Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was poisoned to death in 2004 with radioactive polonium, his widow Suha said on Wednesday after receiving the results of Swiss forensic tests on her husband's corpse.
"We are revealing a real crime, a political assassination," she told Reuters in Paris, after receiving a report from the Lausanne University Hospital's Institute of Radiation Physics on samples taken from Arafat's grave in the West Bank city of Ramallah, when the mausoleum was opened last November.
The Swiss scientists found a lethal level of polonium-210 in his body, Al Jazeera television news channel said. That confirmed the findings of an investigation by the Qatar-based channel last year that detected traces of the isotope on Arafat's personal effects.
#7
This is just bullsh-t. Polonium is very rare and has a half life of less than a year. Further, only a little bit will do you in. He was buried somewhere for almost a decade. There is about 2^15 less polonium in him now then there was when he died.
Somali money transfer service Dahabshiil has won an injunction preventing Barclays from cutting its banking services. The injunction means customers will be able to transfer money through Dahabshiil for the foreseeable future.
Barclays had planned to cut off services to the company amid proper concerns over money laundering.
Dahabshiil is the largest provider of remittance services to the 100,000 Somalis living in the UK. They are believed to send back millions of pounds every year to friends and relatives in Somalia - a vital source of income for the impoverished country.
"The Court handed down its judgment, granting an interim injunction which has the effect of preserving Dahabshiil's banking arrangements with Barclays until the conclusion of a full trial," a Dahabshiil statement read.
"This is not just a victory for Dahabshiil. It is a victory for the millions of Somalis and other Africans, many of whose livelihoods depend on our services."
But the charity Oxfam warned that the ruling was only temporary.
Translation: we westerners have to give the poor Somalis more money. At least we can transfer it by wire this way...
"The ruling provides a small window of opportunity for Somalis living in the UK to send money home to loved ones in one of the poorest countries in the world," it said. "However, this does not solve the problem - a long-term fix is needed to safeguard hundreds of thousands of people relying on the money for food, medicines and education."
The charity's call for a permanent solution was echoed by Somalia's Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, who urged: "Governments, the money remittance sector and all key stakeholders must now work together to find a permanent legitimate and transparent solution that keeps open this vital lifeline."
How about instead you shoot all the Shaboobs, disarm the pirates and the petty tribal chiefs, and run a country that your citizens won't run away from?
Barclays had provided Dahabshiil with bank account services. But it expressed concern that money transfer services like Dahabshiil could be used for money laundering or even the funding of terrorism.
Barclays announced plans to close the accounts of several money transfer companies, including Dahabshiil, in May, but Dahabshiil sought an injunction preventing Barclays from closing its account, on the grounds that it was abusing its dominant position.
Barclays is the last major UK bank that still provides money transfer services to Somalia.
So how did the other banks get away with closing off transfer services to Somalia? Seems a bit unfair to leave Barclays holding the bag...
Barclays argued that some money service businesses "don't have the necessary checks in place to spot criminal activity with the degree of confidence required by the regulatory environment under which Barclays operates".
The withdrawal of Barclays services from Dahabshiil and similar money transfer services would have had a dramatic effect on the flow of remittances from the UK to Somalia. Remittances from the UK to Somalia total more than £100m a year, according to Oxfam, and campaigners say they provide a lifeline to Somali families with no other source of income and no access to conventional banking services.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Three years after Tunisia's revolution, youths who formed the vanguard of protests find themselves sidelined from the political arena by veteran leaders determined to hold on to power.
Sparked on 17 December, 2010 by the self-immolation of a 26-year-old street vendor angry with corruption and police harassment, the uprising toppled autocratic president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali a month later.
But since then, "the revolution of the youths has been confiscated by the old who were hiding at home or abroad during the popular uprising," said Naima Charmiti.
"Our dinosaurs haven't stopped telling us that we have a political future, but in reality they haven't done anything concrete," lamented the 32-year-old who runs the arabesque.tn news website.
Two veterans dominate the crisis-hit political scene in the North African country, where people under the age of 30 account for 51 percent of the population.
One of them, Rached Ghannouchi, 73, heads the ruling Islamist party Ennahda and spent two decades in exile before returning to Tunisia in 2011.
The other, Beji Caid Essebsi, 86, leads the main opposition party, Nidaa Tounes.
Essebsi was a minister under Habib Bourguiba, the father of Tunisia's independence, as well as a parliament speaker during Ben Ali's rule and prime minister in the months after the revolution.
The pair were at the heart of talks that failed on Monday to lead to the appointment of an independent prime minister to steer Tunisia out of a political crisis that began in July with the liquidation of an opposition leader.
Each side has its own candidate: Ennahda and its allies support 88-year-old Ahmed Mestiri; and the opposition backs 79-year-old Mohammed Ennaceur. Both men entered politics during the Bourguiba era.
"Right now it's clear the leaders of parties are all old, and making matters worse, they appeal to even older men!" said Thameur Mekki, a 27-year-old who supports rappers who have fallen foul of the law for irreverent lyrics.
And in a divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... political era that comes in for ceaseless criticism, one of the rare things leaders have been able to agree on is the lifting of the age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.
Salem Ayari, secretary general of the Tunisian union for unemployed graduates, said the problem is that the political elites simply consider youths as incompetent.
"These people do not believe that young people can take over," he said, adding it was the same under the ousted regime of Ben Ali "who excluded youths from political life".
Among political parties, there are restraints that have impeded the involvement of youths, the engine of the revolution who now account for 30 percent of Tunisia's unemployed against the national average of 16 percent.
"Following the hyper-enthusiasm of the revolution, there is real hyper-disappointment," said Selim Ben Abdessalem, a 43-year-old deputy in the Nidaa Tounes party.
"It would be a huge mistake to ignore them, but there is a lack of ability to attract them.
"There is a distrust of... youths in all companies and parties."
But the situation could also be explained by the need for people with experience in Tunisia, which faces growing jihadist violence, political crises and economic hardship.
"We must also stop populism, and the cult of youth," said Ben Abdessalem.
"Tunisia is in a situation where you don't go to someone who has no experience in government as prime minister. And if we don't want those who weren't in the Ben Ali regime, we have to rely on those from the Bourguiba era," he explained.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque, the site of a six-week pro-Morsi protest camp earlier this year, will re-open in a week, after months of renovations, announced Cairo Governor Gala Said on Wednesday.
The mosque, which was named after legendary Moslem Sufi saint Rabaa Al-Adawiya, was ruined during the violent dispersal of the sit-in on 14 August by security forces, which left hundreds dead.
The sit-in at Rabaa was one of two camps established on 28 June by supporters of Morsi -- largely comprising Moslem Brüderbund members - to counter mass demonstrations calling for the ouster of the former Islamist president.
The other sit-in was located at Giza's Al-Nahda square.
The choice of Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr City in eastern Cairo as a location for the sit-in was believed to be due to the large number of Moslem Brüderbund members who live in the residential neighbourhood.
Since the dispersal and following the arrest and detention of hundreds of Brotherhood members, Morsi loyalists have attempted to march to Rabaa Al-Adawiya more than once, but have been barred by security forces.
On 11 October, a 19 year-old pro-Morsi protester, Belal Gaber, was killed after security forces shot at a demonstration in support of the ousted president as it approached Rabaa Al-Adawiya, where security has been permanently stationed to prevent another sit-in from taking place.
