[Tolo News] Election observers from the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... (EU) and the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) held a joint presser in Kabul on Monday where they released their preliminary reports on fraud in the presidential runoff election.
While the EU delegation reported no fraud from the sites its monitors were located at on Saturday, the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), one of the country's largest monitoring groups, said its observers documented a large amount of fraud across various regions.
Thijis Berman, the head of the EU's delegation, corroborated the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) claims that Saturday's vote saw a higher turnout than the first round, pointing out that the actual voting process was much easier than the one in April because voters only had to choose between two candidates and there was no Provincial Council ballot.
The IEC on Saturday night said over seven million voters participated in the runoff, despite most experts originally estimating the number to be significantly lower than the first round.
The senior EU observer emphasized that his delegation documented no fraud on Election Day, and praised Afghan voters for their participation. "Anyone who tries to change the results by illegal means, by violence or by fraud, shows nothing but a shocking contempt of all the thousands of Afghan citizens who have cast their votes honestly and courageously," Berman said on Monday.
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[Iran Press TV] Kenya has stepped up security across the country a day after faceless myrmidons from Somalia killed almost 50 people in the town of Mpeketoni.
"Security has been beefed (up) across the country," Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said on Monday.
Lenku called the killing a "heinous act perpetrated by bandidos", saying that security forces have chased the attackers down to a remote forest bordering Somalia.
"We must bring to book the perpetrators," he noted.
According to witnesses, late on Sunday, around 50 heavily-armed gunnies stormed a local cop shoppe in Mpeketoni, before starting to shoot at civilians randomly.
The attackers also set fire to two hotels where local residents were watching FIFA World Cup matches.
According to local police officials, 49 people were killed in the assault.
"Attackers hijacked a van from Witu town, which they used for the attacks. They raided Mpeketoni cop shoppe first and opened fire," said Mpeketoni area administration police chief Hamaton Mwaliko.
"Some hotels in the town are on fire. We understand the attackers have already fled but our officers are pursuing them."
Somalia's al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... krazed killer group has grabbed credit for the attack.
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[Libya Herald] In a swinging attack on Ansar Al-Sharia, Operation Dignity leader General General Khalifa Hafter warned today that foreign bully boyz who did not quit Libya would die here.
"All gunnies who have entered Libya should leave it or they will be buried in it" he said in an interview on the Al-Arabiya TV channel.
He also accused Qatar of being behind a plot to kill him. "The liquidation attempt that targeted us was carried out by Ansar Al-Sharia and supported and planned by Qatar and Libyan Fighting Group. It was an unsuccessful attempt".
Hafter told the interviewer: "We are stronger than before in the level of equipment and forces and we do not need any support because the men and munitions are available".
He added:"I assure you that 80 percent of the members of the Libyan air force, naval and army, are all with Operation Dignity. Very few who are working in the state cannot contribute and our numbers are increasing every day."
Later at a presser Hafter assured Libyans that Operation Dignity was gaining ground in its battle against terror and pledged to support democracy as the country moved toward the parliamentary election on 25 June.
He asked for border closures everywhere to contain the militias.
"We are progressing swiftly and gaining huge victories on the ground," he said. "All that we ask for now is to close the borders to prevent the gangs from fleeing or receiving support from outside."
He said that he recognised the efforts of Chad, Niger, Egypt and Sudan over the past few months, who, he maintained, had all tightened up security at their borders, making it difficult for gangs to move in and out.
"We are taking the gangs step by step," he explained. "They have not yet experienced the true meaning of war," he threatened.
The general also lauded the Supreme Court of Libya, "which proved that it has the final call on all disputes across the country," and expressed his appreciation for the Court's decision on 9 June.
Greeting President Sisi and the Egyptian people, he expressed confidence in the new president, a man who "has come at just the right time--the perfect man in the perfect place".
Claiming to be watching its every move, the general reminded Libyans that Ansar Al-Sharia has done nothing but kill, pointing out that, besides the security forces the group had targeted doctors, journalists and farmers. "Therefore," he said, "we shall speak the same language that they do".
He ended by assuring the public that Operation Dignity had not received any funding from outside of Libya.
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[MAGHAREBIA] Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on Friday (June 13th) grabbed credit for last month's attack on the home of Tunisia's interior minister.
Lotfi Ben Jeddou was not at his Kasserine residence at the time of the May 27th incident but four coppers died at the scene.
In a statement posted to a jihadi web forum, AQIM said it targeted Ben Jeddou because of his alert issued last year against jihad annikah ...Islamic whoredom. Proper Moslem women are expected to engage in 20-minute marriages with heroic jihadis for the greater glory of Allen. Naturally, the heroic jihadis are expected to make a contribution to the holy men running the operation, say, twenty bucks or so.... accusation and his alleged "apostasy".
For the first time, the terror group said that it was responsible for killing Tunisian troops last year at Jebel Chaambi.
Al-Qaeda was "trying to sow the idea that it has might and it can strike when and where it wants", analyst Alaya Allani told Magharebia.
