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Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
Terrorists kill more than 70 soldiers in Burkina Faso
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 2: WoT Background
2 15:26 Angstrom [19] 
2 12:20 Besoeker [9] 
9 17:33 Thor Grumble2858 [7] 
1 11:10 Super Hose [12] 
3 16:22 Bobby [8] 
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5 23:36 KBK [18] 
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1 08:04 Slavising Unineting5672 [16] 
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6 11:15 Silentbrick [26] 
9 16:22 Super Hose [18] 
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4 09:33 jpal [7]
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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2 09:31 lord garth [6]
26 23:11 Classer [17]
2 07:50 Procopius2k [8]
11 11:47 Fred [23]
8 13:06 Frank G [17]
-Short Attention Span Theater-
Planned antisemitic ‘day of hate’ instead becomes day of unity, defiance for US Jews
[IsraelTimes] Extremists, including neo-Nazis, had planned to hold rallies and distribute fliers, but ADL says no unusual incidents were reported: ‘This was a Shabbat of peace, not hate’.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 01:38 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  See the book of Esther, chapter 9.
Posted by: Tom || 02/26/2023 7:28 Comments || Top||

#2  Esther 9 is fine

but Esther 10 starts with a tax increase
Posted by: lord garth || 02/26/2023 9:28 Comments || Top||

#3  You mean the whole thing wasn't planned by the FBI in the first place?

They're just getting increasingly brazen.
Posted by: Thor Grumble2858 || 02/26/2023 11:17 Comments || Top||

#4  I think there is plenty of real anti-Semitic attacks in America. This one looks like astroturf. I am not sure what purpose this fake Day of Hate served. I could be wrong. Maybe this was an introspective day rather a time for community hate. Glad to see that Adam Schiff had an opportunity to grandstand. Maybe somebody could get an opinion from the squad on why this didn’t go off.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 11:50 Comments || Top||

#5  The Romans fed Christians and Jews to the lions not because they believed in a higher deity. There were an endless number of acceptable deities and Ghods.

They were slain and continue to be persecuted and slain, because they refused to accept Caesar as Ghod.
Posted by: Besoeker || 02/26/2023 11:56 Comments || Top||

#6  It was a day for True Democrats to celebrate and the rest of them to claim it's right wingers. Democrats are the most racist, evil people in this country. I use the term 'people' loosely.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 02/26/2023 17:04 Comments || Top||

#7  FBI’s plans went bust.
Posted by: Elminens Chusorong3648 || 02/26/2023 17:22 Comments || Top||

#8  This looks like a psyop by our government against us. It looks like the left tried to blame it on LibsofTikTok. She made minced meat of the her slanderers as usual.

The Church Commission should have put a stop to this activity. We have another opportunity to do something about government censorship, influence operations and weaponization against citizens.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 17:33 Comments || Top||

#9  Most of the anti-Semitic hate crimes are committed by blacks, but obviously the media doesn't like reporting this. They falsely blame Jews for operating and profiting from the slave trade that brought them to America. Obviously whites did this.
Posted by: Thor Grumble2858 || 02/26/2023 17:33 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Ministry: 2.7M Tons of Coal Exported in Past 10 Months
[ToloNews] 2.7 million tons of coal were exported in the last 10 months, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Finance.

The ministry's information indicates that the export of coal earned more than 12.5 billion afghanis in customs revenue.

"In the first ten months of 1400 (the solar year), nearly 948,000 tons of coal were exported, from which 1 billion and 893 million Afghanis were received as customs income, but in the first ten months of 1401, nearly 2.7 million tons of coal were exported through the customs of the country, from which 12 billion and 143 million afghanis were received as customs income," the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

"The figures released by the Ministry of Finance, stating that nearly 2.7 million tons of coal are exported abroad, are accurate," said Mohammad Rasoul Tutakhail, head of the Coal Exporters' Union.

Meanwhile,
...back at the abandoned silver mine, a triangular dorsal fin appeared in the water. Then another...
several Kabul coal sellers said that the price of coal has dropped in the nation's markets.

