[Tolo News] A number of Afghan senators on Tuesday called for resignation of Defence Minister and termination of High Peace Council amid a rise in insecurity in the country.
The senators strongly criticised security officials for failing to ensure security to citizens.
They also accused the Afghan High Peace Council of providing secret support to the Taliban.
The senators strongly slammed the government's peace talks with the Taliban. They shouldn't humbly invite the Taliban for peace talks by offering presents.
"Afghan government, in particular Peace Council, supports jacket wallahs. On one side they kill our people, our children and on the other side we bewail and ask for the release of their members," Belqees Roshan, an Afghan senator said.
Senators also called on the Afghan Defence Minister to resign.
"If he is not ready to step down voluntarily, then this is our national and Islamic obligation to introduce such figures to Attorney General," Khaliqdad Balaghi, an Afghan senator said.
Senate House urged the government to execute the suicide kaboom plotters and their affiliates before the eyes of the Afghan people.
"We have always condemned the attacks, but I think condemnation cannot heal pains of a mother who has lost her child," Anarkali Honaryar, another member of Senate House, said.
The senators alleged Pakistain's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) over masterminding suicide kabooms in Afghanistan.
Afghan security officials are expected to be summoned to the Senate House to brief senators on security situation and answer questions on security.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] Establishment of US permanent bases in Afghanistan is a serious need, President Karzai's brother Ahmad Wali Karzai said.
Why is an unelected brother undermining the president's message?
Considering threats and intervention of neighbouring countries in Afghan affairs, establishment of permanent bases is a huge need in Afghanistan, Head of Kandahar provincial council Ahmad Wali Karzai said.
After the idea of US permanent bases in Afghanistan emerged, there have been different reactions from Afghan officials, but senior Afghan security officials weigh in on establishment of bases.
"Afghanistan is a poor country and interference by foreigners and our neighbours has always led to problems here,"
Wali Karzai said. "I think this is beneficial for future security and for the best of Afghan people."
He said national assembly and national council will make the final decision on permanent bases.
"This would have negative and positive outcomes, but the final decision should be with elders, parliamentarians and senators," he said.
There haven't been any official talks between Afghan officials and the US regarding the issue, but Iran has strongly opposed establishment of any US permanent military bases in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
As opposed to Taliban permanent military bases...
#2
Is this the Karzai brother who owns a significant fraction of the opium industry in Afghanistan, or does Hamid have several brothers? [google google google] Looks like it's the drug kingpin. Also, Ahmad Wali isn't technically unelected, he's some sort of provincial official in Kandahar.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
03/16/2011 8:29 Comments ||
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#3
Establishment of US permanent bases in Afghanistan is a serious need, President Karzai's brother Ahmad Wali Karzai said.
Translation: US Contracts, US base rental fees, road construction, fuel contracts, garbage contracts, jobs for Haji little people, base rentals fees $$, air corridor payments and fees, free USAID dollars, more US contracts, more US base rental fees. Haji base security contracts and fees. Did I mention Air Base $$ lease and overflight $$ fees?
LIBYAN leader Muammar Gaddafi's son overnight told "this clown" French President Nicolas Sarkozy to "give us back our money" allegedly used to finance his 2007 election victory.
Saif al-Islam told Euronews that "we have all the details and are ready to reveal everything" as Mr Gaddafi's forces closed in on rebels in the eastern city of Benghazi who France recognised as Libya's legitimate representatives.
"Sarkozy must first give back the money he took from Libya to finance his electoral campaign," Mr Gaddafi's son said when asked about France, which has along with Britain been leading calls for military intervention in Libya.
"We funded it and we have all the details and are ready to reveal everything. The first thing we want this clown to do is to give the money back to the Libyan people.
"He was given assistance so that he could help them. But he's disappointed us: give us back our money. We have all the bank details and documents for the transfer operations and we will make everything public soon."
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/16/2011 9:24 Comments ||
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#2
The money quote. We are going to invest in Russia, India and China now. That's where our money is going to be invested. Oil contracts will now go to Russian, Chinese and Indian firms. You can forget about the West.