What should concern security agencies is how to develop an intelligence system to avoid a repeat of the assault on the residence of the minister, Allani said.
"The system needs a radical revision and this cannot be achieved without the appointment of leaders with proven competence and independence," he said.
According to Fathi Mouelhi, who monitors media sites used by terrorist groups, "This statement is different from previous ones made by this organization, both in form and vocabulary."
Mouelhi warned of AQIM's ability "to penetrate the minds of enthusiastic young people through the use of statements supported by the traditions of the prophet and Qur'anic verses to spread a misconception that what they are doing is a service to Islam".
"We cannot talk about confronting terrorism without confronting these organizations' financial resources," Tunisian researcher Noureddine Mbarki said.
"The terrorist threat became more dangerous in Libya after these jihadists took control of economic capabilities," he added. "In djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , 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... (ISIS) also managed to put its hand on vast fortunes. So whenever they increase their financial resources, their danger increases too," Mbarki explained.
Social researcher Salim Hajji noted the timing of the AQIM statement. It was the first of its kind since the start of the terrorist attacks in Tunisia.
"Why didn't they claim the most dangerous operation they have conducted in Tunisia? Last Ramadan, they slit the throats of nine soldiers of various ranks without uttering a word," he noted.
"Does issuing a statement at this time mean that they are suffering, hence in need to confirm that they haven't lost their strength yet?" he asked.
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06/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] At Israel's request, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi gave national security forces in Egypt the green light to intervene in Israel's abduction crisis and contact anyone connected to the abduction of the three Israeli teens, reported Ma'an, the Paleostinian news agency, quoting government officials in Cairo.
According to the report, al-Sisi's orders were to "cooperate with legitimate Paleostinian sources to solve the crisis".
[AnNahar] The UAE and the United States agreed on Monday to cooperate to prevent "terrorist" groups from using the Gulf state's finance sector, according to a statement from the U.S. Treasury.
This could prove amusing... for some parties.
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan agreed to cooperate more closely "to disrupt terrorist support networks" in talks in Abu Dhabi.
They "stressed the importance of ensuring the United Arab Emirates' financial system is closed off to the broad range of terrorist and criminal groups," the statement said.
The meeting comes as nine men stand trial in Abu Dhabi for allegedly forming "al-Qaeda cell" accused of supporting al-Nusra Front, the jihadist network's Syrian affiliate.
Among other charges, the men are accused of having "financed al-Nusra Front," state news agency WAM said.
The officials also discussed improving economic ties between the countries, the Treasury statement said, as well as the situation in Iraq, where a krazed killer offensive led by jihadists has seen chunks of the country fall out of government control.
Sheikh Mohammed and Lew "underscored the importance of Iraqi leaders unifying the country and close cooperation throughout the region to confront terrorist groups such as 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... ," the statement said.
The UAE's has so far not issued an official statement on the situation in Iraq, but Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and Qatar have blamed the unrest on what they called the "sectarian" policies of the Shiite-led government in Storied Baghdad against the Sunni Arab minority.
Lew also thanked the UAE for its "cooperation on Iran," saying the United States and other world powers who began a new round of nuclear talks with the Islamic Theocratic Republic in Vienna on Monday "are focused on reaching a comprehensive solution that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."
Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors have been wary of Tehran's nuclear ambitions but have officially welcomed talks aimed at striking a long-term compromise.
[DAWN] Speakers at a demonstration on Sunday demanded that the killer of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... assembly politician Handery Masih be tried in an anti-terrorism court and punished sternly.
They were speaking at the demonstration organised by the All Pakistain Minorities Alliance at the press club to condemn the MPA's murder at his house by his guard on Saturday. The politician's nephew was maimed in the attack.
Former MPA and minority community leader Michael Javed demanded that a judicial inquiry be instituted into the matter to find out the real reason and the actual people behind the killing.
He said that earlier a minority community federal minister Shahbaz Bhatti had been killed and if serious action had been taken in that case, Saturday's incident would not have occurred.
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[DAWN] The federal government on Saturday challenged a Sindh High Court order to remove former president retired General Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... 's name from the exit control list (ECL), fearing that if allowed to proceed abroad he may not return to stand trial for treason.
The appeal, filed two days after the high court's order, has been fixed for hearing on Monday before a three-judge Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justices Mian Saqib Nisar, Asif Saeed Khosa and Ejaz Afzal Khan.
Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt is expected to request the apex court to suspend the June 12 verdict and issue directions to keep Mr Musharraf's name on the ECL.
The former military ruler may also be restrained from going abroad without the permission of the Supreme Court, the appeal states.
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[DAWN] Polio virus detected in a sewerage line in Quetta on Monday was traced to Sukkur, an official said.
An official of the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), who requested anonymity owing to sensitivity of the matter, told Dawn.com that the samples found in a sewerage line in Western Bypass area of Quetta were linked to Sukkur city of Sindh province. "We collected the sample and are investigating it," he said.
He said scorching heat in Sindh had forced many people to migrate to Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... every summer. "Chances of polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... virus double after migration of people from Sindh," he added.
