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Syrian forces attack mosque, kill 30
Today's Headlines
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Horn
Khartoum accuses S. Sudan of treating wounded Darfur rebels
KHARTOUM: Darfur rebels wounded in the latest fighting with Sudanese troops have gone to South Sudan for treatment, the army said yesterday, as Khartoum pushes Juba to end alleged backing for rebels.

The army and insurgents gave conflicting accounts of Monday's fighting, which came while Sudanese negotiators at fragile peace talks in Addis Ababa turned down South Sudan's proposal for settling oil fees and other critical issues by a United Nations-imposed deadline of August 2. Khartoum said security is a key priority and issues such as South Sudan's "support" for rebels need to be settled.

In a statement carried by the official SUNA news agency, Sudanese army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad said the government killed more than 50 fighters of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and wounded a large number of others.The fighting erupted just inside South Kordofan state near southeastern Darfur.

Saad said a "big number of vehicles were seen carrying the injured elements of the rebels for treatment in South Sudan."

In a statement late on Monday, the JEM made no mention of killed or wounded but said it had seized 36 military vehicles as it gained control of the Tabaldi oil field, as well as the Karkada area. The rebels earlier Monday said they had seized a Sudanese military compound in the same region.

Sudan accuses South Sudan of working with the JEM and of backing insurgencies in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. The South denies supporting the rebels but suspected JEM fighters were seen alongside its troops during border fighting between Sudan and South Sudan in April.

On Sunday, the JEM again denied any presence in South Sudan, which accuses the north of backing insurgents in the South as well.
Posted by: Steve White || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  its wrong to treat wounded human beings?
Posted by: Water Modem || 07/25/2012 12:09 Comments || Top||

#2  Only if you never signed the Geneva Convention.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 07/25/2012 13:22 Comments || Top||

#3  This makes no sense. Darfur rebels are hated in the South. They raped the south for years.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 07/25/2012 16:04 Comments || Top||

#4  Maybe the"Treatment" Includes an injection that renders them sterile? (I hope)
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 07/25/2012 19:46 Comments || Top||


Sudan Rejects South Sudan Oil Offer
[VOA News] Sudan is giving a cool response to several South Sudanese proposals aimed at rejuvenating peace talks and oil production. Khartoum wants to settle security issues before considering Juba's offers.

Sudan says the South Sudanese proposals, submitted Monday at 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...
-mediated talks in Addis Ababa, do not break new ground.

The package included an offer aimed at ending an impasse over oil, with a promise that Juba would pay up to $9.10 per barrel to transport oil through northern pipelines.

Attempt to meet in middle

The offer would be a compromise for both countries, if accepted. South Sudan had previously insisted on paying about $1 per barrel, while Sudan had demanded a price around $36.

South Sudan also has offered to pay $3.2 billion to Sudan in cash over three-and-a-half years to compensate for economic losses Khartoum suffered as a result of the south's separation last year.

Sudanese Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Rahmatullah Mohamed Osman said his country will take the South's proposals into account.

"This is an offer which is subject to negotiation. It is not just piecemeal. We are talking about oil issues, so this offer should be tabled to our negotiators and then they will reach a solution. They are offering something and it is linked to other things," said Osman.

Continuing dispute frays economies

Meanwhile,
...back at the bake sale, Umberto's Mom's cannoli were a big hit...
Sudanese negotiator Mutrif Sidiq told news hounds in Addis Ababa there is nothing new in South Sudan's offer, and said security issues remain a top priority.

A front man for South Sudan's negotiating team did not answer calls for comment.

South Sudan shut down oil production in January after accusing Sudan of stealing southern oil from northern pipelines and ports. Sudan claims it had confiscated oil to make up for unpaid transit fees. The shutdown has weakened both countries' economies.

The two Sudans fought festivities along their border this spring as tension nearly boiled over into war.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Trial of two Iranian terror suspects begins in Nairobi
(Sh.M.Network) -- A trial of two Iranian terror suspects accused of being in possession of dangerous kabooms that could be used to make a bomb kicked off in a Kenyan court on Monday.

However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
both Ahmed Mohamed and Said Mausoud who were released last week on a cash bail of 24,000 U.S. dollars and a surety of 60, 000 dollars each have denied the charges before Nairobi Principal Magistrate Paul Biwott.

