Coming from a man who neither spoke up before nor has a Korean last name. And probably never ran for dog catcher, either.
[PasteMagazine] Last week South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean "Supreme Leader" Kim Jong Un met at the border between the two countries to sign a historic agreement that provides a framework for cooperation and denuclearization which will, per terms in the agreement, lead eventually to the end of the decades-long Korean War. Sensational as this headline is, it also presents several obstacles and uncertainties, a major one being the wishes and interests of the United States, which, in spite of prevailing thought, might actually impede the peace process.
To be sure, over the last three months peace negotiations between the North and South have delivered a number of firsts for the two nations, still technically at war. They reopened direct bilateral talks and fielded a joint Olympic team. Kim has made persistent diplomatic overtures to other countries with stakes in the region, including a trip to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and a covert meeting with Mike Pompeo, soon to be our new Secretary of State. He’s got a meeting ahead with Donald Trump. The North Korean leader has also offered to have international observers come watch his government dismantle a major nuclear test facility.
#1
Wow, this man's ability to read minds is uncanny. He does it all throughout the article.
Why all the fuss about the Nobel prize? It's a joke. It was a joke when they gave it to Yasser Arafat, much less Obama.
South Korea doesn't want US troops. Where'd he get that idea? They regularly protest against them and the ROK army has the Nork situation well in hand.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
05/01/2018 22:28
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#4
Doesn't it start and end with the question -- "What are Public Schools For?"
(*) To educate new cogs in the machinery of industrial production? (*) To educate future voting citizens? (*) Free babysitting until they are legal adults? (*) Provide jobs for the greatest number of administrators and public employee union members?
#8
So much for 'professional educators' being a title of authority. They brought it on themselves.
Over half the success of education is a home environment that is stable, supportive and promotes education. No amount of money can make up for that as we have seen and witnessed repeatedly. How about taxing less to allow the parents to spend more time with the kids and less paying off the burdens of government?
Possible, but I bet he's never been anywhere near an AR. I'd imagine he moves in circles where guys with ear monitors carry concealed. I will guarantee you that people who are no way conservative talk to him at cocktail parties and in green rooms and editorial suites pretty much all the time...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 10:44
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#4
Also, I am henceforth calling the spectator the Spic-fellator...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 10:49
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#10
Ben Stein is a funny fellow who's usually right. He is here, too -- about Waffle House, not about the AR.
The AR doesn't tell you to shoot people. It's a decent, lightweight rifle, reasonably accurate and fun to fire. If I could still see well enough to shoot, I'd prefer a slightly heavier bolt action, but that's just me.
He nailed the problem in the very first sentence and then rollicked off on the wrong track:
A few days ago, a man with a long history of mental illness and violence shot and killed four innocent people at a Waffle House in Tennessee.
The shooter had a long history of mental illness. All of these shootings feature the same common element, don't they? Only a complete lunatic (PC hissy fit from somebody to follow) to shoot up a restaurant, school, mall, church, kindergarten, baseball practice, or what have you for no reason.
We used to have cackle factories, nut houses, or assylums, call them what you will, for people who were nuts. Now they're not nuts, they "disturbed" or they're "troubled" and they're walking the streets and they're buying guns, regardless of what laws have been passed.
Looney bins were done away with as a result of a long series of horror stories based on a short string of actual facts. Just like nursing homes today, they required a significant chunk of money to maintain, and the costs kept getting heftier, so patients were "main streamed" and told to be good and take their meds, instead of remaining committed and being given their meds by the men in white coats.
Everybody felt ever so much more virtuous, superior in every way to our ignernt ancestors. Politicians were able to divert the funds released to contracts for their relatives and the guys who thought they were Napoleon Bonapart went shopping for artillery.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018 12:19
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#11
I have to disagree with you on one point, Fred.
Looney bins were done away with as a result of a long series of horror stories based on a short string of actual facts
Went thru the turn away from Mental Health facilities when I worked in CA hospitals. The reason was, first and always foremost, money. They are damned expensive and end up being longterm warehouses since "cures" are few and far between. The "horror stories" were just the pols' excuse for moving the money to other "needs".
#12
So is that "Ben Stein, AR Whisperer" or
"AR - Ben Stein Whisperer"?
Posted by: ar anonymous ||
05/01/2018 12:33
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#13
ARs kill people, his security wear the cute MP5.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/01/2018 13:14
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#14
I don't know... Having lived and worked in the shadow of one of those "Gulags for Lunatics" back when they had 20' chainlink fences topped by three strands of razor wire... I just don't know...
[McClatchey Report] The CIA can selectively divulge classified information to selected reporters in emails yet withhold that information from other journalists or members of the public when they seek the same information under the Freedom of Information Act, a federal judge in New York has ruled. So much for the FOIA request system and all of those meddling little people.
The decision appeared in the court record on Friday but became more widely disseminated Monday.
The ruling comes amid vigorous national debate over leaks to the media and the use of anonymous sources in covering national security news, including an ongoing FBI investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Colleen McMahon of the Southern District of New York ruled that the CIA does not have to release parts of five emails senior CIA officials sent to journalists from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and The Washington Post in 2012. At the time, the CIA was facing pressure over links it may have had to a Pakistani doctor who helped American forces hunt down Osama bin Laden.
#1
A not so subtle, arse covering move bound to pay significant future 'Deep State' dividends. Not such good news for imprisoned Pakistani physician Shakil Afridi however. An upcoming presidential election required the scalp of Ben Laden.
One might almost suspect something going on behind the scenes. But that indicate a degree of cynicism toward our government.
The Klingons and the media working together, who knew? Brennan, Comey, and Clapper must be giving one another high-fives.
#8
I'd imagine this will be appealed. Imagine how bad of a decision it will be for the left long term if it is reversed at the end of the road.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 10:39
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#9
ANYONE who leaks classified information is a traitor and needs to be tried, convicted and promptly executed. Anyone who receives that information and fails to immediately report it and who gave it also is a traitor should be executed alongside the leaker.
[The Hill] California state Senator Ricardo Lara (D) introduced legislation on Monday aimed at allowing undocumented immigrants to serve on all state and local boards and commissions.
"California is stronger when we utilize talents of all our residents, and opening state and local boards and commissions to every Californian will allow us to better serve our diverse communities," Lara said in a statement, according to The Sacramento Bee.
"Undocumented Californians are our neighbors, co-workers and parents, and as lawmakers we can’t make good policy if their voices are left out of the discussion."
Under the proposed bill, boards and commissions would have to determine if the appointee at hand could be compensated based on their immigration status and federal law, the Bee reported.
The legislation comes as tension between the Trump administration and California increases due to differences in immigration policy.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state in March, which aimed to block three sanctuary laws that the state's legislature passed last year in response to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures.
#1
Abdicating to foreign nationals who are breaking the law and putting them in charge. That is in itself is fraud and he should be charged by the feds.
#5
Remarkable how CA legislators are able to wring out every ounce of law in their public pronouncements, choosing instead to idolize notions of 'diverse communities'.
[The Hill] A group of conservative House lawmakers have begun drafting a resolution that calls for the impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The impeachment document makes a series of charges against Rosenstein, the latest sign of escalating efforts among conservatives to oust the DOJ’s No. 2 official, according to a copy of the draft obtained by The Hill.
There has been no indication, however, that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and other House GOP leaders will act on the measure, having largely remained silent amid calls for his removal by hard-line conservatives.
Conservative members led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and close ally of President Trump, drafted the eight articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.
The articles include allegations that Rosenstein violated federal law by refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena over Congress’s efforts to obtain documents about FBI surveillance during the election, intentionally stalling document production for congressional investigations into possible government misconduct, and failing to enforce key laws and protocols.
#4
Axing the top 3 layers of the FBI, DOJ and CIA would be a good first step to restoring our democracy. But they are our Praetorian Guard, our protectors. They would never betray us.
#5
Besoeker, if Russian interference was actually suspected by the Dims, they would be demanding reports ASAP to prevent it from happening again during the critical mid-terms that are omly a few months away.
#6
....if Russian interference was actually suspected by the Dims, they would be demanding reports ASAP to prevent it from happening again during the critical mid-terms that are omly a few months away.
Yes, a convenient cover for action, or cover story. Unfortunately those terms have a....not so subtle, intelligence community origin. Shall we simply use the term....'insurance policy.' Everyone understands insurance.
[Breitbart] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) in-laws have ordered 10 massive cargo ships from the Chinese government since the senator’s wife Elaine Chao became Secretary of Transportation. The deep financial ties between the Chao family’s shipping business Foremost Group and the Chinese regime were first revealed in the #1 New York Times bestseller Secret Empires.
