text:
Hatfield, Edwin F.
The poets of the church
A series of biographical sketches of hymn-writers, with notes on their hymns
By Edwin F. Hatfield, D.D.
Boston: Milford House, 1972, 719 p.
Ahlstrom, Johann Alfred (b. 1833 d. 1910) organ
Ahnfelt, Oscar (b. 1813 d. 1882) composer, guitar
Alinder, Karl (b. 1859 d. 1929) hymn writer
Andersen, Mons (b. 1856) hymn writer
Anderson, Anders (b. 1867 d. 1921) hymn writer
Anderson, N. Olof (b. 1866 d. 1937) hymn writer
Arrhenius, Jacob (b. 1642 d. 1725) hymn writer, professor
Bast, Anton (b. 1867 d. 1937) hymn writer
Berggren, Andreas Peter (b. 1801 d. 1880) organ
Birkedal, Scholler (b. 1809 d. 1892) hymn writer
Bjorkman, Carl A. (b. 1873 d. 1942) hymn writer
Boberg, Carl (b. 1859 d. 1940) hymnologist
Boye, Birgitte Katerine (b. 1742 d. 1824 a. 1785) hymn writer, translator
Boye, Caspar Johannes (b. 1791 d. 1853) librettist, dramatist
Braestrup, Adolf (b. 1880) hymn writer
Brorson, Hans Adolf (b. 1694 d. 1764) hymn writer, bishop
Bystrom, Jacob (b. 1854 d. 1947) hymn writer
Cavallin, Severin (b. 1820 d. 1886) hymn writer
Cedarholm, Hilda (b. 1866 d. 1928) hymn writer
Cruger, Johannes (b. 1598 d. 1662) composer, theorist
Dahlof, Julius Alfred (b. 1871 d. 1913) organ
Danielson, Daniel Johan (b. 1851 d. 1910) hymn writer
Eklof, Algot (b. 1875 d. 1938) organ
Eklund, Johan Alfred (b. 1863 d. 1945) hymn writer
Ekman, E.J. (b. 1842 d. 1915) hymn writer
Ekstrom, Fredrik August (b. 1819 d. 1901) organ
Eltholtz, Alberta (b. 1840 d. 1929) hymn writer
Eltholtz, Carl Frederik (b. 1840 d. 1929) hymn writer
Eriksson, Erik (b. 1879 d. 1918) hymn writer
Fernholm, Andreas (b. 1840 d. 1892) hymn writer
Franzen, Franz Michael (b. 1772 d. 1847) hymn writer
Freylinghausen, Johann Anastasius (b. 1670 d. 1739) theologian
Friden, Joel S. (b. 1890) hymn writer
Frykman, Nils (b. 1842 d. 1911) hymn writer
Gregersen, Andreas P.V. (b. 1723 d. 1801) hymn writer
Gregor, Christian Friedrich (b. 1723 d. 1801) bishop, administrator of the Moravian church
Grytzel, Josef (b. 1862 d. 1908) hymn writer
Gustafson, Gustaf A. (b. 1865 d. 1922) hymn writer
Gustafson, Johan (b. 1889) hymn writer
Hansson, Anders (b. 1863 d. 1925) hymn writer
Heede, Elevine (b. 1820 d. 1883) hymn writer
Hoglund, Trygve (b. 1902) hymn writer
Holm, Niels Johannes (b. 1778 d. 1845) hymn writer
Hygom, Peder Jacobsen (b. 1692 d. 1764) hymn writer
Ingemann, Bernhardt Severin (b. 1789 d. 1862) writer, hymn writer
Jacobsson, Jacob Th. (b. 1840 d. 1912) hymn writer
Jensen-Maar, Jens (b. 1856 d. 1932) hymn writer
Johnsen, Svend Kristian (b. 1856 d. 1943) hymn writer
Jonsson, Fredrika (b. 1856 d. 1905) hymn writer
Jonsson, Lisa (b. 1856 d. 1905) hymn writer
Karlsson, Mats (b. 1855 d. 1916) hymn writer
Kiblberg, Robert T. (b. 1848 d. 1908) hymn writer
Kingo, Thomas (b. 1634 d. 1703) poet, hymn writer
Kofod, Johannes (b. 1900) hymn writer
Kolmodin, Israel (b. 1643 d. 1709) hymn writer
Lagerstrom, Selma Sundelius (b. 1869 d. 1927) hymn writer
Landstad, Magnus Brostrup (b. 1802 d. 1880) hymn writer
Larsen, Emil (b. 1900) hymn writer
Laurenti, Laurentius (b. 1660 d. 1722 a. 1700) music director, Liederdichter
Lindberg, Oscar Fredrik (b. 1870 d. 1931) organ
Lindeman, Ludvig Mathias (b. 1812 d. 1887) organ, music scholar
Linderot, Lars (b. 1761 d. 1811) hymn writer
Lindqvist, Mickael Peter (b. 1832 d. 1923) hymn writer
Lindschold, Erike (b. 1634 d. 1690) hymn writer
Lindstrom, Albert Esaias (b. 1853 d. 1935) organ
Lundgren, Doris (b. 1903) hymn writer
Lundin, Carl Gustaf (b. 1869 d. 1965) hymn writer
Mankell, Carl Abraham (b. 1802 d. 1868) professor of church music
Mann, Niels (b. 1889) hymn writer
Moden, Karl August (b. 1868 d. 1950) hymn writer
Mohrbutter, Benjamine (b. 1840) hymn writer
Mortensen-Tondebinder, Claus (b. 1500 d. 1576) father of Danish hymnody
Nelsen, Niels Peter (b. 1861 d. 1942) hymn writer
Neumeister, Erdmann (b. 1671 d. 1756) poet, theologian
Nordblom, Johann Erik (b. 1788 d. 1848 a. 1833-1848) singer, teacher
Nordstrom, Axel Teodor (b. 1863 d. 1944) hymn writer
Norstrom, Karl E. (b. 1859 d. 1918) hymn writer
Nystrom, Johan Erik (b. 1842 d. 1907) hymn writer
Oberg, Simon (b. 1897) hymn writer
Olander, Anna (b. 1861 d. 1932) hymn writer, poet
Ollon, Gustaf (b. 1646 d. 1704) hymn writer
Olsson, Otto (Emanuel) (b. 1879 d. 1964) organ, composer
Ostman, Gustav (b. 1867 d. 1953) hymn writer
Paulli, Jacob Peter M. (b. 1844 d. 1915) hymn writer
Posse-Ehrenborg, Elizabeth (b. 1818 d. 1880) hymn writer
Ramvold, Viggo (b. 1914) hymn writer
Richardt, Christian (b. 1831) digter, poet
Rosenius, Carl Oluf (b. 1816 d. 1868) lay-preacher, hymn writer
Sandell-Berg, Lina [Karolina] (b. 1832 d. 1903) songwriter, hymn writer
Sanger, Nya (b. 1724 d. 1798) hymn writer
Santon, Jorgen Peter (b. 1878 d. 1944) hymn writer
Schou, Karl Jensen (b. 1841 d. 1889) hymn writer
Skarstedt, Carl Wilhelm (b. 1815 d. 1908) hymn writer
Soderberg, Wilhelm Theodor (b. 1845 d. 1922) composer, organ
Sonneson, Jon (b. 1869 d. 1950) hymn writer
Sorensen, Jens Marinus (b. 1880) hymn writer
Spegel, Haquin (b. 1645 d. 1714) songwriter
Stenhammer, Per Ulrik (b. 1829 d. 1875) hymn writer
Stenholm, Carl August (b. 1843 d. 1884) hymn writer
Stromberg, Mattias (d. 1900) hymn writer
Stromberg, Otto H. (b. 1867 d. 1936) hymn writer
Stub, Ambrosius (b. 1705 d. 1758) hymn writer
Swedberg, Jasper (a. 1695) hymn writer
Tandberg, Harry A. (b. 1871 d. 1951) hymn writer
Thaarup, Christian J.M. (b. 1851 d. 1918) hymn writer
Toren, Carl Axel (b. 1813 d. 1904) hymn writer
Truve, Teodor (b. 1838 d. 1910) hymn writer
Vesterberg, Johan Teodor (b. 1859 d. 1926) hymn writer
Vretblod, Viktor Patrik (b. 1876 d. 1953) hymn writer
Wall, Gustaf Torsten Valdemar (b. 1902) organ, composer
Wallentin, Fredrik V. (b. 1885) organ, choir master
Weman, Nils Henry Paul (b. 1897) church musician
Wendel-Hansen, Erland (b. 1916) hymn writer
Wexels, Wilhelm A. (b. 1797 d. 1866) hymn writer
Weyse, Christoph Ernst Friedrich (b. 1774 d. ?) composer, Komponist
Wideen, Karl Ivar Natanael (b. 1871 d. 1951) composer
Will-Ojerholm, Mathilde (b. 1858 d. 1903) hymn writer
Willerup, Christian E. (b. 1815 d. 1866) hymn writer
Zinck, Hardenack Otto Conrad (b. 1746) composer, Komponist
Zinzendorf, Nikolaus Ludwig (b. 1700 d. 1760) Lutheran pietist


