[WAPO] The project is being developed by researchers at Indiana University, and its purported aim is to detect what they deem "social pollution" and to study what they call "social epidemics," including how memes -- ideas that spread throughout pop culture -- propagate. What types of social pollution are they targeting? "Political smears," so-called "astroturfing" and other forms of "misinformation." An battery powered man-portable tough box Geo-Locator with google house-to-house map apps and SWAT MPRAP electrical [klik and go] quick connectors available soon.
#1
IS this really the time for the government to be advertising another waste of money study? And who thought it would be good to use the term epidemics at this point?
#2
I'd be tempted to make a twitter account and flood it with nonsense, purely in the name of enhancing the study. You know, words like "Democrat treason failure anti-human human sacrifice" etc. You know, all the true labels they try to hide:p
[Tolo News] Addressing a gathering of civil society activists and Kabul municipality workers on Friday, President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University. 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. .. said that the current conditions in the capital do not represent what the leading city of the country should.
Over 200 representatives of civil society institutions and officials from the Kabul Municipality held discussions for two hours on Friday in hopes of developing better city management and quality urban life in the city. In the meeting it was decided that Kabul would have an elected mayor in two years.
"Kabul is on the edge of disaster and it is unacceptable to me," Ghani said. "The roads are cracked and the ongoing situation can't prevail."
In addition, Ghani maintained that the current municipality law does not meet the needs of a 21st Century capital city.
"The municipality law is from the time of Amanullah Khan and it cannot respond to the necessities of today's time."
He emphasized that the future mayor should put the needs of the people first and foremost. "We don't want an emperor, the mayor must serve the people."
Environmental pollution, poor garbage and waste disposal, lack of public awareness are a few of the other major issues facing Kabul that the president spoke about with the civil society activists and municipality workers.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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Somalia's president said on Friday that nobody close to him had been involved in the unauthorised diversion of government weapons to Islamist militants and denied that a man U.N investigators linked to the arms trade had advised him.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was responding to a report from the United Nations' Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group that Somali army weapons and ammunition were being diverted to open markets despite the government's pledges to prevent its arms ending up in the hands of al Shabaab fighters.
The report, seen by Reuters, also accused Musa Haji Mohamed Ganjab, a Somali businessman it said had acted as an adviser to the president, of being involved in arms deals.
"I do believe that U.N agencies are not there for accusing, but are there for improving the systems in place," Mohamud told France 24 television. "The man you call Musa, there isn't someone called Musa who is my adviser or has ever been in an advisory position in my office. I would have liked the monitoring group to clarify where Musa Haji has ever become an adviser to me."
The allegations, which have also been denied by Ganjab, came in a confidential annex to the monitoring group's latest annual report that was left out of the 482-page version published earlier this week. Reuters has reviewed the unpublished annex.
As a result of the allegations of weapons diversion, the monitoring group recommended that the U.N. Security Council give international maritime forces the authority to interdict any sea vessel in international or Somali waters that is suspected of trafficking weapons or related material. The group also called for the council to limit the number of weapons Somalia's government can import.
One senior Western diplomat said the council was seriously considering some of the group's recommendations, though Russia, which holds a veto on the 15-nation council, has raised objections.
Of course they have, they're Russians, it's what they do at the U.N....
Any confirmed connection between government figures and the siphoning of arms to al Shabaab could scare off foreign donors who have pledged billions to rebuild the shattered nation after decades of chaos.
The annex alleges Somali-Canadian businessman Ganjab cultivated ties with al Shabaab for years as he built a web of connections to boost his power within Somalia's political and security establishments.
"If he does something wrong he does that on his own capacity," Mohamud said. "I have not (had) someone ... called Musa Haji who has ever been an adviser to me in my presidency over the last two years in office."
When asked whether anybody close to him had diverted money or weapons to al Shabaab he said:
"It's not true."
"Lies! All lies!"
Ganjab has said the monitors' allegations were an attempt to undermine the Somali government and part of a politically motivated campaign to further destabilise the conflict-torn Horn of Africa nation. In an email to Reuters, Ganjab insisted that he has never engaged in the arms trade or the distribution of weapons.
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10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Asked if the terrorist group Daesh (IS/ISIL) had a presence in Libya, Prime Minister Thinni answered with an emphatic "yes".
"There are groups located in the city of Derna and other Libyan cities and in Sirte", Thinni admitted .
Thinni was speaking yesterday during a wide-ranging interview on the re-launched state Al-Wataniya satellite TV channel now broadcasting from the new (temporary?) seat of the Libyan government in Al-Beida in eastern Libya.