During the trial, the country's anti-terrorism police Kennedy Musyoki who is investigating the matter dismissed the defence's allegations that the two suspects were interrogated by the Israeli security agents, saying the Kenyan police were competent enough to handle the case.

Musyoki said the police do not allow foreigners to interrogate or torture suspects who are in jug and denied their claims those Israeli security agents grilled the 2 Iranians.

Mohamed and Masoud were charged with being in possession of 15 kgs of explosives on June 20 inMombasa.

The trial which has raised international concern as the war against terrorism is being heightened will continue on Tuesday inNairobi.

The two suspects are suspected of planning to detonate as many as 30 different bombs targeting British,U.S., Israeli and Saudi interests including facilities and prominent commercial and government buildings across Kenya.

The revelations prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn Iran early this month that it should take responsibility for the alleged heinous plot like that of 2002 against Israeli-owned Kikambala Hotel in Mombasa.

"Iranian terrorism knows no borders.

"The international community must fight against this major player in the world of terrorism," Netanyahu was quoted as the media as saying on July 3.

According to the charge sheet, the Mohamed and Mausoud who were tossed in the calaboose
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
on June 20 in the port city were found armed with the 15kgs of RDX explosives in circumstances that indicate they were armed with intend to cause grievous harm.

The middle aged suspects are believed to be among foreign al Qaeda terror suspect who have fled Somalia to Kenya and other countries including Yemen.

Sources said the chemical recovered can be used to manufacture improvised bomb that was used in recent blast that rocked Kenyan capital city Nairobi killing one person and injuring 38 others last month.

Kenya security agencies have been on higher alert after intelligent reports hinted that Al-Shabaab
... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban...
forces of Evil are escaping into the East African nation as the operation to rout the forces of Evil from Somalia gains momentum.

More border patrol have been intensified along the Kenya Somalia border in Kiunga and Dadaad refugee camps to combat the al Qaeda-linked forces of Evil to gain entrance into the country.

Al-Shabaab bully boyz have vowed to attack Nairobi after the east African nation which hosted protracted negotiations that culminated in the signing of the federal charter forSomaliain 2005, invadedSomaliato flush out the forces of Evil it blamed for kidnappings of tourists.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  released on bail? WTH?
Posted by: Frank G || 07/25/2012 11:36 Comments || Top||


Roadside Bomb Explosion wounds Three soldiers in Balad
(Sh.m.Network)-- At least Three Somali government soldiers have reportedly been maimed after their pick-up truck mounted with anti-aircraft gun hit a roadside kaboom in Balad district, north-west of the capital, Mogadishu, on Monday.

An Eyewitness said that battlewagon carrying number of government soldiers were on their way to their base in the district when the roadside blasted. "I could see at around 11:15 a.m. local time at least 3 soldiers bleeding and lying on the ground following the attack," a witness said.

No group has grabbed credit for the attack so far.

Balad, a key town just 30 kilometers north west of Mogadishu fell to Somali government soldiers along with AU forces, after Al shabab Islamic fascisti pulled out of the district, without a fight on Jun 26, 2012.

The taking of Balad was the latest success for Somali government forces in a year of big gains against Al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
fighters.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Bangladesh
Over 6,000 passports go to wrong hands
[Bangla Daily Star] More than 6,000 Machine Readable Passports (MRP), not 2,280 pieces as figured out on July 11, have been stolen from the Agargaon passport office, a probe body suspects.

The six-member probe committee headed by a Lieutenant Colonel was formed on June 21, after the immigration at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport had detected several forged MRPs early that month.

On July 11, the passport department discarded the serial numbers of 2,280 stolen MRPs. The authorities on July 22 discarded a total of 89,425 MRPs, which had been reissued due to errors in printing or some other faults but still bore mistakes.

High officials of home ministry and the passport department in a meeting on Monday expressed concern
...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended...
that the stolen passports might be used by those who were not legally eligible for a passport, such as Rohingya refugees, convicts and people with criminal track record.

With Home Minister Shahara Khatun in chair, the meeting was attended by State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Director General of Passport Department Abdul Mabud, Inspector General of Police and high immigration officials.

Tuku yesterday told The Daily Star that the Agargaon passport office had earlier discarded some MRPs but the enquiry committee apprehended that the number of stolen passports could be higher.

