[Dawn] Human rights group Amnesia Amnesty International said on Wednesday that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar ... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality... 's call for fighters to reduce civilian casualties was "hypocritical".
Amnesty said the statement issued in Omar's name last week to mark the Moslem holiday of Eidul Azha was "more about propaganda and less about actually protecting civilians".
There were two major attacks in Afghanistan during Eid, which were blamed on the Taliban and left many civilians dead.
The United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... says the Taliban is responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths in the ten-year Afghan war between Taliban-led Orcs and similar vermin and international and Afghan government forces.
"The Afghan people would welcome any genuine effort to reduce civilian casualties," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesia Amnesty International's Asia Pacific director, in a statement issued on the organization's website.
"However, women are made to be loved, not understood... Mullah Omar's message seems hypocritical, as it is more about propaganda and less about actually protecting civilians.
He suggests that the majority of civilian casualties are accidental and could be avoided if Afghans kept away from foreign troops.
"He doesn't order his commanders to halt targeted liquidations, or stop using jacket wallahs or improvised bombs in civilian areas."
On Friday, the Taliban published a statement on their website attributed to Omar which called on fighters "to take every step to protect the lives and wealth of ordinary people".
The statement warned of punishments under Islamic Sharia law for Orcs and similar vermin responsible for civilian deaths.
But on Sunday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people returning from prayers at a mosque in the northern city of Baghlan.
And on Monday, nine civilians from one family plus two coppers were killed when a roadside kaboom struck their vehicle in northwest Afghanistan.
The UN has said that the number of civilians killed in the Afghan war in the first half of this year rose 15 per cent to 1,462, with Orcs and similar vermin responsible for 80 per cent of the deaths.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tripoli Post] Former Libyan leader Muammar Al Qadaffy's ...a reminder that a single man with an idea can screw up an entire nation, usually for the worse... son, Seif is still on the lam and his whereabouts are not known. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... whenever he is captured he would eventually face justice in The Hague, the chief the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... said on Wednesday. ... assuming he's nabbed prior to the Last Trumpet, of course...
Luis Moreno-Campo said that the ICC's Sherlocks are "following information about the probable whereabouts" of Seif al-Islam and former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi "and we are encouraging efforts to arrest them".
Both were indicted by the International Criminal Court in June for unleashing a campaign of murder and torture to suppress the uprising against the Al Qadaffy regime. They, along with the former Libyan dictator himself were indicted, but the case against Al Qadaffy will be dropped after his death last month outside his hometown of Sirte.
Unlike his father, Seif al-Islam is believed to have slipped out of the country and his whereabouts are unknown. So too al-Senoussi, who are thought to have decamped to Mali. But the government there has said it will arrest them if they are caught.
Moreno-Ocampo has said the court is pressing countries to prevent Seif's escape by denying any plane carrying him permission to fly through their air space. He even mentioned Zim-bob-we as a possible country where the runaway could seek refuge.
The ICC prosecutor said late last month he was in indirect contact through an intermediary with Seif al-Islam about the possibility of him turning himself in. But the contacts appear to have led nowhere. Even so, Moreno-Ocampo said on Wednesday "it is a matter of time" before Seif is locked away and brought to justice. "It is not if he will be locked away, it is when," Moreno-Ocampo said. "Saif will face justice, that's his destiny."
Meanwhile, ...back at the sea battle, the Terror of the Baltic's career had come to an abrupt and watery end... Luis Moreno-Ocampo has been reported saying by AP that he also was making headway with an investigation into allegations of widespread rapes that he believed were part of an organised campaign of sexual abuse by Al Qadaffy supporters during the conflict. He believes the ICC has one witness who was a soldier who said he received instructions to rape.
ICC Sherlocks are now trying to pin down exactly who ordered the sex attacks. "We are trying to connect the rapes with instructions given by commanders," he said.
Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council last week that Sherlocks are probing hundreds of alleged rapes, but he said the true number could run to thousands. He said it is difficult to establish the exact number because victims are reluctant to report rapes.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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[Nigerian Tribune] THE presidency appears to have given the nod to Sherlocks and security operatives to release the list of possible sponsors of the dreaded Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. Currently wearing a false nose and moustache and answering to Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad, or Big Louie... sect, which unleashed violence in the northeastern states of Borno and Yobe last week.
No fewer than 100 persons were mowed down in separate but related attacks by the sect in Maiduguri and Damaturu last week.
It was, however, gathered that the government, which got details of the operations of the sect and some alleged financiers in August, had kept the list to itself up till now.
Initially, a source said that the list was meant to be used for the political resolution of the crisis but sources told the Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday that the new thinking favoured the release of the names of alleged sponsors.
Sources had confirmed that the cash transfer system perfected by the group had kept the financial transactions secret for a long time until some operatives made a breakthrough recently.
A source confirmed that the arrest of a chieftain of the sect in Minna, Niger State, led to some discoveries and breakthrough about the sect's financial.
