A Hamas leader claims the terrorist group has had "direct meetings" with U.S. officials close to the White House despite a longstanding American policy to have no contact with Hamas.
The claim from Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad was reported in a Palestinian news outlet. Top American representatives were in meetings Hamas had with European ambassadors and officials about two weeks ago, he said.
The officials discussed removing Hamas from the list of designated terrorist organizations, but that "these contacts have not yet reached the level of decision-makers," Hamad said in a Sky News Arabia report translated by the Investigative Project on Terrorism. The alleged meeting has not yet been reported in Western media.
Syria can only be considered as an occupied land, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Tuesday during a press meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Faisal described the intervention of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria as dangerous, saying the opposition forces must be offered military help to defend themselves.
The most dangerous development is the foreign participation, represented by Hezbollah and other militias supported by the forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, said Faisal, as quoted by Reuters.
Faisal criticized Syrias allies, saying there was no logic behind Russia providing arms to the Syrian regime.
The kingdom calls for issuing an unequivocal international resolution to halt the provision of arms to the Syrian regime and states the illegitimacy of the regime, Faisal said, as quoted by Reuters.
Kerry headed Tuesday to Saudi Arabia in hopes of coordinating support for Syrias opposition fighters amid fears that a prolonged civil war will embolden extremists.
In addition to meeting the Saudi foreign minister, Kerry will also engage in talks with Saudi Arabian intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who directs the countrys efforts to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime.
Discussions include the Obama administrations plans to provide military support to General Salim Idriss of the Supreme Military Council, the Syrian main civilian opposition groups military arm.
Daniel P. Schrag, a White House climate adviser and director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment, tells the New York Times "a war on coal is exactly what's needed." Later today, President Obama will give a major "climate change" address at Georgetown University.
Everybody is waiting for action, Schrag tells the paper. The one thing the president really needs to do now is to begin the process of shutting down the conventional coal plants. Politically, the White House is hesitant to say theyre having a war on coal. On the other hand, a war on coal is exactly whats needed.
Obama's speech today is expected to offer "a sweeping plan to address climate change on Tuesday, setting ambitious goals and timetables for a series of executive actions to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and prepare the nation for the ravages of a warming planet," according to the Times. POTUS Georgetown speech.
Here's the full context of Schrag's quotation: Daniel P. Schrag, a geochemist who is the head of Harvard Universitys Center for the Environment and a member of a presidential science panel that has helped advise the White House on climate change, said he hoped the presidential speech would mark a turning point in the national debate on climate change.
When the left speaks of using "clean energy," they are not speaking of coal energy. Unfortunately, such decisions have far-reaching consequences. Utilities, the coal industry, the rail industry, and many manufacturing industries are affected negatively. Such decisions increase costs and prices and are job-killing. Of course, there is always the possibility that the unintended consequences are intended as no one could be that ignorant.
#5
Hmmm, "There have been things that happened that have been BLAMED on climate change".
So Obama wants to "Do something about things BLAMED on climate change">
That's the worst "Reason" to do anything at all.
I BLAME Obama, should we therefore "Get rid of HIM"?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/25/2013 19:08
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[ANOTHER MIGHTY WORLD-'ROUNDING HOMER SIMPSONIAN "DOH"! here].
Obvious thingys are obvious.
That being said, a "WAR ON COAL" = "WAR ON JOBS" AS LONG AS OUR FUTURE OWG-NWO [aka Space Govt-Order] + US + ALIGNED FAIL TO DEV JUSTIFIED
"SPACE/STAR FREE MARKETS" FOR ORDINARY EARTHICANS = CONSUMERS/HUMANS, INDUSTRY, + OF COURSE THE QUEEN'S FERENGI, ETAL. VEE "GREEN TECHS".
As things stands, the only thing that that the Fed + OWG is accomplishing is MASSIVELY EXPANDING THE SIZE OF [already] BIG[GER GOVT] TO NEVER BEFORE SEEN HEIGHTS.
ARE WE MISSING THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROG, I.E. USA GOING BACK TO THE MOON + MARS + BEYOND, NOW???
U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry assured India and other concerned partners in this volatile region Monday that the United States plans to continue supporting Afghanistan's military and to keep American forces in the country "under any circumstances" after the scheduled 2014 combat troop withdrawal.
India is particularly worried that the U.S. pullout will leave an ongoing war in Afghanistan between Taliban fighters backed by Pakistan and other forces that have sought aid from India and Central Asian countries to combat any Taliban attempt to regain power.
India also has questioned U.S. plans to conduct peace negotiations with the Taliban in a new political office for the insurgents established last week in Doha, the capital of the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. An inaugural session of the talks was put on hold last week after Afghan President Hamid Karzai objected to the Taliban labeling the office an outpost of "the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the name under which the Taliban ruled the country until they were ousted by U.S. and Afghan forces in 2001.
James Dobbins, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who was scheduled to head the American delegation to the talks, traveled to Kabul on Monday to meet with Karzai and other Afghan officials in an attempt to control damage.
Dobbins described a meeting with Karzai as "quite positive" and said the two countries were waiting to see "whether the Taliban want to talk."
So, our self proclaimed elites (Despite their ivy league degrees, Ive yet to see one of them who could make it into/through the lowest ranked community college without connections/special considerations/money/help. And I doubt their ability to get through the day without minders.) have decided what they need is a more compliant populace and like the infernal racists they are, they think they can get that by importing people with a darker skin shade.
It worries me and others and it should not because of the skin shade of those being imported (bites back very strongly on pungent remark about other elites who thought it was okay to import dark skinned people to do what the elites wanted them to. History repeats first as tragedy and then as farce. Were in the farce portion) but because of the reasons theyre being imported. Its bad enough when your government is importing people to do what Americans arent willing to do at a time when Americans are willing to take any job at all, if only the government will let them contract for work without interposing itself with regulations and demands for paperwork. Its much worse when your government is advertising abroad all the benefits you can get at the expense of the US taxpayer, if you will just move here and refuse to or cant work.
#1
Silly Moriarity - doesn't he know that "JOBS" OR "MORE JOBS" IN PRIVATE SECTOR = LESS GOVT. INTERVENTION + REGULATION = LESS NATIONAL, GLOBAL SOCIALISM???
'Tis NOT Orwell's "1984" as much as "2015"
D *** NG IT, WHAT'S HE TRYING TO DO - ACTUALLY REDUCE THE DEBT + BUDGET DEFICITS???
President Barack Obama will ask the State Department not to approve the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline unless it can first determine that it will not lead to a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a senior administration official told The Huffington Post.
The policy pronouncement will come during the president's highly publicized speech on climate change at Georgetown University on Tuesday. It will add another chapter to what has been the most politically difficult energy-related issue confronting this White House.
The president has avoided weighing in on the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline for several years now, citing an executive order asking the State Department to make a determination on the project's viability first. Environmentalists have called on him to spike the project entirely because of risks that it will contribute irrevocably to global warming and potentially contaminate drinking water if it leaks. Conservatives and even some labor groups have encouraged Obama to approve of the project because of its potential to create jobs.
The new Obama policy somewhat splits the difference -- not killing the project outright, but ensuring that it meets a basic environmental standard.
#1
"The new Obama policy somewhat splits the difference -- not killing the project outright, but ensuring that it meets a basic environmental standard."
Almost. The policy is to not kill it directly because that would mean taking heat. Instead he wants to kill it with delays, hoops, etc. You know. Leadership stuff.
#8
Obama is also trying to regulate the coal business out of business in the name of the left's god; climate change. He will use the machinery of government if he can't get legislation through Congress.
#9
Let's face it: none of us will be safe until we eliminate CO2, that dangerous poison, from our atmosphere. The plants will be totally pissed, of course, but what have they ever done for us?
#1
No problem, the same idiots in congress who are jacking "immigration reform" down our throats will "fix" this problem so it is far worse than it was before
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/25/2013 11:21
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Police in Germany have rooted out what they believe is an Islamist plot by aeronautics students at the University of Stuttgart to carry out a terrorist attack using remote-control model airplanes equipped with bombs.
The poor man's drone...
About 90 authorities raided and searched through nine properties in Germany near Munich and Stuttgart and in Saxony as well as in Belgium, The Telegraph reported.
The attorney general's office in Germany said: "The searches in the Stuttgart area and in Belgium were directed against two men of Tunisian origin who are suspected of collecting information and items for the commission of radical Islamist bombings with remote-controlled model airplanes."
So their names weren't Hans and Dieter...
Two of the suspects were students at the school, police say. They were in process of creating systems that were compatible with GPS to guide to model planes, The Telegraph reported.
In a better world they would have been working on global domination as employees at Microsoft...
Four of the students' acquaintances also were believed to be involved in the plot. Police said they are being investigated on suspicions of providing money to fund the jihad and for money laundering.
No arrests have yet been made, The Telegraph reported.
