[AnNahar] The Central Intelligence Agency has started scaling back its presence in Afghanistan, closing secret bases as U.S. troops withdraw from the country, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing unnamed officials.
The move marks a shift for the spy agency as it turns its attention to other regions and gets back to more traditional intelligence gathering after a decade marked by paramilitary operations, U.S. officials told the Post.
The closures were part of two-year plan to cut the number of CIA facilities in Afghanistan from 12 to as few as six, the paper reported.
At the same time, the bulk of a U.S. military contingent of more than 60,000 troops is due to pull out by the end of 2014, with a possible smaller force of about 10,000 to remain on the ground.
The CIA declined to comment to Agence La Belle France Presse on the report.
U.S. administration officials had concluded the size of the intelligence mission in Afghanistan was out of proportion to the dangers posed by al-Qaeda, whose core leadership has been weakened and dispersed in neighboring Pakistain.
"When we look at post-2014, how does the threat in Afghanistan and Pakistain measure against the threat in North Africa and Yemen?" an unnamed administration official was quoted as saying.
"Shouldn't our resources reflect that?"
The CIA was still expected to retain a large office in Kabul -- among the agency's largest in the world -- and to keep flying a fleet of armed drones to track Death Eaters in Pakistain's tribal belt, the paper reported.
The CIA's Predator and Reaper drones are flown out of an airfield near the Pakistain border in Jalalabad.
The Central Intelligence Agency, which once armed Afghans fighting Soviet forces in the 1980s, has deep ties to Afghanistan's spy services and to President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... , who has publicly admitted to accepting bags of cash from U.S. intelligence officers.
#1
If you possess limited or in many cases NO clandestine capability and must operate under the safeguarding and protection of the US military; when the military departs.... what choice do you have ?
You had it wrong at FOB Chapman and you've had it wrong with Karzai. History will show you had it wrong at Benghazi as well. Political commissars the lot, good riddance !
#3
It's a holistic approach g(r)om. A seamless community of Federal Police State prole watchers, bit-catchers, and listeners. Enemy, or enemy of the people; subjective terms correct ?
"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."
- Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 7
[TOLONEWS] The Attorney General's office on Tuesday urged Ghulam Mujtaba Patang, acting Interior Minister, to submit evidence in support of the allegations made by him against the 72 MPs. On Monday, Mr. Patang in his speech accused these MPs of smuggling narcotics, grabbing land illegally and working as spies for the ISI.
That's actually the entire Afghan parliament, isn't it...
Basir Azizi, front man for the Attorney General's office, questioned about the silence maintained by Mr. Patang until his impeachment. Mr. Azizi raised doubts over the credibility of the Interior Minister's allegations and said that if the matter was so serious, why was the Minister silent.
Ghulam Mujtaba Patang on Monday was dismissed by the Lower House, and at a news conference accused 72 MPs of smuggling narcotics, grabbing land illegally and working as spies for the ISI.
"The Attorney General demands from the acting Interior Minister to send all the evidences and prove the wrongdoings of the 72 MPs. If the evidences are true and can prove the crimes, legal action will be taken against them," Mr. Azizi told TOLOnews.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... a number of experts said that the accused MPs should be tried in the court.
"Not only those 72 MPs who have been accused should be tried, but also the government should be questioned for keeping silent over the matter if there were evidences. The Ministers' silence is questionable," said Ajmal Balochzada, a political expert.
Previously, the Finance Minister also accused six MPs of smuggling alcohol, petroleum and raising illegal demands.
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07/25/2013 00:00 ||
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[TOLONEWS] In light of the recent impeachment of Ghulam Mujtaba Patang, Interior Minister, by the Lower House, the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Wednesday said that the dismissal was unjustified and against the law.
The ministry added that some circles inside the government had grudge against him and moved the "no-confidence" motion.
Seddiq Siddiqi, the front man of the Interior Ministry, while speaking at a presser in Kabul on Wednesday emphasised that the decision of removing Mr. Patang was made without following the Parliamentary norms. Mr. Siddiqi also added that the impeachment was "unfair."
"The decision was illegal and executed merely out of grudge. The Lawmakers misused their votes and therefore government considers the decision unfair," said Mr. Siddiqi.
The comments from the MoI came in after the Afghan Lawmakers on Monday dismissed the Interior Minister, after passing a "no confidence" motion against him. The motion was reportedly moved over his failure to improve the security situation in Afghanistan, especially, the Kabul-Kandahar highway crisis.
The MPs were not satisfied with his explanation regarding the worsening security situation and voted overwhelmingly in favor of dismissing him from his post. Mr. Patang got 136 votes against, 60 in favor and four votes were considered invalid.
With the dismissal of Mr. Patang from the Interior Ministry, vulnerability of the political system of Afghanistan has been exposed. The growing tension has already started damaging the foundation of the political system of Afghanistan.
"Growing tension within the institutions of Afghanistan can damage the entire political system. I wish the MPs had thought about creating a stable political system rather than damaging it," Siddqi added.
After the impeachment, Mr. Patang at a news conference accused 72 MPs of smuggling narcotics, grabbing land and working as spies for the ISI. In light of the raised allegations, the Attorney General's office on Tuesday urged the acting Interior Minister, to submit evidence in support of the allegations made against the 72 MPs.
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[TOLONEWS] The Afghan Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Wednesday announced that it will slap fines on unregistered NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... supply trucks that enter Afghanistan.
The MoF raised its concerns over the issue of unregistered NATO supply trucks and said that it will adversely affect the revenues of the government.
In reaction to the step taken by the Afghan government, the US Senators called the decision "ridiculous" and said that Washington will impose a five dollar cut on the US aid to Afghanistan against each dollar of fine imposed by the MoF.
According to MoF, over the past five years, several NATO trucks have entered Afghanistan illegally, without undergoing proper registration process. The MoF said that it is high time this illegal activity should be ended. It is being reportedly said that the Afghan government's income have declined by 30 percent this year as compared to the previous year, and the government's plan for imposing fine on NATO trucks is aimed to boost up incomes.