Islamist supporters of the ousted president have adopted the Rabaa sign - 4 fingers referring to the Arabic meaning of the name - as a symbol of defiance to the interim government.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] The Libyan government said Wednesday it will stop paying armed groups from the 2011 uprising unless they sign up to join the security forces by the end of the year. The government will "stop paying any premium or reward after" 31 December, a deadline for the "dissolution of the armed groups and their integration into the army or the police", said a statement.
It called for former rebels who fought to topple Moamer Qaddafi's regime to "resolve their situation" so they can be taken into account for the 2014 budget.
When Qaddafi was overthrown and killed in October 2011, the rebels were hailed as heroes for bringing an end to more than four decades of dictatorship.
They were handed roles in securing borders, prisons and strategic facilities, giving them legitimacy and also a sense of impunity.
But since then, they have formed militias with different ideologies and motivations.
Today they stand accused of responsibility for many of Libya's ills, notably the instability that still plagues parts of the North African nation.
Many militias have rejected the government's demands to turn in their weapons or join the national security forces, and a patchwork of armed groups effectively controls much of the country.
In April and May, groups of ex-rebels besieged the justice and foreign ministries in Tripoli for nearly two weeks, demanding that a law be passed excluding those who served under the Kadhafi regime from official posts.
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11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Cairo prosecution has slammed Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam El-Erian with 15 more days in prison as investigations continue on charges of incitement and attempted murder, holding citizens against their will and torturing them during the six-week long pro-Morsi sit-in at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo's Nasr City district. During the pro-Morsi sit-in protest, a garage attendant, Ahmed Hassan Mohsen, came forward claiming that he was tortured during the vigil, had his finger amputated, and was thrown on a deserted highway.
Mohsen, however, changed his testimony in court early October stating that a police officer forced him into pressing false charges.
Amnesty International issued a statement 2 October including testimonies of anti-Morsi protesters who claim they had been captured, beaten and subjected to electric shocks, or stabbed by supporters of the deposed president.
The statement added that at least eight bodies arrived to the morgue in Cairo between late June and 28 July, and at least five of these were found near areas where pro-Morsi sit-ins were being held.
El-Erian was present in court Monday on other charges, along with deposed president Mohamed Morsi and a number of Islamist political figures. That case has been adjourned to 8 January to allow prosecution and defence lawyers to examine evidential documents.
El-Erian had been on the run for almost three months before being captured last week in Cairo's upscale Fifth Settlement neighbourhood.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Al-Qaeda's north and west African division grabbed credit Wednesday for the murders of two French journalists rubbed out in Mali's rebel-infested northern desert, in a statement published by a news agency in neighbouring Mauritania. "This operation was a response to crimes committed by La Belle France against Malians and the work of African and international forces against the Musselmens of Azawad," Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said, using the name given by the Tuareg people to northern Mali.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Syria's Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... on Wednesday compared his country's war against rebels, whom he describes as "terrorists", to the conflict that devastated Algeria for an entire decade.
"The Algerian people's position on the Syrian conflict is not surprising, considering they had to undergo a challenge that was similar to the Syrian people's, which is currently facing terrorism," Assad said during a visit by an Algerian delegation to Damascus.
When an anti-Assad revolt broke out in March 2011, Damascus branded opponents as "terrorists", even before the movement took up arms.
Algeria has systematically abstained in 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... votes that have resulted in decisions to punish the Assad regime.
The Algerian civil war in the 1990s killed 200,000 people, according to official figures.
It erupted after the army suspended an electoral process when the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won the first round of a parliamentary vote in 1991.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Meanwhile, not to be outdone by ASSAD = SYRIA ...
* WORLD NEWS > SYRIA BECOMING "MEDITERRANEAN AFGHANISTAN": TURKEY PRESIDENT [Erdogan].
IMO Artic read, ANOTHER US = US-LED WAR AGZ AL-QAEDA + TALIBAN, ETAL.
As suppor by ...
* TOPIX > WHY DID OBAMA TRY TO REACH A GRAND BARGAIN WITH IRAN?
* SAME > OBAMA AND IRAN ON SAME SIDE IN SYRIA?
In the mighty words of BUSH 41 = "HERBIE" = "GEE WHIZ-Z-Z".
A court in Egypt has upheld an earlier ruling that banned Brotherhood and ordered its assets confiscated.
The lawyers for the group had asked the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters to halt the implementation of the Sept. 23 ruling. Osama El Helw, a Brotherhood lawyer, says the group will appeal on Wednesday's ruling, which was reported by the state MENA news agency.
Egypt's military-backed authorities have already formed a committee to review the Brotherhood assets but have not moved against its finances until the verdict is final.
The Brotherhood has been under a government crackdown following the popularly-backed coup in July that removed President Mohammed Mursi, a Brotherhood member and Egypt's first elected leader after the 2011 fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
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11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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France says its timetable for withdrawing troops from Mali remains firm despite an upsurge in violence and the kidnapping and execution of two French journalists.
French and Malian authorities continue their search for the four armed men who grabbed the journalists Saturday in the northern rebel stronghold of Kidal. Radio France International reports that dozens of people have been arrested in northern Mali in connection with the killing of RFI journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon outside Kidal on Saturday.
Egypts military which has been battling fledgling jihadist groups in the Sinai for months says the rate of terrorist attacks has declined in recent weeks, leading to optimism in army circles that security sweeps are having an effect, but some analysts question this and warn of burgeoning ties between Egyptian jihadists and al-Qaida.
The rate of attacks in the Sinai is currently on the decline, says David Barnett, who tracks Egyptian jihadists for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington DC-based think tank. There have been about 200 attacks since the beginning of July, there were 104 that month, but last month we saw about 20.
As the Congolese rebel group M23 began surrendering its weapons Wednesday, neighboring Rwanda called for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to turn its attention to tackling another rebel group.
Rwandas U.N. Ambassador Eugene Gasana told reporters that the Congolese army and the nearly 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, must now turn its attention to eliminating a nearly two decades-old scourge: the Hutu rebel group known as the FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda), which operates in eastern Congo
Saudi authorities rounded up thousands of illegal foreign workers at the start of a nationwide crackdown ultimately aimed at creating more jobs for locals, media reported on Tuesday.
Hundreds of thousands of workers have already left the kingdom following a grace period of seven months during which authorities told expatriates that if they did not fix their legal status they had to leave the country or face jail.
BOGOTA, Colombia The government and the FARC rebel group reached a deal Wednesday that would allow rebel commanders to exchange their weapons for a future in politics, an important advance that analysts say leaves little doubt there will be a final peace pact in the months ahead.
Unfortunately it may be a case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. FARC was finished; their handful of leaders were on the run and it was nothing more than a drug ring. Now those leaders get another chance to meddle. It's not like they've become Liberal-Democrats...
With an agreement on political participation for the guerrillas, the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have made breakthroughs on two of the most difficult points in the framework agenda for negotiations to end 50 years of conflict. In May, the two sides agreed on an ambitious program of land distribution and titling to resolve unrest in the countryside that has long spawned political violence.
There is no going back this process is moving forward, said León Valencia, a former guerrilla who is director of the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation, a think tank that has studied the peace process. They have basically reached an agreement that goes to the heart of negotiations. Everything else is just complementary.
