Posted by: Water Modem ||
06/26/2012
16:01 ||
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#1
It was a disaster for the US and NATO to insist that the Turkish army actually be controlled by the government. It was the only thing keeping Turkey from sliding back into the Caliphate.
Because they feel they can.
A man's attempt to bring the ashes of his grandfather home to Indianapolis ended with an angry scene in a Florida airport, with the ashes spilled on the terminal floor.
John Gross, a resident of Indianapolis' south side, was leaving Florida with the remains of his grandfather -- Mario Mark Marcaletti, a Sicilian immigrant who worked for the Penn Central Railroad in central Indiana -- in a tightly sealed jar marked "Human Remains."
Gross said he didn't think he'd have a problem, until he ran into a TSA agent at the Orlando airport.
"They opened up my bag, and I told them, 'Please, be careful. These are my grandpa's ashes,'" Gross told RTV6's Norman Cox. "She picked up the jar. She opened it up.
"I was told later on that she had no right to even open it, that they could have used other devices, like an X-ray machine. So she opened it up. She used her finger and was sifting through it. And then she accidentally spilled it."
Gross says about a quarter to a third of the contents spilled on the floor, leaving him frantically trying to gather up as much as he could while anxious passengers waited behind him.
"She didn't apologize. She started laughing. I was on my hands and knees picking up bone fragments. I couldn't pick up all, everything that was lost. I mean, there was a long line behind me." I think a good requirement for being a TSA agent is that you must have a soul.
TSA rules say a crematory container in carry-on baggage must pass through the X-ray machine at the security checkpoint.
But the agency's own website says human remains are to be opened under, "no circumstances." I think that another requirement for being a TSA agent is that they should be able to read the rules.
"I want an apology," said Gross. "I want an apology from TSA. I want an apology from the lady who opened the jar and laughed at me. I want them to help me understand where they get off treating people like this." If this really happened, and it takes more than ten seconds to fire the TSA agent, then the TSA needs to go away. Pelosi thinks the TSA is just wonderful. Remember to vote.
#1
I want them to help me understand where they get off treating people like this."
Please, let me explain John. The greater portion of these urban TSA people are are little more than affirmative action, patronage employees. If you think Orlando is bad, a real treat awaits you in Atlanta.
Twenty-year-old models which have suggested serious ice loss in the eastern Antarctic have been compared with reality for the first time - and found to be wrong, so much so that it now appears that no ice is being lost at all.
"Previous ocean models ... have predicted temperatures and melt rates that are too high, suggesting a significant mass loss in this region that is actually not taking place," says Tore Hattermann of the Norwegian Polar Institute, member of a team which has obtained two years' worth of direct measurements below the massive Fimbul Ice Shelf in eastern Antarctica - the first ever to be taken.
According to a statement from the American Geophysical Union, announcing the new research:
It turns out that past studies, which were based on computer models without any direct data for comparison or guidance, overestimate the water temperatures and extent of melting beneath the Fimbul Ice Shelf. This has led to the misconception, Hattermann said, that the ice shelf is losing mass at a faster rate than it is gaining mass, leading to an overall loss of mass. The team's results show that water temperatures are far lower than computer models predicted ...
Um... It has been a while since I took a science class, but doesn't predicting something without any corroborative data to back it up a huge scientific process no-no?
Hatterman and his colleagues, using 12 tons of hot-water drilling equipment, bored three holes more than 200m deep through the Fimbul Shelf, which spans an area roughly twice the size of New Jersey. The location of each hole was cunningly chosen so that the various pathways by which water moves beneath the ice shelf could be observed, and instruments were lowered down.
The boffins also supplemented their data craftily by harvesting info from a biology project, the Marine Mammal Exploration of the Oceans Pole to Pole (MEOP) effort, which had seen sensor packages attached to elephant seals.
"Nobody was expecting that the MEOP seals from Bouvetoya would swim straight to the Antarctic and stay along the Fimbul Ice Shelf for the entire winter," Hattermann says. "But this behaviour certainly provided an impressive and unique data set."
Normally, getting sea temperature readings along the shelf in winter would be dangerous if not impossible due to shifting pack ice - but the seals were perfectly at home among the grinding floes.
Overall, according to the team, their field data shows "steady state mass balance" on the eastern Antarctic coasts - ie, that no ice is being lost from the massive shelves there. The research is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
This is good news indeed, as some had thought that huge amounts of ice were melting from the region, which might mean accelerated rates of sea level rise in future. Can we sue Al Gore and his ilk for fraud now?
#6
1. That should have been 'no net melting' not 'not melting'
2. The Antarctic Ice Shield (counting both continental and shelf ice) has been greater than normal for most of the past 6 years or so. Some global circulation theories posit that this has led to a slight north displacement of the tropical convergence zone which in turn has led to a north displacement of the mean mid lat jet stream which has led to some warmer than normal weather in the US in the past 6 years, especially the past 12 months or so.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/26/2012 19:42
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The chairman of the House oversight committee investigating White House involvement in the botched "gun-walking" program that led to the 2010 death of U.S. Border Patrol agent accused President B.O. on Monday of downplaying his involvement in the program or intentionally obstructing the Congress' inquiry.
Rep. Darrel Issa's letter to Obama questioned the legal basis of the White House move to withhold subpoenaed documents from the Government Reform and Oversight Committee under protections afforded Obama by executive privilege. The Justice Department denied Issa's committee the subpoenaed documents last week, prompting the GOP-led committee to vote along party lines to hold Attorney General Eric Inaction Jackson Holder in contempt of Congress.
The full House is scheduled to consider the contempt citation this week. The White House contends it's legally entitled to withhold documents related to internal deliberations on policy and advisory discussions among Obama's senior advisers. It was the first time Obama, who pledged a new era of government transparency, has exerted executive privilege.
Issa said the assertion of executive privilege, which occurred after 16-months of negotiations between his committee and Justice officials over documents related to the gun-walking program called Fast and Furious, raised two troubling questions.
#3
I suspect the trail will eventually lead back to the Hildebeast and Slick. Ever since Vince ate his pistol [that was the story anyway].... she simply hates firearms.
How about starting in the White House political offices? It's obvious to everyone it was Obama butt-boys that leaked to teh NYTimes to make Champ look like a "strong leader" bwahahahah
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/26/2012
09:51 ||
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#1
Nice bit of political redirection General Clapper.
#2
Republicans on Capitol Hill aren't backing down on their calls for Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate a series of National Security leaks of highly classified information to the press in what many think was an effort to make President Obama look tough on foreign policy. According to long time Democrat Pat Caddell, the man known in Washington as "the leaker in chief," political operative and now Obama national security adviser Tom Donilon.
#4
Officials at the CIA, FBI and other intelligence agencies will be given expanded polygraph tests under a new Obama administration directive aimed at stamping out national-security leaks.
Yup, nothing like a red herring being thrown out for a head fake. If the leak is high up in the WH, what good would it do to polygraph lower level people not in the loop unless it is for mis-direction or re-direction? This has been BO's MO for a long time--make it look like something is happening when in fact nothing is being done.
#6
Polygraphs are routine for certain people with special accesses to compartmentalized information, or PRP duties. It comes with the job, and you hate them but learn to deal with them every few years.
#9
1) Polygraphs will be nothing but fabricated drama. I was asked once to take a polygraph. If your fingers twitch or if your pulse rate goes up while answering those answers are deemed a lie. Problem was, a hot moma was giving the test so I refused to take it on grounds of being smitten already.
2) Obama is trying his best to close curtins to true government operations. He is then to create a trully closed society if he can. Gas prices are down. Rumors are he made a sectret deal with the Saudies. He told no one of that negotiation that impacts every American. Very, Very disturbing if the rumors are true.
#10
Penn & Teller had a bit on Polygraphs on their show Bull$hit. Basically they are unreliable. Pucker your bum when the do the base-line questions and for some reason your chances of passing increase dramatically. That and a lot of it is based on the test giver guessing or insinuating why.
They also mentioned an odd connection. The guy that invented Wonder Woman wither her lasso that makes you tell the truth also invented the lie detector test. Strange world.
#2
[A]ny attempted rapprochement between Egypt and Iran would infuriate the Saudis and the rest of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. Their anger is unlikely to be limited to words. It is also likely to include withholding much needed economic aid and investment in Egypt.
That's never stopped Arabs from doing stupid things before.
#3
They share a common objective - the toppling of the Gulf monarchies. Whereas the Gulf regimes are unlikely to subsidize their own destruction, Iran will certainly be very glad to supply the money, if Egypt will supply the Sunni Arab volunteers, to fund terror attacks against the Gulf states, as well as infiltration and recruitment efforts among Saudi troops and civilian government officials, efforts which would be better received coming from fellow Sunni Arabs like Egyptians. The Japanese and German empires seemed to get on reasonably well during WWII despite mutually exclusive notions of racial supremacy, although geography limited the extent of their cooperation.
Nine paramilitary rangers were injured by a bomb explosion on a road in Narathiwat province on Tuesday. They were among members of a regiment travelling by bus after being relieved.
As the bus was about the cross a bridge, a bomb concealed on a tricycle parked on the road was detonated. The explosion damaged the bus and wounded nine of the rangers, who were admitted to the hospital.
A former U.S. president is accusing the current president of sanctioning the "widespread abuse of human rights" by authorizing drone strikes to kill suspected terrorists.
Jimmy Carter, America's 39th president, denounced the Obama administration for "clearly violating" 10 of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, writing in a New York Times op-ed on Monday that the "United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights."
"Instead of making the world safer, America's violation of international human rights abets our enemies and alienates our friends," Carter wrote. We still have friends?
While the total number of attacks from unmanned aircraft, or drones, and the resulting casualties are murky, the New America Foundation estimates that in Pakistan alone 265 drone strikes have been executed since January 2009 . Those strikes have killed at least 1,488 people, at least 1,343 of them considered militants, the foundation estimates based on news reports and other sources. Let's see: 1,488 people - 1,343 terrorists = 1,000,000 innocent civilians.
In addition to the drone strikes, Carter criticized the current president for keeping the Guantanamo Bay detention center open, where prisoners "have been tortured by waterboarding more than 100 times or intimidated with semiautomatic weapons, power drills or threats to sexually assault their mothers." Ridiculous. I doubt you could even pay any red-blooded american to assault their mothers. But give this coming depression a chance and maybe that will change. The former president blasted the government for allowing "unprecedented violations of our rights to privacy through warrantless wiretapping and government mining of our electronic communications." Sounds a lot like Ron Paul. If Jimmy is making sense, he's definitely starting to lose it.
