For several months during Bill Clinton's administration, a former top military officer says the White House lost the card with a set of numbers for opening the briefcase containing the codes for a nuclear attack.
Cinema legend Brigitte Bardot on Friday threatened to follow actor Gerard Depardieu out of France unless two elephants under threat of being put down are granted a reprieve.
In a surreal twist to the saga over Depardieu's move into tax exile, the veteran animal rights campaigner said she would emulate his request for Russian nationality unless authorities intervened to save Baby and Nepal.
The two elephants face being put down because they have been diagnosed with tuberculosis and deemed a threat to the health of other animals and visitors to the Tete d'Or Zoo in Lyon.
They can't treat the tuberculosis because...
Authorities in the central city ordered the elephants be put to sleep last month, prompting an outcry that resulted in them being granted a temporary reprieve over Christmas.
Bardot said in a statement she would be leaving France if the reprieve was not made permanent.
"If the powers that be have the cowardice and the shamelessness to kill Baby and Nepal... I have decided to take Russian nationality and quit this country that is nothing more an animal cemetery," Bardot said.
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (KMOX) -- Belleville police chief Bill Clay is ordering his officers to get their koffee and pancakes from anywhere but Denny's, calling the restaurant "political stupidness."
The new orders come after a New Year's Day clash between five detectives and one Denny's manager.
The department says the detectives were out of uniform but wearing their badges, when manager David Rice asked them to either leave or put their guns in their vehicle.
Rice, told the detectives that one of their weapons, specifically a female detective's gun, was making another diner feel uncomfortable.
As the officers were leaving, without their food, General Manager Michael Van walked up and corrected the manager and said it was fine for them to stay, but the officers said it would be too awkward and they left. We're off to Cracker Barrel, be sure to give us a call if you.... ever have any trouble.
The restaurant is a private enterprise and is free to establish its policies. And consumers are free to make their opinion of those policies known via action and word. Just saying.
"Excuse me, waiter, but could you ask those officers to take their guns and leave? They make me really uncomfortable, and it's so much harder to rob you guys while they're here."
#8
Meh. Those are the "fine officers" who will be conducting no-knock raids on the homes of firearm owner ID holders when Illinois' latest insanity becomes law.
Good for the Denny's manager.
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No new news but it does give us a chance to run the vulture pic again... Q. how do you get medical treatment in Cuba?
A. Grab a taxi because all the doctors are taxi drivers.
Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, is suffering from "complications" brought on by a "severe lung infection" which developed after surgery, officials say.
Mr Chavez, 58, had his fourth operation for cancer in Cuba on 11 December and then developed a respiratory infection.
In a statement from Caracas, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said the infection had "led to a respiratory insufficiency".
Mr Chavez is due to be sworn in for another term in office on 10 January.
"[Mr] Chavez has faced complications as a consequence of a severe lung infection," said Mr Villegas.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction are holding celebrations in Gaza to mark its 48th anniversary.
The rival Hamas movement, which governs Gaza, allowed Fatah to hold its first mass rally there since Hamas ousted Fatah's forces five years ago.
Last month, supporters of Hamas celebrated their movement's founding with a rare rally in the West Bank.
The moves are part of measures to heal a deep rift between the two sides.
Hamas came to power in Gaza after winning Palestinian elections in 2006 and ousting Fatah from the coastal enclave in clashes the following year.
In a pre-recorded message played on giant screens, President Abbas said: "Victory is near and we will meet you in Gaza in the near future," AFP news agency reported.
"Gaza was the first Palestinian territory rid of [Israeli] occupation and settlement and we want a lifting of the blockade so that it can be free and linked to the rest of the nation," he said from his West Bank power-base.
Sea of yellow
Huge crowds, carrying the yellow flags of the Fatah movement and pictures of Mr Abbas, streamed into Gaza City, the climax to a week of smaller celebrations across the strip marking Fatah's first attack against Israel.
Continue reading the main story
Fatah officials said half a million supporters turned out. Hamas put the figure at 200,000.
"The message today is that Fatah cannot be wiped out," Amal Hamad, a member of the group's ruling body, told Reuters news agency.
"Fatah lives, no-one can exclude it and it seeks to end the division."
Mr Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo in 2011, but it has not been implemented.
#4
OTOH see CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > ARABS WORK OVERTIME TO CONFIRM HITLER BELIEF THAT THEY'RE "UNTERMENSCH" | [The Blaze] PALESTINIANS USE NAZI "SIEG HEIL" SALUTE DURING FATAH CELEBRATION.
Meanwhile, LES MISERABLES' Fans, not to be outdone by Muslim/Islamic FATAH, in other Adolfian/Hitlerite news ...
* SAME > [InstaBlogs.com] HITLER- A HERO FOR HINDU NATIONALISTS.
* SAME > THE DISTURBING CULT OF HITLER AMONG INDONESIAN "UNTERMENSCH" | [Pravda.ru] CULT OF HITLER PROSPERS IN ASIA.
Here Comes Honey Jew Jew
Married ...To Children
Two and a Half Jihadists
Modern Family ... From The 7th Century
Mad Men
Sponge Bob Exploding Underpants
I Stoned Lucy
30 Rocks
Are You Smarter than a Suicide Bomber?
Allah in the Family
The OReilly Fatwa
#5
Leave it to Cleaver
Monday Night Footshot
Demolishing Idol
Filty Infidel Pyramid
Hillstreet Yews
Press your Buck
The Dowry is Right
Faction Feud
American Dead
The Allah Team
National Caliphatic Explorer
True Houseslaves
MILF in the City
A teenage Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for promoting girls' education has been released from hospital.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham officials said Friday that Malala Yousufzai will be treated as an outpatient before being readmitted for further cranial re-constructive surgery at the end of the month, or in early February.
Experts have been optimistic that Yousufzai, who was airlifted to Britain from Pakistan to receive specialized medical care, has a good chance of recovery because the brains of teenagers are still growing and can better adapt to trauma.
Dr. Dave Rosser says her medical team decided she'd benefit from being at home with her family.
Malala was returning home from school in Pakistan last year when she was targeted.
Police in Britain have extradited a terror suspect to the United States to face charges that he took part in an alleged al-Qaeda plot to detonate explosives on the New York City subway system in the biggest plot since the September 11 attacks.
Authorities handed Abid Naseer, 26, over to U.S. authorities on Thursday.
Prosecutors want Naseer to stand trial in the U.S. for his alleged role in a terror campaign that would have struck targets in Britain and Norway as well as New York.
Pakistani-national Naseer was arrested in the U.K. in 2010 after being indicted in the U.S. on terrorism charges. He has been fighting his extradition since then.
U.S. prosecutors told a British court hearing his extradition case two years ago that they plan to prove that Naseer collected bomb ingredients, conducted reconnaissance and communicated with al-Qaeda operatives.
The alleged activities were part of the foiled New York plot and another plot to bomb a shopping area in the northern English city of Manchester.
Naseer had been originally arrested on suspicion of terrorism in 2009. He was one of 12 men held in Manchester, but the men were later released because of a lack of evidence and a severely compromised investigation.
Have you ever read in the newspaper that a political leader or a prime minister from an Islamic nation has visited Japan?
Have you ever come across news that the Ayatollah of Iran or the King of Saudi Arabia or even a Saudi Prince has visited Japan?
Japan is a country keeping Islam at bay.
Japan has put strict restrictions on Islam and ALL Muslims.
The reasons are:
a) Japan is the only nation that does not give citizenship to Muslims.
b) In Japan permanent residency is not given to Muslims.
c) There is a strong ban on the propagation of Islam in Japan.
d) In the University of Japan, Arabic or any Islamic language is not taught.
e) One cannot import a Koran published in the Arabic language.
f) According to data published by the Japanese government, it has given temporary residency to only 2 lakhs, Muslims, who must follow the Japanese Law of the Land. These Muslims should speak Japanese and carry their religious rituals in their homes.
g) Japan is the only country in the world that has a negligible number of embassies in Islamic countries.
h) Japanese people are not attracted to Islam at all.
I) Muslims residing in Japan are the employees of foreign companies.
j) Even today, visas are not granted to Muslim doctors, engineers or managers sent by foreign companies.
k) In the majority of companies it is stated in their regulations that no Muslims should apply for a job.
l) The Japanese government is of the opinion that Muslims are fundamentalist and even in the era of globalization they are not willing to change their Muslim laws.
m) Muslims cannot even think about renting a house in Japan.
n) If anyone comes to know that his neighbor is a Muslim then the whole neighborhood stays alert.
o) No one can start an Islamic cell or Arabic Madrasa in Japan
p) There is no Sharia law in Japan.
q) If a Japanese woman marries a Muslim then she is considered an outcast forever.
r) According to Mr. Kumiko Yagi, Professor of Arab/Islamic Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, There is a mind frame in Japan that Islam is a very narrow minded religion and one should stay away from it.
s) Freelance journalist Mohammed Juber toured many Islamic countries after 9/11 including Japan. He found that the Japanese were confident that extremists could do no harm in Japan.
#12
Per the Beavis link, there appears to be some definite issues with my #4. Freelance journalist Mohammed Juber may have well been correct in his assessment however.
IMO Year 2013 = could be a decisive = "make-or-break" year for FORMAL/LEGAL SHARIA IN THE US.
Iff Amerika can have double standards for illegal Mexicans-Hispanics, etc. it can have or do for Muslims.
IRONY > IMO IT WILL BE AMERICAN MUSLIMS INCLUD RADICAL ISLAMISTS WHOM WILL DEMAND FREE, FAIR, + OPEN SHARIA LAW IN AMERIKA, NOT ELECTION OR RE-ELECTION-MINDED, SUPER-PCORRECT, WAFFLING AMERICAN POLITICOS.
IOW, AMERIKA'S ISLAMIST ENEMIES WILL BE THE "REASONABLE", NON-HYPOCRITICAL ONES, I.E. BETTER AMERICANS = AMERIKANS THAN AMERIKANS THEMSELVES, NOT AMERIKANS OR AMERIKA'S LEADERS.
* E.G. FOX NEWS > "THE FIVE" > MARK STEYN: AMERICANS VOTED FOR BIG GOVERNMENT BACK IN NOVEMBER [2012], by re-electing the Bammer.
By definition, Americans also voted for Far Lefty Socialism by re-electing a clearly Socialist POTUS Bammer.
ME > SNAFU = IMO AMERS MORE CORRECTLY VOTED MORE FOR EXPANDED GOVT-PUBLIC "FREEBIES", I.E. MORE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE/ENTITLEMENTS, NOT HIGHER TAXES OR LESS FREEDOMS.
"GETTING YOUR $$$ FOR NOTHING + Y0UR CHICKS FOR FREE", NOT BIG-GOVT REGULATION OR RESTRICTIONS, which ITV is possible thanks to several decades of LeftMedia + Hollyweird brainwashing.
