Retired firefighter Robert Fulco, who served in Engine 250 in Brooklyn, died of pulmonary fibrosis on Saturday
The 73-year-old was the 343rd first responder to die from an illness linked to the terror attack, which is the same number that died on September 11, 2001
Fellow New York City Fire Department member and emergency medical technician Hilda Vannata, 67, died on Wednesday following a cancer battle
Israeli anti-Bibi professional far left cadres, guided by a former kibbutznik/former Israeli Labour politician/international venture capitalist and multi-billionaire philanthropist Erel Margalit — who means well — seek international Progressive funding for their project to overthrow Israel’s democracy, while The Times of Israel fawns. Ugh.
[IsraelTimes] Reservists’ protest group seeks funding as they tell 40 tech founders and CEOs that the fight against government efforts to remake judiciary ’won’t end soon’ "As long as you pay us"
At the New York offices of JVP, the venture capital fund of former Israeli politicianErel Margalit, high-tech workers and members of the Brothers and Sisters in Arms reservist protest group met Thursday to discuss the ongoing fight of the anti-judicial overhaul movement, the demonstrations and the blocking of the controversial legislation.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves forward with US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. S You're a lyin' dog-faced pony soldier... and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to reach a multi-party agreement to normalize relations between Jerusalem and Riyadh, and the rest of the Moslem world, Israeli protesters are not taking their foot off the gas.
As long as Netanyahu does not completely turn away from his intention to pass another set of legislation, and for as long as the Basic Law barring judges from using the test of "reasonableness" to strike down government decisions and appointments remains in force, protest groups are preparing for a long winter and an exhausting struggle.
The protests are no longer just spontaneous events,
... not that they ever were — this is what well-funded Astroturf looks like...
but have become a force looking to the future. For the leaders of the movement, Netanyahu’s ties to the bad boy members of his coalition require the continuation of the massive task in order to preserve the democratic values of the State of Israel.
A blatant lie. They were no less active against him —under a different name, of course — when he was reaching to the center for allies, and even to Ra’am, the political party of the so-called Islamic Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood in Israel.
Margalit, the owner of Jerusalem Venture Partners, is one of the regular speakers at demonstrations in Jerusalem, and this week was one of the main speakers at the large rally at Times Square, the day before Netanyahu’s meeting with Biden.
Is that the rally that was a couple hundred people or maybe a couple thousand? I didn’t bother looking closely at the article about it, since expats and interested foreigners protesting abroad affects nothing.
Margalit gave the protest groups a large meeting room at his foundation’s office on Grand Street in SoHo on Thursday, and told them: "At any time you’re in New York and looking for a place to sit, work or meet, our offices are open to you."
At the main entrance to the office, a large picture hangs of Margalit and a group of protesters marching on the Brooklyn Bridge at a rally to defend Israeli democracy in July.
The march was organized by the UnXeptable group, an organization founded by Israelis living in the US which has become the driving force behind demonstrations in dozens of locations across the country.
Offir Gutelzon, a high-tech entrepreneur from Palo Alto and a protest activist in the US, founded UnXeptable, which at the start of the week projected an image of Netanyahu in a prisoner’s uniform onto the walls of the world-famous Alcatraz prison.
So clever.
After a series of demonstrations against Netanyahu’s visit on the West Coast, Gutelzon flew to New York to join rallies against the premier in Manhattan.
How many of the protesters are flying around the country as protest tourists?
Gutelzon sat Thursday at the JVP offices when three leaders of Brothers and Sisters in Arms, who came especially from Israel for Netanyahu’s visit, presented the Israeli struggle to a group of about 40 high-tech leaders.
Among the participants at the meeting were Outbrain CEO Yaron Galai; Liran Tancman, CEO and founder of Beersheba-based cyber firm CyActive and CEO of software firm Rezilion; Oded Hareven, CEO of Akeyless; Tsiki Naftaly, CEO of Copilot; April Crichlow, chief marketing officer at Centrical; and Amir Eilat, product manager at Nanit.
Some of the companies are part of the JVP investment portfolio. JVP partners were also present at the meeting, including Keren Kay, Tom Davie and Lidice Mendoza.
Brothers and Sisters in Arms members wore their signature army green shirts to the meeting. Among those who came from Israel was Omer Granit, a partner of EnPar Capita, the founder of West 4 Capital Management, and former CEO of Mixer.
Another participant was architect Roy Gordon — earlier this year, the far-right chair of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chair Simcha Rothman, a key architect of the overhaul, grabbed a megaphone from Gordon’s partner during a demonstration.