The police said in a statement: "The aim of today's search is to obtain evidence of potential attack plans and preparations, and to gain insight into the means of financing radical Islamist terrorism," The Telegraph reported.
Police have detained six people in the Paris region suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in France.
The Paris prosecutor's office said Tuesday that the six are being questioned by anti-terrorist investigators, and are believed to have been part of a radical Islamic terrorist cell.
Prosecutor's office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre says the suspects were detained Monday and remained in custody Tuesday, she said. They can be held up to four days under France's anti-terrorism laws.
France has been on higher alert for potential attacks since French troops entered Mali earlier this year, to push out al-Qaida-linked extremists who had seized much of the West African country and have threatened France and Europe.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
06/25/2013 13:30
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(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was still in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, was free to leave and should do so as soon as possible.
#6
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was still in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, was free to leave and should do so as soon as possible.
The House Republican chairman investigating last years terror attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, has subpoenaed four State Department officials, saying the department was stalling on efforts to interview them.
In a statement Monday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa of California said the four led offices where the State Departments report into the attack, called an Accountability Review Board, had found that deficiencies contributed to a lack of security.
The board found that State Department leaders in Washington allowed the temporary facility in Benghazi to be occupied even though it did not meet security standards and then ignored pleas for additional security from diplomats on the ground.
The boards report identified the four mid-level officials subpoenaed Monday as having failed to show leadership. But since that is not a disciplinary offense, the four are still employed by the department, although three no longer hold the senior posts they did.
Republicans have claimed that the report let senior officials, including then-Secretary of State Hilary R. Clinton, off the hook.
The Internal Revenue Service sent $7,319,518 in tax refunds in 2011 to what theoretically were 2,706 aliens who were not authorized to work inside the United States and who all used the same bank account, according to an audit report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
Since 1996, the IRS has issued what it calls Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to two classes of persons: 1) non-resident aliens who have a tax liability in the United States, and 2) aliens living in the United States who are not authorized to work in the United States.
The 2,706 tax refunds worth a combined $7,319,518 that the IRS sent to a single bank account in 2011 were all paid on tax returns that used Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.
#2
Well, we already knew we had a banking problem in this country. Recently we've discovered an IRS problem as well. Tracking that account and where those dollars ended up might be very interesting. Can't say I am very surprised by any of this.
#4
CNSNews.com asked the Office of the Treasury Inspector General if these bank accounts were in the United States. A spokesman said TIGTA did not look at that issue.
Who's bank account did this money eventually end up in. Tribute money for passing the immigration reform law?
Taliban gunmen attacked Afghanistan's presidential palace and surrounding buildings, including the CIA's Afghan headquarters, early on Tuesday, with explosions and gunfire shaking the city center.
A Reuters reporter at the palace said the attack began soon after 6.30 a.m., when at least one man opened fire with an automatic rifle at a gate to the palace in the central Shash Darak district.
Karzai's whereabouts were not immediately known, though he was due to attend a press event at the palace after 9 a.m.
Reporters had been gathering at the palace when the attack began and dived for cover as government forces returned fire. Heavy explosions resounded and the gunfire intensified.
Schoolchildren walking to classes nearby were also caught in the exchanges.
The Taliban claimed responsibility the attack in a text message to Kabul reporters from spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
"Today at 6.30 a.m. a number of suicide bombers attacked the presidential palace, defense ministry and the Ariana Hotel," Mujahid said.
The Ariana Hotel is known to house the headquarters of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan. A thick plume of smoke was seen rising from the building.
There have been only two McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. that have offered halal food. Both were in east Dearborn, Mich., which has a sizable population of Arab-American Muslims.
But after a contentious lawsuit that accused the restaurant chain of selling non-halal items advertised as halal, McDonald's has yanked its Halal Chicken McNuggets and Halal McChicken sandwiches off the menu. The move brings to an end a unique product that made the two McDonald's restaurants popular with Muslims.
#3
The Muslims were trying to hold up McDonalds for money in a shakedown through the courts? So why didn't they go where halal food was available. You don't go to Outback Steakhouse looking for vegan food or for kosher food. Or they could start their own restaurant chain and call it McMuslim's or the Halal Express. Quit harassing McDonalds.
#4
The move brings to an end a unique product that made the two McDonald's restaurants popular with Muslims.
Bullshit. The MSM just can't help itself when it comes to spinning. If the restaurants were so freaking popular, why were they being sued? As Tony Soprano said, "You don't shit where you eat."
A light sentence has been handed out to six teenage boys, aged 15 to 17, from the diverse Muslim community in Sweden for raping a 15-year-old girl in a north-western suburb of Stockholm in March. Five of the teens were found guilty of aggravated rape by the Solna District Court, with the sixth guilty of attempted aggravated rape.
Five of the boys were sentenced to over one hundred hours of community service each, and have been ordered to pay 55,000 kronor ($8,500) each, in damages to the victim. The punishment given to the sixth, if any, was not reported.
The reason given for the light punishment was the fact that the boys are minors. The Swedish court also concluded that the boys had already been already punished to some extent by having their pictures and their personal details exposed on the internet.
The attack took place in early March at an apartment in Tensta, where teens took turns raping the girl. Four of the boys confessed but denied that they committed any crime.
It is worth noting that the court never doubted that the incident took place and that it was rape. The court found the girl's testimony to be "a cohesive, long, and relatively detailed account" that did not contain "any contradictions or elements to the story that could be considered inexplicable"
Ironically, although the UN ranks Sweden high on the list when it comes to women's rights, a highly publicized study shows that Sweden has become the second highest rape capital of the world (after South Africa) and the highest incidents of reported rapes in Europe, twice as many as the UK, the runner-up country and six times as many of the U.S.
#3
"..and six times as many of the U.S." remember that factoid when the Euros talk down about the bible thumping gun clingers in America. Back in the mind of way too many American politicians, the desire to grab guns is the notion that one day they'll do something abusive enough to set off the real 'consent of the govern'.
#5
Betcha you'll never hear about the "rape cultures" in Sweden and South Africa.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/25/2013 10:24
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#6
The Scandinavians are in ostrich-like denial. We had a Norwegian exchange student last year and he couldn't believe what I was telling him about what was happening in Sweden and would soon happen in Norway. So I pounded him with internet posts for a few weeks. When he left last week my wife asked him how he had changed the most from his year here. He said that he needed to look at more points of view before deciding about things. Things will go too far and Viking vengeance will reemerge. Same for the Britons, Angles and Saxons.
#7
In Sweden, 77.6% of all rape crimes are committed by Muslims. Sweden has become the second highest rape capital of the world as well as light sentences. The boys asked for comment said: We wuz framed. We're just living the Islamic good life.
[Pak Daily Times] KARACHI: Unabated assassination claimed lives of another four people in different incidents across city on Monday.
A man was rubbed out in Korangi Industrial Area within the precincts of Defence cop shoppe.
Police said the victim Sheikh Maqsood, 40, resident of Defence Housing Authority was going at his workplace when unidentified gunnies targeted him. Resultantly he was struck down in his prime. The body was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) for an appointment with Dr. Quincy. Police said the dear departed had his own business in Joria Bazaar locality. Police suspected that the motive behind his killing was personal dispute, while further investigation was underway.
A young man belonging to Katchi community was bumped off on Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai road within the limits of Kalri cop shoppe.
Police said the dear departed identified as Abdul Razzak alias Aju, 27 was on the way to somewhere, when unidentified armed riders accosted him and opened fire. As a result, he was struck down in his prime. SHO Haji Sanaullah said the victim was apparently killed in an ongoing violence between Katchi and Baloch community.
A meat vendor was rubbed out in Block-6, Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality.
Police said unidentified gunnies riding on cycle of violences came and resorted to indiscriminate firing on the victim, identified as Raja, when he was sitting at the shop. Resultantly, he was struck down in his prime.
Police said the identity of a victim was yet to be ascertained. The body has been moved to morgue for identification.
Separately, a body of a man was found near from Quetta Town, Super Highway within the remits of Sohrab Goth cop shoppe.
A young man was found dead near Nasir Town, an area of Memon Goth.
Police said Afzal Shah, 32, a resident of Malir's Jafer Tayar Society had left his home for some work, when unidentified persons kidnapped him and later his body was found at the same location. Police said the victim worked at a private garments factory, while the motive behind his killing could not be ascertained.
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[WORLD.TIME] Residents of Qatar can finally stop holding their breath. On Monday evening, the nation's official Qatar News Agency announced that, Tuesday morning Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, 61, will address the nation with a long awaited announcement that he would transfer power to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, putting an end to rumors and speculation that have occupied this tiny, petroleum-rich Gulf nation for months.