A source in the meeting said they had stressed the need for tracing the serial numbers of the stolen MRPs to discard those immediately, as in case of delay criminals might use those.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Cancel ALL the Passports then make everybody rw-apply.
Catch a LOT of thieves that way.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 07/25/2012 9:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Re-Apply, dammit
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 07/25/2012 19:48 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
12 troops, 30 militants killed in Tajikistan clashes
[Iran Press TV] Clashes in Tajikistan have left at least 12 government troops and 30 bully boyz dead in the eastern region of Badakhshan, officials say.

The Tajik security service issued a statement on Tuesday saying the fighting broke out near the town of Khorog in the Badakhshan region.

Some 23 Tajik troops were also injured during the festivities, and 40 bully boys, including eight Afghan citizens, were captured, the statement added.

The incident occurred several days after the murder of the regional security chief, General Abdullo Nazarov.

The government troops used tanks and helicopters against the bully boys' positions, local media reported.

It was the worst outbreak of violence in Tajikistan since 2010, when 40 security forces were killed in a prison break.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: East Turkestan Islamic Movement


India-Pakistan
Militants attack police post in Peshawar
[Dawn] Suspected Orcs and similar vermin attacked a police post in Sheikhan area in the limits of Badhber cop shoppe on Monday morning.

An official said that Orcs and similar vermin opened firing on the post with light and heavy weapons from different directions but police had also taken cover after receiving some tips from their informers.

The attack, he said, was carried out from tribal area but the attackers came so close to the post that they could use light weapons.

However,
there's more than one way to stuff a chicken...
police managed to repulse the attack by opening firing with the available machineguns.

The official said that it was not the first attack of its kind. He said that police had repulsed many such attacks in the recent past. He said that government should increase manpower and provide proper arms and ammunition to them so that they could take timely action to protect Beautiful Downtown Peshawar.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


12 passport officials suspended in 'UK visa scam'
[Dawn] The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) suspended on Monday 12 officials of a passport office after shocking media reports of a scam involving fake documents for travel to London, ostensibly in connection with the coming Olympics.

The interior ministry has constituted a team comprising officials of Nadra and the Federal Investigation Agency to investigate the matter.

The team is expected to arrive here on Tuesday.

Neither Tariq Malik, newly-promoted head of Nadra, nor its spokesperson confirmed the number of officials suspended. However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits...
an official told Dawn that almost all staff, including head of the Harbanspura passport office, had been stopped from working till the investigation team recorded their statements and cleared them.

The British tabloid, The Sun, in its Monday edition provided details as to how easy it was for a crime ring operating in Lahore to manipulate the system for getting British visa.

An official of the passport office told Dawn that it issued passports on the basis of a genuine computerised national identity card (CNIC).

"Since only one document -- CNIC -- is required to issue a passport there is no question of a fake passport. If the Nadra record does not show the complete credentials of a CNIC holder, it is next to impossible that a passport is issued against that CNIC," he said.

A Nadra official said The Sun team probably got a CNIC renewed against the man whose family record had already been with the authority.

"There would have been a substance in the claim had the holder of the passport (Muhammad Ali) got the UK visa for the Olympics," he said, adding that getting a CNIC issued in the name of someone who was already in the data bank of Nadra and subsequently issuance of the passport against it was not a big deal.

The story revolves around an undercover investigator employed by The Sun who, in collaboration with some local people, contacted a network of Pak agents with alleged links not only to passport and identity card offices but also to officials in the Pakistain Sports Board (PSB).

The Sun proudly announced smashing a scam that gave "potential bully boyz a chance to sneak into Britannia with Pakistain's Olympic team... as bogus support staff..."

It quoted an "intelligence operative" as saying: "The idea of unknown agents being flown in to the UK to be put up in the Olympic Village beggars belief. Terrorists would have the biggest platform to perform their atrocities. A member of Al Qaeda could fly to the UK on a genuine passport in another name... For all of our sakes this staggering loophole needs closing fast."

"First they provided our undercover investigator with a genuine Pak passport in a false name," The Sun said. The information was backed by footage reminiscent of the 2010 sting operation by another UK paper against some Pak cricketers. The apparent flaw in the otherwise carefully created footage was when it identified Abid Chaudhry, the "criminal mastermind" behind the scam, as "a leading Lahore politician". In fact, Chaudhry is a small-time worker of a political party based in Dharampura.