A statement issued by the two sides in Havana, where the talks have been taking place over the past year, was vague about the latest agreement. It said that there would be rights and guarantees for the new movements that emerge from the signing of a final accord.
Analysts who follow the peace talks and have been in contact with negotiators say the FARCs objective is to form a new party and receive posts in the national legislature in exchange for disarming.
Shouldn't they have to win an election or something to get posts in the legislature?
But an official in the government of President Juan Manuel Santos said the details of how that will happen will be negotiated after the rebels lay down their weapons. And Colombian judges not the government or the rebels will decide which of the FARCs commanders, many of whom are accused of war crimes, can participate in politics.
Still, the two sides saw the latest development as a breakthrough that would bring peace to a country that has long been plagued by guerrilla groups and illegal paramilitary organizations.
We want this to be a peace with everyone and for everyone, Humberto de la Calle, the governments chief negotiator, told reporters in the Havana convention center where the talks are being held. We have an opportunity, here and now, to agree on the end of the conflict and begin the consolidation of peace. That is the great national longing.
Luciano Marín, a FARC commander better known here by his alias, Iván Márquez, said the pact creates an opening for those who have not felt represented in Colombias political system.
In comments carried by Semana magazine, he said the latest development gives us optimism to advance in debates to sign a peace pact and end the conflict.
The news from Havana was a setback for powerful opponents of the process led by former president Álvaro Uribe, who accuses the Santos government of selling out to the FARC.
Alfredo Rangel, a close ally of Uribe, told Colombian television that the government was setting the stage for an armed peace that is rejected by the vast majority of Colombians. He said he worried that FARC commanders would go straight from the jungles to the legislature, without paying for their crimes, and then work to install a government with close ties to leftist Cuba and Venezuela.
That certainly seems to be the plan for FARC. A few years back it looked like the large majority of Colombians were with Uribe on this one. We don't need another Nicaragua...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Pax Obama...
Posted by: Herb Gloluger9960 ||
11/07/2013 23:24 Comments ||
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Mexico's interior minister, Miguel Osorio chong Wednesday dismissed claims made by a Tamaulipas mayor that criminal groups were terrorizing the city.
According to a news account which appeared in the online edition of Milenio news daily, Osorio Chong said that he regretted Matamoros mayor, Norma Leticia Salazar's call for a curfew, characterizing the call as unneeded.
Osorio Chong hinted that the call for a curfew may have been illegal, however, municipal presidents in northern states have imposed curfews in past years due to extreme violence by local criminal groups. Because of the federalization of internal security in Mexico, the only other official who can impose curfew is the president of the republic, but only after votes by the council of ministers and the Mexican national legislature.
Last Sunday, a total of 13 armed suspects were killed by Mexican military forces in three separate incidents in Matamoros, during a time when an internal split in criminal groups associated with the Gulf Cartel had gone hot.
The situation was so dire, that even national media had reported street names, and Twitter reported that teens were being recruited at gunpoint to replace losses by the gunfights between rival factions, and security forces.
Normally in the past Mexican national media rarely, if ever reported on specific claims made by criminal groups, but it is clear now that with a nationwide clamp on news released about criminal actions, media organizations are desperate enough for news, they are reporting on claims made in Twitter and other social media means.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com he can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that forces relatives of terrorists to pay for damages caused by their attacks. It also boosts penalties for launching, participating, or financing militant or terrorist groups.
Under the law, all damages including moral damage should be compensated at the expense of the means of the person committing the terrorist act and also at the expense of the means of his [or her] family, relatives and close people.
The term close people refers to those whose lives, health, and well-being are valued by the terrorist, due to the terrorists personal relationships with the individuals.
#1
Cool! Good thing the bankers pay the splodydopes families a reward, so they can pass that cash straight thru to Putty.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/07/2013 9:17 Comments ||
Top||
#2
In Israeli territories they used to plow the family's house under. In the States, they rush to import more family members and give them more entitlements.
A top research group says prototype ballistic missiles seen at recent North Korean military parades may be more advanced than earlier believed, and may even be sophisticated enough to threaten the U.S. west coast.
The things these guys can do with paper-maiché...
Many Western analysts dismissed the KN-08 missiles as primitive, non-operational mockups when they appeared in photos at Pyongyang military parades in April 2012 and again in July of this year, but the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said Tuesday that the missiles, even if fakes, appear to be getting more advanced, and have reached the point of being what it called "scary good."
The institute's report said the missile mockups appear to show North Korea can assemble components and technologies "good enough to produce missiles with theoretical ranges from 5,500 to over 11,000 kilometers." That would easily be far enough for North Korea to make good on its threats of being able to strike the U.S. mainland with a nuclear warhead.
The report cautioned the KN-08s are "almost certainly" non-operational and would need to be tested at least once. It cautioned, though, that a test could occur any time, given the advanced state of the mockup hardware and recent satellite photos showing upgrades at North Korea's main missile launch site.
North Korea is already believed to have cleared a number of technological hurdles needed for an ICBM when it used its Unha-3 carrier to successfully launch a satellite into space last December. The move was portrayed by the North as a peaceful scientific mission but condemned by the UN as a banned long-range missile test.
Which did nothing to stop the Norks from building the next one...
There are other obstacles North Korea would face in delivering a nuclear warhead to the United States. It is unclear if North Korea's nuclear bombs are small and reliable enough to be placed on such a long-range missile. Experts say the North also still needs to make progress on designing a re-entry vehicle that could guide any intercontinental ballistic missile back to Earth after reaching orbit.
However, the U.S.-Korea Institute said the North's missile technology seems to be getting more advanced. It said that at the 2012 parade, the KN-08 missiles on display had several design inconsistences and sported warheads "that appeared to be quite shoddily made." However, a little over a year later, at the July parade, it said the most obvious issues seemed to have been corrected.
Some have suggested the KN-08s are a hoax, meant to extract more foreign concessions in negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, but the U.S.-Korea Institute's paper said the simplest explanation is that the missile "may be exactly what it appears to be: a developmental road-mobile ICBM of limited capability but still able to threaten the continental United States."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
ION Regional News ...
* WORLD NEWS > [Japan News] US ADMIRAL [PACOM Cdr Locklear] PREPARING FOR NORTH KOREA ICBM.
* SAME > [SCMP] CHINA DEMANDS "ACCURATE" NUCLEAR ACCOUNTING FROM JAPAN ON FUKUSHIMA.
I'm personally interpreting this as China covertly desiring to know Japan's curren spent fuel stockpile that be converted to NucBomb/Warhead production, as Japan suppos shutdown most or all of its NucEnergy facilities in the wake of Fukushima = 3-11.
* KYODO NEWS > [11/04/2013] TWO NORTH KOREA WARSHIPS SUNK, SCORES OF SAILORS REPORTEDLY KILLED.
RELATED BIG NEWS NETWORK > [International Herald Tribune] NORTH KOREAN SAILORS REPORTEDLY KILLED DURING OCTOBER SINKING, SOUTH KOREA SAYS THERE WAS NO [Naval or Military] CLASH.
The DPRK ship was suppos a SUB-CHASER.
USN CVN USS GEORGE WASHINGTON I'M STILL A'LOOKIN AT YOU.
* STARS-N-STRIPES > PHILIPPINES-US TALKS ON TROOP DEPLOYMENTS STALLS ON BASE CONTROL.
