[Al Ahram] Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will meet the Pope of the Orthodox Church Pope Shenouda died a few months ago. I wasn't aware they'd selected a successor yet. If they have it's not on the Coptic Church's website. I'm guessing he'll meet with the senior bishop.
in Ethiopia Monday at Egypt's embassy in Addis Ababa. Morsi will also meet Egyptian expats in Ethiopia, also at the embassy.
The president is in Ethiopia along with other African leaders to participate in the African Union Summit which started Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Head of his church, NOT Pope, there's only ONE. (And he ain't it)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2012 12:52 Comments ||
Top||
Congolese voters went to the polls on Sunday for the first round of legislative elections expected to maintain an overwhelming majority for allies of longtime President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
More than two million people are eligible to vote in the first round of the poll in the oil-rich central African country, which has been open to multiparty politics since 1991 but wracked by two civil wars in which Sassou Nguesso, an army colonel, played a prominent role.
Most polling stations opened at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) and were to close at 6:00 pm. More than 1,200 candidates including 124 women are vying for 135 seats.
Sassou-Nguesso's Congolese Labor Party (PCT) and its allies have a massive majority in the outgoing parliament, while the opposition has just 12 seats.
The last parliamentary elections in 2007 were marred by irregularities and fraud denounced by the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... , which is sending about 30 observers to monitor the poll, along with the Economic Community of Central African States. Wanna bet the losers again cry 'fraud'? Wanna bet they're right?
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
[Bangla Daily Star] Two BCL factions exchanged fire at Rajshahi University early today over supremacy on the campus, leaving two BCL activists injured.
At least 15 rounds of bullets were exchanged during the shootout between the two BCL groups at Suhrawardy Hall and Madar Baksh Hall premises at about 12:15am.
In another development, a student of Government MC College in Sylhet, filed a case against 41 leaders and activists of the ruling party's student front over the torching of a century-old hostel of the college on July 8.
BCL activists Sohel Rana and Emran Hossain were maimed in the clash on the RU campus. Sohel was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital with bullet wounds in the head.
One BCL group was led by RU Chhatra League ... the student wing of the Bangla Awami League ... President Ahmed Ali and the other by its General Secretary Abu Hossain Dipu.
On information, police rushed to the campus after 12:30am and brought the situation under control. They were raiding the halls.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Japan recalled its ambassador to China for consultations on Sunday amid a simmering row between the Asian powers over disputed territory in the East China Sea, reports said.
Uichiro Niwa had returned to Tokyo for talks with Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba on the latest developments in the dispute, they said.
"I will report and have consultations" with Gemba, Niwa told news hounds as he arrived at the foreign ministry in Tokyo, according to Jiji Press.
Niwa said it had yet to be decided when he would return to Beijing. "But I think I will have to return after finishing the talks," he was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.
Gemba has denied the government was recalling Niwa in protest against China, insisting that his return home was for consultations, Japanese media reported.
Japan last week lodged two separate complaints with Beijing after Chinese vessels entered resource-rich waters claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing near a group of islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. It also summoned the Chinese ambassador after the first incident.
China, meanwhile, expressed its strong opposition to a Japanese plan to buy the islands from the family that Tokyo recognizes as the legitimate owner.
Despite the importance of the two nations' trading ties, relations between Japan and China are frequently tense, particularly over the territorial dispute and Japan's war-time aggression in Asia. China has pressed its claim to waters far from its coast more energetically over the last few years as it has increased in both economic and military might.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Rising China isn't gonna be directly or indrectly "contained/isolated" by the US-
Allies widout a fight - its going to become assertive = MilPol aggressive all along the periphery of the "First Island Chain", "Second", + IOR.
E.G. ITS NEW "SAMSHA/SAMSHE CITY" [floating
province"] IN SCS = CHINA QUIETLY BUT FIRMLY OVERTLY T-E-L-L-I-N-G, N-O-T ASKING, THE PHIL + VIETNAM [ASEAN, NAM] THAT THE SCS IS "NOT THEIRS" FROM NOW ON. ANY + ALL CURRENT, FUTURE CLAIMS WILL BE DEALT THRU THE PLA ANDOR ITS CIVIE SUB-ENTITIES.
IOW, don't physically or politically challenge, oppose, or otherwise denigrate China's territorial claims unless you are de facto willing to militarily fight for it. SHUT UP, BUTT OUT + STAY OUT OF CHINA'S TERRITORIES, OR FIGHT!
Lest we fergit, 9-11 + WAR FOR OWG-NWO = WAR FOR ANTI-STATUS QUO = ... IFF YOU DON'T GET OUT OF THE WAY NICELY VOLUNTARILY, YOU WILL BE PHYSICALLY FORCED OUT THE WAY, VIOLENTLY ANDOR MORTALLY AS PERTINENT.
