It sounds as if Afghanistan has it's own Anne Coulter.
For almost three weeks, the young legislator has been on the run, unable to show her face, meet openly with journalists or disclose her location, for fear of reprisals. She spoke to IWPR by telephone. An interview Joya gave to Tolo TV, in which she compared some of her colleagues to barnyard animals, riled lawmakers to such an extent that they voted to suspend her from parliament, although legal scholars say the decision has no basis in the law.
A stable is better, she said, in a video clip that was shown repeatedly in parliament on May 21. At least there you have a donkey that can carry a load and a cow that gives milk.
The remarks inflamed many members of parliament who already had a long and hostile relationship with Joya. She has often spoken out about the warlords who tore her country apart.
In May, 2006, she was pelted with water bottles and threatened with death after she called some of the mujahedin criminals.
Joya claims that her latest remarks to Tolo TV were misinterpreted.
I was misquoted, she told IWPR. I made a distinction between members of parliament. We have two types of parliamentarians those who are the real representatives of the people, although they are very few in number; and the majority, who are criminals and who came to the parliament by the use of force.
Joya said that she had named some of the criminals in her remarks, but the references were censored out by Tolo. Her suspension, she insists, is a plot by her political enemies, of whom there are many.
Malalai Joya has offended the whole Afghan nation, said parliamentarian Haji Mullah Tarakhil, defending the decision to suspend her.
If we say that parliamentarians are animals and parliament is a barn, that is abuse, said Ahmad Bihzaad, another legislator. Even if she only named one parliamentarian, it is clearly an insult.
Those who sit in parliament are the elected representatives of the people, and should not be insulted.
But legal experts say parliament has no right to suspend one of its members. Joya is an elected representative in her own right, they say, and as such can only be judged by the courts.
Stanekzai does not dispute that Joya committed an offense.
Following Joyas suspension, her supporters staged rallies in her support in Farah, Nangahar, Baghlan and Kabul. In addition to demanding that the United Nations take action to restore Joya to her former position, they are asking that warlords be put on trial for crimes against humanity.
It was her tirade against the mujahedin that first launched Malalai Joya to international prominence in December, 2003, during the Constitutional Loya Jirga. Her question to the assembly, Why have you again selected as committee chairmen those criminals who have brought such disasters to the Afghan people? prompted angry outbursts from delegates, who demanded her removal from the hall. In the three and a half years since that outburst, Joya has traveled the world with her speeches against the former mujahedin fighters, and has become arguably the most famous woman in Afghanistan. She has also become a parliamentarian, winning a seat easily in Farah province in September 2005 election. But many of those whom she criticised in 2003 also entered parliament, some gaining very prominent positions, And they have shown no signs of forgiving or forgetting the former slights.
Even some of Joyas female colleagues condemn her for her latest remarks, and call on her to make amends.
Joya has offended the parliament, said Norzia Atmar, a female member of parliament. If she really wants to serve the people of Afghanistan and be the envoy of the people, we respect her and her ideas. If she apologises, she can come back to work.
But Malalai Joya is unrepentant.
If animals had a tongues with which to speak, they could sue me for comparing them to these parliamentarians, she said. Then I would apologise but to the animals!
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2007 14:25 ||
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#6
Donald, where yer troosers? McAllah..... ROFLMAO!!!!!! That comment is a keeper.
Continuing on with the merriment:
Well I caught a cold and me nose was raw
I had no handkerchief at all
So I hiked up my burka and I gave it a blow,
Now you can't do that with troosers.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/16/2007 12:02 Comments ||
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#7
Oh well boys and girls. There's always...Pakistan.
this entire article is ripe as hell for a line by line take off.
;-)
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
06/16/2007 16:43 Comments ||
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#10
this entire article is ripe as hell for a line by line take off.
Gah! No kidding, Red Dawg.
growing Muslim disaffection with British society
Then piss the fuck off! British society is beginning to feel a whole lot of disaffection as well for the Muslim swine in their midst.
issues of identity, belonging, faith, culture and integration
Last, but not least, "integration". Funny how the single most critical issue is given a back seat to the crapulence of Islamic "faith" and "culture".
Young Scottish Muslims are aware of the issues of discrimination and Islamophobia
But go all quiet on the issues of dhimmitude and genocide.
"They are not willing to be seen as second class citizens - they see themselves firmly rooted in Scotland and a part of this society,
Much like how kudzu is firmly rooted in many North American climes.
"The [schools] curriculum needs to address and teach citizenship, role and responsibilities in a plural society from an Islamic perspective,"
Dont they get that non-assimilating tommyrot at the local mosque? Scottish schools should be teaching from a Scottish perspective. Screw Islam.
there is an urgency to tackle mounting feelings of isolation and disenchantment with the society they live in among young Muslims
Then go tackle the local jihadist imam who rails against assimilation, instead of blaming the Scots.
they do not hold aspirations of going back to whatever country their parents have come from and this makes the link stronger with Scotland.
Yet they aspire to install the Neanderthal legal codes of a place they have no intention of visiting or returning to. Go figure. Integrate or fuck off!
Now, it is believed that Delta Asia was a central conduit for circulating the so-called North Korean Super C Notes. The "Super C's" were bogus U.S. $100 notes that the Treasury Department claims were of "exceptional" quality. According to South Korean sources, the North Koreans had perfected a "washing" tecnnique to elude detection.Simply put, Pyongyang would wash the ink from real U.S. $1 notes and reprint then in higher denominations. It made detection of the counterfeiting very difficult, say the South Koreans.
While a firm figure on the amount of "funny" money passing through the Macao bank has not been offered, it is believed to be well in excess of the $25 million officially on deposit.
With the main conduit for circulating the counterfeit currency no longer available, Pyongyang searched for a new way to get its "cash" into circulation.
The answer: Leak the cash at home. Leak it to foreigners who would be the least suspicious and the most vulnerable -- aid workers and diplomats. In both cases, if anyone got caught, they likely would not be arrested nor any charges filed. In the diplomats' case, not only would they enjoy diplomatic immunity, but the embarrassment of being scammed by the North Koreans would be such, that it likely would be kept out of the press, especially when it could involve the Chinese and Russians.
The Swiss have a long tradition of being "discreet" when it involves the issue of international banking. All three countries' diplomats are believed to have been targeted by North Korea to unknowingly circulate the counterfeit currency.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2007 14:51 ||
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#1
The Swiss are also extremely anal retentive when it comes to money, and are known to send their bankers on financial institution jihad when someone tries to scam them. Gnome rampage.
The Soviets tried setting up a bank in Switzerland to try and whip up some fast foreign currency in the late 1980s. They quickly pissed off the Swiss with their antics, then were amazed at how their bank accounts just seemed to evaporate, leaving them penniless.
Government agents first discovered Supernotes in 1990. A very experienced overseas cash handler identified one as a forgery by the feel of the paper, even thought it was printed on an intaglio press. The fake was as good as any the Secret Service had ever seenit even contained the right proportion of embedded red and blue fibers that the Treasury Department uses as a security feature. The first Supernote became known as Parent Note (PN) 14342. The term "Supernote"also occasionally seen as "Superdollar" or "Superbill"originated outside of the Secret Service. It refers to all high-quality counterfeits that can be linked back to PN-14342 with forensic evidence. (The Secret Service won't reveal how they link modern-day counterfeits to PN-14342.)
Supernote production requires uncommon equipment and skilled engineers. At first, investigators thought they originated in Lebanon. Another theory from the 1990s held that Iran produced them on equipment purchased by the Shah two decades earlier and then shipped the bills to Lebanon via Syria. The real source of the bills has not been found, but a member of the Congressional Research Service reported that the government of North Korea produces millions of dollars a year with intaglio presses. In the meantime, the government ordered an extensive redesign of U.S. currency in 1996. (Supernote versions of the new $100 bills have been discovered.)