D *** NG IT, UNLIKE RISING CHINA, HERE IN OBAMA'S AMERIKA WE C-A-N HAVE IT ALL, WE C-A-N HAVE EVERYTHING FOR NOTHING, WE C-A-N HAVE OUR CAKE + EAT IT AT THE SAME TIME"!
* 1990'S DREW CAREY SHOW EPISODE [paraph] > "THIS IS AMERICA, + YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS - SOMEONE ELSE - NOT OURSELVES - IS ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ACTIONS OR DEEDS ... THANK GOD FOR OUR OVERWORKED, OVERPAID, CLOGGED-UP + INCOMPETENT LEGAL/CRIMINAL JUSTICE = LITIGATION SYSTEM"!
Thank god for Criminals + greedy, corrupt Lawyers-n-Judges.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has been accused of taking 10 billion Egyptian pounds (U.S. $1.5 billion) from the American government, according to claims by Egyptian lawyers.
An immediate investigation into the accusation was ordered by Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah on Thursday.
The lawyers, Mohamed Ali Abd al-Wahab and Yasser Mohamed Sayab, filed the complaint against the Muslim Brotherhood for the allegedly illegal money transaction, Egypt's private daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on Jan. 3.
The complaint noted that Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for the recent U.S. presidential election, had said that $1.5 billion was given to support Egypt's Brotherhood by the Obama administration.
In addition, the lawyers accused the Muslim Brotherhood of having armed mercenaries or a "third party," who have instigated violence during and after the revolutionary uprising in the country.
The armed mercenaries are trained in the desert, which lies between the city of Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh in Egypt, the lawyers alleged.
U.S. troops arrived in Turkey on Friday to man Patriot missile defense batteries near the Syrian border, according to Turkish state media.
Syria has previously launched Scud missiles at cities near the Turkish border in a desperate bid to extend its firepower.
In response, the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands deployed Patriot air defense missiles to the border region to intercept any Syrian ballistic missiles. The missiles and troops will be under the overall control of NATO, but the missiles will be operated by U.S. forces.
A group of 27 U.S. troops landed in Gaziantep, Turkey, where they will survey the Patriot deployment, according to Turkish state news agency, Anadolu. U.S. officials did not release any information about the troops arrival, but had said last month that forces will be deployed to Turkey.
"We've made very clear to them that were going to protect countries in this region," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month. "We have to act to do what we have to do to make sure that we defend ourselves and make sure that Turkey can defend itself."
The fight for the helicopter airport
Taftenaz airbase in northern Syria has been a deadly thorn in the side of rebels for months, which they have not yet been able to remove. Free Syrian Army fighters for the third day tried to wrest control of the helicopter airbase from government forces.
If successful, it would shut down President Bashar al-Assad's military helicopter pads and diminish his airstrikes in the region.
#1
This airport is located in a province right on the border with Turkey. If the rebels haven't captured it after all this time, they're nowhere near the impending victory they've been loudly proclaiming for months now.
#5
A lot of the rhetoric resembles the media conniptions stateside after Tet in 1968. It would be amusing if the rebels are losing the bulk of their motivated manpower via forlorn hope type attacks against hardened installations.
Leftism has devolved into a kind of scam run not only on others but also on the self. Leftists are brilliant at convincing themselves of their own altruism and then broadcasting it to the public, thus providing cover for the most conventionally greedy and selfish behaviors. We see that in our society all the time: the quondam Marxists of Hollywood, the media, and the academy blathering on about economic equality while living lives the Medici could not have dreamed of.
Part of this construct is a prevent game, a public persona and system erected so privilege cannot be questioned or undermined. A nomenklatura more successful and sophisticated than anything ever conceived in the Soviet Union. The result of this is a highly stratified society. As is well known but scarcely reported, blacks and Latinos have actually done worse under Obama than other groups. Normally, that would be unconscionable, considering the rhetoric. But as we know, its all about the rhetoric. Reality is unimportant an inconvenience.
#1
The Lefties thought that US-Western nuclear firepower made them invincible - but as the Europe steadily increasingly devols into EURABIA, they are re-discovering that CONTROL OF ADVANCED NUKES + MILTECHS, ETC. HAS NOTHING TO DO WID IMMIGRATION + ANTI-NATIONALIST
"DIVERSITY" IN THE NAME OF WELFARE-NANNY SUPER-STATISM.
The Jihadis are gonna behead or otherwise destroy these Commies.
IRONY II + ITS THESE TOTALITARIAN SECULARISTS + ALIGNED THAT ARE GOING TO INDUCE THE "THIRD SECRET OF FATIMA", I.E. A FUTURE UNKNOWN POPE WALKING OVER THE BODIES OF HIS DEAD PRIESTS AMID A DESTROYED CITIE(S) JUST BEFORE HIS OWN FINAL EXECUTION.
Congratulations, Commies, da plan worked - you achieved what you wanted, WHAT ARE YOU COMPLAINING OR ANGRY ABOUT NOW???
[An Nahar] Furious combat raged around the main airport and a military airbase in northern Syria on Thursday, a day after the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... gave a staggering toll of 60,000 dead in the 21-month civil war.
Insurgents besieged troops on the perimeter of Aleppo's international airport and around Taftanaz airbase in Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The airport in Aleppo, the hard fought-over main city in northern Syria, has been closed since Tuesday after repeated attacks by rebels, according to an airport official.
Hundreds of fighters from two hardline Islamist rebel groups, the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, battled soldiers around the Taftanaz airbase, the Britannia-based Observatory said as regime warplanes pounded rebel positions.
The rebels had remotely detonated a bomb at one of the base's gates the day before but were pushed back by the army, according to both the Observatory and a military source inside the airbase.
The military source told Agence La Belle France Presse that festivities outside Taftanaz had been non-stop for more than 48 hours and there had been a large number of rebel casualties.
Three rebels were also killed by troops around the Deir Ezzor military airport, as fighting broke out in the lovely provincial capital in the east of the country.
In the town of Mleha, just east of Damascus ...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world... , bodies were being recovered from a service station hit by a regime air strike on Wednesday.
The Observatory said at least 12 bodies were recovered, several of them rebels. The Local Coordination Committees, a grassroots network of activists, estimated that at least 50 people died in the attack.
The Observatory said 160 people were killed in violence across Syria on Thursday, including 72 civilians, almost half of whom were women and kiddies, a day after 219 died nationwide.
Meanwhile, ...back at the sea battle, the Terror of the Baltic's career had come to an abrupt and watery end... a 33-truck aid convoy organized by Turkish and Qatari relief groups left Istanbul on Thursday carrying 850 tonnes of flour.
"Assad's regime is bombing the bakeries and there is a very huge need for flour in Syria," Huseyin Oruc, the vice-president of Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, said.
The overall estimated corpse count of 60,000 in the Syria conflict has unsettled observers.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday called it "truly shocking" as she revealed a vetted U.N. tally nearly a third higher than that previously compiled by the Observatory.
"The number of casualties is much higher than we expected, and is truly shocking," she said.
"Given there has been no let-up in the conflict since the end of November, we can assume that more than 60,000 people have been killed by the beginning of 2013," Pillay added.
The average number of deaths recorded in recent months was five times that registered mid-2011, reflecting intensifying viciousness and an increased resort by the government to air strikes.
Pillay said that "this massive loss of life could have been avoided" if the government of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... had not chosen the "ruthless suppression" of what initially were peaceful protests.
Karim Bitar, an analyst at the Gay Paree-based Institute for International and Strategic Relations, was skeptical that the new U.N. toll would have a political impact, however.
"The world has become unfortunately so toughened to these figures, sort of anesthetized. There is this terrible Stalin quote: 'One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic'," he said.
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#1
staggering toll of 60,000 dead
Roughly 1/5 the casualties of the Somme. Over the course of a July thru November. It should give pause to the head hammers that when the west goes full crazy, it's not pretty.
[An Nahar] A senior Sunni politician on Thursday blamed Iraq's anti-terror forces, which report directly to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office, for the shooting of his young nephew the previous day.
The remarks from Atheel al-Nujaifi, governor of the northern province of Nineveh, threaten to further raise political and sectarian tensions with Maliki's Shiite-led government, which has already been grappling with days of protests by the country's Sunni minority.
"This anti-terrorist brigade, we call it the golden brigade, in djinn-infested Mosul, opened fire on the car and killed the young boy in public, in front of everybody," Nujaifi told AFP.
Iraq's anti-terror brigade reports directly to Maliki's office of the commander in chief, rather than the interior or defense ministries, a set-up that has drawn sharp criticism from the premier's political opponents.
An official in the brigade, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , insisted that the forces "did not have any missions inside djinn-infested Mosul" at the time of the shooting. He declined to give further details.
Nujaifi, however, alleged that the soldiers had followed the car because it had cut in front of their convoy on djinn-infested Mosul's streets, and then opened fire.
Abdulrahman, aged 10, was killed by gunfire on Wednesday, police and medics said
"They followed the car, and they opened fire with no regard," he said. "The young boy was in the car with his brothers and the driver, returning from school."
Abdulrahman, aged 10, was killed by gunfire on Wednesday, police and medics said, but the precise circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear.
He was the son of Khaled al-Nujaifi, an army colonel and chief bodyguard to Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, both of whom are the governor's brothers.
Atheel al-Nujaifi's comments threaten to further inflame tensions between Maliki and the secular Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc of which Osama is a big shot.
Iraqiya is a part of Maliki's unity government, but frequently criticizes him in public. Top party members have attended protests in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq calling for the release of prisoners and criticizing the misuse of anti-terror laws by the authorities to target the minority community.
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[An Nahar] Yemen's former president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... is to travel to 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 their national face... for medical treatment, diplomatic sources said Thursday, as his opponents called for him to be kept out of politics ahead of a stalled national dialogue.
"One week ago, Saleh applied for a visa to receive medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. There is Saudi approval for the request," a diplomat said.
Diplomatic sources said the former president had received a visa to continue his treatment in Italia one month ago, but that he did not travel out of fear of possible prosecution on human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. charges.
Saleh's supporters and troops have been accused of killing hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising against his 33-year rule.
In June the same year, he was maimed in a kaboom that targeted his palace in Sanaa and was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment.
After signing a November 2011 transfer of power deal, he returned to Yemen where he has continued to lead his General People's Congress party. Under the terms of the agreement, he enjoys immunity from prosecution in Yemen.
"Saleh prefers Saudi doctors," a source from his party told AFP. "A metallic rod will be removed from his leg and he will also undergo plastic surgery."
Saleh's opponents have been calling for his ouster as head of the GPC and for him to be kept out of politics ahead of a promised national dialogue that had been due to start in November.
