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At least 40 killed in Syrian weapons depot blast
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Africa North
Mali Delays Vote Result Announcement to Friday
[AnNahar] The results of a first round of voting in Mali's crunch presidential election will be announced on Friday, a day later than expected, the presidency said.

No explanation was given for the delay, announced by the presidency's Twitter account on Thursday, but an official from the ministry of territorial administration said vote-counting had not been completed following Sunday's poll.

"The law allows us until Friday for the publication of interim results and we have not quite finished counting. It is tedious work," the official said.

The crucial election comes after a disastrous March 2012 coup ousting president Amadou Toumani Toure, which left one of the region's most stable democracies crippled by political crisis and led to an Islamist insurgency.

As hardline al-Qaeda allies took control of the country's vast north, and threatened to extend their often violent rule, former colonial power La Belle France launched a military offensive to drive out the Islamist fighters.

The election is seen as key to the country's recovery.

Initial results showed on Tuesday that former prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita had taken a comfortable lead, and interior minister Moussa Sinko Coulibaly said there would be no need for a second round vote on August 11 if the trend continued.

But the party of Keita's rival Soumaila Cisse said Wednesday the election had been marred by "ballot stuffing", a form of electoral fraud in which people submit multiple ballots during a vote in which only one ballot per person is allowed.

He called for the interior minister Coulibaly to be sacked.

Although there were 27 presidential hopefuls, analysts have characterized the election as a two-horse race. Keita was seen as the frontrunner ahead of Cisse, a former finance minister and erstwhile chairman of the Commission of the West African Economic and Monetary Union.

Despite heavy security during voting after the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa -- one of the main gangs in northern Mali -- said it would "strike" polling stations, no serious incidents were reported on election day.

Acting president Dioncounda Traore and United Nations
...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society...
Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
have acknowledged that the vote may be "imperfect" in a country with 500,000 citizens displaced by conflict, but have urged Malians to respect the outcome.

Critics argue that Mali, under pressure from the international community, was rushing to the polls and risked a botched election which could do more harm than good.

But initial estimates put the turnout above 50 percent, a huge improvement on the 36 percent who voted in 2007, and Mali was praised by the international community for running a transparent, credible and peaceful election.

A U.N. peacekeeping mission integrating more than 6,000 west African soldiers into its ranks is charged with ensuring security in the post-election period, and will grow to 11,200 troops, plus 1,400 police, by the end of the year.

The deployment allows La Belle France to start withdrawing most of the 4,500 troops it sent to Mali in January to stop the Islamists from advancing towards Bamako and Gay Paree plans to have just 1,000 troops on the ground before the end of the year.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Subsaharan
U.N. Says Troops Patrol DR Congo Zone As Ultimatum Ends
[AnNahar] U.N. peacekeepers on Thursday patrolled a security zone in a eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material...
city where they have given militia fighters an ultimatum to disarm, a front man said.

The U.N. mission in the country, known as MONUSCO, had given the M23 rebels and other gangs inside the zone in Goma until Thursday to lay down their weapons.

MONUSCO had said it was ready to use "force" to disarm fighters, who are accused of being behind a new surge in violence in the volatile region.

But the United Nations
...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly...
gave no immediate indication that military action had started or was planned.

"MONUSCO peacekeepers are patrolling across the security zone in support of the Congolese armed forces," said U.N. peacekeeping front man Kieran Dwyer.

"This will be an ongoing operation to protect civilians in a densely populated area," he added.

The security zone takes in Goma and northern suburbs including a neighboring town of Sake.

M23 rebels launched a new offensive against the army near Goma on July 14 but the area has been calm in recent days.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Tsvangirai sez Zim election a 'huge farce' - BBC
They said traditional leaders and village heads had lined up people, forcibly marched them to polling stations and given them voting numbers as if to cross-check who they had voted for.
When church buses are not available, forced marching will do.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sounds orderly, which is good. Were there trinkets?
Posted by: Shipman || 08/02/2013 16:56 Comments || Top||

#2  And no doubt Jimmuh certified the "election" as valid. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara || 08/02/2013 18:18 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Putin orders military to assist Tajikistan in withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan
I think Vlad just advanced a knight in this game...
The president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to assess all risks related to the withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan and to help their Tajik colleagues, the Defense Minister Sergey Shoyqu said, RIA Novosti reported.

"Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin's order is unambiguous: to take into consideration all risks and help the Tajik armed forces to do their best in order to withstand these risks," Shoyqu told journalists referring to the results of negotiations between the presidents of Russian Federation and Tajikistan.
Posted by: Steve White || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It was the very least we could do; been there, done that. Yes, geeks driving in Russia can be quite hazardous, why do you ask? Oh, oh yes of course.... will there be anything else ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/02/2013 2:05 Comments || Top||

#2  Putin is aware that with the American withdraw, those Afghan drugs will start to flood his little part of the world, not to mention the jihadists.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/02/2013 16:02 Comments || Top||


Russia to modernize Tajikistan's army
This is how you play chess...
According to the preliminary estimates, Russia can allocate $150-200 million on Tajik army rearmament program until 2025, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said today, RIA Novosti reported.

"You can talk about 200 million and 150 million," Shoigu said.

He was answering the question about the preliminary estimate of the cost of upgrading the Tajik army envisaged by the program. The minister said that some equipment will be repaired, while some - modernized.
Maybe they can send the MiGs to North Korea for repair...
Posted by: Steve White || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Tajikistan to ratify agreement on Russian military base
Champ fiddles, Vlad plays chess...
Tajikistan will ratify the agreement on Russian military base in autumn 2013, Tajik president Emomali Rahmon said following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ITAR-TASS reported.

The agreement on the status of the base was signed by the Russian and Tajik presidents in October 2012. According to this document, the Russian servicemen's staying in Tajikistan is extended for 49 years from the date of commencement of the first contract (May 25, 1993), that is, until 2042. After this period, the agreement may be extended.

The 201st base is the Russian largest land military base on the foreign territory. Around 6,000 Russian soldiers and officers serve there. It was formed to maintain peace and order in Tajikistan and facilitate border forces and the Tajik Defense Ministry in fulfilling their functions.
Posted by: Steve White || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Europe
Spain Seizes 500 Kilos Of Cocaine From Yacht
[AnNahar] Spanish authorities have seized 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) of cocaine from a yacht off the Canary Islands, in an operation that smashed a ring that smuggled drugs from Latin America to the archipelago, the interior ministry said Thursday.

Five people were locked away
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
-- two Spaniards, an Irish national, an American and an Australian woman -- in the probe, the ministry said in a statement.

"The ring shipped large amounts of drugs from South America to Cape Verde, where it was stored. Later, after taking all kinds of security measures, the drugs were sent in smaller amounts to the Canary Islands, its final destination," the statement said.

A Spanish customs ship intercepted the yacht on July 17 in international waters in the Atlantic Ocean near the Spanish archipelago and customs agents and police found 500 packages containing about one kilo each of cocaine onboard.

Police also seized several weapons, including two submachine guns, as well as jewelry and gold worth around 135,000 euros ($180,000), and 40,000 euros in cash in five searches carried out as part of their investigation.

The authorities also confiscated two high-end vehicles, two sailboats and a schooner as well as satellite telecommunications equipment that was used by the ring.

Police have not ruled out more arrests in the ongoing investigation.

Spain is a key entry point for drugs bound for Europe.

Spain seized 20.7 tonnes of cocaine last year, 24.9 percent more than in the previous year, and 325.5 tonnes of hashish, down 8.5 percent from 2011, according to the interior ministry. That represented 41.2 percent of the total amount of cocaine seized in Europe last year and 74 percent of the hashish.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Narcos

#1  The "Isabel" by chance ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/02/2013 1:54 Comments || Top||

#2  500 kilos won't be enough for all of Spain. They'll have to go sieze some more.
Posted by: Iblis || 08/02/2013 10:38 Comments || Top||


One Migrant Dead, Seven Rescued Off Spain Coast
[AnNahar] An African migrant died while seven others were rescued as they tried to make land on Spain's southern shore in an inflatable boat, the Spanish coastguard said Thursday.

A coastguard ship intercepted the boat about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the Spanish port of Tarifa in the early hours of Thursday and rescued its eight passengers, but while they were being transported to land one of the migrants died of unknown causes, a coastguard front man said.

The surviving seven migrants were given blankets and transported by boat to Tarifa in the province of Cadiz which is located across the Strait of Gibraltar facing Morocco, he added.

Thousands of illegal migrants from Africa regularly attempt to cross from Morocco into Spain on makeshift boats each year. Some travel thousands of kilometers overland, being handed from smuggler to smuggler, ending up at one of many ports in northern Africa for a cramped and treacherous sea crossing to European soil.

The number of migrants who arrived on Spanish shores by boat last year totaled 3,804, a 30 percent drop from 2011, according to interior ministry figures.
In another failed attempt at improving their situation, more drowned near Turkey, according to Ynet:
According to Turkish newspapers Today's Zaman, 24 undocumented Democrats drowned in a shipwreck near the Turkish coast in the Aegean Sea.

