[Tolo News] Efforts by Afghan politicians to choose House Speaker still ends with no results.
On Saturday talks in House of Representatives focused on abstention vote that is believed to be the only reason why the parliament hasn't been able to elect a house speaker.
Yonus Qanooni and Abdul Rasul Sayaf, the two former candidates for the post, have presented some suggestions about the seat, temporary head of the house said.
It has been a week that Afghan parliamentarians struggle to choose head of the house, but efforts result in no breakthrough.
Some legislators believe that Constitutional Implementation Commission should be asked to provide help about blank votes.
"If some say it is not applicable and some say it is, then this is a case that should be referred to constitutional implementation commission," said Abdul Rasul Sayaf, an Afghan MP.
But some other opposed the idea arguing this would let the constitutional implementation commission to meddle in the parliament affairs.
"Referring the issue to an organisation outside the house, it would be much more like an intervention from outside," Mr Qanooni said.
Some other MPs think the reason the parliament hasn't been able to have its speaker is because some politicians act personally without considering the whole.
"The problem is with us. There are some political problems among us," said another Afghan MP, Shekiba Hashimi.
The elections special tribunal has summoned three parliamentarians to answer questions about electoral frauds.
Temporary Speaker of the House said members of the house have decided to stop the summoned MPs to go to the tribunal.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Afghan senators have elected heads of commissions in the Senate. The Senate has twelve commissions each chaired by a head.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
We've got one for you. She's experienced too...
[Tolo News] Pakistain, with imposing hard regulations over Afghan traders, has extremely lessened the chances of trade and transit trade there, Afghan official said in ACCI.
Officials in the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries warned that Afghan trade would come to an end, if the new transit agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistain fails to resolve the problems facing Afghan traders there.
Despite hundreds of Afghanistan-bound containers stranded for months in Bloody Karachi, Pak officials have newly called on Afghan traders to provide bank guarantees.
Under this new call, traders should deposit money equal to the value of their goods in Pak banks, which really makes the trade condition harsh to traders.
"We annually pay $1.5 billion for transition and now we have asked to pay $1.5 billion more as guarantee. This is not applicable. It's totally unacceptable," said Deputy Head of ACCI, Khanjan Alokozai.
But officials in the commerce and industries ministry hoped that the problems would be resolved to some extent after the new transit agreement is implemented.
"We always need to keep our transit flow," said Deputy Commerce and Industries Minister, Ghulam Mohammad Yeilaqi.
The implementation process of the transit agreement is expected to be started in a few days.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
so Karzi's brother responds by cutting off the ISI's heroin ?
Posted by: Water Modem ||
02/06/2011 1:08 Comments ||
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[Tolo News] Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ... who used to be known as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... 's Hezb-e-Islami Party Saturday condemned suicide kabooms.
How very odd. What brought that on?
Hekmatyar's deputy, Qutbuddin Helal, described suicide kabooms as "prohibited and cruel".
Killing civilians is a brutal act and the party sees any kind of attacks that causes civilian deaths, against Islamic practices and law, Mr Helal told TOLOnews.
"Killing civilians is prohibited. We cannot call it an Islamic act. Suicide attacks and firefights in public and civilian locations are not acceptable in Islam at all," said Mr Helal.
Seriously. What brought that on? It can't have been that long since Mr. Hekmatyar and his little friends were merrily killing anyone who didn't bow down to them.
He said presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan is the only thing causing such sort of attacks.
"And the attacks won't stop until the forces quit the country," he added.
Even though those attacking are endangering their mortal souls, not to mention whatever vengeance Allah might take against their friends, relations, countrymen... It just doesn't seem wise, defying one's all-powerful god like that.
Hekmatyar's deputy condemns suicide kabooms days after responsibility of a recent suicide kaboom in a supermarket in Kabul, that claimed civilian lives, was claimed by a front man to the party.
Almost two weeks ago, Kabul was shocked by the deadly suicide kaboom in which eight civilians bit the dust and 15 others were maimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Sudan's president promised a future of freedom and open government on Saturday in a strikingly conciliatory speech following a week of small protests in Sudan and an uprising in neighbouring Egypt.
