[Al Ahram] Afghan officials say they're trying to determine how an Afghan army soldier who opened fire on Slovakian NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... troops, killing one and wounding six, was able to escape from custody.
Afghan Gen. Abdul Hameed said Monday that suspect Lamber Khan had help from at least one other Afghan soldier in fleeing Sunday morning.
Hameed says the soldier took Khan from detention to a military hospital saying he needed medical attention, and fled with him from there. Authorities are trying to determine if others aided in the escape.
NATO-forces front man Brig. Gen. Heinz Feldmann says the coalition has "full confidence" the Afghans will recapture Khan. Wanta bet your next paycheck on it?
The Slovakian soldier killed in Kandahar last week was the ninth NATO service member killed by Afghan forces this year, according to an News Agency that Dare Not be Named count.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Hameed says the soldier(?) took Khan from detention to a military hospital saying he needed medical attention, and fled with him from there. Authorities are trying to determine if others aided in the escape.
Can't say "Muslim" Can you?
Or "Fellow Muslim" either.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 1:53 Comments ||
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Afghan legislators on Monday approved a law to govern next years presidential and provincial council elections, a key step toward conducting the polls. The law still needs to be signed by President Hamid Karzai. Another law regulating the responsibilities of the electoral management bodies was passed over the weekend, which also awaits Karzais signature. It was not known when Karzai would act.
That's all Afghanistan needs after all, an election. Look what it did for Egypt...
Nelofer Ibrahimi, a parliamentarian from Badakhshan province, and Shah Gul Rezayee, a deputy from Ghazni, said the law was passed by a joint commission of 14 deputies from the upper and lower houses of parliament.
The law directly will go to the president for approval, Rezayee said. Both houses of the parliament gave their authorisation to the joint commission, and the commission decision is final and acceptable by both houses of the parliament.
If endorsed by Karzai, completion of the two laws would clear the way for the elections on April 5 next year.
The electoral law defines the legal framework for the elections, while the structural measure governs the independent electoral commission and the appointment of its senior officials.
Karzai, whose second five-year term ends next year, is not allowed by law to seek a third.
The parliament has been debating the laws for several months. Their implementation is considered key for ensuring transparent and fair polls.
After the approval of the structural law, the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan urged Karzai to quickly endorse and enact the legislation.
Afghanistans international backers have said a smooth political transition during the presidential elections is necessary to ensure the countrys future stability once all foreign combat troops leave by the end of 2014.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Karzai sucks, but wait 'til you see his replacement!
Kenya has dismissed a UN report which accuses its troops in Somalia of facilitating charcoal exports in defiance of a UN Security Council ban. The report, leaked to Reuters news agency, said Kenyan troops helped export charcoal from Kismayo port after militant Islamist group al-Shabab lost control of it in September 2012.
The UN banned the export of charcoal from Somalia in February 2012. It alleges that the industry is a major source of income for al-Shabab.
Kenya and the African Union (AU) appealed to the UN Security Council to lift the ban after al-Shabab fighters fled Kismayo following last year's offensive by Kenyan troops and a Somali militia known as Ras Kamboni. When the Security Council refused, Kenya's army and Ras Kamboni "took the unilateral decision to begin the export of charcoal" from Kismayo, said the report, compiled by a UN panel of experts.
It said al-Shabab retained a stake in the industry.
"Essentially, with the changeover of power in Kismayo, the shareholding of the charcoal trade at the port was divided into three between al-Shabab, Ras Kamboni and Somali Kenyan businessmen cooperating with the KDF [Kenya Defence Forces]," the report alleged.
KDF spokesman Bogita Ongeri said the report lacked objectivity and had not been properly researched.
Kenyan troops had curtailed al-Shabab's operations in Somalia and had put a "stop" to the illegal charcoal trade, he said, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports.
The total trade volume of charcoal exports from southern Somalia in 2011 increased to between nine million and 10 million sacks, generating revenues for the al-Qaeda group in excess of $25m (£16m), the UN report said. Charcoal exports from Kismayo were estimated to be worth $15m to $16m per month, it added.
Kismayo has been hit by clashes between rival Somali militia since al-Shabab fled the city in September 2012. The city is seen as a lucrative prize for militias, which could gain financially from charcoal exports, port taxes and levies on weapons and other illegal imports.
Kenya sent troops to Somalia in October 2011, alleging that al-Shabab was threatening its security. Its troops later joined the African Union (AU) force helping the weak Somali government fend off threats by al-Shabab to overthrow it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Charcoal?
Africa?
Better not touch it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 1:57 Comments ||
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[Ynet] Special authorization granted due to increased terrorist activity in peninsula; main anti-Morsi group calls to suspend Camp David accords; senior US diplomat Burns urges 'inclusive' transition to democracy
Israel authorized the Egyptian army on Monday to deploy two infantry battalions in the Sinai Peninsula, despite the fact that an appendix to the peace treaty between the two countries forbids Egyptian military presence in the area.
The battalions are expected to deploy in the El-Arish and Rafah sectors as part of the effort to quell the increased Islamist terrorist activity, which included an attempt on the life of a senior military official.
