#3
DIRNSA should resign for this egregious and widespread lawbreaking under his command. In an ideal world, he would be held legally responsible, stripped of rank and dumped in jail one month fore each offense, consecutively, for abrogating his oath. Same goes for those that knowingly and deliberately passed along those orders - "Just following Orders" has its limits, and this should be it.
Were this under a GOP president, instead of the leftist media darling moron we now have in office, there would be a huge commotion over this on all the big media outlets.
"We did everything we could to build the Iraqi Army, and I'm telling you right now, the Department of Homeland Security would kick their butts."
"What we're doing here, and let's not kid about it, is we're building a domestic army and shrinking the military because the government is afraid of its own citizens ... "
"The last time 10 terrorists were in the same place at the same time was September 11th, and all these [armored] vehicles wouldn't have prevented it, nor would they have helped anything."
"We're building an Army over here and I can't believe people aren't seeing it, is everybody blind?" They're not blind. They're watching Duck Dynasty and playing Call of Duty: Black Ops
#2
1 - that Iraqi army went home to the barracks at night.
2 - when they start building barracks or refurbishing barracks abandoned by DoD become worried.
3 - when you have to go home at night, there is no protection. That's why so many of the Iraqi and Afghan local police are 'ineffective'. They want to be there in the morning, along with their family, to go back to work. Particularly among a community where no one sees anything.
#4
I understand its better to hand out the ex-mil equipment rather than rust it, but the thing about boys is that if you give them toys they will want to play with them.
btw, how did the DHS youth brigade perform in Hurricane Sandy?
I have been struggling with what P2K brings up. At what point does a civilian police force become a soldier en regard to the 3rd Amendment? Having a barracks, I think everyone can agree on that. But what is a gated and guarded neighborhood? Opponents of the 2nd claim it was meant for hunting, then they must concede that giving a civilian force the same equipment as a military - drones, armored vehicles, weapons not available authority to conduct operations outside of civilian law systems.
Perhaps all of the lahyers in charge, who spent their entire education and professional ids around the process of procedure and definitions, could explain why they are so not interested in procedure and definition.
Golly they're good! So perspicacious, so wise, so bold to give advice where it is not needed -- 'twas they who invented leading from behind, donchaknow.
[An Nahar] Senior U.N. human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... officials warned Thursday that Egypt's Christian minority faces reprisal attacks after the army's brutal crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi.
Coptic Christians make up between six and ten percent of Egypt's population and their community has been the target of sectarian violence in the past.
Already on Wednesday several Egyptian churches were burned by mobs of Morsi's Islamist supporters, angered by the deadly police assault on their sit-in demonstrations in Cairo.
In a statement, Adama Dieng, U.N. Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and Jennifer Welsh, U.N. Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, condemned the violence by the security forces.
But they also noted "with alarm that a number of Christian churches and institutions have been targeted, including in the provinces of Assiut, Fayoum, Minya and Sohag, reportedly in retaliation to the incidents in Cairo."
"We call all political and social actors to abandon strategies of confrontation, engage constructively to ensure respect for diversity, and take all possible steps to facilitate peaceful resolution of disputes in the country," the authors said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[An Nahar] Egypt's Tamarod group, which launched the call for mass protests that led to the ousting of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, urged all Egyptians to take to the streets on Friday to defend the country from "terrorism".
"During these difficult times, we must all stand together... to defend the future of our children from terrorism and the dark forces which want to drag us back centuries," the group said.
In a statement read out on a prime-time slot on state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
, the protest movement urged Egyptians to form popular defense committees on Friday.
Tamarod called on "the great people of Egypt to form popular committees on all streets, outside homes and churches around the country, carrying Egyptian flags to reject domestic terrorism and foreign interference," the group said.
The statement came as fresh violence erupted in Egypt following a security crackdown on the Moslem Brüderbund and two huge pro-Morsi protest camps that sparked nationwide festivities, killing at least 578 people.