But weren't they going to make Sharia the law of the land once the south toddled off?
Omar Hassan al-Bashir's address to supporters on the outskirts of Khartoum was short on detail and made only a glancing reference to recent unrest but was notable for its disarming rhetoric.
"We open the door for freedom. We have nothing to fear from freedom ... Freedom is guaranteed by the constitution," Bashir told the crowd.
That and $5.50 will get you a cup of coffee... until the price goes up, anyway.
"Anybody who wants to make chaos, we will deal with him according to the law. Our doors and our hearts and our hands are open without fear."
Young Sudanese have mounted a series of short-lived demonstrations across the north in recent weeks complaining about price rises, and calling for political change and an end tohuman rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... abuses.
Facebook pages and other social networking websites said the protests were inspired by the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. In each case witnesses said police, sometimes armed with batons and teargas, moved in quickly to end the protests.
Bashir's government is under additional economic and political pressure as it waits for the widely expected secession of the country's south, the source of most of its oil.
Southerners overwhelmingly voted to declare independence in a referendum in January, according to early results, in a vote promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war with the north.
Bashir, usually known for his more combative rhetoric, said he accepted almost all southerners had voted for separation.
Note the "almost all" which when translated, means "it'll be easier to sort out those that didn't and kill the rest".
He reminded the crowd that his National Congress Party (NCP) had also won the support of most northerners in last year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
"The NCP has a mandate but we open the door for everybody who wants to participate," Bashir told the crowd in an apparent reference to northern opposition parties, some of whom have recently called for protests.
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02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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Mohamed ElBaradei, one of the key leaders of Egypt's protest movement, has brought his country's peace treaty with Israel into doubt in an interview with Der Spiegel.
From the Der Spiegel Interview:
SPIEGEL: Are you now saying that a government that included participation by the Muslim Brotherhood would continue on with Mubarak's policies toward Israel?
ElBaradei: No. Something the Israelis also need to grasp is that it's impossible to make peace with a single man. At the moment, they have a peace treaty with Mubarak, but not one with the Egyptian people. The Israelis should understand that it is in their long-term interest to have a democratic Egypt as a neighbor, and that it is prudent to acknowledge the legitimate interests of the Palestinians and to grant them their own state.
What ElBaradei is saying isn't exactly surprising. He's suggesting a more democratic government in Egypt would reflect Egyptian opinion and public sentiment, which is that Israel should do more to remove itself from Palestine and allow it to become an independent state.
While it may not be surprising, it may be unsettling to many hoping that the relationship between Israel and Egypt would remain "stable" in the wake of a new Egyptian government. Instead, it seems as if the relationship will change with Egypt pushing for changes in the region's status quo, if a new democratic government does form.
Read the full interview at Der Spiegel
Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak a good friend and U.S. ally, and urged the Obama administration to move cautiously as turmoil continued to shake Egypt's government.
Mr. Cheney's comments came a day after President Barack Obama pressed Mr. Mubarak to consider his legacy and exit office in a way that would give his country the best chance for peace and democracy.
Mr. Cheney said the U.S. should take measured steps in public, and suggested that too much pressure could backfire. "There is a reason why a lot of diplomacy is conducted in secret. There are good reasons for there to be confidentiality in some of those communications. And I think President Mubarak needs to be treated as he deserved over the years, because he has been a good friend," Mr. Cheney said at an event commemorating the centennial of President Ronald Reagan's birth.
Mr. Cheney noted it can be difficult for some foreign leaders to act on U.S. advice "in a visible way" without appearing compromised in their own countries. "The bottom line is, in the end, whatever comes next in Egypt is going to be determined by the people of Egypt," he added.
The former vice president, looking markedly thinner than during his days in Washington and sitting throughout his remarks, said Mr. Mubarak helped the U.S. get military aircraft into the region in the 1991 Gulf War, and committed troops to fight alongside U.S. forces in the liberation of Kuwait.
"He's been a good man, a good friend and ally to the United States," Mr. Cheney said. "We need to remember that."
#1
1) By no means was he a 'good friend', but he was somebody we could work with, as his motivations were rational.