USA = D *** NG IT, PEOPLE WILL THINK ITS THE PHILIPPINES' BASES, NOT OURS!
And the fact that the US closed down Clark + Subic + turned over same to Manila has absolutely positively categorically undeniably nothing to do wid anything.
VERSUS
* RUSSIA TODAY > OP-ED: JAPAN TARGETS CHINA AS ISLANDS DISPUTE THREATENS TO BOIL OVER [unto Sino-Nippon mil conflict = War].
ARTIC = CHINESE SOA TOP OFFICIAL = JAPAN'S CONTROL OR DOMINATION OF THE WATERS AROUND THE DUSPUTED ISLANDS [Senkakus/Diaoyus], BE IT SOVEREIGN OR VIA 200-MILE JAPAN-CLAIMED EEZ, CLUTCHES AT THE THROAT OF CHINA AS PER ITS ABILITY TO ENTER [+ Exit] INTO [+ From] THE OPEN WATERS OF THE PACIFIC.
The Hell you say.
[MACAULAY CAULKIN "AAARRRRRGGHH" SLAPPY FACE here].
RELATED CHINA DAILY FORUM ...
> JAPAN-CHINA PUSH-N-SHOVE REACHING BEYOND BOILING POINT.
> POSTER THREAD: CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS NOT ENOUGH:
JAPAN MILITARY ACTIVELY PROVOKING PLA.
* TOPIX > [ABS-CBN News] "CHINA SHOULD [forcibly = unilaterally] TAKE MORE [disputed] PHILIPPINE TERRITORY", as per its "Cabbage Strategy" of defensive "layered sovereignty" around disputed islands.
PLA MGEN. ZHANG ZHAOZHONG.
* GLOBAL TIMES > JAPAN [temporarily = MilEx?]DEPLOYS SURFACE-TO-SHIP MISSLES IN OKINAWA [Miyako Island] | JAPAN DEPLOYS MISSLES IN STRATEGIC STRAIT.
Tokyo says was due to pre-scheduled MilEx, CHINA HOWEVER THINKS = FEARS THE MISSLES MAY BECOME PERMAMANENT, HENCE POSING A DIRECT THREAT TO CHINESE PLAN + COMMERCIAL SHIP MOVEMENTS [trade] THAT MUST PASS NEAR OKINAWA/MIYAKO.
* SAME > OPINION: [China's]"PEACEFUL RISE" WILL [ultimately or eventually come up against] MEET US CONTAINMENT.
* PEOPLE'S DAILY ONLINE > INTERNAL DIVISIONS AND
[Inter-Nation] WARINESS MEANS "ASIAN NATO" NOT ON CARDS.
And my favorite news today ...
* DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > WOULD US LEASE TO INDIA ITS NAVAL BASE ON GUAM?
Ditto POOR ECON, SEQUESTER, SHUTDOWN, + POST-SHUTDOWN affected USA to lease Guam to CHINA + PLA, in order to prevent an East Asian or NE Asian mil conflict, let alone NUCLEAR WAR, LIMITED NUCLEAR WAR OR LIMITED TACTICAL NUCLEAR WAR???
VERSUS
* BIG NEWS NETWORK > [Prison Planet] TOP SCIENTIST [David Suzuki] WARNS ANOTHER FUKUSHIMA QUAKE [major natural disaster] WOULD MEAN US [West Coast = NORAM Continental?] EVACUATION,
"BYE BYE JAPAN".
#5
You heard the case where, during WWII the Germans build this big fake airstrip out of wood. Complete with wooden tanks, wooden trucks and jeeps and even wooden people...
...until the allies air force came along and dropped a wooden bomb on it.
Based on the dubious logic that the NorKs are basing the fakes on prototype designs, the latter which, if they exist, appear to be viable-to-very-effective designs.
[Dawn] The Punjab government has decided to suspend cellphone and wireless phone services in the areas surrounding the routes of Muharram 9 and 10 procession, Dawn has learnt.
The sources said the decision in this regard was taken in the light of the proposals of the law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
A bigwig of an intelligence agency, on condition of anonymity, revealed that the provincial government had sought proposals from intelligence agencies regarding suspension of cellphone services.
He said after reviewing the security situation, they proposed to the government to suspend the service only in the areas where Majalis and the Muharram procession would be held.
The sources said after reviewing the proposals, the government agreed to suspend cell phone service in 'limited areas'.
The security official said if main procession of Muharram was brought out in Rawalpindi city, the cellphone service would be suspended only in the surrounding areas of the route.
On the other hand, the police have tightened security around several senior politicians, including Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, chairman Awami Moslem League and Hamid Ali Mosvi, chief of Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafria (TNFJ) in the light of intelligence that terror group might target them during Muharram, security sources said.
The Punjab provincial government had already announced security high alert during Muharram and directed the divisional chiefs to take all possible measures to ensure peace.
It provided 13 reserves (each comprising 20 personnel) against the demand of 40 to the Rawalpindi district police.
However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... when the city police officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana was contacted, he said a foolproof security plan had been chalked out to ensure peace during Muharram.
For the first time, "three security cordons" will cover the procession and deployment of police will be made by their names.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The provincial chapter of Tehrik Nafaz-e-Fiqa Jafria (TNFJ) has expressed dissatisfaction over the security measures taken by police for Muharram and demanded deployment of army in the most sensitive districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... to ensure protection of mourner processions.
Addressing a presser here on Wednesday, TNFJ provincial general secretary Haider Jamil Alvi said that situation was precarious owing to possible sabotage acts in different districts. The government should avail the services of army for Muharram security, he added.
Mr Alvi said that government should take all possible precautionary measures for protection of mourner processions. "We demand deployment of army in the most sensitive areas like Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , Kohat, Hangu, Parachinar and D.I. Khan for maintaining law and order during the Muharram," he said.
Accompanied by TNFJ chairman Agha Abbas Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... , provincial president Sardar Asghar Qazalbash, Kohat vice president Syed Ghazanfar Ali Shah and Peshawar president Sajid Hassan Qazalbash, he demanded enforcement of Anti-terrorism Act so that no one could violate law of the land.
Mr Alvi said that the issue should be resolved in consultation with Shia leaders otherwise they would take precautionary measures on their own. He also stressed the need for holding talks with Taliban for restoration of sustainable and durable peace. Regarding the issue of Balashkhel in Parachinar, the TNFJ leader said that the matter needed to be resolved peacefully. The high court had already given verdict in that regard but the local administration was creating hurdles in it, he alleged.
He said the issue of taking out mourner process ion in district Haripur should to also be addressed forthwith.
Mr Alvi said they were not in favour of closure of shopping markets and bazaars as they didn't place any such demand before the administration. He demanded of the government to establish special cells at district level to resolve the issues and problems of mourners amicably. The cell should be linked with TNFJ constituted committees, he added.
Mr Alvi demanded uninterrupted supply of power, natural gas and other facilities during Muharram so that the participants of processions would not face any problems.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Groups from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... and Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... are involved in sectarian violence, kabooms, assassinations and other terrorist and criminal activities in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , particularly Quetta, according to a senior government official.
"Although some local groups were involved in sabotage acts in Balochistan, we have intelligence information that some gangs of myrmidons groups have shifted to Quetta from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi and they are also involved in sectarian violence, kabooms and assassinations here," Balochistan Home Secretary Asad Gilani said here on Wednesday.