The Secretary Health government of Balochistan called an emergency meeting of Unicef and other stakeholders to discuss all ways and means to eradicate the polio virus from the province.
The Unicef official said the government decided to re-launch an emergency anti-polio campaign in Quetta, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Bolan, Jhal Magsi and Dera Bugti districts of Balochistan starting from June 23.
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06/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Opposition parties in the National Assembly showed their impartial support to the government on full-flagged military operation in North Wazoo Agency.
Leader of the opposition in NA, Syed Khurshid Shah, on Monday, said it should continue till elimination of the last terrorist in the area.
Responding to the policy statement of 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... in the lower house, he asked the government to announce timeframe for the operation.
"We must not be afraid of terrorists. No army, having backing of the people, could lose a war," said Shah.
He said the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) has the right to hold public meetings as peaceful and democratic protests help strengthen the democracy.
The National Assembly also adopted a resolution expressing fullest support with the government's decision to launch the military operation.
The resolution, moved by Fedreal Minister Zahid Hamid, was signed and supported by PML-N, PPP, PTI, MQM and the ANP.
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[DAWN] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer... on Monday endorsed the military operation underway in North Wazoo, the party's deputy secretary general and media advisor to PTI chairman told Dawn.com.
Imran Ismail said that in a core committee meeting in the capital, Imran Khan maintained that the party stands by the army and endorses the operation. However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... he said the chairman expressed reservations regarding the government's failure to inform the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... government prior to the announcement.
Last week, reiterating his party's stance on peace talks with turbans, Imran had said that an offensive in North Waziristan would unite turban forces against the Pak state.
"Conducting such a military operation when most of the groups in NWA want talks is suicidal," Imran said in a statement, adding that most groups in North Waziristan desire peace talks with the government.
He also criticised the US Congress' move to link aid to a military offensive in North Waziristan, terming the move as an effort by the US to "purchase" the government's favour to carry out a military operation in the tribal region.
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[DAWN] IT seems the fate of the Protection of Pakistain Bill is uncertain after the government has sought the input of its ally, the JUI-F, on the controversial law, even though the opposition had agreed to an amended draft. The law completed its life as an ordinance earlier this month after it was blocked in the Senate from becoming an act. It is indeed puzzling why the PML-N-led government would want the JUI-F's feedback after six opposition parties, led by the PPP, had agreed to support the legislation after 12 of their proposed amendments had been incorporated. A JUI-F front man said his party "felt no urgency" to get the bill adopted by parliament. Regardless of the politicking involved, the main issue is and will remain how the sweeping powers given to the state by the law will be used, especially when it comes to safeguarding human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... . For a number of reasons, the law in its earlier form had been dubbed draconian by many political parties as well as by civil society. Some of the criticism centred on the fact that the law would legalise enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by the state. While the need to counter terrorism through legislation cannot be denied, care must be taken not to give the state authoritarian powers making it accountable to no one. The answer to countering terrorism is not to legalise unlawful methods for the state; it is to enforce the law across the board with respect for fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution as well as universal human rights. Nevertheless, in the current scenario, with a war-like situation existing in parts of the country, legal cover is needed in the battle against militancy to avoid any grey areas.
The opposition parties, particularly the PPP, had proposed amendments such as reduction in the number of days a suspect can be held in remand, guidelines for search operations and judicial oversight. If these amendments have been incorporated by the state, there is no reason to delay the law further, especially if potential human rights violations in the law have been addressed. Yet beyond the content of the law, in order to eliminate militancy in an effective, lasting fashion, the state needs to improve the legal system, particularly the prosecution. Had these elements been in evidence, there would have been no need for a Protection of Pakistain law in the first place.
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[DAWN] 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... , during a speech delivered in the National Assembly on Monday, justified the government's decision to initiate a full-scale operation in North Wazoo tribal region and said that the 'Zarb-e-Azb' operation would continue until terrorism is eliminated from the country.
Sharif added that the government had tried patiently to pursue peace talks but It was unfortunate that after four and a half months of trying peace, dialogue could not be fruitful.
He further said that the world knew that "On one hand we were pursuing dialogue, and on the other we were being targeted.We were pursuing talks, but from Islamabad courts to 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... airport we were attacked."
Addressing the Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the prime minister said "Our places of worship and mosques were targeted, our schools were targeted. We will change the fate of this country and under no circumstances will the country be allowed to serve as a safe haven for terrorists."
Sharif said that all important decisions were taken with mutual agreement between civilian and military leadership.
"Despite the sacrifices of our soldiers, we gave peace talks first priority but our efforts were rendered in vain, This operation will be the start of a peaceful beginning of the country," he added.
Following his speech in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Sharif proceeded to the Senate where he delivered a statement on the ongoing operation.
The full scale operation commenced in North Waziristan tribal region on Sunday, and the move was welcomed by most political parties including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... (MQM), Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI).
The Pak-Afghan border was also sealed off while the Afghan National Army was also requested to plug possible escape routes across the border.