2) His human rights abuses pale beside so many of his peers across the area - and most likely beside his successor. His biggest offense was diversion of funds to personal accounts - which pretty much describes all politicians, to some degree.
3) At this point the US is in a 'no-win' position. Any successor we support will be stained as an enemy of Egypt, but supporting Mubakak is pointless now. I understand we had been putting subtle pressure on him for several years to clean up his act, but he either wouldn't or couldn't.
Situation does remind me of Iran - Shah was no saint, but he was OUR sinner, and in retrospect he wasn't all THAT bad.
#2
There are other parallels. The shah was educating girls, discouraging the veil, and promoting an educated middle class - all of which angered the Islamicists greatly. He also offered a bulwark against the USSR at the time, in part through a US-educated and trained military officer corps.
But ABC News says that Wisner is talking through his hat. Nice mixed message, Bambi. Which is it?
MUNICH, Germany -- Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, an 'old friend' of the United States, should stay in office during a democratic transition, President Barack Obama's special envoy Frank Wisner said Saturday.
'The president must stay in office in order to steer those changes through,' Wisner, who met Mubarak this week, told the Munich Security Conference via video link. 'President Mubarak's continued leadership is critical. It's his opportunity to write his own legacy. He has given 60 years of his life to the service of his country, this is an ideal moment for him to show the way forward.'
Per Instapundit, we learn that Wisner is a former AIG executive. I thought Democrats condemned AIG for what they did to melt our economy.
On Friday, Obama said the proud 'patriot' Mubarak should listen to his people and make the 'right decision,' avoiding an explicit request for the longtime US ally to step down immediately.
That would have required Bambi to make a decision...
I think somebody finally told President Obama the story of "The President and the Shah".
But citing unnamed US and Egyptian officials, the New York Times reported on Saturday that new vice president Omar Suleiman and senior Egyptian military leaders are exploring ways for Mubarak to make a graceful exit.
Mubarak, 82, whose three decades as leader of the Arab world's most populous nation had gone unchallenged until now, has said he is 'fed up' with his job, but prefers to stay in power until September elections while those who oppose him are crushed calm is restored.
Wisner was dispatched to Cairo on Monday by the US administration, and met with the Egyptian leader and with Suleiman, the veteran former ambassador to Egypt said. He is now back in the United States.
'The crisis is of extraordinary importance. What happens in Egypt affects all of our interests throughout the region,' Wisner said. 'The United States has had a long and very close relationship -- 30 years plus -- standing with Egypt. Where Egypt goes, the domestic order, the external orientation of the Middle East, will be profoundly affected.'
Which is why Bambi should have kept his mouth shut and sent you in much earlier, assuming you're doing as you were told to do and not just going off the reservation -- and how would we ever know?
Wisner said his mission 'was to make sure that we communicated in a respectful manner to a man who has been an old friend of the US but who now faces the huge responsibility of having to lead Egypt through a transition to a new and a different future, and to do so without resorting to force.'
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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It's now Sunday in the US, so we'll want him to step down immediately. Things can change, of course, by Monday morning...
#2
Y'all are missing the point. Now that they have sufficiently undercut him, the administration wants Mubarak to stay in power to avoid total breakdown so that the country can transition to the Muslim Brotherhood etc. peacefully. Perfectly consistent.
[Ma'an] Egypt will remain a strong ally of Israel and uphold their peace agreement in the aftermath of an unprecedented uprising calling for the ouster of the regime in Cairo, Egypt's new vice president says.
"Yes we will have a peace agreement," Vice President Omar Suleiman said in an interview with the US broadcaster ABC News that aired Friday. "We will keep it firmly and not violate it at all."
Asked about conversations with American officials, Suleiman said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another John Foster Dulles ...
Of course not. She looks much better in a pants suit.
"didn't ask that President Mubarak step down now.
"But I told her it was a process, and at the end of it, President Mubarak will leave."
He added: "No, Egypt will not be anything like Tunisia," he said. "This is different. You know that our president is a fighter. He lived on this soil and he will die on this soil."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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He lived on this soil and he will die on this soil.