Addressing a presser along with Quetta Commissioner Usman Gul and police chief Arif Nawaz, he said there were threats to Ashura Majalis and processions in sensitive districts of Balochistan, especially Quetta, and a comprehensive security plan had been devised to maintain peace and order.
The official said some evidence had been found of the presence of anti-peace elements and their involvement in preparing a terrorist plot in a seminary on the Eastern Bypass where a bomb had went kaboom! recently.
He said the entry of 69 firebrand ...firebrands are noted more for audio volume and the quantity of spittle generated than for any actual logic in their arguments... religious scholars into Quetta had been banned for Muharram. Both Sunni and Shia speakers were on the list, he said.
Mr Gilani said the Quetta, Bolan, Jaffarabad and Khuzdar districts had been declared highly sensitive and Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi, Zhob and Lasbela sensitive.
He said personnel of the law-enforcement agencies, including the Frontier Corps, police and Levies, would be deployed around Imambargahs and on the routes of the Muharram processions, while the Pakistain Army troops would remain on standby and carry out surveillance by helicopters.
The Quetta commissioner said 200 beds in government hospitals and 40 ambulances would be ready to cope with any emergency.
The regional police chief said installation of security cameras on the routes of the processions had been completed. He said the roads leading to the routes and markets would also be closed on the 7th, 9th and 10th of Muharram.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Many among the members of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Assembly were a happy lot when the House unanimously adopted a resolution on Monday last against drone strikes and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... supplies.
After hours of intense back to back contacts between the ruling and opposition alliances, the provincial assembly produced a resolution that can at best be regarded as a breather, an attempt to shift responsibility to the federal government.
The resolution fell short of what Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... had promised to the nation in his reaction to the Nov 1 drone strike that eliminated Hakeemullah Mehsud and some of his close associates.
Mr Khan had stated that the PTI government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa would stop NATO supplies and the assembly would adopt a resolution that would have never been adopted before, and in doing so if the party had to lose the provincial government it would not budge from blocking the supplies.
Now what we have is the resolution that demands of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... to formulate actionable recommendations by Nov 20 for stopping drone strikes and NATO supplies. So for now, the ball is in Mr Sharif's court.
While the resolution sets Nov 20 as deadline for formulating the recommendations, it does not set a deadline for stopping the supplies and American strikes by a specific date. It means the prime minister has the flexibility to decide the timeframe for stopping, if he may choose to block, drone strikes and NATO supplies.
The resolution has done some favour to the previous governments as well.
It is a document by which the majority PTI and its coalition government partners have offered a veiled appreciation to peace efforts made in the past and the parliamentary resolutions adopted against drone strikes in 2008 and 2011.
This is not what many were promised to come in the resolution: appreciation and acknowledgement of the efforts made in past. However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... without accommodating other political forces PTI could not have managed to pass a unanimous resolution from the House.
Being described by some as a much watered down resolution than what was expected after PTI chief's public pronouncements, the joint resolution is a reflection of PTI provincial leadership's obligations towards the party chief and the tough ground realities it has to wade through a complex parliamentary politics of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
PTI's provincial leadership wanted a unanimous resolution from the assembly, which could not have been possible without the support of opposition parties, which is a complex mix of parties with right and right of centre politics.
The orthodox Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... (JUI-F), PTI's main rival in its claim to the throne in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, wanted the ruling alliance to include two of its demands in the resolution: strike down American drones in Pak territory and close down US consulate in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. . The right wing Pakistain Musselmen League-Nawaz, with its government in centre, could not have supported anything too tough in wording and irrational in nature. It resisted incorporating demands for instant blockade of NATO supplies. Its leader in the provincial assembly, according to sources, sternly rejected the idea, by one of his party members, to demand of the federal government to strike down drones in Pak territory.
The party was also against Nov 20 deadline for stopping NATO supplies. What we have now is a deadline that asks the federal government to finalise recommendations by Nov 20 for stopping the supplies.
The other two opposition parties, including Awami National Party and Pakistain People's Party, devoid of anything at stake in the given situation were in favour of the PTI government blocking the supplies by issuing an executive order.
Then there were others from among the PTI allies and its legal brains who opposed the idea of provincial government acting unilaterally to stop NATO supplies via Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Senior provincial minister Sikander Hayat Sherpao, a leader of Qaumi Watan Party that makes part of the four-party coalition government, was heard telling an associate that stoppage of NATO supplies by the provincial government would amount to a treason, a violation of Article 6 of the Constitution.
Similar opinion was put forth by the government's principal law officer, advocate general. More than one senior government functionary told Dawn that the advocate general elaborated the point explicitly to the ruling alliance leaders. They were told it would be beyond the provincial government's legal authority to stop NATO supplies since these were covered under the federal government's international agreements.
However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... after hours of behind the scene intense politicking sanity prevailed and it took the assembly only 10 minutes to present and unanimously adopt the resolution following which the session was prorogued.
Political compulsions of the PTI-led ruling alliance in the backdrop of PTI chief's public pronouncements, and the difficult spot in which PML-N found itself for being in power at the centre forced the two sides to agree to a common minimum ground that, for the time being, has pushed the matter under the carpet.
"We told them one of you has the government at the centre and the other in the province then what is stopping you from instantly stopping NATO supplies; go for it and we are with you," an ANP MPA said, when contacted.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
If the Paks took Govt control of the tribal areas there would be no need for drones but as usual they are playing a double game.
Why do they let militants run parts of Pakistan and then moan when we target them?
ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was formally released on Wednesday from his sub-jail. Pervez Musharraf was imprisoned in his Chak Shehzad farmhouse near Islamabad which was declared a sub-jail. He was released from the sub-jail after he submitted two surety bonds of Rs 100,000 two days after being granted bail in the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi. Ahmed Raza Kasuri, counsel for the former military dictator, said that Musharrafs release was not part of any deal and the ex-president would address a historic press conference after his release from the sub-jail. He claimed that fake cases were instituted against his client.
Earlier, Pervez Musharraf was granted bail in the murder cases of Baloch nationalist Akbar Bugti, and Benazir Bhutto. The former presidents name still remains on the Exit Control List and he will require the governments approval prior to leaving the country. Adiala Central Jail superintendent called back the police officials deputed in and around Musharrafs farmhouse, while the Rangers personnel deployed outside the house will remain there for security reasons, sources said. Meanwhile, personal security officials of the former president took charge of his farmhouse after its status as sub-jail was revoked. However, he is expected to remain at the heavily guarded residence since he has received several terror threats.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accused the Paleostinians of creating "artificial crises" as he met with US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... , who is striving to rescue the fragile grinding of the peace processor.
The premier's remarks were made at the start of a meeting with Kerry at a Jerusalem hotel that lasted nearly three hours and came shortly after the Paleostinians threatened to bolt the talks over a fresh row about settlements.
Kerry arrived in Israel late on Tuesday as rumours swirled that the US-brokered peace talks that resumed in late July had produced absolutely no sign of progress and were on the brink of collapse.
"I am concerned about (the talks') progress because I see the Paleostinians continuing with incitements, continuing to create artificial crises, continuing to... run away from the historic decisions that are needed to make a genuine peace," Netanyahu said in remarks to news hounds.
"I hope your visit will help steer them back to a place where we could achieve the historical peace that we seek," he retorted.