He also condemned recent legislation that gives the president the power to detain suspected terrorists indefinitely, although a federal judge blocked the law from taking effect for any suspects not affiliated with the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"This law violates the right to freedom of expression and to be presumed innocent until proved guilty, two other rights enshrined in the declaration," Carter said. Yikes! Did a Democrat just use the term "enshrined in the Declaration"? Maybe enshrined means that that passage just happens to align with his goals at the moment.
While Carter never mentioned Obama by name, he called out "our government" and "the highest authorities in Washington," and urged "concerned citizens" to "persuade Washington to reverse course and regain moral leadership." Moral leadership? Not enough time.
Article 51 of the UN charter, which the US has signed, allows countries the right of self defense but requires the country to report to the SC of the UN when doing so. I doubt whether the US has done this or if it has, it was clear that our self defense would be on going and against non state actors. Of course the UN charter did not imagine transnational forces and of course the UN charter did not understand the potential for violence inherent in Islamism.
Posted by: lord garth ||
06/26/2012 7:52
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#3
Jimmy worried about keeping that bottom spot in the ratings for Presidents with the ongoing efforts by Obama?
#4
I consider the UN to have broken it's charter after what it did to Israel for the past 50+ years. They are a pack of vermin, and should be kicked out of this country and our money wasted on it returned.
#5
The only abuse I can see Jimmy is Obama's abuse of all America-loving citizens. Oh, and your abuse of Americans by your cockamamie, fuzzy-headed idiotic notions and incessant chatter that you consider profound thought.
#14
Gorb, that act would give him a Heart-Attack I'm sure. The Secret Service wouldn't allow it to happen. I think. Lately I've lost my solid-faith in the Service.
Posted by: Charles ||
06/26/2012 17:58
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#15
Speaking of "constant reminders" of someone's existence.......
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
01:08 ||
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#1
Fred,
Did Sitemeter do anything strange this week? Each time I visit a site using it, I get a prompt to log in. I decline, of course, and nothing important happens, It is jarring though.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
06/26/2012 6:31
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It's happening with all sites with Sitemeter. I haven't seen any announcement from the culpruit, yet.
Eleanor Parker aka Ann in "Between Two Worlds (1944)" aka Ruth Hartley in "Pride of the Marines (1945)" aka Ellen Gayley in "Never Say Goodbye (1946)" aka Sally Middleton in "The Voice of the Turtle (1947)" aka Mildred Rogers in "Of Human Bondage (1946)" aka Marie Allen in "Caged (1950)" aka Mary McLeod in "Detective Story (1951)" aka Joanna in "The Naked Jungle (1954)" aka Zosch Machine in "The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)" aka Lucey Tibbets in "Above and Beyond (1952)" (age 90)
Linda Cardellini aka Nurse Samantha Taggart in "ER (20032009)" aka Samantha in "Grandma's Boy (2006)" aka Velma in "Scooby-Doo (2002)" aka Genevieve Gage in "Strangeland (1998)" aka Melissa in "The Prince and the Surfer (1999)" aka Shelly Hunter in "The Unsaid (2001)" aka Natalie Coolidge in "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004)" aka Julie Ingram in "The Lazarus Project (2008)" aka Kelli in "Return (2011)" (age 37)
A Syrian general, two colonels, two majors, one lieutenant and 33 soldiers have defected from President Bashar Assad's forces and arrived in Turkey, Turkish state television said on Monday, without giving any further details.
The private news channel CNN Turk also reported the defections of the soldiers, but said they had arrived with members of their families, making a total of 224 individuals.
#1
Sounds like a little get even news. Lost a plane and then they attack Kurds followed with this news. I am disinclined to acquiesce to much of the news from this area of the world.
[Yemen Post] The British Broadcast Company (BBC) reported citing military sources in Yemen that a US drone on Monday morning targeted two vehicles belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked forces of Evil in the southern port city of Aden.Yemen Post could not independently verify the strikes.
The sources said that the drone attack left some forces of Evil killed and others injured as they were traveling in the cars coming from the neighboring Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... province of which the forces of Evil have been driven out by the armed and security forces early this month.They, however, did not pinpoint how many of al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the drone. They expected a big shot in the terror organization to be among the dead but refused to mention his name, said the international news agency.The US drones triggered controversy in the country with some analysts arguing that the drones might have helped more people to join al-Qaeda after losing innocent relatives who were killed mistakenly by drones.However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... Washington has repeatedly stressed the importance of the drones, saying that they helped US kill faceless myrmidons whom otherwise the world biggest power would have been unable to get rid of.Last year, a dronezap has assassinated the infamous American-Yemeni holy manAnwar al-Awlaki ... Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, zapped in Yemen, al-Awlaki was a dual citizen of the U.S. and Yemen. He was an Islamic holy man who was a trainer for al-Qaeda and its franchises. His sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, by Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hussein, and Undieboomer Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He was the first U.S. citizen ever placed on a CIA target list... , who was placed on the top of American wanted list as he was accused of having directly planned attacks against US interests including the Detroit-bound airliner plot which had been foiled.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[Iran Press TV] Syria has warned NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... against conspiring with Turkey against Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... in their upcoming meeting on the shooting down by Syria of a Turkish jet fighter.
Syrian Foreign Ministry front man Jihad Makdissi said on Monday that the Turkish F-4 jet had "violated Syrian illusory sovereignty'' and that the country's military response was an act of self-defense. He also said that the plane failed to indentify itself.
''The Turkish warplane violated Syrian airspace, and in turn Syrian air defenses fired back and the plane crashed inside Syrian territorial waters," Makdissi told a news conference in Damascus, adding that Syria is committed to good neighborly relations with Turkey and that the side which has damaged bilateral relations between the two countries is not Damascus.
His remarks came as NATO ambassadors are due to discuss the shooting down of the Turkish jet fighter in an emergency meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. Ankara claims that the plane was on above international waters, while admitting that it may have briefly violated Syrian airspace.
"If the goal of the meeting (on Tuesday) is to calm the situation and promote stability, we wish it success." But "if the goal of the meeting is aggression, we say that Syrian airspace, territory and waters are sacred for the Syrian army, just as Turkish airspace, territory and waters are sacred for the Turkish army," Makdissi said.
He also said that the wreckage of the Turkish F-4 jet has been found, which proves that it had been shot down within Syrian waters.
"Unfortunately, we didn't find the pilots but we did find the wreckage of the jet fighter," Makdissi said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[An Nahar] A rescue plane searching for a Turkish fighter jet that had been shot down over the eastern Mediterranean was itself placed in the crosshairs by the Syrian military, a European diplomat told Agence La Belle France Presse on Monday.
The Turkish army Casa CN-235, a twin-propeller transport, was targeted by a Syrian ground-to-air defense system as it looked Friday for the F4 Phantom jet that had been downed earlier with its crew of two, said the diplomat.
"When a plane is targeted by such a defense system, the pilots are warned by their instruments that they are targeted," added the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... . But the plane was not shot at, he noted.
The source was not able to say if the plane was in Syrian or international airspace when the Syrian radar locked on to it.
On Sunday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu briefed diplomats from EU and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... member states about the incident and held a second round of meetings with diplomats from other countries.
Turkey, a former ally of Syria, called for an emergency NATO meeting Tuesday after accusing Damascus ...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world... of shooting down its jet in international airspace.
Davutoglu said in televised remarks Sunday that the F4 was unarmed and was fired on after it had left Syrian airspace.
Turkey says the jet stayed over Syrian airspace for three minutes and Syria says it was five minutes, the European diplomat told AFP.
He also said it was hard to figure out what happened on Friday because Turkey is not a party to the Montego Bay Convention of 1982 on the law of the sea because of its territorial disputes with neighboring Greece.
Rescue teams are still searching for the wreckage of the Phantom 1,300 meters (4,000 feet) down in Syrian waters. Turkish diplomatic sources said it was still unclear if the pilots had ejected and the search was continuing.
Turkey mobilized efforts to find the wreckage with one coasties vessel, two frigates, four high-speed boats, five helicopters and several aircraft including the one targeted by Syria, the European diplomat noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
See also WAFF > NEW EVIDENCE REGARDING THE MISSIONS OF RF-4'S.
ARTIC > Greek Newspaper "Dimokratia" claims that the destroyed Turkish RF-4 was actually attempting to recce = "spy" on [South?]CYPRUS' ADS-Network, espec as per the AD Drill labeled "Dimatra"; NO NATO-ORDERED MISSION TO SPY OR HARASS SYRIA.
[Saudi Gazette] The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation's executive committee has recommended suspending Syria's membership in the pan-Moslem grouping, it said in a statement Monday.
The committee has "recommended to the meeting of the council of foreign ministers to be held in Djibouti the suspension of Syria's membership in the OIC in light of the bloody events taking place in the country," said the statement that followed a meeting late Sunday.
"Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face... supported the recommendation," the statement quoted foreign ministry undersecretary for bilateral relations Prince Turki Bin Mohammad as saying.
"The meeting must take decisive and strong action after the failure of half solutions and all efforts to stop the massacres against the Syrian people," Prince Turki said.
The OIC committee also urged the UN Security Council "to assume its full responsibilities to put an end to the violence and bloodshed taking place in Syria."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[Pak Daily Times] The local faction of the Taliban on Monday imposed a ban on administering polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... vaccinations in South Wazoo Agency (SWA) and its adjacent localities. They said that the ban would remain intact until the US-led drone and spy attacks ended in the Tribal Areas.
This was stated in a pamphlet, which was distributed in Wana bazaars against the polio vaccination drive. As per the pamphlet, international NGOs were driving fake vaccination campaigns to spy for the US and its allied forces in Tribal Areas.
They argued that Dr Shakil Afridi helped the US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... forces to hold Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... operation. Besides, several innocents were being killed by US drone attacks in North and South Waziristan, adding due to massive drone attacks, the locals had become "mentally sick".
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
hopefully they can make iron lungs from the JDAM carcasses. Happy Ramadan
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/26/2012 0:10
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#2
This is so Blazing Saddles (don't move or the nigger gets it) as to be beyond parody.
[Nigerian Tribune] PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... said on Monday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, that the resort to do-or-die politics by some politicians is fuelling the rage of terrorism in the country, as he declared that politicians needed to return to politics without bitterness as practised by the late Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim.
The president, who stated this while declaring open the 2012 Senate Retreat in Uyo, said that politics of bitterness had become a source for the rising wave of terrorism. He said that the Federal Government needed the cooperation of the Senate and the House of Representatives to tackle the menace.
