#2
The economy has been growing like Topsy for a while. It was quite some time ago that we had reports that the refugee camps in Pakistan were emptying rapidly, as there were more opportunities back home than in the Land of the Pure, where the Taliban were starting to run wild.
[Al Arabiya Latest] President Omar Hassan al-Bashir returned to Sudan on Friday after defying indictment for genocide by visiting Chad, a party to the International Criminal Court and so in theory obliged to arrest him.
Chadian President Idriss Deby instead gave a red-carpet welcome to Bashir, who spent three days in N'Djamena scoring a propaganda coup and exposing the ICC's key weakness -- its lack of a mechanism to arrest war crimes suspects.
Upon his return to Khartoum, Bashir's visit to Chad was hailed by his entourage as "more than a double victory" as it boosted the neighbors' ties and was his first trip to a country that recognizes the ICC.
"This summit... shows African solidarity and it also exposes the ICC and its agenda and it also exposes the agenda of some European countries and the United States in particular," presidential adviser Ghazi Salaheddine said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
So if I toss my cellphone and laptop, they'll stop killing each other in Africa?
Well, when I look at it and consider the odds of that happening, I think I'll keep my cellphone and laptop.
Kumbaya, everybody...
#5
But experts doubt the law will stop the fighting. Furthermore, they say, it could deprive hundreds of thousands of desperately poor Congolese of their incomes and disrupt the economy of an area that's struggling for stability after more than decade of war.
You experts just don't get it, do you. It'll make our liberals feel better. That's what counts!
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/25/2010 13:28 Comments ||
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#6
This probably like the Free Trade Certified Dunkin Donuts Coffee I'm drinking right now. All it does is add 10% to the price.
[Pak Daily Times] Ugandan forces imposed tight security in the capital Saturday as more than 30 heads of state began converging on Kampala for an African Union summit barely two weeks after deadly suicide attacks.
Police and military deployments in Kampala are regularly enhanced during international conferences, but after the July 11 bombings that left 76 dead, security is such that entering a shopping mall is similar to boarding a plane.
'Following the recent attack in Uganda, we have stepped up our security measures to a level that has never been seen', Deputy Foreign Minister Okello Oryem told. 'Unfortunately, I think it has infringed on people's freedom to enjoy themselves', he added.
Kampala was chosen to host the 15th African Union heads of state summit, which opens on Sunday, long before the region's deadliest attacks in 12 years gave the venue extra significance. It is an AU force that Uganda has led in Mogadishu since 2007 to support the fragile Somali transition government. That role was the reason the al Qaeda-inspired Shebab group claimed responsibility for the Kampala attacks in a bid to force Uganda to withdraw from Somalia.
The Ugandan authorities immediately responded by assuring its fellow AU members that the summit was still on and should serve as a platform.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Detectives questioning detained Islami Chhatra Shibir activists claim cadres of the group are gathering in the capital with explosives and firearms to carry out subversive activities in revenge for the recent arrests of Jamaat high-ups.
They're flocking to the city.
ADC Mohammad Moniruzzaman of Detective Branch yesterday told The Daily Star they arrested several Shibir activists in the last few days who revealed that some central leaders of Jamaat and Shibir are hatching the plot.
Brooding in their hidden nests.
The detective however declined to reveal the names of the central leaders for the sake of investigation.
He said they recovered a foreign pistol from a Shibir office-come-mess at South Sayedabad in the capital and arrested Faridul Huda, finance secretary of Dhaka city unit of Shibir.
He's clearly a bad egg.
Moniruzzaman added they made the recovery and arrest following information gleaned from Shibir cadre Abdulla Omar Nasir alias Shahadat Hossain, who was arrested in Rajshahi University area on July 23.
Earlier, the detectives arrested Shibir leader Mia Mujahid, brother of Jamaat lawmaker Mia Golam Sarwar, Shakhawat, managing director of Beacon Group and former president of Feni district unit, his employee Shakil, and Masum, nephew of Jamaat Aamir Ataur Rahman of Rajshahi city unit, over the last one year.
Huda and Shahadat were produced before a Dhaka Court with a ten-day remand prayer for each, while the others were remanded on different terms.
ADC Monir also said acting on the arrestees' information, law enforces apprehended around 12 more Shibir cadres and leaders in Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna who were taking preparations to carry out simultaneous attacks in the cities.
Masum is not a Shibir member as he is not a student. But he used to lead armed attacks carried out by Shibir men and was asked to lead a certain team in the capital, the DB official claimed.
Another bad egg.
More like 'consultant'.
The official said Shibir cadres were coming mostly from Rajshahi, Bogra, Khulna, Thakurgaon and Chittagong.
Investigators say Shibir men gathering from different parts of the country are taking shelter at different Shibir-controlled messes and offices in the capital following arrests of Jamaat trio Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Delwar Hossain Saydee.