"Also, even the group Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... from Nigeria is present", added Thinni. "Terrorism has no specific place and we have to recognize the seriousness of the existence of these groups to destabilize the security of the country with the support of the political stream that claims that it is the Islamic political stream", he said referring, to the various so-called Islamist groups in Libya.
"They will destabilize the country until the state breaks down and Libya becomes divided into a diaspora", he warned.
"However, women are made to be loved, not understood... Thinni went on to assure the public that "This cannot be achieved thanks to the Libyans who are aware of the seriousness of what the country faces".
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#2
So IIUC the ISIS is clsoe to one end of the Suez Canal + Red Sea in Libya, + near enough to potens interveven in the CENTAF fight wid Boko Haram + Al-Shabab; while simul biding its time for the outcome of the Houthi fight in Yemen to get at the other end + Horn of Africa, espec waiting for the Yemeni Govt + GCC? to ask for their help in mil defeating the successful or victorious Shias = Houthis???
[Libya Herald] Gharian Municipal Council is reported to have agreed the UN's demand for a ceasefire in the nearby fighting between Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... forces and the Libyan National Army (NLA).
The head of the municipal council's information committee, Shukri Bilah, said today that the council had accepted UNSMIL's demand for an immediate end to all military operations in the Jebel Nafusa starting mid-night 18 Oct for minimum of four days in order to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid.
UNSMIL had sent letters to that effect to Zintan, Gharian and Kikla Municipal councils.
Blah said that the local Saraya Gharian brigade, together with other Libya Dawn forces stationed in the town, had not attacked anyone and were there purely to defend it.
Claims that Gharian Municipal Council has meanwhile told the Saraya Gharian leader Adel Daab to remove his forces from the town and fight his battles elsewhere have not been verified.
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[Libya Herald] Asked about the international community's position with regards to the current political situation in Libya, Prime Minister Abdullah Thinni said that the international community does not recognise the GNC's and Nuri Abu Sahmain's comic play.
Speaking in an interview on Friday, Thinni added: "I assure everyone that the international community does not recognize the comic play that is taking place in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... ".
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[Libya Herald] Asked to comment about the fatwas or religious edicts or rulings issued by Libya's highest religious holy man, the Grand Mufti Sadik Al-Ghariani, Prime Minister Abdullah Thinni called him old, grey, shameless and politically motivated.
In a surprising, unrestrained outburst by the Prime Minister against the Grand Mufti, a position that is usually revered in Moslem society, Thinni could not hide his contempt for the controversial Grand Mufti.
"Certainly when we talk about religious edicts or rulings (fatwas) they are issued by one person in Libya: Grand Mufti Dr Sadik Al-Ghariani who, unfortunately, is a man who has passed the age of 70 and gray invades the hair of his head", he said, implicitly referring to the accusation made by previous Prime Minister Ali Zeidan
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Posted by: Fred ||
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[ARABNEWS] 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... has asserted that fighting hard boy ideologies is an integral part of any strategy to combat terror.
"From our experience, it has become crystal clear that terror has no religion, no ethnicity and no nationality," said Ahmed Al-Salem, undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior.
"Fighting against terror ideology is as important as any other method adopted to combat terror," he said, while addressing the Crans Montana Forum in Geneva.
"Terror is the scourge of the 21st century that has left a catastrophic impact on the security and prosperity of human societies across the world," he said.
The Kingdom is at the forefront of combating terrorism as it has been the target of a number of violent attacks, he pointed out.
Since 2003, the Kingdom has suffered 147 terror attacks in which 95 innocent civilians bit the dust and 569 people were maimed. Foreign employees and visitors were also among the casualties.
Security forces foiled 250 plots to blow up domestic and foreign facilities and murder citizens and foreigners. The forces also brought those who were involved in terror attacks to justice.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, he put the number of the security officers who were killed in terror attacks at 74, adding that 657 officers sustained serious injuries.
He warned that terrorism remained a serious threat to international security despite the battles fought collectively under the UN umbrella or individually by various countries.
"The situation demands that all countries intensify their efforts to combat and root out the menace and bring forces of Evil to justice wherever they might be," he said. This can only be achieved with reinforced international, regional and bilateral cooperation, he said.
The official called for more effective measures to ensure the implementation of international and regional agreements on defeating terrorism in addition to enacting national laws with the aim of eradicating the menace.