The infantry battalions will enter Sinai to support the armored, engineering and special forces that are already operating there, with Israel's authorization. Cairo fears the situation in Sinai will deteriorate further following the Moslem Brüderbund's fall from power.
On Sunday Egyptian exchanges of fire took place on the Egyptian side of the border with Israel, apparently between Egyptian army forces and armed terrorists.
An Egyptian security official said Monday that the army has destroyed more than 90% of the smuggling tunnels running under the Gazoo-Egypt border. The official told the Egyptian news agency Asharq Al-Awsat that security forces plan to continue with their efforts to rid Sinai of all armed criminal elements.
The Egyptian army also said it would respond with the "utmost severity and firmness and force" if protesters tried to approach or break into its bases.
Thousands of Islamist supporters of deposed President Morsi were demonstrating on Monday to demand his return to power. At least 92 people were killed in the days after the army toppled Morsi on July 3 although protests have been peaceful for the past week.
Tamarod, the main activist group that organized the protests against Morsi, called for the suspension of the Camp David accords signed between Israel and Egypt in case Israel and the international forces will restrict the Egyptian army's deployment in Sinai.
According to the movement, the restrictions specified in the peace agreement's provisions are preventing Cairo from regaining its illusory sovereignty in Sinai and making it difficult for the army to clear terrorist elements from the area.
Also on Monday, a senior US diplomat urged Egypt's military and new interim leadership to ensure an "inclusive" transition to democracy, dismissing accusations that Washington backs any one side in the deeply polarized country.
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns was making the highest level visit to Egypt by an American official since Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was tossed by the military on July 3, following days of mass protests.
Morsi's opponents have long accused the United States of backing the Islamist president during his year in office. Tamarod said it refused an invitation to meet with Burns because of the perceived US stance.
On the other side, Morsi's backers, including the Moslem Brüderbund, now accuse Washington of backing the coup against Egypt's first freely elected president.
Burns held talks Monday with Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour, Prime Minister-designate Hazem el-Beblawi and the head of the military, Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, concerning the transition plan put forward by the new leadership. The road map calls for the amending of the Islamist-drafted constitution passed under Morsi and then parliamentary and presidential elections early next year.
In a further signal Washington is moving on from Morsi, Burns said that the US is "firmly committed to helping Egypt succeed in this second chance" to realize the promises of creating a democratic state.
"We hope it will be a chance to learn some of the lessons and correct some of the mistakes of the last two years," he said.
Burns told news hounds afterward that the process, particularly the constitutional changes, should be "transparent and inclusive" and that no party should be excluded -- a clear call for the Brotherhood to be involved.
"If representatives of some of the largest parties in Egypt are locked away You have the right to remain silent... or excluded, how are dialogue and participation possible?" Burns said, referring to the Brotherhood.
So far, the Brotherhood has staunchly rejected participating in the new political process, saying it will not validate what it calls the illegal ouster of Morsi. At the same time, authorities have launched a crackdown on its top leadership, putting Morsi and five others in detention and issuing arrest warrants against others.
The interim leadership has said it wants to offer the Brotherhood's political party posts in the Cabinet it is putting together, but the group has refused.
Burns said he had called on the military to "avoid any politically-motivated arrests."
The military did not comment on the talks, beyond saying in a statement that Burns and al-Sissi discussed "the recent political developments in Egypt ... and ways to reinforce cooperation."
Burns dismissed accusation that the US has taken sides in Egypt, saying it is not Washington's policy, "as outsiders, to support particular political personalities and particular parties. ... What we're going to continue to try to do is to support an open inclusive, tolerant democratic process."
"I am not naive. I know that many Egyptians have doubts about the United States, and I know there will be nothing neat or easy about the road ahead," he said.
During anti-Morsi rallies, protesters denounced Washington, depicting it as the main backer of his rule and the political rise of the Brotherhood. Posters at rallies showed President Barack Obama I am not a dictator!... with a beard like those of Islamist politicians.
Burns, the No. 2 American diplomat, is also expected to meet with civil society groups and business leaders during his trip.
Tamarod said on its Facebook page that it turned down an invitation to meet Burns.
"What is your business with Egypt? Stick with the Brotherhood and show me what good they are (to you)," one of Tamarod's founders, Mahmoud Badr, said sarcastically in a posting.
From the other side, an official with the Moslem Brüderbund said he was not aware of any invitation for the group to meet with Burns. But the official, Saad Emara, said any talks would have to recognize the Brotherhood's demand for Morsi's reinstatement -- not about a post-Morsi political process.
"Our bottom line is the constitutional legitimacy," he told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. "We won't talk about post-coup details."
Morsi's backers accuse the United States, at the least, of acceding to the military's coup.
At a rally of supporters in Cairo, the deputy leader of the Brotherhood's political party, Essam el-Erian told the crowd that Obama pressured Morsi to offer concessions to the protesters or a military coup would be inevitable. In their rally, the protesters accused al-Sissi of being a US agent implementing its agenda in Egypt.
Morsi's supporters have been holding a sit-in outside an east Cairo mosque since his ouster, demanding that he be reinstated. They are planning on Monday large street protests, dubbed "the Monday of steadfastness."