The announced move is thought to be part of a larger reshuffle in the royal cabinet that will bring a new generation of younger leaders to the fore--Sheikh Tamim, at 33, will be the youngest ruler in the region by a good decade and a half (Syria's embattled Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... , at 47, is his closest peer). Other projected moves have the indefatigable Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, 53, who serves as both Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, stepping down in favor of a younger administrator as well, though there is no official succession plan, or names, in place for the Premiership. Tuesday has been declared a national holiday in preparation for the coming announcements.
The Al Thani family has ruled Qatar, a vital U.S. ally that is home to a major American military base, for nearly 150 years. The current king deposed his father in 1995, and is widely celebrated as a competent and progressive--as progressive as possible in an absolute monarchy, at least--leader who has presided over Qatar's growing clout on the world stage. In many ways Crown Prince Tamim, who was declared heir apparent in 2003, leapfrogging his three older brothers, represents a reassuring continuity. For nearly a decade he has been at his father's side, engaging world leaders, representing Qatar at international events and presiding over Qatar's 2030 Vision project, which lays out domestic development goals for the country.
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[An Nahar] The army on Monday stormed the security zone of Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir's mosque in the Sidon suburb of Abra and tossed in the calaboose ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... a number of gunnies as the Islamist holy man fled to an unknown destination, following festivities that left 16 troops martyred.
Several local TV networks aired live footage showing army troops advancing into Asir's security zone and arresting a number of his gunnies.
Volleys of machinegun fire were being heard in Abra as the army scoured the security zone, while smoke could be seen billowing from some buildings in the area.
"The army has arrested gunnies of Arab nationalities in al-Asir's security zone," al-Manar television reported.
A security source confirmed to OTV that al-Asir was not found in the security zone.
Voice of Leb radio (93.3) said al-Asir and his close aide Fadel Shaker "managed to flee the security zone in Abra around 4:00 pm with the help of gangs."
MTV said al-Asir and Shaker fled the mosque through its backdoor and headed to the Ein el-Hellhole Paleostinian refugee camp, where they have hardline Islamist allies.
"The army is saying that al-Asir is not among the captives, the maimed or the dead," LBCI television reported.
But later on Monday, Free Syrian Army political adviser Bassam al-Dada told LBCI that "al-Asir is in the custody of the FSA and he is now inside Syria."
Earlier, reports said al-Asir was entrenched in the mosque while sources said he managed to escape in an ambulance to an unknown location.
LBCI also said that the Lebanese Red Thingy transported more than 20 bodies of gunnies from the security zone in Abra.
As they closed in on al-Asir's complex in Abra in the morning hours, army units came under sniper fire from his gunnies, who sought to push the soldiers back.
Snipers from high-rise buildings helped the fighters in their quest to defend the mosque.
Earlier, scores of employees at Sidon's Serail, that lies near Abra, escaped to safety after the building was hit with gunfire.
Gunmen also blocked the road near Sidon's Sea Castle. But the military later reopened it.
Many people living on high floors came down or fled to safer areas, while others were seen running away from fighting areas carrying children. Others remained locked up in their homes or shops, fearing getting caught in the crossfire. Gray smoke billowed over parts of the city.
The city has come to a standstill as the military continued to evacuate the residents of the buildings near the mosque.
In parts of the city, drivers waved white sheets from their car windows as they moved in a bid to protect themselves from sniper fire.
State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr issued search and investigation warrants against al-Asir and 123 others including his brother and Salafist-turned singer Fadel Shaker.
Earlier, al-Asir appealed to his supporters through his Twitter account in other parts of Leb to rise to his help, threatening to widen the scale of festivities.
The military command said the number of troops killed in the fighting that erupted at noon Sunday rose to 16. There were also more than 50 injuries among the ranks of the soldiers.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati announced a day of mourning on Tuesday, calling in a memo for a work halt from 12:00 pm till 1:00 pm
Meanwhile, ...back at the shattered spaceship, Fffflirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room, where the humans had barricaded themselves... the fighting in Taamir near the Paleostinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hellhole stopped after gunnies from different nationalities belonging to Jund al-Sham and Fatah al-Islam A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred. clashed with the army to ease the pressure on al-Asir's gunnies.
The fighting also reached the city's markets after masked gunnies began appearing there. But the army clamped down on them, preventing the festivities from spiraling out of control.
Abra's festivities erupted when al-Asir's supporters surrounded an army checkpoint in the area, where a vehicle transporting other supporters of the holy man had been stopped.
After the gunnies attacked the troops with gunfire, the army fired back.
The military command vowed on Sunday to "strike back with an iron fist anyone who... spills the blood of the army."
It urged politicians in Sidon to choose sides and to stand either alongside the army, or with "those who promote strife and the killing of troops."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
other reports are that al-Asir's militia (and that's what it was given the large mass of armaments in the mosque) had about 50 men killed
this is the deadliest intra Lebanese battle in Lebanon in about 20 years
Posted by: lord garth ||
06/25/2013 13:20
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#2
Typical Muslim "Holy Man" Scream threats and Run like Hell out the back door when confronted.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/25/2013 20:23
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AN OLD ballistic missile system should be modified to defend Earth from asteroids, a Russian scientist says, citing a major explosion over the Urals earlier this year.
The Soviet-era SS-18 "Satan" heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles were ideal for conversion into a rapid-reaction anti-asteroid system, said senior rocket researcher Sabit Saitgarayev at the weekend.
Mr Saitgarayev, of the State Rocket Design Centre, pointed to the destructive power of the meteor which burst over the Russian Ural Mountains on February 15. The sonic boom of the airburst blew out windows and damaged thousands of buildings around the city of Chelyabinsk.
About 1200 people were injured. Some 50 were hospitalised.
NASA believed the space rock to have been some 15 metres in diameter.
Mr Saitgarayev said the old 1960s-era Soviet "Satan" missiles were ideally suited to such an interception role as they could be held ready for launch for up to 10 years.
[MAGHAREBIA] Mauritania's Council of Ministers approved a measure to double the punishment for money laundering and terrorism financing.
The draft bill passed last Thursday (June 20th) next goes to the National Assembly.
"This draft bill is intended to strengthen the existing legislation and fill any gaps," a council statement read. "This is in addition to harsher penalties for leaking information likely to damage ...current investigations, particularly concerning terror-related crimes."
Justice Minister Abidine Ould El Kheir said that passing the bill was just "one aspect of the major efforts being made by Mauritania to clamp down on organised crime".
"The approach adopted by our country on this issue is founded on an over-arching integrated strategy involving dialogue with certain misguided individuals to put them back on the right path," the minister added.
Under the new legislation, "the acquisition of wealth without the ability to prove that it has come about legitimately is punishable by law", he said.
Attempted money-laundering will also become a crime, with both the main offender and any accomplices receiving identical treatment. Prison sentences will be doubled from 5 to 10 years, as will the fine, from 5 to 10 million ouguiyas.
Concealing information regarding money laundering would be punishable by a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of between 5 and 10 million ouguiyas.
"It is acknowledged throughout the world that money laundering contributes (among other things) to funding terrorism," lawyer Cheikh Abdallahi Ould Ahmed Babou said.
With the passage of the 2005 law, Mauritania tried to set up an institutional and regulatory legal framework to clamp down on money laundering, according to the lawyer.
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[Xinhua] UN Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... on Monday condemned the attacks against Leb's army in the country's southern city of Sidon, urging unified support for the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too...
"The secretary-general is following with deep concern the latest developments in Sidon in Leb," said a statement issued here by his spokesperson.
"He condemned the attacks on the Lebanese Armed Forces which have led to serious losses in the army", extending "his condolences to the families of the victims and to the government of Leb," said the statement.
Ban stressed that all in Leb should fully respect the authority of the state and its institutions under the leadership of President Sleiman, "in particular the Lebanese Armed Forces whose role is essential to protect all Lebanese."
"The international community remains united in its support for Leb's illusory sovereignty, security and stability," the statement noted.
In the statement, the UN chief also reminded all concerned in Leb of their responsibility to avoid conflict and uphold the principles of mutual respect and coexistence in order to preserve Leb's national unity.
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[AAWSAT.NET] A plane took off from Moscow on Monday headed for Cuba, but the seat booked by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden was empty, and there was no sign of him elsewhere on board. His whereabouts were unknown.
An Aeroflot representative who wouldn't give her name told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that Snowden wasn't on flight SU150 to Havana. AP news hounds on the flight couldn't see him.
Security around the aircraft was heavy prior to boarding and guards tried to prevent photographers and cameramen from taking pictures of the plane, heightening the speculation that he might have been secretly escorted on board.
The Interfax news agency, which has extensive contacts with Russian security agencies, cited a source as saying that Snowden could have flown out in a different plane unseen by journalists. Others speculated that Russian security agencies might want to keep Snowden in Russia for a more thorough debriefing.
Aeroflot said earlier that Snowden had registered for the flight using his American passport, which the United States recently annulled.