The immigrants apparently tried to reach the Greek island of Lesbos.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/02/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Any bullet holes?
Or did he die of a Cocaine lack?
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 08/02/2013 13:42 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Two Arsal Residents Nabbed after Meqdad Family Member Abducted
The peace of Ramadan. [AnNahar] Young men who hail from the Bekaa border town of Arsal on Thursday kidnapped Lebanese citizen Youssef al-Meqdad while he was buying goods in their town, state-run National News Agency reported.

The abduction comes in retaliation for a recent robbery which Arsal residents have blamed on young men from al-Meqdad family, NNA said.

Later on Thursday, LBCI television reported that "two people who hail from Arsal were kidnapped in the town of Maqneh in retaliation for the kidnapping of a man from al-Meqdad family in Arsal."

Tit-for-tat abductions are frequent in the area and last month a Arsal resident was kidnapped on the road of the neighboring town of al-Labweh.

In March, a tit-for-tat wave of abductions erupted between residents of Arsal and the Hermel region, after unknown individuals kidnapped 30-year-old Hussein Kamel Jaafar who hails from the Hermel town of al-Bustan. The incident prompted members of the Jaafar clan to nab several Arsal residents.

In the wake of the kidnappings, the army deployed on the international highway and set up new posts, especially at al-Labweh's entrance which is the only route to and from Arsal.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/02/2013 00:47 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Government
IRS Chief Says He'd Rather Not Switch to O'Care
"I would prefer to stay with the current policy that I'm pleased with rather than go through a change if I don't need to go through that change," said acting IRS chief Danny Werfel, during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing.
That'd be the Federal insurance - they one we pay for - that he'd rather keep.
"Count the head of the IRS among the growing list of folks that includes Big Labor and the law's chief architect who are deeply skeptical of the president's signature achievement and don't want any part of it," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement. "No American -- even the head of the IRS -- should be subjected to ObamaCare."
And yet - implementation marches on.
Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., has been pushing a bill that would force federal workers into the exchanges, and out of their federal health care plans.
That'd be a step in the right direction, but good luck getting it through the Senate.
Posted by: Bobby || 08/02/2013 06:55 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Too bad. Sucks to be him, I guess.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 08/02/2013 7:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Yet another non-believer speaks out. Not good for the regime.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/02/2013 8:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Public sector health plans are heavily subsidized by taxpayers, and are thus richer in terms of benefits and cheaper for beneficiaries than private sector plans.

For example federal plans premiums are subsidized 75% while private plans are subsidized by employers at an average of 40%. The subsidy is often higher for state, county, city and school districts.

Since exchange plans will be heavily taxpayer subsidized, it will make sense for many middle class private sector employees to jump off their employer plan and latch on to the exchanges. this can be accomplished by the employer plan being declared "unaffordable," or individuals committing fraud or, more likely quitting their job.

Therein lies the madness and the method of Obamacare.
Posted by: regular joe || 08/02/2013 9:06 Comments || Top||

#4  regular joe -

Or the employer simply stops offering healthcare and pays the penalty, which is cheaper.
Posted by: Iblis || 08/02/2013 12:52 Comments || Top||

#5  Ibls you are correct. But as we have seen with the federal government today, they never run out of other people money
Posted by: regular joe || 08/02/2013 19:05 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
City officials urge ban on 'potentionally offensive' language
Political Correctness runs wild in the Peoples Republic of Seattle
SEATTLE - An internal memo at Seattle City Hall is causing quite a stir. It suggests government workers no longer use the terms "citizen," or "brown bag."

According to the Office for Civil Rights, the terms are potentially offensive and other words should be used.

"Luckily, we've got options," Elliott Bronstein of the Office for Civil Rights wrote in the memo. "For 'citizens,' how about 'residents?'" Bronstein wrote.

The Office of Civil Rights says Seattle serves all residents, whether they're United States citizens or not.

And while city leaders publicize "brown bag" lunch meetings as a way to designate a bring-your-own lunch time event, the term has a sorted history.

"It used to be a way people could judge skin color," Bronstein said in a phone interview.
And all this time I thought it was because of the color of the BROWN PAPER BAG. Or perhaps Mr. Bronstein is lying...
Does the public find it offensive? Most people agree it's not.

But the City of Seattle isn't alone. State lawmakers have voted to remove gender specific words in official records.

