Bin Laden was communicating with other terrorists, U.S. official says

 

"These are not just the writings of an elderly jihadi," one official said of bin Laden's communications.

"There are strong indications there is back and forth with other terrorists," the official said.(CNN) -- Data and documents taken from the compound show that messages from Osama bin Laden did make it out of the compound to other members of al Qaeda, a U.S. official says.

U.S. officials have said they view the raided compound as the al Qaeda leader's "command and control center" but had not explained before why they believed that to be the case.

"These are not just the writings of an elderly jihadi," the official said. The source said there is evidence of two-way written communications demonstrating that not only was bin Laden sending messages, he was getting responses as well. Bin Laden relatives want probe and proof of death

          The official also provided new details on bin Laden's personal journal, which was seized during the Navy SEAL raid, the official said. The handwritten journal, which was referred to last week by other officials as the al Qaeda playbook, is being reviewed by intelligence officials. Other handwritten materials are being reviewed, too.

          The journal includes information about the importance of attacking the U.S. and lists key dates on the American calendar -- including July 4, Christmas and the 10th anniversary of September 11 -- and other guidance for how to attack the United States, the official said. U.S. investigators believe similar information is contained in other documents, the source said.The initial assessment is that the writings are from bin Laden, not the other occupants of the house. The official emphasized that the U.S. government is continuing to look at all the material, and the initial assessment could change.

           Official: Bin Laden death offers 'new narrative' ahead of Obama speech. Both New York and Washington are mentioned in the document. The idea of targeting railroads, which authorities warned about last week, was learned from this notebook, the official said. 

            At this point, the official said, there is no indication of a time, date or place for any specific attack, and much of what has been seen are more bin Laden ideas than actual plans.

Source : CNN

US 'to tone down role in Libya

President Barack Obama has said the US will transfer its leading role on Libya "within days" to ensure the burden of enforcing a UN resolution against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is shared.

He said Nato would play a co-ordinating role but differences remain within the organisation, with France and Turkey opposed to Nato taking the lead.

The UN resolution was passed to protect civilians from Col Gaddafi's forces.

Fighting continues, with anti-aircraft fire heard in Tripoli late on Monday.

It followed large explosions, which some reports said had come from the direction of a Gaddafi compound that was hit the previous night. Libyan television reported "several new attacks".

A Libyan government spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, said "many people" had been killed in an air attack on Sirte airport, although the report cannot be confirmed.

Fierce fighting was also reported in Misrata, 200km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, with rebels saying there had been a four-day bombardment by pro-Gaddafi forces and a number of deaths.

'Full burden'

President Obama, speaking on a visit to Chile, said that once the initial goals had been achieved there would be a "transition taking place in establishing the no-fly zone" that would come "within a matter of days, not weeks".

"We will be one of the partners among many," Mr Obama said.

"Obviously, the situation is evolving on the ground, and how quickly this transfer takes place will be determined by the recommendation of our commanding officers that the first phase of the mission has been completed," he said.

Mr Obama pointed to past events when the US had acted "unilaterally and without full international support" and had "ended up bearing the full burden".

He said Nato would play a co-ordinating function but he said he would leave it to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, to describe later how the transfer would take place.

In Russia, visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates also said the US would soon reduce its participation in the coalition operation.

But after a meeting in Brussels, Nato appeared not to have resolved differences over how to proceed.

Moving the operation under full Nato control would require the agreement of all 28 members.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says Turkey and Germany have been reluctant for Nato to assume control, and France is not keen.

For varying reasons they are all wary of criticism from the Arab world if Nato comes to the fore, he says.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Arab countries did not want the operation to be placed completely under Nato control, but he said he expected Nato to agree to play a supporting role within the next few days.

Italy has said it could take back its offer of military bases if Nato does not take control.

"It's important that the command passes to Nato with a different co-ordination structure than what we have now," Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said.

And British PM David Cameron said the campaign would benefit from "Nato's tried and tested machinery in command and control".

'Limited in scope'

Earlier on Monday the coalition had sought to clarify whether Col Gaddafi was considered a military target.

It came after his sprawling Bab al-Aziziya complex in Tripoli was hit in an overnight air attack.