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The US Congress has shelved a bill seeking permission to give guided missile frigates to Turkey as the Senate failed to approve the proposal, Today's Zaman reported.
On Monday, the US House of Representatives approved the bill, which also includes the transfer of missile frigates to Thailand and Mexico. The bill authorizes President Barack Obama to grant the US military permission to provide guided missile frigates to these three countries.
The motion requires Senate approval before it comes into effect. If Obama acts on the motion, Turkey will be given two guided missile frigates, the USS Halyburton (FFG-40) and the USS Thach (FFG-43).
In the last session of Senate on Wednesday, the bill failed to make it onto the agenda. If a bill does not get approval during a legislative session in Senate, it is shelved. As the US Senate failed to approve the bill, the transfer of missile frigates has now been shelved for another session.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
As as been noted, they are no longer FFG, but FF. That said, let's keep them and send the TurkMen our secret LCS Barbie Dolls.
Bulgarian police claim to have identified one of a trio of terrorists involved in the bombing of a tour bus in the country, which killed five Israelis and the Bulgarian driver last year. According to the Bulgarian daily 24 Chasa, police are still searching for the suspect and have not released his name.
The six were killed near the resort town of Burgas when the bus they were boarding outside the airport exploded on July 18. Over 30 others were wounded in the bombing, which Israel blamed on Hezbollah.
The suspect acted with the bomber, known under the alias Jacque Felipe Martin, as well as another accomplice, known under the alias Ralph William Rico. The true identities of Martin and Rico have not yet been revealed.
All three suspects used phony driving licenses from Michigan during their stay in Bulgaria, reported 24 Chasa. Investigators suspect there may have been a fourth or fifth accomplice.
Bulgarian police maintain that all those involved were foreigners, but hesitate to blame Hezbollah without solid evidence. They have not yet made any arrests in the case and the investigation has gone slowly. In November, a top Interpol official said the lack of progress in the investigation was abnormal.
[An Nahar] Heavily armed gunnies killed four people in an attack Thursday that burnt a cop shoppe and a government building in a northeastern Nigerian town, police said.
The gunnies attacked the cop shoppe in the town of Song near the border with Cameroon and engaged soldiers and coppers in a shootout, police front man Mohammed Ibrahim told AFP.
"A coppers, a soldier and two non-combatants were killed in the attack on the divisional cop shoppe in Song around 1:00 am today by unknown gunnies," Ibrahim said.
"The gunnies used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the attack in which the cop shoppe and nearby local government secretariat were burnt."
Two civilians were maimed in the attack, he added. The attackers fled, but police and military teams deployed in the area were in search of the gunnies, according to Ibrahim.
Islamist beturbanned goon group 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... has carried out deadly attacks in Adamawa state, where Song is located, although armed robbers also commit crimes under the guise of the group.
Border towns in Adamawa state have previously been hit by robbery gangs.
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[Libya Herald] The head of the Benghazi Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Abdulsalam Al-Mihdawi, was kidnapped yesterday evening in Benghazi by an unknown group of gunnies.
Sources told the Libya Herald that Mihdawi and two colleagues were waiting in their vehicle at a traffic light on Venezia Street in the Hawari district of Benghazi when two masked gunnies jumped out of a nearby car and seized the officer.
Shortly after the incident was reported, local police organised search squads to check nearby roads for any sign of the officer or his kidnappers, and later that evening, residents of Benghazi and officers from the security forces gathered outside the Tebesti hotel to condemn the abduction.
Today, the head of Benghazi's local council, Mahmoud Buraziza, told the Libya Herald that the council and city authorities strongly condemned the incident, saying: "We are against killing, kidnapping or any such crimes, and we are firmly on the side of the law."
Buraziza also pointed out that Mihdawi had only recently been appointed to his post in the CID in Benghazi.
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#1
Coulda been worse. They coulda been unarmed. That would be really embarrassing.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said it won't "meddle in the national and local elections" and urged relatives of its leaders who are running to quit. MILF Secretariat chair Muhammad Ameen said, "Just the same we do not support them and urged them this early to quit or reconsider their running."
Ameen explained that the MILF wants to strictly implement a policy of no participation in Philippine elections. He said, "Philippine election is so divisive and expensive that after every election so much bloodshed and corrupt practices ensue."
The Moro rebel leader compained that politicians are spending without restraint for their campaigns. He said these candidates have to recover their money "with interest" after they win.
However, he clarified that the MILF leadership would not forbid its members to vote. He then appealed to all members and supporters of the MILF to select candidates supportive of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is scheduled to hold talks again next week with the United States and Russia to try to advance a blue print for an end to the conflict in Syria, the president of the UN Security Council said Thursday.
Pakistan's Ambassador Masood Khan, who presides the council in January, said a diplomatic blue print "already exists" and Brahimi had been trying to put it into practice, dpa reported. Khan said the situation in Syria remains a priority for the 15-nation council, which may be briefed soon by Brahimi on his efforts to end the conflict.
"Brahimi is talking with Moscow, Washington and Damascus in an effort to pave the way for a diplomatic breakthrough," Khan said. "We hope he will succeed."
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In both cases, as in countless others, the feds have used certain techniques that virtually assure convictions of both the innocent and the guilty, the wealthy and the poor, the violent drug dealer and the white collar defendant, indifferent to the niceties of due process of law, particularly the right to effective assistance of legal counsel. In order to prevent a defendant from retaining a defense team of his choice, federal prosecutors will first freeze his assets, even though a jury has yet to find them to have been illegally obtained. They then bring prosecutions of almost unimaginable complexity, assuring that the financially hobbled defendants diminished legal team (or, as is often the case, his court-appointed lawyer) will be too overwhelmed to mount an adequate defense.
#1
Yet another example of a tyrannical police state and lost freedoms. The growth and abuse of the RICO statute is well known. The advent of the computer age has enabled an individual's private assets to be catalogued, reviewed, and monitored in record time. I was amazed when I received SSA Form LC99 forms(Potential Private Retirement Benefit Information) in the mail following my registering for Social Security. Why should a 401K or a small private pension be of interest to the payer of an accrued benefit? A rhetorical question of course. Mason jars in the barn, not a bad idea. Just make certain it's not your barn.
#3
If you bought it on the internets, don't bother. They know, you know, they know. If you're very, very careful and deliberate, multi-site utility masking may be an option. Don't forget to document your work, and be advised; newly disturbed earth and tamping is bad juju.
#5
Fireplugs, utility lines, things of that nature. Hand-held detectors will alert on them, and thus mask other underlying anomalies. Small and vertical is good. Many is better.
#6
My personal favorite is a heavy old piece of agricultural implement or automotive scrap iron. the heavier and rustier the better. Sends a large signal and the operator will be reluctant to dig it all up, and simply move on. Makes an excellent reference point for recovery as well.
North Korea sank the Navy corvette Cheonan and shelled Yeonpyeong Island in 2010 in protest against Seoul's refusal to provide economic aid, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official here claimed Wednesday.
The official told reporters the Lee Myung-bak administration attempted several times to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il but was unwilling to pay the price the North demanded. Incensed, the North then sank the ship and shelled the island.
The claims from the outgoing administration came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un struck an unusually conciliatory note in his New Year's address and are being read as a warning for the incoming government not to be taken in by his rhetoric.
"The Lee administration has met several times with North Korean officials to discuss a summit," the official said. "But North Korea demanded tens of thousands of tons of rice and fertilizer in exchange and we refused."
North Korea wanted some US$500-600 million worth of rice and fertilizer aid, he said. The official did not say whether Pyongyang also wanted cash.
"The watershed moment in inter-Korean relations was the sinking of the Cheonan in March of 2010," he said. Talks were held even after the sinking, but North Korea refused to admit it was behind the attack, the official added.
President Lee Myung-bak in a speech on Aug. 15, 2009 said the South was ready to start talks with North Korea "any time and at any level." A week later, a North Korean delegation visited Seoul for the funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung, who held a landmark summit with Kim Jong-il in 2000.
The North Korean delegation told Lee that Pyongyang was willing to hold a summit. In October that year, presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee held a secret meeting in Singapore with Kim Yang-gon, the director of the North Korean Workers Party's United Front Department. The North Koreans again demanded $500 million worth of rice and fertilizer aid. Additional talks behind the scenes were held in the border town of Kaesong on Nov. 7 and 14 of that year, but ended without progress.
"At the time, Won Tong-yon, a ranking member of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, even presented a rough draft of a summit agreement, which contained demands for tens of thousands of tons of rice and fertilizer, and we couldn't accept that," a source said.
Another source said if Seoul had agreed to provide the aid, the North would have demanded cash at every step of the process until the summit took place.
In January 2010, after the secret contacts ended and North Korea realized that it was impossible to extract any aid from Seoul, it vowed to launch a "holy retaliatory war" against the South and fired multiple artillery rounds at the Northern Limit Line, a de facto maritime border on the West Sea.
Two months later, on March 26, the North sank the Cheonan, and in November it shelled Yeonpyeong Island. "The government could not improve relations with the North by excusing its attacks on the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island," a high-ranking government official here said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2013
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#1
Bullshit.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/04/2013 10:11
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#2
IIUC, ARTIC READ = the Norkies attacked the Southies for the Southies NOT econ helping the Norkies to keep China from dominating or taking over the Norkies more than China already does???
#3
I hope the two Koreas have viable plans in place for iff China starts shooting at Japan over the disputed Senkakus, as NORTH KOREA + TAIWAN INCLUD YONAGUNI WILL BE AMONG THE PLA'S FIRST TARGETS.
TAIWAN = China's equivalent of the "Manifest Destiny" + "Internationalism"-happy, post-Wild West/Frontier USA versus Queen Liliokulani + sovereign Republic of Hawaii in the late 19th Century, i.e. "SOLE" ACCESS INTO THE FAR/DEEP PACIFIC + RISE TO HIGHER + MORE POTENT GEOPOL STATUS, TO WHICH CHINA = USA = NOT TAKING "NO" FOR AN ANSWER FROM EITHER LOCALS OR COMPETING FOREIGN POWERS.
Taiwan, NOT Hainan in the SCS, is China's true "Pearl Harbor/Hawaii" in the new Pacific.
[Dawn] Five students were maimed slightly when an bomb went off at University of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. (UoP) here on Wednesday, sources said.
The blast created panic at UoP as students staged a protest demonstration after the incident, alleging that the campus had become unsafe. The protesting students also demanded suspension of officials at Campus cop shoppe for their failure to protect students.
About one kilogram of explosives were used in the blast occurred in the conference hall of Institute of Islamic and Arabic Studies, UoP, Campus cop shoppe SHO Saidullah Afirdi told Dawn.