#1
"I am not naive. I know that many Egyptians have doubts about the United States, and I know there will be nothing neat or easy about the road ahead," he said.
Because Obama LIES?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 1:48 Comments ||
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[Al Ahram] Nour Party, Egypt's second-largest Islamist group after the Moslem Brüderbund, has spurned offers to hold talks with a senior US diplomat currently visiting Egypt.
Under Secretary of State Bill Burns arrived to Cairo early on Monday as part of a two-day visit to urge for a stop to current violence in the country and also to encourage the formation of a democratic, civilian government following a popularly-backed military overthrow of the state's Islamist president.
Ultraconservative Nour Party has refused to meet the senior diplomat in protest at what it perceives as the US interference in Egypt's domestic affairs, state news agency MENA said.
The military deposed elected president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July after days of mass nationwide demonstrations calling for his ouster. The ensuing unrest that has killed dozens and injured more than 1,400 people across Egypt has raised concerns in Washington.
The Nour Party has said it is, instead, pressing ahead with Al-Azhar supervised negotiations with all political forces -- including the Moslem Brüderbund -- seeking to forge national reconciliation in the increasingly polarised country, MENA added.
The group went on to slam what it described as anti-Islamist inflammatory rhetoric in Egyptian media, further deepening an already bitter political divide and stalling reconciliation efforts. It has said it is working towards establishing a code of conduct to regulate the matter.
The Nour Party, which initially backed the ouster of Morsi, have since refused posts in the army-backed interim government instated following the overthrow of the Islamist leader. Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi is expected to unveil the new cabinet by midweek.
In his first comments since Morsi's ouster, military chief General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said the army acted after Morsi rejected a referendum on his presidency despite the millions that erupted into the streets to withdraw confidence in Morsi and press for early elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
So the snubbing of the US of A's mighty DOS continues even down to the minors......
Wonder if Champ even knows (or cares)
[MAGHAREBIA] A Mauritanian appellate court on Sunday (July 14th) released a Canadian jailed for attempting to attend an al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) training camp in Mali, AFP reported.
Aaron Yoon, 25, was convicted last July and sentenced to a two-year prison term.
Earlier media reports suggested that Yoon was friends with two Canadian terrorists killed by Algerian security forces during the siege at the In Anemas gas complex last January.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Editors of state-run Egyptian literary newspaper Akhbar Al-Adab have forced its Moslem Brüderbund-affiliated editor-in-chief, Magdy El-Afifi, to take an open-ended leave from his position, following a protest demanding his removal on Sunday. El-Afifi will remain on vacation until a new editor is appointed.
The editors of the journal staged a protest on Sunday, in front of the headquarters of Akhbar Al-Youm, the publisher of the newspaper, demanding El-Afifi's removal and accusing him of destroying the newspaper and compromising its impartiality and professionalism. A protest planned for Monday was cancelled due to El-Afifi's removal.
"El-Afifi turned the journal into a propaganda newspaper of the Moslem Brüderbund, promoting its policies and leaders through his editorials...and his calls for [senior Brotherhood figure] Khairat El-Shater to be made prime minister...his photo was printed on the cover of the newspaper for the first time in the history of a cultural and literary journal," Mohammed Farag, an editor at Akhbar Al-Adab told Ahram Online.
The newspaper will be run by an elected editorial staff according to Farag, with new internal regulations put in place.
"We will work on a new vision of our journal after we restore it. We will contact the writers, who stopped writing for us because of El-Afifi's way of running things inside the newspaper during the past year. The next issue will be a surprise to our readers; we vow to do this and vow to restore our place," Farag said.
The editors accuse El-Afifi of destroying the newspaper's place in the market, causing it to lose most of its readers and writers.
"Akhbar Al-Adab has fully returned to its readers and editors. Finally Karl Marx leaves Rabaa and moves to Tahrir Square," journalist Mohammed Shoair wrote on his Facebook page in response to El-Afifi's removal. Shoair was mocking an editorial by El-Afifi from a few months ago in which he claimed that Marx rediscovered his faith in God in his last days, and that he praised Islam.
Akhbar Al-Adab, a weekly publication, was established by writer and novelist Gamal El-Ghitani, who headed it for almost 17 years.
El-Afifi took up the position of editor-in-chief on 9 August 2012.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Editors of state-run Egyptian literary newspaper Akhbar Al-Adab have forced its Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated editor-in-chief, Magdy El-Afifi, to take an open-ended leave from his position, following a protest demanding his removal on Sunday. El-Afifi will remain on vacation until a new editor is appointed.
YER OUT.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 2:22 Comments ||
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The misery in Syria will not repeat itself in Egypt, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said Monday in Cairo, while calling for an end to the violence and the start of talks between rival factions, dpa reported.
There are mounting concerns that the country could slide into a Syria-like civil war as it remains polarized between the Islamist supporters of Morsi and their opponents who backed his ouster.
The high-level US diplomat held talks with interim president Adli Mansour and Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, the architect of Morsi's ouster. Both Salafist and secular groups refused to meet with him. Speaking to reporters after the meetings, Burns said that the United States does not favour certain figures in Egypt but remained on the side of the Egyptian people.
