[Tolo News] President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. 's special representative for reform and good governance, Ahmad Zia Massoud on Monday claimed that nepotism has, for a while, been the basis for appointments within the Ministry of Defense (MoD).
Calling the move unprincipled, Massoud maintained that many military officers were appointed based on personal relations and that in many instances they are unable to deal with counter-insurgency actions.
He also said a number of newly-appointed officers currently lack military training experience.
"We raised the issue with the National Security Council and made it clear that a number of commanders were appointed based on nepotism which undermines war management," Massoud said while meeting ANA commanders who recently fought in Kunduz.
Massoud's remarks came a day after Ghani ordered the appointment of a number of key military officials to fill posts which were being run by caretakers.
Ghani has however said on different occasions that he would distance security institutions from politics.
Political interference in appointments and promotions aren't acceptable, Ghani said while visiting war-hit city of Kunduz last week.
In a recent move, the defense ministry recommended a number of proposals to Ghani in an effort to bring about necessary reforms within the ministry.
But on Sunday night, Ghani promoted 61 ANA officers -- some to heads of departments and some as generals - in a bid to increase capacity building, maintain security and protect national illusory sovereignty.
The Ministry of Defense welcomed the appointments and said it was important to fill some key vacancies in efforts to curb militancy and to strengthen security.
"Sixty to 70 generals retired last year and their posts remained vacant. A decision was taken to fill some vacancies," said a front man for the ministry of defense Gen. Habiburrahman Afzal.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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Is nepotism any worse than appointments based on demographics?
[Tolo News] Minister of Public Health Ferozuddin Feroz on Tuesday said a number of government officials are involved in dealing in drugs, especially in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... .
He did not however give names but said this practice has led to a sharp increase in drug addicts in the country.
Feroz, along with the deputy minister of interior affairs on counter-narcotics, had been summoned to the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) to answer questions over the spike in drug addicts in Afghanistan.
Feroz warned that unless the guilty officials are brought to justice, all efforts to fight the scourge will be useless.
"As long as government officials are involved in distributing drugs to addicts all efforts will be undermined which is unfortunately a big challenge," he said.
In addition, he complained the government has not budgeted for building facilities to treat addicts.
He also said that more than 80 percent of drug addicts in the country have received treatment but that at least 60 percent have gone back to their old habits.
"Until we are provided with a budget, our strategy to treat addicts will fail," he said adding that the ministry of finance has not given his ministry enough money to deal with this problem.
Feroz states that despite 45,000 addicts being treated a year, the health ministry's efforts to curb the problem are no helping.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!... the MPs also complained about the lack of drug addiction treatment centers in the country, which they directly link to the sharp increase in addicts in the country.
Robaba Parwani, an MP, said: "The number of drug addicts increase daily in Kabul and there are not enough centers to treat them."
However other politicians stressed the need for the counter-narcotics law to be amended in order to resolve the issue.
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10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] General Khalifah Hafter has come down against the Political Accord which he said favoured those who backed terrorism in Libya.
Though the Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan armed forces made a point of declaring his loyalty to the House of Representatives, he warned in a statement today, that his hands would "not be tied if the HoR goes too far, under Western dictation and foreign pressure on its president and other members and yields to form a government which calls itself the Accord, but in fact is biased toward the supporters of terrorism in Libya".
He said that the army had to go after every nest of terrorism in every corner of Libya. "We will not rest until the security of our injured country is restored".
Hafter also asserted that Russia and other friendly states have promised him "collaboration against terrorism" and help in forming a national army which would be capable of tackling the challenges and threats facing Libya.
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10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A majority of politicians in Libya's internationally recognized parliament on Monday rejected a U.N. peace deal and a proposal for a national unity government, one of them said.
MP Ali Tekbali said the decision was taken during a session of the parliament but that no vote took place.
"A majority of politicians decided to reject the (U.N.) proposals," Tekbali told AFP.
"No voting took place," he said "since the majority of the members have rejected the U.N. suggestions".
The official Lana news agency also reported that a "majority of politicians have announced their rejection of the proposals made by U.N. envoy Bernardino Leon".
Libya has had two administrations since August 2014, when a militia alliance that includes Islamists overran the capital, forcing the internationally recognized government to take refuge in Tobruk in the east.
