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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 17:24 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


--Tech & Moderator Notes
Posting on the Burg -- reminders & changes
In the spirit of, um, the heat and humidity of August, we mods have a few requests and reminders on posting. These aren't the usual formatting requests, though we renew those as well. These requests have to do with what we post. We and The Wizard of Oz Fred have been discussing this behind the curtain, and Fred plans a few changes under the hood in the near future.

There are certain issues out there with copyright and 'fair use', and other blogs are finding out -- the hard way -- what the limits are. Rantburg doesn't want those troubles. So if you wish to post, please pay attention to the following:

  • For posts from American press sources, you MUST trim, trim, and trim some more. Try to limit what you post to no more than 1/3 of the original. Cut the fluff and the repetition. Remember that it's an opportunity to teach writing to journalists.

    You do NOT need to say "Rest @ link" or something similar, we all KNOW that the rest is at the link.

  • Add your own in-line comments to what you post. That especially helps us with 'fair use', as commentary is value added. Besides, we like your commentary. Remember, no leading space paragraph above or below your in-lines.

  • Feel free to re-write a post. See what Badanov routinely does for the Messico news. That's in your own words and perfectly fine. Put a single in-line at the top of a rewrite: 'Rewritten by [your name].'

  • Likewise, translations of foreign language news is great; put a single in-line at the top: 'Translated from the original Pashto-Yiddish by [your name].'

  • For op-ed pieces from the American press, summarize in your own words and add your own commentary, with only brief quotations (no more than THREE paragraphs total). An alternative is to post the title and source URL (in their correct locations) with only a one-liner from you in the text.

    We mods will DELETE posts of op-ed pieces that are posted in full without commentary.

  • Foreign major news services (e.g., AFP, Reuters, Guardian, Der Spiegel) should be treated as American -- trim extensively and in-line.

  • Foreign smaller services (e.g., Pak Daily Times, Bangladesh News) should be treated as we use them now, but make sure you add in-line commentary.

  • More to come.

    We thank you as always for making the Burg special.
    Posted by: Steve White || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  See the Darfur post immediately below this one for a hint on how to rewrite and what to cut, such as the boilerplate.

    In that rewrite I omitted a number of lines that really weren't relevant to the story of the abduction.

    I strongly encourage you to rewrite. It does two things.

    1) It gives the poster actual writing experience and Gawd knows we need more conservative writers.

    2) It keeps bossman out of potential problems.

    3) It drives liberals insane -- Jackpot!

    I will be posting a lot more rewrites as time goes on, not just about Mexico. If anyone steps up to do the same, please let us know by posting at the O-club your plans, so we don't step on one another's toes. If you do decide to help out try to concentrate on an area such as Afghanistan, or Iraq, or US domestic politics.

    Honest, you can actually keep your testicles if you help out by rewriting.
    Posted by: badanov || 08/15/2010 0:29 Comments || Top||

    #2  "certain issues out there with copyright and 'fair use',"

    You're talking about those barratous assholes in Las Vegas. There's a law firm I wouldn't mind seeing drop dead from heart attacks. They're essentially abusing copyright law to extort money from web sites that cant afford the court costs.

    I hope they die horribly in a fiery car accident after being hit by lightning burning to death in front of their families as they roast. It will give them a preview of Hell, where they are going once they shuffle off this mortal coil.
    Posted by: OldSpook || 08/15/2010 0:51 Comments || Top||

    #3  You do NOT need to say "Rest @ link" or something similar, we all KNOW that the rest is at the link.

    Do we? A lot of times I just read the rantburg article and never click through. If it's interesting and the author says "more at link" then I'll go for more. There's no way I'm keeping track of which news sources are US and which are non-US. Hell, it seems most domestic US stories are posted from Iran Press-TV anyway these days.
    Posted by: gromky || 08/15/2010 1:10 Comments || Top||

    #4  Foreign major news services (e.g., AFP, Reuters, Guardian, Der Spiegel) should be treated as American -- trim extensively and in-line.

    I am somewhat ignorant of what is what. It sure would be helpful to have a link that says "Posting Rules" that goes to a page that has these rules available for noobs, refreshers, and also I would think it would be good for legal protection to have these policies posted). It would be nice to have a link on that page that would pop up a list of news sources that are definitely not OK to copy from heavily.

    "Rest @ link" / "More @ link"

    I use this as code-speak for "Just click the effing link already because there is more good stuff there and I didn't want to get the bossman in trouble". If I see something better I will switch over, but my uninventive brain says it is sticking with this for now until it sees that something better for itself.

    As for those those barratous assholes, I think heart attacks are too quick and painless. I'd like to hear about something more along the lines of having turned on the air conditioning in their car as they were driving along one moonless night, aggravating the nest of killer bees in the air ducts, flew off the cliffside into a lake far below, slowly sank because they couldn't get the doors or windows opened in time because the electrical system shorted out, and were found just about the time the bees had run out of anything to eat. Note: No killer bees were harmed in the making of this fantasy.

    Lastly, I wonder if it wouldn't be a bad idea to incorporate this blog or something in order to remove Fred's personal pocketbook from the picture. Perhaps that alone would be enough to pi$$ off anyone who finds out that the only thing they are going to be able to get their hands on is an old 386 server with a lot of unflattering pictures of seedy politicians on it. Shortly after it was accidentally wiped.

    "Are you telling me that you ran this blog from an old 386-based server?"
    "Yep. Never had a need to upgrade."
    "What's in the closet?"
    "Nothin'. You got your server. Enjoy. Move along now."
    Posted by: gorb || 08/15/2010 1:47 Comments || Top||

    #5  who knew that insipid inline snark would become a virtue? My life is blessed
    Posted by: Frank G || 08/15/2010 1:49 Comments || Top||

    #6  If it's interesting and the author says "more at link" then I'll go for more.

    The Rantburg Style Guide sez that if the person posting wants to indicate that, the proper phrase is, "The whole effing article is just great shit and you really should hit the link to read the rest, unless you want people to look at you as if you aren't wearing pants."

    Then again, I might just be channeling Ace of Spades ...
    Posted by: Steve White || 08/15/2010 2:04 Comments || Top||

    #7  the proper phrase is, "The whole effing article is just great shit

    Steven White, behave yourself! The Rantburg Style Guide says no such thing. Ace of Spades has their own, picturesque style.
    Posted by: trailing wife in Germany || 08/15/2010 2:20 Comments || Top||

    #8  Doc Steve? -- Just perfect!!!
    Posted by: Sherry || 08/15/2010 2:26 Comments || Top||

    #9  One of the great things about the Burg is that it helps disseminate news and information the MSM thinks you don't need to know.

