[Al Arabiya Latest] Early wins in a major anti-Taliban push in southern Afghanistan offered a "beacon of hope," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Saturday during a surprise visit to troops.
During a lightning eight-hour visit to Helmand province, Brown cautioned that it was vital to "win the peace as well as the war" and vowed that British troops would stay in Afghanistan until their job was done.
"That's why it's so crucial that in just 20 days since the start of the operation, the combined international and Afghan forces, military and civilian, have begun turning a stronghold of brutal Taliban insurgency into a beacon of hope for local people," he told reporters.
Before Brown left Camp Bastion, one of the biggest military bases in Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense reported the death of a British soldier in an explosion in Helmand on Friday.
The death in the Sangin district, which the ministry said was not connected to the ongoing assault that Brown referred to, brings to 269 the number of British troops killed since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001.
This is likely to be Brown's last Afghanistan trip before a general election expected on May 6.
The premier met British troops at Camp Bastion and two frontline posts in Nad Ali, including one taken from the Taliban during Operation Mushtarak, currently underway in Helmand.
Mushtarak, in which U.S. Marines have led 15,000 troops against Taliban insurgents in two poppy growing districts, Marjah and Nad Ali, is the first test of a counter-insurgency strategy for speeding an end to the war.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
[Dawn] US special operations forces could help the Somali government, which is preparing an offensive to dislodge Al-Qaeda militants from the capital Mogadishu, The New York Times reported late Friday.
Citing an unnamed US official in Washington, the newspaper said the offensive could begin in a few weeks.
"What you're likely to see is airstrikes and Special Ops moving in, hitting and getting out," the official is quoted in the report as saying.
Over the past several months, American advisers have helped supervise the training of the Somali forces to be deployed in the offensive, the paper said. US officials said that this was part of a continuing program to "build the capacity" of the Somali military, and that there has been no increase in military aid for the coming operations, The Times noted.
Washington has provided covert training to Somali intelligence officers, logistical support to peacekeepers, fuel for the maneuvers, intelligence on insurgent positions and money for bullets and guns, said the Times.
Washington is also using its clout as the biggest supplier of humanitarian aid to Somalia. It has encouraged private aid agencies to move quickly into "newly liberated areas" to help civilians in an effort to make the government more popular, The Times said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[7 views]
Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
#1
I'm sure it will help the Somali government expand on the 3 blocks of downtown Mogadishu they currently control.
The Freedom Party (PVV) of anti-immigrant leader Geert Wilders moved three seats ahead of its rivals in a new Dutch election poll on Sunday, as support for the Christian Democrats (CDA) of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende continued to slip. The Maurice de Hond poll put the PVV on 27 seats in the June 9 national elections, while the CDA and the Labour Party (PvdA) were both on 24 seats. The poll also showed that none of the three most likely coalitions would be able to form a majority government without reaching across lines to a fourth or fifth party.
In local council polls on March 3, Wilders made substantial gains, positioning him to do well in the national election. Balkenende's Christian Democrats were seen as the biggest loser in the council voting. There has been heavy speculation since then in the Dutch press that the party might change course and name Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings to lead it into the election.
The current government collapsed February 20 after Labour pulled out of the CDA-led coalition in a dispute over the Dutch mission in Afghanistan.
Hundreds of people have gathered outside the British parliament to protest Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders' visit, aimed at spreading Islamophobia. Wilders isn't spreading 'islamophobia', that's just a made-up word that people opposed to him use as a convenience.
The protest erupted after Wilders, who is visiting Britain upon an invitation by far-right UK Independence Party leader Lord Pearson, screened his anti-Islamic film 'Fitna' in the House of Lords.
The far-right filmmaker sent shockwaves through both secular and faith-based communities when his defamatory film linking Islam to extremism was first posted on the internet in 2008. What is 'defamatory' about linking Islam to extremism? One could fairly say that many, many Muslims aren't extremist. But enough, including the owners of Presstv.ir, are indeed to make the point stand.