U.N. envoy Leon announced on October 9 proposals for a unity government after months of negotiations.
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10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... on Monday tossed in the calaboose Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! a civil rights activist for 10 years using a counter-terrorism law designed to stifle free speech, Amnesia Amnesty International said.
Abdulkareem al-Khoder is one of 11 founding members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) who are already behind bars or on trial for calling for political and human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... reforms, the London-based watchdog said.
"The Saudi Arabian authorities today continued their cynical use of a repressive and overly vague counter-terrorism law to purge the kingdom's small and embattled civil society," Amnesty said.
Khoder was tossed in the calaboose Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! by a criminal court for eight years in June 2013 before his sentence was overturned.
He remained arbitrarily detained and his case was re-heard by a Specialised Criminal Court, which handed down the higher sentence, Amnesty said.
Khoder is the latest activist convicted by the special court whose jurisdiction is terrorism, activists say.
"By using abusive counter-terrorism legislation and a deeply deficient specialised court to intimidate and lock up human rights defenders, Saudi Arabia is sending a chilling message that anyone who speaks out will be purged," said James Lynch, of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme.
Khoder was accused of offences including disobeying the ruler, inciting disorder by calling for demonstrations, and taking part in founding an unlicensed organization, Amnesty said, describing him as a former professor in the Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence at Al-Qassim University.
Another ACPRA member, Abdulrahman al-Hamid, was sentenced by the specialised court last Wednesday to nine years in prison, Amnesty said.
In a separate case, also on Wednesday, the specialised court sentenced human rights defender Abdulaziz al-Senaidi to eight years in prison, said another watchdog, the Gulf Center for Human Rights.
Senaidi, placed in durance vile Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! in March, was charged over a petition calling for public demonstrations, and was accused of inciting public opinion via his Twitter account, the Gulf Center said.
Khoder's conviction came during a visit to Riyadh by Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who met with King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... .
Steinmeier said he had discussed "individual cases" of human rights, including that of detained Saudi blogger Raif Badawi who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for insulting Islam.
Germany's top diplomat said he had underlined, very explicitly, "that we are waiting for progress".
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[AnNahar] British Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... on Monday unveiled new planned measures aimed at countering jihadist ideology and stopping young Britons traveling to Syria, challenging Muslim communities to "own" the problem.
Key proposals in the plan include allowing parents to have passports removed from 16 and 17-year-olds, and barring those with terrorism or bad boy convictions from working with children and vulnerable people.
The new Counter-Extremism Strategy will also include a review of Britannia's citizenship rules with a stronger focus on the "good character" consideration to filter out bully boyz from those applying to be citizens.
"The fight against Islamist extremism is, I believe, one of the great struggles of our generation. In responding to this poisonous ideology, we face a choice," Cameron said Monday.
"Do we close our eyes, put our kid gloves on and just hope that our values will somehow endure in the end? Or do we get out there and make the case for those values, defend them with all that we've got and resolve to win the battle of ideas all over again?"
Police say they have foiled several jihadist attacks in Britannia, while hundreds of Britons are believed to have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group, raising concerns that not enough is being done to counter extremism.
A 15-year old boy, thought to be Britannia's youngest person convicted of terrorism, was sentenced earlier this month to a minimum of five years in jail for plotting an IS-inspired "massacre" on an Anzac Day parade in Australia.
Cameron called on the Muslim community to do more to combat the threat.
"The bad boy narrative needs to be fought every day at the kitchen table, on the university campus, online and on the airwaves," said the prime minister.
"As a government, I know we must own this problem. But our Muslim communities must own it too. We have all got a critical part to play, but I strongly feel the currently silent majority can make all the difference."
The Muslim Council of Britannia (MCB) warned that Cameron's comments risked isolating their community.
"Whether it is in mosques, education or charities, the strategy will reinforce perceptions that all aspects of Muslim life must undergo a 'compliance' test to prove our loyalty to this country," said MCB general secretary Shuja Shafi.
Indeed.
"We cannot help but also detect the McCarthyist undertones in the proposal to create blacklists and exclude and ban people deemed to be bad boy."
Senator McCarthy was right, which is why he had to be driven out of politics. That Mr. Shafi objects is troubling ought to attract interest in certain quarters.