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[Ynet] US and Iranian officials discussed Iraq on the sidelines of separate negotiations about the Iranian nuclear program in Vienna, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to provide further details of the discussion. A State Department spokeswoman declined comment on the matter.
[Iran Press TV] US 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... says drone strikes "may well be" an option to help stop the al-Qaeda-linked murderous Moslems' advance towards the Iraqi capital Storied Baghdad.
In an interview with Yahoo! News on Monday, Kerry called the gunnies from the so-called 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) "an existential challenge" to Iraq and a threat to the stability of the entire Middle East region.
He said President Barack Obama Because I won... was considering "every option that is available," including drone strikes, adding that "we are deeply committed to the integrity of Iraq as a country."
"They're not the whole answer, but they may well be one of the options that are important," Kerry said. "When you have people murdering, assassinating in these mass massacres, you have to stop that. And you do what you need to do if you need to try to stop it from the air or otherwise."
The ISIL gunnies have taken control of some key northern Iraqi cities including djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , the country's second-largest city, and Tikrit, the birthplace of former Baathist dictator Saddam Hussein.
The murderous Moslems, who have posted pictures of their atrocious acts against Iraqis online, have vowed to continue their offensive towards the capital Storied Baghdad but Iraqi armed forces have advanced toward their strongholds.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Maliki imposed order on Basra wen the Shiites were going nuts, but has proven incapable of dealing with al-Qaeda's Sunni insurgency. Reelected to his third term in 2014... has warned that the gunnies have nowhere to hide.
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[Iraq Sun] Bahrain Monday recalled its envoy from Iraq as Al Qaeda-backed militant groups have consolidated their positions and are moving close to Baghdad. Bahrain's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that it has instructed Bahrain's Ambassador to Iraq Salah Al Malki and his staff to leave Iraq immediately as the country is on the brink of a civil war, Xinhua reported. "The Kingdom of Bahrain has decided to pull its diplomats out of Iraq due to the unfolding security situation," said the statement. Similar moves were taken Monday by the US, Australia and other countries.
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[Iraq Sun] The United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... chief today condemned the reported "cold-blooded" mass execution in Iraq in recent days, while Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... urged that the perpetrators of those crimes be brought to justice while also calling on Iraqi leaders to prevent sectarian reprisals.
Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that UN staff and other sources on the ground reported the executions of hundreds of Iraqis following last week"s capture of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... and other population centres by forces allied with 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), including disarmed soldiers as well as religious leaders and other civilians.
"Based on corroborated reports from a number of sources, it appears that hundreds of non-combatant men were summarily executed over the past five days, including surrendered or captured soldiers, military conscripts, police and others associated with the Government," said Ms. Pillay.
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#1
"Who should we mail the memo to?"
(Hand deliver only; delivery boy never seen again...)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
06/17/2014 7:10 Comments ||
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#2
No mention of climate change; must of only been a 2 day meeting to craft this stern message.
If the message was not written in Arabic then they missed their target audience.
[Iraq Sun] As Iraq struggles to stop an insurgency by Islamist murderous Moslems, its autonomous region Kurdistan is ramping up independent oil exports, with a third tanker set to load a cargo of crude from its disputed pipeline.
The third tanker is scheduled to depart Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan on June 22 carrying oil pumped through Kurdistan's new pipeline, which by-passes Storied Baghdad, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Monday.
Iraqi Kurdistan began independent pipeline exports via Turkey in May, despite protests from Storied Baghdad which claims it has the sole authority to sell Iraqi oil via state-marketer SOMO.
Oil flows through the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) pipeline to Turkey have continued uninterrupted despite a lighting advance by Sunni turbans in northern Iraq that threatens to dismember the OPEC country.
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#1
So maybe the Turks get a piece of the action, maybe they can come to a mutual with the Kurds, Turkish Kurds stay in Turkey, everything else open for business. You know? Turkish Kurds allowed to leave but not to take their land with them, a good deal for all parties. Money is made, life continues. There are Tomatoes.
[Iraq Sun] The man once known as Bradley Manning, but who now prefers the name of Chelsea, has told of more lies involving the US government and the US foray into Iraq. Who gives a rat's ass what this traitor thinks?
Chelsea Manning,
Someone could do something really dreadful with the combination of lately, Chelsea and Manning, but I am not that kind of person.
who was convicted of leaking confidential Pentagon information to Wikileaks, has warned Americans they are still part of a conspiracy of lies.
In a New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... Op-Ed article on Saturday, the former US Army intelligence analyst said: "As Iraq erupts in civil war and America again contemplates intervention, that unfinished business should give new urgency to the question of how the United States military controlled the media coverage of its long involvement there and in Afghanistan."
Speaking about his incarceration, he wrote: "I understand that my actions violated the law. However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... the concerns that motivated me have not been resolved."
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06/17/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Since when are federal prisoners at Leavenworth allowed to write Op-Ed pieces in the New York Times?