In 2009, British officials refused the 46-year-old politician entry into the county denouncing him as a "genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society."
But the ban was overturned in October after he appealed the decision.
Fitna, which means ordeal, also drew strong criticism from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who called the 17-minute movie "offensively anti-Islamic." As if anyone cares what Moon has to say.
Infamous for his anti-Islamic ideas, Wilders has also calls for a ban on the Holy Qur'an.
Last year, also a court appeal in Amsterdam ordered prosecution against Wilder for "the incitement to hatred and discrimination."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
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#3
To my surprise, I heard the BBC broadcast some of Wilders' arguments on Radio 4 this morning. Completely agreed with them all, as I suspect did many more listeners than would admit.
#4
Hundreds of people isn't much in the way of a London crowd. They probably get more listening to the speechmakers on the streets. They claimed a million or more protesting the Iraq invasion in 2003.
#5
Fitna, which means ordeal, also drew strong criticism from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who called the 17-minute movie "offensively anti-Islamic."
Right. Because the entire movie consists of quoting muslims themselves.
Posted by: ed ||
03/07/2010 15:43 Comments ||
Top||
#6
"Because the entire movie consists of quoting muslims themselves."
That's why it's "offensively anti-Islamic," ed. Normal people might begin to catch on....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2010 15:46 Comments ||
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The White House on Friday announced a "summit on entrepreneurship" to build economic ties with the Islamic world, part of President Barack Obama's outreach to Muslims.
The White House said it has invited participants from more than 40 countries over five continents for the April 26-27 conference in Washington.
"The summit will highlight the role entrepreneurship can play in addressing common challenges while building partnerships that will lead to greater opportunity abroad and at home," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Obama first spoke of the entrepreneurship conference in his signature June 4 speech in Cairo to the Islamic world.
In the closely watched address, Obama said the United States was seeking a "new beginning" with the Islamic world to rebuild relations that had sharply deteriorated over the past decade.
Obama promised at the time that he would convene a "presidential summit on entrepreneurship" by the end of 2009.
He said that the meeting would "identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world."
#2
what about the missing jobs and entrepreneurship in the USA Barry? you know the people you are president of?
Or do you hate us as all your actions seem to show?
Posted by: regular joe ||
03/07/2010 9:11 Comments ||
Top||
#10
This just gives them all a pass on Iranian sanctions and would allow Syria, Libya, Pakistan, and others the "right" to build up an arsenal.
From the NYT's:
The U.S. government reportedly has awarded billions to companies doing business with Iran, often in violation of U.S. sanctions, over the past decade -- a reality that suggests the new round of sanctions being sought through the United Nations could have limited effect.
The New York Times reported Sunday that foreign and multinational American companies have reaped $107 billion in contracts, grants and other payments from the federal government over the past 10 years. The Times analysis found $15 billion of that went to companies violating U.S. sanctions by investing huge amounts in the Islamic Republic's energy sector.
The U.S. government generally discourages investment in Iran and restricts U.S. companies from doing most kinds of trade with the country. That embargo, though, doesn't do much to foreign companies and overseas subsidiaries of U.S. firms, the Times reported.
Further, the newspaper found that the separate Iran Sanctions Act -- which punishes foreign companies pumping over $20 million in a year into Iran's oil and gas sector - has never been enforced.
Part of the concern over investment in Iran's energy sector is that the industry is important for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"Law, without force, is impotent". Obsessing over missiles is ultimately penile envy--may God strike them all with permanent ED.
#12
Been trying to shut down NASA and now wants to make deals with foreign relatives of taxi cab drivers and 7-Eleven clerks. This junior senator from Illinois is definitely a third world leader. At best.
Posted by: Bob Gleanter3083 ||
03/07/2010 11:29 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Yep, when the world wants to know how to encourage entrepreneurship, they look to Islam.