Citing police figures, Cameron's Downing Street office said there were 338 counter-terrorism related arrests in the past year, with 157 linked to Syria and 56 involving suspects under 20.
The planned measure allowing parents to cancel the passports of 16 and 17-year-olds follows a successful trial with youths under 16, Downing Street said.
Cameron's new strategy comes a day after he pledged £5 million ($7.7 million, 6.8 million euros) to root out the "poison" of bully boyz by supporting local initiatives, campaigns and charitable organizations in a so-called "national coalition" against radicalization.
[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Political analyst Daniel Chasquetti said the government underestimated cultural differences between Uruguay and the refugees' homeland and failed to take into account their limited job skills.
"And it's not like Uruguay is a country bursting with opportunities," Chasquetti said.
The economy of this nation of 3.3 million people is largely based on agricultural and textile exports, and about 40 percent of workers earn around $500 a month, according to a leading union.
In August one of the Syrian families tried to travel to Serbia, only to be detained 23 days at the airport in Istanbul because they didn't have the right documents. Ultimately they returned to Uruguay.
The refugees do not have Syrian passports and cannot get Uruguayan ones because they are not citizens. The government has given them national ID cards, but they're insufficient to cross many of the world's frontiers and Uruguay says it can't force other countries to accept the documents.
Their frustration at a boiling point, the Syrians protested for several days last month in front of the Uruguayan presidency to demand help getting to another country.
Then came the incident at Alshebli's home on Oct. 6, when he poured gasoline over himself in protest in the presence of officials from Uruguay's Human Rights Secretariat. According to a statement from the agency, he did so after being told that Uruguay doesn't have the authority to issue him a visa for another country.
It's unclear whether Alshebli intended to light himself on fire or simply scare the officials, who later filed a police complaint. Alshebli declined to discuss the incident, and the head of the rights body did not respond to requests for comment.
One of Alshebli's sons, 21-year-old Ibrahim, said his father simply lost his temper and didn't mean any harm. The elder Alshebli was briefly detained and taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
Self-immolation has special symbolism today in the Middle East. A major catalyst for the Arab Spring, which began in 2011 in Tunisia, was a poor and frustrated fruit vendor who set himself on fire.
But many Uruguayans were appalled.
Lourdes Schneck, who serves the Uruguayan specialty of fried pies in downtown, said she wasn't sure whether to be angry with her government or the Syrians.
"I get the feeling they thought they were coming to a different class of country, with more wealth," said Schneck, who periodically hires one of Alshebli's teenage sons, 15-year-old Mohammed.
Jennyfer Lopez, a student in Juan Lacaze, thinks they never should have been taken in.
"Uruguay isn't in a financial position to be receiving refugees," she said, echoing a common criticism. "It was obvious they wouldn't be comfortable here."
Former President Jose Mujica, who left office in March, was the driving force behind inviting the Syrians and the ex-Guantanamo prisoners. Mujica, who was enjugged Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! for 13 years during the country's dictatorship, took pride in opening Uruguay's doors to people in need.
His successor, Tabare Vazquez, has shown much less enthusiasm. In his inaugural speech, Vazquez said a "profound analysis" was necessary before Uruguay accommodated more Syrian refugees.
A second group of 72 refugees was supposed to come in February but never did. Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa has insisted they'll arrive later this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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These ppl sure do feel entitled , especially while asking other ppl for help. Someone give the guy a match the next time he buys gas.
Posted by: chris ||
10/20/2015 6:24 Comments ||
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Free Stuff! Free Stuff! Free Stuff!
What do you mean there's no free stuff here? What do you mean I have to work just like the kaffir?
Posters glorifying North Korea’s ruling Korean Workers’ Party are being defaced across the country in a wave of popular resentment against burdens imposed in preparation for celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the party’s founding, North Korean sources say.
Graffiti attacks against the posters were first noticed in South Pyongan province’s Pyongsong city during regional elections in July, a source in neighboring Jagang province told RFA’s Korean Service.
And despite a recently publicized order from national leader Kim Jong Un threatening harsh punishment for the attacks, “These acts of vandalism have continued until the present time,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The number of incidents is now increasing because residents of the reclusive nuclear-armed state are angered at their exploitation by the country’s central government as it prepares for elaborate celebrations, including a massive military parade, in the capital Pyongyang on Oct. 10, he said.