Details of the actual manufacture of counterfeit notes also began filtering into the State Department, much of the information derived from defector accounts. According to similar accounts compiled by Sheena Chestnut and the North Korean specialist in Seoul whom I spoke with, the regime obtained Swiss-made intaglio printing presses and installed them in a building called Printing House 62, part of the national-mint complex in Pyongsong, a city outside Pyongyang, where a separate team of workers manufactures the supernotes.
So, our friends the Swiss really didn't seem to have many compunctions about selling the most advanced type of paper currency printing presses in the world to one of the globe's most corrupt criminal regimes. A lousy $10 million dollar equipment sale that led to BILLIONS of counterfeit America dollars. Thank Fuck you very much, Switzerland. You can bet that the Swiss didn't accept any counterfeit bills in payment for the presses.
While working for one of the first companies to develop plasma etching for the semiconductor industry, we were paid a visit by some FBI agents who were interested in using the etching process to selectively rough up the paper surface to distinct and specific degrees.
Much to everyone's amazement, they pulled out some blank currency paper and submitted the specimens to various duration etch cycles. They also mentioned how Mafia types were merely bleaching out the paper of dollar bills and reprinting them as $100 notes.
The North Koreans took this another step further by using the intaglio presses. I'm obliged to wonder if the Swiss had any doubts as to what use their equipment would be put to by Kim's gangster regime. Yet one more reason why I am less than content with Switzerland's track record in modern times.
A South Korean man kidnapped by North Korea more than 30 years ago has escaped the communist country. Lee Han-seop, 59, was at a South Korean consulate in China, said Choi Sung-yong, the head of a group of relatives of South Koreans allegedly kidnapped by the North. Lee fled the North last month.
Lee had been in the North since his fishing boat was seized off South Korea's east coast in 1975, Choi said. Lee is among more than 480 South Korean civilians believed to have been kidnapped by North Korea. The North claims they defected voluntarily.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Lee, citing its policy of not commenting on North Korean defectors for safety concerns. North Koreans whose relatives escape are believed to face harsh punishment.
Lee was unable to bring his wife and two children out of the North with him, Choi said. He said he expected Lee to be sent to South Korea soon.
South Korea also estimates that about 500 soldiers captured during the 1950-53 Korean War are still alive in the North. North Korea denies holding any prisoners of war.
Japanese authorities sent four North Korean defectors to South Korea on Saturday, Japan's Kyodo News agency reported. The group - a couple and their two adult sons - had arrived in northern Japan two weeks ago after a six-day voyage in an open boat. They told investigators they had fled to escape extreme poverty, and asked for asylum in South Korea. The defectors departed from Tokyo's Narita International Airport for Seoul, Kyodo said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:30 ||
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So many people leaving paradise.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2007 13:01 Comments ||
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A South Korean man kidnapped by the communist North more than 30 years ago has escaped and is now safe with South Korean authorities in China, an activist said Saturday. Lee Han-seop, 59, fled the North last month and is at a South Korean consulate in China, said Choi Sung-yong, the head of a group of relatives of South Koreans allegedly kidnapped by the North. The activist declined to specify which consulate Lee was staying in, out of concerns for the escapee's safety.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:27 ||
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#1
If he's at a consulate, he's in S Korea.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 11:44 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday lashed out at the United States for developing its Missile Defense System (MD), saying Washington's true aim of developing the MD is to achieve "world dominance." "It is the calculation of the U.S. that if large powers in Eurasia become embroiled in an arms race to cope with it this would be good for weakening them and if this does not happen, it would be advisable for it to unilaterally perfect and expand the MD so as to neutralize the nuclear retaliatory capacity of other large powers and maintain its military hegemony unchallenged," said the statement issued by the spokesman of the DPRK's foreign ministry, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
The DPRK said the United States used the so-called missile threat from the DPRK and Iran as a pretext to develop MD. "Had the U.S. felt really threatened by the missile capacity of the DPRK, it would already have had several opportunities to seek a negotiated settlement of the issue on an equal footing, not by wasting a stupendous amount of funds," said the statement.
The DPRK claimed that the United States passed up the opportunities of negotiating with the DPRK and "pushing forward with the MD in the direction of sieging Eurasia from both east and west." "It is clear even from the scale of the MD in the present phase that this huge defence network is not targeted against just a few small countries," said the statement.
DPRK vowed that it was forced to "bolster its deterrent for self-defense" to cope with the escalating arms race due to the United States' moves. The United States has planned to install parts of its anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, a move strongly opposed by Russia, which warned that the project could trigger a new arms race.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed at the G8 summit in Germany last week that the United States and Russia work together to set up the defense system, which would be based at a Russian radar base in Azerbaijan instead of in central Europe.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
06/16/2007 9:02 Comments ||
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#4
(Channeling Foghorn Leghorn) HOW DARE YOU SUH, defending yourself against me is clearly an act of WAR, and I WON'T STAND FOR IT.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 11:36 Comments ||
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#5
The provocation of self-defense drives them bonkers. It would be best if the world just isolated them completely ... except for their press releases.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2007 13:43 Comments ||
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#6
And surround their borders with anti-missile defences just to torque their turbans.
Sit back and wait for the skyrockets flare
(Singing,)
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof thru the night that our flag was still there.
(Come on, sing along, Y'all know the words)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 15:57 Comments ||
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Nepal Maoists' chief Prachanda Friday asked former US president Jimmy Carter to intercede with Washington to take his party off the US list of terrorist organisations.
Jimmuah was only too happy to help the Commies ...
Carter met the top leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which is outlawed in the US, marking the first public interaction between the rebels and an American citizen of his stature. 'I told Carter we would like to establish amicable diplomatic relations with the US,' Prachanda said after the nearly hour-long meeting. 'We are ready to hold talks with Washington at any level.'
The Maoist chief also said Carter wanted to know if the crucial election, postponed once, would be held in November. 'I told him we had fought our 10-year people's war just for the election,' Prachanda said. 'We want to have the election at the earliest since we will derive benefits from it.'
"And we'll only need to hold it once," he added softly.
The Nobel peace prize laureate also asked Prachanda about the activities of the Young Communist League, the militant youth wing of the rebels, which had acquired a reputation for taking the law in its own hands.
However, after the meeting, Prachanda, who attended a public programme in Kirtipur town, expressed misgivings that it could be impossible to hold the election even in November in view of the deteriorating security situation.
In less than a week, four rebels have been killed in the Terai plains. A local Maoist leader, Dasahrath Thakur, was killed Tuesday in Saptari district by a band of former Maoists, who have now begun waging a war on their former comrades. On Wednesday, even as the guerrillas called a closure in Saptari in protest, two members of its militant youth wing, the Young Communist League, were killed in clashes in Rupandehi, allegedly by the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, whose leaders also met Carter Wednesday.
The killings continued Thursday when Jokhan Mansoor was gunned down in Bara district by the same band of renegade Maoists, the Janatantrik Terai Mukrti Morcha led by former Maoist Jwala Singh.
The Maoists' central committee leaders held an emergency meeting in the capital to discuss the fresh developments. Chandra Prakash Gajurel, in charge of the party's foreign division, told the media after the meeting that his party would start a new agitation to combat the continuous attack on Maoist cadres. A committee has also been formed to chalk out the plan of action. 'We have discussed what our moves would be in the government and in parliament,' Gajurel said, without elaborating. I am starting to suspect that the words "That *sshole" is Jimmy Carter's real first name.
#4
In less than a week, four rebels have been killed in the Terai plains. A local Maoist leader, Dasahrath Thakur, was killed Tuesday in Saptari district by a band of former Maoists, who have now begun waging a war on their former comrades.