I'm being nicey to Youse even though technically, legally, or morally, etc. speaking I don't have to be. I have every right to kill or destroy Youse, buy I'm not in a killing mood for the moment.
The Law of the Sea Treaty was effectively drowned today when Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) announced that they would vote against ratify the U.N. pact.
"After careful consideration, we have concluded that on balance this treaty is not in the national interest of the United States," Portman and Ayotte, both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote today to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). "As a result, we would oppose the treaty if it were called up for a vote."
Isakson announced on his website, "Johnny will vote 'No' if the Law of the Sea Treaty comes up for a vote in the Committee or before the full Senate. This year, Johnny has attended all the Committee hearings on the Law of the Sea Treaty and he has asked tough questions, but he has heard nothing that would cause him to change his 'No' vote from 2007."
Two-thirds of the Senate is required for treaty ratification. With the 31 senators pledging their "no" votes in a letter to Reid last week, plus the three just announced, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry's (D-Mass.) goal of getting the treaty through this Congress have been dashed.
"The treaty's breadth and ambiguity might be less troubling if there were adequate assurance that it will be enforced impartially and in a manner consistent with U.S. interests. But that is not so. The United States could block some but not all actions of the International Seabed Authority, a legislative body vested with significant power over more than half of the earth's surface," Portman and Ayotte wrote. "...The treaty equates tribunal decisions with decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. This means that private litigants will likely be able to invoke tribunal judgments as enforceable in U.S. courts -- against the government and possibly against U.S. businesses. The United States will have no lawful choice but to acquiesce to tribunal judgments, however burdensome or unfair." I want to say, "It's dead Jim," but things like this don't stay dead. They get brought back in a couple years. Nah, Champ will just issue an executive order. Perhaps as early as next week...
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/16/2012 16:44 Comments ||
Top||
#2
So lets see. I quess the USA will then be stuck with the "historical map line" division re Alaska and Canada so as to generate the division of subsurface mineral rights in the Beauford Sea (less oil for the USA) rather than the likely more generous Law of the Sea provisions and also will not follow the asserted Right of Transit Passage for the so called North West passage. When you try to suck and blow at the same time, you usually end just doing one of those. (which is usually not a good thing).
And of course the argument that a non US Supreme Court might impose a legal decision (no matter how right it is) that is "burdensome" - well I can think of a number of Supreme Court decisions that are pretty burdensome.
Just playing with ya, southern cousins. We are in fact linked at the hip and need to look out for each other.
Sink the bastard in the Mariannas Trench, weighted down with a ton of lead.
Posted by: Barbara ||
07/16/2012 18:19 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I liked how an Artic put it last month - US Allies + Politicos reject the UNCLOS, in part, because they want the US Navy's CVNS + Gator Boyz, etal. to go anywhere, anytime ala "Gunboat Diplomacy" widout silly things like Treaties holding them back.
[Dawn] Awami National Party on Saturday rejected Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... chairman Imran Khan's ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... allegation of corruption against its government in the province.
In a statement issued by Bacha Khan Markaz here, ANP provincial general secretary Arbab Mohammad Tahir Khan said the sacrifices of his party's leaders and workers enabled PTI to organise a peaceful demonstration in the scenic provincial capital on Saturday.
He said the people gathered around Imran Khan failed to deliver when they were part of different political groups and therefore, they won't make any difference in PTI, too.
Mr Arbab said popularity of ANP had shot up over the last four years due to its campaign against terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Today is the anniversary of the beginning of the atomic age, with the first detonation of a nuclear device. Nicknamed 'the gadget,' it was a ~20KT explosion at White Sands Proving Ground, NM.
#1
In celebration: This is a Flash video that starts slow, but around 3 minutes in well. It shows every nuclear bomb explosion on the Earth from 1945 the US test before the bombs dropped on Japan to 1998, when India and Pakistan joined the madness.
A Chinese navy ship that ran aground Wednesday in disputed waters near the Philippines was refloated Sunday and is heading home. A statement from China's defense ministry said its personnel are safe and the ship sustained light damage.
The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs says it is monitoring the situation and is investigating the circumstances that led to the ship grounding.
#1
See also RELATED TOPIX > PALACE: CHINESE WARSHIP ENTERED | IN PHILIPPINE TERRITORY.
* SAME > MIRIAM: US BASES' CLOSURE [1991] SHORT-SIGHTED.
ARTIC > MIRIAM = argued that South China Sea will be flashpoint for China's territorial disputes agz any + all its ASEAN neighbors widin the next five years [circa 2013-2017].