Maj. (res.) Bat-el Valentine Blaish, a graduate of the IDF Naval Academy, explained to participants that without the High Court of Justice, she would not have been allowed to join the course and become a trailblazer.
"I’m not satisfied with that," she said. "I was the first woman in many positions, and I want to make sure that I will not be the last, and that our children are able to achieve these goals. Without the court, we will not be able to preserve these achievements."
One of the participants at the meeting who isn’t Israeli asked: "What is the timetable? When do you fear the Israeli democracy will cease to be democratic?"
Israeli democracy will cease to be democratic when Israeli Jews cease to be Jewish. Or should this lot actually win.
Blaish responded that the process would happen step by step, in small stages, and that the fear is Netanyahu will continue to pass amendments to different laws, exactly as he announced that he would in recent days during his meetings in the US.
In meetings with tech CEO Elon Musk and Biden, the prime minister said described, perhaps disingenuously, the changes he would make to the judicial system as "minor corrections."
It’s true that the minor changes would have a major impact. Israel’s judiciary is as politically leftwing as are this group of tech entrepreneurs, but unlike the American system Israel has no balance of powers; Israel’s parliament has no control over the courts whatsoever.
One of the subjects put on the table by Brothers and Sisters in Arms was their need for funding.
"We are facing a protracted campaign. It won’t end soon," one of the activists said.
One of the participants revealed in the meeting that the American branch of Brothers and Sisters in Arms already has approval as a registered association and recognition from tax authorities — that is, approval to raise donations in a way that allows donors to legally deduct their contributions.
In the US, tax laws allow entities to register a total of up to 10% of turnover as a recognized expense if it is donated to groups engaging in public activities, provided that they obtained the appropriate approval.
These tax regulations mean donations from large bodies and family foundations can have a big turnover. In practice, the American system encourages big donations, and there are family and public foundations that look for associations and organizations to donate to every year.
Margalit told the meeting participants about the significant activities of JVP in Kiryat Shmona’s food tech industry, and their activity in Beersheba’s cyber industry.
He said that within the military and tech industry, the various sectors of Israeli society — Arab, ultra-Orthodox, secular, religious — cooperate, but the current government is dismantling the delicate social fabric of the Jewish state.
Margalit explained more about the huge demonstrations in Israel and the US: "Today, we host here at the foundation a group of leaders standing at the forefront of protest activities. The goal of this meeting is to brainstorm the next steps, both in Israel and the US."
Brothers and Sisters in Arms and other protest groups continue to rally in New York while remaining aware of the significant political breakthrough with Riyadh that Netanyahu apparently achieved during his time in the US. But the emerging understandings with Saudi Arabis won’t change their general view: While it is important to reach a deal with Riyadh, it is forbidden to take their eyes off the prize. Riyadh and Washington won’t preserve Israel’s democracy — that is the job of the protest movement.
#2
"Margalit explained more about the huge demonstrations in Israel and the US..." I believe there were just 100,000 anti-Bibi protesters while there were 2 million celebrants mainly pro-Government in Jerusalem.
Good to know we’re still keeping one eye on things over there instead of relying entirely on the attenuated Afghan press for information.
[ArianaNews] Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, says the ongoing patrolling of US drones in the airspace of Afghanistan is a clear violation being committed by this country.
Speaking in an inclusive interview with ArianaNews, Stanekzai said that Islamic Emirate officials have shared this issue in the negotiations with the American delegations and demanded to stop the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace.
“Yes, there are drones patrolling in Afghanistan’s airspace, and we repeatedly shared this issue with them (the Americans) in the meetings, and they have violated this article,” said Stanekzai.
“According to Doha agreement, after the withdrawal of US forces, this country would have friendly relations with the new Islamic government of Afghanistan and would play an active role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and encourage other countries in this direction, and definitely not to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan,” he added.
[KhaamaPress] The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan said ten military personnel have returned to the country after completing their master’s degree program in India.
Pray for them. The Taliban aren’t kind to soldiers of the former government when they catch them.
The Ministry announced this on Thursday, stating that these military personnel had been sent to India for higher education during the previous Afghanistan administration.
According to the statement, these students returned to the country on Thursday morning in coordination with the Ministry of National Defense upon completing their educational program.
The Ministry claimed it is committed to recruiting and utilizing the expertise of skilled individuals within the government framework.
