Osama bin Laden appears to have released a new audio tape Sunday urging his followers to continue fighting against "crusader plunderers."
The tape was aired on the Sunday broadcast of the al-Jazeera television network. News analysts believe the voice and mannerisms on the tape are authentic. Previously al-Jazeera has released what world intelligence agencies believe were real messages from the al-Qaeda leader.
Bin Laden last released a taped message on January 19 when he offered a "truce" to Western powers without specific conditions. In the latest message, he urges his fighters to resist Westerners working in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda's second in command addressed followers less than two weeks ago praising the resistance in Iraq. Tapes of bin Laden, al Zawahri and other al-Qaeda operatives are routinely posted on Internet sites.
In the Sunday broadcast, bin Laden accused the West of meddling in Sudan's affairs to "steal the region's oil" and to aid the south in breaking away to form its own government. He also condemned the blockade of the Hamas government in Palestine.
Hamas responded saying that it had a very different ideology than al-Qaeda, but agreed that isolation of Hamas would cause tensions in the region.
Interview with Osama bin Laden's bodyguard
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Sunday, April 23, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Nepal king returns power to people
Bowing under the pressure of street protests, Nepal's King Gyanendra relinquished absolute rule today. In a nationwide address, he said that power would be "returned to the people from this day forward."
Observers are waiting to see if the king's announcement will appease his opponents who have been calling for an end to the office altogether.
Gyanendra said that he was committed to "constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy" indicating possibly a return to the former state of things.
Protester holds up picture of King Gyanendra in Katmandu while shouting slogans
However, this would still leave the king with the ability to remove any government at will. The constitutional monarchy in Nepal invests Gyanendra and his successors with more power than in most similar royal setups.
Also despite the seeming compromise, a harsh crackdown on his opponents continued with two prominent leaders arrested on Friday.
Huge street protests proceeded Friday with some 150,000 people marching in the suburbs of Katmandu despite a "shoot-to-kill" daytime curfew. Three people were killed Friday bringing the total dead since the beginning of the strike to 14.
Many of the marchers shouted for the end of the royal tradition, and some demanded the king's arrest.
Gyanendra will have a hard time staying in power even as a constitutional monarch with such a tarnished image. The prospect of his very unpopular son succeeding him also concenrs many Nepalis. Crown Prince Paras is known in Nepal as a heavy drinker with a haughty attitude to the common people.
Nepal unsure about King's statement
Talk about the issues at Table Talk!
Observers are waiting to see if the king's announcement will appease his opponents who have been calling for an end to the office altogether.
Gyanendra said that he was committed to "constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy" indicating possibly a return to the former state of things.
Protester holds up picture of King Gyanendra in Katmandu while shouting slogans
However, this would still leave the king with the ability to remove any government at will. The constitutional monarchy in Nepal invests Gyanendra and his successors with more power than in most similar royal setups.
Also despite the seeming compromise, a harsh crackdown on his opponents continued with two prominent leaders arrested on Friday.
Huge street protests proceeded Friday with some 150,000 people marching in the suburbs of Katmandu despite a "shoot-to-kill" daytime curfew. Three people were killed Friday bringing the total dead since the beginning of the strike to 14.
Many of the marchers shouted for the end of the royal tradition, and some demanded the king's arrest.
Gyanendra will have a hard time staying in power even as a constitutional monarch with such a tarnished image. The prospect of his very unpopular son succeeding him also concenrs many Nepalis. Crown Prince Paras is known in Nepal as a heavy drinker with a haughty attitude to the common people.
Nepal unsure about King's statement
Talk about the issues at Table Talk!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Protesters greet Hu Jintao at White House
Protesters representing the Falun Gong meditation group, Taiwan and Tibet greeted Chinese President Hu Jintao on his first visit to the White House.
One woman from the Falun Gong group heckled Hu as he addressed the press on the South Lawn of the White House.
According to reports, little progress was made on China's record US$202 billion trade deficit when Hu met with President George W. Bush. Many in the U.S. think China should do more to bring up the value of the yuan, the Chinese currency, and to control software piracy.
There are many analysts, however, who believe that any realistic rise in the yuan will have little effect on the trade deficit. Some see the situation more as one in which China has more goods that the U.S. needs, than vice a versa. One area that looks promising from the U.S. perspective is the growing appetite for car ownership in China.
Hu and Bush also discussed Beijing's role as mediator in the nuclear standoff between North Korea and the United States. Pyongyang recently has refused to join six-way talks on its nuclear program.
Get headline, entertainment, business and sports news at AsiaPacificUniverse.com!
One woman from the Falun Gong group heckled Hu as he addressed the press on the South Lawn of the White House.
According to reports, little progress was made on China's record US$202 billion trade deficit when Hu met with President George W. Bush. Many in the U.S. think China should do more to bring up the value of the yuan, the Chinese currency, and to control software piracy.
There are many analysts, however, who believe that any realistic rise in the yuan will have little effect on the trade deficit. Some see the situation more as one in which China has more goods that the U.S. needs, than vice a versa. One area that looks promising from the U.S. perspective is the growing appetite for car ownership in China.
Hu and Bush also discussed Beijing's role as mediator in the nuclear standoff between North Korea and the United States. Pyongyang recently has refused to join six-way talks on its nuclear program.
Get headline, entertainment, business and sports news at AsiaPacificUniverse.com!
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