The bloody dispersal of the protests prompted widespread condemnation, with U.S. President Barack Obama Jedi mind meld... urging Egypt's army-installed authorities to lift a state of emergency and allow peaceful dissent, saying he "strongly" condemned the crackdown on demonstrators.
Tamarod emerged earlier this year with a petition the group claimed garnered more than 20 million signatures calling on Morsi to step down and for early presidential elections.
The group HAD called for the June 30 protests that saw millions take to the streets to demand Morsi's ouster.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
When the clashes between Egyptian security forces and pro-Morsi protesters were at their peak in Cairo Wednesday, Aug. 14 -- 525 dead and 3,700 wounded to date - President Barack Obama put in a call to Egypt's strongman, Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi... {info re how Obama treated Mubarek at the link}...
Realizing what was coming, Gen. El-Sissi decided not to accept President Obama's call, our sources report. this is debka-take w salt
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[An Nahar] Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... 's brutal Islamist insurgency has stalled Nigeria's development, inflamed ethnic tensions and raised concern among its neighbors, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday at the start of bilateral security talks.
Wendy Sherman, U.S. under-secretary of state for political affairs, said the United States was ready to help Nigeria "develop a multi-faceted strategy" to contain the violence, but warned that a military crackdown alone would not work.
The Boko Haram conflict has "increased tensions between various ethnic communities, interrupted development activities, frightened off investors and generated concerns among Nigeria's northern neighbors," Sherman said.
The krazed killer group has said it is fighting to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria and has carried out waves of attacks across the region.
Some of the violence has occurred along the northern borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger amid fears that Boko Haram fighters could spill into neighboring states.
The Islamist group claimed the kidnapping of a French family, including four children, in Cameroon in February. They were released in April.
A state of emergency declared in May remains in place across the northeast, Boko Haram's stronghold, as the Nigerian military pursues a campaign aimed at crushing the group.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Boko Haram
British embassy in Yemen will be open in the "next couple of days", the ambassador said on Thursday as she returned to the country following a terror alert. Britain was among several Western countries which closed their embassies on August 4 following US warnings of an Al Qaeda attack. A few days later it withdrew all diplomatic staff.
Ambassador Jane Marriott announced on Twitter: "Hello Yemen. It's great to be back... Looking to reopen the embassy in the next couple of days. Watch this space."
The alert was reportedly linked to the interception of communications between Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri and the leader of the group's Yemen-based affiliate, Nasser Al Wuhayshi.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia
[An Nahar] The family of Abu Qatada, the radical holy man who was recently deported to face terror charges in Jordan, on Thursday left Britannia after dropping a bid to stay there, the Foreign Office said.
"Abu Qatada's wife and five children have now left the UK," said a British government statement.
"The family has formally agreed to drop an outstanding application for 'Indefinite Leave to Remain'."
This allows people who have lived legally in Britannia for a certain length of time to apply for permission to settle permanently.
The ministry would not reveal where the family was heading, but the BBC reported they were to join Abu Qatada in Jordan.
A family friend told Agence La Belle France Presse last month that his wife and five children were planning to move to Amman.
This article starring:
Abu Qatada
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
get those fat freeloaders off the dole
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/16/2013 8:29 Comments ||
Top||
WASHINGTON - Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden began downloading documents describing the U.S. government's electronic spying programs while he was working for Dell Inc in April 2012, almost a year earlier than previously reported, according to U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the matter.
Ah-ha. This explains how the skinny little creep was getting his ducks in a row even before he started working for Booz-Allen. It also explains why he contacted Glenn Greenwald (another skinny creep) prior to starting work for Booz -- he already had merchandise to peddle.
Snowden, who was granted a year's asylum by Russia on August 1, worked for Dell from 2009 until earlier this year, assigned as a contractor to U.S. National Security Agency facilities in the United States and Japan.
Snowden downloaded information while employed by Dell about eavesdropping programs run by the NSA and Britain's Government Communications Headquarters, and left an electronic footprint indicating when he accessed the documents, said the sources.