#4
Uncle Muammar has also threatened to retaliate militarily agz France iff the latter attacks or helps to attack Libyuh.
Most likely via dedic Terror strike(s) within France, given that Muammar has also threatened to join AL-QAIDA in "HOLY WAR" iff the West attacks Libya - he brought up the Cold War + images of Algiers, Vietnam as proof that Libyuh will strike back agz the West.
[Asharq al-Aswat] Egypt's transition to democracy after 30 years of authoritarian rule faces a major test on Saturday when Egyptians vote in a referendum on amendments to the constitution. Opponents are pushing heavily for a "no" vote, saying the changes don't go far enough and that the ruling military is rushing the process.
If the changes are rejected, the military will have to go back to the drawing board and may extend the six-month deadline it had set for handing over power to an elected civilian government.
A "yes" vote could mean parliamentary and presidential elections to be held before the end of the year. But critics say that timeframe is too rushed and will only benefit the party of ousted President Hosni Mubarak Octogenarian Egyptian politician, prior to that air force commander. He served as the fourth President-for-Life of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. He assumed the presidency in 1981, following the liquidation of Anwar Sadat. He was dumped after 18 days of demonstrations, which at one point featured a camel charge by his supporters, during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. On 11 February, Vice President Suleiman announced that Mubarak had resigned in favor of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Mubarak and his family left the presidential palace by a side door and moved to Sharm el-Sheikh, while the new regime started trying to follow the money trail. and the Moslem Brüderbund, the two largest and best organized political forces in the country.
Regardless of the outcome, the referendum gives Egyptians their first taste in decades of a free vote and will likely be remembered as a milestone in Egypt's road to democracy after Mubarak's 29 years in power. Under Mubarak, elections and referendums were plagued by widespread vote fraud to ensure regime victories.
Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 after 18 days of unprecedented popular protests. Since then, the country of 80 million has been struggling with the shift to democratic rule, with the ruling military overwhelmed by an kaboom of protests, strikes, sectarian violence and a surge in crime.
As it pushes for a quick transfer of power, the military has been the target of growing international scrutiny for alleged human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... violations that include torturing and beating detainees and the use of military courts to try civilians without due judicial process.
The proposed amendments include a limit on presidents to two, four-year terms and allow independents and opposition members to run for the country's highest office, ending what had been heavy restrictions on who could be a candidate for president. The changes also ban anyone who has dual nationality, one foreign parent or a foreign wife from running.
The amendments would restore full judicial supervision of elections, seen as key to preventing fraud. They also put limits on the emergency laws that have been in place for 30 years and give police near unlimited powers: Under the new rules, a referendum would be required to extend emergency law beyond six months.
Voters in Saturday's referendum will be asked to cast ballots to say 'yes' or 'no' to the entire package of nine changes.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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[The Nation (Nairobi)] A lobby for the main religious groups in Africa has pledged to partner with the media in promoting peace across the continent.
The Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (Ifapa) said it would develop media monitoring tools relating to inter-religious issues to improve awareness and ensure that Africans are more than just passive consumers of media products.
In recommendations made at the conclusion of a three-day conference in Diani at the South Coast, Ifapa -- which brings together Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Bahai and African Traditional Religion -- said these partnerships would drive its agenda of reconciliation and harmony not just among faiths but among the populations.
The lobby group will also seek to advance its messages of peace through such activities as music festivals, community education, and outreach programmes.
The conference brought together 75 participants drawn from more than 30 countries, and its focus was to discuss the interventions needed in the African states facing conflict through educating communities, organising peace activities, forming partnerships and engaging in dialogue.
Ifapa's president, Rev Dr Ishmael Noko, said the organisation was focusing on taking development to the grassroots so as to avert conflicts.
"We are engaging government representatives, the private sector and leaders from all religions in the search for peace in Africa," he said.
Commenting on Kenya, Dr Noko urged politicians to stop pointing fingers at each other.