Communists killing communists? - works for me!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/16/2007 5:31 Comments ||
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#5
Yawlz are mean, Jesus Jimmuah Cartuh is working for GET OFF THE DAMN LAWN YOU DARKSKINNED HUMANITIES!, Ima make you a damn house yesterday, get away from here, go back to Americus where you are come from. I'm not kidding, get off thisn property else my UFO will fry your African ass. Yeah, I mean it. No, not this Baptist church, not unless I give you a happy 'bro pass.
#8
Editorial note: Perhaps in future, articles with Jimmy in them should refer to him as "Jimmy T.A. Carter". Or should it be the "T.A. Jimmy Carter" prefix?
#9
At this level of repetition it becomes an identifying title, Anonymoose, much like "former President". That Ass J. Carter, or TAJ Carter for brevity.
US Senator Joe Lieberman defended himself Wednesday from criticism that he is pressing for war with Iran, telling The Jerusalem Post he merely wants to strengthen US diplomacy with a credible threat of force. After Lieberman told CBS's Face the Nation Sunday that the US had to be prepared to use "aggressive military action" against Iran because of its behavior in Iraq, he faced a barrage of criticism that he was warmongering.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, former president Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, said political leaders such as Lieberman, "echoed by some powerful lobbyists, are actually at the moment pushing the military option."
Who cares what this has-been has to say? If I had ever been associated with the Carter administration I sure as hell wouldn't be advertising it today.
Perceiving the comments as referring to the pro-Israel lobby, the Anti-Defamation League slammed Brzezinski for giving weight to conspiracy theories about Jews hawkishly controlling government policy on Iran. Lieberman responded to the criticism by emphasizing that he had spoken on Sunday, "as an American senator," and had been expressing his concern about Iranian actions against US soldiers in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:29 ||
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A question you will never hear the mainstream media direct toward a Democratic politician:
"What actions do you propose should be taken against Iran to discourage their supplying to the insurgents in Iraq the EFP's which are killing U.S. soldiers?"
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has started visiting districts in Punjab to clear its name of the violence in Karachi on May 12, Daily Times has learnt.
Opposition members had told people in their constituencies that the MQM was behind the killings.
MQM sources said on Friday that party chief Altaf Hussain had asked all central leaders including members of the Punjab Organising Committee (POC) to start a mass contact campaign so that the party could strengthen itself before the upcoming elections.
He also asked the above-mentioned people to explain to the people that the MQM was not behind the killings in Karachi, sources added. Sources said high profile personalities such as actors etc would also join the MQMs campaign in the province.
MQM Senator Dr Muhammad Ali Barohi alleged that the establishment was behind the May 12 killings and that it had blamed the MQM for it because the party was gaining a strong foothold in Punjab. He said he had visited various districts and was told by the people that they wanted to join the MQM because they knew who the real people behind the violence were.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Commercial activities continued in major commercial areas across the city as most of the people of Karachi ignored the call for a commercial strike on Friday by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
The opposition parties had called for a commercial strike to protest the killings of Wasif Aziz, a member of the Islami Jamiat Talba and the United Students Front, and of Hashmat Bangash, a member of the PML-N.
The big markets in Saddar and M. A. Jinnah Road stayed open. The areas that were the scenes of violent protests against power outages also turned a deaf ear to the strike call. Shopkeepers chose to continue business as usual at Lasbela, Patel Para and Guru Mandir, where MMA leaders used to address supporters.
Traffic was normal in most parts of the city except for a few localities. Transporters remained divided because Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI), the main group of transport owners, did not back the call for a wheel-jam strike. Political parties must realize that the transport belongs to us. As long as the police and government protect us well ply on the roads, said KTI President Irshad Bukhari. Interestingly, Bukhari, who had been critical of the MQM in the past, appreciated the city nazim and the governor who are both part of the MQM.
Sources in the undeclared joint opposition said that the lack of support from the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was one of the reasons the strike was unsuccessful. Support from some ethnic parties, however, brought partial suspension of commercial activities in Gulistan-e-Johar.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Elders of the Halimzai and Safi tribes convened a jirga on Friday to discuss ways of curbing extremism and objectionable activities in Ghazi Beg, 25 km west of the Mohmand agency headquarters.
The tribal elders said Mohmand Agency had been a peaceful area but now certain elements were promoting extremism in some areas. They took note particularly of objectionable activities taking place in the hujra of tribal elder Malik Doran Bacha.
The tribal elders of the two tribes decided to sign a peace agreement in the coming days with local clerics to maintain peace in their respective areas. They also decided not to interfere in each others areas. If either side did interfere, elders from both sides would sit together to solve the problem, they decided at the jirga.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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all those beturbanned heads seeing bare boobeees would explode - I call fake on the graphic
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/16/2007 8:09 Comments ||
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#2
For THAT I'd wear a turban (For the length of the show anyway).
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 11:48 Comments ||
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#3
It would unwind.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/16/2007 13:05 Comments ||
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#4
Yep it would unwind, so? sounds good to me.
Hard to keep the zipper up as well,
(Snake Charmer Pipe wailing in the background)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 15:50 Comments ||
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Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousaf said on Friday that the provincial government had planned a massive operation against terrorists and miscreants, Geo TV reported. Criticising the attack on security personnel in Quetta on Thursday, the CM said a special security plan had been prepared to maintain law and order in the provincial capital. He chaired a meeting to exchange views on the attack on security personnel. The meeting decided to install security cameras at all sensitive places in the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday distanced himself from the idea of deploying an international presence in Gaza, saying through his deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe, that the idea is primarily President Mahmoud Abbas', and that he merely conveyed it to Security Council members over a working luncheon last Tuesday. "There has been a little confusion in some press reports," she told the daily press briefing. "I just want to make it clear that when the Secretary-General had an initial exchange of views with members of the Security Council at their monthly luncheon on Tuesday about the possibility of an international presence in Gaza, he was not presenting his own idea, as some have misinterpreted in the press.
"As you in the press well know, we at the upper echelons of the UN do not have personal opinions about anything. Ever. We just wait for the OIC or Arab League to tell us what to think."
"The Secretary-General had spoken earlier by phone with Palestinian President Abbas, who had raised with the Secretary-General the idea of an international presence, so when he met with council members for the luncheon on Tuesday, the Secretary-General conveyed President Abbas' view and not his own," she stressed.
"We were still waiting for the fax from Amr Moussa."
"Oh Mr. Ban! Mr. Ban! Jerry Lewis is on line one ..."
KUNA reported late Thursday that Ban will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday to discuss rather an international presence between Gaza and Egypt to stop the flow of weapons into Gaza.
A vague idea about a multinational force in Gaza was disclosed by Ban to reporters following that luncheon on Tuesday, without specifying whether the force would be between Gaza and Egypt or between Gaza and Israel. "This is an idea (for) which we need to explore the possibilities," Ban told reporters in answer to a question following that luncheon. "I have initially exchanged views on this issue with the Security Council members just a while (moment) ago." He added that "there are many issues which we will have to consider, whether, if we agree, or if we decide to have an international presence in Gaza, where to locate them, what would be the terms of reference, what would their missions be, and all is not clear at this time." He said both President Mahmoud Abbas and Olmert raised the issue with him the day before. "I have yet to discuss more in detail with the countries concerned." Hamas, which now controls Gaza, has already rejected the idea.
#1
I think sending an international "force" into Gaza immediately is a swell idea.
Let's start with Ban and his lackeys, Coffee and his buddies, Sheehan the *Mother*, and assorted human shields "peace" groups from around the world. They could hold hands with the Hamsters and sing a lovely round of kum-ba-ya, while Coffee and his buds take whatever money they can find do what they do best.
Hilarity would ensue (as least for us).