I didn't realize that Dell had contracts for NSA but it shouldn't be a surprise -- NSA has to buy hardware from someone.
David Frink, a spokesman for Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, declined to comment on any aspect of Snowden's employment with the company, saying Dell's "customer" - presumably the NSA - had asked Dell not to talk publicly about him.
Since Snowden disclosed documents on previously secret U.S. internet and phone surveillance programs in June, his three-month tenure with U.S. contractor Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp starting in late March of this year has been the focus of considerable attention. His time at Dell has received little attention.
Lawmakers have questioned how a relatively low-level systems administrator was able to gain access to so many top-secret documents without raising red flags. Some lawmakers have called the leaks one of the worst security breaches in U.S. history.
News that Snowden was downloading documents while he worked at Dell could increase pressure on U.S. intelligence agencies to tighten security protocols to prevent future leaks. The NSA has said it would tighten access to classified material and put in place stricter controls for accessing and downloading such information.
Some of the material Snowden downloaded in April 2012 while a Dell employee related to NSA collection from fiber-optic cables, including transoceanic cables, of large quantities of internet traffic and other communications, the sources said.
Snowden has said he left Dell for a job at Booz Allen Hamilton in Hawaii around March of this year, specifically to gain access to additional top-secret documents that could be leaked to the media.
Additional being the key word there.
Booz Allen Hamilton fired Snowden after he fled to Hong Kong with a trove of secret material. The company has said it is cooperating with a number of inquiries into Snowden's hiring and security lapses.
It is not clear whether Dell has taken similar steps.
"We are honoring our customer's request that we not comment on this matter," said Frink, the Dell spokesman.
Two U.S. officials said the investigations into Snowden's activities confirmed that his downloading of sensitive information began at Dell. He is believed to have moved from Dell to Booz Allen with little time off in between.
In February 2010, while working for Dell, Snowden wrote in an internet technology forum, Ars Technica, that he was bothered by technology companies allegedly giving the U.S. government access to private computer servers.
"It really concerns me how little this sort of corporate behavior bothers those outside of technology circles," Snowden wrote under the screen name "The True HooHA." "Society really seems to have developed an unquestioning obedience towards spooky types.
In addition to a Justice Department investigation, which has produced criminal charges against Snowden, U.S. intelligence agencies are conducting an extensive inquiry to determine precisely what documents Snowden had access to, what he downloaded and how much damage his actions have caused.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/16/2013 11:16 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
If I was an NSA honcho, I'd be (rightfully) peeved at Mr. Ed. But I would reserve my full fury for the absolute morons in the IT and internal security Departments for their utter failure to encrypt, firewall, and compartmentalize sensitive information. The real story here is that any jackass contractor could get access to so much classified info outside his need-to-know without setting off major alarms.
If the NSA databases were open to this mook, then what of other competent intelligence agencies? If this story is indicative of how our "secret keepers" operate, then we are truly doomed.
#3
NSA Honchos may soon have more to worry about than this - like possible criminal charges for violating the law regarding unlawful surveillance of US Persons, several thousand cases of that. Personally, I applaud *some* of what Snowden did. I question whether his security oath overrides his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Just Following Orders is not sufficient reason to cooperate with what may have been genuinely illegal acts by the NSA. And don't say to go to the AG - these days, thats a lapdog, not an unbiased investigative body. On top of that, the old threat of a Congressional investigation is as toothless with this gutless Congress. At least we had those tools back in the day.
I may not agree with some of the other things said and done, but on the whole, the revelation of the Domestic side of this thing is excuse enough for me. The non-domestic part, he's as culpable and gullible as Manning, in all likelihood.
[Jpost] "Innocence of Mohammedans" writer sent to half-way house on probation; film which disparaged Prophet Muhammad sparked ME violence.
An Egyptian Christian who was one of the key figures behind an anti-Islam film that sparked violence in the Middle East and elsewhere was released from a Los Angeles prison.