"It is the responsibility of Kenyans to ensure that peace prevails at this time when political temperatures are high because of the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... issue. No one should judge the suspects until after the trial," he said.
On the turmoil in Libya, the latest arena of the Arab uprising, Rev Noko said that military intervention by President Muammar Gadaffi was not a solution to peace but was bound to culminate in more bloodshed.
In a speech he presented at the gathering, Nation Media Group chairman Wilfred Kiboro said that the scale and diversity of conflicts in Africa was daunting and gave examples of Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt Sudan and Somalia. Others he noted were Kenya, Burundi, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Zim-bob-we.
"Peace can only come from within by each one of us committing to live in peace. However, The ever-popular However... human nature being what it is, peace will not be achieved where there is no social justice, and no equitable distribution of resources," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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TEHRAN - A senior Iranian legislator called on the foreign ministry to show firm reaction against deployment of Saudi military forces in Bahrain and take strong stances and measures in defense of the rights and independence of the Bahraini people.
"The foreign ministry should take a strong position against the dispatch of the Saudi forces to Bahrain" and defend the people's move and rule over the country, Mostafa Kavakebian said in an open session of the parliament on Tuesday.
He also urged Iran's diplomacy apparatus to devise plans and avoid adopting a passive policy on the growing wave of the Islamic awakening in the region to diminish the chances of success of the hegemonic powers in their plans for stopping or derailing the current revolutions.
His remarks came after Saudi Arabia sent more than 1,000 Saudi soldiers into Bahrain amidst widespread antigovernment protests. The Saudi military forces in tanks and armored personnel carriers crossed the 16-mile causeway into the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain.
Persian Gulf Cooperation Council states, by contrast, moved quickly in response to a request from Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa family to dispatch the first deployment of Arab troops across national borders since a revolt in Tunisia in December sparked unrest across the Arab world.
Earlier today, Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Swiss and Saudi ambassadors to Tehran to protest at Riyadh's military intervention in Bahrain and Washington's support for the move. Switzerland takes care of the US interests in Iran in absence of diplomatic ties.
The United States, which has its Fifth Fleet based in tiny Arab Persian Gulf monarchy, has declined to call the Saudi troops' deployment in Bahrain as incursion and has voiced support for the Riyadh's military intervention in the internal affairs of Bahrain.
The Islamic Republic also summoned Bahrain's charge d'affaires in Tehran over the recent developments.
Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi had earlier this week called on the Bahraini government and authorities to exercise self-restraint and avoid use of violence against protestors in the country.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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The Prime Minister confirmed that troop repatriations would no longer happen via the Wiltshire town from September due to the closure of a nearby RAF base.
But he said the Queen had agreed to the tribute as ''an enduring symbol of the nation's admiration and our gratitude to the people of that town''.
''Their deeply moving and dignified demonstrations of respect and mourning have shown the deep bond between the public and our Armed Forces,'' Mr Cameron told the Commons.
The Prime Minister made the announcement after making his regular tribute at the start of question time to the most recent military casualty in Afghanistan.
"The town will become Royal Wootton Bassett later this year in a move I believe will be welcomed right across our country."
A lovely honour. But the expense involved as everyone has to get new writing paper and business cards! Still, it's not as bad as being granted a royal Thai elephant...
[Iran Press TV] Over 181,000 undocumented Democrats have been living in the United Kingdom for the past two years, according to recent UK Border Agency (UKBA) figures.
According to National Audit Office (NAO), the agency did not do enough to prevent such situations.
It was a Labour thing. For some reason they liked hosting illegals.
However, The emphatic However... Damian Green, the Immigration Minister, has described the exact reasons of the illegal immigration to the UK and also the radical reforms that should be carried out.
It is said that immigrants and employers exploited the points-based visa system due to the weakness on the UKBA process service.
UKBA has been asked to "give greater priority to ensuring that migrants leave when they should," and also set national targets to deport immigrants, who stay after the expiration of their visas.
"The agency estimates there may be up to 181,000 migrants in the UK of all visa types whose permission to remain has expired since December 2008," NAO said.