Incubating more nefarious plots, no doubt.
DB officials say the arrestees told them around seven names of Shibir cadres who are tasked with collecting explosives.
They, quoting the arrestees, add some central leaders of Jamaat and Shibir are coordinating the entire process of collecting arms and explosives.
The Jamaat and Shibir leaders, who are involved in the process, did not inform the cadres when and where the attack will be launched, they add.
Speaking anonymously, a mid-ranked DB official said several teams of detectives are out to arrest the cadres and leaders assigned to carry out subversive activities. But following the arrests made over the last few weeks, the operatives and leaders have shifted their shelters, he added.
They scrambled for safety.
The arrestees said the Jamaat and Shibir leaders adopted such strategies so that they can escape arrest.
Beacon Group Managing Director Shakhawat used to give financial aid for plotting, claim the interrogators.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for an emergency meeting of South American leaders in order to settle the worsening row between Colombia and Venezuela.
"I want to ask the head of UNASUR [the Union of South American Nations], Ecuadorean President (Rafael) Correa, to call an emergency meeting of the 12 presidents of UNASUR so we can resolve these problems between Colombia and Venezuela," Reuters quoted Morales as saying in a televised speech on Saturday.
"A war is in the making and Bolivia, along with the presidents of the UNASUR, should not allow that war to happen between brother countries," he added.
Worried about Hugo's survival, are you?
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez severed diplomatic relations with neighboring Colombia on Thursday over Bogota's accusation that Caracas is providing a safe haven to leftist guerrillas.
The South American neighbors have bad relations for the past few years, and the latest rise in tension has increased concern about stability in the Andean region.
Colombia and Venezuela came close to a military confrontation in 2008 after Colombian troops marched into Ecuador to destroy a cross-border rebel camp.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] North Korea said on Saturday it would begin a 'sacred war' against the United States and South Korea at 'any time necessary' based on its nuclear deterrent, in response to 'reckless' military exercises by the allies.
North Korea has driven tensions on the Korean peninsula to new heights after the South accused the North of sinking one of its warships in March, killing 46, and took steps to boost its defence including massive military drills with the United States.
Pyongyang customarily voiced shrill anger in the past when the allies conducted exercises, but US officials said further provocations are possible, especially as the North tries to build political momentum for succession of power to Kim Jong-il's son.
US and South Korean militaries begin large-scale naval and aerial drills on Sunday with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier taking part and they have additional exercises planned in August.
'The army and people of the DPRK will start a retaliatory sacred war of their own style based on nuclear deterrent any time necessary in order to counter the US imperialists and the South Korean puppet forces deliberately pushing the situation to the brink of a war', the North's National Defence Commission said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
...Might wanna ask Manuel Noriega how that whole "we-declare-war-on-the-United-States" thing goes. Hey, Manny....wait...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/25/2010 15:34 Comments ||
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#2
As before, given the DPRK's worsening Food + Econ probs "NORTH-KOREA-VERSUS-SOUTH-KOREA" ONLY + "NORTH-KOREA-AS-USUAL" may no longer suffice for Kimmie + Regime.
As an OIL-, MUSLIM STATE, the odds are better that ISLAMIST IRAN will be able to effec resist US-Led UN International Sanctions, however severe, in comparison to NOKOR. IFF THE ECON NUMBERS + TRENDS ARE CORRECT, IMO IRAN can likely hold off from self-implosion thru Year 2020-2025; NOT-AN-OIL-STATE + ANTI-REFORM COMMIE NOKOR may not do same past Year 2012-2015 maxima.
* DRUGEREPORT/TOPIX > [More] DOUBTS RISE ON NORTH KOREA'S ROLE IN "CHEONAN" ATTACK/SINKING.
SEOUL, July 25 (Yonhap) -- A massive U.S. aircraft carrier sailed toward the Korean Peninsula's east coast Sunday as South Korea and the U.S. launched large-scale military exercises in a show of force against North Korea accused of sinking a South Korean warship that killed several dozen sailors.
The USS George Washington, along with several guided-missile destroyers from the two allies, left the southern South Korean port of Busan around 7:00 a.m., said an official at the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command.
Code-named "Invincible Spirit," the four-day naval and air exercises in the East Sea are the first in a series planned by the allies in the coming months. The annual "Ulchi Freedom Guardian" in mid-August is the next scheduled event.
This week's drills brought the 97,000-ton George Washington plus a fleet of some 20 ships and more than 200 aircraft. F-22 Raptors, a new powerful U.S. Air Force asset, will fly training missions for the first time in Korean airspace.
Pyongyang bristled at the drills, threatening Saturday it will start "a retaliatory sacred war."