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10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
"From our experience, it has become crystal clear that terror has no religion, no ethnicity and no nationality," said Ahmed Al-Salem, undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior.
"but a lotta Saudi Sunni Muslims seem to be a common thread"
Posted by: Frank G on the road ||
10/19/2014 11:41 Comments ||
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#2
No religion in a carton of these either, but they've killed a good number of people.
[Iran Press TV] Yemeni demonstrators have staged a protest rally outside the Saudi embassy in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, to demand the release of a prominent Shia holy man sentenced to death by Riyadh.
The supporters of Yemen's Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to Americaâ¢, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... Ansarullah movement blasted the US-backed Saudi government at the Saturday protest rally for upholding an earlier ruling against Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who has been tossed in the slammer
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BEIJING -- A move by the United States to deploy its advanced missile-defense system in South Korea is likely to irritate North Korea and would run counter to diplomatic efforts to resume long-stalled six-nation talks on the North's nuclear weapons program, China's deputy chief envoy to the talks said Friday.
China has long voiced concerns over the U.S. move to deploy THAAD (Theater High Altitude Area Defense) missiles in South Korea against missile threats from North Korea, but it appears to be the first time that a senior Chinese diplomat has publicly commented on the issue.
If the Chinese were as smart at playing the long game as most people give them credit for, they'd recognize that the instant North Korea was no longer a threat to either the South or to Japan, the U.S. would be out of the Korean peninsula completely, or nearly so. We'd simply have no reason to be there, as the South would have sufficient deterrence to prevent China from doing anything stupid, and the South and the Chinese are finding plenty of ways to get along.
Remove Pudgy and the evil generals running the North, and either replace them with Chinese-picked made men who can run the place competently and quietly, or split the North between China and the South. Everyone wins, most especially the North Korean people, and we go home.
"The United States has recently bolstered its military alliance with South Korea and Japan, based on the nuclear crisis of North Korea," Xu Bu, China's deputy chief envoy to the six-party talks, told a forum at Peking University.
"The United States has also strengthened its military presence in Northeast Asia by pushing to deploy its missile-defense system in this region," Xu said.
"These moves would spark strong dissatisfaction from North Korea," Xu said.
Precisely. It's the cause-and-effect thing that most thugs in the world rail against...
In spite of international sanctions, North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Xu said, however, "Sanctions and pressure can't fundamentally resolve the North Korean nuclear issue."
Assassination however would resolve the situation nicely. As Josef Stalin once pointed out, when a man is causing you a problem, remember: no man, no problem...
South Korea and the U.S. have called on China to play a greater role in leading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, but Beijing's diplomacy still appears to put priority on stability, rather than the denuclearization of North Korea.
Their priority is to use the Norks as a stick with which to poke us. It works, too...
Xu also reiterated China's stance that the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear issue must be resumed at an early date, although Pyongyang has shown no signs of giving up its nuclear ambition.
"We don't expect everything to go very well, but nothing can be resolved unless we do negotiations," Xu said.
North Korea wants an unconditional resumption of the six-party talks, but South Korea and the U.S. demand that Pyongyang first take concrete steps to show its denuclearization commitment.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, Beijing is holding the upper card on information and travel and trade.
It is a time for the ROK Army to be on alert no doubt as incidents are increasing as are Ballistic plans.
China kind of has a Chair that they do not want to share if they have to consume this problematic populace, and also in the same breath mentioned that maybe they do not want it.
#2
North Korea wants an unconditional resumption of the six-party talks, but South Korea and the U.S. demand that Pyongyang first take concrete steps to show its denuclearization commitment.
Cause as Obama demonstrated in Libya and the Ukraine, once you give up the nukes, you're toast. Smart Diplomacy(tm) /sarc off
[ARABNEWS] The Public Prosecutor in Kiziltepe where a Saudi citizen was killed on Oct. 8 said that the man was shot by Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) demonstrators.
The public prosecutor told the Saudi Embassy in Ankara that the Saudi citizen, Fahd Al-Dowairej, was fired at when he was driving by an illegal demonstration staged by the PKK who were protesting the developments in Kobani. The demonstrators, he said, were engaged in violence setting public property on fire and blocking the Silk Road at the Daidman Crossing.
Turkish authorities also assured the Saudi mission that investigation to identify the murderers and find more details of the attack are under way. The prosecutor said that the autopsy report showed Al-Dowairej's body received several gunshots and that one of them had pierced the left side of his chest.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
prolly got mouthy, you know how the Master Race is
Posted by: Frank G on the road ||
10/19/2014 11:52 Comments ||
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[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... has said that Pakistain desires peace both within and outside its borders to attain the much-needed socio-economic development goals.