On Sunday UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox had said targeting Col Gaddafi could "potentially be a possibility".

But the head of the US Africa Command Gen Carter F Ham said attacking Col Gaddafi was not part of his mission.

And Mr Cameron told MPs that while he still wanted Col Gaddafi to go, the UN resolution was "limited in scope" and "explicitly does not provide legal authority for action to bring about Gaddafi's removal from power by military means".

The UN document, approved by the Security Council last week, authorises "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from pro-Gaddafi forces - including a no-fly zone.

No daytime coalition military strikes were reported on Monday, though overnight 10 to 12 missiles were fired.

Between 70 and 80 coalition sorties were flown on Monday.

Gen Ham said there was "no intent to destroy completely the Libyan military".

But he added: "If they stop and take up defensive positions, we can attack. It depends on where they are and what their intentions are. If they attack civilians, it is within our mandate to attack them."

But Gen Ham said there had been no direct co-ordination with anti-Gaddafi rebels.

He also said the no-fly zone would soon expand to cover a 1,000km (620-mile) area.

The coalition's action against Col Gaddafi began on Saturday with French air strikes in the east.

On Monday evening, fierce anti-aircraft fire followed the sound of explosions from near the Gaddafi compound in Tripoli but there were no further details.

Other reported coalition strikes (unconfirmed) on Monday evening:

• Witnesses told Agence France-Presse a navy base at Bussetta, 10km east of the capital, had been hit by a bombardment
• Allied bombers attacked the southern Gaddafi stronghold of Sebha, government officials said
• Gaddafi forces shelled the western town of Zintan, witnesses said

In Misrata, a city that has been under siege by government troops, rebel spokesmen said pro-Gaddafi forces were using "overwhelming firepower" and had bombarded the city for a fourth day.

Separate rebel spokesmen said there had been between nine and 11 deaths at the hands of pro-Gaddafi forces.

Col Gaddafi has ruled Libya for more than 40 years. An uprising against him began after the long-time leaders of neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt were toppled.

Why you can probably skip 3G on iPad 2

A man tests the iPad 2 at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York in early March

(WIRED) -- When you're shopping for an iPad 2, you have a dozen configurations to choose from, and some recent discoveries will make this decision much easier for you.

 

To configure your iPad 2, you have 12 options as you decide on color, storage and, most importantly, data connection -- 3G + Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi-only.

It turns out that if you're one of the millions of people who own an Android phone or an iPhone, you don't need a 3G model, which will save you a big chunk of cash. Here's why.

Smartphone hotspots

The most recent U.S. iPhones (the 3GS and the iPhone 4, when upgraded to the latest version of iOS) and the vast majority of Android smartphones now officially support wireless-hotspot capability, which turns the handset into a Wi-Fi connection that can be shared with multiple devices, including the iPad 2.

More on tablets and e-readers from WIRED

So if you go with a Wi-Fi-only model and you want to hop on a cellular connection, you can activate the hotspot option on your smartphone through your carrier, pay $20 per month and connect the iPad to that.

That's not as seamless as having 3G built into the iPad, but it will save you the extra $130 you'd plunk down on a 3G model. Plus, you'd have to pay at least $15 a month just to use an iPad's 3G connection anyway.

Jailbreaking for free hotspots

If you're down with getting a little dirty, you can use your Android phone or iPhone as a hotspot without paying monthly fees by hacking your device.

For Android phones, you just have to root (aka jailbreak) the device with a tool called Unrevoked. For rooted Android phones, there are unauthorized apps called Wireless Tether and Barnacle, which offer free hotspot utilities. You can also flash your device and installCyanogenMod, a different Android skin that includes a built-in hotspot feature. Presto.

For the iPhone, all you have to do is jailbreak with any of the tools out there. (Do note that if you do update to the latest version of iOS, you can't jailbreak yet.)

Jailbreaking will install the Cydia app, which gives you access to the underground Cydia app store. There, you can download the unauthorized app MyWi, which costs a one-time fee of $20, and doesn't charge you monthly.

