[Wall Street Journal] Egypt's interim ruling military council pledged to honor its promise to hand over power by the end of this month, hours after Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi claimed victory in the first free presidential vote since the ouster of authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak. Oh, yeah. Trust them on that. And if they feel like taking over again in six months or so, sure they won't indulge themselves.
Major-General Mohamed El Assar, a member of the interim ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, tried to assuage widespread concerns that a constitutional declaration, which came only a few days after Egypt's highest court dissolved its parliament, amounted to a military coup. When the military takes charge of running the country it's kind of a coup by definition, isn't it? In most civilized countries the military is for fighting wars, not for running the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/18/2012 12:41 ||
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[Jerusalem Post] An aide of Egypt's presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik, an ex-military man who was Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... 's last prime minister, on Monday challenged the claim by the Moslem Brüderbund that it had won the vote.
The Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) said in a news conference that its candidate Mohamed Morsy had won 52.5 percent of the vote compared to Shafik's 47.5 percent with almost all votes counted.
"The campaign of Ahmed Shafik is astonished by the conference of the FJP that represents a violation of the laws of the election commission," Mahmoud Baraka, the media of Shafik's campaign, said, accusing the Brotherhood of "hijacking the election result."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/18/2012 01:43 ||
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#1
iiuc, in Egypt voter registration is not required, however, a National ID card is required to vote (and, at least de jure, all Egyptians have a national ID card)
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/18/2012 11:13 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] The Egyptian military is planning to complete its coup against the revolution by preparing to announce former Premier Ahmed Shafiq as the winner of the presidential election, reports say.
The reports say that the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) has already made necessary arrangements with the US to complete its planned coup by placing Shafiq ahead of Moslem Brüderbund's Mohammed Morsi in the race.
Meanwhile, ...back at the mall, Clarissa spent the day shopping for new underwear. Tonight was going to be a special occasion... the SCAF has also warned the Egyptians against holding protests after the release of election results. The judiciary has reportedly authorized the junta to make arrests in case of unrest.
As another part of the plan to derail the revolution, on the second and final day of voting, the SCAF announced its decision to issue an amended constitutional declaration, allowing it to remain in control of the country's legislation and state budget.
The army's recent efforts to remain in power come while the it had vowed to hand over power to the country's elected president on July 1. The military junta announced on Saturday its decision to dissolve the Egyptian parliament that was dominated by the Moslem Brüderbund.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/18/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] After the Yemeni army managed to dislodge the hard boyz from their strongholds in the southern province of Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... , tribal committee started mediation efforts intended to convince the hard boyz to withdraw peacefully from Shabwa.
The tribal chiefs aim to spare Azan, a town in Shabwa and al-Qaeda stronghold, the war and bloodshed that is absolutely going to take place as the government forces are resolved to recapture all the seized towns by the Jihadists and eliminate them. Local sources told the al-Masdar online newspaper that the tribal committee, which is comprised of social dignitaries and chiefs from Shabwa, has not reached an agreement with the hard boyz yet. The sources said that al-Qaeda-linked hard boyz are still in control of Azan and that they are still manning checkpoints at its entrances.
Meanwhile, ...back at the hoedown, Bob finally got to dance with Sally... government sources confirmed that advanced operations bases have been established in Shabwa with the aim of delivering painful strikes against the hard boyz and driving them out from it. On Friday, air force planes launched Arclight airstrikes targeting the hard boyz hideouts and whereabouts in Azan. However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... Ansar al-Sharia ...a Yemeni Islamist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends... said the Arclight airstrikes resulted in no causalities.
Yesterday, the army troops assisted by armed rustics managed to dislodge al-Qaeda elements from their last stronghold of Shuqra, a port town in Abyan, putting an end to the rein of terrorism in the southern province which has witnessed violent festivities over the recent 13 months. Tens of thousands were displaced due to the conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/18/2012 00:00 ||
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Soldiers who have been made redundant were sacked days before they qualified for a full pension, families of servicemen have complained.
They have raised suspicions that the Army, which has just axed 3,000 personnel, targeted a number who were within touching distance of generous lifelong pay outs.
One 40-year-old sergeant serving in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers was only three days away from serving 22 years and qualifying for an immediate pension pot worth £108,000. He will now have to wait until he is 65 to receive the pension.
Parents of officers have also contacted The Daily Telegraph saying that their sons have been sacked just short of serving 16 years, at which point they would get an immediate annual stipend of around £12,000. They too will have to wait until they are 65.
The Armed Forces pension scheme is seen as one of the more generous in the public sector with personnel awarded around 40 per cent of their final salary. Servicemen aged over 40 with 16 or 18 years service can claim an immediate pension and tax-free lump sum on leaving the Army and a second lump sum at 65.
