[REUTERS] Sudan has ordered two senior United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... officials to leave, the world body said on Thursday, in what appeared to be an escalation of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's move against U.N. activities in the country.
The United Nations said in a statement that the officials are Ali Al-Za'tari, U.N. resident coordinator at the United Nations Development Programme; and Yvonne Helle, the UNDP's country director.
U.N. front man Stephane Dujarric said in the statement that Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... condemned Khartoum's demand for the exit of the two senior UNDP officials.
"The sanctioning of United Nations personnel sent to Sudan to carry out their duties in accordance with the United Nations Charter is unacceptable," Dujarric said.
"The Secretary-General calls on the government of Sudan to reverse its decision immediately and urges it to cooperate fully with all United Nations entities present in Sudan," he added.
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"We've all these extra troops at loose ends -- gotta keep them usefully busy," he said. "Idle hands are the Devil's playground."
[AnNahar] Æthiopia said Monday it was ready to boost its troop levels in Somalia to replace soldiers from Sierra Leone, which has been forced to withdraw its forces from the mission over Ebola fears.
A contingent of 850 soldiers from Sierra Leone, who were part of the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... 's 22,000-strong AMISOM force, began departing Somalia on the weekend after a 20-month posting in the war-torn country.
AMISOM said the troops would not be replaced from Sierra Leone until the Ebola outbreak in the west African nation, which has the largest number of recorded cases of the virus, was contained.
Æthiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said his country could help take their place.
"If there is a request from the African Union, Æthiopia is ready to replace any contingent that leaves Somalia," he told news hounds, adding that Æthiopian troops were already operating in "more than 60 percent of Somali territory."
African Union troops are in Somalia in support of the country's fragile, internationally-backed government and to fight al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab rebels.
Desalegn, however, repeated concerns by several international donors over the recent in-fighting in the Somali government that saw the president again sack his prime minister.
"This squabbling must be addressed," Desalegn said.
"We hope this squabbling will not continue," he added, stressing the the focus needed to stay on the need to "eradicate the Shabaab" -- who have conducted a wave of attacks in Somalia and Kenya, another source of AMISOM troops.
Shabaab attacks have recently been foiled in Uganda and Desalegn said Æthiopia was also at risk.
"The Shabaab are a threat to Æthiopia. Incidents have not happened in Æthiopia not because al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... is not threatening us, but simply because we are vigilant," he said. "We are following very carefully all the movements of al-Shabaab in Æthiopia."
[NEWS.YAHOO] Tunis - Tunisian authorities have incarcerated Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! a blogger as he returned from a trip abroad weeks after he was convicted of defaming army officers, his lawyer said Thursday.
Yassine Ayari, 33, was taken into custody overnight after landing at Tunis-Carthage airport and was whisked to jail in line with the court verdict pronounced against him.
The military prosecutor said Ayari had been sentenced in absentia on November 18 to three years' jail on charges of having "defamed army officers and senior defence ministry officials".
Ayari, who was returning from La Belle France when he was detained overnight, had accused these officials of financial abuse, the prosecutor said in a statement.
The blogger was unaware of the verdict against him for "undermining" the army, his lawyer Sami Ben Amor said, adding that the verdict was "very harsh".
Ayari, who has posted on Facebook that he stands by every word he has written, has appealed the charges against him and a new hearing in the case has been set for January 6, Ben Amor said.
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12/26/2014 10:58 ||
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[Ynet] A 13-year-old said her father gave her to Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... gunnies and that she was tossed in the clink You have the right to remain silent... after refusing to explode a suicide bomb in Kano, Nigeria's second largest city in the north.
The girl told a news conference Wednesday night that she saw many people being buried alive at the Boko Haram camp where her father took her in Bauchi state, east of Kano.
She said her captors asked if she wanted to go to paradise and, when she said yes, explained she would have to be a jacket wallah. "When I was told I would have to die to enter paradise, that I would have to explode a bomb and die, I said I cannot do it," she said.
When they threatened to kill her, she allowed them to strap her into a vest primed with explosives, saying "I was afraid to be buried alive."