#14
Yep, when the world wants to know how to encourage entrepreneurship, they look to Islam.
If we discard oil, Israel's GNP is about 75% of the Combined GNP of all Arab countries. Not Middle east Arab countres but what stands between Morocco and Irak.
[Dawn] White House advisers are nearing a recommendation for President Barack Obama to choose a military trial for self-professed Sept. 11, 2001 attacks mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four of his alleged henchman, senior administration officials.
The review of where and how to hold a Sept. 11 trial is not over, so no recommendation is yet before the president and Obama has not made a determination of his own, officials said. The review is not likely to be finished this week.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private deliberations.
The matter is at the White House after Attorney General Eric Holder decided in November to transfer Mohammed and the four other accused terrorists from the prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to New York City for civilian trials. Initially supported by city officials, the idea was later opposed because of costs, security and logistical concerns.
When opposition ballooned further into Congress and an attempted Christmas airline bombing brought massive scrutiny to Obama's terrorism policies, the administration said it would review Holder's trial decision and consider all options for a new location.
In addition to local opposition to a trial, the administration faces pressure on its goal of closing Guantanamo on another front. Republicans in Congress have proposed barring prosecutions of terrorism defendants in federal courts or in reformed military commissions located in the United States.
Republican Rep. Peter King has proposed legislation that would prevent the Obama administration from putting Sheikh Mohammed and other terrorists on trial in any American community. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham joined by about half the Senate's Republicans and a few Democrats, has made a similar proposal.
Separate from the internal trial review, the White House is in still-ongoing negotiations with lawmakers over those proposals, including how to secure funding from Congress to hold terrorism trials and to close the Guantanamo prison and replace it with another facility in the United States.
The Obama administration views civilian trials for terrorists as an important demonstration of the U.S. commitment to rule of law. Officials also have cited the numerous terrorism trials already held successfully in U.S. criminal courts. Further, the administration argues that prosecutorial decisions are for the executive branch to make, not lawmakers.
The Washington Post first reported the near-recommendation of a military trial.
"If this stunning reversal comes to pass, President Obama will deal a death blow to his own Justice Department, not to mention American values," said Anthony D. Romero from the American Civil Liberties Union. "Even with recent improvements, the military commissions system is incapable of handling complicated terrorism cases and achieving reliable results. President Obama must not cave in to political pressure and fear-mongering. He should hold firm and keep these prosecutions in federal court, where they belong."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
I'll bet that within a mere few months of near-constant handwringing, Noobama will come to the right conclusion.
#2
The way that Obama makes the hard decisions, it is a good thing he will be out of office no later than 2017 (hopefully in 2013). Otherwise, KSM would die of old age before he gets tried.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/07/2010 2:20 Comments ||
Top||
[Geo News] Criticizing provincial government, Governor Punjab Salman Taseer said that Law Minister Rana Sanaullah""s links with militants were illegal adding that law and order is a provincial subject. While talking to journalists he said that by promoting cultural activities we can eradicate Talibanization and Basant is a cultural festival. He pointed out that by contacting militants law minister was committing crime and he better go to Waziristan.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Geo News] Arrested US citizens have filed plea in a session court for their release, which will be heard on March 08.
Defence counsels Khalid Khwaja and Shahid Kamal filed plea on behalf of US men in district sessions court Sargodha of Judge Syed Hamid Hussain, which was accepted for hearing on March 08.
The men from Washington were arrested in December, pleaded before court that they reached Pakistan with valid documents and were kidnapped by 12 armed men one of whom claimed to be US Consul General.
Nonsense. Convict them, then hang 'em high!
We be released and kidnappers be arrested, the plea further added.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[9 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: Around 65 percent of people allowed to vote in Ninewa province cast their ballots in Iraq's parliamentary election on March 7, 2010.