But Henry Witham said his son, Rupert, a major in the infantry, was just a year away from qualifying for an immediate pension when he was sacked. The 38-year-old soldier has served four tours in Afghanistan and received a steady number of good reports. Not only does he lose his pension but also the boarding school allowance for his two young children.
Enthusiasm and loyalty to the Army have been rewarded by the sack, purely on the grounds that a decent pension was due after 16 years of service, Mr Witham said.
The decision is not being made on the grounds of ability, experience or commitment, purely on cost. It would appear that capable, experienced and dedicated officers are being sacrificed.
His suspicions were further raised after 38 out of 50 of his sons Sandhurst 1999 intake have been sacked. In the most recent round of redundancies announced last week the Army lost 300 officers in total, who are seen as the most combat experienced for generations.
Brigadier Rob Nitsch, the head of Army manning, said that the sackings had been determined by future manpower requirements.
It is not the case that proximity to the date at which a pension would be paid was a consideration for redundancy selection.
#2
Used to do it in the American forces too till Congress inserted the eighteen year lock in protection. If they can't process you out through normal attrition procedures before you hit the 18 year mark, you're protected till 20 and retirement eligibility barring courts martial or separation for cause.
Brigadier Rob Nitsch, the head of Army manning, said that the sackings had been determined by future manpower requirements.
Wonder how many cut backs are slicing into the Colonel/General level?
[Dawn] An offer by the United States to apologise ' softly' for the death of 24 Pak troops killed in a cross border attack by US forces on a Pak security checkpost in November last year, Dawnnews reported.
A meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet has been immediately summoned to tackle the issue.
Ten days remain to the passing of seven months since the closure of NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... supplies after the cross border attack and experts are hoping that the strained relations between the US and Pakistain would be resolved.
Diplomatic sources have said the US has offered a 'soft low level apology' over the checkpost attack incident and it is expected to be delivered next week.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/18/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
As per DEFENCE.PK.FORUMS, in return has Pakistan conveniently "lost" = weirdly-n-mysteriously-n-...... can't find, its costs records on how much it spent andor is owed by the US-NATO [read, USA]as per the GWOT???
D *** NG IT, INQUIRING PAK BLOGGERS-POSTERS WANNA KNOW!
Posted by: Lonzo Dark Lord of the Sith5381 ||
06/18/2012 9:54 Comments ||
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#4
"We're terribly sorry that your Dumfuks started a war so now you're killed by Drones.
"
"We're also sorry the asses hide behind your Civilians so they die as well."
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/18/2012 11:28 Comments ||
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#5
Kinda sorta like this?
Yeah, we did it. We're not sorry. And it's pro'lly gonna happen again. Now stop shooting at us.
#6
That ISAF aviation unit didn't just vector over to a PAK border outpost and open fire. Those helo's were FIRED UPON and they finished the scrap! Get a grip Pakistan.
#7
ION TOPIX > [Washington Examiner]PAKISTAN SPY AGENCY MOVES TOWARD OPEN DEFIANCE OF US.
ARTIC = US fears Pak ISI + aligned Radical Islamist extremists, e.g. HAQQANIS, aspire to create a post-2014, anti-American, MilTerr "safe haven" in Afghanistan.
And "safe havens" in PAKISTAN???
* SAME > PAKISTAN: NO SUPPLY ROUTES/TRANSIT DEAL WIDOUT APOLOGY.
IIUC, Pakistan desires a PCorrect-Deniable, good/proper-sounding "soft" apology acceptable to the Pak People; OR THE DEAL'S OFF, I.E. THE NATO SUPPLY ROUTES = SDN STAYS CLOSED.
SOME KIND OF APOLOGY THAT ISLAMABAD CAN USE, OR NO-GO.
-----------
OTOH SAME > THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NDN [Northern Distribution Network], to the US-NATO.
* SIASAT DAILY > [Mass]RIOTS IN PAKISTAN OVER POWER CUTS.
* RELATED DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > POWER PROTESTORS GO ON RAMPAGE.
* WAFF > [Afghanistan] WOULD-BE SUICIDE BOMBERS: WE WERE [profiled, recruited, +] TRAINED IN PAKISTAN, vee Madrassas.
The "lazy", the dirty, the poor + poverty-stricken, ...@etc.
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > UGANDA ARRESTS FIVE PAKISTANI REBEL SUSPECTS.
And then there's IRAN ...
* MEMRI.ORG > IRAN REGIME OFFERS OBAMA A "WIN-WIN" DEAL - RECOGNIZE OUR NUCLEAR RIGHTS, + YOU WILL BE RE-ELECTED.
