[Tolo News] A Parwan MP and family members of the civilians killed two weeks ago during a confrontation between Taliban hard boyz and coalition and Afghan forces in Ghorband District have called into question the accuracy of the recent report submitted to President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... on the incident.
The report was compiled and submitted by a delegation led by Parwan MP Abdul Satar Khawasi, who was linked last week to efforts to incite violence against foreign troops when a video recording of him railing agaignst the U.S. was delivered to TOLOnews.
President Karzai commissioned the report after the joint NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... -Afghan military operation was called a success by some and failure by others.
Despite differing reports from NATO officials, Afghan military brass and Karzai's delegation, what is certain is that there were civilian casualties that were caused by an air raid conducted by coalition planes, but sanctioned by Afghan officials.
A Parwan MP on Monday claimed Khawasi and his delegation were seeking to score political points with Karzai by submitting a report that smeared the U.S.
"The delegation was not impartial...They lied, they did not say the facts," Parwan MP Rahman Rahman said.
Relatives of four civilians killed during the fight in Ghorband told TOLOnews that Karzai's delegation had taken the wrong people in to provide accounts of the incident for Karzai's report. They said the individuals the delegation chose as witnesses had in fact been involved in the combat - fighting the coalition and Afghan troops.
Khawasi's report was said to have included accounts suggesting U.S. troops had systematically targeted civilian homes.
The report came at a sensitive time in U.S.-Afghan relations as a security pact governing their military partnership post-2014 remains unsigned by President Karzai, who has demanded the U.S. end its unilateral operations in Afghanistan and help kickstart peace talks with the Taliban.
Those who support the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) have come out in support of the Ghorband operation and in condemnation of Khawasi's report, while Karzai and others have blamed the U.S. for the Ghorband incident, further undermining the chances of a security deal being finalized anytime soon.
Relatives of four civilians killed during the fight in Ghorband told TOLOnews that Karzai's delegation had taken the wrong people in to provide accounts of the incident for Karzai's report. They said the individuals the delegation chose as witnesses had in fact been involved in the combat - fighting the coalition and Afghan troops.
Part of Khawasi's report to Karzai included photos of supposed civilian casualties from the incident. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... has proven that the photos were actually from 2009, originally posted to the Taliban's internet homepage.
"The delegation showed old photos and, in fact, the delegation did not even go to the place," MP Rahman said.
The Governor of Parwan's office has confirmed that the government delegation did not travel to the village in Ghorband during its investigation into the incident.
Hashmatullah, a young boy who lost his mother, brother, and two sisters in the Ghorband clash recounted his experience, which had major differences from the tale told by Khawasi's delegation.
"The Taliban came to our house and fired from our home outside," Hashmatullah said. "We told them to leave, we are neutral, but at that moment the air planes dropped bombs and we were under them."
Despite being directly effected by the incident, and ostensibly being the very victims Karzai's delegation was committed to honoring, Hashmatullah's family said that they had never been contacted by the delegation or the government.
"We did not see anyone, no delegation and no government," Hashmatullah's uncle said.
Another relative of the family Nik Mohammad claimed Taliban hard boyz had pretended to be civilians as they entered the village and began exchanging fire with the Afghan and coalition troops.
Lawmakers, military leaders and civil society groups have come out in support of the joint operation, while also paying condolences to the civilians that were lost. Many have said Karzai's reliance on the clearly doctored report would only serve to undermine he and the government's credibility.
"The report destroys the credibility of the delegation as it was incorrect," civil society activist Mir Ahmad Joyenda said. "The credibility of the government will also be called into question."
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[An Nahar] Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. on Monday appealed for a political and economic renaissance in his country ravaged by war, poverty and political turmoil.
"We in the National Congress Party (NCP) are calling for all Sudanese to participate in this renaissance," he said in a speech designed to address urgent calls for reform in his 25-year-old regime, but which fell short of critics' expectations.
It was the latest call he has made in the past year for a broad political dialogue, including with the country's armed hard boys.
But this time, he made his appeal directly to opposition figures -- including breakaway members of his own NCP -- who joined the audience of government-linked parties, cabinet members and foreign diplomats at a conference hall along the Blue Nile.
The Islamist Hassan al-Turabi, a leading figure behind the 1989 coup that brought Bashir to power, was among those present, marking the first time in 14 years that he had attended an NCP event.
He broke away in 2000 and formed the opposition Popular Congress.
"The speech did not meet our expectations," Turabi told news hounds after.
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[An Nahar] Libya's prime minister said Monday five Egyptian diplomats kidnapped in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and freed as part of an apparent prisoner swap will return to their homeland "in a few hours".
Kidnappers snatched four Egyptian diplomats in Tripoli on Saturday, the day after another member of the embassy in the city was taken.
The abductions came after a prominent commander in Libya's 2011 rebellion that ousted dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...The late megalomaniac dictator of Libya, admired everywhere for his garish costumes, funny hats, harem of cutie bodyguards, and incoherent ravings. As far as is known, he is the only person who's ever declared jihad on Switzerland... was incarcerated ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... in the Egyptian city of Alexandria.
All five were freed late on Sunday, Libya's foreign ministry said.
On Monday, Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan ... served as a diplomat for Libya during the 1970s, serving in India under Ambassador Mohammed Magariaf. Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. Zeidan spent nearly three decades in exile in Geneva after the defection. During the revolution Zeidan served as the National Transitional Council's Europe envoy, and is credited as having played a key role in persuading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the anti-Qadaffy forces... said they would return home soon.