Mr Chaudhry "spelled out how for around £7,000 he could get our man a two-month visa -- and smuggle him into London 2012 as part of Pakistain's Olympic squad...Mr Chaudhry ... explained how easy it was to get into the Olympic Village by masquerading as a member of the athletes' support team".

The paper said an investigation was under way after it alerted MI6, the Home Office in London, the UK Border Agency and the British High Commission in Islamabad.

Talking to Dawn, PSB Director General Amir Hamza Gilani said the federation of any sports body issued a recommendation letter while NOC was issued to a player or staff after a thorough scrutiny by the interior ministry and intelligence agencies. "It is rubbish to claim that a recommendation letter or NOC can be obtained for a few bucks," he said.

Mr Chaudhry, who works for a travel agency, Dream Land, told a private news channel that a man with some reference had met him and asked him how to get a UK visa. He refused to get involved in getting a fake CNIC issued.

Dream Land is owned by Malik Bashir, who has the reputation of sending people abroad on doctored documents. Bashir said he had not attended the office for the past eight years because he was unwell.
Dream Land is owned by Malik Bashir, who has the reputation of sending people abroad on doctored documents. Bashir said he had not attended the office for the past eight years because he was unwell.

The UK paper smartly selected a notorious travel agent to give credence to its claim.

Our Sports Reporter adds: A front man for the Pakistain Olympic Association (POA) told Dawn it was not possible for any unwanted person to travel to London on fake documents as an official member of Pakistain contingent because all the 39 members of the Pakistain Olympic squad were bona fide persons, duly accredited by the London Olympics Organising Committee.

"The POA has written a letter to POA President Arif Hasan, who is already in London," he said.

An accreditation card is always issued by the host country after verifying all documents of the applicant, which are always sent by the national Olympic committee of the country concerned.

Moreover, the British High Commission staff in Pakistain had personally done the bio-matrix of all members of the Pakistain squad, including journalists going to cover the games, some six months ago at the offices of the Pakistain Hockey Federation in Lahore.

Last month, the London organising committee had dispatched accreditation cards of all these persons after passing through a process in the UK. The same accreditation is acceptable for issuance of visa at the Heathrow Airport. Furthermore, no-one can enter the Olympic Village or playing arenas as official, without accreditation.

Of the 39 members of the Pakistain squad, 24 had already reached London on July 12 as national hockey team squad comprising 18 players and six officials.

AFP adds: Pakistain's Olympic chef de mission Aqil Shah dismissed the Sun's claims.

"These are baseless reports," Mr Shah told AFP. "This is an attempt to malign Pakistain. Even if someone gets a passport he cannot enter the Olympic Village without an Olympic accreditation card."

Pakistain's 39-strong delegation -- minus Mr Shah -- is already in London and consists of 23 athletes and 16 officials.

Mr Shah justified the number of officials.

"Hockey has at least six officials which are under the rules and then we have physicians and other coaches who are genuine members of Pakistain's contingent," he said.

POA chief Arif Hasan was discussing the matter with the Pakistain High Commission in London, said Mr Shah.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


Blast near Chinese consulate{In Pakistan}; 3 injured
[Dawn] A cycle of violence bomb went kaboom! near the Chinese consulate in Clifton on Monday, leaving a Rangers soldier and two other persons injured.

In the evening, another cycle of violence also rigged with explosives was found in the parking area of a nearby institute.

The attack took place in a supposedly high security area, Clifton Block 4, described by police as 'red zone', where a cluster of foreign missions are located. A string of IED kabooms have taken place in the city, primarily targeting the paramilitary force, over the past fortnight.

Additional IG (Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
) Iqbal Mehmood said it appeared that the consulate was not the target and the blast had been carried out apparently to cause panic.

However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
he didn't rule out the possibility that the blast could be linked to the string of attacks on Rangers.

Another senior police officer said there was the possibility of involvement of the group opposed to the Zulfikarabad city project which was likely to be taken up by the Chinese.

On the other hand, some security officials were of the view that it could be the handiwork of elements linked to the separatist Baloch Liberation Army.

The blast took place around at 11.45am in the street behind the consulate, close to the parking area of the Pakistain Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management.

Someone had parked the cycle of violence with explosives near a barrier about 70 metres from the consulate, SSP (Bloody Karachi South) Asif Ajaz said.
"The place where the blast took place is a parking area shared by the institute, an advertising agency and a bungalow," he said.

Mohammad Irfan, 27, of Rangers, and two other people were maimed.