    An example from yesterday was that the Pakistan floods rather than being a natural disaster are in a large part a manmade disaster because of the lack of warning and preparation from the authorities even though they should have known days in advance a flood was coming for many locations.

    Hence your own leading comment saying why this news is of significance would in many cases help people in deciding what is worth reading given everyones time constraints and such comment would provide a very solid copyright defence.
    Posted by: phil_b || 08/15/2010 3:42 Comments || Top||

    #10  These are probably good guidelines for any blogger at their own blogs as well. Thanks!
    Posted by: American Delight || 08/15/2010 4:53 Comments || Top||

    #11  Warning, vocabulary police on patrol!

    Thanks TW, "picturesque style" made me laugh. I'm pretty sure the word you were looking for is "picaresque", as in the manner of a rascal or rogue.
    Posted by: Scooter McGruder || 08/15/2010 6:22 Comments || Top||

    #12  Pretty courageous of you, Scooter, correcting TW.

    Of course, you know she's in Germany...
    Posted by: Bobby || 08/15/2010 9:10 Comments || Top||

    #13  It might help to have an "obnoxious list", a text list of sources that are so testy that it would be best just to use a rewritten headline-link only.

    They might even be auto-flagged by domain name, as a safety device. For example, any link from lvrj.com would be automatically abbreviated to link only, and maybe also flagged for mod review.
    Posted by: Anonymoose || 08/15/2010 9:52 Comments || Top||

    #14  (just stumbled upon)

    "AP claims copyright on rewritten articles. It also claims copyright of 'hot news' based on a 90 year old court case. International News Service v. Associated Press (1918) in which a rival news agency 'stole' and 'rewrote' AP news articles. Some states still uphold this approach; others consider it invalid. (The AP settled its most recent hot news case)."

    "Legally, aside from the 'hot news' doctrine, the AP cannot stop you from taking the facts of an article and writing a new article using those facts. Also, if there are a limited number of ways to say something, you are permitted to express yourself in the same way as others without infringing (known as the 'merger doctrine')."

    "The trouble with the merger doctrine, the right to use facts, and even fair use -- is that there are no clear lines. Since the AP is not afraid to file lawsuits you may want to proceed with caution especially if your work may be perceived as competing. If you're particularly paranoid about lawsuits, just take the facts."
    Posted by: Anonymoose || 08/15/2010 10:01 Comments || Top||

    #15  May I request that posters please DO include a few paragraphs of the article and please NOT post only a title/link.

    Thank you guys and gals for all your good work.
    Posted by: Parabellum || 08/15/2010 10:14 Comments || Top||

    #16  The case cited upheld the common law notion that facts are not copyrightable. The decision attempted to hint at a category called "hot news" in which a proprietary claim to facts would survive but for a brief time. This was never acted on further by either the courts or by legislature, albeit this Congress has suggested it may lay out such a right.

    The fact is, is that Rantburg is not competing with anyone, not AP, not UPI, not Reuters and not AFP. We're not even competing with any Las Vegas newspaper, and until the hot news category is statutorily established, rewriting articles is an acceptable way to present news without violating anyone's copyright.
    Posted by: badanov || 08/15/2010 10:14 Comments || Top||

    #17  You're talking about those barratrous assholes in Las Vegas

    Speaking of which, does Rantburg have a legal defense fund?
    Posted by: DMFD || 08/15/2010 11:26 Comments || Top||

    #18  Personally, I think AP is acting as a monopoly and should be attacked as such.
    Posted by: Willy || 08/15/2010 11:41 Comments || Top||

    #19  Speaking of which, does Rantburg have a legal defense fund?

    The ACLU will cover the defence no doubt.
    Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 08/15/2010 11:54 Comments || Top||

    #20  "The ACLU will cover the defence no doubt."

    Best laugh I've had today, NS.
    Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 08/15/2010 12:00 Comments || Top||

    #21  Does Rantburg need a legal defense fund, they coming after Fred?
    Posted by: OldSpook || 08/15/2010 13:03 Comments || Top||

    #22  #21 Does Rantburg need a legal defense fund, they coming after Fred? Posted by: OldSpook

    I hope not, or I'll have to dig out the trusty old 10-gauge double-barrel. I only have 247 shells left, and they're old...
    Posted by: Old Patriot || 08/15/2010 13:18 Comments || Top||

    #23  Parabellum: I don't think a single mouse click, as an insurance policy, is too much to ask, especially in a climate where nasty lawyers are trolling for dollars.

    Aha! I found a listing of complainers!

    Excerpt and Link Only or Deny Posting List due to Copyright Complaints (Free Republic)
    Posted by: Anonymoose || 08/15/2010 13:35 Comments || Top||

    #24  From Free Republic...
    Also, do not post images from Corbis or Getty.

    Posted by: 3dc || 08/15/2010 13:56 Comments || Top||

    #25  I'm assuming straight links - no commentary, are still OK?
    Posted by: Mercutio || 08/15/2010 14:42 Comments || Top||

    #26  Any harm in writing in say... five letter groups....

    IELKS SKWEI EKELW EJELW GHGKE?

    Just asking. ;-)
    Posted by: Besoeker || 08/15/2010 14:47 Comments || Top||

    #27  Oh, and a list of McClatchy Co. newspapers, most of which have websites.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_McClatchy_Company
    Posted by: Anonymoose || 08/15/2010 14:52 Comments || Top||

    #28  As the stated purpose of the Las Vegas Trolls is to run a profit filing these lawsuits, it wouldn't hurt to do a little judgment proofing at the 'Burg and Fredville.
    Posted by: Iblis || 08/15/2010 16:19 Comments || Top||

    #29  Fair use:
    § 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use40
    Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include — 
    (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
    (2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
    (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
    (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
    The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 17:35 Comments || Top||


    #31  "the non-profit" clause could get interesting.
    The IRS is sending tax demands to all non-profits and churches along with demands to see proof of income and expenses for the last 3 years or loses non-profit status and incur steep fines.

    It looks like the IRS is going to demand all potentially taxable amounts to be remit to them quarterly and then returned after the non-profit files and income tax report and is accepted as a non-profit.
    This will happen forever with the IRS demand.
    I guess fund drives and telethons can kiss their ass goodbye.
    Posted by: 3dc || 08/15/2010 20:42 Comments || Top||

    #32  First, as slow as it is today ... is the LLC doing a DOS attack on Rantburg?