"The more desperately the U.S. imperialists brandish their nukes and the more zealously their lackeys follow them, the more rapidly the DPRK's nuclear deterrence will be bolstered up along the orbit of self-defense," the North's National Defense Commission said in a statement.
"The army and people of the DPRK will start a retaliatory sacred war of their own style based on nuclear deterrent any time necessary in order to counter the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces deliberately pushing the situation to the brink of a war." the statement said.
China, the North's closest ally, has also opposed the maneuvers. The venue of the drills reportedly was changed from the Yellow Sea to the East Sea to address China's concern.
In terms of military assets, this week's joint drills are the biggest since 1976, when the allies staged exercises in response to the ax murders of two U.S. Army officers by North Korean soldiers at the truce village of Panmunjom.
"By displaying the sheer size of military capabilities, the drills will deliver a stark warning to North Korea," Rear Adm. Kim Kyung-shik of South Korean Navy told reporters.
Right. They sink one of your ships, you stage a big drill. Uh-huh ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Steve, I strongly suspect this "Drill" is intended to give the NORKS a sinking feeling very similar to Custer's when he reputedly said "Where did all those F***ing Indians come from".
Or the German who called Headquarters and said "You know those 5,000 ships the allies supposedly have? well they're ALL right in front of ME here".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/25/2010 2:40 Comments ||
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#2
The sinking was intended to send a message.
The drills are sending one back. Neither side really thinks the other is about to attack, but neither can totally dismiss the possibility.
#3
Dr. Steve, you had written a fine essay about the Korean situation a few weeks ago, which didn't seem to draw a lot of attention because of some news that day. After Fred's fair use discussion yesterday, maybe you could repost your Korea essay, at least to see if anyone from Journolist steals it.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/25/2010 8:43 Comments ||
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#4
NEWS KERALA > {SecState HILLARY] CLINTON REJECTS NORTH KOREA'S THREAT TO GET "PHYSICAL", PLEDGES FULL SUPORT TO SOUTH. [DPRK threat of Physical Response agz planned US-ROK naval drill].
* ION HILLARY, DAILY TIMES.PK > BEIJING WARNS ON US COMMENTS ON SOUTH CHINA SEAS [ Chin FM YANG JIECHI claims SecSttae Hillary Clinton's remarks an attack agz China].
#5
WMF > US SECSTATE HILLARY CLINTON AT ASEAN SUMMIT SAID THAT RESOLUTION OF THE VARIOUS SOUTH CHINA SEAS DISPUTES IS A US "CORE/NATIONAL INTERESTS".
* SAME > THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS DISPUTES ON SOVEREIGNTY IS BETWEEN CHINA + ITS ASIAN NEIGHBORS [ASEAN]: CHINA'S FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS HILLARY THAT CHINA WILL NOT ACCEPT US INTERFERENCE OR INTERVENTION ON DISPUTED ISLANDS.
ANKARA - TurkeyÂ’s foreign minister will meet his Iranian and Brazilian counterparts in Istanbul for talks on the Islamic republicÂ’s nuclear programme, a Turkish diplomat said Saturday. Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey will host Manouchehr Mottaki of Iran and Celso Amorim of Brazil at a lunch on Sunday, the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
“The agenda of the meeting will be nuclear issues. Its aim is to show that diplomatic initiatives are continuing” for a resolution of the international standoff over Tehran’s atomic drive, she added.
It shows Erdogan and the Turks meddling ...
IranÂ’s ISNA news agency quoted the Iranian foreign ministryÂ’s spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying that the three ministers would discuss a fuel swap deal that they brokered in May. Under the deal, Iran agreed to send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Turkey to be supplied at a later date with high-enriched uranium by Russia and France.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
JAPAN is also repor formally interested in helping dev Iran's nucprogs.
THE US government secretly advised Scottish ministers it would be "far preferable" to free the Lockerbie bomber than jail him in Libya.
Apparently just shooting Abdel never came up ...
Correspondence obtained by The Sunday Times reveals the Obama administration considered compassionate release more palatable than locking up Abdel Baset al-Megrahi in a Libyan prison.
Certainly more 'compassionate' then the last seconds of the folks who died in the bomb attack ...
The intervention, which has angered US relatives of those who died in the attack, was made by Richard LeBaron, deputy head of the US embassy in London, a week before Megrahi was freed in August last year on grounds that he had terminal cancer.
The document, acquired by a well-placed US source, threatens to undermine US President Barack Obama's claim last week that all Americans were "surprised, disappointed and angry" to learn of Megrahi's release.
Most of us were, but even back when it happened we figured there were some official Americans who weren't. And now we know.
Scottish ministers viewed the level of US resistance to compassionate release as "half-hearted" and a sign it would be accepted.