Freshman are now "first-years," journeymen are "journey-level," and penmanship is simply "handwriting."
And state lawmakers are still IDIOTS
To offend or not to offend, turns out to be a very sensitive question.

So what is a person supposed to say instead of brown bag? According to the memo, people should try "lunch-and-learn" or "sack lunch."
How about 'Brown bag lunch we have to call something else because Seattle City Officials are MORONS'?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/02/2013 00:59 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Posted by: junkiron || 08/02/2013 4:55 Comments || Top||

#2  "Citizen" is offensive (because no longer true?)?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/02/2013 5:56 Comments || Top||

#3  Sack lunch is offensive to Moslem women's so try again.
Posted by: Shipman || 08/02/2013 6:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Thy could shorten "Citizens and Undocumented Migrants".
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 08/02/2013 8:42 Comments || Top||

#5  "a sorted history"

Where did this dingleberry come from? Is it in the original memo?

If it isn't a typo for "sordid" WTF does it mean?
Posted by: AlanC || 08/02/2013 9:15 Comments || Top||

#6  Thy? BP, are you going medieval on us?
:-)
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 08/02/2013 9:18 Comments || Top||

#7  As the world burns and falls around them they are still so worried about the little things, like what to call a brown paper bag.

This is what our Republic has become.
Posted by: DarthVader || 08/02/2013 10:03 Comments || Top||

#8  It has a sorted history. There's the actual factual history and the revised politically correct history. You have to sort the fact from the fiction in history.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 08/02/2013 10:40 Comments || Top||

#9  It would be nice to clean up Black speech, every other word is "Fuck you" this is not the way, it just makes the "City Officials" look stupid.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 08/02/2013 10:41 Comments || Top||

#10  "Luckily, we've got options," Elliott Bronstein of the Office for Civil Rights wrote in the memo. "For 'citizens,' how about 'residents?'" Bronstein wrote.

How about "servants" or "kulaks"?

"Serfs"?
"Peons"?
"Campesino"?
"Muzhik?"
"Churls"?
"Villeins"?

"Bordarii"?

"Cottarii"?

Screw it, let's just cut to the chase and call 'em "slaves".
Posted by: charger || 08/02/2013 10:42 Comments || Top||

#11  Helots?
Posted by: no mo uro || 08/02/2013 12:57 Comments || Top||

#12  Zek
Posted by: Frank G on the road || 08/02/2013 20:25 Comments || Top||

#13  Just more proof that the Gubmint does NOT + will NOT secure US Borders nor stop expanding the Debt.

Lest we fergit, YEAR 2015 is only the beginning for a US suborned under OWG - it will take decades for the Globies + aligned to firmly entrench its protocols, mechanisms, structures + institutions, etc.

SUB-IOW, HOW MUCH THE US MAINSTREAM IS ECON SUFFERING NOW, OR WORSE, WILL LAST FOR MANY MANY YEARS MORE UNTIL SUCH TIME OWG [UN-OWG] CAN NO LONGER BE CHALLENGED OR REMOVED.

When the UNO is permanently integrated, NOT confederated.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/02/2013 20:47 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
33[untagged]
3Arab Spring
1al-Qaeda in North Africa
1Commies
1Govt of Iran
1Govt of Syria
1Hezbollah
1Muslim Brotherhood
1Narcos
1Palestinian Authority
1Taliban
1al-Qaeda in Arabia

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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.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2013-08-02
  At least 40 killed in Syrian weapons depot blast
Thu 2013-08-01
  Qaida Chief Says Syria Exposed Hizbullah as Iran 'Tool'
Wed 2013-07-31
  Pakistan Elects Mamnoon Hussain President
Tue 2013-07-30
  Manning Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy
Mon 2013-07-29
  US drone kills 6 suspected militants in Yemen
Sun 2013-07-28
  Report: Hizbullah Wired Money To Bulgaria Bomb Suspects
Sat 2013-07-27
  Muslim Brotherhood claims its supporters massacred in Cairo
Fri 2013-07-26
  Officials: Cafe Bombings, Attacks Kill 42 In Iraq
Thu 2013-07-25
  Hezbollah commander killed in Syria
Wed 2013-07-24
  Reports: Top Syrian Army Commander Killed In Battles With Rebels
Tue 2013-07-23
  Report: Egyptian Army Arrests 18 Terrorist Planning Embassy Attacks
Mon 2013-07-22
  Qaida Suspected as Iranian Diplomat Seized in Yemen
Sun 2013-07-21
  At Least 32 Killed In Baghdad Car Bombings
Fri 2013-07-19
  Suspect in Justice Baqar case dies

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