"The freed Egyptian diplomats will travel to Egypt in a few hours," Zeidan told a news conference.
The kidnappings came shortly after the arrest in Alexandria of Shaaban Hadeia, leader of the 2011 uprising.
Hadeia, head of the Operations Centre of Libya's Thuwar, a group of ex-rebels that fought Qadaffy, announced his release himself on television.
A security source in Tripoli told AFP the kidnappers freed the diplomats as part of a deal between Libya and Egypt.
Zeidan said the kidnapping had "tarnished the image of Libya, now considered a country that does not respect international laws".
But he added the incident "will not affect relations" between the countries, saying the Egyptian mission's staff, who left Libya after the kidnappings, would return to Tripoli soon.
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[MAGHAREBIA] Algeria's main Islamist party on Saturday (January 25th) announced a boycott of the April 17th presidential election, AFP reported. Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP) chief Abderrazak Mokri cited "the lack of real opportunity for political reform" and other reasons for the boycott.
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[Egypt Independent] Tunisia's national assembly approved the country's new constitution on Sunday in one of the last steps to establishing full democracy three years after the uprising that toppled autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
Just before the constitution vote, Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa appointed a caretaker cabinet as part of a deal to end a crisis between Tunisia's Islamist party and its secular opposition until new elections this year.
Tunisia's new constitution and progress contrasts sharply with messy transitions in Libya,Egypt and Yemen which are still caught up in turmoil after ousting their own long-standing leaders in 2011 revolts and uprisings.
After the historic vote, the red and white Tunisian flag was unfurled and assembly deputies embraced, danced and sang inside the chamber in Tunis to celebrate the charter, which has been widely praised for its inclusiveness.
"This constitution was the dream of Tunisians, this constitution is proof of the revival of the revolution, this constitution creates a democratic civil nation," Assembly chief Mustapha Ben Jaafar said.
While the new constitution recognizes Islam as the country's religion, it also enshrines freedom of conscience and belief, and equality between the sexes.
As one of the most secular nations in the Arab world, Tunisia has struggled since the revolt, with divisions over the role of Islam and the rise of ultra-conservative Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... , who secularists feared would try to roll back liberal rights.
The liquidation of two opposition leaders by Islamist forces of Evil last year, though, pitched the small North African country into crisis with the ruling moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, under pressure to step down.
Opposition leaders blamed Ennahda for going easy on hardline Islamists who promoted the idea of Islamic state based on strict sharia law.
After the vote, in what many saw a symbol of compromise, Mongi Rahoui, a deputy from the assassinated leaders' party, embraced Habib Louz, an Ennahda hardliner. The two men sparred furiously over Islam last week.
"With this, Tunisia should be a model for the region," Ennahda chief Rached Ghannouchi said of the charter. "These advances in democracy in Tunisia should have a positive effect on the other Arab Spring countries."
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[Egypt Independent] Morsy-era Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky warned the next president of Egypt of allowing army to "engage in political activities, so as not to lead to his [the president's] fall and the collapse of the state itself."
According to Mekky, military rule does not only mean that the president comes from a military background, but it also includes giving the military access to control the governing of the state.
"Most of the countries in which the army intervened to work in politics collapsed and their armies collapsed with it, as happened in Greece, Argentina and Burma," Mekky explained.
The former Justice Minister demanded the next president to immediately begin "a genuine and strong national reconciliation with the Moslem Brüderbund through open paths to peacefully express opinion and allow them to talk in the media."
"If the Moslem Brüderbund turned into a terrorist organization, it means the government has failed in dealing with them," he added.
"If Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi , the defense minister, runs for the presidency, he has to keep the army away, as well as the judiciary, because it gets corrupted when involving into politics," he also said.
Mekky added that the "Brotherhood were subjected, during the rule of President Mohammed Morsy, to war with the deep state, represented in the police, army and deep state officials associated with the judiciary and the media who intended them [MB] to fail."
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[Egypt Independent] The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... has agreed to provide the Egyptian government with nearly 500 million Euros in financial aid in one lump sum, instead of dividing them into smaller packages.
Gamal Bayoumy, who heads the Egyptian-European partnership unit at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa Eddin is leading negotiations for the aid expected from the EU, and that both sides are determining areas of cooperation in light of the package.
Bayoumy said that Bahaa Eddin had discussed areas where the aid should be spent with Planning Minister Ashraf al-Araby. Those include education, roads, energy and environment. He added that those areas had been proposed by the Egyptian, rather than the European, side.
If approved, Bayoumy noted, the interim presidency should issue a decree approving the new mechanism for delivering the aid.
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Egypt's military leaders have endorsed army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sissi for president, hours after he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshall, the highest in the country's armed forces, dpa reported.
President and Field Marshall! Rommel never had it so good!
Mubarak was a marshal, too. History doesn't repeat itself. It stutters.
Members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces had met for several hours to discuss al-Sissi's possible bid for presidency. Their decision comes after tens of thousands gathered in central Cairo, on the third anniversary of the 2011 revolt that ousted Hosny Mubarak, to pressure al-Sissi to run for the post.
Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour announced earlier Monday that he had promoted al-Sissi to the rank of Field Marshall.
Al-Sissi, who announced the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July, earlier this month gave his clearest indication of where he sees his political future.