Afghan students in India have struggled for the past two years because the Indian government has denied them residence visas. This decision has jeopardized their education and put them at risk of expulsion, compelling some to return home.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow... a former government army officer in Kandahar province, identified as Khalilullah Akhlaqi, was found dead with stab wounds to his throat and body in a mysterious murder incident on Sunday.
Furthermore, in Takhar province, two other former military personnel were killed by unidentified attackers this month.
On the other hand, the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that over 200 former government military personnel have been extra-judicially killed in the past two years, a claim disputed by the Taliban ...Arabic for students... administration, who cite a general amnesty protecting individuals from prosecution.
[Garowe] As Somalia's army and allied clan militias continue to drive al-Shabaab ...... the personification of Somali state failure... fighters out of locales in central Somalia, analysts warn the country could still face security threats from Islamist snuffies on the run. Somalia’s National Army is in the middle of a military offensive against al-Shabaab. Since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a "total war" against the snuffies in August 2022, al-Shabaab fighters have withdrawn from some of the group’s central Somalia strongholds under military pressure from the army, the militias, and international partners’ Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s.
Continued on Page 49
[AlAhram] Attacks in northern Mali have more than doubled since U.N. peacekeepers completed the first phase of their withdrawal last month after a decade of fighting Islamic krazed killers, resulting in more than 150 deaths.
In one brazen attack, faceless myrmidons targeted a triple-decker passenger boat, killing 49 civilians. And this week, another group of rebels attacked Malian army camps in the Lere locality on the border with Mauritania, leaving several security personnel dead and maimed.
Now, fleeing Malians fear the worst is yet to come in the prolonged violence.
Continued on Page 49
[AFRICANEWS] Nearly two weeks after deadly floods swept away entire neighbourhood in eastern Libya, authorities in the said region announced an international reconstruction conference.
The spokesperson for the Libyan national army leader also reacted Friday to protests organized in the flood-hit city of Derna.
On September 18, hundreds of protestors gathered outside the city's grand mosque, chanting slogans against the eastern-based parliament and its leader and calling for accountability over the high death toll.
Protestor's among other things demanded a probe into the current city council and previous budgets.
"The people are angry, the people are suffering, we are suffering too, we are part of the people, we are not strangers to them, so we feel what they feel," Ahmed el-Mesmari said.
"I myself have lost [...] members of my family in this situation. You have to listen very carefully to the anger of the people. Their voice has reached and moved all the institutions of power and politicians in Libya. This will lead to an investigation of everything that happened," The spokesman of army leader Khalifa Haftar added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2023 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[AFRICANEWS] The recent coups in Africa are attempts by militaries to save their countries from presidents' "broken promises," the head of Guinea´s junta said Thursday as he rebuffed the West for boxing in the continent of more than 1 billion people.Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, who was sworn in as Guinea's interim president following the coup in 2021, told the U.N. General Assembly that beyond condemning the coups, global leaders must also "look to and address the deep-rooted causes."
"The putschist is not only the person who takes up arms to overthrow a regime," he told the gathering of world leaders in New York. "I want us all to be well aware of the fact that the real putschists, the most numerous, are those who avoid any condemnation - they are those ... who cheat to manipulate the text of the constitution in order to stay in power eternally."
Guinea is one of several nations in West and Central Africa that have experienced eight coups since 2020, including two - Niger and Gabon - in recent months. The military takeovers, sometimes celebrated by citizens in those countries and condemned by international organizations and foreign countries, have raised concern about the stability of the continent, whose young population of at least 1.3 billion is set to double by 2050 and make up a quarter of the planet´s people.
Doumbouya accused some leaders in Africa of clinging to power by any means - often including amending the constitution - to the detriment of their people.
In Guinea, he said he led soldiers to depose then-President Alpha Conde in the September 2021 coup to prevent the country from "slipping into complete chaos." He said the situation was similar in other countries hit by coups and was a result of "broken promises, the lethargy of the people and leaders tampering with constitutions with the sole concern of remaining in power to the detriment of collective well-being."
Doumbouya also rebuffed attempts by the West and other developed countries to intervene in Africa´s political challenges, saying that Africans are "exhausted by the categorizations with which everyone wants to box us in."
"We Africans are insulted by the boxes, the categories which sometimes place us under the influence of the Americans, sometimes under that of the British, the French, the Chinese and the Turks," the Guinean leader said. "Today, the African people are more awake than ever and more than ever determined to take their destiny into their own hands."
While the Guinean leader defended the coups in his country and elsewhere, concerns remain about the effectiveness of such military takeovers in addressing the challenges they said made them "intervene."