[Ennahar] The National Coordination for Change and Democracy (NCCD) in Algeria, gathering opposition and civil society, maintained its march on Saturday February 12 in Algiers, despite the liberalization measures of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the organizers said.
"The march was maintained. It will take place as scheduled Saturday, February 12 at 11:00 am (10:00 GMT)," told AFP Tahar Besbes, member of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD, the main opposition party) after a meeting of the Coordination.
Apart from the RCD, the Coordination, who was born in early January in the wake of four days of rioting, includes the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) and representatives of civil society.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] The Grand Mufti of Soddy Arabia, Sheikh Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh, condemned the riots in Arab countries, calling it "chaotic acts" carried out by "enemies of Islam", to "divide" the Mohammedan world, according to comments reported Saturday by the local press.
A little late for that, O knowledgeable Grand Mufti. The Muslim world is already divided into Sunni and Shia and all their offshoots, nations, tribes, peoples...
"These chaotic acts come from enemies of Islam and those who serve them," said the Mufti, who is known for his proximity to the Saudi monarchy, quoted by the daily Asharq al-Awsat.
"Encouraging to revolt (...) is to hit the nation (Mohammedan) in her heart and break her," he said during Friday prayers in Riyadh.
The uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia "hit" the economies of Mohammedan nations "in a plot to turn them into backward countries," said Mufti.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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look at those crazy eyes. He also needs a dentist and a nose job.
#2
OTOH DAILY TIMES.PK > ARAB REVOLTS BAD NEWS [threat] FOR AL-QAEDA, + other similar Radical Islamist groups.
* TOPIX > RELATED > ANALYSTS:DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION [stable] IN MIDDLE EAST THREATEN RADICAL GROUPS [credibility], however imperfect or troubled the transition may be. Any public support for violent Jihad will likely decrease, + force the Extremist-Radic Groups to compromise, modify their Hardline Agendums = Charters?, + to turn towards open participation in the Public Election process in order to survive???
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ... a Pakistani catspaw remaining active in Bangla politix, loosely affiliated with the Pak religious party of the same name and closely affiliated with most of the terror organizations in Bangla. A member of the BNP's four party governing coalition.... has engaged three British legal experts to defend its leaders from allegations of war crimes during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
Sources in Jamaat said the three are: Steven Kay QC, Toby Cadman and John Cammegh.
A top-level Jamaat leader told The Daily Star, "Currently they are giving us advice but we have plans to appoint them as defence counsels for our leaders against whom formal charges will be placed by the prosecution."
Steven was appointed as the court-assigned defence counsel for former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic who had faced charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the International Criminal Court in the Hague of Netherlands.
The trial against Milosevic ended without any verdict as he died in prison and the tribunal denied any responsibility for his death.
Toby was a prosecution lawyer in the Bosnia Tribunal for war crimes and John was defence counsel in the Special Court of Sierra Leone for international crimes including war crimes committed during the civil war (1991-2001) of the country, said a Jamaat leader.
Toby's profile, available online, say that from 2004 to 2005 he was a legal consultant for the establishment of War Crimes Chamber Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina and he served as the first head of the Bosnian Criminal Defence Office. In late 2005, he was appointed as head of the prosecution section for war crimes.
In 2006, Toby was appointed as legal counsel to the chief prosecutor and head of the legal advisory section for war crimes, a position he held for three years.
It is also mentioned, "Internationally, Toby is currently advising on a number of matters before international tribunals. He is also currently advising the Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association on the Bangladesh International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973."
John's online profile say that between 2004 and 2009 John led the counsel team for one of Sierra Leone's most notorious rebel leaders, Augustine Gbao, in the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) trial at the special court of Sierra Leone. After one of the longest international criminal trials in history, Gbao was acquitted on more counts and received smaller sentences than any of his co-defendants.
Augustine Gbao was sentenced to 25 years for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Jamaat sources said their plan is to appoint all foreign lawyers from the UK. The sources, however, did not mention the budget for these hires but did say, "We have to pay them". They plan to make them Jamaat's lawyers as well.
Currently six politicians are in prison in connection with war crimes during 1971 when three million people were killed and over 200 thousand women were violated by the Pak occupation forces and their collaborators in Bangladesh.