Snowden has not been seen since he arrived in Moscow on Sunday from Hong Kong, where he had been hiding for several weeks to evade US justice. Ecuador is considering Snowden's asylum application.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
"Keep Snowden in Russia for a more thorough debriefing" > ... ...
As perhaps due to ...
* REUTERS > US DOESN'T KNOW HOW MUCH SECRET MATERIAL SNOWDEN TOOK.
#7
Belarus, safe house, Olga AND her twin sister, and plenty of vodka...
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/25/2013 9:55
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#8
Besoeker, the people who should be embarrassed now are the fools and naifs who rallied to Snowden's side and upheld him as a brave truth teller striking back at "the regime."
To those people: You were played.
You wanted to vent your ill -informed spite over a well-crafted, bipartisan, long-standing program that tightly restricts our surveillance institutions and balances security and freedom. Instead, you have supported a foolish, hopeless little pawn who is now undermining our security and giving secrets to our enemies.
Those enemies will now exploit and discard the little twerp, and the net effect of his breach will be that we will have even MORE, and much more secret, surveillance in order to repair the breach.
#9
You wanted to vent your ill -informed spite over a well-crafted, bipartisan, long-standing program that tightly restricts our surveillance institutions and balances security and freedom.
You're spending entirely too much time on NIPRnet Lexter. Please get back to work. G-Group is shorthanded due to summertime leaves, you know the drill.
#14
It's All Our Fault he decided to get the job six months ago with the intent of committing espionage, and It's All Our Fault he ran away to Hong Kong with multiple laptops before we ever knew he existed.
You apparently feel a deeply pathological need to play the Blame Game and spew the spam early and often, and try to pretend there's a connection between everyone who distrusts Obama and Snowden.
#15
Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?
I like a man with good taste, sadly you share mine.
:)
Snowdens done for, 1st mission and whammo! Who? The bombardier, the bombardier. No the bombardiers okay. Snowdens dead tho. Who's the bombadier? No, who's the waist gunner, he works for Milo. No, I'm the bombardier.
#16
Of course, the phrase also happens to be true, Pappy, but hey, whatever. Snowden rocks! Stick it to the Man!
Just out of curiosity, I wonder what will his defenders say when they learn that the new surveillance programs are much more intrusive and intrusive -as they inevitably will be after all the damage done by this fool and his gullible supporters...
#17
Pardon my tour-in-D.C cynicism, but 'bipartisan' is generally used for two purposes: when one wants to solicit cooperation for an unpalatable task, or to share blame. It's a nice, carefully crafted statement. Very pat, full of sound and fury. That's why I said "Sunday morning talk show".
As far as your "but hey, whatever...Snowden rocks! Stick it to the Man!" remark: please do not make assumptions on what my stance is.
I'll return the courtesy and not assume that yours is one of rank political opportunism.
#20
Update: per GazPutin, looks like Snowboy is in Sheremetyevo after all. As I said before, after they drain his laptops and what gray matter the lad has, he will be traded back to the US.
For what, or whom? Well, I forgot that we nailed death merchant extraordinaire Viktor Bout a few years back, and the Sov- er, Russians were livid.
Prediction refinement: Snowden for Bout, and a favor to be named later.
#21
STEVE WOZNIAK (Apple Cofounder): "The government is just upset because he" (Edward Snowden) "embarrassed them. What concerns me is what the government is doing in the name of fighting terrorism. Were losing freedoms in the process, and what I find more and more is that this is not for freedom, not for democracy. Its just a joke. We think were the most free and fair country in the world. Its like the NSA is giving themselves permission to do what they want. At first we thought technology would give us less restriction, but with digital technology, nothing is private anymore not even our email."
#23
Hey Hup - unlike Woz, who was so naive as to be screwed out of billions by his own best friend and business partner and has spent the last three-plus decades farting around, serious Silicon Valley pros have been working hand in glove with data DoD, the CIA, Wall Street, Walmart-GM-GE etc for going on a half century to build out massive data centers with our most advanced technologies. The biggest and most powerful enterprise software company in the planet was built on the back of (and named after) a CIA project.
Got that? The Man and his nefarious, voracious desire for our data built Silicon Valley. That data is not public. Try telling Walmart and Goldman and DoD that "information should be free."
Our entire information technology sector is joined at the hip to the national security state, Wall Street and the Fortune 50. No, Virginia, there is no Santa Claus, and No, information most definitely does not deserve to be "free" and available to every idiot libertarian child-man who thinks otherwise.
[Al Ahram] The allocation of a government land contract to a company owned by the brother of the late the late Osama bin Laden ... who used to be alive but now he's not... has been nullified, according to a recent report issued by Egypt's State Commissioners Authority.
The State Commissioners Authority is one of the levels through which cases in Egypt's administrative court system must pass. The authority, however, only has the authority to issue recommendations.
Khaled Ali, a former presidential candidate, and former MP Hamdi El-Fakharani had filed a lawsuit to demand the suspension of a contract awarded by Egypt's Tourism Development Authority to a tourism company owned by Omar Mohamed Awad, brother of slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
In 2010, Awad's Al-Noor Company for Tourism had obtained 145,000 square metres of land -- worth a total value of LE197 million (roughly $28 million) -- from the Egyptian government.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2013
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#1
Somewhat late, But "Better late than never".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/25/2013 19:13
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#2
Somewhat late, But "Better late than never".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/25/2013 19:13
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[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... -led coalition government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... came under criticism from opposition MPA Nighat Orakzai for being silent over terror acts rocking the province and Gilgit-Baltistan, where 10 foreign mountaineers were killed on Sunday.
During the sessions on Sunday and Monday, the House did not pass any joint resolution condemning the suicide kaboom on an imambargah and the killing of foreign mountaineers in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Nighat claimed.
"This government stays silent to escape the terrorists' wrath," Orakzai told Daily Times after recording her displeasure on the floor of the House over the KP coalition government's silence over the attacks in the province and elsewhere in the country.
She said the previous assembly developed consensus when any incident of terrorism took place in any part of the country.
"But this coalition government is so afraid of Death Eaters that it avoids even naming them," the KP MPA said. "The opposition's role is to point out an issue and the government's job is to make a move. We played our part, but the government preferred staying silent because it does not want to annoy the terrorists."
A coalition government front man, Shaukat Yousafzai, denied the allegation of being 'soft' on terrorists.
"We need a national consensus to achieve peace and should take practical steps instead of issuing statement or merely condemning the acts," the front man told Daily Times.
Shaukat said the PTI had clearly stated that peace would not return until a consensus national policy was developed by taking all stakeholders onboard.
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[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... has vowed to make a model and corruption-free government in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... province.
Khan arrived here for his first-ever visit to Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. on Monday, the capital city of his party-led KPK province.
After recuperating from his severe injuries and joining National Assembly's session in Islamabad, Khan met his KPK's party leadership to congratulate them for successful running of the provincial setup. While addressing the media, Imran Khan vowed to establish infra-structure of the provincial setup and declared that PTI government would publish every development contracts on government's official website which earn PTI government the public trust. He said drone strikes link Pakistain to United States war against terrorism. Moreover, Khan added that poverty and unemployment had been increased by the terrorism attacks. PTI chief urged the prime minister to summon an emergency meeting to settle down issue of terrorism.
He said an ideal accountability body would be formed while government officials, ministers and leaders would be answerable to public.
Khan said assets of all members of government would be published on government website so that no politician may raise his personal business.
He said a corruption-free appointment in government jobs would be made so that government employees may serve people.
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[Pak Daily Times] Rebels killed eight soldiers in Indian-held Kashmire on Monday in the deadliest such attack in five years, marring a landmark visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Himalayan territory.
The military convoy was ambushed on the outskirts of Srinagar, as it headed towards a nearby base camp, officials said.
"Eight troopers died in the attack and 13 others have been maimed," a senior police official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
The condition of one of the injured was critical, he said.
The attack marked the deadliest single day for Indian security forces in Held Kashmire since July 2008 when a landmine killed nine soldiers on a bus on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Monday's attack came amid a high state of alert which has been imposed ahead of Singh's arrival on Tuesday for a two-day visit to the territory, his first since June 2010. Singh strongly condemned the attack in a statement issued in the capital New Delhi.
"This cowardly attack will not deter the security forces who are engaged in bringing peace and order to the valley," he said.
Police sources said cycle of violence-borne rebels shot up the army vehicles before lobbing a grenade at one of them.
As the rebels fled, they threw another hand grenade at a group of paramilitaries, severely injuring one officer.
They then abandoned their bike and escaped before the army cordoned off the area, the sources said.
Hizbul Mujahideen, a local rebel group, grabbed credit for the attack.
Security officials had earlier said that police and paramilitary forces were being deployed in strength across the region, with additional checkpoints set up along major highways.
"A high alert is there. We do face a threat from the rebels," Abdul Gani Mir, Kashmire's police chief, told AFP.