[Pak Daily Times] The United States has said that the A Q Khan nuclear network has been rendered obsolete as a result of concerted international efforts. "The network, as far as we understand, is basically defunct because of the efforts taken in a number of countries against the constituent parts of that network. We think that the network is basically defunct," said acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation, Vann H Van Diepen. His remarks at a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing reiterated the US assessment that the non-state network, involved in nuclear proliferation, has been put out of business. Diepen told lawmakers, "Of course, we've done a lot of work in a number of countries where the network was able to operate more freely because there were no export controls in place."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
2007 NIE redux?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/25/2010 8:20 Comments ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Admiral Mike Mullen, the US joint chiefs of staff chairman, said on Saturday that the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) had become "a very dangerous organisation and a significant regional and global threat".
Talking to reporters at the US Embassy, Mullen stressed that there was a strong need to take stern action to stop LeT's activities. He said LeT was expanding into Afghanistan and other countries beyond the region.
Mullen also supported the statement issued by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the presence of Osama bin Laden and other Qaeda leadership in Pakistan. "They are hiding in a very secure place and it is very difficult to trace them," he said. He claimed that the tribal belt on Pakistan's western border had become the "global headquarters" for al Qaeda.
Haqqani network: Mullen said that the Pakistani government had not taken any action against the Haqqani network. "The Haqqani group is the most lethal network faced by the US-led international forces in Afghanistan," he said, adding that he had repeatedly urged Pakistan to tackle the threat.
He said the US and Pakistan were very strong allies in the war against terrorism and the US had a strong desire to extend help and cooperation to Pakistan.
Referring to the planned withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, Mullen said it would not be the end of the mission, rather "it will be the start of a process". "The US military will stay there (Afghanistan) till complete revival of peace," he said.
To a question about the ongoing reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan, he said that the US leadership fully supported the process, adding that Pakistan and the US had a significant stake in the reconciliation process.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
ALso from ADM MULLEN,
To wit,
DAILY TIMES.PK > AFGHANISTAN AT MAKE-OR-BREAK STAGE, SAYS ADM MULLEN. Clocks are ticking, THE "OUTCOME OF THE WAR" IS DE FACTO "IN THE BALANCE"!
D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, MULLEN > "WE CAN REBUILD 'IM, WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY [Men + Resources, etc. avail + at ready], WE JUST NEED TO GO OUT + DO IT UNTIL FINAL VICTORY IS WON"!
It 'twasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, now was it!?
ISLAMABAD - In a significant development to ease tensions on water issues, India has agreed to allow Pakistan to inspect the two under-construction hydropower plants on the Indus River in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to allay IslamabadÂ’s concerns over their designs.
A sign of progress, however small, but it will be undercut by the next infiltration of hard boyz into Kashmir.
The agreement was reached at the two-day talks between Indus Water Commissioners of the two countries that concluded in Lahore on Friday. It indicated that bilateral talks under the Indus Water Treaty are making gradual progress, an official spokesman here observed.
During the periodic talks between the Indus Water Commissioners of the two countries in May Pakistan had demanded that its officials be allowed to visit the sites of Nimmo Bazgo and Chutak hydropower plants and both countries had agreed to discuss the matter in July. The visit is expected to take place next month.
The two sides also agreed to jointly inspect the flood embankments on the Ravi on both sides of the border. On the first day of the talks another significant gain was achieved when both sides agreed in principle to put in place a telemetry system on the western rivers to record and transfer real-time data.
The agreement was reached after the Indian delegates had conceded to the usefulness of the telemetry system in removing the confusion over water flows into Pakistan.
A Pakistani official who expressed some reservations registered by the Pakistani side conceded that there had been some progress in certain areas which would help bridge the trust gap on IndiaÂ’s water projects on three eastern rivers allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 treaty underwritten by the World Bank.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I strongly suspect a good part of this "Inspection" will be used as finding the exact place where a bomb, or Bombs, would do the most Damage.
Pakistan is NOT India's friend.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/25/2010 2:33 Comments ||
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#2
Robert McNamara played a large role in the negotiations for the Indus Waters Treaty. The World Bank is a signatory to the treaty and has certain responsibilities under it.
Under the Treaty, Pakistan gets 80% of the water.
Nehru believed this would buy friendship.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/25/2010 6:59 Comments ||
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#3
Robert McNamara played a large role in the negotiations for the Indus Waters Treaty.
Robert McNamara? That's strange. Nehru was a dipstick.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/25/2010 13:02 Comments ||
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#4
McNamara was President of the World Bank from 1968 until 1981.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/25/2010 14:43 Comments ||
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Separatist leaders: Indian government's strategy of curfews and aggressive-preemption lacks political roadmap and could send the current generation of youths back to the warfare that dominated in the 90s.
Frustrated cops, off the record, say they're being asked to solve a political problem.