However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... UoP spokesperson claimed that nobody was injured in the blast as the conference hall was empty at the time of kaboom. He said that the blast caused damage to the furniture, doors and windows of the hall and a nearby computer laboratory.
An official of bomb disposal squad said that the explosives were packed in a plastic container. "We found ball bearings from the blast site that created a crater and also caused a three feet wide hole in a corner of the wall of the main hall," he said, adding it was a time device, which went off after midday.
The UoP spokesperson said that the conference hall was used for faculty meetings and defence of theses by PhD scholars and researchers. He said that situation was under control and routine academic activities would continue as per schedule on the campus.
A teacher said that about five boys and girl students were maimed slightly in the blast. They were hit by broken glasses of the windowpanes but they seemed traumatised after the incident, he added.
Sources said that the injured students were taken to Khyber Teaching Hospital for treatment. They were identified as Naheed Afridi, Mehnaz, Nasira, Sundas and Mohammad Tayyeb. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... they were discharged after giving first aid at the hospital, sources said.
It was second incident of kaboom on the UoP campus as the first kaboom had taken place in a laboratory of geology department on Dec 27 wherein two professors and a girl student had sustained injuries.
A reliable source said that the UoP campus had become an accessible place for suspected hard boyz as they collected donations in the university mosques, spoke to people and also displayed banners and posters with no check from the authorities concerned.
Besides, he said, there was no check on the stay of outsiders in the university hostels. The administration was avoiding taking action against them, he added.
"We have time and again suggested that all the outsiders should be expelled from the campus but to no avail," a police official said. He added that police had no authority to expel anyone without permission of the relevant officials of the university.
The UoP spokesperson, however, rejected presence of outsiders in the hostels and said that no outsider was living permanently there.
Prof Shfiqur Rehmn, a senior university teacher, told Dawn that it was the second incident of its kind within a week. The teachers were concerned over the prevailing situation, he added.
"The teachers feel that the message is clear that such places are also not safe any longer," he said. The UoP administration tried to downplay the blasts occurred in a laboratory of geology department and the recent incident of the same nature, the teacher said. The reasons could be only that the administration did not want to create panic among the students, he added.
After the blast, students affiliated with various organizations staged a protest against the incident. They rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against the university administration and officials of Campus cop shoppe for their failure to provide security to the students.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#11
after multiple klicks (in an attempt to really and truly verify the (almost)NSFW rating, i came to the obvious and wonder why it hasn't been already stated: 'Long hair, why does it hate us?'
[Dawn] A Pakistain judicial commission submitted findings Thursday from its investigation into how the late Osama bin Laden ... who doesn't live anywhere anymore... lived in the country undetected for years until his killing by US special forces, officials said, but the report might never be revealed.
The commission was appointed 18 months ago, in what was welcomed as a chance to get to the bottom of one of the most embarrassing episodes in Pak history, but its findings could remain classified.
The government set up the five-member panel after US Navy SEALs conducted a secret raid on a compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... on May 2, 2011, killing bin Laden without informing Islamabad until afterwards.
The Parliament demanded an independent investigation into how bin Laden had been able to hide and whether there was any government or military collusion.
The commission's chairman, retired judge Javed Iqbal, submitted the report to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Thursday, a statement from Ashraf's office said.
Pak officials say Ashraf will decide whether to keep the report classified or make it public, but observers have said they expect little of substance to be revealed.
The commission interviewed senior civilian and military officials and the three widows of bin Laden before they were deported to 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 their national face... in April last year.
Pak-US ties drastically deteriorated over the bin Laden raid, which prompted accusations of incompetence or complicity against the military.
Relations slumped to a fresh low after botched US air strikes killed 24 Pak soldiers in November 2011, but diplomats say the relationship improved after Pakistain re-opened its Afghan land crossings to NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... goods after a seven-month suspension.
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#1
accusations of incompetence or complicity against the military.
Definitely complicity.
killing bin Laden without informing Islamabad until afterwards.
We were kinda sorta hoping no one would notice.
Relations slumped to a fresh low after botched US air strikes killed 24 Pak soldiers
IIRC, it wasn't a "botched airstrike", but rather the result of certain now-dead someones shooting at people they shouldn't have.
[Dawn] Although the army generals will discuss the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain's (TTP) 'peace offers' at a corps commanders' meeting to be held on Friday, they want the politicianship to formulate a response to the cut-thoats' suggestion for a ceasefire.
"It is for the government to decide whether or not to hold dialogue with the cut-thoats. We are continuing with our operations geared towards eliminating terrorism," a senior military officer told Dawn on Wednesday.
He said that although the offer was yet to be fully dissected it could be a tactical move by the cut-thoat outfit given its timing and the conditions that had been set.
"Political leaders should capitalise on the situation," he said and referred to pressure on the terrorist group generated by the army's counter-terrorism operations.
Militant leaders in back-to-back statements sent to the media last week offered a ceasefire if the government 'adopted Shariat after changing the Constitution, revised foreign policy and ended its engagement with the war on terror in Afghanistan'.
TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud, while confirming the truce proposal, has refused to disarm.
The army doubts the seriousness of the offers and sees the move as an attempt to ward off pressure, but at the same time it is shying away from rejecting them outright because of apprehensions that it may be criticised for not latching on to the 'offers' by those believing that the truce offer could provide a break in the violence unleashed by the TTP.
The reluctance to take a final decision on the offer partly stems from the past record of peace deals with Taliban, most of which -- Shakai (March 2004), Sararogha (February 2005), Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... (September 2006), Khyber (September 2008) and Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... (April and May 2008) -- ended in failure.
Except for the two Swat deals, which had some involvement of the ANP, the rest had been directly negotiated by the army.
Other than the poor track record of the peace deals, the dilemma for any (government) negotiator is deciding on the final goal, agenda of the talks and, importantly, whom to negotiate with. The TTP is not a unified entity; it's rather an umbrella organization comprising various cut-thoat groups, the officer said.
The first offer came from Asmatullah Muavia, a cut-thoat coming with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... background and currently operational head of Al Qaeda in Pakistain, while the second one was made by Hakimullah Mehsud.
"Whom should we talk to?," the military officer asked.
It is not new for the army to pass the buck to politicianship. A national consensus appeared to be emerging in October for a decisive push against gunnies after the attack on Malala Yousufzai, but at that time too the military said it was for the politicians to decide about an operation in North Wazoo and all of a sudden the consensus dissipated. A new 'army doctrine' framed in 2011 had identified the warfare being conducted by the TTP and other cut-thoat groups as the biggest threat to national security.
Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... had articulated the new doctrine in his well-known independence night speech at Kakul. "No state can afford a parallel system or a cut-thoat force," he said at the premier military training academy.
He also called for clarity on dealing with the threat of terrorism, warning that "otherwise, we'll be divided and taken towards a civil war. Our minds should be clear on this".
The ANP, which lost Bashir Bilour in a suicide kaboom on Dec 22 and has borne the brunt of TTP strikes against secular parties, has cautiously welcomed the talks offer.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship. has shown government's inclination to consider the offer made by Hakimullah.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Various MilBloggers opine that the Pak Govt-Army gener support + protect the Taliban + other because they are local Boyz - what the Pak Govt-Army truly hate are the non-local Foreign Muslims/Jihadis coming into their country???
[An Nahar] Sudanese troops clashed with South Sudanese forces along their restive border, South Sudan's army said Thursday, a day ahead of planned talks between the presidents of the two rival nations.
Sudanese planes also dropped bombs as the rival forces clashed on Wednesday in South Sudan's remote north Raja region in Western Bahr el-Ghazal state, said the South's army front man Philip Aguer.
"They attacked on Wednesday, and the fighting continued until late in the afternoon.... It is a remote region so we are still awaiting updates on casualties," he said.
United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... peacekeepers could not confirm the reports and the claims could not be independently verified.
Sudanese army officials could not immediately be reached.
The accusations come ahead of a meeting scheduled for Friday between Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. and South Sudan's Salva Kiir, to push stalled economic and security deals, including a demilitarized border buffer zone.
However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said Kiir was still committed to the talks.
"The talks will still take place as planned, we have given our word and we are committed to them," Benjamin told AFP.
"Our chief negotiator Pagan Amum is already in Addis Ababa.... This summit is important because we want to ensure the full implementation of the agreements we have already signed."
State-owned Sudan News Agency (SUNA) announced that Sudan's president will also attend the scheduled talks.
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[Bangla Daily Star] BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was shown tossed in the slammer Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! yesterday in two more cases filed for blasting cocktails and assaulting coppers during the opposition's countrywide roadblock on December 9 last year.
With the filing of these cases, the release of Fakhrul from Kashimpur jail became uncertain, though the High Court on Wednesday granted him bail in two other cases filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Paltan cop shoppes.
Fakhrul was made accused in at least 20 cases, out of 38 filed following the BNP-led 18-party opposition's countrywide road blockade programme on December 9, court sources said.
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You may now begin reading TFA:
Oprah Winfrey has a new book scandal on her hands. A "memoir," praised in her O Magazine as "startlingly tender," has been revealed as a complete work of fiction.
"Love and Consequences," written by Margaret B. Jones, a self-described half white, half Native American foster child and former drug runner, has been revealed as a fake. The fictional story was actually penned by Margaret Seltzer, a white, private-school educated writer.
Riverhead Books, which published the work, began recalling the book earlier this week.
"Love and Consequences" didn't go as far as "A Million Little Pieces," a "memoir" by James Frey, which was later revealed as full of exaggerations and falsities. His book was recommended on national television for Oprah's Book Club.
#8
written by Margaret B. Jones, a self-described half white, half Native American foster child and former drug runner. Used "Jones" as a nym? Half-white, half Native American foster child and former drug runner. Sounds like Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts (except for the drug runner part (so far as is known).
[Dawn] IN Pakistain, it is not unusual for those with power, money or influence to terrorise lesser mortals. In a society awash with guns and where macho, medieval mindsets prevail, human life and dignity are worth little. This was proved by the tragic murder of Shahzeb Khan. The young man, son of a police brass hat, was rubbed out in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... 's Defence area late last month, reportedly following an argument. As investigations have moved slowly, the Supreme Court's orders to the advocate general and provincial police chief of Sindh to file a report with the court by Jan 4 are not surprising. The suspects, who are absconding, are said to belong to politically well-connected families; as the chief justice noted, the authorities have failed to make progress in the case due to "immense political pressure".