According to the president, different causes had been adduced for the rising wave of terrorism but that government had come to the conclusion that stronger laws needed to be put in place to tackle the menace. He attributed the emergence and upsurge of terrorist activities in the country to some "do- or-die politicians."
"Whatever the causes of the crisis, the solution lies in stronger laws, fear of God, transparency and accountability," he said.
The president further stated: "I tell all Nigerians that if God did not will it, we will not be a country today. Our unity is our strength. Those who want to weaken us through the axis of hate are perpetuating the crisis."
At the retreat with the theme, "The National Assembly and National Security: Securing the Future for Development," Jonathan observed that unguarded remarks and statements by 'do-or-die' politicians had led to destruction of several lives and properties in the northern part of the country. He warned that such politicians must stop fanning the embers of ethnicity and religious extremism.
The president, who sought the cooperation of the National Assembly in tackling terrorism, said that the laws needed to be reviewed. According to him, the lawyers would say that it was right for nine criminals to go scot-free than for a just man to be punished, but according to him, such laws were creating problems for security agencies, adding that "our laws need to be reviewed."
The President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, while speaking at the retreat warned the North to be wary of those promoting religious fundamentalism and ideology, adding that the activities of the Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... sect were capable of breaking up Nigeria.
He declared that the rising wave of kabooms in the North was due largely to "religious fundamentalism and ideology."
According to him, the ominous silence of the northern elders was also bad for the polity.
"If the elders in the North cannot speak out and stop this menace, let them tell us. Let them come out and say so boldly, because the belief out there is that some elders know about these people and decide to keep quiet. If care is not taken, the way things are going, if the Boko Haram menace is not halted, it can lead to break-up of Nigeria, because there is an extent to which the people can take it."
He said that Christians should refrain from engaging in retaliation, because vengeance belongs to God.
Mark stated, however, that that it was becoming increasingly difficult for Christian religious leaders to hold their followers from seeking vengeance because churches were being destroyed on a weekly basis.
"If a preacher wants to preach to his followers that they should not seek vengeance, by the time his church is destroyed where will he stay to preach non-violence?" Mark said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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Beautiful Downtown Peshawar - Pakistain said on Monday that seven soldiers had their heads chopped off by Islamist cut-throats who infiltrated from Afghanistan, lashing out at Kabul over cross-border attacks.
The protests come with Pakistain under growing US pressure to act against al-Qaeda-linked safe havens on its own soil and the anti-terror Islamabad-Washington alliance at its lowest ebb since the 9/11 attacks.
Pakistain already reported that six soldiers were killed in shootouts with cut-throats on Sunday who crossed from Afghanistan into the north-western district of Upper Dir, a key border transit route that neighbours the Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... valley where Pakistain defeated a local Taliban insurgency in 2009.
Intelligence officials blamed the attack on loyalists of Pak holy man Maulana Fazlullah, who fled to Afghanistan after losing control of Swat to the army.
But on Monday, the military said 11 soldiers had also gone missing, "out of whom seven soldiers have been reportedly killed and then beheaded".
Attacked
The bodies have not been found, but intelligence intercepts indicated that they had been killed, a senior military official said.
The army said more than 100 cut-throats "from a safe haven across the border" attacked troops on patrol. It claimed to have killed 14 bad boys.
Pakistain said two rockets and sniper fire were also fired into Lower Dir on Monday.
The army "has strongly protested with their counterparts across the border for not taking action against myrmidons present in safe haven in Afghanistan", a military official said.
Pakistain's new prime minister on Monday also condemned the attacks and said he would discuss the matter with 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... "Pakistain has strongly protested with Afghanistan on the cross-border attacks and I will also take up this issue with Karzai," Raja Pervez Ashraf told news hounds in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... His office, however, did not elaborate on when such a conversation might take place.
Pak troops have been bogged down for years fighting local Taliban but have resisted US pressure to carry out a sweeping offensive against Afghan Taliban fighters in its North Wazoo tribal area.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta ...current SecDef, previously Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta served as President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993.... warned Islamabad earlier this month that Washington was running out of patience over terror safe havens.
Double game
Islamabad imposed a blockade, now in its seventh month, on overland NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... supplies into Afghanistan since US air strikes killed 24 Pak soldiers along the Afghan border on 26 November.
Pakistain was the Taliban's chief backer when the militia was in power, and is accused by both Kabul and Washington of continuing to play a double game in supporting the insurgency despite its official US alliance.
Paks have sought to deflect some of pressure, by saying the country has suffered more than any other from terrorism, and accuse Kabul and Washington of trying to find a scapegoat for the 10-year war in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan and Pakistain have long blamed each other for Taliban violence plaguing both sides of their porous, mountainous border.
Pakistain says rebels have regrouped in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan and US officials want Pakistain to eliminate Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked havens used to launch attacks in Afghanistan.
Warning from Putin: Visiting Russian president cautions Israel against hasty military action in Iran, says 'look at what happened to the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan'
Putin's comments were made in a meeting with Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, after Israel's president asked the visiting leader to speak out on the Iran issue.
"Look at what happened to the Americans in Afghanistan and in Iraq. I told Obama the same thing," the visiting president said in a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, cautioning against hasty military action. "There is no need to do things too quickly; one should not act without thinking first."
"Iraq has a pro-Iranian regime after everything that has happened there. These things should be thought out ahead of time before doing something one will regret later," he said. "One should not act prematurely."
'Russia wants peace for Israel'
Earlier in the evening, Putin said that his country "has a national interest in guaranteeing peace and tranquility for Israel."
The Russian president noted that the former Soviet Union supported the State of Israel's establishment, adding that his talks earlier Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were constructive and pertained to the need to boost strategic ties between the two countries.
#1
The two seem to have gotten along well. This in contrast with Obama and Germany's Merkel. Merkel is so difficult with him. His macho ways are an anathema to her in my opinion. Many in and out of Russia don't like Putin but he does seem to be a true leader.
#4
Hey he needs to maximize his sales of crappy arms...
Posted by: Water Modem ||
06/26/2012 12:04
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#5
"Peres added that "the Iranian people are not our enemy. Israel does threaten their existence. It is Iran's current regime that identifies itself as an enemy of Israel and a threat to its existence." Look at the picture in Drudge. Times are changing. Putin reminds me of Tito. I believe he will balance things to the common good in the area.
#9
Translation: Wait for the checks to clear first, please!
Posted by: Charles ||
06/26/2012 18:03
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#10
"Once Tel Aviv disappears under a mushroom cloud, and you can PROVE the bomb came from Iran, then you can bring up your concerns with the United Nations. They will certainly take your problems seriously"
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
06/26/2012 18:15
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(Sh.M.Network) -- The Minister of Defense for Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia Hussein Arab Isse, promised Monday to expand fight against Al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... hard boyz in south-central Somalia.
The Minister told news hounds on Monday that the coalition forces [Somali and AMISOM] operating in south and central Somalia made much progress in fighting Al Qaeda affiliated Al shabab fighters.
Minister Isse explained the TFG's objective is to wipe out Al-Shabaab hard boyz all from south and central strongholds of Somalia, in order to restore peace and order throughout in the country soon.
The coalition of forces fighting Al-Shabaab includes Æthiopian, Kenyan, and AMISOM troops who have recently been effective in forcing Al-Shabaab to retreat several strategic towns in Somalia, mainly Mogadishu last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[Dawn] Gunmen on cycle of violences shot up the offices of a television news channel in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... on Monday, wounding two people, including a security guard, police officials said.
The gunnies fled after the attack, which targeted the building of local news channel Aaj TV, police said.
The Pak Taliban grabbed credit for the shooting, and threatened attacks against other television channels that did not feature the Taliban point of view.
"We had informed the management of Aaj TV to include our view on issues, but the channel had become a mouthpiece of the government," Ehsanullah Ehsan, front man for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), told Rooters.
"Geo TV is going to be our next target if they do not change their behaviour towards us. They have been using very bad language against the mujahideen."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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Top|| File under: TTP
Unknown gunnies on Monday attacked al-Jadeed television's headquarters in the Beirut neighborhood of Wata el-Msaytbeh, opening fire on the building, hurling Molotov bombs and setting fire to tires.
"Masked attackers assaulted the employees and burned tires after trying to storm the building," al-Jadeed news director Mariam al-Bassam told MTV.
"Four masked gunnies opened fire outside al-Jadeed's building and hurled Molotov bombs that caused a fire in the building's entrance," reported LBC television.
The Internal Security Forces' Intelligence Bureau managed to arrest one of the attackers, identifying him as Wissam Alaeddine.
"According to preliminary investigations, Wissam Alaeddine, who has been set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! for attacking al-Jadeed television, has a criminal record," al-Jadeed reported.
Al-Jadeed said Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... telephoned the channel, condemning the attack and stressing that Alaeddine is not a member of AMAL Movement.
Speaking to news hounds outside al-Jadeed's building, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said "Wissam Alaeddine has a criminal record and he has recently been engaged in a spat with army intelligence agents."
Charbel vowed to arrest the rest of the attackers.
For his part, Information Minister Walid al-Daouq condemned the attack during a telephone interview with al-Jadeed, calling on the judiciary to take the relevant measures.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[An Nahar] Fighting between the army and troops who have deserted resumed Monday, after a week of relative calm, in the eastern Nord-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, mutineers said.
The armed forces (FARDC) "are starting to attack us with heavy weaponry on a hill close to Mbuzi", one of the three hills where the mutineers have set up strongholds, said Lieutenant-Colonel Vianney Kazarama, front man for the deserters, who have formed a March 23 Movement (M23).
Before returning fire, "we are waiting; we are going to talk to partners. We're informing MONUSCO (the UN mission in DR Congo) to tell them that the FARDC should cease attacks to give a chance" to young people to take their high school graduation exams in "serenity", Kazarama added.
High school exams begun Monday throughout the whole of the vast central African country. The government announced that it had taken steps to enable young people in the Rutshuru territory, where the fighting began more than a month ago, to take the exams in spite of the festivities.
"We have gathered all those who are in the zone of unrest between Jomba and surrounding places, in Bunagana," on the border with Uganda, where they will benefit from "the protection of the army and MONUSCO," government front man Lambert Mende told AFP.
Fighting began in May between the FARDC and former rebels of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), who deserted military ranks in protest at what they called bad treatment.
They demanded the full implementation of peace accords signed on March 23, 2009, under which they were integrated into military ranks.
The festivities between M23 and the army have displaced more than 200,000 people, while 20,000 others have fled across borders into neighboring Rwanda and Uganda.