NEW DELHI: US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen has assured India that Washington was "bringing an extraordinary amount of pressure" on Pakistan to rein in terrorists groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and 26/11 plotter Hafiz Saeed. That would be the ISI-supported LeT, and it's founder, Hafiz Saeed.
"I want to assure you that it's an issue that I don't pay lip service to at all," he told Times Now. The entire administration was committed to the issue. Pardon me if I worry about issues that we have to openly declare that we're not paying lip service to.
Admiral Mullen said the US was also focusing on other terrorist organisations operating inside Pakistan. But he underlined that it was a very difficult problem. "There isn't an easy solution associated with this," he said, and added that he had seen the Pakistani leadership recognise it and take significant steps over the last couple of years to address it. By rooting it out, or covering it up? The Indians want to know, and Rantburg readers are interested too.
The top US military officer applauded India's role in Afghanistan and said it was absolutely vital part of its regional plan. "From an overall perspective, certainly India is a regional, incredibly important regional power. It's a global power; in particular, its ability to influence economic outcomes here is really credible," he said "I applaud the economic investment because I think actually in the end it's the security we need to create. The security is necessary, but not sufficient part of the overall solution. In the end, this is about a stable, secure environment in which governance can be put together, built." That would seem to indicate that we will need more time and work than Obama's surge-and-run strategy plans for, no?
#1
The US has been playing footsie with Pak ever since Kissinger's Tilt toward Pakistan policy. That was a real winner. Putting money in the Pak rathole and hoping for different outcomes is a fools game.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/25/2010 16:59 Comments ||
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Well, I'm sure that'll be quite a shock for them when they get in on Monday...
Hamas harshly criticized the UN on Saturday for an announcement made Friday which denounced the use of flotillas to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported. On Friday, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky responded to reports that a flotilla of two Lebanese ships was set to sail for Gaza, stating that those who wish to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza should do so by land and not attempt to break Israel's sea blockade of the territory. Hamas called these statements tantamount to "collaboration with the Israeli occupier." You know what? Screw the ungrateful bastards! Call Ging and tell them to pack up all their stuff and get the hell out of there. 62 years of kissing their asses and this is the thanks we get. I've had it!
But...but...Mr. Moon!
HA! Had ya there for a minute, didn't I? Nah. Just handle it in the usual way.
Yes, sir. I'll add an extra truckload of Vaseline and kneepads to the next shipment.
Hamas harshly criticized the UN on Saturday for an announcement made Friday which denounced the use of flotillas to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported. "The UN call to international organizations to use the over-land road to Gaza instead of the sea is unacceptable and illegal," said Hamas Spokesman Sami Abu Zahri. He called on groups who are interested in delivering aid to Gaza to continue to do so by sea until the blockade of the territory is completely broken. Meanwhile, we'll be hiding under our beds. And make sure you bring good stuff too. Like they got at the new mall. None of that expired shit. And be quick about it...
The Navy deployed ships at sea to stop the Lebanese boats which were scheduled to leave for Gaza from Tripoli sometime over the weekend. Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the planned Lebanese flotilla "an unnecessary provocation" on Friday, stating that the ships would be "stopped at sea" if they failed to heed Navy orders to dock at Ashdod Port rather than sailing directly for Gaza.
USA & EU slams UN for "collaboration with the Lebanese occupier - Hamas."
How they can ship in 40,000 new missiles with launchers and new fortifications under the ...um...er... "noses" of the UN solders stationed in Lebanon, is beyond me.
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
07/25/2010 14:10 Comments ||
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#2
"Defense Minister Ehud Barak" needs to make a very plain statement to the world: any ship attempting to break the blockade of Gaza will be "met with overwhelming force and sunk". Then follow through. The problem will come to an abrupt halt the first time they do.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/25/2010 16:37 Comments ||
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#3
Alas OP, I'm not at all sure it would work out that way if Israel followed your advice.
When the iconic 1970s disco group Boney M rocked Ramallah this week, the local music festival prevented the band from performing one of its biggest hits.
Lead singer Maizie Williams said Palestinian concert organizers told her not to sing "Rivers of Babylon." The song's chorus quotes from the Book of Psalms, referring to the exiled Jewish people's yearning to return to the biblical land of Israel.
Palestinians often question the Jewish historical connection to the Holy Land. Organizers said they asked for the song to be skipped, deeming it "inappropriate."
"I don't know if it is a political thing or what, but they asked us not to do it and we were a bit disappointed that we could not do it because we know that everybody loves this song no matter what," she said.
The band performed its other big hits, like "Ma Baker," "Daddy Cool," and "Rasputin" in front of hundreds of screaming fans.
The Palestinian International Festival started Monday and runs through Saturday, bringing international performances to the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron and Bethlehem.