GPS transplant

The Wi-Fi iPad doesn't have built-in GPS, but if you want to use that beautiful Maps app for navigation, you still don't need a 3G iPad, so long as you have an iPhone. It turns out that if you hotspot with an iPhone, the connection transfers the GPS to the iPad.

Just connect the iPad to the iPhone's hotspot, then launch the Maps app, and you'll see the blue dot tracking your location.

(We're not sure if this works when hotspotting with an Android phone -- if you can confirm, let us know in the comments.)

3G FaceTime

Another surprise is that if you turn your smartphone into a wireless hotspot, you can connect to it with your iPad 2 and use FaceTime videoconferencing.

That's interesting because typically you can't use FaceTime over a 3G connection; it's supposed to only work on a Wi-Fi connection. Because a hotspot shows up as a Wi-Fi connection, you're basically tricking the iPad 2 into using a 3G connection for FaceTime.

Source : CNN News

French military jet opens fire in Libya

A French plane has fired the first shots in Libya as enforcement of the UN-mandated no-fly zone begins.

The UK prime minister later confirmed British planes were also in action, while US media reports said the US had fired its first Cruise missiles.

The action came hours after Western and Arab leaders met in Paris to agree how to enforce the UN resolution.

It allows "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

'Stop the bombardment'

The French plane fired the first shot in Libya at 1645 GMT and destroyed its target, according to a military spokesman.

French planes also flew reconnaissance missions over "all Libyan territory", French military sources said earlier.

Around 20 French aircraft were involved in Saturday's operation, the Reuters news agency reports.

French jets "destroyed a number of tanks and armoured vehicles", a defence ministry official told Reuters, adding that he could not immediately confirm the number.

Other air forces and navies are expected to join the French.

The US would use its "unique capabilities" to reinforce the no-fly zone, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, warning that further delays would put more civilians at risk. However, Mrs Clinton said again that the US would not deploy ground troops in Libya.

A naval blockade is also being put in place, said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. France is sending its Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Libyan coast, a military spokesman said.

In other developments:

• Italy has offered the use of seven of its military bases which already house US, Nato and Italian forces
• Canada says its fighter jets have now reached the region but will need two days to prepare for any missions

Earlier, pro-Gaddafi forces had attacked the rebel stronghold of Benghazi - although the Libyan government denied launching any assault.

The international community was intervening to stop the "murderous madness" of Col Gaddafi, Mr Sarkozy said.

"In Libya, the civilian population, which is demanding nothing more than the right to choose their own destiny, is in mortal danger," he warned. "It is our duty to respond to their anguished appeal."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Libya's claims to have implemented a ceasefire were "troubling", the AFP news agency reported.

The lack of confidence was so great that he did not trust what the Libyan leadership was saying, Mr Ban added.

Russia regretted the decision by Western powers to take military action, a foreign ministry spokesman said. Russia abstained from the UN vote on the Libya resolution, but did not use its veto.

The rebels' leader had earlier appealed to the international community to stop the bombardment by pro-Gaddafi forces.

A jet also appears to have been shot down over Benghazi. A rebel spokesman was quoted as saying the downed jet was a rebel plane.

Reports from Benghazi suggest hundreds of cars packed with people were fleeing eastwards as fighting spread.

The United Nations refugee agency says it is preparing to receive 200,000 people fleeing the fighting, amid reports of hundreds of cars full of people heading for the Egyptian border, while others are attempting to flee on foot.

The first families had arrived at the Egyptian border, extremely frightened and traumatised, saying some of their homes have been completely flattened said UNHCR spokeswoman Elizabeth Tan.

However, the BBC's Ben Brown, who is at the border, says so far there are a handful of families, in addition to the migrant workers who have been there since the crisis started.

Source : BBC News

Japan earthquake: Production halted at factories

Mark Gregory reports on the potential cost of the cost of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami

Production has been halted at many factories in Japan, as companies assess the damage of the earthquake and tsunami on the north-east coast.

Sony, Toyota, Nissan and Honda are among firms to have closed plants.

Economists say the earthquake and tsunami could have a "profound" impact on Japan's economy - the world's third largest - although it is too early to make any judgements.