On Sept. 9, a poster was found damaged in Pyongsong, with references on the poster to the country as “the victor” changed to “the defeated,” a source in Yanggang province told RFA. Two other posters were found later that night to have also been defaced, the source said, speaking on condition he not be named.
“When news of the Pyongsong incidents spread, more cases of the vandalism of posters promoting the 70th anniversary of the [North] Korean Workers’ Party began to take place nationwide,” the source said.
By publicizing news of the graffiti attacks, and threatening to harshly punish those found responsible, the government has shown North Korea’s people “the best target” for their anger against the regime, he said.
Reports in recent months indicate that North Korea’s regime has badly miscalculated the country’s readiness to mark the founding of its ruling party.
Traffic from the provinces to the capital Pyongyang has been severely restricted in recent weeks, and households around the country were instructed in August to pay around 40 yuan (U.S. $6.30) to support training for a military parade and finance new construction projects ahead of the celebrations.
Also in August, sources told RFA that authorities in North Hamgyong province were punishing those committing misdemeanors—such as riding bicycles without bells—with labor duty as they race to complete unfinished development projects before Saturday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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"Round up the usual suspects!"
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/20/2015 8:07 Comments ||
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Has this ever happened before in a country where people run into burning buildings to rescue the portraits of the
Dear Leader?
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A drone shot down by Turkish warplanes in Turkish air space near Syria on Friday was Russian-made, but Moscow has told Ankara the unmanned aircraft did not belong to Russia, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday.
The drone was downed on Friday after it continued on its flight path despite three warnings, the Turkish military said. Earlier this month, Russian jets violated Turkish air space on two occasions and Ankara warned it would respond if such incursions recurred.
"The downed drone is Russian-made but Russia has told us in a friendly manner
Friendly like Uncle Joe, or like Uncle Joe Stalin?
that it doesn't belong to them," Davutoglu said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster AHaber.
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10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Hurriyet Daily News] An arrest warrant in absentia and a red notice has been issued in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... for the U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, while a local court has accepted an indictment against 69 suspects, including Gulen, for links to the alleged "Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ)/Parallel State Structure (PDY)."
Istanbul's 13th Court of Serious Crimes accepted the 1,453-page indictment into suspected allies of Gulen, a former friend turned bitter foe of the Turkish government. It also issued an arrest warrant for the Pennsylvania-based Gulen and Sinan Dursun, who is reported to be Gulen's assistant, in absentia. Both suspects will be searched for with a red notice, the court ordered.
Gulen is charged with "attempting to topple the government of the Turkish Republic or preventing it from fully or partially conducting its duties," "forming or managing the FETÖ/PDY, an armed organization," and "obtaining confidential data that need to be confidential for political spying purposes." Punishments for the charges range from 37 years in jail to an aggravated life sentence.
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10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Hurriyet Daily News] A total of 93 ballot boxes have been moved in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's southeastern Sirnak province despite a previous decision by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) rejecting the relocation of polling stations for security reasons ahead of the upcoming Nov. 1 snap elections.
Three neighborhoods in Sirnak's Cizre district were designated "unsafe" for casting ballots by the district election council and a total of 93 ballot boxes were moved as a result.
The district election council in Cizre claimed the polling stations in the Cudi, Nur and Sur neighborhoods were unfit to hold a "healthy" election because of extant barricades and ditches in the streets and avenues surrounding the schools.
Following a request to evaluate which schools would be secure locations for ballot boxes, the council decided to relocate 47 ballot boxes in Cudi, 15 ballot boxes in Sur and 31 ballot boxes in Nur.
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie was cracking himself up, but nobody else seemed to be getting the non-stop jokes... Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) district head Ali Karadeniz argued the decision was wrong and was simply done to "torment people."
"The Cudi neighborhood has 17,000 residents. Now, all of them will vote at the same school. This was done to torment the people," he said, while urging citizens to vote "wherever the polling station may be."
Karadeniz also questioned the legality of the decision which defied the latest YSK decision overruling the relocation of ballot boxes in a number of southeastern provinces.
The issue was initially sparked in the same district, Cizre, when the district election council decided on Sept. 18 to not establish any ballot boxes in Cudi, Nur and Sur, as well as a number of local villages. The decision cited security concerns and the risk of kabooms during the vote as the reason to prevent voting in these areas.