In Mali, where soldiers have been in power since 2020, the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group almost doubled the territory it controls in less than a year, according to U.N. experts. And in Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... , which recorded two coups in 2020, economic growth slowed to 2.5% in 2022 after a robust 6.9% the year before.
"Military coups are wrong, as is any tilted civilian political arrangement that perpetuates injustice," said Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. As the leader of West Africa´s regional bloc of ECOWAS, he is leading efforts of neighbors to reverse the coup in the region.
"The wave crossing parts of Africa does not demonstrate favor towards coups," He said. "It is a demand for solutions to perennial problems."
[AFRICANEWS] Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi was welcomed Friday (Sep. 22) by the U.S. Secretary of Defence to discuss the nations' bilateral defence relationship and security cooperation.
Since 2017, Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, has been the scene of a conflict between authorities and radicalized fighters.
Austin expressed a commitment to work together with Mozambique "to eliminate the causes of conflict and to expand security in the region."
"Terrorism remains a significant threat to regional security. And both of our countries have suffered from terrorism. And we are in this together. So we're deeply grateful for your partnership to counter violent mostly peaceful holy warrior groups in northern Mozambique and your cooperation with the Southern Africa Development Community, The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and others shows the power of partnership in combating violent mostly peaceful extremism."
"I wish to thank you most sincerely and President Biden and the government of the United States of America for the support we have been enjoying in different areas ranging from the economy, health, and security."
President Filipe Nyusi and Lloyd J. Austin III, who met at the Pentagon, also exchanegd views on domain awareness and strengthening maritime security.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2023 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (IS-Mozambique)
#1
Obviously, the Islamic radical penetration of Mozambique north has the government worried. For sure Portugal won't help. South Africa is a mess. Mozambique is on its own and seeks help wherever it can. Uncle Sugar responds.
Tired of being a frontline state as the waves of migrants pile up on their shores on the way to the more lucrative areas of the continent.
[AnNahar] Cyprus has formally called on the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... to re-evaluate which areas of Syria can be declared safe and free from armed conflict so that Syrian migrants colonists can eventually be repatriated there, Cypriot authorities said.
Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou was the sole official to raise the issue during July's informal gathering of his EU counterparts in Spain. No other EU nation has taken a formal position on safe zone re-evaluation, the Interior Ministry told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
Cyprus is fronting the re-evaluation bid because it says its proximity to the region has now made it a prime destination for Syrian migrants colonists.
Ethnically divided Cyprus, with a population of nearly a million in the southern, internationally recognized part where migrants colonists seek asylum,
...nobody want to stay on the Turkish side? Quelle suprise! says migrants colonists now comprise 6% of its population — much higher than the average in other EU member countries.
War-torn Syria has for the past 12 years has been designated as an unsafe country where indiscriminate violence poses a real risk to the safety of its citizens. The threat makes them eligible for international protection status which enables them to live and work in third countries.
The government of Cyprus is proposing that the EU re-examine whether conditions on the ground in Syria — or parts of the country — have changed enough for Syrians to be safely repatriated.
The practicalities of how such repatriations would take place could be decided later. One possibility would be to start repatriations of Syrians who hail from the declared safe zones, according to the Cypriot ministry.
Some 40% of 7,369 migrants colonists who have applied for asylum in Cyprus in 2023 until the end of August are Syrians.
The European Union Agency for Asylum says there's "no real risk" to civilians from indiscriminate violence in only one of Syria's 13 regions — Tartus. In another four, including Latakia, Damascus, Homs and Quneitra, indiscriminate violence isn't "at a high level."
The United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... refugee agency told the AP that it's "not aware of discussions within the EU regarding a change of policy on returns to Syria at present" but that any refugee repatriations must be voluntary and on an individual rather than a group basis.
"UNHCR and other mandated humanitarian organizations must have access to the entire territory of Syria in order to monitor return conditions, assess needs independently, and deliver services to all, on the basis solely of need," the agency said.
[OneIndia] Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose killing led to a row between India and Canada, was not a religious and social figure but a terrorist who was involved in running terrorist training camps and funding terror acts, sources have said.
Nijjar was a close associate of Gurdeep Singh alias Deepa Heranwala, who was involved in the killing of around 200 people in Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Heranwala belonged to the banned Khalistan Commando Force. Nijjar, who was killed by person or persons unknown on June 18 at a parking lot of a Sikh gurdwara in British Columbia, had escaped to Canada in 1996 fearing arrest by police here, and indulged in illegal activities like drug smuggling and extortion in Canada to arrange funding for terrorist activities, sources said.