It also said that the UKBA "lacks the ability to easily identify individuals whose visas have expired."
The chairperson of the Committee of Public Accounts, Margaret Hodge, said that when UKBA refuses to extend someone's visa, "it cannot guarantee that these people actually leave the country...The agency relies on employers to police their own employees and does not carry out its own checks...There could be as many as 181,000 people here on expired visas."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Hmm. try double that number and some
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics
Posted by: Oscar ||
03/16/2011 2:35 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] North Korea says it is willing to discuss its uranium enrichment program at nuclear disarmament talks that have been stalled for nearly two years.
The North's foreign ministry said in a statement that Pyongyang was ready for the interminable six-party negotiations with no preconditions, the official Korean Central News Agency reported
"(North Korea) is willing to come to the six-party talks unconditionally," the statement read. "We will then get huffy for no particular reason and walk out again."
The developments come after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin recently held meetings with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun in Pyongyang.
North Korea left the talks in April 2009 after the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society imposed tougher sanctions for conducting nuclear and missile tests.
The six-way negotiations include Russia, China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and North Korea.
Both China and the US have said the first step toward the resumption of six-party talks must be inter-Korean dialog.
Tensions have been running high on the Korean Peninsula since November when an exchange of artillery fire left four South Koreans dead on a border island.
The North accuses US President Barack B.O. Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple the country's government, insisting that its nuclear program is a deterrent against US forces in the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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SEOUL -- North Korea agreed Tuesday to the repatriation of only 27 of its 31 nationals held in South Korea after their fishing boat drifted here last month, withdrawing its earlier demand that Seoul also send back four wishing to defect, officials said.
"Now that we've graciously agreed to solve this problem, you imperialist running-dog lackeys, how about some food?"
The agreement, expressed through the Red Cross channel of the two countries, ends the deadlock that has lasted since South Korea told North Korea more than a week ago that it would repatriate only 27 of the 31 North Koreans who came here on a wooden boat on Feb. 5.
Backing down on its demand that all 31 be returned in a single group, the North requested Tuesday that 27 be returned by sea, according to Unification Ministry officials here.
"The North Korean side requested that the 27 people first be returned in consideration of the feelings of the families waiting for them," the South Korea Red Cross said in a release.
The South, citing bad weather in the Yellow Sea through which they came, proposed instead returning them on Wednesday through a truce village straddling the countries, but the North insisted they be returned by sea as soon as weather improves, the officials said.
"If the North insists they be returned by sea, we will watch the weather situation at sea. If returned by sea, they will ride on the same boat they came here on," a ministry official said earlier, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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A "leading group of doctors" in the US concerned with the ethical treatment of patients, which should include all doctors, sez Manning's treatment is an extension of the interrogation tactics used against terror suspects in Guantanamo. AoS note: all Manning stories are Home Front: WoT.
#1
The 'leading group of doctors' is Physicians for Human Rights, which is hard core left progressive. That's why the Guardian thinks they are 'leading', because they and the Guardian agree in their world viewpoint. I provide a link to their website so you can see how nutty they are.
I'm not surprised this is coming out: next step is for PHR to file a complaint with the state board of medicine in the state where Manning is being held to try and impugn the docs.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/16/2011 10:31 Comments ||
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#3
Manning is being held in the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, VA. I'm not sure if the Virginia state medical board has any control over military doctors,though.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/16/2011 19:22 Comments ||
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#4
This being Virginia, Rambler, I'm not sure the State Medical Board gives a rat's ass about the traitorous little b*st*ad.
(But Quantico is federal territory and none of their business anyway.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/16/2011 19:44 Comments ||
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#3
The issue is a simple one: is Manning being treated differently than any other military enlisted personnel who, having been accused of a serious national security crime, is being held pending courts martial? Manning 'joked' about suicide -- is his treatment different than that of another person who would do the same?
We'll never get the answer from the MFM, of course.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/16/2011 8:11 Comments ||
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#4
He has been treated IAW proper procedure for suicide watch and is also accused of treason which automatically forces the US to separate him from other prisoners. What a waste of breath his case is.