Foremost Group, which is owned by Sec. Elaine Chao’s father and Sen. McConnell’s father-in-law James S.C. Chao, signed contracts with a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for four bulk cargo ships in June and September 2017. In December 2017, Chao’s company signed another contract with state-owned CSSC at Foremost’s New York office for two massive 210,000-ton ships. James S.C. Chao and two of Elaine’s sisters were in attendance. So, too, was the Consul General of China in New York, as well as representatives from the CSSC. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Then on January 31, 2018, Foremost Group ordered four more 210,000-ton ships from CSSC. Angela Chao, sister to Sec. Elaine Chao and Foremost’s Deputy Chairman, said she expects cooperation between the two entities to extend into the future. In January 2017, Angela Chao joined the board of the state-owned Bank of China.
The finances of Sec. Elaine Chao and her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, are closely tied to the Foremost Group. In 2008, James Chao gave a $5 million-$25 million "gift" to Sen. McConnell, more than tripling his net worth. Contracts with other Chinese state-owned enterprises make up a significant portion of Foremost’s business. James and Angela Chao previously served on the board of CSSC Holdings, a major contractor for the Chinese military and a key supporter of the PLA Navy.
#2
While our industrial base is decimated by cheap Chinese made products (McConnell and wife cashes in on getting that stuff over here with them big boats), McConnell comes out against tariffs while talking to farmers (about all that's left in this country now, share cropping) and Kentucky moon shiners.
But he has an idea to help the farmers and moonshiners, lets legalize hemp! Heck, with so many places legalizing grass, lets make a buck! That's what you call building a great nation, right?
#7
This is something Americans are still free to do. We can have de facto trade control by not buying Chinese.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 11:04
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#8
I want to see how these people are going to get past the "Jones Act". which prohibits a foreign hulled boat from doing commerce from or to US ports.
#9
Kofi, IIRC correctly, the Jones Act only applies to cargoes shipped between US ports. This became an issue when relief supplies were delayed shipping to Puerto Rico.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
05/01/2018 17:46
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#10
Re #8, the key is "foreign flagged", not "foreign hulled". You can have your ship build anywhere, as long as you flag it as a US ship, Jones act doesn't apply to that ship. Of course, being US flagged means you have to have an American crew, which cost a lot more.
[Breitbart] The Department of Justice is reported to have filed criminal charges against 11 "caravan migrants" who allegedly entered the United States illegally over the weekend. One of the migrants is reportedly charged with illegal re-entry after removal.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California filed criminal complaints against 11 people who are believed to be members of the "migrant caravan," according to a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.
"When respect for the rule of law diminishes, so too does our ability to protect our great nation, its borders, and its citizens," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in the statement. "The United States will not stand by as our immigration laws are ignored and our nation’s safety is jeopardized. U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman and his team should be commended for quickly filing illegal entry charges for individuals apprehended along the southwestern border. We will continue to work with our partners in each U.S. Attorney’s Offices to aggressively pursue prosecutions of criminal illegal entry."
A federal law enforcement official told CNN that charges were filed against two Salvadorans, six Hondurans, and three Guatemalans.
#1
I read elsewhere that misdemeanor charges were filed for illegal entry, except for one person who was previously deported. Why is invading our border only a misdemeanor? Invade my house and, if you survive, felony charges will be levied.
[Politico] Bowing to pressure from African-American activists, Starbucks excluded the Anti-Defamation League from an upcoming daylong anti-bias training session.
The ADL, whose mission is to fight anti-Semitism, will play an advisory role in the company's long-term efforts to combat discrimination, Jaime Riley, a Starbucks spokeswoman, told POLITICO Monday. But the group won't help develop the curriculum for Starbucks' May 29 mandatory anti-bias training, as originally planned.
The anti-bias training was prompted by the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks who asked to use the bathroom without making a purchase as they waited to meet a business associate. A video of the arrest went viral, prompting a public backlash and the trending hashtag #BoycottStarbucks.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson quickly apologized, calling the situation "reprehensible." On April 17, the the company announced it would close more than 8,000 U.S. locations to conduct mandatory training to prevent racial bias, using a curriculum to be developed by leaders from a number of anti-bias groups, including Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL.
#2
Is it just me, or does Starbux lately be looking more and more like good ol' Charlie Brown trying to kick the football held by Lucyactivist group d' jour....
In addition to an overpriced tasteforsheet product, they can't hit the 10 ring.....
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi security command said Monday it apprehended a terrorist cell planning for attacks in the city of Mosul, Islamic State’s former proclaimed capital.
Bri. Gen. Yahia Rasoul, spokesperson of the Security Media Center, said in a statement that “accurate intelligence information helped military intelligence teams to infiltrate, disband and apprehend a terrorist cell in Hammam al-Alil in Mosul”.
He said the cell’s members had been wanted by the judiciary for terrorism charges.
He did not clarify the number of those apprehended.
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Many bodies of Islamic State members were found as security troops confiscated tunnels that were used by the militant group, south of Mosul, the Security Media Center said.
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Yahia Rasool, the spokesperson for the center, said “the military intelligence found many tunnels that were used by IS in a village in Hammam al-Alil region in Mosul. The tunnels were used as shelters to treat the wounded.”
The troops, according to Rasool, “found inside the tunnels several bodies of IS members, who were injured without being treated during the liberation battles.”
[AAWSAT] Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey... has refused to comment on former President Abdullah Gul’s decision not to run for the June 24 snap presidential elections, saying that the field of competition was "open to all."
At the same time, Erdogan vowed that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would achieve a "sweeping historic victory" in the parliamentary elections that will be held on the same day of the presidential polls.
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie ducked another tomato... Gul said he would not run for the upcoming elections, despite weeks of speculation that he would stand against Erdogan.
Erdogan said during a presser at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport before leaving on a visit to Uzbekistan: "I will not comment on the statements of Mr. Abdullah Gul. He stated his position."
"The field of elections is open to all, and we hope political parties will quickly declare their candidates."
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie ducked another tomato... sources in the Ottoman Turkish opposition revealed that Erdogan had sent the head of the military to convince Gul not to stand in upcoming polls.
They said that the chief of general staff, Hulusi Akar, arrived at Gul’s office in Istanbul via a helicopter, in what was interpreted as an intimidation tactic against the former president and an implicit threat against the opposition.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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[All Africa] King Mswati III, the absolute monarch of impoverished Swaziland, wore a watch worth US$1.6 million to his 50th birthday party. This was in addition to a suit beaded with diamonds that weighed 6 kg.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow... teachers are warning that children may starve because the Swazi Government cannot afford to pay to feed them. The charity Oxfam called Swaziland the most unequal country in the world in a report.
Days before his birthday King Mswati took delivery of his second private jet plane. This one, an A340-300 Airbus had a purchase price of US$13.2 million, but with VIP upgrades it reportedly cost about US$30 million.
A picture of the King with his watch and suit was published on Facebook by a group that monitors the spending of the Swazi Royal Family.
The watch is a Jacobs & Co Grand Baguette timepiece. The Jacobs & Co website describes the watch as, 'polished 18K white gold invisibly set with 360 baguette diamonds 13.20ct.; five crowns invisibly set with baguette diamonds 3.50ct.; five sapphire glasses with transparent anti-reflective treatment; circular satin-finished with hand engraving case back. Dial: Local time and four time zone dials for New York, L.A., Tokyo and Gay Paree.'
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#4
Swaziland is roughly (just a bit over) the population of the State of Montana. I wonder if there are any poverty stricken people in Montana that you use some USAID assistance? Say, a few hundred dollars per year per family ?
#6
Jeez, talk about conspicuous... consumption! rimshot
Posted by: Dat Old TB ||
05/01/2018 15:54
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#7
Come on people - KEEP UP !!!
THE King of Swaziland, Mswati III, has a problem. “Whenever we go abroad”, he says, “people refer to us as Switzerland.” So on April 18th, at a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain, the king announced that he was changing Swaziland’s name to eSwatini. (As an absolute monarch he can make such decisions.) With its lower-case “e”, this new name might seem at first glance to be an attempt to rebrand one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies as something a little more modern, but the new name in fact simply means “Land of the Swazis”.
[DAWN] Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 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. police on Monday revealed that the woman taxi driver who was found dead on Saturday was in fact rubbed out by her own husband, who tried to frame it as a burglary attempt.
Nabeela Amber, a mother of three and reportedly the first woman driver of Careem ride-hailing service in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, was rubbed out over the weekend by her husband, whom she had married just five months ago, police said.
With her car and five of her phones missing, the first impression was that she may have been killed during a burglary gone awry. However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... a Facebook photo of a pistol posted by the dear departed's children from her previous marriage piqued the police's interest.
Following a two-day investigation, the police not only linked the victim's current husband with her murder but also obtained a confession out of him and recovered the murder weapon.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Hasan Jahangir, the accused, who also has another wife, has identified a trio of reasons for murdering Amber.
The victim, per the ASP, did not approve of the victim's male friends who frequented their home.
At the time of their marriage, he had given her a house as Haq Mahr (mandatory gift to wife at the time of marriage), which she had subsequently bequeathed to her children from the previous marriage, but the accused now wanted it back.