Mark Basseley Youssef, 55, of Los Angeles, who reportedly wrote and produced "Innocence of Mohammedans," was released to a half-way house to serve was sentenced in November 2012 to prison for violating his probation in a 2010 check-kiting case. He will leave the half-way house on September 26, but will be on probation for the next four years, according to Rooters.
Youssef, also known as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, is believed to have uploaded to YouTube a 14-minute trailer translated into Arabic for the crudely produced film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad, despite not being allowed to use the Internet without permission from his probation officer.
In the wake of the initial violence following the release of the trailer, two media outlets interviewed a Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, man who gave his name as Sam Bacile and reportedly said he had produced, directed and written "Innocence of Mohammedans," and that Jewish donors had bankrolled the production.
But his claims, which included that he was an Israeli American in the real estate business, quickly came under scrutiny and were found to be untrue. It was later revealed that Bacile was Youssef.
[FoxDC] The Washington Post said Thursday that its website was hacked. A group that supports Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... 's regime grabbed credit. Jeff "El Jefe" Bezos's first personnel change will be the IT department, I guess. Washington Post Managing Editor Emilio Garcia-Ruiz said in a statement that for about 30 minutes Thursday morning, readers of some Washington Post stories were redirected to the website of the Syrian Electronic Army.
The SEA has taken credit for a string of Web attacks on media targets that it sees as sympathetic to Syria's rebels. Among the targets the group claims to have hacked are Twitter feeds of The News Agency that Dare Not be Named, 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... English and the BBC.
Garcia-Ruiz said the hacking incident came a few days after a phishing attack which tried to obtain password information. As a result of the attack, purportedly orchestrated by the SEA, a personal email account of one of the newspaper's staff writers was used to send out an SEA message, he said. They also got the mailing addresses of all dozen subscribers...
Garcia-Ruiz said the SEA claimed in a Twitter message that it gained access to parts of the newspaper's website by hacking one of its business partners, Outbrain, an Internet company that alerts readers of blogs and media sites to recommended links targeted to their specific interests.
Outbrain tweeted on Thursday that its website was shut down as a result of a cyberattack.
The Post said it has "taken defensive measures," which include the removal of the module affected by the hacking. The company said it doesn't believe there are any other issues affecting the website.
#1
Jeff "El Jefe" Bezos's first personnel change will be the IT department, I guess.
A visit from the Amazon IT security is probably among the highest priorities. IT security for businesses like Bezo's is like handling nukes. Merit first and last and no sense of humor.
[An Nahar] Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Pakistain Thursday against "anti-India activity" as tensions rise between the nuclear-armed rivals over a deadly attack on Indian soldiers.
"India has always strived for friendship with its neighboring countries," Singh said in an annual address marking India's 1947 independence from Britannia delivered from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort in New Delhi.
"However, we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... for relations with Pakistain to improve, it is essential they prevent the use of their territory and territory under their control for any anti-India activity", Singh said.
The Congress prime minister spoke from a bullet-proof enclosure at the Red Fort, which had been turned into a virtual fortress with tens of thousands of security forces guarding against a possible myrmidon strike.
India blamed the killing of five of its soldiers in disputed Kashmire last week on the Pakistain army and the incident has fueled tensions between the neighbors.
The Indian leader condemned the attack as "dastardly" and said New Delhi would "take all possible steps to prevent" future such incidents, as intermittent firing continued along the heavily militarized ceasefire line dividing Kashmire.
India's army accused Pakistain troops of injuring three Indian soldiers in Thursday's firing between the two armies along the boundary known as the Line of Control, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
The threat of Sino-Indian mil conflict [Pak?] looms very real for the USA = Bammer Admin as for the threat of Sino-Japanese + Sino-Philippine mil conflict.
FYI Pak, China BFF IRAN is refusing INDIA's demand to release the Indian oil ship it seized the other day.