While security operatives were studying the details recovered from the Lagos-based Boko Haram kingpin, who was tossed in the calaboose in Minna in August, it was gathered that some recovered documents also pointed the finger at some bigwigs in the polity as allegedly sponsoring certain activities of the sect.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that the government appeared to have concluded on the need to release the names of those indicted so far, while some of them could be secretly interrogated.
"We are getting signals indicating that certain so-called big masquerades who are said to be backing the Boko Haram sect would be unveiled soon. The names were originally compiled after the raid on the home of a sect leader in Minna, who poses as a businessman in Lagos. What the government has avoided is a situation where it would be seen as orchestrating a crackdown on certain categories of Nigerians."
It was also gathered that the decision by the sect to strike in Maiduguri and Yobe was as a result of apparent inactivity on the planned talks between it and the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had received the report of its committee, which looked into disturbances in the North-East two months ago.
The committee had recommended talks between the government and aggrieved groups. While some factors in the sect were said to be disposed to talking with the government, a section of the Boko Haram was said to be in favour of continued attacks.
But a source said though the division in the group had led to some sort of discordant tunes, more than two thirds of its members were actually looking forward to holding peace talks with the government.
The source said prolonged delay in bringing the willing sect members to the table apparently led to the renewed attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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But of course Britain will not support such action because, unlike Obama in America, the Brits needn't worry about the Jewish vote... Such thinking passing for cleverness among FO johnnies.
Israel will launch military action to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon as soon as Christmas, intelligence chiefs have warned.
KEY FINDINGS IN UN REPORT ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
In its latest report on Iran, the UN International Atomic Energy Agency outlines the sum of its knowledge on the Islamic Republic's alleged secret nuclear weapons work, including:
o Clandestine procurement of equipment and design information needed to make such arms;
o High explosives testing and detonator development to set off a nuclear charge;
o Computer modelling of a core of a nuclear warhead;
o Preparatory work for a nuclear weapons test, and
o Developing and mounting a nuclear payload onto its Shahab 3 intermediate range missile - a weapon that can reach Israel, Iran's arch foe.
A report by a UN watchdog into Iran's nuclear ambitions 'completely discredits' the Islamic nation's protestations of innocence, according to Foreign Secretary William Hague. The ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency found that Iran is developing a nuclear test facility, nuclear detonators and computer modelling for a nuclear warhead that would fit on an existing missile.
Sources say the understanding at the top of the British Government is that Israel will attempt to strike against the nuclear sites 'sooner rather than later' -- with logistical support from the U.S. A senior Foreign Office figure has revealed that ministers have been told to expect Israeli military action, adding: 'We're expecting something as early as Christmas, or very early in the new year.'
Officials believe President Barack On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today Obama would have to support the Israelis or risk losing vital Jewish-American support in the next presidential election.
In recent weeks, Ministry of Defence sources confirmed that contingency plans have been drawn up in the event that the UK decided to support military action. But the source ruled out direct British support, adding: 'Of course we are not in favour of Iran developing a bomb -- but do we think they'd use it: no.
'The bigger concern is it will be impossible to stop Soddy Arabia and Turkey from developing their own weapons.'
Mr Hague said Britannia would push for more sanctions against Tehran when the IAEA committee meets later this month.
Golly Thanks, guys, for stepping up to do that which has been proven repeatedly to have no impact on the bad guys whatsoever.
"The international team of doctors in charge of treating Hugo Chavez's cancer does not expect him to live more than six months," said Roger Noriega, former U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
11/10/2011 13:11 ||
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#1
Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me, Fool me thrice shame on us all.(Thrice is a rock band but it fit).
So he has lied to his people. I don't see anyone that could follow his act. They can only do that which El Presidente envisioned.
Los Zetas, Mexicos most violent criminal organization, is purchasing heavy weapons in Central America for use in clashes with army soldiers, the Defense Secretariat says.
Sources from the 4th Military Region, responsible for security in the northern states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi, told Efe Thursday that Los Zetas and other criminal gangs are purchasing anti-armored-vehicle rockets and armaments.
These weapons, believed to be leftovers from the armed conflicts that plagued Central America between the 1960s and 1980s, are being sold on the black market.
According to the same sources, Mexican organized crime gangs still lack the training to use the heavy weapons in clashes with security forces.
Los Zetas, which is led by fugitive Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, alias El Lazca, and has its stronghold in northeastern Mexico, has spread its tentacles to Central America.
That band of special forces deserters turned outlaws started out as the armed wing of the Gulf drug cartel, but ended that relationship in March 2010 to go into business for itself and is now at war with its former bosses.
Authorities say Los Zetas have increasingly turned to kidnapping and migrant-trafficking rackets and have a strong presence in Guatemala, where they slaughtered 27 hired hands at a ranch in May.
The 4th Military Region presented a final report Thursday on Operation Scorpion, launched on Aug. 28 to weaken the command, financial, operational and logistical structures of organized crime gangs in Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Tamaulipas states.