Jamaat, widely known as an anti-liberation force, had collaborated with the Pak forces to foil Bangladesh's liberation efforts during the nine-month War of Independence.
Among the six jugged alleged war criminals, five are top leaders of Jamaat. They are: Jamaat Ameer (chief) Motiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mojahid, Senior Assistant Secretary General Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, and Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla.
When contacted, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Abdur Razzak did not want to say anything specific about appointing foreign lawyers. He only said, "We intend to appoint foreign lawyers but nothing has been finalised yet."
Tajul Islam, counsel for the jugged five Jamaat leaders, told The Daily Star correspondent that Steven, Toby and John have agreed to defend the Jamaat leaders.
After formal placement of charges against the alleged war criminals, the defence will get a certain period of time to prepare their defence. Tajul said during that preparatory time they want to conduct an investigation of the charges the prosecution would file.
"We want Steven, Toby and John not only during the trial time but also to conduct our investigation soon after placement of formal charges because they have expertise in this regard," said Tajul.
The International Crimes Tribunal, set up to try the internationally defined crimes committed during Bangladesh's Liberation War, in its rules of procedure for probe, prosecution and trial has given conditional opportunity for appointing foreign counsels by the accused.
According to the rules of procedure, the tribunal may also allow a foreign counsel for either party, provided the lawyer has permission from Bangladesh Bar Council.
Tajul said Bangladesh Bar Council rules allow lawyers, who are enrolled with the council, to practice in courts of the country.
"We have prepared an application to submit before our Bar council seeking permission for Steven, Toby and John to work as counsels for the jugged five Jamaat leaders. If the council doesn't give us permission, we are likely to go to the High Court for necessary directions in this regard," said Tajul.
On Toby's role in advising the SCBA, Supreme Court Bar Association President Khandker Mahbub Hossain said, "He is not advising us [SCBA]."
"We [SCBA] invited Toby to a seminar last year in Dhaka and at that time he gave his opinion and we give ours about the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act, 1973."
Steven too attended the seminar.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Ramsey Clark wasn't available?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/06/2011 11:19 Comments ||
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[Arab News] British Prime Minister David Cameron says European governments need to do more to tackle the intolerance that can spawn violent extremism.
Cameron told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that governments have been too tolerant for too long of those who publicly oppose democracy or equal rights for all.
He says many convicted beturbanned goons had initially been influenced by so-called «nonviolent krazed killers" before going on to carry out violence.
Cameron says "Europe needs to wake up to what is happening in our own countries." Some Europeans have criticized Britain for harboring hardline Islamic holy mans.
Terrorists involved in recent attacks and attempted plots in Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all had links to Britain.
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The ex-leader of an armed Japanese far-left group from the 1970s has died on death row, 29 years after she was sentenced to hang over the savage group killings of 14 fellow radicals.
Hiroko Nagata, 65, a central figure in the now-defunct extremist group the United Red Army, died late Saturday from multiple organ failure, Jiji Press and other news outlets said, quoting Japan's Justice Ministry.
One of the founders of the ultra-leftist militia, which became notorious for its extreme brutality despite the group's small size, Nagata led a series of group killings of members deemed not revolutionary enough in 1971-72.
From carrying out the murders in the name of promoting violent communist revolution at any cost, Nagata was said to have admitted her crimes and eventually wept at her trial, saying: "Even I had human emotions."
SEOUL, Feb. 4 -- South Korea and the United States plan to expand a program that simulates removing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in this year's joint military drills to deter threats from North Korea, military sources here said Friday.
That's going to upset the Norks...
*shrug* Everything upsets the Norks.
"During the Key Resolve joint drill to be held in March, the two nations' forces will jointly conduct exercises to remove North Korea's nuclear weapons and WMDs," a military source said, asking not to be identified. "Although this exercise first began in 2009, (the military) will strengthen the program this year."
The move came after the North last November revealed its uranium enrichment facility, adding to international concerns about the communist nation's nuclear capabilities.
In support of South Korea-U.S. joint military drills, a group of specialized agents from the 20th support command of Maryland will be deployed to the nation, the source said, without giving the exact number of staff members.
