#1
That may be true, but their success may also be a result of what they [Asian-Americans] do not have; namely, leaders who tell them that the deck is so stacked against them that they cannot rise, or at least not without depending on leaders.
Not all African-Americans buy into the race hustlers. For some, the American Dream is alive for them and they realize what it takes to realize it. They realize the American Dream is only an opportunity and not a guarantee.
Conversely, we know has a woman who happens to be African-American. This woman harbors many myths about white people. This particular woman thinks white people get ahead by taking from the poor, having doors opened for them, not having to work, not having to sacrifice, never working hard, knowing the right person, or inheriting money that was taken from someone else. She has not worked most of her life and has a rather jaundiced view of white folks. Unfortunately, I think her view is all too common. I wonder how she explains Obama.
My family was extremely poor although I don't think we ever bought into that concept of institutionalized poverty--that just didn't exist at the time. I followed the the Asian-American path early on as did many others--hard work, education, more hard work, more education and then more hard work. The road was often bumpy but the bumps were usually of my own making.
Posted by: Barbara ||
10/29/2013 18:01
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#3
It's the culture, and it eats kids up.
I know a lady who immigrated from Ghana. She worked like a dog to get a nice house in a nice neighborhood. Her son grew up here. He's a useless street yo.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013 19:13
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I cant tell you how our character will affect an economic crash (and if you dont think an economic crash is coming, kindly do wake up) because were different, and we havent fallen yet. We can guess how it will affect it, but not KNOW all I can say is it will be interesting.
[Ynet] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... says one more person has died from a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing to 52 the number of deaths in the kingdom at the center of the outbreak.
The Health Ministry said Monday that an 83-year-old woman died over the weekend. She was among 124 people who have been infected with the virus in Saudi Arabia since September last year. The new virus is related to SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed some 800 people in a global outbreak in 2003.
[Ynet] Egyptian security forces incarcerated Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! two of the most dangerous jihadists operating in Sinai, Egyptian security sources reported. The two are accused of planning and executing multiple terror attacks against police and army forces in Sinai.
Sources say the two bully boyz were flown under heavy security from Sinai to Cairo for investigation.
[Ynet] A nonprofit political advocacy group which emanated from President Barack Obama I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go... 's re-election campaign says hackers altered the links contained in tweets sent under his name.
A group called the Syrian Electronic Armygrabbed credit for the action. The group aligns itself with Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... and has taken credit for hacking into social media sites in the past. The group said, quote, "Obama doesn't have any ethical issues with spying on the world, so we took it upon ourselves to return the favor."
[Telegraph] A 28-year-old British man named Lauri Love has been charged with hacking into the computer systems of the US army, Nasa and other federal agencies
Not a terror attack; just doing it for funsies, it appears.
The 28-year-old Lauri Love from Suffolk was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency under the Computer Misuse Act.
He has been accused by US prosecutors of being a sophisticated and prolific computer hacker who allegedly stole massive quantities of confidential data after breaking into the computer networks of government agencies, resulting in millions of dollars in losses.
An indictment served in a US court included pieces of instant message conversations that Love allegedly had with his partners, with one message saying: "This ... stuff is really sensitive".
Speaking at his family home yesterday, Mr Love declined to comment on the allegations, saying he had only just returned after being at government headquarters and was not well.
He has been released on bail until February and could face a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
A statement from US prosecutors has claimed the stolen data included the personally identifying information of thousands of individuals, some of whom were military servicemen and servicewomen.
An inquiry led by the FBI and the Army's computer crime unit found that Mr Love and three unnamed accomplices two from Australia and one from Sweden allegedly infiltrated systems used by the Nasa, the US Missile Defense Agency, the US Army, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the prosecutors said.
According to a detailed list of alleged attacks, they stole data on more than 5,000 individuals, as well as information on government budgets and procurement processes, and on the demolition and disposal of military facilities.
They are accused of plotting their hacks in secure internet chat rooms, where they allegedly discussed attacking vulnerable computer networks to disrupt the operations and infrastructure of the United States government.
Included in the 22-page indictment were alleged extracts from Mr Love's internet chats with his co-conspirators, in which it is claiemd he discussed how the group "might be able to get at real confidential shit" by hacking certain systems.
Expressing a desire to "blow this year wide open", Mr Love allegedly told one of the Australian co-conspirators: "You have no idea how much we can fuck with the us government if we wanted to."
He went on to say "this stuff is really sensitive" and "it's basically every piece of information you'd need to do full identity theft", according to prosecutors.
It is alleged that they mounted so-called injection attacks on supposedly secure government databases, creating back door routes into the agencies' systems to allow the hackers to keep coming back in order to access information they held. Mr Love allegedly hacked under the pseudonyms nsh, route and peace.
Mr Love has been indicted in a federal court in Newark, New Jersey, with one count of accessing a US government computer without authorisation and one count of conspiring to do the same between October last year and this month.
Speaking from the semi-detached four-bedroom house he shares with his parents in Suffolk, Mr Love said he could not comment on the case.
"I only just got home after being at government headquarters today, he said. "I don't even know what's happening myself to be honest, I need to call my lawyers.
"My dad is ill and my parents both work at the prison so it wouldn't be fair on them to talk about what's going on with all this just at this moment.
"My dad has a heart problems and I'm not well myself."
Mr Love's father Alexander Love, 50, works as a vicar at HMP Highpoint North and his mother Sirkka-Liisa Love, 49, works at the same prison as a teacher.
Neighbour Keith Strudwick, 32, said: "They are a really nice family. I don't know much about Lauri, but he seems alright and he's been brought up by good parents."
Another neighbour reported seeing police remove a computer from Mr Love's home on Friday evening.
Andy Archibald, a spokesman for the National Crime Agency, said: ''This arrest is the culmination of close joint working by the NCA, Police Scotland and our international partners.
''Cyber-criminals should be aware that no matter where in the world you commit cyber crime, even from remote places, you can and will be identified and held accountable for your actions.
''The NCA has well-developed law enforcement alliances globally and we will pursue and deal robustly with cyber-criminals.''
Under the CMA, individuals can be arrested for launching attacks from within the UK against computers anywhere in the world.
#2
Sounds like a bit of a dumb/naive script kiddy.
Here's a simple explanation of the "attacks".
The first shows how you to mess about/hijack a users session cookie, because the website wasn't written properly.
This one shows the more technical SQL injection.
But the DB should only be visible to the web-server, and the web-server should only be visible on port 80(443 HTTPS), and should be behind a hardware reverse proxy/filter.
Someone's done a shitty job architecting the sites.
#7
Just remember, that its OK when the NSA does it without a wire tap warrant to your ISP or PC. Flash that Get Out of Jail Free National Security card and voila.
[An Nahar] A bomb went kaboom! early Monday outside a reception hall in the restive eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, damaging the building without wounding anyone, security officials said.
"Unknown assailants on Monday morning threw an bomb at a building housing a reception hall," security forces front man Colonel Abdallah al-Zaidi said.
Zaidi said the homemade bomb contained some 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of TNT.
Two days earlier a bomb had went kaboom! in the car of an electoral official in the same neighborhood in Benghazi, damaging five cars but causing no casualties.
That kaboom took place in the parking lot of a school that was being used as a center for the committee organizing municipal elections, for which no date has yet been set.
Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime ruler Muammar Qadaffy ...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him... , now sees near-daily attacks and bombings, mainly targeting Libya's fledgling security forces and Western missions.
The government has called on the rebel brigades that overthrew Qadaffy to lay down their arms or join the security forces, but several militias have ignored its pleas and carved out their own fiefdoms across the vast, mostly-desert country.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Ynet] Upcoming prisoner release won't affect security, will reinforce Abbas, says National Security Studies Institute researcher. 'Paleostinians no Zionists, but terror on decline,' says expert
As Israel prepares to release another group of 26 Paleostinian prisoners later this week, Israeli security experts say security cooperation with the Paleostinian Authority remains solid despite three separate incidents in which Paleostinians killed Israelis. The security experts say they do not see the killings as evidence of a new intifada, or Paleostinian uprising.
"This is the best security cooperation we've had in years," Shlomo Brom, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and a retired brigadier general in the Israeli army told The Media Line. "The Paleostinian security forces are much more professional than in the past and they are not political."
Brom said there has been a decision by Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... to maintain security cooperation with Israel, despite growing anger in the Paleostinian street against Israel's continued construction in post-1967 areas.
Israeli press reported that last week, Paleostinian security forces placed in durance vile Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! three members of the Islamist Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, movement who planned to send drones carrying explosives into Israel. The reports quoted Paleostinian security officials that the men had already carried out test flights and were in advanced preparations to launch a miniature drone.
The planned attack came after three Israelis were killed recently in separate incidents. In the most recent one, a former army colonel was killed in his home in the Jordan Valley in an area that Israel acquired in 1967. Last month, an Israeli soldier was killed by a sniper in the West Bank city of Hebron. Also last month, an off-duty Israeli soldier was killed after he was lured to a Paleostinian village by a co-worker.
The three separate incidents, coming so close together, and after a long period of relative calm, shook up Israelis and raised fears that a new Paleostinian uprising could be on the way. However, we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... security officials say, in the cases of the off-duty soldier and the army colonel, there may have been disputes over money that contributed to the murders.
At the same time, say Israeli experts, Paleostinians are angry about many Israeli policies.
"The ethos of the Paleostinian people has not changed, nobody became a Zionist or has any love of Israel," Ronni Shaked, an Israeli journalist who covered the Paleostinians for 20 years and is now a researcher at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told The Media Line. "But most of the terrorist activity since 2008 was sporadic operations, like someone just deciding to take a construction tool in hand and kill a Jew. It is not organized Paleostinian terrorism like it was ten years ago."
Israeli security officials, including Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon have recently praised the Paleostinian Authority for their close cooperation with Israel. Abbas has paid a political price, as the Islamist Hamas movement, which controls the Gazoo Strip, has accused Abbas of "doing Israel's dirty work."