"If I nominate myself, this should come after demands from the people and a mandate from the army," he said at a military ceremony in Cairo.
He is expected to sweep the vote, as he is the country most popular leader since Morsi's ouster.
Pro-army groups have launched a series of campaigns in recent months, collecting petitions for al-Sissi to run in this year's expected presidential election. Egypt will hold presidential elections before parliamentary polls. No specific dates have been announced yet.
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[An Nahar] Central Africa's prime minister on Monday appointed a new government to pull the deeply divided country out of crisis, incorporating both Christian militias and supporters of the mainly Mohammedan Seleka rebellion.
Andre Nzapayeke's transitional government faces the daunting task of ending the bloodshed, restoring the operations of a state whose coffers are empty and whose employees have gone months without pay, and organizing general elections by February 2015.
It comprises 20 ministers, seven of them women, and includes several members of the administration of former president Michel Djotodia.
The prime minister, who was only appointed on Saturday, made the announcement as hundreds of former Seleka fighters left the capital Bangui under military escort after days of festivities between Christian and Mohammedan civilians.
Violence between the Christian majority and Mohammedan minority first erupted after the Seleka rebels overthrew the government in March last year and installed its leader, Djotodia, as president.
Djotodia failed to rein in a wave of killing, raping and looting by his former fighters, leading to the emergence of Christian vigilante groups known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) that are accused of committing atrocities of their own against Mohammedans, including civilian massacres.
The violence has triggered international concern, and on Tuesday the U.N. Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution imposing sanctions against those responsible.
The U.N. Security Council measure will target "individuals who harm peace and stability and hinder the process of political transition in the Central African Republic by fueling violence" and violating human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. , foreign ministry front man Romain Nadal said in Gay Paree.
The draft resolution, sponsored by La Belle France, was announced after further festivities Sunday in the CAR capital, despite last week's election of interim President Catherine Samba Panza by the transitional parliament in the former French colony.
Washington is also weighing "targeted" CAR sanctions against "those who further destabilize the situation or pursue their own selfish ends by abetting or encouraging the violence", U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... announced Sunday.
In an effort to ease the tensions in the capital, African peacekeepers operating under a U.N. mandate on Monday evacuated hundreds of former Seleka from two camps in Bangui, among them senior rebel leaders.
Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director for Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... , said one of the convoys carrying men from the Seleka coalition drove out of Bangui on Sunday with a large armed escort from MISCA, an African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... force of 5,200 men backed by 1,600 French troops.
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[DAILYPOST.NG] Renowned northern leader and the Convener, Coalition of Northern Leaders, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen (CNLAPB), Junaid Mohammed, has described the promise of the new Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, that he will flush out Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... from the north within four months as unrealistic.
According to Mohammed, an ex-politician, going by the history of the outlawed sect, the military might not be able to end their activities within the next five months as promised by the new CDS.
He told Punch that the first task of the new Service Chief should be to restore unity in the army, which, he claimed, had become divided under the former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika.
He said, "I think the statement that Boko Haram insurgency will end by April is rash. But I don't want to be too harsh because I don't know the man (Badeh). If Ihejirika had made that statement, I would have said it was an irresponsible statement. The new Chief of Defence staff is not known to me and I haven't heard of his management style. But I think it is a rash statement.
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[Dhaka Tribune] At least 11 activists of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... and the BNP including two fake affected persons of Gaibandha sadar upazila reportedly received financial assistance of TK2.20 lakh from Prime Minister the loathesome Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums.. on Saturday.
The incident came into light after a local Awami League leader sent a letter to the premier, through the deputy commissioner, informing her about the "inclusion of attackers on the list of victims" of Jamaat-BNP attacks centring January 5 election.
M Khairul Islam, president of AL's ward three unit of Lakshmipur union, in the letter sent on Sunday pleaded for cancelling the cheques of Tk20,000 given to each of them.
Hasina at a function at the Circuit House on Saturday afternoon distributed cheques ranging from Tk20,000-10,000,00 among 72 family members of those killed or injured in the attacks on January 5.
Of them, family members of the 11 Jamaat-BNP activists -- of who two were fake victims -- received TK 20,000 each.
The 11 alleged BNP-Jamaat men are Razu Miah, Feresha, Mozammel Haque and Maidul of Jamaat; Abdul Jalil, Reazul, Chand Miah, Abdul Jalil and Mahabub of the BNP; and Abdur Rashid Master and Wahed Master -- who were not affected at all.
Khairul, who filed a case against the local Jamaat-BNP men for the attacks, claimed that the criminals had beaten up the Awami League men and also torched their business establishments in Khamar Gobindapur area of the union.
Khairul said he and a number of Awami League activists had been injured seriously and were admitted to Gaibandha Sadar Hospital for treatment.
But to cover up the misdeeds and save the accused from legal action, the BNP-Jamaat supporters had removed goods from their shops and then set those on fire.
Later, the names of the 11 activists were included by the panel chairman of the union parishad, Abdul Jalil Sarder, who is also a BNP activist, Khairul said.
He said many of the 11 were accused in a case he had filed. He alleged that Panel Chairman Jalil had enlisted their names intentionally in a bid to save them from facing legal measures over the attacks.
When contacted, Jalil claimed that he had not included names of any Jamaat activists. "Names of several BNP men might have been enlisted as their business establishments were vandalised after the election."
Local politician Mahabub Ara Begum Gini said she had received a complaint from Khairul and that it was being investigated.