"Even those" pupils who fled into Uganda have "come back to take their exam at Bunagana", Mende said.
M23 has asked the army to "abstain from any war initiative" during the exams so that pupils can "tackle this test peacefully", according to a communiqué dated Sunday and signed by the leader of the movement, Colonel Sultani Makenga.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[Iran Press TV] Spain has formally demanded a rescue bailout of up to 100 billion euros (USD 125 billion) in aid from the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... to save its ailing banking system.
In a letter released on Monday, Spain's Finance Ministry made the formal request from its 16 eurozone partners.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
Begging does NOT mean you'll get it.
It's only humbling.(And pisspoor politics)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/26/2012 8:00
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#2
when it comes to independent, self-sufficient peoples.........
(Sh.M.Network)--Hundreds of US military troops have been deployed in Somalia for secret operations in the capital Mogadishu.
At least 390 American troops have been training local soldiers secretly in Somali training bases over the past two months, Somali military sources said on Sunday.
Somali military officer Abdiwahab Mohamed Ali told Press TV that at least 390 American forces, including 38 officers have secretly reached the Mogadishu international airport.
The American troops have also set up secret jails in the country and inject dangerous drugs to Somali soldiers, according to sources.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
good thing we're hearing about it. I suppose sooper-leader Obama the Fearless ordered this? Shhhhh . It's a seeecret
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/26/2012 0:06
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#5
If Obama is so set on getting involved in attempting to settle mindless Afri tribal conflicts, why not begin at home with the South Side of Chicago.
#7
Would those dangerous drugs we're injecting be vaccines by any chance? or antibiotics? Of course we might be injecting a clue into their brains. That would be dangerous.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
06/26/2012 11:56
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#8
It's a practice run before entering Chicago, Besoeker.
A bomb squad neutralized an bomb planted on a car in a Karmiel shopping center. The police have launched an investigation, arresting two 20-year-old residents of the Arab-Israeli town.
ATF leader's email could be Fast and Furious smoking gun and Holder admitted Obama can't shield it.
A single internal Department of Justice email could be the smoking-gun document in the Operation Fast and Furious scandal -- if it turns out to contain what congressional investigators have said it does.
The document would establish that wiretap application documents show senior DOJ officials knew about and approved the gunwalking tactic in Fast and Furious. This is the opposite of what Attorney General Eric Holder and House oversight committee ranking Democratic member Rep. Elijah Cummings have claimed.
It appears that email would also prove senior DOJ officials, likely including Holder himself, knew in March 2011 that a Feb. 4, 2011 letter from the DOJ to Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley falsely denied guns were permitted to "walk" into Mexico. The DOJ allowed that false letter to stand for nine more months, only withdrawing it in December 2011.
During the June 24 broadcast of Fox News Sunday, House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa cited the email as a "good example" of a specific document his committee knows Holder is hiding from Congress.
"The ATF director, Kenneth Melson, sent an e-mail. And he had said to us in sworn testimony that, in fact, he had concerns," Issa said. "And we want to see that e-mail because that's an example where he was saying, if we believe his sworn testimony, that guns walked. And he said it shortly after February 4, and [on] July 4. When he told us that, we began asking for that document."
But the details of it surfaced first when Grassley mentioned it for the first time publicly during a June 12 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where Holder was testifying.
"He [Melson] immediately sent an email warning others, 'back off the letter to Sen. Grassley in light of the information in the affidavits,'" Grassley explained.
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Grassley pressed Holder on the question of how DOJ had the authority to withhold Melson's email from Congress, a full week before President Obama indicated that he would invoke executive privilege to shield requested documents. At that time, Holder claimed the Melson email would not be protected by executive privilege.
"On what legal ground are you withholding that email?" He asked. "The president can't claim executive privilege to withhold that email, is that correct?"
"Well, let me just say this: We have reached out to Chairman Issa to work our way through these issues," Holder filibustered. "We have had sporadic contacts and we are prepared to make -- I am prepared to make -- compromises with regard to the documents that can be made available. There is a basis for withholding these documents if they deal with the deliberative ..."
"But not on executive privilege?" Grassley interrupted.
A political analyst says American banks and corporations have launched an all-out war against the country's working class, Press TV reports.
"The reality of the situation is that there is an all-out war on working people being waged by the huge banks and corporations," Ralph Schoenman said in an interview with Press TV.
"We've just seen a scandal in Washington focused around the fact that J P Morgan Chase has been pursuing precisely the policies of speculative paper shuffling through derivatives involving endless billions of dollars, which are acknowledged, in fact dwarfing what was being done in 2008 at the time of the last great crash," he added.
"In that setting in which banks are profiteering as never before and which in fact off-shoring of huge assets on the part of banks and corporations is a standard every day event, the people of the United States, the people who work for a living, the people who are trying to hold onto the homes are in crisis mode," Schoenman explained.
The analyst also noted that the US economy is in freefall because wages as a percent of the economy are at an all time low.
Schoenman blamed the Democratic Party and US President Barack Obama On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today... "for the vast escalation of this war on working people."
The analyst warned that the current financial crisis is deep and endemic.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
Ralph Schoenman == A peacenik so odious not even his girlfriend Bertrand Russel could stand him.
Even the Iranians kicked his ass out of Iran after the revolution.
#2
Schoenman's yet another drooling Old Lefty who's still waiting for an American socialist revolutionary vanguard for him to stand at the front of. That being said, I'd still like to see the Trunks take more notice of Sarah Palin's critique of crony capitalism:
This is not the capitalism of free men and free markets, of innovation and hard work and ethics, of sacrifice and of risk...its the collusion of big government and big business and big finance to the detriment of all the rest to the little guys. Its a slap in the face to our small business owners the true entrepreneurs, the job creators accounting for 70 percent of the jobs in America.
I don't like Dodd-Frank, and I definitely don't like Obamacare. But I wouldn't mind seeing Glass-Steagall resurrected, and for damn sure I'd love to see Goldman Sachs smashed into a thousand pieces and scattered to the winds, its executives perp-walked into Supermax cells.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
06/26/2012 0:26
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#3
The leftists alternate between "We've got to vote for the socialists!" and then "Both sides are too beholden to their corporatist masters!" when socialism turns out _exactly_ the way everyone from Bastiat through Hayek to Friedman says it does.
#6
The Donks are not about NASCAR. Their hearts and ideology are just not there. They need to continue on with their snobbish, snotty, elitist jerk Hollywood $40K/plate dinners and $3 raffles for the "little people". They need to continue on with their solicitation of money, boodle, wedding presents, silverware, china, birthday presents, heirlooms, jewelery, etc. Maybe they should stand at the border and charge so much a head for illegal immigrants as they head north.
[Iran Press TV] The Cypriot government has announced that it is seeking a bailout from the European Union, citing exposure to Greek economy as the cause. The country on Monday informed European authorities of its decision to submit to euro member states a request for financial assistance, according to a statement by the country's European Union embassy in Brussels.
Isn't Israel digging them some off-shore gas wells that will generate pots and pots of money?
Posted by: Fred ||
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[An Nahar] A group of Omani rights activists incarcerated Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! in early June for demanding political reforms in the country have been charged with defamation and illegal gatherings, their lawyer said on Monday.
Fourteen activists, including bloggers, writers and lawyers, were charged with participating in "illegal gatherings and blocking roads," said Yacoub al-Harithi after the court hearing in the capital Muscat.
Three of them were also charged with "defaming sultan" Qaboos, the country's ruler, a much more serious charge which according to Harithi falls within the category of "state security crimes."
He said that a total of 36 Omanis were incarcerated Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! for anti-government actions since the beginning of June. Fourteen of them appeared in court on Monday, 12 of the accused were set free, and 10 others remain in detention without charge.
The 14 defendants will appear in court Wednesday for a "final defense," a decision that triggered anger among the lawyers because of the "very short time period granted for the lawyers to study the case," said Harithi.
Earlier in June, Gay Paree-based watchdog Reporters without Borders urged Oman to release the activists.
"We deplore the illegal and random nature of these arrests. We ask the authorities to release the bloggers immediately and unconditionally and to call a halt to arbitrary arrests," RSF said.
Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... also urged Omani authorities to "immediately" release the activists.
"Instead of listening, Omani authorities are arresting and prosecuting them to silence them," said HRW's Deputy Middle East director Joe Stork.
Oman was hit by a wave of protests last year demanding political reforms and riot police dispersed the demonstrations with force, killing several activists and arresting many others.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[An Nahar] Another general and some 30 soldiers have fled to Turkey from neighboring Syria and joined the swelling ranks of rebel soldiers based close to the border, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday.
The defection brought to 13 the number of generals seeking refuge in Turkey since the revolt against Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad's Light of the Alawites... regime erupted 16 months ago.
In addition to the general, two colonels and some 30 soldiers flanked by their families crossed into Turkey late on Sunday, said Anatolia.
The defectors were taken to Apaydin camp in Hatay province, some four kilometers from the border with Syria.
The refugee camps in the southeastern provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Kilis shelter more than 33,000 Syrians, a number that surged after a recent escalation of violence in Syria, particularly in northwestern towns near the Turkish border.
Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, summoned an emergency NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... meeting for Tuesday after accusing Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... of shooting down one of its military planes in international airspace.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
Other news sources claim the defecting
General", repor along wid two Colonels, may actually be a third Syrian Officer of Colonel-rank.
Plus circa 221 Civilians for a tote of 224 Persons.
Pakistain on Monday lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... over Sunday's intrusion of Death Eaters from the Afghan side, killing at least six Pak soldiers in Upper Dir.
Pakistain's Foreign Office and military reacted over the incidents of attacking Pak forces from Afghan side on Sunday and Monday.
About 100 Death Eaters from across the border had entered Dir and clashed with a Pak security forces patrol, officials said. Two security checkposts near the Pak-Afghan border in Barawal, Upper Dir district were also targeted, they said. Gee. Golly. Gosh. It was only last week that the U.S. was saying we'd reached the end of our rope with Pakistain over Haqqani and similar riff-raff staging attacks in Kabul and now all of a sudden there's an attack by Talibs doing 'zackly the same thing. Doesn't make our case look good, does it?
According to the officials, deputy head of the Afghan Mission in Islamabad, Musa Arifi, was called to the Foreign Office and a strong protest was lodged over the thugs' intrusion from the Afghan side. "In the exchange of fire, 11 Death Eaters were killed while six security forces personnel embraced shahadat and 11 soldiers are missing," they said. "Out of whom seven soldiers have been reportedly killed and beheaded," the sources added.