During the operation, launched after an arson attack on a casino in the northern industrial city of Monterrey that killed 52 people, the army seized four rockets and seven anti-tank weapons, as well as 28 grenade launchers and 345 grenades.
Security forces also detained 1,093 people and killed 112 suspected criminals in clashes that also left two soldiers dead and 18 others wounded.
They also confiscated 3,099 weapons, 9 boats, 1,355 vehicles, including 62 armored cars, more than 50 tons of marijuana, 11.7 million pesos ($866,666) and $910,000 in cash and more than 735,000 liters (almost 195,000 gallons) of fuel.
Scorpion led to the arrest of Carlos Oliva Castillo, Los Zetas purported No. 3 and an alleged mastermind of the arson attack on the Casino Royale, carried out because the gaming establishments owner refused to pay protection money in an extortion racket the gang was running.
Also detained in the operation were Marco Garza de Leon, the purported Los Zetas chief in several Nuevo Leon municipalities, and Jose Garcia Casino, that cartels boss in San Luis Potosi.
A total of 1,500 soldiers deployed to Monterreys metropolitan area after the casino massacre will be redeployed throughout the four states of the 4th Military Region, the Defense Secretariat said.
Shortly after taking office in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon gave Mexicos military the lead role in the struggle with the well-funded drug cartels.
Since his inauguration, drug-war violence has claimed nearly 50,000 lives nationwide
#2
I wonder if the DOJ has an FMS type program for cartels? Maybe call it Cartel Development Program, CDP. I'm sure Holder could head it up, he already heads up the largest weapons supply point for them anyway...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/10/2011 13:10 Comments ||
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Hey Herby, the Dept. of Justice can get it for you wholesale.
#5
The original Zetas were ex-Special Forces, severely f**ked over by the Mexican government, which is why they switched sides. Those guys are gone, and now the Zetas are just another hopped up Mexican barrio gang with a name.
The National Intelligence Service, the Unification Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the National Police Agency have been ordered to keep mum about the defection of 22 North Koreans across the West Sea on Oct. 30. The unusual order required them not to respond to any interview requests or even correct false reports.
Apparently the ROK is going through another periodic bout of conciliation. It will last until the next naval ship is torpedoed...
A security official on Tuesday said, "The instruction came from above," meaning Cheong Wa Dae.
Another government source said, "It seems President Lee Myung-bak flew into a fury when he read news reports about the latest group of North Korean boat people." The NIS, the agency that supervises questioning of North Korean defectors, was reprimanded for frequent security breaches, he added.
A government official said the order came "because we concluded that the latest incident will have a negative effect on inter-Korean relations."
He suggested that media reports about the defection could needlessly agitate the North Korean regime and lead to a crackdown on defectors along the North Korea-China border area and to ordering border guards to shoot at refugees.
But the source said, "It seems the government was worried that news reports about the latest defection by sea could destroy the governments hopes of breaking the stalemate in inter-Korean relations."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The truth is simpler. If you talk about defectors, the next batch of defectors are more likely to be killed rather than successfully defect. The same basic problem existed with East Germany.
Tyrants are far more concerned about appearances than substance.
Such a dear, dear man. He is a Gaul, which explains it.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy ...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit... promised to stand with Israel against Iran during a 90-minute meeting he held with the World Jewish Congress at the Elysée Palace in Gay Paree, according to sources from the gathering who spoke with The Jerusalem Post.
"Israel has no better security partner than La Belle France when it comes to Iran," Sarkozy assured the Jewish leaders, according to the sources.
The head of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder asked Sarkozy to push for unprecedented sanctions against the Iranian regime to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Sarkozy responded positively to Lauder, the sources said.
#1
Actually, Sarkozy is probably right. More's the pity, given Israel's situation. Somehow, I doubt that the assured Jewish leaders were assured in the least.
#5
unprecedented sanctions? Like no caviar until Christmas?
Posted by: jack salami ||
11/10/2011 11:56 Comments ||
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#6
/pedant
When Sarkozy was very young, he and his mother were abandoned by his Hungarian artistocrat father and moved into the home of his mother's father, a staunch Gaullist.
#8
And that was also true in the 1950s and early 60s, until De Gaulle knifed them in the back. The French are really bad at switching sides at the drop of a hat.
ISLAMABAD: Western aid agencies in Pakistan warned on Wednesday they might have to halt flood relief efforts in the cash-strapped country because of funding shortfalls.
Anyone ask President Ten Percent for a donation?
Floods in August hit Sindh province in the south, killing at least 430 people and disrupting the lives of nine million. Many people are still camping out in the open with little food, water or shelter.
Western aid agencies made an urgent appeal for $357 million in September, but only 23 percent of that has been secured. If more cash doesnt arrive soon, aid agencies such as Oxfam, Save the Children and Care may be forced to leave flood victims to fend for themselves.