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It was to be expected that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's entourage would defend him against the implication by journalist Ksenia Sobchak that his orders to raze the homes of the families of Chechen fighters who kill police officers were unconstitutional. Less expected was the number of Russian State Duma deputies who have likewise sought to exonerate Kadyrov, while denouncing what they called Sobchak's failure to understand the nature of the antiterrorism campaign underway in Chechnya.
Sobchak raised the issue during Putin's annual press conference, asking him to comment in his capacity as a lawyer on the constitutionality of Kadyrov's demand two weeks earlier for a more intense crackdown on anyone suspected of links to the Islamic insurgency. Sobchak took Kadyrov's words to be "a de facto declaration that the laws of the Russian Federation and the Russian Constitution are not enforced on the territory of the Chechen Republic."
In response, Putin said that, "in Russia, everyone must abide by the laws of the country. No one is considered guilty until he has been sentenced by a court." But he then proceeded to say that "in the overwhelming majority of cases," the relatives of "terrorists" have advance knowledge of their plans. That does not, Putin continued, "give anyone, including the leader of Chechnya, the right to engage in extrajudicial reprisals."
Putin stated that an investigation is underway to establish the identity of the masked men who torched the homes of fighters' relatives. Putin further acknowledged that Kadyrov's "emotional" reaction was understandable in light of police casualties incurred during the fighting, and that it was possibly made in response to the public mood at a mass meeting Kadyrov convened to denounce terrorism. That rally, however, took place on the day after Kadyrov announced that the principle of collective responsibility was to be applied to fighters' relatives.
[Xinhua] Political controversy and public opposition are expected to mount in South Korea over the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to share military intelligence with the United States and Japan.
Seoul's defense ministry said Friday that vice defense ministers of the three nations will ink the MoU in their each country on Dec. 29 without a formal ceremony, a move considered to be out of worries about public uproar here in South Korea.
Under the pact, South Korea and Japan will not exchange military intelligence directly, but share intelligence via the United States after consent from both South Korea and Japan.
The pact will be restricted to intelligence on nuclear and missile programs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK), but public anger and political opposition are expected to rise as the Japanese cabinet has yet to repent and acknowledge its past atrocities during its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
Seoul and Tokyo pushed for a bilateral pact to share a broad range of military intelligence on the DPRK in June 2012, but South Korea put the deal on hold at the last minute amid public uproar at home. The then South Korean government pushed the pact through without enough public debate for fear of possible opposition from the public.
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12/26/2014 10:09 ||
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[AnNahar] A radical Moslemholy man in Bosnia accused of encouraging his followers to fight with Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... Lions of Islam in Syria and Iraq was charged with terrorism on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Husein Bosnic, from Buzim in the country's northwest, was incarcerated Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! in September. Authorities said a number of his followers travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight alongside murderous Moslems, with some killed there.
Prosecutors said in a statement that the 42-year-old was charged with inciting terrorist activities, the first case of its kind in Bosnia.
"After his public preachings, a large number of Bosnian citizens who are members of the Salafist community left Bosnia and joined terrorist groups such as the Islamic State group and committed terrorist acts," prosecutors said.
Bosnia in April adopted a law providing for sentences of up to 10 years in prison for jihadists and their recruiters.
Intelligence estimates in local media reports say some 150 Bosnian citizens are currently fighting with jihadists in Iraq and Syria, while around 20 have been killed. Around 50 are believed to have returned.
[TELEGRAPH.CO.UK] A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of a 16-year-old high school pupil incarcerated Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! for "insulting" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... , following accusations his detention was the latest sign of the country veering to authoritarianism.
The boy, Mehmet Emin Altunses, was released following a complaint by his lawyer over his arrest in the central city of Konya.
He was met by his parents as he left the main courthouse building in the city but defiantly declared his political activism would continue, the CNN-Turk channel reported.
"There is no question of taking a step back from our path, we will continue along this road," he said as he was released.
Altunses had delivered a speech on Wednesday in Konya, a bastion of the ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), where he accused Erdogan and the ruling party of corruption.
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[AnNahar] Iraq and Turkey on Thursday pledged to join forces to fight Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... Lions of Islam who are holding swathes of Iraq and Syria.
An interesting development...
"ISIS threatens not only Iraq's and Turkey's security but the entire region," Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, using an alternative name for IS jihadists.