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Was Augustus John jealous of his old friend Sir William Orpen?
Augustus Edwin John O.M., R.A. (1878 – 1961) by Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen (1878 – 1931) K.B.E., R.A., R.H.A.
Augustus John by William Orpen (1900).
Welsh painter and draughtsman Augustus John met the Irish artist William Orpen while studying at the Slade Art School, London and they became best friends. Both are considered among the finest artists of the era.
A sketch by William Orpen playing golf with Augustus John with the following text: –
"Caddie (who is going a round with a novice) to another = I say Bill will give you a tanner if you follow us" (a tanner was sixpence).
Sadly their friendship was later tarnished by a number of events including William and Grace Orpen blaming Augustus John for the death of his wife Ida Nettleship (1877 – 1907) who was also a close friend of the Orpen's. She died giving birth. John who was living with his wife Ida and his mistress Dorothy McNeill (1881 – 1969) in the same house (both had children by him) was famous for his 'couldn't care less' attitude which the Orpen's believed contributed to Ida's death.
The following extract from Augustus John's book shows he was delusional and reeks of jealousy probably resulting from William Orpen's overall success which included Orpen spending almost two years as an Official War Artist in World War 1 while Augustus John was sent home in disgrace after two months following a pub brawl, having done practically no work. Orpen on the other hand was knighted for his war effort and went on to earn a fortune for his paintings while John did have a successful career, his works failed to match the monetary value of Orpen's.
Finishing Touches by Augustus John – A Dublin Affair
WILLIAM ORPEN had a cavernous studio in the basement of the same house, where he once painted a most regrettable portrait of me. Having selected Whistler's 'Carlyle' for imitation, he posed me seated in profile against the wall, attired in a cast-off top-coat provided by Charles Conder. Unfortunately the result of his industry revealed no trace of the subtlety and distinction present in his exemplar. Nor, considered as portraiture, could it be said to communicate the least hint of the shy, dreamy and reticent character of his model. It has been said that the greatest portraitists, at their most inspired, in some mysterious way imbue their subject with some reflection of their own personality, so that the least noteworthy or ambitious sitter gains, by the magic of Art, a nobility and refinement hitherto unsuspected by his friends, and only perhaps dreamt of by himself. If this is so, the picture in question must be considered as an unhappy illustration of a reversal of this process, for in this case the artist in degrading his model has betrayed himself. Our physical dissimilarities were such as to admit of no confusion: we could not be said to overlap in any way; in short, we had nothing in common but our psychological differences. But such a division, in its nature incomplete, will still permit of a limited degree of contact, nor, while it holds, need it prohibit the indulgence of light play, excusable at any rate among the young of whatever species.
A visit to the zoo will be enough to convince anybody of the truth of these observations, for here, and more especially in the monkey house, we may watch the association of elements ordinarily incompatible but now united by the limitations of a common barrier.
Talking of zoos, Orpen gave me the following account of an episode at the Dublin Zoo, in which he figured honourably enough. It appears that as a student he was in the habit of visiting the zoo for the purpose of sketching the animals. One day, he was sketching a large anthropoid ape when he was surprised by this creature's behaviour. It would approach as near as the bars of the cage permitted, and, stretching out its arm, endeavour to divert the attention of the young artist, but without malice, while at the same time uttering soft, conciliatory sounds. Orpen, touched by these overtures, and perhaps a little flattered, responded with a smile and a cordial handshake. 'It seemed the only thing to do,' he said. But on succeeding visits, for he had still his studies to finish, he observed with some anxiety that his model's friendly attentions not only persisted but became progressively warmer and more intimate. The hesitating touch had now become a frank caress, and there was an expression in the creature's eye which could mean only one thing – Billy Orpen was loved by a monkey! Was he offended? Not a bit! He was but a youth and still a tyro in amatory experience, although subject no doubt, like most boys and girls, to the mysterious urgencies of sex. Besides, as he confessed, he had grown, if not yet to love, certainly to esteem his simian suitor, and if the latter could hardly be classed as a beauty by European standards, no more, for that matter, could he himself. The situation was difficult, but in the end common sense, with which he was well provided, prevailed. There could be no alliance. Popular prejudices were too strong; there was the Law to think of, too, and what about his career? He consulted the keeper, who, taking the only sensible course, arranged a swap, and his disconsolate charge, in exchange for a duck-billed platypus and a young South American peccary, was removed to another establishment. I will not attempt to describe the final scene, except to report that it was heart-breaking – and violent.
Augustus John, Finishing Touches, Jonathan Cape, London, 1964, text from pages 41 – 42.
William Orpen's painting of Augustus John is in fact one of Orpen's finest early portraits of a young artist whose behaviour was often far from shy, dreamy and reticent so John's comments about it long after Orpen's death are nothing but sad reflections of a bitter man.
By Dominic|2020-03-25T13:58:17+00:00August 30th, 2019|A Dublin Affair, Art and Culture, Art Gallery, Orpen, WW1|0 Comments

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Lady Griz top Hornets 64-60 in women's basketball battle
Poor free throw shooting plagues Sac State
Sac State sophomore guard Summer Menke defends Montana senior guard McKenzie Johnston against the Lady Griz on Monday, Dec. 30 at the Nest. The Hornets lost to the Lady Griz 64-60.
Shaun Holkko
In the final game of the decade, the Sacramento State women's basketball team lost 64-60 to the University of Montana in a close contest Monday night at the Nest.
The Lady Griz (7-4, 2-0 Big Sky Conference) led the Hornets (2-9, 0-2) for over 30 minutes of the 40-minute contest. However, Sac State remained close throughout and had a chance to win in the final minutes.
The Hornets scored the first basket of the game on a layup from senior guard Gabi Bade to take the lead. Montana responded with a 10-0 run while the Hornets struggled shooting.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from senior guard Camariah King gave Sac State some momentum following the Lady Griz run. Montana led the Hornets 18-17 after one quarter.
Sac State continued to run their line-change-like substitutions in this contest with five players checking in and five players checking out multiple times during each quarter. For King in her first year with the Hornets, this is something new for her to adjust to after playing at the University of Nevada, Reno for three seasons.
"It's totally different from what I'm used to," King said. "(At) my old school I was out there the whole game, so it's a lot different. We are playing (at) a faster pace than I have played before in the past. It works for us."
RELATED: Sac State graduate transfer is ready to leave emotional homecoming behind her
The Hornets fell behind in the second quarter and struggled to recover as the Lady Griz outscored them 16-9 to take an eight-point lead into halftime. The Hornets' shooting woes continued in the second quarter as they only converted 3-13 from the field and 1-6 from the free-throw stripe.
Sac State and Montana battled back-and-forth in the third quarter as the Hornets outscored the Lady Griz 17-15 to trim Montana's lead to six going into the fourth quarter. Sac State had its best quarter shooting in the third, making 36.8% of their shots.
Both teams struggled in the final quarter to make a field goal, as they both shot 30% or less. The Hornets and Lady Griz each had droughts of over three minutes without a made field goal. As a result, the game came down to free-throw shooting.
Story continues below gallery.
Gallery|5 Photos
Sac State senior forward Kennedy Nicholas pivots against Montana on Monday, Dec. 30 at the Nest. Nicholas had a game-high 12 rebounds and eight points in the loss.
In the fourth quarter alone, Montana made 10-14 free throw attempts while Sac State only made 1-2. The Hornets outscored the Lady Griz 17-15 again but it was not enough.
Despite going the final 3:40 of the game without a made field goal, Montana defeated Sac State 64-60 to hand the Hornets' their ninth loss of the season.
"I liked our team's energy level, it was better than the game against Montana State," said head coach Bunky Harkleroad. "I think there's a lot to build on. I'm frustrated for my team because we showed improvement. It's frustrating and I really want to breakthrough for my team because we were working hard."
RELATED: Big second half leads Montana State past Sac State women's basketball team
The Lady Griz won the game with rebounding and free-throw shooting. Montana outrebounded Sac State 51-33, the second consecutive game that the Hornets were outrebounded by double digits. The Lady Griz made 17-21 free throw attempts, while Sac State converted 4-12.
"I think this conference is very physical," King said about the Big Sky. "I think that kinda hurt us our last game against Montana State. We kind of let them hit us before we hit them. So that was one of the key things we were working on in practice yesterday and I think it showed today."
Montana was led to the win by senior forward Emma Stockholm who led all scorers with 21 points while adding eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Abby Anderson had nearly identical stats as her teammate with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Sac State's top scorer was King, who scored 18 points on 6-12 from three. Sophomore guard Summer Menke added 14 points. Senior forward Kennedy Nicholas had a game-high 12 rebounds and eight points.
"I'm so proud of her. She needed to have a really good game," Nicholas said of King. "Going into conference play, the Big Sky is a lot different than Nevada's conference. So I'm excited for her to really have that footing under her. We're always looking for her to shoot more threes when her feet are set."
RELATED: Kennedy Nicholas: From battling the courts to battling for boards
Sac State has yet to defeat a Division I opponent this season with their only wins coming against NAIA schools, Cal State Maritime and Pacific Union College.
The Hornets now go on a three-game road trip across the Big Sky and will not return home to the Nest until Jan. 16.
"We've got to make free throws," Harkleroad said about improving. "We've got to make layups and we've gotta rebound better."
Sac State plays next on the road at Reed Gym against Idaho State on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Dominant play earns Sac State women's basketball team second win
Ohio State defeats Sac State women's basketball team 104-74
Sac State women's basketball team squanders 18-point lead in loss at San Francisco
Sac State men's basketball team loses to Montana 52-50
Sac State men's basketball team lose Big Sky opener 66-51 at Montana State


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Core Services is a network provider for Medicare, Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield. We are a discounted provider for United Healthcare. We will help determine the benefits available to under your insurance or if you require a private pay option.


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Demi Lovato Home
Demi Lovato Mum, Dad And Sister: Inside 'Sober' Singer's Family As They Rush To Support Her
25 July 2018, 13:51 | Updated: 27 July 2018, 08:59
Demi Lovato is awake after being rushed to hospital following an alleged drug overdose.
'Sorry Not Sorry' singer Demi Lovato is recovering in hospital after it was claimed she overdosed on drugs.
Her family, including her mum, step dad and sisters, are said to be by her hospital side and have released an official statement thanking everyone for their support.
As Demi recovers in hospital, we take a look inside her family support network and just who her dad, Patrick Lovato was.
> Demi Lovato Admits She's Relapsed After Six Years Of Sobriety
(PIC: Demi Lovato/Instagram)
Demi Lovato's mum Dianna De La Garza
Dianna is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, turned author, who is said to have been spotted outside the hospital where Demi is staying.
55 years old, she has also written a successful book, which also spoke about her daughter's addiction and mental illness, called Falling With Wings: A Mother's Story.
Dianna was married to Demi's father Patrick for 10 years and had two children before they divorced. She went on to remarry Eddie De La Garza, a man Demi thanked for showing her "what a father really is".
(PIC: Dianna De La Garza/Instagram)
Demi Lovato's real dad Patrick Lovato
Sadly, he passed away from cancer in 2013, a moment Demi admits she was conflicted about. She said, "I was very conflicted when he passed, because he was abusive. He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person.
"And he wanted to have his family, and when my mom married my stepdad, he still had this huge heart where he said, 'I'm so glad that [he's] taking care of you and doing the job that I wish I could do.'"
Demi's father suffered with mental illness and alcohol abuse.
(PIC: Madison De La Garza/Instagram)
Demi Lovato's sisters
Demi's older sibling Dallas is famous for her movie roles and younger sister Madison is most famous for playing Juanita Solis on Desperate Housewives.
Demi Lovato News
See more Demi Lovato News
Demi Lovato Claps Back At Troll Who Fat-Shamed Singer


Get to know our 2017 Person of Vision! Read the Tampa Bay Times article about him, published February 3.
Preserve Vision Florida will honor Joseph W. Lopano as the 2017 Person of Vision at the Person of Vision Award Dinner on Monday, February 13 at the Tampa Airport Marriott.


text:
Q: Opengl scale entire screen I have a pixel array like this int[256 * 256]. First 256 is for x axis and second is for y axis. And my main window size is 1024x1024. This is 4 times greater than my pixel array size. So my scale value is 4. I want to render this 256x256 array in 1024x1024 window but one pixel should be 4x4 pixel size in window.
I currently just created window, created my pixel array and do some operations in that array. How can i render my array scaled?