Aid agencies fear flood victims could suffer from a major outbreak of dengue fever, malaria and acute respiratory infection.
Not that you'll be able to tell...
The sort of things that were really concerned about are those very basic humanitarian essentials like access to clean water and sanitation which over 60 percent of the affected population at the moment still dont have access to, said Oxfams Country Director in Pakistan, Neva Khan.
If we cant ensure clean water to as many people as possible, the risk of all these things increasing and causing a public health crisis is a key concern. Aid agencies have said Pakistans image of a haven for militants especially after US special forces found and killed Osama Bin Laden in a Pakistani town in May have made it a bad brand to sell to global donors.
While a combination of factors donor fatigue, the global financial slump, competition from other crises such as the East African famine have all played a part, geopolitics and security remains one of Western donors major concerns.
The UN says the floods have wiped out massive swathes of agricultural land, killed thousands of livestock and destroyed food stocks in Sindh.
The government is in no position to step in because the South Asian nations economy is weak and heavily dependent on foreign aid.
Yet it manages to ensure that the hard boyz, snuffies, splodydopes and Haqqanis are taken care of...
It has yet to care for some 800,000 people displaced by last years floods.
Hardships are likely to increase as winter approaches. Childrens immunity is very weak, and we fear winter will make the situation worse if aid is not immediately stepped up, Save the Childrens Pakistan Country Director, David Wright, said in a press release.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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The Pak's could take some of the money they are using to build nukes and take care of their own.
[Bangla Daily Star] Eager to become the leader of al-Qaeda, the then number two Ayman Zawahiri ... Second in command of al-Qaeda, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is... set up the late Osama bin Laden ... who abandoned all hope when he entered there... by repeatedly sending a courier who had been interrogated by the CIA to his hiding place in Abbottabad, a new book by a former SEAL has claimed.
"Despite knowing that this operative was blown, Zawahiri used Abu Ahmed al Kuwaiti to make repeated trips to bin Laden's compound," says the book "Seal Target Geronimo" written by a former SEAL, Chuck Pfarrer.
"Based on this accumulation of information, one can draw conclusion that it was Zawahiri who led the US to bin Laden's hiding place in Abbottabad, accomplishing this through a complex and persistent series of lapses in security," he said.
"Some of these slips were subtle and some of them were so obvious that they were laughable," Pfarrer wrote in his book, which also claims that Zawahiri even tried to get the Russians to kill bin Laden and he also wrongly diagnosed bin Laden.
"Zawahiri tried to get the Russians to kill bin Laden; they did not. He hoped that Addison's disease would take him, but it did not. Now Zawahiri played is final card he deliberately used a blown courier to communicate with Osama, and the inevitable happened. The Americans found him," Pfarrer wrote in his 225-page book published by the New York-based St Martin's Press.
"Moving between his own 1st-provided safe houses, Zawahiri had his messages delivered in Abu Ahmed al Kuwaiti's fantastically painted four wheel-drive truck. The vehicle and its frequent destination soon attracted the attention of American intelligence," Pfarrer wrote.
He said that for 30 years, Zawahiri had been willing to use violence to bring about his idea of Islamic government.
"Zawahiri had worn himself out trying to get Osama to escalate his attacks against the West. Repeated plans to smuggle chemical weapons into the US had come to naught and now Zawahiri had had enough. By late in 2009, he had determined to wrest control of al-Qaeda from bin Laden," the book says.
Referring to the documents and materials obtained from the Abbottabad compound, Pfarrer says that Osama bin Laden, himself did not like Zawahiri and was planning to exclude him from the new leadership structure of the terrorist outfit that he was making.
"SEALs would carry away five hundred data systems, hard drives, computers, laptops, monitors, notebooks written in Arabic and English, papers, financial records, and wire diagrams of a new al-Qaeda that Osama was planning, one that did not include Zawahiri," Pfarrer said.
"Ironically, intel analysts reading through bin Laden's papers would discover that Osama was planning a full break with Zawahiri. That move came too late to prevent Zawahiri from moving against him," Pfarrer wrote.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Sorry, but I'll have to hear it from Ayamn himself, or in the altern Mullah Omar or KSM.
#2
Yeah, color me skeptical. Oh, I don't doubt there was coniving and back-stabbing, treachery seems to come with the culture. But that treasure trove of data the SEALs picked up would likely be damaging, not only to al-Qaeda, but to anyone remotely associated with it, including Mr. Z. There are easier ways to make Binny disappear than invite the SEALs to Abbottabad.
[One Pakistan] London, Former President Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... has told BBC HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur that the Taliban leader Mullah Omar ... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality... is not and has "never been in Pakistain". "And neither was Osama bin Laden!"
He agreed that the relationship between Pakistain and the United States has "fundamentally broken down", saying it is at the "lowest ebb".
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Text books in Pak schools foster prejudice and intolerance of Hindus and other religious minorities, while most teachers view non-Mohammedans as "enemies of Islam," according to a study by a US government commission released on Wednesday.