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[Pak Daily Times] A senior traffic police official and his driver were rubbed out in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. on Monday, police said. "DSP Traffic Amanullah Khan was on his way home when unidentified motorcyclists ambushed his vehicle and opened fire. Resultantly, he and his driver sustained bullet wounds and was struck down in his prime", SSP Traffic Asif Iqbal told the media. "Khan was under threat form some time," Iqbal was quoted as saying. No group has so far grabbed credit for the killing. Police are investigating the incident as motives behind the killings could not be ascertained yet. Another senior Police Office Khalid Ameer Hamdani said often bully boyz were involved in such attacks on security forces but immediately nothing could be said about it. The funeral prayers were offered at Police Line in Peshawar which was attended by politicians, IG Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... and other bigwigs.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#3
I want Gunny Highway to look into this immediately. And close the door when you do.
I also want the entire platoon to get those FAB little earrings for their Left ears by tomorrow's muster..... or you ALL will definitely be " Manifestly UnSat ".
#8
Like way too many movements in our lifetime, it wasn't about tolerance, it was about power, to impose one's belief or lifestyle on others. Their final motto - In your face!
[An Nahar] The Army Command on Monday stressed its "keenness on places of worship" after its troops closed in on Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir's gunnies who entrenched themselves in the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in Abra.
"Army units continue their military operations in the city of Sidon and the area of Abra to stamp down armed activities, arrest those who attacked army positions and restore security and stability," the Command said in a statement.
"A lot of gunnies fired sniper shots at army troops while using religious centers as barricades, in addition to turning innocent civilians into human shields to avoid direct confrontation with army forces," the statement added.
The Army Command stressed its "total keenness on places of worship and the lives of citizens," while calling on "the gunnies who attacked army positions and citizens ... to surrender their weapons and turn themselves in immediately to army forces to avoid further bloodshed."
The Command noted that it knows the identities of the aforementioned gunnies "one by one."
It stressed that "the army will press on with its efforts to suppress strife," adding that its units "will not halt their military operations until security is fully restored in the city and its surroundings and until everyone abides by law and order."
The Command also called on citizens, "especially those present in the conflict zone or inside al-Asir's complex and its surroundings, who are facing security problems, to contact the Army Command's Operations Directorate
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[AAWSAT.NET] Saudi border guards have thwarted more than 159,000 attempts to enter the country illegally over the last 6 months, according to the latest statistics issued by the kingdom's authorities.
Some 3328 smugglers have been prevented from entering the country with a range of contraband items, including small arms and other weapons. According to official statistics, more than 125,000 munitions and 7220 weapons, as well as 98 bombs, were seized between mid-November and May of this year.
A large number of drugs, including cannabis, were also confiscated, along with other items that violate international regulations.
As well as contraband smugglers, observers believe that the biggest increases in the number of illegal border crossings into Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... has recent years has been driven by economic migrants in search of work.
In addition to this, the country is also unique in terms of cross-border traffic in the number of religious travelers undertaking the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
In particular, the province of Jizan presents a unique challenge for Saudi Arabia's border patrol. Despite the fact that it is the smallest of the kigdom's provinces, the region includes some 80 islands on the Red Sea, and is considered one of the most important tourist destinations in Saudi Arabia during the winter months, receiving a steady stream of visitors.
Given Jizan's proximity to neighboring countries, the Saudi authorities say it receives a flow of up to 800 intruders per day--more during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. Colonel Abdullah Bin Mahfouz, front man for the border security force in the Jizan, said the force use surveillance towers, thermal cameras and wireless devices to secure the borders with neighboring countries.
Another front man, Colonel bin Mahfouz, added that border surveillance operations have led to the detention of many infiltrators and smugglers, but the procedures for search and seizure are different in every case.
If it is certain that the individuals are not in possession of any internationally illegal items, and they do have a passport or identity papers, then their fingerprints will be recorded and they will be returned to the point of entry. In the case that they are carrying weapons or drugs, or violating other laws, they will be sent to the relevant Saudi Arabian authority for further investigation
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2013
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[AAWSAT.NET] Regardless of the results of the forthcoming 30 June demonstrations in Egypt, and whether the opposition succeeds in toppling the president or not, reality says the Moslem Brüderbund's project in Egypt has failed, and that the Brotherhood will suffer from this failure for many years, in Egypt and the region.
When former President Mubarak resigned, the Brotherhood gave endless promises for democracy, but their promises were empty. The way the Brotherhood has dealt with every crisis in Egypt was tinged with attempts to insult the intelligence of others and exclude them, and by applying the principle of divide and rule, which divided everything in the country.
The Moslem Brüderbund tried to exclude the military, and the time for that was suitable for that, because both revolutionaries and opposition agreed. Then the exclusion of the military became a plan to exclude all; from Azhar and the judiciary, to the media, even the opposition itself; not to mention trying to monopolize the constitution and try to pass it hurriedly, with the exclusion of others.
All this took place during a frightening economic downturn which threatened the Egyptian state as a whole.
What is stunning about each directive or resolution from the ruling authority--or the Brotherhood one can say--is that they clashed with the public and the institutions, causing more division internally, and raising confusion and concern externally.
With regards to the external side, the Brotherhood's chaotic rule was also stunning in most issues, from the Iranian issue to the Renaissance Dam (Æthiopia), to the Syrian issue. Yet, that was not enough for the organization; with efforts increasing in Egypt to prepare for the 30 June protests, which aim to topple the president, the Brotherhood resorted to methods which implicated them further. Instead of giving political concessions, or try to make reconciliation efforts, they resorted to escalation on the street, and labeling others as infidels and traitors, and threatening to crush their political opponents.
The fact is, If Mubarak and his aides were three days late in their dealing with the 25 January revolution, as we wrote at the time, the Brotherhood today are years late in dealing with reality. One must ask the question: Where are the sensible men of the Brotherhood? Does the Brotherhood want to spill blood in Egypt to be like Assad and Qadaffy? Or do they want to lead Egypt a state to ruin? Did the alleged Brotherhood democracy only mean reaching power, followed by the Khomeini exclusionary approach, which was adopted by the Iranian revolution, and dress that approach with an Islamic cover to guarantee staying in power?
In summary, what history is going to remember is that the failure of the Moslem Brüderbund in Egypt was caused by the Moslem Brüderbund themselves, not their enemies, internally and externally, especially when the Brotherhood decided to rule Egypt with a group mentality, and governed it like an opposition, not a political authority, which applies the principle of good governance, brings together not divides; a principle which gives the impression that the ruler believes in sharing authority, not monopolizing it, and also believes in the sanctity of preventing bloodshed, and not dealing softly with those who label others as infidels and traitors, and threaten the social security of the country as a whole.
Therefore, and regardless of what the 30 June demonstrations produce, reality says the Moslem Brüderbund plan in Egypt and the region has failed, and this is what a small number of sensible people had warned against.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#4
POTUS will get on this as soon as he "fixes" immigration and climate change. This legislation should pass through Congress fairly quickly since no one reads bills anymore.
#5
I never get these articles. Failed? Failed to do what we wanted perhaps, but failure is a matter of goals. By their own standards they have been a rousing success.
[Pak Daily Times] Three real brothers were killed in exchange of fire between two groups over old enmity in Amdi area of Bannu on Monday. According to police sources, rival groups started firing in the area after a verbal clash, killing three real brothers. The gunnies managed to flee from the scene. Police have handed over the bodies to heirs after legal formalities and started a search for the murderers.
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An ancient statue created as an offering to the Egyptian god of death has stumped the Manchester Museum in England after a time-lapse video taken over a week-long period shows the artifact slowly spinning. I seen dis movie. It had Abbott and Costello in it.
The strange occurrence was first noticed by the statue's current caretaker, Campbell Price, who reset the relic back to its original direction after finding it askew, only to discover the statue returned to the wrong direction again the next day.
Posted by: Au Auric ||
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[Al Ahram] ''The entire responsibility [for the country] still lies in the hands of the Moslem Brüderbund,'' ultra-conservative Salafist figure Hazem Abu-Ismail said on Monday regarding recent statements by Egyptian Defence Minister Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
"The armed forces have avoided politics during the past period, yet the military's national and moral responsibility for the [Egyptian] people obliges them to intervene to stop Egypt from slipping into a dark tunnel of fighting and violence, sectarianism or the collapse of state institutions," El-Sisi declared on Sunday.
In a statement on Facebook, Abu-Ismail described the minister's comments as a "blatant effort to abort all the Egyptian people's achievements in the last two years.''
Although El-Sisi, who was appointed by President Mohamed Morsi last year, has vowed that the army would remain "at equal distance" from both of Egypt's two political camps (Islamist supporters of President Morsi and his opponents), the defence minister also recently stated that "the army's bond with the people is eternal."
One week before planned mass demonstrations on 30 June against Morsi's presidency, El-Sisi declared: "Those who think they can break this bond are mistaken. The armed forces will not stand silent any longer against repeated insults to Egypt's military institution and its symbols."