A: Load image into texture, render screen-sized textured quad.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Risen Peak () is a peak 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) north of Medhovden Bluff in the Gjelsvik Mountains of Queen Maud Land. Mapped from surveys and air photos by the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition (1956–60) and named Risen (the giant).

See also
Gygra Peak

References

Mountains of Queen Maud Land
Princess Martha Coast

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
First Listen: Raheem DeVaughn steams things up on "Mr. Midnight"
(November 9, 2020) The holidays are around the corner, the election's been called and for many, there are reasons to celebrate. But no matter what the time or era, some folks can always find reasons to love and make love...more specifically, folks like Grammy-award-winning self-proclaimed loveman, Raheem DeVaughn. Even in the midst of civil unrest and uncertainty, he's still about romancing the ladies with modern-day swag with classic twists and influence, heard prominently in the first single from his upcoming eighth release (What a Time to Be In Love, 11/20), "Mr. Midnight."
If one were to put together a "Busy in the Boudoir" Starter Pack, "Mr. Midnight" would easily become part of its soundtrack, thanks to its whispery, staccato groove, Raheem's dulcet falsetto and libido-laden lyrics that would earn thumbs-up approval from Marvin Gaye. Like one of DeVaughn's earliest hits, "Customer," "Mr. Midnight" promises prompt service with longevity, a smile......and little else. Priorities, right? After dedicating himself to becoming her One-Stop Shop and fulfill her "freaky little thoughts and midnight fantasies," Raheem proclaims breathlessly that she better be ready to binge on sexy time, as "We're gonna keep on goin,' from 12:01, til it's six in the mornin'." Overtime and after hours----quite the package, no?
Penned by DeVaughn and featuring the production skills of 812LABS Media Group and L'indecis, Raheem's "Mr. Midnight" combines equal parts sexuality, sensuality and a willingness to get the job done. And for the ladies, few qualities are more appealing, and enduring, than those.
By Melody Charles
Raheem DeVaughn - "Mr. Midnight"


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Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (também conhecido como Adam D) (4 de abril de 1977) é um engenheiro, compositor e produtor musical norte-americano mais conhecido por ser o guitarrista e backing vocal da banda de metalcore, Killswitch Engage. Também foi o guitarrista da banda Aftershock.

Biografia
Dutkiewicz possui ascendência polonesa, mas cresceu em Westhampton, Massachusetts. Ele estudou na Hampshire Regional High School, e também na Berklee College of Music, em Boston, onde estudou sobre produção de discos, engenharia e aprendeu a tocar baixo. Ainda na escola, ele entrou na banda Aftershock com seu amigo Joel Stroetzel. Mais tarde, Stroetzel se juntou a Dutkiewicz, Mike D'Antonio e Jesse Leach para formar o Killswitch Engage. Dutkiewicz foi o baterista da banda até o lançamento do segundo álbum, Alive or Just Breathing, pois ele passou a ser guitarrista da banda, e Tom Gomes passou a ser o baterista.

Ele assumiu o papel de produtor de todos os álbuns do Killswitch Engage, exceto no segundo álbum da banda de nome Killswitch Engage, lançado em 30 de Junho de 2009. Para este álbum ele assumiu o cargo de co-produtor ao lado de Brendan O'Brien (conhecido pelos seus trabalhos com AC/DC, The Offspring, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Incubus, Mastodon, e Stone Temple Pilots). Adam também produziu álbuns de As I Lay Dying, Underoath, A Acacia Strain, Unearth , All That Remains, From Autumn to Ashes, Johnny Truant, Parkway Drive, O Agony Scene, Every Time I Die  e outros. Ele tem sido comparado com Ross Robinson, produtor de álbuns de new metal, por causa de sua influência no metal moderno e por dar forma ao som do Metalcore. Ele também é um engenheiro de Zing Studios, que produziu para vários artistas, incluindo vários de Tooth and Nail Records.

Vida Pessoal
Adam D tem um irmão chamado Tobias (que era vocalista de Aftershock), bem como as irmãs Katelyn e Rebeca, e é um fã do Red Sox.

Performance nos shows
Adam D é energético durante os shows do Killswitch Engage. Um dos membros da banda mais ativos, ele é bem conhecido por sua marca registrada de usar roupas excêntricas (como uma capa e shorts curto em (Set This) World Ablaze (DVD), um chapéu de pirata que ele usava durante uma performance no Jimmy Kimmel Live! , ou até mesmo uma camiseta da Katy Perry). Devido a sua presença de palco, ele é geralmente chamado de o "Jim Carrey dos guitarristas".

Discos produzidos
Dutkiewicz produziu discos de muitas bandas de metalcore diferentes.
Shadows Fall - Somber Eyes to the Sky (1997)
Aftershock - Through the Looking Glass (Aftershock album)|Through the Looking Glass (2000)
Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage (2000)
Unearth - The Stings of Conscience (2001)
Arma Angelus - Where Sleeplessness Is Rest from Nightmares (2001)
Every Time I Die - Last Night in Town (2001)
From Autumn to Ashes - Too Bad You're Beautiful (2001)
All That Remains - Behind Silence and Solitude (2002)
Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing (2002)
The Acacia Strain - ... And Life is Very Long (2002)
Norma Jean - Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child (2002)
Unearth - Endless (2002)
Cannae - Horror (2003)
The Agony Scene - The Agony Scene (2003)
All That Remains - This Darkened Heart (2004)
Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache (2004)
The Acacia Strain - 3750 (2004)
Unearth - The Oncoming Storm (2004)
He Is Legend - I Am Hollywood (2004)
Johnny Truant - In the Library of Horrific Events (2005)
August Burns Red - Thrill Seeker (2005)
The Acacia Strain - The Dead Walk (album)|The Dead Walk (2006)
Underoath - Define the Great Line (2006)
All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals (2006)
Parkway Drive -  Killing with a Smile (2006)
Killswitch Engage  - As Daylight Dies (2006)
Burn Your Wishes - Burn Your Wishes Split w/ The Awards (2006)
Caliban - The Awakening (2007)
As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us (2007)
Parkway Drive - Horizons (2007)
MyChildren MyBride - Unbreakable (2008)
Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal (2008)
Overcast - Reborn to Kill Again (2008)
Underoath - Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008)
Unearth - The March (2008)
A Day to Remember - Homesick (2009)
Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage (2009)
Caliban - Say Hello to Tragedy (2009)
As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise (2010)
All That Remains - For We Are Many (2010)
A Day To Remember - What Separates Me From You (2010)
Times of Grace - The Hymn Of A Broken Man (2011)
The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne (2011)
Unearth - Darkness in the Light (2011)
As I Lay Dying - Decas (2011)
Shadows Fall - Fire From the Sky (2012)
All That Remains - A War You Cannot Win (2012)
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent (2013)

Discografia

Aftershock
Aftershock - Letters (1997)
Aftershock - Split EP (1997)
Aftershock - Split EP Vol. 2 (1999)
Aftershock - Through the Looking Glass (2000)
Aftershock - When Angels Shed Their Wings Vol. 1 (2000)
Aftershock - Five Steps From Forever EP (2001)
Aftershock - Propaganda (2001)
Aftershock - Live In Japan EP (2004)

Burn Your Wishes
Burn Your Wishes - Burn Your Wishes Split w/ The Awards (2006)

Times of Grace
Times of Grace - The Hymn of a Broken Man (2011)

Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage I (2000)
Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing (2002)
Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache (2004)
Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies (2006)
Killswitch Engage - (Set This) World Ablaze (2005, DVD)
Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage II (2009)
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent (2013)

Ligações externas

Músicos dos Estados Unidos
Membros de Killswitch Engage
Adam Dutkiewicz
Músicos de heavy metal


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text:
Cnemaspis gunawardanai — вид ящірок з родини геконових (Gekkonidae). Описаний у 2021 році.

Етимологія
Вид названий на честь доктора Джагата Гунавардани, ланкійського екологічного активіста, захисника природи та юриста, який зробив значний внесок у популяризацію екологічних законів серед громадськості.

Поширення
Ендемік Шрі-Ланки. Відомий з двох місцевостей: Пілікуттува і Малігатенна у районі Гампаха. Мешкає на сухих, затінених, прохолодних поверхнях скель у печерах.

Примітки

Геконові
Тварини, описані 2021
Плазуни Шрі-Ланки
Ендемічна фауна Шрі-Ланки


Suki has an amazing personality. She is a total wigglebutt and is always carrying something in her mouth. She is very laid back and is content laying in our lap napping. She is the sweetest dog and loves everyone. She thinks everyone that comes over comes just to see her. We are definitely proud of this girl as she is just outstanding.
Suki with her favorite stuffed toy.


Today, Twitter announced it has let go of 8 percent of its workforce, and Wall Street is responding to the news. Its stock is up over 5 percent, signaling that investors also felt that it was time for the social networking company to slim down.
While we don't know what the affected parties are being offered as far as severance, the company is said to be offering extremely soft landings. Of course that doesn't heal the fact that over 300 people woke up to the news that they no longer had a job this morning. Most of the time in corporate land, part of the severance agreement includes not speaking about terms or disparaging the company in any way.
Hi Tweeps being laid off today – many many ex Tweeps are rooting for you and will gladly hire you into our startups :) please reach out!
The psychology of a layoff can push Twitter in a few different ways. On one hand, the rest of the company can see this as a sign of stabilization, taking solace in the fact that they remain with their respective teams for a reason. This might get some of the best work out of Twitter in years.
On the other hand, some could take this as a signal that if things don't pick up product adoption soon, the 8 percent could be just the tip of the iceberg. This could cause a brain drain, one like we've heard has already been happening. Of course, the reality is probably somewhere in between.


text:
Q: How share ffmpeg encoder with independent applications? I ned to share a ffmepg encoder with a independent client applications inside the same machine.
I tried to use udp multicast but I have multiple drops and packet loss  (I don't understand how this ocurr inside the same machine.).
For example:
Encoder:  ffmpeg -i <input> -c:v <encoder v + params> -c:a <encoder a + params> \
                -f mpegts udp://@239.192.1.1:1234&pkt_size=1316

Transmitter 1: ffmpeg -i udp://@239.192.1.1:1234 -c copy -f flv rtmp://<url>
Transmitter 2: ffmpeg -i udp://@239.192.1.1:1234 -c copy -f mpegts  srt://<url>