    Second in this comment link on facebook we see:

    Val:

    Here is a little Quid Pro Quo for you on the copyright lawsuits. Suspicions confirmed.



    Ron
    skip to main | skip to sidebar
    THE BIG WOBBLE
    Tuesday, 27 July 2010
    Steven Gibson (RightHaven) the Blog and Forum lawsuit firm and the ties to Obama

    Difficult time ahead for political blogger's as Obama's cronies tighten the knot

    This RightHaven founder Steven Gibson is definitely a "Chicago Guy"...so I did a little digging in the public domain.....SHR




    The man for Obama?





    Steven A. Gibson

    Born: Chicago, Illinois, December 11, 1963

    School: Chicago-Kent College of Law
    Degree: J.D.
    City: Chicago
    State: IL
    Year: 1990
    Honors: IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law. Cum Laude 1990.

    Prior to establishing his own firm, Mr. Gibson was an associate at Sidley Austin LLP a Chicago Law firm...

    Just click on "Work History"
    Steven A. Gibson

    Another Chicago guy who was there at the time finishing up Law School along with....Barack Obama...maybe they crossed paths?

    In late 1988, Obama entered Harvard Law School. He was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year,[37] and president of the journal in his second year.[38] During his summers, he returned to Chicago, where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990
    Barack Obama

    Guess where Mr and Mrs Obama met....

    Following law school, she was an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley Austin, where she first met her future husband.

    >>>> And Guess what Michelle and Steven Gibson both did???
    INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW...AT THE SAME LAW FIRM...!!!

    At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property.
    Michelle Obama

    Obama Blames Blogs For Inability to Connect
    Posted by: 3dc || 08/15/2010 20:55 Comments || Top||

    #33  Things are getting very nasty out there and will get even nastier as the election heats up and the economy/dollar don't.
    Posted by: lotp || 08/15/2010 21:42 Comments || Top||

    #34  the AP cannot stop you from taking the facts of an article and writing a new article using those facts.

    Of course the trick is to find the facts under all the opinion and spin of the typical AP (Or Rooters) article.
    Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/15/2010 22:31 Comments || Top||

    #35  It would be on the embarrassing side if it came out in a lawsuit that the facts put forth by the AP turned out to be spin.
    Posted by: gorb || 08/15/2010 22:35 Comments || Top||


    Afghanistan
    Taliban Titzup
    Malauwi Ghulam Haideri, the Taliban's acting shadow governor, and Malauwi Shir Agha, a facilitator, were killed in a combined Coalition and Afghan raid in the village of Khwazakheyl in the Sherzad district in Nangarhar province on Aug. 4. Twelve Taliban fighters and several (Afghan officials claimed 15 to 20) civilians were also reported killed.
    Were the fighters and the civilians the exact same people - fighters during the battle and civilians after?
    "Additionally, he was in direct contact with senior Taliban leadership in Pakistan."
    I wonder if his computer, cell phone, & Rolodex were recovered.
    Shir Agha, a Taliban facilitator was killed along with Haideri; he was imprisoned in 2007 but had been released for some reason.
    Posted by: Glenmore || 08/15/2010 09:38 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Shir Agha, a Taliban facilitator was killed along with Haideri; he was imprisoned in 2007 but had been released for some reason.

    Hopefully after the insertion of a tracking device into his body cavity.
    Posted by: Mike Ramsey || 08/15/2010 19:50 Comments || Top||


    Three killed in Khost rocketry
    Three people have been killed and one other was wounded when three rockets were launched to hit targets in Khost province. According to Bagram ISAF Media Office, two missiles struck a military base of foreign forces in Khost city, the provincial capital of Khost province on Saturday morning, in which no soldier was killed or wounded.

    ISAF Media Office said the third missile hit a residential house in the province, in which three children of a family were killed and their mother was injured.
    But they were dangerous, un-Islamic children...
    According to a report published recently by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the anti-government forces have been responsible for 76 percent of civilian killings in Afghanistan since January, 2010.
    Only 76 percent?
    The score-keepers are biased ...
    The report adds that the killing of children shows 55 percent increase this year, compared to the same period in 2009. A total of 176 children have been killed and 389 have been wounded in Afghan war since the start of this year. The report also adds that 50 percent of the killings in the past six months have occurred in southern Afghanistan.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

    #1  Clearly jihadis love children -- that's why they send so many to Paradise young, that they need not experience all the woe that life has to offer in that part of the world. Although what a child will do with its 72 virgins for eternity is as much a puzzle to me as it likely is to the children.

    On the other hand, if it's really 72 white raisins as some claim, the children will have no trouble figuring it out.
    Posted by: trailing wife in Germany || 08/15/2010 1:17 Comments || Top||


    Land Disputes Kill 8 in S Afghanistan
    [Tolo News] In land disputes between two tribes in the southern Khost province on Saturday morning, 8 people were killed and 3 others were wounded
    So you're saying it's not just Taliban that personify Pashtun brutality? It's everybody?
    Is that a trick question?
    The clashes started over land ownership at 6am Saturday in the province's Mandozai district between Haider Khil and Warza tribes, Wali Shah Himmat, the sub-governor of Mandozai district told TOLOnews reporter.
    "Yer on my land, Mahmoud!"
    "Yore land, Ahmed? Ah don't think so!"

    Afghan security forces have cordoned off the area and the clashes have ended now.
    "They're dead, Jim!"
    The province's public health officials said the three wounded ones have been hospitalised.
    "Try and keep 'em away from guns, explosives, drugs, liquor, and the nurses!"
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


    4 Guards of a Security Company Killed in Afghan Violence
    [Tolo News] At least 4 guards of a private security company were killed and 12 other guards were wounded in clashes with Taliban on Friday night in the western Herat province

    In the clashes that continued from 4am till 10am between the two sides, three cars of a private security company were also destroyed.

    "The fighting broke out on Friday evening in the province when a group of Taliban attacked a convoy of a private security company," Abdul Rawuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for Police Forces in the west, told TOLOnews.

    Two Taliban insurgents were also killed in the incident.

    The private security company was transporting cargoes to the foreign forces.

    Taliban insurgents often attack the convoys of the private security companies, in which both sides suffer casualties.