"This year's winter was colder, and the cost of wood and coal increased. The weather is getting warmer right now. Previously, the price of coal was between 16,500 and 16,500 afghanis a ton, but it is currently between 12,000 and 12,500," said Nasratullah, a coal vendor.

"In the past, the price of coal was 15,000 a ton, but now it is 12,000," said Nadimulhaq, another coal seller.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Finance, over 950 thousand tons of coal were exported in 1400 (Solar year).
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 00:46 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So if the year is 1400 that means the afghani is 3/4 of the metric ton, carry the 2.
Posted by: Omomble Brown8801 || 02/26/2023 10:38 Comments || Top||

#2  Joe Biden’s economic figures might look good against year 1400 production levels as well. We’ll have to ask the Iroquois Nation for a PowerPoint.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 10:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Somebody should arrange a trip for Greta to 'splain why that's bad for the rest of the world.

I'd contribute $20 to her one-way ticket.
Posted by: Bobby || 02/26/2023 16:22 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Vote count starts after tight Nigeria election
[AlAhram] Vote counting started in Nigeria's tightly contested election on Saturday, with three frontrunners vying to govern Africa's most populous democracy after a ballot hit by delays and isolated violence. Nearly 90 million people were eligible to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari's successor, with many Nigerians hoping their new leader would tackle a widening security crisis, the sluggish economy and growing poverty. Crowds gathered to watch counting in some polling centres, where officials were observed by party representatives. Tallies were counted by hand before they were sent on electronically.

For the first time since the end of military rule in 1999, a third serious candidate has emerged to challenge the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The race sees former Lagos governor and APC candidate Bola Tinubu facing PDP's Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, and surprise third party candidate, Labour's Peter Obi.

"We have to stay and watch," said Chinoso Ekpei, 27, a contractor, waiting with a crowd of dozens for the tally at their polling station in Ikoyi, Lagos. "We have to focus, we don't know what they did last time."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 00:26 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Politix
Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.
[DNYUZ] It was almost midnight in Grand Rapids, Mich., but inside the factory everything was bright. A conveyor belt carried bags of Cheerios past a cluster of young workers. One was 15-year-old Carolina Yoc, who came to the United States on her own last year to live with a relative she had never met.

About every 10 seconds, she stuffed a sealed plastic bag of cereal into a passing yellow carton. It could be dangerous work, with fast-moving pulleys and gears that had torn off fingers and ripped open a woman’s scalp.

The factory was full of underage workers like Carolina, who had crossed the Southern border by themselves and were now spending late hours bent over hazardous machinery, in violation of child labor laws. At nearby plants, other children were tending giant ovens to make Chewy and Nature Valley granola bars and packing bags of Lucky Charms and Cheetos — all of them working for the processing giant Hearthside Food Solutions, which would ship these products around the country.

“Sometimes I get tired and feel sick,” Carolina said after a shift in November. Her stomach often hurt, and she was unsure if that was because of the lack of sleep, the stress from the incessant roar of the machines, or the worries she had for herself and her family in Guatemala. “But I’m getting used to it.”

These workers are part of a new economy of exploitation: Migrant children, who have been coming into the United States without their parents in record numbers, are ending up in some of the most punishing jobs in the country, a New York Times investigation found. This shadow work force extends across industries in every state, flouting child labor laws that have been in place for nearly a century. Twelve-year-old roofers in Florida and Tennessee. Underage slaughterhouse workers in Delaware, Mississippi and North Carolina. Children sawing planks of wood on overnight shifts in South Dakota.