#7
The "article" (if you can call it that) does not mention any DOS employees protesting Manning's treatment.
Instead there are mealy mouth phrases like "sharply divided American opinion how Manning should be treated" and "some think he is a hero who should be awarded medals." No suggestion of who "some" is or how many "some" are. No discussions of the "sharply divided" opinions either.
In liberal Minnesota, opinion is divided between boiling him in oil vs dropping him into molten lead. This is a classic example of dishonest reporting.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/16/2011 16:03 Comments ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] The father of Khalid al-Dawsari -- who the US has accused of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction in a terror plot targeting former US President George W. Bush -- has said that his son is innocent, and that he is not convinced of the US accusations against him. "No, no! Certainly not! Not my boy!"
To understand his perspective it's important to remember his own country routinely convicts foreigners of felony crimes they did not commit, on the basis of confessions elicited by torture. Not underwear-on-the-head torture, but the real thing. Besides, Believers cannot be guilty of crimes against unbelievers, by definition.
Ali al-Dawsari told Asharq Al-Awsat that he does not believe his son is guilty of the charges laid against him by the US, and he stressed that his son's purchase of certain chemicals -- which the US allege was to be used in the production of a weapon of mass destruction -- was part of his studies as a chemical engineering student. He also stressed that his son, Khalid, had obtained these chemicals legally, utilizing his student ID -- which could be traced to him -- and that he did not try to obtain these chemicals in an illegal manner.
In that case, why have his professors not spoken up in his defence?
And another thing: Mr. Wife's degree is in chemical engineering, and not once did he make explosives in his lab courses, for which he used chemicals and equipment supplied by the university. Rather, they were taught how not to make things explode, mostly oil cracking towers as I recall, a very different thing.
Ali al-Dawsari, the father of the accused, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he is certain that his son is innocent of the charges that he has been accused of the wolf was innocent of the blood of Prophet Yusuf. He asked "does it make sense for my son to try to do something [produce a weapon of mass destruction] that states are trying to do?"
The US announced that the FBI had tossed in the calaboose Khalid al-Dawsari, aged 22, on a number of charges including planning to target former US President George W. Bush.
The indictment against al-Dawsari included charges of attempting to use weapons of mass destructions, and possibly targeting George W. Bush, as well as targeting nuclear power plants and hydro-electric dams, with these accusations being condensed into the charge of "attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction."
However the al-Dawsari family is not convinced of these accusations and Ali al-Dawsari told Asharq Al-Awsat that his son's lawyer had informed them that his son had attempted to acquire these chemicals as part of his studies. Khalid al-Dawsari was studying chemistry at South Plains College in Texas on a scholarship on behalf of SABIC [Saudi Basic Industries Corporation].
According to Khalid al-Dawsari's father, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat from Jeddah on Monday, the scholarship to America represented a dream come true for his son. He said "my son's high school record was 99.32 percent, and this gave him educational opportunities at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Armco, and SABIC, but he preferred the latter because it gave him the opportunity to achieve his dream of studying in the US."
Khalid's father also denied that his son was a religious thug, saying that his son had always been interested in learning about other people and cultures since his youth. He also revealed that Khalid al-Dawsari is a keen football fan, and had always had a love for American culture and history, was a keen fan of American movies and sitcoms, and even become interested in American football.
Khalid al-Dawsari has three siblings; two sisters and one brother. He received his education in primary and secondary schools throughout the al-Kharj region in Soddy Arabia, where he was known to be a bright and diligent student, and his excellent high school record meant that many opportunities were open to him when he left school.
Khalid al-Dawsari even appeared in a booklet put out by the al-Kharj region Department of Education. This booklet includes a picture of Khalid al-Dawsari, where he was described as one of the best students in the region and a future chemical engineer.
When asked about this booklet, Ali al-Dawsari asked Asharq Al-Awsat "is it rational for my son, who was 17 when this picture was taken, to make such plans upon arriving in America and attempt to possess a weapon of mass destruction and target George W. Bush? This doesn't' make any sense."