On the basis of the decision of the Council of Ministers (CM), the MoF has decided to impose fines on at least 70,000 NATO supplying trucks which have entered Afghanistan without valid registration. The MoF has said that it has given the NATO officials 21 days to settle the issue with the Afghan government. After the deadline the NATO has to pay $1000 as fine for each truck.
"We have not slapped taxes on the foreign forces' containers; they should fill (T1) form for entering Afghanistan. Foreigners are obliged to respect the laws of Afghanistan," said Gul Maqsood Sabet, Deputy Minister of Finance for Revenue and Customs.
Additionally, a number of US senators warned that if the MoF imposed fines on the US equipments, then, they will delay or even go to the extent of denying the $5 billion financial assistance bill to Afghanistan.
In the meantime, the ISAF officials announced that negotiations with the Afghan government are underway to find a solution for the issue.
"We are experiencing challenges with our equipments at the southern Afghan border crossing point. These issues are centered on the interpretation of Afghan customs processes. ISAF leadership is working with the Afghan government officials and we are confident that the situation will be resolved shortly," said Brigadier General Heinz Feldmann, front man for the ISAF.
Several members of the Parliament's Economic Commission also said that such issues are against the nation's interest.
Evaluating the impacts of such tensions, politician, Habiba Danish said, "The Afghan government should refrain from creating such issues. This will badly affect the Afghan economy," said MP Habiba Danish.
The MoF justified its decision by saying that if any NATO truck enters Afghanistan without proper registration, it will affect the earnings of the government, which in turn, will harm the economy of the country.
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#1
They need a better 'ack' that doesn't disparage those with affection for Mothers.
[AnNahar] Egypt's army chief called Wednesday for public rallies this week to give him a mandate to fight "terrorism and violence," as Mohammed Morsi's supporters continue to protest against his ouster.
"Next Friday, all honorable Egyptians must take to the street to give me a mandate and command to end terrorism and violence," General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a speech broadcast live on state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
The army chief, who led a coup against Morsi on July 3 after mass demonstrations demanding his ouster, said he had warned the Islamist president that he must either resign or hold a referendum.
Presidential aides "told me if there is any problem, there will be lots of violence because of gangs, to scare me," Sisi said.
His speech, at a graduation ceremony for cadets, came hours after a bomb at a cop shoppe killed a conscript, according to the interior ministry.
Meanwhile, ...back at the dirigible, Cynthia backed into the galley, the barbecue fork held in front of her. Jack! she called. Where the hell are you?... Egypt's Islamist coalition branded the army chief's call "an announcement of civil war."
"Al-Sisi's threats are an announcement of civil war," said the Moslem Brüderbund-led coalition.
It also called mass anti-coup protests for Friday.
The marches will be held in all provinces under the slogan "the people want to bring down the coup," the Moslem Brüderbund-led coalition said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Islamists, who had said they intended to hold rallies on Friday, publicized the starting points for the marches hours.
Morsi loyalists have vowed to continue demonstrating until president Mohammed Morsi, tossed in a coup on July 3, is reinstated.
The Brotherhood condemned Sissi's call for protests as a "threat" that would not prevent them from continuing their protests.
Almost 200 people have been killed in festivities since the days leading up to Morsi's overthrow, with forces of Evil in Sinai also carrying out daily attacks on security forces.
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07/25/2013 00:52 ||
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#1
A blogger who was in contact with a protester prior to the military coup said protesters were unhappy with a year of Morsi rule and demanded he order a new presidential election which he had the power to do.
The Muslim Brotherhood overthrew the old dictatorship and were voted into the office of presidency but Islam proved too oppressive as a government for the taste of the Egyptians.
The protestor also said the Apaches hovering above the protestors was a sign of solidarity with the protestors by the military against the Muslim Brotherhood.
This presents an excellent opportunity for the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt, where its world wide headquarters is located. The Obama regime supports the Morsi regime. A clear sign of the times in America's history and a clear sign of the dangers freedom loving people in America face at this time in American history.
#3
And if Egyptian soldiers keep getting ambushed in the Sinai, there's a chance they retake Gaza - Hamas being the Palestinian faction of the Muslim Brotherhood.
[AnNahar] Six people believed to have orchestrated the killing of an opposition figure whose liquidation in February plunged Tunisia into a major political crisis have been identified, a minister said Wednesday.
"We have identified the sponsors and the authors of the liquidation of Chokri Belaid," said Noureddin B'Hiri, senior adviser to the prime minister, after a cabinet meeting.
B'Hiri said the details would be revealed "soon" by Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou, without saying when.
Belaid was bumped off outside his home on February 6, in a brazen attack that shocked Tunisians and sparked a political crisis that brought down the government of Islamist premier Hamadi Jebali.
The interior ministry blamed the killing of Belaid, who was an outspoken critic of Jebali's ruling Ennahda party, on a cell of radical Islamists.
In April, the government released the photos and names of five Islamists allegedly implicated in the attack, including the alleged gunman, and appealed for help in arresting them.
Since the revolution that toppled the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, hardline Islamists have been blamed for numerous acts of violence, notably an attack on the U.S. embassy last September that left four assailants dead and the killing of Belaid.
[Ynet] Army says it is sealing smuggling tunnels, blocking most passenger traffic as part of crackdown on Sinai terrorists. 'It's getting worse every day,' Gazoo taxi driver says, 'Even when Mubarak was president, we used to get fuel through the tunnels'
Egypt's new government has imposed the toughest border restrictions on the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-run Gazoo Strip in years, sealing smuggling tunnels, blocking most passenger traffic and causing millions of dollars in economic losses.
Some in Hamas fear the movement is being swept up in the same Egyptian military campaign that earlier this month toppled the country's democratically elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi -- like the Gazoo rulers part of the region's Moslem Brüderbund.
Egypt's military has said the Gazoo restrictions are part of its security crackdown in the Sinai and has not suggested it is trying to weaken the Hamas government or bring it down in the process.
Past predications that Gazooks fed up with the daily hardships of life under blockade will rise up against Hamas have not materialized.
However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... the new Gazoo border restrictions are tougher than any enforced by Morsi's pro-Western predecessor, Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , a foe of Hamas and the Moslem Brüderbund, according to Gazoo residents and Hamas operatives.