I've got the popcorn concession! :-D
(And no, I have no phreakin' sympathy whatsoever.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/16/2007 0:11 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of major Arab League (AL) member states started an emergent meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. Ahead of the meeting, AL Secretary General Amr Moussa consulted with head of the Palestinian delegation Azzam al-Ahmed, who was also head of Fatah's parliamentary faction in the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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The remains of 13 members of an Iraqi tae kwon do team kidnapped last year have been found in western Iraq, police and hospital officials said Saturday. The team had been driving to a training camp in neighboring Jordan in May 2006, when their convoy was stopped and all 15 athletes abducted along a road between the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, in Anbar province.
Members of the Anbar Salvation Council, a group of Sunni tribal leaders who have partnered with U.S. and Iraqi officials to fight al-Qaida influence in Anbar, found the 13 bodies Friday west of Ramadi, near the main highway leading to Jordan, said Anbar police Col. Rashid Nayef. Two of the athletes remained unaccounted for.
The remains mostly skulls and bones entangled in tattered sports uniforms were transferred to Imam Ali Hospital in Baghdad's predominantly Shiite Sadr City neighborhood, home to most of the athletes. A doctor there, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the bones would undergo DNA testing to determine their identities.
Relatives gathered at the hospital Saturday to mourn the victims. Women in black robes cried out while men hoisted rickety wood coffins atop minivans and cars. Plastic athletic sandals lay scattered on the ground near the bodies.
The athletes were members of a private sports club that hopes to one day send members to the Olympics. "His dream was to represent his country in sports, but instead he was killed," said Ali Kanoun, cousin of one of the victims, Rasoul Salah. "I tell the killers, you should point your guns at the Americans and the foreigners (fighting in Iraq) instead of hurting athletes who were representing all of Iraq, not their tribe or sect," Kanoun said by telephone from a crowd of mourners at Imam Ali Hospital.
Athletes and sports officials have increasingly become targets of threats, kidnappings and assassination attempts in Iraq, either as part of tit-for-tat violence between Shiites and Sunnis or for ransom. Victims have included the Sunni head of one of Iraq's leading soccer clubs, an Iraqi international soccer referee, a top player on the Iraqi Olympic soccer team and a national volleyball player. A blind Iraqi athlete and paralympics coach were kidnapped last year but later released unharmed after sports officials said their abductors determined neither man was linked to the Sunni insurgency.
Gunmen also kidnapped the chairman of Iraq's National Olympic Committee and at least 30 other officials last year, including the presidents of the tae kwon do and boxing federations, in a bold daylight raid on a sports conference in the heart of Baghdad. Iraq's national wrestling coach, a Sunni, was killed around the same time in a Shiite district of Baghdad.
#1
"I tell the killers, you should point your guns at the Americans and the foreigners (fighting in Iraq) instead of hurting athletes who were representing all of Iraq, not their tribe or sect,"
Iran's supreme leader on Friday accused the US-led forces in Iraq of plotting and extremist Sunni groups of carrying out this week's bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra, saying the attack sought to provoke civil war in Iraq. Thousands of Iranians held street protests after weekly Friday prayers in Teheran and other cities to denounce the bombing, which toppled the minarets of the revered al-Askariya shrine. Some shouted slogans outside the British Embassy, burning US, British and Israeli flags.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:32 ||
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That's Khamenei. Khatami is fixing to have his turban taken away. But both are well deserving of dirt naps.
Posted by: ed ||
06/16/2007 8:06 Comments ||
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#4
Iran is pushing hard for war with US. And Israel. Both through their own rhetoric and their Hamas actions.
But they cannot run a 'real' war without fuel, and they are 'refinery-challenged', not to mention refinery-vulnerable. And yesterday (during my 'unable to comment' period) we saw reports on gasoline rationing in Iran. I have my doubts that their demand is significantly higher than it has been, or that their supply is any smaller. I suspect the 'shortage' is manufactured. Perhaps supply is being diverted to dispersed and concealed fuel dumps in anticipation of war? One hopes our eyes in the sky (space) are carefully monitoring tanker truck traffic for new patterns or destinations.
#5
Yeah! Us Americans plotted the evil deed, but it didn't take much to get the Sonneys and Shitties to carry it out. Just like me getting my dog to run and fetch. So easy to do! HA!
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 ||
06/16/2007 12:40 Comments ||
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#6
Demonstrating against America outside a British Embassy?
Still think we're a colony, do they?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 12:43 Comments ||
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#7
I think the regime understands that the Iranian people want to feel powerful. This translates into a policy of funding trouble throughout the region, developing WMD's, controlling Syria, and talking tough.
Taking on a real military and getting their ass kicked does not energize the populus, a lesson that Nasser demonstrated convincingly to the mullahs.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2007 12:58 Comments ||
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#8
They only say this crap because they know their audience will believe it.
#9
The Middleastern populations allows their leaders to portray rhetoric and random violence against innocents as strength because the alterantive is to deal with the reality that they are weak. The ability to detonate a 40's relic nuclear device will only multiply the number of innocents executed simultaneously. This only translates into power when processed through the prism of Western self-hatred. The primary reason that you don't see bombing attempts within the US by Hezbollah and Hammas is that Iran understands that the prism is a fragile device in the US.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2007 15:13 Comments ||
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All US troop reinforcements heading to Iraq to help restore security have now arrived, but it could take several more months before their weight is fully felt, the US military said on Friday. The United States has sent around 28,000 extra troops to Iraq for a fresh security push launched in mid-February aimed at curbing sectarian killing and winning the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki time for political reform. Everyone is here on the ground now. But obviously, the troops that have just got here are going to take some time to integrate into their battle space and get to know their counterparts, US military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver said.
It will take 30 to 60 days for the new arrivals, who have taken total US troop levels in Iraq to 160,000, to win the confidence of residents and start getting the intelligence needed to counter insurgent and militant attacks, Garver said. Garver said the relatively low intensity of reprisals since an attack by suspected Al Qaeda militants on a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra on Wednesday could be a sign the presence of more US forces on the streets of Baghdad was already helping. Garver also attributed the low level of retaliatory attacks to a three-day curfew in Baghdad that ends on Saturday and the fact that the Iraqi police and army were doing a better job.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Security in Iraq is still an intractable problem, and the recent attack against the Golden Domed shrine there aggravates the situation.
But I think the recent events involving the Palestinians reinforces why this new strategy deserved to be tried - because in that part of the world the worst elements must be resisted at all costs. Even though I have not seen any polls confirming this, I believe that many of my fellow citizens have followed the coverage of the internecine warfare in the Gaza strip and drawn the same conclusion. This dose of unfiltered reality may just help to counteract some of the antiwar propaganda directed toward the American people and improve the chance that the mission can be accomplished.
Expressing concern about Turkeys troop buildup on its border, Iraqs foreign minister urged Ankara on Thursday to rely on dialogue to deal with separatist Kurdish rebels inside Iraq. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said in New York that Turkeys concerns about the PKK were legitimate but that his government had long shown its willingness to work with Ankara on ways to stop the rebels harming Turkish interests. This issue of the PKK can only be resolved through dialogue, Zebari told a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations.
He said the dialogue should involve the Turkish and Iraqi governments, the United States and the regional government in the semi-autonomous Kurdish area of northern Iraq. He said Turkey had not shown enthusiasm for that, pushing instead for bilateral talks with the United States on the issue.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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In their first order since seizing control of the Gaza Strip, Hamas Islamists banned gunmen from wearing masks — unless they are shooting at Israel.
The masks have become commonplace in the Gaza Strip during weeks of factional fighting between the ruling Hamas movement and President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction. Both sides wore the masks to hide their identities. A decision was taken last night to prevent (people from wearing) masks, Khaled Abu Hilal, a spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry, said.