The young man's death has caused a considerable stir in civil society, with demonstrations calling for justice for the victim. It is a shame the police has displayed a lack of interest in pursuing the case, despite the fact that the victim's father is a deputy superintendent in the force. Even more disturbing are media reports that some black sheep within the police are tipping off the suspects thus preventing their capture. The victim's father also claims he faced resistance while trying to register the FIR. If the son of a senior police official can be murdered in cold blood, what can guarantee the security of the common citizen's life? It is unfortunate that it was the police's lackadaisical approach that caused the apex court to step in to ensure the case was followed up. It is important that the suspects are caught, prosecuted and punished if found guilty. It would send a powerful message that the high and mighty cannot get away with murder simply on the basis of their clout and connections.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Terms like "Medieval" imply they can improve---bull!
[Dawn] Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Thursday, referring to Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Koran (TMQ) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri, said "imported Sheikh-ul-Islam" wants to disrupt electoral process in the country and his sole agenda is to sabotage the upcoming elections.
"All this is being done to ambush Nawaz League," he said, adding that a few thousand people can not hold 180 million people of the country as hostage.
Speaking to media representatives after meeting with Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) leader Talal Akbar Bugti at his Raiwind residence, Sharif said a little time is left in general elections and questioned purpose of holding long march by Tahirul Qadri. "We will not allow such dramas."
The PML-N chief urged Qadri to shun deceiving the nation and said "We don't need such useless lectures."
Nawaz Sharif said that his party was against the former dictator, General (Retd) Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... from day one.
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A city in Indonesia's province of Aceh will ban women passengers from straddling motorbikes, calling the position 'improper'.
These guys are acting like the San Francisco city council. Or Mayor Bloomberg...
The move comes after leaders from the country's only province ruled under sharia law drafted a series of new bills, including banning women from wearing tight pants, and allowing the stoning of adulterers and the flogging of homosexuals.
Under the new law, women in Lhokseumawe city, on the northern tip of Sumatra, will have to sit 'side-saddle' with their legs off to the side.
Mayor Suaidi Yahya said on Wednesday, "Women sitting on motorbikes must not sit astride because it will provoke the male driver. It's also to protect women from an undesirable condition. It's improper for women to sit astride. We implement Islamic law here."
Yaha added that women are allowed to straddle motorbikes if they are driving, as long as they are dressed 'in a Muslim way'.
The mayor plans to publicize the ban in upcoming weeks and will discuss sanctions with local Muslim clerics before issuing formal regulations.
Aceh began implementing sharia law after being granted special autonomy in 2001. Authorities now regularly cane people caught gambling or drinking alcohol.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/04/2013 10:20
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#4
The deaths of 170K Acehnese during the tsunami was obviously a sign from Allah that their impiety was being repaid a thousandfold. Thanks be to Allah, the message has been heard loud and clear. (Or something like that. I do wonder what would happen if something made a Muslim counterpart of the "Life of Brian").
I love the pic at the website: they show the U.S. Sacagawea dollar as their illustration of 'gold'. Even the furriners far away know our currency is worthless...
Each Azadi gold coin was sold at the price of 12.73 million rials at the free market on Wednesday.
It is while the price of gold coin stood at 12.6 million rials at Iran's free market on Tuesday.
Sanctions continue to bite...
Euro was also sold at 43,310 rials at Iran's free market on Wednesday, while US dollar was also presented at 32,500 rials. US dollar price neared 35,000 a week ago.
US Dollar and euro were traded at the prices of 24,57 0 and 32,620 rials at Iran's forex center, respectively, the IRNA News Agency reported.
The government has set the 28,500 rials price for the free market but the ?brokers still refuse to trade dollar at the mentioned price. Dollar price has reached 40,000 rials in October but by inauguration of the foreign exchange center the prices fell to 27,000 rials.
Critics believe that Iranian government is not controlling the price of dollar at the free market on purpose. They claim that the government wants to take advantage of selling dollar at the free market in order to compensate its lack of budget.
The new foreign exchange center was officially inaugurated on September 24. Some 10,175 applications have been registered at the center so far. The new center allows importers of goods including truck tires, construction equipment and synthetic fibers to buy dollars at a rate 2 percent cheaper than the street rate at any given time.
The government maintains an official reference rate of 12,260 rials to the dollar, but only a limited amount of foreign exchange is available at this rate.
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I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not believe it is the government's right to know what I own. Nor do I think it prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime.
You ma'am have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I may not have one.
I am not your subject. I am the man who keeps you free. I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America.
I am the man who fought for my country. I am the man who learned. I am an American. You will not tell me that I must register my semi-automatic AR-15 because of the actions of some evil man.
I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public.
We, the people, deserve better than you.
Respectfully Submitted,
Joshua Boston
Cpl, United States Marine Corps
2004-2012
Thank you, Cpl Boston, for your service then and for this service now.
#6
I suspect what passes for a gov't today is well aware of what might happen should they attempt any sudden moves on the 2nd Amendment. Death by a thousand cuts appears much more likely.
#7
When DiFi was Mayor of San Francisco, she went on one of her regular anti gun tirades. I called her office and spoke to one of her aides. I pointed out that her assertions were not factual and what she was proposing was against the 2nd Amendment.
The aide stated bluntly that DiFi didn't care about facts or the 2nd Amendment, she wanted our guns. Bitch! We're going to have to open the last box.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man (at work) ||
01/04/2013 10:12
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#8
I recently drove from AZ to Florida via US10. As I went through Texas Last weekend it was clear to me that all Feinstein's rantings is a wast of time. Two out of the three vehicles that passed me, I was in a rental truck stuck at 60MPH, were full of guns and coolers for hunting. To try and take even a measurable ammount of these weapons will start a war.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/04/2013 11:16
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#9
Ditty-Move Pan? If so, good luck with your new assignment.
#10
Pan, good observation. And those guys are true hunters. In central Texas, on business in rural areas once, on more than one occasion noticed individuals who lived in the area only a few yards away, well armed, curious as to the nature of my business.
Never heard them coming until I happened to noticed them. I was impressed. They seemed to treat strangers as bad guys, until proven innocent.
#13
Besoeker, Yup, I'm trying to wear my back out early... I did get pulled over for an ag inspection entering Florida. The cops first question was,"Are you armed?" I handed him my CCP and said yes. He let it go at that and ended his inspection.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/04/2013 13:54
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#14
Hooah! Mind the old parachute injuries. Best to you in 2013 and thanks for your continued service!
#15
Suddenly she was sitting straight up in bed. She had been asleep. The dark was gone. Moonlight streamed through the window hole and streaks of moonlight come through every crack in that wall. Pa stood black in the moonlight at the window. He had his gun.
#17
I'm truly beginning to believe the left WANTS a civil war. Either they believe they can win it, or they're so eaten up with hatred they just want an excuse to kill.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/04/2013 18:02
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#18
Until the Anbar Awakening got the locals motivated to join the Surge(tm) and as amply displayed in Afghanistan where the locals are not motivated, just how do these nit wits think they're going to collect over 3 million weapons in private ownership across this country? One of the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan is that the local police have to go home at night among the population. Either they're co-opted or dead. Can't use the National Guard cause they're made up of folks who are generally gun owners themselves. The regular forces are both too few and unreliable once they start doing that crap. Just as likely to shoot/frag some big brass who's just a pol in uniform bellowing orders. The'd quickly lose control outside of the urban areas which is where the power, fuel, food, and water come from. There's not enough manpower to protect all those vulnerable lines of communication to sustain their political bases in the cities. I'm sure they'll have a couple successes, but the first Concord Bridge with their SWAT teams having to fight their way back to safer refuge will be the beginning of the end. They can't imagine Syria happening here. They're that stupid.
#21
P2K makes good points, but one there are precedents ... the mullah's Palestians have not hesitated to shoot unarmed civilian protesters in Teheran and other Iranian cities, for instance. Susan Rice is all in favor of stationing UN troops in Gaza and the West Bank to force policy matters against Israel - is it possible she and like minded people would take the opportunity to do so here as well?
[An Nahar] Nigerian soldiers have killed five gunnies believed to belong to the Islamist group 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... while losing a soldier and a policeman during a gunbattle in the country's volatile northeast, the military said on Thursday.
Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, the military front man in Maiduguri, the hotbed of the Boko Haram's insurgency, said the gunnies had attacked the troops at Marte on Wednesday.
Marte is 100 kilometers from Maiduguri and is on the border with Cameroon.
"In the process, one soldier, one police personnel and five gunniesbit the dust during an exchange of fire," Musa said in a statement.
He said that arms and ammunition, including two AK 47 rifles, one locally made double barrel gun and three magazines loaded with 35 rounds of assorted ammunition, were recovered.
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01/04/2013
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... rejected on Thursday a suggestion that the Lebanese-Syrian border be closed due to the state's inability to support the burden of refugees pouring in from the war-torn country.
He said during a televised speech marking 40 days after Ashura: "The border with Syria should not be shut and the refugees, regardless if they support or oppose the Syrian regime, should be hosted in Leb."
He warned that Syria and the entire region is facing a threat of division along sectarian, religious, and ethnic lines.
"We fundamentally and ideologically reject any form of partition or division of any Arab or Islamic country and call for them to preserve their unity," he stated.
"From Yemen to Iraq to Syria, the region is threatened more than ever by partition, even in Egypt and Libya 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 their national face... ," Nasrallah declared.
"We in Leb and in the region are living through one of the most important and dangerous phases, an atmosphere of strife," he added.
"The Lebanese must commit to the unity of their nation, land, people, and institutions," he stressed.
On Leb's handling of the Syrian crisis, he noted that various political powers have differences on how to tackle the issue, but they are in agreement over avoiding the spread of the unrest to Leb.
Other powers, however, seek to spread the unrest to Leb through creating sectarian tensions in order to spark violence in the country, he noted.
Nasrallah praised the government for preventing the spread of the instability in Syria to Leb, indirectly noting that had the March 14 camp "been in power, then the country would indeed have been linked to the unrest in Syria."
"Hizbullah has long called for calm and against being dragged into any conflict through its commitment to mutual coexistence," he remarked.
Commenting on the flow of refugees from Syria to Leb, Nasrallah said: "This issue should be tackled from a purely humanitarian perspective and not be linked to political affairs."
"The border with Syria should not be shut for any reason," he stressed.
"The real solution to the flow of refugees does not lie in closing the border, but in working on reaching a political solution in Syria that would help halt the bloodshed," he declared.
"Those responsible for the ongoing flood of refugees are the sides preventing this solution, whether from within Syria or on the regional and international scenes," explained the Hizbullah leader.
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#1
Closing the border might make it more difficult for the beloved satrap to 'import' any new or leftover 'gifts' (of whatever sort) from the Syrian regime.
We can't have that now, can we?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/04/2013 9:02
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#2
Well the way they been acting out perdition is too damn good for 'em if you ask me.
#5
Assad vs. FSA vs Al-Qaeda vs. Hezbollah/Hezzie affiliates, for now - the only question here is whether the other foreign MilTerr Groups entering Syruh will carve out their own territorial niches.