Largely from Central America, the children are driven by economic desperation that was worsened by the pandemic. This labor force has been slowly growing for almost a decade, but it has exploded since 2021, while the systems meant to protect children have broken down.
Posted by: Penguin_of_the_Desert || 02/26/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [18 views] Top|| File under: Migrants/Illegal Immigrants


#2  There are state labor laws as well that are not being enforced in many state regardless of political orientation.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 02/26/2023 8:32 Comments || Top||

#3  The dozen or two people who hang out full time outside my local shopping mall and yell at each other want those jobs. (No they don't.)
Posted by: Omomble Brown8801 || 02/26/2023 10:47 Comments || Top||

#4  E-Verify ought to be mandatory.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 11:00 Comments || Top||

#5  Working at Hearthside Food Solutions - Indeed surveys. Quite a spread of opinions.
Posted by: Bobby || 02/26/2023 13:56 Comments || Top||

#6  That is why illegal immigrants are being allowed in this country. With CCP becoming untrustworthy, we need them people to make stuff cheaply.
Posted by: Eohippus Uling6547 || 02/26/2023 14:00 Comments || Top||

#7  ^No we don’t.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 14:59 Comments || Top||

#8  I watched a show about making at cereal last night - it looked like Cheerios, but was a Canadian product. All the bagging and boxing was mechanized.

Make me wonder if recent creation of Hearthside (2001 as a specialty contractor for foods) was intended to substitute cheap labor for expensive, capital-intensive machinery.

Nobody would be that sinister, right?
Posted by: Bobby || 02/26/2023 16:12 Comments || Top||

#9  Most places that manufacture cereal are not in jurisdictions with a Soros DA. Using illegals would get the company a stiff fine. There was a meat packing plant in Eastern Ohio that ran into that about three years ago. Using undocumented kids as sweat shop minions is a different legal menu altogether. People need to go to jail over this especially if the kids were unaccompanied and assigned to sponsors.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 16:22 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistan stops clearance of bills, salaries amid growing economic crisis
[KhaamaPress] In light of the growing economic crisis, it is alleged that the Pak government has ordered the accountant general to stop paying bills, including salaries.

The Pakistain Finance Ministry has ordered the Accountant General of Pakistain Revenues (AGPR) to block the wages of all federal babus government employees, including cabinet members, in light of the country’s deteriorating economic situation, according to a report in the local media.

According to a report on Saturday, the government ordered the AGPR to stop paying bills, including babus government employees’ salaries, as the country’s financial situation worsens. The associated department’s clearings have likewise been put on hold till further notice.

The report follows the declaration by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the government’s primary priority is enacting austerity measures.

The premier added that the government "had tried its best to fulfil its job," adding that "everyone, even the ministers, advisers, and babus bureaucrats, will have to be part of the austerity campaign."

The measures aim to reduce inflation and economic crisis in the country. As per the report by Khawaja Asif, the defense minister, the government had already declared bankruptcy. The solution to the country’s issues lies within the country, not merely with the IMF.

Pakistain on Friday received a loan of USD 700 million from China to help cash strapped country. At the same time, it also sought to obtain guarantees from Saudi 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. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century...
for additional financing as the government works to restart the international Monetary Fund program.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 00:46 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


'No country can come out of problems if its basic industry is terrorism': Jaishankar on crisis-hit Pak
[OneIndia] The remarks come as Pakistain faces a crippling economic crisis, with decades-high inflation and critically low foreign exchange reserves depleted by continued debt repayment obligations.

No nation can overcome its issues and become affluent if its "basic industry" is terrorism, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in an apparent reference to Pakistain.

"No country is ever going to come out of a difficult situation and become a prosperous power if its basic industry is terrorism," he said at Asia Economic Dialogue here organised by the external affairs ministry.

Speaking on India extending help to Pakistain, Jaishankar said terrorism is the fundamental issue of the India-Pakistain relationship, which one cannot avoid.

"...if I were to look at any big decision I am making, I will also look at what is the public sentiment. I would have a pulse what do my people feel about it. And I think you know the answer," he was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

Earlier, the minister had said that Pakistain's future would largely be determined by its own actions and choices, and it is for the neighbouring country to find a way out of its economic troubles.

The remarks come as Pakistain faces a crippling economic crisis, with decades-high inflation and critically low foreign exchange reserves depleted by continued debt repayment obligations.

