[Mail and Globe] Darfur rebels signed an accord with one of Sudan's main opposition parties in Cairo on Wednesday, agreeing to push for a new transitional government, both sides said on Friday, a move that will infuriate Khartoum.
The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which attacked Khartoum last year, and the opposition Umma party told Reuters the deal was a "declaration of principles" and shared ideas, but did not amount to a political or military alliance.
But the sight of Umma, led by Sudan's last democratically elected prime minister, Sadiq al-Mahdi, sitting with insurgents will be deeply unsettling to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, currently beset by a string of political crises.
JEM commander Suleiman Sandal told Reuters the group would continue its struggle against Khartoum, but was also interested in finding ways to unseat the government through politics. "We agreed that our country is in danger with many problems, and that those problems should have a national solution," he said.
"We are still separate organisations. We are working to achieve one strategic target, but there are differences in means. The one target is to work against the government."
The agreement comes almost 20 years to the day after al-Bashir overthrew Mahdi's government in a bloodless coup in 1989.
A new government would include all political groups in Sudan, including al-Bashir's National Congress Party and Darfur's main armed groups, to pave the way for delayed elections, JEM and Umma said.
Sudan is led by a north-south coalition government set up in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended more than two decades of civil war between the country's Muslim north and its mainly Christian south.
Under the deal, Sudan's national Parliament is dominated by al-Bashir's National Congress Party, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), led by south Sudan's president.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] African Union members have refused to cooperate with the International Criminal Court over the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a war crimes warrant against al-Bashir alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity and has called for his arrest. But AU members have decided not to cooperate with the international body and have assured Bashir that he can travel freely across Africa without fear of capture.
*snicker* How many legions does the ICC have?
The AU has also appealed once again to the United Nations to delay the case, delegates said Friday at the 13th AU Summit held in Sirte, about 600 km east of Tripoli, Libya. Two delegates from different member sates said the AU summit had agreed to a text reading: "The AU member states shall not cooperate... for the arrest and surrender of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir." The text was backed by Libyan leader and current AU chief Muammar Gaddafi, who has said the ICC represents a 'new world terrorism', and won support from many countries who felt the court was unfairly targeting Africans.
Thirty African states have signed the Rome Statutes creating the court, and apparently have treaty obligations to arrest al-Bashir if he travels on their territory. But the text adopted at the summit voices frustration felt by many African nations who say the UN Security Council ignored an early AU resolution calling for a one-year delay to the indictment. The UN Security Council can ask the court, via a resolution, to suspend investigations or prosecutions for 12 months, under Article 16 of the Rome Statute. The stay can be renewed.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] An Egyptian Islamist lawyer has filed a complaint with the prosecutor general calling for banning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from entering the country or his arrest, in advance of a meeting he is expected to attend in Egypt later this month.
" Ahmadinejad's visit to the Sinai Peninsula is a threat to national security and he has to be banned from entering the country, and if he does, he has to be arrested and prosecuted "
Lawyer Mhamoud Ismail
In the filing, the embattled president, whose re-election last month has been rocked by street protests throughout the Islamic Republic, was accused of fraudulently winning the elections and insulting two of the Prophet Muhammad's companions in a campaign speech.
OOhhhh -- this is going to be amusing. The Islamist lawyer is against stealing an election? I thought they were the One Man, One Vote, One Time people.
The complaint, filed by Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Mamdouh Ismail, calls for arresting and trying the Iranian president, who is scheduled to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh in mid-July. "Ahmadinejad's visit to the Sinai Peninsula is a threat to national security and he has to be banned from entering the country, and if he does, he has to be arrested and prosecuted," Ismail told Al Arabiya.
Rigged Elections
The lawyer asserted that there was ample proof the Iranian elections were fraudulent and that therefore Ahmadinejad is not the legitimate president and should not be received as such. "If he is not the legitimate president, then he shouldn't be received in Egypt as such. His illegitimacy is obvious in the protests against him inside Iran," said Ismail.