Hamas made one exception, for terrorists militants carrying out cross-border attacks on Israel. Wearing masks should only be near the borders and in fighting the Zionist enemy, not in the streets and near people's homes, Abu Hilal said.
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
06/16/2007 11:12 ||
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#1
Suddenly people who wear masks make you feel unsafe, do they? Irony is forever lost upon these cretins, I swear. How are you Palestinians gonna look like Fearsome Terrorists without your masks? You'll look just like any other two-bit thug without a job. Which is to say, like Palestinians.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz convened security chiefs for a situation assessment on Thursday afternoon, with the focus on the Hamas onslaught on Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip.
Two main conclusions were reached: First, Fatah has lost in Gaza, and second, Israel will not intervene, at least for now.
From a military perspective, some defense officials actually said there was reason to be thankful for Hamas's takeover of the Strip. Before the recent round of intra-Palestinian violence, Israel had to distinguish between Fatah and Hamas gunmen in Gaza and make sure that that the former, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's loyalists, were not targeted. Now, according to this view, there is no longer any need to draw such distinctions, since all gunmen are Hamas and therefore fair game.
"The bank of targets has grown tremendously with Hamas's takeover," explained one official involved in monitoring events in Gaza and planning policy. "Hamas is a clear and defined enemy, and that means that when we decide to respond it will be easier than before, since all their buildings are now targets, as is anyone walking around with a weapon."
#1
Dang it, Israel, make the next step: Gaza is now controlled by a terrorist organization. THEREFORE, Israel can NO LONGER permit ANY Gazans to enter Israel, and should immediately discontinue any support services such as water and power.
Yes, they will say it will cause a "humanitarian crisis", but that "humanitarian crisis" has already come about because of Hamas.
Finally, if Israel officially notifies the international community that it will be discontinuing its services, giving time enough for the UN and any other interested nations to start providing water and power to Gaza, then Israel should be able to wash its hands of the place.
#2
Moose---There is no Palestinian Authority, so no Oslo Agreement. The treaty is null and void without the the other party. You are right. Israel needs to quarantine Gaza.
Ima sure Iran has been bankrolling this one. Now you have Hizb'Allah Junior in Gaza, and Hizb'Allah Senior in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL troops being what they are, things are building up. The US is perceived to be weak, Iareal under Olmert indecisive, so Iran will loosen the dogs of war.
This is what happens when you do not deal with the rabid dog in your back yard in the first place. all the neighborhood dogs now have rabies.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/16/2007 11:34 Comments ||
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#3
Other articles out there outline how Hamas is bankrolled, trained and armed by Iran and Syria. But isn't Peretz stepping down shortly? It will be interesting to see what the new minister chooses to do. I rather expect his plans are ready for execution.
#5
AP suggested slowly turning off water and power and tell Hamas that there appear to be shorts and massive leaks affecting water pressure and power. Ask them to look into it as Israel is afraid the water is just being wasted inside of a series of massive leaks somewhere in GAZA.
Since Hamas has shot up the PA and likely has no technical people it would be interesting ....
With Fatah shoved aside, the only responsible party remaining is Hamas. This would seemingly permit Israel much greater latitude in prosecuting all further missile launches and terrorist attacks. It might be best that Fatah retire to the West Bank and give Israel a clear field to do some serious house cleaning in Gaza.
With the majority of Palestinians having voted for Hamas, they too are now legitimate targets. The very best thing would be for Hamas to get their ass kicked so hard that they question why in the hell they ever wanted exclusive control in the first place.
Before, at least they could hide behind Fatah's duplicitous skirts. Now that it's all Hamas, all the time, there's no more plausible deniability or political fig leaf to conceal their dedication to genocide. Israel is insane if they do not drop the hammer big time. This is their golden opportunity to actively demonstrate their immense displeasure with those who have so vigorously undermined the peace process. It is also one of the few chances Israel will ever have to aggressively retaliate against all attacks originating in Gaza and thereby connect the dots for Palestinians so they can understand how Hamas causes them the worst sort of trouble.
A proposed multinational force deployed along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt must be willing to fight Hamas to stop weapons smuggling in the area, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Friday. Livni said Israel was not interested in any proposal involving a monitoring force for the Philadelphi corridor where, she said, Hamas used tunnels to bring in weapons. "Those who are talking in terms of international forces have to understand that the meaning is not monitoring forces but forces that are willing to fight, to confront Hamas on the ground," Livni said. "The question is the effectiveness of these (multinational) forces. We don't need monitors to come in to tell us about the (smuggling), we need someone to stop it," she told a news conference during an official visit to Portugal.
Livni rejected the possibility of deploying an international force inside the Gaza Strip. "I don't think that this is relevant ... when the situation is that Hamas controls everything," she said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed the possible deployment of a multinational force in Gaza with the Security Council on Wednesday. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday proposed stationing international forces along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian terrorists.
Livni said the Gaza Strip fighting was "an internal problem" for Palestinians. "Let's wait and see what the Palestinians do," she said. "We are waiting. We are watching the situation very closely."
She urged the international community to join Israel in strengthening the strategy of isolating extremist movements, such as Hamas, and encouraging moderates, including Fatah.
On Thursday, US officials expressed doubt that the international community would be willing to risk its troops in the region. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that although the US would consider any such proposal, it was unlikely that any country would be ready to volunteer forces. "We'll, of course, take a look at whatever the Secretary General has to propose. And I have to confess I haven't seen any details of such a proposal. But I would, just as an initial reaction, put out for you that I think it would be difficult to find forces that would be ready and effective in going into such a clearly non-permissive environment," said McCormack.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:37 ||
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A proposed multinational force deployed along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt must be willing to fight Hamas to stop weapons smuggling in the area, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Friday.
Hey! Howz'about you Muslim fuckwits fight these steenkin' Islamic assholes all by yourselves? After all, you've done everything within your power to ensure the current outcome, so go ahead and deal with for once. Emkay?
#2
A proposed multinational force deployed along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt must be willing to fight Hamas
I flew last night for the first time in months, it was fun, holding my arms out and diving, climbing and looking at certain backyard pools, scaring the dawgs and being applauded by the police for my crime-fighting efforts.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/16/2007 12:08 Comments ||
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#5
"The question is the effectiveness of these (multinational) forces. We don't need monitors to come in to tell us about the (smuggling), we need someone to stop it," she told a news conference during an official visit to Portugal.
I guess she told te EU where they can stick their multinational force.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2007 12:25 Comments ||
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#6
One geta a bit tipsy with Tzipi's idea that the proposed multinational farce is capable of fighting.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 15:58 Comments ||
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#8
Nope, nothing to see here. Move along, move along.
Israel had better not, as has been reported elsewhere, be thinking about going back into the Hellmouth that is Gaza any time soon and neither should the US send any troops in there.
Everybody just wants somebody else to clean up their mess and they usually want the US to do it. Let 'em stew in their own juices for awhile and see how they like it. If we send troops in it should be to make sure all the bodies are buried so they don;t stink up the Negev too badly or pollute the Med any worse.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who defied PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's "presidential decree" to dissolve the Hamas-led government, called for unity among Palestinians and urged people to remain calm as fighters from his Hamas movement consolidated their hold on Gaza. Haniyeh said Hamas was still committed to unity agreements it signed with Fatah. "I still affirm that the road is open and wide to reformulating these relations on a firm nationalistic basis," Haniyeh said, speaking after Muslim Friday prayers in Gaza City.
Haniyeh promised to restore security to the anarchic and poverty-stricken territory, asked Gazans to display "self-restraint" and urged an end to the widespread looting of the houses and property of Fatah officials. Earlier, on its first day of full rule in Gaza, Hamas freed 10 senior Fatah leaders it had earlier seized in the Gaza Strip. Abu Obeideh, a spokesman for the Islamic group who announced the release of the detainees, said it was "a new stage of tolerance and appeasement, commanded by Allah."