Moreover, the accused claimed that the victim used to make extravagant demands from him, which when remained unfulfilled, would result in her threatening him of telling his first wife about their marriage.
As a result, he allegedly killed his wife and framed it as if it had occurred during a burglary attempt.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
As a result, he allegedly killed his wife and framed it as if it had occurred during a burglary attempt.
Rantburg Univ. issues failing grade for originality.
[DAWN] FAISALABAD: A case has been registered against more than 30 lawyers under Anti-Terrorism Act, for allegedly manhandling Dijkot cop shoppe in-charge and his staff on the district courts premises.
In his complaint filed with the Civil Lines police, Dijkot Station House Officer Malik Waris stated that on Saturday he produced a suspect, Malik Shahid, brother of a lawyer, Malik Arshad, who was booked in a case under section 406 of the Pakistain Penal Code (PPC) on April 25.
The SHO said that on the district courts premises some lawyers, including Tariq Maan, Mian Liaqat, Zahid, Malik Arshad, Malik Farhan, Fahad, Bilal, Waseem, Malik Iftikhar, Iftikhar Ahmed and their 25 unknown colleagues attacked the police.
He said the lawyers not only hurled life threats at him and his subordinates but also tore their uniform, snatched cash, ID cards, service cards and his wrist watch.
He said the lawyers’ act of violence terrorised the litigants and others present on the courts premises, adding that he and other coppers were rescued by some people.
Lawyers have been manhandling police and litigants on court premises, especially in the cases in which their colleagues or relatives are involved.
In most of such cases, the police officials have to reconcile with the lawyers because of the pressure of their high-ups.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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[Libya Observer] Violent festivities erupted Monday dawn in Libya's capital, Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , between armed brigades of the Presidential Council government.
According to sources from Abu Salim area, where the festivities took place, the fighting was between Central Security Brigade (Ghaniwa Brigade) and the Eighth Force (Al-Nawasi Brigade.) Both are under the umbrella of Interior Ministry in Tripoli.
The sources said that the two gangs fought over an armed vehicle.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella opened her mouth at precisely the wrong moment... eyewitnesses in Tripoli said the violent festivities were heard clearly in different areas around Abu Salim, down town the capital.
No reports about injuries and deaths have been published.
In the meantime, calm has descended on the festivities' area since the early Monday morning, but damage to cars and houses as well as shops were seen in the aftermath.
Tripoli has seen intermittent festivities more than once over the last period.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
It seems like things have been in a turmoil in north Africa and Syria since the Arab Spring. Will things ever settle down?
[KhaamaPress] A jacket wallah target a convoy of the foreign forces in southern Kandahar province at around noon time today leaving at least twenty civilians dead or maimed.
The local officials are saying that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the vehicle convoy of the foreign forces in Daman district.
According to the local officials, at least eleven non-combatants were killed and nine others were maimed in the attack.
No individual or group has so far grabbed credit behind the attack.
[DAWN] A suicide kaboom on a foreign military convoy in southern Afghanistan on Monday killed at least 11 children who were nearby, officials said.
Sixteen other people were maimed, including foreign and Afghan security force members, when a bomb-laden car went kaboom! in the southern province of Kandahar, provincial police front man Qasim Afghan told AFP.
Kandahar governor front man Said Aziz Ahmad Azizi confirmed the casualty toll. He said five Romanian soldiers and two Afghan coppers were among the injured.
[DAWN] A young man was killed and at least 14 others maimed on Monday in Srinagar when Indian forces fired at anti-government protesters who were protesting against the killing of two Kashmiris by security forces earlier in the day.
Indian troops cordoned off southern Drubgam village early on Monday following a tip that suspects were hiding there, police said.
As the troops came closer to a cluster of homes, suspects fired at them, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire which lasted for several hours, police said. Two Kashmiris were killed and at least two soldiers, including an army officer, were maimed in the fighting, police said.
At least 15 residents were reported injured in the festivities, including a young man who was hit by bullets and died in a hospital.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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[AAWSAT] Swedish police placed in durance vile Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! three people on Monday on suspicion of preparing "an act of terror" and took in several more for questioning after raids in northern Sweden and the Stockholm area, the security police said.
It added there were no indications that any attack was planned for the next few days.
"Preparations for the suspected crime have been ongoing for some time," the security police said.
The terrorist threat level remained unchanged at three on a scale of five, which is "an increased threat."
Security police declined to give further comment.
But the domestic intelligence agency SAPO said the suspects had been on the agency's radar for a while.
The agency said several other people have been brought in for questioning.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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[Khaama Press] A BBC news hound was rubbed out by unknown in southeastern Khost province ... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name... of Afghanistan, hours after a deadly suicide kaboom in Kabul left at least nine news hounds dead.
The local government officials confirmed that the BBC news hound Ahmad Shah was rubbed out in the outskirts of Khost city at around 4 pm local time.
The officials further added that the news hound was travelling to a village when he was attacked by button men riding cycle of violences.
In the meantime, a security official said the news hound had sustained injuries in the attack and departed this vale of tears after he was admitted to the hospital.
No individual or group has so far grabbed credit behind the attack.
The Taliban ...Arabic for students... group front man Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement said the group has no links with the attack on BBC news hound in Khost.
Could be a group connected it ISIS or a group connected to Al Qaeda, or even just some local(s) who wanted his stuff or were in a killing mood. Afghanistan is full of possibilities.
#2
It seems that news hounds are being targeted in Afghanistan. Any chance these news hounds were working for some intelligence agency? Or is it that reporters are just not liked? Do they report fake news from Afghanistan?
[All Africa] The government this week published a licensing regime that will allow the legal cultivation of cannabis, state-owned media reported on Saturday.
Growing mbanje, as dagga is commonly known in Zim, will be legal for research and medical use under the new regulations, Statutory Instrument 62 of 2018, "Dangerous Drugs - Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use Regulations".
Zim-bob-we has been considering such partial legalisation for the last eight months.
Five-year licences will clear also clear growers to possess, transport and sell fresh cannabis, cannabis oil, and dried product.
The regulations impose an obligation on the government to consider the risk that dagga could be diverted to illicit use, complaints from police, or objections by local authorities.
Lesotho granted its first licences for marijuana production in September last year, believed to be the first African country to do so.
A South African court ruling in March 2017 provides what is thought to be a viable defence against prosecution for private cultivation and use of dagga.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
California on the Zambezi. Other cultural similarities currently under development.
#4
So smoking tobacco products is okay? It's healthful too? What are the health benefit of pot over that of tobacco?
I don't see anyone complaining about second hand smoke from pot much less the danger to the lungs from all the tar and stuff from pot smoke.
It surprise me that the same people who advocate legal pot smoking are also the ones who are very much against tobacco smoking. That despite the danger to the lungs from the smoke with both products.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil production jumped 260,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 10.26 million bpd in February, the highest on record, the Energy Information Administration said in a monthly report on Monday.
Production in Texas rose by 106,000 bpd to above 4 million bpd, also a record high based on the data going back to 2005. The Permian basin, which stretches across West Texas and eastern New Mexico, is the largest U.S. oilfield [and production there would be more, except the local pipelines are nearing capacity].
Output from North Dakota declined marginally to 1.15 million bpd, while output in the federal Gulf of Mexico rose by 89,000 bpd to 1.72 million bpd.
Posted by: lord garth ||
05/01/2018
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#1
Predicted at the Burg last summer to begin in November 2017. A slow start, but it has arrived.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/01/2018 9:52
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#3
Usage is up. That terrible Trump economy, no doubt...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 11:08
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#4
Also slumping dollar, which is a totally manipulated factor.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 11:09
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#5
Regular at Exxon Mobil in SacrMento now at $3.56. For those of us held in the People’s Republic of California, the Trump tax break is completely gone.by gas price increases in last year.
#7
from an analyst tweet:
For last week, we have now counted 10,800,100 barrels in US maritime crude oil exports; or 1,542,871 barrels per day. We are adding another 350,000 barrels per day in land transfer to Canada. Our total is: 1,892,871 barrels per day
Or the value of the dollar is dropping. 8 years of creative money policies of the Fed and Treasury increasing the amount of dollars without backing coming home to roost.
#10
I can handle Waffle House. In and out for $10 w/mil discount, to include a nice tip. Waffle House is a 'no can do' for the wife. Don't think she's ever set foot in one. Waffle House alternatives, dinner for two around here, you'd better plan on $50. minimum.
#11
Plate lunch with a coke $ .75 at the Highway Cafe.
Meatloaf, green beans, corn, and dinner role. But now we're talking when Ike was in the White House.
Times, they have changed.
#12
I enjoy the Waffle House from time to time. The local ones belonged for a time to a gentleman with a fondness for native wild flowers. About a decade ago he sold out and put his profits into a garden shop, but the new management is doing just fine.
Waffle House takes the tae kwan do approach: do a few key things very well, and don’t fuss with fancy flourishes.
[NYPOST] Two security guards have been accused of stealing as much as $100,000 in cash collections from Holy Name Church in reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown ... home of Al Capone, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel,... , according to reports.