El-Sisi did not elaborate as to who exactly he was referring.
Abu-Ismail responded to the minister's assertions by saying that El-Sisi "should be stopped before it gets out of hand."
The prominent Salafist preacher -- who was disqualified from last year's presidential polls on a legal technicality -- went on to stress what he described as the "perfect harmony" between Egypt's police, army and political opposition. He added that such harmony "calls for unprecedented action."
The 'Rebel' campaign, which is supported by Egypt's opposition National Salvation Front umbrella group, has been calling for mass protests on 30 June to demand Morsi's ouster and snap presidential elections, arguing that Morsi has failed to solve Egypt's problems after one year in power.
Abu-Ismail recently condemned the 'Rebel' campaign, saying that it had "no legal or constitutional basis."
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[Pak Daily Times] Israeli warplanes hit targets in central and southern Gazoo early on Monday after Paleostinian rocket fire struck Israel, sources from both sides of the conflict said.
The raids came just hours after hard boyz fired five rockets at southern Israel, two of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the military said.
The air force "targeted terrorist infrastructure including two weapon storage facilities in the central Gazoo Strip and a rocket launch site in the southern Gazoo Strip," a statement said.
Paleostinian witnesses said the air raids hit uninhabited sites belonging to the radical Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... movement, which is currently feuding with Gazoo's Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, rulers.
Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, blamed the attack on Islamic Jihad, writing on Twitter that it had "fired five rockets into Israel" noting that the overnight raids had struck sites which "belonged to the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad."
"When Hamas wants, they know how to keep order in the Strip," a military statement said. "We believe this was an isolated incident, but will continue to follow."
No group has grabbed credit for the rocket fire but military officials quoted by the radio also pointed to Islamic Jihad.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2013
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#1
Keep pounding them, the minute rockets land in Israel.
Make it very painful every time!
[Pak Daily Times] KARACHI: An alleged hit man of coppers was killed in an encounter with West zone police in Haroonabad area of Site-B, here on Monday. As per details, West zone police conducted targeted raids on the information provided by a detainee Nisar. When police reached the criminal hideout, they shot up the police party, in retaliatory firing accused Obaidullah alias K2 sustained bullet wounds and was struck down in his prime. Police said that deceased was involved in targeting and killing at least eight coppers across the metropolis.
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[Pak Daily Times] In a major breakthrough, the Metropolitan Police Service's Counter Terrorism Command detectives investigating the murder of Dr Imran Farooq have jugged Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! a man on suspicion of hatching a conspiracy to murder the Pak politician on September 16, 2010.
The 52-year-old British citizen of Pak origin was arrested from London's Heathrow Airport on Monday morning as soon as he landed at the airport from Canada.
The detectives lay in waiting for the man whose travel trail was being monitored for a long time. The detectives were interviewing him on Monday.
Dr Farooq was on his way home from work when he was attacked outside his home in Green Lane, Edgware, by a group of Pak-looking men who killed him using a kitchen knife and bricks.
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[Al Ahram] A renewed Syrian government offensive against opposition forces is harming the chances of holding a peace conference on the conflict, Britannia's Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday.
Hague said the conflict would worsen but reaffirmed that Britannia has not yet made a decision on whether to send arms to the Syrian opposition.
He called for new efforts to bring Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... 's regime to the negotiating table with opposition rebels.
Russia and the United States agreed last month to press for a follow-up to a Geneva conference held one year ago which set out a plan for a transitional government.
But divisions between the opposition and between the international powers over the 25-month-old conflict are so wide now that many diplomats doubt that a meeting will ever be held.
"What is being done now by the regime who have embarked on fresh military offensives since it was agreed that we would have a second Geneva conference is not helping to bring that about," Hague told news hounds on the sidelines of a UN Security Council meeting he chaired.
"It places the opposition in a more difficult situation since to go to Geneva while such offensives are being conducted against them obviously is more difficult for them," he added.
"But we must not give up at all on trying to bring such a conference together. There has to be a political solution."
Hague arrived in New York from a meeting of the Friends of Syria group in Doha which agreed on Saturday to step up aid to the Syrian opposition.
He said the British parliament would debate any decision to send arms to the rebels. "We believe that the Syrian crisis is on a trajectory to get even worse," Hague warned.
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[Pak Daily Times] At least five people were killed while four others sustained injuries when two rival groups exchanged fire in Mehdiabad area of Hafizabad here on Monday due to an old enmity. According to police, members of the two rival clans opened fire on each other. Five people were killed and four maimed in the violent clash. The injured were shifted to hospital. Police attributed the incident to old rivalry between the groups. Further investigation is underway.
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[Pak Daily Times] A Bangladesh war crimes court Monday ordered a British-based Musselmen leader and a US citizen to be tried in absentia for the murder of 19 intellectuals during the 1971 war, prosecutors said.
The country's much-criticised International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) charged Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan with 11 "crimes against humanity" counts including murder, confinement, abduction and torture.
"They have been charged with the murder of 19 top intellectuals during the war. They included writers, university professors, doctors and journalists," senior prosecutor Ziad al Malum told AFP, adding both face the death penalty if convicted. Rana Dasgupta, another prosecutor, told AFP that the court "has fixed July 15 for the opening statement" in their trial. Some of the intellectuals the two men are accused of murdering, Malum said, are Sirajuddin Hossain, the executive editor of the Ittefaq daily newspaper; top playwright and Dhaka University professor Muneer Chowdhury; and the popular novelist Shahidullah Kaiser.
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#1
Bangladesh orders war crime trial of top UK Muslim
About damn time.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/25/2013 19:41
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#2
Bangladesh orders war crime trial of top UK Muslim
About damn time.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/25/2013 19:41
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[Al Ahram] The Egyptian presidency on Monday denied that there were any plans for an imminent cabinet reshuffle and reiterated that Egypt's military was not at odds with President Mohamed Morsi despite recent speculation to the contrary.
"There are no plans... for a cabinet reshuffle at present," presidential front man Omar Amer declared at a news conference held Monday night.
He went on to reiterate earlier statements that there were "no rifts" between the Egyptian Armed Forces and the presidency.
Amer's assertions follow statements made by Defence Minister Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday, in which the latter had declared that the military would intervene to stop the nation from entering a "dark tunnel" of violence and internecine strife.
Some observers interpreted El-Sisi's comments as meaning that the army intended to intervene in Egypt's ongoing political crisis, especially in the event that nationwide anti-government protests -- slated for next Sunday -- turned violent.
"All state institutions are keen to uphold the [presidency's democratic] legitimacy," Amer told news hounds.
"The National Security Council convened today with all its members present [including the defence minister]," he said. "And a Sunday meeting between the defence minister and President Morsi was held to discuss plans for securing vital government institutions" ahead of next week's planned demonstrations.
On Sunday, 30 June, Egyptian opposition forces plan to stage mass rallies to demand that Morsi step down in advance of snap presidential elections.
The replacement of Egypt's current cabinet, including Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, with a government of 'national unity' has been a longstanding demand of Egypt's opposition, which accuses the Morsi-appointed government of being beholden to Egypt's Moslem Brüderbund -- the group from which the president hails.
Amer added that President Morsi's Wednesday address to the nation would be "very important," stressing that the president would offer a number of "clarifications" regarding recent domestic political developments.
Amer, however, neither confirmed nor denied whether the speech would include the announcement of any major decisions.
Amer also used the occasion to reiterate the presidency's condemnation of Sunday's mob killing of four Egyptian Shia-Mohammedans, including local Shia leader Hassan Shehata, asserting that such acts would "not be tolerated."
"The deadly attack on Egyptian Shias is a horrible crime and is completely alien to the nation," he said. "The president has ordered that the perpetrators be brought to justice."
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06/25/2013
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#1
Hawaii Police Departmnent Big Island - Morsi Declares Dialogue And Democratic Principles - Compensation In Distressed Regions - Rioting-And Inquiry For All Sides - Coalition Invited Up To Regional Elections - Reconcilation - Egypt - ALLAHU ABAR
[AAWSAT.NET] The commander of the Egyptian armed forces, General Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, called on political parties to reach a political settlement before the planned opposition demonstrations on 30 June on Sunday, and warned that they army would not stay on the sidelines if there was a risk of chaos in the country.
General Sissi said the army's main responsibility to the nation made it imperative for the army to intervene if there was a threat that the would begin country "slipping into darkness".
Sissi pointed out that "the armed forces had avoided being drawn into the political arena, but that its national, historic and moral responsibility to the people makes it imperative that it intervenes to stop Egypt slipping into a dark tunnel of conflict, internal fighting, exchanging accusations of treason and criminality, sectarian sedition, and the collapse of institutions."
He warned against the dangers of division within the political arena following last Friday's demonstrations in support of President Mursi.