[Dawn] Two coppers were bumped off during a robbery in Orangi Town on Wednesday.
Police said the killing took place under the Banaras bridge, where four to five suspects riding three cycle of violences intercepted a hi-roof vehicle (CR-6769) belonging to the Pakistain Post Office (PPO).
The suspects shot at the two police constables -- Naeem Ahmed, 30, and Mohammad Rizwan, 32 -- within the Pirabad cop shoppe remit and escaped with Rs80,000 and a police AK-47 rifle.
The coppers suffered fatal gunshot wounds, one in the head and the other in the neck, which caused their instant deaths, said DIG-West Asif Aijaz Sheikh.
The bodies were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities.
"The coppers were shot on resistance. However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... the amount taken away was not clear," the DIG said.
He said the vehicle belonging to the PPO was returning after collecting cash from different post offices in Orangi Town and was heading to the general post office.
The two coppers were deputed with the van for security.
They were posted at the Security Zone, the police said. They said a 9mm pistol was used in the shooting.
Funeral prayers for the coppers will be held at the Security HQ, Hassan Square, at 11am on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the very first day of the year, an assistant sub-inspector posted at the anti-violent crime cell was rubbed out in the SITE area.
Twin brothers attacked
Twin brothers were targeted, one was killed and the other maimed, in Lyari, within the remit of the Kalri cop shoppe, on Wednesday morning.
Police said the incident took place at the intersection of Mirza Adam Khan Road and Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Road, where the twins were getting their vehicle tyres checked at a tyre shop when two suspects riding a cycle of violence targeted them, Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... SP Sarfaraz Nawaz said. The suspects escaped.
One of the twins, Jamal Jafar Qadri, 22, suffered a fatal gunshot wound and died before he could be taken to hospital while his brother, Haider Latif Qadri, 22, was maimed in the firing.
The maimed were rushed to the Lyari General Hospital from where he was referred to the Civil Hospital Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
"The twins were heading to college to appear in their BA examination when they were targeted," the SP said.
The motive for the attack was unclear.
Banker rubbed out
A banker was rubbed out in the SITE area on Wednesday night.
Police said the killing took place near the Habib Bank traffic intersection within the remit of the SITE-A cop shoppe, where assailants riding a cycle of violence opened fire on the car (ASV-938) targeting Javed Aziz Memon.
The slain banker was a cousin of Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon.
The suspects escaped after the shooting. The victim was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He's dead, Jim! on arrival.
Police said the victim was a manager of Al Baraka Bank's SITE branch. He was heading home from work.
"He was driving the car. Two shots were fired at his car. One hit the car's bonnet and the other pierced the victim's skull," DIG-West Asif Aijaz said.
Police were immediately not sure about the motive for the killing. "We are trying to ascertain if it was a car snatching attempt or assassination," the DIG added.
Sindh IG Fayyaz Leghari formed a three-member committee, comprising DIG-West Asif Aijaz Sheikh, SSP-CID Raja Umar Khattab and SSP-SITE to arrest the criminals within three days, said Sindh police front man Imran Shaukat.
Young man killed
A young man was rubbed out on Jamshed Road on Wednesday.
Police said the killing took place near the Usmania Hospital in front of the Bloody Karachi Central Jail, where assailants riding a cycle of violence targeted Rameezuddin, 22, who was also on a cycle of violence. The police said the victim suffered a gunshot wound in the head and died before he could be taken to hospital. They said they were unsure about the motive for the killing.
Decomposed body
The decomposed body of a young man was found in the Christian graveyard of Ilyas Goth, Korangi Town, within the remit of the Ibrahim Hyderi cop shoppe on Wednesday morning.
Police shifted the body to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.
The police said apparently the victim was kidnapped somewhere else before being killed. His body was dumped at graveyard.
The dead had two bullet holes in his head, the police said. The body was taken to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Outgoing Czech President Vaclav Klaus' decision to grant amnesty to nearly one in three prisoners has drawn protests and raised concerns in legal circles. Klaus, who is due to step down in March, announced the move in a new year's message on Tuesday, as a gesture to mark 20 years of independence.
Some 3,000 inmates have already been freed, with more than 4,000 expected to join them in the coming days. Everyone serving a term less than one year is eligible for release, as are all prisoners over the age of 75, as long as their sentence was less than 10 years.
The justice ministry said judges were ready to work around the clock to implement the pardon because they will have to visit each of more than 30 prisons and assess every prisoner who may qualify for release.
Klaus explained, "This is a gesture aimed at giving a fresh chance to those citizens who may have broken the law but who are not repeat offenders."
Iva Brozova, the head of the Czech supreme court, said she feared the move might undermine the rule of law. She said she could not see the justification for a mass amnesty but admitted that the president was entitled to take the decision.
The opposition are demanding a vote of no confidence in center-right Prime Minister Petr Necas because he supported the mass pardon. They are particularly angry because the amnesty also means that several big financial fraud cases will now stop because court proceedings have lasted for more than eight years.
So move a little more quickly in the future...
Social Democrat politician Jiri Dienstbier - son of the late former dissident of the same name - called President Klaus's decision "unacceptable and incomprehensible".
For Iran, 2013 could be one of the most challenging years-both at home and in relations with the outside world-since the 1979 revolution. The Islamic Republic faces the potential of stronger economic sanctions and even an Israeli and/or U.S. military strike because of its intransigence in complying with U.N. resolutions on its nuclear program. The world's only modern theocracy also must deal with twin domestic challenges-- deepening malaise among the young and increasing tensions among the political elite. Home-grown problems could outweigh the regime's foreign policy woes.
Iran and the world's major powers have all indicated an interest in a new round of diplomatic talks to end the long standoff over Tehran's controversial nuclear program. The gap is still enormous, however, after three rounds in Istanbul, Baghdad and Moscow in 2012.
Khamenei is not easily swayed by pressure. He views Iran's uranium enrichment program not only as a natural and legal right, but also a measure of Tehran's success against the United States. Tehran also spins the so-called Arab Spring as an "Islamic awakening" modeled on its own Islamic revolution. However, Khamenei is also savvy enough to know that the same political changes represent new challenges for his regime as well. And other regional powers, most notably Turkey, are increasingly questioning Iran's geopolitical aspirations.
Iran begins 2013 with growing economic woes. The economy is now the Islamic Republic's Achilles Heel. Iran has been successful in educating millions of Iranians and rebuilding its infrastructure after the Iran-Iraq War. But it has not reached the potential of a country with one of the world's largest reserves of oil and natural gas and a well-educated and resourceful population. Khamenei needs tens of billions of dollars in oil revenues to maintain a vast and often loyal network that has maintained his rule for the past 23 years. But the world's toughest sanctions, soaring inflation, and the plummeting value of Iran's currency produced the perfect economic storm in 2012. And Tehran's economic crisis will not end any time soon.
Iran's oil exports declined by as much as one-half in 2012. But chronic mismanagement is the chief cause of Iran's economic problems. Corruption across the regime has contributed to the economic crisis. The Revolutionary Guards, which control large parts of the economy, are also reportedly corrupt. The most powerful military organization in Iran has charitable foundations (bonyads) that are tax-exempt and largely free of government scrutiny. The Guards have also been linked to illicit smuggling and narcotics trafficking. Some veteran officers have reportedly amassed significant wealth.
The Islamic Republic begins 2013 with anxiety among both the public and the government over the impending presidential election. The 2009 election produced the deepest political schism since the revolution, with millions turning out in massive popular protests across the country to challenge the official outcome. It gave birth to the opposition Green Movement and created an enduring crisis of legitimacy for the Supreme Leader. The 2013 election may be more tightly scripted than any earlier presidential race to prevent serious debates or competition. Candidates are technically vetted by the Guardian Council, but they must also have the Supreme Leader's unspoken approval. As the regime becomes increasingly militarized, candidates may also need to either have ties to the Revolutionary Guards or be amenable to its interests. The spectrum of rivals reflects the unprecedented divisions. All were among the early revolutionaries who ousted the shah and hung together for more than a decade. Ahmadinejad, a hardliner who had Khamenei's full endorsement just four years ago, is now perceived as a threat to the Supreme Leader's hold on power.
But the most important challenge to the regime may still come from the Green Movement. Its symbolic leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, are under house arrest but they remain a potent threat to Khamenei's rule, perhaps even more than an Israeli military strike or U.S. sanctions.
#3
"Rough '13" > Apparently, so will the US + rest of the World.
* TOPIX > IRAN HAS NOT YET CROSSED THE "RED LINE": ISRAELI PM [Netanyahu] TELLS AMBASSADORS.
IMO Iran never will iff it can help it - ITV the burden is on US-Israel, etal. to initiate de facto war or conflict while Iran nuclearizes + expands, modernizes its military capabilities.
UNLESS SHTF BETWEEN RULING SUNNI GOVTS + LOCAL SHIA POPULATIONS IN NEIGHBORING GCC STATES, IRAN WILL STAY ON THE "STRATEGIC DEFENSIVE" VEE THE US-ISRAEL AMAP ALAP.
* IIRC TOPIX [paraph]> OBAMA TO SEE NO MORE POLITICAL VICTORIES IN 2013.
Title + Artic to that effect.
* RENSE > COMPLEXITY THEORISTS PREDICT FOOD RIOTS, CIVIL UNREST BY APRIL 2013.
ARTIC = Threat of death at the hands of the US Govt. + Army-Police security forces MAY NOT BE ENUFF to deter Americans from STRONG OR ARMED/VIOLENT CHALLENGE + OPPOSITION TO SAME.
Forecast-Predictive Models courtesy of the NEW ENGLAND COMPLEX SYSTEMS INSTITUTE.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > KIRCHENER [openly] DEMANDS THE UK RETURN FALKLANDS TO ARGENTINA | [Telegraph.UK] DAVID CAMERON [UK PM] MUST RETURN FALKLANDS TO ARGENTINA, CRISTINIA KIRCHENER [Argen PM] DEMANDS IN OPEN LETTER.
* SAME > DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU KNOW IT BUT THERES A WAR GOING ON IN HONG K0NG. Pro-Independence or "UK-come-back" protestors versus Beijing.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > DISINTEGRATION OF CHINA DUE TO ECNOMIC COLLAPSE? | [icyte.com] STRATFOR'S PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEXT DECADE: CHINA COLLAPSE, GLOBAL LABOR SHORTAGES, NEW AMERICAN DOMINANCE.
- End of cheap Chinese labor.
- Demographic aging - China + whole of East Asia.
- Rise in internal dissensions due to increasing wealth - demands for more Econ, Political "liberalization" = freedoms + de-regulation.
YES, BUT IMO ALSO DUE TO "PEAK OIL/ENERGY/
RESOURCES" AS THE LATTER IS DUE TO INTERNATIONAL GOVTS, PERTS SCIENTIFIC DISAGREEMENT + MISCALCULATION.