The detainees included the commander of Abbas's Presidential Guard, Mohammed el-Presi, his deputy and PA National Security Organization Commander Jamal el-Qaid. A senior Fatah spokesman, a lawmaker and six other officials were also arrested. Obeideh said Hamas would "offer amnesty" to all those who are with different opinions. "Our battle is not with Fatah... but with the group that tried to implement an external agenda," he said. "We protect our people's right, everywhere and anyone... regardless of their affiliation to move freely."
However, Hamas also said that a Fatah supporter was thrown to his death by the family of a man he was accused of having killed earlier. Elsewhere, a senior Fatah official committed suicide after learning he was on Hamas's wanted list, Fatah said.
Obeideh also called for the immediate release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who was kidnapped in March and is believed held by a powerful Gaza clan whose members had ties to both Hamas and Fatah. "We will not allow for his continued detention," Abu Obaidah said of Johnston.
Hamas also announced that it had seized weapons and armor, including 100 Kalashnikov rifles, rocket propelled grenades and mortar shells, from Abbas's Preventive Security Force. Earlier Friday, a Hamas leader in the Strip said that it was "now the end of secularism and heresy in the Gaza Strip."
Niza Il'an, one of the group's Gaza chiefs, told a Hamas television station that the group would "welcome with open arms anyone who repents."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Haniyeh said Hamas was still committed to unity agreements it signed with Fatah. "I still affirm that the road is open and wide to reformulating these relations on a firm nationalistic basis," Haniyeh said, speaking after Muslim Friday prayers in Gaza City.
"But only so long as it includes killing all of the Jews!"
Abu Obeideh, a spokesman for the Islamic group who announced the release of the detainees, said it was "a new stage of tolerance and appeasement, commanded by Allah."
" 'cos we've done our bag limit on Fatah for this season (pssst, next season starts Tuesday!"
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/16/2007 4:20 Comments ||
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#4
It would have been better if Fatah and Hamas had been more evenly matched - just like Eliot Ness hoped for Al Capone's mob to face some serious attrition against rival gangsters before the Fed crackdown.
#6
Just start napalming Gaza. Don't worry about casualties, or "collateral damage", there won't be any. Let the paleostains discover once and for all the true meaning of "payback". And tell the UN to shove it where the sun don't shine. Terrorists are terrorsts, and need to be cremated.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/16/2007 14:48 Comments ||
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EL ARISH, Egypt - Ninety-seven Palestinians, most of them Fatah fighters fleeing the advance of their Hamas rivals, sailed into the Egyptian port of El Arish on Friday aboard a fishing boat, Egyptian police said. The boat contained members of the Preventive Security force, the civilian police force, the border guard, the Fatah-run intelligence service and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is also affiliated with Fatah. Thirteen had been wounded in the fighting.
Ran away to fight another day, did they?
They arrived in El Arish, about out of shooting range 50 km southwest of the Gaza border, around dawn, bringing 57 automatic rifles and 20 RPG launchers. Egyptian police handed the men to the armed forces, who took them to a military base.
"Hokay, listen up, we're putting you up in the BOQ tonight!"
[ groan ]
Overnight about 20 Palestinian civilians also managed to enter Egypt through the main Rafah crossing point, which has been officially closed all this week because of the fighting in Gaza between Fatah and Hamas forces. On Thursday evening 99 Palestinian border guards entered Egypt at the same point, abandoning their positions in Gaza.
Rats leaving a sinking ship ...
Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip on Thursday and has not recognised ineffectual Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass decree removing Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh from the premiership.
Hamas later agreed to let the Fatah men safely back into Gaza provided they leave their weapons behind in Egypt, and 36 of them with a death wish took advantage of the offer on Friday, an Egyptian security official said.
The closure of the Rafah crossing point has left some 3,000 Palestinian travellers stranded in the El Arish area, most of them anxious to go home and make contact with their families. The Egyptian authorities are not allowing them close to the border until it reopens for fear that Palestinian gunmen from Gaza might make holes in the border wall and let people in or out without restrictions, as they did in July last year.
Beause Hamas is all about law and order, you know.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
See, it's like Ima tell yawlz yesterday! (Inside info you see)
This land is mine, God gave this land to me
This brave and ancient land to me
And when the morning sun reveals her hills and plain
Then I see a land where children can run free.
So take my hand and walk this land with me
And walk this lovely land with me
Though I am just a man, when you are by my side
With the help of God, I know I can be strong.
[brief instrumental interlude]
Though I am just a man, when you are by my side
With the help of God, I know I can be strong
To make this land our home
If I must fight, I'll fight to make this land our own
Until I die, this land is mine.
#3
Gaza was Egyptian land before the 1967 war; it should have been returned in the deal where Israel gave back the Sinai - but most likely Egypt refused to take it.
Hamas said Friday it is taking "serious and practical steps" to win the release of kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston. Hamas spokesman Abu Obeideh told reporters in a midnight news conference that Hamas, which seized control of Gaza a day before, "will not allow anyone to attack journalists or foreigners, because they are helping our people."
Particularly true for the BBC ...
Earlier, a person involved in the negotiations for Johnston's release said the captors promised to free him within 24 hours.
In seeking Johnston's release, Hamas is sending a signal to other armed groups that it intends to impose order in chaotic Gaza.
After having wrecked it ...
Johnston, 45, was snatched in Gaza three months ago by a group believed to have some links to Hamas, and a message purporting to be from his captors has demanded the release of Islamic prisoners, including a cleric being held in Britain.
Hamas has been negotiating with the captors through a mediator. An official involved in the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the captors pledged Friday to release Johnston within 24 hours.
In London, a BBC spokeswoman said, "We are aware of the reports, but have not received any firm confirmation of Alan's situation." She added: "We continue to work with everyone involved to try to effect Alan's safe release." She spoke on condition of anonymity under BBC guidelines.
Early Friday, Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida demanded that those holding Johnston free him at once. "We will not allow his continued detention," he said. "We warn against not releasing him."
Johnston was seen for the first time since his abduction in a video posted two weeks ago on a Web site used by Islamic militants. He appeared calm and said he was being well-treated and was in good health. His disappearance is the longest of any Western journalist abducted in Gaza and has sparked numerous protests and solidarity marches in London and the Palestinian territories.
Palestinian Authority officials have said they know where to find Johnston, but have held back on raiding the hideout at Britain's request, for fear of harming him.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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The funniest bit would be if the Israelis rescued him, while offing his captors. Thereafter, any time he said anything nice about the Paleos, the Israelis could shrug and say he suffers from Stockholm Syndrome--he's not quite right in the head.
(Xinhua) -- Exiled Hamas leader in Syria Khaled Meshaal on Friday called for dialogue with the rival Fatah movement after days of infighting between the two groups in Gaza. "What is needed now is to deal with the Palestinian split," Meshaal told a press conference here, saying Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, supported the Arab sponsorship of a dialogue in the Palestinian national interest.
Meshaal stated that Hamas respects Mahmoud Abbas as the Palestinian president and wants to cooperate with him for the "national interest" of the Palestinians. The supremo of Hamas also said that his group was forced to take over Gaza which he said was an "emergency measure" that was not a confrontation with Fatah. "We were forced to take this emergency measure. We did not want to take it but we were forced to do it," Meshaal said, noting that the lack of security drove the crisis toward explosion. "We want brotherhood with the sons of the Fatah movement. This was not a confrontation with Fatah. Our crisis is not with Fatah," he added.
Meshaal also blamed elements in Fatah for the insecurity in Gaza while calling for a restructure of the Palestinian security forces. "We need to restructure the Palestinian security apparatus to be a national force chosen according to merit and not on a factional basis," he said.