#2
..cause they both work for the 'other' side by releasing classified documents? Chelsea just got time for it versus the owners and editors of the rag. It's that way for the 'little people'.
#3
The NYT is posting opeds from a cross dressing sp4 that was sent to jail for integrity issues that resulted in a felony conviction??? All the news thats fit to print means something completely different to me...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/17/2014 11:58 Comments ||
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#8
Each US Embassy has a standing or [on the shelf] evacuation plan with a recommended Force Package required for execution. The actual make up or flavor of the Force Package is left to the discretion of the Ambassador and regional Combatant Commander. Evacuation planning becomes even more complex when foreign nationals or host nation personnel are included in the mix. My experience is very dated, so things may have changed a bit... or a bunch.
[Ynet] The USS Mesa Verde with 550 Marines on board entered the Gulf on Monday to support possible US action to help Iraq's Shi'ite-led government combat a Sunni Islamist insurgency that has overtaken large areas of the country's north, CNN reported.
The USS Mesa Verde joins the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which the Pentagon ordered on Saturday to move into the Gulf. President Barack Obama If you like your coverage you can keep it... has said he is considering military action, short of putting US troops in Iraq, to aid that government's efforts to stop the insurgency.
Two days before Mosul fell to the Islamic insurgent group Isis (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), Iraqi commanders stood eyeballing its most trusted messenger. The man, known within the extremist group as Abu Hajjar, had finally cracked after a fortnight of interrogation and given up the head of Isis's military council.
"He said to us, 'you don't realise what you have done'," an intelligence official recalled. "Then he said: 'Mosul will be an inferno this week'.'
Several hours later, the man he had served as a courier and been attempting to protect, Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, lay dead in his hideout near Mosul. From the home of the dead man and the captive, Iraqi forces hoovered up more than 160 computer flash sticks which contained the most detailed information yet known about the terror group.
The treasure trove included names and noms de guerre of all foreign fighters, senior leaders and their code words, initials of sources inside ministries and full accounts of the group's finances. Traitors within the ministry. It would suckbe unfortunate to have uncommon initials.
"We were all amazed and so were the Americans," a senior intelligence official told the Guardian. "None of us had known most of this information."
Officials, including CIA officers come on say it, N-S-A
were still decrypting and analyzing the flash sticks when Abu Hajjar's prophecy was realized. Isis swept through much of northern and central Iraq over three stunning days, seizing control of Mosul and Tikrit and threatening Kirkuk as three divisions of the Iraqi army shed their uniforms and fled.
The capitulation of the military and the rapid advances of the insurgents have dramatically changed the balance of power in Iraq, crippled prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, allowed Kurdish forces to seize control of the disputed city of Kirkuk and galvanized a Shia fightback along sectarian lines, posing a serious threat to the region's fragile geopolitics. On Sunday Isis published photographs that appeared to show it capturing and killing dozens of Iraqi soldiers.
"By the end of the week, we soon realized that we had to do some accounting for them," said the official flippantly. "Before Mosul, their total cash and assets were $875m [515m]. Afterwards, with the money they robbed from banks and the value of the military supplies they looted, they could add another $1.5bn to that." All that just to rob banks?
Whether the intelligence haul can do much to reel in Isis after the fact seems a moot point, with the group having already wrought so much carnage in such a short time. "We will eventually find them," said the Iraqi official. "We knew they had infiltrated the ministries and the most frustrating thing about that flash [stick] was it only had initials. We are focusing on the initials that had the annotation 'valuable' next to them."
Other names were clearly of lesser use, he said. They were marked with "lazy", "undecided" or "needs monitoring". "Obama appointee"
More than ever before is now known about how Isis has gathered steam. The past week has also been an advanced education in its capabilities and ambitions. "Now we have to catch up with them," the official said.
[AnNahar] Jordan released a leading jihadist ideologist, who was once mentor to Iraq's now slain al-Qaeda leader, on Monday after he completed a jail sentence for recruiting fighters for the Taliban, his lawyer said.
Issam Barqawi, known as Abu Mohammed al-Maqdessi, "was released from jail today and he is with his family now," lawyer Majed Leftawi told Agence La Belle France Presse.
One of Maqdessi's brothers said he had "just arrived home."
Maqdessi was enjugged Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! in 2011 for "recruiting people in Jordan to join the Taliban in Afghanistan as well as terrorist organizations."
He was also found guilty of "collecting funds for terrorist groups to carry out acts that would harm Jordan and its ties with other countries."
Maqdessi was a mentor to al-Qaeda's infamous Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi before the two men fell out.
Zarqawi achieved notoriety for a spate of videotaped executions of Western hostages in Iraq before his death in in a U.S. air strike northeast of Storied Baghdad in 2006.
In 1992, Jordanian-born Zarqawi met Maqdessi and later joined his Sunni Death Eater group Jaish Mohammed (Mohammed's Army).
The pair was detained in Jordan for five years for membership of an outlawed Islamist organization but freed as part of a general amnesty in 1999.
The two later fell out over "ideological differences," and aides said Maqdessi repeatedly denounced Zarqawi.