The Afghan diplomat was told that the government of Afghanistan should take appropriate measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents in the future. Commenting on the issue, Afghanistan's Ambassador in Pakistain Umer Daudzai told Daily Times that terrorism was a common enemy of the two countries. "We don't want confrontation with our brother country like Pakistain, which is a neighbouring country."
Earlier, Afghan embassy's front man Zardasht Shams told Daily Times that Kabul was informed of Islamabad's protest and its reservations were conveyed. The enemy through such incidents wanted to damage Pakistain-Afghanistan ties as such attempts were launched in the past as well, he added. "We understand that Pakistain and Afghanistan would jointly bust such nefarious designs."
Military sources said Pakistain protested with NATO and Afghan forces for not taking action against thug safe havens in Afghanistan near the bordering area.
Official sources said the Pakistain Army lodged a protest with their counterparts across the border after myrmidons fired rockets in Lower Dir followed by sniper fire into Pakistain's Tripaman heights area on Monday. "This incident on Monday followed the Sunday intrusion," the official sources said.
The sources added that the Pakistain Army leadership would also raise the issue with ISAF commander General John Allen, who is likely to visit Pakistain on Wednesday. He will call on Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... . The interaction will focus on reviewing progress made in implementation of the recently evolved border coordination measures/standing operating procedures.
Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last. They discussed the officers's efficiency rating system... a spokesperson for the Malakand chapter of the Taliban grabbed credit for the thug attack in Upper Dir and threatened of more attacks.
"Our fight will continue until the establishment of Shariah law in Pakistain... We will fight whoever tries to stand in our way," Sirajuddin Ahmad, the faction's front man, told Rooters.
Ahmad said the group had killed 17 Pak soldiers in Sunday's attack.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said it was aware of the report, but had no information. On the other hand, Fazlullah Wahidi, governor of Kunar province ... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country..... , said the Death Eaters were based in Pakistain, not Afghanistan. "We don't have any information about Death Eaters crossing the border from Afghanistan to attack troops in Pakistain," he told Rooters.
Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last. They discussed the officers's efficiency rating system... Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday condemned cross-border attacks from Afghanistan and said he would discuss the matter with Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid 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... . "Pakistain has strongly protested with Afghanistan on the cross-border attacks and I will also take up this issue with Karzai," Raja told news hounds in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... . However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... his office did not elaborate on when such a conversation might take place.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
Apparen Islamabad has decided to proclaim its protest via 2-week? Arty, Rocket attacks into Kunar province ...
[Jerusalem Post] Decision to deploy radar systems comes amid concern that terror groups in the Sinai will escalate rocket attacks against Israel.
Fearing additional rocket fire from the Sinai Peninsula, the IDF has decided to deploy radar systems along Israel's border with Egypt to detect and warn of future attacks.
The radar systems will be similar to those that are deployed along Israel's border with the Gazoo Strip and Leb and are used to detect the launching of rockets into Israel and assist in determining their trajectory as well as the projected target.
The information produced by the radars is then transmitted to the Home Front Command which is responsible for activating early warning systems -- like air sirens - to alert residents of the areas about to be hit.
The decision to deploy the radar systems along the border comes amid concern that terror groups operating in the Sinai will escalate their rocket attacks against Israel. The IDF believes that groups based in Gazoo are operating freely in the Sinai and in some cases even activate local Bedouin to carry out attacks on their behalf.
Earlier this month, two 122 mm Katyusha rockets were fired from the Sinai and landed near Mitzpe Ramon and Uvda. In April, a Grad-model Katyusha struck Eilat.
Israel has called on the Egyptian government to increase its efforts to regain control over the Sinai and to root out terror groups which operate there but predictions are that this will not happen particularly following the announcement on Sunday that Mohamed Morsy of the Moslem Brüderbund has been elected as president.
"The more significant problem is what's happening in Sinai, where terror bases are being established and we expect the Egyptian to restore their illusory sovereignty there," IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz said last Tuesday.
Under the current setup within the military, the Israel Air Force is responsible for operating the radars and detecting incoming aerial threats like missiles and the Home Front Command is responsible for activating early warning systems like air raid sirens.
The two branches currently operate individual command-and-control centers in the Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv but there are plans to combine the two as part of an effort to increase coordination and shorten the time it takes from detection until sirens are sounded.
[Dawn] A Malaysian court on Monday approved the deportation of an Iranian suspected of being involved in an alleged bomb plot against Israeli diplomats in Thailand.
Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, tossed in the slammer Please don't kill me! at Kuala Lumpur's international airport on February 15, was among three suspects in bombings that rattled Bangkok a day prior his arrest and saw Tehran accused of a terror campaign against Israel, which it denied.
The alleged plot emerged after an apparently unintended kaboom at a house in the Thai capital. One suspect hurled a bomb at police while fleeing, blowing off his own legs.
At a criminal sessions court in Kuala Lumpur, Judge S Komathy described Sedaghatzadeh, 31, as a "runaway criminal," said she disagreed with defence arguments that there was no evidence against him.
"In my view the conduct of the respondent is inconsistent with that of an innocent man," she said.
"The prosecution has shown that the respondent is a runaway criminal... as he is wanted by the Thai police for offences which come within the definition of extradition offences.
"I'm allowing the application for extradition and the respondent is to be cooled for a few years Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! in prison pending an order from the minister (of home affairs)."Sedaghatzadeh, who was handcuffed and wore a striped polo shirt, told the hearing through an interpreter that he would appeal to the high court against the extradition.
"I require more time to defend myself," he said.
The kabooms in Bangkok came a day after bombers targeted Israeli embassy staff in India and Georgia, with a female diplomat seriously maimed in New Delhi, in attacks for which Israel accuses Iran.
Thai police have said that Israeli diplomats were the intended target of the plot.
Sedaghatzadeh has said he is a car parts dealer who came to Malaysia on business, while his lawyer said his client had visited Thailand for a "short holiday".
He was looking to travel on to Iran when he was tossed in the slammer Please don't kill me! , Malaysian authorities have said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[Pak Daily Times] Bonded labour remained one of the most reprehensible and widespread forms of exploitation in Pakistain even 20 years after the promulgation of a law to abolish it, and the state and civil society needed to redouble their efforts to eliminate the evil, concluded a two-day consultation organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistain (HRCP).
The wide-ranging consultation among organizations working for the elimination of bonded labour was held to discuss the issue and suggest ways to eradicate the evil from the country. The consultation concluded on Monday.
The participants of the consultation agreed that since it was universally recognised as a form of slavery, the state had an obligation to attach top priority to eradication of bonded labour. The way the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992 had been left unimplemented did not suggest that the gravity of the problem, that affected the rights of several million people, had been adequately realised. The meeting noted that following the devolution of the subject of labour to the provinces, only Punjab had adopted a slightly amended version of the 1992 act. The other provincial governments were asked to expedite issuance of their own laws on the subject. However, the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... it was necessary to ensure that no provincial enactment on abolition of bonded labour offered the bonded workers less than what the 1992 act did.
The participants appreciated the decision of the Punjab government to allocate for the second time funds out of its development budget for its bonded labour elimination programme and extend it to four new districts. The meeting hoped that it would be possible soon to bring the whole of the province under the project. The other provincial governments were requested to draw up similar or improved programmes for the uplift of bonded workers. The meeting scrutinised the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992 and made a number of recommendations.
The recommendations say
the law relies heavily on district officials and lacks an effective mechanism to oversee their performance. It is proposed that each provincial government should have a duly empowered implementation cell, including senior department heads (home, labour, police et al) to regularly monitor implementation of the law and take action against any functionaries that fail to discharge their responsibilities.
The rules under a new provincial law must be issued as soon as a law is made. Quite a few functionaries do not take up their assignments for want of a notification. The system of notifying implementation authorities should be scrapped and the relevant officials clearly designated in the law or rules.
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[Jerusalem Post] Syrian air defenses downed a Turkish F-4 which was completely unarmed and flying solo on a test mission for Turkish national radar system.
On June 22, Syrian air defenses downed a Turkish F-4 which was completely unarmed and flying solo on a test mission for Turkish national radar system.
Although Damascus ...Home to a staggering array of terrorist organizations... declared the warplane had been flying over Syrian territorial waters, it was then revealed that the Turkish jet was shot down in international airspace. Turkey has now initiated a comprehensive diplomatic effort abroad, including a presentation before the North Atlantic Council on June 26, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has informed the domestic opposition of the need for a national consolidation. Indeed, the ongoing crisis reflects a drastic shift in Turkish-Syrian relations, and the possible trajectory of the event will determine the relevance of Turkey's regional leadership ambitions.
DURING PROF. Ahmet Davutoglu's era in the Turkish foreign ministry, Turkey shifted from its traditional "non--involvement in the Middle East" principle and isolationist stance. Davutoglu's famous book Stratejik Derinlik largely dwells on the concept of redefining Turkey's foreign policy priorities. Notably, under the subtitle of "an Unavoidable Hinterland: Middle East," Davutoglu mentions that the Middle East region has been (and should be) defined well beyond the geopolitical unity but within the geocultural integrity which has been fostered by the Islamic civilization.
Under the new paradigm, Ankara strived to improve political influence on Turkey's Middle Eastern hinterland.
Within the historical Ottoman territories, the new doctrine aimed to make territorial borders around Turkey "de facto meaningless."
In accordance with making borders de facto meaningless Ankara strived to boost its trade ties with the Middle Eastern nations, pursued economic integration through free trade zones, and cancelled visa requirements to provide mass cultural interaction and mobility.
The Davutoglu doctrine seeks to transform the historical Ottoman territories in the Greater Middle East into a Turkey-centric free trade zone with high cultural interaction and free, unrestricted movement.
Indeed, Syria was at the very center of the new Turkish foreign policy. Just three years ago, in 2009, Turkey and Syria established a high-level strategic cooperation council which even included joint cabinet meetings twice a year, and visa requirements between the two countries were canceled. Furthermore, Turkey's socioeconomic integration policy and soft power charm offensives toward Syria were designed to achieve a level of postmodern integration which could have exceeded the classic nation state paradigm. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... things were about to change due to the turbulence in the Arab world.
THE SYRIAN crisis is not Solely Syrian. In fact, when the "Arab Spring" was ignited in Tunisia and quickly brought about the demise of the Cold War remnant regimes of the Arab world, Ankara had high expectations about the relevance of the "Turkish model," which is believed to successfully combine religious values and democracy.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... by the time the turbulence reached Bahrain and Syria, it was no longer either Arab or spring, but a sectarian struggle between the Shi'ite and Sunni sects of Islam.