Turkey, a vocal critic of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... 's regime, has faced international criticism for letting snuffies pass through its territory to fight in Syria.
Ankara wants a wider strategy for Syria that would ultimately bring Assad's downfall. It has repeatedly called for a buffer zone, backed by a no-fly zone, to be put in place inside the war-torn country on the Turkish border.
"We can defeat this organization by uniting all our powers, with the support of the countries in the region," al-Abadi said, in translated remarks.
Al-Abadi said he expected Turkish support on intelligence-sharing, military training and armaments.
Davutoglu said Turkey was already training Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters to combat the IS.
Oh? Fascinating.
"We are open to any idea" to extend further support to Baghdad, he said.
Turkey and Iraq shared a "common approach to fight all terrorist organizations in the region" including the IS and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Davutoglu said.
There it is: "Stop giving those awful people house space."
"We are ready to give any kind of support against terrorist organizations including those who have emerged in recent times like (IS) as well as the PKK which launches attacks against Turkey by using Iraqi soil," he said.
Iraq is battling to retake large areas overrun by the jihadist group while Turkey borders territory which the holy warriors control in neighboring Syria.
The Iraqi prime minister said that Iraqi security forces and peshmerga fighters were "rapidly" pushing out the Lions of Islam from areas under their control.
Al-Abadi's visit to Turkey follows a trip to Iraq by Davutoglu in November -- in a sign of a thaw in bilateral ties which were strained in recent years over a number of issues including Ankara's move to aid Iraqi Kurds independently export oil.
"We want to export oil through Turkey," the Iraqi premier said. "It is in Iraq's interest."
On Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that the Turkish-Iraqi relations have entered a new phase in terms of strategic cooperation to confront terrorism.
Davutoglu said, at a presser with his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi that was held in Ankara and followed by IraqiNews.com, that, “There are effective mechanisms between the two countries for the development of relations in the framework of military and security cooperation,” noting that, “Iraqi-Turkish relations have entered a new phase in strategic cooperation to confront terrorism.”
He added,”Turkey is always ready to support Iraq,” stressing that, “There should not be any imported muscle crossing into Iraq or Syria and we will now allow for the existence of ISIS as a terrorist organization in the region.”
[DAWN] With no fresh execution in the last four days in Punjab, as many as 56 more condemned prisoners, including 11 convicted on terrorism charges by military courts, are likely to be hanged after rejection of their mercy petitions by the president of Pakistain.
Of the 17 prisoners convicted in terrorism cases by military courts and imprisoned in provincial jails, six have been hanged in Faisalabad ...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after... district jail so far.
Through an anti-terrorism court in Lahore issued death warrants of two more condemned prisoners convicted on terrorism charges on Wednesday, jail sources claimed no such warrants were received by Faisalabad district jail officials on Thursday.
Official statistics available with Dawn show that as many as 5,722 condemned prisoners, including 43 females, are languishing in 32 provincial jails out of which 56, including one woman and 11 convicted by military courts in connection with terrorism, are awaiting executions.
There are 455 condemned prisoners whose appeals are pending with the president, while appeals of two others are in the army's General Headquarters (GHQ) and of one prisoner is with the Federal Shariat Court.
There are some 897 condemned prisoners, including four females, whose appeals are pending with the Supreme Court, while appeals of 4,273 male and 38 female prisoners are pending with the high court.
A source in the provincial prisons department told this news hound that neither any fresh death warrant was issued to any provincial jail nor any execution ordered till Thursday night.
He said the execution orders were expected to be received by jails in a sudden move owing to sensitivity of the situation and related security threats.
He said jail manual had been amended by the Punjab government to hold executions between 24 hours (of issuance of black warrant) and up to 15 days, instead of the previous procedure of implementation of such an order between seven and 21 days.
The restriction with regard to holding executions on specific days has also been withdrawn in the latest amendment.
The source, however, said prisoners issued death warrants by military courts would be hanged according to the direction of authorities concerned.
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[DAWN] PESHAWAR: Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... -Fazl has condemned raids and arrest of students of seminaries in the aftermath of bad boy attack on the Army Public School, Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , and demanded across the board action against lawbreakers.
