News – A Change in Arafat? Unlikely.

Israel/Palestine

Arafat pledges to take control of Gaza once the Israeli pullout happens and fight militants who seek to break the law. He’ll have to take that up with Hamas, as I’m sure they’ll seek to try and exert greater control as well. What do we think? Is Arafat blowing smoke? Or might be actually try and do something constructive?

International Papers focus on Sharon’s evading of corruption charges.

Iraq

3,000 South Korean troops will deploy to the province of Arbil in August to help rebuild the Kurdish region.

“The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al Qaeda is because there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda,” , says Bush. Show us some real proof and we’ll believe you.

Whopper: George W. Bush. Bush might not have said Saddam was linked to 9/11, but he implied it in writing. He’s also skirted the line multiple times, the precise choice of words when it comes to talking about Saddam and alQueda making it easy to assume implication.

Afghanistan

The UN refugee office in southern Afghanistan was attacked by RPGs today with no casualties and only minor damage reported.

Abdul Salaam Khan, a renegade Afghan commander, has taken over most of the capital of the Ghor province. He says there have been 18 casualties in the fighting and that several other commanders opposed to the local administration had joined forces with him.

Saudi Arabia

Today is the day. Unless Paul Marshal Johnson is rescued or the terrorist demands are met, those who hold him may kill him today. If they plan to make good on their threat. The man’s son has asked the US and Saudi Arabia to cut a deal, but I doubt they will.

Pakistan

Nek Mohammad, tribal leader who protected al Qaeda-linked foreign militants in the semi-autonomous South Waziristan tribal belt, has been reported killed by Pakistani forces.

US

U.S. House Intelligence Committee Democrats say they broke ranks with the bipartisan tradition to vote against a bill funding spy agencies because the Republican-backed bill short-changed counterterrorism efforts.

Rummy says the US doesn’t engage in torture as a matter of policy. He also confirmed that a prisoner was held in US custody for over seven months without notifying the Red Cross. He was believed to be a high ranking member of Ansar al-Islam. In his report, General Taguba denounced the holding of ‘ghost’ detainees. When asked how what they did was difernt from what Taguba denounced, Rummy’s reply was “It is just different, that’s all.” Methinks Rummy is getting a little tired of all the questions. But that’s just too damn bad.

To add we have Human Rights First sending out a report that the US has over two dozen detention centers for detainees worldwide and half operate in total secrecy.

A White House advisory panel calls Bush’s space plan ‘achievable’. #1, I trust White House panels the least. #2. Achievable is a very vague term. Something can be achievable without being relatively easy(as much as such missions can be considered easy) and it says nothing of the costs. Ultimately, this report doesn’t do much for me. Not even the addition of ‘thoroughly’ pleases me. I suppose time will tell if all of these grand assertions about the plan pan out or if it disintegrates.

A report out today from the 9/11 Commission disagrees that NORAD could have successfully intercepted Flight 93, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, before reaching the possible targets, the White House or Capital Building. I’d agree, I listened to some of the hearing that described events as they happened and there was some serious confusion flipping around as those planes were heading for their targets.

General

Today’s Papers has Cheney Chutzpa on Saddam-9/11 ties “The fact of the matter is, the evidence is overwhelming. The press is, with all due respect, and there are exceptions, oftentimes lazy, oftentimes simply reports what somebody else in the press said without doing their homework.”, the first civilian indictment with regard to prisoner abuse, more details on the 9/11 commissions work and other tidbits in the one page news.

Amusements

Man mugs students whilst wearing shirt with his name on it

Man takes ordinary baseball, spends 27 years covering it with 18,135 coats of paint. Ball now weighs over 1,300 pounds. Still fuzzy on definition of word “hobby” (pics)

Thieves steal computers at trade show designed for security companies to show off their latest crime-stopping technology

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: Fark prom. Pranks expected.

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this worker with her chip

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this bicyclist and his subtle background