He stressed Washington's commitment to help Egypt achieve democracy.
Burns also met with prime minister designate Hazem Beblawy, who is expected to announce a transitional cabinet this week.
Army chief al-Sissi and Burns discussed political developments and ways to improve cooperation between the countries, the army spokesman said in a brief statement.
The biggest Islamist party that backed Morsi's ouster, the Salafist al-Nour party, refused to meet with Burns, without giving a reason, al-Ahram reported.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Paid to speak well on his post.
Ignore as noise. (Static, if you will)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 2:10 Comments ||
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Once welcomed with open arms in Egypt, many of the tens of thousands of Syrians who took refuge here from the civil war at home have now found themselves targets of hate speech and intimidation. Their dramatic change in fortune is one of the unexpected consequences of the Egyptian militarys ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, whose Islamist-dominated government offered them favorable conditions.
Perhaps the local Egyptians know something about the Syrian 'opposition' that we should be considering...
The shift could have a profound impact on the lives of Syrians in Egypt as they currently find themselves in a sort of legal limbo, waiting to see where the political winds will drop them. In what many see as a hint of what lies ahead, Egypts new military-backed interim government already has imposed new travel restrictions.
That has spooked many Syrians who fear their current visas wont be renewed and they could be forced to leave Egypt. Many have invested their savings in businesses or simply cannot return to their war-ravaged cities.
Our biggest fear now is that we get deported, said Azzam Ayed, a 32-year-old Syrian who refused to give his hometown out of fears for his security.
The backlash stems from support of the mainly Sunni Syrian opposition by Mursi during his year in office, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which offered cheap housing and food aid to Syrians who fled the violence in their homeland.
With the country divided, Mursis critics accused Syrians of participating in the protests calling for him to be reinstated.
Interfering with the internal politics of your host country? I can see where that would cause problems...
International human rights groups have urged Egypt to rescind the measures.
Egypt may be going through tumultuous times, but it must not return anyone, including Syrians, to somewhere threatening their life or freedom, Nadim Houry, the deputy Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement last week. While Egypt is going through a very difficult period, it simply should not strand Syrians this way, especially those who have fled such a devastating conflict at home."
HRW does seem rather .. selective .. in its outrage, doesn't it...
The UN says some 70,000 Syrians are registered in Egypt, although officials estimate the actual number may be twice that since many have opted not to register. That would make Egypt home to the fourth-largest community of Syrian refugees after Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.
Haven't heard how the refugees are behaving in those other countries. Perhaps the local governments weren't as accommodating as Mursi was...
Those who came to Egypt received a warm welcome. Mursis government supported the rebels cause, and kept in place a decades-old open-door policy that allowed Syrians to come and go without prior visas. They were eligible to receive medical care at state hospitals, while their children could enroll in government schools.
Over the past few months, Syrians redefined some parts of Cairo, opening their own restaurants and cafes in areas where many of them settled.
But the warm welcome quickly evaporated after the military toppled Mursi on July 3 after four days of mass protests calling for the Islamist leaders removal.
Television networks critical of Mursi aired allegations that the Muslim Brotherhood was paying Syrian refugees to take part in pro-Mursi protests. The arrest of at least six Syrians taking part in violent street clashes only fanned the flames.
Syrians are facing a defamation campaign, said Syrian activist Salma Gazayerli. Yes, some of the Syrians support Mursi, but how many? The majority of Syrians know that they are guests in Egypt and they behave accordingly.
Gazayerli, co-founder of the nonprofit Union of Syrian Women, said the Brotherhood has manipulated the needs of some Syrians, offering them cheap housing from Islamic relief groups in return for participating in protests supporting Mursi. Those who refused, she claimed, were cut off from the aid.
Senior Brotherhood official Saad Emara rejected the allegations. There were millions in the streets. Can we give them all money? he said after mass rallies on Friday by Mursi supporters.
Mursi made supporting the Syrian opposition in its fight against President Bashar Assad a cornerstone of his foreign policy, and Cairo is the official headquarters of the main Western-backed Syrian opposition group.
On June 15, Mursi attended a rally organised by some of his hard-line allies in a show of solidarity with the Syrian rebellion. Some of the speakers at the rally called for jihad, or holy war, in Syria, and a senior official in Mursis office earlier said authorities would not prevent Egyptians from traveling to Syria to join the rebel cause.
Syrians say they noted a shift in the public mood against them following the speech, but that the honeymoon in Egypt ultimately came to an abrupt end when Mursi was swept aside.
Last week, popular TV presenter Youssef El-Husseini warned Syrians taking part in pro-Mursi protests they would be beaten with shoes if caught.
If you are a man, you return to your country and solve your problem there, he said on his night talk show on private ONTV. If you interfere in Egypt, you will beaten by 30 shoes.
His comments triggered uproar on social networking sites, prompting the network to apologise. But the damage was done.