However, a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... the decisions by the local councils were overruled by a majority of the votes at the YSK on Oct. 3.
Six members of the YSK rejected the calls on the grounds that there was no regulation pertaining to the moving of ballot boxes for security reasons. Four YSK members who voted in favor of the relocation said the YSK was responsible for ensuring the elections were conducted in security from beginning to end and thus had the authority to move the polling stations.
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10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Hurriyet Daily News] Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli has deplored football supporters in Konya who refused to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the Oct. 10 Ankara Massacre, urging them to offer an apology either to the organizing committee of the peace rally or to the families of the 102 people who bit the dust in the attack.
"It was very awful. It is behavior which didn't befit the people of Konya who came to that match. This outrageous and disrespectful behavior like whistling instead of commemorating around 100 people with mercy didn't befit the people of Konya," Bahceli said on Oct. 18 in Istanbul after holding a rally in the run-up to the Nov. 1 snap elections.
"They were citizens of this country. Their views and ideologies may be different. Enjoying their death just because their ideologies were different does not accord with humanity," Bahceli said. "Konya's people should offer an apology either to the organizing committee or to the families of the 102 people who bit the dust," he said, suggesting that there had been an erosion in national values.
The incident cited by Bahceli took place on Oct. 13 ahead of a critical Euro 2016 qualifier between The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and Iceland when many supporters jeered the moment of silence before shouting right-wing slogans and Allah-u Akbar.
Konyaspor's main football supporter group, however, said the jeers were against a small group of protesters.
The Turkish national team, along with the Icelandic team, stood in silence for one minute to protest the massacre, which killed at least 102 people, before the Euro 2016 qualification match at the Konya Arena.
The moment of silence was marred by whistles and jeers, which the Nalcacilar, the supporter group of the city's top-flight team Konyaspor, said were "misunderstood."
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[DAWN] Information Minister Pervez Rashid expressed serious concerns over the rise of anti- Pakistain and anti-Muslim sentiments in India.
In a statement issued on Monday, Rashid asserted that India is responsible for any kind of losses suffered by Muslims in India, adding that the Indian government must ensure safety of Muslims living in its country.
He, however, said that "elements creating misunderstanding between India and Pakistain should be discouraged".
The information minister said that the harassment of Pakistain Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan and and PCB Governing Board's executive committee chairman Najam Sethi at the hands of Hindu bad boy elements is condemnable, adding that "the incident shows rising anti-Pakistain sentiments in India".
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[Ynet] Gazoo-based terror organization attempts to further escalate friction by urging turbans to bomb Israelis; Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, squad recently tossed in the clink Book 'im, Mahmoud! in Hebron in possession of cash and explosives.
Hamas has instructed its members and affiliates in the Fatah-controlled West Bank to perform suicide kabooms against Israelis in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Israeli officials told Ynet on Monday.
The instructions were given to Hamas holy warriors, mostly in the Hebron and Nablus areas, who can more easily reach Jerusalem. It is believed that Hamas will indeed attempt such attacks if they become operationally feasible.
In addition, a Paleostinian security official told Ynet that the Paleostinian security forces have recently arrested a Hamas squad in Hebron, finding money and explosives in their possession. The official also noted that the squad had at least six members, who admitted that they wished to die when interrogated. It was not immediately clear if they planned on performing a suicide terror attack.
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said on Sunday that it was necessary to turn the current popular intifada into an armed one. According to al-Zahar, Israeli society is generally armed -- from soldiers to coppers and settlers -- and so the intifada must become armed as well.
Meanwhile, ...back at the saw mill, Scarface Al had tied Little Nell to the log and was about to turn on the buzz saw... Hamas media outlets have started to call for the replacement of stabbing attacks with vehicular terror attacks.
Fatah leader Jibril Rajoub has called recent lone-wolf attacks heroic. "I am proud of them and congratulate anyone who committed them," he said in an interview to Paleostinian television. He added that Paleostinian organizations have the ability to perform larger attacks, but that the world does not accept buses exploding in Tel Aviv, and so it's better to avoid them.
[IsraelTimes] PM has as blamed the group's rhetoric for inciting the recent terror attacks and is seeking to formally ban its activity
In assigning blame for the recent wave of violence in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to the usual suspects -- Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and the Paleostinian Authority.