But Kerry sought to calm the situation, pleading for patience.
"We are three months into this negotiation... there are always difficulties, always tensions," he said.
"We need the space to negotiate privately, secretly, quietly."
Progress was possible with "a serious effort" on both sides, he said. "I hope we will continue in the good faith that brought the parties together in the first place."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
One way to calm down the Paleo Simians would be to increase the import of meat from the Syrian carnage.
Posted by: Herb Gloluger9960 ||
11/07/2013 23:06 Comments ||
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[Al Ahram] US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... on Wednesday unveiled $75 million (56 million euros) in new aid to the Paleostinians, aimed at building roads, schools and health clinics.
The money adds to $25 million pledged by the United States in September, bringing the total US contribution for the West Bank infrastructure projects to some $100 million.
In addition Germany is to put up $10 million towards about 200 projects being identified by the Paleostinian Authority, which will cost a total of around $50 million.
All the projects are due to start within the next six months.
"We have now committed $100 million to support micro infrastructure initiatives in the West Bank and they will help bring real improvement in the Paleostinian communities and lives," Kerry said at a ceremony in Bethlehem to announce the aid.
"Let me tell you what these investments will mean. They will mean more health clinics, better transportation, new community centres and schools."
One of the projects will be to improve three kilometres (two miles) of road in Bethlehem, where according to Christian tradition Jesus was born in a manger.
The aim of the project was to "enhance travel safety, reduce traveller times and promote economic development and tourism," Kerry said, adding that the projects would allow better movement of "tourists and pilgrims to this holy place."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
where's the 75mil for roads, schools medical clinics for the us taxpayer that created that pile of dough?
[Al Ahram] US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... reaffirmed on Wednesday Washington's rejection of Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Paleostinian territories as "illegitimate."
"We consider now, and have always considered, the settlements to be illegitimate," Kerry said, after talks in Bethlehem with Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... focused on shoring up the peace negotiations.
"I want to make it extremely clear that at no time did the Paleostinians in any way agree, as a matter of going back to the talks, that they could somehow condone or accept the settlements," Kerry said.
"That is not to say that they weren't aware -- or we weren't aware -- that there would be construction," he added.
His remarks related to a bitter row that has erupted over Israeli moves during the past week to push ahead with construction of more than 3,700 new settler homes.
Several Israeli officials have claimed the settlement announcements were in keeping with tacit "understandings" between the two sides linked to the release last week of 26 veteran Paleostinian prisoners.
Their comments sparked furious denials from the Paleostinians.
"The Paleostinians believe the settlements are illegal. The United Sates continue to believe the settlements are not helpful," Kerry said.
A previous round of direct talks collapsed in September 2010 in an acrimonious row over settlements, with the Paleostinians refusing to negotiate while Israel builds on land they want for a future state.
After six months of shuttle diplomacy, Kerry managed to coax the two sides back to the table in late July.
But already tempers are fraying, once again over Israeli construction on land seized during the 1967 Six Day War.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
The United Sates continue to believe the settlements are not helpful," Kerry said.
He's quite right! The settlements are not helpful to the spread of Islamic totalitarianism, hate, and anti-semitism.
#2
There is an old BASIC rule. If your enemy wants it then don't let him have it. Even if you don't need it and its useless to you, don't let him have it ANYWAY.
Kerry is squat. Kerry is ...words absolutely fail me.
The Settlements WORK. Keep them up and expand them in any way possible. You owe nothing to the Palestinians, the sooner they move to Brazil the better. They will be happier there and you are doing them a favor. Bye-bye and send me a postcard from the Orinoco.
#3
Quite probably the Palestinian authorities agreed in private discussions to ignore the construction, while publicly condemning it. Kerry, by giving US support for that condemnation, puts pressure on those authorities to abandon the peace talks unless Israel stops the construction. After all, can the PA be less zealous in opposing building construction that the United States Government?
Why did he do that?
Is he against peace talks?
Does he want to give a boost to Hamas's anti PA propaganda?
Is he a buffoon?
Is there another explanation?
#4
"I want to make it extremely clear that at no time did the Paleostinians in any way agree, as a matter of going back to the talks, that they could somehow condone or accept the settlements," Kerry said"
#5
To see this, imagine that Kerry had instead met with some politicians in Bersheva, and then announced that the United States never releases convicted terrorists to further political or diplomatic goals (and that seems to be accepted US policy).
Would that further peace negotiations? If so why does he not do so?
#6
Quite probably the Palestinian authorities agreed in private discussions to ignore the construction, while publicly condemning it.
I suspect a lot of stuff in the ME works like that - sort of the confluence between "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and "I against my brother, my brother and I against my cousins..." meets RealPolitik(tm)
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/07/2013 21:02 Comments ||
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#10
It's all them jooz' fault!
Eventually, they'll have to put their pants on and kick these ay-rabz intruders out of their country.
Malaysia just expelled five million Indonesians...did you hear anyone complain...even Djakarta didn't say squat!
Jews will keep bending over for the sand niggers until they will be in the ocean to their neck...
Barry Hussein does NOT have the Jews' welfare in mind, even if them Jews are the ones that elected him and are keeping the degenerate pervert shielded from any criticism.
Posted by: Herb Gloluger9960 ||
11/07/2013 23:16 Comments ||
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[Al Ahram] A Jordanian court on Wednesday jugged Please don't kill me! a jihadist and a doctor for going to neighbouring Syria to support rebels fighting the regime in the war-torn country, a judicial official said.
"The state security court sentenced a jihadist to five years in prison for infiltrating Syria to fight with the rebels last spring," the official told AFP.
The convict was charged with "carrying out acts that are not approved by the government and that would expose Jordan and its citizens to the risk of acts of aggression and Dire Revenge™."
"The doctor was sentenced to a year in jail for infiltrating Syria in 2011 to treat rebels," the official added.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday Israeli- Palestinian peace talks had run into difficulties but thought it still possible some agreement could be reached.
John thinks all sorts of stupid stuff, this is no exception...
Israeli and Palestinian officials painted a grim picture of the talks resumed under Kerrys tutelage in July after a long stalemate, saying they were going nowhere.
You and I saw this coming so why Jahwn couldn't...
I come here without any illusions about the difficulties, but I come here determined to work, Kerry said after arriving in Israel ahead of talks on Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
No illusions? The whole peace process is an illusion, Jahwn. The Paleos won't acknowledge Israel's right to exist and the Israelis won't agree to be massacred. That's why there's no peace.
We believe this is something that is possible and that its good for all and can be achieved, Kerry told a remembrance service for late Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in 2005 by a right-wing Israeli opposed to his peacemaking with Palestinians.
Both sides have been airing their frustration over a lack of progress on core issues such as the borders of a Palestinian state, security arrangements, the future of Israeli settlements in occupied territory and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
Abbas, in a speech broadcast on Monday, said: After all the rounds of negotiations there is nothing on the ground.
What have you offered to change that? Answer: nothing. Paleos don't offer anything of consequence. Tell the Israelis that you'll recognize their nation, exchange ambassadors, agree to defensible borders and give up the right of return, and see how quickly you get a peace.
On the sidelines of the peace talks, Israel has released half of the 104 Palestinian prisoners it pledged to free under a deal Kerry brokered to draw Abbas back to negotiations after a three-year break over Israeli settlement-building.