Although Cairo and Tehran have made moves to normalize frosty relations recently, Egypt remains the only Arab state without an embassy in Iran and declined to congratulate Ahmadinejad's victory last month.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Islam is an arab supremacist dogma. Arabs are more anti-Persian than anti-Shiite.
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea sought payment through a bank in Malaysia for its suspected shipment of weapons to Myanmar that is being carried on a freighter tracked by the U.S. Navy, a source said Saturday.
The visit by a U.S. envoy to Malaysia this weekend will focus on ways to cut off the payment transaction for the cargo from the bank in Malaysia to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the source said. "Kim will have a hard time collecting his money," the high-level source said, speaking strictly on condition of anonymity. The source declined to identify the bank due to diplomatic concerns.
The freighter will return to North Korea. The weapons will be loaded onto train cars. The train will go through China all the way to Burma. More expensive but no way to track or stop it. Then Kimmie will have to find a way to get his money.
Malaysia is a Muslim country. I'm sure someone there is tied into the Muslim cash transfer system. Getting the money to North Korea is only a matter of Kim Jong-Il saying the Shahida a few times before the appropriate witnesses. Sunni is probably better because its' more widespread, but the Shiites have more formal channels for supporting terror organizations, and North Korea is nothing if not a terror organization masquerading as a country.
Philip Goldberg, the U.S. coordinator for the implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that punishes North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test, is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia on Sunday. The visit comes after the White House said late last month that U.S. President Barack Obama discussed North Korea and financial regulations with Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razakon by phone.
It also comes as North Korea's Kang Nam freighter is apparently returning home after being tracked by a U.S. Navy destroyer that suspects it is carrying cargo banned under the resolution. According to another source in Seoul, the Kang Nam is believed to be carrying small Soviet-era arms such as AK-47 rifles and RPG-7 anti-tank launchers. AK-47s and RPG-7s are two of the most widely traded Soviet-era weapon types that North Korea is capable of producing on its own.
"Kim appears to have received earnest money for the shipment, but it is a small sum compared to the payment held up in Malaysia," the source said.
The U.S. believes there are "multiple" North Korean ships used to export weapons.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Malaysia is a Muslim country.
Malaysia also has a sizable ethnic Chinese population.
[Kyodo: Korea] The Myanmar military government's third-ranked leader made a top-secret visit to North Korea in November last year during which the two sides pledged to significantly expand cooperation in military training and arms production, Radio Free Asia online reported Friday, quoting a leaked report purportedly drafted by the junta.
The 37-page report in Burmese claims to contain details of the Nov. 22-29 visit to North Korea by 17 Myanmar officials, billed as a goodwill visit to China and reportedly led by Gen. Thura Shwe Mann, Myanmar's third-ranked leader and armed forces chief of staff, the Radio Free Asia report said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] There is no evidence North Korea is planning a missile launch soon, but the prospects cannot be ruled out, British Ambassador to North Korea Peter Hughes said Friday. Speaking on a satellite link from Pyongyang, Hughes told reporters in London that he had ''no evidence yet to state there will be a launch (of an intercontinental ballistic missile) within the next few days.''
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07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] South Korea believes North Korea's test-firing of short-range missiles are aimed at intimidating South Korea, a Defense Ministry spokesman indicated Friday. ''I interpret whatever military activities North Korea does are mostly aimed at our armed forces or the Republic of Korea,'' Won Tae Jae told a press briefing. ''Unless it is a mid-range or a longer-range one, we believe it is aimed at (South) Korea.''
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07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] The Obama Administration has planned to authorize the National Security Agency (NSA) to monitor government computer traffic on private-sector networks.
The main aim of reviving the Bush-era project is to safeguard the sensitive information on government networks against cyber attacks launched from outside the US, the Washington Post quoted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as saying, according to AFP.
"We absolutely intend to use the technical resources, the substantial ones, that NSA has. But... they will be guided, led and in a sense directed by the people we have at the Department of Homeland Security," Napolitano said.
The Homeland Security has been charged with preparing the NSA to tackle cyber-terrorism, she said.
Napolitano said the NSA would only be charged with screening the data exchanged between private sectors and the government system.
