[An Nahar] Former defense minister Abdul Rahim Wardak withdrew from the Afghan presidential election on Sunday in the latest sign of deal-making in the race to lead the country as NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... troops prepare to exit.
Wardak, a veteran military and political operator, has been a senior adviser to President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... , but he failed to make any impact in the election campaign ahead of voting on April 5.
Nine candidates now remain in the race to succeed Karzai, who has ruled Afghanistan since 2001 and is constitutionally banned from running again.
The three leading names are former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul ... former foreign minister and a very close confidant of Hamid Karzai. Before serving as foreign minister Rassoul also spent seven years laboring as a national security adviser to the president. An ethnic Pashtun born in Kabul, Rassoul was the valedictorian of his class at the illustrious Franco-American school in Kabul, Lycee Istiqal. He has an MD from the Paris Medical School in France..... , Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... , who came second in 2009, and former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani.
On Sunday Wardak declined to publicly endorse another candidate, though analysts say he could back Rassoul, who is increasingly seen as having the implicit support of the outgoing president.
"Our campaign was not vigorous from the very beginning," Wardak, 68, told a presser in Kabul.
"Today I announce that, without joining any other teams, I withdraw from the presidential election candidacy.
"Reaching power has never been my target (and) I will always remain at my nation's service."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
GAROWE, Somalia -- Puntland Government in northern Somalia has responded to a surprise visit to Sanaag regional district of Laasqoray by the President of Somalia's separatist administration of Somaliland Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Siilaanyo on Sunday, Garowe Online reports.
Addressing reporters at Information Ministry Headquarters in Puntland Capital of Garowe, Puntland Information Minister Abdiweli Hirsi Abdulle (Indho Guran) called the the tour a provocative' and condemned Somaliland for fomenting insecurity and armed confrontations in peaceful areas.
"Puntland is ready to defend its borders, we warn of new conflicts with [Puntland] neighbor," said Indho Guran, adding that Puntland government remains committed to lasting peace and improved security situation in the disputed regions in northern Somalia.
During his two hours' stay in the coastal town of Laasqoray, about 105km from the Gulf of Adan port city of Bossaso, Somaliland leader toured several landmark sites including fish factory, with sources within Somaliland government unveiling that Siilaanyo laid a foundation rock for a new seaport.
So they'll fight over a fish factory...
Somaliland-appointed Sanaag governor and Mayor were accompanying President Siilaanyo on his visit to Laasqoray according to independent sources. In response to what Puntland Government has described as provocation against peace-loving communities, Puntland Defense Forces in armored fighting vehicles headed to Laasqory late on Sunday.
The newly elected Puntland President Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas pledged the restoration of Sool regional capital of Lasanod back in the hands of native residents at the height Puntland elections campaign. Political analysts say, the public speech might have pushed President Siilaanyo into the regional tour.
Puntland and Somaliland have fought sporadic battles since 2002 over the control of territories mainly in Sool region following the seizure of Lasanod in military offensive in October 2007 by Somaliland forces.
Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of the country as a de facto sovereign state in 1991 but it hasn't been recognized internationally yet.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Why? It's not as if there's an effective government to make treaties and trade agreements with, or to protect Indian nationals in-country if something goes wrong.
The State Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of the Somali Government Buri Mohamed Hamza, returned to the country today after a trip to some foreign countries and explained of his meetings with the Indian officials.
The Minister said that he requested from the Indian Government to resume diplomatic relations as well as reopening their embassy in Mogadishu. He mentioned that he forwarded his request directly to the heads of the Government and described that they accepted.
Furthermore, the Minister added that the Indian Government will offer free governmental scholarships.
The Somali Government is currently prioritizing on resuming diplomatic and bilateral relations of international countries after all diplomatic relations were destroyed at the fall of the Somalai Central Government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] A leftist leader who ran in the 2012 presidential election on Sunday urged Egypt's military to stay out of politics, criticizing an expected leadership bid by the army chief.
Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has emerged as the most popular political figure in Egypt after having ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... , has made no secret of his intention to stand in a presidential election scheduled for spring, although he has yet to announce his candidacy officially.
"We call on (army leaders) to stay away from politics and to open the door for the democracy which the Egyptian people are hoping for," leftist leader Khaled Ali said.
"I am not announcing my withdrawal (from the election), I am announcing my refusal to take part in this drama," he told news hounds.
The presidential election is seen as a milestone in a transitional roadmap outlined by the military-installed authorities for a return to democratic rule after Morsi's ouster.
Ali, a renowned labor lawyer who ran against Morsi in 2012, also demanded an amendment of a presidential election law which makes all decisions by the electoral committee final and not subject to appeal.
"Today, we listen, obey and salute the military," he said, criticizing the lack of opposition to the law.
Egypt's interim presidency said the decision to ban appeals was taken, in part, to speed up the electoral process amid a rocky transition marred by protests and krazed killer attacks that have damaged its vital tourism industry and scared off investors.
Ali called for Sisi to leave the army for a year so "the media, the press and the people can treat you as a human being, (who takes) right and wrong actions, and can criticize you."
His comments came just days after Ahmed Shafiq, the last premier under toppled president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , also criticized the military for its open backing of Sisi's candidacy.
In January, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces announced its support for Sisi to stand for president, saying it was the people's will that "must be heeded" by the army chief.
Leftist leader Hamdeen Sabbahi, who also ran against Morsi in 2012, is so far the only declared candidate for the next presidential election.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Libya Herald] In his first major interview since he was removed from office last week through a vote of no confidence, former Prime Minister Ali Zeidan ... served as a diplomat for Libya during the 1970s, serving in India under Ambassador Mohammed Magariaf. Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. Zeidan spent nearly three decades in exile in Geneva after the defection. During the revolution Zeidan served as the National Transitional Council's Europe envoy, and is credited as having played a key role in persuading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the anti-Qadaffy forces... blamed the failure of his government on the General National Congress (GNC), the Islamist parties, the militias, the spread of arms and the weak post revolutionary Libyan state.
In a two hour pre-recorded interview aired yesterday evening conducted by former GNC member Hassan Lamin, who ironically has had to flee Libya and seek refuge abroad in the face of threats from militias, Zeidan paid tribute to all who worked with him and apologized for not being able to protect them in the face of apparent intimidation after his departure.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[An Nahar] Saudi authorities have banned hundreds of books, including works by renowned Paleostinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, as part of a crackdown on publications deemed threatening to the conservative kingdom.
Betcha they all can be downloaded from the internet...
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... clamped down on dissent following the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, from which it has been largely spared, and has adopted an increasingly confrontational stance towards the Moslem Brüderbund and other Islamist groups it has long viewed as a threat to its security.
The local Okaz daily reported Sunday that organizers at the Riyadh International Book Fair had confiscated "more than 10,000 copies of 420 books" during the exhibition.
Local news website Sabq.org reported that members of the kingdom's notorious inquisitors religious police had protested at "blasphemous passages" in works by the late Darwish, widely considered one of the greatest Arab poets, pressing organizers to withdraw all his books from the fair, which ended Friday.
The inquisitors religious police frequently intervene to enforce the kingdom's strict conservative values, but the move to ban so many works was seen as unprecedented.
Similar action was taken against works by Iraq's most famous modern poet, Badr Shaker al-Sayyab, and another Iraqi poet, Abdul Wahab al-Bayati, as well as those by Paleostinian poet Muin Bseiso.
The fair's organizing committee also banned a book entitled "When will the Saudi Woman Drive a Car?" by Abdullah al-Alami, the Saudi Gazette daily reported.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women, forced to cover in public from head to toe, are not allowed to drive.
Other banned books include "The History of Hijab" and "Feminism in Islam."
Activist Aziza Youssef said the crackdown had offered "free advertising to those whose books were banned" as many "rushed to download these works from the Internet."