He said: "It is important to have harmony among all parties, and those who think this situation is good for the country are mistaken. It harms the country and threatens Egyptian national security."
The armed forces have kept a distance from politics since Sissi took command in August last year. He told a gathering of his officers yesterday: "They who think that we are safe from the dangers threatening our country are mistaken, and we will not watch in silence as the country slides into an uncontrollable conflict."
The armed forces governed Egypt in the period after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in February 2011 and the arrival of Mohamed Mursi in June 2012.
Sissi, whose statement is likely to increase speculation that the Egyptian army is re-entering the political arena, added: "the will of the Egyptian people's is what governs [the army], and we embrace it with honor and integrity. We are totally responsible for its protection and will not allow anyone to harm the will of the people."
Sissi continued: "It is not brave to stand aside and watch our Egyptian people being threatened and intimidated; it is better to die than allow any Egyptian to be harmed in the presence of their army." This comment was interpreted as a response to threats made by Islamists last Friday to try to prevent large numbers of people from joining the 30 June anti-president demonstrations.
He urged people to stop attacking the armed forces, warning that the army will not stay silent to these attacks. He concluded his statement by saying "the armed forces call on everyone to find a principle of understanding and communication, and genuine reconciliation, to protect Egypt and its people. We have a week in which a lot can be achieved."
Moslem Brüderbund Guidance Bureau member, Mahmoud Ghazlan told Asharq Al-Awsat that "despite the embarrassment this statement causes to the presidency, because it represents an intrusion by the army in politics, the Moslem Brüderbund does not have a problem in dealing positively with it."
Ghazlan added that "the opposition could have spared the country this embarrassment by responding to our repeated calls for reconciliation, a call made also by the presidency."
He added that the Moslem Brüderbund and its allies had shown restraint in last Friday's demonstration in support of Mursi, in which they avoided violence, adding that it was the Moslem Brüderbund who adhered to democratic values, not others.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!... Asharq Al-Awsat has learnt that leading members of the opposition Salvation Front have called for an urgent meeting to discuss the statement. They told Asharq Al-Awsat that any reconciliation talks must be preceded by a call by President Mursi for early presidential elections.
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[Al Ahram] Sudan's ex-intelligence chief Salah Gosh has been charged with plotting against the state and trying to topple the regime of President Omar al-Bashir
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[An Nahar] Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... will not step down at a proposed peace conference in Geneva but will only discuss the formation of a national unity government, the foreign minister said on Monday.
Speaking at a presser in Damascus, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem also slammed a decision by supporters of the Syrian opposition to arm the rebels, saying it would only prolong a conflict already in its 28th month.
"President Bashir al-Assad will not resign. If your condition (for talks at Geneva) is President Assad's resignation, don't bother coming," he said.
"We will head to Geneva not to hand over power to the other side... We will go to Geneva in order to set up a real partnership and a broad national unity government."
Despite supporting opposing sides in the conflict, Russia and the United States have spearheaded an initiative to hold a peace conference in Geneva.
But prospects for the conference appear dim, and it has already been pushed back from a mooted June date until July at the earliest.
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06/25/2013
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#1
Why should he ... ...???
* BIG NEWS NETWORK > [MENL] US POLICY ON SYRIA REMAINS IN CHAOS.
* TOPIX > [WSJ.com] STEPHENS: THE AGE OF AMERICAN IMPOTENCE.
Isn't US "impotence", iff not outright defeat + collapse, what anti-US Globalists + aligned intended anyway vee OWG-NWO + 9-11???
As in the Middle East + AFPAK, so also shall in be vee NUKE-WANNABE IRAN + ESPEC "POST-US", NUKE-POWER CHINA.
See below.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS >[FNA] IRAN INCREASES THE PRECISION CAPABILITIES OF ITS PERSIAN GULF [anti-Ship/Naval] BALLISTIC MISSLE.
IOW, IRAN has ASBMS/ANBMS to defend the Persian Gulf per se, in addition to the regional + extra-regional deterrence + security wrought by BFF Pakistan's LRBM nuclear firepower.
* WORLD MILITARY FORUM > US KEEPS 150,000 UNIFORMED SERVICEMEMBERS TO MAINTAIN DETERRENCE + SECURITY IN ASIA-PACIFIC. CHINA ON SCHEDULE TO BEGIN ITS CHALLENGE OF US CONTROL OF PACIFIC WATERS AFTER 2020. IN LINKAGE WID SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN, US BASE OF GUAM SERVES AS AMERICA'S
"ANCHOR" WIDIN THE VITAL "SECOND ISLAND CHAIN".
[Pak Daily Times] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Monday announced that his government would try former military dictator Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... for high treason for holding the constitution in abeyance on November 3, 2007.
Speaking in National Assembly, Prime Minister Nawaz stated that he is under oath to protect, preserve and defend the constitution and it is implicit in his oath that his government ensures that people guilty of acts under Article 6 of the constitution are brought to justice. "Musharraf will have to answer for his guilt before the court," Nawaz said in the Lower House of parliament. The maximum penalty for treason is death.
Amidst desk thumping by the treasury and opposition benches, Nawaz noted that in line with the Supreme Court's decision in the Sindh High Court Bar Associations' case, the federal government firmly subscribed to the view that holding in abeyance of the constitution on November 3, 2007 constituted an act of high treason under Article 6.
The prime minister iterated that the federal government is fully in line with the unanimous resolution passed by the Senate at a time when his party was in opposition. "Now that my party is in government and is committed to follow the high standards of rule of law, it wishes to ensure that further steps required to be taken by it are not blurred under the cloud of 'Victor's Justice'," he proclaimed. Nawaz said that he has borne the brunt of Musharraf's brazen coup, however, he assured the court and people that he will act according to the highest standards of justice and follow the due process of law.
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[Pak Daily Times] Indian priests were preparing to cremate hundreds of flood victims on Monday as heavy rains halted the helicopter search for thousands of tourists stranded in the devastated Himalayan region, officials said.
Some 1,000 people were feared dead and more than 8,000 mainly pilgrims and tourists were still awaiting rescue nine days after flash floods and landslides hit the state of Uttarakhand.
So far 580 bodies have been found after torrential monsoon rains struck the mountainous region, known as the "Land of the Gods" for its revered Hindu shrines. "Many more bodies are yet to be pulled out from isolated areas that are completely cut-off," disaster management official K N Pandey told AFP.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde warned that the corpse count could rise above 1,000 once flood waters have receded and debris is cleared by emergency workers, showing the full extent of the disaster.
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[An Nahar] Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. on Monday stressed that al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement "will remain with the army," saying the military institution did the right thing by confronting Islamist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir.
"The army offered major sacrifices and we must all embrace it," Hariri said in an interview on Future TV.
"We in the al-Mustaqbal movement will remain with the army, no matter what they are saying and no matter how much they try and our project will remain the state," he stressed.
"Let no one try to remove us from this path and we will remain firm and steadfast in this direction," he went on to say.
Hariri revealed that he has been communicating with Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji "amid this difficult situation" and saluted President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... "who followed up continuously on matters," noting that "his sovereign stances protect Leb and the Lebanese."
"The main problem in Leb is the proliferation of weapons in the hands of gangs and this problem will lead to confrontations in the country," Hariri pointed out.
"We will continue to say that arms are the main problem in the country," he added.
Addressing protesters who erupted into the streets in solidarity with al-Asir, Hariri said: "Some people are seeking problems and when they block the roads they are blocking their own roads and this is not a solution."
"The solution is not in forming groups such as Asir's group to confront the state," he stressed.
"Perhaps the method (of dealing with al-Asir) was harsh but anything against the state must be dealt with in the same manner and no one is bigger than his country, and if anyone believes the opposite, a day will come and they will ask the state for help and protection," Hariri noted.
"Today, the army made major sacrifices and it's about time we extended the the mandate of the army commander and to do something for the army instead of only praising it," he said.
He called on Sidon's residents to be "patient," hoping the southern city will restore its position.
Sixteen troops were killed and more than 50 maimed in festivities between the army and gunnies loyal to Islamist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir on Sunday and Monday.
A source close to Asir said at least five of his supporters had also been killed.
On Monday afternoon, the army stormed Asir's security zone in the Sidon suburb of Abra and jugged Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! a number of gunnies as the Islamist holy man fled to an unknown destination.
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[Al Ahram] An Egyptian presidential front man on Monday dismissed an apparent threat by the military to both Egypt's president and opposition that it would step in if political fighting descends into chaos, as president's allies prepare for another mass rally in few days to counter June 30 opposition-led demonstrations.
The front man, Ihab Fahmy, told foreign news hounds that the military's mission is guarding the borders and securing vital institutions, and that it has no intention to play any other role.
"There is a president ruling the country in a democratic way, and (through) democratic elections. We can't imagine that the army would come back," Fahmy said. "The army has one role -- protecting the borders and securing the strategic institutions. There is no political role for the army."