Pakistain's foreign exchange reserves are slightly above USD 3 billion which is hardly enough for 10-15 days of imports.

Pakistain is struggling with instability stemming from an economic crisis, last summer's devastating floods, and a recent surge in terror attacks across the country.

In a big blow to crisis-hit Pakistain, the IMF has refused to release the next tranche of USD 1.1 billion out of USD 7 billion programme initially agreed upon in 2019 unless certain terms are met. With the foreign reserves plummeting to a critical low of just USD 2 billion, sufficient for just 10 days of imports, Pakistain is looking towards the IMF to resuscitate its economy.

India and Pakistain's relationship hit a new low following the Pulwama attack and BJP-government's decision to do away with Article 370 further strained ties.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Financial crisis worsens as govt directs AGPR to 'stop' salaries
[GEO.TV] Due to the current economic crunch and the country's deteriorating financial condition, the ministry of Finance and Revenue instructed Accountant General Pakistain Revenues (AGPR) to cease the clearing of bills, including salaries, The News reported on Saturday.

The ministry also directed to halt the clearings of attached departments until further notice.

Official sources confirmed to The News on Friday night that the operational cost-related releases faced difficulties chiefly due to the economic hardships of the country.

Contacting Finance Division officials for a comment, the news hound was unable to receive any response. However,
there's more than one way to stuff a chicken...
Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar was contacted for a comment. The minister said it might be untrue but promised to get back after confirming it. However,
there's more than one way to stuff a chicken...
this correspondent did not get any reply till the filing of this report by 1am on Saturday.

Sources said that they went to the AGPR office for clearance of their outstanding bills but were informed that the Ministry of Finance had directed them to stop clearing all the bills, including the salaries, because of the prevailing difficult financial positions.

The exact reasons could not be ascertained why the clearance of bills was stopped on an immediate basis.
Posted by: Fred || 02/26/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [24 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Ishaq Dar rubbishes speculations surrounding Pakistan 'defaulting'
[GEO.TV] Amid speculations that cash-strapped Pakistain is on the brink of a default, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar on Saturday once again rubbished rumours about the country "defaulting".

Addressing a special session of the Senate’s Business Advisory Committee, Dar agreed that there are economic hardships but "we have taken efficient steps to overcome them". He further reiterated his stance that he will pull the county out of the economic mess.

The finance czar emphasised that it is the collective responsibility and the whole nation has to contribute.

"There is a need to avoid unnecessary expenditures," Dar — who took the reins of Pakistain’s tumbling economy in September from his predecessor Miftah Ismail — said.

Dar has been facing mounting headwinds for the $350 billion economy battling to stave off a balance of payments pressures due to dwindling foreign currency reserves and a widening current account deficit.

The special session was convened by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani at the Parliament House to review and discuss austerity measures in wake of the current financial situation of the country.

At the outset of the session, Sanjrani observed that hard decisions have to be taken to overcome challenges on the economic front, seeking recommendations from parliamentary heads of various political parties.

During the meeting, it was learnt that the Senate Secretariat was also working on a proposal to reduce the fuel limit for chairpersons of committees. Besides, no additional honorarium will be extended to employees of the senate during the current financial year, he said.

There was also a proposal to impose a ban on foreign visits for three months.

Following Dar’s assurance regarding the efforts of the Ministry of Finance, Sanjrani expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by Dar and his team.
Posted by: Fred || 02/26/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  For the umpteenth time Pakistan will be saved by Saudi Arabia, China, and yes, Uncle Sam. And absolutely nothing will have changed in this failed state.
Posted by: Slavising Unineting5672 || 02/26/2023 8:04 Comments || Top||


Policy rate hike: Pakistan accepts one more IMF demand
[GEO.TV] Pakistain has assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to raise its policy rate by 2% in order to flfill the conditions set by the lender to revive the loan programme.

The sources aware of the development told Geo News that virtual negotiations with the IMF continued till late at night, adding that officials from the international lender were "painstakingly reviewing" every aspect.

"Pakistain has agreed to raise its policy rate by 2%," the sources said, which is currently at 17%.