Jarrell Patterson, 22, and Artemio Calderon, 25, were caught on video several times allegedly using a key to enter the church and unlocking a safe containing the dough, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Continued on Page 49
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[IsraelTimes] In broadcast on Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",'s al-Aqsa TV, masked man pledges: 'What was taken by force will be regained by force alone'
Masked men holding wire cutters and calling themselves the Gazoo "Fence Cutters’ Unit" threatened to breach the border separating the Gazoo Strip from Israel and to "liberate" the entire Jewish state, which they called their "occupied lands," from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
In footage broadcast Friday by Gazoo’s al-Aqsa TV, controlled by the enclave’s Hamas terrorist organization rulers, the masked leader of the group said, "Today, we cut the Zionist enemy’s main barbed wire fence on the Gazoo border, east of the Jabaliya refugee camp [in the northern part of Strip]."
That same day, the IDF said it thwarted an attempt by hundreds of Gazoo to breach the fence.
"Allah willing, today we shall enter our occupied lands and ignite a revolution against the Zionist enemy in order to proclaim, loud and clear, that this enemy is destined for perdition and that what was taken by force will be regained by force alone," the masked man said in the clip.
In the report, translated Monday by the Middle East Media Research Institute TV monitoring project, the group chants that "the army of Mohammed will return," after which the leader screams, "May Islam regain its glory! May the al-Aqsa Mosque regain its purity. Let our blood be shed."
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2018 6:43
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#3
We seen this movie: Innocent, peaceful Muslim totally minding his own business tries to destroy fence separating Gazoo from civilized world, gets round of bullet to head, international outrage at murderous Juices ensue. Rinse and repeat.
Musing aloud, I wonder if these on-going festivities will result in innovative, non-lethal crowd control measures like low-yield fuel-air explosives that leave everyone with singed eyebrows and temporary hearing loss, or drones spraying harmless chemicals that make the targets smell like a French whorehouse for weeks.
Lots of one line reports from Debka tonight. To see all go to the main page of Debka. This one line post is followed by more one or two line posts from the main page here.
Unusually heavy Israeli military traffic heads north:
DEBKAfile reports that since Monday midday, columns of IDF tank-hauling trucks were seen heading north along the national Highway 6.
Northern Israeli air space closed to civilian traffic
Israel has just announced that the skies over the Golan, Upper Galilee and areas east of the Jordanian River are closed to civilian flights up until the end of May.
Trump and Netanyahu talk by phone on Syria and Iran
A conversation took place early Monday between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. They discussed the situation in Syria and the problem of Iran. This conversation was out of the ordinary since it took place hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the prime minister in Tel Aviv.
French president in phone call to Netanyahu on Iran nuclear deal
President Emmanuel Macron talked on the phone to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday. He reported on his conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday, during which the two presidents agreed to work together to salvage the 2015 nuclear accord, as the May 14 deadline approaches for a decision by President Donald Trump on whether to recertify or abandon it. Macron asked Netanyahu to tone down his attacks on Iran, so as to give him a change to carry through his plan to amend the accord. They agreed to talk again.
[Ynet] Analysis: Sunday night’s strikes against Assad army bases was likely part of a joint initiative launched from Syrian territory between Syrian rebels and other military forces armed with highly accurate missiles and rockets, making it difficult for Syria and Iran to hold Israel or the US accountable.
Who was behind Sunday night’s attack on several Assad army bases in Syria? As the clouds of smoke dissipate from the areas struck by missiles, it seems quite likely that whoever attacked the bases used by Syrian and Iranian-backed forces may have been trying to send a message.
According to that message, which was directed at both the Syrian regime and the Russians, as long as the Iranians military presence in Syria continues, a political agreement will remain impossible and the seven-year civil war won’t come to an end.
Continued on Page 49
Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – Two prominent Islamic State (IS) leaders were separately arrested Monday in Diyala governorate, east of Iraq, a military commander was quoted as saying.
Commander of Diyala Operations Lieutenant General Mizher al-Azzawi told Alghad Press that a key Islamic State leader was apprehended in a military operation in Buhriz town, south of Diyala, with two M16 firearms in his possession.
“Another IS leader was arrested after counter-terrorism forces raided an arms depot of the extremist group at al-Thalab valley in northeastern the governorate,” Azzawi explained.
The pair were transferred to the authorities concerned to interrogate them, according to Azzawi.
Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – An Iraqi taxi driver was killed on Monday after a bomb exploded near popular markets in Diyala province, a security source was quoted as saying.
“An explosive charge planted near busy street markets on the outskirts of al-Wajihiya district, in northeastern Diyala, went off, leaving a civilian killed,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Alghad Press.
“The slain citizen was at his friend’s shop when the bomb exploded,” the source pointed out.
“Security forces cordoned off the blast site and opened a probe into the incident,” the source said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
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[IsraelTimes] Hundreds of delegates are attending the first full session of the Paleostine Liberation Organization’s parliament in more than two decades.
PA President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... is speaking to the Paleostinian National Council, launching four days of meetings during which an aging PLO leadership group is up for election.
The meeting comes at a time of deep internal divisions between Abbas and his rival, the terrorist group Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",, which controls the Gazoo Strip.
Hamas has raised its leadership profile in recent weeks with mass protests on the Gazoo border with Israel. By comparison, Abbas’s longstanding strategy ‐ statehood through US-led talks with Israel ‐ is seen as a failure.
Abbas suspended contacts with the Trump administration after its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December.
[AAWSAT] US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed on Monday the need for Paleostinians and Israelis to hold political talks, saying the "two-party solution" was likely the best outcome to the conflict.
"With respect to the two-state solution, the parties will ultimately make the decision. We are certainly open to a two-party solution as a likely outcome," he said at a news conference in Jordan after a visit to Israel.
"We urge the Paleostinians to return to political dialogue," he added during a presser with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
"(The Mideast peace) is an incredible priority for the United States to provide whatever assistance we can to allow the two parties to come to a resolution on this incredibly long standing and important conflict," he continued.
Paleostinians have boycotted contacts with the US since President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... announced in December that Washington was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Paleostinians claim east Jerusalem ‐ captured by Israel in 1967 and then annexed ‐ as the capital of a future state.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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[AAWSAT] Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Saturday a permanent ban on sending foreign workers from his country to Kuwait, calling on tens of thousands still working in the Gulf state to immediately return home.
The move has escalated the current crisis between Kuwait and Manila. Last week, Kuwait expelled the Philippine ambassador over the actions of the Philippine embassy, which were deemed a violation of the local laws.
"The ban stays permanently," Duterte said at a news briefing in southern Davao City on Sunday. "There will be no more recruitment for especially domestic helpers. No more."
His announcement effectively dismissed the memorandum on labor rights and improving work conditions that he was set to sign during a visit to Kuwait, adding that he does not intend to travel to the Gulf state.
Duterte said that Filipino workers already in Kuwait may stay in the country if they wish, adding that the government would try to assist those who want to return home in resettling in the Philippines.
He said that efforts will be exerted to find them jobs in the Philippines, China or Japan.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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[DAWN] The hunger strike being carried out by the members of persecuted Hazara ...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets... community in Quetta to bring attention towards the killing of Hazaras in the city entered its third day on Monday.
Lawyer and activist Jalila Haider, who is leading the hunger strike camp set up outside Quetta press club, said on Monday that she will continue the strike until the army chief visits the city and details concrete steps to bring the killers to justice and protect the religious minority.
Haider says Gen Qamar Bajwa should come and console the thousands of widows and orphaned children left by the killing of Hazaras in Pakistain over the past two decades.
In recent months, at least 30 Hazaras have been bumped off in Quetta, however, police have still not tossed in the calaboose Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! any suspect.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
Good way to shed some unwanted pounds, if nothing else comes of it.
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Former al-Qaeda group and Syria Liberation Front swapped 406 prisoners and hostages in Idlib province on Monday, ending two months of tensions and festivities, a rebel official said.
Amr al-Jundi, commander in 'Jabhat Tahrir Souriya' told Zaman al-Wasl that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and his rebel group had exchanged 406 fighters.
Formerly known as Nusra Front has freed 149 rebels from Tahrir Souriya and 37 from Suqour al-Sham while 220 fighters from Tahrir al-Sham were freed in return.
The prisoner exchange deal was brokered prominent holy man Abdullah al-Muhaisini and Abu Mohammed al-Sadeq.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
These rebel groups change their names more often than they change their underwear.
[SANA.SY] Fifteen civilians were maimed on Monday in mortar attacks launched by ISISDeath Eaters from inside al-Hajar al-Aswad.
The shells fell on the vicinity of al-Hajar al-Aswad near Yarmouk Camp while the buses were entering the area to evacuate the Death Eaters positioned there.
A source at Damascus Police command said that a number of mortar shells, fired by ISIS terrorists, landed on al-Batykha Roundabout on the vicinity of al-Hajar al-Aswad near Yarmouk Camp, wounding 15 civilians with varying injuries.