I have also tried rtp but I have problems with audio and video synchronization.
I can't use ffmpeg multiple outpus because the transmitters are unknown at init time and they start and stop completely independent of the encoder.
Any ideas how to implement this?


text:
President, Islamic Republic of Iran
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
World, PoliticsAir Date 09/28/2012
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sits down with Charlie and Norah O'Donnell to discuss the conflict in Syria and relations with Israel.
James Fallows; K. Shankar Bajpai; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
James Fallows on China; India's ambassador to the U.S.; Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on uranium enrichment.
President Ahmadinejad defends Iran's right to enrich uranium and insists that the IAEA has total access to their facilities.
Tony Blair; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Tony Blair discusses Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; Iranian President Ahmadinejad on the detained American hikers.
President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the two American hikers detained in Iran and the U.N. General Assembly.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discusses the IAEA inspections of his nuclear facilities and the claims of human rights violations.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program.
President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reflects on the recent Iranian election and its dramatic aftermath.
Nuclear Facilities in Iran; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
A panel on the discovery of secret nuclear facilities in Iran; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the recent election in Iran.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on major international issues, including the conflict between Russia and Georgia.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shares his vision for a stable Middle East and discusses Iran's relationship with Israel and Iraq.
Laurent Fabius
Daljit Dhaliwal
Mohamed ElBaradei
Richard Holbrooke
Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., discusses U.N. resolutions on Iraq. 24:30
Yevgeny Kiselyov
World, Media
Yevgeny Kiselyov on the first uncensored battlefield reports made by Russian news organizations. 23:16


The star-studded Calvin Klein Women in Film soiree could not have come at a more appropriate moment — at a Cannes Film Festival where the dearth of women directors has been a major theme.
The gilded guest list of top actresses used the glamorous event on the grounds of a private mansion to speak out about equality — and perhaps show off their designer clothes.
Emily Blunt looked ravishing in a figure-hugging cream sheath — and struck a cynical tone on the cinema landscape parity.
"You'll have a hit movie that women are at the forefront of and people are like 'Oh, it's all changing.' And then I feel like it resorts back to what it was before ... But I do feel that things are changing," said Blunt, who stars in "Sicario," one of the 19 films competing this year for Cannes' top prize.
Rachel Weisz called it "very sad that an event like tonight has to happen."
"We make up 51 percent of planet Earth and we're just very disproportionately represented, in terms of directors and writers - the people in charge of the storytelling. So we just need more films from women's points of view," she said.
French actress Melanie Laurent, who's been cast in Angelina Jolie's next directorial effort "By The Sea," lavished praise on her boss.
"Yes, another great female director. She's amazing, everything is so simple with her and I still can't believe she chose me," said Laurent.
Others, like jury member Sienna Miller, used the evening to express how the experience of the Cannes Film Festival has affected them.
"It's completely reignited a passion. I don't watch enough films and I think I'll be watching a lot more, because I'm absolutely loving it, seeing that much cinema," said Miller, who shimmered in a pearl silky gown with sporty straps.
Also at the event was Miller's fellow Cannes jury member, actor Jake Gyllenhaal, French actress Isabelle Huppert, as well as models Natalia Vodianova and Doutzen Kroes.


Jose Mourinho has claimed that Roman Abramovich is still convinced that he is the right man for the Chelsea manager's job.
The Portugese is convinced that he is a "stronger" boss as he continues to cope with the worst season of his trophy-laden career.
Chelsea's Premier League title defence has fallen apart and the scrutiny on Mourinho's position would reach unprecedented levels if they they are beaten by Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday night and eliminated from the competition.
Speaking at his media conference on Tuesday afternoon, Mourinho was confident he has Abramovich's backing.
"I think that I did lots of good things in this club for the owner to know the quality I have," he said. "If the owner show me that belief twice: one, when brought me back to the club, second time, when he gave me a new contract, I don't think the owner is a person to change with the wind.
A defeat would almost-certainly send Chelsea into the Europa League but under-fire Mourinho says the novel experience of adversity has only increased his desire to succeed.
"As a manager I think makes me better, because it's the first time for me," he added on Tuesday. "It's a new experience, something I was not used to.
"I never thought I would be so strong and so highly motivated to another defeat and the next morning I wake up again with even more desire to go and work. So it made me know myself a little bit better than before.
Football Insider revealed on Sunday that Chelsea would not sack Jose Mourinho in the wake of their eighth Premier League defeat of the season against Bournemouth last weekend.
Abramovich watched from his hospitality box as Chelsea suffered a setback that leaves them marooned in 14th place in the Premier League table, just three points above the relegation zone and a distant 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
But defeat to the team Mourinho steered to a Champions League triumph in 2004 and elimination from the Champions League would place enormous pressure on the manager's shoulders and may alter Abramovich's thinking.
A senior Chelsea source has told Football Insider that the owner is concerned about the team's drastic decline but he still thinks the Portugese can turn it around.
Abramovich is putting his faith in the most successful manager in the club's history and is also aware that the only available option of similar calibre is Carlo Ancelotti, who is being lined up by Bayern Munich as a replacement for Pep Guardiola at the end of the season.


The Year of the Dog may well turn into the Year of Traveling with Dogs. Just in time for the Chinese New Year — this year falling on Feb. 16 — new data reveals that Northland and the Bay of Plenty are the most pet-friendly when it comes to travelling with your pet in New Zealand.
Bookabach combed more than 12,000 holiday homes on its website to determine which kiwi destinations are friendliest for travelers' four-legged family members. Beachside towns in the Northland region are putting their best paw forward when it comes to welcoming dogs in holiday homes. Bookabach' dog-friendliest destinations list is made up of spots that have the most baches, big and small, that will allow you to bring your pet.
In honor of Year of the Dog, which comes along only every 12 years, Bookabach has chosen the five Pet-Friendliest Properties from its list of more than 12,000 holiday rentals across New Zealand that welcome pets. They come complete with doggy pools, dog houses, doggie bowls and more.
A private and peaceful Kerkeri home with plenty of space for your dog to explore.
This Waikanae bach has a large deck and fenced backyard, just metres from the ocean. Perfect for a bark on the beach.
Set in one of the South Island's most scenic towns with a fully fenced backyard and outdoor living area.
This Waihi bach has a nice sheltered deck where dogs and their owners can relax together, plus there's a full-fenced lawn and it's only minutes from the beach.
Both dogs and their owners will both feel comfortable at this lovely Hastings Villa. There's even a dog park three-minutes drive away.


text:
Blood Kisses
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Director: Robert Kornhiser
Actors: Angelo Angrisani, Christina Jolley, Daryl Denner, Elizabeth Bove, John Caponigro, Johnny Pik, Nadja Hoyer-Booth, Nancy Malleo, Ryan G. Metzger, Sarah Yu, Victor Joel Ortiz
Keywords:Blood Kisses
When their parents die, Bianca starts to smoke and Tomas is still a virgin. The orphans explore the dangerous streets of adulthood until Bianca finds Maciste, a retired Mr. Universe,…
Unfreedom
A Muslim fundamentalist in New York kidnaps a liberal Muslim scholar with intent to kill. A closeted lesbian in New Delhi kidnaps her activist bisexual lover with intent to marry….
A journalist with solid mob connections falls for a stripper with a dark past.
Live Twice, Love Once
A retired academic teacher tries to find his youth love after to learn he has diagnosed with Alzheimer.
Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS
Revenge for Jolly!
Harry (Brian Petsos) is having a very, very bad day. He returns home from an all-night drinking binge with his cousin Cecil (Oscar Issac), to discover that his little dog…
Anas has been called the James Bond of Ghanaian journalism. He's exposed a sex-trafficking ring by masquerading as a bartender, uncovered deplorable conditions in Accra's psychiatric hospital, posed as a…
Genre: Action, Adventure, Documentary, Drama
Ride with the Devil
Ride with the Devil follows four people who are fighting for truth and justice amidst the turmoil of the American Civil War. Director Ang Lee takes us to a no…
Genre: Drama, Romance, War, Western
The Man Between
"The Man Between" is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason, Claire Bloom, Hildegard Knef and Geoffrey Toone. A British woman on a visit…
Dorian and Angus chase down their womanizing stepfather with a helicopter, frightening him to death. In his effort to cover their tracks, Dorian begins investigating his stepfather's mistress, Sally. She…
Abe is a man who is in his thirties and who lives with his parents. He works regretfully for his father while pursuing his hobby of collecting toys. Aware that…
Carrie is a religious fundamentalist. But her mother decided to come-out-of-the-closet and marry another woman, which they have a daughter together with. Now, she is forced to move into a…
Genre: Drama, Family, Horror, Thriller