The sources also added that details regarding reforms in the power sector are being finalised and after the settlement, a staff-level agreement will be signed.

The power sector has remained a hurdle so far as it has become one of the major stumbling blocs between Pakistain and the IMF.

Pakistain has also briefed the lender in detail on external financing till June, the sources said, adding the IMF is also holding talks with those countries for assurance.

There's no discussion being held regarding the political situation of Pakistain, the sources further added.
Pakistain-IMF talks

Pak authorities have been negotiating with the IMF since early February over policy framework issues and are hoping to sign a staff-level agreement (SLA) that will pave the way for more inflows from other bilateral and multilateral lenders.

Once the deal is signed, the lender will disburse a tranche of more than $1 billion from the $6.5 billion bailout agreed to in 2019.

Pakistain has already taken a string of measures, including adopting a market-based exchange rate; a hike in fuel and power tariffs; the withdrawal of subsidies, and more taxation to generate revenue to bridge the fiscal deficit.

The strict measures are likely to further cool the economy and stoke inflation, which stood at 27.50% in January.

The South Asian country's economy has been in turmoil and desperately needs external financing, with its foreign exchange reserves dipping to around $3 billion, barely enough for three weeks' worth of imports.
Tough conditions

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a day earlier that Pakistain has to unwillingly accept the strict conditions to provide a lifeline for an economy in turmoil.

He was speaking to top security officials at his office in Islamabad in a meeting that was telecast live.

"We have to accept unwillingly the strict conditions for the IMF deal," he said, adding that an accord was still a "week, 10 days" away.

Longtime ally China this week announced refinancing of $700 million, according to Pakistain’s finance ministry.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said Pakistain’s central bank has received the money.

"Thank God," he said in a tweet.
Posted by: Fred || 02/26/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [19 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Amid mass protests, government set to keep advancing legal overhaul at full steam
[IsraelTimes] Knesset panel to discuss bills letting MKs shield legislation from review, limit option of recusing PM; next plenum votes expected Wednesday, when protesters plan ’day of struggle’.

Despite hundreds of thousands protesting Saturday evening against the government’s judicial overhaul plans, the coalition was expected to continue advancing the radical reform package at full speed Sunday, with the next plenum votes on pieces of legislation set for Wednesday, although the schedule could yet change.

Since being sworn in less than two months ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition has prioritized the controversial proposals to transform the justice system, which are being spearheaded by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and MK Simcha Rothman, the head of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

Rothman was planning to bring the so-called "override" bill, which passed a preliminary reading last week, for discussion in his committee on Sunday morning, Hebrew media reported.

According to Rothman’s bill, passed as Basic Law: Override, the Knesset could legislate nearly any law with a clause making the law entirely immune to judicial oversight. Laws that are not made immune will require a unanimous decision by all 15 High Court justices.

The bill passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset last week, and is expected to be prepared in the committee for its first reading in little over a week, Channel 13 news reported.

The network said a second version of the law will also be discussed, in which the High Court would be unable to strike down laws altogether, but would be able to publish a non-binding declaration that it contradicts one of Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws, sending it back to Knesset review.

The coalition is also reportedly planning this coming week to advance legislation that would radically limit the circumstances in which the recusal of a serving prime minister can be ordered. The preliminary vote on that bill is expected on Wednesday.

Wednesday is also planned to be the next day of
"unplanned spontaneous grassroots"
nationwide protests, with organizers saying it will be "a day of struggle" around the country. They have not yet announced their plans, but are expected to lead various acts of disruption throughout the country, whether by blocking roads or other means.

The coalition’s plans to severely weaken the judiciary have sparked mass protests and warnings of the potential for extensive economic and social harm from top public figures including jurists, economists, business leaders, high-tech entrepreneurs and reservists from top military units.

On Saturday, masses of Israelis took part in protests against the government plans, with estimates pointing to 130,000-160,000 in Tel Aviv and tens of thousands more around the country. Organizers claimed that some 300,000 took part in rallies around the country, making the latest demonstrations the largest ones yet.