But he has also accused a lesser-known group that operates within Israel's borders: the Islamic Movement, a religious political group and social service organization.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said on Monday Israeli and Paleostinian leaders need to clarify the status of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound to help end a spate of bloodshed and restore stability.
Kerry, preparing for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Germany and then with Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... and Jordan's King Abdullah, likely in Amman, also rejected a proposal by La Belle France at the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... for an international observer presence at the holy site.
Israel called in La Belle France's ambassador on Monday to make clear its opposition to the idea, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
"Israel understands the importance of the status quo and ... our objective is to make sure that everyone understands what that means," Kerry told a news conference in Madrid.
The Paleostinians' unrest, the most serious in years, has been stirred in part by anger over what they see as increased Jewish encroachment on the mosque compound, Islam's most sacred site outside Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and also revered by Jews as the location of two destroyed biblical Jewish temples.
Netanyahu has said his government is committed to maintaining the status quo at the compound, which has long been under Muslim religious administration while Jews are permitted to visit the site but not pray there.
"We are not seeking a new change or outsiders to come in, I don't think Israel or Jordan wants that and we're not proposing it," he said. "What we need is clarity."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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To Clarify, that site is the JEWISH TEMPLE MOUNT.
#2
It's been the holiest place of Judaism for a 1000+ years before there was Islam, Jawn. And it'll be the holiest place of Judaism long after Islam is reduced to a footnote in history books. Anjd that will happen a lot sooner than you think. Happy?
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Monday it was difficult to envision a role for Iran in Syria peacemaking efforts due to its military role in the conflict there.
Al-Jubeir made the statements during a joint conference with Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who arrived in Riyadh from Iran on a mission largely focused on seeking ways to end the war in Syria.
Jubeir repeated Riyadh's view that Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... , who is supported by Iran, had to leave power if peace was to be achieved.
"The question is: what must Iran do to be part of the solution in Syria? The answer is very simple:
"It has to withdraw from Syria and it has to stop supplying weapons to Bashir al-Assad's regime and it has to withdraw the Shi'ite militias that it sent ... and then it can have a role," Jubeir said, adding that Iran was now an "occupier of Arab lands in Syria".
Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... believed Assad must step down as soon as a transitional body was set up in line with the Geneva peace talks of 2012, he said.
"After the formation of this governmental body, President Assad must step down. If it is a matter of months, two or three months or less, that is not important. But Assad has no future in Syria," Jubeir said according to an Arabic translation of his comments made in English at the news conference.
The idea that Assad might stay until elections were held and that he could participate in these elections had no prospect, he added.
Tehran has armed the Syrian government and, by backing Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, helped Assad combat rebels seeking to end his rule in the four-year-old conflict.
Jubeir said he hoped Iran would stop interfering in the affairs of regional countries, like Leb, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
"We are determined to confront any Iranian moves and we will do everything we can with what we have in political, economic and military means to protect our lands and people."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/20/2015 00:00 ||
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[Military Times] The House Armed Services Committee is looking into the Defense Department's foreign military training programs in response to what the panel's chairman sees as mounting frustrations over the mixed results of recent efforts. Yes, look into it with the Defense Department. There must be someone there who can be blamed or held responsible. No need to discuss the issue further with our well funded friends in McLean.
Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said the oversight work will include a series of public and closed-door meetings with Pentagon officials in the days to come. The first hearing will be Wednesday, with views from outside experts on the successes and failures of the current work.
"We can't do everything ourselves, so somebody has to be out there helping us to do it," Thornberry told reporters after a recent hearing on U.S. operations in Afghanistan. "So we're going to try and work with others."
At that hearing, Army Gen. John Campbell, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told lawmakers that even with a focus in recent years of training local security personnel to take over the fight, those forces are still years away from being able to operate completely on their own.
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.
David Cameron
[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Political analyst Daniel Chasquetti said the government underestimated cultural differences between Uruguay and the refugees' homeland and failed to take into account their limited job skills.
Posters glorifying North Korea’s ruling Korean Workers’ Party are being defaced across the country in a wave of popular resentment against burdens imposed in preparation for celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the party’s founding, North Korean sources say.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] U.S. Secretary of State 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