Police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary personnel were posted at the consulate, the official said.

Two cycle of violences and a parked car were damaged.

Around 700g of explosives was used, without ball bearings or other lethal objects, the said.

Police checked the particulars of the cycle of violence used in the blast and found that it had not been reported stolen or snatched.

The owner in whose name it was registered had sold it a few months ago, police said.

CCTV footage obtained from a nearby bungalow showed the suspect leaving the area after parking the two-wheeler, they said.

A few hours later, another cycle of violence found parked near the parking of the institute raised suspicion because it remained there till the evening.

Police called the bomb disposal unit which found about 3kg of explosives concealed in it. The explosives were attached with a remote control mechanism, police said.

According to police, both the cycle of violences had been purchased from the same showroom on Akbar Road on July 19.

Initial investigation suggested that the second cycle of violence might also have been parked in the morning, but apparently the explosives didn't go off.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  See also DAILY TIMES.PK > COMMENTARY: CHINA ATTACKED AGAIN.

As prob inspired for Radical Islam by ...

* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > US, PAKISTAN TRUST VERY LOW.

* TOPIX, WORLD NEWS > THOUSANDS OF NATO SUPPLY TRUCKS LAYING IDLE THREE WEEKS AFTER [SDN]ROUTES RE-OPENING.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 07/25/2012 1:47 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel's Iron Dome System Downs Gaza Rocket
[An Nahar] Paleostinian cut-throats in the Gazoo Strip fired a rocket toward the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Tuesday evening but it was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, the military told Agence La Belle France Presse. On Friday two rockets slammed into open ground in Israel's south, without causing casualties or damage.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian forces attack mosque, kill 30
[Al Ahram] Syrian forces killed up to 30 worshippers on Tuesday as they converged on a mosque to perform Ramadan evening prayers in a village northwest of the city of Hama, opposition activists said.

"Troops and Shabbiha (militia loyal to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators...
) left the roadblock on the edge of Shariaa and crossed the main road and began firing automatic rifles at the worshippers as they were entering the mosque," Jamil al-Hamwi, one of the activists, said by telephone from al-Ghab Plain.

"We have confirmed the names for 15 bodies and there is a similar number estimated still to be collected from the streets," Hamwi, who uses a pseudonym for safety reasons, said.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  Popcorn
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 07/25/2012 4:02 Comments || Top||


Syria says arrests person responsible for Damascus bombing
[Dawn] Syrian authorities have enjugged
Drop the rosco and step away witcher hands up!
a person said to have carried out a kaboom last week that killed three security bigshots, an Iranian news agency reported on Tuesday.

The suspect worked at the security headquarters in Damascus
...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world...
where the bombing took place, Fars news agency quoted Syrian parliament member Mohammad Zahir Ghanoum as saying.

The attack killed the defence minister, a general and the brother-in-law of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Lord of the Baath...
, the most significant strike against the country's leadership as it struggles to suppress an armed rebellion.

"The agent who committed the kaboom against the Syria Supreme National Security Council building was enjugged
Drop the rosco and step away witcher hands up!
," Ghanoum said.

"The enjugged
Drop the rosco and step away witcher hands up!
individual is a staff member of that same building but I cannot give further details. Probably in the near future this person's confession will be broadcast."

A security source told Rooters last week the bomber was a bodyguard entrusted with protecting the closest members of Assad's circle.

Syrian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
said a jacket wallah was responsible.

Ghanoum said the person responsible had been hired by Syria's enemies but the Assad government would not allow the United States, Israel, Turkey or Qatar to weaken Syria's security.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria: Rustom Ghazali Named Chief of Political Security
[An Nahar] Syria has named General Ali Mamlouk as the new head of its national security office and General Rustom Ghazali as the new chief of political security, in a shakeup of the security services after a bombing killed four top regime figures last week, a security source told Agence La Belle France Presse on Tuesday.

"General Ali Mamlouk, who was head of state security, is becoming the head of the bureau of national security, with the rank of minister, overseeing the entire security apparatus," the source said.

"He will report directly to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs...
," the source added.

General Rustom Ghazali, the former director of military security in Damascus
...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world...
, has been named chief of political security, the source said, replacing Deeb Zaytoun, who will take over Mamlouk's former post as head of state security.

The shake-up follows a July 18 attack, claimed by rebel forces battling Assad's regime, which targeted the government's security leadership.

