Bin Laden tape is real, French say

By the CNN Wire Staff

October 28, 2010 12:56 p.m. EDT

Bin Laden warns France to get out of Afghanistan.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The message only "confirms the terrorist threat," the Foreign Ministry says
• Bin Laden threatens France on the tape, which was broadcast Wednesday
• He warns Paris to get its troops out of Afghanistan
• France must show "contempt" towards the threat, an opposition lawmaker says

Paris, France (CNN) -- A tape of a man claiming to be Osama Bin Laden threatening France appears to be authentic, the French Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Bin Laden warned France to get its troops out of Afghanistan and not to oppress Muslims at home in a tape broadcast by the Al-Jazeera network Wednesday.

"If you want to tyrannize and think that it is your right to ban the free women from wearing the burqa, isn't it our right to expel your occupying forces, your men from our lands by striking them by the neck?" the speaker demands, in reference to recently passed French legislation barring women from covering their faces in public.

"This message only confirms the reality of the terrorist threat against which the French authorities have taken and continue to take appropriate measures," the ministry said in a statement Thursday.

"French authorities are fully mobilized to secure the release of seven hostages kidnapped in Niger on September 16. These statements by Bin Laden will not affect our assessment of the situation of our hostages and obviously will, therefore, not erode our efforts to secure their release. France will continue to fight against terrorism alongside its partners," the ministry said.

Video: New Bin Laden tape

Five French nationals were kidnapped last month along with a person from Togo and one from Madagascar. A photograph of them was posted September 30 on a website linked to al Qaeda.

French authorities are treating the Bin Laden message "very, very seriously," CNN counterterror analyst Paul Cruickshank said.

An opposition lawmaker Wednesday urged "contempt towards these terrorists.

"All of this is derisory, contemptible. We must take this message for what it is but we must stand together in France, all French, whatever the circumstances and whatever our differences," said Francois Loncle, a Socialist Party member of the foreign relations committee of the National Assembly said on RTL radio.

The demands of the speaker on the tape are clear.

"The only way to safeguard your nation and maintain your security is to lift all your injustice and its extensions off our people and most importantly to withdraw your forces from Bush's despicable war in Afghanistan," the speaker says.

The tape is audio only. The speaker does not appear. CNN was not able to confirm that it is really Osama Bin Laden, the head of al Qaeda.

But fake Bin Laden tapes have never been broadcast, U.S. intelligence experts say.

"As you kill us, you will be killed. As you imprison us, you will be imprisoned, and as you threaten our security, we will threaten your security and the initiator of the injustice is the true aggressor," the speaker says.

The France's terror alert level is red, the second highest, authorities say. It did not change immediately in response to the new tape.

Paris has been on edge lately, with the Eiffel Tower having been evacuated twice.

Al Qaeda has issued a series of threats against France in the past, and French citizens have been killed by groups in Africa claiming affiliation with Bin Laden's group.

Bin Laden is still providing strategic direction to al Qaeda from a base somewhere in Pakistan, Cruickshank said.

"He is still involved in actual plotting... signing off on (an) operation, Western intelligence authorities believe," he said.

But there have been only two successful attacks on the West since September 11, 2001, he pointed out.

Commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, were bombed in March, 2004, killing 191 people. Public transport in London, England, was bombed in July, 2005, killing 52, plus four suicide bombers.

France has 3,750 troops in Afghanistan, according to NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

French lawmakers approved a ban on full-face veils in September, citing security concerns and saying they violated women's human rights. The ban is scheduled to come into effect in the spring