The concert comes amid a Palestinian campaign to get international artists to boycott Israel. The Pixies and Elvis Costello, among others, have canceled concerts in Israel following pressure from pro-Palestinian groups.
"I believe you should entertain wherever you are asked to entertain, whether it is Israel, whether it is Palestine, whether it is Lebanon, where ever it is, we go," Williams said in Ramallah.
"At the end of the day, politics is one thing and entertainment is another thing and when I got into the entertainment business I didn't get into it for politics. I got into it to make people happy," she said.
#3
"I'm pretty sure Paleos aint shelling out $100 a ticket."
I'd have to agree, phil. They probably wouldn't have enough left over after shopping in their upscale malls and eating in their fancy restaurants (which were highlighted here not long ago....).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/25/2010 11:10 Comments ||
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#4
Iconic 1970s disco group Boney M?
I must've killed more brain cells then I thought back then, because it's 2010 and this is the first I have ever heard about "iconic" 70's disco group Boney M.
But I'll bet a road trip through the West Bank does make you appreciate the airport Holiday Inn curcuit a lot more.
#8
Hey...I remember seeing them at the Kingston Hyatt back in 75. Or maybe it was Montego Bay. Anyway, that Maizie was a Mink. Whew...
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/25/2010 12:55 Comments ||
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#9
I don't care about the Pixies but, I think I will boycott Elvis Costello from now on. Do any of you know any other artists who are boycotting Israel?
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
07/25/2010 14:28 Comments ||
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from Haaretz more details than previous reports regarding Khalidi's involvement
U.S. group raising funds for new Gaza aid ship
Rashid Khalidi, a well-know critic of Israel, hopes to raise at least $370,000 in the next month. this amount won't buy a boat, it will only be enough to rent one, and not a big one either
WASHINGTON - A fundraising campaign is currently underway in the United States to finance the purchase of an American ship in an effort to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip in the early autumn. The ship is to be named after U.S. President Barack Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope."
One of the prominent figures to support the initiative is Columbia University history professor Rashid Khalidi, a well-know critic of Israel whose friendship with the American president from their days together in Chicago engendered criticism of Obama...When asked by Haaretz if he was aware of the proposed name of the ship and whether the choice of name was appropriate, Khalidi said: "I am not one of the organizers of this effort, and had no knowledge that this name had been chosen. If the name is a problem for the [Obama] administration, it can simply insist publicly that Israel lift the siege. That of course would require it to respond to the systematic mendacity of those in Congress and elsewhere who support the siege. It is shameful that the U.S. and Egyptian governments are complicit in this indefensible siege."
This article starring:
Rashid Khalidi
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/25/2010 00:43 ||
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#1
Thought Hamas was on the terror watch list? Has that changed since BO?
#3
tu3031---LOL! Good Idea!!! Then Kerry can take the proceeds and pay the avoided tax back in Nantucket [a name we don't play with]. Life is good. Everybody wins. [then a rogue wave in the Med sinks it on the way to Gaza] Inshallah....
That is what the Oracle sez.
[/Joe M vision]
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/25/2010 14:41 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Lebanese Prime Minster Saad Hariri says if Lebanon maintains its current national unity it will be able to defend itself against any new Israeli war.
"Israel won't be able to overcome Lebanon as long as the Lebanese know how to maintain their national unity," Naharnet quoted Hariri as saying on Saturday.
"The state is charged with being up to the challenge of an Israeli assault and Lebanese society is responsible for defending the nation," he added.
Israel has launched two wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006. The second round of the all-out offensives killed about 1,200 Lebanese -- mostly civilians.
On both occasions, however, Tel Aviv fell short of achieving any of its objectives and the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah forced the Israeli military into retreating.
The Lebanese premier appealed for calm in the country amid fears that a UN vote on the 2005 assassination of his father and predecessor, Rafik Hariri could give raise to tension in the country, AFP reported.
On Thursday, Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said he had been told by the premier that The Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon was about to implicate alleged resistance members for foul play.
"I was personally informed by Prime Minister Hariri before his visit to Washington [in May] that the tribunal will accuse some undisciplined [Hezbollah] members," Nasrallah said.
Rejecting any Hezbollah involvement in the killing, Nasrallah added that such accusations were part of a "dangerous project that is targeting the resistance."
"There are those who fear or even hope that the (Hariri) murder case will unleash a Lebanese crisis or confessional strife," Hariri said. "There are attempts... to organize campaigns aimed at sowing confusion and concern in the minds of the Lebanese people,"
"There is no need for this fear... We call for calm."