Iran, for that matter, characterized the Arab Spring as inspired by Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution from the very outset of the protests in Tunis, Egypt and Libya. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... when it came to Syria, Tehran reversed its stance radically, and has been backing its most important ally diligently. On the other hand, Turkey did not back the uprising in Bahrain in practice, but at present, Ankara is one of the most important protectors of the Syrian political and armed oppositions.
Essentially, these sectarian divisions are not the result of a new wave of theological debate within Islam, but a military-political rivalry between the two blocs. In the Sunni bloc, now Turkey strives to lead the Gulf States due to its regional hegemony agenda and growing national capacity. On the other hand, the Shi'ite bloc's natural leader is Iran. Briefly, the new status quo rendered abortive the Davutoglu doctrine's imperial vision, which is not sectarian in nature, and dragged Turkey into being a Sunni actor of the Middle East.
WITHOUT A doubt, the troublesome economy of Europe and the forthcoming elections in the United States are leaving Ankara alone in its struggle against the Syrian Baathist dictatorship's bloody crackdown.
Furthermore, the Gulf States' economic capacity is able to finance the Syrian opposition but does not offer a robust military assistance.
Therefore, by shooting down the Turkish fighter jet, it is argued, Damascus aimed to take advantage of the current situation in which Syrian tyranny in enjoying a stalemate between regional and global powers, to send a message to political and armed opposition by questioning Turkey's capability. The move is a demonstration of defiance toward Turkish involvement in the Syrian turmoil, and in the larger context, Turkey's regional leadership ambitions. Besides, it is obvious that Damascus would have not been that audacious if the target was an Israeli fighter jet.
THEORETICALLY, THE clash between Turkey and Syria is tantamount to a clash between the normative idealism of Ankara's ambitions and the pragmatic realism of the Baathist dictatorship's survival strategy. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... in the Middle East, a state which responds to military aggression with rhetoric and condemnation cannot claim regional leadership.
It is a tough environment with constant low-intensity conflicts, and conventional wars take place nearly in every decade. Put simply, if Assad now does not feel as worried as he would if his air defenses had downed a British or an Israeli warplane, or an American one, Turkey's regional leadership ambitions are tantamount to empty talk.
For instance, in 1998, during the expulsion of Abdullah Ocalan, the currently imprisoned leader of PKK terrorist organization, Hafez Assad stepped back by giving way to Turkish gunboat diplomacy. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... Iran's mounting political-military profile and Russia's rise under Putin now constitute a different security environment than the one that existed in the 1990s.
Nevertheless, the recent escalation might be a game-changer regarding the possible trajectory of Turkish- Syrian tensions. The incident may dramatically shift Turkish public opinion, which currently opposes war with Syria. The pilots are still missing; if they were killed, the traditional religious-nationalistic martyrdom cult of the Turkish culture would garner support of masses demanding Assad be payed back.
Although mainstream Turkish media favors muddle-through efforts, as it generally does, there is no middle course for Ankara in the final analysis. Therefore, in the following weeks we may either witness a military intervention against Damascus, which would be spearheaded by Turkey and may trigger a regional clash, or the downfall of Turkey's neo-Ottomanist ambitions along with Ankara's return to the classic isolationist policy. No one would bow before a sultan who tolerates such an insult.
The writer, who served as a post-doctoral fellow for the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies in Israel, holds a PhD from the Strategic Researches Institute at the Turkish War College, and a Master's degree from the Turkish Military Academy.
#2
"... New theological debate within Islam, but a military-political rivalry between the two blocs" > oh yeah.
Won't only be Sunni-vs-Shia, Riyadh-vs-Tehran for much longer, as the competition between the main Capitals of Islam steadily escalates toward explosive levels.
#6
Never solely attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence.
I'd say the NATO intervention/undeclared war in Libya has engendered an attitude of "better-safe-than-sorry". They're gonna need to figure out how to deal with anything that looks like it might be headed for targets within Syria. It's clear why Erdogan staged this provocation - he's trying to use NATO to help him install an Ikhwan regime in Syria. What's unclear is the benefit to Israel or the West of a Ikhwan-run Syria. Wasn't 9/11 enough of a lesson about the dangers of Taliban governments?
[Iran Press TV] Tony Blair has warned that the problem with Europe's single currency is now so serious that a "grand plan" was the only way forward to prevent a break-up, local media reported.
The former British Prime Minister said Sunday that the eurozone is at its end, unless Germany agrees to underwrite the debts of struggling members.
He also suggested that if the single currency stabilized, Britain could still join the Euro.
This comes as the leaders of the European Union, prepare for a crunch summit this week that could bring about the fate of the eurozone.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
Ahh, a Brit volenteering to put a mitre stone around his own neck. My... how times have changed.
#4
"The former British Prime Minister said Sunday that the eurozone is at its end, unless Germany agrees to underwrite the debts of struggling members."
Door 1, please
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/26/2012 13:44
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#5
Btw Chancellor Merkel has just said that Eurobonds will not happen "as long as she lives".
Umm either find a new snappy name fat or take out a good life insurance BECAUSE they WILL happen.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/26/2012 14:10
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#6
Apparantly Tony hasn't been reading the news lately or he's tone deaf beyond all belief.
#10
Blair has warned that the problem with Europe's single currency is now so serious that a "grand plan" was the only way forward to prevent a break-up.
By (French) design. The "grand plan" has been in the works since shortly after Blair was born, in 1953. I realize that just about every British leader has been inexcusably naive about continental perfidy, but Blair sounds like he just fell off the turnip truck. He thinks the Titanic can be stabilized, and then it would be safe to climb aboard? No wonder they wanted him to be the president of the EU. Credible, and credulous.
President-elect denies ever submitting to interview where he said he would review Israel treaty
The art of denial: Egypt's Islamist president-elect never submitted to an interview with Iranian news agency Fars in which he supposedly claimed that he would be reviewing the peace treaty with Israel, Mohammed Morsi's front man said Monday evening.
"Mr. Morsi did not submit to any interview with Fars," the front man said, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency. "Everything published by this agency is baseless."
It's a rather elaborate hoax by Fars if that's the case. More likely is that Morsi told the Iranians one thing in Arabic (the official version) and another thing to the State Department (a.k.a., the chumbalones)...
Accoding to the report by Fars, Morsi said he wants to restore long-severed ties with Tehran to create a strategic "balance" in the region.
Diplomatic relations between Egypt and Iran were severed more than 30 years ago, but both countries have signalled a shift in policy since former president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... was toppled last year in a popular uprising.
"We must restore normal relations with Iran based on shared interests, and expand areas of political coordination and economic cooperation because this will create a balance of pressure in the region," Morsi was quoted as saying in a transcript of the interview.
Fars said it had spoken to Morsi a few hours before the result of the vote was announced on Sunday.
Asked to comment on reports that, if elected, his first state visit would be to Riyadh, Morsi said: "I didn't say such a thing and until now my first international visits following my victory in the elections have not been determined".
Iran subsequently hailed Morsi's victory over former general Ahmed Shafiq in Egypt's first free presidential election as a "splendid vision of democracy" that marked the country's final phase of an "Islamic Awakening".
'Peace with Israel will be reviewed'
In contrast to comments he made in a televised address after his victory was announced on Sunday, Fars news quoted Morsi as saying Egypt's Camp David peace accord with Israel "will be reviewed", without elaborating.
The peace treaty remains a lynchpin of US Middle East policy and, despite its unpopularity with many Egyptians, was staunchly upheld by Mubarak, who also suppressed the Moslem Brüderbund movement to which Morsy belongs.
Asked about his policy towards Israel, Morsi said that Egypt under his leadership will pursue an "egalitarian policy" matching the two countries' status. He added that Cairo will discuss the restoration of Paleostinian rights and review the Camp David agreements. He stressed he will not be making any decisions alone but rather in conjunction with the cabinet and other governmental agencies.
#1
Prob for Morsi/Mursi is that FARS NEWS AGENCY = FNA is usually a reliable source.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > IRAN'S ARMED FORCES URGE EGYPT'S ARMY TO ACCEPT RESULTS OF ELECTION.
* WAFF > IRAN [again] THREATENS TO CLOSE STRAITS OF HORMUZ IFF SANCTIONS BEGIN.
ARTIC = No US-Iran War likely this year due to ...
> US, Israel deemed to be too weak to wage war due to steadily deteriorating econ conditions in Europe + USA.
> POTUS Obama in re-election campaign mode - last thing he wants is a major war after bringing US Troops home from AFPAK.
#2
Morsi has also given interviews with Gulf arab media which tend to be anti-Iran. If the Muslim brotherhood wants to keep the funding line from the Gulf, particularly the Soddies, Morsi will stay with the anti-Iran line.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/26/2012 14:58
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#3
Common support for anti-Monarchy, Establishment
"Arab/ Muslim Springs" aside, + wid the new US mil presence in Kuwait + espec its buildup of the USN's Bahrain base [USN Fifth Fleet HQ], besides LRBMS Iran could use Egypt + Sinai Hard/Bad Boyz to help offset the US Regional counter-strategy, espec as per Bahrain.
Iran must know the US will run up agz both Russia + China iff post-Salala,Gilani Pakistan becomes destabilized + is taken over by the MilTerrs - the US would be very lucky iff a desperate Secular or MilTerr-led Pakistan chose to start a major war agz India which would bring in China + likely Pakistan's-Enemies-are-our-Enemies Pak Best Frenemy Forever Iran [which means Russia].
[Iran Press TV] A report says the "autonomous Kurdistan region" in northern Iraq, run by Massoud Barzani ... hereditary head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, maybe a little too close to the Medes and the Persians for most people's tastes... , has turned into a safe haven for Mossad spies to conduct their terrorist operations against Iranian nuclear scientists.
The Israeli intelligence service "has apparently even set up a military base in this area and is freely operating there," fardanews.com reported Sunday.
The Islamic Theocratic Republic officials have in the past made reference to the fact that the terror operations against Iranians are being directed from neighboring territories.
"The [Israeli] occupier regime of al-Quds (Jerusalem) is exploiting the soil of a region abutting our land and even has a terrorist training base and military site there," Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi said on June 17.
Regional media had previously reported that Mansour Barzani, Massoud's son, had received two Tel Aviv officials, the Israeli chief of special operations and the coordinator for Israeli-Kurdish relations, in the Kurdistan region.
During their one-and-a-half-hour meeting, the two sides reportedly explored all avenues for increasing bilateral military relations and the ensuing trade with Israel.