"The final results of the Ninewa election will be announced soon," a source from the Ninewa elections office told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2010 13:25 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Iraq's senior Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr urges the Iraqi electorate to help end the US-led occupation of the country by participating in the parliamentary polls.
Speaking at a Saturday press conference in the Iranian capital, Tehran, al-Sadr drew a parallel between participation in the Sunday vote and resistance against the invaders.
More than 6,200 candidates from six major coalitions and several other tribal and minority groups are vying for the 325 seats in the Council of Representatives.
The senior Iraqi cleric called on the Iraqis to opt for the candidates who would best serve the nation and work for Iraq's liberation.
Al-Sadr also warned that any interference by the United States will be unacceptable.
The United States reportedly pushed for qualification of more than 500 candidates who had been barred from the polls for their alleged links to the outlawed Baath party of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The senior Iraqi cleric called on the Iraqis to opt for the candidates who would best serve the nation and work for Iraq's liberation.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm sure you'd be just as chivalrous had the situation been reversed.
Al-Sadr also warned that any interference by the United States will be unacceptable.
Why don't you come a little closer and trash talk the US military to its face? Pu$$y . . . .
Messages are flying between Hamas commanders deployed throughout the Middle East, expressing concern that local leaders are losing control over Gaza.
Shin Bet Internal Memo: Well done, everyone! Don't forget to thank your people out in the field, especially the various colours of princes and princesses.
Ahmed Ja'bri, head of the terror group's Izz a-din al-Kassam armed division, recently sent an urgent missive to Hamas politburo leader Khaled Mashaal in Damascus, complaining about the organization's "deteriorating" authority in Gaza. According to a report published Saturday in the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the letter noted that "several worrisome explosions recently occurred in Gaza, security anarchy is extensive, and al-Kassam men are being killed."
Isn't it rather unusual for such intra-organization communications to be leaked? I wonder who did so, and why?
*Whispered* "Tov m'od, Uri!"
The letter was apparently not the first sent by Ja'bri, warning Mashaal that the situation in Gaza has become increasingly tense. Global jihadists have been posing a growing challenge to Hamas's authority in the area, he informed his superiors. The latest message followed a spate of attacks targeting the offices of senior Hamas commanders, including the Gaza prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh. It was not clear who was behind the assassination attempts.
"This is the second letter sounding the alarm, the first having been sent in November," he reminded. "I want to stress once again that the situation in Gaza is worsening," the text of the letter read. "We began to lose control of the internal situation after you asked us to transfer control to the government and not to interfere, in order to allow it to direct the affairs of Gaza," he complained.
"A number of government officials have complained about operations in which we eliminated some Fatah operatives, something that was necessary to secure peace internally. Izz a-Din al-Kassam may have made a few stupid errors, such as killing agents from the Palestinian Authority security force, and these resulted from personal motives -- but the security of the [Hamas] movement was always vastly more important than an occasional death," he added.
Hamas has been struggling in recent months with a growing challenge to its authority from mushrooming Islamist groups linked to the international al-Qaeda terrorist organization. According to IDF military intelligence sources, global jihad (al-Qaeda) operatives were active in Gaza for several years; an IDF soldier was killed in an attack perpetrated in January 2009 by global jihadists near southern Gaza. Global jihadists also clashed with Hamas terrorists last July over control over a mosque in the area of the Rafiah, the only border crossing that does not lead into Israel, but rather into Egypt and the rest of the world. IDF military officials warned in 2008 that al-Qaeda terrorists were among the hundreds who had infiltrated Gaza after Hamas operatives blew up the security barrier on the Egyptian-Gaza border in January 2008.
One of the three Hamas-linked terrorist groups involved in the June 2006 kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was the Army of Islam, a group that has ties to the Doghmush clan, and that is considered a branch of al-Qaeda in Gaza. The group was also responsible for the March 2007 kidnapping of Alan Johnston, the Gaza City bureau chief for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It was nearly four months before Johnston was freed; Shalit is still being held hostage -- his condition and whereabouts remain unknown.