When asked, DC Ehsan-E-Elahi said he had not received the letter as of last night.
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[Ynet] La Belle France's president said French and Turkish intelligence services will cooperate to prevent jihadists from Europe going to Syria to fight.
Thousands of Europeans are fighting in Syria, which borders Turkey, and nearly 700 French citizens or residents are in some way involved, according to French officials.
[DAWN] The provincial government said on Sunday the series of 'terrorist attacks' on law enforcement agencies aimed at demoralising them in their quest to purge the society from extremist elements would not succeed and, instead, would play as a catalyst to boost the morale and courage of the security personnel against 'timid enemies'.
"The targeted action against militants will continue until the last criminal is eliminated", said Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah in response to the Saturday night twin attacks that claimed lives of six policemen in Landhi.
On Sunday, funeral prayers for five of the slain policemen -- ASI Naeem, ASI Javed, Head Constable Muhammad Asif and constables Fida Hussain and Khalil Ahmed -- were offered in Karachi. The body of the sixth victim had been dispatched to Wazirabad, Punjab.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon told reports at his office that the coward terrorists were afraid of facing brave policemen from the front.
"Those who inflict colossal loss to cops will never be forgiven for their crimes and they must be taken to task at all costs," Mr Memon said.
The minister said 'terrorists' had miserably assumed that they could ever cause the morale of the armed forces and police to decline "while the fact is that the morale of our forces has boosted and they are more determined to chase and eliminate the terrorists with all the strength they have".
He said the security forces especially Rangers and police had bravely conducted their raids and arrested terrorists and would continue to perform their national obligation with due fervour and zeal.
"Terrorists will never succeed in their evil designs to push our forces to the wall.
"We are chasing them in a fashion that they will find no place to hide. They are destined to face the music," he said.
He expressed condolence with the bereaved families and pledged that the provincial government would bring those involved in the assassination to task.
Meanwhile, the city police chief, Shahid Hayat vowed to continue the targeted operations 'no matter what it costs'.
He announced a Rs5 million reward for those who helped investigators in identifying the attackers who killed the six policemen in two attacks in Landhi.
"No matter what it takes Karachi operation shall go on and police will not backtrack from its stance of fighting against criminal elements destroying peace," said a statement quoting the city police chief Hayat.
"Recent killings of policemen cannot stop us from doing our job," he declared. "We conducted several raids last night and arrested a number of suspects. We will do it again tonight and tomorrow."
He said it was not the first time when the Karachi police were being targeted. There were attacks on police stations and even one on the convoy of a then Karachi Corps Commander in the past.
He mentioned the assassinations of a number of policemen, prominent scholars, leaders and philanthropists in the city and said: "But the Karachi police have a history in bringing the situation back to normal and we will do it again."
Meanwhile, the CM ordered the provincial police chief to immediately arrest the terrorists involved in the attacks on police and murders of scores of innocent citizens.
He reiterated that such attacks could not demoralise the force and their sacrifices would succeed in eliminating militancy.
He asked the Sindh police chief to equip his force with bullet-proof vests and other paraphernalia in least possible time and ordered for a report to be submitted to him soon.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad asked the IGP Sindh as well to submit reports about the attacks on the policemen and firing at the vehicle of MPA Muhammad Kamran of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, said an official handout.
a
He directed the police chief and the Rangers director general to further strengthen security arrangements across the city, and ensure those responsible of the acts be brought to justice.
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[DAWN] Senior coppers have urged the government to use 'diplomatic channels' to ascertain 'such places in a neighbouring Moslem state' where, according to their findings, a number of recently locked away Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! suspected assassins received training and then carried out assassinations in the city mostly on sectarian grounds, it emerged on Sunday.
A team of CID sleuths recently arrested at least two suspected killers associated with a banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization who, it claimed, had killed more than 50 people in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... and targeted members of their rival outfit in Quetta as well. More than a dozen other members of the killer gang were still on the run, officials said.
"We have sped up efforts for the arrest of the remaining members of the gang," said Raja Umer Khattab, who heads the counter-terrorism unit of the Sindh police's Crime Investigation Department (CID).
"The findings have been forwarded to high-ups who will definitely take up the matter at appropriate forums. We have also suggested exploring all options including diplomatic channels and other possible avenues to ascertain such places in the neighouring Moslem country, where the suspects received training," he said.
"The objective and agenda must come to fore what really motivated those forces to train our youngsters for creating a war-like situation in the city when the country is in the grip of the worst kind of terrorism of its history apparently because of involvement of several forces," he added.
Mr Khattab had announced on Saturday the arrests of Jauhar Hussain alias Jaffer alias Rehman and Irshaad Hussain alias Amir alias Hussain, members of a gang run by the banned Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistain. The suspects, he said, were arrested after a raid in Abbas Town on Friday.
He said that the assassins group was trained and was being financed by the 'neighbouring Moslem state' whose name he avoided to take and said the suspects belonged to the city's well-off families and some of them were from Parachinar.
The suspects' arrests and the CID's claims about their background and associations drew a sharp reaction from the Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Moslemeen (MWM) which accused the law-enforcement agency of targeting Shia youngsters.
"The Shia youngsters are being targeted frequently in the city but the CID and other law-enforcement agencies have not made any arrest on these lines," said an MWM statement quoting the organization's deputy secretary general Allama Anwar Ali, who met families of the arrested suspects on Sunday and then addressed a hurriedly-called meeting of the party's provincial cabinet.