Israel is set to release an additional 26 Paleostinian prisoners, almost all of whom have been convicted of murdering Israelis, as a good-will gesture as part of the resumption of Israeli-Paleostinian peace talks. Shaked says that some 17 percent of Paleostinian prisoners return to terrorism, as compared with 66 percent of criminals who are recidivists. At the same time, he says an estimated 500,000 Paleostinians have spent at least one night in an Israeli jail.
The prisoner issue is a hot --button issue that cuts across political lines.
"We need to encourage the Paleostinian Authority to continue security cooperation," Shaked said. "And releasing prisoners will give Abbas the feeling that he achieved something from Israel."
That, Shaked and Brom agree, will only strengthen Abbas and the more moderate forces among the Paleostinians. If the current round of negotiations achieves a deal, it will put Abbas in a better position to win a Paleostinian referendum for a deal with Israel.
[An Nahar] A Lebanese and a Turkish man, who are in jug, and 12 others were on Monday charged with forming a network to carry out terrorist activities, including boom-mobileings, the state-run National News Agency reported.
NNA said State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr issued the charges against them for preparing booby-trapped cars and parking them in different residential areas for the purpose of blowing them up.
LBCI identified the suspects as Mohammed al-Atrash, a Lebanese, and Turkish national Mohammed Erdemir.
A booby-trapped car was found this month in al-Maamoura district of Beirut's southern suburbs, containing around 50 kilograms of explosives.
The vehicle was laden with three landmines, six anti-vehicle grenades, a quantity of TNT, and some 20 kilograms of aluminum powder that is mixed with yellow sulfur and electric fuses, the army has said.
NNA said the 14-member network was planning to blow up the car before it was found and the explosives were defused.
According to LBCI, al-Atrash and Erdemir admitted during their questioning that Omar al-Atrash was part of the terrorist network.
Al-Atrash, a resident of the northeastern border town of Arsal, was killed when his car went kaboom! earlier this month.
Arsal residents were quick to bury him after claiming that he was killed in a rocket attack on his vehicle in an area that separates Arsal and the Syrian border.
Security forces had raised doubt about their claim. Sources had said that the residents prevented police from examining al-Atrash's body or open a probe into his murder.
They hinted that al-Atrash died when the booby-trapped vehicle that he was driving accidentally went kaboom!.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Al Ahram] Israel placed in durance vile Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! 10 West Bank-based members of the Islamist movement Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, overnight, the army said Monday, although Paleostinian officials put the number at 15. "Ten Hamas operatives were tossed in the slammer You have the right to remain silent... overnight across the West Bank," an army spokeswoman told AFP, without giving any further details or reasons for the arrests.
Hamas has ruled the Gazoo Strip since it took over the territory in 2007, but many of its members remain in the West Bank, which is home to the Paleostinian Authority, dominated by president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... 's Fatah party.
Paleostinian security officials told AFP that Israel had on Sunday night arrested 15 Hamas members in the northern West Bank cities of Tulkarem and Nablus, and the southern city of Hebron.
The officials said two of those arrested in Hebron were Paleostinian MPs who were tossed into the calaboose several times before, but the army spokeswoman could not confirm this.
The remainder were mostly students, the Paleostinian officials said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
They will all be released in a couple of months, thanks to pressure from the White House's Keynesian Kenyan Kannibal spawn of a Mau Mau Mominine...
However this will be their likely fate once returned home in Gazza:
Posted by: Herb Gloluger9960 ||
10/29/2013 18:29
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[An Nahar] Kuwait's court of appeals on Monday upheld a 10-year jail term against a Shiite tweeter for remarks deemed offensive to Islam's Prophet Mohammed, his wife and companions.
Hamad al-Naqi, 23, who has been in jail since March 2012, was found guilty of the religious insults and of criticizing the leaders of neighboring Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and Bahrain, according to the court ruling.
He was handed the heavy sentence by a lower court in June last year. The ruling can still be challenged in the supreme court.
Naqi was tried on charges of insulting Islam's Prophet Mohammed, in addition to his wife Aisha and several companions, who are revered by Sunni Musselmens.
He posted the offensive messages on two Twitter accounts in February and March of 2012, according to the ruling.
Naqi claimed his Twitter accounts were hacked during that period.
In recent months, Kuwait has tossed in the clink I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! tweeters and activists amid sectarian tensions between the emirate's Sunni majority and Shiite minority.
Opposition activists have also been tossed in the clink I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! for using Twitter to insult the emir of the oil-rich Gulf state.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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#1
Now, if somebody were to hack Twitter and alias tweets from certain leadership...
[TOLONEWS] Local officials of northern Jawzjan province said on Monday that the Taliban's shadow governor of Aqcha District was nabbed You have the right to remain silent... with two others on Sunday night during an operation carried out jointly between Afghan and coalition troops.
Officials said the myrmidon leader's name was Jawid, but he also reportedly goes by Qari Shafiqullah.
The operation in which Jawid was apprehended was conducted by Afghan and foreign troops in Aqcha, according to provincial security official. NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... 's air force was said to have been involved in the operation.
No military or civilians casualties were reported.
The Taliban has not yet commented on the arrest.
Jawzjan is one of the more restive provinces in Afghanistan, and like others that continue to see a heavy myrmidon presence, underground structures of community governance and law enforcement have been erected there.
Ahead of the 2014 elections, Afghan cops have ramped up operations across the country, in part to prevent forces of Evil and extralegal authorities like Jawid from interfering in the election process.
The potential negative affect security issues could have on voter turnout and the integrity of the elections is a major concern for Afghan officials.
The operation on Sunday night marked an example of coalition troops and Afghan forces working together to fight the Taliban insurgency that has gripped the country in conflict since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. As foreign troops prepare to depart Afghanistan in late 2014, Afghan forces have increasingly assumed greater responsibility for security operations.
However, we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... NATO air support has been cited as still a critical aid the Afghan forces require.
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[An Nahar] Egypt's ousted president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... has rejected the authority of the court that is due to try him next week for incitement to murder, his supporters said Monday.
Morsi, an Islamist hailing from the Moslem Brüderbund who was Egypt's first freely elected leader, was ousted by the military on July 3 amid massive protests against his year-long rule.
He is due to stand trial with 14 others on November 4 for "incitement to murder" in connection with deadly festivities between his supporters and opponents outside the presidential palace in December 2012.
"No lawyers will be defending president Mohammed Morsi, neither Egyptians nor foreigners, because the president does not recognize the trial or any action and processes that result from the coup," the Anti-Coup Alliance, led by the Moslem Brüderbund, said in a statement.
The group said a team of Egyptian lawyers would be attending the trial with Morsi, but only "to observe proceedings, not to defend him."
It said its statement was prompted by false reports in pro-military media outlets saying the Moslem Brüderbund had appointed lawyers from Turkey and Qatar to represent Morsi.
The group called on international human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. activists and lawyers to attend the trial to see firsthand "the trampling of justice."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
At least Hosni had the grace not to try that approach.
[Dawn] A young man has stabbed at least 25 women this month in a small town near Islamabad, police said on Monday, and many women and girls are afraid to leave their homes.
"Most of the incidents have happened after sunset, but some schoolgirls were also attacked while going back home after school," said Haseeb-ul-Hassan, the front man for Sahiwal District in eastern Punjab province. "We cannot confirm the total number of incidents, but it is between 25 and 30."
Doctors say most of the women in the town of Chichawatni, 450 km south of the capital, were stabbed on the legs, stomach or back. The attacker's motives are unclear, although police said he may be insane.
"Most of the women were stabbed after sunset, while two of them were wearing a burqa at the time they were attacked," Dr. Asim Waqar at Chichawatni hospital said by telephone.
His hospital received its first case on Oct 6 and has seen two or three cases a day since. Some victims have required stitches or surgery.
In the most recent attack, a man on a cycle of violence dismounted and stabbed a 22-year-old woman multiple times as she was standing outside her house with her sister, Waqar said.
The police are hunting a single attacker, Chichawatni Station House Officer Tahir Aijaz told Rooters. They have announced a reward equivalent to $2,000 (around Rs 2,00,000) for his arrest.
Many victims who sought treatment have not reported the attacks because the police have a poor reputation. Police said that many women or girls now feared to go out at night or to school.
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[Ynet] Jack Straw says in parliament debate 'unlimited' funds available to Jewish groups in US used to control America's Mideast policy; adds Germany's 'obsession' with defending Israel another obstacle for peace
#2
Mr. Straw, kindly perform an anatomically impossible autoerotic act.
Brainless jackass.
Posted by: Barbara ||
10/29/2013 15:19
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#3
It's really amazing to me what 12 million people (including cheeldrens) are allegedly able to accomplish, Miss Bossy Pants-wise-speaking, on a planet of mostly hostile billions.
#4
It's like they have super mind-control powers or sumthin'. I suspect if the Juices did not exist, it would be necessary to invent them. There has to be some reason our economies are in the dumpster. It can't be the socialism!
Paging Emmanuel Goldstein to the white courtesy phone...
[An Nahar] Israeli warplanes raided the northern Gazoo Strip on Monday after snuffies fired rockets over the border, as Israel readied to free a new batch of Paleostinian prisoners.
It was the first air strike on Gazoo in more than two months and came shortly after two rockets were fired towards southern Israel.
Despite the flareup along the Gazoo border, which has been quiet for months, Israeli officials said it was unlikely to affect the prisoner release which is due to take place on Tuesday night as part of the ongoing direct peace talks with the Paleostinians.
Witnesses said the air strike targeted a training ground west of Beit Lahiya which was used by snuffies from the armed wing of Gazoo's ruling Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, movement.
Neither the air strike nor the earlier rocket attacks on southern Israel caused any damage or casualties.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying the air force had struck "two concealed rocket launchers" in northern Gazoo following an earlier cross-border attack.
"This targeted strike ... is an immediate response to the terrorist aggression and its infrastructure in Gazoo. Hamas must take responsibility for these actions or pay the price for inaction," said a statement issued by Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, a military front man.