The joint anti-WMD program involved 150 American professionals in 2009 and had 350 last year, the official noted, adding the number is expected to rise this year as well.
The support team was activated in October 2004 to provide specialized anti-WMD response to support military both at home and abroad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
ION PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > JAPAN PM SAYS READY TO RE-BUILD TIES WID CHINA.
* SAME > CHINA, JAPAN, + SOUTH KOREA TO SIGN [mutual = trilateral] INVESTMENT ACCORDS.
NETTERS = This may ultimately lead to dev of a POTENT CHINA-JAPAN-SOKOR FORMAL FREE TRADE PACT + ECON ZONE???
Is the 'crime' a personal one, or one of the Office? As holder of the Office, shouldn't Obama be arrested instead?
Former President George W. Bush has canceled a visit to Switzerland, where he was to address a Jewish charity gala, due to the risk of legal action against him for alleged torture, rights groups said on Saturday.
Criminal complaints against Bush alleging torture have been lodged in Geneva, court officials say. Can they request extradition?
"He's avoiding the handcuffs," Reed Brody, counsel for Human Rights Watch, told Reuters.
The action in Switzerland showed Bush had reason to fear legal complaints against him if he travelled to countries that have ratified an international treaty banning torture, he said. Lawfare escalates on a second front.
#2
W. Bush knew exactly what he was doing. First of all, he was to appear before a major European Jewish group, many of who would automatically attack him, but his being denied to speak to them would be an embarrassing insult to that group.
Second, his administration made a lot of bilateral agreements with countries to forbid ICC persecution of US politicians and military personnel, but Switzerland refused.
Third, Switzerland is ticked off at the US right now, because of the US government coercing them to allow access to secret bank account information. One of their bank employees did the unthinkable and released that information not too long ago.
So the bottom line is that W. was just pranking a whole lot of people.
[Arab News] A Mohammedan scholar recently named as the new senior imam at the Islamic center being built near the World Trade Center has parted ways with the project. Shaykh Abdallah Adhami said Friday in a joint statement with the center's developer that he will no longer serve as a religious adviser to the center.
"It is important for me now to devote my time to the completion of my book, which assists English readers in understanding and facilitating the language of the Qur'an. I wish the project leaders well," Adhami said.
The 44-year-old had been announced as the new imam at the center just weeks ago, on Jan. 14, after its co-founder, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, was given a reduced role in the project.
Rauf had been the public face of the center but hadn't always seen eye to eye with its developer, Sharif El-Gamal.
Rauf also spent much of his time traveling, often to far corners of the globe, and El-Gamal said he preferred to have someone leading religious programming at the center who could spend more time on building a local congregation.
Adhami was to have been one of several New York City imams fulfilling that role, but shortly after his appointment, news reports questioned his views on homosexuality. In one recorded lecture, he said he believed that homosexuality was linked to childhood abuse.
That prompted El-Gamal to issue a statement last month in which he said that Adhami would not be a leader of the center, called Park51, but just one of a number of religious leaders invited to participate in programing.
"The opinions voiced by this diverse group of advisers will not always represent the official position of Park51," El-Gamal said at the time.
In the statement he released Friday announcing Adhami's departure, El-Gamal made no mention of a rift over his beliefs on homosexuality. He said he still hoped Adhami would continue to lead prayers at the facility from time to time.
"We have been humbled by Imam Adhami's contributions to this project over the past few months. His teachings and scholarly work on the Islamic faith remain an important part of our community," the statement said.
The planned Islamic center would sit two blocks from the rebuilt trade center and Sept. 11 memorial, on a site now occupied by a former clothing store that has been converted into a mosque.
Critics have assailed the center as an insult to the victims of the 2001 attacks. They say it is inappropriate to build an Islamic institution so close to the site of an attack by Mohammedan fanatics.
Plans for the center call for it to include a health club, a daycare center, a swimming pool, gallery space, an auditorium, offices and a two-level, below-ground prayer space with room for a congregation of 1,000.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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Better luck next time. Do like the Dems did and find an put up someone who hasn't expressed any opinions in public.