On June 21, Moslehi said the architect of the Iranian nuclear scientists' liquidations had been identified and apprehended, adding that the arrest had dealt a heavy blow to Western intelligence services.
A week earlier, Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced the capture of the main elements behind the liquidation of two Iranian nuclear scientists - Majid Shahriari and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan - and Reza Qashqaei, the driver of the latter scientist.
Ahmadi Roshan and his driver were assassinated in January 2012 after an unknown motorcyclist attached a magnet bomb to his car in Tehran.
Professor Shahriari and Dr. Fereydoun Abbasi were targeted by terrorist attacks on November 29, 2010; Shahriari was killed immediately and Dr. Abbasi, the current head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, sustained injuries.
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[Dawn] Turkey said Monday it would push NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... to consider Syria's downing of a Turkish jet as an attack on the whole military alliance.
The announcement came on the eve of a meeting by NATO's governing body to discuss the incident. Despite deep frustration among many NATO countries over the conflict in Syria, where the opposition says Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad's Supressor of the Damascenes... crackdown on an increasingly armed popular uprising has killed 14,000 people, it's highly unlikely the military alliance will take armed action against the Arab state.
The unarmed RF-4E reconnaissance jet was shot down a mile (1.6 kilometers) inside international airspace on Friday, and two Turkish pilots are still missing, the Turkish government says.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc also said for the first time that Syrian forces had opened ground fire on a CASA search and rescue plane shortly after the downing, but did not say if that plane was hit.
Arinc said Turkey retained its right to "retaliate" against what he called a "hostile act," but he added, "We have no intention of going at war with anyone."
Turkey will push NATO to consider the armed attack under Article 5 in a key alliance treaty, Arinc said. Article 5 states that an attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against all members.
The North Atlantic Council -- which includes ambassadors of the 28 NATO countries -- works by consensus and all members must approve any action. The meeting Tuesday comes after Turkey requested it under Article 4 of the treaty, which allows a NATO ally to request such a consultation if it feels its territorial integrity or security has been threatened.
Asked if Turkey will insist on the activation of Article 5 of NATO, Arinc said, "No doubt, Turkey has made necessary applications regarding Article 4 and Article 5."
The prospect of Western military intervention in Syria remains remote, despite all the tough talk.
Such action is unlikely to get the support of either the UN Security Council or the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... , and outside intervention without the blessing of both of those bodies is all but unthinkable. And there is little appetite among the NATO countries -- of which the US is the largest -- for another war in the Middle East.
Arinc further strongly denied No, no! Certainly not! Syrian claims that the downed plane was shot by anti-aircraft fire while flying low inside Syrian airspace.
The deputy premier admitted the jet mistakenly strayed into Syrian airspace when it was flying at an altitude of 200 feet and at a speed of 300 knots, but said it left the Syrian airspace after warning from Turkish radar operators and that it received no warning from Syrian forces during its five-minute flight inside Syrian territory.
Arinc reiterated Turkey's insistence that the plane was not spying on Syria but just testing Turkey's radar capabilities.
"There is no doubt that Syrians deliberately targeted our plane in international airspace," Arinc said, accusing Syria of acting in a "cold-blooded" manner.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
TURKEY DEPUTY PM BULENT ARINC ...
versus
* IRNA > TURKEY NOT TO ASK NATO FOR COLLECTIVE DEFENSE [invocation of Article 5] AGZ SYRIA - ANALYSTS.
At this time.
* WAFF > TURKEY NOT WILLING TO RETALIATE AGZ SYRIA WIDOUT NATO SUPPORT | TURKEY TO PUSH NATO TO CONSIDER SYRIAN ATTACK AS ATTACK ON ALLIANCE.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > US WILL HELP TURKEY HOLD SYRIA ACCOUNTABLE FOR JET SHOOTDOWN, SAYS OBAMA SPOKESMAN [WH Spox Jay Carney].
ARTIC = NATO Milaction agz Syria highly unlikely despite the above.
* SAME > BRITAIN PUTS FIGHTER JETS ON STANDBY TO LAUNCH ATTACK ON SYRIA | [Daily Mail@UK] MEDIA REPORTS SAY UK FIGHTER PLANES ON STANDBY TO LAUNCH ATTACK ON SYRIA.
versus
* TOPIX > FRANCE CALLS ON SYRIAN ARMY TO DESERT [individuals, units, or en masse] AFTER PILOT DEFECTION, to Turkey.
#8
Sounds like they were probing the Syrian SAM-net so they could pull off an Israeli-style blitz and got burned.
...was shot down a mile (1.6 kilometers) inside international airspace......was flying at an altitude of 200 feet and at a speed of 300 knots...its five-minute flight inside Syrian territory.
300 knots airspeed = 500 fps, so they were approx. 10 seconds across the border when the SAM chased them down. My sympathy is for the pilots and their families -- the Grand Turk can sit on it and rotate.
#11
Well if nothing else the Syrians know they SAMS work. Now if we're lucky Turkey will try to revive the Ottoman Empire here and nobody will notice us bombing Iran because they'll be to busy fighting another war that involves everyone with coastline in that area.
Granted that includes Isreal, but I'm not worried about their abilities to wipe the desert with any opposition.
Posted by: Charles ||
06/26/2012 17:51
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#12
How much of Syria will the Turks want to keep for themselves?
Well, they owned it before 1917 [can we see a 'right of return' here] even before Constantinople became Istanbul.
#13
DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > ERDOGAN WARNS [Bashir]BASHAR ASSAD | ERDOGAN WARNS TURKISH ARMY TO RESPOND TO ANY SYRIAN VIOLATION, describing shootdown of Turkish RF-4 as both both "hostile/heinous" acts.
and
* WAFF > TURKEY WANTS MORE PRESSURE, NOT CONFRONTATION [War], ON SYRIA OVER PLANE DOWNING.
Unknown attackers have opened fire on a police checkpoint in Dagestan, wounding a police officer. A spokesman for the Investigative Committee said, One policeman was wounded late on Sunday in the village of Shauri when a police checkpoint came under fire.
[An Nahar] Violence killed 13 people across Syria on Monday, as the army pounded towns and cities in an attempt to regain control of territory lost to rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
At least 11 of the dead were civilians with the highest number of killed in the northwestern province of Idlib, where fierce festivities were underway between rebels and troops, the Britannia-based Observatory said.
Two civilians and a rebel fighter were killed in the fighting that raged in the Idlib town of Kafr al-Nabel.
Three other civilians and a rebel died in Maaret al-Numan as troops pounded the town with mortar shells and rained gunfire on it in a bid to overrun the armed cut-thoats, the Observatory said.
Elsewhere in the province students and a large number of women demonstrated against the regime in the town of Jericho on Monday, a day after seven members of the same family were killed in shelling on their farmland outside the town.
Two civilians were rubbed out by sniper fire in Homs, the watchdog said, amid an outcry by opposition groups who warned of a new "massacre" against the flashpoint central city that has been besieged by the army for around 20 days.
The rebel Free Syrian Army said "the regime is sending reinforcements estimated at 100 tanks in the direction of Homs... which clearly demonstrates its intention to commit the greatest massacre in history."
An appeal from Homs residents distributed by the opposition Syrian National Council said the city was experiencing shortages of food, water and medicine.
"The Red Thingy and Red Islamic Thingy are prevented from entering our neighborhoods" because of the fighting, it said.
In the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, two non-combatants were killed, as regime forces continued military operations in the city and several kabooms shook Jubeila neighborhood, according to the Observatory.
Regime forces also shelled several towns in Damascus ...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world... province, where a woman was reportedly killed. Security forces also conducted raids and made arrests in the town of Irbin where blast could be heard.
A civilian was also killed in the southern province of Daraa, according to the Observatory, which also reported that several towns were being shelled by regular troops.
The watchdog reported, meanwhile, an exodus of residents from Anjil, also in Daraa province, amid fears that troops were mobilizing in the vicinity.
The region of the Kurdish Mountain in northwest Latakia province also came under attack as regime forces attempting to take charge of the region.
At least 91 people were killed nationwide on Sunday, among them 59 civilians, the watchdog said.
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[Iran Press TV] A car bomb blew up in Hilla, 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, killing eight people and injuring 32 at about 7:45 pm (1645 GMT) on Monday, while a roadside bomb in Baquba, 60 kilometers (37.5 miles) north of Baghdad, killed four people and injured seven, security and medical sources told AFP.
Violence has risen in Iraq since December 2011, when an arrest warrant was issued for fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, who has been charged with running a death squad targeting Iraqi officials and Shia Muslims.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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[Bangla Daily Star] A madrasa student yesterday allegedly slit his roommate's throat at the dormitory in the city of Sylhet.
The dear departed was identified as Amir Abbas, 18, son of Abdus Salam of Bhadertek village in Biswambharpur upazila of Sunamganj.
Abbas was a student of hafezi (Koran memorising) section of Zamia Kasimul Ulum Madrasa near the Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in the city.
Hearing him groaning minutes before the Fazr prayers, students from nearby rooms rushed to Abbas' room and saw Saifur, 18, fleeing. Saifur was his roommate and a good friend, police said quoting the students. I've had plenty of good friends in my time. Not a one of them's cut my throat. In fact, only two or three people who weren't good friends ever tried it, and them only figuratively.
Police recovered the body around 9:00am and sent it to MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for his appointment with Doctor Quincy. They also recovered two bloodstained knives from the scene.
Saifur has been on the run since the murder.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
Hmm, lovers' quarrel?
Posted by: American Delight ||
06/26/2012 6:09
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#2
sounds liek this year's madrassah Valedictorian.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/26/2012 11:50
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[al-Ahram] Sudanese police used teargas to disperse anti-government protesters in an impoverished eastern region on Monday, witnesses said, as demonstrations fueled by an economic crisis continued to break out outside the capital.
Small demonstrations have spread across the country for more than a week, provoked by government moves to cut spending, scale back fuel subsidies and take other austerity measures to plug a widening budget gap.
About 200 protesters gathered in the town of Gedaref, near the border with Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age. ... , c hanting "No, no to high prices" and "the people want to overthrow the regime" on Monday, two witnesses told Rooters.
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06/26/2012
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President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari's ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... immunity and dual posts held by him were challenged in the Supreme Court yesterday. Oh, dear. And just when Pakistain's under attack by those nasty Talibs from across the border in Afghanistan. Tut tut. And tut.
Advocate Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi has filed a petition against the immunity and dual positions held by the President.
The petitioner has referred to Article 43 of the constitution of Pakistain and said that president of the country cannot hold two offices.