Earlier on Monday, snuffies fired two rockets at the southern Israeli port city of Ashkelon, one of which was shot down by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the army said.
And on Sunday, a mortar shell was fired over the border that also caused no damage or injuries. In September, there were two instances of rocket fire, but Israel did not respond.
It was the first Israeli air strike since August 14 when the air force hit targets in the same area, also in response to rocket fire.
That attack occurred just hours after Israel released a first batch of 26 Paleostinian prisoners in line with commitments which led to a resumption of direct peace talks in late July, following months of sustained US pressure.
But Monday's scuffle along the Gazoo border was not expected to have any impact on plans to free a second batch of prisoners, with a bigwig telling Agence La Belle France Presse it "won't delay" the release of 26 long-term inmates.
The list of prisoners slated for release, 21 of them from the West Bank and five from Gazoo, was approved on Monday by senior Israeli ministers.
The names were published later that night, giving victims' families and groups 48 hours to mount a legal challenge before the release goes ahead.
All but one of them were tossed in the slammer Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! before the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accords, which won the Paleostinians limited self-rule but failed to bring about an independent state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to release a total of 104 Paleostinians in four stages in line with commitments which brought about a resumption of direct talks on July 30 after a hiatus of nearly three years.
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#1
Paleos never missing an opportunity to miss an opportubity.
[Dawn] The National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed four new 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... cases, including two from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and one from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... , according to officials.
They said that the fourth victim of polio belonged to a Pakhtun family, currently living in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... .
Officials said that Fata had recorded 38 polio cases, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had seven, Sindh had five and Punjab had recorded three out of the total cases reported in 2013 so far.
According to them, the new cases have brought the nationwide polio count to 53. They said that 58 polio cases were recorded last year in the country. According to the laboratory report, one-year-old Bushra, daughter of Abdullah, a resident of Hindikhel area in Frontier Region of Bannu, has been tested positive for polio. She remained unvaccinated since June 2012. Similarly, one-year-old Tufail, son of Nair Shah, a resident of Mirdadkhel in Khyber Agency, was also diagnosed with polio. He didn't get oral polio vaccine.
Two-month-old Nazeefa, daughter of Zia ul Haq, a resident of village Miramand Banda in Swabi, was also confirmed with poliomyelitis as she didn't receive any dose of the oral vaccine.
Officials said that Fata and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had become a challenge for vaccinators, who were not able to reach the children in inaccessible areas. Killing of 17 people in polio-related activities by alleged snuffies also caused problem of refusals in Swabi and Mardan, they said.
The situation in Fata, which is a clear threat to global efforts for polio eradication, will be difficult to improve because of the ban imposed by Taliban in North and South Wazoo on vaccination and mass exoduses from Khyber Agency in the wake of the military operation.
The fourth victim of polio, one-year-old Rehmatullah, son of Yar Mohammad, also belongs to a Pakhtun family presently living in Gadap Town of Karachi.
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[Ynet] Activists say a rocket has smashed into the home of a family in the embattled Syrian Christian town of Sadad, killing five people.
Rami Abdurrahman from the Britannia-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said Sunday it wasn't clear whether the projectile was fired by Syrian soldiers or al-Qaeda linked rebels. The two groups have been clashing in the town north of Damascus for the past week. Abdurrahman said the rocket strike occurred overnight Friday.
[Dawn] Eleven people were maimed on Sunday in gun and grenade attacks by warring gangs in Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... on the fourth consecutive day of violence despite a 'grand' operation by police and Rangers and reports that the gangs had agreed to a 'truce'.
[An Nahar] A number of suspects were charged on Monday in the case of firing rockets at Baabda and Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahieh.
Military Examining Magistrate Fadi Sawwan charged 17 nabbed Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! suspects in the case.
Ten of the suspects were previously charged with forming an armed gang aimed at carrying out terrorist activity and firing rockets.
They were also accused of attempted murder.
If convicted, all these charges can lead to the maximum punishment of the death penalty.
Sawwan also issued search an investigation warrants against a number of Lebanese and Syrian individuals.
On August 30, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr ordered the detention of suspects allegedly involved in the cases of firing rockets from Ballouneh on Baabda and from the South towards Israel.
Media reports had said that the suspected intended to target the Defense Ministry in Yarze, but one rocket hit a high-voltage power line in a nearby town and a second rocket failed to launch. The launchpads were found in Ballouneh.
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[Dawn] Iran's press watchdog has imposed a ban on reformist newspaper Bahar for publishing an article seen by critics as questioning the beliefs of Shia Islam, media reported Monday.
"Based on the verdict issued by the press supervisory board, Bahar newspaper has been banned and its case has been referred to the judiciary," Mehr news agency quoted press watchdog head Alaedin Zohourian as saying.
Bahar has issued an apology note, saying publishing an article last week was an "unintentional mistake", and it temporarily suspended activities on Saturday to "ease the tensions".
"The article which has sadly hurt the feelings of the believers was published due to a technical error ... Editorial has apologised several times and criticised the article to show it was contrary to Bahar (political) line,"read its statement.
Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani, who has the support of reformists and moderates, pledged to work for more social freedom during his election campaign.
Several reformist journalists and political activists have been released since he took office in August.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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"Dem Party is F****d." That was the subject line of an email sent to me Sunday by a senior Democratic consultant with strong ties to the White House and Capitol Hill. The body of the email contained a link to this Los Angeles Times story about Obamacare "sticker shock:"
"These middle-class consumers are staring at hefty increases on their insurance bills as the overhaul remakes the healthcare market. Their rates are rising in large part to help offset the higher costs of covering sicker, poorer people who have been shut out of the system for years."
"Although recent criticism of the healthcare law has focused on website glitches and early enrollment snags, experts say sharp price increases for individual policies have the greatest potential to erode public support for President Obama's signature legislation."
In his story, reporter Chad Terhune also quoted a letter sent to a California insurance company executive. "I was all for Obamacare," wrote a young woman complaining about a 50 percent rate hike related to the health care law, "until I found out I was paying for it."
Also of interest to the Democratic consultant: A Josh Barro column on Obama's promise that "if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan." It was never a reasonable pledge, Barro argues, and it's being proven false. He called this "a good thing" because "a lot of existing health plans were bad." Reforming the nation's health care system "was necessarily going to have to change a lot of people's health plans," Barro wrote.
The Democratic consultant said none of this is news to him, but he wonders why Obama wasn't honest with Americans. He predicted surprise and outrage over higher costs and lesser coverage. "We will own this problem forever," the Democrat wrote.
"I gave you four surplus budgets, all those jobs, declining poverty." According to Philip Rucker of the Washington Post, that is what former President Clinton told Virginia voters while campaigning for his pal, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. While Clinton was not referencing the current president, it's fair to wonder about Obama's legacy if he leaves office without more progress on jobs and a budget deal that tames the nation's debt. "Clinton didn't have an insane GOP caucus to deal with," said a White House official when posed the comparison. "I know you like to think (Clinton is) the Golden Age of politics but things are different."
Bill Clinton showed "America what can happen when we focus on the economy and work with both parties." That is what McAuliffe said at the same event. Funny how some Democrats think a president can focus on the economy and work with the GOP without getting, well, fooled.
#2
"These middle-class consumers are staring at hefty increases on their insurance bills as the overhaul remakes the healthcare market. Their rates are rising in large part to help offset the higher costs of covering sicker, poorer people who have been shut out of the system for years."
#3
"I gave you four surplus budgets, all those jobs, declining poverty." According to Philip Rucker of the Washington Post, that is what former President Clinton told Virginia voters
There was no I, there was a Trunk Congress, one on the cusp of going full hog pork barrel, but still controlling the purse strings to deliver something that implied adults still ran the budget.
#4
"These middle-class consumers are staring at hefty increases on their insurance bills as the overhaul remakes the healthcare market..."
Personally, I hope the Dem Party has screwed itself for several centuries because of their shoving this unwanted abortion on us. However, I am pessimistic that this will happen as the number of those receiving government largesse without paying for it has increased under the Dems & Obozo. Big government Pubs might do slightly better but not by much.
#8
"Jerkface" from the land of the moose
Wasn't loon or ptarmigan or goose:
With piratical swagger
He squawked out, "Teabagger,
Teabagger!," took wing, and vamoosed.
#9
Zenobia, if this Facebook, I would definitely "like" your limerick.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/29/2013 19:18
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#10
Sounds like a work of Teapot fiction...
Actually, if one looks at Ron Fournier's body of work, it's fairly balanced. Methinks what one is seeing is a supporter gradually becoming frustrated and disillusioned. I didn't vote for Mr. Obama either time, but it is disheartening watching the slow-train-wreck.
Of course actually determining if it is a "Teapot fiction" means perusing Mr. Fournier's work, even if it is just the headlines. Far easier to enjoy the mental m*sturbation in parroting talking points and engaging in primary-school debating tactics.
#12
You know my son has one of those toy where if you press his hand he would say a phrase. I think he only had three or four phrases which he would repeat over and over and over as you press his hand.
That I think is two more than JerkF.
I have no idea how China envisions its future role in the Middle East. Americans will learn the intentions of the powers who gradually fill the vacuum left by Washington's withdrawal from the world "well after the fact, if ever", as I wrote on September 16 (See US plays Monopoly, Russia plays chess, Asia Times Online). That is why I have retired from foreign policy analysis. It is helpful, though, to take note of what the rest of the world is saying, particularly when not a single English-language source made reference to it. Der Spiegel's public call for China to assume a leading geopolitical role in the Middle East, though, did not appear out of context.
American commentators have regarded China as a spoiler, the source of Pakistan's nuclear weapons technology, Iran's ballistic missiles, and other alarming instances of proliferation. It is worth considering a radically different view of China's interests in the lands between the Himalayas and the Mediterranean: no world power has more to lose from instability than does China.