Pakistain, he said, could not afford to be distracted from trying to fulfil its national objectives. "Pakistain will never compromise on its illusory sovereignty and independence."
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a new building of the Pakistain Naval War College (PNWC) here on Friday, the prime minister said Pakistain Navy was playing a vital role in national defence and despite resource constraints the government would provide funds to strengthen maritime defence.
He said Pakistain was strategically located around the nucleus of the Arabian Sea and surrounded by three continents and over 50 coastal and hinterland states. Any ecological, social and political imbalance in the region casts a lengthening shadow throughout the area and also affects security and stability of Pakistain.
"We must always remain cognizant of our effective role in the maritime affairs of this region and be prepared to play our due role."
The prime minister said that sea-lanes were jugular veins of world trade and any interruption in the waters had the potential of disrupting global economy and impacting global security.
Referring to indigenous building of warships by Pakistain Navy, he said he felt proud on learning that Pakistain Navy was building large indigenous warships and potent fast-attack craft through revival of the Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Shipyard.
He said the first national maritime doctrine was in final stages of completion.
Referring to economic initiatives of the government, the prime minister said his government was working to make Gwadar Port fully functional at the earliest and develop the Gwadar-Kashgar link, under the China Pakistain Economic Corridor portfolio, and construct an airport, an expressway link and a powerhouse in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The problem is in the Muslim definition of "Peace".
[DAWN] LANDI KOTAL: The political administration of Khyber Agency on Friday failed to persuade elders of Bara tehsil to shoulder their Collective Territorial Responsibilities during the ongoing military operation against gunnies in their respective areas.
The administration had convened a jirga of Bara elders at Khyber House here first to get their support for the action against gunnies in Khyber Agency and second to help persuade murderous Moslem commanders to lay down arms and restore peace in Sipah, Malikdinkhel and Akkakhel areas.
Political agent Shahab Ali Shah told the jirga that the time to hold negotiations with gunnies had gone and that the military operation would continue until peace was completely restored in Bara.
"The Operation Khyber 1 is the intelligence-driven one and will end only after all its targets are achieved," he told the jirga.
The political agent said the government won't hesitate in expanding the scope of the military operation to entire Bara if local elders failed to cooperate with security forces.
"It is time that elders and political administration take bold decisions as we are responsible for the people of Bara and that whatever decisions we made today should be above our tribal, political and organizational affiliations," he said.
Shahab Ali said decisions made in fear or under the influence of a particular murderous Moslem group would not help resolve Bara crisis.
Most jirga members, however, said military operation should be halted immediately and that a channel of negotiations should be opened with outlawed murderous Moslem groups of Bara.
They also expressed displeasure at the timing of the convening of the jirga and asked why they were asked to extend help to the government after the launch of the military operation without their consultation.
Malik Waris Khan suggested that the administration give the jirga enough time to get the consent of their respective rustics and hold negotiations with members of the outlawed groups to persuade them to lay down arms.
He said the convening of the jirga to seek their support in favour of military operation was a futile exercise as the administration had failed to provide the jirga with a suitable reason for beginning the 'Operation Khyber 1'.
Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... leader Shah Faisal also criticised the administration over failure to take local elders into confidence before the start of operation.
"The five years of military operation in Bara tehsil failed to achieve desired results causing huge damage to public life and property. Only the ill-conceived policies of the government are to blame," he said, adding that dialogue should be given a chance.
Elders Hakim Khan Zakhakhel, Bazaar Gul Afridi and Hashim Khan, too, insisted negotiations were the only way to resolve Bara crisis.
The political agent, however, rejected the jirga recommendations about holding talks with murderous Moslem groups and said the jirga was not convened to authorise elders to hold talks with anti-state elements.
"You are authorised only to talk to those who surrender to security forces and accept the writ of the government," he said.
The political agent said no harm would be done to those cooperating with the administration and security forces.
The jirga ended inconclusively as tribal elders refused to shoulder the collective responsibility.