Since the early hours of the morning, buses have gathered near al-Batykha roundabout on the vicinity of the camp, to start the executive procedures of the agreement reached yesterday between the Syrian government and terrorist groups positioned in Yarmouk Camp which stipulates to remove the Death Eaters from the camp and liberating the besieged people in the towns of Kefraya and al-Fouaa, and the abductees from the town of Eshtabraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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U.S. officials and congressional insiders view the disclosure Monday by Israel of Iran's ongoing efforts to develop a nuclear weapon as game over for the landmark nuclear deal, telling the Washington Free Beacon that new evidence of Iran's top secret nuclear workings makes it virtually impossible for President Donald Trump to remain in the agreement.
Senior Trump administration officials confirmed the findings as authentic and praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's for disclosing thousands of secret documents proving Iran lied about its past work on a nuclear warhead, telling the Free Beacon the revelation was a "powerful presentation" by Israel outlining why the Iran deal must be fixed or killed.
U.S. officials who reviewed the secret documents confirmed their authenticity and said that Israel has shared the information fully with the United States, most likely to help build the case for Trump to abandon the nuclear deal, rather than try to fix what the White House views as a series of insurmountable flaws.
A State Department official confirmed to the Free Beacon Monday evening that it is "aware of the information just released" by Israel and is "examining it carefully."
"The United States has reviewed many of the documents Israel has obtained relating to Iran’s nuclear weapons program," an official confirmed to the Free Beacon. "We assess that the documents that we have reviewed are authentic."
The State Department further confirmed that "new details in this information are consistent with a large body of evidence and intelligence the U.S. government has amassed over many years on Iran’s past clandestine nuclear weapons program," according to the official.
While the administration's analysis of the document cache is "ongoing," officials said they "agree with the Israelis that…. this information provides new and compelling details about Iran's past efforts to develop nuclear weapons deliverable by a Shahab-3 ballistic missile."
Posted by: 3dc ||
05/01/2018
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#1
Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, says "The Iran nuclear deal is no longer sustainable for Iran in its present form, without regard to a US exit." (@dpa quoting ISNA news agency
[KhaamaPress] The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Khurasan has grabbed credit behind the deadly suicide kabooms in Kabul city as the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... group remain silent regarding the deadly attack.
The ISIS-Khurasan issued a statement in Arabic claiming that the attack was carried out on a compound of the Afghan intelligence in the city.
The group went on to claim that the attack has left at least 50 operatives of the Afghan intelligence dead or maimed.
However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... the Afghan security officials are saying that 25 people were killed and 45 others were maimed including several civilians and news hounds.
[KhaamaPress] The Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... group in Afghanistan has rejected the involvement of the group in the coordinated suicide kabooms in Kabul that left scores of people dead or maimed.
Taliban group front man Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement has said that the group has no links with the bombing and the incident that took place in Kabul today.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/01/2018
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The situation as of two hours ago. It remains to be seen what exactly massive means in this context.
[IsraelTimes] Residents of southern Israel are notified by their local councils that the Egyptian military is planning to carry out "extraordinarily massive attacks" near the Egyptian-Israeli-Gazook border across from the southern edge of the Gazoo Strip.
The planned Egyptian assault appears to be intended to target the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... affiliate in the Sinai, which has been waging a bloody war with Cairo for years.
Egyptian tanks are also being spotted near the Gazoo border.
"A bombardment is expected [to be heard] in our area," the Eshkol regional council says in a message to residents.
The Israeli army confirms that it’s aware of increased Egyptian military presence in the area, but says it is an "entirely internal" matter that does not involve Israel.
[KhaamaPress] The local officials in eastern Nangarhar province are saying that the Mafia circles have stepped up operations under the shadow of Taliban and ISIS terrorist group.
Provincial governor’s spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said at least three people including two soldiers were assassinated in Jalalabad city a while ago with the Taliban and ISIS groups claiming responsibility behind the attacks.
He said the Taliban and ISIS claims were later proved as false after the arrest of the main perpetrators involved in the killings.
The detain individuals have confessed that they carried out the assassinations for receiving 50,000 for each killing and were paid by individuals covered with masks.
The detainees have also confessed that the individuals had no links with the Taliban and ISIS group.
In the meantime, Khogyai says the Mafia circles are attempting to deliberately carry out assassinations in a bid to contribute in the deterioration of the security and to show the failure of the government for their own interests.
[KhaamaPress] The local officials in eastern Nangarhar province are saying that operatives of the Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), have launched new operations to suppress the terrorists in this province.
This comes as the provincial government said Sunday that the NDS Special Forces have arrested two key members of the Taliban group during the operations in Nangarhar province.
The provincial government media office in a statement said the two suspects were arrested from the first police district of Jalalabad city and Nazian district.
The statement further added that the Taliban group member detained from the first police district of Jalalabad has been identified as Nusrat and was involved in terrorist activities in Chaparhar district.
The other suspect arrested from Nazian district has been identified as Zamarak and is originally a resident of Maidan Wardak province and was recruited by the Taliban group leader Qari Niaz Mohammad.
According to the provincial government, Zamarak was on his way to Pakistan to attend some training courses when he was identified as arrested by the NDS operatives.
The provincial government also added that the two suspects are being questioned in the custody of the NDS operatives.
The anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.
[KhaamaPress] A senior police official was killed in twin blasts in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, the local government authorities said.
The incident took place at around 7 am local time in the vicinity of Behsud district of the province.
The provincial government media office in a statement said the district criminal investigation director Gen. Nasir Ahmad was killed in the explosions.
The statement further added that four civilians including two children also sustained injuries in the explosions.
According to the provincial government, the civilians wounded in the explosions have been shifted to the hospital and their health condition has been reported as satisfactory.
Provincial governor Mohammad Mangal expressed condolences regarding the killing of Gen. Nasir Ahmad and condemned the attack by the terrorist groups, according to the governor’s office.
No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.
The security situation in eastern Nangarhar province continue to deteriorate during the recent months as the anti-government armed militant and terrorist groups including ISIS loyalists are attempting to expand foothold and insurgency in this province.
[AlAhram] Members of Britannia's unelected House of Lords voted Monday to allow parliament to block the government from leaving the EU without a deal, although the motion must be approved by MPs before taking effect.
Lords voted 335 to 244 for an amendment to give politicians the final say on the outcome of Brexit negotiations with Brussels -- including staying in the bloc if they do not like the final agreement.
Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government had previously indicated it would fight the motion when it returns to the House of Commons for debate in the coming weeks.
"What this amendment would do is weaken the UK's hand in our Brexit negotiations by giving parliament unprecedented powers to instruct the government to do anything with regard to the negotiations, including trying to keep the UK in the EU indefinitely," her front man said.
The government has promised MPs and peers they will be able to vote on the Brexit deal, which it hopes to strike in October, ahead of Britannia's planned departure from the EU in March 2019.
But if parliament rejects it, the only current alternative is to crash out with no deal, a prospect many warn could cause legal chaos and significant damage to Britannia's economy.
Conservative peer Viscount Hailsham, one of a number of cross-bench supporters of the amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) bill, insisted politicians must decide what happened.
"If the decision is to reject those terms (of the Brexit deal), parliament should have the right to suggest further negotiations," he told a packed chamber.
"Or to determine that we leave the EU without terms, that is to crash out, or to determine that we stay in the EU on the existing terms."
He added: "In the event that no terms have been agreed (by the government), the same choices should be available to parliament."
But ministers argue the move is an attempt to "thwart Brexit", saying the British people made their choice to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.
Former Conservative leader Lord Michael Howard told peers the amendment could lead to "not one but several constitutional crises".
"I'm afraid it illustrates the lengths, the appalling lengths, to which the diehard Remainers are prepared to go to achieve their aim," he said.
Britannia triggered the two-year Article 50 process of leaving the EU in March last year, meaning that it will automatically withdraw from the bloc on March 29, 2019, unless all 28 members agreed to extend or revoke the process.
#1
Lords voted 335 to 244 for an amendment to give politicians the final say on the outcome of Brexit negotiations with Brussels -- including staying in the bloc if they do not like the final agreement.
#3
335 to 244 - I didn't know they had that many lords. Isn't it about time this antiquated body of stuffed shirts be abolished?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/01/2018 9:31
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I didn't know they had that many lords.
According to a PBS special I saw recently, most of them are lifetime awards for being politicians or some other wonderful thing, not hereditary aristocrats exercising another duty. And many of the hereditary lords don’t bother to attend.
#5
And this is a shining example of why America is in existence... As allied to them as we are in the world stage, the people serve the leaders there, not the other way around...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/01/2018 13:12
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#6
All was predicted in Trainspotting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hvfVO9qadY
Posted by: regular joe ||
05/01/2018 16:40
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[Jpost] Tehran has an array of options at its disposal should it ultimately decide to attack Israel, ranging from missile strikes to hurting its allies.
Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad met with Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament’s Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security, on Monday.
They seemed cheerful as rumors mounted that Iran would retaliate for air strikes in Syria that have allegedly killed Iranian personnel.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Iran wants to retaliate against Israel? They always want to do that.
Netanyahu has spilled the beans on the movement of Iran's nuke weapons records to Syria that came about as the result of Obama's B.S. agreement.
The question is how are the U.S. and allies going to retaliate against Iran? Are they going to use this as leverage to bring about a real de-nuke program in Iran? Are they going to use the threat of sanctions as well? Trump says he will decide what to do on May 12 if the Europeans don't come up with anything that's useful.
[WASHINGTONPOST] That Wolf’s performance was not “normal” for the correspondents’ dinner is a testament to its timeliness and necessity — nothing is “normal” right now, and pretending otherwise out of a false sense of the fourth estate’s friendship with the executive would have been the real disgrace. Wolf called the Trump administration out for tearing down democracy. Then, the people who are supposed to care most about holding autocrats to account called her out in turn for, essentially, not being chummy enough. The performance was a tasteless display of sex jokes, bad words, Trump Derangement Syndrome and spiteful ad hominems. I've been watching, and except for unwinding a lot of dictatorial executive orders and the continuing pie fight with the press, I haven't seen any democracy torn down, though we did see the spectacle of an unhinged Democrat trying to assassinate a Congressional baseball practice.
That persistent chumminess is why Wolf’s performance, in the end, wasn’t really for the press. It was about us. "Us" is writing an op-ed in the Washington Post.
“You guys love breaking news, and you did it,” Wolf said to CNN. “You broke it.” To everyone else, she said: “You helped create this monster, and now you’re profiting off of him.” Instead of listening — to that or to Wolf’s final line, “Flint still doesn’t have clean water” — we got grumpy on Twitter. From Wikipedia: After a pair of scientific studies proved lead contamination was present in the water supply, a federal state of emergency was declared in January 2016 and Flint residents were instructed to use only bottled or filtered water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. As of early 2017, the water quality had returned to acceptable levels; however, residents were instructed to continue to use bottled or filtered water until all the lead pipes have been replaced, which is expected to be completed no sooner than 2020. Therefore, the water as returned to acceptable levels, but somehow it's running through lead pipes, which have to be replaced. The state of emergency dates to the last year of the Obama regime, and the pipes are to be replaced in two years, instead of overnight. It's all Trump's fault, though I'm not quite sure how.
Which means Wolf did a better job of defending the First Amendment than those who say that’s our business.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
Trump must have sensed that Wolf or someone else was going to use this as an opportunity to vent with Trump Derangement Syndrome. Or maybe he just thought the whole thing was just a terrible waste of time. Could be both.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 10:59
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#4
“You guys love breaking news, and you did it,” Wolf said to CNN. “You broke it.” That seems true enough. If the networks hadn't aided and abetted the political criminals of the last two decades we would not have Trump now, we wouldn't need Trump now.
[IsraelTimes] Senior Israeli official tells The New York Times the spy agency discovered the warehouse in 2016 and had it under surveillance; Trump briefed on raid by Mossad chief Yossi Cohen
Spies from Israel’s Mossad agency discovered the top-secret location of a warehouse used to store Iran’s nuclear weapons files, broke into the building, took half a ton of documents and managed to smuggle them back to Israel that same night, The New York Times
...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed the daring operation
... as daring as the rescue of the Israelis held hostage at the Munich Olympics, as daring as the kidnapping of Eichmann, as daring as the rescue of the hijacked hostages his brother died for in Entebbe...
as he displayed the trove of documents in a presentation aimed at proving that Iran has lied about its atomic weapon’s program.
However, some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves... he gave few details on how or when the agents managed what he called one of the "greatest achievements" of Israeli intelligence.
A senior Israeli official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a secret mission, told the New York Times that the Mossad discovered the warehouse in February 2016, and had the building under surveillance since then.
If only they’d dressed up as squirrels, then the Iranians would surely have noticed the watchers sometime in that two-plus years...
The operatives broke into the building one night last January, removed the original documents and smuggled them back to Israel the same night, the official said, according to the paper.
So is the warehouse now empty, or have the Iranians been working from forgeries the entire time?
US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... was informed of the operation by the Mossad chief, Yossi Cohen, on a visit to Washington in January, the official said.
And not a peep was revealed? So much for the journalistic claims that the White House leaks like a sieve.
The official said the delay in making the material public was due to the time it took to analyze the documents, the vast majority of which were in Persian.
Lots of Persian-Israelis around to help with the work, and none of them let out a peep, either.
Netanyahu described the archive as looking like a "dilapidated warehouse" in the Shorabad District in southern Tehran.
*Snicker*
"This is where they kept the atomic archives. Right here. Few Iranians knew where it was, very few, and also a few Israelis," Netanyahu said.
Do tell.
"Now, from the outside, this was an innocent looking compound. It looks like a dilapidated warehouse. But from the inside, it contained Iran’s secret atomic archives locked in massive files," he said.
He showed a picture, showing long rows of safes and said that the agents managed to bring back "half a ton of the material" consisting of fifty-five thousand pages and another 55,000 files on 183 CDs.
Half a ton spirited out in one night?? How many were involved in this little caper?
The cache, he said, contained "incriminating documents, incriminating charts, incriminating presentations, incriminating blueprints, incriminating photos, incriminating videos and more.
"We’ve shared this material with the United States, and the United States can vouch for its authenticity," he said of the information.
Not really that much. Figure 1000 lbs breaks down to 20 50lb boxes. Don't know how they were packaged but it probably took some time to decide what had to go.
#6
Ballsy indeed, considering getting caught would no doubt lead to torture, show trial, and death
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2018 9:29
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#7
I know it sounds slightly out of the box (or possibly more so), but what if the "Archive's" were actually transferred documents, bought and paid for as part of the Obama-Iran deal ?
#14
The way we talk about paper in the United States is amazingly convoluted. The short answer is that 500 sheets of bond paper with a size of 17" by 22" have a weight of 20 pounds. The manufacturer would cut a sheet that big into four letter-size sheets, so a 500-sheet ream of 20-pound bond paper weighs 5 pounds.
#16
"Two Mullah's and A Truck" could have that moved and in the truck before first morning smoke break... "Two Mossad's and an Invisible Hoovercraft" probably even faster.
US military NOTAM warns pilots of repeated high-power laser activity in Djibouti. The coordinates are 750m from the new Chinese base. pic.twitter.com/Yz2qys3CKt
The Iranians have been promising a response to the (alleged) Israeli airstrike on the T4 base. 2 cargo planes reportedly flew from Tehran to Hama yesterday. Netanyahu & Trump talked today. & then an airstrike (or consequent explosion) caused a small earthquake in near Hama pic.twitter.com/Jo5frZWixF
[FOX] A World War II veteran who visited the Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday to make a surprise trip to his wife's grave got an extra lift from an employee, literally.
George Boone, 96, came to the cemetery on an Honor Flight from North Carolina, where groups typically make the trip to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Boone requested to visit the gravesite of his late wife, Alma, who passed away in 2007.
In the rush to get over to his wife's final resting spot, Boone's wheelchair was accidentally left behind.
"I just sort of gave up on the whole thing and thought I would have to visit her from that distance," he told FOX5 over Skype on Sunday. The 'Quiet Professional' Arlington Cemetery employee wished to remain anonymous. His selfless act will no doubt one day be recognized by a much high authority.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/01/2018 10:55
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#2
Had a similar experience involving my Dad, taking him to the last sporting event he would ever attend in person.
Dad was a huge ND fan his whole life, I was able to get football tickets months earlier to a game that turned into a #1 vs #2 match up. Parkinson's was setting in harder now, but he traveled in to see me. I arranged special parking etc and we were all set- until he got to the top of the stairs that led to our seats.
He starts panicking "I can't make it down those steps, take me back to the car, I will listen on the radio...". Couple of yellow jacketed security guys saw what was going on and brushed me aside and said "You have come to far to not go to this game" ,picked him up off his feet and brought him down to our seats. Dad was totally embarrassed and the guy laughingly said "Hey, we usually are carrying trouble makers out in the other direction so we are happy to help...If you need to get up during to game just give us a wave."
Game came down to the final play, too, in his teams favor. BTW- WWII vet as well.
#4
Gorb,
Yes I think they were very pleased to help. A good number of fans around us saw it happen, too and hands would come in from every direction after big plays to Hi 5 with my old man! He never forgot it and neither will I...We talked about it every visit I had with him from then until he passed away...We even had him "bagpiped in" for his farewell service (at a National Cemetery, no less) to a somber version of the "ND Fight Song".
That is the reason why my "allergies started acting up" when I read the above article and I went for a Kleenex.
[Ynet] Two Jordanians face charges of plotting a terrorist act during the annual Moslem haj pilgrimage four years ago and supporting Islamic State turbans‐allegedly on behalf of the Israeli spy agency.