He also insisted that administration of justice "is not open to negotiation and is an integral part of Lebanese consensus, ministerial statements, and Arab summit decisions," Naharnet wrote.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Israel would be a fool to invade Lebanon the same way it has in the past. A much better strategy would be to line up artillery, hubcap to hubcap, and begin walking artillery barrages from the Israel/Lebanon border to Beirut and back. Hezbollah will trigger the war by either launching rockets at Israel, or attempting another kidnapping. At that point, the Israelis should go totally Genghis Khan on Lebanon, and leave no two stones standing. Use their air superiority as additional artillery, blasting infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley and along the resupply routes from Syria. Totally obliterate any port facilities in the country, destroy the road network by blowing up bridges, and bringing life in Lebanon to a halt. If Israel uses cluster munitions, bunker-busters, napalm, white phosphorus, or even nukes, it's nothing that Hezbollah doesn't deserve. But I wouldn't stop until a buzzard would have to pack a lunch to cross the southern half of Lebanon - perhaps ALL of the country, depending upon how the other half reacts. Make it so devastating that neither the survivors nor any other Arab nation would wish for a repeat performance, perhaps on their territory. The only thing that will keep Israel's enemies at bay is the threat of massive humiliation and destruction at the hands of the Israeli military. Unless it's used utterly ruthlessly, the lesson will be lost.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/25/2010 16:28 Comments ||
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#2
Excellent CONOP OP. Please begin building the map overlays.
#3
Looking at the big picture, I see Hizb'Allah in Lebanon as a symptom of the problem. I would try something else before I would go kinetic on Lebanon. However, OP's operational plan definitely needs to go forward in the preparation stage. The goal of either operation is removing Hizb'Allah and their ilk from Lebanon.
I would think that Syria needs to be put on notice that their government, infrastructure, military, and leaders would be obliterated if Hizb'Allah started any mischief in Lebanon. Pencil Neck in Syria needs to realize that he and his government are PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for anything their client does. Syria has not had to pay the price for their sponsored murders and mayhem in Lebanon, and their transit work for terrorists, materiel, and mayhem against our troops and Iraqis in Iraq. Syria is the enabler of the client Hizb'Allah, and Syria, in turn is the client of Iran. Hopefully, Pencil Neck will get the message, and will call off the dawgs in Lebanon. If not, we have the OP solution all drawn up and ready to go.
Israel needs to have such a lethal enemy off their northern border, and get off the defensive and onto the offensive, without having an expensive and devastating war. They have to take the initiative and get inside Syria's and Hizb'Allah's OODA loop. Right now Israel's enemies are encircling her and are inside her OODA loop. Time to turn the tables.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/25/2010 16:54 Comments ||
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#4
take care of immediate targets in Leb and then attack Syria, all-out. Without their patronage, Hezb dies. Make Syria suffer, big time
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/25/2010 17:57 Comments ||
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#5
Frank, you are correct in your assessment. I am not educated in the total relationship between Hizb'Allah and Syria, but I wonder if really putting the screws on Syria would make them shuck Hizb'Allah, or is their hold on them tenuous? The thing is that you cannot threaten Syria without backing it up in a timely fashion. Otherwise you are just the equivalent of O or a UN/EU weenie org.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/25/2010 18:47 Comments ||
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Deliberately misleading headling from Iran Press TV. The resulution has not been brought up for a vote.
Although it would be okay if they did ...
[Iran Press TV Latest] Republicans in the US House of Representatives have introduced a measure that would green-light a possible Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.
Resolution 1553 provides explicit support for military strikes against Iran, stating that Congress backs Israel's use of 'all means necessary' against Iran, "including the use of military force," BBC Persian reported.
The introduction of the measure coincides with a pattern of renewed calls for military strikes that have escalated since President Obama signed Congressional Iran sanctions into law.
Neoconservatives who were instrumental in orchestrating the Iraq War, such as Bill Kristol and Reuel Marc Gerecht, have led the stepped up calls for military action.
Hawkish former Bush administration official John Bolton recently laid out the game plan to prod Israel into attacking Iran, arguing that outsiders can "create broad support" for a strike by framing it as an issue of Israel's right to self-defense.
Supporters for military strikes, Bolton says, should "defend the specific tactic of pre-emptive attacks" against Iran.
He said that Congress can 'make it clear' that it supports such strikes and that 'having visible congressional support in place at the outset will reassure' Israel.
In spite of support from the neocons, top US military leaders have warned of the many dangers of military strikes against Iran.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has argued "Another war in the Middle East is the last thing we need. In fact, I believe it would be disastrous on a number of levels."
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has expressed his own serious reservations about an attack on Iran.
