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Heavy clashes breakout in Hodeidah after UN-backed ceasefire announcement
Today's Headlines
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israeli Report: Hezbollah tunnel terrorist
h/t Gates of Vienna
[LegalInsurrection] Israel is in the process of uncovering even more Hezbollah tunnels under the border from Lebanon.

A key part of this campaign is to win international diplomatic pressure on Lebanon and Hezbollah.

To that end, the Israelis have been filming the new tunnels and insisting that the UN force in Lebanon and the Lebanese government help destroy the tunnels on the Lebanese side. That puts them in the diplomatically uncomfortable position of either refusing to act, or having to act against Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also led ambassadors on a tunnel tour:

...When the first tunnel was unveiled, the IDF posted a video of Hezbollah operatives caught on the Lebanese end of the tunnel who run away when they come face-to-face with an IDF camera, That moment a Hezbollah terrorist comes face-to-face with an IDF camera in an attack tunnel:

...The man in the video now has been identified, according to Israel’s i24 News (emphasis added), the operative trained with Mexican drug cartels near the U.S. border:
Dr. Imad "Azaladin" Fahs first showed up in our archives here.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/15/2018 11:29 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah

#1  That puts them in the diplomatically uncomfortable position of either refusing to act, or having to act against Hezbollah.

Well, for most humans that would be an uncomfortable position. All the bodysnatchers at the UN will do is declare the tunnels to be abandoned.
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 12:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Thus far the UNIFIL response has been, “Hmmm... Yup, that’s a tunnel, just like you said. We’ll have to think about this for a while.”
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 13:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Nice snark, tw.
Posted by: Matt || 12/15/2018 13:52 Comments || Top||

#4  Are they sure it wasn't made by Elon Musk or something? I understand he does tunnels as a hobby or something.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 12/15/2018 15:04 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Black South African politician urges followers to 'kill whites', saying: 'We will kill their children and their women'
h/t Gates of Vienna
The leader of a South African political party has called for the killing of white women and children in a row over the taxi industry.

Andile Mngxitama, president of Black First Land First (BLF), was speaking at a rally on the weekend in Potchefstroom near Johannesburg when he made the violent comments.

He tells the cheering crowd: 'For each one person that is being killed by the taxi industry, we will kill five white people.

'For every one black person we will kill five white people.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/15/2018 11:27 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What is this taxi industry thing?
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 12:20 Comments || Top||

#2  "Mngxitama". Someone give that poor man a vowel, preferably thru the bowel.
Posted by: Spats Elmereng9678 || 12/15/2018 12:36 Comments || Top||

#3  If I could find them, I could probably dust off all of those training plans I used to teach self-defense tactics to Rhodesian white farmers back in the day.

It really worked out well in "Zimbabwe" so I guess they want to give it a go and crash the last stable economy in Africa.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 12/15/2018 13:02 Comments || Top||

#4  You a 'Crippled Eagle' SPOD ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 13:25 Comments || Top||

#5  Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and the Congressional Black Caucus are taking notes.

Posted by: charger || 12/15/2018 14:09 Comments || Top||

#6  multi dico vobis quaerunt. ipsi mori.
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 12/15/2018 15:14 Comments || Top||

#7  He basically got caught saying in public what "revolutionary socialists" like him say in private.
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 12/15/2018 15:22 Comments || Top||

#8  What is this taxi industry thing?

I may have the wrong sh1thole country, but I believe it refers to violent turf wars between different taxi driver cartels.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/15/2018 17:22 Comments || Top||

#9  Ref #8: You are correct. Very strict turf boundaries in the major cities.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 17:45 Comments || Top||

#10  "When I said: 'Kill five white people' it was a metaphor for slaughtering devils. You are taking it out of context!"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 18:21 Comments || Top||

#11  To bed a bunch of other folks will take it out of context too.

Anyway come up how are white people at fault for this taxi turf thing?
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 20:11 Comments || Top||

#12  The white SA's should either leave or make it clear the day the pogrom against them starts, everyone of these so called leaders stops breathing along with every member of their family.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 12/15/2018 22:06 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Hating The President Is Not a Strategy, As Bill Kristol Just Learned
[Townhall] Going all in on attacking President Trump isn't proving to be a particularly effective business strategy for media outlets.

The Weekly Standard, a 28-year old neoconservative institution, is reportedly headed towards dissolution after its founder, Bill Kristol, devoted almost three years of work to attacking the President and his supporters.
dead as of yesterday
It's not just Kristol. The entire world of clickbait Trump-hate seems to be in jeopardy, including sites that cater to the liberal base.

The same week that The Weekly Standard's troubles broke, Vanity Fair dropped a bombshell report about the struggles faced by those hip, millennial-targeted left-wing rags with the cool names and rabidly anti-Trump headlines strewn across your social media feed. Vice, Vox, Mic, Buzzfeed, Mashable ‐ they're all either looking for buyers or seriously reevaluating their strategies in hopes of becoming profitable. Mic laid off most of its workers. Vice and Vox are firing staff left and right.

On cable TV, one network in particular has abandoned decades of journalistic tradition and ethics, devoting its resources to a relentless, nakedly partisan crusade to savage President Trump: CNN. Its ratings, predictably, are in the tank ‐ in October, CNN fell behind both the Hallmark Channel and Home and Garden Television.
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 09:26 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hating The President Is Not a Strategy

But it does gets you invited to events with the "Best People"
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/15/2018 11:21 Comments || Top||

#2  It seems that hatred is all the left has anymore. They define their commonality by what they hate.
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 12/15/2018 12:10 Comments || Top||

#3  ...and envy. Thus the 'free stuff' gambit that appeals to too many in the population.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/15/2018 12:16 Comments || Top||

#4  Billy on the wrong side of history and a good time?
Posted by: 3dc || 12/15/2018 13:33 Comments || Top||

#5  Blind obstructionism and tirades about how nekulturny his tweets are not a strategy... It makes you look like just one of those faux Conservatives that work on the major MSM outlets -- if so why read the Weekly Standard just turn on CNN, its cheaper!?!
Posted by: magpie || 12/15/2018 14:11 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Somalia uproar continues after former al-Shabab No. 2 seized
[ABC] Somalia saw a third day of protests on Saturday over the arrest of the former No. 2 leader of the al-Shabab extremist group, who has been a leading candidate for a regional presidency. Officials said at least eight people have been killed so far as angry supporters take to the streets and clash with police.

The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia in a statement released overnight called for "utmost restraint" after the gunfire-fueled uproar around Muhktar Robow's
...more formally Sheikh Muktar Ali Robow, known as Abu Mansur when he was frontman for Al Shabaab — before his failed attempt to overthrow senior management in 2013. A busy man, he had trained in Islamic law at the University of Khartoum, taught Somali orphans for the Saudi “charitable” Al-Haramain Foundation, and fought with the Taliban before again returning home to give back to his community as best he could. In 2017 he surrendered to the Somali authorities, denouncing Al Shabaab as mean meanies...
arrest on Thursday in Baidoa, and it denied playing any role.

His arrest is seen as a high-profile test of Somalia's treatment of defectors from the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, Africa's most active extremist group. Somalia's government welcomed the defection last year by al-Shabab's former spokesman but not his popular candidacy to lead Southwest state, which took some officials by surprise.

Robow was seized by Ethiopian troops accompanied by Somali police, witnesses told The Associated Press. He was flown to the capital, Mogadishu, a Somali intelligence official said. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters or for safety concerns.

Some Somali lawmakers had accused the AU mission of being involved.

Ethiopia's military, which contributes troops to the AU mission, has not commented. Robow's arrest could re-ignite old tensions between Somalia and neighboring Ethiopia despite recent diplomatic breakthroughs in the Horn of Africa sparked by Ethiopia's reformist new prime minister.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 09:14 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Olde Tyme Religion
Tennessee Deacon Fired After Questioning Thoroughness of Diocese's List of Predator Priests
[Daily Caller] The Nashville diocese removed a deacon from ministry after he questioned the thoroughness of their list of predatory priests and called for an independent investigation.

Rev. Joe McMahon sent a Nov. 30 letter to Deacon Ron Deal instructing him not to minister in the diocese until he settled his "public disagreement" with the diocese. Deal called into question the thoroughness of the diocese’s investigation into priests credibly accused of sexual abuse after noting their mistakes in releasing a list of such priests.

"My question to them is how do you propose ending it?" Deal told The Associated Press concerning the diocesan admonishment to end his dispute. "I would love to find a way to keep this issue front and center, but I’m not sure how we make that (resolution) happen if it doesn’t involve speaking openly."

Deal noted that names were missing from the diocese’s initial version of the list and that one of the priests listed as dead was actually alive. The diocese issued corrections, but Deal called for an independent investigation into cases of alleged sexual abuse at a November press conference.

Rick Musacchio, spokesman for the diocese, clarified that Deal still received a pension and had not been officially suspended from ministry. He added that the path to resolving the issue would be for Deal to cease criticizing the church in public.

"The pastor has asked him to resolve the issue," Musacchio told The AP. "It’s fair to say the public statements are tending to cause the confusion."
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 08:56 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well, then how about publicly restating what you want done about the issue in a clearer manner? To remove the "confusion"?
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 12:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Brave Deacon. Would that there were more like him the church would have fewer problems.

The bad thing is it Starts with the Pope
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 12/15/2018 23:55 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
'Common sense' gun safety legislation unveiled in Pittsburgh includes assault weapons ban
[Action News4] PITTSBURGH ‐ Mayor Bill Peduto and Gov. Tom Wolf, joined by members of City Council and the state Legislature, said they will work to pass what they call "common sense gun legislation" for Pittsburgh.

The proposals announced Friday come in the wake of the Tree of Life Synagogue shootings and on the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings. Peduto said it's clear that more needs to be done on gun issues on the local level.