"Each time a private citizen visited a 'dot.gov' website or sent an email to a civilian government employee, that action would be screened for potential harm to the network," the Post wrote.
The project which was first introduced by the previous administration of President George W. Bush has been delayed mainly because of opposition by the privacy advocates.
The program was due to be launched in February.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The main aim of reviving the Bush-era project..
But, but, where is the usual outrage from the usual suspects that accompanied the project back then. /sarc off
[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Police have taken the control of Mingora as normalcy returned to the city in the wake of operation Rah-e-Rast and people thronged bazaars to get daily-use items on Friday.
Also, security forces demolished 10 more houses of militants in Sangota and Bara Bandai areas of Swat Valley. The authorities have also started registration of the residents who were left behind during the operation in the city. The teams continued the registration of the people of union councils Naway Killay, Faizabad and Amankot in Wadoodia Hall of Saidu Sharif. The officials said the registration of the people of other union councils would also follow.
Police sources told The News that the force had taken control of the city and patrolled all its major streets and localities. Water supply and other facilities have also been restored. There was a great rush of people in the bazaars as curfew was relaxed from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, enabling the city dwellers to buy daily-use items. Security forces also continued action against militants and demolished eight houses in Sangota.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[The News (Pak) Top Stories] DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam -Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rahman ultimately succeeded in striking a peace agreement between the rival sects in the volatile district on Friday.
Sources said amid target killings, kidnappings and lawlessness that had gripped the Dera city for the last several months, the peace committee, headed by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, with the help of Federal Minister for Tourism Maulana Attaur Rahman and Qari Muhammad Nawaz Tahir brought the elders of Shia and Sunni communities to the table for talks.
For durable peace and harmony between the two communities, a peace agreement was signed at the Circuit House, where the JUI-F chief read out the agreement in the presence of both the stakeholders.
The leaders of the two communities -- Abdur Rauf Baloch, Allama Ramzan Tauqeer, Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim, Syed Inayat Ali Shah, Muhammad Akhtar, Syed Fayaz Hussain Bukhari, Abdul Aziz and Syed Ghulam Abbas Shah -- were present on the occasion.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Commissioner Muhammad Hamayun, Deputy Inspector General of Police Muhammad Ishtiaq Marwat and District Police Officer Gul Afzal Khan Afridi.
Maulana Fazl read out the names of the peace committee members and the points of the peace agreement during the press conference. He said it was the responsibility of all the residents to play their due role in evolving a pluralistic peaceful society in the city. He hoped that the peace accord would help end the lawlessness in the area.
Fazl said sensible people honoured the decision made through talks and negotiations and it was the responsibility of each community to keep the promise. The points that were agreed and signed by both the stakeholders were as under:
The list of the persons from both communities wanted to the administration for acts of violence would be handed over to the district authorities as the names produced by the district administration were acceptable to the two sides.
Anyone found involved in acts of violence after the agreement would be handed over to the police. If a community failed to produce the involved person (s), it would be the responsibility of the respective community to renounce affiliation with him/them besides cooperating with the law-enforcement agencies to apprehend the person at large.
Soon after the implementation of the agreement, the process of handing over the wanted persons would start. It was agreed that this process would be completed within 10 days. If a person in question did not surrender, his respective community will renounce any relation with that person.
Sub-committees were also formed to monitor the enforcement of the agreement that included the district level officer. MPA Khalifa Abdul Qayyum and Murid Kazim would also oversee the agreementÃs implementation.
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07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] The lawyers in Malakand, effected by military offensive in the area, have decided to go on hunger strike in Peshawar High Court (PHC) from today in protest of unpaid pledged aid money of Rs30,000 for each lawyer, Geo news reported. The President Swat District Bar Association (SDBA) Aftab Alam said government announced Rs.30,000 aid money for Malakand lawyers which have not been paid to them thus far for which, lawyers set a deadline. He said as the deadline has ended on Friday so lawyers will stage hunger strike from today (Saturday) here in PHC on daily basis.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
starve, counselor!