As the main rally in Tel Aviv ended, hundreds of protesters marched down to the Ayalon Highway, clashing with cops who tried — unsuccessfully — to prevent them from blocking the major thoroughfare. Some demonstrators set tires and wooden planks alight on the road, which was blocked for several hours.

Police said 21 protesters had been arrested. Cops also opened an investigation into one protester seen writing graffiti on the highway calling Netanyahu a "traitor." A few coppers were hurt by violent mostly peaceful demonstrators, the force stated, including two who were bitten by rioters.

Netanyahu said the protesters were trying "to create anarchy" and force another election.

The sweeping reforms, which have been fast-tracked through the Knesset in recent weeks, include the government granting itself total control over the appointment of judges to the High Court, all but eliminating the court’s ability to review and strike down legislation, and allowing politicians to appoint — and fire — their own legal advisers.

Critics say the plan will deeply undermine Israel’s democratic character by upsetting its system of checks and balances, granting almost all power to the coalition and leaving individual rights unprotected and minorities undefended.

Top economic figures have repeatedly warned the overhaul will cause severe damage to the economy. After the Knesset passed initial votes on the legislation on Tuesday, marking the first significant steps in its divisive
...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled...
effort, the shekel depreciated to the weakest level in three years against the US dollar and Tel Aviv shares declined.

Netanyahu has pushed back against the criticism and brushed the predictions aside, saying the proposals will strengthen rather than weaken democracy, and that his government is carrying out the will of the people.

Several recent polls have indicated the overhaul plans are broadly unpopular with the public.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 01:47 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Pretty even handed journalism. I suspect that Israel has tired of activist judges.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 11:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Klank, klank, klank, varoom varoom.

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Posted by: Besoeker || 02/26/2023 12:20 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
CIA chief: Iran could enrich uranium to weapons-grade within weeks if it chooses
There isn’t enough sarcasm in the universe to express my sarcasm at this moment.
[IsraelTimes] William Burns says US doesn’t believe Iranian supreme leader has made decision to pursue weaponization, after Tehran found to have enriched uranium to 84% purity

The head of the Central Intelligence Agency has warned that Iran
...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979...
could enrich uranium to weapons-grade within weeks, but said the United States does not believe Iranian leaders have yet decided to do so.

The comment by William Burns, made during an interview with CBS News aired Saturday, came after inspectors from the UN atomic agency found uranium in Iran enriched to 84 percent purity, the closest its been to the 90% purity needed for nuclear weapons.

A news website linked to the highest reaches of Iran’s theocracy on Thursday acknowledged the accusation.

"To the best of our knowledge, we don’t believe that the supreme leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judge they suspended or stopped at the end of 2003," Burns said.

"But the other two legs of the stool, meaning enrichment programs, have obviously advanced very far," he added.

The interviewer then noted the International Atomic Energy Organization’s recent finding that Iran has enriched uranium to 84%.

"They’ve advanced very far to the point where it would only be a matter of weeks before they could enrich to 90%, if they chose to cross that line, and also in terms of their missile systems, their ability to deliver a nuclear weapon once they’ve developed it has also been advancing as well," the CIA chief warned.

"We don’t see evidence that they’ve made a decision to resume that weaponization program," he stressed again, "but the other dimensions of this challenge I think are growing at a worrisome pace to."

The latest revelations about Iran’s nuclear capabilities renew pressure on the West to address Tehran’s program, which had been publicly contained by the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that the US unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.

It wasn’t immediately clear where the 84% enrichment allegedly took place, though the IAEA has said it found two cascades of advanced IR-6 centrifuges at Iran’s underground Fordo facility "interconnected in a way that was substantially different from the mode of operation declared by Iran to the agency in November last year." Iran is known to have been enriching uranium at Fordo up to 60% purity — a level that nonproliferation experts already say has no civilian use for Tehran.

Iran also enriches uranium at its Natanz nuclear site.