The findings indicate how deeply ingrained hard-line Islam is in Pakistain and help explain why militancy is often supported, tolerated or excused in the country.
"Teaching discrimination increases the likelihood that violent religious extremism in Pakistain will continue to grow, weakening religious freedom, national and regional stability, and global security," said Leonard Leo, the chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Pakistain was created in 1947 as a homeland for the Mohammedans of South Asia and was initially envisaged as a moderate state where minorities would have full rights.
But three wars with mostly Hindu India; support for bully boyz fighting Soviet-rule in Afghanistan in the 1980s; and the appeasement of hard-line holy mans by weak governments seeking legitimacy have led to a steady radicalisation of society.
Religious minorities and those brave enough to speak out against intolerance have often been killed, seemingly with impunity, by bad boy sympathizers.
The commission warned that any significant efforts to combat religious discrimination, especially in education, would "likely face strong opposition" from hardliners.
The study reviewed more than 100 textbooks from grades 1-10 from Pakistain's four provinces.
Researchers in February this year visited 37 public schools, interviewing 277 students and teachers, and 19 madrases, where they interviewed 226 students and teachers.
The Islamisation of textbooks began under the US-backed rule of army dictator Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who courted Islamists to support his rule.
In 2006, the government announced plans to reform the curriculum to address the problematic content, but that has not been done, the study said.
Pakistain's Islamist and right-wing polity would likely oppose any efforts to change the curriculum, and the government has shown no desire to challenge them on the issue.
The report found systematic negative portrayals of minorities, especially Hindus and to a lesser extent to Christians.
Hindus make up more than one per cent of Pakistain's 180 million people, while Christians represent around two per cent. Some estimates put the numbers higher.
There are also even smaller populations of Sikhs and Buddhists.
"Religious minorities are often portrayed as inferior or second-class citizens who have been granted limited rights and privileges by generous Pak Mohammedans, for which they should be grateful," the report said.
"Hindus are repeatedly described as snuffies and eternal enemies of Islam whose culture and society is based on injustice and cruelty, while Islam delivers a message of peace and brotherhood, concepts portrayed as alien to the Hindu."
The books don't contain many specific references to Christians, but those that "that do exist seem generally negative, painting an incomplete picture of the largest religious minority in Pakistain," the report said.
Attempts to reach Pakistain's education minister were not successful.
The textbooks make very little reference to the role played by Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in the cultural, military and civic life of Pakistain, meaning "a young minority student will thus not find many examples of educated religious minorities in their own textbooks," the report said.
"In most cases historic revisionism seems designed to exonerate or glorify Islamic civilisation, or to denigrate the civilisations of religious minorities," the report said.
"Basic changes to the texts would be needed to present a history free of false or unsubstantiated claims which convey religious bias."
The researchers also found that the books foster a sense that Pakistain's Islamic identity is under constant threat.
"The anti-Islamic forces are always trying to finish the Islamic domination of the world," read one passage from social studies text being taught to Grade 4 students in Punjab province, the country's most populated.
"This can cause danger for the very existence of Islam. Today, the defense of Pakistain and Islam is very much in need."
The report states that Islamic teachings and references were commonplace in compulsory text books, not just religious ones, meaning Pakistain's Christians, Hindus and other minorities were being taught Islamic content.
It said this appeared to violate Pakistain's constitution, which states that students should not have to receive instruction in a religion other than their own.
The attitudes of the teachers no doubt reflect the general intolerance in Pakistain.
The 2011 Pew Research Center study found the country is the third most intolerant in the world, but because of the influence they have, they are especially worrisome.
Their views were frequently nuanced and sometimes contradictory.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Only the third most intolerant country.Who is first and second?
Saudi,China,Somalia,Burma?
Posted by: Paul D ||
11/10/2011 16:20 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Pakistain's president promised to work with the United States to "eradicate" the orc Haqqani network, a pledge made during a meeting with visiting American congressmen, according to one of the politicians.
But the head of the Homeland Security delegation, Michael McCaul, downplayed the significance of the remarks, saying it was unclear whether President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... had the power to make good on his pledge, given the influence of the military in Pakistain.
According to McCaul, Zardari also appeared to brush off threats that US aid spending to Pakistain could be significantly cut if Islamabad did not do more to squeeze bully boyz like the Haqqanis, who are based in northwest Pakistain but attack US and Afghan troops in Afghanistan.
"I think he thinks it's a given that we are going to continue the aid, but I tried to tell him that it's in jeopardy," McCaul, a Republican congressman from Texas, said of Zardari. "He said, 'I appreciate your assistance, but it's trade more than aid that I need."'
McCaul and the visiting politicians met with Zardari in the Pak port city of Bloody Karachi on Tuesday, and revealed details of his conversation later the same day.
Relations between the United States and Pakistain have plummeted over the last year following the shooting deaths of two Paks by a CIA contractor and the American unilateral raid that killed the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now beyond all cares and woe... in May.