President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari is also serving as the co-chairman of Pakistain People's Party (PPP), DawnNews reported.
Naqvi is of the view that holding two offices is unconstitutional on President Zardari's part.
The PPP government, dogged by corruption allegations, has been locked in a stand-off with the judiciary for years, reports AFP.
Zardari was forced to ditch his first choice to replace Gilani, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, after an anti-narcotics court ordered his arrest over a drugs scandal.
Earlier on Sunday, the Pak president issued a decree to prevent actions taken in the past two months by the ex-premier, recently ousted by judges, from being challenged in court.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's former prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics could be awe-inspiring ... as prime minister after convicting him of contempt in April for refusing to reopen Swiss corruption cases against Zardari.
The move forced the main ruling Pakistain People's Party to hastily elect Raja Pervez Ashraf as the new premier on Friday in a bid to end the crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2012
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#1
Not just ole' Zard ...
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > PAKISTAN: GILANNI [Gilani] MOVES INTO THE PRESIDENCY | POST-DISQUALIFICATION GILANNI SHIFTS TO PRESIDENCY.
The Dutch Muslim Party (NMP) no longer exists. Board members Henny Kreeft and Jacques Visker have resigned, and dissolved the party.
The two men say that the Netherlands is not ready for a Muslim political party in parliament. The two say the Dutch Muslim community is too politically divided.
The NMP was founded in 2007 but has not been successful. In local elections in 2010, the NMP garnered no municipal seats. The party had planned to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, but was unable to organize to do so.
The NMPs stated purpose was to decrease the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims and to improve the image of Islam in the Netherlands. Remarkably, co-founder Henny Kreeft was a supporter of Pim Fortuyn, who was murdered in 2002. Kreeft converted to Islam in the 1990s.
[Yemen Post] The cabinet called on Sunday on the tribal chiefs and rustics in the central province of Marib to cooperate with the Yemeni government in protecting the power supply lines, which are subjected to repeated sabotage attacks.
In an exceptional meeting held in Sana'a on Sunday, the cabinet ordered the ministries of interior and defense to continue hunting the saboteurs and to protect the power transmission lines from the frequent sabotage attacks.
It further showed support for the military campaign which headed yesterday to Marib with the aim of arresting the saboteurs and brining them to justice.
On Saturday, two soldiers and a notorious saboteur were killed when the saboteurs attempted to stop the military campaign from entering the area. Some others from both sides were maimed.
The campaign was launched after the ministry of electricity said it would not repair the damages inflicted on the Gas-run power station until the government catches the saboteurs and refers them to justice.
Concerning the dialogue with the youth, the cabinet showed support for the ongoing efforts taken by the Ministerial Committee to hold dialogue with the various youth federations and condemned the attempts aiming to fail the dialogue with the youth.
Furthermore, it hailed the achievements of the Military Committee in removing armed manifestation and reopening blocked roads. The committee managed yesterday to reopen Sana'a-Marib road after a year of being cut off.
It further praised the victory of the Yemeni armed forces and the tribal committees over the hard boyz in the southern part of the country.
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[Iran Press TV] The majority of respondents to an opinion poll conducted by Press TV believe that the eurozone debt crisis will spur the world economy into further recession.
The survey showed that 54 percent of the participants said more recession is predictable following the current financial crisis in the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... member states.
According to the poll, 39 percent said the debt crisis will lead to the demise of the euro.
This is while only seven percent of respondents believe that the crisis would not affect the euro and the world economy.
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#1
"We are not going to pay the balance on others' accounts, we are not going to serve as pocket money in anyone's currency exchange, we are not going to allow ourselves to become entangled in political spheres of interest. Why should it be held against our peoples that they want to be completely independent? And why should autonomy be restricted, or the subject of dispute? We will not be dependent on anyone ever again!
Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito[10]"
Sounds like Merkel today.
"MERKEL: Europe Will Never Share All Of Our Debts For 'As Long As I Live'."
[Iran Press TV] Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari says the launch-ready IRGC missiles "are sending shivers down the enemy's spine."
"The IRGC has never felt constrained in any stage, has always had intelligence command over the enemy, has heightened enemy losses and has shut all the paths of infiltration," Jafari said Monday.
He added that the enemy knows about "only a part of the IRGC's deterrent military power and the unending power of the Basij [Force]."
On Sunday, Commander of the Aerospace Division of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said the Islamic Republic will strongly confront any possible assault against the country.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has no interest in wars with other countries, but we will strongly counter possible enemy aggression and will give them a response that will make them regret the aggression," he stated.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems.
The country has repeatedly made clear that its military might is merely based on the state's defense doctrine of deterrence, and that it poses no threat to other countries.
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[Iran Press TV] Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has slammed the extradition of former Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi from Tunisia to Libya as "illegal".
Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali had taken the decision to extradite al-Mahmoudi without consulting the president, a statement from Marzouki's office read on Sunday, according to the AFP.
"The presidency of the Republic expresses its rejection of the decision of the head of government to extradite M. Mahmoudi and considers this decision ... illegal, all the more so because it has been done unilaterally and without consulting the President of the Republic," the statement further read.
"The extradition decision, signed by the head of the Tunisian government, constitutes a clear violation of our country's international commitments and those towards the UN."
The Tunisian president had earlier vowed to hand over the Libyan official only if the Libyan interim government guaranteed a fair trial. However, later in May, he opposed the move.
Mahmoudi arrived in Libya early Sunday and was in prison under the supervision of Libya's Ministry of Justice and the judiciary police.
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[Iran Press TV] Dave Lindorff, investigative journalist, in a phone interview with Press TV's U.S. Desk on Monday said that if Romney is elected president the American economy will fall into depression.
"The idea that Americans are saying in a poll that they don't think it will make much difference which person is elected president, Romney or Obama, shows the incredible both naivety of the American public and more importantly, the really poor level of reporting in the American media on economic issues," he said.
Lindorff continued that as bad as Obama had been in dealing with the financial crisis and the role of the banks and stimulating the economy, "he at least has understood that you do need to have economic stimulus in a terrible recession like we've been having whereas Romney's position is this insane Republican one that says that the issue is the deficit which it clearly is not."
Lindorff believes that there will be a very big difference between Romney winning "in which case we will see the economy fall into [a] depression and Obama winning in which case the economy will probably just stumble along the way it has been doing which I guess is a lot better than a collapse."
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#1
Dave Lindorff: Wrote for Counterpunch and The Nation
#7
Well, considering Obama has set a fiscal IED set to go off on January 1 when taxes double on capital gains and dividends and the Bush era income tax cuts expire, yeah. If the Republicans don't win the Senate, the Democrats have set things up to blow sky high with the economy starting January 1. Business investment will come to a screeching halt.
Taking the Senate is going to be the key because if they don't the Democrats will not allow those things to be repealed and will bring the entire economy crashing down for no reason but to politically damage the Republicans.
The Democrats don't give a pinch of owl scat about the average person in this country, they are just looking for political power.
#11
Considering the indicators to describe the first Great Depression, how are we not in a Depression now other than the usual doublespeak of Ministry of Truth? /rhet question
#12
1. Lindorff calls himself an investigative reporter. However, the piece is short on investigation and reporting.
2. Stimulus spending has been so successful (sarc). Europe is not in trouble because of spending too much. They have bloated governments and too much spending. The U.S. suffers the same problem--too much spending and too many entitlements.
#15
"The idea that Americans are saying in a poll that they don't think it will make much difference which person is elected president, Romney or Obama, shows the incredible both naivety of the American public and more importantly, the really poor level of reporting in the American media on economic issues," he said.
To be honest I don't think there is a regular on rantburg that would disagree with that one. We just come out with a different answer when confronted with logic than a Nation reporter who has to create his own facts.
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.
Twenty-year-old models which have suggested serious ice loss in the eastern Antarctic have been compared with reality for the first time - and found to be wrong, so much so that it now appears that no ice is being lost at all.
The chairman of the House oversight committee investigating White House involvement in the botched "gun-walking" program that led to the 2010 death of U.S. Border Patrol agent accused President B.O. on Monday of downplaying his involvement in the program or intentionally obstructing the Congress' inquiry. 
A former U.S. president is accusing the current president of sanctioning the "widespread abuse of human rights" by authorizing drone strikes to kill suspected terrorists.
The former president blasted the government for allowing "unprecedented violations of our rights to privacy through warrantless wiretapping and government mining of our electronic communications."
A Syrian general, two colonels, two majors, one lieutenant and 33 soldiers have defected from President Bashar Assad's forces and arrived in Turkey, Turkish state television said on Monday, without giving any further details.
Syria has warned 
The local faction of the Taliban on Monday imposed a ban on administering 
Goodluck Jonathan
The president further stated: "I tell all Nigerians that if God did not will it, we will not be a country today. Our unity is our strength. Those who want to weaken us through the axis of hate are perpetuating the crisis."
...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat...
Wazoo
[Dawn] Gunmen on 
Fighting between the army and troops who have deserted resumed Monday, after a week of relative calm, in the eastern Nord-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, mutineers said.
Spain has formally demanded a rescue bailout of up to 100 billion euros (USD 125 billion) in aid from the 
(Sh.M.Network)--Hundreds of US military troops have been deployed in Somalia for secret operations in the capital Mogadishu.
A bomb squad neutralized an 
A political analyst says American banks and corporations have launched an all-out war against the country's working class, Press TV reports.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Pakistain on Monday lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan and 
Bonded labour remained one of the most reprehensible and widespread forms of exploitation in Pakistain even 20 years after the promulgation of a law to abolish it, and the state and civil society needed to redouble their efforts to eliminate the evil, concluded a two-day consultation organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistain (HRCP).
[Jerusalem Post] Syrian air defenses downed a Turkish F-4 which was completely unarmed and flying solo on a test mission for Turkish national radar system.
Tony Blair has warned that the problem with Europe's single currency is now so serious that a "grand plan" was the only way forward to prevent a break-up, local media reported.
A report says the "autonomous Kurdistan region" in northern Iraq, run by 
Massoud Barzani
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Violence killed 13 people across Syria on Monday, as the army pounded towns and cities in an attempt to regain control of territory lost to rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A car bomb blew up in Hilla, 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, killing eight people and injuring 32 at about 7:45 pm (1645 GMT) on Monday, while a roadside bomb in Baquba, 60 kilometers (37.5 miles) north of Baghdad, killed four people and injured seven, security and medical sources told AFP. 
Asif Ali 
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari says the launch-ready IRGC missiles "are sending shivers down the enemy's spine."