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/04/2009 9:23 Comments ||
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#2
What's the old joke? Good Start.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/04/2009 14:05 Comments ||
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[ADN Kronos] By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was behind the deadly suicide attack that targeted the northern garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday. According to unnamed sources, the attack which killed one person and injured 29 others, was carried out on the orders of the tribal warlord through his extensive militant network in the Punjab.
Police had earlier said that six people had been killed in the attack but Nasir Durrani from Rawapindi police told AKI that the figure had been revised and only the suicide attacker was killed.
Security in the capital Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi has been increased recently.
However, for the past two days, security arrangements were relaxed as there were no intelligence reports on militant activity in and around the city.
Taliban 'safe houses' in Rawalpindi had been monitoring fluctuations in security arrangements and on Thursday moved to attack a bus belonging to Pakistan's main weapons manufacturer at Chur Chowk, at the crossroads of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
According to sources, Baitullah Mehsud does not want to exhaust his resources while he is under siege from Pakistani security forces and US drone attacks.
But the recent security changes forced him to take such steps.
On Wednesday, Pakistani security forces successfully convinced the Mullah Nazir, Taliban chief in the tribal area of Wana in South Waziristan, to abide by his ceasefire accord with the security forces and not follow his ally in neighbouring North Waziristan, Gul Bahadur, who recently unleashed a devastating attack on the Pakistani security forces convoy.
Security forces have decided not to avenge the attack and according to sources, Mullah Nazir has been given assurances that the military will not enter his region and only aim to blunt Mehsud's influence.
Mullah Nazir has assured military commanders that if the sanctity of his area is not violated he will not carry out attacks on military convoys.
Haji Gul Bahadur, the chief of the Taliban in North Waziristan is also likely to resume his ceasefire agreement.
In this new situation, Baitullah Mehsud could be isolated and so powerful retaliation in an urban area may be his only choice for deterring a military operation against him.
Thursday's attack showed that Pakistan's security apparatus has failed to eliminate militant cells in and around the capital city of Islamabad and the garrison town of Rawalpindi and therefore more attacks are expected in the coming days.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Blind, deaf, dumb, stupid and corrupt pandering like this needs to be recorded. These people need to be held responsible when the worst happens.
The incoming head of the United Nation's nuclear watchdog said on Friday he did not see any hard evidence that Iran was trying to gain the ability to develop nuclear weapons. "I don't see any evidence in IAEA official documents about this," Japan's Yukiya Amano told Reuters in his first direct comment on Iran's nuclear program since his election to head the International Atomic Energy Agency, when asked whether he believed Iran was seeking a nuclear weapons capability. I wonder if he'll change his mind when Tel Aviv goes up in a fireball?
Why would he? It's only Tel Aviv, not Tokyo or someplace important to humanity.
Current IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei told the BBC last month it was his "gut feeling" that Iran was seeking the ability to produce nuclear arms, if it desired, as an "insurance policy" against perceived threats from neighboring countries or the United States. "I'm not going to be a 'soft' director general or a 'tough' director general," Amano told Reuters, when asked how he would approach issues like Iran and Syria, which are both subject to IAEA probes.
Earlier Friday, IAEA members unanimously designated Amano as the organization's next director general, ending a rift between developing and industrialized countries over his nomination. With the official confirmation of his election on Thursday, the Japanese diplomat is now set to assume his post in December, succeeding Mohammed ElBaradei, who retires as director general after 12 years in office.
Amano, Japan's ambassador to the United Nations in Vienna, narrowly won a run-off vote against South African diplomat Abdul Samad Minty. Developing countries backing Minty had for several months blocked Amano's election. I guess it could have been even worse (shudder).
I think Dr. Khan of Pakistan is at loose ends these days, other than his newspaper columns.
But on Friday, developing countries grouped in the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 issued statements expressing their support for Amano, 62, who is seen as closely aligned with the United States.
Minty congratulated Amano, and offered his country's support, saying that "our future objective is to assist in fostering a cooperative spirit and to focus on what unites us, namely; creating a better life for all free from the threat of the use of nuclear weapons."