"The only answer we've gotten from Washington is, 'Nothing can be done, there's nothing that can be done.' That is not an answer. There are solutions that can be done," Peduto said at a news conference attended by gun safety advocates and supporters. "What has stalled in Washington doesn't necessarily mean that we can't make it happen at a local level."

"We simply cannot accept this violence as a normal part of American life, and now we can't wait any longer," Wolf said.

The governor supports changes in state law to empower Pittsburgh and other local governments to act.

"If we continue to allow so many citizens to live in fear of mass shootings, when we can act right now to reduce that risk, we're robbing citizens of their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Wolf said.

"Enough is enough, and this has to stop," City Councilman Corey O'Connor said.

"We're here to say 'No more,'" City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger said.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 08:38 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What can be done that would be effective has no relation to your tyrannical drivel about "gun control".

What you need, but refuse to admit, is crazy and criminal control.
Posted by: AlanC || 12/15/2018 9:13 Comments || Top||

#2  How many citizens of Pennsylvania died last year due to mistakes at hospitals? How many died on your highway and roads?

Why are you not just as concerned in those cases? Because it doesn't pose a threat to your garnishment of ever more power? [which is exactly why there is a 2d Amendment]
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/15/2018 10:13 Comments || Top||

#3  Pittsburgh crime rates

Doesn't look like mass shootings is their biggest problem. Hey, maybe they should pass a law saying the inhabitants can't kill each other! Nah, where is the opportunity for political grandstanding in that?
Posted by: SteveS || 12/15/2018 10:24 Comments || Top||

#4  It isn't about mass shootings.

It is about taking away your ability to resist.

Welcome to Venezuela.
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/15/2018 10:50 Comments || Top||

#5  The Tree of Life shooting was done with pistols. Still, I suppose it's silly to ask why ban assault weapons because of that because, well, um, well...because...oh yeah! Common Sense!
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/15/2018 11:32 Comments || Top||

#6  Are the police included in the ban?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 12/15/2018 12:02 Comments || Top||

#7  The pittsburg shootings show that when seconds count the police will be there in minutes.

Are you a wolf, sheepdog or sheep?
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 12/15/2018 13:41 Comments || Top||

#8  "What has stalled in Washington doesn't necessarily mean that we can't make it happen at a local level."

That was the Klans attitude as well for nearly a hundred years. Same goal, steal from people their Constitutional rights.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/15/2018 15:16 Comments || Top||

#9  While ignoring the elephant in the room:
Pennsylvania drug overdose deaths outpacing all other states
The CDC information showed that in the 12 months that ended with July 2017, the number of drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania was 5,443, an increase of 43.4 percent from the 3,797 that occurred in the previous 12-month period.
Posted by: Galactic Coordinator Claviter6242 || 12/15/2018 16:42 Comments || Top||

#10  In Pennsylvania, People Lined Up For Free Naloxone

Naloxone is an injectable antidote for opiate overdose.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/15/2018 17:29 Comments || Top||

#11  Common sense gun control comes from a steady hand, a good eye, a clear mind and plenty of practice at the range.

Don't try to control gun ownership by trying to criminalize the law-abiding. Common sense gun legislation is just another disguised attempt at gun control and ultimately gun confiscation.

Instead focus on crime and criminals, terrorism, and false flag operations. Also restore the rule of law instead of the 2-tier system we currently have.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/15/2018 18:28 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
The Old Ways - Why The Amish Community is Booming
[Guardian] Daniel Weaver does not vote, drive a car, read a paper, listen to music, watch sport of any kind, own a mobile phone or use a computer. But as we eat the food grown in his garden outside the window, he confesses that he did once see a film. He refuses to disclose what, brushing aside my questions as we sit talking around the dining table with his wife, five of his eight children and one grandson. "I am not proud of that," he says. "I went against my parents’ wishes."

But this one-off incident, many years ago, speaks to the reasons why this 52-year-old sold his thriving Ohio clothing business, one that supplied hundreds of stores across North America, and moved his family to this idyllic farm in upstate New York three years ago. Daniel is Amish ‐ a member of a community famed worldwide for their plain clothes and use of horse-drawn buggies ‐ and he fears the impact of modernity and the temptations of technology on his children, his church and his traditional Christian world. "Our values are different and we chose to safeguard them," he says. "But if our people get lax and rub elbows too much with the world, then the world may not look too different ‐ we become like the people outside."
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 08:23 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A society within a society. Not for everyone. The Amish seem to weather the bubbles and ups and downs of the Fed and volatile economies.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/15/2018 11:15 Comments || Top||

#2  The best part of the Amish is that they seem to not want anyone else to join them.
Posted by: Airandee || 12/15/2018 14:57 Comments || Top||

#3  OH, they have many problems. Many health issues as much or more than the general population. Young people have most or all of their teeth pulled. Cancer, heart problems they are not exempt. The young want to leave their order for more understanding bishops. Then many leave for what they see is the bright life. New blood is vitally needed to curtail birth defects. They have good natures and are a kindly people. Very sociable and when you visit a home all are in attendance. You are the center of attention because having no TV or radio creates a active involvement by all. Riddles and story telling by the young. An example; On what side does the horses hair grow best?; On the outside.
Posted by: Dale || 12/15/2018 15:15 Comments || Top||

#4  They call us the English. As with any groups of people some are good and some are bad. Drug dealing. Stealing farm tractor parts from other farmers. Yes all this and more goes on. Avoiding all taxes has become an art for them, even avoiding paying on toll roads. The Mennonites are their friends as others are. They visit to use a phone now and then. When they become a burden the Bishop will allow a phone in the barn on their property.
Posted by: Dale || 12/15/2018 15:30 Comments || Top||

#5  Many health issues as much or more than the general population.

But a limited gene pool gives geneticists a great sampling population. And much safer than Pakland to do it in.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/15/2018 18:09 Comments || Top||

#6  My favorite Amishman was the farmer who paid cash for his heart transplant.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 12/15/2018 19:24 Comments || Top||

#7  The most desperate Amishman I ever met was an 18-year-old who had just left the order & intended never to return. He had just shaved off his beard & his face looked like a plowed field. He knew he had cut all his ties with his family. It turned out there was a Mennonite group that would provide much-needed assistance for such young people. We had their contact #s on the ER Rolodex.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 12/15/2018 19:26 Comments || Top||

#8  Yes # 6. They pool their money. So I would believe his Bishop was involved in this payment. I can't say for certain. I believe his order held a meeting on this disbursement.
Posted by: Dale || 12/15/2018 22:27 Comments || Top||


Mission Accomplished - Migrant caravan prepares to return home after successful 3700km fundraising walk
[San Diego Reader - Satire Alert] "Well, we did it," said Caminar Por La Cura migrant caravan organizer Susan K. Roamin. "We walked all the way from Honduras to the border between Mexico and the United States, and in so doing, raised both awareness of the violence and poverty in our native country and millions of dollars to help alleviate those problems. Now we can return to our homes, secure in the knowledge that we can achieve any goal we put our minds to, and hopeful for a brighter tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who did so much to spread the word about our important mission, especially President Donald Trump, who kept us in the forefront of everyone's mind during a tumultuous election that threatened to prove a serious distraction."
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 08:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Down Under
Australia recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital
[DW] After reversing decades of Middle East policy, Australia will now wait to move its embassy to Jerusalem. Last year, the US unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, triggering violent unrest in the region.
which had been so placid and peaceful in the past
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday that his government recognizes west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, upending decades of Australian foreign policy in the Middle East.

"Australia now recognizes west Jerusalem, being the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of government, is the capital of Israel," Morrison told an audience at the private Sydney Institute think tank.

Morrison said that despite Australian recognition, his government would move the country's embassy "when practical, in support of, and after, final-status determination," referring to a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 04:54 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Politix
Attorney and Former WH Chief of Staff Reince Priebus joins the Navy
[Washington Examiner] Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus has been chosen to be commissioned as a Navy Reserve officer after saying he was inspired by the family of a Navy SEAL member who was killed in action in Yemen.

Priebus met the family of Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens during an Oval Office event with Trump. Owens was killed in Yemen during a special operations raid. In his letter to the Navy, Priebus said he felt a call to serve his country after meeting with Owens' family.

"At that moment, the gravity of every action we take in the West Wing rushed down upon my shoulders," Priebus wrote in his letter, according to the Washington Post. "Everything suddenly became extremely real and raw. As some time passed, a few other senior aides joined me in the Cabinet Room and we discussed the consequences, harsh realities and weight of what we do every day."

The Navy review board issued a "professional recommendation" earlier this month for Priebus and four others to serve as human resource officers. Forty-two people had applied, but only five were approved. Priebus, 46, required a waiver to serve over the usual maximum age limit on joining of 42.

Priebus had help from Secretary of State Jim Mattis, who wrote that Priebus' background makes him an "ideal fit" for the Navy Reserve. Some are already complaining that Priebus' acceptance is a political favor. But the Post reported that the Navy review board decided against recommending Priebus as a reserve intelligence officer.

If commissioned, Priebus will be required to spend two weeks of training in Newport, R.I., and attend drill training once a month. Other political operatives who have joined the Navy as reserve officers include former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and Hillary Clinton's former presidential campaign manager Robby Mook.

Priebus' sister was a Navy doctor and his father taught at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 04:42 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We all get inspired by something. Hat Tip to the former chief of staff. Serving our nation is a calling, some get it at an older age...
Posted by: 49 Pan || 12/15/2018 10:31 Comments || Top||

#2  We have Navy seals fighting in Yemen? I don't remember seeing anything about it on the evening news.
Posted by: jpal || 12/15/2018 11:02 Comments || Top||

#3  ...because it started under Obean?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/15/2018 12:14 Comments || Top||


Economy
44 Members Of Congress Ask Trump To Get Keystone XL ‘Over The Finish Line'
[Hot Air] A group of 44 Republican members of Congress from the House and Senate sent President Trump a letter Friday asking that he make every possible effort to get the Keystone XL pipeline "over the finish line." The letter reads in part:

Last month a federal judge in Montana halted progress on construction of the Keystone XL pipeline saying the Trump administration did not do a thorough job of evaluating its environmental impact. From CNBC:

Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 04:23 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Brian Matthew Morris (born September 5, 1963) is a U. S.District Court Judge for the District of Montana. He is a former Justice of the Montana Supreme Court, having been elected to Court by the voters of Montana in 2004. He is also a former fullback for the Stanford Cardinal football team.

