anyone stay who can show that they're not living off taxpayer funds and don't have a history of violence or crime.
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posted by gbarto at 9:44 AM:
Go Ahead, Try to Vote 'No'Iraq holds referendum on Saddam; wants popular rebuke of U.S.
How to separate thinking people from "say-anything-to-question-the-US" style vegetables: ask if this election proves anything about Saddam's right to rule. You can safely discard the opinions of those who take it as a legitimate vote giving democratic authority.
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posted by gbarto at 9:41 AM:
Saudi Airline Crew Foils Hijack AttemptThe plane was headed from the Sudan to Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Few other details available - like what the hijacker wanted, who was on the plane, etc.
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posted by gbarto at 9:39 AM:
Wow. FNC reports that the sniper's ninth victim was an FBI analyst. Not assigned to the case though, and she was probably hit at random.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:25 AM:
Bali: Took ten minutes for the idiotarians to drag out their The Jews Did It nonsense. LGF has the scoop.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:20 AM:
Carlos the Jackal's brother in charge of Venezuelan oil? You read it first at Common Sense and Wonder.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:16 AM:
How low can the mullahs go? A Dog's Life says pretty low. They're after dogs and dog owners.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:12 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "Enlargement: The Franco-German differend," this in reference to a meeting between Chirac and Schroder in which each thought the other's country should pay the larger tab in settling the arrangements for expanding the EU. They also reportedly are said to have converging views on Iraq - be careful Jacques.
Le Figaro fronts "The shadow of Bin Laden over Bali," after Al-Jazeera airs the claim that he has celebrated the bombing.
Libé is writing about "Al-Qaeda on the road to vengeance," vengeance against "Christians" whom the network is now targeting for "pursuit for their agression." We assume that agression is retaliating for 9/11.
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posted by gbarto at 12:56 AM:
11?Woman Killed in Virginia Shooting
Fairfax County cops report shooting outside a Home Depot that they believe is possibly related to the sniper spree
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Monday, October 14, 2002
posted by gbarto at 9:31 AM:
Here's the Wa Po's latest on the Bali bombing. It doesn't offer much of anything new.* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:24 AM:
'Your Suffering Is Needless'Israeli PM Sharon calls on Palestinians to overthrow leaders
As a general rule, it's not a good thing to tell other people who to esteem as rulers. However, Arafat is a mess of a case, too closely tied to killing to credibly stand against those who continue to kill in the name of peace. May he soon be replaced.
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posted by gbarto at 1:35 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde puts the death toll at at least 190. The story is "Bali: The specter of Islamist terrorism." Says Le Monde, the bombing has heightened the world's resolve to take on terrorism and drawn calls for cracking down around the globe.
Le Figaro, playing catch-up, fronts "Al-Qaeda strikes at Bali." They're giving a provisory official report of 187 dead, 309 injured.
Libé's headline: "Terrorists against tourists." Their main notation is that no one has taken responsibility for the car bomb but a group tied to Al-Qaeda is suspected.
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posted by gbarto at 1:26 AM:
Death toll now at 188, including two Americans. Here's FNC.* * *
Sunday, October 13, 2002
posted by gbarto at 1:48 PM:
Cicero had a little more time than I did to go through Le Monde last night, and an amazing thing he found: Charles Pasqua has relented and said that maybe under certain circumstances resident aliens should be allowed to vote - if they're permanent residents. France, where are you headed?For those who don't follow French politics, this would be like Tom Delay deciding that Mexican immigrants who had been here a long time but weren't citizens could vote.
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posted by gbarto at 1:41 PM:
Instapundit has some of what Bjørn was worrying about: The Economist says Australians would be safer if they hadn't stood by the U.S.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:31 PM:
Reuter's does it again:According to Common Sense and Wonder, this was their headline on Bush's response to Indonesia:
Bush Blames 'Terrorists' for Bali Blasts
I think their original story was "Passionate Muslim activists express displeasure at Western tourism."
Notice the quotation marks. Oh well, at least they're not calling him "'President' Bush" anymore...
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posted by gbarto at 1:24 PM:
Death of a storyteller:Author Stephen Ambrose Dies
Historian, 66, wrote best-selling Band of Brothers
Though his methods got him in trouble towards the end, he did apparently spin a good yarn, bringing history alive. RIP
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posted by gbarto at 1:22 PM:
Iraqi Official: Defiance Still PossibleSays Iraq reserves right to stop cooperating with U.N. inspections
That thud you heard was the egg hitting Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Putin in the face after they put their Security Council visas on the line to make the US treat the Iraqis as though they were acting in good faith. For Putin, it's embarrassing because he's been transparently selling Russia's support for Iraqi oil revenues. But for Chirac, it must be wounding since standing athwart America looks like a stronger French motivation than commerce.
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posted by gbarto at 1:19 PM:
Here's the latest from FNC: We're up to 187 killed in Bali nightclub explosion. Three Americans injured. And it now appears there were three bombs on Bali. The big one went off at the Sari nightclub. But a little earlier, one went off at a nightclub 30 yards down the street. A third was exploded at the US Consular Office on the island.Curious, massacring Australians then hitting an explicitly American target. Bjørn was wondering (see below) if this would cause Europe to bail on the war on terror. It looks like it could have been an explicit attempt to tell the world this is what happens when you're connected with America. We'll see.
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posted by gbarto at 4:19 AM:
Asks Bjørn Stærk, will the bombing in Indonesia cause Europe and the West to bail on the US or realize the stakes are too high to walk away from the fight? He's hoping it's the second.I am too.
He also notes here that the Helsinki bombing seems to be the act of a lone student.
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posted by gbarto at 4:01 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with the bombing in Bali: "At least 182 dead in bombing in Bali." The summary also notes that the US had warned Indonesia that our intelligence was hearing threats about a bombing there a few days ago.
Meanwhile, Islam's biggest bigwig in Indonesia says to the US, "We will fight." He must have lost his "Muslims are peaceful people who want simply to practice their faith and have no quarrel with the American people" cue card.
The second story is "Demonstrations against war" with Iraq. A nice demonstration, and presumably France won't go to war. However, the demonstration won't have much of an effect on the U.S.'s plans. Further, the anti-war crowd has to deal with that ugly little decision by Iraq to not formally sign off on the inspections plan it agreed to last week, making Moscow and Paris look like saps Hussein played to get a little extra time.
Since it's Saturday night, Libé and Le Figaro haven't updated today.
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posted by gbarto at 3:42 AM:
Words fail:At Least 110 Dead in Indonesia Blast
Hundreds more injured after bomb rips through nightclub on tourist island of Bali; officials call it the worst act of terror in country's history
WaPo is reporting 180 dead and a second bombing at the US consular office on the island (no injuries in that one).
This after the death of 7 and injury of 80+ in a mall in Finland earlier. I don't like the direction this is going.
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