"Perfect Storm" of Geopol-dangerous Mil Crises.
ORDINARY EGYPTIANS SHEDDING BLOOD FOR OBAMA'S DECISIONS, OR SEEMINGLY LACK THEREOF - SUBSTITUTE ANY EACH ANDOR ALL OF OUR REGIONAL OVERSEAS ALLIES FOR "EGYPTIANS"???
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [China-Defense -Mashup] CAN CHINA'S NEW H-6K STRATEGIC BOMBER REACH US HAWAII?
Lest we fergit, besides Guam-WESTPAC "Co-Superpower" China alos desires HAWAII [Hawaiian Islands] + [minima?] 1/2 of CONUS-NORAM for "living space" - IOW, TAKING OVER GUAM-WESTPAC IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF CHINA'S "LONG MARCH" = US MILPOL/GEOPOL RETREAT ACROSS THE PACIFIC BACK TOWARDS CONUS.
behind China will be the OWG Caliphate Global Navy = Iranian Navy, etal. MUSLIM(s)???
* FYI DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > TTP TO OPEN A [new Combat = Insurgent-Terror]FRONT AGZ INDIA IFF ITS ARMY DOES NOT STOP "UNPROVOKED" ATTACKS ON PAKISTANI TERRITORY IN KASHMIR | OPEN OPTIONS: TALIBAN READY FOR [all-out?] WAR OR PEACE - EXPRESS TRIBUNE.
* SAME > [Zee News = MEMRI]PAK TALIBAN ESTABLISHES NEW UNIT OF ROHINGYA MUSLIMS, BANGLADESHIS, + INDONESIAN NATIONALS.
"Rohingya Mujahideen".
India's long-troubled NE facing expanding Islamist threats like its NW region via Pakistan, wid Chinese PLA + Islamist MilTerrs in the center.
[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... warned Thursday that Iraq risked destabilization from Sunni and Shiite Death Eaters as civil war flares in neighboring Syria.
Meeting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Kerry said that Iraq faced "increasingly turbulent, violent and unpredictable" regional currents.
"Sunni and Shia Death Eaters on both sides of the sectarian divide throughout the region have an ability to be able to threaten Iraq's stability if they're not checked," Kerry told news hounds.
Kerry condemned the "horrific series of assaults" by al-Qaeda, including Sunday's attacks that killed 74 people during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
An al-Qaeda front group took credit, saying that Shiites "will not dream of security during night or day, during Eid or other" days.
Kerry warned of al-Qaeda activity in Syria, where mostly Sunni rebels are fighting to topple Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... , a member of the heterodox Alawite movement whose government is secular.
"With many al-Qaeda leaders now operating in Syria, we all need to accelerate our work in order to set the conditions for diplomatic settlement for the Syrian crisis," Kerry said.
The United States, along with Sunni monarchies Qatar and 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... , has supported the rebels but says it only provides non-lethal assistance.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq
#2
The Iraqi Govt is repor now mulling to allow US Drone Strikes widin Iraq to counter their perceived growing extremist threat - read, AL QAEDA IN IRAQ.
IOW, IRAQ IS INDIRECTLY ADMITTING THAT OBAMA PULLED US FORCES OUT TOO EARLY, + THAT IRAQ IS NOW AT DIRECT THREAT OF BECOMING PAKISTAN = AFPAK.
[Ynet] The Paleostinian Football Association asked FIFA to expel Israel from official competitions, due to Israel not allowing the free movement of Paleostinian footballers in the Paleostinian Authority.
Chairman of the association, Jibril Rajoub, confirmed: "We asked Israel to be issued a red card, because a yellow one was drawn a long time ago."
I am broken hearted and the Israelis are weeping against the Wall. Yeah.
What a tragedy. When is the last time YOU wanted to kick a Palestinian in the balls?
[IsraelNationalNews] In letter publicized to the press, Shaked attacks US pressure to release terrorists: "You are putting me and my children's lives at risk"
Bayit Yehudi MK Ayelet Shaked has released a scathing open letter to 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... , for pushing the Israeli government to release convicted terrorist murderers.