All of a sudden, Egyptians started hating us because of the media. Before June 30, they would welcome us on the streets and greet us as guests. Now Syrians are harassed on the streets with a tone of why dont you go back home? Gazayerli said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Got the Obligatory "Children" in there.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 2:38 Comments ||
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The Bahraini sultan is stuck in a losing proposition: he and the royal family, and the key people who own the country, are all Sunni. Most of the rest of the population is Shi'a. He can repress all he likes, the numbers work against him...
A spokesperson for the Bahrain government has warned against participation in the so-called "Rebellion of Bahrain" rallies and said participants will face legal action.
Minister of State for Information Affairs and official spokesperson of the government Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab told the media on Sunday following a meeting that the so-called "Rebellion of Bahrain" movement was initiated by the so-called "14 February" Group, whose members were currently facing trial, including Al Wefaq Society represented by its secretary-general.
In response to a question on the rebellion movement's call to take to the streets on August 14, the spokesperson emphasised that constitutional channels were available in Bahrain and those who have legitimate demands can go and register their demands there.
In Bahrain, there is a Legislative Authority, whose members represent the will of the people, and other establishments where demands can be made, without resorting to violence or terrorism, the spokesperson added, noting that participation in the so-called "Rebellion of Bahrain" movement will be illegal.
The spokesperson pointed out a recent increase in acts of violence and said that all allegations made so far aimed at serving political agendas rather than seeking reforms.
The spokesperson added that the kingdom's success in restoring security and stability has exposed the real intentions of some parties, and therefore, they are trying to prove the contrary in order to be able to achieve their political agendas which, she said, have nothing to do with reforms.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[The Hindu] Ghulam Azam, in a wheelchair, was sitting in the dock in the jam-packed courtroom here when a 75-page excerpt of the 243-page judgment was read out on Monday. While 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... enforced a countrywide hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... , in which three people were killed and scores injured, Azam's counsel said they would appeal against the verdict sentencing the 91-year-old Jamaat founder to 90 years' imprisonment for crimes committed against humanity during Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971.
The prosecution had in January 2012 brought 62 specific charges against Azam. In May this year, the war crimes tribunal indicted him on five charges of crimes against humanity based on 61 incidents of murder and torture of unarmed people; and conspiracy, incitement and complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.
The indictment order said that at the time of the war in 1971 all leaders and workers of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Sangha, later renamed as Islami Chatra Shibir, opposed, under Ghulam Azam's leadership, the Bangladesh liberation movement.
Sixteen prosecution witnesses, including seven seizure-list witnesses and the investigation officer, testified against Azam, while his son alone gave evidence in his defence. One of the charges against Azam was that he was involved in the torture and murder of 38 people. The Pak forces with the help of their local cohorts -- Razakar and Al Badr -- killed them after receiving an order from him.
The tribunal also charged Azam with conspiring to commit crimes against humanity across Bangladesh on six occasions. The former Jamaat chief was charged with planning to commit crimes on three occasions. Azam left Bangladesh days before the country became independent after 93,000 Pak personnel surrendered to the joint India-Bangladesh command in Dhaka. He returned to Bangladesh with a Pak passport in 1978 and later became Jamaat chief.
Minutes after the tribunal verdict, the Gonojagoron Mancha started a demonstration at Shahbagh. Agitated youth there protested against the judgment, saying they would not stop until the tribunal revised its order. Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarker said they were dejected. "We will continue demonstration till the Jamaat leader is sentenced to death." The prosecution also expressed dissatisfaction, having failed to get him the death penalty. It said a decision to appeal against the verdict would be taken once it received a copy of the verdict.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Officials from the two Koreas failed to reach an agreement in their third round of discussions on how to restart a shuttered inter-Korean industrial park.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said that South Korean officials demanded assurances Monday that operations at the complex continue, even during future periods of heightened tension. A ministry official said the North offered no solid response, but repeated Pyongyang's position that operations at the industrial zone should resume at the earliest possible date.
The talks were held at the North Korean border town of Kaesong, where the factory complex is located. The two sides will meet again, with a date to be determined later.
In their previous talks, the two sides also agreed on a desire to reopen the complex, but could not agree on how to proceed.
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07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] [An Nahar] European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... nations are divided going into fresh talks this week on whether to add the military wing of Hizbullah to its list of "terrorist" groups, diplomatic sources said Monday.
EU ambassadors are set to discuss the issue on Thursday after counter-terrorist experts from the bloc's 28 member states twice failed last month to reach a unanimous decision to blacklist the party.
Unanimity is required to add Hizbullah to the dozen people and score of groups currently on the EU international "terrorist" list and subject to an asset freeze -- including Paleostinian Islamist movement Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and Colombia's FARC guerrillas.
EU diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... said Austria, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Malta and Slovakia had not signed on so far to a push led by Britannia, La Belle France and the Netherlands to blacklist the group.
A diplomat from a country supporting the move said a "consensus is clearly building" given that "the evidence that it committed terrorism on EU soil is strong".
But others were not so sure. One EU source said the new Czech foreign minister had offered no indication so far of Prague changing its mind, and a diplomat said Austria was still mulling the issue.
Concerns over Hizbullah have mounted in Europe since an attack last year on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria which Sofia blamed on the party.