    The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai had previously urged foreign forces to ban private security companies, saying that the companies have been causing insecurity in the country.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


    3 Killed, Scores Wounded in Kuchi-Hazara Clashes
    [Tolo News] Nearly, three people were killed and thirty others were wounded in clashes between Kuchis and Hazaras in Kabul city. Kabul police officials also acknowledged their forces' fatality after reporting one police dead and 24 others injured in the Afghan ethnic conflicts.

    Meanwhile, some residents in Kota-e-Sangi commented that the demonstration staged by the Hazaras on Saturday caused their stores and shops to be looted.

    There are contradicting reports about the incident, but locals said that Kuchis (nomads) attacked them first, a claim denied by nomads.

    Locals said nomads attacked them when they were trying to start the construction work of their houses in Tapa-i-Korgh, a place in Daru-l-Aman area of Kabul.

    Locals also complained that nomads, who had guns had also beaten up some residents.

    The lands are said to be owned by the government, located near an area owned by Haji Nabi, the brother of the vice-President, Karim Khalili.

    One of the Hazara protesters said: "The nomads are armed and still threatening people."

    Some of the nomads deny it claiming that the Hazaras themselves attacked them and even threw grenades at them.

    The nomads claim that several nomads have been killed and wounded, and their tents have been burnt down.

    The nomads have left the area now.

    "My brother and my son have been killed," said one of the nomads, claiming that all the Hazaras were armed.

    Some of the security forces also confirmed that the nomads' tents were burnt down and that some of the nomads have been killed.

    After the clashes in this area, some of the Hazara people in Pul-e-Sukhta and Mazari Park in the west of Kabul, also took to the streets conducting violent protests.

    Witnesses say that protesters got in conflict with the police burning down several police check posts in the area.

    There have been clashes between Kuchis and Hazaras before in Maidan Wardak province over the use of pastures, but this is the first time that a clash between the two has broken in Kabul over land ownership.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Summary: the local townspeople were building illegally on public land currently used by the nomads. The nomads objected, and mayhem merrily ensued. Shops were damaged and looted by all concerned, but it is convenient to blame the outsiders. The police prudently let the two sides fight it out, but were attacked anyway.
    Posted by: trailing wife in Germany || 08/15/2010 1:23 Comments || Top||


    Africa Horn
    Darfur: 2 UN police Advisors Abducted
    Rewritten. A note: I could not find the information on the UNAMID website referring to this abduction.
    Two unidentified police advisors to the United Nations mission in Darfur, Sudan were reported abducted at gunpoint near Nyla, South Darfur Saturday morning, according to news reports.

    Reports say the victims were on foot near a UNAMID transport dispatch point about 100 meters from their residence when they were accosted by three individuals aboard a four wheel drive vehicle.

    The three were apparently abducted at gunpoint and were driven away, presumably aboard the vehicle.

    The abduction is another in a series of attack on UN UNAMID elements in recent weeks. Last month, an ambush wounded seven peacekeepers. Another ambush in June killed three and wounded a fourth.
    Posted by: badanov || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


    Arabia
    UAE asks Germany why it freed Israeli spy
    [Al Arabiya Latest] The United Arab Emirates says it is seeking clarification from Germany on why it freed an alleged Israeli spy wanted in connection with the slaying of a Hamas operative in Dubai.
    Because he had nothing to do with it?
    A German court on Friday released Uri Brodsky on bail pending a decision on whether he was involved in the falsification of the German passport linked to the killing.

    He is accused of illegally helping to procure a German passport used in connection with the Jan. 19 killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, allegedly by a Mossad hit squad.

    Emirati Foreign Ministry official Abdel Rahim al-Awadi said Saturday the UAE has asked Berlin for an explanation of why Brodsky was released while the case is ongoing.

    "The UAE seeks assurances that Brodsky is in no way connected with the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai," Awadhi said in a statement cited by the state news agency WAM.

    "As this may relate to a serious crime committed in Dubai, the UAE expects full and close cooperation from the German authorities and will continue to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels," the foreign ministry said.

    A spokesman for state prosecutors in Cologne said on Friday that Brodsky would not have to stand trial in Germany. The court had a range of options it could pursue against Brodsky and that the most likely option was a fine, he said.

    Brodsky was extradited from Poland on Thursday on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining a German passport believed to have been used by a member of the hit squad that Dubai says killed Mabhouh in a hotel room in January. The hit squad used fraudulent British, French, Irish and Australian as well as German passports, according to Dubai.
    This article starring:
    Uri Brodsky
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

    #1  amazing they're still hyperventilating about this pest-control episode. He was a piece of sh*t. I'm glad he's dead, and so is about 90% of the world's population that know about him
    Posted by: Frank G || 08/15/2010 1:21 Comments || Top||

    #2  One has to ask which UAE sheiks were financing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
    Posted by: 3dc || 08/15/2010 17:33 Comments || Top||


    Suspected Qaeda gunmen kill Yemeni officer
    SANAA - Suspected Al Qaeda militants shot dead a Yemeni intelligence officer in south Yemen, a security official said on Saturday, in at least the sixth such attack blamed on the resurgent group since June.

    The officer was gunned down by two men as he walked outside his home late on Friday in the flashpoint southern province of Lahej, the security official said, adding that the attackers were suspected Al Qaeda operatives.
    They weren't Samoans?
    Al Qaeda’s Yemen-based regional wing previously attacked Western and Saudi targets, but appears to be targeting government forces in response to enhanced Yemen-US security coordination in government crackdowns on the militant group.

    As a result of the crackdown, an Al Qaeda leader in the northern province of Al Jouf surrendered to government forces, a security official told Reuters on Saturday. The official identified the man as Juman Safian, without giving further details.
    Now he's being questioned by the colleagues of the dead Yemeni intel officer. That's going to end up well for Juman ...
    Posted by: Steve White || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


    Caribbean-Latin America
    Tamaulipas: Mexican Army Rescues 6 Kidnap Victims
    Google GTranslate. For a map, click here.
    Six unidentified individuals were rescued by elements of the Mexican Army in Jimenez, Tamaulipas last Wednesday, according to Mexican press reports.

    A detachment of the Mexican 8th Military Zone was patrolling an area in the Jimenez municipality when they were attacked by armed suspects. The action took place near Rancho La Mission where the patrol was fired on. The attack was repelled and in the aftermath, six individuals were freed after being held hostage.

    Also seized in the operation were 20 rifles, 1,500 weapons cartridges, 95 magazines, two rocket launchers, two rockets and 23 vehicles.

