NEWS ALERT No sign or sounds of terrorism in cockpit recording from AirAsia QZ8501 Barack Obamas security services are not pleased with Indias Republic Day plans: Heres why US, UK ask Pakistan to hand over Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to India Muzaffarpur violence: Villagers abandon their homes in panic INDONESIA No sign or sounds of terrorism in cockpit recording from AirAsia QZ8501 Audio recordings from the cockpit of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 contain no sounds of gunfire or explosions, making it unlikely the plane was brought down by terrorism, Indonesian investigators say. The aircrafts cockpit voice recorder, which captures all noises on the flight deck, was recovered last week from the depths of the Java Sea, along with the other so-called black box, the flight data recorder. The voice from the cockpit does not show any sign of a terrorist attack. It is only the pilot, sounding very busy, Andreas Hananto, an investigator at Indonesias National Transportation Safety Committee, said in an interview with the news agency Reuters. He said Monday that investigators had heard no threats in the recordings. We didnt hear any voice of other persons other than the pilots, Nurcahyo Utomo, another investigator, told Reuters. But it remains a mystery what brought down the aircraft on December 28 as it flew from the Indonesian city of Surabaya toward Singapore with 162 people on board. You want to make absolutely certain Flight QZ8501 was traveling through an area of heavy thunderstorms when it crashed. The pilot requested permission to turn and climb to a higher altitude because of the weather before contact was lost with air traffic control, according to Indonesian officials. Was weather, mechanical failure or human error to blame? Investigators have to be very careful before they make any definitive calls, according to Christopher Voss, a former FBI agent who investigated the crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of New York in 1996. You want to make absolutely certain before you rule anything in for sure or rule anything out for sure, he told CNN. Investigators need to identify whether the crash was caused by a problem that could affect other flight crews or aircraft, Voss said. Conditions hamper search for bodies While transportation officials focus on figuring out what happened, search teams are still looking for most of the bodies of the people who were on board the plane. More than three weeks after the crash, the remains of 53 people have been recovered, some of them still strapped into seats. Many of the rest could be in the wreckage of the fuselage, which searchers located last week at the bottom of the sea. But their efforts to examine and get inside the wreckage have been hindered by high waves and strong currents. The divers couldnt even reach the bottom, which hampered our operation, Supriyadi, an operations coordinator for Indonesias search and rescue agency, told reporters. They did managed to recover a few bits of debris from the area, including passenger windows and seats, AirAsia said in a statement. Search officials have said they are considering using giant balloons to lift the roughly 100-foot-long fuselage from the seafloor to the surface, as they did with the tail section of the aircraft earlier this month. NEW DELHI Barack Obamas security services are not pleased with Indias Republic Day plans: Heres why A unprecedented ground-to-air security drill will turn the national capital into a fortress during the visit of Barack Obama as Chief Guest for the main Republic Day celebrations on 26 January — the first by any American President. However while most demands by the US authorities have been met with, some of them have been rejected outright. No-fly zone demand rejected but anti-aircraft guns in place US authorities reportedly wanted a no-fly zone imposed over Rajpath even for the Republic Day function but India denied the request saying it was traditional to have the Indian Air Force fly past. The US authorities wanted a 5-km-radius no-fly zone imposed around Rajpath but it would have led to the traditional fly past being cancelled which the Indian military authorities shot down saying that it lasted only around 10 minutes. The fly past will showcase Indian Air Force aircraft, including its recent acquisitions from the US like the C-17 Globemaster-III and Poseidon-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. The area around Rajpath is traditionally a no-fly zone for commercial aircraft. As a precaution, anti-aircraft guns have been placed at strategic locations to thwart attempts to violate the air space over the venue. However, Indian authorities have acceded to some of the US security establishments requests and security measures for Republic Day will have features like: A seven layer ring of security A seven-layer security ring will be thrown around the VVIP enclosure on Rajpath for the Republic Day parade to be witnessed by US President Barack Obama and the airspace over the area would be monitored by a radar to be specially set up. A seven-layer security ring will be thrown around the VVIP enclosure with elite Special Protection Group and Secret Services personnel forming a part of the Close Proximity ring, official sources said, adding a radar has been exclusively kept for monitoring air space over the VVIP enclosure. Central Security agencies have brought in their Concealed Anti-Terrorists (CAT) squads to the national capital who form part of teams that carry out surprise checks at hotels, guest houses and vulnerable localities. The ITC Maurya hotel, where the US President will be staying, has been taken over by the Secret Services personnel and multi-frequency control room manned by the US officials have been set up. American security personnel will also be part of the teams manning the control rooms set up to watch footage of nearly 15,000 CCTVs installed in the capital. Longest outdoor exposure for Obama may mean bullet proof shield around the VVIP enclosure US and Indian security agencies are taking extra care for Obama as he will be on an open air platform at Rajpath for more than two hours witnessing the Republic day parade. There is a possibility of putting up a bullet-proof shield in and around the VVIP enclosure. However, according to an Indian Express report, the US security staff isnt too happy about this since it would mean Obama will be in an outdoor setting for two hours, which is the most time he would have spent outside. According to the report, the maximum time the US President normally spends outside is 45 minutes. No thanks Mr Mukherjee but Ill travel in the Beast There is a possibility that Obama, for the first time, will arrive at the venue separately rather than with the President in his bullet proof limousine. If he does come with the President Pranab Mukherjee, he will be possibly the first US President not to travel in his own highly-secured Beast. The guest list for the At-Home function hosted by the President Pranab Mukherjee is being pruned this time because of security considerations, the sources said. A Multi-agency