In March, a Cyprus court sentenced a Hizbullah member to four years behind bars for planning attacks there.
Hizbullah's growing involvement in the Syrian conflict in recent months has further worried EU nations.
Should ambassadors fail again to reach agreement this week, the matter could go to foreign ministers who gather on Monday in Brussels.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Suleman spent years targeting members of the Shia community in his home country of Pakistain as a member of sectarian terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... (LeJ). Now he is on his way to a new sectarian battleground, Syria, where he plans to join rebels battling Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Trampler of Homs... 's regime.
The short and stocky man, who identified himself using only his first name for fear of being targeted by authorities, is one of an increasing number of snuffies who have left Pakistain for Syria in recent months.
The fighters have contributed to a growing presence of forces of Evil and complicated US efforts to help the rebels. Many fighters like Suleman believe they must help Syria's Sunni majority defeat Assad's Alawite regime.
The presence of religious forces of Evil in Syria looms large over US efforts to help the rebels, especially when it comes to providing weapons that could end up in the hands of America's enemies. The forces of Evil have also sparked infighting with more secular rebels concerned about their increasing power. Most of the imported muscle in Syria are from Arab countries, including Al Qaeda snuffies from Iraq on the rebel side and Hezbollah fighters from Leb on the regime's side. The flow of snuffies from Pakistain adds a new element to that mix.
Pak Interior Ministry front man Omar Hamid Khan said provincial authorities throughout Pakistain deny that snuffies have left the country for Syria. But three Pak intelligence officials based in the tribal region that borders Afghanistan, as well as snuffies themselves, say the fighters leaving Pakistain for Syria include members of Al Qaeda, the Pak Taliban and the LeJ.
The fighters fall mainly into two categories. One includes foreign combatants from places like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and likely the Middle East who came to Pakistain's tribal region to fight US-led forces in neighbouring Afghanistan and are now heading to Syria because they view it as the most pressing battle, said the Pak intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... because they were not authorised to talk to the media. This group includes members Al Qaeda who trained the Pak Taliban in areas such as bomb-making and are now moving on to the battlefield in Syria, said Pak Taliban fighters, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... Neither the intelligence officials nor the Pak snuffies were able to provide the total number of fighters who have left the country for Syria, or the route they were taking to get to the Middle East. An activist based in northern Syria, Mohammad Kanaan, said there are Paks fighting in his area but not in large numbers. ''Most ... are Arab fighters from Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... ,'' he said Sunday. ''But we have seen Paks and Afghans recently as well.''
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
At last check, looks like more Paki Hard Boyz + other foreign fighters will be coming to Syria.
The Maha-Rushian questionne' is whether enough will arrive in such numbers as to stave off Baby Assad's seeming "final victory" agz the Rebs, + maintain an effective anti-Assad toehold inside Syria???
* FYI DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS BLOGGER = opined that BABY ASSAD = ARMY HAS ELIMINATED OVER 40,000 WAHABIS INTO 72 VIRGIN-LAND, INCLDUING MANY FOREIGN JIHADIS, + WHOM ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO THREATEN EITHER THE US-WEST OR MIDDLE EAST "MUSLIM/ISLAMIC DEMOCRACY"???
Clearly the USA is right to get rid of Baby Assad.
* TOPIX > ANALYSIS: PRO-SALAFIST SYRIA REBELS SEENS AS [strategic] THREAT TO RUSSIA, CHINA, IRAN + ISRAEL.
Apparently Israel + Iran have discovered something in common.
[Dawn] Pakistain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Monday in condemnation to the US drone strike that had killed two suspected gunnies in Mir Ali Tehsil of North Wazoo tribal region on July 13.
These unilateral strikes are a violation of Pakistain's illusory sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said adding that, Pakistain has repeatedly emphasised the importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes.
The Government of Pakistain has consistently maintained that drone strikes are counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... and humanitarian implications and that such strikes also set dangerous precedents in the inter-state relations.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Pakistan is so full of extremist/hate even Bangladesh wanted nothing to do with them and alot of muslims in India rather stay in India than move to Mordor.
I would say Pakistan is the most extreme jihadi country in the world followed by Saudi and Iran.
Posted by: Paul D ||
07/16/2013 6:01 Comments ||
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#3
It would be well to remember that this is a family site, Threater Flusoper9823, and choose your blitherings accordingly.
[Ynet] Resolution suggests Jewish state threatening Middle East peace by its refusal to acknowledge that it has nuclear arms
Clearly, they trust Israel to successfully go after their enemy Iran despite such minor stabs in the back.
After a two-year hiatus, Arab nations are relaunching efforts to single out Israel for criticism at a major international conference this fall by preparing a resolution suggesting that the Jewish state is threatening Middle East peace by its refusal to acknowledge that it has nuclear arms and put them under UN purview.
The Arab push was a mainstay of recent annual meetings of the 159-nation ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency, where it was narrowly voted down by Israel's allies. It was suspended in 2011 and 2012, in what Arab nations viewed as a concession to keep hopes alive of high-profile talks on banning weapons of mass destruction from the Mideast.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will leave late Monday for Amman to hold talks with Jordanian and Arab League officials, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, dpa reported. Kerry will brief the officials on the Middle East peace process, having pledged to update them in an April meeting with the Arab League delegation in Washington.