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10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... on Friday came down heavily on its partner in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... government, the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
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[DAWN] KARACHI: Pakistain Peoples Party's camps set up in different areas of Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... were forcefully shut down on Friday after an elders committee, allegedly backed by the banned Peoples Amn Committee ... Peoples' Peace Committee is a group of brown turbans tied to the Pakn People's Party and based in Blood-soaked Karachi. It was founded by an infamous gangster, Rehman Dakait in 2008. It is accused of being involved in organized crime and gang wars. After Rehman departed this vale of tears in 2009, leadership of the group was taken over by Uzair Baloch, who is probably associated with the Tataglias or the Barzini clan. The Amn Committee was banned in Pakistain in 2011, which means precisely squat.... , was snubbed by PPP leaders in a meeting at Bilawal House a day earlier.
In the morning, a statement of the PAC leader in hiding published in a local daily asked people not to attend the PPP public meeting near the Quaid-e-Azam mausoleum and graffiti appeared on walls across Lyari demanding 'withdrawal of red warrants for the leaders of Lyari'.
The chairperson of the elders' committee (Buzurg committee), which according to sources work as a mouthpiece for the PAC, Syed Nooran Shah, said PAC leader Uzair Baloch called off Lyari's participation in the rally after the meeting between the activists and the officials at Bilawal House did not go as planned.
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[DAWN] RAWALPINDI: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Saturday said that the Pakistain Army was fully capable of deterring and defeating aggression "across the entire spectrum of threat...yet, Pakistain persistently seeks peace in the region and beyond".
Addressing a passing out parade at the Pakistain Military Academy in Kakul, the army chief said: "Let there be no doubt that any aggression against Pakistain will get a befitting response and no sacrifice will be too great in this sacred cause."
"Lasting peace in the region will only come about with the fair and just resolution of the Kashmire issue; in accordance with the will of the Kashmiri people as enshrined in the UN resolutions."
General Raheel said coercion and repression of Kashmiri people would not shake their confidence from ultimately exercising their freedom of choice which has been promised to them by the international community.
His lips would have fallen off at this point, had the surgeons not refused another transplant after the twentieth pair lay quivering on the floor after yet another whopper.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
10/19/2014 9:29 Comments ||
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[DAWN] The Foreign Office lodged a strong protest with Iran on Saturday after the neighbouring country's border guards stormed into Pak territory and killed a security official.
Iranian Ambassador to Pakistain Ali Raza Haghighian was summoned to the Foreign Office in Islamabad today, diplomatic sources said, and Pakistain lodged a strong protest with him over the recent incident.
Diplomatic sources confirmed that during the meeting, the Foreign Office demanded the Iranian ambassador to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, which also resulted in injuries to four other Paks.
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[ARABNEWS] Pakistain's powerful army chief vowed Saturday to thwart any "aggression" against the country, in a thinly veiled warning to archrival India after a spate of deadly cross-border firing incidents in the disputed Kashmire region.
At least 20 civilians have been killed and thousands on both sides of the de facto border have fled their homes since October 6, which marked the beginning of some of the worst frontier shelling in years.
"Sentiments of goodwill and amity notwithstanding, let there be no doubt that any aggression against our beloved country will get a befitting response and no sacrifice will be too great in this sacred cause," The Mighty Pak Army chief Raheel Sharif said, in an apparent swipe at India.
The nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought two wars over Moslem-majority Kashmire, have traded blame for the recent violence in the disputed Himalayan region.
"We persistently seek peace in the region and beyond," Sharif said while addressing a parade at a military academy near Islamabad.
But "lasting peace in the region will only come about with the fair and just resolution of Kashmire issue," he added.
Pakistain's military on Tuesday said it had voiced concern to India at continued firing across the Kashmire frontier and in Punjab province when bigwigs from both sides spoke via a special hotline.
Clashes occur regularly along the disputed border known as Line of Control (LOC) as well as along the frontier dividing Indian Kashmire from Pakistain's Punjab province.
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[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: As the Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) prepares to pack up its sit-in in Islamabad, no one is more worried than the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI). For nearly two months, the parties had been camped out side-by-side, first on Khayaban-e-Suharwardy and then, after protesters forced their way into the Red Zone, in front of Parliament House.
The die-hard nature of PAT supporters and their almost spiritual commitment to Dr Tahirul Qadri
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[DAWN] A large number of Pakistain People's Party (PPP) supporters packed Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... 's Bagh-e-Jinnah on Saturday in order to hear the young party chairman Bilawal Baby Bhutto-Zardari, as he establishes his first direct contact with the masses.
The rally with the party's signature anthem 'Dil Teer Bija' playing in the background began with addresses from senior party leaders. Manzoor Wattoo, PPP's Punjab president, who is subject of much controversy on account of his lack of popularity among a lot of the party's workers in that province, did the opening speech.