Ballina traffic plan to be reviewed

Ballina traffic plan to be reviewed

Tuesday, 26 October 2010 10:41

Ballina traffic plan to be reviewed


Anna-Marie Flynn

BALLINA Town Council has confirmed it will review the newly-introduced Ballina traffic system in the coming days.
At the October meeting of Ballina Town Council held last Wednesday, up to thirty commercial business stakeholders were present for an hour-long discussion between councillors and the executive on the issue. Members agreed that standing orders be suspended to facilitate the lengthy debate.
The controversial system which came into operation on September 29 last on a trial basis, has caused concern throughout the town, not least among road users, pedestrians and traders.
Lengthy delays for drivers and issues with accessing the town centre for consumers prompted Cllr Peter Clarke to propose the entire phase two of the traffic management plan be rescinded. “Ratepayers are trying to earn a living and this traffic system has left them hurting. The fact is we have to work with what we have and creating a ringroad system like this is just not working with the type of roads we have to work with. People are afraid to come into town and instead they are doing their shopping in smaller outlying villages – the traders are Ballina are suffering as a result,” he said. The Independent councillor went on to say that he felt the authority ‘should have sought the opinion of the traders in the first instance’ before the plan was agreed on by the members.
While Cllr Clarke failed to secure a seconder to back his proposal, and subsequently withdrew it, Cllr Michelle Mulherin agreed with ‘rescinding large parts of the plan’. The Fine Gael councillor, who was the most vocal in voicing her concerns about the system, said she felt the ‘capacity on the access roads simply was not there to cope with all the vehicles now forced on these routes’. “I think the Engineer’s concept was very good, but it is not working in reality. What we have is a situation every day, which essentially we only have on Heritage Day in Ballina – the traffic is now constantly being diverted away from the town centre and that leads to total gridlock,” she said. Cllr Mulherin also asserted that ‘Ballina is not Dublin. Drivers don’t want to sit in traffic for forty minutes to get a few hundred yards.’
Responding to the comments, Town Engineer, Michael O’Grady, said he was ‘unaware standing orders would be suspended to discuss the matter’, but was happy to contribute to the debate. “At the start it was agreed this would be a trial and it still is a trial. Two to three days into this, the Council was under enormous pressure to abandon it completely and it took a lot to convince people that the issues – particularly at Market Road – would iron out. Those issues did iron out and the system has made the town centre a better place. We had a situation where hoards of cars were driving through the centre – they weren’t doing business or spending money in it but just driving through and now that has been eliminated. It is my duty to resolve the bottlenecks and we are making tweaks here and there to do so. There is huge clamour to abandon it, but I don’t think that is the answer,” he said.
Among the changes made to the system last week was the addition of a new lights controller at Dunnes Stores to improve transition timing and subsequently, a new one-way route from Newbrook Road onto Humbert Street.
Closing the debate, Mayor Frances McAndrew encouraged the members to ‘give the system another week’. Councillors requested that they be in attendance at a review meeting scheduled to happen later this week or early next week

Fiscal solutions exist, but leadership is absent

MONDAY, 25 OCt

There is an apprehension now that the crowd who have caused such terrible damage to this society over the last decade might be about to go one better and do fatal damage to this society - and they could do this in the next few weeks. By Vincent Browne

There can be no confidence in a government that was talking a few weeks ago at the lock in in Galway about budget adjustments of €3 billion and now are talking about budget adjustments of €7 billion.

The government that was telling us, until quite recently, that the gap that needed to be filled was €7.5 billion over the next four years is now saying the gap is actually twice that.

It is not the size of the gap that matters primarily - although that certainly matters a lot. It is the sense that the guys in charge have no idea what they are doing or where we are going.

It is as though the Galway hangover has hung over ever since.

They are reeling around in a daze, unable to see a straight line, let alone walk one.

And we expect these guys to be able to make the delicate judgments that will see us through the maze.

The delicate judgment is to do enough in the budget to convince the markets we are going to be able to get ourselves out of the morass, yet not so much that we do terrible damage to the economy in ways that make it impossible for us to get out of the mess.

It is not that our difficulties are insurmountable, but they may be insurmountable with this crowd in charge, for surely they are now a large part of the problem.

The really depressing thing is that the alternative crowd may be as bad.

Well, maybe that's not fair.

They couldn't be as bad - could they?

Think of any of the bond market people coming over and seeking reassurance from Enda Kenny.

Or of them seeking reassurance from Eamon Gilmore, who has rapidly become part of the problem with his evasions, his opportunism, his eye on the main chance.

Fine Gael and Labour share some of the blame for the morass, because the leaders of neither of these parties ever uttered a word of warning or even caution about the reckless policies of the government in continuing to boost the economy at a time of high growth and ravishing the tax base at a time of plenty.

Yes, Richard Bruton did express mild concern in his budget speeches about the drift of economic policy, but it was very sotto voce. Kenny, of course, just did the usual bleating about not enough money being spent here and there, and not enough cuts in taxes here and there.

What is required is a credible strategy to start reducing the budget deficit.