"After Shia genocide, the MWM will not tolerate any adventurism against Shia youngsters who are being arrested in the name of Karachi operation. They are being implicated in false cases on charges of their being members of banned organizations. It's sheer injustice as the CID sleuths have not only showed brutality but also violated sanctity of homes while raiding the youngsters' homes," he said.
He said that it was the government's responsibility to track down 'Israeli agents' who had turned the country into a terrorists' badland but it was 'so unfortunate' that the authorities were focusing only on cosmetic arrangements instead of launching an operation against the myrmidons.
"The recent CID actions have caused anger in Shia community. We demand the government release all the youngsters who have been arrested on false charges. Otherwise, we will launch a protest campaign from Karachi to Khyber," added the MWM statement quoting Allama Anwar Ali.
The anti-terror wing of the Sindh police on the other hand appeared totally unfazed by the MWM reaction and stressed the law-enforcement agency was bound to act against terrorism regardless of its 'apparent name, association and face.' "The action is not directed against any particular community," said Mr Khattab.
"We arrest a number of suspects everyday without identifying their colour, religion or beliefs. We are bound to fight terror and will go after every man who is suspected to be involved in this dirty game in any manner," he said.
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[DAWN] The Pak Taliban may be planning attacks on tourists in the country's mountainous north, where 10 foreign climbers were massacred last year, officials warned Monday.
Thousands of tourists visit Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral each year, many drawn by the area's impressive mountains and glaciers, including the world's second highest peak K2.
Pakistain has seen a surge in myrmidon attacks in recent weeks and officials are warning these may spread to the north as the spring tourist season gets under way.
"The interior ministry has officially informed Gilgit-Baltistan that the Pak Taliban can strike the region," a bigwig of the Gilgit-Baltistan administration told foreign news agency AFP on condition of anonymity. "The interior ministry has warned of suicide kabooms and attacks on tourists in the region."
Another official, also speaking anonymously, confirmed the warning.
The climbing industry in northern Pakistain was badly hit by the attack on foreign mountaineers at the foot of Pakistain's second highest mountain Nanga Parbat in June last year.
It was the deadliest assault on foreigners in the country for a decade. Those killed were an American with dual Chinese citizenship, three Ukrainians, two Chinese, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian and a Nepalese. A Pak guide was also killed.
Police in Gilgit-Baltistan said they were not aware of any specific threat by the Pak Taliban but were remaining vigilant.
"We have enhanced security as part of a routine exercise, keeping in mind the latest bout of violence throughout the country," the deputy chief of Gilgit-Baltistan police, Sher Ali, told AFP.
Police have tossed in the calaboose Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! 18 people over the Nanga Parbat killings but sources in the investigation team formed to probe the matter say they have detained only three actual perpetrators.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
When you are taught hate from a young age what else can you expect Pakistan.
Posted by: Paul D ||
01/28/2014 10:08 Comments ||
Top||
#2
It isn't all hate lecturing. Sometimes they read the Krayon, or memorize wall charts.
[DAWN] Staying short of publicly announcing a full-fledge military operation against Talibs in Pakistain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... Monday said the government would take every step to bring peace and stability in the country to save the future generations.
"Without eliminating terrorism and extremism, we cannot place Pakistain on fast track of development," he said while speaking to the parliamentary party meeting of Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) which was held at the PM office.
Sources informed DawnNews that a majority of PML-N parliamentarians supported launching the military offensive against Pak Taliban in the meeting while few were still favouring peace talks without majority's support.
The prime minister said that officers and soldiers of the armed forces laying down their lives were their heroes and their blood would not go in vain.
"We are a peaceful nation and believe in peaceful relations based on respect with all our neighbors including India. We need to begin a new era of peace and stability, which will be beneficial for Pakistain as well as the whole region."
"We have to rebuild the image of Pakistain as a peace loving country," said the premier, adding that this can be achieved only through hard work and combined efforts of all stakeholders including parliamentarians, civil society, executive, judiciary and defence forces.
About the issue of law and order and terrorism, he said that situation in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... has improved and a 40 per cent decrease in the heinous crimes has been observed which is due to the concerted efforts of government and law enforcement agencies.
"We are going through an extraordinary situation, and this situation demands tough decisions," he added.
Sharif said the country was facing two major problems; fragile economy and terrorism, adding that on economic front, the government had taken actions which were proving to be fruitful.
He said that economic indicators, despite law and order situation, were positive, adding that a corruption free society and transparent system was the road to progress.
Deliberating upon the energy situation, PM Sharif said that though the problem has not been fully resolved, the power availability was better this year as compared to last year.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan briefed the meeting on the economic and security policies of the government.
Dar said that positive government policies have increased the chances of accessing international capital market and all international financial institutions were engaged with Pakistain.
Chaudhry Nisar said that the National Internal Security Policy (NISP) has been devised and would be implemented after approval of the federal cabinet.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain reiterated its offer of talks with the government on Sunday, but did not specify whether it had dropped its condition that the government must withdraw its support to the United States in the 'war against terror'.
In a statement, TTP front man Shahidullah Shahid accused the government of disseminating disinformation through the 'state-controlled media' about the group's stance on negotiations.