Speaking at a presser after chairing JUI-F executive council here on Thursday, party's provincial chief Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan said that despite high security and deployment of soldiers the murderous Moslems killed 150 students and teachers in the school which was a matter of great concern for the nation. He said that the executive council endorsed establishment of military courts in the country, but raids and harassment of students of seminaries in the aftermath of attack on the school would not be tolerated.
He said that JUI-F supported decisions of the parliamentary parties, including military courts, but action should be across the board. He said that conference on 'peace and madaris' would be organised in Peshawar on January 15 under the auspices of Madaris Board. Ulema and scholars of different school of thoughts would be invited to the conference.
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[DAWN] Former interior minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship. has said that the members of the political jirga are ready to hold talks with the 'misguided' forces of Evil if they lay down arms.
[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: Civil society activists have decided to reach the Aabpara cop shoppe at 5pm on Friday as the deadline for the inclusion of terrorism sections in the FIR against Maulana Abdul Aziz ...nutball holy man who runs the Lal Masjid in the heart of Pakistain's capital. After instigating a rebellion against the state in 2007, he was caught trying to sneak away dressed in a burka. He rejects democracy as un-Islamic, which it probably is... expired.
If their demand to include the ATA sections in the FIR against the holy man was met by 5pm, the protesters would disperse otherwise they would take a decision for the next phase of their protest.
It may be noted that after the Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. tragedy, Maulana Aziz, the head of Lal Masjid ...literally the Red Mosque, located in Islamabad and frequented by all sorts of high govt officials. The proprietors, Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi, unleashed their Islamic storm troopers on the city, shutting down whorehouses and beating people up who weren't devout enough. The Musharraf govt put an end to the nonsense by besieging the place. Abdul Aziz Ghazi was nabbed while he was trying to escape dressed up like a girl. BBC reported that the corpse count at 173, but other claims, usually hysterical, say there were up to 1000 titzup. Among their number was Abdul Rashid Ghazi. Everyone then said tut-tut and what a nice guy he had been... , gave a controversial statement and said he would neither condemn the killing of the children nor considered them as deaders. Because of the statement, the civil society started a protest against the holy man. For two days, the protests were held in front of the mosque during which the Maulana also reportedly threatened the protesters. As a result, cases were registered against both the sides.
On the third day of the protest on December 20, the civil society moved to the National Press Club (NPC) and held a protest there. On December 22, when the protesters gathered outside the Aabpara cop shoppe, SHO Khalid Awan assured them that after getting a legal opinion the sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) would be included in the FIR registered against the holy man on the charge of instigating the citizens for violence and spreading sectarian hatred.
On the other hand, the civil society representatives warned that if the ATA sections were not included in the FIR and the holy man was not placed in durance vile Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! , they would again hold a protest in front of the cop shoppe on December 26.
Human rights activist Jibran Nasir, the organiser of the protest, told Dawn that the police had sought two days for the fulfillment of the protesters' demand.
"The police promised to include the sections in the FIR and arrest the holy man by December 24. We did not hold a protest on December 25 and celebrated Christmas with the Christian community," he said.
"If the ATA sections are not included in the FIR and the holy man is not arrested by 5pm on Friday, we will announce our next line of action," he said.
"Sections which have been demanded by the civil society are non-bailable, so the Maulana cannot even get bail before arrest. Police have to arrest him," he said.
When contacted, SHO Awan said an opinion had been sought from the legal branch which was not a simple process.
"File moves from the cop shoppe to the superintendent of police (SP) office and then to the SSP office before reaching the legal branch and comes back in a similar way," he said.
"If we got an opinion before 5pm on Friday to include the sections in the FIR, we will do it in accordance with the legal advice. Otherwise we will tell the civil society representatives that the process was lengthy," he said.
A police official requesting not to be identified said according to the standard operating procedure, police sought a legal opinion when there was confusion about the inclusion of some sections in an FIR.
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[DAWN] Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... -F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... said Thursday that his party did not fully support the idea of establishing military courts to try bandidosforces of Evil but could support the idea in view of the existing situation.
Fazl was speaking to media representatives in the federal capital after addressing scholars of religious seminaries at a meeting.