Continued on Page 49
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[BBC] Iraqi MPs have approved new defence and interior ministers, completing a unity government that is battling the spread of 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.... Death Eaters.
Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, a Shia, was appointed interior minister, while Khaled al-Obeidi, a Sunni, was confirmed as defence minister.
IS controls large parts of the country, and has been making gains despite US-led coalition air strikes.
On Friday, a curfew was imposed in the city of Ramadi amid fierce fighting.
The vote by Iraqi MPs will be a big relief both inside and outside Iraq after weeks of wrangling, says BBC Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher.
A more inclusive cabinet is seen as an essential first step in countering IS fighters, particularly among Iraq's Sunni minority, our correspondent adds.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday congratulated Iraq after lawmakers there finally approved new defence and interior ministers, following weeks of delay.
"We had a very positive step forward in Iraq today," Kerry said. "These were critical positions to be filled, in order to assist with the organising effort with respect to (the ISIS group). So we're very pleased."
Khaled Al Obaidi of the Iraqi parliament's Sunni Itihad Al Quwa Al Wataniyah bloc was voted defence minister, and Mohammed Al Ghabban of the Shia Badr bloc was picked for the interior post.
"We congratulate Prime Minister Abadi and we look forward to working with them as we continue to grow the coalition and move forward," Kerry said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Do did JFK's aeroplane get fixed or did he walk to work??
[ARABNEWS] The Paleostinian Liberation Organization called for a comprehensive strategy against Islamic extremism while addressing the conflict with Israel, alluding to controversial remarks by US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... The top US diplomat, after his return from a Middle East trip, infuriated Israeli ministers on Thursday when he said the unresolved conflict was fuelling recruitment for 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.
"There wasn't a leader I met... who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Paleostinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation," he said.
Reacting to that, PLO secretary general Yasser Abed Rabbo ... Paleostinian politician and a member of the Paleostine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee. He holds an M.A. in economics and political science from the American University in Cairo..... said that "linking the fight against terrorism and the end of the Israeli occupation is a strategic position that we support."
The PLO is "ready to work hard with the American administration and all regional leaders to develop mechanisms to implement different levels of the strategic direction announced by Kerry," he said.
Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said that "even when a British Moslem beheads a British Christian there will always be someone who blames the Jews."
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf insisted that Kerry "did not make any linkage between Israel and the growth of ISIL (an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group), period."
"If we could achieve peace between the Israelis and Paleostinians, that would create a more stable region writ large," she said.
For his part, Abed Rabbo said "those who criticise Kerry want the terrorism of the Islamic State organization to continue to use it as an excuse to obstruct a political solution and end to the occupation."
"We hope that these balanced American statements will reflect on the Paleostinian resolution in the (UN) Security Council that will be proposed in the coming days" to call for the end of Israel's occupation.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[Israel] The US State Department denied claims Friday that US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... made statements on Thursday suggesting the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict was fueling the spread of Islamic terror in the Middle East.
"Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?" they asked, diplomatically.
Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told news hounds that Kerry's comments were distorted for political gains, pointing a finger at Economy Minister Naftali Bennett who had indicated Kerry was using an anti-Semitic canard.
Harf said the State Department was aware of the reactions by Israeli officials to the comments, especially those of "a particular minister."
"What [Kerry] said was that during his travels to build a coalition against 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.... , he was told that should the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict be resolved, the Middle East would be a better place," Harf said.
"Either he [Bennett] didn't read what the secretary said or he was given false information," she added. "[Kerry's] comments were distorted for political gains. He did not make that connection."
Former special US envoy to the Israeli-Paleostinian negotiations Martin Indyk lashed out at the Israeli criticism, posting a tweet suggesting that Kerry was only seeking peace in the region.
Indyk stepped down in June, two months after peace talks ground to a halt.
The former envoy drew fire in May after the breakdown of talks for his assessment that settlement construction was a major factor in the failure of negotiations to reach a peace deal in nine months.
In a speech at the Washington Institute shortly after talks froze, Indyk criticized both sides for the failed peace talks.
Speaking at an event marking the Moslem holiday of Eid al-Adha at the State Department Thursday, Kerry said it was "imperative" to restart stalled Israeli-Paleostinian talks, since the conflict was helping the Islamic State recruit new members.
"There wasn't a leader I met with in the region who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Paleostinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation that they felt ‐- and I see a lot of heads nodding ‐- they had to respond to," he told gathered diplomats.
"People need to understand the connection of that. And it has something to do with humiliation and denial and absence of dignity," he added.