"We have given a positive response whenever delegations interested in grinding of the peace processor approached the TTP leadership. Whenever such delegations, including an emissary of Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... , offered peace talks, Taliban did not disappoint them." he said. "If the government is sincere in a meaningful dialogue it should explain its position."
The front man accused the government of imposing a war on the people of tribal areas. "This is a war tactic and a policy aimed at appeasing the US."
He said the government was issuing statements about talks through the media to confuse people. "We again offer meaningful and sincere talks, but it is the government's responsibility to create an environment conducive to negotiations."
This is the second TTP offer for talks within a week and comes after a spate of terrorist attacks across the country, followed by military action in North Wazoo.
Many people have been killed and maimed in air strikes in the tribal area. The government claimed that forces of Evil were killed in bombing on their hideouts, but the TTP rejected the version and instead accused the government of killing detained members of the organization.
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01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] After UN exhibition tying Jews to land of Israel was delayed due to claims by Arab member countries that exhibition could harm peace talks, organizers confirm exhibit to go ahead in June
A United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... exhibition about Jews and the Holy Land, postponed after Arab countries warned it could harm Middle East peace efforts, will go ahead in June, organisers confirmed on Monday.
The exhibition was due to open last week at the Gay Paree headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) but was held up after 22 Arab member countries said it could have a negative impact on peace talks.
The postponement of the exhibition entitled "People, Book, Land, The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People to the Holy Land" prompted criticism from Israel, the United States, Canada and Jewish groups around the world.
"The date has been set for June, 11," a UNESCO spokeswoman said without elaborating. The exhibition was co-sponsored by Israel, Canada and Montenegro.
The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, co-organiser of the exhibition, said in a statement the exhibition had nothing to do with recent efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... 's efforts to revive the Middle East grinding of the peace processor.
Kerry has been on a diplomatic blitz in recent weeks to persuade Israel and the Paleostinians, who resumed statehood talks in July after a three-year deadlock, to agree on an outline proposal addressing the core issues of their conflict.
"While the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... was trying to kill this exhibition and all the attention was focused on Gay Paree, the U.N. headquarters in New York is hosting an exhibit entitled 'Paleostine' based entirely on the Arab narrative, which was not criticised as an interference in Secretary Kerry's mission," Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Center, said in the statement.
Negotiations between Israel and the Paleostinians on a "two-state solution" in which Jewish and Paleostinian states would exist peacefully side-by-side broke down in 2010 in a dispute over Israeli settlement construction.
Iran will participate in building 5 CNG and LPG stations in Iraq, the Mehr News Agency reported on January 26. Iran will also export technical and engineering services to its neighbor for establishing CNG and LPG stations as well as launching smart fuel card systems.
Why they've become the best of friends...
The two sides have recently held talks in Baghdad to boost relations in the downstream oil sector.
In July 2013, Iran signed an agreement with Iraq to deliver natural gas to its western neighbor. Based on the agreement, 25 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas will be delivered to Sadr, Baghdad and al-Mansouryah power plants through pipeline.
♪ ♫ Ebony and i-vor-y... ♫
The 270-kilometer pipeline is estimated to earn Iran USD 3.7 billion a year in revenue.
The pipeline will stretch from Assaluyeh, near the massive offshore South Pars gas field in southern Iran, and will continue into neighboring Iraq to feed Iraqi power plants running on gas.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The 270-kilometer pipeline is estimated to earn Iran USD 3.7 billion a year in revenue.
Pipelines produce USD....? Who knew? Theirs was approved, ours languishes.
The United States government supported the construction of new oil pipeline that would run westward from Iraq across land to the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, permitting access from the Red Sea. The Bechtel Corporation was the prime contractor for this project. Donald Rumsfeld discussed the advantages of the pipeline personally with Saddam Hussein in 1983. The Aqaba project never made it past the drawing board, however, because of its proximity to Israel, which planners insisted upon. So near to the border it would run, the Iraqi leadership feared the Israeli side could disable the pipeline at a later date, simply by "lobbing a few hand grenades" at it.
[Ynet] In Institute for National Security Studies conference, head of institute addresses poiltical negotiations: The price of avoiding decisions will be greater than the risk of making them. Says Jordan Valley should be used as 'bargaining chip'
Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, head of the Institute for National Security Studies opened the INSS strategic assessment conference by addressing the issue of the Jordan Valley.
"IDF troops should stay in the Valley to prevent weapon smuggling and entrance of snuffies into the West Bank," Yadlin said, noting that the State must "keep an area that would be used as a bargaining chip for future negotiations on a permanent agreement, and the civilians that will be evacuated from must be treated in the most appropriate and respected manner."
In his speech, Yadlin reviewed 2013, to which he referred as "very good," in respect to Israel's national security, due to the fact that, he said, a war did not break out, a military operation was not conducted and the borders remained quiet.
"Peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt have been carefully kept," he added. "The United State's firm support and security assistance has continued; The Syrian army is busy with its own matters and has greatly weakened; Hezbollah has lost is status in the Lebanese streets; the Moslem Brüderbund regime in Egypt has been cast out, the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, has considerably weakened and the Iranians reached an agreement for the first time."
Despite his optimistic tone, Yadlin remained hesitant concerning the near future. According to him, the Iranian nuclear program is Israel's only threat to its existence, but uncertainty will continue to haunt the State in other fields.
He added that the chance of reaching a settlement with the Paleostinians is low, and that Israel has to follow the inclination according to which the US position in the region will weaken.