He said that when the government had put forward the proposal of establishing military courts in yesterday's meeting, experts present there questioned the constitutional status of these tribunals. He said although his party did not support the idea of military courts as a matter of principle, it could still do so in view of the recent acts of terrorism.
"It is incorrect to say that JUI-F endorses the idea of constituting military courts to try suspected terrorists," he said.
In yesterday's meeting, it was debated that certain laws and regulations have failed in prosecuting bandidosforces of Evil and preventing attacks by terrorist groups. "Laws did not fail, the implementation of these laws has been poor. If we are saying that the laws have failed and if tomorrow military courts fail as well, would we bring in martial law?" the JUI-F chief questioned, adding that his party did not fully support the setting up of military courts due to these long term concerns.
Fazl said the country's leadership should remain united when it comes to forward planning for the nation.
"It is unfortunate that whenever we [leaders] have united, it has only been after an incident of immense gravity such as the Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. school massacre," he said.
Separately, the JUI-F chief said that seminaries and religious parties have always supported communal harmony and discouraged militancy.
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12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on Thursday said that no gang would be allowed to dictate its agenda and disturb the peace of the country.
He was addressing a candlelight vigil ceremony here at National Broadcasting House in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack on Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. Army Public School.
Rashid said the country has resolved that it would not allow the formation of gangs to dictate to the nation about its way of life and relations with neighbours.
The minister said that it was because of the sacrifices rendered by the children in Peshawar and the people of Pakistain that the country has united against terrorism.
He said consensus reached during the meeting of parliamentary leaders would serve as a journey 'from darkness to the light'.
The information minister said only those institutions authorised by the Constitution have the right and responsibility to possess the gun and use it to defend the country and its people.
"No other group or myrmidon organization can be given this right," he said.
"By remembering tragedies like Peshawar, we can learn from the mistakes of the past and reflect how to prevent them in future...It is time for us to have some self-accountability as to where and why we erred," Rashid said.
"The Lions of Islam have spared neither bazaars, mosques, defence installations or hospitals," the minister stated.
He said with unity and collective wisdom future tragedies can be prevented.
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12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
'collective wisdom' now there is an oxymoron in Pakystan if there ever was one.
[DAWN] A female life member of Dr Tahirul Qadri ...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him... 's Tehrik-e-Minhajul Koran has approached the sessions court for registration of a criminal case against the heads of the organization, allegedly for not paying her the promised amount for participating in 'Inqilab March' and sit-in at Islamabad.
Hajan Momina of Kot Lakhpat has arraigned Dr Qadri, his son Hassan Mahyudin, daughter Fatima and Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) president Raheeq Abbasi as respondents in her petition.
Continued on Page 49
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[DAWN] Two convicts whose execution was stayed by the Sindh High Court approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday for an early decision on their second review petition. On Dec 19, an anti-terrorism court in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... had issued black warrants for their execution. The executions were slated for Tuesday (Dec 23).
Attaullah alias Qasim Muavia and Mohammad Azam alias Sharif, who are confined in Sukkur jail, requested the apex court to set aside the black warrants.
They were found guilty of killing a doctor, Ali Raza Peerani, on sectarian grounds in Karachi's Soldier Bazaar area in June 2001.
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[DAWN] Senators and a federal minister on Tuesday lashed out at the government for what they called its "inaction" after attack on Army Public School in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. . They called for early steps to carry out reforms in religious seminaries (Madaris).
Taking part in the debate in Senate on the Peshawar incident for the second consecutive day, senators called for action against those seminaries which were involved in promoting extremism and militancy.
A number of senators regretted that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... had so far not taken the parliament and the nation into confidence about the government's strategy to counter terrorism after the Peshawar incident.
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[TIMESOFINDIA.INDIATIMES] The Pakistain government on Wednesday said that a 5,000-strong counter terrorism force will be raised in the country to fight bully boyz in the aftermath of the deadly Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. school attack that killed 150 people.
Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali briefed a meeting of parliamentary leaders about the decision of the National Action Plan Committee which was set up after last week's attack to suggest measures to deal with militancy.
Nisar said the army would prepare and train the force which will be deployed a thousand each in federal capital and the four provinces -- Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... , Punjab, Sindh and 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... , Radio Pakistain reported.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... in his address to the meeting asked the politicianship to take strong and decisive decisions to purge the country of terrorism.