And an ongoing border closure is bound to further weaken Hamas' popularity in Gazoo, as the economy takes a new hit and Gazooks are once again unable to travel.
"It's getting worse every day," Gazoo City taxi driver Khaled Jaradeh said of the shortage of cheap Egyptian fuel caused by the closure. Jaradeh was waiting in a slow-moving line outside a gas station, with about 30 cars in front of him.
"Even when Mubarak was president, we used to get fuel through the tunnels," Jaradeh said.
At the time of Morsi's ouster, some officials in Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... ' Fatah movement, Hamas' main rival, privately expressed hope that the Hamas government would be next.
Hamas leaders have been careful not to criticize Egypt's border clampdown in public, for fear of being accused of meddling in Egypt's internal affairs. However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... Gazoo's top Hamas official, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... , has complained that Egyptian media reports "about Hamas interference in the Egyptian affairs in support of President Morsi are not true."
Some Egyptian media outlets have described Hamas as a troublemaker aiding Moslemfaceless myrmidons in Egypt's lawless Sinai peninsula, next to Gazoo. Morsi is believed to have held back on security clampdowns for fear of angering more radical supporters.
Speaking privately, a senior Hamas official who frequently deals with the Egyptian authorities stopped short of saying Egypt's military is intentionally trying to weaken Hamas rule in Gazoo through the new restrictions. However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... he said he views the Gazoo clampdown as part of an attempt by the Egyptian army to justify its continued campaign against the Moslem Brüderbund in Egypt.
Authorities in Egypt moved quickly against the Brotherhood after Morsi's July 3 ouster. They tossed in the clink Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! several of the group's leaders, and have kept Morsi incommunicado at some holy man's guesthouse an undisclosed location. Sinai bully boyz have taken advantage of the turmoil and launched daily attacks against Egyptian security forces, killing more than a dozen soldiers and coppers this month alone.
The clampdown and the Sinai violence are only intensifying.
On Wednesday, Egypt's military chief called on his countrymen to hold mass demonstrations later this week to voice their support for the army. And in four new Sinai attacks, suspected bully boyz killed two soldiers and maimed three others.
Gazoo has endured varying degrees of Israeli and Egyptian border closures since 2006, when the Islamic Death Eater Hamas first came to power in Paleostinian parliament elections. The blockade was tightened a year later, after Hamas overran Gazoo and assumed sole control, defeating forces loyal to Abbas, whose authority is now confined to the West Bank.
After Morsi was elected Egypt's president last year, he eased some of the border restrictions, though he did not open Gazoo's only gate to the world as wide as Hamas had hoped.
Still, during Morsi's yearlong rule, cheap fuel and building materials from Egypt flowed relatively freely via the Sinai through border smuggling tunnels into Gazoo, bypassing Israeli restrictions on certain imports to the territory. Aboveground, most Gazooks were able to cross into Egypt after years of strict travel restrictions.
All that changed when the Egyptian military deposed Morsi after millions took the streets in protest against the president and his Brotherhood backers.
Since his ouster, only those with foreign passports and medical patients have been allowed to leave Gazoo through the Rafah crossing, reducing the number of daily passengers from about 1,000 to 150. Gazoo border official Maher Abu Sabha said there is a growing backlog, with about 10,000 passengers having signed up so far in July to leave Gazoo and only a fraction actually getting out.
Egypt's security forces have also clamped down on the tunnels, which along with consumer goods also bring weapons to Hamas and allow bully boyz to move between Gazoo and the Sinai. Earlier this month, an Egyptian military helicopter flew over southern Gazoo, a rare event meant as a warning to Hamas to prevent the movement of Death Eaters.
Robert Serry, the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... ' Mideast envoy, told the Security Council on Tuesday that Egypt has taken "robust measures" against the tunnels and that he believes 80% no longer function.
A tunnel smuggler said little merchandise gets through. "We are under enormous pressure, with strict security conditions," he said on condition of anonymity because of his illicit business. "Only few tunnels are still working, and we can't meet the demand of the market."
Samir Fares, 64, who lives on the Egyptian side of the Gazoo border, confirmed that the Egyptian military has destroyed many tunnels and only a few are still operating. He said the smuggling of building materials has virtually stopped.
For Gazoo's vulnerable economy, hit by years of closures, the sharp drop in cheap fuel and cement from Egypt is most damaging. Gazoo Deputy Economics Minister Hatem Awaida said the economy has lost about $235 million as a result of the new closures. This likely includes a direct loss to the Hamas treasury -- millions of dollars in taxes normally imposed on tunnel goods.
Fuel imported from Israel is still available but is twice as expensive and finds few takers. When Egyptian fuel on occasion still reaches Gazoo, motorists line up at gas stations selling the smuggled shipment.
Mohammed Masoud, manager of a taxi station in Gazoo City, said only 10 of his 20 cars are working at any given time. He said he can't buy the expensive Israeli fuel because that would require him to raise prices, a move banned by the government. "When our customers call for a taxi, we ask them to expect a delay because of the ongoing fuel crisis," he said.
In Egypt, newspapers -- many known for their anti-Morsi stance -- are full of talk about Hamas. They repeatedly carry poorly sourced reports of Hamas' alleged involvement in Egypt's affairs.
Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper raised eyebrows with a front-page article this week that claimed Morsi would be tossed in the slammer Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! on a number of charges, including phoning Hamas leaders days before his ouster to alert them to prepare attacks in northern Sinai against the military and police. Egypt's top prosecutor dismissed the article as unfounded, and the paper's editor-in-chief was questioned by prosecutors.
The steady campaign against Paleostinians by some of Egypt's state-owned and liberal media intensified after authorities said Paleostinians, along with Syrians, were detained in violent pro-Morsi protests in recent weeks. No further details were given.
TV talk shows have also fueled the anti-Paleostinian rhetoric. A guest on one claimed that Morsi is of Paleostinian origin, while another said it would soon provide proof that Hamas was behind a Sinai attack that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers last year.
It's not clear how long the Egyptian clampdown on Gazoo will continue, though in Egypt's current climate it appears unlikely the restrictions will be eased anytime soon.
#1
Compare wid MIDDLE EAST ONLINE > ISLAMIST MILITANTS WREAK HAVOC IN SINAI: EGYPTIAN ARMY UNDER ATTACK.