    Jimenez is located between San Fernando and Ciudad Victoria, about 200 kilometers due south of Reynosa. Jimenez has previously been the site of shootouts between drug gangs before, one of which was last May 16th.
    Posted by: badanov || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


    More Mexican Mayhem
    Six Die in Chihuahua

    Six individuals were murdered in drug and gang related violence in northern Mexico, which included an attempted assassination of the former mayor of Hidalgo, Tamaulipas.

    For a map, click here.
    • Two unidentified individuals were shot to death at a residence in Chihuahua, Chiuhuahua, according to Mexican press reports. The attack took place near the intersection of calles Ché Guevara y Camilo Cienfuegos where several armed suspects burst inside the home and began shooting. A third victim was forced outside and into a Ford Windstar van, which was seen fleeing the area.

    • Two teenagers were shot to death Friday night in Juarez, according to Mexican press reports. The attack took place near Plaza Trigal on Avenida Gómez Morín where a young couple were shot to death while parked in their sedan. The couple have been tentatively identified as Laura Cecilia and Cesar Hinojos.

    • A severed head was found on the street north of Chihuahua, according to Mexican press reports. The head was found near Pistolas Meneses park in the 20 Aniversario district inside a foam cooler. The cooler also contained a message although the contents were not revealed.

    • An unidentified man was found shot to death in Delicias, Chihuahua, according to Mexican press reports. The discovery was made near the intersection of calles Avenida 2nd and Poniente in the Carmen district.

    • The former mayor of Hidalgo, Tamaulipas was shot and wounded Thursday afternoon, say Mexican press reports. Cesareo Rocha Villanueva was attacked near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas by several armed suspects at about 1300 hrs.
    Posted by: badanov || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


    Nuevo Leon: Mexican Army Bags Four Bad Guys in Monterrey
    Google Translate from a variety of web sources. For a map, click here.
    Elements of the Mexican Army in Monterrey fought a gun battle with criminal gangs late Friday night to early Saturday morning, while security forces dealt with a number of road blocks emplaced by criminal gangs according to Mexican press sources.

    At about 2330 hrs, elements of the Grupo de Bases de Operaciones Mixtas (BOM) moved to south Monterrey to deal with reports of gunfire and road blocks instigated by criminal gangs.

    BOM is a mixture of military and police forces grouped as a rapid reaction force against criminal gang actions in Monterrey.

    BOM forces encountered a number of road blocks near the intersections of Avenida Fidel Velazquez and Calle Copa, placed to block access to Calle Manuel L. Barragan, and Calle Felix U. Gomez and Avenida Chapultepec placed to block access to Avenida Revolucion.

    Civilians reported that their vehicles were hijacked at gunpoint and used to block roads.

    Two armed suspects attempting to cross to the northern zone of the city on Avenida Revolucion were intercepted by the army after a brief chase near the intersection of Avenida Chapultepec and Calle Octava Zona and killed. Both suspects were carrying heavy weapons and tactical vests.

    Meanwhile, two other armed suspects were killed in a residence by soldiers near then intersection of calles Juventino Rosas and Aquiles Serdan.

    Seized were three rifles, some radio gear and bulletproof vests.
    Posted by: badanov || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


    Northern Mexico: Mexican Army Seizes 5.7 Tons of Pot, Weapons
    Google Translate from a variety of web sources. For a map, click here.
    Almost six tons of marijuana along with a number of contraband were seized in three separate operations by the Mexican Army Thursday and Friday, according to Mexican news reports.

    In Altar, Sonora, elements of the Mexican 45th Military Zone, while conducting surveys in the area arrested two unidentified individuals and seized 458 packages of marijuana wrapped in tape for a total of 3,950 kilograms.

    Munitions and weapons seized include an AK-47 assault rifle, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, four fragmentation grenades, 52 magazines and a large number of weapons cartridges.

    Vehicles and other materiel seized include five late model vehicles and several police uniforms with logos of various police departments.

    Alter is about 30 miles south of Tubutama and El Saric, and 50 miles south of Nogales, where two large intergang gunfights over the last few weeks cost the lives of more than 40 individuals.

    Meanwhile, in Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon, following a firefight between elements of the Mexican Army and criminal gangs Thursday night, three trucks were seized with 94 packages of marijuana totalling 958 kilograms.

    Arrested was Joel Minez Rodríguez, who will likely be charged with possession of marijuana and for possession of an illegal firearm.

    Cadereyta and its environs for more than a week has been the focus of a number of firefights between the Mexican Army and criminal gangs.

    Finally, in Tijuana, Baja California, elements of the Mexican Army stormed an apartment on Avenida Grecia in the Cacho district, placing three unidentified individuals under arrest and seizing 328 kilograms of marijuana.

    Also seized was a pickup truck and several scales.
    Posted by: badanov || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Mexican Army Seizes 5.7 Tons of Pot,
    Army units seem strangly calm and laid back.
    Posted by: Redneck Jim || 08/15/2010 11:17 Comments || Top||

    #2  Surprised they weren't crack troops.
    Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 08/15/2010 11:52 Comments || Top||


    Europe
    Italy releases PKK leader on probation
    [Iran Press TV Latest] A court in the Italian city of Venice has released a senior member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on probation.

    The 58-year-old Nizamettin Toguc was set free on Saturday until the judges reach a verdict on Turkey's demand for extradition. He will have to live in a small town outside Italy's northern city of Padova and report to the local police until the court arrives at a verdict, the Anatolia news agency reported.

    The Italian secret police apprehended Toguc, who is the leader of a federation of Kurdish associations in Europe, in Venice on July 18 and incarcerated him in a prison in Padova until his release.

    The senior PKK operative attended the third session of his trial on Friday. In the hearing, an Italian prosecutor and Toguc's lawyers requested that he be released on probation while the court examined Turkey's extradition request.

    The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community, including Turkey, Iran, the United States, and European Union member states.

    Over 40,000 people have lost their lives since the PKK launched its armed campaign against Ankara in 1984.