Weapons-grade uranium is enriched up to 90%. While the IAEA’s director-general has warned Iran now has enough uranium to produce "several" nuclear bombs if it chooses, it likely would take months more to build a weapon and potentially miniaturize it to put on a missile.

The new tensions over Iran’s program also take place against the backdrop of a shadow war between Iran and Israel that has spilled out across the wider Middle East. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who long has advocated military action against Iran, mentioned it again in a talk last week.

"How do you stop a rogue nation from acquiring nuclear weapons?" Netanyahu rhetorically asked. "You had one that’s called Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. It was stopped by military force, ours. You had a second one that is called Syria that tried to develop nuclear weapons. And it was stopped by military action, ours."

He added: "A necessary condition, and an often sufficient condition, is credible military action. The longer you wait, the harder that becomes. We’ve waited very long."
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 07:05 || Comments || Link || [19 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Again? Or still?

Maybe we should restart the deal where we would send them pallets of cash again.
Posted by: Bobby || 02/26/2023 13:47 Comments || Top||

#2  Weapons-grade uranium is enriched up to 90%. While the IAEA’s director-general has warned Iran now has enough uranium to produce "several" nuclear bombs if it chooses, it likely would take months more to build a weapon and potentially miniaturize it to put on a missile.

The enrichment portion of the project is essentially done. The last 5% enrichment is orders of magnitude faster than the first 5%. So they have basically completed the work and are storing it in a form that is ready to go, but not technically bomb grade.
Posted by: Angstrom || 02/26/2023 15:26 Comments || Top||


20.000 Syrians Return Home From Turkey Following Quake
[NPASyria] By Friday, more than 20.000 Syrians arrived in northwest Syria from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
, after Ottoman Turkish authorities allowed Syrians to visit their country following a devastating earthquake.

The administration of Bab al-Hawa border crossing announced that the total number of those who return from Turkey to Syria has reached 12.323 ones, as 699 ones have returned home on the tenth day of the decision.

On the other hand, the administration of Bab al-Salameh border crossing said that the number of Syrians who returned home on Friday has reached 745 ones, making the total number 5.959 people.

More than 5.000 Syrians got back home through al-Hamam crossing, near the town of Jindires, in Afrin countryside, northwest Syria.

In addition, 1.424 people got back home through Jarablus crossing, east of Aleppo, as well as, 131 ones, have two citizenships, returned home, according to the crossing administration.

Recently, Turkey has eased border-crossing regulations for Syrian Temporary Protection Identities (Kimlik) holders from any of the earthquake-stricken provinces.

The new law, passed in the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquake, allows Syrians holding "Kimlik" from one of the ten quake-hit Ottoman Turkish provinces to return to their country for three to six months. Until recently, the government had followed a populist policy of expelling Syrian refugees and barring their re-entry into Turkey. 50.000 Syrians were returned from Turkey in 2022 alone. Accusations that Ottoman Turkish authorities are forcefully expelling them abound.

The Syrians crossing the border after the earthquake are not convinced of Turkey’s assurances. Many have made a life in Turkey for over a decade. Turkey hosts 3.7 million Syrians; over half live in the 10 quake-affected provinces close to the Syrian border. In the homestretch before general and presidential elections this year, the Ottoman Turkish government and opposition parties have entered a race to the bottom, promising to expel ever-growing numbers of Syrians. Many refugees have ample reason to doubt that the government will make good on its promises.

Yet most Syrians have no choice but to return. Many of their homes have been destroyed, emergency shelters are overflowing, and rents elsewhere in Turkey have skyrocketed. Many Syrians also have dead relatives to enter; at least 1.528 bodies have already been returned to Syria. "We have no other choice but to go to Syria," a man in the queue at Bab al-Hawa told the New York Times

... which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...