Who was it that said they're are no Republican judges and no Democratic judges, and what planet was he/she/whatever from?
Posted by: Bobby || 12/15/2018 11:43 Comments || Top||

#2  what planet was he/she/whatever from?

Utopia.
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 12:32 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Mueller Gives Flynn's ‘302' to Judge, but not the original '302' report
BLUF:
[Breitbart] The original 302 report is referenced in the 302 submitted, but it does not appear to have been provided to the court.

The 302 submitted to the court includes a number of interesting revelations, including that the agents decided that they would "not warn Flynn that it was a crime to lie during an FBI interview because they wanted Flynn to be relaxed, and they were concerned that giving the warnings might adversely affect the rapport" with the agents.

The 302 also notes that Flynn "did not give any indicators of deception," and that Strzok and the other agent ‐ whose name was redacted, "both had the impression at the time that Flynn was not lying or did not think he was lying."

That latter impression directly contradicts the statement of then-FBI Director James Comey. Last Friday, as the Wall Street Journal’s Kimberley Strassel noted, Comey told a House investigative panel under oath that "the conclusion of the investigators was he was obviously lying.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 04:05 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So where is the current FBI Director in all of this ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 4:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Exactly B. FBI head Wray refused to investigate Comey's private E-mail. Proving without a doubt he's part of the treason plot or flat out covering it up.

GOP for 2 years have proven time and time again they have no spine and or part of plot to overthrow our government, via 1984.

The larger problem is that it's so obvious.
Posted by: Woodrow || 12/15/2018 6:40 Comments || Top||

#3  Dismiss the guilty plea and drop all charges for prosecutorial malfeasance. Sen. Ted Stevens all over again
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 6:56 Comments || Top||

#4  ...and give Flynn $10M in compensatory damages.
Posted by: Raj || 12/15/2018 7:40 Comments || Top||

#5  Wray's body language and general attitude betray him. I have not trusted him, not from day one. Another whom I have no use for is Koshkinen the IRS chief. Yet another is the onerous James Comey. No need to discuss his attitude or demeanor.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 8:01 Comments || Top||

#6  #4 - Yes! He's been financially ruined
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 8:08 Comments || Top||

#7  American Conservative - Mueller’s Investigation is Missing One Thing: A Crime

Excert:

The big reveal of the Michael Flynn sentencing memo on Tuesday was that he will likely do no prison time Everything of substance in the memo was redacted, so there is little insight available. If you insist on speculation, try this: it’s hard to believe that something really big and bad happened such that Flynn knew about it but still wasn’t worth punishing for it, and now, a year after he started cooperating with the government, still nobody has heard anything about whatever the big deal is. So chances are the redactions focus on foreign lobbying in the U.S..

Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 8:14 Comments || Top||

#8  So, is there any doubt now that the FBI views the law as something that's in their way as they go about their witch hunts and vendettas?
Posted by: ed in texas || 12/15/2018 8:26 Comments || Top||

#9  Their masks fell off many years ago at Ruby Ridge and Wako. More recently in Benghazi. Deep State enforcers, little more.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 8:51 Comments || Top||

#10  B. Was your spelling a Waco a Freudian slip? The Fixer Upper folks are gonna be unhappy!

Chip and Joanna put Waco on the map!
Posted by: Bobby || 12/15/2018 9:00 Comments || Top||

#11  ^ "OK, so it looks like a burned out compound and mass grave, but with a few spruce up tips, appliance upgrades, and some elbow grease, it can sell for nearly a million"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 9:04 Comments || Top||

#12  Chip and Joanna...two of my favorite teevee people.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 9:04 Comments || Top||

#13  Gaines family - don't trust em
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 9:05 Comments || Top||

#14  Whahahhaa Frank at #11. That's called gentrification in Georgia. If hour porch cannot shade the sleep of at least 5 dogs, you're probably uppity.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 9:08 Comments || Top||

#15  If there is any justice the judge will hold Mueller in contempt and jail him until they get the original.
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/15/2018 9:57 Comments || Top||

#16  Flynn is not a victim. He is a 3 star general, head of the greatest intel agency and never asks a question he does not already have the answer to. He knew the president was in trouble, he took a bullet for Trump. Even a ten year old knows from TV that you need legal reps when being interviewed by the FBI and they should mirandize you. Flynn is no exception. He was setting them up knowing their arrogance and hubris would be their demise. He told them everything and then gave them one white lie. He knew it was a lie and he knew they would charge him for it. When charged he did not fight it. He immediately pled guilty, why? Because his legal team knew the FBI broke the law. Now that he is convicted and he brings up the FBI antics, that are against the law, he will win in court. But that is ALL just the set up. He was the first to be interviewed, he ran his mouth about everything. The investigation used it as the base for their entire Trump investigation. When he wins, and he will, everything he said, everything that the FBI did after the investigation in going after Trump will be tied to the Flynn interview, and that interview will be inadmissible. All of the information gained from the leads of that interview will be fruit from the poison tree. This was not some dumbass general, this was a strategic play.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 12/15/2018 10:26 Comments || Top||

#17  their arrogance and hubris would be their demise.

Let's hope 49 Pan; otherwise we will continue live under the boot of a huge criminal empire.

I think their hubris, arrogance, criminality and pure evil will be their undoing
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/15/2018 11:07 Comments || Top||

#18  Ref #16: Very interesting analysis and theory.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 11:31 Comments || Top||

#19  If Flynn is overturned, the entire Mueller investigation becomes subject to the Exclusionary rule - including the "Fruit of the poisonous tree" legal doctrine. This means that the entire tapestry of lies Mueller ha woven will come under scrutiny, and just like a cheap sweater, you pul that one thread and the whole thing falls apart.

This would allow everyonr currently under investigation or convicted to appeal and have their convictions tossed. Mueller would have to start over, tabula rasa, and would likely have to seek new indictments with a new grand jury, and do that without a lot of his "key" evidence. And this time he would be up against people who know he was coming, knew what to expect, and who would have laywers and defenses ready to stop him before he started.

Now what we need is Mueller and the FBI investigated by an independent prosecutor. Strzok, McCabe, Mueller, Brennan, and many others should be investigated, charged and tried for things ranging from lying to under oath, to Conspiracy, to violating the constitution by trying to alter the election.
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 12/15/2018 12:06 Comments || Top||

#20  Ref #16: Very interesting analysis and theory.

If you find that theory interesting there is a lot more analysis along those lines at this site. I'm not going to attest to the veracity, but it does give a lot of food for thought.

Quod Verum
Posted by: Cloluting Sinatra8503 || 12/15/2018 12:37 Comments || Top||

#21  49Pan has a good analysis of Flynn’s situation. The problem is will the rule of law prevail in breaking up these deep state soviet style tactics before the remains of the rule of law is destroyed by the left.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 12/15/2018 12:40 Comments || Top||

#22  This was not some dumbass general, this was a strategic play.

God in heaven, 49 Pan, I pray you are right.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 12:42 Comments || Top||

#23  Supporting 49 Pan's theory at #16:

After running gun battles with Brennan over the conduct of the GWOT, then being relieved as Director DIA, Flynn knew he had been targeted. Trailing blood into the Trump Campaign. An interesting timeline:

Nov 10, 2016: Obama warns Trump not to hire Flynn.

Nov 12, 2016: Trump hires Flynn.

Nov 17, 2106: Admiral Mike Rogers, Director NSA visits Trump Towers.

Nov 18, 1016: Trump campaign moves out of Trump Towers and re-locates to Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, NJ.

Interesting video - Joe Digeniva regarding Admiral Mike Rogers and related FISA discovery events.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 13:22 Comments || Top||

#24  #15 If there is any justice the judge will hold Mueller in contempt and jail him until they get the original.

As the Spartans would say:

"If."
Posted by: charger || 12/15/2018 14:12 Comments || Top||

#25  GOP for 2 years have proven time and time again they have no spine and or part of plot to overthrow our government, via 1984.


Whynoyboth.gif
Posted by: charger || 12/15/2018 14:14 Comments || Top||

#26  The Flynn Investigation: McCabe's Personal Retaliation?
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 18:54 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Fighting breaks out in Yemen's Hodeida after truce deal
[France24] Fighting broke out on the outskirts of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Friday, residents said, a day after a ceasefire agreement was reached by the warring parties at UN-sponsored peace talks.

The main port used to feed Yemen's 30 million people is held by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that also controls the capital Sanaa and has been battling against a Saudi-led Arab coalition seeking to restore a government ousted in 2014.

Hodeida has been the focus of fighting this year, raising global fears that a battle could cut off supply lines and lead to mass starvation. Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition have massed on the city's outskirts.

Despite the ceasefire, one resident told Reuters he could hear the sound of missiles and automatic gunfire in the direction of the eastern 7th July suburb.

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said coalition warplanes had launched two strikes on Ras Isa city north of Hodeida. The coalition did not immediately confirm the report.

The warring sides agreed after a week of consultations in Sweden to cease fighting in Hodeidah and withdraw their troops as part of confidence-building measures to pave the way for a wider truce and political negotiations.

It was the first significant breakthrough for UN-led peace efforts to end the nearly four-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 03:58 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis

#1  This is my shocked face
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 8:02 Comments || Top||


Government
Federal judge rules Obamacare unconstitutional
[Reuters] (Reuters) - A federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, was unconstitutional based on its mandate requiring that people buy health insurance, a decision in a case that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth agreed with a coalition of 20 states that a change in tax law last year eliminating a penalty for not having health insurance invalidated the entire Obamacare law.