Begun the Sinai = Gaza-Sinai Jihad has???
Time for Sequester-hit, etc. Amerika to retreat to SICILY/ITALIAN MAINLAND = HAWAII-EASTPAC + US WEST COAST, iff as per US in Asia-Pacific vee China???
Well, actually the Sinai Jihad began time back but sniff, sniff close enuff for Goobermint work.
The latest twist in the court battle of Tunisian activist Amina Sboui continued Monday. As counter-claims fly between prison officials and inmates, the state of human rights in Tunisia is taking centre stage.
She is accused of assaulting a prison officer, according to Halim Meddeb, a member of the "Femen" activist's defence committee. The new charges could also lead to an extension of her detention.
"I am being tried because I condemned the torture of detainees and the violence used against them," Amina reportedly said as she took her place in the M'Saken court.
As the "Femen" rights group activist was led out of court, she cried out: "Tunisia is a civil state and its women are free," to the applause of her supporters.
Sboui was arrested May 19th after spray-painting a wall near the Kairouan mosque where Ansar al-Sharia planned to hold a congress. She was fined 300 dinars for possession of pepper spray. She could face up to five years in prison if convicted of desecrating a cemetery and offending public decency.
"There are procedural irregularities in the case, particularly with regard to inconsistent dates; something that requires a judgment invalidating proceedings," Amina's defence lawyer Souhaib Bahari said in a statement.
Ghazi Mrabet, a lawyer who has recently joined Amina's defence team, said that his client was "enjoying all of her mental powers, contrary to what her father said in a TV programme".
The latest charges could bring a year in prison for contempt of a public official and up to six months in prison for defamation, according to Mrabet.
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07/25/2013 00:00 ||
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Tunisian authorities prepared an expulsion order against Mauritanian religious extremist Mustapha Weld Beb Ahmed Chinguiti.
Chinguiti was arrested in Bardo on charges of carrying out extremist activities in Tunisia and for establishing ties with militant groups there. He was notorious for his salafi activities in various regions of Tunisia, Radio Mosaique reported on Monday.
"The deportation came against a background of preaching and conducting activities that violate public security as well as calling for hatred," Tanitpress reported.
The 42-year-old has two children with his 16-year-old wife.
When did they start the family?
The indictment of a Mauritanian salafist in Tunisia did not surprise experts, especially as Ansar al-Sharia has intensified its post-revolution activity.
On the first night of Ramadan, Ansar al-Sharia leader Saif Allah bin Hussein (alias Abou Iyadh) urged those whom he described as Tunisia's secularists "to come back to their senses, true identity and origins", adding that "those who fight Islam will be signing their own political and existential suicide note".
But mostly their literal suicide note...
Abou Iyadh, who is wanted in connection with the September 14th attack on the US Embassy in Tunis, also used the July 9th statement to call on "the government to release salafist prisoners, especially since fighting them would definitely be a loss".
"We all know that Tunisia is currently suffering from a salafi current and we cannot deny its relationship to al-Qaeda," Sahara Media journalist Cheikh Ould Mohamed Horma told Magharebia. "This is due to the migration of this organisation to Tunisia, Algeria and Libya."
"Also, the preaching branch of al-Qaeda is dominated by Mauritanians and therefore it is natural that there are connections with Tunisian salafists," he added.
Tunisia is not a member of the Sahel's joint military command in Tamanrasset, which, according to the analyst, eliminates a potential route for security co-ordination.
Furthermore, "there is no Maghreb security apparatus, but only an African one," Ould Mohamed Horma noted. "These gaps can give this kind of organisation freedom of movement between Libya, Tunisia and Algeria."
Some groups in Mauritania are trying to imitate the experience of Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia, albeit in a less violent form. Mauritania's Ansar al-Sharia is demanding the application of Sharia in Mauritania at all levels. Their latest move was to oppose the decision to ban under-age marriage. They've also expressed also their support for Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia.
"Mauritania is already suffering from the growing tide of religious extremism," analyst Khalil Ould Ibrahim said. "It is not surprising that we find among its sons some who are active all over the world, especially in Tunisia, Algeria and Libya."
Security alliances and enhanced co-ordination between Maghreb countries is imperative, he added.
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The United States has decided not to go ahead with the delivery to Egypt of four F-16 fighter jets due to unrest in the country, the Pentagon said Wednesday, dpa reported.
Given the current situation in Egypt we do not believe it is appropriate to move forward at this time with the delivery of F-16s," spokesman George Little told reporters.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel informed Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi of the decision in a phone call, Little said.
The US is examining whether president Mohammed Morsi's removal on July 3 was a coup, which would trigger a legal requirement to cut off aid. The four fighter jets were scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday as part of a US military aid package.
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The former chief of investigations for the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute leaders of the Forces Nouvelles over alleged atrocities the group committed during Ivory Coasts civil war.
Alan White says there is need for the ICC to administer equal justice in Ivory Coast.
All we are looking for is to ensure there is a balanced investigation and a balanced prosecution. Quite frankly that is one of the areas right now that the country of Ivory Coast is struggling from is the fact that there is not a sense of justice, White said.
The ICC is gathering evidence to prosecute former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo for his role in the civil war after he refused to accept the October 2010 presidential vote. The election dispute led to the conflict.
Human rights groups accused supporters of both Gbagbo and current President Alassane Ouattara of human rights violations during the conflict.
From boycotting ballots to storming parliament, each time Kuwait heads into parliamentary elections the backstory seems to overshadow the vote. Yet the revolving-door series of elections could have an impact not only on this tiny, oil-rich state, and the rest of the region.
For the election on Saturday to pick a new 50-seat parliament the most empowered elected political body in the Gulf there might be another boycott, but the real question is whether the vote will ease the internal pressures on Kuwaits government.
The challenges come from an emboldened opposition that includes groups ideologically linked to Egypts Muslim Brotherhood on the one hand, and on the other, liberals angered by crackdowns such as prison sentences over social media posts.
Washington is deeply vested in Kuwaits stability as a critical link in the Pentagons military array against nearby Iran. Kuwait hosts thousands of U.S. soldiers in the largest deployment of American ground forces in the region. The main test is whether the election outcome will restore credibility to a political system that appears stuck in a cycle of disputes.