Maqdessi was nabbed Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! again in Jordan in 2005 after remarks he made to Al-Jazeera ... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula, as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS... television, but was released in 2008 for "humanitarian reasons" after going on hunger strike.
[Ynet] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida runs cartoon showing three young men in the grip of hands depicted in similar style and colors to 2014 World Cup design.
The official newspaper of the Paleostinian Authority has apparently celebrated the kidnapping of three Israeli teens with a cartoon closely resembling the logo of the current World Cup competition.
The cartoon, which appeared in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida on Sunday, shows three hands forming a trophy-like shape, just as three hands form the trophy in the World Cup logo. But the cartoon, which uses the distinctive green and yellow color scheme of the World Cup, also shows three boys dangling from the grip of the hands. Underneath the trophy, the word "Khalil" (the Arabic name for Hebron) appears instead of "Brasil" of the original -- a reference to the location of the kidnapping.
The images can be seen at the link. They certainly are colourful.
[Ynet] New legislation would restrict government's ability to release unrestricted number of prisoners in exchange; MK Stern: Israel has handed over 7,500 prisoners for 14 living Israelis and six bodies.
With almost chilling timing, the Knesset has in recent days been dealing with a new bill to limit the government's authority to decide freely on releasing security prisoners. The bill could hamper any prisoner swap for the three Israeli teenagers believed kidnapped by Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, operatives in the West Bank on Thursday night.
Past experience shows that despite the fact that the kidnappers have not yet made any demands, they will probably expect the release of Paleostinians murderers tossed in the calaboose
Continued on Page 49
[Ynet] Finance minister reaches deal with defense officials: NIS 1 billion to IDF in exchange for vacating Sde Dov base to build apartments.
And about bloody time, too. Literally.
The long budget battle between the security establishment and the Finance Ministry ended on Monday when finance officials announced that they settled on a compromise with the Defense Ministry.
The Defense Ministry agreed to vacate the military section of Tel Aviv's Sde Dov airport by 2017 and in return will receive a billion shekels injection to the 2014 budget.
Some 16,000 apartments will be built on the civilian and military sections of the small airport.
The Defense Ministry also announced that it agreed to refrain from requesting additional budget injections during the 2014 fiscal year, but due to the kidnapping in the West Bank -- and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz expected an extended operation -- there is no guarantee this commitment will hold.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!... the billion shekels transferred to the IDF will allow training sessions to resume as planned, including the training and operational flights cancelled because of the budget crisis.
A defense source stressed that there was no connection between the large-scale operation to return the three kidnapped boys and the agreement reached between the two ministries: "The agreement was settled as part of both ministries' determination to prevent the prolonged media brawl."
He emphasized the billion shekels will allow the IDF to "complete its planned trainings and operations for 2014 in a sufficient manner."
For several months, the two ministries conducted a mudslinging campaign over the IDF's request for NIS 2.75 billion injection to its budget for the year. In recent weeks defense officials announced the cancellations of training sessions, cutbacks for career soldiers, grounding of flights, and a significant decline in the Israeli military's ability to combat future threats.
Last month, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz broke his silence on the affair. "As of now, planned reservist trainings will be cancelled for the rest of year."
Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) hit back against the defense establishment, saying "There will be never be efficient management in the army if they'll get more money every time they yell, 'Daddy, Daddy'."
[Ynet] Forces load concrete barricades loaded trucks, spread out bulldozers, prepares to impose closure on one of the largest cities in the West Bank
The IDF is making preparations for the siege of Hebron, as part of a massive manhunt led following the kidnapping of three Israeli teens who disappeared while hitchhiking in the West Bank on Thursday night.
IDF forces have loaded concrete barricades on trucks and spread out bulldozers in the city. In addition, Paleostinian sources reported Sunday that all the main entrances to the city were blocked by the IDF with concrete blocks.
A Paleostinian source told Ynet earlier Sunday that the IDF has set up a large number of roadblocks around Hebron. According to the same source, IDF forces are not allowing entry or exit to or from the city.
A senior General Staff source said on Sunday that in terms of professionalism, the kidnapping is of the highest level. According to him, the IDF estimate that the abductees were not transferred to the Gazoo Strip or to Sinai, "but we are prepared for that option." He added that "we are employing all the special units and means to locate them.
"We practiced scenarios of such kidnapping attacks in recent months, including six weeks ago in Ariel, together with the police. We also drew conclusions from the murder of IDF soldier Tomer Hazan.
The same source did not directly criticize the police, that did not begin searching for the teens or inform the IDF of the kidnapping possibility when it first received such information, shortly after 10 pm on Thursday night; however, between the lines, such criticism can be detected. "We in the IDF became aware of the missing boys in the early hours of Friday, and as soon as we receive such information we treat it seriously and work quickly to rule out the possibility of an innocent absence."
"We immediately realized that it was serious and hurried to activate the relevant systems. Whoever needs to investigate his moves should do so. It should be understood that the area in which these (teens) are missing is Judea and Samaria, and accordingly not use the 12-hour-wait procedure," the senior source said.