The coalition of states challenging the law was led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, both Republicans.

Republicans have opposed the 2010 law - the signature domestic policy achievement of Republican President Donald Trump’s Democratic predecessor Barack Obama - since its inception and have repeatedly tried and failed to repeal it.

Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 03:44 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is more greatness. Now Trump can blame the dems for all of the folks that are going to cry about no health care. Now the dems will have to come up with a bill to replace it. They will be mired in this for years...
Posted by: 49 Pan || 12/15/2018 10:36 Comments || Top||

#2  True, but it would still be nice to be able to get affordable insurance for some us who don't work for an employer that provides insurance. Ambetter is bullshit and my COBRA costs me roughly $600 per month.
Posted by: texhooey || 12/15/2018 12:33 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
TX federal judge rules Obamacare unconstitutional
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 12/15/2018 00:45 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth sided with the argument put forward by a coalition of Republican-leaning states, led by Texas, that Obamacare could no longer stand now that there's no penalty for Americans who don't buy insurance.

The U.S. Supreme Court had upheld the law in 2012, by classifying the legislation as a tax. But since Congress removed the individual mandate in 2017, O’Connor ruled, there's no way the ACA can be allowed to stand.

"The Individual Mandate can no longer be fairly read as an exercise of Congress's Tax Power and is still impermissible under the Interstate Commerce Clause — meaning the Individual Mandate is unconstitutional," O'Connor wrote. "The Individual Mandate is essential to and inseverable from the remainder of the ACA."


Your move, Chief Justice Roberts
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 7:02 Comments || Top||

#2  The Dallas Spews article on the front page this morning noted the law had been ruled constitutional, twice.

Wrong. SOCTUS said this part is OK and that specific issue is not unconstitutional.

This judge has said it ain't a tax if everyone is not required to pay.
Posted by: Bobby || 12/15/2018 8:53 Comments || Top||

#3  BTW, taxes have to originate in the House not the Senate. Another little Constitutional nicety that SCOTUS choose to overlook in its 'narrow' review of the issue.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/15/2018 10:16 Comments || Top||

#4  It will take years for the appeals to work their way through the 5th Cir, then SCOTUS. And the RBG clock keeps ticking.
Posted by: Iblis || 12/15/2018 10:22 Comments || Top||

#5  A chance for the Roberts court to reverse the biggest mistake Roberts ever made.

Will he be man enough to do it?
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 12/15/2018 11:58 Comments || Top||

#6 
#5 A chance for the Roberts court to reverse the biggest mistake Roberts ever made.


At this point, I'm not even sure Kavanaugh won't puss out.And if Barrett replaces RBG...?
Posted by: charger || 12/15/2018 14:03 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Cluster bomb wounds six people in Iraq’s Najaf province
Najaf (IraqiNews.com) A cluster bomb kaboom maimed six people of the same household in Iraq’s Najaf, media reported quoting security and local witnesses on Friday.

Shafaq News website quoted the source saying a group of shepherds were on a search for truffles in the province’s desert when they ran into explosive ordinance including cluster bombs, and decided to take them back home.

The sources said the the cluster bomb went off at one of the homes and maimed six people. Police denied terrorist motives in the incident.

The United Nations
...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society...
said in February it had cleared more than 45.000 explosive ordnance from all over Iraq, and that the continuation of purging efforts could need at least a decade.

Iraq’s war against Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
since 2014 has left Iraqi soil contaminated with thousands of tons of unwent kaboom! ordnance and booby-traps. Leftover explosives have occasionally went kaboom!, killing several civilians since Iraqi authorities declared victory over the myrmidon group last year.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:07 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Islamic State militants holding 3500 Iraqis in Syria prisons: mayor
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
Lions of Islam are holding 3500 Iraqis in prisons they are still running inside Syria, a local Iraqi official was quoted saying on Friday.

Ahmed al-Mahallawi, mayor of al-Qaem, a former Islamic State bastion in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, near the Syrian border, told Iraqi AlMaalomah news website that 3500 people from the town are still held by the hard boy group.

Mahallawi said Iraqi security had approached the Syrian side to inquire about the whereabouts of 3500 Iraqis held in IS prisons who had been captured by the group during its reign over various areas of Anbar.

He said the list of missing prisoners is officially adopted by the Iraqi authorities, adding that those authorities started contacting their Syrian counterparts after the discovery of the body of an Iraqi army member at a grave in the Syrian border city of Boukamal.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:07 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


India-Pakistan
Bad day for rice at the Maramma temple in Chamarjanagar
[BBC] Eleven people have died and dozens more have fallen ill after eating rice at a temple in India, police say.

About 70 people have been admitted to hospital after eating the food following a ceremony in the southern state of Karnataka.

A police spokesman told the BBC that 11 patients are in a critical condition.

Two people have reportedly been arrested following the incident, and one health official told local media that the food may have been poisoned.

"We were offered tomato rice [which] was smelling," one person who attended the ceremony told reporters.

"All those who threw it away are fine," they added. "Those who ate [it] started vomiting and complained of stomach pain."
Mr. Wife used to alternate food poisoning and dysentary until he learned what to eat in Third World countries. The first rule is to avoid things that smell off.
The incident happened at the Maramma temple in the Chamarajanagar district on Friday, where a special event was taking place.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Bad day for rice...

To be fair, on any other day the rice would still have suffered from being eaten. At least this time it got a little revenge on the eaters. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 21:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Hah. Lemme pull this off the pile and see if I can trick someone into eating it...

Advice from a traveler: No soup.
No salads or stuff made of poop.
No insects or sputum
(those just didn't suit him).
Uncapped or unwrapped?
Nope, nor kneaded nor slapped;
No undercooked meat
Nor things flattened by feet
Or left out in the heat
Or inside should you eat!
Eschew items germy
Or wormy or squirmy,
And foods from the pesticide group.
Oh, ice cream? Just one little scoop.
Posted by: Lonzo Flomomp6296 || 12/15/2018 22:10 Comments || Top||

#3  And foods from the pesticide group.

Now that's falling-out-of-your-chair funny!
Luckily, I wasn't hurt.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/15/2018 22:58 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Heavy clashes breakout in Hodeidah after UN-backed ceasefire announcement
[ALMASDARNEWS] Heavy festivities broke out inside of the strategic city of Hodeidah this evening, despite the fact the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
announced a new ceasefire in the province on Thursday.

According to a report from Hodeidah, Gulf-backed troops launched a new attack against the Houthi
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ...
forces inside the placid provincial capital, prompting both sides to engage in a fierce fight for the city.

No advances have been made by either side; however, these new festivities threaten to end this fragile ceasefire just days after it was announced.

The U.N. Yemeni peace talks in Swede were considered a success as all parties agreed to reopen the Sana’a International Airport and impose a province-wide ceasefire in Hodeidah.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis

#1  Heavy clashes and UN-backed ceasefire go together like peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese.
Posted by: AlanC || 12/15/2018 6:46 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraq summons Turkish ambassador over cross border airstrikes
[ALMASDARNEWS] Iraqi Foreign Ministry has summoned The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire....
’s ambassador Fatih Yildiz to protest against an alleged violation of the country’s airspace by a Ottoman Turkish aircraft and conducting Arclight airstrikes on several sites in northern Iraq.

The strikes, which allegedly targeted Kurdish militia positions, led to a "loss of life and property", according to an official statement by the ministry.

"Such acts violate Iraq’s illusory sovereignty and security of citizens and are unacceptable on all levels, contrary to the principles of good-neighborliness that bind together the two countries", statement said.

Earlier, media reported that Ottoman Turkish forces had conducted airstrikes on PKK positions in Iraqi Kurdistan on 14 December, which resulted in the death of 8 members of the group, considered to be a terrorist organization by Ankara.

Turkey hasn’t commented on the reports of airstrikes or violations of Iraq’s airspace.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Daesh launches big attack against Syrian Army troops near Iraqi border
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS) terror group launched their second attack against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) this evening in the Albukamal countryside of Deir Ezzor.

According to local reports, the Islamic State heavily targeted the Syrian Arab Army’s positions using dozens of mortar and artillery shells this evening.

The mortar and artillery shells reportedly struck the large city of Albukamal, which was liberated by the Syrian Arab Army last year.

No casualties have been reported by the Syrian Arab Army as of yet.

Earlier today, the Islamic State launched a similar attack against the Syrian Arab Army, prompting a fierce response from the latter on the terrorist group’s positions across the Euphrates.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


The Grand Turk
Erdogan vows to ‘eliminate’ Kurdish fighters in Iraq if US military doesn’t
[ALMASDARNEWS] Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
urged the US to "eliminate" Kurdish fighters in Northern Kurdistan, vowing that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
will do so if the US does not. Erdogan was speaking from Istanbul on Friday.

Erdogan started by announcing that Turkey had conducted operations against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, adding that "there will be more to come."

"Why? Because, if there is a threat towards us from those areas ‐ and yes there is ‐ then they [the US] should eliminate those holy warriors from that area. If they dont we will do it," vowed Erdogan.

"Yesterday’s attack from Tal Afar against our soldiers in Afrin showed how accurate our decision was. This attack proved that the holy warriors who were pilling up on our border, would eventually target us," said the Ottoman Turkish leader.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  US should have worked with Turkey long ago to take over Syria/Northern Iraq and give it to the Kurds. I have no doubt the Turks would love to get all of their Kurds to move out of Turkey it's a lot better than their genocide daydreams.
Posted by: ruprecht || 12/15/2018 10:08 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Russian military establishes base just north of US-held Tanf region
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Russian military has reportedly established a new base a few kilometers away from the U.S.-held al-Tanf region.

According to reports from southern Syria, the newly established Russian base will maintain a large presence of Russian and Syrian military personnel.