Psaki said in light of recent events in Egypt, the talks were expected to cover a range of topics, but said no meetings with Palestinian or Israeli officials were planned. She stressed that final details of the trip were still being made.
"The secretary would not be going back to the region if he did not feel there was an opportunity to keep making steps forward and providing an update to representatives of the Arab League, as part of that," she said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"The secretary would not be going back to the region if he did not feel there was an opportunity to keep making steps forward and providing an update to representatives of the Arab League, as part of that," she said.
Three former top Tamil Tiger rebels will support the government in the upcoming crucial provincial council elections in the North which was the former rebel territory. Velayutham Dayanthi better known as Daya Master, who was once Tamil Tiger media spokesman, confirmed that he has been selected as the governing party United Peoples Freedom Alliances (UPFA) candidate for the Northern Provincial elections.
Only I will be contesting from us, he said crushing speculations that other top former Tamil Tiger rebels who have been through the governments rehabilitation programmes will also contest the September elections.
Two other key former rebels, the movements international fund-raiser and weapons procurer KP or Selvarasa Pathmanathan and former womens wing leader Thamilini were also tipped to contest the September polls.
However, Daya Master in a recent rally in the North confirmed that KP and Thamilini will not contest this years Northern elections and instead will stand by him. All former Tamil Tiger combatants and other members will support me in the fray, he said.
Meanwhile, reports said that Daya Master will help prepare UPFAs manifesto for the Northern Provincial Council election.
Local media said that he had identified issues faced by the Tamil people and the solutions to these issues would be included in the partys manifesto.
Daya Master surrendered to the Sri Lankan army during the last stages of three decades of war against the Tamil Tiger terrorists in 2009. KP was arrested by Sri Lankan intelligence agents in Malaysia a month later.
Thamalini crossed over to government-held areas in the guise of a civillian two months before the army shot dead the Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, ending the war. Almost all surrendered and captured Tiger cadres have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society by the government.
The upcoming elections in the province, which has a Tamil majority population, will be a battle for governance between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The government fears that a win by the former Tamil Tiger sympathising party TNA will hurt the province, which is just 30km away from Tamil Nadu, and bring all reconciliation and development efforts to a standstill.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Lebanese station says Israel attacked stockpile of Russian Yakhont missiles only after ensuring no Russian experts were on-site. Another report: Senior rebel commander passed on information regarding missile stockpile to US
Even after US sources affirmed that Israel was the one behind the bombing of the Yakhont missile stockpile in Latkia, Syria, the whole story behind the attack on the anti-ship cruise missiles remains murky.
Monday evening, Lebanese channel MTV reported that Israel had bombed the advanced land-to-sea missiles, which had been transferred from Russia to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... , only after it made sure that no Russian experts were on-site.
At the same time, Syrian news site Al Hakika quoted Turkish officials who said that a senior rebel source, Malik al-Kurdi, sent a message to the US that Yakhont missiles had arrived in Syria and Assad intended to give them to Hezbollah.
The sources, close to the Free Syrian Army command in Istanbul, said that al-Kurdi, who defected from the Syrian Army in 2011, recently sent a message to the US military attaché in Ankara via a Turkish officer, asking to meet in order to pass on "important information of interest to the US and Israel regarding Hezbollah and the Syrian regime."
According to the same Turkish sources, al-Kurdi said in his communiqué that "he had important military secrets related to the arrival of Yakhont missiles in Syria and that the regime intends to give some of them to Hezbollah." He noted that his former colleagues in the Syrian naval command had provided him with the information and the location of stockpiles.
The report claimed that the senior rebel gave the US naval attaché additional, accurate information regarding the stockpiles, and met with him again at the end of June. According to the Turkish sources, this information was what made it possible for Israel -- after consultation and coordination with the US government -- to determine at least three locations where the missiles were stored.
The same report said that the missiles were destroyed with three sea-to-land Harpoon missiles.
On Monday, the Russian news site RT reported that Israel used military bases in Turkey for one of the sea-to-land strikes against Syria. Apparently, this referred to the attack on arsenals in Latakia, which was generally attributed to the Israeli Air Force. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu quickly denied the report of Turkey's involvement, calling it a complete lie.
Another article, this one appearing earlier in the week in Britian's Sunday Times, stated that the missiles which destroyed the Yakhont stockpile were launched from a Dolphin submarine. It is still unclear how the attack was carried out.
[Al Ahram] A Lebanese hospital has "forcibly" ejected 30 Syrians patients maimed in violence in their country, an activist said on Monday, while the hospital said they were discharged over unpaid bills.
"The Alameddin hospital in Minieh threw out 30 maimed Syrians from Qusayr" on Sunday, Khaled Mustafa, director of an office helping refugees in northern Leb, told AFP.
The hospital, in northern Leb, has hosted dozens of Syrians from the town of Qusayr, a former rebel stronghold that fell to government troops last month, prompting an exodus of residents.