Sharif said the gruesome incident in Peshawar that killed mostly schoolchildren, has united the entire nation which is now looking towards the leaders to take the right decisions.
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12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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"Purge the country of terrorism"? What the ISI is going to disband?
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12/26/2014 3:46 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] The leader of a banned Pak sectarian bully boy group who was set to walk free from jail is being held for two more weeks in a murder case, officials said Thursday.
Malik Ishaq, the head of 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) which is dedicated to killing minority Shiite Moslems, was to be released on Thursday after the Punjab provincial government withdrew a request to extend his detention under public order laws.
But he has now been detained in a murder case, a police official said, and is being held in the central city of Multan.
The news of Ishaq comes with the country ramping up its anti-terror strategy after an attack on an army-run school this month killed 150 people, spurring the country to set up military courts and drop its moratorium on capital punishment in terror cases.
"Ishaq was sent to jail on judicial remand until January 6 by an anti-terrorist court on Wednesday and he will be produced before the court again on January 7," Ghulam Mohiuddin told AFP.
LeJ has grabbed credit for numerous bloody attacks, including two bombings targeting Shiites in the southwestern city of Quetta in 2013 that killed a total of nearly 200 people.
Punjab's Home Minister Shujah Khanzada also confirmed Ishaq's arrest and said the government had decided not to release Ishaq, who is still facing several cases, because of recent security tensions.
"The government has placed in durance vile Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! him again... on the basis of new cases registered against him," he said.
Khanzada did not give details on the nature of the new cases.
Ishaq, named a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" by the U.S., has been implicated in numerous murder cases and was accused of criminal masterminding a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore which killed eight people.
An anti-terror court in May cleared him of inciting violence and of making speeches which fomented hate but he was held under maintenance of public order laws.
Pakistain has ramped up its anti-terror strategy since the December 16 attack on an army-run school in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. which killed 150 people, 134 of them children.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... also said on Thursday that the country will set up military courts for terror-related cases, as part of an ambitious anti-terrorism plan.
Six convicts have already been hanged after Sharif lifted a moratorium on executions in terror cases, and the military has stepped up operations against holy warrior bases in the tribal northwest.
Officials said Monday that Pakistain plans to execute around 500 snuffies in the coming weeks.
[IraqiNews.com] U.S. government agreed to increase the values of deals of sold weapons to Baghdad to $15 billion. This decision has surpassed the fears expressed by the Congress of Deputies about weapons falling into the hands of bully boys, or Baghdad?s inability to afford the deals with the numerous problems the Iraqi budget is experiencing.
Despite the reservations of Congress and the big concerns about the occurrence of the Iraqi army weapons at the hands of the bully boy organizations, U.S. approvals tripled the arms sales to Iraq this year, with another deal worth three billion dollars, which included the sale of tanks and armored vehicles to Baghdad.
The newspaper ?Wall Street Journal? reported that the Senate requested a monthly report from Pentagon on the status of the Iraqi army and its ability to retain weapons. The U.S. Department of Defense plays a vital role in transactions to protect the transmit of sensitive technologies.
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12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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[NY Times] Jordan threatened the holy warriors of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... on Thursday with "grave consequences" if they harmed a Jordanian pilot captured after his F-16 crashed in northern Syria.
The warning, issued by Jordan's Parliament, came as members of the pilot's family appealed to his captors to welcome him as a "guest" and to show him mercy as a fellow Moslem.
But no new information on the fate of the pilot, First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, has emerged since his jet went down on Wednesday and supporters of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, distributed photos online that showed him in his underwear and with a bloody mouth as bearded gunnies led him away.
His plane was the first to crash since an American-led coalition of countries, including the Arab nations of Jordan, 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... , Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... , Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, began bombing Islamic State targets this year in an attempt to weaken the group's hold of territory in Syria and Iraq.
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12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Israel on Thursday transferred the bodies of the two Death Eaters who committed a lethal attack on a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem last month to their families.