But they say the damage is unlikely to be as bad as the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

Macqarie Economics Research said that the epicentre of the latest earthquake was well offshore, while in 1995 it was very close to the city of Kobe.

It also suggested that the area most affected by this disaster was less important economically than Kobe, which was one of Japan's most important ports.

Capital Economics said that Japan was now "much better prepared for this kind of disaster than it was in 1995".

The Kobe earthquake left more than 6,400 people dead, about 300,000 homeless, and caused damage estimated at 10 trillion yen ($100bn at the time).

'Bad timing'

The earthquake, which measured 8.9 on the Richter scale, and the 10-metre high tsunami, has shut down ports, power plants and refineries.

A major explosion hit a petrochemical plant in Sendai, while further south a huge fire swept an oil refinery in Ichihara city, Chiba prefecture.

Capital Economics said that the timing of the current disaster "could not have been much worse" for the Japanese economy, which contracted at the end of last year.

It said a large part of the rebuilding costs would have be to paid for by the government, adding to its already large debt problem.

Its government debt is now three times the size of its GDP (economic output), and twice the level it was in 1995.

But Capital Economics added that Japan was better prepared than most countries for such disasters.

It also pointed out that although economic activity usually falls following major incidents, subsequent reconstruction work had in other cases boosted demand and helped the economy to bounce bank.

It said it expected the scale to be similar to the Niigata quake in 2004, which cost $30bn.

GDP fell by 0.4% afterwards, but then rose by nearly 1% in the following six months.

David Cohen, a Singapore-based analyst at regional economic commentators Action Economics, agreed.

"In the short term, the damage could even knock off almost 1% of the country's GDP," he said.

"Longer-term though, it will balance out, through the rebuilding exercise which will be positive for growth will all the construction taking place. It could turn positive in about 12 months."

Factories closed

There will also be concerns about damage to productive capacity, Mr Cohen said, and industrial production may suffer as a consequence of the damage caused.

Electronics giant Sony has six factories - four in Miyagi and two in Fukushima - in the north-east of the country, the region which suffered the brunt of the quake.

"Production in all factories has been halted for now," said Sue Tanaka, of the firm's communications department.

"The company does not know how long it will take to restart operations. It depends on the extent of the damage that has been caused. We are still awaiting an update on what kind of devastation has taken place."

The factories mainly produce components for use in things like Blu-ray players, and all employees have been safely evacuated.

Toyota Motors said production had been halted at three plants, and also said that there had been damage to some dealerships, and that they were currently checking what the situation was with their suppliers.

Nissan has closed four factories, and said two workers had been injured, while Honda has stopped production at two plants and said that one employee had been killed and about 30 injured.

Power down

Further afield an oil refinery near Tokyo caught fire, causing a massive blaze.

And activity at the major port in the nearby city of Yokohama has been disrupted by the earthquake, suffering a loss of power at its terminal.

"At the moment they are trying to get power back but it's unlikely to happen today," said Boon Lee Lur of shipping company Neptune Orient Lines.

The city of Sendai in the north of Japan, which was the worst hit by the disaster, saw fires break out and its port overrun by the tidal wave.

The cost of clearing up the damage done could run into the billions, according to HSBC Private Bank's chief Asia strategist, Arjuna Mahendaran, and that is likely to add further to the Japanese government's ballooning debts.

But rating agency Moody's was more upbeat about Japan's capacity to deal with the quake.

"In a big economy like Japan, the impact of a natural disaster can be absorbed economically by the government and private insurance, so there will be no impact on government's finances and therefore Japan's sovereign rating," it said.

Production and businesses disrupted
Company	Status
Sony	Production halted at six plants
Toyota Motors	Three group factories halted
Canon	No impact reported
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone	Restricted calls to some areas including Tokyo
Nissan Motors	Halted production at four plants, two injuries
Honda Motors	Halted two plants, one employee killed, about 30 injured
Panasonic	Assessing damage, several workers with minor injuries
Fuji Heavy Industries	Five plants halted
Sapporo	Damage at Sendai and Chiba plants
East Japan Railway	Halted train services in Tokyo area
NTT DoCoMo	Mobile-phone service disruptions

 

Source : BBC News