Hired by Mossad to support ISIS seems more than a tad unlikely, but whatever.
A Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... n court began the trial of two Jordanians accused of spying against the kingdom for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Saudi-owned al-Arabiya said on Monday.
The charges under consideration by the Specialized Criminal Court include plotting a terrorist act during the annual Moslem haj pilgrimage four years ago and supporting Islamic State turbans, al-Arabiya wrote on its website.
It did not provide further details about the case.
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and site of its holiest shrines, does not officially recognize Israel. It has maintained for years that normalizing relations hinges on an Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Six-Day Way, territory Paleostinians seek for a future state.
However, the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... increased tensions between Riyadh and Tehran has fueled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.
In a sign of an apparent thaw between the two countries, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ...Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as of 2016.... said in April that Israelis were entitled to live peacefully on their own land.
Last month, Saudi Arabia opened its air space for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel, a move hailed by an Israeli official as historic following two years of efforts.
[BBC] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed what he says are "secret nuclear files" proving Iran once covertly pursued nuclear weapons.
He said thousands of pages of material obtained by Israel showed Iran had deceived the world by denying it had ever sought nuclear weapons.
Iran agreed in 2015 to curb its nuclear energy programme in return for the lifting of sanctions.
It maintained that it had only been pursuing nuclear energy.
But Mr Netanyahu accused Iran of conducting a secret weapons programme until 2003 codenamed "Project Amad". He claimed Iran continued to pursue nuclear weapons knowledge after Project Amad was shuttered.
Iran pushed back against the claims. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted to say the evidence was a "rehash of old allegations" which had already been dealt with by the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Iran's foreign minister accused Mr Netanyahu of a "childish" stunt to influence President Donald Trump's decision on whether to remain in a nuclear deal with Iran.
The US along with five other international powers struck a deal with Iran in 2015 to curb the country's nuclear programme.
Mr Trump, who has long threatened to scrap the Obama-era deal, said he had viewed part of Mr Netanyahu's presentation and said the situation was "not acceptable".
He said he would make a decision on whether to retain the deal on or before 12 May.
European powers have said they are committed to upholding the accord.
Mr Netanyahu said he had spoken to the leaders of France and Germany about Israel's intelligence and planned to send representatives to the two countries to discuss it.
A German government spokesman said the country would carry out a detailed analysis of Israel's intelligence, Reuters reported.
John Hughes, a former deputy director for sanctions at the US State Department who worked on the Iran deal, said he had not seen anything in the Israeli presentation that would change the deal.
"I think, frankly, this was a political statement meant to try to influence President Trump's decision on whether to pull out of the deal," Mr Hughes said. "I think it's mostly recycled material."
[Ynet] A New Jersey man is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court for aiding in a terror plot.
Nader Saadeh
...a Jordanian-American who was noticed expressing hatred of America and collecting like-minded friends in the New York City area in 2012, he was one of at least four hyphenated Americans arrested for supporting ISIS three years later (brother Alaa Saadeh, Samuel Topaz, and Munther Saleh). The Saadeh parents were deported a decade earlier for credit card fraud — the horse-apple doesn’t fall far from the horse, as those colourful Germans say...
(nah-DAYR' sah-DAY') pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization. He's facing a maximum of 15 years in prison when he appears in a Newark court on Monday. Saadeh's brother, Alaa, received a 15-year sentence in 2016.
Prosecutors said Nader Saadeh helped his brother get a plane ticket to travel overseas to join the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group.
At Nader Saadeh's plea hearing in 2015, he acknowledged a co-defendant showed him diagrams for making bombs and discussed plans to use them in Times Square, at the World Trade Center and Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Queens.
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[DAWN] A suspected krazed killer leader of the banned 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 ... was killed during a search operation jointly launched by the police and Frontier Corps ...a provincial paramilitary force. Total manpower is about 80,000. They are tasked to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, and to carry out border patrol and a..the Antwerp-based Salafist organization that had campaigned to introduce Sharia law to Belgium before single-handedly making Belgium the highest per capita supplier of jihadis to Syria in Europe. There was a big trial in Antwerp in 2015, but most of those convicted were in absentia...nti-smuggling operations.... in the mountainous areas of Splingy and Qabu of Mastung district.
Addressing a presser along with FC Sector Commander Brigadier Tasawar on Monday, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Quetta, Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the FC and police had conducted the search operation on information about the hideouts of the banned group three days ago.
He said when the security forces cordoned off the area and started searching, gunnies hiding in the mountains opened fire on the FC vehicle. As a result, an FC man was injured and taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Quetta.
A heavy exchange of fire between the security forces and suspected bandidossnuffies continued for several hours. "One hardcore krazed killer leader of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was killed in the shootout," Mr Cheema claimed and identified the krazed killer as Maqsood Ahmed, a resident of the Manghopir area of 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... He said a large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized from the krazed killers’ hideout. He said Maqsood was involved in various terrorist attacks in Karachi and other areas.
"Suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi krazed killer leader and others were trying to establish their hideout in the rugged Koh-e-Mehran area," Mr Cheema said. The operation is continuing and "we will share more information after completing it", he added.
In reply to a question, the DIG said the killing of three men in the Jan Mohammad Road area on Sunday night was a sectarian incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
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I am assured that the following is probably grammatically correct: Venimus, vidimus, vicimus!
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) ‐ The U.S.-led international coalition announced on Monday the end of its combat operations against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Iraq and deactivation of its land forces command headquarters.
In a statement on its official website, the international coalition said, "Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command (CJFLCC) Headquarters was deactivated today at a ceremony in Baghdad," signifying the end of major combat operations against IS in Iraq and acknowledging the changing composition and responsibilities of the coalition.
CJFLCC was responsible for the coalition land force operations in support of the Iraqi security force during the campaign to defeat IS in Iraq and liberate more than 4.5 million Iraqis from the group’s brutal control.
Spokesman for Iraqi security forces Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool Abdullah said the CJFLCC has been an integral part of the Iraqi troops’ success in the fight against IS.
"The commitment and professionalism of all the men and women from all the Coalition nations has been of the highest order, and Iraq is immensely grateful for their sacrifice and dedication in this task," Yahya said.
For his part, Brett Mc Gurk, the U.S. envoy to the coalition, tweeted: "From Falluja to Tikrit, Baiji, Ramadi, Sinjar, djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... and points in between, our coalition has been proud to stand beside Iraqi forces and (Kurdish) Peshmerga as they liberated their country and 4.5 million fellow citizens from ISIS (Islamic State)."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/01/2018
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#1
If I remember my 4 years of Latin correctly, your Latin is impeccable.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/01/2018 12:21
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[AlAhram] Sajid Javid was appointed as Britannia's interior minister on Monday after Amber Rudd resigned over her handling of immigration policy.
Here are some facts about the new, 48-year-old Home Secretary:
* Javid campaigned to remain in the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... during the 2016 referendum, even though a few months before the vote he said his "heart" was for Brexit. After the result, he said: "We're all Brexiteers now."
* He was the first member of Britannia's South Asian minority to be given a full-time post in the cabinet when he was appointed culture minister in 2014. His father moved to Britannia from Pakistain and worked as a bus driver in Bristol.
* Before starting his career in politics, Javid worked for Chase Manhattan Bank and for Deutsche Bank, helping to build its business in emerging markets.
* Javid cites the late Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher as his political inspiration, and has often hung a portrait of her in his ministerial office.
* In 2016, Javid supported the former work and pensions minister Stephen Crabb as a candidate to replace then-prime minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... as leader of the Conservative Party in return for a promise to be appointed finance minister.
Crabb's bid ultimately foundered when he failed to secure enough votes.
At a Conservative Friends of Israel lunch in 2012, The Jewish Chronicle reported Javid as stating that "if he had to leave Britain to live in the Middle East, then he would choose Israel as home. Only there, he said, would his children feel the 'warm embrace of freedom and liberty'".
He has previously said that his family's heritage is Muslim, but he does not practise any religion, although he believes that "we should recognise that Christianity is the religion of our country"
Javid married Laura King in 1997; they have one son and three daughters.
President Obama didn’t care, President Trump does.
[AAWSAT] Pak authorities are expected to release Shakil Afridi, a Pak doctor who helped the CIA hunt down al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now sometimes referred to as Mister Bones... in 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.... , after being transferred to the city of Rawalpindi from Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 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. , where he has been tossed in the clink Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! for seven years now.
The authorities tossed in the clink Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! Afridi and later sentenced him to life imprisonment after the execution of Abbottabad operation, which ended in the death of bin Laden in May 2011.
His attorney said on Saturday that his jail transfer could be a prelude to his release.
Afridi was accused of treason after word spread he had helped the CIA collect genetic samples of the bin Laden family, paving the way for a US Navy SEAL raid in the town of Abbottabad that killed him.
The continued imprisonment of Afridi has long been a source of tension between Pakistain and the United States, which cut military aid over accusations Islamabad continues to shelter Talibs fighting US and Afghan soldiers across the border in Afghanistan.