Again, the OWG Govts-Perts consensus is that there is no consensus - at best, we get PCorrect "agree to disagree" or "cannot confirm or deny" Waffle cover stories.
THE US + ITS SUPERPOWER STATUS WILL ALSO BE SERIOUSLY AFFECTED.
* SAME > AFGHAN WAR LEADER [Gulbuddin Hekmaytr] VOWS FRESH ATTACKS [AMAP] ON NATO TROOPS, i.e. to kill as many US-NATO troops as possible before 2014.
North Korea has released a photo of leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju at a performance celebrating the New Year on Tuesday.
In the photo, Ri has a flat tummy while she was heavily pregnant as late as Dec. 21. The state media have been silent on whether has given birth since.
Nork doctors are trying to figure out how to keep the kid's head from swivelling 360 degrees.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2013
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[Dawn] The PML-N has termed the slogans of accountability and reforms a plot to delay general elections and vowed to thwart the conspiracy.
"An attempt is being made to get the elections postponed under the cover of slogans for (electoral) reforms and accountability (of politicians)," Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... was quoted as having said at a meeting of PML-N elders held at his Raiwind residence on Wednesday.
"All such attempts will be foiled because the nation is going to get an opportunity within weeks to change a government through the ballot for the first time in 65 years of the country's history."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2013
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(CNN) -- Tiburcio Vasquez, a 19th century outlaw, is remembered in historical accounts as a notorious criminal who terrorized southern California.
But one school district in California wants to remember him another way: as a hero to the Hispanic community who fought back against injustice.
The Alisal Union School District set off a controversy last month when it announced that an elementary school in Salinas to be opened this year will be named after Vasquez.
The move has led some local leaders, including the Salinas mayor, to criticize the controversial choice.
"We had a young man killed in Afghanistan who was from the Alisal area. He would have been a nice person to name the school after," Mayor Joe Gunter said Wednesday. "There's a lot of good people we could name a school after, in my opinion."
Salinas California is in Monterey County, 56.1% Hispanic, 32.4% Anglo. More to come; in the next few years Hispanics will gain a plurality of population in California and soon a majority in the state.
Back in 2000, Anglos made up 46.7% of the California's population while Hispanics accounted for 32.4%. California is now 39.7% Anglo and 38.1% Hispanic. There's been almost a 13 point swing of population percentage, Hispanic vs Anglo, in just 10 years. If you follow the Hispanic Population percentage from 1970 (12%) to 1980 (19.2%) and to 1990 (25.8%) the trend is obvious at about 7 percentage points gain per 10 year period.
A lot of good hard working Hispanics have come to this state but along with them has come a lot of crime and poverty. The once bucolic farm towns of the Central Valley now more like Mad Max. Is it any wonder this state has 1/3 of the welfare recipients in the US and has gone dark blue politically. Due to poor immigration enforcement, the Dems have gained what they wanted in California, absolute political control. Watch out, this scenario is coming to a state near you.
By the Alisal Union School District's logic, school districts in the Midwest should try school names like Jesse James Middle School or Bonnie & Clyde Union High School.
#2
Christuskirche (Christ's Church) it's in the middle of a big traffic circle where Robert Mugabe Ave. and Fidel Castro St. meet in Windhoek. Yes, there is a price for losing a war or a conflict of demographics.
#4
Let me guess, did Vasquez rob the rich so he could give to the poor? Kinda like Robin Hood or Barack Obama? Was he just misunderstood? The myth and the reality are oftentimes different.
As for the demographics, I am sorry to say that Republicans like George Bush are as much to blame as Democrats like Bill Clinton. Shot themselves in the foot, the frickin' morons. We're losing this country but nobody seems to notice. But just to be on the safe side, I'm always nice to Hispanics. Hey, I have to live here.
#6
Yet, they strip the name Jefferson from schools because in the world and history of the time, owning slaves was pretty much normal in all significant cultures.
Saudi Arabia has provided fighter jets to assist the United States with its drone strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, the London Times reported on Friday.
Front page at the Times website but you need to be a subscriber.
US drones are backing Yemeni forces combating militants of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The group's Yemen branch is considered by Washington to be the most active and deadliest franchise of the global jihadist network.
The Times cited a US intelligence source as saying that "some of the so-called drone missions are actually Saudi Air Force missions".
US drone attacks in Yemen nearly tripled in 2012 compared to 2011, according to the Washington-based think tank New America Foundation, and for the first time totalled more than in Pakistan last year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2013
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#1
While I sure the Kingdoms AF is just honky dory, there's something way, way, way back in my mind that sez:
Those fuckers couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.
Yes, that would be Lyndon
#3
...Some - SOME - of the RSAF's stick actuators are pretty good, at least as good as our guys. One of 'em got two kills during Desert Storm, tho there's some evidence to indicate he was handed the second one to make the RSAF look good. On the other hand, they never forget they're Muslim first and 21st century human beings second. During DS, a bunch of Saudi Tornado crews had a bad habit of salvoing their bombs into the desert rather than drop them on a fellow Muslim.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/04/2013 22:21
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A gunman was gunned down when he attacked a police station in Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia on Wednesday. The gunman approached the Malokarachayevsky district police station in a car and later opened fire on policemen. Police returned fire, eliminating the attacker.
The attacker was reportedly a member of the Uzdenov gang, which was neutralized in December, 2011 following a series of attacks against police in the republic and in the neighboring Stavropol region. The police station attacker is also suspected of killing another member of an illegal armed group and his neighbor earlier on Wednesday.
For a map, click here.For a map of Zacatecas state click here.
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A Mexican Army unit with the 97th Infantry Battalion exchanged gunfire with armed suspects Wednesday afternoon, killing 12 in Zacatecas state, according to Mexican news accounts.
According to a news item posted on the website of El Sol de Zacatecas news daily, an army detachment was dispatched to El Capulín hill near the village of Almoloya in Rio Grande municipality Wednesday afternoon on anonymous complaints of armed suspects in the area.
According to the article, armed suspects were travelling in a convoy when the army unit appeared and exchanged gunfire. Among the dead were two women. An undisclosed number of other suspects were detained as well.
Seized in the aftermath were 11 rifles including AR-15 and AK-47 rifles, weapons magazines, five grenade launchers, ammunition, satellite radio equipment, drugs and several Humvees.
The army operation was unusual in that the ground unit was supported by helicopters.
Meanwhile in Fresnillo municipality a Mexican naval infantry unit detained 18 suspects in a counternarcotics sweep last Monday.
Among those detained was an unidentified female with a newborn baby in her arms. Twelve of the suspects detained were minors. Contraband seized included nine rifles, two handguns, six weapons magazines, 268 rounds of ammunition, two grenade launchers, 37.245 kilograms of marijuana, personal quantities of cocaine and marijuana, and three vehicles.
Two days later criminal groups in Fresnillo municipality threw up several narcobloqueos or roadblocks in response to naval infantry operations in the area.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
[Dawn] The Pentagon welcomed reports Thursday that a prominent Pak warlord was killed in a drone strike, saying his death would represent a "major development."
Local officials in Pakistain said Mullah Nazir, the main orc commander in South Wazoo, was taken out when an unmanned US aircraft fired two missiles at his vehicle.
But a Pentagon front man could not confirm the account.
"If the reports are true, then this would be a significant blow, and would be very helpful not just to the United States but also to our Pak partners," front man George Little told news hounds.
Nazir sent bully boyz to Afghanistan to wage war on NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... -led troops and operated out of the tribal zone where faceless myrmidons linked to the Taliban and al Qaeda have bases on the Afghan border.
Pak officials said the drone strike on Wednesday killed Nazir and five of his loyalists, including two senior deputies.
Nazir, one of the highest-profile drone victims in recent years, had a complicated relationship with the Pak government, having agreed to a peace deal with Islamabad in 2007. Pak officials had hoped he could counter Pak Taliban bully boys.
He was understood to be close to the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, a faction of the Afghan Taliban blamed for some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan in recent years.
"This is someone who has a great deal of blood on his hands," Little said. "This would be a major development."
Washington has long urged Islamabad to crack down on the Haqqani network without success.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Sorry, but I'm still waiting for Ayman andor Mullah Omar, Other to publicly confirm.
AFAIC ITS JUST SO MUCH PYWAR MEDIA, DIPLOMATIC PROPAGANDA = DISINFORMATION UNTIL THEN.
[Dawn] A suspected Pak al Qaeda operative accused of planning attacks in the United States, Britannia and Norway was on Thursday extradited to the US, the interior ministry in London announced.
"We can confirm that today, January 3, Abid Naseer was extradited to America where he is accused of terrorism offences. His case is now a matter for the US authorities," a statement from the Home Office said.
The 26-year-old is wanted by the US authorities over allegations that he provided material support to al Qaeda and conspired to use explosives.
He was named as a suspect in an alleged transatlantic plot directed by Pak-based al Qaeda groups, which included an attempt to bomb the New York subway in 2009.
Naseer was originally locked away Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! in Britannia along with 10 other Pak men in 2009 over a suspected bomb plot. But they were released without charge after prosecutors said there was not enough evidence, and ordered to be deported.
An immigration judge subsequently ruled that despite Naseer being "an al Qaeda operative who posed and still poses a serious threat", he could not be returned to Pakistain as his safety could not be guaranteed.
Two months after his release, in July 2010, Naseer was arrested again on a US arrest warrant.
In January last year, a judge approved Naseer's extradition to the United States.
He appealed to the European Court of Human Rights but his case was thrown out in December.
Metropolitan Police officers on Thursday escorted Naseer from Belmarsh Prison to London's Luton Airport where he was taken into custody by US authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Hopefully with a transfer to Norway afterwards.
[An Nahar] Iraqi authorities on Thursday ordered the release of 11 female detainees facing criminal charges and vowed to transfer women prisoners to jails in their home provinces, in a move that addresses one of the main demands of a wave of protests by the country's Sunni minority against the Shiite-led government.
The demonstrations erupted nearly two weeks ago following the arrest of bodyguards assigned to Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi, one of the central government's most senior Sunni officials. The protests, however, tap into deeper Sunni grievances of perceived discrimination by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... 's government.
Justice Ministry front man Haider al-Saadi said the female detainees' families can secure their relative's release by paying bail. He added that 13 Sunni women convicted of criminal charges will be transferred from a Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... jail to other prisons in their home provinces of Anbar, Salahuddin and Ninevah to complete their sentences there.
A day earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he asked the judicial authorities to accelerate efforts to resolve the cases of the detainees, adding that a special committee was formed to end the issue of female prisoners.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2013
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[Dawn] The guards posted at Torkham border here on Wednesday sent back hundreds of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan when they failed to produce legal travel documents.