    The PKK militants launch their attacks from Iraq's Qandil Mountains in the areas under the control of Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani. Israel and Israeli firms also operate in the Qandil mountain range.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


    India-Pakistan
    Suspected US missile strike 'kills 12 in NW Pakistan'
    Duplicate.
    Posted by: tipper || 08/15/2010 04:53 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  More from Roggio:
    One missile fired from a US drone struck a militant compound in the village of Issori, just outside of Miramshah. (Must've caught them in a big group hug.)
    Issori is in the sphere of influence of the Haqqani Network. The Haqqanis, Bahadar, and Nazir are considered "good Taliban" by the Pakistani military establishment as they do not carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
    Posted by: Glenmore || 08/15/2010 9:36 Comments || Top||

    #2  Dead Taliban is "good Taliban"
    Posted by: Frank G || 08/15/2010 13:11 Comments || Top||

    #3  Nice Ramadan present!
    Posted by: 3dc || 08/15/2010 13:48 Comments || Top||

    #4  This is America, we have a right to build "Hellfire missiles" and launch them from Preds to kill these vermin. I have not, nor will I discuss the "wisdom" of the strikes.
    Posted by: Besoeker || 08/15/2010 13:56 Comments || Top||


    Dronezap ices 12 turbans in Haqqaniland
    [Al Arabiya Latest]U.S. missile strike on a hard boy compound in Pakistain's tribal district on the Afghan border killed 12 rebels and wounded five others on Saturday, local security officials said.

    The United States has intensified missile strikes by drone aircraft in Pakistain's lawless Pashtun tribal lands in an effort to curb violence in Afghanistan, much of which U.S. officials say comes from hard boy sanctuaries on the Pakistaini side.

    Most of the missile attacks this year were carried out on hard boy targets in North Waziristan region.

    In the latest strike, the missiles hit a house used by hard boys as a hideout near Mir Ali, the second major town of the region.

    "We have reports that 12 hard boys were killed in the attack. The corpse count could be more," an intelligence official in the region told Rooters.

    He said Amir Moawia, an important Pakistaini Taliban commander, was among the dead.

    Another intelligence official said there were five foreigners among the slain hard boys but their nationalities could not be immediately confirmed.

    A large number of hard boys linked to al-Qaeda and Taliban, including Arabs, Uzbeks, Chechens and Chinese fled to Pakistaini border regions and took refuge with their Pakistaini allies after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan following the al-Qaeda attacks on the United States in 2001.

    Pakistain is a key U.S. ally in its efforts to stabilize Afghanistan but it officially objects to U.S. missile strikes and says they infringe on its sovereignty though analysts believe that the strikes are carried out with the tacit approval of Pakistain.

    Pakistaini forces are themselves fighting homegrown hard boys and have killed hundreds of hard boys and destroyed many bases over the past year in their strongholds in the northwest. The hard boys have unleashed a campaign of reprisal bomb and suicide kabooms across the country, killing hundreds of people in recent months.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

    #1  border killed field dressed 12 rebels
    Posted by: 3dc || 08/15/2010 17:36 Comments || Top||


    Six killed in ethnic attack in Quetta
    [Dawn] Police say gunmen have killed six workers in southwestern Pakistan in the second apparent ethnic-based attack of the day.
    You sure they weren't Zionist spies?
    Senior police official Hamid Shakeel says gunmen stormed a home in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, and killed six workers who were painting it. Three others were wounded. All the victims were from Punjab province in Pakistan's east.

    Earlier Saturday, gunmen singled out non-ethnic Baloch passengers traveling on a bus in Aab-e-Ghum, a town about 50 kilometers away, killing 10 and wounding five.

    The attack is sure to add to ethnic tensions in Balochistan, where a nationalist movement led by armed ethnic Baluch groups has long sought greater provincial autonomy from the central government.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


    Afghan, Nato troops pursue Haqqani fighters
    [Dawn] More than 20 bad boys including Arab, Chechen and Pakistaini fighters have been killed by Nato and Afghan forces who are ramping up operations in the east against a Taliban faction linked to Al-Qaeda, the international coalition said Saturday.

    Separately, three more Nato troops -- an American, a Briton and an Australian -- were killed in separate bad boy attacks in the volatile south, officials of the three countries said Saturday.

    The joint force operation began Wednesday against dozens of bad boys holed up in a mountainous area of Zadran district of Paktia province. The operation focused on disrupting the Haqqani network's movement in an area used to stage attacks in the capital, Kabul, and along a highway that links Khost province and Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia, Nato said.

    More than 20 bad boys have been killed, the coalition said. Combined security forces also discovered and destroyed multiple explosive devices and bomb-making equipment, including trip wire and blasting caps, weapons and ammunition. A coalition airstrike destroyed an enemy ammunitions bunker, Nato said.

    The US considers the Haqqani group, led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin, as one of the most dangerous Taliban networks because of its links to Al-Qaeda. The group is suspected of playing a major role in the Dec. 30 bombing of a CIA base in Khost as well as a series of attacks in Kabul. It is based in the western border area of Pakistain, where US forces cannot operate on the ground.

    ''The Haqqani network continually seeks to establish strongholds in the Khost-Gardez pass, disrupting the local government and facilitating the movement of foreign fighters, explosives and weapons into Afghanistan,'' said US Army Col. Rafael Torres, a Nato front man.

    Two other operations in June resulted in the deaths of more than 50 Haqqani fighters. Afghan and coalition forces killed 17 fighters including a commander, Fazil Subhan, during a fierce firefight in Khost province June 9, Nato said.

    A week later, in the Jani Khel district of Paktia province, Afghan and coalition forces killed at least 35 bad boys including several key leaders for both the Haqqani and Taliban networks. The security force killed Hamiddullah, a Haqqani commander for Sabari district in Khost province who had direct ties to Haqqani senior leadership based in Pakistain and was reportedly responsible for an ambush of an Afghan National Army unit in March, which killed three Afghan soldiers.

    In the two-day offensive on the largest foreign fighter camp in the area, assault forces also killed Qari Ismail, a Taliban leader for Jani Khel district, and Maulvi Sadiq, who worked to bring foreign fighters into Afghanistan, Nato said.

    Nato officials had no further details about the death of the American service member Saturday. But the Australian military said a member of the country's elite Special Air Service Regiment was shot early Saturday while assisting in a ''disruption operation'' in the northern part of Kandahar province.

    The British Ministry of Defense said Saturday that a British soldier serving with a mine-clearing unit died in a firefight the day before in the Nad-e-Ali district of Helmand province.

    Also in the south, three Afghan civilians were killed and another was wounded by bad boys in three separate incidents in Kandahar province on Friday. Two of the civilians were killed when a rocket-propelled grenade hit their vehicle in Arghandab district. Another was fatally stabbed by bad boys near the governor's compound in Kandahar city.