"They were forcibly expelled and were insulted," Mustafa said, adding that "80 percent of them were fitted with splints because of their serious fractures."
"The splints were removed without any concern for their health."
"They wouldn't even let them take their personal belongings or their x-rays," he added.
Mustafa said the patients -- some of whom were observing the fasting month of Ramadan -- were left to sit on a pavement for two hours before Red Thingy ambulances arrived to take them to another hospital in the nearby city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
Contacted by AFP, the hospital management declined to comment, but an employee speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... said the patients were made to go because they failed to pay their bills.
The employee also said the small hospital in northern Leb had become "a kind of centre for refugees fleeing Syria."
"The whole hospital was taken up with Syrians and was unable to assist Lebanese in the region in case of emergency," the employee said.
Mustafa rejected those claims, insisting that hospital fees had been paid, and that his office had purchased medicine and equipment for the hospital worth 34,000 dollars.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
A Lebanese hospital has "forcibly" ejected 30 Syrians patients they said on Monday, while the hospital said they were discharged over unpaid bills.
NO DEADBEATS, LEAVE NOW.
(Ooh, Obama and Obamacare thought only America was affected)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 2:05 Comments ||
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[Al Ahram] Iran's president-elect on Monday leveled his first criticism of the outgoing administration since June's election, saying it has mismanaged the country's economy.
Several newspapers quoted Hasan Rouhani as saying his team of experts see the government's economic assessments as sugar-coated, and President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad as having left much work to be done.
"We asked current officials about the situation of the country but their reports and those of our teams were very far from each other," he said in remarks published by the pro-reform Shargh daily.
Despite Ahmadinejad's claims of creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, he added, only an average 14,000 were created annually over the 2006 to 2012 period.
Inflation, he said, actually stands at 42 percent and not the officially reported 32 percent. On Sunday, the central bank put the rate at nearly 36 percent.
In a meeting with members of parliament late Sunday, Rouhani urged for close cooperation between his office and parliament in order to overcome the country's serious difficulties.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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Makes sense, Bush is bad, says Obama.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 2:14 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Another inmate has managed to escape from the Roumieh prison, which is witnessing dire conditions, only a few hours after a visit by caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel to the facility.
"Inmate Abdullah al-Hshimeh has beat feet from the building housing convicts at Roumieh prison," state-run National News Agency reported.
Voice of Leb radio (100.5) clarified that Hshimeh was tossed in the clink Please don't kill me! for robbery and not "terrorism" charges.
Earlier on Monday, Charbel inspected Roumieh prison's courtroom, which he said was ready to start the trial of inmates.
The caretaker minister lamented that the government had paid millions to rehabilitate the prison and that no major change was made.
Last week, Charbel said that the "crisis in Leb's central prison is chronic."
The caretaker minister pointed out that there are no doors inside the prison, saying: "We have been demanding for the last two years for the installation of modern doors and gates but no response was given."
Roumieh, the oldest and largest of Leb's overcrowded prisons, has witnessed sporadic prison breaks and escalating riots in recent years as inmates living in poor conditions demand better treatment.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 00:00 ||
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The caretaker minister lamented that the government had paid millions to rehabilitate the prison and that no major change was made.
(Charbel is the caretaker/administrator)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/16/2013 2:19 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghida questioned on Monday six detainees for their involvement in last June's festivities in the southern town of Abra against the military institution.
"Abu Ghida interrogated six detainees and issued arrest warrants against 5 of them," the state-run National News Agency reported.
The same source added: "Meanwhile, ...back at the dirigible, Cynthia backed into the galley, the barbecue fork held in front of her. Jack! she called. Where the hell are you?... the sixth person was released."
"Investigation in this case will resume on Tuesday."
On Wednesday, the military judge issued eight arrest warrants against runaways, including Salafist holy man Ahmed al-Asir and former singer Fadel Shaker over the festivities in the southern city of Sidon.
And on Tuesday, he issued arrest warrants against six other suspects.
The total number of arrest warrants issued so far has reached 25.
Last week, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged 27 suspects, 10 of them in absentia, over the festivities against the Lebanese army in the southern port city.
If convicted, the suspects face the death penalty.
The fighting near Sidon was sparked late last month when Asir's supporters opened fire on an army checkpoint, leaving around 18 soldiers and more than 20 gunnies dead.
The gunbattles concentrated in the area of Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque and nearby buildings in Abra.
Asir, a 45-year-old holy man who supports the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels fighting to topple Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... , is no where to be found along with Shaker.
Asir teamed up with Shaker, a onetime prominent singer, when around two years ago he began agitating for Hizbullah to disarm.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2013 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.
[Al Ahram] Editors of state-run Egyptian literary newspaper Akhbar Al-Adab have forced its 
Officials from the two Koreas failed to reach an agreement in their third round of discussions on how to restart a shuttered inter-Korean industrial park.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Wazoo
US Secretary of State John Kerry will leave late Monday for Amman to hold talks with Jordanian and Arab League officials, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, dpa reported. Kerry will brief the officials on the Middle East peace process, having pledged to update them in an April meeting with the Arab League delegation in Washington.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