#2
Methinks Beijing will be focusing eastward toward East Asia + WESTPAC very soon, + for violent reasons.
To wit,
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [People'S Daily Online] PEOPLE'S DAILY: OUTBREAK OF REGIONAL WAR [China-vs-Japan] IS POSSIBLE.
* RELATED SAME > [FNOTW.org] SINO-JAPANESE WAR OR CHINESE-JAPANESE WAR. STRUGGLE IN THE 19TH + 20TH CENTURY [now 21st?] BETWEEN CHINA + JAPAN OVER PREDOMINANCE IN ASIA.
"There can only be One"???
* SAME > [Yahoo News = AFP] CHINA COAST GUARD KEEPS HEAT ON JAPAN IN ISLAND ROW.
* INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > CHINA MILITARY VOW "COUNTERATTACKS" IFF JAPAN SHOOTDOWNS ITS DRONES | IRDW.org.
* SAME > [NDTV] JAPAN SCRAMBLES FIGHTERS AFTER CHINA [PLA] FLIGHTS TWO DAYS IN A ROW.
2 H-6 Bombers, 2 Y-8 Recce get too close to Okinawa + Miyako Island FOR Japan's comfort.
* SAME > CHINA: JAPAN BREAKING "STATUS QUO" OVER DISPUTED ISLANDS.
versus
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > POSTER THREAD: ENEMY AT THE GATE ... NOW YOU PEOPLE ARGUE WITH ME THAT CHINA DOES NOT NEED A "BREZHNEV-STYLE" [massive Soviet = Cold War] MILITARY BUILDUP, agz the US-Allies; CHINA NEEDS A [hardline] LEADER LIKE LEONID BREZHNEV 1964-1982 | US "PIVOT TO ASIA GAINING STRENGTH: US ADMIRAL.
USN RADM. Mark C> Montgomery.
* SAME > SHOULD CHINA CONSIDER EVACUATION PLAN [all Chinese citizens-nationals] FROM JAPAN?
* TOPIX > [Korea Herald] CHINA FLEXES MIGHT WID SHOW OF [long-secret] SUBMARINE FORCE.
* RELATED SAME > AS TENSIONS WID JAPAN RISE, CHINA SHOWS OFF ITS NUKE SUBS.
[Al Ahram] The head of powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and key Damascus ally Hassan Nasrallah on Monday accused Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... of blocking a political solution to the conflict in Syria.
Nasrallah said the Gulf kingdom was "furious because the situation in Syria has not worked out in its favour", in a speech broadcast on a large screen set up in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Riyadh has been a key backer of rebel groups fighting to topple the government of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... since March 2011.
"Today, political dialogue and the search for a political solution are enjoying international, regional and interior support ... but there is a state in the region which is furious (about the proposed Geneva II peace conference), and its name is Saudi Arabia," Nasrallah charged.
Relations between Washington and Riyadh have been strained since the United States backed away from military action against Assad over alleged chemical weapons attacks in August.
Ties have worsened further between the two allies over Washington's recent engagement with Iran, Saudi Arabia's arch-foe in the region.
Nasrallah said that the oil-rich Gulf kingdom had sent imported muscle, weapons and money to back Syrian rebels fighting the government in Damascus to bring about Assad's fall.
"But it didn't work," said Nasrallah, who has admitted sending Hezbollah fighters to battle alongside government troops in Syria as they seek to crush rebel forces.
"The region cannot be torn apart by war because a state is furious and is trying to hinder any political dialogue and push back Geneva II," he said.
"Their obstinacy is pointless," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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#1
"What difference does it make?" We've been told so by "the next president of the US..."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/29/2013 6:18
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#2
I've racked my noggin over this disaster since the day it happened, attempting to find plausible answers as to why all the secrecy, denial, and obfuscation by the regime. Nothing seems to add up. Nothing seems to justify the deception and denial.
I've studied the numerous kidnapping conspiracy theories and have arrived at neither logical or illogical conclusion. I've examined the Turkish connection, the warehouse, and weapons cache ideas and cannot twist them in any shape which might justify the extent of the cover.
Reading these latest revelations, I stumbled upon something, a possibility so bizarre and out of the box, I almost hesitate to propose it. Let us suppose for a moment however, that this British chap's news and warning about the pending attack wasn't news at all. What if the regime had full knowledge of the pending seizure and had actually extended tacit approval of the take-down and handover? Given that scenario, what could possibly go wrong ?
Brit trainer was long gone and the facility was left to the security of corrupt guards. The so-called 'secret annex' was reinforced and stand-down orders were given to the staff of the consulate. So what went wrong? Why the cock-up? Did Stevens turn up unexpectedly, or fail to leave as ordered? Did anxious patriots [US Navy Seals] defy orders and rush to sound of the guns? With full knowledge the attack was pending, was the facility intended to simply be given away? Were these poor bastids simply caught in the crossfire ?
Even that, still doesn't justify the cover-up. What situation could so unacceptable, so hanus as to warrant such denial and spin? Hang on with me for one more short and very frightening bit.
For reasons unknown, could the attack and seizure of a hoped for, empty US facility been planned and trained up by some element of US personnel? At some phase of the operation, we're US advisors actually involved in the assault?
#3
What if the regime had full knowledge of the pending seizure and had actually extended tacit approval of the take-down and handover?
Seems strange, but also the least implausible explanation so far. Then the question is 'Why?'
Did anxious patriots [US Navy Seals] defy orders and rush to sound of the guns?
That part seems quite likely.
Whatever the plan was, it went tragicly wrong: Some breakdown in timing or communication in a complex plan? Some third party got involved by accident or leak? There seems to have been little in the way of a contingency plan though, because the whole follow-up/cover-up was pathetic. Still, it involved a lot of people, from multiple disciplines, all managing to/being forced to keep their mouths shut - not likely without, IMO, something substantive behind it all.
#4
#3 What if the regime had full knowledge of the pending seizure and had actually extended tacit approval of the take-down and handover?
Seems strange, but also the least implausible explanation so far. Then the question is 'Why?'
Good question. Securing and defending the facility would have entailed military action against potential AQ elements just prior to the election. Military action would have validated previously ignored security concerns. As I recall, the regime had declared "GM alive, Ben Laden and AQ dead". Military action at that junction would not have fit the pre-election narrative.
Had the facility been overrun and no one killed or injured, the evacuation of the dilapidated facility could have been portrayed as a prudent, cost effective choice, an intelligence coup.
#5
I think we're ascribing too much intelligence to these people. Benghazi was nothing more than sheer incompetence and panic on the part of the Tyrant Obama's admin. The coverup was simply an attempt to hide this. These people cover up and lie about EVERYTHING. No matter how minor. I think Hillary's 3am call came and she flat out panicked and refused to let anything happen because she could not make a decision. If you understand that other people aren't really 'real' to her, just pieces and tools for her to play with, it makes more sense.
#6
The genesis of the Benghazi debacle is found in the US arming of rebel forces intended to bring down Muamar Qadafi. The Qadadfa clan hated the Benghazi people and Muamar was no different. During his four decades of rule he always kept them on a short lease. The forces that brought down Qadafi were led by Islamist elements, and Stevens was Hillary Clinton's liaison with them. Afterwards, Benghazi was a post-Qadafi collection point, with CIA funding used to re-purchase arms after the fall of Qadafi. Some bright guy at the CIA thought it wise to accept Gulf money to move arms to the rebels in Syria, and Benghazi was the point from which arms were shipped to receiving points in Turkey. Throughout, the CIA was aware of the dangerous conditions in Benghazi; it originally thought it could control the crazies, but by the time of the attack both the Agency and the Embassy, and Stevens were aware that effort had failed. The dangers to the operation were known in Washington, anc the key to events likely will be discerned some day by the publication of minutes of the meeting held by the President's security council on 10 September, the day before the attack.
#7
The pre-apology by the Cairo Embassy for the obscure utube video more than 24 hours prior to the Benghazi attack, told me the die was cast by State...because they knew what was coming.
The authors of that apology have not been identified, Benghazi's consulate was not warned, the military was not given a heads up.
When you look at that sequence, the kidnap of Stevens for exchange of the blind shiek...who the MB's had previously requested be released to them...the plot thickens.
#8
The question that has not been asked is why the Islamist elements decided to attack the US in Benghazi. Sure, they had warned the Brits and the Red Cross. And some on the ground say that the US was also warned it was a target. But what really puckered the AQ types was the fact that the arms collected in and shipped from Benghazi for the Syrian rebels particularly excluded Islamist units active in Syria. Thus the 9/11 attack served various purposes. Most importantly it told the White House that AQ was not dead and was at war with the US presence, first in Benghazi, and secondly in Libya.
#9
I agree Mugs, the vid was a convenient (or previously coordinated) cover for action. An 'everything goes to hell' default. Running the traps on where Susan Rice came up with this bit of theater would tell us much. Unfortunately, I'm not sure anyone in Washington really wants to know.
However, in my view, the Blind Shiek and kidnapping theory fails to meet the pre-election narrative.
#10
In the conduct of prisoner snatches, raids and ambushes, and the like. Time and accurate sequencing of events is of the essence. A rebel assault force remaining on or near the objective for an extended period of time (eight plus hours fits this category) places the assault force at risk to counterattack and the relief of the objective by reinforcements.
Of course if you already know no one is coming, and are simply pinned down by a few stragglers, the risk of loitering about is substantially reduced.
#11
I tend to agree with Spigum. What I suspect is being missed here is that the four at Benghazi were caught in a policy shift. An op was being run by State/CIA to send arms to Syria rebels. But there was dissension within the administration about it because some (Valerie?) didn't want to get involved in Syria on either side for fear we would be drawn in as we were in Libya or to placate Iran. Nor did Obama want to get involved in yet another mid-east war. So the decision was made to cut the losses at 4 dead Americans. And who really wanted Stevens around to tell the press what he knew?