Ali al-Dawsari also revealed that he had spoken to his son four days before he had been tossed in the calaboose by the FBI, and that Khalid al-Dawsari had informed him that he was intending to return to Soddy Arabia in a few months.
The US authorities have only allowed Khalid al-Dawsari to speak with his family twice since his arrest, and during these telephone calls he told his family that he is in good health, and asked them to publicize his case.
Ali al-Dawsari continues to strongly insist on his son's innocence, saying that he is sure that his son's intelligence and tolerance would not let him get caught up with such accusations.
Asked whether he had any message to the Americans, Ali al-Dawsari said that his son views the US society as being the "ideal society" and asked the American public for justice.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denies claims the U.S. paid over $2 million in "blood money" to free a CIA contractor who shot and killed two Pakistani men.
No, no, perish the thought!
"The United States did not pay any compensation," Clinton told reporters in Cairo, according to Reuters.
"The money must've fallen out of my pocket and landed on the dresser. Really!"
In what appeared to be carefully choreographed end to the diplomatic crisis, the U.S. Embassy said the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the killings on Jan. 27 by Raymond Allen Davis. It thanked the families for "their generosity" in pardoning Davis, but did not mention any money changing hands.
The killings and detention of Davis triggered a fresh wave of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan and were testing an alliance seen as key to defeating al-Qaida and ending the war in Afghanistan.
The tensions were especially sharp between the CIA and Pakistan's powerful Inter Services Intelligence Agency, which says it did not know Davis was operating in the country.
Huh? The embassy submitted his name and paperwork when he arrived in the country.
One ISI official said it had backed the "blood money" deal. There appeared to be little public backlash as night fell in Pakistan.
To the surprise of many, inside and out of Pakistan, the army is apparently actually going to invade the last Islamic terrorist sanctuary in the tribal territories; North Waziristan. This can be seen by the extensive preparations to house half a million civilian refugees expected to flee the fighting. The UN has been notified to mobilize their resources to help handle the refugees. One reason for this change of attitude is the continued attacks by what the Pakistanis call "bad Taliban".
Private discussions between American and Pakistani officials are becoming increasingly ugly.
Sowing is always so satisfying, but reaping gets ugly indeed.
[Geo News] Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has placed in durance vile former religious minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi in Hajj corruption scandal after dismissal of his bail plea by the court, Geo News reported on Tuesday.
According to Geo News news hound, court was hearing extension of bail case of Kazmi. During the hearing lawyer of Kazmi presented his argument but following some solid evidences from FIA the court dismissed his bail plea.
Later, FIA placed in durance vile the former minister outside the courtroom.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Too much of that, and the Pilgrims might figure out that they're being ripped off.
[Iran Press TV] A senior Israeli intelligence official has reportedly established a secret operation room in northern Iraq to instigate anti-government protests in Syria in an effort to destabilize the country.
The operation room, equipped with sophisticated surveillance technology, enables Tel Aviv to wiretape and even hijack the Syrian telecommunication networks, a Press TV correspondent reported on Tuesday.
The espionage project was reportedly aimed at destabilizing Syria and creating division among Syrians through developing spy cells operating inside Syria.
The report comes as scores of Syrians have received text messages in recent days calling for anti-government protests to topple the President Bashir al-Assad.
Syrian intelligence forces later discovered that the messages had been sent by an intelligence unit of the Israeli army stationed in the Tel Hashomer district in Gush Dan in central Israel.
In December, a number of Israeli spies were identified in Syria and Leb following the confessions of an Egyptian national suspected of spying for Israel.
A 37-year-old Egyptian businessman, Tareq Abdul Razzak, had confessed in December last year that over the past three years, he had paid several visits to the Syrian capital of Damascus with a fake passport and identity under the guise of business trips.
The suspect said he has delivered sums of money to a Syrian holding, a "sensitive" post with security services.