#2
At the rate they're going, they're going to end up with an Ahmadiyya imam. And won't that be a scandal in the Old Country -- like Pakistan, where legally they aren't allowed to claim to be Muslim at all.
#4
On the plus side, being below ground in that area also equates to below the level of the river; it would be too bad if substandard building materials went into that thing and the hydrostatic pressure caused a 'failure.'
Pakistan will make no compromise on its Kashmir stance, and India will have to give up the region through negotiations or talks,
take your choice
says President Asif Ali Zardari.
Addressing a convention on Kashmir Solidarity Day, Zardari claimed that Pakistan was ready to talk to India on all issues, but negotiations won't go ahead without the permission of the Kashmiris, the Daily Times reported.
"Kashmiris will be victorious one day," he said, adding that Pakistan would not back down on the Kashmir issue.
Pakistan wants friendship with all its neighbours, but ties should be based on equality and principles, Zardari said.
The president told the convention that the Kashmir issue would be settled on through dialogue, as the use of violence shows a defeatist mindset.
"Strength and victory of the Kashmiris lie in a democratic way and dialogue," he remarked.
[Ennahar] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed on Saturday in an interview with AFP not to seek a third term and promised to try to amend the constitution to limit to two the number of mandates to the head of government.
"The constitution does not prohibit a third, a fourth or a fifth term, but I personally decided not to go beyond that mandate," Maliki said in Storied Baghdad.
"I hope to change the constitution to set a limit to two terms as prime minister," said Maliki, whose second government was sworn in by Parliament in December, more than nine months after the elections.
Mr. Maliki had formed his first government in 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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JERUSALEM - Israel and the Palestinians are eyeing talks to develop a gas field off the Gaza coast and other initiatives for an independent Palestinian infrastructure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday.
Hosting peace envoy Tony Blair, Netanyahu said the Gaza Marine gas field should be tapped together with an Israeli field nearby.
This is something that the Palestinian Authority expressed interest in, Netanyahu told Blair during a media appearance. I think were going to begin discussions and negotiations to facilitate both, where the revenues from the Palestinian field go to the Palestinian Authority and the revenues from the Israeli field go to the Israeli government and I think this is good for stability, good for prosperity and good for peace.
He also outlined new electricity, water and sewage projects intended to make Gaza independent of Israeli infrastructure.
Israel quit the strip in 2005 but still supplies much of the basic needs of its 1.5 million Palestinians while enforcing a blockade intended to place curbs on Hamas.
Blair said U.S.-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who shelved talks with Netanyahu in September and is also at loggerheads with rival Hamas, sought approval in principle of the supply of Palestinian offshore gas to Gaza power plants and specific project approval to a new power station there.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Jordan's national electricity company is using diesel to generate power after the country's gas supply from Egypt was cut off by an kaboom on Saturday, Jordanian media said.
A blast at a terminal in the northern Sinai disrupted pipelines supplying Jordan with gas.
Power company director Ghalib Al-Ma'abra said diesel and other heavy-duty fuels were being used to generate electricity, Jordanian state news agency Petra reported.
Al-Ma'abra said the company's fuel reserve would be sufficient to run the power station for three weeks, but Egyptian officials estimated the pipeline would be fixed in one week, he told Petra.
He said changing generators to run from gas to diesel would cost the company around 3 million Jordanian Dinars (around $4.2 million) per day.
Jordan has been dependent on Egyptian gas to generate 80 percent of its electricity supply over the past three years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The dependencies among countries is not such a good idea. The energy sources are cut off and you are screwed. The same is true of the U.S. dependencies. It is a strategic problem.
#2
I agree with the oil companies, who are quietly doing lots of research into algae-based biodiesel in the US. It is simple, cheap, scalable, produces almost year around, and we're already tooled to use diesel in a lot of vehicles of all sizes, from motorcycles to trains and ships.
And we can also make lots of ethanol which is an ingredient in diesel.
A good type of algae is 50% vegetable oil by weight, and can be pressed to release its oil, the remainder going for animal fodder. The vegetable oil is mixed with ethanol and lye as a catalyst, then filtered and mixed with 1% petroleum diesel as a preservative. Bingo.