Meshaal made the remarks hours after an emergency meeting of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on the escalation on the Palestinian territories. Following Hamas' violent seizure of power in Gaza Strip this week, which has cost 80 lives, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the Hamas-Fatah coalition government Thursday and declared a state of emergency.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Hmmmmmmm...I notice he hasn't moved back to the beloved homeland yet, even after the great victory.
Better class of boy prostitutes in Damascus, Khaled? Or is it the running water and electricity holding you back?
Saudi Arabia, which brokered a unity government deal between Fatah and Hamas in February, on Friday reproached both sides for breaking their commitments and pressed them to return to the agreement. In a speech to an Arab League meeting in Cairo, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal said the latest fighting between Fatah and Hamas had served the interests of Israel. Today the Palestinians have come close to putting by themselves the last nail in the coffin of the Palestinian cause, he told other Arab foreign ministers in closed session. The Saudi delegation made his speech available. The Palestinian leaderships must now issue an order, not just to stop the fighting immediately but also to outlaw fighting, and to return to dialogue, he added. Diplomats say Saudi Arabia has tended to favour the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas but not to the same extent as the governments of Egypt and Jordan.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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brokered a unity government deal between Fatah and Hamas in February
#3
Saudis ask Palestinians to revive Mecca agreement
Merely another attempt to puff themselves up as being credible hog-farmers peace brokers amongst the terrorist swine they breed up so well. A large number of the Saudi royals need to start exiting the gene pool.
The Palestinian leaderships must now issue an order, not just to stop the fighting immediately but also to outlaw fighting, and to return to dialogue,
Can ... you ... say ... d e l u s i o n a l? Very good, I knew you could!
[/Mr. Rogers]
Arab foreign ministers gathered for crisis talks on the standoff in the Palestinian territories on Friday amid dire warnings about the consequences of Hamass seizure of the Gaza Strip. The ministers were originally due to meet on Saturday to discuss the latest in a spate of killings of anti-Syrian politicians there, but agreed to reschedule the meeting after Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas dissolved a three-month-old power-sharing government on Thursday and Hamas fighters seized control of the Gaza Strip.
Ahead of the meeting, Arab League ambassadors appealed to both Hamas and Abbass factions to return to Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation talks. As they met, Hamas fighters were taking over all remaining institutions loyal to Abbas in Gaza and the final routing of his supporters in the territory during the night left the ambassadors call looking a forlorn hope.
Egypt called on Hamas to accept Abbass presidential prerogative after he declared a state of emergency and dissolved both parliament and the government on Thursday pending fresh elections. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit stressed the need to respect legitimate Palestinian institutions, abide by a unified Palestinian decision, and respect the Palestinian National Authority...and its President Mahmud Abbas.
The head of the Fatah delegation to the Egyptian-brokered talks, former deputy premier Azzam Al Ahmed, was to represent the Palestinians at Fridays ministers meeting. King Abdullah II of Jordan said he hoped the feuding sides would engage in dialogue to come to an agreement to avert an explosive situation.
Palestinian political leaders must face up to their responsibility and control the fighting groups (and) resume open dialogue, said Organisation of the Islamic Conference secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
Arab newspapers expressed concern that Hamass seizure of Gaza would merely play into the hands of Israel, giving it a pretext to spurn peace talks with the Palestinians and press ahead with settlement of the occupied West Bank. The effective creation of two rival Palestinian governments will give Israel more excuses to reject peace initiatives, on the pretext of the absence of a Palestinian partner, warned Qatari daily Al-Raya.
An opinion piece in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat appealed to Hamas not to torpedo Palestinian national unity for the sake of power in tiny and impoverished Gaza. Hamass options will from now on be limited to the huge prison camp that is Gaza, warned columnist Maher Ossman. It would be disgraceful if Hamass ambitions were confined to a trivial mini-state which will most likely be ignored, he added, calling for a common national platform that would give the Palestinians a united voice.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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"Gosh, do you think it has anything to do with Islam's divisive doctrine?"
#2
"The ultimate dream - and it's only a dream right now - would be to take a poplar tree, put it into a tank, let it sit for three days, then come back and watch as the ethanol comes pouring out of the spigot," says Simmons. "Though we're probably decades away from that, this project aims to consolidate the pretreatment steps and get us one step closer to realizing that vision."
This generation's Apollo Project. Too bad the boomers are taking a pass.
#3
The ultimate dream - and it's only a dream right now - would be to take a poplar tree, put it into a tank, let it sit for three days, then come back and watch as the ethanol comes pouring out of the spigot,"
Man, Ima have that dream many timez, will it work with Pine, I got a s**tload of pine.
#4
The real problem here is that in order to work on this, students have to have studied math and science, not PC self-esteem boosting fiction. The US education system has been producing very little but consumers for the last 30 years. The scientists who may make this happen will be mostly foreigners from Asia, where science and math are still studied, assuming they can get visas to work here. After all, our preference in immigrants is for the undeducated illegal variety that can only speak Spanish.
#5
This seems to have the logic of trying to create gasoline by breeding dinosaurs.
Right now there are common algae that produce copious amounts of biodiesel and some ethanol, which can be obtained by the complex engineering process known as "squeezing".
If you want to have mountains of such algae, all you need is warm fresh water, and to bubble carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides through it. Which just so happens to also be the waste gases of a huge number of industrial processes. Kill two birds with one stone.
If you just have to genetically engineer something, then why not GM the algae to not just be a good producer of biodiesel and ethanol, but a great producer of it. Instead of just individual algae cells full of oil, make it so it clumps together in tennis ball sized balls of oil. Or whatever.
It's not reliant on a growth cycle, and in the southern US you will get copious growth 10 months out of the year.
"America deserves more fuel efficient cars," Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington said. But she added "the only way consumers are going to get more out of a tank of gas is if the president and his party help deliver votes in a narrowly divided Congress." The Senate bill would require automakers to increase the fuel economy of new cars, SUVs and pickups beginning in 2020 to a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon. It currently is 27.5 mpg for cars and 22.2 mpg for SUVs and small trucks. Bush has said he opposes Congress setting any new arbitrary numerical fuel economy standard. Cantwell said Democrats want to "take our energy policy in a new direction."
The only direction Democrats want to take us is down, with them on top. If Congress is going to mandate fuel economy then they should mandate 100 mpg, after all, I deserve more fuel efficient cars. And a million dollars. And a pony.
#9
If you truly want 100 MPG and that's your goal, buy a motorscooter today, many can get that, 'course you'll have to do without some "Extras", such as a roof, windows, heat and air conditioning, no "Seat belts" no "Air bags", and a few others, such as 45-55 MPH top speed, No radio, satelite feed,(No Sirrus) and your Safety Equipment starts with a helmet and is entirely optional from there up. Passenger space is very limited (one max), and no trunk to carry all your junk, BUT IT CAN BE DONE.
(Dying laughing at the absurdity of non-engineers trying to order something possible that they have no fucking idea about.)
The mental image of the next moonbats convention parking lot full of Vespas and Mopeds is a hoot.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/16/2007 16:21 Comments ||
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#10
I'd try converting kudzu...the South would rise again!
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/16/2007 16:42 Comments ||
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#11
(Dying laughing at the absurdity of non-engineers trying to order something possible that they have no fucking idea about.)
Old saying: Nothing's impossible for the man who doesn't have to do the work.
Or its variant: Nothing's impossible for the man who won't listen to reason.
#12
Frank G: Kudzu has been considered, years ago. The winner was Russian thistle aka tumbleweeds, which have an amazingly high water to cellulose conversion ratio.