Meanwhile, the Japanese government put high hopes in the next IAEA leader. "We hope that Amano will tackle the nuclear issues in the areas of non-proliferation and disarmament," top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura said in Tokyo. If Amano had been around in 1945:
"I see no evidence the Americans have an atomic bomb. The disaster in Hiroshima was caused by a gas leak. A big one. Yeah, that's the ticket, a gas leak. And the flash was a secondary in a magnesium flare factory."
#1
Depends on what he means by 'hard evidence'. I don't have any 'hard evidence' the Norks have a bomb - it's all just hearsay.
Come to think of it - I personally don't have any 'hard evidence' the Rooskies have a bomb.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/04/2009 6:28 Comments ||
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#2
Bobby,
We have no hard evidence the US has any bombs either. We had some but we used some and took others apart - who really knows how many are left.
#7
Nah, Glenmore (#2), I've seen pictures of US tests.
Waitaminute...They could be photoshopped...like the moon landings.
[/moonbat]
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/04/2009 12:11 Comments ||
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#8
Bobby,
On July 16, 1945 we had 1-3 nukes. On July 17 we had one less. On August 9 I don't think we had any. We kept making them and we kept testing them - prove we still have any. Everybody assumes we do, but 'everybody' thought Saddam had WMD too.
#11
I'm not really sure why we tolerate such nonsense from the UN. The Human Rights Group have made a mockery of Human Rights. The IAEA is an even bigger joke. The US should hold nations accountable for their votes and start pulling back aid and attention.
The US should push for Japan to become not only a permanent member of the security council but the new home of the UN. We should push for enlargement all around and dillute the power and force the French/Russians and Chinese to fight against it to preserve their little bits of power, thus putting us on the side of the little nations. If it enlarges the UN is weaker, if not, we look better to half of the world. Win/win.
#2
"No evidence" usually means: they found exactly what they were predisposed to look for. Third Worlders see some advantage to joining the nuke club. And Hussein O says the US doesn't have a veto over proliferation.
[Beirut Daily Star: Region] There is no place outside Iran that has closer links to Tehran's ruling establishment than Iraq's holy Shiite city of Najaf, where the silence during Iran's post-election crisis says much about the deep complexities of their cross-border bonds. "Simply put, the whole affair does not concern Najaf," said Sheikh Ali al-Najafi, son of and spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Bashir al-Najafi, one of the city's four top Shiite clerics. "We will not interfere in the internal affairs of a dear, next door neighbor."
The four - who include Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani - have remained quiet on the upheavals in Iran since the disputed presidential election June 12. The reasons have to do with both religion and politics.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, father of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, lived here in exile for 16 years. Najaf also is the world's oldest and foremost seat of Shiite learning, and the Imam Ali shrine attracts hundreds of thousands of Iranian visitors every year.
A short distance away from his shrine lives Sistani, who came to Iraq more than 50 years ago but has retained Iranian citizenship.
Despite the deep ties between the clerical establishments in Najaf and Iran, there are important differences.
The Najaf strain of Shiite teaching emphasizes that top clerics should be background figures - though influential - on most political affairs.
They did not speak out even during the crackdowns on Shiites by Saddam Hussein's regime in the 1990s. Nor have they spoken publicly about US accusations that Iran has been aiding Shiite militias in Iraq as part of indirect pressure on American forces and the US-backed government in Baghdad.
Iran's Islamic system, by contrast, bestows all main powers on the non-elected Shiite theocracy.
There had been expectations that the top Najaf clerics could break their traditions and publicly comment on the unrest - appealing for calm or even coming to the defense of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the protests over claims that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election was rigged.
But any sign of interference in Iran's affairs by the Najaf clerics, particularly Sistani, could prove costly at a time when many Iraqis fear that Iran will try to broaden its influence in their country as the Americans reduce their military presence.
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07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A day after American troops pulled out of Iraq following their seven-year invasion, Iraq's defense minister said in an interview to air Friday that it was "not unlikely" that American troops could return to at Baghdad's request.
"Iraqi forces are ready to defend American troops and bases in case of any attack in accordance with the joint security agreement between the two countries," Defense Minister Abdul-Qadir al-Obeidi told Al Arabiya in an interview that will air Friday on Min al-Iraq (From Iraq).