The senior source further added that "the legitimacy within the Paleostinian public and the motivation of terrorist organization to conduct kidnapping attacks is high. Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, is in a difficult position in Judea and Samaria and is struggling to launch attacks.
"Were it able to, it would have launched dozens of suicide kabooms, kidnappings, and shooting attacks in Israel. It is at a rough condition and under pressure from intelligence. We haven't seen foot dragging of the Paleostinian Authority towards Hamas, ahead of this incident. They don't work for us, but we identify common interests."
He added that: "I don't see any connection between the comprehensive processes of terror and the Fatah-Hamas unity government, and I don't identify any attempts by murderous Moslem Jewish activists to act now. Concrete appeals have been made to the communities about the threat of abductions, in recent months as well, and this attack has the potential of creating an escalation."
Israel has reportedly enlisted the aid of Egypt in the search for the three missing Israeli teens -- Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer, and Naftali Frenkel -- that have been missing since Thursday evening, Egyptian newspaper Ash-Shuruk reported Sunday morning.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that "Hamas people" are those who carried out the kidnapping of the Israeli three teens on Thursday evening. "This has severe repercussions," Netanyahu clarified.
"Those who perpetrated the abduction of our youths were members of Hamas -- the same Hamas that Abu Mazen (Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... ) made a unity government with; this has severe repercussions."
Hamas denied the accusations made by Prime Minister Netanyahu that it was behind the abduction of the three Israeli teenagers.
Sami Abu Zohari, the Hamas front man in the Gazoo Strip, termed Netanyahu's statements as "foolish". He noted that while the arrests carried out by IDF troops of Hamas people intend to break them, Israel will not succeed in doing so.
IDF soldiers tossed in the clink Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! 80 Paleostinians in the West Bank overnight Saturday, including senior Hamas members and Paleostinian politicians, and placed a closure on Hebron and Bethlehem.
Among those arrested was senior Hamas activist Hassan Yusef, a former spokesperson for Hamas who is considered one of the organization's spiritual leaders, and members of the Paleostinian Parliament Fathi Muhammad Ali Qar'awi, Hassan al-Bourini, Abdel-Rahman Zidan and Khaled Abu Arafa.
[Ynet] In first call since abduction, prime minister stresses Paleostinian Authority's responsibility to kidnapping, expects help capturing perpetrators.
Almost four days since the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, and for the first time in many months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... on Monday, the PMO said.
"I expect you to assist in returning the kidnapped youths and in apprehending the kidnappers. The Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, kidnappers came from territory under Paleostinian Authority control and returned to territory under Paleostinian Authority control," Netanyahu said.
The three teenagers -- Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gil-Ad Shaer, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 16 -- have been missing since Thursday night, and a massive manhunt has been in ongoing since. The current assessment is that the boys were kidnapped, but are still alive and somewhere within the West Bank.
The prime minister stressed that Fatah's pact with Hamas was "bad for Israel, bad for the Paleostinians and bad for the region," adding that "this incident exposes the true face of the terrorism that we are fighting against."
"Terrorists abduct innocent Israeli children while we save the lives of ill Paleostinian children in our hospitals. This is the difference between our humanitarian policy and the murderous terrorism that is attacking us," he added.
A statement from Abbas' office stressed the need "for neither side to use violence, especially when Abbas' stance is that the Paleostinians must continue working incessantly to bring to the release of Paleostinian prisoners, whose release was agreed upon in every signing of a permanent accord with Israel."
Abbas denounced the abduction and the "Israeli violations that followed," while the Paleostinian government has already indicated that it "was not responsible for areas outside the Paleostinian security control that are occupied by dozens of Israeli settlements" in the West Bank.
Many politicians and public figures arrived in Gush Etzion on Monday to visit the junction from which the three yeshiva students were kidnapped, as well as the "Makor Chaim" yeshiva, where two of the teens study.
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett stressed that "the gunnies ought to know that if one hair falls off their heads, we will come after them and capture anyone who was involved or aided directly or indirectly in the abduction. We won't stop."
After placing the responsibility for the kidnapping on the Paleostinian Authority, the prime minister accused Hamas of orchestrating the attack.
"This morning I can say what I was unable to say yesterday, before the extensive wave of arrests of Hamas members in Judea and Samaria," Netanyahu said at a special cabinet meeting on Sunday. "Those who perpetrated the abduction of our youths were members of Hamas -- the same Hamas that Abu Mazen (Paleostinian President Mahmoud Abbas) made a unity government with; this has severe repercussions."
Hamas denied the accusations, terming Netanyahu's statements as "foolish". Sami Abu Zohari, the Hamas front man in the Gazoo Strip, noted that while the arrests carried out by IDF troops of Hamas people intend to break them, Israel will not succeed in doing so.
In a statement to foreign press on Sunday afternoon, the prime minister insisted that "these teenagers were kidnapped and the kidnapping was carried out by Hamas members. Hamas' denials do not change this fact."