Kerry came under fire from right-wing Israeli politicians Friday, with Bennett and Communications Minister Gilad Erdan accusing the top US diplomat of showing an unprecedented lack of understanding of the Middle East.
Writing on Facebook, Bennett, who heads the nationalist Jewish Home party, a major coalition member, linked to an article about Kerry's remarks, commenting in Hebrew that "Even when a British Moslem beheads a British Christian, someone will always blame the Jew."
Likud minister Erdan, thought to be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pick to become Interior Minister, also blasted Kerry on Facebook, asking sarcastically whether anybody truly believes Islamic State fighters would put down their arms if Israeli-Paleostinian talks were restarted.
"I actually respect Kerry and his efforts, but every time he breaks new records of showing a lack of understanding of our region and the essence of the conflict in the Middle East I have trouble respecting what he says," he wrote in Hebrew.
This is not the first time Kerry has been criticized by members of Israel's ruling coalition.
In January, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon was quoted calling Kerry "inexplicably obsessive" and "messianic" in his efforts to coax the two sides into a peace agreement. Ya'alon said Kerry has "nothing to teach me about the conflict with the Paleostinians.
"All that can 'save us' is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace," Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth quoted him saying at the time.
Those comments sparked a mini diplomatic crisis between Jerusalem and Washington, with the State Department calling the comments "offensive and inappropriate" and Ya'alon issuing an apology.
Relations between Washington and Jerusalem, which counts the US as its most important ally, have hit regular road bumps over the last several years and the administrations have aired differences over peace talks, settlement building, Iran's nuclear program and other issues.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
From the Press Agency that Cannot Be Named:
Ten weeks into its war against Islamic State extremists, the Pentagon is settling in for the long haul, short on big early successes but still banking on enlisting Syrians and Iraqis to fight the ground war so that U.S. troops won't have to.
The U.S. general overseeing the campaign on Friday predicted that the jihadists will be "much degraded" by airstrikes a year from now, in part because he is focusing attacks on those resources that enable IS to sustain itself and resupply its fighters. In his first public overview of the campaign he leads from the Florida headquarters of U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin cautioned against expecting quick progress. He said he cannot predict how long it will take to right a wobbly Iraqi army and build a viable opposition ground force in Syria.
While hammering the jihadists daily from the air, the U.S. military is talking of a years-long effort - one that will require more than aerial bombardment, will show results only gradually and may eventually call for a more aggressive use of U.S. military advisers in Iraq. That is one reason why the Pentagon is preparing to set up a more formally organized command structure, known in military parlance as a joint task force, to lead and coordinate the campaign from a forward headquarters, perhaps in Kuwait.
Officials say the strikes have squeezed IS and slowed its battlefield momentum. More specifically, they claim they have destroyed an array of Islamic State military targets: command posts, sniper positions, artillery guns, armed trucks, tanks, mortar positions, buildings, mobile oil refineries and more.
"The air war is really degrading their infrastructure," said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who just returned from a trip that included a briefing at the U.S. air operation center at al-Udeid air base in Qatar.
"At some point in the next several months, they are not going to have tanks, they are not going have (U.S.-made mine-resistant vehicles), they are not going have the stuff that they stole from the Iraqis. They are going to have AK-47s," he said, and at that point Iraqi and U.S.-trained Syrian opposition fighters can make inroads.
Posted by: Pappy ||
10/19/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
FYI as per FREEREPUBLIC + TOPIX, Turkey PM Erdogan is agz any US plan to arm the Kurds in Kobane/Kobani agz the ISIS.
Not that Anti-US OWG Globalist POTUS Obama was going to arm the Kurds anyway like he did NOT arm the anti-Assad Syrian Rebs + Ukraine, etc. BUT DATS BESIDE THE POINT.
#1
Army discovered the same thing so they set up a women's Ranger course. Now you can see female Ranger's but nobody considers them equal because everyone knows they didn't actually pass the Rangers course.
They would be better off doing it Marine style. If you make it great, you earned it. If not, hell some men don't. That's life and combat is brutal.
#6
Yep, that worked with the Iraqi army after we left. Appoint politically reliable and 'yes' men. The enemy doesn't give a crap about PC, politicians, or judges (politicians in robes), only to kill and win. Got to be careful about those things. Sometime some of those fellas figure they're going to die any way, why not die at home taking out the pols issuing stupid fiats rather than far away from home in some shit hole. At least in the former, there's a chance to survive.