Abdul Razzak reportedly provided Sherlocks with copies of reports he had passed on to Mossad from a Syrian security official.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas on Monday rejected Israeli accusations that the Paleostinian Authority (PA) allows incitement against Israel in its mosques and schools.
Abbas said in an interview with Israeli Radio that he has, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed to a joint investigation into the matter. The president further called for a joint Israeli-Paleostinian-American committee to look into claims of incitement in Paleostinian schools and mosques.
Abbas said that he telephoned Netanyahu to offer condolences as well as help from the PA security forces in bringing the perpetrators to book.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that "alarming incitement in Paleostinian schools, mosques and media" had prepared the ground for the Itamar attack that led to the killing of five members of a Jewish settler family.
Abbas said that there is no incitement. He added that the Paleostinian Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs has decided that all mosques should deliver the same sermon, distributed by the ministry.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage... Abbas condemned the attack in Itamar, calling it despicable, immoral and inhuman.
He told Israeli Radio that "a human being is not capable of something like that." Right. It was obviously committed by the Zudnuks of Arcturus XXVIII on a special mission...
"I'm not capable of seeing a four-month-old baby girl murdered, or a woman slaughtered," Abbas said. "Any person who has a sense of humanity would be hurt and driven to tears by such sights." E pur se muove.
I'm shocked. Shocked!!
Was that in English, or Arabic?
It looks like Italian...
He added that if it had possessed any prior knowledge of the attack, then the PA would have prevented it. "Now we want to know who carried it out."
The Jewish occupiers, meanwhile, continued their attacks against Paleostinians to avenge the killing of the Fogel family.
Paleostinian sources said that a tractor and private vehicle were set on fire in the village of Doura Al-Qari' east of Ramallah. The Israeli Civil Administration and police department confirmed the details and stated that the Paleostinians have filed a complaint.
Also in the West Bank, A few dozen occupiers from the Neve Tzuf settlement to the west of Ramallah, where the Fogel family is sitting shiva (seven days of mourning) after the attack, are blocking the junction nearby in protest at the attack.
Israeli Army Radio said that the police dispersed protesters by force and jugged a 42-year old woman.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"And when I say there is no incitement against Israel, I mean there is absolutely none. Not a peep! At least not in English, anyway."
[Ma'an] President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. He was one of the founding members of Fatah. Since no one would talk to him anymore in the wake of the Karine A incident, Yasser Arafat appointed Abbas prime minister in 2003. Arafat then proceeded to pretend there was no such thing as a prime minister and Abbas resigned in frustration in October of the same year. Arafat keeled over dead from AIDS the next year, and Abbas ran in the presidential election in January 2005. Fatah managed to split down the middle between the Greedy Old Guard and the Young Bloodthirsty Guys for the legislative elections, which threw the whole thing to Hamäs. This resulted in a Government of National Unity™, which worked about as well as those things usually do, and Hamäs soon beat up Fatah's goons and threw them out of Gazoo. Recently Hamäs points out, accurately, that Abbas' term as president has expired, but refuses to allow any elections to take place, which prevents him from gracefully stepping down. This the sort of thing we usually expect in Paleostine... on Tuesday proposed holding elections "as soon as possible" in order to end the divide within the national movement.
"I am with the people and in favor of going back to the people to put an end to the divisions through presidential and parliamentary elections," he said after talks with Cyprus President Demetris Christofias.
Gazoo Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's response to the protests was to invite Abbas for "immediate" talks to mend the bitter divide between their two movements.
"I invite the president, brother Abu Mazen (Abbas), and Fatah to an immediate meeting here in Gazoo or in any location which we agree upon, to start national dialogue in order to achieve reconciliation," Haniyeh said in a live broadcast.
Haniyeh blamed division on "external interference and the lack of political will of the Paleostinian leadership in the West Bank," he said Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, did "not want division," but was ready once again to talk with Fatah.
As an estimated 300,000 protested in Gazoo City, and another 3,000 gathered in Ramallah, all demanding an end to the political division, appointed West Bank Prime Minister Salam Fayyad headed a meeting to discuss unity options.