#12
Boes, if you consider the Alinsky mindset regarding don't let a crisis go to waste, and note the Cairo apology would have been planned around early August, (the video came out in July) the olde "don't change horses in the middle of a crisis/stream" fits a pre-election timing.
#13
A "policy shift" is entirely likely. A surviving Stevens saying anything about anything in a post-Benghazi scenario.... highly unlikely. That's not how senior political appointees, career diplomats, and many senior military people reach and stay at the top. It's simply not in their make up.
#14
I believe that some guy in Cairo believed the youtube video was at fault and tweeted it and that confused matters and gave the State Department a fig leaf when they needed it.
I believe Obama knew better than experts on the ground (who tend to portray Islam as violent) and refused to listen until it was too late, and they didn't send help because the attack would be over by then, but the attack continued and continued exposing their inaction.
I believe there was an election going on and the Media wanted Obama to win so they played ball for a year.
I believe the political class delayed inquiry into this until the election was well over and the next one was over a year away to best allow them to recover and claim it was old news when the time comes.
#16
Bear in mind for a moment the proposed 'link analysis' (to be)performed in the Fast-n-Furious gun walking experiment. The end goal was to reverse engineer a C2 distribution network.
Some time after, from the same thinkers:
Imagine then tracking a warehouse of registered weapons, 'randomly distributed thru covert channels from a clustered point source'.
Pan doesn't like conspiracies. To me this smells of NGO modeling theatre behind a blind CIA OP. Bravely, SEALS did as SEALS do. The mortars were unexpected and Stevens was directed to be there to lend legitimacy.
#18
Too much top down, lack of local and regional commander's ability to act independently, coupled with command paralysis at the top (Sec Sstate, CinC) due to inexperience, incompetence, negligence, and extreme risk aversion due to political calculations. That all hit in Benghazi, and the big news outlets provided cover for this in order to insure it was buried for the election, and attempted to further the coverup to this day.
How do we hold the news organizations responsible for what would be a criminal aiding and abetting a crime, then also conspiring to assist in the coverup?
#19
For reasons unknown, could the attack and seizure of a hoped for, empty US facility been planned and trained up by some element of US personnel?
Possible, but not likely on all counts. I'm with Pan - I don't go for conspiracies.
There are several military assets that would have been able to do this, some of them US-trained. You're as capable of coming up with a list as I am.
There are also jihadi elements that received training either directly from, or through trainers that had been in, the Soviet/Russian military.
As for "hopefully empty," the facility was under surveillance since early morning of the day of the attack. Ambassador Stevens was at the gate bidding farewell to the Turkish ambassador in the few hours prior to the attack. The probability of that going unobserved is low.
And yes- I don't think the unofficial SEAL/SPECOP response was anticipated.
#20
Valid points Pappy. Beginning with the very obvious PR fiction of the lame video, I simply can't reconcile the extent the regime has gone to cover up this debacle. Gun running, poor facility security; ok, take your hits and move on....been there, done that with numerous administrations. Why the continuing cone-of-silence, secrecy, non-disclosure statements (NDS), senior officer retirements, obfuscation, and denial. Where there is smoke, there is fire.
[Dawn] AROUND this time last year, approximately 48,000 families in Pakistain had refused vaccinations. In 2013, that number stands at 65,947.
On the eve of World Polio Day 2013, this highlighted an ever-increasing trust deficit between the government and the parents of at-risk children in outlying communities, a deficit that is costing Pak lives. We are at a strange turning point, where our indisputable success is marred by our unfortunate failures.
The 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... eradication campaign's numbers are certainly impressive on paper. 33.4 million children under the age of five are targeted for vaccinations. Over 200,000 people assist in a campaign that stretches across the country in 102 districts.
But inefficiency, deep-seated corruption, lack of proper security for health workers and inaccessibility to certain regions continue to act as a debilitating counterweight to the immunisation efforts. Chief among these, compromised access between children and health workers is what truly gives polio free rein.
Pages 115 through 127 of the 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.... Commission Report narrate how Dr Shakeel Afridi latched his work on hepatitis with local vaccination campaigns.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) has mandated that they are not against vaccinations in general, nor do they oppose comprehensive health for Mohammedans. Instead, they are wary of potential spying being conducted under the ruse of vaccinations.
But the truth, as always, goes deeper than that. State Minister for Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Tarrar recognises the political acumen behind this narrative.
"The Death Eater elements recognise that there is a lot of international pressure on Pakistain to eradicate polio, and so they are using this to their advantage by clubbing other demands with this issue," she says. "Through peace talks or any other means, immunisation must start in the tribal belt, or this problem will rapidly get out of control."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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#1
On the eve of World Polio Day 2013,
They do understand that World Polio Day is *not* the day everyone is supposed to get polio, right?
[Dawn] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Monday left for a three-day official visit to London where he will attend a trilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... and Afghanistan president Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, DawnNews reported.
Prime Minister Sharif will participate in tripartite negotiations to be held among Pakistain, Britannia and Afghanistan at the summit hosted by Cameron.
Afghanistan will demand an explanation from Pakistain on the whereabouts of former Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar when the leaders of both countries meet at the summit to discuss how to end years of insurgency, Rooters had earlier quoted an Afghan official as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... met with Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... on Monday and the two leaders held consultations over holding talks with myrmidon groups as well as over the possible inclusion of JUI-F in the federal cabinet, DawnNews reported.
According to sources, the JUI-F chief called upon Sharif at the Noor Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi before the premier's departure to Britannia today.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Information Minister Pervez Rashid were also present at the meeting.
During the meeting, consultations were held amongst the leaders over negotiations with myrmidon groups and Prime Minister Sharif and the interior minister briefed Rehman regarding progress on these talks.
Moreover, discussions were also held to include JUI-F in the federal cabinet.
Sources said the premier also took the JUI-F chief in confidence regarding his visit to the United States.
Earlier on October 24, Prime Minister Sharif and US President Barack Obama I inhaled. That was the point... held a 90-minute long one-on-one meeting at the White House's Oval Office.
Sharif had brought up the issue of US drone strikes in Pakistain and told the American president that the strikes need to end.
The two leaders had also discussed Pakistain's ties with India, including the Kashmire issue.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Peggy Noonan said if we knew about the corruption of those running the United States at the time of the Kennedy assassination we would have been shocked to paraphrase her comment. Why would we be shocked?Just what party was in power at the time-- just a rhetorical question?
[Al Ahram] General Magdi El-Din Barakat, the military representative to the 50-member constitutional committee, threatened to withdraw from Monday's session after a dispute broke out regarding article 50, which regulates freedom of information.
Article 50, part of the constitution's "Freedom and Rights" chapter, dictates that access to data, statistics, and documents is a right for all citizens, to be ensured by the state. The article states that information should be accessible and transparent so long as it does not violate the private rights of others or national security.
A majority of the committee voted on Monday to remove the special protection for information that concerns "national security," sparking debate, an informed source told Ahram Arabic news website.
Representatives from the ultra-conservative Salafist Nour Party and the military were among the few who voted to keep the phrase intact.
Another debate erupted on Monday regarding article 49, which establishes "freedom of scientific research."
The Nour party argued that freedom of scientific research should be granted, however research should be in accordance "to social standards," a reference to the issue of cloning.
Heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub asserted that freedom of scientific research should be unrestricted.
The 50-member constitutional committee is tasked with amending the 2012 constitution, which was suspended following the ouster of former president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator...
A final draft of the amended constitution is due for release by 3 December, when it will be referred to Interim President Adly Mansour and put to a national referendum.
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[Dawn] THE World Economic Forum's annual gender gap report is out and, like every year since its inception in 2006, it makes for very grim reading for Pakistain. In 2013, Pakistain has been ranked 135 out of 136 countries surveyed. If that is not bad enough, Pakistain's best performance was being ranked 112 out of 115 countries in the inaugural report in 2006. Of course, when dealing with the results of any survey, let alone one dealing with the population of 136 countries, much depends on the methodology used, the accuracy of the data being studied and a clear understanding of what the report is trying to study and present. Having said that, even if there are legitimate questions about whether the overall position of women in Pakistain is really worse than every single one of the 135 countries surveyed barring one -- Yemen -- it is safe to say that the situation of women in Pakistain is deeply problematic and far from where it ought to be to achieve some semblance of equality with the male population in the crucial areas of health, education, economics and politics.
The straightforward, though important, reason for a society needing to close the gaps between men and women in the areas of health, education, economics and politics is explained in the very first line of the report: "Countries and companies can be competitive only if they develop, attract and retain the best talent, both male and female." Let half of a country's population lag behind -- enormously behind, in Pakistain's case -- behind the other, male half and the simple fact of the matter is that everyone loses, because society as a whole is unable to achieve its potential. In Pakistain's case, when it comes to systemic interventions by the state to improve the relative standing of women, the problem is less that as a group the country's leadership does not acknowledge the need to improve women's access, opportunities and core entitlements, but that the leadership is all too willing to defer to tradition and antediluvian cultural norms.
Consider the area of political empowerment, where Pakistain ranks a less terrifyingly poor 64th. Women in parliament, women in ministerial positions and a female head of state in less than 50 years -- all of this Pakistain has managed to do. But how many parties make it a point to have more women candidates on directly elected seats or groom women for leadership positions? Barring one or two parties, none do. So even where Pakistain appears to be doing well, it isn't really.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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[An Nahar] A Sunni Arab politician was kidnapped by Islamist fighters during festivities with members of his pro-regime tribe in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ezzor, a monitoring group reported Monday.
Fighters from the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group and jihadists from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) kidnapped MP Mohanna Faisal al-Fayyad on Sunday evening, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The abduction, the Britannia-based Observatory said, followed two days of festivities between members of Fayyad's tribe, which supports the regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... , and the rebels groups.
Most of the oil-rich Deir Ezzor province is in rebel hands.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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He says it was prolly a buncha kids. I doubt that. Vanderboegh has been front and center the reason why no one can move anti 2nd Amendment laws. A buncha kids is but part of the crowd Obamettes would use.
F*ckers.