"The price of avoiding decisions will be greater than the risk of making them," he stressed. "The improved regional conditions allow Israel to take risks. Going forward with the Paleostinian issue will help us promote our interests in the Arab world and against Iran."
[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... on Monday lauded Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's call for the withdrawal of all imported muscle from Syria, urging Lebanese leaders to rise above petty details and form an all-embracing cabinet.
Following a 2-hour meeting at the Iranian embassy in Beirut with Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi, which was followed by a dinner banquet, Jumblat welcomed "the breakthrough that happened after the major framework agreement between the Islamic republic and and Western powers."
"This is very important and will reflect positively on the region," Jumblat said, adding that the nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1 group "won't be at anyone's expense."
"We know that the Islamic republic -- as I understood from Minister Zarif during the Phoenicia dinner -- is with forming an all-embracing cabinet" in Leb, Jumblat went on to say.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
That means Bashar's going to win---Walid is never wrong in picking sides.
[An Nahar] No concrete steps have been taken to evacuate women and kiddies or provide aid to the besieged Old City of Homs despite an agreement at Syrian peace talks in Geneva, the Red Thingy said Monday.
"Until today noon, there has been no concrete step taken for any operation of this type in Homs Old City," Robert Mardini, head of operations for the Middle East at the International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC), told AFP.
On Sunday at the U.N.-brokered negotiations in Geneva, Syria's regime agreed to allow women and kiddies safe passage from rebel-held areas of the city of Homs where they have been under siege for months, with near-daily shelling and the barest of supplies.
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01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Syrian peace talks in Geneva were deadlocked Monday over the issue of transferring power, but neither side walked away and the U.N. said the question of a political transition would be back on the table.
U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi admitted that talks "haven't produced much". But he said he would bring the country's warring sides together again on Tuesday for another attempt at political discussions.
"Tomorrow we are going to put forward the Geneva communique... Then we are going to decide with them how we are going to proceed in discussing its many elements," he said, in reference to a text agreed by world powers in 2012 that calls for the creation of a transitional governing body in Syria.
"We are doing what the situation allows, what the market can bear," he told news hounds when pressed on the slow pace of peace efforts.
Monday marked the third day of U.N.-sponsored talks between the two sides in Geneva and the first dealing with political issues.
The two sides have been brought together in the biggest diplomatic push yet to end a civil war that has left more than 130,000 dead and forced millions from their homes.
Monday's session broke up quickly after the regime set out a statement of principles that did not deal with a political transition and was immediately rejected by the opposition.
Regime delegation member Buthaina Shaaban said the government had presented "political principles which we thought no two Syrian persons should disagree with" -- including protecting the country's illusory sovereignty, preserving state institutions and stopping the threat from "terrorist" groups.
"We were surprised that this basic paper was rejected by the other side," she said.
Rima Fleihan, a member of the opposition National Coalition's delegation, said: "The discussions were not constructive today because of the regime's strategy to deflect... (and) change the subject by talking of terrorism."
Officials on both sides said they had no plans to leave the talks however.
"We are not relying on the government side, we know their way, we hope they will start to change it... We are going to be patient," said Louay Safi, a member of the opposition delegation.
The opposition says Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... must leave power and a transitional government be formed based on the agreement reached during a first peace conference in Geneva in 2012.
The regime says Assad's role is not up for debate at this conference -- dubbed Geneva II -- and denies that the initial Geneva deal requires him to go.
In Damascus, official Syrian media made it clear that Assad's continued leadership remained a line that negotiators would not cross.
"Those who are deluding themselves must understand that the government delegation to Geneva II did not go to this conference to hand power to those who have conspired against the people," the Tishreen state newspaper said.
"They are in Geneva to speak in the name of the Syrian people who have been the target of terrorism by gangs linked to al-Qaeda," it said.
The regime accuses the opposition and its international backers of promoting "terrorism" in the country, pointing to Death Eater Islamist rebel groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... (ISIL) and the Al-Nusra Front.
In the first tangible promise to emerge from the talks, Brahimi said Sunday the regime had agreed to allow women and kiddies safe passage from besieged rebel-held areas of the city of Homs.
The regime's promise raised some hopes of humanitarian relief, but was greeted by skepticism on the ground.
Activists in rebel areas of Homs said residents had "no trust" in the regime and first wanted aid supplies and guarantees that those leaving would not be tossed in the slammer Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! .
The opposition also raised concerns about a regime demand to receive a list of names of men who want to leave, saying this was part of intelligence gathering.
The Old City of Homs has been under siege since June 2012 after rebels there rose against the regime, with an estimated 500 families living with near-daily shelling and the barest of supplies.
Brahimi has also expressed hope that a convoy of humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter the besieged area on Monday, saying rebel forces had already agreed and the local governor was considering the issue.
The Red Thingy said there had been "no concrete step" to provide humanitarian relief in Homs on Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... hailed on Monday former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. 's recent stands on local and regional developments.
He lauded to the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website the former premier's "refusal to drag the Sunni sect towards the conflict between Hizbullah and al-Qaeda."
He noted that this position "reflects his sound reasoning and sense of national responsibility, especially during these critical local and regional circumstances."
Hariri's position "is important and stands in contrast against the sit-ins in front the Defense Ministry demanding the release of a suspect who is still going through investigations."
He made his last remark in reference to the arrest of Sheikh Omar al-Atrash, who is reportedly involved in recent kabooms in Leb.