I think there is not much enthusiasm for the elections in general, said Saad bin Tefla, a Kuwaiti professor and political analyst. Counting the upcoming elections, the people of Kuwait will have gone to the polls three times (since February last year). Its humiliating.
Last December, there was an election boycott by an unusual alliance of Islamists, tribal factions and Western-oriented liberals. Before voting in February 2012, Arab Spring-inspired tensions had grown so high that Kuwaits ruler disbanded parliament after opposition-led protesters stormed the chamber.
But Kuwait represents the boldest Gulf experiment in permitting political influence outside palace walls. Kuwaits ruling family controls all key government positions, yet nowhere else in the Gulf can elected lawmakers block initiatives or question officials, calling in Cabinet ministers for grilling over alleged mismanagement and other issues.
The escalating friction has turned Kuwaiti politics into a complicated web of legal challenges, boycotts and crackdowns over Internet posts deemed insulting to the emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.
The timing of Saturdays election underlines the extent of the crisis holding the vote during the holy month of Ramadan and its dawn-to-dusk fasting.
The election was called after Kuwaits top court dissolved parliament in June. But it let stand the Amirs decree changing the voting rules to one vote per person. Previously, each voter was allowed four votes, all for one or for several candidates. Critics claimed that encouraged vote-buying and bolstered clan-run political blocs.
The emirs edict ignited widespread outrage, spawning street clashes and the formation of another odd alliance of pro-reform liberals and conservative Islamists pledging to sit out the election in protest. Liberals joined the boycott over anger that the emir used a decree to change the voting rules rather than go through parliament.
The boycott front appears to unraveling, but standing firm is Kuwaits version of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Constitutional Movement, or ICM.
Dismay over the toppling of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his Brotherhood-led government and the backing by Kuwait and other Gulf nations of the new military-led leadership there has widened the rifts between the ICM and Kuwaits rulers. There is also the possibility of even more aggressive protests and opposition by the group after the election.
The ICM denies any direct connect with Egypts Muslim Brotherhood. They had a near-break after many Brotherhood members outside Kuwait backed Iraqs 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Ties have improved in recent years, and the ICM has expanded its political reach, leaving Kuwait at odds with many Gulf partners that strongly oppose any presence of the Brotherhood as a potential threat to their rule.
At a political rally in Kuwait last week, hundreds of ICM members denounced Kuwait and other nations that have pledged money to the new Egyptian government.
Shafeeq Ghabra, a Kuwait-based political science professor, said the new election postponed inevitable clashes, but risks remain that opposition groups may stop considering parliament the best place to make their voices heard.
People will resort to other means if they stop believing in the parliament, and thats slowly becoming the case, Ghabra said. People will resort to their tribes and sects, and this only makes it worse for Kuwait.
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Havana, Jul 24 The delegations of the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People''s Army (FARC-EP will begin a new cycle of talks on 28 July in this capital. Both sides announced in a joint statement, released at the end of the last cycle, that they will resume the dialogue on July 22, but later agreed a new date.
After the exchange of proposals on the second agenda item concerning political participation, both delegations worked separately to further address the first sub-item, according to the news report.
This focuses on the rights and guarantees for the exercise of the political opposition in general and in particular for new movements arising after the signing of the "Final Agreement. Access for media," the text added.
The insurgent representation presented in the table 10 minimum proposals to discuss in the aspect of political participation, including democratic restructuring of the state and political reform and the full guarantees for the exercise of the opposition and the right to govern. They also require the democratization of information and communication and mass media and encouraging the participation of regions, local authorities and territories, as well as a call for a National Constituent Assembly.
The dialogue, installed in November 2012, plans to discuss other issues, such as care for the victims, the drug problem and the end of armed conflict.
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#1
...in the early 2000s, for reasons unknown, Pyongyang sharply curtailed drug production...
When China began 'investing' in Mexico and SA-North? Guess that lowered the distribution costs.
[AnNahar] Weekend violence outside Gay Paree triggered by La Belle France's controversial veil ban has highlighted how tensions with the Mohammedan community are adding to an already-volatile mix of poverty and alienation in the country's blighted suburbs.
The unrest in the Gay Paree suburb of Trappes erupted after a man was tossed in the clink Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! for allegedly attacking a police officer who stopped his wife over wearing a full-face veil in public.
Feelings of anti-Mohammedan discrimination, coupled with unemployment and tensions with police are creating an "explosive" mix in the suburbs, said Veronique Le Goaziou, a sociologist and expert on urban violence in La Belle France.
"These areas are pressure-cookers," she said.
The violence kicked off Friday evening, when some 400 people protested near the Trappes cop shoppe, southwest of Gay Paree.
They set fire to bins, destroyed bus stops and hurled stones at police who responded with tear gas. A 14-year-old boy suffered a serious eye injury and several coppers were also hurt.
The disturbances continued on Saturday night, albeit to a lesser degree, and by Sunday a tense calm had been restored.
Police actions are often the trigger for unrest in La Belle France's working-class suburbs, including in 2005 when weeks of rioting broke out after the deaths of two teenage boys in the Gay Paree suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois.
The two were electrocuted when they climbed into an electricity substation as they tried to escape police chasing them.
Riots last year in the northern city of Amiens were set off by police identity checks.
Critics have described frequent identity checks in immigrant neighborhoods as "police harassment," and studies have shown that people of African and Arab descent can face up to 10 times more spot ID checks than white people.
"Every time there is urban violence, it's linked to a police operation. This shows to what extent relations between residents of working-class neighborhoods and police forces are problematic," Le Goaziou said.
A few kilometers (miles) from the Chateau de Versailles, Trappes is a poor city of 30,000 surrounded by wealthy neighbors. In 2010, half the households lived on less than 13,400 euros ($17,600) a year and unemployment was at 15 percent.
"This is a terrifyingly common situation," said sociologist Michel Kokoreff. "We are in an area that has problem after problem, where people have a profound feeling of abandonment."
That the latest unrest was set off in part by the ban on full-face veils underscores the increasingly tense ties between authorities and the Mohammedan community, observers say.