The attack killed Defense Minister Daoud Rajha, Assad's brother-in-law Assad Shawkat, national security chief Hisham Ikhtiyar and Hassan Turkmani, head of the crisis cell set up to tackle the uprising against the regime.

"Until now, the security services were spread among different ministers: the military intelligence and those of the army and the air force under the minister of defense, the political intelligence under the interior ministry and the state security with the presidency," the source said.

"A process of centralization was underway, but it was of course accelerated by the attack."

Assad's father and predecessor, Hafez Assad, created multiple intelligence services whose rivalry made it more difficult for any forces to engage in a coup.

In the wake of the uprising, President Assad has forced his regime to consolidate those multiple services, in a bid to protect the increasingly embattled government.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


SNC Retracts Remarks Accepting Regime-Led Unity Govt.
[An Nahar] The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) will not accept a unity government led by a member of the regime, spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani said Tuesday, contradicting a statement by another SNC member.

"There was never any question of a national unity government led by a member of the regime," Kodmani told Agence La Belle France Presse.

"There is of course a question of a transitional government, but of the opposition, not led by a member of the state."

An emailed statement from the SNC also ruled out a unity government led by a member of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Scourge of Qusayr...
's regime.

Hours earlier another SNC front man, George Sabra, had said the council was ready to agree to a transitional government led by a regime member.

"We would agree to the departure of Assad and the transfer of his powers to a regime figure, who would lead a transitional period like what happened in Yemen," Sabra told AFP in Beirut.

The Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
on Monday called on Assad to swiftly step aside in order to end the fighting that has swept across the country.

"We accept this initiative because the priority today is to put an end to the massacres and protect Syrian civilians, not the trial of Assad," Sabra said.

The Syrian regime has rejected all Arab League calls for a transition plan that would see Assad leave power.

Before the SNC's denial, French foreign ministry front man Bernard Valero had welcomed Sabra's statement.

"Anything that can help bring about an end to the violence as quickly as possible... and the formation of a provisional government is a move in the right direction," Valero told a presser.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Head of Syria Embassy in Cyprus Defects
[An Nahar] The head of the Syrian embassy in Cyprus, Lamia al-Hariri, has defected to Qatar, pan-Arab satellite television networks reported on Tuesday.

Al-Jazeera
... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula, as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS...
television said in a brief report that Hariri, the charge d'affaires, had "announced her defection in Cyprus," while Al-Arabiya said she had arrived in the Gulf state of Qatar.

If confirmed, Hariri's defection would be the second of its kind following that of Nawaf Fares, who left for Qatar this month after publicly renouncing his post as ambassador in Iraq and joining the rebellion.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Army Attacks Damascus Rebel Districts of Qadam, Assali
[An Nahar] Syrian government troops attacked the Qadam and Assali districts of Damascus
...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat...
on Tuesday, two of the last pockets of rebel-held territory in the city, a watchdog said.

"Syrian regime forces have attacked the Qadam and Assali districts, launching a wave of raids and arrests," the Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Qadam neighborhood of south Damascus has been the scene of frequent festivities between troops and rebel fighters

Overnight, after a week of intense festivities in several Damascus districts, the army took control of most of the capital, activists said.

But festivities were ongoing in Qadam and al-Hajar al-Aswad, particularly "in the streets where the rebels are dug in," the Observatory said.

Over the past three days, the army has retaken control of a string of rebel districts of Damascus, including Mazzeh in the west, Barzeh in the northeast, and the upscale district of Midan in the south.

The unprecedented fighting triggered an exodus from the city, with rebels eventually mostly withdrawing to the outskirts.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Calm restored in Damascus, fighting continues in Homs, Aleppo
[Iran Press TV] Syrian security forces and armed gangs are currently fighting in the cities of Aleppo
...For centuries, Aleppo was Greater Syria's largest city and the Ottoman Empire's third, after Constantinople and Cairo. Although relatively close to Damascus in distance, Aleppans regard Damascenes as country cousins...
and Homs, while calm has returned to most parts of the capital, Damascus
...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world...
, Press TV reports.

Foreign-backed armed rebels have attacked security checkpoints in Aleppo, while there have been reports of sporadic festivities between Syrian troops and gangs in Homs.

The security forces are battling rebels in the al-Bab and Sha'ar districts of Aleppo, where many members of the armed opposition have reportedly surrendered.