Nijjar was also involved in training youths at a terror camp in British Columbia to carry out attacks in India, they said. Over the years, Nijjar assumed the role of 'Operation Chief' of Khalistan Tiger Force, or KTF, a banned terror group. In 2020, he was accused by the government of being actively involved in "operationalizing, networking, training and financing" KTF members.
In 2012, Nijjar visited Pakistain and came in touch with Jagtar Singh Tara, chief of Babbar Khalsa International, another banned terror group. Tara supplied him with arms and trained him in assembling IEDs in 2012 and 2013. He sent US-based Harjot Singh Birring to Canada to train Nijjar in operating a hand-held GPS device. Nijjar also sent 1 million Pak rupees to Tara, sources said. In 2014, Nijjar planned a terror attack on Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa in Haryana in the direction of Tara. However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... the attack could not take place because Nijjar was denied an Indian visa, they said.
Nijjar allegedly muscled his way into the post of president of the local gurdwara in Surrey, Canada in 2021, forcibly deposing his cousin, Raghbir Singh Nijjar, the incumbent, with threats of violence. The National Investigation Agency has registered several cases against Nijjar as well as issuing an Interpol Red Corner Notice for raising a module in Canada involving Khalistani separatist Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal. Nijjar was also the head of the Canada chapter of Sikhs For Justice, another banned terrorist organization. He had also organized violent mostly peaceful anti-India protests in Canada and threatened Indian diplomats, sources said.
Nijjar had also given a call to ban Indian Embassy officials from participating in various programs organized by local gurdwaras in Canada. India and Canada are embroiled in a diplomatic row over the killing of Khalistani Nijjar in June. The row erupted following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North... 's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in his killing. India on Tuesday rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
In reflection of the hardening of its position, India on Wednesday advised all its nationals living in Canada and those contemplating traveling there to exercise "utmost caution" given growing anti-India activities and "politically-condoned" hate crimes as well as "criminal violence" in that country. India on Thursday announced temporarily suspending the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens given the "security threats" faced by its high commission and consulates in Canada.
[NY Post] Sen. Robert Menendez spent years helping the Egyptian-American imam behind the controversial Ground Zero Mosque — a plan the embattled Democrat later championed.
Menendez, 69, was indicted on federal bribery charges Friday, along with his wife, for schemes that allegedly benefited the government of Egypt and three New Jersey businessmen.
Starting in 1989, when the senator was the mayor of Union City, NJ, Menendez reportedly secured more than $2 million in public cash and loans for Egyptian-American imam Feisal Abdul Rauf.
The funding was meant to renovate three low-income apartment buildings Rauf owned there, according to reports — buildings that, tenants complained, remained dilapidated for years after the money was received.
At the same time, Rauf was in business with developer Fred Daibes — the Menendez political benefactor who allegedly bribed him with gold bars and cash, and who was named as a Menendez co-defendant Friday.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York say they found gold bars from Daibes in the home Menendez shares with his wife Nadine.
Rauf is not named in the federal indictment against Menendez and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
In 2010, when controversy erupted over Rauf’s plans to build an Islamic center and mosque two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, Menendez cheered the proposed 13-story structure.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT BOB MENENDEZ'S INDICTMENT
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is facing federal corruption charges related to an alleged years-long scheme.
Menendez allegedly accepted bribes, including gold bars, in exchange for helping three businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, and the country of Egypt, according to officials.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were charged with taking hundreds of thousands in bribes, according to a Manhattan federal indictment.
When the feds raided Menendez’s Englewood Cliffs home in June 2022, they found a 2019 Mercedes C-Class, at least 13 gold bars, and $566,000 in cash "stuffed in envelopes." Another $70,000 in cash was found in Nadine’s safe deposit box.
#3
Even if he quits the Senate, Phil Murphy will appoint some NJ (D)irtbag to finish his term
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/24/2023 7:45 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Look, over here, a big fat squirrel that everybody hates and whose replacement will be just as reliable! And it makes the "Justice Department" look non-partisan, and feeds the MSM lots of juicy froth to write about. And it takes the some of the heat off Boy Wonder and the POTATUS corruption "investigation". How coincidental!
#6
Well, the Fed DOJ has to look like it's doing something.