text:
Read the Schengen Convention (19 June 1990)
RFE/RL Newsline, 06-04-18
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
From: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>
[01] RUSSIA HOSTS IRAN TALKS
[02] DID U.K. THWART GAZPROM TAKEOVER BID?
[03] NGOS FEAR THE WORST
[04] VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVE MERGER OF TWO REGIONS
[05] DUMA WILL NOT AGREE TO THIRD PRESIDENTIAL TERM
[06] PRO-KREMLIN PARTY CITES HISTORICAL TRADITIONS
[07] YOUTH GROUP AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR ARMY
[08] MUSCOVITES PROTEST AGAINST MEDIA CENSORSHIP
[09] COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF OLIGARCH
[10] ADYGEYA PRESIDENT'S STATUS REMAINS UNCLEAR
[11] MEETING BETWEEN CHECHEN PRIME MINISTER, FUGITIVE GEORGIAN SECURITY CHIEF DENIED
[12] MILITANT COMMANDER REPORTEDLY KILLED IN DAGHESTAN
[13] ARMENIAN LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIAL DESCRIBES FRAUD
[14] OSCE MINSK GROUP CALLS FOR NEW MEETING OF ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS
[15] KARABAKH AUTHORITIES DENY DRUG TRANSIT
[16] AZERBAIJANI OFFICER SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR MURDERING ARMENIAN
[17] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES AGREEMENT ON CLOSURE OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES
[18] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT SLAMS RUSSIA'S 'POLITICAL' BAN ON IMPORTS
[19] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT WRAPS UP VISIT TO CHINA
[20] GEORGIAN INTELLIGENTSIA DEMANDS INVESTIGATION INTO BANKER'S KILLING
[21] SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADER ACCUSES OSCE OF BIAS
[22] KAZAKH PRESIDENT SETS PRIORITIES FOR REGIONAL HEADS
[23] ATTACK ON KYRGYZ ACTIVIST PROMPTS CRIME-FIGHTING MEASURES...
[24] ...AS OPPOSITION PREPARES FOR RALLY
[25] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT CLAIMS SUCCESS IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION...
[26] ...AND ENCOURAGES SACKING OF CRITICAL OFFICIALS
[27] TAJIK MINISTER BLAMES IMU FOR 2005 BLASTS
[28] TURKMEN PRESIDENT ORDERS GAS SURVEY FOR CHINA PROJECT
[29] BELARUSIAN LEGISLATURE RECONFIRMS PRIME MINISTER
[30] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT PLEDGES NOT TO BLACKLIST EU POLITICIANS
[31] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST RELEASED ON PAROLE
[32] PACE CALLS ON BELARUS TO REPEAT PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
[33] UKRAINIAN POLITICAL LEADERS MOVE TOWARD ORANGE COALITION
[34] BOSNIAN SERB PREMIER SAYS INDEPENDENT KOSOVA COULD DESTABILIZE BOSNIA
[35] U.S. ENVOY LAUDS KOSOVA'S EFFORTS ON MINORITY RIGHTS
[36] SERBIA OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO KOSOVAR ALBANIAN WAR CRIMES
[37] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER IN SERBIA SEEKS ROLE IN CONSTITUTION
[38] NETHERLANDS TO DEPORT YUGOSLAV SPY TO SERBIA AFTER 33 YEARS
[39] MOLDOVA SEEKS NEW WINE MARKETS DUE TO RUSSIAN BAN
[40] 'ANGRY' AFGHAN PRESIDENT ORDERS PROBE INTO CIVILIAN DEATHS AT HANDS OF INTERNATIONAL FORCES...
[41] ...AS U.S. MILITARY LAUNCHES ITS OWN INVESTIGATION
[42] OPERATION MOUNTAIN LION CONTINUES IN AFGHANISTAN
[43] REPORT SUGGESTS SUICIDE BOMBER IN PAKISTAN MIGHT HAVE BEEN AFGHAN NATIONAL
[44] IRAN MAKES FINANCIAL COMMITMENT TO HAMAS-LED GOVERNMENT
[45] LEBANESE DRUZE LEADER DESCRIBES ALLEGED IRANIAN INTERFERENCE
[46] IRAN'S LATEST NUCLEAR CLAIM ELICITS 'CONCERN,' SKEPTICISM AS TEHRAN REPORTEDLY DIGS IN
[47] PERIOD SET FOR NEXT IRANIAN ELECTIONS
[48] IRAQ'S SHI'ITE ALLIANCE IN STALEMATE OVER PREMIER NOMINATION
[49] INSURGENTS ATTACK IRAQI-U.S. FORCES IN BAGHDAD
[50] HANDWRITING EXPERTS LINK FORMER IRAQI PRESIDENT TO AL-DUJAYL OPERATIONS
[51] IRAQI SUNNI POLITICIAN'S BROTHER FOUND DEAD
[52] U.K. FORCES DISARM POLICE IN IRAQ'S SECOND CITY
[53] INTIFADA CONFERENCE IN TEHRAN HAS MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES Tuesday, 18 April 2006 Volume 10 Number 70 Russia
Political representatives of the Foreign Ministries of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are scheduled to meet in Moscow on April 18 to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue, "The Moscow Times" reported. The host will be Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 11, 12, and 13, 2006). On April 17, Andrei Denisov, who is Russia's outgoing ambassador to the United Nations, said in New York that his country backs a diplomatic solution to the crisis, and he called on Tehran to observe a moratorium on uranium enrichment until April 28, when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is slated to make a report to the Security Council, RIA Novosti reported. PM
The "Financial Times" reported on April 17 that the United Kingdom "considered changing its merger control regime [in 2006] to block a potential takeover of Centrica, the [country's] biggest gas supplier, by Gazprom of Russia, a move that remains an option to thwart any bid that threatens energy security." The paper added that "the prospect of the state-run Russian gas company taking over the [United Kingdom's] biggest energy supplier prompted frantic activity within the Trade and Industry Department" regarding the legal possibilities of blocking such a takeover. Gazprom subsequently said that its remarks, which led to the speculation regarding its intentions, had been "misinterpreted." PM
Russia's new law regulating nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) went into effect on April 17, "The Moscow Times" reported. Officials of some larger NGOs said that much of their time and resources is likely to be wasted on filling out new government forms requiring detailed reporting on their respective organizations' activities. Representatives of some smaller NGOs said that their survival is in question because they do not have the resources to keep up with the required paperwork. Aleksei Zhafyarov, who heads the NGO department of the Justice Ministry's Federal Registration Service, said recently that it will be impossible for his officials to study all of the required reports from all of Russia's nearly 500,000 NGOs. One NGO official asked rhetorically: "Why are [the authorities] demanding such an insane amount of details?" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 29 and 30, February 1, and April 12, 2006). PM
About 68 percent of voters in Irkutsk Oblast and 99 percent in Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug, which is totally surrounded by Irkutsk Oblast, cast their ballots in a April 16 referendum on the proposed unification of the two administrative regions, the websites vesti.ru and regnum.ru reported the following day. With most of the votes counted, the respective election committees reported that the percentage in favor is 89.8 in Irkutsk Oblast and 97.79 percent in Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug. A new federal region known as Irkutsk Oblast is therefore likely to come into being on January 1, 2008. Vesti.ru noted that the turnout of 68 percent was a "record" for Irkutsk Oblast, even by comparison with previous presidential elections. Viktor Ignatenko, who heads the Irkutsk Oblast Election Commission, announced that "in 1993 [when the current administrative regions were set up], nobody asked anybody [what they wanted]. Now the people have made their decision, which only they can change, not the politicians." The unification project is part of a Kremlin-sponsored initiative to create larger administrative regions, which could presumably be more easily controlled. Opponents charged that critical views were not adequately represented in the media (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 27, 2005, and March 22, 2006). The unification project contrasts sharply with the admonition to the regions of former President Boris Yeltsin to "take as much sovereignty as you can swallow." PM
Boris Gryzlov, who is speaker of the State Duma and head of the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party Duma faction, said on April 18 that the parliament will not change the constitution to enable President Vladimir Putin to run for a third term when his current mandate runs out in 2008, news.ng.ru reported. Gryzlov stressed that both he and the president oppose any changes to the constitution. PM
Oleg Morozov, who is deputy speaker of the State Duma, told the General Council of the Unified Russia party in Moscow on April 15 that "we are the only influential party in Russia," "The Moscow Times" reported on April 18. He stressed that "we are the successors of the history of all Russian governments.... Unlike the rightists and the leftists, we are the successors of both tsarist and socialist Russia.... To be faithful to the centuries-old tradition of serving the fatherland, [we express] our...conservatism." Duma speaker Gryzlov gave a lengthy address highlighting the theme that "Russia must be strong," the party's website (http://www.edinros.ru) reported. The Moscow-based daily reported that Unified Russia will soon adopt a platform putting forth the "improbable concoction" of a strong, centralized state and free-marked reforms under the slogan of "social conservatism." Unified Russia is widely seen as a "Potemkin party" that facilitates the rule of President Putin and his elite, which created it in 2001. PM
About 700 members and supporters of the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi came to Moscow from about 50 cities across Russia on April 15 for the group's second annual meeting, where several speakers stressed the importance of "supporting the army," "The Moscow Times" reported on April 17. Nashi leader Vasily Yakemenko called on members to support the military, thanked them for donating blood and campaigning against sales of alcohol to minors, and announced the possibility of internships with the state-run Gazprom and Transneft companies as well as with the Unified Russia party. Nashi spokesman Robert Shlegel said that any member of the youth organization found to be dodging the draft will be reduced to the status of a supporter. Most Nashi members are students aged 17-25, who are often regarded by others as careerists. PM
About 1,500 protesters gathered in Moscow on April 16 to mark the fifth anniversary of the takeover of the previously independent television broadcaster NTV by the state-owned Gazprom conglomerate, RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 2, 2004, and "Russia: Moscow Rally Decries Media Clampdown," rferl.org, April 17, 2006). Speakers and protesters stressed the link between growing media censorship in Russia and declining democratic standards. Viktor Shenderovich, who hosted NTV's former satirical puppet show "Kukly," said that state control of television in Russia is preventing the emergence of a strong opposition and an independent judiciary. He added that a decline in press freedom in any country generally leads to a drop in the standard of living. PM
A court in Krasnokamensk ruled on April 18 that the January transfer of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the embattled former head of the Yukos oil company, to solitary confinement for five days was unlawful, news agencies reported. Khodorkovsky is serving an eight-year prison sentence in the remote Chita Oblast for fraud and tax evasion after a trial that was widely viewed as politically motivated and engineered by the Kremlin. Russian courts have also placed some of his closest associates behind bars (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 8, and March 16 and 20, 2006). In related news, Khodorkovsky claimed on April 14 that an unnamed cellmate attacked him with a knife the previous night, slightly cutting his face, mosnews.com reported. Several of Khodorkovsky's supporters told reporters that they believe that the Kremlin is trying to break his will by "making his life in jail a hell." PM
Khazret Sovmen submitted his written resignation as Republic of Adygeya president during an April 11 meeting in Moscow with presidential-administration head Sergei Sobyanin and presidential envoy to the Southern Federal District Dmitry Kozak, the daily "Kommersant" reported on April 14 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 12, 2006). The paper identified as Sovmen's rationale for resigning the rising tensions in Adygeya due to the anticipated merger of that republic into the surrounding Krasnodar Krai (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," March 10, 2006). On April 13, the self-styled World Congress for Solidarity with the Republic of Adygeya, which represents the Cherkess diasporas in Jordan, Israel, Turkey, the United States, and elsewhere, released a statement affirming its support for Sovmen and for his opposition to plans to abolish Adygeya's status as a republic, according to kavkaz.memo.ru as reposted on kavkazweb.net. On April 17, regnum.ru quoted an unnamed source within the Adygeya leadership as saying that during a meeting of Sovmen and Adygeya parliament speaker Ruslan Khadjebiyekov with President Putin, the decision was made that Sovmen should remain in his post. LF
The office of Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov rejected on April 13 as untrue a report published the previous day in the Georgian daily "Rezonansi" that former Georgian National Security Minister Igor Giorgadze met with Kadyrov during a recent tour of the Caucasus, RIA Novosti reported. The Georgian daily alleged that Giorgadze, who fled Georgia in September 1995 after being accused of masterminding an attempt to assassinate then Georgian parliament Chairman Eduard Shevardnadze, also visited Adygeya and the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia. LF