Fayyad is expected to propose a new PA cabinet to Abbas on Monday. Initial reports suggested that the cabinet could include Hamas members, but were never confirmed.
The PA media office said Fayyad and the resigned PA cabinet held a meeting in Ramallah, where they welcomed protests "as a means of ending the occupation and achieving national readiness for statehood."
The statement said the resigned cabinet urged young Paleostinians to direct efforts to the international community, and ask nations to apply international law to the situation in Paleostine.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] President the ineffectual the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas'>the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. He was one of the founding members of Fatah. Since no one would talk to him anymore, Yasser Arafat appointed Abbas prime minister in 2003. Arafat then proceeded to pretend there was no such thing as a prime minister and Abbas resigned in October of the same year. Arafat keeled over dead from AIDS the next year, and Abbas ran in the preesidential election in January 2005. Fatah managed to split down the middle between the Old Guard and the Young Bloodthirsty Guys for the legislative elections, which threw the whole thing to Hamas. This resulted in a Government of National Unity, which worked about as well as those things usually do, and Hamas soon beat up Fatah's goons and threw them out of Gazoo. At this point Hamas points out, accurately, that Abbas' term as president has expired, but refuses to allow any elections to take place, which is the sort of thing we usually expect in Paleostine... on Tuesday proposed holding elections "as soon as possible" in order to end the divide within the national movement.
"I am with the people and in favour of going back to the people to put an end to the divisions through presidential and parliamentary elections," he said after talks with Cyprus President Demetris Christofias.
Gazoo Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's response to the protests was to invite Abbas for "immediate" talks to mend the bitter divide between their two movements.
"I invite the president, brother Abu Mazen (Abbas), and Fatah to an immediate meeting here in Gazoo or in any location which we agree upon, to start national dialogue in order to achieve reconciliation," Haniyeh said in a live broadcast.
As an estimated 300,000 protested in Gazoo City, and another 3,000 gathered in Ramallah, all demanding an end to the political division, appointed West Bank Prime Minister Salam Fayyad headed a meeting to discuss unity options.
Fayyad is expected to propose a new PA cabinet to Abbas on Monday. Initial reports suggested that the cabinet could include Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, members, but were never confirmed.
The PA media office said Fayyad and the resigned PA cabinet held a meeting in Ramallah, where they welcomed protests "as a means of ending the occupation and achieving national readiness for statehood."
The statement said the resigned cabinet urged young Paleostinians to direct efforts to the international community, and ask nations to apply international law to the situation in Paleostine.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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Somehow it's not surprising that they have a Minister for Discrimination...
[Straits Times] HUMAN rights activists urged Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday to sack his religious affairs minister and to lift a ban on a minority Islamic group practising in public.
Some provincial administrations in the world's most populous Mohammedan country have issued local decrees prohibiting members of the Ahmadiyah sect from displaying signs identifying their mosques and schools.
The provincial regulations came into force after Islamist fanatics brutally murdered three Ahmadiyah adherents in early February. Two days later another mob of enraged Mohammedans rampaged through the streets and set fire to churches.
'Repeated calls by religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali to ban the Ahmadiyah fan the flames of violence against the group,' Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said in a statement.
'President Yudhoyono should signal that such discrimination has no place in a society that promotes religious tolerance and remove Suryadharma Ali from his post,' he added.
A shocking video of one of the attacks shows hundreds of Mohammedan fanatics armed with machetes, sticks and rocks screaming 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greater) as they set upon their victims in a wild frenzy.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Bad choice of words on that headline. Considering some of the locals, he could actually be "axed"...
#3
As far as I can tell, about the only country where Ahmaddiyas can call themselves Muslim and practice their faith without interference is America. And then there's the movement to declare Shiism not truly Muslim, too...
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.
International Criminal Court
North Korea
[Geo News] Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has 
[Iran Press TV] A senior Israeli intelligence official has reportedly established a secret operation room in northern Iraq to instigate anti-government protests in Syria in an effort to destabilize the country.