So, I took my life in my hands and called the cops to make a police report. Mostly I wanted to see if there had been any other incidents of the like elsewhere in the neighborhood. The disinterested sheriff's deputy has come and gone, taking the projectile with him. But he did say that there had been no other reports tonight or any time in the recent past.
Hmm. Not what I expected. Occam's razor would seem to dictate that it was a bunch of kids with a slingshot. For now I've got a shaken Rosey with me downstairs below ground level. All the windows down here are barricaded with so many shelves of thick books I doubt a .30-06 would penetrate.
[Bangla Daily Star] Radical Islamist group Hefajat-e Islam has warned of a civil war if the government goes ahead with its plan to control Qawmi madrasas like state-funded Alia madrasas.
"We won't allow Qawmi madrasas to be controlled by the government. Lakhs of people will be killed if anyone tries to control Qwami Madrasa," secretary general of Hefajat, told a press conference in Chittagong yesterday.
The press conference, at AB Community Centre at Hathazari, was held to warn the government against passing Qawmi Madrasa Shikkha Kartripakkha Ain-2013.
"We won't abide by such a law," Hefajat Ameer Shah Ahmed Shafi told reporters at his madrasa in Hathazari after the press conference.
"Don't try to control Qawmi Madrasa. There will be a civil war if you do," he warned.
Allegations are that a section of Qawmi Madrasa students and teachers are involved in militancy. But Shafi said those allegations were false.
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[An Nahar] U.N.-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... envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who arrived in Damascus Monday, believes Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... could contribute to the transition to a "new" Syria, but not as the country's leader.
Brahimi, who was in Syria on the latest leg of a regional tour to rally support for peace talks, spoke about Assad in an interview in Gay Paree with the Jeune Afrique website published Monday.
"Many of those around (Assad) believe his candidacy (for a new presidential term in 2014) is a fact. He considers this an absolute right... He thinks above all of completing his mandate," the veteran Algerian diplomat said.
However, we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... "what history teaches us is that after a crisis like this there is no going back. President Assad could therefore usefully contribute to the transition from the Syria of before, that of his father (the late president Hafez Assad) and himself, to what I call the new Republic of Syria."
Brahimi said the U.S.-Russian accord to dismantle Syria's chemical arsenal had transformed Assad from a "pariah" into a "partner" and convinced his supporters even more of his ability to prevail.
Brahimi also faces an uphill battle in convincing the fractured opposition to attend the Geneva talks, after 19 Islamist rebel groups warned that anyone taking part in the talks would be considered a traitor.
"This conference is the beginning of a process. We hope that the opposition will manage to agree on a credible and representative delegation," Brahimi said.
"We should not delude ourselves: the entire world will not be present. But as the process continues, it should include as much of the world as possible."
Brahimi, a veteran international troubleshooter, said he feared that if a settlement could not be reached Syria may become a failed state like Somalia, which has not had a functioning government for two decades.
"The real threat in Syria is not the partition of the country. The real danger is a sort of "Somalization," but even more deep and lasting than what we have seen in Somalia."
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[Dawn] Unidentified armed persons rubbed out a member of Salarzai Peace Committee in Dara area of Salarzai tehsil in Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central ...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth... on Sunday.
According to the local administration, Ghaus Rehman, a member of the village defence committee, was on way to his home from the bazaar when unidentified gunnies opened firing on him. He was maimed in the attack and was taken to agency headquarters hospital in Khar where he succumbed to his wounds.
The members of local peace committee and personnel of Bajaur Levies reached the spot soon after the incident but the assailants managed to escape. No group has so far grabbed credit for the attack.
The local administration with the help of the members of peace committee placed in durance vile Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! several suspected during a joint search operation in the area.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels... security forced defused several bombs planted along a road in Lovisam area of tehsil Khar on Sunday.
Officials said that local people informed the administration about the presence of the bombs in the area.
The security forces with the help of volunteers of local defence committee launched search operation in the area and recovered several bombs. The devices were defused safely.
The administration has beefed up security across the agency to maintain law and order in the region. Officials said that additional personnel of Levies were deployed at various checkpoints and sensitive places to avert any untoward incident.
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[BBC.CO.UK] An air strike in southern Somalia has killed two senior commanders of the krazed killer Islamist group, al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... , residents have told the BBC.
The strike destroyed the vehicle the faceless myrmidons were travelling in between the towns of Jilib and Barawe, seen as a major base of al-Shabaab, they said.
The US launched a failed raid in Barawe earlier this month to capture an al-Shabaab commander.
Al-Shabaab is the main al-Qaeda-linked group in East Africa.
A Kenyan military source told the BBC their troops had raided Jilib, and that there might have been some casualties.
However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... correspondents say it is unlikely that they carried out the air strike.
Residents of Jilib, some 120km (75 miles) north of the port of Kismayo, told the BBC that it was probably a drone attack that killed the al-Shabaab commanders.
One of those killed was al-Shabaab's top explosives expert, also known as Anta, a member of the group told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
"This afternoon, I heard a big crash and saw a drone disappearing far into the sky, at least two faceless myrmidons died," local resident Hassan Nur was quoted by Rooters news agency as saying.
"I witnessed a Suzuki car burning, many al-Shabaab men came to the scene. I could see them carry the remains of two corpses," he said. "It was a heavy missile that the drone dropped. Many cars were driving ahead of me but the drone targeted this Suzuki."
A Hellfire on a Suzuki? That's at least a little over-kill...
At least 67 people were killed last month when al-Shaboobs seized the Westgate shopping centre in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
US commandos raided Barawe after the attack, but had to retreat after meeting heavy resistance. The US was believed to have sought to capture al-Shabaab commander Abdukadir Mohammed Abdukadir, also known as Ikrima. Barawe residents say Ikrima is an al-Shabaab leader with responsibility for logistics, who is usually accompanied by about 20 well-armed guards.
All in a Suzuki...
The US has carried out a series of air strikes in Somalia. In 2008, one killed al-Shabaab commander Aden Hashi Ayro.
A year later, another strike killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who was accused of involvement in the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi and the 2002 attacks on a hotel and airline in Mombasa.
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10/29/2013
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
#1
Sounds liek the disciples all in one accord, a juicy target for the Romans as it were.
[Dawn] The opposition leader in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Assembly has claimed that Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch is preparing to quit following his failure to recover missing persons and bring an end to recovery of mutilated dead bodies in the province.
Addressing a presser at his chamber on Monday, Maulana Wasey of Jamaat Ulemai-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) said Dr Baloch's presser in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... was disappointing and far from ground realities. He said the chief minister and his coalition partners have deceived the masses since they had made tall claims before the elections to stop recovery of mutilated dead bodies.
"Number of missing persons has increased and bullet- riddled dead bodies are being recovered every day," he asserted.
The opposition leader's reaction has come a day after Balochistan Chief Minister Baloch admitted at meet the press in Karachi that he was failing to recover the missing political workers. "I have been unsuccessful so far. I need time and space to work on the missing persons' case. Dialogue and institutional reforms are necessary at the moment," said the CM.
Maulana Wasey said under a pre-planned conspiracy, renowned politician Arbab Zahir Kasi was picked up in brazen day light from Quetta. "Where is writ of the government," he questioned.
The opposition leader, who remained a senior minister for ten years in Balochistan, lamented that the current coalition partners were fighting on attractive ministries rather than addressing the grievances of masses. "They could not even form government for five months," he said.
He said the present nationalist government was merely paying a lip service in terms of addressing the grievances of masses, adding that even Supreme Court had praised Nawab Aslam Raisani-led government regarding the recovery of missing persons.
"During our government we recovered missing persons and produced them before the court of law," he claimed.
In the meantime, Chairman Baloch Voice for Missing Persons Nasrullah Baloch claimed that law enforcers in plain clothes had picked up his brother on Sunday. "They tortured my brother and set him free after the crowd was gathered," he blamed.
Baloch also demanded of the government to provide protection to the participants of long march.
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[An Nahar] Egyptian security forces on Monday fired tear gas to disperse students protesting in support of ousted Islamist president Mohmamed Morsi, security officials said.
The protesters marched outside the campus of Al-Azhar University in Cairo and blocked a main road as they chanted against the military that overthrew Morsi in July amid massive protests against his rule.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, as police fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse the students.
By late afternoon soldiers had dispersed the protesters and reopened the road, littered with stones and tear gas canisters, an Agence La Belle France Presse correspondent said.
As police and Morsi opponents have violently broken up Islamist protests on the streets, supporters of the ousted president have sought to regroup on campuses to press their demand for his reinstatement.
Demonstrations took place last week at the universities of Al-Azhar and Cairo, where scuffles broke out between supporters and opponents of Morsi.
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[An Nahar] A Jordanian MP was placed in durance vile You have the right to remain silent... on Monday for his alleged role in a September fight in parliament, where another politician fired a Kalashnikov assault rifle at a third colleague, an official said.
"Yahia al-Saud was jugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! today after prosecutors charged him with inciting murder, defamation and slander," the judicial official told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"He was remanded in jug for 14 days pending further investigation," he added.
On September 10, MP Talal al-Sharif shot a Kalashnikov at his colleague Qusay al-Dumaisi during an altercation in the lower house, without hitting him.
The shooting came two days after an argument broke out in parliament between Dumaisi and Saud.
Video footage showed Dumaisi removing his shoes and Saud his belt during the dispute, which flared due to differences over parliamentary procedure, before they were separated.
"Prosecters found evidence that Saud incited Sharif to shoot at Dumaisi," another judicial official told AFP.
MP Khalil Atiyeh, deputy house speaker, confirmed the detention of Saud.
"Saud at the moment does not enjoy immunity because parliament is in recess," Atiyeh told AFP.
Saud, who faces up to three years in prison "could be expelled if convicted," Atiyeh said.
Sharif was expelled from parliament and Dumaisi suspended for one year.
Sharif, currently in jail, has been charged with attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and resisting the security forces.