When asked about the current role of American troops in Iraq, Obeidi replied that it revolves around providing support. This involves firearms and surveillance support as well as air force backup, especially for evacuating the injured in case of an attack.
"American troops are also involved in carrying out sophisticated communications processes all over Iraq and which are used in detecting complicated bombs until Iraqi troops become capable of doing that themselves," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Your time is very limited, Iraq. Get your crap together.
[ADN Kronos] Senior Bahraini officials have made an historic visit to Israel to meet a group of Bahraini detainees that were arrested with other activists this week when they tried to enter the Gaza Strip to deliver aid, the country's official news agency BNA said on Friday.
BNA said the detainees were freed by Israeli authorities after Bahrain's efforts to free them.
"The efforts resulted in the approval of the Israeli authorities to hand over detainees to the representatives of the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a result, the ministry of foreign affairs in cooperation with the ministry of interior sent a mission to Ben Gurion Airport to receive the Bahrainis detained," said BNA.
According to official sources, the Bahrainis were met by the government delegation and are safe and in good health.
Bahrain - despite being a staunch United States ally - does not have diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
The Bahraini detainees are part of an international group of activists, volunteers and politicians known as the Free Gaza Movement, an organisation that aims to deliver aid to the coastal strip by bypassing Israel's economic blockade of the war-torn territory.
The activists were arrested in international waters this week by Israeli authorities and were awaiting deportation orders.
The move prompted an independent United Nations human rights expert to denounce what he described as "the unlawful naval seizure" by an Israeli gunboat of a ship carrying medicine and reconstruction material for the people of the Gaza Strip.
"Nonetheless, the 21 peace activists on the boat were arrested, held in captivity, and have been charged with 'illegal entry' to Israel even though they had no intention of going to Israel," said a media release by the office of Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
A former United States representative Cynthia McKinney, Irish peace activist and Nobel laureate, Mairead Corrigan Maguire were among those held.
Israel said in a statement that the navy had previously contacted the activists' boat at sea and warned them that it would not be permitted to enter Gaza waters due to "security risks in the area and the existing naval blockade."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
They couldn't have left McKinney? Thanks a lot, fellas.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
07/04/2009 3:30 Comments ||
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#2
"Israel said in a statement that the navy had previously contacted the activists' boat at sea and warned them that it would not be permitted to enter Gaza waters due to "security risks in the area and the existing naval blockade." "
Next time "warn" them with a shot through the midsection of the boat across the bow.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/04/2009 9:37 Comments ||
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#3
"Senior Bahraini officials have made an historic visit to Israel"
Wonder what kind of magic they used to prevent getting Juice cooties while they were there?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/04/2009 9:39 Comments ||
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#4
I was about to suggest that Michael Jackson brokered the deal for McKinney's release but.....
#5
RE#4 - He still can, Bersoeker. It'll do as much good as anything else. Cynthia McKinney is a mush-headed idiot, and deserves anything that happens to her.
RE#2 - Barbara, the first shot should be through the wheelhouse (along with shots 2-24), followed by a couple of rounds at the waterline. 76MM isn't as good as an 8-inch round, but it's something. Either that or drop a couple of depth charges just in front of the bow. There won't be a need for anything else.
These self-important idiots need to learn that they're just people like everybody else, and can bleed and die just like everybody else.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/04/2009 13:31 Comments ||
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Political tension in Iran following a tumultuous election ratcheted up a notch when a top aide of Iran's supreme leader called the country's main opposition figure a US agent and accused him of committing crimes against the nation in an editorial published Saturday.
Supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi , wearing green wristbands, rally in downtown Teheran, Sunday.
World The editorial marked the first time that Mir Hossein Mousavi, who was the main challenger to incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran's presidential elections on June 12, has been publicly called a US agent.
Weeks of demonstrations erupted in Iran after Mousavi lost to Ahmadinejad, claiming the election was rigged; authorities maintain that the protests were instigated by foreign elements.