Last month another British journalist was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists -- freelancer Paul Martin was arrested at a Gaza courthouse for allegedly supporting a terrorist facing charges of collaborating with Israel. Martin, who has written for the BBC and the Times of London, among others, is still being held by the terrorist group, which has not announced formal charges against him, but has said he will be held until at least March 15. Hamas, which seized control of the region following a milita war with Fatah in June 2007, claims Martin "committed offenses that harmed the security of the country" but has not detailed what those offenses are. Since Gaza is not a sovereign country, and Hamas does not respect the Geneva Convention or any other international law, negotiations for Martin's release will rest largely on the skill of his defense lawyer alone, Sharhabil Zayim.
The professional designation of lawyer seems a bit odd in a territory where the law does not rule.
[Ma'an] Fatah Central Committee Member Nabil Sha'ath sharply condemned on Saturday President of Panama Ricardo Martinelli's remarks in which he referred to Israel as the "guardian" of the holy city of Jerusalem.
"Martinelli's comments did not only insult the Palestinian people, the Arab, Islamic, and Christian world, but also insulted international law," Sha'ath said in a statement.
"After Martinelli became president of Panama, the whole policy of the republic changed and it became the only country in Latin America to vote in favor of Israel in the UN. Once again, the president of Panama is challenging its neighboring countries and international law during his visit to Israel.
"He toured holy sites in the Palestinian Territories escorted by Israeli officers. The republic of Panama has the right to establish diplomatic relations with any country in the world including Israel, yet they shouldn't support Israel's violations of international law and human rights."
Sha'ath said Israel's "colonialism" in Jerusalem was repeatedly condemned internationally, by countries such as the US, the EU, the Vatican, Latin American countries, Islamic countries, and the rest of the international community. He added that Martinelli's statement is "worrisome," and both Arab and Latin American countries should have a clear stance toward it.
"Since, the president of Panama announces that Israel is the guardian of Jerusalem, he might need to explain the meaning of his words to the Palestinian families who lose their homes in Jerusalem every week. He might also need to explain to the millions of Muslims and Christians who are denied access to the holy sites in the city," Sha'ath added.
During an official visit at Israeli President Shimon Peres' residence in West Jerusalem on 2 March, Martinelli addressed officials present, saying "As a citizen of Panama .. I say with great honor and joy: I will always support Israel, guardian of the world's capital, Jerusalem."
"The Jewish heart is the same as Panama's heart."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
Do you have a problem with Panama's Heart, sir?
Do you have anything to offer anybody but rantings? ..
.?sir?
#4
That's very surprising to me. Maybe there's still hope yet. All the rest of the world, including the leftists in this country are happy to go along and support the maniacs in palastan and arabstan, yet here's this one little country's leader who's got the guts and integrity to stand up to them. I hope he's got some good security.
[Ma'an] Resuming negotiations with Israel would be "dangerous" in light of the ongoing Israeli policy of settlement and "judaization of Palestine," said Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Secretary-General Nayif Hawatmeh in Damascus.
The speech came as the party marked its 41st anniversary on Friday at a crowded festival at Al-Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus, three weeks after the party marked its annual celebration.
Hawatmeh attended the celebrations with representatives of other Palestinian factions and Syrian political parties. He spoke out in favor of dialogue between Palestinian factions, saying "Dialogue is ongoing in the Gaza Strip between the major Palestinian factions including Fatah, Hamas, DFLP, PFLP, and Islamic Jihad. They want to restart a comprehensive dialogue aimed at ending rivalry and rebuilding Palestinian national unity."
The leader also warned that in the West Bank, "More lands are being confiscated and Palestinian rights are being violated more and more, he said. This will endanger the chances of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital." He cautioned against peace talks under the current political climate.