#7
"The politicians will simply find somebody who will produce the required results."
Particularly as the required results it a lot of dead soldiers.
Posted by: Barbara ||
10/19/2014 20:10 Comments ||
Top||
#8
My friend (a US Ranger) told me about the female ranger course more than a decade ago. A quick google search indicates the first graduate was in 2014 so something doesn't match up with his story.
The U.S. Navy's cadre of fighter pilots are not flying nearly often as they would like. Instead, many of the Navy's Boeing F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadrons are sitting on the ground with only two or three flyable jets available. The rest of the jets are awaiting maintenance for want of critical spare parts—and some of those parts are being cannibalized from brand new jets in an increasingly vain attempt to keep squadrons flying. There is a rough floor of about six aircraft that a unit is supposed to have even at low readiness levels.
The 'have not' units are those squadrons based at home in the United States that are not immediately preparing to deploy. The 'haves' are those either flying combat missions over Iraq and Syria or those from high-priority areas, like the Japan-based units that are always kept at a very high level of readiness thanks to China and North Korea. Sources tell The Daily Beast that there are dozens of jets awaiting maintenance—and most of the planes are less than 10 years old, which by aircraft standards is practically brand new. Effectively, dozens of new jets worth billions of dollars are sitting on the ground useless.
Some drop in readiness is normal. Whenever a Navy squadron comes back from a deployment onboard a carrier, it loses some of its roughly 12 jets and readiness plummets before building back up. The problem is neither the Navy nor Boeing has enough trained engineers to inspect and perform needed repairs on the various versions of the F/A-18. The Navy and Boeing are trying to train more engineers, but talented people can't be replaced overnight. Engineers not only have to go to school, but they have to be trained and gain experience. All that takes a long time.
#1
Friday afternoon I took a short cut through NASWI on the way home and I counted at least 4 of the Growlers (the Electric Lawn Darts) on VAQ-129's ramp all preserved. So that told me they were long time down birds. And then this article.....
#5
B:
Nope, residing on the idyllic Rock, currently anchored just north of Seattlestan.
But the trees are pretty and watching the eagle and hawks soar is relaxing.
And 4 miles from the Sound of Freedom; love the FCLP rythym.....
#6
Goes back to treating engineers like crap, so the young folks saw how badly the older generation of Aerospace engineers got treated - and went into Chem Engr instead, or became Biz majors.
#7
Engineers? Engineers! We don't need no steenkin' engineers!
Of course that dearth of talent is a feature, not a bug. Besides they all talk funny, and laugh at nothing at all. And And then they try to explain things in logical and sensible terms ... enough to mislead all but the best of US.
#8
Aha - I have the answer!!! Let's import a bunch of engineers from India, Russia and China!! Give them all H1B visas. After all there's a massive shortage of engineers in the US.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/19/2014 21:39 Comments ||
Top||
#9
H1B actually is to blame. They come here basically at the mercy of the employer, depress wages, so those citizens here dont want the hassle - nor is it fair to compete with a tilted playing field, so they opt out. In a generation we are in serious trouble for Electronic Engineers for classified work, as well as Aerospace and Software.
The greed of those industry people and the stupidity of Congress in the H1B laws is driving people out that we need in there.
Halt H1B now. If we need them that badly, give them a green card and put them on the path to citizenship and staying here, instead of training them then shipping them home to compete against us.
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.
[Tolo News] Addressing a gathering of civil society activists and Kabul municipality workers on Friday, President 
[Libya Herald] Asked to comment about the fatwas or religious edicts or rulings issued by Libya's highest religious 
[DAWN] RAWALPINDI: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Saturday said that the Pakistain Army was fully capable of deterring and defeating aggression "across the entire spectrum of threat...yet, Pakistain persistently seeks peace in the region and beyond".
[DAWN] A large number of Pakistain People's Party (PPP) supporters packed 
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday congratulated Iraq after lawmakers there finally approved new defence and interior ministers, following weeks of delay.
Yasser Abed Rabbo
[Israel] The US State Department denied claims Friday that US Secretary of State 
The U.S. Navy's cadre of fighter pilots are not flying nearly often as they would like. Instead, many of the Navy's Boeing F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadrons are sitting on the ground with only two or three flyable jets available. The rest of the jets are awaiting maintenance for want of critical spare parts—and some of those parts are being cannibalized from brand new jets in an increasingly vain attempt to keep squadrons flying. There is a rough floor of about six aircraft that a unit is supposed to have even at low readiness levels.