But algae is still king. Its biggest problem is when an algae growing tank gets contaminated with an invasive algae, which means you pretty well have to sterilize it and start over with a new culture. But beer, bread and cheese makers have the same problem.
A lot of that problem might be overcome with that new "self-cleaning" glass, which is covered with nanoparticles so dirt and water just won't stick to it. If you covered your tanks with that, the sunlight would get through, but the CO2 and nitrous oxide would be contained, and you wouldn't have to worry about your glass becoming obscured.
Former Iranian president Mohamed Khatami could be tried by a religious tribunal and banned from preaching over a handshake, Iranian conservative papers report. Websites close to the ultraconservative government of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad such as Rajanews and Ansarnews said on Friday that an increasing number of clerics in the holy Shiite city of Qom believe the moderate cleric who was president of Iran from 1997 to 2005 should be convicted for his behaviour as recently demanded by Ahmadinejad's official biographer, Fatemeh Rajabi.
Rajabi is the wife of justice minister Gholam Hossein Elham, who also acts as a government spokesman.
In a recent article, Ahmadinejad's biographer wrote that "the history of Shiism in Iran has never witnessed such insolence by a member of the clergy."
Kayhan, the influential Tehran-based conservative paper directed by Hossein Shariatmadari, who is very close to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, dedicated to such an i"impure contact" an editorial accusing Khatami of having fall prey to Washington and all the "enemies of our revolution and Islam."
On 12 June, the Baran foundation of former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami issued a statement denying the cleric had intentionally shaken hands with women - as shown in footage of a recent trip to Italy broadcast on 'YouTube' - a gesture prohibited under Iran's strict interpretation of Islamic law banning all physical contact between men and women who are not related. The statement indicated either the footage had been edited to give a false impression or else Khatami had shaken the hands of people in a crowd without realising they were female.
The footage shows the president speaking to and then exchanging a handshake with Gianola and Cristina Nonnino, well known local producers of grappa, or husk brandy, in the northeastern Italian city of Udine during a visit last month.
#4
The usual "more Islamic than thou" crapulence. It goes beyond all reason that people think these morons can be trusted to do anything more than kill each other and everyone else that gets in the way.
#6
I think it's nice that the Iranian Main Stream Media is leading the charge!
Shaking hands with people without knowing if they're men or women, or even which hand they use for toilet purposes! How dare he? Is stoning enough for this man?
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/16/2007 16:13 Comments ||
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Lebanese Forces leader Dr. Samir Geagea Friday urged Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to join the majority government and elect a new head of state next fall without Syria's influence. "This is the perfect time for resigned ministers to rejoin the government, irrespective of political deals Gen. Michel Aoun's bloc is the only parliamentary bloc not represented in the government and it should join it," Geagea told a news conference.
He blamed Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime for the assassination Wednesday of MP Walid Eido, saying the crime aimed at "decreasing the number" of March 14 majority legislators so that the coalition wouldn't be able to elect a new president next fall. He declared support for a call by Premier Fouad Siniora's government to organize by-elections to choose successors to lawmakers Walid Eido and Pierre Gemayel, who were assassinated
Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud's extended term expires on Nov. 22. Geagea vowed that the March 14 alliance, which is backed by most Arab and western states, would achieve its targets of setting up a sovereign and independent state. "That would require lots of efforts and, unfortunately, lots of blood. We are ready for whatever sacrifices are needed. This is our country and we wouldn't let the dragon swallow it," Geagea said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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Hizbullah gunmen kidnapped three policemen in south Beirut Friday, stripped them of their weapons, interrogated them and then set them free. A ranking police officer said the police patrol was trying to settle a quarrel between a number of people in the Hadi Nasrallah avenue of south Beirut, which is a Hizbullah stronghold.
"All of a sudden armed Hizbullah elements besieged the patrol, stripped the officers of their weapons and took them to a Hizbullah office in the area," said the officer. "The police officers were interrogated by Hizbullah members who set them free later after contacts between Lebanese officials and the party's leadership," he added.
The officer said Hizbullah gunmen accused the three of "entering Hizbullah's secured square" in south Beirut which is off limits for Lebanese troops and security forces. The so-called secured square in south Beirut houses Hizbullah's main facilities.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/16/2007 00:00 ||
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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.
(Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday lashed out at the United States for developing its Missile Defense System (MD), saying Washington's true aim of developing the MD is to achieve "world dominance." "It is the calculation of the U.S. that if large powers in Eurasia become embroiled in an arms race to cope with it this would be good for weakening them and if this does not happen, it would be advisable for it to unilaterally perfect and expand the MD so as to neutralize the nuclear retaliatory capacity of other large powers and maintain its military hegemony unchallenged," said the statement issued by the spokesman of the DPRK's foreign ministry, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. 
US Senator Joe Lieberman defended himself Wednesday from criticism that he is pressing for war with Iran, telling The Jerusalem Post he merely wants to strengthen US diplomacy with a credible threat of force. After Lieberman told CBS's Face the Nation Sunday that the US had to be prepared to use "aggressive military action" against Iran because of its behavior in Iraq, he faced a barrage of criticism that he was warmongering. 
Elders of the Halimzai and Safi tribes convened a jirga on Friday to discuss ways of curbing extremism and objectionable activities in Ghazi Beg, 25 km west of the Mohmand agency headquarters.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousaf said on Friday that the provincial government had planned a massive operation against terrorists and miscreants, Geo TV reported. Criticising the attack on security personnel in Quetta on Thursday, the CM said a special security plan had been prepared to maintain law and order in the provincial capital. He chaired a meeting to exchange views on the attack on security personnel. The meeting decided to install security cameras at all sensitive places in the city.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who defied PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's "presidential decree" to dissolve the Hamas-led government, called for unity among Palestinians and urged people to remain calm as fighters from his Hamas movement consolidated their hold on Gaza. Haniyeh said Hamas was still committed to unity agreements it signed with Fatah. "I still affirm that the road is open and wide to reformulating these relations on a firm nationalistic basis," Haniyeh said, speaking after Muslim Friday prayers in Gaza City. 
EL ARISH, Egypt - Ninety-seven Palestinians, most of them Fatah fighters fleeing the advance of their Hamas rivals, sailed into the Egyptian port of El Arish on Friday aboard a fishing boat, Egyptian police said. The boat contained members of the Preventive Security force, the civilian police force, the border guard, the Fatah-run intelligence service and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is also affiliated with Fatah. Thirteen had been wounded in the fighting.
(Xinhua) -- Exiled Hamas leader in Syria Khaled Meshaal on Friday called for dialogue with the rival Fatah movement after days of infighting between the two groups in Gaza. "What is needed now is to deal with the Palestinian split," Meshaal told a press conference here, saying Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, supported the Arab sponsorship of a dialogue in the Palestinian national interest. 
Arab foreign ministers gathered for crisis talks on the standoff in the Palestinian territories on Friday amid dire warnings about the consequences of Hamass seizure of the Gaza Strip. The ministers were originally due to meet on Saturday to discuss the latest in a spate of killings of anti-Syrian politicians there, but agreed to reschedule the meeting after Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas dissolved a three-month-old power-sharing government on Thursday and Hamas fighters seized control of the Gaza Strip.
Lebanese Forces leader Dr. Samir Geagea Friday urged Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to join the majority government and elect a new head of state next fall without Syria's influence. "This is the perfect time for resigned ministers to rejoin the government, irrespective of political deals
Gen. Michel Aoun's bloc is the only parliamentary bloc not represented in the government and it should join it," Geagea told a news conference.
Hizbullah gunmen kidnapped three policemen in south Beirut Friday, stripped them of their weapons, interrogated them and then set them free. A ranking police officer said the police patrol was trying to settle a quarrel between a number of people in the Hadi Nasrallah avenue of south Beirut, which is a Hizbullah stronghold. 