The DFLP leader called on Arab countries to adopt a clear strategy as they hold the coming Arab League summit in Libya. Practical steps to implement the Arab Peace Initiative should be taken "instead of slogans," he said, affirming that both direct and indirect negotiations with Israel should be dependent on halting settlement activities completely and stopping assaults on Al-Aqsa Mosque, Ibrahimi Mosque, and Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque (Rachel's Tomb) in Bethlehem.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[5 views]
Top|| File under: DFLP
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Sunday it has launched a new production line of highly accurate, short range cruise missiles, which would add a new element to the country's already imposing arsenal.
Gen. Ahmad Vahidi told Iranian state TV that the cruise missile, called Nasr 1, would be capable of destroying targets up to 3,000 tons in size.
The minister said the missile can be launched from the surface but would eventually be modified to be fired from helicopters and submarines.
The world is already concerned about Iran's military capabilities, especially the implications of its nuclear program. The U.S. and some of its allies, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency, say Iran is apparently trying to produce nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.
Iran also has an array of missiles from short to medium range that could hit targets including Israel, U.S. military bases in the region and much of Europe.
Iran frequently makes announcements about new advances in military technology that cannot be independently verified.
Gen. Vahidi said the production of the cruise missiles, which took two years to develop, showed that sanctions on Iran have failed. He said the cruise missiles would strengthen Iran's naval power.
The state TV showed propaganda a video of boxes in a warehouse containing several missiles. It also showed footage of Iran's cruise missile test in 2007. That missile was apparently imported.
Iran began a military self-sufficiency program in 1992, under which it produces a large range of weapons, including tanks, missiles, jet fighters, unmanned drone aircraft and torpedoes.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's transport minister said on Saturday that Russian pilots flying for Iranian airlines will be replaced by local cockpit crew within two months, the Fars news agency reported. "The ministry of transport has given a two-month period, after which all Russian pilots must leave the country," the agency quoted Hamid Behbahani as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#4
Or -- Russia doesn't want it's pilots there in case of war and are withdrawing them but are allowing the Iranians to be the announcers to give them some face-saving.
#7
According to StrategyPage, it's all about the S-300 SAMs. Russian attempts to replace Iran's aging AirBus and Boeing airliner fleet with Russia aircraft has apparently failed. Iran has ordered dozens of Russian pilots (for the Russian airliners Iran does use) to leave the country within two months. Iran is angry that Russia has again said it would deliver the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems Iran has bought and paid for, and then said that, no, the missile systems would not be shipped. Russia has become alarmed at Irans nuclear weapons program, and the aggressiveness and instability of Iranian leadership.
Posted by: ed ||
03/07/2010 18:21 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I just got in an extra boxcar-load, Karl. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2010 18:24 Comments ||
Top||
#9
"Russia has become alarmed at Irans nuclear weapons program, and the aggressiveness and instability of Iranian leadership."
Why? Russia finally figured out they're a lot closer to Iran than we are?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2010 18:26 Comments ||
Top||
#10
I think our buddies in the Politburo have finally looked at the wind patterns in the ME and figured out that if Iran cooks off one of their new toys, the nuclear plume from the blast will contaminate a significant chunk of Russia.
Not to mention Iran it self but then if they do that, a war would be easy, the Iranians would all glow in the dark.
No seriously the prevailing winds would blow fallout from a blast in Israel across Jordan, part of the KOSA, Iraq, Syria (we could only hope) and Iran itself.
It's like the guy who catches his wife in bed with another man, and tells them he is committing suicide, and when they laugh he says, well you're next.
Irrationality compounded with religious fanaticism is a witches brew of disaster.
Posted by: Karl Rove ||
03/07/2010 22:05 Comments ||
Top||
#11
"Don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows ..."
The Association of Iranian Journalists and Reporters describes the arrest of TV correspondent Hamid Masoumi-Nejad in Italy as 'a Mafia-style tactic' to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.