Israel says continued housing construction in settlements, in areas it intends to keep in any peace accord, was part of those understandings, which led to the return home of long-serving Palestinian inmates convicted of killing Israelis. In tandem with the release of 26 men last week, Israel pressed ahead with plans to build 3,500 more settler homes in the West Bank, a move widely seen as an attempt by Netanyahu to placate hardliners in his government.
Nabil Abu Rdeineh, an Abbas spokesman, condemned the settlement campaign but said Palestinians remained committed to the negotiations.
Whats required is a firm American position on Israels provocations. Israel is continuing its policy of putting obstacles in front of the peace process - every time Kerry comes to the region they announce more settlements.
Abbas, speaking to his Fatah party on Sunday, voiced opposition to any such linkage, cautioning that this equation could blow up the talks and there could be tensions soon.
Unlike today with no tensions at all, nope, nope...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#8
Not necessarily, Pappy. The Peter Principle requires those doing the promoting to realize you have reached your level of incompetence. Who is the White House is smart enough to realize that? Heck, he could prolly get promoted again - to Veep on the Hillary ticket!
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/07/2013 13:06 Comments ||
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#9
Gimme that much money and I could jet around the world saying stupid stuff too.
[An Nahar] Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... revealed on Wednesday that Israel had set up a number of spying stations along its border with Leb, reported the National News Agency.
He said during his weekly meeting with MPs at his Ain el-Tineh residence: "The stations begin at al-Naqoura, pass through Khiyam, and end in Shebaa."
The stations include advanced equipment that enable Israel to monitor the whole of Leb.
They are also connected to stations that were set up at Mount Hermon and the Shebaa Farms and are linked to Tel Aviv, explained Berri.
He stressed the need for concerned officials at the Foreign and Telecommunications Ministries to convene in order to tackle this issue, proposing that a complaint be filed to the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Security Council.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Well duh!! If they didn't they would be idiots. And they're not.
#2
The fellow in the foto appears to be servicing a ground sensor unit or camera. Part of a multi-layered system I suspect. A pity we do not have such advanced technology available here.
[An Nahar] Arab Democratic Party official Rifaat Eid accused the authorities of adopting the "law of the jungle" as caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel refused to approve a request for the party to hold a march on Friday.
In remarks to As Safir daily published on Wednesday, Eid said: "Charbel's rejection to grant a license (for the demo) means there is no security in 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... and that the state cannot protect a march and cannot definitely protect a sect."
"The state is now adopting the law of the jungle and inciting citizens to follow it," he said.
Eid warned that he should not be blamed for failing to call for self-restraint on the residents of Jabal Mohsen, a neighborhood in the northern city of Tripoli that is an Arab Democratic Party stronghold.
State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Tuesday Arab Democratic Party chief Ali Eid and his driver Ahmed Mohammed Ali with helping a suspect in the Tripoli mosque bombings escape justice.
They were charged with hiding suspect Ahmed Merhi and smuggling him to Syria.
In remarks to An Nahar, Charbel said any march out of Jabal Mohsen would lead to unwanted repercussions.
"We won't allow it under such delicate circumstances," he said.
But Eid told al-Joumhouria newspaper that his party had three options -- "either to surrender to the Saudi plan, which will not happen, or head to civil war, which we rule out, or to extend our hands and say enough bloodshed."
Jabal Mohsen, whose residents are from the Alawite sect of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... , has been for years at odds with the majority Sunni neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh.
The rival districts have been involved in several rounds of deadly gunbattles, which intensified after the rebellion against Assad in March 2011.
Eid accused the state of inciting for civil war and stressed that his party was avoiding bloodshed.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Ay Rabz "marching"...
Posted by: Herb Gloluger9960 ||
11/07/2013 22:51 Comments ||
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AoS update at 0940 CT: David Gerstman at William Jacobson's Legal Insurrection has a piece on this that is worth your review.
The Obama administration is hoping to rapidly secure a deal with Iran that would temporarily freeze the country's nuclear program and buy time for diplomats to try to hammer out a more comprehensive agreement restricting Tehran's future ability to seek atomic weapons, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
Let's get Jahwn right on it...
A proposal to be formally presented to Iran during negotiations this week would likely require the Islamic republic to suspend its production of enriched uranium and agree to additional curbs, concessions that would be rewarded with a modest, temporary easing of financial sanctions, according to a senior U.S. official knowledgeable about the plan.
While key details remained unclear,
...they usually do, which is why the deals go nowhere...
the proposal reveals the contours of a path that officials hope will lead to a resolution of the 10-year standoff over Iran's nuclear policies. The plan has the backing of five other world powers involved in the talks with Iran, and the key points have been shared with Iranian officials during technical talks, diplomats said.
The proposed freeze, if accepted, would be the first stage in a multiple-step process that could culminate in an agreement early next year on permanent limits to Iran's ability to produce the components of a nuclear bomb, the U.S. official said. Whether Iran would agree to the concessions will be a key topic during talks set to begin Thursday in Geneva.
So in other words we demand that Iran give up its top policy initiative in return for .. nothing of substance. Sure, that's going to work. Ah, diplomacy...
"What we're looking for now is a first phase, a first step, an initial understanding that stops Iran's nuclear program from moving forward for the first time in decades, and that potentially rolls part of it back," said the U.S. official in a briefing to journalists on the eve of the talks. The official said the United States and its allies were looking to "put time on the clock" by ensuring that Iran's nuclear program does not advance while the negotiations are underway.
Wasn't the time for that back in 2009? After all the Iranians have had four years to work on the various parts of the problem. It's just engineering, it's not like they need to invent new science. Put reasonably smart people on the project and let them work and they'll eventually solve the problems.
The White House is under pressure to show substantial progress during this week's talks, as skeptics in Congress have threatened to impose harsh new financial sanctions on Iran even as the negotiations are under way. Administration officials met with key lawmakers last week urging them to delay any decisions on new sanctions until the first of the year.
Didn't we already do that? Or is this going to be the equivalent of "double secret probation"?
The U.S. official in Geneva said an Iranian agreement to freeze its nuclear program would result in "limited, targeted and reversible" relief on some economic sanctions, for a limited period of perhaps six months. The easing of sanctions would be reversed if Iran failed to honor its commitments, or if there was no progress in the effort to achieve a broader nuclear agreement. The toughest sanctions affecting Iran's banking sector and oil exports would not be lifted until the final stage of the process, Western officials said.
We did a trial run of something like this on North Korea a few years back. Worked well, too, the Norks completely gave up on getting nuclear weapons, ev'ryone knows that...
Diplomats from Iran and a bloc of six world powers are meeting in Geneva for the second time since the June election that swept moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani into power on a promise to end Iran's diplomatic isolation. Iran's newly appointed foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told a French broadcaster Tuesday that he believed a deal could be reached to win sanctions relief for Iran while easing international concerns about Iran's nuclear intentions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Piss into the wind and get it all over you.Put on a Clown suit with a hole in your drawers and bend over.
[Al Ahram] Syrian authorities have charged a former governor of the eastern province of Deir Ezzor with embezzling public funds, the official Ath Thawra newspaper reported on Wednesday.
"In the context of government measures to fight corruption, a lawsuit has been filed against Fawaz Al-Saleh, the former governor of Deir Ezzor and a number of other governorate council members," the paper said.