    In the north, Nato and coalition troops killed two bad boys Saturday after a patrol came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire in Kunduz province, Nato said.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


    Gunmen attack bus, kill 10 near Quetta
    [Dawn] Gunmen attacked a passenger bus and shot dead at least 10 people in insurgency-hit southwest Pakistan, officials said on Saturday.

    The incident took place in Aab-e-Gum area, 75 kilometres southeast of Quetta, the capital of oil and gas rich Balochistan province, on Friday night.

    "A group of 30-35 gunmen stopped the bus in Aab-e-Gum area, off-loaded passengers at gunpoint and shot dead 10 of them," top provincial home department official Akbar Hussain Durrani told AFP.

    He said the bus was travelling to Quetta from the eastern city of Lahore and all those killed in the attack were Punjabi-speaking people.

    A senior local official in Aab-e-Gum area, Ismail Kurd, also confirmed the incident and casualties.
    No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


    Iraq
    Gunmen kill 4 Iraq policemen, set bodies ablaze
    [Al Arabiya Latest] Gunmen attacked two police checkpoints in Baghdad on Saturday, killing four policemen and burning two bodies in public, an Interior Ministry source said in a reminder of insurgency strength in the Iraqi capital.

    Insurgents shot the two policemen as they sat in their car in eastern Baghdad, the official said, and then set it on fire, while two others were killed by silenced pistols at a checkpoint in the west of the Iraqi capital.

    Saturday's incident was the third time in two weeks that members of the security forces' bodies have been burned after being killed by insurgents.

    Security forces have been frequent targets of a stubborn insurgency in recent months as the United States reduces its troop strength in Iraq more than seven years after the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

    In Al-Shaab district northeast of Baghdad meanwhile, a member of the government-backed Sahwa (Awakening) militia was shot dead at a checkpoint, the official said, and two other fighters wounded.

    The Sahwa, known in the U.S. military as the "Sons of Iraq" sided with the U.S. against al-Qaeda from late 2006, helping turn the tide of Iraq's brutal insurgency.

    Dozens of the former Sunni rebels have been killed in apparent revenge attacks in recent months.

    Washington plans to cut U.S. troop numbers to about 50,000 by Aug. 31, the date for the formal end of combat operations, from just under 60,000 now.

    Insurgents appear to be trying to take advantage of a vacuum as Iraqi politicians squabble over positions in a new government more than five months after an inconclusive March 7 election.

    Overall violence in Iraq has ebbed since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-07 but bombings and other attacks occur frequently.

    Iraqi authorities said the number of civilians who died in bombings and other attacks nearly doubled in July to 396 from 204 in June.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq

    #1  Find an A-Q safe house, and napalm it. I think they'll get the message.
    Posted by: Old Patriot || 08/15/2010 22:18 Comments || Top||


    2 cops killed, 2 wounded in 2 attacks in Baghdad
    BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Two policemen were killed on Saturday and two others wounded in two separate attacks in southwestern Baghdad.

    “Unknown gunmen today used guns with silencers to attack a police checkpoint in the al-Amil neighborhood, southwestern Baghdad, killing two cops,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
    We don't know if the attackers were AQI or just Sunni revanchists trying to kill Shi'a ...
    “Two roadside bombs went off in synchronicity in al-Amil neighborhood, wounding two policemen,” the source added.

    Earlier, two policemen and one Sahwa (Awakening) fighter were killed on Saturday and two other Sahwa fighters were wounded in two other separate attacks in the Baghdad al-Jadeeda and al-Shaab neighborhoods of the Iraqi capital.
    Posted by: Steve White || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


    Diala police arrest Baghdad’s Aadhamiya assassin
    DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq: Diala police arrested the prime suspect behind the assassinations in Baghdad’s district of al-Aadhamiya more than two weeks ago, according to the province’s police chief on Saturday.
    Perhaps we owe thanks to Mahmoud the Weasel ...
    “Acting upon intelligence tip-offs, police forces in Diala raided a house in Baghdad to arrest Amir Mustafa Shakir, the Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader in the area of al-Mukhisa in Diala, on charges of involvement in the assassination of a number of Iraqi soldiers in al-Aadhamiya a few days ago,” Maj. General Abdulhussein al-Shimari told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

    “The operation was carried out in coordination with security forces in Baghdad,” he said, not giving further details.
    Whacked soldiers? He's going to wish the Americans had arrested him ...
    Omar Ibn Abdulaziz street, al-Aadhamiya district, had witnessed on July 29 attacks with improvised explosive devices and armed clashes that left 16, including six army soldiers and three policemen, killed and 14 others, including seven civilians, wounded, according to security source.

    The restive province of Diala lies 57 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
    Posted by: Steve White || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


    Southeast Asia
    Thai terrorists celebrate start of Ramadan predictably
    Security measures have been stepped up in three Narathiwat districts for the month of Ramadan, which began on Wednesday. The three districts were identified in intelligence reports as obvious possible targets of terrorist insurgent violence during the Ramadan period. Some violent attacks had already been reported in Rueso and Rangae, said Col Banphot.
    It's beginning to look a lot like Ramadan ...
    Meanwhile, a couple were shot dead early yesterday morning in Yala's Muang district. Reports said they were gunned down by a group of assailants while riding on a motorcycle to a rubber plantation in Yala.

    A 25-year-old soldier was also shot dead yesterday on Raman-Balo road in Yala's Raman district while travelling by motorcycle with his wife to her home in Narathiwat.

    In Pattani's Yaring district, Police Lance Corporal Taleh Dorloh, 38, was found shot dead next to his motorcycle, which had crashed into a utility pole on a road. Police found four cases of 11mm bullets near the scene. They assumed Pol L/C Taleh was attacked by a group of terrorists insurgents while he was gathering information in the area as part of his official duties.
    "It was either them or that pesky Drive-By Quaker gang"
    Posted by: ryuge || 08/15/2010 10:52 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Thai Insurgency


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Lebanon 'kills Fatah al-Islam militant leader'
    Lebanese security officials say they have shot and killed the suspected leader of the militant Sunni Islamist movement Fatah al-Islam.

    Abd-al-Rahman Awad and an associate were intercepted on a main road in eastern Lebanon and died in an exchange of fire with security forces.
    You'll never take ma alive, Coppers! ("O.K.") Bang, Bang! Ouch. Rosebud....
    Fatah al-Islam fought a three-month battle with the Lebanese army in 2007 in which about 400 people were killed. The group is believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda terror group.