In the letter, Shaked - who recently called for the death penalty to be implemented for terrorists - wrote that:
"In light of the current situation that you have brought about, I feel that I cannot be bound by the restraints of 'politically correct' wording, and I therefore will allow myself to convey my following message to you in the most straightforward fashion."
She continued:
"By forcing Israel to capitulate to terrorism by releasing murdering terrorists with so much blood on their hands that the US would never dream of releasing if it was their own citizens murdered -- you are not only being extremely hypocritical, but are actually dabbling in experimentation and gambling, by putting me and my children's lives at risk,"
Shaked also attacked the US administration for forcing Israel to release convicted murderers, whilst keeping former Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard in jail.
"You forcing us to release terrorists with blood on their hands is made all the more absurd, cynical and vicious by the fact that your country refuses to this day to release Jonathan Pollard from jail, despite the unprecedented term he has served thus far," she wrote.
"Mr. Secretary: the price of releasing over a hundred convicted murderers will be borne by my family and my people, not by you." she continued, asking "How will you carry the burden of the terrible price toward which you are leading us?"
"You forced us into peace talks during a period of time that the entire Middle East is in chaos, without realizing that by doing so, you have foolishly put us in an impossible situation in which we cannot and will not make any concessions."
By "raising expectations to a dangerous level" in this way, Kerry is threatening "to cause the whole region to spin out of control," she claimed.
Shaked ended the letter with a word of "advice" for the US Secretary of State.
"The past four years in Israel have been as quiet and peaceful as ever. Therefore I suggest you perform your job in a much more effective and relevant fashion by focusing your attention on Syria and Egypt, where people are actually being slaughtered."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appointed Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi as the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, IRNA reported.
From 1997 to 2005 Salehi served as Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA. Salehi served as vice president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran from 2009 to 2010.
Ex-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed him as minister of foreign affairs on January 30th, 2011.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati has declared that Friday will be a day of national mourning for the victims of the blast that hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, noting that the Higher Defense Council will convene to discuss the incident.
"Once again the hand of treachery and the flames of hatred have targeted civilians in a dear Lebanese region that has been known for its enormous steadfastness in the face of the Israeli enemy's malevolence and plots," Miqati said in a statement.
"This blast indicates that the hand of evil is still tampering with this country and its security, safety and all assets," Miqati warned.
He said that "the real solution does not lie in condemnations, but rather in sitting together around the dialogue table without preconditions in order to salvage the country."
The premier added that following consultations with President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... , it was decided to hold a meeting for the Higher Defense Council at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the presidential palace in Baabda.
According to the statement, Miqati also held contacts with caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and the chiefs of security agencies to follow up on the repercussions of the bombing and the outcome of the ongoing investigations.
For his part, Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam condemned the kaboom as a "barbaric act," urging the Lebanese citizens and political forces to "show solidarity and national unity to fend off those who want to tamper with the country's security."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... on Thursday blamed the deadly bombing that targeted Dahieh earlier in the day on "the hand of organized crime and terrorism," saying "it is undoubtedly a black Israeli hand."
"This crime only serves the Israeli enemy, which has been plotting to undermine the elements of national unity that were the elements that led to Leb's victory in 2006," Berri said in a statement.
"This bloody crime, which aims to stir strife among the Lebanese, requires the Lebanese and their spiritual and politicians to show vigilance and unity ... in order to confront the challenges that have been imposed on our country," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
[An Nahar] President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... stated on Thursday that the kaboom in the southern suburb of Beirut "bears the hallmark of terrorism and Israel."
"I condemn the terrorist Dahieh kaboom that aims at shaking stability in the country and the Lebanese people's resistance," Suleiman said in a released statement.
He added: "The kaboom bears the hallmark of terrorism and Israel and it targeted civilians and innocents to deliver political messages."