Syrian security forces engaged the rebels all across the country on Tuesday, with Naher Aisheh, a suburb of Damascus, being the latest area fully cleared of foreign-backed armed gangs. Most neighborhoods are now calm in the capital.

Meanwhile,
...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last. They discussed the officers's efficiency rating system...
security forces have foiled repeated attempts by gangs to infiltrate into Syrian territory from neighboring countries.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
The Scourge of Hama...
's government.

The Syrian government says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed forces of Evil are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

Damascus also says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Dirty Deeds: Iranian nuclear program hit by 'AC/DC virus'?
First line of the article:
Iranian nuclear facilities have reportedly been attacked by a "music" virus, turning on lab PCs at night and blasting AC/DC's "Thunderstruck.
Speculative, but, if true, very, very awesome.
Posted by: Fleack Sniling8241 || 07/25/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  You've been "THUNDERSTRUCK"!

1960's Guam Taotamonas, AC/DC, MTV, Penn State, + 2012 anti-Iran Cyberhacking/CyberWar.

OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW ITS SSSSSSSHHHHHHHH MADONNA'S FAULT [but youse didn't hear it from me]!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 07/25/2012 1:57 Comments || Top||

#2  Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap.
Posted by: Mizzou Mafia || 07/25/2012 3:06 Comments || Top||

#3  Or it's the technician's excuse when caught playing decadent Western music late at night -- "the virus did it!"
Posted by: Odysseus || 07/25/2012 8:19 Comments || Top||

#4  Playing "Highway to Hell" at full volume for all eternity.
Posted by: Perfesser || 07/25/2012 9:11 Comments || Top||

#5  Worse - Spandau Ballet's "True" at full volume, or the theme to Barney the Purple Dinosaur...
Posted by: Raj || 07/25/2012 9:26 Comments || Top||

#6  "It's a Small World" has been known to induce insanity.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 07/25/2012 10:01 Comments || Top||

#7  If the computers had played Celine Dion doing the AC/DC 'You Shook Me All Night Long' it could probably be called a crime against humanity.
Posted by: lord garth || 07/25/2012 10:06 Comments || Top||

#8  Why did I suddenly imagine Indiana Jones music blaring while the place goes up in explosions?
Posted by: Charles || 07/25/2012 12:24 Comments || Top||

#9  Shoulda played Hava Nagila.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 07/25/2012 13:32 Comments || Top||

#10  Oh, I dunno - it could have been Muskrat Love alternating with Do It To Me One More Time ..... translated into Persian, of course.
Posted by: lotp || 07/25/2012 15:42 Comments || Top||

#11  Why didn't they do "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones?? I'd be trying to dig a deeper bunker - if I worked for Iran. Hahahahaha !!!
Posted by: Raider || 07/25/2012 17:19 Comments || Top||

#12  I'm partial to Slipknot, myself...
Posted by: badanov || 07/25/2012 21:00 Comments || Top||

#13  Gary Young's 'Plantman', over and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQiSgWGAc24
Posted by: swksvolFF || 07/25/2012 22:09 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2012-07-25
  Syrian forces attack mosque, kill 30
Tue 2012-07-24
  Syrian Army Retakes Most of Damascus
Mon 2012-07-23
  23 wounded in Iraq car bombing
Sun 2012-07-22
  Pencilneck may use chemical weapons against rebels
Sat 2012-07-21
  Islamic Jihad Leadership Abandons Syria For Iran
Fri 2012-07-20
  Syria Rebels Take 'All Iraq Border Points'
Thu 2012-07-19
  Pencilneck runs away to Latakia
Wed 2012-07-18
  Two Buses With 40 Israeli Tourists Blown Up At Bulgarian Airport
Tue 2012-07-17
  Blast kills MP in Mogadishu, Militants claim responsibility
Mon 2012-07-16
  US Ship Fires on Boat off Dubai, 1 Dead
Sun 2012-07-15
  At Least 83 Killed across Syria
Sat 2012-07-14
  NDS Chief Among Bombing Victims at Afghan Wedding
Fri 2012-07-13
  Defected Syrian Ambassador Calls on Countrymen to Join Him
Thu 2012-07-12
  Sudan university students hold major protest: Witness
Wed 2012-07-11
  Al Qaeda suicide bomber attacks Yemen police academy

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