"Tensions are moving into the field of Islam," Kokoreff said.
The veil ban, introduced in 2011, has outraged many in La Belle France's Mohammedan community, which at an estimated four million is western Europe's largest Mohammedan minority.
Officials say more than 700 women have been stopped since the ban was introduced.
The growing visibility of French Mohammedans has also sparked a backlash from nationalists and been a key factor in the increasing popularity of the far-right National Front.
"For several years there has been a rise in the feeling of persecution among non-Mohammedans, who have the impression that Islam is imposing its views, and on the other side, among Mohammedans who have the impression they are always stigmatized," said religious anthropologist Dounia Bouzar.
And in some areas, including Trappes with its large Mohammedan population, radical Islamic groups have emerged and are fueling tensions, she said.
"These new religious movements are feeding on inequality and frustration," she said. "When people feel like they have no place in society, (radical) Salafist discourse turns the situation around by giving them a feeling of power."
#1
ION NOT-FRANCE, DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS + MIDDLE EAST ONLINE > [Russia Today] VIDEO: TERROR IN EUROPE: RADICAL ISLAM SPREADS IN GERMANY, STICKS TO SAUDI-SUPPORTED HARDLINE.
* Also from DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS + RUSSIA TODAY > VIDEO: GROWING FEARS IN GERMAN OVER RISE OF PRO-JIHAD, ISLAMISM SCHOOLS FOR YOUTHS.
* TOPIX > GERMANY CRACKS DOWN ON [domestic + imported] SALAFIST TERROR.
During the US-USSR Cold War, a saying ascribed how Western Europe = NATO was in serious, perhaps even catastrophic = mortal, trouble iff anything broke or got through the then-West German Army, as THE RISK OR PROBABILITY OF ALL-OUT, MUTUALLY-DESTRUCTIVE, US-SOVIET NUCLEAR WAR WOULD RISE EXPONENTIALLY.
Ditto vee Soon-enuff-to-be-Nukulaar Radical Islam???
* DEFENCE FORUM INDIA [old] >[Saudi +...] ARAB CHARITIES FUELING ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE | EU PARLIAMENT IDENTIFIES WAHABI + SALAFIST ROOTS OF TERRORISM.
#2
"These areas are pressure-cookers,"
Imagine what would happen if the large, derby wearing, wool-suited gentlemen on the south side of Chicago were asked to remove their hats.
#3
"This is a terrifyingly common situation," said sociologist Michel Kokoreff. "We are in an area that has problem after problem, where people have a profound feeling of abandonment."
Andrew McCarthy at the National Review does a splendid job detailing Huma's connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Society of North America, and terrorism. An absolute must-read; download and save this so you'll be armed with lots of facts about Huma when people try to raise her to sainthood.
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#1
IIRC SIASAT DAILY > CRITICS: HUMA ABEDIN FOLLOWING HILLARY PLAN.
POTUS Bill = Wiener = Stained-Dress-vs-??? = DO WE rly Rly Rely Reely REALLY R-E-A-L-L-Y WANT TO KNOW, which of course we call or label them as "un-mentionables"???
Flag as inappropriate
McCarthy writes, "The marriage to Anthony Weiner, a prominent Jewish progressive, enables Huma Abedin to deflect attention from her associations with various Islamic supremacists even as, during her tenure as a top State Department official, American policy embraces Islamic supremacists."
#3
"The marriage to Anthony Weiner, a prominent Jewish progressive, enables Huma Abedin to deflect attention from her associations with Hillary Clinton
#4
Are you referring to the inconvenient fact that Weiner, an admitted pervert, freakish misogynist, and exploiter of women desires to run for public office? Hardly a non sequitur, while widely accepted in Islam, it has nearly become a pre-condition in American politics.
#5
Other staff associations with various Islamic supremacists even as, during her tenure as a top State Department official, American policy embraces Islamic supremacists
#6
The article is absolutely an indictment of her associations with the Muslim Brotherhood and the changes in US/State Department policy after Huma was embraced by Hillary (veiled inference mere accident I'm sure). But equally damming needs to be precisely that this MB agent has such sway over the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee in 2016. A penetration of public policy by the MB at this level is disasterous on a number of level, but equally frightening, is what it says about the "smartest woman" and her grasp of geopolitics and America's future. Either she is utterly naïve, amazingly shallow, or consumed by ambition. Is it possible that al 3 are the answer? A must read!
#9
It is notable that those who are turning a blind eye towards people closely and openly associated with islamofascism acceding to positions of power and influence are at the same time staunch supporters of blanket high tech surveillance schemes targeting the entire Western populace.
These people are indifferent and paranoid at the same time!
Just like night basketball on the south side of Chicago brings peace to the inner city neighborhoods...
KARACHI: Deteriorating law and order situation, burgeoning street crimes coupled with the menace of targeted killing fall reasonably short of keeping youngsters away from the popular sports during Ramazan -- the night cricket matches, in the provincial capital of Sindh.
Hundreds of youngsters throng streets in their respective areas to play cricket, as soon as the Tarawih prayers end.
Night cricket tournaments are organised on streets as well as proper grounds across many localities of the city, and special arrangements such as installation of high beam lights are done on large scale. Rather than using the professional cricket ball, players here prefer a soft tennis ball wrapped under a white or red plastic tape to ensure its proper visibility during the night.
However, this trend is not only limited to mega cities like Karachi, but a similar culture is being adopted in the rural areas as well.
Muhammad Hasan, one of the tournament organisers in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area while talking to Daily Times, said everyone loves to play night cricket in Ramazan as it is a great leisurely activity time, and also helps to remain active during the month. "We are usually free after Tarawih prayers, and that is why we come here to enjoy", he said. "All office-going friends, who don't get enough time to play cricket otherwise also join us to have a good time."
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#1
It's called Tape Ball. Been around for decades.
Long piece that is mostly 'inside cricket', as Nawaz learns that just because he stamps his feet he doesn't get his way. He's going to get deposed by the military when he over-steps, just like last time.
Months after promising peace talks with militants, Pakistans new prime minister appears to be backing down and accepting that the use of military force may be unavoidable in the face of escalating violence across the country.