Organizers also banned all books by Azmi Bishara, a former Arab Israeli MP who left the Jewish state in 2007 and is now close to authorities in Qatar, where he is based, Sabq.org reported.
The ban comes amid escalating tensions between Qatar and three other Gulf Arab monarchies -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain -- who pulled their envoys from Doha earlier this month, accusing it of interfering in their internal affairs.
The decision to withdraw the ambassadors was seen as driven largely by Saudi animosity towards the Moslem Brüderbund of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... and its regional affiliates, which are widely believed to receive support from Qatar.
"Revolution", a book by Wael Ghonim, a secular Egyptian and former Google ...contributed $814,540 to the 2008 Obama campaign... executive who became an icon of the country's 2011 uprising that toppled Saudi ally Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , was also banned from the Riyadh fair, according to Sabq.
Organizers of the book fair, which began March 4, had announced ahead of the event that any book deemed "against Islam" or "undermining security" in the kingdom would be confiscated.
A few days after the fair opened, Saudi authorities closed the stall of the Arab Network for Research and Publishing headed by Islamist publisher Nawaf al-Qudaimi and confiscated all his publications, citing threats to the kingdom's security.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Was 'love your fellow man' banned?
Posted by: Paul D ||
03/17/2014 16:29 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"The Prince" banned?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/17/2014 20:48 Comments ||
Top||
Manuel Mondragon y Kalb will quit Mexico's top security agency today, according to Mexican press reports and Twitter accounts.
A news account which appeared on the online edition of El Sol de Mexico said that Mondragon y Kalb will end his job with Mexico's Comisionado Nacional de Seguridad (CNS), a job he held since the start of the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto in December of 2012.
Mondragon y Kalb was appointed head of the CNS directly after a major reshuffling of Mexico's interior ministry Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB). Part of that reorganization changed Mexico's Policia Federal from a cabinet level ministry to a sub agency of SEGOB.
Part of the restructuring included a change in the way federal crimes such a intentional homicide were reported. SEGOB mostly reported statistics, not individual crimes and ended the practice of presenting detainees before the press.
Since that time SEGOB has been slowly immersing itself into a growing scandal in which violent crime statistic are being deliberately misreported, charges that have been leveled and apparent since the beginning of Pena's term.
According to a news report which appeared in Latin Times news daily, Mondragon y Kalb resigned in the wake of a federal prison escape last week in Ciudad Juarez involving five inmates.
The report also hints that personal reasons may have been involved in his reason to quit.
Mondragon y Kalb is the second top security official to resign in two days. Friday it was announced that Tamaulipas' Secretaria de Seguridad Publica del Estado (SSPE), Rafael Lomeli Martinez reigned his position leaving a legacy of the worst of 33 states to retrain police officer, an effort that has been ongoing since 2011.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
From BorderlandBeat.com, with which Rantburg.com is associated.
You should read the whole thing.
An excerpt:
Despite the triumphalist narrative of the government of the Republic and the powerful propaganda announcing a supposed "decline" in felony homicides related to federal crimes, toll of dead is accumulating in the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto. In his first 14 months in office, the total is in the thousands, the same as mounted up against Felipe Calderón in the comparable time period [of his administration, 2006-2012].
[DAWN] In a surprise move, a ceasefire has been agreed by two warring gangs of Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... and a peace committee has been formed under a newly signed declaration after an exhaustive discussion between the two sides at the Palijo House on Saturday.
Representatives of the Uzair Jan and Baba Ladla groups of Lyari moved to Hyderabad where they met Qaumi Awami Tehrik president Ayaz Latif Palijo and held talks aimed at restoring peace to Bloody Karachi
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[DAWN] The recent application, filed by former military ruler retired General Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... in the special court, points fingers at the alleged co-conspirators behind the November 3 actions.
If accepted, this application would implicate a number of high profile civilians and armed personnel in the treason trial.