Radjab Guseinov, identified as the militant commander of Daghestan's Buinaksk Raion, was killed on April 16 in a clash between police and Interior Ministry troops in the settlement of Nizhnii Djengutay, Russian media reported. Two Interior Ministry troops were also killed in the shoot-out, and a survivor from Guseinov's group of militants was tracked down and killed the following day, kommersant.ru reported on April 18. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
Spartak Yeghiazarian, who heads the local election commission in the village of Oshakan in Aragatsotn Raion, described to a press conference in Yerevan on April 14 how he and his colleagues forged voter signatures and stuffed ballot boxes to ensure a victory for incumbent President Robert Kocharian in the February 2003 presidential ballot, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Yeghiazarian said that the true winner in his district was People's Party of Armenia Chairman Stepan Demirchian, followed by Artashes Geghamian, while Kocharian in fact polled only 12 percent. He claimed the results were subsequently rigged to give Kocharian 60 percent of the vote. Official returns gave Kocharian 49.5 percent of the vote in the first round of voting on February 19 and Demirchian 28.2 percent. In a runoff ballot on March 5, Kocharian reportedly garnered 67.5 percent compared to 32.5 percent for Demirchian (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 20 and March 6, 2003). Yeghiazarian said he was given, and carried out, similar instructions to rig the outcome of the referendum last fall on constitutional amendments proposed by Kocharian. According to official statistics, more than 1.5 million voters participated, of whom 90 percent expressed approval for the draft amendments (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 1, 2005). LF
Bernard Fassier, the French co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group that is trying to mediate a resolution of the Karabakh conflict, told journalists in Yerevan on April 13 following talks with top Armenian officials that "the negotiating process is not dead" despite the failure of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents to reach a preliminary agreement on approaches to resolving the conflict during talks outside Paris in February, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 13, 2006). Fassier said that on the eve of those talks "the glass was half full, and we hoped to fill it completely." He admitted that did not prove possible, but added that "at least the glass was not overturned," implying that neither president attempted to sabotage the search for a preliminary agreement. Fassier confirmed that his U.S. colleague, Steven Mann, will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan this week, after which all three co-chairmen will meet in Moscow in early May. Fassier said he hopes it will prove possible to schedule a new meeting between President Kocharian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in June or July, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Addressing a border-troop contingent in Azerbaijan's northern Zaqatala district on April 12, President Aliyev said the Karabakh peace talks "have switched to a new format" that guarantees justice and a settlement in line with Azerbaijan's national interests, echo-az.com reported the following day. He did not elaborate. LF
Georgy Petrosian, foreign minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), and Armen Isagulov, the enclave's top police official, have written to the head of the U.S. State Department's Bureau for International Strategic Narcotics Control to take issue with its annual report for 2006, Noyan Tapan reported on April 14. That report claims that the NKR and adjoining Azerbaijani territories under Armenian control are used as a "narcotics transiting route." The NKR officials rejected that allegation as disinformation spread by the Azerbaijani government, noting that the bureau accepted the NKR's refutation in 2002 of previous analogous Azerbaijani allegations. They further stressed that the border between Iran and Armenian-controlled territory "is sealed." LF
A Budapest district court on April 13 sentenced Lieutenant Ramil Safarov to life imprisonment for the "premeditated, malicious, and cruel" murder in February 2004 of Lieutenant Gurgen Markarian, an Armenian fellow participant on a NATO language-training course, dpa reported. Safarov will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years of his sentence. In Baku, the Karabakh Liberation Organization staged a demonstration on April 14 to protest the verdict, day.az reported. Some 100 students tried to stage a similar protest in Baku on April 17, but were forcibly prevented by police who briefly detained up to 50 of them, day.az reported the following day. The Azadliq opposition bloc released a statement on April 15 terming the verdict unjust in light of Safarov's youth and the fact that members of his family died in the Karabakh war, but warning at the same time against feting Safarov as a hero, day.az reported on April 17. LF
The parliament majority voted on April 13 to ratify two bilateral agreements signed two weeks earlier, one on the logistics of and timeframe for the closure of two Russian military bases in Georgia, and the second on military transit, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 3, 2006). Opposition deputies who are still boycotting parliament proceedings did not participate in the vote, and have slammed the agreements as counter to Georgia's interests. At a press conference on April 13, Democratic Front member Koba Davitashvili and Ivliane Khaindrava (Republican Party) objected specifically to the provision of the former agreement that envisions establishing a Georgian-Russian antiterrorism center at the base in Batumi that Russia will vacate, according to Civil Georgia on April 13. The agreements must also be ratified by the Russian State Duma. LF
Meeting on April 17 with members of the parliamentary majority, Mikheil Saakashvili said he still hopes to "normalize" relations with Russia despite the ban imposed on the import of Georgian wine and other agricultural produce, Caucasus Press reported. He attributed that ban to a "political decision" by the Russian leadership. On April 15, Russia's top public health official, Gennady Onishchenko, said that some samples of Georgian Borzhomi mineral water have been removed from sale in stores in Moscow Oblast as not fit for human consumption. But Georgian Agriculture Minister Mikheil Svimonishvili told journalists on April 17 that Tbilisi has not received any official notification of a Russian ban on the import of mineral water. On April 18, Caucasus Press reported that 70 trucks of Georgian agricultural produce bound for Russia, primarily apples and herbs, are backed up at a border crossing in South Ossetia because the drivers cannot produce evidence that the produce conforms to Russian sanitary norms, Caucasus Press reported. LF
President Saakashvili returned to Tbilisi on April 15 from a five day official visit to China, Georgian media reported. Saakashvili met in Beijing with President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao; he also visited Shanghai and the Pudong free-trade zone. Talks focused on bilateral economic cooperation, specifically construction by the Chinese of hydroelectric power stations that would reduce Georgia's energy dependency on Russia, and of textile plants that would import semiproduced goods for completion in Georgia and subsequent export. Georgia also hopes China will purchase up to half of its annual wine production, according to AFP. Beijing also agreed to write off $2.5 million of Georgia's $3 million debt. LF
Some 100 prominent members of the Georgian intelligentsia signed an open letter to President Saakashvili, published in the daily "Rezonansi" on April 17, calling for a fair investigation into the January killing of United Georgian bank employee Sandro Girgvliani, Caucasus Press reported on April 17. The letter alleges that the Interior Ministry and Prosecutor-General's Office are shielding those responsible for Girgvliani's death. On April 14, Girgvliani's grandfather, Djimsher Enukidze, accused the Interior Ministry of requisitioning from businessmen funds that were used to finance so-called "death squads," Caucasus Press reported. LF
Eduard Kokoity, president of the unrecognized breakaway Republic of South Ossetia, met recently in Tskhinvali with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, Caucasus Press reported on April 17. On April 18, the same agency quoted Kokoity as having criticized members of the OSCE field office in South Ossetia for their allegedly biased assessments of the situation in the conflict zone. Kokoity reportedly compared the activities of the OSCE on South Ossetian territory to those of Georgian intelligence, and he threatened to impose unspecified restrictions on staff of the OSCE office whose activities violate existing agreements. South Ossetia released a lengthy statement in late March detailing instances of such allegedly biased reporting by the OSCE in recent months (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 30, 2006). LF
President Nursultan Nazarbaev told a meeting with provincial governors and the mayors of Almaty and Astana on April 14 that the task of making Kazakhstan one of the world's 50 most competitive countries should become a "national idea," Kazinform reported. The text of Nazarbaev's address to regional leaders was published on the president's website (http://www.akorda.kz). In it, Nazarbaev singled out the following issues: the efficiency of local executive government, regional socioeconomic problems, the introduction of electronic government, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, youth unemployment, competition and the development of small and mid-size businesses, and provincial strategic-development plans. DK
In the wake of the April 12 attack on Edil Baisalov, head of the NGO coalition For Democracy and Civil Society (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 13, 2006), Kyrgyzstan's government has adopted a resolution to aid the fight against crime, "Bely parakhod" reported on April 14. The resolution called on the Interior Ministry to "define 'criminal enemy No. 1'" and "take all legal measures to neutralize him as soon as possible"; prosecute outstanding criminal cases against members of organized-crime groups; create mobile forces to stop suspicious individuals; and inform the population about leaders and members of organized-crime groups. Interior Minister Omurbek Suvanaliev told parliament on April 14 that the top organized-crime group in Kyrgyzstan is led by Ryspek Akmatbaev and is based in Issyk-Kul province, akipress.org reported. Suvanaliev promised to break up what he described as three major organized-crime groups in the country. Baisalov has been a vocal critic of Akmatbaev's political ambitions (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 12, 2006). DK
A group of NGOs and political parties has formed a committee to organize a planned April 29 rally in Bishkek and other cities to demand a return to the rule of law in Kyrgyzstan, akipress.org reported on April 17. Former parliamentary speaker Omurbek Tekebaev will head the 18-member committee. Kubatbek Baibolov, one of the rally's organizers, said the main demand will be for constitutional reform. Deputy Melis Eshimkanov said the rally will be a "Kyrgyz maidan," a reference to the demonstrations that took place in Kyiv after disputed presidential elections in 2004. Deputy Temir Sariev, another organizer, said the demonstration will be peaceful if the authorities act responsibly, Kabar reported. "If the authorities don't provoke [demonstrators], and if they don't use the methods of the previous regime, I think that this will be a peaceful demonstration," Sariev said. DK
President Kurmanbek Bakiev told a meeting of the National Council to Fight Corruption on April 14 that the past year has witnessed "positive movements," gazeta.kg reported. "It's possible that somewhere at lower levels there are cases of extortion or bribe-taking, but at the high level this hasn't existed and doesn't exist," Bakiev said. "I consider this the main achievement." Bakiev also called on ordinary citizens to stop offering bribes: "The people themselves should put up a barrier against these phenomena." DK
President Bakiev told a youth forum on April 15 that officials who criticize the president or prime minister should be fired, Kabar reported. "Politicians have appeared who criticized their bosses," Bakiev said. "I recently had a conversation with Prime Minister Feliks [Kulov]; I told him that he should fire ministers, akims, governors, and other heads of agencies he has appointed who criticize the authorities. If I've appointed them, I'll remove them." DK
Interior Minister Humdin Sharifov told a news conference in Dushanbe on April 17 that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) was responsible for two explosions in Dushanbe last year that claimed one life (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 1 and June 14, 2005), RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported. Sharifov said that four alleged IMU members have been arrested in connection with the blasts, while two others are being sought, Reuters reported. According to Sharifov, three of the four men arrested are Tajik citizens and one is an Uzbek citizen, Interfax reported. DK
Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Ashgabat on April 13, President Saparmurat Niyazov ordered Deputy Oil and Gas Minister Ishanguly Nuriev to survey gas reserves for a planned pipeline linking Turkmenistan and China, Turkmen television reported. "You have to take geologists and carry out a survey of gas reserves -- how much can be extracted and from which areas," Niyazov said. "You have to submit your proposals as soon as possible." China and Turkmenistan recently signed a framework agreement to build a pipeline for natural-gas shipments from Turkmenistan to China (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 4, 2006). DK
The Chamber of Representatives, Belarus's lower house, approved President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's nominee for prime minister, Syarhey Sidorski, on April 17, Belarusian media reported. Sidorski has led the cabinet since December 2003 but resigned on April 8 -- hours after President Lukashenka was sworn in for a third term -- in accordance with the constitution. Lukashenka renominated him as prime minister four days later. "It is important for the president to have a good performer without political ambitions. Sidorski so far has not demonstrated such ambitions. He is not a bad manager and the economy was in quite good condition during his tenure," Belarusian economic expert Valery Dashkevich told the agency. JM
President Lukashenka said on April 14 that he is not going to compile "blacklists" of EU officials in response to the EU's recent move to expand its visa-ban list of Belarusian officials to 37 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 10 and 11, 2006), Belapan reported. Instead, Lukashenka stressed that people who intentionally distort information about Belarus will be denied entry into Belarusian territory in a "natural way." JM
The authorities on April 14 released prominent opposition activist Mikhail Marynich, 66, after almost two years' imprisonment (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 13, 2006), Belapan reported. Marynich told the agency that he does not plan to quit politics. "The situation in the country has already started to change and Belarus will be different in a year or two. There is no alternative to this," he said. "It is the task of each of us to occupy a niche and work for the common goal of bringing democracy to the country." Marynich, a former minister and diplomat, was jailed in a case widely condemned as fabricated and politically motivated, on charges of stealing computers from the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, even though the embassy had not reported any such theft. JM
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on April 13 called on the Belarusian authorities to accede to the opposition's demand for a repeat of last month's presidential election, an RFE/RL correspondent reported. A statement called on Belarus to ensure the preconditions exist for the election to be free, fair, and in line with international standards. Estonian deputy Andres Herkel, PACE's rapporteur on Belarus, told the Strasbourg-based assembly that the March 19 election failed to meet acceptable standards of transparency. "I [have never seen] such a limited right for [election] observers," Herkel said. "Actually, all the process of [vote] counting was not transparent, and so, [there were] very few observers that were really independent or from the opposition side." JM
The leaders of the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc, the Our Ukraine People's Union, and the Socialist Party signed a protocol on April 13 pledging to work toward creating a parliamentary majority to form Ukraine's new government, Ukrainian media reported. The protocol reportedly includes a provision to the effect that the party that garnered the largest number of votes in the March 26 parliamentary elections will nominate its representative for prime minister. The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc came in second in the elections, ahead of the Our Ukraine bloc and the Socialist Party. Those three parties, which were allies in the 2004 Orange Revolution, constituted the previous cabinet headed by Tymoshenko until September 2005, when President Viktor Yushchenko sacked it after some of his closest aides had been accused of corruption by their brothers-in-arms from the Orange Revolution. Tymoshenko said on April 17 that she is ready to give up running for president in 2009 if it would help restore the Orange coalition of 2004. JM
Southeastern Europe
Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik warned on April 17 that Bosnia-Herzegovina could be destabilized if Kosova is granted independence, AFP reported the same day. "I am not saying that people would take up arms, but it is certain that this decision would result in lasting dissatisfaction and mistrust," the Bosnian Serb news agency SRNA quoted Dodik as saying. Many Bosnian Serbs have said that if Kosova gains independence from Serbia then Republika Srpska should have the same right to secede from Bosnia. BW
The U.S. envoy to Kosova's final-status talks, Frank Wisner, praised the province's leaders on April 14 for reaching out to the Serbian minority, Reuters reported the same day. Wisner lauded Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Agim Ceku for making efforts to improve the lives of the province's estimated 100,000 Serbs. "Your authorities have undertaken important steps to build a spirit of national confidence, national reconciliation, making it clear that all the citizens of Kosovo have a home here," Wisner said in remarks to reporters. The UN-backed talks on Kosova's future are scheduled to resume in Vienna on May 4. BW
The Serbian war crimes prosecutor's office announced on April 17 that it has launched an investigation against 10 former Kosovar Albanian rebels for war crimes allegedly committed during the 1999 war, AP reported the same day. According to the prosecutor's statement, the crimes, in which two people disappeared and two others were robbed and seriously injured, took place in the Kosova towns of Pec and Djakovica, in March and June 1999. The alleged victims were Serbs, ethnic Albanians, and Roma. The statement gave no further details. Elsewhere, on April 16 Serbian authorities released Dejan Demirovic, a former police officer accused of killing 19 Albanian civilians, including women and children, in the village of Podujevo in March 1999. The charges against Demirovic were dismissed due to a lack of evidence, B92 reported. BW
Riza Haljimi, leader of the Democratic Action Party, said on April 18 that the Albanian minority should be allowed to participate in the drafting of a new Serbian constitution, B92 and Beta reported. "The [Albanian] minority in Serbia should have certain rights, [according to] principles proposed by the international community, because this is what is being asked to be done for Serbs in Kosova," he said. BW
The Netherlands says it plans to deport a former Yugoslav secret agent who has lived in the country for 33 years, international news agencies reported on April 15. Slobodan Mitric fled to the Netherlands in 1973, saying that he refused to carry out an assassination in Yugoslavia. Later the same year, he killed three Serbs who he said were sent to assassinate him. He served 13 years in prison for the murders. The Dutch Justice Ministry has said it is now safe for Mitric to return to Serbia and has given him until April 26 to leave the country. Mitric's lawyer said he will appeal the decision. BW
Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev said on April 17 that Moldova will reorient its wine exports away from the Russian market, ITAR-TASS reported the same day. "We have been able to come to bilateral agreements and increase exports to Ukraine, Romania, and Poland," he said, adding that Chisinau is also seeking to increase exports in Southeastern Europe. Tarlev said that Russia accounts for 75 percent of Moldovan wine exports. This is due to both "habit" and the high level of Russian investment in the Moldovan wine industry. "But these investors did not expect...that Russian authorities can cut off the market [for] Moldovan wines [in] one stroke," Tarlev said. Citing safety considerations, Russia banned the import of Moldovan and Georgian wines on March 27 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 28, 2006). Tarlev called the ban a "political decision." BW
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on April 17 ordered an inquiry into the death of seven noncombatants as a result of joint military operations conducted by Afghan and the U.S.-led coalition forces in the southeastern Konar Province, AFP reported. Karzai expressed his condolences on April 15, and a statement from his office said, "President Karzai was angered by the deaths of these seven people and demands the [coalition] military use more restraint in future attacks against terrorists [so as] not to harm civilians," according to AP. The current military operation, dubbed Operation Mountain Lion, is the largest in months and involves 2,500 personnel Afghan security forces and coalition troops supported by U.S. and British airpower. AT
The U.S. military in Afghanistan announced on April 16 the launch of its own investigation into civilian and Afghan police deaths during Operation Mountain Lion, "The New York Times," reported on April 17. The probe will look into the seven civilian deaths in Konar. "Our hearts go out to the families of the innocent victims of this battle," U.S. Army Major General Benjamin Freakley said. A U.S. statement accused the rebels of taking the fight near civilian areas. In a related incident, the U.S. military is planning to investigate reports that four Afghan police officers died in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan on April 14 in a U.S. air attack. AT
Konar Governor Asadullah Wafa said on April 17 that the joint Afghan and international Operation Mountain Lion is continuing in the district of Manugi so that people in the area can live in peace and security, the official Bakhtar News Agency reported. Eight "enemy" personnel have been killed so far and four others wounded, he added. The report did not identify the enemy combatants. AT
"The News" on April 16 quoted anonymous sources who say investigators from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) believe a suicide bomber who killed dozens of people in the southern port city of Karachi on April 11 was an Afghan national. The report stressed that the ISI investigation is not yet complete but claimed the ISI has presented its preliminary report on the tragedy to President Pervez Musharraf. AT
Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki announced on April 16 -- the third day of a conference hosted by Tehran on support for the Palestinian Intifada -- that Iran will provide the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority with $50 million in aid, state television reported. Mottaki added that Iran will encourage other Islamic countries to contribute. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya praised the financial pledge, the Hamas-affiliated Palestine Information Center reported on April 16, and spokesman Ghazi Hamad noted Iran's "courage" and challenge of "American hegemony." "I think Arab states ought to learn from Iran and stop being at America's beck and call," Hamad added. The Palestine Information Center noted that Minister Mottaki did not say "how and when" the payment will be made. Confronted by inflation and unemployment, Iranians quoted by Reuters said they would prefer that their government spend the money at home. BS
Druze leader and Lebanese parliamentarian Walid Jumblatt claimed in the April 17 issue of "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's recent statements about Shi'a being loyal to Iran are not entirely true. Jumblatt said some Shi'a in Lebanon and other parts of the Arab world are loyal to their home countries. "At the same time," he continued, "there is a large political extension by the Islamic Republic of Iran that tries to use the Shi'ites in purposes that are not in the interest of the Arab world." Jumblatt called Hizballah an instrument of Iranian influence in Lebanese affairs, adding, "Hizballah is a faction that is politically linked to the Republic of Iran." Jumblatt has made repeated accusations about the existence of an Iran-Syria-Hizballah axis that is trying to manipulate affairs in his country. Radio Farda noted that Jumblatt's comments appeared just a few days after Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani met with Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Damascus. Radio Farda added that Iran provides Hizballah with roughly $80 million annually. BS
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in Washington on April 17 that, if true, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's announcement of research on the use of advanced P-2 centrifuges to enrich uranium would be "a very serious concern," Reuters reported. Some analysts are skeptical about such Iranian claims, "The Washington Post" reported on April 17, while others suspect the P-2 centrifuges are part of a secret military nuclear program. In past dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tehran has claimed that experimental work on the advanced centrifuges ended in 2003. Meanwhile, the U.S.-based Institute for Science and International Security's comparison of satellite imagery from September 2002 through March 2006 indicates that Iran is expanding and also burying some of its nuclear facilities, according to the ISIS website (http://www.isis-online.org) on April 14. Halls at the Natanz site's Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and its Fuel Enrichment Plant were buried under concrete and dirt and could be 17 meters underground, the ISIS claimed, and there is evidence of a new tunnel entrance at the Isfahan uranium-conversion facility. BS