In July 2012, a live television debate on domestic issues between two deputies also degenerated into fisticuffs before one of them pulled out a gun and was overpowered.
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[An Nahar] Three soldiers were maimed on Monday during a clash with gunnies in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... as they deployed in their neighborhood, part of a security plan in the capital of the North.
One of the soldiers was badly maimed after gunnies from the district of Bab al-Tabbaneh opened fire on them. The army responded to the sources of fire as the soldiers deployed heavily in the area.
Their deployment with armored vehicles came as they previously enhanced their presence in the neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen.
On Monday evening, two hand grenades were hurled in the stream of the Abu Ali River in Bab al-Tabbaneh, radio Voice of Leb (93.3) reported.
It noted that the grenades were followed by heavy gunfire.
The same radio station also said a gunfire exchange erupted on the Souk al-Qameh-Hay al-Saydeh axis in the northern city. The army responded to the sources of fire.
Later on Monday, Voice of Leb said "Bab al-Tabbaneh's holy mans have only agreed to the army's deployment on the frontiers without troops entering the internal neighborhoods and streets to pursue the sons of the area."
It said four people were maimed in the evening, identifying them as Mahmoud Merhi, Ibrahim al-Khatib, Osama Hussein and Mohammed Youssef.
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie ducked another tomato... two gunnies on a cycle of violence opened fire on a house belonging to the pro-Hizbullah al-Mouri family in al-Zahriyeh area, according to the radio station.
One week of festivities between the rival districts has left scores of casualties.
The neighborhoods have been at odds for decades, but skirmishes began to flare with increasing intensity after the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.
The two areas are home to opponents and supporters of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs...
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[An Nahar] The security situation in war-torn Syria has prevented international inspectors from visiting two remaining chemical weapons sites, the global watchdog said Monday.
Inspectors had by Sunday visited 21 of 23 chemical sites, but "the two remaining sites have not been visited due to security reasons," The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement.
Efforts by the joint OPCW-United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... mission charged with destroying Syria's chemical arsenal by mid-2014 "to ensure the conditions necessary for safe access to those sites will continue," said the OPCW, which won this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Syria has submitted a formal declaration of its chemical weapons program ahead of an October 27 deadline, together with a general plan of destruction.
Inspectors on the unprecedented mission in a war zone were supposed to have visited all sites declared by Syria by the same deadline of Sunday.
Damascus was required to submit the destruction plan under a U.S.-Russian deal agreed last month that headed off military strikes on Syria.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Trampler of Homs... 's regime has handed over an inventory of its chemical weapons and facilities, and international inspectors are already busy inspecting and destroying them.
A first monthly report of the inspectors, covering their work on the ground since October 1, is to be sent to the U.N. Security Council by U.N. chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... .
The OPCW's Executive Council will use the Syrian declaration to decide by November 15 on "destruction milestones" for Syria's arsenal.
Syria has also sent in a declaration of its chemical weapons activities and facilities, meeting its obligations as a new state party to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
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[Jpost] UAE, Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and Kuwait, which oppose the Moslem Brüderbund, have already pledged $12b. in aid to Egypt.
Egypt signed an agreement for $4.9 billion with the United Arab Emirates on Saturday in which it decided to support the country's development with an additional $3.9b. in aid after previously agreeing to around $1b. in July.
The signing of the agreement took place in the presence of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and called for the construction of 25 wheat and grain silos, and other healthcare, housing, and development projects, according to the Emirates News Agency.
Egyptian interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi arrived in the UAE Friday for a three-day trip.
Beblawi, in a meeting with members of the Egyptian community in Abu Dhabi on Friday, said that the UAE was providing vital support for Egypt after its revolution.
"The UAE has been extending support to Egypt in political, economic and investment fronts. Moreover, the UAE diplomacy played a key role in rallying support for the revolution among several countries and, needless to say, its financial support has helped Egypt avert many crises," he said, according to the Dubai based Khaleej Times.
"I am very upbeat about the future of Egypt, but that does not mean things will be easy. Egypt is now like a recovering patient who needs to be attended to carefully," said Beblawi.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which oppose the Moslem Brüderbund and supported the military coup by the Egyptian army, have already pledged $12b. in aid.
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[Dawn] MORE than 10 members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) faction led by Hakeemullah Mehsud have reportedly been killed in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... since August.
According to news reports, these deaths are the result of festivities with the TTP faction loyal to Waliur Rehman, the TTP commander who was killed by a drone strike earlier this year.
Continued on Page 49
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[TOLONEWS] Zalmai Zabuli, the head of the Senate Complaints Commission, launched scathing accusations against General Musa Wardak, the head of the Ministry of Defense's (MoD) Health Department, and called for his dismissal on Monday.
The Complaints Commission said it had reason to believe corruption was a porblem in the Health Department. Zabuli also noted that the Commission had received a number of complaints over the past month from provincial offices of the MoD's Health Department indicating that Gen. Wardak had abused the powers of his office and fired several doctors from their jobs without due cause.
"Our preliminary assessments show that corruption exists in the Health Department of the Ministry of Defense on a large scale, and we registered many complaints about the head of the Health Department," said Senator Zabuli.
Zabuli maintained that his Commission had already coordinated with the MoD and determined that Wardak should be let go, but that still no steps had been taken by the Ministry.
"We worked jointly with the Ministry of Defense and we decided to fire him from the post, but unfortunately he hasn't been fired," said Zabuli.
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie was cracking himself up, but nobody else seemed to be getting the non-stop jokes... General Zahir Azimi, the MoD front man, said that the dismissal of officials from the Ministry was under the authority of the Minister of Defense alone.
But Zabuli was insistent, and even went so far as to put the Defense Minister in his sights.
"We demanded dismissal of the head of the Health Department of the Defense Ministry many times because he has been involved in corruption and has fired several doctors from their jobs without reason...if he isn't fired from the job, it suggests that the Defense Minister is also involved in corruption," he said.
Azimi urged the Senate Commission to take its case through the proper legal channels and present whatever evidence of wrongdoing it had against Wardak to the Attorney General.
"We ask that the Senate Complaints Commission submit its proof of corruption in the case against the head of the Health Department of the Defense Ministry to the Attorney General's office so that the Attorney General can make a decision on the issue," said Azimi. "But the recruitment and dismissal of Defense Ministry officials is not the authority of anybody except the Minister of Defense."
Zabuli and the other Senate members of the Complaints Commission did not say whether or not they planned to forward Wardak's case on to the Attorney General.
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#1
"Our preliminary assessments show that corruption exists in the Health Department of the Ministry of Defense on a large scale, and we registered many complaints about the head of the Health Department,"
Wonder if they have a non-functioning registration website?
[Libya Herald] Libya's population last year was 5,172,231. The figure was announced by the Bureau of Statistics and Census. The figure is based on applications for the National ID number. According to bureau, there were 959 434 families. The number of males was put at 2,617,275 and females at 2,554,956.
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Three members of an bomb disposal team were killed in an explosion while examining another device in Narathiwat province yesterday.
Pol Lt Col Prateep Suksarn said the blast happened about 9:50 a.m. The bomb squad had rushed to the scene after a report that a bomb had been planted in a hole next to the road. The bomb squad turned on a mobile phone signal jammer while examining the hole, and confirmed the presence of a bomb.
At the same time, another bomb buried nearby exploded. The powerful blast hurled the bodies of deputy squad leader, Pol Sub Lt Chaen Warongpaisith, and squad members Pol Sub Lt Jaroon Mekruang and Pol Sgt Nimit Deewong, a distance of about 40 meters. A chief warrant officer was injured in the explosion.
Bomb squad members continued to scour the scene and found another bomb inside a gas cylinder, connected to wires leading to nearby trees. They disabled it with a water cannon.
In Pattani province, a combined force of police, rangers and officials yesterday nabbed a suspect in the 2006 abduction and killing of a teacher. They raided a house acting on information that Mayiding Jaru, a suspect wanted for the shooting of Pol Snr Sgt Maj Phurit Wanthong on Feb 12 of that year, was hiding there.
The security team did not find Mr. Mayiding but instead arrested Ahama Kajeh, a Runda Kumpulan Kecil suspect wanted on two warrants. Under the first warrant, Mr Ahama was suspected of involvement in the abduction of Juling Pongkanmoon, a teacher, on May 19, 2006. She was later found beaten to death. Under the other warrant, he was wanted for a shooting attack on a train on June 21, 2008, in which three railway officials and a police officer were killed and a policeman wounded.
[An Nahar] Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... criticized on Monday the state for failing to address the networks that are planting booby-trapped cars in Leb.
He said: "The state is aware of the activity of these networks, but is not lifting a finger to stop them."
He made his remarks during a speech marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Great Prophet Hospital.
"The state is aware of the various security threats in Leb and it cannot be selective in tackling them," he added.
Nasrallah therefore demanded that the caretaker government convene in order to address security threats, saying: "It should not convene only after an kaboom takes place. These issues cannot be postponed."
Addressing the festivities in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , the Hizbullah chief urged the cabinet to take a "firm decision" to put an end to the instability in the city.
"The army and security forces should take over control in Tripoli and the people should provide them with the necessary support while they perform their duties," he continued.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
You wanted your own little self-governing, self-policing dominion, Sayyed.
Deal with it.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/29/2013 8:11
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Top||
#2
Sauce, Goose, Gander
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/29/2013 9:38
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[Dawn] Six months after undergoing a series of operations, Mian Syed Wahid, 65, is recovering and is now able to sit properly.
He was among the many people inside The Nation Secondary School that came under attack on March 30 this year.
Situated in Ittehad Town, a prize distribution ceremony was under way in the school when one after the other three hand grenades were lobbed at the school by gunnies, followed by shooting.
While principal of the school Rasheed Ahmed died on his way to hospital, chief guest Wahid, who got hit by a bullet near his kidney, underwent two operations and a surgery and survived.