The application Gen Musharraf recently filed in the special court, which has been established to try the former dictator for high treason, demands that the civilian leadership and the military authorities that allegedly abetted in the imposition of the November 3, 2007 emergency should also be tried along with him.
According to the proclamation issued for the November 3 emergency, Musharraf imposed the emergency after consulting the then prime minister, the governors of all four provinces and the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee, the chiefs of the armed forces, the vice-chief of army staff and the corps commanders of the Pakistain Army.
"It is therefore imperative for this Hon'ble Court to seek the names of the above officials and supply the same to the accused.... to try all the accused together. In the face of such omission the trial shall stand vitiated," says the application pending before the special court.
Regardless of whether or not this application is accepted or rejected, here is a short account of who those corps commanders and other military officers mentioned in that notification were:
Among the civilians and retired army officers, the proclamation claims that the emergency was imposed with the consent of the then former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, the governors retired Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool of Punjab, retired Lt-Gen Ali Jan Orakzai of KP, Jan Mohammad Yousaf of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... and Ishratul Ibad of Sindh.
Moving beyond the civilians to the army officers consulted, the most important name is that of General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... . He was vice chief of army staff on November 3, 2007 when Musharraf imposed the emergency.
Having succeeded General Musharraf as the chief of army staff on November 29, 2007, Kayani served at the post for the next six years. He was the first chief of the army to receive an extension from a democratic government.
He also held the acting charge of the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee for a brief period from October to November of 2013.
The then chairman joint chiefs of staff committee Gen Tariq Majeed was also mentioned in the proclamation of November 3 emergency. On October 8, 2007, Majeed was sworn in as chairman joint chiefs of staff.
As the proclamation also claimed that the services chiefs of that time were also consulted, the then chief of naval staff Mohammad Afzal Tahir may also be implicated in the said trial.
Tahir took over the command of Pakistain Navy from Admiral Shahid Karimullah on October 7, 2005, after the latter's three-year tenure ended. The Air Force was represented by Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed at the time of imposition of emergency. He was the air chief from 2006 to 2009.
Lower down on the rung, there is retired Lt-Gen Mohsin Kamal, who was then serving as Commander 10 Corps, Rawalpindi.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[DAWN] Taliban Committee member Professor Ibrahim Khan said that a suitable place was being selected for peace negotiations, DawnNews reported on Sunday evening.
Talking to the TV channel, Prof Ibrahim said that the negotiations are headed towards success.
"We are in touch with the Taliban to finalize a spot for a dialogue. Both sides do not have any issues regarding this and suggestions are pouring in," he said.
He further said, "The Taliban have given a proposal wherein they suggested that the Pakistain Army should vacate a part of South Wazoo and the talks can be held there. However, a woman is only as old as she admits... this is just a suggestion by the Taliban and not binding."
The ongoing peace talks between the government and Taliban struck an impasse last month after the Taliban-linked snuffies murdered 23 kidnapped Pak paramilitary soldiers.
The killings resulted in multiple targeted Arclight airstrikes by the military against suspected hideouts in the tribal northwest bordering with Afghanistan.
The Taliban then announced a one-month ceasefire which was reciprocated by the government which halted its Arclight airstrikes targeting snuffies and their hideouts.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I hope it doesn't come to this, but it would be interesting to see what the various and sundry ground to air or air to air weapons that might come into play would do to a 777...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/17/2014 11:41 Comments ||
Top||
#2
..taking down an a/c carrying a "dirty bomb" would be a dicey proposition..
#10
Fred, I think we need an appropriate graphic for "The Skidmark Café..."
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/17/2014 15:26 Comments ||
Top||
#11
How is this even possible? The thing is huge and slow. You would see it hundreds if not thousands of miles away. It could try to pretend to be a commercial flight, but everyone is looking for an errant 777. Why hide a bomb on an elephant in Manhattan when a backpack would do and be far less conspicuous? Doesn't add up.
Posted by: Marilyn Noodleman3184 ||
03/17/2014 16:03 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Marilyn, I doubt they're going to put a bomb on that plane, if that's why it was highjacked.