The new Russian base is located near the Zarqa Crossroad, which was the site of intense festivities between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the U.S.-backed Jaish Mughawar al-Thoura group last night.

The Russian military already has several bases in southern Syria, including a large presence at the T-4 Airbase near the ancient city of Palmyra.

The T-4 Airbase has several Russian warplanes, primarily helicopters, that have aided the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in their ongoing fight against the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


YPG kills 5 Turkish soldiers in special operation in northwest Aleppo
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) carried out a special operation in the Afrin region of northwest Aleppo this week that killed several Ottoman Turkish military personnel.

According to the official media wing of the YPG, their troops carried out a powerful attack on a Ottoman Turkish military outpost in the Sherawa District of the Afrin region yesterday.

"On December 13th, our unit carried out a successful operation, targeting the positions of the invader Ottoman Turkish army in Kimar village of Afrin’s Sherawa district," the YPG statement began.

"As a result, the enemy outpost was destroyed and five Ottoman Turkish soldiers were killed," they added.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's disputed premier Rajapakse to step down for 'stability of the nation'
[DAWN] Sri Lanka's strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse will step down from his disputed position of premier, his son said on Friday, signalling an end to a crippling seven-week long power struggle.

Rajapakse's politician son Namal said he will quit on Saturday "to ensure stability of the nation", after the Supreme Court ordered that he should not exercise the powers of the office he has claimed since October 26.

Namal Rajapakse said they will join a coalition with President Maithripala Sirisena who triggered the political crisis on October 26 by sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with former foe Rajapakse.

The latest decision of Rajapakse to back down came as the Supreme Court ruled that he and his purported cabinet should not exercise the powers of the office they claim until he could prove his legitimacy.

The court ruling also meant that the country was effectively without a government and heading for a shut down in the absence of parliament voting for a budget for 2019.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
Civilian Killed, 2 Injured in mercenaries' shelling on Saada's border areas
[SABANEWS.NET] The artillery and rocketry forces of the mercenaries of US-backed Saudi-led coalition on Friday shelled several border districts in Saada province, a security official said. The shelling targeted citizens’ farms in Ghaferah area of Dhaher district and caused damages among citizens’ properties, the official added

3 Saudi-led air strikes hit Hodeidah
The warplanes of US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition on Friday launched three air strikes on Hodeidah province, a security official said. The air strikes targeted Kilo 16 area in Hali district, the official said.

Coalition launches airstrike on Sanaa
The fighter jets of US-backed Saudi-led coalition on Friday launched an airstrike in Yemen’s Sanaa province, a security official said. The air strike hit Wadi Seham area in Himah kharijia district.

Army repels saudi-led mercenaries' infiltration in Jawf
The army on Friday repelled an infiltration of the mercenaries of US-backed saudi-led aggression coalition in Jawf province, a military official said. During the failed infiltration , which took place in Jarashab area of Ghail district, the army killed and injured dozens of the militiamen , the official said. According to the official, several other militiamen were killed and wounded in explosive devices’ blasts at the same region.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


India-Pakistan
Six security officials killed in attack in southwest Pakistan
[Al Jazeera] Six security officials have been killed in an attack in southwest Pakistain when their convoy came under heavy firing in a mountainous area near the border with Iran.

Pakistain's restive 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...
province has been hit by a number of attacks on security personnel, but the number of large-scale incidents had decreased significantly since 2016.

The province's information minister Zahoor Ahmed Buledi told the Rooters news agency on Friday that six members of the Frontier Corps
...a provincial paramilitary force. Total manpower is about 80,000. They are tasked to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, and to carry out border patrol and a..the Antwerp-based Salafist organization that had campaigned to introduce Sharia law to Belgium before single-handedly making Belgium the highest per capita supplier of jihadis to Syria in Europe. There was a big trial in Antwerp in 2015, but most of those convicted were in absentia...nti-smuggling operations....
paramilitary force in charge of security in the region were killed in "heavy" firing along a mountainous stretch of road in the Kech district.

Fourteen others were maimed.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baloch Raji Ajoie Sangar (BRAS), armed Baloch separatist groups, have both grabbed credit for the attack, in statements emailed to Al Jazeera.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: Baloch Liberation Army


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
US-backed forces expel IS from east Syria hub
[PULSE.NG] Kurdish-led forces seized the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
's main hub of Hajin Friday, a milestone in a massive and costly US-backed operation to eradicate the jihadists from eastern Syria.

The Syrian Democratic Forces secured Hajin, the largest settlement in what is the last pocket of territory controlled by IS, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"After a week of heavy fighting and air strikes, the SDF were able to kick IS out of Hajin," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britannia-based monitoring organization, said.

The operation was completed at dawn, he said, a day after SDF forces fanned out across the large village in the Euphrates valley.

On Thursday, the last IS fighters were confined to a network of tunnels and the edges of Hajin, which lies in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border with Iraq.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Afghanistan
Taliban executioner killed in U.S. drone strike in Zabul province
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A key Taliban
...Arabic for students...
group leader who was also the executioner of the group in southern Zabul province was killed in an Arclight airstrike of the U.S.forces.

The provincial police commandment in a statement said the Taliban leader Haroon was killed along with two other Lions of Islam in a dronezap in Kajer Khel area of Shajoi district.

The statement further added that the airstrike was carried out at around 4pm local time on Thursday.

In the meantime, Colonel Mohamamd Mustafa Mayar, the Police Chief of Zabul, said commander Haroon was involved in several beheadings of the tribal elders and security personnel.

Col. Mayar further added Haroon was also shadow military chief of the group in Shahjoi district of Zabul province and was planning and coordinating suicide kabooms.

The anti-government armed holy warrior groups including Taliban have not commented regarding the report so far.

Zabul is among the relatively volatile provinces in South of Afghanistan where the Talibs are active in some of its districts and often carry out terrorist related activities.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa Subsaharan
Former CAR Militia Leader Arrested on Suspicion of War Crimes
[All Africa] A leading African soccer official was jugged
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
Wednesday in La Belle France on charges of war crimes committed in the Central African Republic.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Patrice Edouard Ngaissona was the most big shot and "national general coordinator'' of the anti-Balaka militia.

The ICC said that as the leader of the mostly Christian militia, Ngaissona was suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, deportation, persecution, torture, attacking civilians and recruiting child soldiers.
sounds Islamic
The anti-Balaka militia was formed in 2013 to counter the Moslem Seleka
...a 'mainly' Moslem rebel force in the Central African Republic that overthrew the govt, imposed a regime of rapine and looting on the country's non-Moslem population, and was then tossed by France. They still exist, getting funding and weapons from somewhere or other, licking their wounds, complaining about the oppression of Moslems, and occasionally raping and looting someone...
rebels who seized control of the CAR capital, Bangui and ousted President Francois Bozize. The resulting civil war has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

Ngaissona is head of his country's national soccer federation. In February, he was elected to the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football, the governing body for soccer on the continent, prompting many to think he was untouchable. But Lewis Mudge, senior researcher in the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, said the arrest proved "even high-level figures implicated in grave crimes can be arrested to face justice."

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Seleka


UN condemns violence against opposition ahead of DRC vote
[PULSE.NG] She called on the authorities in Kinshasa to ensure that "the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly -- essential conditions for credible elections -- are fully protected."

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Australia Formally Recognizes West Jerusalem As Israel's Capital
[Jpost] The preference cascade continues. Thank you, President Trump.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Subsaharan
UK rallies international support for Nigeria over Boko Haram
[PULSE.NG] The United Kingdom has called for international support for Nigeria in the fight against the resurgence of the destructive activities of the Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
terrorist group.

The UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Jonathan Allen, stated this at the Security Council Briefing on the UN Office for Central Africa.

Allen raised concern about the humanitarian and security situation in the wider Lake Chad Basin, which continued to deteriorate, in addition to the crisis in Cameroon
...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there...
He said: "The United Kingdom has played its part in providing humanitarian support, as well as significant support particularly to assist the Nigerian security forces in the fight against Boko Haram and Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
West Africa (ISWA), but this matter needs the ongoing focus and support of the international community.

"The deteriorating security situation in northeast Nigeria
... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border...
is of particular concern, and one I note shared by the Secretary-General.

"ISWA has increased the frequency, range and sophistication of their attacks and has attacked forward operating military bases in North East Nigeria.

"The execution by ISWA of humanitarian workers such as Saifura Khorsa and Hauwa Liman, who were both kidnapped while providing antenatal care to communities in desperate need is a telling reminder of the brutality of ISWA’s activities".
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)


Europe
France braces for fifth straight weekend of 'yellow vest' rallies
[Al Jazeera] Security services intend to deploy the same numbers and strength as last weekend, with about 8,000 officers in Paris.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Subsaharan
Vigilante group arrests 120 suspected cultists, hoodlums in Epe
[PULSE.NG] The Ibile Vigilante Group, in Epe, has tossed in the slammer
Please don't kill me!
120 suspected cultists and hoodlums between January and November in Epe, Lagos State.

Mr Olajide Monday, the Team Head of the group made this disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Epe on Friday.

He said that the suspected cultists were arrested in some areas of Epe, including Oke-Balogun, T-Junction, Lagos Road, Okemagba, Aiyetoro, Poka, Temu, Noforija and Papa.

"These arrests were made during the initiation of new members into secret cult groups.

"Some of the suspects were also nabbed during their usual gyration in some crime prone areas in the town and in the suburb areas of the community.

"After the arrest, we hand them over to the police for further investigations," he said.

He said that the hoodlums were usually found disrupting peace in the community as well as invading political and other social activities in town, which led to their arrest.

Monday said that since the last few years, Epe had always been a hideout for cultists, hoodlums and kidnappers.

But after establishing this vigilante group in 2009, we have been able to reduce the activities of the cultists in the community through the arrests.

"The reduction of cult activities in the town was achieved with the support of police and other security agencies.

"The vigilante group works closely with government security agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in Epe," he said.