A jail official in the northwestern city of Peshawar said Afridi was transferred to Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, but said the reasons were unclear and could simply be security-related.
Afridi’s lawyer, Qamar Nadeem, confirmed the transfer of his client but said he was not sure where he was now.
Judicial officials could not be reached on Saturday nor could embassy officials for the United States, which has for years called on Pakistain to release Afridi, according to Rooters.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
I would like Him and his Family to be here, but keep it simple.
According to Fox News, an official 357-page report by the Pakistani government that examined the security failures that allowed the U.S. to evade that country’s defenses in the raid on May 2, 2011 concluded that Dr. Afridi was implicated by a “statement by the U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who was the CIA Director when May 2 happened, confirming the role of Dr. Afridi in making the U.S. assassination mission a success.”
#3
Pakistan had to have a betrayer. It could not appear that Pakistan had colluded with the Great Satan. Shakil Afridi was the sacrificial goat necessary to convince the masses of the innocence of Paki intelligence and government.
Multiple rotary wing aircraft lumbering across AFG, across the Durand to Pakistan. Loitering for nearly an hour in Abbattabad, then back again without being challenged by the Paki air defences. Absolutely amazing, no ?
#4
Afridi's is presumably a smart guy. But he's lacking in common sense. In what universe did it make sense for him to stay in Pakistan after something like this?
[AAWSAT] In a surprise attack on Sunday, fierce battles broke out in Deir Ezzor countryside, east Syria, between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and regime forces, which led to the latter's control of four villages, before SDF succeeded in regaining it backed by Coalition air force.
SDF considered the attack as an "obstruction of the battle it is preparing to liberate the remaining areas under ISIS control."
Meanwhile, ...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address... Head of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence La Belle France-Presse: "The regime's aim is to protect Deir Ezzor city by pushing back SDF fighters from the eastern bank."
Incidents between both sides have occurred in the past, but Abdel Rahman said it was the first time the regime had launched an operation to seize territory from the SDF.
State news agency SANA said the army seized control over four villages in the eastern province, where SDF alliance has been.
After hours of fighting in the region, SDF announced it liberated the villages, while the Observatory said it had recovered three out of the four.
Ahmed Ramdan, an activist of EuphratesPost.com, told Asharq al-Awsat that Kurdish forces had retrieved most of the villages supported by the Coalition and military reinforcements.
In a statement, SDF asserted the villages had been restored "after the regime and its militias - backed by Russia - launched an attack on our sites in Deir Ezzor countryside" aiming to disrupt operation Island Storm and fight on terrorism. The Forces pointed out to the ongoing attempts of the regime to advance towards the villages.
Military expert Mamoun Abu Nawar, set this attack within the context of the Russian messages to the US, which will continue between the two parties until a solution is found on the Syrian crisis.
He explained to Asharq al-Awsat that "Moscow's message to Washington is that its presence in this region must come to an end, at a time US preferred not to escalate by not resorting to direct military response, as happened earlier, because the most important goal is to reduce the capabilities and control of the regime."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2018
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#1
different story in one of the media twitter chats:
IRGC-commanded militias (Ma’ayouf’s crew and Liwa al-Baqir) again crossed the Euphrates in Deir Ezzor. Then get pushed back by SDF, and reportedly slaughtered by US strikes, again, while others taken prisoner.
#2
"The regime's aim is to protect Deir Ezzor city by pushing back SDF fighters from the eastern bank."
If the US policy is to eliminate the Assad regime east of the Euphrates River (and unite a single Kurdistan), the fact that Deir Ezzor city is divided by the river itself will remain a sticking point for the foreseeable future.
[IsraelTimes] A European diplomat says that while Netanyahu’s revelations that Iran lied about its nuclear ambitions before signing a 2015 deal with world powers hurt Tehran’s standing, it is the reason why the EU wants to preserve the 2015 accord.
"All of this obviously raises some questions regarding Iran’s credibility," a European diplomat tells The Times of Israel after Netanyahu’s presser. "But we made the nuclear deal precisely because we don’t trust the Iranians, not because we considered them very trustworthy."
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Three people were maimed in a kaboom, north of Baghdad, a security source was quoted saying on Monday.
Speaking to Alghad Press, the source said, "a bomb, was placed near the industrial district in Taji region, today, leaving three people maimed."
"Security troops cordoned off the blast scene and prevented the civilians to approach the area fearing further blasts," the source said, adding that the ambulances transferred the maimed to nearby hospital for treatment.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Several Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... members were killed in a missile shelling on the borders between Iraq and Syria, the pro-government paramilitary troops said on Monday.
In a statement, al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) said, "the 28th brigade, backed by the artillery, managed to shell a group of IS members in al-Sayba region, on the borders between Iraq and Syria, as they attempted attacking the troops."
The troops, according to the statement, "managed to kill several faceless myrmidons and destroy their vehicles."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
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[AlAhram] Nigeria's fight against the 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... jihadist group was expected to top the menu for talks Monday when President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... meets Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari, president of Africa's most populous and wealthiest country.
Buhari will be the first leader from sub-Saharan Africa to visit Trump, and they plan a joint presser in the White House gardens after their meeting around midday.
In his talks with Trump, Buhari will be seeking support in his battle against Boko Haram, as well as investment in Nigeria's rickety infrastructure.
Trump, meanwhile, has to overcome the hard feelings left by his insulting reference to "shithole countries" in questioning why the US should accept immigrants colonists from Africa.
The US president also raised eyebrows in March by firing Rex Tillerson as secretary of state while he was visiting Nigeria, in part to prepare the ground for Buhari's visit.
But Trump's receiving Buhari at the White House just after visits by La Belle France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel ...chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as Mom. Now they make faces at her for inundating the country with Moslems .. is a positive signal, analysts say.
"The fact that the president of Africa's most populous country is visiting Washington at all may be more important to strengthening the US-Africa relationship than any discussion of policy during the trip," said John Campbell, a former US ambassador in Abuja who is now at the Council of Foreign Relations.
The White House says both security and business will be up for discussion during the visit.
Nigeria is entering its ninth year fighting Boko Haram Death Eaters, who have devastated the northeast of the country and killed over 20,000 people in a bloody quest to establish an Islamist state.
Trump's administration has agreed to the sale of a dozen A-29 Super Tucano turboprop light attack aircraft for use in the fight against the jihadist group, a deal worth a reported $496 million.
In January 2017, then-president Barack Obama Ready to Rule from Day One... froze the deal after Nigeria's air force bombed a refugee camp, killing more than 100 people, on a mission against Boko Haram.
Washington is now ready to allow the sale to go forward. But it has come under scrutiny inside Nigeria, where politicians are accusing the president of illegally withdrawing funds to purchase the planes.
Nigeria is also seeking support for its farm and transport sectors. Buhari is scheduled to meet with potential investors in Nigerian farming and food processing.
Amid intensifying competition with China and Europeans for the business of oil-rich Nigeria, officials accompanying Buhari also will be meeting with aviation giant Boeing, according to his office.
On Friday, General Electric announced that an international consortium it leads has signed a deal for a $2 billion project to refurbish Nigeria's narrow-gauge railway.
Both sides have something to gain from the meeting of the two presidents, Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, told AFP.
"On President Trump's side, it's definitely putting that controversy behind him," Pham said, referring to the "shithole countries" remark.
For Buhari, who will seek re-election in 2019, "It's having the prominence of being the first African leader received at the White House in this administration," Pham said.
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.
[McClatchey Report] The CIA can selectively divulge classified information to selected reporters in emails yet withhold that information from other journalists or members of the public when they seek the same information under the Freedom of Information Act, a federal judge in New York has ruled.
[The Hill] California state Senator Ricardo Lara (D) introduced legislation on Monday aimed at allowing undocumented immigrants to serve on all state and local boards and commissions. 
[Breitbart] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) in-laws have ordered 10 massive cargo ships from the Chinese government since the senator’s wife Elaine Chao became Secretary of Transportation. The deep financial ties between the Chao family’s shipping business Foremost Group and the Chinese regime were first revealed in the #1 New York Times bestseller Secret Empires.
[Breitbart] The Department of Justice is reported to have filed criminal charges against 11 "caravan migrants" who allegedly entered the United States illegally over the weekend. One of the migrants is reportedly charged with illegal re-entry after removal.
[Politico] Bowing to pressure from African-American activists, Starbucks excluded the Anti-Defamation League from an upcoming daylong anti-bias training session.
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
[DAWN] .jpg)
[DAWN] A young man was killed and at least 14 others 
[Khaama Press] A BBC 
[All Africa] The government this week published a licensing regime that will allow the legal cultivation of cannabis, state-owned media reported on Saturday.
[IsraelTimes] In broadcast on 
[Debka]
[FOX] A World War II veteran who visited the Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday to make a surprise trip to his wife's grave got an extra lift from an employee, literally.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as of 2016....
... 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 ...
David Cameron
... 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...
...chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as 