Besides the principal, a grade four student, 10-year-old Tahira Noor, also succumbed to her injuries. "Twelve people were maimed in the attack," said Mohammad Ali, an eyewitness.
Six months later the school continues to run, with children from nearby neighbourhoods filling the classrooms. But the major difference this time around is that there are fewer girls in attendance.
Sitting in a hunched position, in an open veranda of an Awami National Party (ANP) office in the area, Wahid speaks slowly about what happened. "Rasheed [the dear departed principal] was receiving extortion chits from some criminals. I told him not to mess with them, but he didn't listen and sought help from the authorities. A couple of days later this incident occurred," he said.
A close friend of Rasheed's, Wahid was the only person who spoke against arranging a prize distribution ceremony. "I thought it was too risky considering the kind of threats Rasheed was receiving. But he insisted upon the ceremony arguing that schoolchildren looked forward to such events and he didn't want to disappoint them," he adds quietly.
A predominantly Pakhtun locality, a huge chunk of the population hails from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), with small pockets of Baloch and Urdu-speaking neighbourhoods, Ittehad Town is considered to be infested with krazed killers. Initial reports that came after the attack on the school also suggested the same. But the school administration completely refuted it.
Wahid, however, believes that, some "criminal elements" might be using the name of forces of Evil to extort money, adding that forces of Evil did have a presence in Ittehad Town. "From what we know, there are two factions active in our part of the town: Mehsuds and Kandaharis.
They operate openly in this area, with the police completely powerless to stop them. Also, small-time crooks use their name to instill fear among the people."
SSP-West Irfan Baloch repeated what Wahid said, claiming that the ongoing operation in the city had "somewhat weakened their presence".
He however refused to comment further on the attack or the arrests made afterwards, adding that he had recently joined service and was not updated on the matter.
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[Libya Herald] Exports from the Mellitah oil terminal have remained at a standstill for a second day and production at the complex is running at half capacity, according to an industry source.
Some 80 Amazigh from Zuawara gained access to the terminal, apparently via the sea, on Saturday night and stopped exports from the complex. They are demanding more seats in the 60-member Constitutional Committee. Only two seats have been reserved for the Amizigh community.
The protestors are occupying part of the Mellitah complex, which is operated by Italian oil company ENI and the National Oil Company (NOC). They are preventing oil tankers from docking at the port. One ship, understood to be a Spanish vessel, is berthed at the terminal but remains only half loaded.
The Mellitah complex has the capacity to produce 160,000 barrels per day (bpd). It is not clear what production figures were before the protest but the source said that production had halved since the arrival of the Amazigh.
The gas export pipeline to Italia is still running as normal, the source confirmed to the Libya Herald. However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... he said protestors were threatening to close the pipeline on Sunday if their demands were not met.
Local people, Mellitah staff, government representatives and tribal elders were all trying to negotiate with the protestors, the source added.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
White hats? It is after Labor Day gentleman if you have not noticed.
Posted by: Steven ||
10/29/2013 23:30
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Monday said the issue of Dr Shakil Afridi -- a local doctor who helped US authorities to locate the late Osama bin Laden ... who used to be alive but now he's not... in Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... -- was subjudice and the court would decide it according to the Pak law.
He said this after arriving in the United Kingdom on a three-day visit to participate in the 9th meeting of World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF).
The prime minister will address the opening session of the forum on October 29 and apprise the participants of his government's priorities particularly in the economic field.
Speaking to media representatives after landing in London, he said the government would not take any extra-judicial step over the issue of Dr Shakil Afridi.
The US authorities have been pressurising Pakistain to hand over Dr Afridi to America.
Afridi was convicted and sentenced to 33 years last year in May by a tribal court for his involvement in anti-state activities. A judicial official overturned the 33-year jail sentence in August this year but Afridi remains in detention.
He is accused of colluding with banned myrmidon outfit Lashkar-e-Islam and its chief Mangal Bagh ...a former bus driver, now head of the Deobandi bandido group Lashkar-e-Islam and the Terror of Khyber Agency... .
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was accompanied by his advisor on national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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[Ynet]Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, official says Gazoo economy suffers loss of $230 million as result of Egypt's closure of tunnels that were used to smuggle goods into strip
Egypt's closure of tunnels used to smuggle goods into the Gazoo Strip has caused monthly losses of $230 million to its economy, a Hamas official said Sunday.
The "closure of the tunnels caused heavy losses to the industry, commerce, agriculture, transport and construction sectors" of around $230 million monthly, said Hatem Oweida, deputy economy minister for the Islamist movement Hamas that governs the strip.
Not to mention all the cement that isn't being brought in. No more tunnels, weapons depots, bunkers, and rocket launching sites...
Essential materials were for years smuggled from Egypt into Gazoo through tunnels, bypassing Israel's blockade, but the Egyptian army recently destroyed many of those after ousting president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... of the Moslem Brüderbund, a Hamas ally.
Oweida said that the coastal Paleostinian territory had relied on the tunnels to meet at least 40% of its construction supplies and raw material needs.
Gazoo's unemployment rate would hit 43% if official border crossings remained shut and the tunnels were destroyed, Oweida warned.
He added that "public revenues saw a decline after the closure of the tunnels and the tightening of the siege in the second half of 2013," which he said would hit Hamas' employment and temporary work programs.
Israel first imposed its land, sea and air blockade on the coastal strip in 2006 after hard boyz there seized an Israeli soldier.
It was further tightened in mid-2007 when Hamas took control of Gazoo.
Essential materials were for years smuggled from Egypt into Gazoo through tunnels, bypassing Israel's blockade, but the Egyptian army recently destroyed many of those after ousting president Mohammed Morsi of the Moslem Brüderbund, a Hamas ally.
[Al Ahram] A majority of the committee tasked with amending the suspended 2012 constitution has voted to revise article 47, which guarantees the free exercise of religion for all citizens, committee media spokesperson Mohammed Salmawy said on Monday.
Article 47, which was first drafted by a ten-member technical committee in August, now reads "Freedom of belief is guaranteed. The state guarantees freedom of religious practice, and facilitates the building of places of worship for the Abrahamic traditions, as regulated by law."
According to Salmawy, the 50-member committee proposed on Sunday evening to amend the article's text to state "the state guarantees absolute freedom of religious practice."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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#1
I thought this was from the Onion. Maybe in some alternate universe this wouldn't be considered farce. Their actions speak so loudly I can't hear their words.
#2
This just means that the government isn't supposed to prohibit other religions. Nothing will prohibit private groups from torching the new churches.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/29/2013 14:43
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#3
Yes, it willl ultimately be up to the locals, but changing the official persecution light from green to red, for whatever reason, is the right direction opposite of the hand-chopper cover the pyramid party.
And the way Egypt has been going recently, I'll give the government the benefit of the doubt.
[An Nahar] Lebanese security forces jugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! a person who allegedly facilitated the fleeing of several suspects involved in the twin bombings that targeted two mosques in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... .
According to the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published on Monday, the detained man is smuggling the suspects to the neighboring country Syria, including Ahmed Merhi, who is reportedly the driver of the second explosive-laden vehicle that blew up near al-Taqwa mosque.
On October 14, seven people involved in the August bombings were charged, including three in jug.
The charges include the formation of an armed gang for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities and the bombing of al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques on August 23.
Forty-five people were killed and over 800 maimed in the twin bombings.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2013
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[An Nahar] A bomb 
[Ynet] Upcoming prisoner release won't affect security, will reinforce Abbas, says National Security Studies Institute researcher. 'Paleostinians no Zionists, but terror on decline,' says expert
[Al Ahram] Israel 
[An Nahar] Kuwait's court of appeals on Monday upheld a 10-year jail term against a Shiite tweeter for remarks deemed offensive to Islam's Prophet Mohammed, his wife and companions.
[TOLONEWS] Local officials of northern Jawzjan province said on Monday that the Taliban's shadow governor of Aqcha District was 
[An Nahar] Egypt's ousted president 
[Ynet] Jack Straw says in parliament debate 'unlimited' funds available to Jewish groups in US used to control America's Mideast policy; adds Germany's 'obsession' with defending Israel another obstacle for peace
[An Nahar] Israeli warplanes raided the northern 
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying the air force had struck "two concealed rocket launchers" in northern 
[Dawn] The National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed four new 
Obamacare. Will the monster ever work? 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Dawn] AROUND this time last year, approximately 48,000 families in Pakistain had refused vaccinations. In 2013, that number stands at 65,947.
Nawaz Sharif
David Cameron
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
[Dawn] THE World Economic Forum's annual gender gap report is out and, like every year since its inception in 2006, it makes for very grim reading for Pakistain. In 2013, Pakistain has been ranked 135 out of 136 countries surveyed. If that is not bad enough, Pakistain's best performance was being ranked 112 out of 115 countries in the inaugural report in 2006. Of course, when dealing with the results of any survey, let alone one dealing with the population of 136 countries, much depends on the methodology used, the accuracy of the data being studied and a clear understanding of what the report is trying to study and present. Having said that, even if there are legitimate questions about whether the overall position of women in Pakistain is really worse than every single one of the 135 countries surveyed barring one -- Yemen -- it is safe to say that the situation of women in Pakistain is deeply problematic and far from where it ought to be to achieve some semblance of equality with the male population in the crucial areas of health, education, economics and politics.
[An Nahar] A Sunni Arab 
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
[BBC.CO.UK] An air strike in southern Somalia has killed two senior commanders of the
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[Jpost] UAE, 
[Dawn] MORE than 10 members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) faction led by Hakeemullah Mehsud have reportedly been killed in 
[TOLONEWS] Zalmai Zabuli, the head of the Senate Complaints Commission, launched scathing accusations against General Musa Wardak, the head of the Ministry of Defense's (MoD) Health Department, and called for his dismissal on Monday.
[An Nahar] Hizbullah chief 
[Libya Herald] Exports from the Mellitah oil terminal have remained at a standstill for a second day and production at the complex is running at half capacity, according to an industry source.
[Ynet] 