    Abd-al-Rahman Awad was already high on the Lebanese wanted list. He had been condemned to death in absentia on charges relating to a number of bomb attacks and killings over the past three years. He was believed to have taken over the leadership of Fatah al-Islam after its long battle with the army at the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared near Tripoli in northern Lebanon in 2007.

    According to Lebanese security officials, he had recently been hiding in the big Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hellhole near Sidon in the south.
    There is no place like the ol' Hellhole for relaxation during the hot summer months.
    He was travelling with two companions on the main road to Syria when he was ambushed by security forces in the town of Chtaura in east Lebanon.

    Mr Awad and one of his associates named Abu Bakr Abdullah were killed in a hail of gunfire. The third man escaped.
    Curly-toed slippers, don't fail me now.
    Fatah al-Islam shares a similar ideology to al-Qaeda though it denies being linked to the organisation.
    Links? Good heavens, no! Silly infidels.
    Posted by: tipper || 08/15/2010 04:58 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Timeline:

    1. US gives counter-espionage and military equipment to Lebanon to shore up "democratic" forces threatened by Iran and Syria client Hezbollah.

    2. Instead of using the counter-espionage equipment to counter Hezbollah-Syria-Iran, Lebanon uses it to catch nationals spying for Israel.

    3. Then Lebanon uses its arms to ambush Israeli soldiers. This was not an impromptu decision, but was a plan that even involved bringing along correspondents from Reuters and other sympathetic media.

    4. The US administration is nonplussed, but Congress moves to cut off further military aid to Lebanon.

    5. Lebabon ambushes a well-known terrorist: "See, US Congress, we are really using your aid for the purposes you intended."

    Looks like a version of Pakistan's game plan.
    Posted by: Odysseus || 08/15/2010 19:49 Comments || Top||


    Lukoil snubs fuel sanctions against Iran
    Russia's largest oil company, Lukoil, has shrugged off sanctions against Iran and has resumed gasoline sales to the Islamic Republic through its trade partners.

    The company discharged a cargo of 250,000 barrels of gasoline in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas last week, Reuters reported.
    Doesn't sound like it ever stopped.
    The second fuel cargo is expected to be shipped to the port later this week.

    Lukoil, which stopped its activities in Iran under US pressures in April, resumed selling gasoline to Iran in participation with its trading and supply arm, Litasko, and China's state-run firm, Zhuhai Zhenrong.

    Following the June 9 UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, the US and European Union took unilateral measures against the country over its nuclear program.
    I guess sanctions would be "unilateral" even if 158 nations went along.
    Moscow has repeatedly voiced opposition to unilateral sanctions against Iran. Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko recently said that the United Nations sanctions against Iran would not prevent Russian firms from providing Tehran with oil products.

    The US, which possesses and has used nuclear weapons in the past, accuses Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program. Tehran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency it has the right to use nuclear technology.
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Lukoil sells their products in the US under their Lukoil brand and have apparently bought some or all of Getty.

    You don't HAVE to buy their products. Who knows, they might even want to know what their US customers think.
    Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 08/15/2010 5:31 Comments || Top||


    Kurdish Rebels Kill Iran Militiamen: Report
    [Asharq al-Aswat] Kurdish rebels have killed a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards and two Islamist militiamen in clashes near a northwestern city, a newspaper reported Saturday.
    I guess if you die,you lose your "elite" status prolly along with just about everything else.
    The clashes took place near the city of Orumieh in West Azarbaijan province on Friday between members of the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) and the Guards, Iran's hardline ideological force, Shargh daily said.
    More guns that ideology, a lot more guns
    A Guards commander identified as Nasser Pasandideh and two members of the Islamist Basij militia, which operates under the Guards, were killed, the report said.

    PJAK is closely allied with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which operates in Turkey and is listed as a "terrorist" group by Ankara and much of the international community.

    PJAK has been fighting security forces in northwestern Iran which has a significant Kurdish population.

    In May, Iran hanged four Kurds, including a woman, for alleged ties with the group.
    They used the wrong haberdasher?
    Posted by: Fred || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


    Lebanese army kills wanted top leader
    BEIRUT — Lebanese troops on Saturday killed two militants including a head of the Al Qaeda-inspired Fatah Al Islam which fought the army three years ago, a military spokesman said.
    I was wondering if the Lebs had decided to forget and forgive. Apparently not ...
    ‘Abdel Rahman Awad, one of the key leaders of Fatah Al Islam,’ was killed along with another militant known as Abu Bakr during clashes in the eastern Bekaa Valley region, the spokesman told AFP.
    If we had a CIA that was competent, we'd be telling everyone that Abdel was a secret Israeli spy ...
    A judicial source said Abu Bakr was Awad’s key deputy who provided military training to members of the shadowy group said to be inspired by Al Qaeda.
    Posted by: Steve White || 08/15/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Just trying to unblock USaid.
    Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/15/2010 4:58 Comments || Top||

    #2  More like they're removing any potential oppo to Hesb'allah.
    Posted by: Pappy || 08/15/2010 19:43 Comments || Top||



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    Two weeks of WOT
    Sun 2010-08-15
      Dronezap ices 12 turbans in Haqqaniland
    Sat 2010-08-14
      B.O. defends plans for mosque near ground zero
    Fri 2010-08-13
      Durango: Mexican Army Bags 12 Bad Guys; 5 Others Die
    Thu 2010-08-12
      Afghan army reaches target strength
    Wed 2010-08-11
      Nuevo Leon: Mexican Army Seizes $1.3 Million in Cash, Drugs
    Tue 2010-08-10
      Hezbollah accuses Israel of Hariri assassination
    Mon 2010-08-09
      Indonesian police arrest Bashir on terror charges
    Sun 2010-08-08
      60 killed in triple bombing in Basra
    Sat 2010-08-07
      10 Medical Aid Workers Murdered Near Kabul
    Fri 2010-08-06
      Tamaulipas: Car Bomb Explodes at State Police HQ
    Thu 2010-08-05
      Chief of Frontier Constabulary rubbed out in suicide attack
    Wed 2010-08-04
      Hezbollah accuses Israel of killing Rafik Hariri
    Tue 2010-08-03
      Two Lebanese soldiers killed in clash with IDF on northern border
    Mon 2010-08-02
      Five rockets slam into Israeli resort
    Sun 2010-08-01
      Assad wants Hariri tribunal closed

    Better than the average link...



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