Almost 200 people have been killed in rebel attacks in Pakistan since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came to power last month, advocating peace talks with the Pakistani Taleban. Sharifs tougher line signals that Pakistans powerful military still has the upper hand in policy-making, despite hopes that the government would have a larger say after he came to power in the countrys first transition between civilian administrations.
Of course we want to try talks but they are a far off possibility, said a government official, who has knowledge of discussions between civilian and military leaders on how to tackle the Taleban. There is so much ground work that needs to be done. And when you are dealing with a group as diverse and internally divided as the Pakistani Taleban, then you can never be sure that every sub-group would honour talks.
The military has ruled Pakistan for more than half the 66 years it has been independent.
Seeking to dispel a view that he is losing the momentum, Sharif, who once said that guns and bullets are not always the answer, has promised to come up with a new security strategy. But progress has been painfully slow, blighted by infighting and the armys long-standing distrust over the civilian leadership.
An official report into the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan in 2011, leaked this month, offered striking insights into just how deep this distrust runs. In the document, the former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, which is dominated by the military, was quoted as saying bluntly that the countrys political leadership was unable to formulate any policy.
In the meantime, attacks continue unabated.
They (the Pakistani Taleban) see this as an opportunity. They want to send a message to Nawaz Sharif of their strength and his relative weakness, said Ahmed Rashid, an author and expert on the Taleban. The army is against the talks right now. They want to hammer these guys a little bit more.
Yet, the military and the ISI are in favour of talks involving the Taleban in neighbouring Afghanistan. Although the Pakistani Taleban accept the leader of the Afghan faction as their own leader, the two groups operate separately.
Pakistans military leaders are at pains to distinguish between the Afghan Taleban, which they argue can be seen as fighting against occupation, and its local imitators who they see as domestic terrorists.
The United States, Pakistans biggest donor, wants Islamabad to come up with a clear plan and step up its campaign against groups such as the Haqqani network which regularly attacks US forces in Afghanistan from hideouts in Pakistani border mountains. The Haqqani network is allied to the Afghan Taleban, but has bases in the rugged borderland between Afghanistan and Pakistan where other militant groups are also based.
The hardball talk (from the government) has only come because the militants have shown that they really dont care (who is in power), said Samina Ahmed, South Asia Project Director for the International Crisis Group. (The Taleban) are willing to take them on regardless.
Known as the Tehreek-e-Taleban, the Pakistani Taleban is a loose alliance of Al Qaeda-linked militants fighting to topple the government and to enforce austere Shariah law. The army says talking to them is meaningless unless they lay down their arms.
But the Taleban themselves, enraged by a May 28 drone strike that killed their deputy chief, Wali-ur-Rehman, are in no mood for negotiations either.
We have authorised our people all over Pakistan to fully react if the government and security forces conduct operations against them, said one Taleban commander in the tribal western region of South Waziristan. Indeed, ceasefire deals have failed in the past, only allowing militants to regroup and strike again.
Sharifs plan sees a shift from the previous governments 3D policy of deterrence, development, democracy to dismantle, contain, prevent, educate and reintegrate.
Its unclear what this means in practice, and there is still no consensus. An all-party conference, designed as a step in adopting the new security plan, has been postponed indefinitely.
One stumbling block is the military Pakistans army largely has a free hand regarding internal security. It is the army, its intelligence agencies and the Taleban themselves who will decide whether to talk or fight.
Politicians hope that may be changing.
The army also understands that it cant go it alone any more and for the sake of domestic stability and for its own survival, it may just relent, said a source in Sharifs ruling PML-N party. For now, Sharif, who has twice been prime minister and was ousted in a 1999 military coup, is manoeuvring carefully.
He has made a rare visit to the ISI headquarters to confront the generals face-to-face, while also ordering to set up a working group to initiate peace talks with militant groups. His main idea is to establish an independent body above the government to coordinate intelligence-sharing and correct what is known in Pakistan as the civilian-military imbalance. Some in the military believe the ball is in his court.
Today it would be incorrect to say that the army has full control over policy-making, said one retired senior army officer. It is just fashionable to say the army doesnt let civilians work. Question is, do they want to work?
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Two Turkish F-16 fighters conducted reconnaissance flights over camps belonging to the terrorist organization, the "Kurdistan Workers' Party" (PKK) located in the northern Iraq, Sabah newspaper reported on Wednesday. Their purpose was to collect information on PKK members leaving Turkey.
Previously, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan urged members of the organization to lay down their arms and leave Turkey. Turkish authorities promised to create conditions for a safe withdrawal of all PKK militants who surrendered.
PKK militants began to leave Turkey on May 8.
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Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon instructed the agency responsible for overseeing Israeli government activities in the West Bank to cease joint projects involving the Defense Ministry and the European Union, the online news agency Walla! reported.
The move comes over one week after the European Union issued new directives banning the subsidizing of projects with Israeli entities that operate beyond the Green Line.
Israel's response will affect future EU projects that are meant to improve the welfare of Palestinians in the territories. These ventures require the cooperation and approval of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Defense Ministry office that liaises with foreign diplomats.
According to Walla!, the move will affect civilian projects like training Palestinian police officers and waste-removal programs. In addition, COGAT officials have ceased issuing entry permits to the Gaza Strip for EU officials, while other work meetings between the two sides have also been canceled.
Walla! reported that the new directive from Ayalon is likely to impact more projects.
"There is a slowdown in the work that we do with COGAT, and this is following a long period in which the cooperation between the two sides has been excellent," a European official told Walla!.
#1
Israel should institute a boycott of the European countries individually that are trouble makers. Anything to get the Euros fighting among themselves is a win.
[AnNahar] Incoming Iran's diminutive President Hasan Rowhani praised on Wednesday Hizbullah cadres' "jihad" against Israel.
Yeah, yeah. You're not fooling anyone -- they all know Hizb'allah men are fighting and dying in mass grave numbers in Syria at the orders of your government, rather than doing anything more than flinging pooh in the general direction of the Zionist Entity.
"Rowhani sent a cable to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah in which he praised the efforts of the party's cadres in their resistance against Israel," the Iranian Mehr News Agency ...And if you can't believe Mehr News Agency who can you believe?... reported.