The border guards and immigration staff at Torkham have intensified checking of passports and visas of Afghan nationals, entering Pakistain for multiple purposes, after Afghan police tortured 29 Pak labourers and three transporters on December 22 and 28 respectively.
The Afghan officials, posted at the other side of the border, made announcements through loudspeakers and urged their countrymen to go back if they didn't possess valid passports and visas.
Both the countries had agreed after the three incidents of torture of each other's nationals by police and sleuths of intelligence agencies for no apparent reason that neither side would allow its people to cross the border without legal travelling documents.
Ambulances carrying patients and Pak-Afghan Friendship Bus were also returned to Pakistain by the Afghan guards after Pak authorities denied entry to Afghan nationals without documents.
The Pak officials had closed the border on December 22 and December 28 to protest the ill-treatment of Paks at the hands of Afghan police near Kabul. Unidentified persons also forcibly disembarked some Afghan nationals from vehicles and beat them near Torkham border on December 27 when they were on their way to Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2013
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[An Nahar] One of the armed Islamist groups occupying northern Mali, Ansar Dine, said Thursday it was revoking a pledge to end hostilities made last month during peace negotiations in Algeria.
"Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith) has decided to revoke the offer to stop hostilities together with the negotiations being conducted in Ouagadougou," said Ansar Dine's leader, Iyad Ag Ghaly, in a statement published by Mauritanian news agency Sahara Medias.
The Ouagadougou talks are being led by 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 may be in the process of being chased out now... President Blaise Compaore, west Africa's chief mediator for the crisis in Mali, where Islamists seized control of the north in the wake of a March 22 coup.
The Ansar Dine statement lashed out at the Malian government, saying it had given nothing in return for the promise to end hostilities and was instead busy "recruiting mercenaries" to fight in the north of Mali.
The U.N. Security Council on December 20 approved the deployment of an international force in Mali to reclaim the north, but did not give a precise timetable and said the troops should be sent in stages.
The Security Council also insisted on the need for dialogue with gangs in the north that reject terrorism and the partition of the country.
The day after the Council's decision, Ansar Dine and another gang in the north, the ethnic-Tuareg separatist movement MNLA, announced they were ready to put down their weapons and negotiate with the Malian transitional government.
Ansar Dine's leader said Thursday that the pledge to end hostilities had been "torn out" of his delegation during "rough negotiations".
He said he was still open to "new negotiations, even if (Ansar Dine) has never detected a willingness from the other party to reciprocate".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2013
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#1
Sounds like they got that hudna thing turned around on 'em.
[Bangla Daily Star] Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... fiercely clashed with police in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, leaving at least 30 people injured yesterday.
During the festivities, Jamaat-Shibir men charged cocktails, damaged vehicles and threw brick chips at the law enforcers, forcing them to fire rubber bullets and teargas canisters, and charge batons.
In Dhaka, at least 10 people were maimed as chases and counter chases took place between the activists and police at Motijheel and Mohakhali areas in the morning.
Around 100 Shibir men brought out a procession at Motijheel around 10:30 am. As police tried to intercept the procession, the activists fled blasting several cocktails, said Anwar Hossain, deputy commissioner (DC) of Motijheel Division.
They hurled brick chips at police and vandalised at least five vehicles in the area, he added.
Police tossed in the slammer Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! a Shibir activist when around 150 Jamaat-Shibir men were locked in chase and counter chase with the law enforcers near Mohakhali flyover around 10:00 am, said Ashraful Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Banani Police Station.
Our Rajshahi correspondent reports, at least 20 people were maimed, two by rubber bullets, during a clash between the activists and police near Sonadighi intersection yesterday afternoon.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2013
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Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
#1
I DO HATE, "mouthy man", and you know it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/04/2013 11:11
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Hillary Clinton will testify in front of Congress about the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya - despite receiving a concussion and being hospitalized for a blood clot, it was revealed on Thursday.
The Secretary of State cancelled appearances before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee after she fainted and hit her head on December 9. She sent two aides to testify in her place.
The Washington Post reports that Clinton 'remains committed' to appearing in front of the Congressional committees, though no date has been set. The new House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Rep Edward Royce, said the government accountability report on the attack points to 'an unacceptable failure of leadership' leading up to the attack, according to the Post. Some Senate Republicans have threatened to block the confirmation of Sen John Kerry, Clinton's successor as Secretary of State, until Clinton testifies.
Clinton, 65, was released from a New York City hospital on Wednesday, days after doctors discovered a blood clot between her skull and her brain. Her physicians say she suffered no stroke or neurological damage as a result of the clot. She is expected to make a full recovery.
#8
Will she throw Obama under his own bus? Don't ruin my dream people!
Posted by: Charles ||
01/04/2013 18:15
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#9
She won't have to - iff GINGRICH + JEB BUSH choose to minimize or stay out of any + any political affairs for the next several years, IMO ITS THE SAME AS ADMITTING THE DEMOCRATS WILL WIN THE PRESIDENCY + CONGRESS COME 2014 + 2016-2024.
[An Nahar] An exchange of gunfire erupted on Thursday evening in Sidon between members of the Popular Nasserite Organization led by ex-MP Osama Saad and the Hizbullah-affiliated Resistance Brigades, leaving one person dead and three others maimed.
Future TV said "fierce festivities erupted in the Nazlet Sidon area between a group belonging to the Popular Nasserite Organization and another belonging to 'Hizbullah's brigades'."
It added that one person was killed and two others were maimed in the clash.
Al-Jadeed television said the army deployed heavily in the area, reporting the same casualty toll.
"A clash between Mahmoud Bazaza and Abu Rabih al-Masri erupted in Sidon's Nazlet Sidon area, which resulted in the death of Mohammed Birar, who belongs to the Resistance That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... Brigades," state-run National News Agency reported later.
"At once, an army force and members of the Internal Security Forces deployed in the area," NNA said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had escaped from his bonds and overwhelmed his guard using the bludgeon the faithful Filomena had smuggled to him in the loaf of bread... LBCI television said "a supporter of the Popular Nasserite Organization was maimed in the leg as gunfire erupted in Nazlet Sidon."
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Libya Herald] Misrata kicked off the city's first bodybuilding competition today, LANA news agency reported, with competitors from Saudi, Egypt and Jordan taking part alongside Libyans.
The competition was named after Reda Sheghdoun, a former bodybuilding champion who was killed during the revolution last year. "A shattered nation..."
I do look forward to the women's division. Surely the EU will contribute to this opportunity to advance women and physical fitness, both.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[An Nahar] A new U.S. drone strike on Thursday killed three al-Qaeda suspects in the town of Rada in Yemen's central al-Bayda province, the site of similar recent attacks, tribal sources there said.
Mukbel Abbad, brother-in-law of Tareq al-Dahab who led the al-Qaeda gunnies in a brief January 2012 raid on Rada, was killed along with two other suspects, the sources said. "They're dead, Jim!"
Abbad was a "leading" al-Qaeda figure, one source said.
On Saturday, a similar drone strike killed three suspected bully boyz in the same region, in what was the fourth attack in one week.
Thursday's attack brings to 14 the number of al-Qaeda suspects killed in Yemen since December 24, when attacks by the unmanned planes on targets in al-Bayda and the eastern Hadramawt province were stepped up.
Dahab, who led the al-Qaeda gunnies in the January raid on the town, was rubbed out in February 2012 by his half-brother, who a tribal chief said was hired by Yemeni authorities.
Dahab's other brother-in-law was U.S.-born holy man Anwar al-Awlaqi, who was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in September.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2013
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At least 12 Shiite Muslim pilgrims were killed on Thursday in Iraq when a car bomb exploded in the city of al-Hillah, south of the capital Baghdad, police said.
Some 43 were injured in the attack, which targeted a convoy of pilgrims were returning from the Arbaeen pilgrimage that commemorates 40 days after the slaying of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Mohammed, police said, dpa reported.
Millions of pilgrims attended this year's ceremony, including 750,000 from other countries, according to security officials.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2013
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Cinema legend Brigitte Bardot on Friday threatened to follow actor Gerard Depardieu out of France unless two elephants under threat of being put down are granted a reprieve.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has been accused of taking 10 billion Egyptian pounds (U.S. $1.5 billion) from the American government, according to claims by Egyptian lawyers.
[An Nahar] Furious combat raged around the main airport and a military airbase in northern Syria on Thursday, a day after the 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[An Nahar] A senior Sunni politician on Thursday blamed Iraq's anti-terror forces, which report directly to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office, for the shooting of his young nephew the previous day.
[An Nahar] Yemen's former president 
[Libya Herald] The head of the Benghazi Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Abdulsalam Al-Mihdawi, was kidnapped yesterday evening in Benghazi by an unknown group of 
[Dawn] Five students 
[Dawn] A Pakistain judicial commission submitted findings Thursday from its investigation into how 
[Dawn] Although the army generals will discuss the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain's (TTP) 'peace offers' at a corps commanders' meeting to be held on Friday, they want the 
...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat...
Wazoo
[An Nahar] Sudanese troops clashed with South Sudanese forces along their restive border, South Sudan's army said Thursday, a day ahead of planned talks between the presidents of the two rival nations.
[Bangla Daily Star] BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was shown 
[Dawn] IN Pakistain, it is not unusual for those with power, money or influence to terrorise lesser mortals. In a society awash with guns and where macho, medieval mindsets prevail, human life and dignity are worth little. This was proved by the tragic murder of Shahzeb Khan. The young man, son of 
Nawaz Sharif
[An Nahar] Nigerian soldiers have killed five 
[An Nahar] Hizbullah chief 
[Dawn] Two 
cycle of violence
[Dawn] The PML-N has termed the slogans of accountability and reforms a plot to delay general elections and vowed to thwart the conspiracy.
A gunman was gunned down when he attacked a police station in Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia on Wednesday. The gunman approached the Malokarachayevsky district police station in a car and later opened fire on policemen. Police returned fire, eliminating the attacker.
[Dawn] The Pentagon welcomed reports Thursday that a prominent Pak warlord was killed in a drone strike, saying his death would represent a "major development."
Nouri al-Maliki
[Bangla Daily Star] Activists of 
[An Nahar] An exchange of gunfire erupted on Thursday evening in Sidon between members of the Popular Nasserite Organization led by ex-MP Osama Saad and the Hizbullah-affiliated Resistance Brigades, leaving one person dead and three others 
[An Nahar] A new U.S. drone strike on Thursday killed three al-Qaeda suspects in the town of Rada in Yemen's central al-Bayda province, the site of similar recent attacks, tribal sources there said.
At least 12 Shiite Muslim pilgrims were killed on Thursday in Iraq when a car bomb exploded in the city of al-Hillah, south of the capital Baghdad, police said.