The algae is grown in gray waste water, and actually consumes waste CO2 and nitrous oxides from industrial production, which are very expensive to dispose of otherwise. So it makes a ton of money even before the first drop of diesel is made.
[Ma'an] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, on Saturday insisted it had no involvement in the kaboom of an Egyptian-Israeli pipeline in the Sinai earlier that day.
Egyptian security sources said foreign saboteurs were suspected of attacking the pipeline, which supplied gas to Jordan.
In a statement, Hamas said claims that it was involved in the blast were attempts to create tension between the Islamist movement and Egypt.
Meanwhile Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardawil said reports in the Egyptian daily Al-Akhbar linking Hamas to the kaboom aimed to force the party to interfere in Egyptian affairs, and "to export the crisis to Gazoo."
Al-Bardawil reiterated Hamas' policy not to interfere in the internal affairs of any other country.
He called on media outlets to stop fabricating allegations and instead to pay attention to the demands of the Egyptian people.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
There's enough Bedouin with dynamite out there to make it credible.
#1
Well, at least one of them isn't completely stupid...
The third American, Bauer's fiancee, Sarah Shourd, was released in September on $500,000 bail arranged through the Gulf nation of Oman, which maintains close ties to the West and Iran. She was ordered back to Tehran for the trial by Iranian officials and the bail will likely be forfeited because of her absence.
[Iran Press TV] Iran's defense minister says any hostile moves targeting the nuclear reactor in the southern city of Bushehr would only hurt the perpetrators.
Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Saturday described the level of security at the Bushehr nuclear power plant as sufficient and appropriate.
The Iranian minister went on to say that some countries did not want nuclear fuel to be injected into the Bushehr reactor, warning that any action taken against the power plant would have negative consequences for them.
"The Bushehr power plant's premises and facilities have a good level of security," IRNA quoted Vahidi as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, there is Stuxnet. Not so immune from attack.
#2
"And as soon as it is functional, it will be surrounded by an impervious force field, so that no one can activate the big, red, self destruct switch! BWAHAHAHAHA!"
#6
TOPIX/NEWS KERALA > [IISS] REPORT IRAN COULD HAVE A [working = reliable?]NUCLEAR WEAPON IN TWO YEARS, i.e. in 2012-2013-OR-LESS iff it chooses to expedite + employ the "batch enrichment" processas per HEU nucmat production.
IIUC ARTIC > strongly indics or infers that IRAN CAN DEV A NUCBOMB AT ANYTIME NOW = VERY NEAR FUTURE, + THAT THE ONLY REAL THING KEEPING IRAN FROM DOING IT IS IRAN ITSELF. THE MULLAHS ARE ALL-BUT-OFFICIALLY-READY SAVE FOR MEDIA, DIPLOMATIC-CORRECT INTERNAT PUBLIC RELATIONS TO PRODUCE A RELIABLE BOMB???
SUB-IIUC IRAN > IS A NUCLEAR WEAPONS STATE WHOM IS DELIBERATELY CHOOSING NOT TO DEV OR DEPLOY ANY NUCWEAPS AT THIS TIME???
[Asharq al-Aswat] Iran's foreign minister and nuclear chief says he is too busy to attend an international security conference where his country's suspected nuclear weapons ambitions featured prominently in the past.
Ali Akbar Salehi's decision was reported Saturday by the semi-official Iranian news agency Isna. It came several days after Britain's defense secretary said Tehran might be able to develop nuclear weapons by next year.
Iran claims its nuclear program is limited to peaceful purposes. The U.S. and its allies insist Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. Recent attempts by the U.S. and others to persuade Iran to open its atomic program to more scrutiny have failed.
Last year, Iran was represented at the annual security conference in Germany.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/06/2011 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Hillary Clinton
[Ennahar] The Grand Mufti of 
The ex-leader of an armed Japanese far-left group from the 1970s has died on death row, 29 years after she was sentenced to hang over the savage group killings of 14 fellow radicals.
[Arab News] A 
Pakistan will make no compromise on its Kashmir stance, and India will have to give up the region through negotiations or talks,