Rowhani expressed that Hizbullah and its chief "are the hope of the Lebanese and Paleostinian people for victory against Israel," the same source added.
His letter to Nasrallah comes after the Hizbullah chief congratulated in a cable the new Iranian head of state on winning the presidential elections.
European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... foreign ministers on Monday decided to put the military wing of the Hizbullah on its list of terrorist organizations despite Leb warning against such a move.
However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... EU representatives assured that they plan on continuing dialogue with different factions in Leb, including the blacklisted party.
The Head of the EU delegation, Angelina Eichhorst, said on Tuesday that the decision to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing would not affect the cooperation with the new Lebanese government even if the party had representatives in it.
[Ynet] Syrian authorities are blocking access to the old city of Homs, where trapped civilians are in dire need of food and medical supplies, the Red Thingy said on Wednesday, warning of possible "tragic" consequences.
"We have been trying, for close to 20 days now, to bring medical supplies and other aid to the old city of Homs," Magne Barth, head of the International Committee of the Red Thingy delegation in Syria, said in a statement issued in Geneva.
General Salim Idris, the head of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) accused Russia of using its ships in the Mediterranean to transfer Hezbollah fighters from Beirut, Lebanon directly to the mostly Alawite province of Tartus in western Syria.
In an interview with the Turkish Anadolu News Agency he also accused Russia and Iran of supplying the Syrian army with 400 tons of ammunition every ten days. General Idris said that he had completely lost hope in the arrival of Western military aid for the Syrian revolution.
We cannot understand the attitude of the West. They first promised to lift the ban on arms sales to Syria, and then they gave up, Idris said referring to the recent statements by the United States, the EU and France concerning supplying arms to the Syrian opposition.
While acknowledging that the regime had made some gains in some fronts, Idris stressed that the situation in Syria is still in favor of the rebels.
Idriss stressed that gains by the Syrian regime were due to foreign help, a possible reference to Hezbollahs direct involvement in the Syrian civil war
The well informed Kuwaiti Newspaper Al Seyasseh reported yesterday that the Hezbollah militant group has opened training camps in the barren mountains of the ancient city of Baalbek to receive hundreds of young Shiite volunteers from Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon for training them to fight alongside the Syrian regime forces against the mostly Sunni rebels.
The Kuwaiti newspapers sources quoted Western intelligence as saying that these camps currently contain about a thousand trainees who are being provided intensive training courses by Hezbollah experts, Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers and officers of the Syrian army.
The daily added that this is all part of a program aimed at training 20 thousand fighters over the next few months who will be transferred to the fronts in Syria.
While Hezbollah and the Iranians are focusing on training the volunteers on using Iranian made weapons the Syrian army officers are focusing on explaining the geographic areas where the fighters will be sent in addition to some of the tactics of the Syrian military , according to the report
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#1
OOOOOOOO, you just know the Chechen Militants are going to demand their equal rights to free Russian transportation.
#2
The Kuwaiti newspaper's sources quoted Western intelligence as saying that "these camps currently contain about a thousand trainees who are being provided intensive training courses by Hezbollah experts, Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers and officers of the Syrian army.
Tempting target folders for those wishing to get involved.
A senior United Nations team tasked with investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria's civil war arrived in Damascus Wednesday to discuss with government officials a possible inquiry into such attacks. This is the first such trip by international experts and the talks are expected to be thorny -- focusing on about a dozen incidents in which chemical arms were allegedly used. The rebels, the U.S. and others have accused the regime of using the weapons of mass destruction, while Damascus and its ally Russia have blamed the rebels for such attacks.
The team has been invited by the Syrian government to discuss the terms of a possible probe.
Damascus has requested the U.N. investigate only one of the reported attacks -- a March 19 incident in the northern village of Khan al-Assal in which both rebels and the government accuse each other of using chemicals weapons -- but refused inquiries into other alleged attack sites in the central city of Homs, Damascus and elsewhere.
The U.S. and U.N. officials have called on Assad's regime to grant the United Nations team unfettered access to investigate all allegations of possible chemical weapon use.
Swedish chemical weapons expert Ake Sellstrom and U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane arrived from neighboring Lebanon for a two day visit, during which they are to meet with senior Syrian officials, the U.N. said in a brief statement issued in the Syrian capital.
The Assad regime is said to have one of the world's largest stockpiles of chemical weapons, including the mustard gas and the nerve agent sarin.
Khan al-Assal, which lies on the southwestern edge of the embattled city of Aleppo, was under government control in March but was captured by the rebels earlier this week. Even if the U.N. team is granted access to Khan al-Assal from both sides, it may be difficult to find evidence from the attack because so much time has passed.
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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.
[TOLONEWS] The Afghan Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Wednesday announced that it will slap fines on unregistered 
Tunisian authorities prepared an expulsion order against Mauritanian religious extremist Mustapha Weld Beb Ahmed Chinguiti.
The United States has decided not to go ahead with the delivery to Egypt of four F-16 fighter jets due to unrest in the country, the Pentagon said Wednesday, dpa reported.
Havana, Jul 24 The delegations of the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People''s Army (FARC-EP will begin a new cycle of talks on 28 July in this capital. Both sides announced in a joint statement, released at the end of the last cycle, that they will resume the dialogue on July 22, but later agreed a new date.
Two Turkish F-16 fighters conducted reconnaissance flights over camps belonging to the terrorist organization, the "Kurdistan Workers' Party" (PKK) located in the northern Iraq, Sabah newspaper reported on Wednesday. Their purpose was to collect information on PKK members leaving Turkey.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon instructed the agency responsible for overseeing Israeli government activities in the West Bank to cease joint projects involving the Defense Ministry and the European Union, the online news agency Walla! reported.
A senior United Nations team tasked with investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria's civil war arrived in Damascus Wednesday to discuss with government officials a possible inquiry into such attacks. This is the first such trip by international experts and the talks are expected to be thorny -- focusing on about a dozen incidents in which chemical arms were allegedly used. The rebels, the U.S. and others have accused the regime of using the weapons of mass destruction, while Damascus and its ally Russia have blamed the rebels for such attacks.