, "but of course there is a fear that Turkey won’t allow us to return. We can’t guarantee it.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 01:11 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Border Enforcement- I hadn’t considered that.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 11:10 Comments || Top||


Teen boys are being used as sex slaves to impregnate ISIS women at Syrian detention centres including where US jihadi bride Hoda Muthana and Brit Shamima Begum live to increase the Caliphate population, officials claim
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • ISIS women have forced at least 10 young teenagers into performing sexual acts

  • Two boys, aged 13 and 14, said they were forced to have sex at al-Hol camp
"Next time it might be with wymyns, but don't count on it"

Posted by: trailing wife || 02/26/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [18 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  I wonder what that work would be like.
Posted by: Elminens Chusorong3648 || 02/26/2023 8:18 Comments || Top||

#2  And here I thought Mohammad had promised a paradise of a harem, fruits, figs, and sparkling water to his martyrs and true believers.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 02/26/2023 8:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Dirty Jobs, Syria
Posted by: Skidmark || 02/26/2023 10:46 Comments || Top||

#4  That’s a job I would have loved when younger. If I am ever thrown on jail by the deep state, I will declare myself a transgendered female.
Posted by: Eohippus Uling6547 || 02/26/2023 13:57 Comments || Top||

#5  Er, usually the conquerors do the raping personally to spread their seed genes. They are doing too much hash to get it up? Weird.
Posted by: KBK || 02/26/2023 23:36 Comments || Top||


Iran has developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km
Is it real or is it the more usual Iranian vapourware?
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 02/26/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [26 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Wonder if they were North Korean.

North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missiles
Posted by: Skidmark || 02/26/2023 6:52 Comments || Top||


#3  What power the cruise missile? AFAIK Iran does not have a domestic build jet/turbine engine.

Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 02/26/2023 8:01 Comments || Top||

#4  Is it real or is it the more usual Iranian vapourware?

"It's totally developed, man. Now we just have to like make it work and stuff."

What power the cruise missile?
That is a good question. Maybe scavenging their remaining F-4s?
Posted by: SteveS || 02/26/2023 9:22 Comments || Top||

#5  Accuracy and guidance would make a big difference.
Posted by: Super Hose || 02/26/2023 11:05 Comments || Top||

#6  EVEN if it can go that far, can it hit something besides simply the ground?
Posted by: Silentbrick || 02/26/2023 11:15 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
41[untagged]
6Govt of Pakistan
5Commies
2Govt of Iran
2Islamic State
2al-Shabaab (AQ)
2Taliban/IEA
2Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
2Devout Moslems
1[untagged]
1Baloch Liberation Army
1Govt of Iraq
1Govt of Syria
1Mob Rule
1Sublime Porte
1Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats

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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2023-02-26
  Terrorists kill more than 70 soldiers in Burkina Faso
Sat 2023-02-25
  Top IS-Khorasan Commander Killed in Southern Afghanistan
Fri 2023-02-24
   US transfers two Guantanamo Bay detainees to Pakistan
Thu 2023-02-23
  Prigozhin: Shoigu and Gerasimov do not allocate ammunition for Wagner PMC
Wed 2023-02-22
   FPM MP says Hezbollah has ended MoU with his movement
Tue 2023-02-21
  Police arrest 5 settlers over clash with IDF soldiers, torching of Palestinian car
Mon 2023-02-20
  Pakistan Police arrest female suicide bomber in Balochistan
Sun 2023-02-19
  Rocket attack on Conoco oil field Syria where US troops are stationed.
Sat 2023-02-18
  Iranian cities hit by protests, in most widespread unrest in weeks
Fri 2023-02-17
  Galmudug regional forces kill 55 Al-Shabaab members
Thu 2023-02-16
  SNA Faction In Afrin Steals Aid Provided To Quake-Stricken Jindires
Wed 2023-02-15
  Iran-based trainer of 9/11 hijackers Sayf al-‘Adl believed to be new al-Qaeda chief
Tue 2023-02-14
  Putin pulls Wagner Group troops from Ukraine
Mon 2023-02-13
  117 Al Shabaab Turbans Toes Up in 8 hr. Mudug Region Shootout
Sun 2023-02-12
  Narc lord ‘Gato’ Farfan, arrested in Colombia


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