Beirut's kaboom will not, however, change the principles and the values of the Lebanese, Suleiman noted.
"It must instead motivate politicians and Lebanese citizens to stand united under the ceiling of the state," he commented.
"The blast targets the entire nation and all the Lebanese people, not solely the southern suburb of Beirut."
The president called on security, military and judicial bodies in the country to intensify their investigations and unveil the assailants behind the attack.
"We also demand strict monitoring of regions that are vulnerable to similar attacks and of the border."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... accused Israel of being behind Thursday's blast that rocked Beirut's southern suburb.
"I accuse Israel of being behind the kaboom in Dahieh," Jumblat told LBCI television shortly after the blast, calling on the state's bodies to "consolidate and intensify their work."
Later on Thursday, Jumblat explained to MTV that Israel is the only "beneficiary of what is taking place," noting that the Free Syrian Army had denied its involvement in the previous attack on Dahieh.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Iran's parliament approved on Thursday all but three of President Hasan Rowhani's 18 cabinet picks, allowing the government to start work, parliament speaker Ali Larijani said.
He said on live television the proposed ministers of education, Mohammad Ali Najafi, of science, research and technology, Jafar Mili-Monfared -- both considered close to reformists -- and Massoud Sontani-far, at sports and youth, were rejected.
Among the key nominations approved by the conservative-dominated parliament were Mohammad Javad Zari as foreign minister and Bijan Zanganeh for the oil portfolio.
Voting was on a candidate-by-candidate basis and not on the cabinet as a whole. Rowhani now has three months to fill the three posts left vacant.
Zanganeh, who is highly respected in the energy industry and on the international scene, already served as oil minister between 1997 and 2005 under reformist president Mohammad Khatami.
But he faced heavy criticism during the four days of parliamentary debate on newly-elected Rowhani's nominations, for both his ties to reformists and over alleged corruption in oil contracts.
As for the new foreign minister, Zarif, who holds a U.S. doctorate in international law, served as the Islamic republic's ambassador to the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... between 2002 and 2007.
He also played a leading role in nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers in 2003-2005 at a time when Rowhani led his country's delegation.
Rowhani has said the priority of his all-male team of technocrats will be to tackle Iran's economic crisis and its disputed nuclear program in a bid to lift several rounds of punishing Western sanctions.
In an address to parliament at the start of the debate on Monday, Rowhani laid stress on Iran's ailing economy and condemned the Western methods to apply pressure.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/16/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
As per various MSM-Net ARtics, the Bammer = USA desires to stay out of any territorial or other disputes in East Asia/Asia involv CHINA, which also supports Iran in the Persian Gulf, but does want to protect its relations wid China as both major trading partner + bond-borrower.
The Bammer repor has made mucho "red lines" but has failed to enforce any, po'ing everybody i.e. Enemies, Allies, Moderates, + Non-Aligned.
IFF I WERE AMERICA'S ALLIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST + ASIA, I WOULD BE PREPPING MAJOR CONTINGENCY PLANS IN CASE YOU-KNOW-WHAT HITS THE FAN + THE BAMMER = USA IS WEIRDLY-N-MYSTERIOUSLY, BUT OF COURSE PCORRECTLY COINCIDENTALLY, "NOT THERE".
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[An Nahar] 
British embassy in Yemen will be open in the "next couple of days", the ambassador said on Thursday as she returned to the country following a terror alert. Britain was among several Western countries which closed their embassies on August 4 following US warnings of an Al Qaeda attack. A few days later it withdrew all diplomatic staff.
[An Nahar] The family of 
WASHINGTON - Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden began downloading documents describing the U.S. government's electronic spying programs while he was working for Dell Inc in April 2012, almost a year earlier than previously reported, according to U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the matter.
[Jpost] "Innocence of 
[FoxDC] The Washington Post said Thursday that its website was hacked. A group that supports Syrian 
[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Najib Miqati
[An Nahar] Speaker 
Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling...