[Ynet] Israel Prison Service notified the International Committee of the Red Thingy that due to recent events
That means the three boys kidnapped by Hamas...Did anyone catch whether the Red Thingy publicly condemned that?
and because of restrictions on Paleostinians' movement, visits by family members to security and criminal detainees will be canceled in prisons across the country.
The prisoners' relatives arrive in organized trips that leave the West Bank and Gazoo to prisons throughout Israel. The visits are coordinated through the Red Thingy.
[Ynet] Dozens of right-wing activists and Paleostinians clashed near Huwara village in the West Bank. There were no casualties and no damage was caused. Security forces have arrived on the scene.
There'll be more of that, no doubt, as the Palestinians press the issue, hoping for something that can be blown up into an atrocity libel.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have agreed to settle their differences in the interests of the Bangsamoro in a meeting initiated by the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), a senior MILF leader disclosed on Monday.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, said leaders of the two warring factions have signed a joint statement announcing their reactivation of the Bangsamoro Co-ordinating Forum (BCF) in an OIC meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on June 12.
Iqbal said, "With developments on the Southern (Philippines) peace process, there is a need for all Moro leaders to put their acts together to protect the Bangsamoro."
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Homo palestinus. Digging Man. Wherever he finds himself, he just gotta dig.
[AnNahar] The Army uncovered a tunnel in one of the Paleostinian refugee camps reaching out of it, As Safir newspaper reported on Monday.
According to the daily, an army unit raided on Sunday the tunnel and placed it under strict surveillance.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq expressed fear in comments published in As Safir over the "worrying conditions in some Paleostinian camps."
"Frankly, I am not at ease," the minister said.
He stressed that "tampering with security is prohibited and we will deal firmly with any offenders."
The minister called on Prime Minister Tammam Salam to call for a session for the Higher Defense Council "away from any political disputes over the presidential vacuum."
"We should take precautionary measures that suit the looming dangers" in the region.
Mashnouq considered that if the Higher Defense Council can not meet, then an "emergency cell should be formed" to maintain stability in Leb.
"This is more important than any debate over power-sharing," he concluded.
Paleostinians living in Arab countries -- including the 450,000 in Leb -- are descendants of the hundreds of thousands who fled or were driven from their homes in the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948.
They remain in Leb's 12 refugee camps because Israel and the Paleostinians have never reached a deal that would enable them to return to their homes that are now in Israel.
[AnNahar] Some 100 men from the Syrian city of Homs, who turned themselves in after escaping an army siege, have been sent to perform their military service, the governor said Monday.
Activists expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... over the fate of the men, with one warning that "there is a real chance they might get assassinated".
Homs governor Talal al-Barazi told Agence La Belle France Presse that the 118 men, who had been held at the city's Al-Andalus school, had been "freed" under a government amnesty announced last week.
But he added that all the men would be sent to the army to either begin or complete their military service.
"One hundred and eighteen men who were being held in the Al-Andalus school were released last Thursday as part of the amnesty decree" issued by Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators... , he said.
"Around half of them were defectors from the army, and the other half were civilians who had not yet performed their military service," Barazi said.
"Those who defected from the army (and joined the armed rebellion) will return to the military," he said.
"Those among them who were civilians and had failed to perform their military service are now being dealt with by the concerned military authorities and will also perform their military service."
The men were among hundreds of people who had turned themselves in before the rebels' withdrawal from the Old City of Homs in May.
Most of the others were later released, although some 60 of them have since disappeared, including prominent activist Khaled al-Tellawy, according to fellow activists from Homs.
One activist who recently left Syria said the families of the Al-Andalus school detainees had become increasingly concerned about their whereabouts.
"Some of them have been in touch to say they are alive, and that they have been sent to military bases. But most of them have disappeared, their families know nothing about them.
"We are very worried that they will be sent to especially violent battlefronts, and that the officers in charge will themselves eliminate them, and then claim they were killed in fighting," the activist, who identified himself only as Thaer, told AFP.
Assad last week issued a wide-reaching amnesty decree, but activists have been able to confirm the release of only some 1,200 prisoners.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
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.
[Libya Herald] In a swinging attack on Ansar Al-Sharia, Operation Dignity leader General General Khalifa Hafter warned today that foreign 
Pervez 
Wazoo
A JUI-F 
[Iran Press TV] US Secretary of State 
Nouri al-Maliki
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[Iraq Sun] As Iraq struggles to stop an insurgency by Islamist
[Iraq Sun] The man once known as Bradley Manning, but who now prefers the name of Chelsea, has told of more lies involving the US government and the US foray into Iraq.
Two days before Mosul fell to the Islamic insurgent group Isis (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), Iraqi commanders stood eyeballing its most trusted messenger. The man, known within the extremist group as Abu Hajjar, had finally cracked after a fortnight of interrogation and given up the head of Isis's military council.
... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means 
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have agreed to settle their differences in the interests of the Bangsamoro in a meeting initiated by the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), a senior MILF leader disclosed on Monday.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