Deputy Interior Minister for Political Affairs Ali Jannati announced in Tehran on April 17 that the next Assembly of Experts and municipal-council elections will take place simultaneously, ISNA reported. He said the elections will be held in the month beginning on October 23, although a precise date has not been selected. Jannati went on to say that the Interior Ministry wanted to delay the Assembly of Experts election until February 2007, but because the assembly rejected the delay the Interior Ministry decided to move up the date of the council elections. BS
The April 17 session of the Iraqi parliament was cancelled as Shi'ite leaders from the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) continued to argue over their nomination of a candidate for prime minister, international media reported. Sources within the UIA told Iraqi and Western media that the UIA is working on putting forth a "package" of candidates for the posts of president, prime minister, and their deputies. Meanwhile, it appears that two alternative candidates for the premiership are being considered: Ali al-Adib and Jawad al-Maliki. Both men belong to current nominee Ibrahim al-Ja'fari's Islamic Al-Da'wah Party, KUNA reported on April 16. Some media reported that fellow Shi'ite Adil Abd al-Mahdi, who lost the nomination to al-Ja'fari by one vote, is now being considered for a vice-presidential slot, the position he held in the outgoing transitional government. Other possible candidates for the two vice-presidential slots are secular Shi'ite leader Iyad Allawi and Sunni Arab leaders Adnan al-Dulaymi and Salih al-Mutlaq, Al-Sharqiyah television reported on April 15. Iraqi Islamic Party head Tariq al-Hashimi remains a frontrunner for the parliament-speaker position, but the UIA prefers Sunni leader Iyad al-Samarra'i for the post, the news channel reported. KR
Some 50 insurgents attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi checkpoint in the Sunni Arab neighborhood of Al-Adhamiyah in Baghdad, prompting a seven-hour firefight for control of the area, according to an April 17 military press release. Five companies of Iraqi soldiers and two U.S. quick-reaction-force platoons provided back-up assistance to Iraqi and U.S. forces in the area. Five insurgents were killed in the attack and seven detained, the press release noted. In addition, two Iraqi army soldiers were wounded. Iraqi and U.S. forces have since sealed off the neighborhood, which is known as a Ba'athist stronghold, nytimes.com reported on April 18. Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera television reported on April 18 that clashes between "gunmen wearing police uniforms" and local residents had resumed. The The Iraqi Islamic Party said in an April 17 statement (http://www.iraqiparty.com) that the battles broke out between government forces and area residents, adding that the Sunni Abu Hanifah Mosque was targeted in the fighting. The party called on the Health Ministry and aid organizations to help the families of Al-Adhamiyah. KR
Handwriting experts confirmed that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein signed documents connected to a regime crackdown on the residents of Al-Dujayl following a 1982 assassination attempt against Hussein in the town, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported on April 17. Although Saddam Hussein and Barzan al-Tikriti, his half-brother and co-defendant in the Al-Dujayl trial, refused to present handwriting samples to the court, forensic experts were able to verify the men's signatures on key documents in the case using other official documents signed by them. The experts told the court on April 17 that Hussein's signature was on a document calling for rewarding officers involved in a crackdown on the Shi'ite residents of Al-Dujayl after the attack on Hussein. The experts said they could not verify the signature of co-defendant Mizhar Abdullah al-Ruwayid, but prosecutors contended they will soon present new documents that will help verify al-Ruwayid's signature. Defense lawyer Khalil al-Dulaymi argued that the documents used to verify Hussein's signature were "stolen after the occupation of Baghdad." Chief Judge Ra'uf Rashid Abd al-Rahman called for further handwriting analysis to be carried out on Hussein's signature, and said the trial will resume on April 19. KR
The brother of Sunni Arab politician Salih al-Mutlaq, head of the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, was found dead in Baghdad on April 17, some three weeks after his abduction in the capital, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported the same day. Taha Muhammad al-Mutlaq died of gunshot wounds to the head, said Interior Ministry sources. Al-Mutlaq's killing comes after the brother of another high-profile Sunni Arab politician -- Mahmud Ahmad al-Hashimi, brother of Iraqi Islamic Party head Tariq al-Hashimi -- was killed in Baghdad on April 13. KR
U.K. military forces have reportedly begun disarming some policemen in Al-Basrah following a surge of kidnappings and killings linked to members of the police force, Al-Sharqiyah television reported on April 16. An unidentified British military spokesman told the news channel that the security situation in the city has deteriorated to such a degree that it became necessary to strip the police patrols in the city of their weapons. Al-Sharqiyah reported that members of the police have even been accused of carrying out killings inside prisons. Al-Basrah's Sunni Arab community has come under increasing attacks by Shi'ite militias in recent weeks. Al-Basrah's police chief said last year that as many as three-quarters of the city's police have links to militias (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," November 4, 2005). KR
End Note
[53] INTIFADA CONFERENCE IN TEHRAN HAS MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES
By Bill Samii
Tehran hosted on April 14-16 its third "Support for the Palestinian Intifada" conference. Previous conferences took place in April 2001 and June 2002, and they were attended by regional government officials and Palestinian rejectionist groups. Iran's involvement with these groups is increasingly relevant as the world considers how Iran would react to a military strike against its nuclear facilities.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice referred to Iran, during a March 9 roundtable in Washington, as "a kind of central banker for terrorism in important regions like Lebanon through Hizballah in the Middle East, in the Palestinian territories, and we have deep concern about what Iran is doing in the south of Iraq." The State Department has classified Iran as a "state sponsor" of terrorism since 1984, and it lists a number of the groups that participated in previous conferences -- such as Hamas, Hizballah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad -- as "terrorist organizations" backed by Iran.
Iran's frame of reference is a requirement in the country's constitution that calls on the government to support "the just struggles of the oppressed against the oppressors in every corner of the globe." The secretary-general of the conference series, Hojatoleslam Ali-Akbar Mohtashami-Pur, referred to this requirement in an interview that appeared in the April 6 issue of "Iran" newspaper. He went on to speak of the ways in which Palestinians will benefit from the weekend's event. The more than 500 participants, he said, "will discuss the dangers of the anti-human activities and policies of Israel, which have the backing of America, and they will think of some ways of countering those policies."
It is not just ideology or charity that motivates Iran. Mohtashami-Pur suggested that the creation of a Palestinian state would contribute to Iranian security. "Naturally, if the Palestinian nation restores its legitimate right, even the threats [against] the Islamic Republic of Iran, which come from abroad, will be reduced substantially," he said.
Security interests, furthermore, explain meetings held in Damascus on April 13 between one of Iran's top officials and leaders of Hizballah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani met with Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and told him that unity is a key factor in ensuring survival, IRNA reported, and he repeated this message in a meeting with Ramadan Abdallah Shallah of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Given this perspective, one would expect success for the Hamas delegation that came to Tehran on April 11 to secure funding. Hamas needs to compensate for the refusal of Israel, the European Union, and the United States to sponsor the Palestinians until Hamas renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist. Indeed, Tehran welcomed the Hamas victory in Palestinian legislative elections earlier this year. At that time, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei encouraged the Islamic community to come forward with funding, and Hamas Political Bureau chief Khalid Mish'al reportedly secured a pledge of financial assistance when he visited Tehran in February. More recently, on April 12, Ali Akbar Velayati, the former foreign minister who now serves as Supreme Leader Khamenei's foreign affairs adviser, urged Islamic countries to fulfill their promises to fund a Hamas-led government, IRNA reported.
Superficially, then, it would appear that Iranian support for Hamas will be overwhelming. But there are indications that Hamas would not be similarly supportive of Iran. When Khalid Mish'al spoke at Tehran University on February 21, he was asked how Hamas would react if Israel attacked Iran, "Etemad-i Melli" reported. "Have no fear," he responded, "we will pray for you." When one of the students retorted that Israel would be destroyed if it attacked Iran, Mish'al laughed and said, "if you destroy Israel, you will be doing so over our heads." He went on to criticize U.S. polices, but added that this disapproval does not mean Hamas should go to war with the United States. This lack of commitment is likely to give decision makers in Tehran pause when it comes to aiding Hamas.
There may be another reason to wonder about the level of Iranian support for Hamas. Secretary of State Rice has noted that the Palestinian Authority needs $1.9 billion annually, "Al-Hayah" reported on February 18, and questioned Iran's willingness to foot the bill. "We will wait and see whether Iran will provide aid of this magnitude," she said.
When it comes to return on investment, Iran's relationship with Hizballah is more likely to pay off. Iran was once Hizballah's main sponsor, and Mohtashami-Pur, the secretary-general of the Intifada conference, was instrumental in Hizballah's creation when he served as ambassador to Syria in the 1980s. Iran's Martyrs' Foundation (Bonyad-i Shahid), a semi-governmental charity, continues to openly fund Hizballah institutions such as schools and hospitals. Hizballah, furthermore, seeks to recreate the Iranian model of a theocratic state, and it continues to regard Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei as a leadership figure. The importance of the relationship was made clear when Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah visited Tehran in August 2005 to meet with the newly inaugurated President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, and the two met again in Damascus on January 20.
In Lebanon today, a number of political actors are expressing concern about an Iran-Syria-Hizballah axis. The supreme leader's representative at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Mujtaba Zolnur, referred to potential Hizballah support when discussing the possibility of a U.S. attack. He said, "Iran has a lot of supporters in other countries and once our interests are endangered, the enemy's [interests] in other countries will also be endangered," "Aftab-i Yazd" reported on January 23.
Aside from strategic interests and constitutional requirements, Iran probably has another reason for hosting "Support for the Palestinian Intifada" conferences. It is a Shi'ite state, whereas Sunnism is the predominant school of Islam in the world. Moreover, the Persians are a distinct minority in the predominantly Arab Middle East. Through its activism on this issue, Iran is portraying itself as a committed leader -- more Palestinian than the Arabs, and more Muslim than the Sunnis.
rferl2html v1.01 run on Tuesday, 18 April 2006 - 12:33:04 UTC


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Wema Sepetu is trending on social media for all the wrong reasons. The former beauty queen has been seen engaging in serious bedroom activity in a leaked video.
Wema has fallen heads over heels in love with a new man and it seems she is willing to drop her morals just to please her new sweetheart.
She took everyone by surprise when she first introduced her sweetheart to the world on October 17th 2018, she shared a photo of the man and herself in bed and captioned it 'my future husband'.
Video showing Wema Sepetu and her man seriously exchanging saliva in bed while only covering their naked bodies with a sheet has set tongues wagging.
ile only covering their naked bodies with a sheet has set tongues wagging.
Some fans even speculate that Wema could have gone back to using drugs. The video will however have serious repercussions to her given that Diamond and other Bongo celebrities have been punished before over such kind of videos.