He, however, lamented poor funding of the group.

"The Epe Local Government pays our salary but the group has not been enjoying good welfare since the past one and a half years.

"The previous council chairman, Mr Segun Agbaje, was the one, who inaugurated our group and we enjoyed working with him as a vigilante group then.

"The group enjoyed good welfare package during his tenure but we are not getting similar treatments again," he alleged.

He urged the current council administration to gear up support for the welfare of his members in order to discharge their responsibility effectively.

Monday said that the group lacked basic ammunition to tackle cultists, hoodlums, and kidnappers.

"We have been working with the little ammunition at our disposal, such as, machetes, knives and other local weapons, " he said.

Monday lauded the financial, moral and physical support of traditional rulers in the area, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Epe division and other well meaning individuals.

In his response, Mr Adedoyin Adesanya, the Chairman, Epe Local Government, said that the council was aware of the complaints and would look into their demands.

The chairman complained of the vigilante group’s poor performances recently, adding that members of the group needed to be trained and retrained in order to discharge their duties responsibly.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


The Grand Turk
Turkey to enter Syria’s Manbij if Kurdish militias fail to leave area, Erdogan warns
[ALMASDARNEWS] Ottoman Turkish troops will enter Syria’s Manbij if Kurdish units fail to leave the city, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor....
’s President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
said at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) event in Istanbul on Friday.

"We are determined to ensure stability and security east of the Euphrates River [in Syria]. If Manbij is not cleared [of Kurdish units], then we will enter the city," he said.

According to the Ottoman Turkish president, "the United States is trying to distract Turkey by delaying the implementation of the Manbij roadmap." "The US seeks to weaken our resolve to fight against terrorists," Erdogan added.

On Wednesday, the Ottoman Turkish leader said that Ankara might soon launch a military operation east of the Euphrates River in Syria in order to target Kurdish fighters.

Turkey previously carried out two military operations in Syria dubbed Olive Branch and Euphrates Shield. Erdogan said at a presser following the G20 summit in Argentina
...a country located on the other side of the Deep South. It is covered with Pampers and inhabited by Grouchos, who dance the Tangle. They used to have some islands called the Malvinas located where the Falklands are now. They're not supposed to cry for Evita...
that Ankara would soon clear areas east of the Euphrates River from terrorist units.

Over the past several months, the Ottoman Turkish president has many times announced plans to carry out an operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) concentrated east of the Euphrates River.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  I hope the Kurds Kill.Them.All.
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 12/15/2018 11:56 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Google chief: Trust artificial intelligence makers to regulate technology
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] You mean those nice people totalitarian pipsqueaks who’ve been working so hard to drive the half of the American population whom they consider deplorables off the internet and out of society altogether?
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  As long as they don't to do evil.
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 12:39 Comments || Top||

#2  According to troo conservatives and spergatarians, this is absolutely correct.
Posted by: charger || 12/15/2018 15:26 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Riyadh committed to political solution that will guarantee Yemen’s stability
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Yadda yadda. Watch the hands, not the lips.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


UAE’s Gargash: Road to peace in Yemen still bumpy
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] No! Reeeeeally?
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis

#1  Yeah, it's paved with land mines. The anti-tank kind.
Posted by: ed in texas || 12/15/2018 7:11 Comments || Top||

#2  I was thinking mass Houthi graves
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 7:25 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Police Arrest 10 As 'Yellow Vest' Protests Reach Tel Aviv
[Jpost] Utterly idiotic socialists who want someone else to pay for the lifestyle to which they believe themselves entitled.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The power to tax is the power to control. When governments increase taxes they increase the cost of living for the lower and middle class. Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Ethonal to name a few.
Posted by: Slinetch Hapsburg9507 || 12/15/2018 20:53 Comments || Top||


Europe
ISIS claim of Strasbourg attack ‘completely opportunistic’, says French minister
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] La Belle France’s interior minister dismissed on Friday a claim by ISIS bad boy group that the gunman who attacked a Christmas market in Strasbourg was one of its "soldiers", calling the assertion "completely opportunistic".

"The completely opportunistic claim by ISIS doesn’t change anything," Christophe Castaner said as he visited the newly reopened market, using an Arabic acronym for the ISIS.

Minister Castaner added: "We’re dealing with a man who was consumed by evil."
The Daily Mail adds:
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Strasbourg Christmas market this evening to pay his respects to the victims of a jihadist gunman who was killed in a shoot-out with police last night. The president went to the market and laid a single white rose at a nearby monument to the terrorist outrage and stood silently for over two minutes in tribute after the official re-opening of the market at 11:00am this morning.

As he looked solemn and closed his eyes in reflection, the crowd spontaneously began singling La Marseillaise - the French national anthem - in memory of the fallen victims.

Cherif Chekatt’s victims were a Thai tourist, on holiday in Strasbourg with his wife, an Afghan who sought refuge in La Belle France some 20 years ago, a 28-year-old Italian journalist in town to cover the European parliament, and a local Frenchie who had just retired. A fifth victim was declared brain-dead.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte tweeted his 'deep sorrow' at the death of Antonio Megalizzi, who became the fourth victim when he passed away in hospital.

Following the attack the threat level was raised to its highest, but today the 'Vigipirate plan' - La Belle France's national security alert system - was reduced to the level second level of 'Risk Attack', the French government said.

As the Christmas market reopened armed police and soldiers patrolled the area.

Gay Paree prosecutor Remy Heitz told a news conference on Friday that seven people are in police custody, including four of his family members. Police on Wednesday jugged
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
his parents, two brothers and a friend in connection with the attack. On Friday, they arrested his third brother in Algeria to see if he was involved.

'We want to reconstruct the past 48 hours in order to find out whether he got some support,' Heitz said.

After his escape, Chekatt hid out in a warehouse a few hundred yards from his parents' house where he grew up in the northeastern French city. He was tracked down at 9pm on Thursday when police in a patrol car spotted him on a street in a district where he was last seen after Tuesday night's attack.

Around 800 people had called in tips to a hotline after the authorities released his name and photo Wednesday night, including two which Heitz called 'decisive' in finding Chekatt.

The information allowed police to home in on an area in the Neudorf neighbourhood, where he tried to escape into a building after being spotted by a patrol.

Unable to get in the door, he turned and shot at the three officers with a handgun when they tried to approach. Two returned fire and killed him, Heitz said at a presser in Strasbourg.

Defence Minister Florence Parly rejected criticism that Chekatt's presence on the country's so-called 'S file' of forces of Evil should have prompted a more proactive reaction from the authorities.

'You can't... arrest someone just because you think he might do something,' Parly told Radio Classique on Friday.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Arabia
Khashoggi murder suspect was heard boasting, ‘I know how to cut’
It occurs to me that there has long been a tradition of mistreatment in Turkey’s prisons — to the point that there is an entire literature about it. How can we be certain these recordings were not of Turkish detainees being tortured at Turkish hands? For that matter, how on earth would a Turkish agent have managed to get into the secret torture chamber in the Saudi embassy to record such actions, when embassies are supposed to be inviolable?
[NYPOST] One of the men who killed and dismembered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was heard saying "I know how to cut" in a recording of the killing that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
shared with US and European officials, President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
said Friday.

"The United States, Germany, La Belle France, Canada, we made them all listen ... The man clearly says, ’I know how to cut.’ This man is a soldier. These are all in the audio recordings," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2.

The Ottoman Turkish leader did not provide additional details about the tape, according to Rooters.

The US-based Washington Post columnist repeatedly told his killers "I can’t breathe" during his final moments, CNN reported Monday, quoting a source who said they had read the entire translated transcript of an audio recording.

Erdogan also slammed 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...
for its changing narrative of how the journalist, a prominent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was murdered.

The kingdom has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder.

Riyadh initially said Khashoggi had left the consulate, where he went to gather documents for his forthcoming marriage. But his Ottoman Turkish fiancee, who had waited outside the building, said he never emerged.

"The prince says Jamal Khashoggi left the consulate. Is Jamal Khashoggi a kid? His fiancee is waiting outside," Erdogan said.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia

#1  I don't believe any of these "audio clip" claims:
"He was also heard to say 'MBS! Don't kill me. I know you personally ordered my death! Oh woe is me! Aiyyeeee, I am undone! *rosebud*'"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 8:35 Comments || Top||

#2  I don't believe any of these "audio clip" claims:

Here in the US, we have entire industries devoted to producing audio and video of things that never happened. (No, I'm talking about Hollywood, not the Mainstream Media.)

The idea that the Turks have actual evidence is dubious because A) the Turks, and B) as tw points out, bugging embassies is naughty. I'd sooner believe the FBI.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/15/2018 10:04 Comments || Top||

#3  So the Turks having some tapes from wiretaps inside the KSA embassy??? Nope, Nope, Nope....
Posted by: 49 Pan || 12/15/2018 10:33 Comments || Top||

#4  I'd sooner believe the FBI.

Mike Flynn did.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/15/2018 11:14 Comments || Top||

#5  I think the Turks have tapes because he was killed in Erdogan's bedroom.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 12/15/2018 11:42 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Clashes between police and protesters in Baidoa city leave 11 dead
[RADIOSHABELLE] At least 11 people were killed in Somalia’s city of Baidoa in festivities between security forces and supporters of a former al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
leader who is seeking election as a regional president, a military officer and an elder said on Friday.

Authorities incarcerated
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
Mukhtar Robow on Thursday, accusing him of bringing Islamist hard boyz and weapons back to Baidoa, the capital of South West region where he is running for president.

Robow supporters angered by his arrest clashed with police backed by Æthiopian peacekeeping forces in Baidoa, said Hussein Aden, a military officer in the city.

Baidoa elder Saleh Isak accused the authorities of seeking to install its own candidate as president of South West, the first of Somalia’s seven semi-autonomous regions to hold presidential elections in the coming months.

"Yesterday, 10 people died and today they killed a politician," Isak told Rooters by telephone.