[An Nahar] Two people were maimed on Sunday during a family dispute in the Bekaa district of Baalbek, announced the Army Command.
It said that the dispute between a number of individuals in the town of al-Maqneh spiraled into a shooting with light weapons that left two people injured.
The army immediately intervened and restored the calm.
Several of the shooters were tossed in the calaboose Please don't kill me! , while attempts are underway to apprehend the rest of those involved.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... hoped on Sunday that the Koura by-election would serve as an opportunity to assert Leb's democracy.
He said in a statement: "Democracy begins with the freedom of expression."
Which is another way of saying that it begins with freedom of thought. If you can think what you please, and say what you think, you have the beginnings of freedom. If you can't, you don't...
He hoped that the election would take place without incident and that it would mark a "joyful occasion" for the Lebanese to choose their representative at parliament.
The election is underway at Koura to fill the Greek Orthodox seat in parliament left vacant by the death of MP Farid Habib.
Six candidates are running in the election, with a heated battle expected between Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... candidate Fadi Karam and Syrian Social National Party candidate Walid al-Azar.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
The U.S. Navy angered Republicans by spending $26 a gallon for biofuels for this week's Great Green Fleet demonstration, but the Air Force received little attention when it paid twice as much per gallon to test synthetic jet fuel last month.
The Air Force bought 11,000 gallons of alcohol-to-jet fuel from Gevo Inc, a Colorado biofuels company, at $59 a gallon in a program aimed at proving that new alternative fuels can be used reliably in military aircraft - once, that is, their pricing is competitive with petroleum, which now costs $3.60 a gallon.
The cost of the Air Force demonstration - $639,000 - was far less eye-catching than the $12 million the Navy spent for biofuels to power a carrier strike group on alternative energy for a day.
But it was part of the same Pentagon push, which has escalated under the administration of President Barack Obama, to adopt green solutions to rising fuel costs.
Some Republican lawmakers have criticized the high price-per-gallon paid by the Navy as wasteful Pentagon spending at a time of significant budget cuts and a shrinking fleet.
They have also blasted Obama for making green energy a cornerstone of his agenda, with federal funds flowing to alternative energy companies that may not make economic sense, as in the case of bankrupt solar-panel maker Solyndra.
Jeff Scheib, Gevo vice president for fuels, said the alcohol-to-jet fuel made for the Air Force was expensive as it came from a small demonstration plant in Silsbee, Texas, which makes only 7,500 to 8,000 gallons of biofuel a month.
Once the company builds a commercial-scale refinery, expected around 2015, "we believe we can be cost competitive on an all-in basis with petroleum jet fuel over the life of a contract," Scheib said.
Pentagon officials say alternative fuel development is strategically important because the United States relies too heavily on fossil fuels from foreign sources, leaving it vulnerable to price shocks and disruptions.
#3
Gevo CEO Patrick R. Gruber, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer is an "advisor" to the Energy Future Coalition. Klik
The Energy Future Coalition is a nonpartisan public policy initiative that seeks to speed the transition to a new energy economy. Combining expertise and advocacy, the Coalition brings together business, labor, and environmental groups to identify new directions in energy policy with broad political support.
The Energy Future Coalition works closely with the United Nations Foundation, with which it is co-located, on energy and climate policy, especially energy efficiency and bioenergy issues. The UN Foundation provides financial and in-kind support to the Coalition.Klik
#4
It's also a "Payoff" to Obumble's friends, (He has No friends, Just moochers, that'll end when he does NOT dispense the boodle, They'll find another as quick as possible.)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2012 12:51 Comments ||
Top||
#5
SpaceX uses KeroLox on there rockets but is considering Methane in the far far future. Never did spacecraft companies consider alcohol in a modern rocket. One would think such views for space would have some effect on aircraft too.
NAZI Germany did use fuels made from coal for aircraft but we know how the greenies feel about that abundant fuel.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
07/16/2012 13:21 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The Wisconsin corn crop is going to be a total loss due to drought. Minnesota had drought followed by floods. Not sure how the rest of the corn belt is faring; doesn't look much better.
Somebody please explain, in plain English, why we're using grain for fuel?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Congolese voters went to the polls on Sunday for the first round of legislative elections expected to maintain an overwhelming majority for allies of longtime President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
[Bangla Daily Star] Two BCL factions exchanged fire at Rajshahi University early today over supremacy on the campus, leaving two BCL activists injured.
The Law of the Sea Treaty was effectively drowned today when Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) announced that they would vote against ratify the U.N. pact.
Awami National Party on Saturday rejected Pakistain 
Two people were 
[An Nahar] President 