A number of Moslem scholars and holy mans who hail from the Bekaa staged on Sunday a protest to condemn the arrest.
On Friday, al-Akhbar newspaper broke the news about Atrash's arrest, saying he is "suspected of offering refuge to individuals with alleged links to the Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... , al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... ," which are groups that have been linked to bombings in the country.
Hariri warned on Saturday the Lebanese in general and the Sunni sect in particular against supporting "suspicious" calls that urge them to involve the country in "rejected and condemned wars."
"The Lebanese and the Sunni sect reject to be part of any war in Leb or the region between Hizbullah and al-Qaeda," Hariri said in a statement issued by his press office.
He stressed that "they also reject threats to target civilians in any region in Leb amid a demented war (in the region) and its dangerous repercussions on the the national and Islamic unity."
Hariri's statement comes a day after a group suspected of links to al-Qaeda warned that all areas of Leb where Hizbullah operates are "legitimate targets" for attack, telling Sunnis to avoid them.
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[An Nahar] Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani ... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that Jews were behind secularism, because they opposed the authority of the church, against Christianity. He also suggested that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by Jews in order to justify the persecution of Muslims worldwide. Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. He has issued a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who approves civil marriage legislation an apostate. Surprisingly, he is not considered very much of a nut by Moslem standards. said Monday that extremism rose in Leb over the failure to resolve the file of Islamists held in Roumieh prison and attempts to topple Dar al-Fatwa's "moderate role."
You've got to love something that translates as Land of the Fatwa.
"The file of Islamists has been one of the reasons for the rise of extremism," he said in reference to suspects, who were placed in durance vile Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! during Fatah al-Islam A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred. 's battles with the Lebanese army in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in 2007.
The spirit of vengeance grew among them over the years, Qabbani said in an address to the Lebanese.
"The attempts to topple the moderate role of Dar al-Fatwa was another reason," he said.
"We reject turning Dar al-Fatwa into a tool in anyone's hands," he said in a veiled reference to al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement, whose ties with the Mufti deteriorated over the years.
Qabbani urged the Lebanese to form an all-embracing cabinet and make sure to elect a president on time.
"Beware of vacuum," he said, adding "be keen on your nation and its moderation."
Qabbani supported national unity and called for dialogue to resolve the country's crises.
"Our Constitution, which is based on the Taef Accord, hasn't been placed to organize the division of shares. It has been placed to have participation," he said in his address. "Our coexistence includes everyone."
Addressing Arab and Islamic leaders, Qabbani said: "You should salvage your countries from fighting and destruction ... You could salvage the future of your countries and prevent foreigners from imposing solutions on you."
"Those foreigners are plotting attacks to diminish the powers of the resistance and divide the region into weak sectarian states," he warned.
The U.S. succeeded in creating infighting in these countries but it would not emerge victorious, he said.
Qabbani urged the Lebanese to confront the plot and find consensual and centrist solutions to salvage the nation before it was too late.
Such a plot aims at making Israel the hegemonic power in the region, he said.
"As Arab nations are engaged in infighting, Israel builds more Jewish settlements, brings in more Jewish immigrants and expels the Paleostinian landowners," the Mufti added.
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01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A second shipment of chemical weapons materials has been removed from Syria under a deal to eliminate its arsenal, the joint U.N. mission overseeing the disarmament said Monday.
"Today, a further shipment of chemical weapons materials took place from the Syrian Arab Republic," the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement.
"The chemical materials were verified by Joint Mission personnel before being loaded in Lattakia port onto Danish and Norwegian cargo vessels for onward transportation."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Hopefully samples have been carefully archived and effective antidotes identified, just in the off chance something nasty might pop up elsewhere.
[An Nahar] The U.N. Security Council on Monday demanded that countries not pay terrorist ransoms which the British backers of the move said have reaped al-Qaeda and its allies more than $100 million.
A resolution passed unanimously by the 15 member council calls on U.N. members "to prevent hard boyz from benefiting directly or indirectly from ransom payments or from political concessions and to secure the safe release of hostages."
The resolution does not impose any punishments and is based on a statement agreed by the Group of Eight powers at a summit last year but has been several months in preparation at the U.N. Several governments are suspected of having paid ransoms to Death Eater groups in recent years.
Kidnap for ransom "has become the most significant terrorist financing challenge and remains a terrible threat to the nationals of all countries," said Britannia's U.N. ambassador Mark Lyall Grant.
"While numbers vary, we estimate that in the last three and a half years, al-Qaeda-affiliated and other Islamist krazed killer groups have collected at least $105 million," he told news hounds after the vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
They should go to wallstreet and have an IPO as part of Obama's laser focus jobs program. Hire a lobbyist and get tax credits for rope, blindfolds and ransom video production costs.
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.
[An Nahar] Sudan's President 
[Egypt Independent] The 
Egypt's military leaders have endorsed army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sissi for president, hours after he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshall, the highest in the country's armed forces, dpa reported.
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as 
It isn't all hate lecturing. Sometimes they read the Krayon, or memorize wall charts. 
Nawaz Sharif
Wazoo
Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling...
[An Nahar] Syrian peace talks in Geneva were deadlocked Monday over the issue of transferring power, but neither side walked away and the U.N. said the question of a political transition would be back on the table.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that 
Hopefully samples have been carefully archived and effective antidotes identified, just in the off chance something nasty might pop up elsewhere. 