[Dawn] Former amir of 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... Qazi Hussain Ahmad ... third president (1987--2009) of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. Qazi was also head of the Muttahidah Majlis-e-Amal until his ego became bigger than the organization. Qazi is what is known as a fiery preacher, which means he has lots of volume, a good delivery, and not a lot of reverence for coherence. He was the patron of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Rasool Sayyaf and Osama bin Laden during the war against the Soviets. He used to recommend drining camel's urine to maintain good health before his kidneys started to go... has said that flawed policies of rulers have weakened the country's institutions.
Speaking to party workers at Karnal Sher kallay here on Saturday, he vowed that the JI and people would stand by the Supreme Court and foil all conspiracies to discredit judiciary.
Mr Ahmad said that the rulers had failed to deliver while toeing the American policy, which was bent upon weakening Pakistain. He said that the latest agreement between the US and India giving the latter a greater role in Afghanistan should serve as an eye-opener for the rulers.
"The objectives of Pakistain's establishment have not been achieved. The regimes who ruled the country one after the other are responsible for pushing the country into the prevailing quagmire," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/18/2012 00:00 ||
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A Russian ship believed to be carrying helicopters and missiles for Syria has been effectively stopped in its tracks off the coast of Scotland after its insurance was cancelled at the behest of the British government.
The British marine insurer Standard Club said it had withdrawn cover from all the ships owned by Femco, a Russian cargo line, including the MV Alaed.
"We were made aware of the allegations that the Alaed was carrying munitions destined for Syria," the company said in a statement. "We have already informed the ship owner that their insurance cover ceased automatically in view of the nature of the voyage."
British security officials confirmed they had told Standard Club that providing insurance to the shipment was likely to be a breach of European Union sanctions against the Syrian regime.
They said they were continuing to monitor the ship, which has been the subject of a fierce international row since US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week revealed it was adding to the arsenal of weaponry available for Mr Assad to use against rebellious Syrian towns.
"We have various ways of keeping track of this ship and that is what we are doing," a source told The Daily Telegraph.
[Al Ahram] The head of the UN observers' mission in Syria has demanded that warring parties allow the evacuation of endangered women, children, elderly and sick from the besieged city of Homs and other combat zones. Major-General Robert Mood said that neither Syrian troops nor rebels were willing to hold their fire to allow them to leave, particularly from Homs. He said UN efforts to evacuate civilians from Homs had so far failed.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/18/2012 00:00 ||
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he intends to retire from politics at the end of his second term in 2013, Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Saturday. Ahmadinejad, a civil engineer by trade, said he plans to return to academics after leaving politics.
Unless the "people" won't let him leave, of course...
The Iranian president may not serve more than two consecutive terms, but may run for office again after an absence of one four-year term. Despite this, Ahmadinejad said "Eight years is enough," in an interview with Allgemeine Zeitung that will be published on Sunday.
"Maybe I'll get involved politically at the university, but I'm not going to found any political party or group," he said.
He might take supplements and grow an inch or two...
He has served as Iran's president since 2005, and served as mayor of Tehran prior to his election to the presidency.
Ahmadinejad's announcement came days before world powers and Iran are scheduled to reconvene in Moscow for a third round of nuclear talks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/18/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TELEGRAPH.UK > IRAN + WORLD POWERS TO MEET FOR "MAKE OR BREAK" TALKS OVER NUCLEAR PROGRAMME.
Yeeuup, "MAKE OR BREAK" is a good way of describing it.
* WAFF > [Salon.COM] WE CAN'T CRUSH IRAN.
NOSTRADAMUS may agree, except until such time "...THE SEVEN/SEVENTH HOLDS THE LINE".
[SONGS OF THE THIRD WORLD WAR - "WHITE RABBIT", THE THEME FROM "PLATOON" [1960's = 1980's Oliver Stone] here.
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.
[Wall Street Journal] Egypt's interim ruling military council pledged to honor its promise to hand over power by the end of this month, hours after Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi claimed victory in the first free presidential vote since the ouster of authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.
The Egyptian military is planning to complete its coup against the revolution by preparing to announce former Premier Ahmed Shafiq as the winner of the presidential election, reports say.
After the Yemeni army managed to dislodge the 
An offer by the United States to apologise ' softly' for the death of 24 Pak troops killed in a cross border attack by US forces on a Pak security checkpost in November last year, Dawnnews reported.
[Dawn] Former amir of 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he intends to retire from politics at the end of his second term in 2013, Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Saturday. Ahmadinejad, a civil engineer by trade, said he plans to return to academics after leaving politics.