Persistent allegations that Pak security forces are aiding or tolerating Afghan bully boyz have led many US politicians to call for cuts in the billions of dollars in aid given to Pakistain.
The Haqqani network is an al-Qaeda linked orc group with roots in eastern Afghanistan that has long been based in the Pak border region of North Wazoo. US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization.... officials say it is currently the most deadly foe in Afghanistan.
The problem is especially acute because Washington is committed to withdrawing most of its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Seeing the country fall back into the hands of the Taliban or descend into bloody civil war would be a crushing failure for Washington.
The US has been applying steady pressure on Pakistain to tackle the Haqqanis, but with little effect.
"The president, on the record, said 'I am going to work with you to eradicate them,"' McCaul said. He further quoted Zardari as saying: "I know these people very well, they are snakes and I'm going to go after all of them."
McCaul said he welcomed the president's statement, but "the real question is how much does this president control the military" and the country's spy service.
Zardari heads a democratically elected civilian government, but the military, which has ruled Pakistain for much of its existence, does not follow his orders when it comes to Afghan policy and other defense issues.
McCaul said the American delegation asked to meet the Mighty Pak Army and spy chiefs, but this was not possible.
The Pak military views neighboring India, and not cut-throats at home, as the country's biggest threat and sees Afghanistan through that lens. Consequently, Islamabad is widely believed to be reluctant to move against the Haqqanis because it sees them as potential allies against Indian influence in Afghanistan when America withdraws.
In talks late last month with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ... sometimes described as For a good time at 3 a.m. call Hillary and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Charles Evans Hughes ... and other American officials, Mighty Pak Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... recognized the need to "squeeze the Haqqanis," a senior US official said at the time, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Greater intelligence sharing, cutting financing networks and stopping fighters from crossing the border were discussed, he said.
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11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. on Wednesday said that the law and order situation in the country had improved, but it was not yet ideal.
He was talking to the newsmen during his visit to the mausoleum of Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal ...Iqbal was a strong proponent of Islamic civilization across the world, but specifically in India. One of the most prominent leaders of the All-India Moslem League, Iqbal encouraged the creation of a state in northwestern India for Indian Moslems in 1930. Iqbal encouraged and worked closely with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and he is known as The Thinker of Pakistan and as The Sage of the Ummah. He is officially recognised as the national poet in Pakistain, while most people outside the country have never heard of him and could care less... on the occasion of Iqbal Day.
Malik said Pakistain was passing through a very critical situation which demands unity among all segments of the society.
Replying to a question, he rejected the impression that Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz (PML-N) was playing the role of a friendly opposition.
Malik said that one should realise that whether or not his action was in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistain.
Responding to another query, he said that they had never used unparliamentary language against any one at the party (PPP) level.
"We are totally against such people, who go to that extent," he added.
The interior minister said: "If anyone has objection on any issue, he must take it up in the Parliament".
Regarding Shahbaz Sharif's harsh statements against President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... , Malik expressed the hope that Shahbaz would perhaps not utter such statements in future.
Replying to a question, he said that at the 17th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Conference, the matters related to the security, economic and other would be discussed.
"We want to stabilise Pakistain," he said, adding that Pakistain's relations with India had now improved.
The interior minister also stressed the need for promoting Allama Iqbal's philosophy among the youth, citing "Iqbal's philosophy is actually the basis of Pakistain's creation."
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11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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Next play is to ask General Assembly for upgrade to "observer nation".
The Paleostinian Authority failed in its bid for full UN membership, its officials admitted on Wednesday. They said they were now unlikely to call for a vote on the matter in the Security Council.
The PA is expected instead to turn to the General Assembly, where it has an automatic majority, and ask that its status be upgraded to that of an observer nation.
This would give the Paleostinians de facto international recognition as a state, even if it does not bestow upon them full-state rights in the international arena.
"Our plan now is to take the battle to the UN General Assembly, where we are certain to score victory. This will allow us access to many important UN agencies and organizations, including the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... ," a PA official told The Jerusalem Post.
He spoke a day after a Security Council subcommittee draft report was leaked to Rooters. It showed the PA had only eight of the nine votes it needed for its UN membership bid to pass the Security Council, on which 15 nations sit.
The subcommittee is expected to submit its report to the Security Council on Friday.
Council diplomats have said Russia, China, Brazil, India, Leb, South Africa, Gabon and Nigeria support the Paleostinian bid. The US opposes it. It is expected that Britannia, La Belle France, Colombia, Germany, Portugal and Bosnia would abstain.
The US, one of five council members with veto power, has promised to veto the measure should it pass the council. But initially Paleostinians pushed forward anyway. They had hoped to show that the US was isolated among the Western powers in support of Israel and to prove they had international support by gaining the nine votes to approve the bid.
Army expresses interest in the system for deployment outside US bases in Iraq, Afghanistan; S.Korea is also interested.