More likely they're going to fly it to Israel (using a splodeydope pilot) and force the Israelis to shoot it down, then say that all the passengers were still alive and were being released.
I wouldn't put anything past these nefarious bastards.
Posted by: Barbara ||
03/17/2014 16:26 Comments ||
Top||
#13
They don't have to be alive.
Which is what was implied in my comment. If so, it would be a repeat of a 1988 incident.
Then again, "the world" has never had to make the call to shoot down an aircraft, especially a passenger-carrier. Or do the after-action analysis of one.
#20
All of the "Skidmark Café" stuff aside. For Israel to stand up a defense specific to this aircraft means to me that there is some backside chatter that's relevant.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
03/17/2014 21:57 Comments ||
Top||
[An Nahar] An Israeli minister on Sunday said Washington's top diplomat was "wrong" for pressuring Israel in peace talks, a day before Paleostinian leader the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... visits the White House.
His remarks came two days after U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated demand that the Paleostinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
"John Kerry is wrong because he is putting pressure on the wrong side," said Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, who is considered close to Netanyahu.
"Kerry should be asking Abu Mazen (Abbas) why he is stubbornly refusing to recognize Israel as the Jewish state," he told public radio.
The demand, which was only placed on the table several months ago by Netanyahu, has been consistently rejected by the Paleostinians and is now threatening to derail the peace talks ahead of an April 29 deadline.
Kerry waded into the debate on Friday, saying he believed it was a "mistake" to raise the issue over and over again -- in what was taken as open criticism of Netanyahu.
"I think it's a mistake for some people to be raising it again and again as the critical decider of their attitude toward the possibility of a state and peace," Kerry told a congressional hearing, adding that Washington had made its position "clear."
He said such recognition was clear in UN resolutions and it was also confirmed by the late Paleostinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1988 and in 2004.
The Paleostinians, who recognized Israel as a state in the early 1990s, have said that accepting its religious character would ignore its Arab minority and amount to giving up on the "right of return" of Paleostinian refugees.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/17/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#2
Bear in mind, these runways are only if you want to use the airplane again.
If you're snatching a person, thing, or just disappearing, 3-4000 ft would do.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/17/2014 13:07 Comments ||
Top||
#3
..imho, someone at the Pentagon knows exactly where this a/c is..
#4
Yes, the plane has landed at a "secret airfield" where it is being converted into a fleet of 1960 Chevy lowriders, which will be used to invade Los Angeles, California by Uighurs loyal to Al-Qaeda.
#12
I wonder how many it could have landed, refueled, and taken off again from before anyone knew they were supposed to be looking for a hijacked plane instead of a crashed one in the Gulf of Thailand.
#13
My guess is they got into Chinese airspace (why? Maybe thinking they could get to Pakistan or Iran?) and got shot down - before anyone even knew anything was wrong. Then China covered it up to avoid bad PR.
#16
Y'all need to stop slandering the Chinese! Why would rational, practical people, like the folks running China today, stumble all over themselves shooting that plane down a week ago, when they can take it out of ghost city cold storage and dispose of it later, wherever and whenever they like?
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.
[An Nahar] Former defense minister Abdul Rahim Wardak withdrew from the Afghan presidential election on Sunday in the latest sign of deal-making in the race to lead the country as 
GAROWE, Somalia -- Puntland Government in northern Somalia has responded to a surprise visit to Sanaag regional district of Laasqoray by the President of Somalia's separatist administration of Somaliland Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Siilaanyo on Sunday, Garowe Online reports.
[An Nahar] Saudi authorities have banned hundreds of books, including works by renowned Paleostinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, as part of a crackdown on publications deemed threatening to the conservative kingdom.
Pervez 
Wazoo
[An Nahar] An Israeli minister on Sunday said Washington's top diplomat was "wrong" for pressuring Israel in peace talks, a day before Paleostinian leader 
Was Diego Garcia a destination? A target? Did 