"It has to be asked whether the actions of [Mousavi and his supporters] are in response to instructions by American authorities," said Hossein Shariatmadari in an editorial appearing in the conservative daily Kayhan.
Shariatmadari, who holds no official position but is a close adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, added that Mousavi was trying to "escape punishment for murdering innocent people, holding riots, cooperating with foreigners and acting as America's fifth column inside the country."
He called for Mousavi and former reformist president Mohammad Khatami to be tried in court for "horrible crimes and treason."
The editorial added that there were "undeniable documents" proving Mousavi's foreign links.
When Iran's incumbent president was re-elected by a landslide, Mousavi and other opposition candidates cried foul sparking weeks of giant protests across the country that were eventually crushed.
Police said 20 "rioters" were killed during the violence as well as seven or eight members of the paramilitary Basij militia tasked with putting down the protests.
But the crackdown included severe limitations on press freedom, significantly against international news agencies and foreign reporters in the country. The number of dissidents killed or jailed cited by Iranian officials can therefore not be corroborated independently.
There have been no street protests since Sunday, but Mousavi has maintained his opposition to the results, issuing a defiant statement on Wednesday that he considered the government "illegitimate" in a posting on his Website, and demanded political prisoners, which he called "children of the revolution," be released.
He has been maintaining a low profile, however, and made no public appearances for days amid calls by many hard-liners for him to be prosecuted.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran said on Friday that some local British embassy staff arrested for allegedly playing a role in post-election violence will be put on trial as the European Union said it was seeking ways to object to Iran's crackdown on opposition.
The head of Iran's powerful Guardians Council, Ahmad Jannati, said embassy staff have "made confessions" and said "in these incidents, their embassy had a presence, some people were arrested. Naturally they will be put on trial."
"Allegations that our staff were fomenting unrest are wholly without foundation...We will be seeking an urgent explanation from the Iranians"
Foreign Office spokesperson
Minutes later, Britain said it was "concerned" and was seeking clarification about the announcement.
"We are concerned and we are checking the reports," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. "Allegations that our staff were fomenting unrest are wholly without foundation."
"We will be seeking an urgent explanation from the Iranians."
According to the British government, seven of nine local staff originally detained by the Iranian authorities have now been released.
Iran accused the embassy employees of instigating riots in the unrest that erupted over the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was ratified on Monday by the Guardians Council.
Britain has rejected the allegations as baseless and demanded the immediate release of the staff still in detention.
In his first speech since the unrest began, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei slammed Britain as the "most evil" or the Islamic Republic's enemies, which Prime Minister Gordon Brown said was "unfortunate" as tension between the two nations rose.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] A senior Iranian dignitary says Western powers are regretting the inappropriate stance they adopted in the wake of the June 12 presidential election.
"Western countries have now realized their stance on the Iranian elections was undoubtedly out of line," head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Friday.
Boroujerdi said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's recent telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki shows that political heavyweights in Europe are retracting their wrong claims on Iran.
"After three weeks of resentment, [European countries] have a long way to go before rebuilding trust with Iran," said Boroujerdi.
European countries adopted a critical stance toward the events ensuing Iran's June 12 election, despite the Iranian government's stern warning against foreign interference.
"With the main goal of sowing ethnic discord, Western powers have interfered in the election process by dramatizing recent developments," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi on June 23.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has also criticized what he believed to be "irresponsible and intrusive remarks" made by political heavyweights in Europe and the US.
Mottaki said Western countries need to have "a clear picture" of the historic elections, which saw Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reelected to second term in office.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Speaking as a Westerner, my only regret is that we didn't throw the full weight and might of the U.S. into toppling the Supreme Leader and his Insane Clown Posse.
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[Kyodo: Korea] South Korea believes North Korea's test-firing of short-range missiles are aimed at intimidating South Korea, a Defense Ministry spokesman indicated Friday. ''I interpret whatever military activities North Korea does are mostly aimed at our armed forces or the Republic of Korea,'' Won Tae Jae told a press briefing. ''Unless it is a mid-range or a longer-range one, we believe it is aimed at (South) Korea.''