Israel has received word the United States is considering issuing an official request for information from the Defense Ministry for technical specifications regarding the Iron Dome anti-rocket system, ahead of a possible purchase.
The US Army has expressed interest in the system to be deployed outside forward bases in Iraq and Afghanistan that could potentially be targeted by Katyusha rockets. The US military has discovered 107 mm. Katyushas in Iraq in the past.
Another potential client is South Korea, which is interested in using the system to defend against rocket attacks from North Korea.
Israel currently has three Iron Dome batteries deployed in the South. They have intercepted a number of rockets since the beginning of the year including during the recent round of violence with Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the liquidation of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... in late October.
Iron Dome is designed to defend against rockets at a range of 4 to 70 km., and each battery consists of a multi-mission radar manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries and three launchers, each equipped with 20 interceptors named Tamir.
By the end of 2012, Barak said Israel would have nine operational Iron Dome batteries including thousands of Tamir interceptors. Each interceptor costs about $50,000 and a battery around $50 million.
Two rockets are usually fired at enemy targets slated for interception.
Earlier this year, the US Congress gave Israel $205 million to purchase four more Iron Dome batteries.
In August, Rafael announced it was partnering with Raytheon to market the Iron Dome in the US. The system is said to be capable of working together with the US Army's Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) system as part of a layered defense for military bases.
#1
I haven't heard much more recently about the efforts to develop a solid state laser version of C-RAM. If one could take out frequent incoming artillery rounds quickly, it would be worth its weight in gold.
[An Nahar] Special Tribunal for Leb Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare is exerting strong efforts to guarantee the cooperation of Lebanese authorities with his investigations into ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's Feb. 2005 liquidation.
According to information received by Naharnet, Bellemare is currently adopting the policy of "carrot and stick" to avoid an "overt confrontation" with Lebanese authorities.
But the STL prosecutor is convinced about the need to raise the level of pressure on the authorities in Beirut to push them towards cooperating with him amid signs they are attempting to gain time and procrastinating in meeting the requests of the tribunal.
Informed sources believe that Lebanese authorities should ready themselves in the next few days for new requests from Bellemare's office to hear the viewpoints of security, military and judicial officials on the "seriousness" of the cooperation with the prosecutor.
Bellemare has hinted in a document he delivered to the tribunal about his intention to summon Lebanese officials and maybe party members to the court to question them on whether they are incapable of arresting the four suspects indicted in Hariri's liquidation or they are refusing to do so.
The four are Hizbullah members. They are Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi, and Assad Sabra.
If the prosecutor goes ahead with his decision, then the Lebanese cabinet, which is constitutionally the decision-maker, would find itself in a new crisis that goes behind the fear of being targeted by international sanctions over any rejection by the government to fund the STL.
Bellemare's move could furthermore lead to a direct accusation to top Lebanese personalities of not only obstructing the course of international justice by rejecting the STL funding but also of collaborating with the suspects and the parties that are protecting them, which is a crime punishable by law.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pound, Zebulon finally found just the friend he'd been looking for... Bellemare's office is shying away from responding to questions about reports that the prosecutor is suffering from a serious illness.
When asked about the reports and Bellemare's alleged recovery abroad, his staff continues to repeat the same answer: "The prosecutor's office has no comment at this stage."
But the calm prevailing in his office seems to be the result of a firm policy and not confusion. All indications reveal that the work of his staff is continuing at full speed on more than one front.
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11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Western nations on Wednesday condemned opponents of UN action against Syria with La Belle France accusing many Security Council powers of "indifference" toward killings being carried out by government forces.
A Security Council debate on protecting civilians reopened diplomatic wounds over the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... Arclight airstrikes in Libya as well as the failure to agree to a stance on Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... 's deadly crackdown in Syria.
La Belle France's U.N. envoy Gerard Araud said the 15-member body had "abdicated its responsibilities" when China and Russia blocked a resolution condemning the violence in Syria. The U.N. says more than 3,500 people have now been killed there.
"Some vetoed even limited action by the Security Council. Others chose abstention, that is indifference," Araud told the meeting.
"It is a serious failure of the Security Council, in humanitarian or political terms."
Russia and China used their right of veto as permanent members to veto the October 4 resolution. Brazil, India, South Africa and Leb abstained.
"Now the Syrian government continues to fire on its population, to siege, carry out thousands of arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances and torture," Araud said.
U.S. ambassador Susan Rice called Syria the most "immediate" civilian challenge facing the council. Despite the veto, "the crisis in Syria will stay before the Security Council and we will not rest until this council rises to meets its responsibilities," she said.
La Belle France, Britannia and Germany have said they will look for new ways to get the Security Council to at least condemn the violence in a resolution.
Their rejected resolution only spoke of possible measures against Assad. But Russia and China refused to accept any hint of sanctions which they said could lead to a Libya-style conflict in Syria.
The opponents of military action hit back at the West in their speeches to the meeting chaired by Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva. Many raised the air strikes in Libya, which NATO has insisted were within U.N. resolutions passed this year.