The elections are a critical juncture in a growing power struggle between the U.S.-backed central government and regions where al-Shabaab hard boyz retain a presence following a long civil war.

Aden gave a lower corpse count of at least six killed, among them politician Abdishakur Bule.

"He died in cross fire between armed protesters and police this morning. Tension is high and we do not know what to do," Aden told Rooters.

Robow was a prominent al-Shabaab leader and group front man before he publicly renounced violence and recognized federal authority in August 2017.

His front man said he was beaten by Æthiopian troops, part of an African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
peacekeeping force in Somalia, in the course of his arrest.

Officials in the Æthiopian capital Addis Ababa were not immediately reachable for comment.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


The Grand Turk
Turkey targets military over alleged Gulen links
[AlAhram] Ottoman Turkish authorities on Friday ordered the arrest of over 200 military personnel in new raids against suspects linked to the attempted coup in 2016, state media reported.

The Istanbul public prosecutor ordered arrest warrants for 219 soldiers on active duty including four colonels and five lieutenant colonels, state news agency Anadolu said.

Istanbul police launched an operation to capture the suspects on Friday morning.

They are believed to have ties to the group led by US-based Moslem preacher Fethullah Gülen
... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world...
, a former ally turned foe of President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
Ankara accuses Gulen of being behind the failed coup but he strongly denies any links.

In Ankara, the capital's public prosecutor issued arrest warrants on Friday for 48 people, mainly working in the arms industry, also over alleged links to Gulen.

The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
refers to the group as the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation" but followers insist they have peaceful goals of promoting Islam and secular education.

Over 50,000 people have been jugged
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
since the failed putsch in a purge lambasted by human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
activists and Ankara's Western allies.

Nearly 130,000 public sector workers have been sacked.

Last week, dozens of people including airforce personnel were detained for suspected links to coup-plotters in nationwide operations.

Ottoman Turkish officials insist the raids are necessary to cleanse state institutions of the "virus" of infiltration by the Gulen movement.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Soon they'll have an Islamic, politically-faithful-to-Yippy incompetent military
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 8:27 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
A series of informative articles.
[CTC Sentinel] December 2018 Issue VOLUME 11, ISSUE 11.

DECEMBER 14, 2018

The Islamic State Inside Iraq: Losing Power or Preserving Strength?
Michael Knights

A View from the CT Foxhole: Mark Mitchell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict
Brian Dodwell


No End in Sight for the al-Shabaab Threat to Somalia
Harun Maruf, Dan Joseph


Fixing the Cracks in the Pakistani Taliban’s Foundation: TTP’s Leadership Returns to the Mehsud Tribe
Amira Jadoon, Sara Mahmood

United States v. Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab: A Case Study on Transnational Prosecutions of Jihadi Foreign Fighter Networks
Bennett Clifford, Seamus Hughes
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  From the headline's wording, I was thinking they found a center for planning terrorist acts at West Point.

When you consider that Commie West Pointer who was in in the news, it's a reasonable assumption.
Posted by: charger || 12/15/2018 14:06 Comments || Top||


Europe
Captured Syrian ship contained over 100 million Euros worth of drugs bound for Libya
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Greek Coast Guard intercepted a Syrian flag ship that was sailing through the central waters of the Mediterranean Sea nine-days ago.

The Syrian flag ship ’Noka’ reportedly possessed six tons of processed hashish and 3 million ultra-strength captagon pills that were bound for the Libyan city of Benghazi.

According to the Greek Coast Guard, the Syrian ship left the port-city of Latakia and was en route to Libya before it was intercepted by the Greek authorities off the coast of Crete on December 5th.

The drugs were found under false floors in eight containers, hidden between layers of coffee, spices and wood shavings.

The Greek Coast Guard released footage of the intercepted ship and the arrest of the eleven crew members, who identified as ten Syrian nationals and one Indian national.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under: Narcos

#1  The Assad family has been involved in the trafficking of narcotics for more than three decades.
Posted by: Chereting Pelosi1889 || 12/15/2018 9:01 Comments || Top||

#2  When one’s Third World country hasn’t much oil, expenses must be financed somehow.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 13:17 Comments || Top||

#3  Bekka valley growers expanded?
Posted by: 3dc || 12/15/2018 13:36 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian Kurds vow to fight ‘to the death’ against Turkey in Syria
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its component, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), have promised to fight "to the death" in the event of a new Ottoman Turkish operation in northeastern Syria, SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed told Sputnik on Friday.

"We will defend the north and the east of Syria to the death," Ahmed said commenting on the SDF response on a possible operation.

The spokeswoman added that the SDF would not like to see a situation similar to what happened earlier this year in Afrin, where Ankara conducted a military operation.

Later in the day, Syria’s main Kurdish parties and other allied groups issued a joint statement on the issue, calling Ottoman Turkish plans a "declaration of war" and calling on world powers to prevent an assault on the region.

"All the forces in the north and east Syria...are asked to agree on strategies to confront this aggression," the statement read.

The statements followed Thursday’s media reports, saying that the Ottoman Turkish military was reinforcing troops stationed in the province of Kilis on the Syrian border with armoured vehicles. These reports emerged after a statement made by Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
on Wednesday that Ankara would launch a new military operation in Syria within days to free the east of the Euphrates from the US-backed Kurdish militia.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Afghanistan
Daudzai assures peace talks with Taliban will yield positive outcome
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The senior presidential adviser in regional affairs for peace consensus Mohammad Omar Daudzai assures that the peace talks with the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
will yield positive outcome.

He made the remarks at the end of the second national conference of district chiefs which concluded in Kabul on Wednesday evening.

Daudzai told the district administrative chiefs that the peace talks will yield a positive outcome and peace will return to country in the near future.

Daudzai further added that "We want a lasting peace, a reconciliation which should be fair and strengthen the national unity."

The senior presidential adviser also added that the reconciliation process which the nation demands must be finalized within the framework of the constitution of Afghanistan, should be led by the government and must guarantee international participation.

Daudzai was appointed as senior presidential adviser in regional affairs for peace consensus and secretariat chief of the Afghan high peace council on Sunday.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Drone strikes leave at least 15 militants dead in Ghazni and Paktika
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The U.S. forces have carried out a series of Arclight airstrikes in southeastern Ghazni and Paktika
...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo...
provinces of the country, leaving at least 15 murderous Moslems dead.

The203rd Thunder Corps of the Afghan Military in the Southeast in a statement said the U.S. forces carried out airstrikes using unmanned aerial vehicles in Gomar district of Paktika province.

The statement further added that the airstrikes were carried out in SyedKhel, Chahar Baran, and Zuhda areas of the district, leaving at least 12 murderous Moslems dead.

Similarly,the U.S. forces carried out airstrikes in Andar district of Ghazni province which left at least 3 murderous Moslems dead.

According to 203rd Thunder Corps, a cycle of violence and a Ak-47 rifle of the murderous Moslems were also destroyed in the airstrikes.

Both Ghazni and Paktika provinces are among the relatively volatile provinces in Southeast of Afghanistan where Talibs and other groups are active in some of its districts and often carry out terrorist related activities.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
Mufti demands lawsuit against UK embassy in Libya for anti-Islam activities
[Libya Observer] Libyan Grand Mufti, al-Saddiq al-Gharyani, has called for filing a lawsuit against the British embassy in Libya for sponsoring activities that violate Libya's sacred norms and for motivating anti-religion and sedition activities.
Libya's sacred norms? Did he keep a straight face when he said that?
The Mufti's call came as a reaction to a new strategy launched by UK's embassy last week, promoting equality between the two sexes in Libya.

"We want to make changes that can alter lives of men and women as well as boys and girls in Libya." The embassy remarked.

On Tanasuh TV Channel on Wednesday, the Mufti said foreign embassies in Libya are working with some liberals and seculars to rebel over the fixed norms and religious teachings in the country.

"Islam is a religion of justice, equity but not absolute equality. Those who call for equality between man and woman are accusing Islamic Sharia of injustice," the Mufti added.
"It's a different kind of equity... very Islamic"
Several western-motivated activists and liberals have called for gender equality in Libya, especially with regard to "inheritance in Islam."

Inheritance is a topic that is prominently dealt with in the Qur'an, and all Moslems must follow and implement the rules of Islamic inheritance.

Late in November, the UK's embassy organized a seminar chaired by the special envoy of Gender Equality of Britannia and announced a new strategy for Libya's sexual equality issues.

Many activists from Libya and the international community attended the UK embassy's workshop where the strategy of gender equality in Libya was explained.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood


Tripoli's former security chief dies of wounds sustained in (successful) murder attempt
[Libya Observer] The security directorate 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...
announced Wednesday that its former chief Salah al-Samouie died of his wounds in a hospital in Rome, Italia.

The directorate said on Facebook that al-Samouie succumbed to his wounds sustained from the recent murder attempt in the Italian hospital on Wednesday morning.

Likewise, the Presidential Council mourned the death of al-Samouie, saying he is a true loss for all Libyans as he used to be very committed to serving the country.

The Special Deterrence Force also mourned the former chief's death, saying Libya has "lost one of its faithful fighters."

Al-Samouie was shot in front of his house in Salah Eddine area last November and suffered serious injuries.

The Tripoli-based Special Deterrence Force (SDF) has incarcerated
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
two persons responsible for the attempt to murder the former chief of Tripoli security department.

The SDF said that the criminals who opened fire on Salah Samouie had been placed in jug, naming them as Ayman Zaidan and Ayman Abu Kharis.

"The two persons have confessed to the murder attempt. The motives have been criminal only." SDF said, indicating that there are no terrorist or political motives.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Successful murder attempt = assasination?
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 12:11 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Oikya Front top brass come under attack in Dhaka
[Dhaka Tribune] Opposition platform Jatiya Oikya Front leaders, including its chief Dr Kamal Hossain's motorcade, came under attack in Dhaka on Friday.