The US, which is already providing billions of dollars worth of arms to Israel every year, describes Tel Aviv's military edge in the region as being in America's interest.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
The BAMMER + MOUD know it > the LONGER the Clock goes tickey-tock, THE GREATER THE ODDS FOR FULL-SCALE GROUND WAR = CAMPAIGN, NOT JUST LIMITED AIR OR COMMANDO OPERATIONS. The US-ISRAEL, etc. willl no longer be fighting to preclude a NUCLEAR RADICALIST IRAN, BUT MORESO THE RISE OF POST-2012, REGIONAL + ULTIMATELY GLOBAL NUCLEAR MILITANCY-TERRORISM.
A top Iranian lawmaker advises Russia against joining the unilateral US sanctions against Iran, urging Moscow to not be 'deceived' by Washington.
Hussein Ebrahimi, member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said, "Appearances suggest intent to intensify threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran as the recent resolution was very different compared to the previous ones."
The Iranian lawmaker described Iran-Russia relations as logical, saying, "Iran has so far complied with all its obligations towards Russia, and has observed the rights of both parties in every measure [taken]," IRNA reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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[13 views]
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#1
ION CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > {Mike Hayden] EX-CIA CHIEF: STRIKE AGZ IRAN MORE LIKELY NOW | EX-CIA CHIEF REVEALS FIRST US ATTACK OF 2010 WILL BE AGZ IRAN, NORTH KOREA SPARED?
IRAN = "ENERGIZER BATTERY" DRUM RABBIT = keeps on going + going + going +............@etc. in perpetuity trying to dev Nukes.
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Prime Minister Saad Hariri called on Saturday for "calm" in Leb in the face of expectations that a UN-backed court may implicate members of the powerful Hezbullies group in the 2005 murder of his father, ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
His comments came two days after Hezbullies chief Hassan Nasrallah revealed that he expected rogue members of his Shiite party to be indicted for Rafiq Hariri's assassination five years ago.
"There are those who fear or even hope that the (Hariri) murder case will unleash a Lebanese crisis or confessional strife," the prime minister said in a speech to members of his Future Movement. "There are attempts... to organize campaigns aimed at sowing confusion and concern in the minds of the Lebanese people," Hariri said. "There is no need for this fear... We call for calm," he added.
The UN tribunal's president, Antonio Cassese, said earlier this year he expects an indictment in the case between September and December, sparking fears in already tense Leb of a repeat of the violence that brought the country close to a new civil war in 2008.
On Thursday, the Hezbullies chief told a news conference via video link that Hariri told him some members of the Shiite movement would be indicted by the Hague-based Special Tribunal for Leb investigating the murder. "Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri visited me ... (and) he said: 'Sayyed, in this month or that month there will be an indictment which accuses members in Hezbullies, undisciplined members which the group has no relations with'," Nasrallah said, speaking by video link to a news conference in Beirut.
"That's where things seem to be heading," he said, adding that the impending decision by the UN-backed court had pushed Leb into a "very sensitive phase."
Hariri did not confirm or deny Nasrallah's accounts of their conversation.
But MPs from the prime minister's bloc denied that he had told Nasrallah Hezbullies members would be indicted.
"Hariri did not inform Nasrallah about the indictment sheet simply because he is not privy to its contents," MP Hadi Hbeich said in a radio interview on Friday.
MP Ammar Houri confirmed that Hariri and Nasrallah had met in May but said they had discussed "only press reports" suggesting that the UN-back court could link Hezbullies to Rafiq Hariri's murder.
Analysts have warned that Nasrallah's suprise announcement could trigger new violence in Leb like that in May 22D8 in which more than 12D people were killed when Hezbullies staged a spectacular takeover of mainly Sunni west Beirut following a crackdown on the party.
Oussama Safa, who heads the Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies, said the country had a "50-50 chance" of sliding back into chaos.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Hezbullies chief Hassan Nasrallah revealed that he expected roguenow-disowned members of his Shiite party to be indicted for Rafiq Hariri's assassination five years ago.
Russia still hasn't delivered the S-300 to Teheran and now says it's forbidden to do so by UN sanctions. US/NATO influence in former SSRs and Israeli arms sales to Georgia stressed Moscow, which now has an opportunistic tactical approach to relations in the middle east, sometimes supporting the West in attempts to contain the mullahs.
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.
[Pak Daily Times] North Korea said on Saturday it would begin a 'sacred war' against the United States and South Korea at 'any time necessary' based on its nuclear deterrent, in response to 'reckless' military exercises by the allies. 
[Pak Daily Times] The United States has said that the A Q Khan nuclear network has been rendered obsolete as a result of concerted international efforts. "The network, as far as we understand, is basically defunct because of the efforts taken in a number of countries against the constituent parts of that network. We think that the network is basically defunct," said acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation, Vann H Van Diepen. His remarks at a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing reiterated the US assessment that the non-state network, involved in nuclear proliferation, has been put out of business. Diepen told lawmakers, "Of course, we've done a lot of work in a number of countries where the network was able to operate more freely because there were no export controls in place."