"Attempts to manipulate council mandates are inadmissible even when proclaiming the noblest cause in doing so," said Russia's U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin.
He said the breaches of U.N. resolutions alleged by his country and its allies "undermine the potential for joint actions by the international community in similar situations."
"We find several member states all too willing to expend considerable resources for regime change in the name of protection of civilians," said India's U.N. ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri.
The Security Council should not complicate conflicts in countries such as Syria "by threats of sanctions, regime change etc", he added.
China's envoy Li Baodong said there should be "no political motives involved" in operations to protect civilians.
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11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The deputy chief of Iran's armed forces warned on Wednesday that any attack by Israel would bring "destruction" of the Jewish state and that Iran's retaliation would be felt outside the Middle East as well.
Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri stressed that the Israeli nuclear site of Dimona was "the most accessible" target, and that "our response would not be limited to the Middle East," according to an interview given to the Iranian Arabic-language channel al-Alam.
"The smallest action by Israel (against Iran) and we will see its destruction," he said.
Jazayeri was quoted as saying that Iran "has plans ready for retaliation in case of attack."
The comments followed a warning by Israeli President Shimon Peres last weekend that an attack on Iran was becoming "more and more likely."
Israeli media last week issued several reports speculating that the Israeli government was seriously considering an attack on Iranian nuclear sites, but that a decision had not yet been made.
Israel fears that Iran, its biggest foe in the Middle East, is seeking nuclear weapons that could threaten its existence.
A report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Tuesday said it had "serious concerns" based on "credible" information indicating that the Islamic republic "has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear bomb."
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11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
[IRAN-CONTRA = "WAR" MTV Video by Bruce Springstein here].
#6
I'm dead serious. Russia, Iran, and China have a mutual defense treaty. The dominoes are set up. If Israel attacks Iran, China and Russia declare declare war. If the US defends Israel, we get pulled into it. If we get pulled into it, NATO gets pulled into it. So then we have the US and NATO against an Iran, Syria, Russia, China axis, or more simply put, WWIII.
In the case of Russia, it was negotiated specifically to head off a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear program:
"A high-level diplomatic source in Tehran tells Asia Times Online that essentially Putin and the Supreme Leader have agreed on a plan to nullify the George W Bush administration's relentless drive towards launching a preemptive attack, perhaps a tactical nuclear strike, against Iran. An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia."
#7
crosspatch, I cannot imagine Russia going to war on behalf of Iran. Making troubles: which rise the value of their oil exports, and give them a lever re USA policies in Russian "near abroad"; is one thing. But war, they are barely controlling Caucasus.
#9
Well, the extent to which they "go to war" would be up for debate. It could be limited to defensive measures only. But once a Russian anti-aircraft gunner or pilot is killed, the mood will quickly change in Russia.
The Russians might have some wiggle room if they say that it is because Iran violated nuclear non-proliferation treaties and that nullifies the agreement, I would have no way of knowing and can only speculate.
But it does add a degree of uncertainty. Israel attacking by herself would be a difficult gamble. If the attack were a joint NATO/Israeli attack, that might be a different story.
If Israel simply strikes Iran, I would expect a rain of missiles from Gaza and Lebanon and possibly Syria. So maybe a phased approach would be better where Israel finds justification for operations in Gaza first to neutralize that threat. The expectation would be that missiles when then fly from Lebanon as they did in 2006 after Israel went into Gaza. Then Israel would simply take all of Lebanon South of the Litani.
At that point the next move would be Syria's. Does Syria go to war on behalf if Iran? I somehow don't think that would gain a lot of popular support in Syria. If Syria sits tight, the way is then clear to strike Iran.
In other words, I would look at where Israel would most likely see retaliation for a strike on Iran and neutralize those threats first. The current crop of missiles being fired out of Gaza might give enough justification for an operation there and might precipitate justification for taking out Southern Lebanon as well.
With Syria's army deserting in droves and the people there pretty much fed up with the Iranians, Syria might simply sit tight or the Army might simply use a mobilization order to stage a coup and get rid of Assad.
At that point Iran is in a much weaker position and might decide to cooperate on nuclear weapons if they have half a brain.
#10
Then to forestall anything by the Egyptians, the Israelis should remind them that the Samson Option WILL include Cairo and Alexandria if the Egyptians jump in.
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.
[Dawn] Human rights group 
International Criminal Court
"The international team of doctors in charge of treating Hugo Chavez's cancer does not expect him to live more than six months," said Roger Noriega, former U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States.
Zawahiri
Pervez 
[Dawn] Text books in Pak schools foster prejudice and intolerance of Hindus and other religious minorities, while most teachers view non-
Punjab
Asif Ali 
The Haqqani network is an al-Qaeda linked
[Dawn] Federal Interior Minister 
Next play is to ask General Assembly for upgrade to "observer nation".
North Korea
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