His remarks came a day after Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi gave the nation's Islamist rulers and their opponents a week to reach an understanding before planned June 30 opposition protests demanding resignation of President Mohammed Morsi. El-Sissi issued a toughly worded warning that the military will intervene to stop the nation from entering a "dark tunnel."
El-Sissi's statement indicated to Morsi's hard-line backers that the military will step in if protesters are attacked during their demonstrations.
June 30 marks one year since Morsi took office. Opponents charge that Morsi is monopolizing power for his Moslem Brüderbund, excluding others, while failing to make progress toward solving the country's critical problems, like economic malaise, fuel shortages, electricity blackouts and increasing unemployment. They demand that he step down and hold early presidential elections.
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#1
The military can take the govt. any time it wants. It would prefer not to do so. It is better that the Gippos have a "democratic" regime.The Country Clubs all along the avenues for majors and above will remain open , however. And the special shops for military only will still have their trade uninterrupted. Let Morsi manage the mobs.
[Pak Daily Times] 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... on Monday beheaded two Pak men convicted of armed robbery, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. The execution in the western city of Jeddah came after the two men admitted to having set up a gang to rob bank customers at gunpoint, the report said. A total of 54 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since the start of the year, according to an AFP count. In 2012, the Gulf country put 76 people to death, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... has put the number at 69.
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06/25/2013
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#1
Robbing banks at gunpoint? That seems so thuggish and antiquated especially since today most successful bank robberies occur with the stroke of a pen in hallowed halls.
[Pak Daily Times] US envoy James Dobbins on Monday said Washington was 'outraged' at how the Taliban opened an office in Qatar that was intended as a first step towards a peace deal in Afghanistan. President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... reacted furiously to the office being styled as a Taliban government-in-exile under the rebels' white flag and using the name of the 'Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan' from their hardline 1996-2001 regime. The flag and the name were the focus of a diplomatic bust-up that derailed an early stage of efforts to start peace talks as the US-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... combat mission winds down 12 years after the Taliban were ousted. "We contacted the government of Qatar, we protested and we asked them to take corrective measures and they took them," Dobbins told news hounds in Kabul. "We were outraged ourselves because it was inconsistent with the assurances we had been given and the assurances we had given... We thought the Afghan reaction was both entirely predictable and entirely justified. "The use of the Islamic Emirate title... (and) the symbols, signs and nomenclature were incompatible with what had been understood to be the arrangement." Dobbins, the US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistain, spoke to news hounds in the Afghan capital after meeting with Karzai in talks that he described as "positive and upbeat".
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06/25/2013
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#1
See also DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [AFP] US HOPEFUL OF GETTING TALIBAN PEACE TALKS BACK ON TRACK.
versus
* BIG NEWS NETWORK [BNN(ANI] CONDITIONS FOR US HAVING TALKS WID THE TALIBAN YET TO BE MET: JOHN KERRY.
* SAME > [eTN]TALIBAN: WE WILL KILL FOREIGNERS IN PAKISTAN, espec in retaliation for US Drone Strikes.
[Al Ahram] Leb's army will fight until it "finishes with" a radical Sunni sheikh whose supporters have clashed with troops, killing 12 soldiers, the security cabinet said after a meeting on Monday.
"The army has a duty... to continue its operations until it finishes with the gunnies, brings (Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir's) headquarters under control, and arrests the army's attackers," the statement said.
The statement comes after an emergency meeting, chaired by President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... , which included the commander of the Lebanese army, ministers and top security officials.
The meeting was convened to study "the progress of military operations after an attack on an army checkpoint" in Abra on the outskirts of the southern Leb city of Sidon on Sunday, the statement said.
Fierce festivities have raged in Abra since Sunday, leaving 12 troops dead, among them two officers, according to the army.
Five Assir supporters have also been killed in festivities near his headquarters in Abra, a source close to the holy man told AFP.
The army says the festivities broke out after Assir's supporters attacked a checkpoint in Abra.
Dozens of other people have been injured.
Assir was unknown just two years ago, but he gained prominence as the spillover into Leb from the conflict in neighbouring Syria has escalated.
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"Terribly sorry, but it seems the quota for Lebanese warlords has been filled."
[LATIMES] Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ...former Italian prime minister, known for his plain (for a European politician) speaking and his liking for hookers a third his age or less... was found guilty Monday of paying a minor for sex and of abuse of power in office. He was sentenced to seven years in jail and banned from public office for life.
After 50 hearings over two years, the media mogul and three-time prime minster was found guilty of paying Karima el Mahroug, a Moroccan-born dancer, for sex at his mansion outside Milan in 2010 when she was 17. Paying a minor for sex in Italia is illegal.
Berlusconi was also found guilty of using his post as prime minister to pressure police into releasing Mahroug into the care of one of his associates when the teenager was placed in durance vile Please don't kill me! on suspicion of theft that year, rather than allowing her to be placed under the supervision of local authorities.
During a series of phone calls to Milan police, Berlusconi allegedly suggested that Mahroug was a niece of then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
Despite the prison sentence, Berlusconi, 76, will remain free and be allowed to participate in politics while he appeals the verdict handed down by a panel of judges in Milan. Under Italia's three-tier legal system, he will be able to file two appeals against the sentence and will not serve any jail time until a final verdict is handed down by the Italian Supreme Court, which could take years.
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#1
Next time, Sivio, John L. Lewis gets his cut.
Posted by: Grunter in Sydney ||
06/25/2013 6:04
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[JPOST] Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday warned Paleostinians in the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-led Gazoo Strip that Israel would continue to act militarily against elements who launch missiles and rockets at the country's population centers.
Netanyahu's comments came after six rockets were fired from Gazoo into southern Israel overnight, prompting the Israel Air Force to respond with air strikes on multiple terror targets. The IDF Spokesman's office said that, while the Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... was behind the rocket attacks, Israel still holds Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from Gazoo.
"Yesterday, rockets were fired against our communities and we immediately responded," the premier said. "My policy is to harm anyone who is trying to hurt us."
Netanyahu said Israel would not permit a trickle of rocket fire to go unanswered. "Nothing will be allowed to drip or accumulate," he said.
"We have acted and will continue to act against threats that are near and far," Netanyahu said. "I believe that Jews must be able to defend themselves, by themselves, and to act with determination against any enemy that tries to harm us."
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[Al Ahram] Egypt has intensified a crackdown on smuggling tunnels between its volatile Sinai desert and the Gazoo Strip, causing a steep hike in petrol and cement prices in the Paleostinian territory.
Paleostinians involved in the tunnel business say that the campaign, which began in March and has included flooding of underground passages, was ramped up in the past two weeks before a wave of opposition-led protests in Egypt expected to start on 30 June.
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has come under political fire at home over a strong challenge to his authority by krazed killer Islamists in the Sinai who have attacked Egyptian security forces in the peninsula.
Egypt's military, struggling to fill a security vacuum in the Sinai since autocrat Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... was swept from power in 2011, has pledged to shut all tunnels under the Gazoo border, saying they are used by bully boyz on both sides to smuggle activists and weapons.
The moves against the tunnels have dashed the hopes of many Paleostinians that Mursi, a member of the Moslem Brüderbund from which Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, was born, would significantly ease Egyptian border restrictions on Gazoo, which is also subjected to blockade by Israel.
"Business is clinically dead," said Abu Bassam, who employs 40 workers in a Paleostinian tunnel network in Rafah, a town on the border. "Tunnels are almost shut down completely."
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[Pak Daily Times] KARACHI: Rangers claimed to have detained around 22 suspects in separate targeted raids and operations across various parts of the metropolis on Monday. Rangers personnel said they conducted targeted raids and operations in areas including Landhi, Shah Faisal Colony, Northern Bypass, Safora Chowk, Nusrat Bhutto Colony, Nazimabad, Ahsanabad, North Karachi and Machar Colony and captured around 22 criminals. The officials also claimed to have recovered 36 weapons of different calibers from their possession.
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[Pak Daily Times] Around 43 climbers, which included nineteen foreigners and 24 locals, were evacuated from Nanga Parbat by helicopters, while 37 suspects have been placed in durance vile Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! . Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio wondered: Where the hell was Chumbaloni? And where was his $600?... Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... has directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to ensure arrest of the gunnies behind the killings of the foreign tourists on the towering mountain. He issued the directives at the federal cabinet meeting on Monday. The cabinet had put aside its scheduled agenda and focused on Nanga Parbat killings and termed it a national tragedy. Also, China on Monday vehemently condemned the murder of three of its citizens in the attack. The Chinese embassy issued a statement condemning the attack and calling for Pakistain to "severely punish" the perpetrators besides ensuring the safety of Chinese citizens.
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#1
Mountain-climbing tourist season cancelled until further notice.
Pak Chambers of Commerce, Tourism Vendors complaining loud-n-wide to Islamabad + mighty Pak Army.
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.