Heard elsewhere, they went for the 'low hanging fruit'.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
09/24/2023 13:50 Comments ||
Top||
#7
^ They probably had him dead to rights last time, but let him slide with a "don't make us look bad" warning. So now they aren't feeling any love for him.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/24/2023 13:53 Comments ||
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#8
^ All true. He's gotten reckless enough they have somebody in the shadows already primed to replace him
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/24/2023 15:36 Comments ||
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[MiddleEastEye] The Biden administration is expanding and extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans in the United States
The resolution announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday extends TPS for an additional 18 months for nearly 3,100 Afghans who were in the US after the country fully withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. TPS protects from deportations.
The temporary status is also being expanded to the 14,600 Afghans who arrived in the US after the initial TPS approval for Afghanistan last March.
During the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, tens of thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in the hopes of leaving the country for the US, and also out of fear of the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... -run government.
Since then, the US has resettled roughly 86,000 Afghans, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security. Most of them were admitted with special immigrant visas or through the parole process.
"Today's announcement to extend and redesignate TPS for Afghanistan allows us to continue to offer safety and protection to Afghan nationals who are unable to return to their country," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
"DHS will continue to support Afghan nationals through this temporary form of humanitarian relief."
But many Afghans remain in limbo, as legislation that could provide them a pathway to permanent residency has hit hurdle after hurdle this year.
In 2022, a bipartisan group of US senators presented the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA). This proposed legislation, if ratified, would broaden visa provisions for Afghan evacuees.
While it has garnered increased backing from Congressional representatives, each voting session has seen it fall short.
In December 2022, the bill was omitted from a significant US budgetary proposal. Although it has been proposed again since then, a vote on it is still pending.
"While TPS offers a vital safety net, Afghan nationals need and deserve lasting protection. Congress must provide a long-term solution by passing the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would provide a direct path to lawful permanent residency for Afghan evacuees left in legal limbo," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said in a blurb.
The news follows closely on the heels of the Biden administration's decision, just two days prior, to grant TPS to almost 500,000 Venezuela ...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... ns, citing persistent humanitarian, security, political, and environmental challenges in their homeland.
[GEO.TV] In the wake of the allegations of human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... violations in the country, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq has firmly asserted that Pakistain is not accountable to any government or congressman.
The premier's remarks came in response to a question posed by a journalist during a presser — following his speech at the 78th United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... General Assembly (UNGA) session — asking him about the engagements of Paks in the United States with congressmen in relation to the human rights abuses and arrests in Pakistain.
"We are not accountable to any government; we are not accountable to any congressman — absolutely not!" PM Kakar said, further highlighting the robust bond between Pakistain and the US.
He was also questioned about the recent arrests, particularly those of women, which came in the wake of the crackdown against 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) after its Chairman Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer... 's party members and supporters violent mostly peacefully reacted to his arrest in May this year.
The prime minister said the country's laws are impartial, not favouring any gender, and apply to all citizens equally.
PM Kakar also spoke about the resurgence of terrorist threats by dangerous entities such as Tehrik-e-Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... (Pakistain) and ISIS was a matter of grave concern for Pakistain and the entire international community.
"Pakistain is facing terrorism for the last two decades," he said.
The premier stressed that a stable Afghanistan continued to remain an important foreign policy priority for Pakistain and the United States. Kakar said we are holding constructive dialogue with the interim Afghan government.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2023 00:00 ||
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[13 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Shafaq News] The Rusafa Criminal Court in Baghdad has acquitted Abdullah Yaser Sabawi Ebrahim, a relative of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, of any involvement in the 2014 "Speicher Massacre".
Ebrahim's clearance followed his extradition from Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... last year, facilitated by Interpol.
Alongside Sabawi, Ziad Tariq Khalaf Nazzal was also cleared of all charges related to the massacre, as official documents disclosed on Saturday.
The Supreme Judicial Council confirmed the decision, noting a lack of concrete evidence against both Nazzal and Ebrahim. Following the verdict, both individuals were released, barring any further pending charges.
After the arrest, Saad Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan beseeched global human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. bodies to reveal the uncertain fate of his detained kin under Lebanese jurisdiction.
Abdullah Yaser Sabawi Ebrahim is the son of Sabawi Ebrahim al-Hassan al-Tikrit ...birthplace of Saddam Hussein... i, Saddam's half-brother who was sentenced to life for funding gangs and kabooms.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/24/2023 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
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.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] 
...46th president of the U.S. S 
[KhaamaPress] The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan said ten military personnel have returned to the country after completing their master’s degree program in India.
...Arabic for 
...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North...
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south...
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