Dr Kamal's motorcade was attacked by supposed Awami League supporters, after he and other Oikya Front leaders paid their tributes and while exiting the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in the morning.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader ASM Abdur Rab, Gono Forum candidate Reza Kibria, and Gonoshasthaya Kendra Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury were with the eminent jurist at the time.

Gono Forum Media Wing Officer Latiful Bari Hamim blamed followers of local Awami League candidate Aslamul Haque for the attack.

"A number of vehicles were vandalized, including Rab's, while some activists also sustained injuries in the attack," he said.

According to the Darussalam cop shoppe OC Selim-uz-Zaman: "Police witnessed scuffle near the memorial’s entrance when Dr Kamal’s convoy was leaving the premises."

He said: "We were positioned near the memorial, which is roughly 50 metres away from the gate. By the time we went towards to the gate, everything had been resolved."

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:


Caribbean-Latin America
Beauty queen from slum is crowned Miss Venezuela
[Dhaka Tribune] The new beauty queen in a country that loves this kind of pageant is Isabella Rodriguez, 25, from a Caracas shantytown called Petare - home to well over half a million people

The title of Miss Venezuela went Thursday to a woman from the country's largest slum after a ceremony that traded glitz for frugality reflecting an acute economic free fall.

The new beauty queen in a country that loves this kind of pageant is Isabella Rodriguez, 25, from a Caracas shantytown called Petare - home to well over half a million people.

"From Petare to the world, dreams can in fact come true," Rodriguez, who works as a model, said during the question and answer session of the contest. Girls in her crime-ridden slum want to emulate her, she added.

The ceremony lasted four hours and some people on Twitter called it tedious and boring.

It had its share of gaffes, such as one contestant walking out on stage without the sash indicating what state she represented and another whose dress slipped off during a dance number.

With the organizers seeking to cut costs, the 65th edition of the pageant was moved from its historic home at an arena with room for 20,000 people to a 200-seat television studio.

The economy of this oil rich country is in ruins after five years of recession. People endure severe shortages of food, medicine and other basics, and inflation for 2019 is forecast by the IMF to come in at a mind-boggling 10 million percent. An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled since 2015.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Venezuela, slum ; redundancy alert.
Posted by: AlanC || 12/15/2018 6:54 Comments || Top||

#2  What are the odds she asks for asylum as soon as she leaves the country? High. Very high.
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 6:58 Comments || Top||

#3  Beauty queen from slum is crowned Miss Venezuela

In other words, not from the ruling class and not told who to crown? Let's see how next year goes now that they are aware of it.
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2018 12:37 Comments || Top||

#4  The title of Miss Venezuela went Thursday to a woman from the country's largest slum

And then they ate her.
Posted by: charger || 12/15/2018 14:17 Comments || Top||

#5  I expected an emaciated Miss V. with a wreck of a body. Pleasant surprise.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/15/2018 18:07 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Hundreds clash with Israeli forces north of Ramallah
[Jpost] Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, failed to escalate tensions with Israel on Friday after a week of two drive-by shootings and widespread raids against Hamas activists in the West Bank. Clashes across the West Bank were relatively small, with hundreds participating and one Paleostinian teen reported killed in Jalazone north of Ramallah. The IDF and Border police succeeded in dispersing rioters while Paleostinian Security Forces also cracked down on pro-Hamas demonstrations.

On Thursday night the IDF launched an operation across the West Bank in response to the attack at Givat Asaf in which two soldiers were killed. According to a statement the IDF apprehended 40 suspects, 37 of them known as Hamas activists. According to Paleostinian media Hamas activists were detained in Hebron, Ramallah, Azariya and other areas. Hamas pushed for widespread disturbances across the West Bank, using social media to encourage an "kaboom" in the West Bank. On Friday morning a Paleostinian assailant attacked an IDF soldier at a military post in Beit El.

Hamas held rallies in Gazoo to celebrate the 31st anniversary of its founding on Friday. It hoped to use these rallies to escalate tensions in the West Bank. This would gain it influence in negotiations with Fatah, the leading party in the Paleostinian Authority, where it is trying to get an agreement that would end Hamas isolation in Gazoo. The attacks this week were supposed to showcase Hamas power. However across the West Bank it was unable to gain a purchase through demonstrations or rallies. In the morning there were protests reported in Nablus and Tulkarem in which Hamas flags were seen. Paleostinian Security forces clamped down on the rallies in Nablus and on a Hamas demonstration in Hebron. Women supporters of Hamas played a major role in Hebron, clashing with Paleostinian police. Local media expressed shock that the Paleostinian police used batons against Paleostinian male and female demonstrators.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Lebanese Wary as Israel Destroys Hizbullah Border Tunnels
[AnNahar] As Israeli excavators dug into the rocky hills along the frontier with a Lebanese village, a crowd of young Lebanese men gathered to watch.

The mood was light as the crowd observed what Israel says is a military operation ‐ dubbed "Northern Shield" ‐ aimed at destroying attack tunnels built by Hizbullah
...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory...
. The young men posed for selfies, with the Israeli crew in the background, as they burned fires and brewed tea to keep warm.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah


Caribbean-Latin America
Mexico Is Closing Their Border… With Guatemala
[Hot Air] The new Mexican government of incoming president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (or "AMLO") continues to pleasantly surprise me. Not only have we seen increased cooperation with Mexican law enforcement on our own southern border, but he seems to be serious about attacking the illegal immigration problem at its source. The latest announcement coming from Mexico City indicates that they’re seeking to shut off the flow of migrants and caravans by cracking down on their own southern border.

There aren’t many details on precisely how they plan on closing off that border, but it’s not nearly as daunting of a task as closing the Mexican-American border. The land bridge at the southern end of Mexico is only 540 miles long, compared to their border with the United States which runs nearly 2,000 miles. Of course, it runs through some fairly brutal territory, including stretches of rivers which can be forded fairly easily.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Racists! [standard Leftist NPC response]
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/15/2018 18:05 Comments || Top||

#2  The "temporary" shutdown at SD/Tijuana supposedly cost US businesses $5.8 Million. It cost Mexican businesses much more, especially with lingering concerns prompting cancelling or postponing trips south
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2018 18:20 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
10,000 Palestinians protest on Gaza border, 16 said wounded
[IsraelTimes] Latest ’March of Return’ riots held as IDF intensifies crackdown on West Bank in response to spate of terror attacks blamed on Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,

Some 10,000 Paleostinians flocked to the Gazoo Strip border for violent protests on Friday afternoon as the IDF intensified a crackdown in the West Bank in response to a pair of deadly shootings believed to have been carried out by the Hamas terrorist group.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gazoo said 16 protesters were maimed in festivities with Israeli security forces along the border.

The protests were held at various locations along the border under the banner of Hamas’s ongoing "March of Return" demonstrations. According to reports, the
"peaceful"
protesters hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and hand grenades toward Israeli troops. According to the Ynet news site, most of the explosives did not clear the border fence, and fell inside the Strip.

The IDF said two protesters breached the border during the festivities, but quickly retreated back to the other side when IDF troops neared.

The weekly protests come after several weeks of relative calm in Gazoo. However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
the last week has seen a spike in terror attacks in the West Bank, some of which were claimed by Hamas.

Hamas declared Friday to be a "Day of Rage," saying this week’s protests were meant to celebrate the founding of the group dedicated to the destruction of Israel 31 years ago. Hamas called for West Bank Paleostinians to confront Israeli security forces throughout the day, but the protests did not see a large turnout.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Home Front: Politix
Trump: Mick Mulvaney Is My New (Acting) White House Chief Of Staff
[Hot Air] Mulvaney does have some free time on his hands. Not only does he run OMB, you may remember that he’s spent months as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Board. That changed eight days ago, though, when the CFPB’s new permanent director was confirmed. Time to give Mulvaney another small side gig to occupy his time. Like running the White House.

By next summer, after all the remaining regulars have either quit or been fired, 97 percent of the top jobs in this administration will be filled by people in an "acting" capacity. And given the way we’re going, 94 percent of those will be filled by Mick Mulvaney.

A mystery: Why does Trump need an "acting" chief of staff right now when John Kelly will still be on the job for a few more weeks? Especially since Trump’s first pick for the job, Nick Ayers, had reportedly already agreed to serve as "acting" chief for a few months. That arrangement fell apart when Trump demanded a commitment longer than what Ayers was willing to provide. So Ayers walked. And now here’s POTUS with an "acting" chief anyway.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/15/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sat 2018-12-15
  Heavy clashes breakout in Hodeidah after UN-backed ceasefire announcement
Fri 2018-12-14
  Maulana Samiul Haq's personal secretary arrested, labelled person of interest in murder probe
Thu 2018-12-13
  Egyptian military kills 27 terrorists in recent operations
Wed 2018-12-12
  IDF uncovers third attack tunnel dug from Lebanon into Israel
Tue 2018-12-11
  At least two dead, 11 wounded in French Christmas market shooting
Mon 2018-12-10
  Taliban’s shadow governor for Paktika province has been killed
Sun 2018-12-09
  In rain and mud, IDF exposes another tunnel from Lebanon into Israel
Sat 2018-12-08
  Hizbullah Key Financier Tajideen Pleads Guilty in U.S.
Fri 2018-12-07
  UN peacekeepers confirm existence of tunnel from Lebanon into Israel
Thu 2018-12-06
  Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s arrest may prompt China to retaliate, 'take hostages,' expert says
Wed 2018-12-05
  Jihadists seize more ground inside Idlib deescalation zone as Turkish Army watches from afar
Tue 2018-12-04
  US-backed forces allegedly enter Daesh’s new capital
Mon 2018-12-03
  ISIS leader involved in murder of US aid worker Peter Kassig killed
Sun 2018-12-02
  TLP leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi booked under treason, terrorism charges: information minister
Sat 2018-12-01
  Bush the Elder dies at 94

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