This could include, for instance: the removal of private pension tax breaks, saving €3.5 billion annually; a commitment to raise €1 billion in property taxes from 2012 onwards; the raising of €1 billion more in income taxes including the introduction of a new tax rate for those earning over €100,000; the cutting of all public service salaries above €150,000 and reducing public service pay for those paid over €75,000, sufficient to yield €1 billion annually; an increase in the corporation tax rate to 16 per cent to bring in a further €1 billion annually; cuts in public service numbers of one fifth, saving €3 billion annually; and capital budget cuts of €3 billion on a strictly once off basis.

This gives a total of €9.5 billion, plus the €3 billion capital budget cuts.

Then increase old age pensions (to soften the blow on private pensions, while treating people equally) and unemployment assistance (to soften the redundancy transition and again try to treat people equally) costing €2.5 billion.

There's an immediate saving of €10 billion.

That would convince the markets and we could remain vague about the timeframe for the rest.

Of course, the Croke Park deal has to go. That was insidious from the outset, for it copper fastened invidious cuts for those on low pay in the public service.

But there is no justification for paying more than €150,000 to hospital consultants, Nama and NTMA big wigs, judges, cabinet ministers (they should be reduced to €90,000, with the cars and other perks gone) and others at a time of such austerity.

The reduction in public service numbers should be done on a voluntary basis with attractive redundancy offers - the once-off payment of, say €6 billion in redundancy payments would not damage the credibility of the overall package (40,000 to go at €150,0 00 each, plus their pensions). In other words, we can deal with our problems.

The kind of package suggested here would be sufficient to enable borrowing to continue at reasonable rates and, if it conveyed to us that at last we knew where we were going and there was hope, things here would start to pick up. But would anybody believe a word from the present crowd - or from the other crowd?

Bring back Charlie and Garret

Cabinet meeting to discuss deficit reduction

Updated: 15:08, Monday, 25 October 2010

The Minister for Justice has said that everything will be on the table when Ministers meet at Farmleigh this evening to discuss the four year economic plan and the December Budget.

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Dermot Ahern - Everything is on the table

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One News: Health, welfare and education face cuts

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Morning Ireland: Cabinet to discuss potential €7bn Budget cuts

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has said that everything will be on the table when Ministers meet at Farmleigh this evening to discuss the four year economic plan and the December Budget.

The meeting takes place ahead of this week's Dáil debate on the economy and after renewed warnings that in addition to increased taxes, there will be severe cuts in health, social welfare and education.

The multi-annual plan is due to be finalised in the next three weeks and sent to Brussels.

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Mr Ahern said the Budget was going to be tough and difficult for all, but the Government would try to make it as fair as possible.

The first of two pre-Budget sessions will discuss plans to reduce the Budget deficit to 3% by 2014.

Amid the fallout of a dramatic fall in poll ratings for Fianna Fáil yesterday, the Government is under huge pressure to address the national finances in a way that convinces international bond markets.

Last night, speaking on RTÉ's The Week In Politics, Minister for Children Barry Andrews underlined the difficult choices ahead when he said painful decisions will be made on welfare payments and educational spending may also face serious cuts.

The immediate challenge for the Cabinet is to agree exactly how severe December's Budget will be.

If the Government is to keep to the target of bringing the deficit down to 10% next year, that would mean a €7bn euro package of taxes and spending cuts.

Many fear cuts of that magnitude would inflict more damage on the econom

y

Kenyan wins Dublin City Marathon

Updated: 14:16, Monday, 25 October 2010

Kenya's Moses Kibet has won the Dublin City Marathon, in a new record time of 2:08.56.

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Dublin - 13,000 took part in marathon

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One News: Moses Kibet breaks Dublin marathon record

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Morning Ireland: Dublin City Marathon today

Kenya's Moses Kibet has won the Dublin City Marathon, in a new record time of 2:08.56.

In second place was Ethiopian Kedir Fikadu, while another Kenyan, Mourice Musyoki, came third.

Russian Tatian Aryasova won the women's race in 2:26.12, breaking the previous record of 2:27.22.

Joe McAllister was the first Irish runner home in 2:21.05 and Barbara Sanchez crossed the finishing line in 2:39.39 at the head of the Irish women's elite field.

The first of the wheelchair athletes home was Co Armagh man Paul Hannon in a time of 2:20.38.

The 31st Dublin City Marathon got under way at 9am, with over 13,000 runners and wheelchair athletes taking part.

The 26.2 mile race sees participants travel from the city centre out through the Phoenix Park, back around UCD, and then returning to the finish at Merrion Square.

Motorists are advised that traffic restrictions and diversions are in place until at least 6p

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