Masoumi-Nejad, an accredited journalist working for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting in Rome, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of smuggling weapons to Iran in defiance of international sanctions.
In statement released on Friday, Abbas Darvish-Tavangar, who heads the Association of Iranian Journalists and Reporters, said the arrest shows more than ever that the Mafia has infiltrated into the high ranks of the Italian government and justice department.
"Masoumi-Nejad's arrest was nothing but a Mafia-designed scenario, staged at the behest of Israel and the United States to prevent Iran from enriching uranium," said Darvish-Tavangar.
"In a recent meeting with Israeli leaders, Berlusconi promised to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear work. He even went so far as to promise that he wouldl do everything in his power to end Tehran's enrichment activities," he noted.
Speaking on behalf of all Iranian journalists, Darvish-Tavangar said the arrest was "purely political, utterly immoral, and in blatant violation of human rights."
Tavangar added Masoumi-Nejad was in fact arrested because of his hard-hitting coverage of the many scandals and corruption charges against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
"His crime was to cover demonstrations, in which millions of Italians protested the policies of their government," he noted. "His crime was to expose the corrupt nature of the Berlusconi government to a greater extent."
"His crime was to reveal the racist mindset and xenophobic policies of Italian government and police officials towards more than 2.6 million immigrants in Italy, particularly the Muslim minority," he added.
Darvish-Tavangar described as "absurd" accusations of weapons-smuggling against Masoumi-Nejad and another Iranian national by the name of Homayoun Bakhtiyari, who was also arrested in Turin in northwestern Italy.
The association head explained that the allegations are in line with efforts to demonize Iranian media correspondents and government officials throughout the international community.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[15 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
I wonder: what if Italians farmed the job out to some don?
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States a "big fabrication" that was used to justify the U.S. war on terrorism, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Ahmadinejad, who often rails against the West and Israel, made the comment in a meeting with Intelligence Ministry personnel.
It came amid escalating tension in the long-running dispute between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear program, with the United States pushing for new U.N. sanctions against the major oil producer.
Ahmadinejad described the destruction of the twin towers in New York on Sept. 11, 2001 as a "complicated intelligence scenario and act," IRNA reported.
He added: "The Sept. 11 incident was a big fabrication as a pretext for the campaign against terrorism and a prelude for staging an invasion against Afghanistan." He did not elaborate.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the hijacked airliner attacks on New York and Washington, which were carried out by al-Qaeda operatives.
In January, Ahmadinejad termed the Sept. 11 attacks "suspicious" and accused the West of seeking to dominate the Middle East.
Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, was re-elected in a disputed presidential vote last June that stirred the largest display of internal unrest in the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Come over here and stand in the crater and I'll show you a big ass hole in the ground, Nutjob.
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.
The Freedom Party (PVV) of anti-immigrant leader Geert Wilders moved three seats ahead of its rivals in a new Dutch election poll on Sunday, as support for the Christian Democrats (CDA) of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende continued to slip. The Maurice de Hond poll put the PVV on 27 seats in the June 9 national elections, while the CDA and the Labour Party (PvdA) were both on 24 seats. The poll also showed that none of the three most likely coalitions would be able to form a majority government without reaching across lines to a fourth or fifth party.
The White House on Friday announced a "summit on entrepreneurship" to build economic ties with the Islamic world, part of President Barack Obama's outreach to Muslims. 
NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: Around 65 percent of people allowed to vote in Ninewa province cast their ballots in Iraq's parliamentary election on March 7, 2010.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iraq's senior Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr urges the Iraqi electorate to help end the US-led occupation of the country by participating in the parliamentary polls. 
[Ma'an] Resuming negotiations with Israel would be "dangerous" in light of the ongoing Israeli policy of settlement and "judaization of Palestine," said Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Secretary-General Nayif Hawatmeh in Damascus. 
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Sunday it has launched a new production line of highly accurate, short range cruise missiles, which would add a new element to the country's already imposing arsenal.