They stand accused of "misappropriation of public property" and "serious shortcomings" in the distribution of basic goods.
Saleh, who was named governor in January this year, was replaced in September.
Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Wael Al-Halqi "dismissed 352 employees from different ministries", state news agency SANA reported.
The agency said the dismissals came "in the context of continuing efforts by the government to fight corruption".
Syria's government, battling an uprising that began in March 2011, has been keen to show it is tackling graft and carrying out reforms.
The country has long placed near the bottom of Transparency International's list of most corrupt nations, coming in at 114 out of 176 last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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Deputy Governor General of Sistan and Baluchestan province in security and political affairs said several people have been arrested in connection with assaisnation of Zabul prosecutor, IRNA reported.
In an interview with IRNA, Rajabali Sheikhzadeh said he cannot comment on the motive of the assaination, but security work is being done now. He declined to reveal more details concerning the number of arrested people due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Prosecutor of Zabul, a city in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan was assassinated on Wednesday morning by unknown assailants. The prosecutor and his driver were killed in the event.
Retribution, terror attack or Persian-style intrigue?
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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The United States is looking at new classified intelligence indicating the Syrian government may not fully declare its chemical weapons stockpile, CNN has learned. That would mean it will still have a secret cache of chemical weapons even after the current agreed-upon destruction effort is carried out.
I'll just bet that you're as surprised as I am...
The intelligence is not definitive but there are various threads of information that would shake our confidence, one U.S. official said. They have done things recently that suggest Syria is not ready to get rid of all their chemical weapons.
Why would Pencilneck want to keep his chemical weapons?
CNN has spoken to several U.S. officials with access to the latest intelligence on Syria, who confirmed the information. All declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the data. U.S. intelligence agencies, the Defense Department, the State Department and White House are all reviewing the information.
And they'll keep reviewing, and reviewing, and reviewing...
One official cautioned there is not yet a definitive U.S. conclusion about Syrian intentions based on this intelligence, but there is an effort to gather corroborating information and better understand what the regime may be up to.
There is agreement among U.S. officials that Syrias official declarations to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have been made largely in good faith after the threat of military action by the United States for Syrias use of chemical weapons against civilians. The United States believes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad understands not to do that again.
He's just shaking in his Gucci loafers over Champ's threat, you betcha...
National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan issued a statement Tuesday evening saying: "We continue to review and assess the completeness and accuracy of Syria's declaration to the OPCW. However, in accordance with OPCW regulations, Syria's declaration is confidential, and we will not publicly discuss its details or our assessment of it. For further details, we would refer you to the OPCW."
Officials told CNN the new intelligence is related to stockpile inventories and delivery systems, such as warheads and artillery shells - items that could preserve Syrias ability to use chemical weapons again if it chose to. Officials believe al-Assad will hold on to some of the chemical weapons largely as a long-term hedge against what he sees as a threat from Israel.
It strains credulity, one official said, to believe he will readily give up his entire chemical weapons program.
The strain began on day one of this whole farce. Of course Pencilneck isn't giving up his capabilities, his delivery systems and his know-how. He's happy to give up corroded, old munitions -- what better than to have the U.N. dispose of them for him? But the technology and know-how stay in Syria...
Officials would not say exactly how the latest intelligence was collected. But much of U.S. intelligence about Syria comes from satellite imagery. Also, there have been communications intercepts in the past that have given the United States clues about the intentions of the Syrian leadership. And U.S. officials have in the past confirmed channels of information from operatives on the ground who work on behalf of the Syrian opposition or other countries in the region.
I'm sure the Israelis are passing on info.
Al-Assad may try to hold on to more than just weapons. Last week, Foreign Policy magazine reported that Syria's foreign minister had asked the OPCW to spare a dozen of Syrias chemical weapons factories from destruction so they could be converted into civilian chemical facilities.
To make baby milk...
Asked about that report Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said it did not appear Syria had submitted a formal request to OPCW. "The OPCW would then consider any request, Psaki said. However, as you know, the (U.N. Security Council) and the OPCW Executive Council decision made clear that Syrias chemical weapons program must be eliminated."
Asked about the Foreign Policy report, a U.S. official said, "there's a real concern that the Syrians might be trying to preserve some of their CW capabilities."
The new intelligence is not related to Syria's reported desire to keep some of its chemical factories.
The OPCW has endorsed shipping chemical stockpiles out of the country for destruction because of the ongoing conflict there. Discussions on finalizing a plan are expected in the coming days, according to the organization.
The OPCW had previously announced the destruction of production equipment at all declared chemical weapons production, filling and mixing facilities. According to the OPCW on Tuesday, 21 of the 23 sites have been inspected. The items from the other two inaccessible because of the conflict were moved to accessible areas and verified against disclosure statements made by the regime.
So the regime moved 100 out of 1000 warheads to the 'accessible' site, told the U.N. that 100 was all they had, and sure enough, the U.N. counts to 100 and says, see, the Syrians were honest with us!
The OPCW also said 154 warheads have been destroyed by the Syrians. Destruction work has begun at five other sites which the Syrians say hold 424 bombs and 63 warheads.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/07/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
He doesn't actually need to have any, as long as everyone thinks he does. Remember Uday and Kusay thought Daddy had WMDs and wanted to know why he wasn't using them on the invading infidels.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/07/2013 12:58 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was poisoned to death in 2004 with radioactive polonium, his widow Suha said on Wednesday after receiving the results of Swiss forensic tests on her husband's corpse.
Somali money transfer service Dahabshiil has won an injunction preventing Barclays from cutting its banking services. The injunction means customers will be able to transfer money through Dahabshiil for the foreseeable future.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
A court in Egypt has upheld an earlier ruling that banned Brotherhood and ordered its assets confiscated. 
A top research group says prototype ballistic missiles seen at recent North Korean military parades may be more advanced than earlier believed, and may even be sophisticated enough to threaten the U.S. west coast.
[Dawn] The Punjab government has decided to suspend cellphone and wireless phone services in the areas surrounding the routes of Muharram 9 and 10 procession, Dawn has learnt.
[Dawn] The provincial chapter of Tehrik Nafaz-e-Fiqa Jafria (TNFJ) has expressed dissatisfaction over the security measures taken by police for Muharram and demanded deployment of army in the most sensitive districts of 
[Dawn] Many among the members of 
Nawaz Sharif
ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was formally released on Wednesday from his sub-jail. Pervez Musharraf was imprisoned in his Chak Shehzad farmhouse near Islamabad which was declared a sub-jail. He was released from the sub-jail after he submitted two surety bonds of Rs 100,000 two days after being granted bail in the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi. Ahmed Raza Kasuri, counsel for the former military dictator, said that Musharrafs release was not part of any deal and the ex-president would address a historic press conference after his release from the sub-jail. He claimed that fake cases were instituted against his client. 
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday Israeli- Palestinian peace talks had run into difficulties but thought it still possible some agreement could be reached.
[An Nahar] Speaker 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Deputy Governor General of Sistan and Baluchestan province in security and political affairs said several people have been arrested in connection with assaisnation of Zabul prosecutor, IRNA reported.
The United States is looking at new classified intelligence indicating the Syrian government may not fully declare its chemical weapons stockpile, CNN has learned. That would mean it will still have a secret cache of chemical weapons even after the current agreed-upon destruction effort is carried out.