control room to monitor city A multi-agency control room will monitor the surveillance operations in every area of the national capital which has been put on the highest alert because of the visit of the US President. Obama is arriving here on 25 January on a three-day visit to the country. Threat perception is the highest for the event but there is no specific intelligence input about a possible terror strike, officials engaged with the preparations said today while giving a broad overview of the security drill. American Secret Service personnel, who have landed in the capital and Agra, have already conducted a preliminary survey of the routes to be taken by the US President and Rajpath where Obama will be seated along with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hosts of other VVIPs to watch the annual parade. Studying the R-Day floats A power-point presentation of the Republic Day was given to the US officials about the events of the day including the cultural programme that will be performed by various artists before the VVIPs at Rajpath. In light of the President Obamas visit, the number of tableaux as part of the parade have been increased from 20 to 25. Metro stations to be taken over by security personnel 72 hours in advance Metro underground and offices around the Rajpath area will be taken over 72 hours in advance at the request of the US security personnel. Snipers will take up positions at vantage points while Indian Air Force(IAF) will provide air cover to the parade area and the VVIPs on the ground. The American security officials will be part of every rehearsal drill. Access to Rajpath closed a day or two before Republic Day Unlike in previous years, access to Rajpath has already been closed while roads criss-crossing Rajpath like Rafi Marg, Janpath and Man Singh Road will be shut for general public a day or two before 26 January. Besides the 80,000-member strong Delhi Police, additional 20,000 paramilitary personnel and armed police forces from neighbouring states including Haryana, Rajasthan and India Reserve Battalions have been pressed into service to ensure fool-proof security in the capital especially around Rajpath where the main Republic day function will be held. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ US, UK ask Pakistan to hand over Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to India The US and the UK have asked Pakistan to hand over Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack, to India to improve bilateral ties or to them for his independent trial. During 54-year-old Lakhvis bail case the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday, the prosecution informed that the two countries had demanded handing over of Lakhvi to India. However, the prosecution lawyer did not name the countries in the court. However, an Interior Ministry source told PTI that the US and the UK had asked the Nawaz government to hand over Lakhvi either to India in order to improve ties with the neighbouring country or to them for his independent trial as several nationals of different countries were killed in the the 2008 Mumbai attack. The prosecution also requested the division bench of IHC headed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui to expedite the case. On this, Saddiqui remarked, Shift the case to the military court if the government is in such a hurry. The judge also said handing Lakhvi over to any country was a diplomatic issue concerning the government and the court had nothing to do with it. Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar told PTI that Lakhvis lawyer did not attend todays hearing. The court in last hearing had issued summons for Lakhvi but his counsel did not appear. On this, the court adjourned the hearing, he said. The court office will fix the next date for hearing. In the last hearing, the prosecution told the IHC the trial court had ignored testimony in the 26/11 case while granting bail to Lakhvi on December 18, 2014. Lakhvi will remain in jail under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) till February 18 after the government extended his detention for another month. Lakhvi and six others - Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum - have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attacks in November, 2008 that left 166 people dead. Lakhvi was arrested in December 2008 and was indicted along with the other accused on November 25, 2009. BIHAR Muzaffarpur violence: Villagers abandon their homes in panic An eerie silence prevails in Azizpur village under the Saraiya police station of Muzaffarpur district in Bihar where three persons were burnt to death and several houses set on fire on Sunday after the abduction and killing of a youth, said to be in love with a girl from a minority community. Most villagers have abandoned their homes in panic after the violence. Senior administrative and police officers are camping in the village to restore normalcy. Altogether, 14 people have been arrested. But the local police are under fire for allegedly sleeping on the matter for nearly a week despite an FIR regarding the suspected abduction of the 19-year-old youth. Kamal Sahni of Bahilwara Mali Tola had lodged the FIR with the Saraiya police on January 11, two days after his son Bhartendu went missing. Kamal had named Sadaquat Ali alias Vicky in the FIR, saying that his son was last seen with him. Villagers, however, said the police did not probe or trace the boy. On Sunday morning, a dog, said to be the missing youths pet, found his body buried in a wheat field behind the house of the accused, who happens to be the girls brother. This infuriated people in Bahilwara Mali Tola and the mob allegedly resorted to arson. Muzaffarpurs senior superintendent of police Ranjeet Kumar Mishra admitted that a complaint had been lodged on January 11 about the youth who went missing on January 9. He said that action would be initiated against the lax policemen. Janata Dal-Uniteds Ali Anwar, among the several leaders who visited Azizpur on Monday, admitted that the incident happened because of police lapses. He said: The police took a long time to reach the village after the body was recovered. Villagers said Bhartendu was in an affair with a girl from the minority community, which was resented by her family. Bhartendu, pursuing graduation from the L.S. College in Muzaffarpur, was said to be on friendly terms with Vicky. Bhartendus family alleged that Vicky had called the boy to his village the day he went missing. The villagers claimed that the situation would not have turned ugly had the police grilled the girls family members to find Bhartendu. Additional DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, camping in the village, said stern action would be taken against those responsible for the incident. Note for Recipients: Advisory is based on analysis of open source information; local environmental conditions should be factored in by recipients to assess holistic impact on business continuity.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 06:01:30 +0000
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