Under an Israeli court order, the two Death Eaters were buried in the West Bank and not in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, where they had resided. Only 40 people were allowed to attend the funeral, the Paleostinian Ma?an news agency reported. They were buried in the village of al-Sawahira al-Sharqiyya, adjacent to Jabel Mukaber.
The Israeli government had been withholding the bodies of cousins Uday and Ghassan Abu Jamal, who were rubbed out by police after the attack, which committed during morning services at the synagogue on November 18.
The Abu Jamal cousins killed Rabbi Moshe Twersky, Aryeh Kupinsky, Rabbi Kalman Levine and Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg. Zidan Saif, a policeman, was critically injured in a gunfire exchange with the terrorists, and later succumbed to his wounds, bringing the corpse count to five.
A video published by an Israeli Arab news site showed the mother of Uday Abu Jamal praising her son and his accomplice for his actions two days after the attack, an Israel-based media watchdog reported.
Following the attack, Interior Minister Gilad Erdan canceled the residency permit of Ghassan Abu Jamal?s widow and stripped her of all financial and social benefits. Nadia Abu Jamal, a native of the West Bank, had been granted entry to Israel on the basis of the ?family reunification law,? which allows for Paleostinians to receive Israeli residency permits if they marry a permanent resident of the country.
Later, the three children of Abu Jamal, who were all born in Jerusalem and live in Jabel Mukaber, were denied health insurance by the National Insurance Institute, the Israeli equivalent of US Social Security.
The families of the Abu Jamal cousins were reported to have received demolition orders for their Jabel Mukaber homes; however, the structures have yet to be razed.
[Ynet] Interior Minister Gilad Erdan decided Thursday to issue orders prohibiting Arab youth who expressed support to the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... on Facebook from leaving the country.
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12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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The special House committee in the Philippine legislature on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has invited leaders of rival armed groups in Mindanao to a hearing on the proposed legislation next month.
The committee chairman extended invitations to Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Umbra Kato of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and representatives of the Islamic Command. Also invited were leaders of two rival MNLF factions – Abul Khayr Alonto and Muslimin Sema.
Hearings have been set for Jan. 20, a day after the legislature resumes its session. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said, "We want to consult them, we want to hear the views of all stakeholders, including armed groups."
He said if Misuari and Kato could not make it because of pending warrants for their arrest, they could send representatives or submit position papers.
Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, who chairs the House defense committee, lauded the Rodriguez panel for its efforts to reach out to all concerned Muslim groups and individuals. He said, "In my nine years as a senator and five years as a congressman, I have never seen public consultations as extensive and expansive as those the special committee has been conducting."
[YAHOO] Iran is to expand what it calls "smart filtering" of the Internet, a policy of censoring undesirable content on websites without banning them completely, as it used to, the government said on Friday.
The Islamic Theocratic Republic has some of the strictest controls on Internet access in the world, but its blocks on U.S.-based social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are routinely bypassed by tech-savvy Iranians using virtual private networks (VPNs).
Under the new scheme, Tehran could lift its blanket ban on those sites and, instead, filter their content.
The policy appears to follow President Hassan Rouhani's push to loosen some social restrictions, but it was not clear if it would mean more or less Internet freedom. Iranians on Twitter expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... that, as part of the new policy, the government would try to block VPN access to such sites.
"Presently, the smart filtering plan is implemented only on one social network in its pilot study phase and this process will continue gradually until the plan is implemented on all networks," Communications Minister Mahmoud Vaezi said, according to official news agency IRNA.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2014 11:26 ||
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[IraqiNews.com] On Thursday, Iranian army launched the biggest joint military maneuver by ground, navy and air forces in the southeast of the country , which will last for six days.
A front man for the maneuvers, Keyumars Heydari said in statements reported by the ?Al-Alam? channel and followed by IraqiNews.com, ?The goal of the maneuvers?s first day is to test the flexibility of movement of combat units from the center to the front lines,? noting that ?The first phase of the maneuvers was successful, in which the troops were moved from the south-east to the south west of of the country.?
Military forces, which are participating in the maneuvers in the first phase, evaluate its speed in changing locations and preparation, as well as processing and building defense fortifications and command headquarters in different regions in the province of Sistan and 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...
The maneuvers are carried out over a wide area of more than two million square kilometers, starting from the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden to the southern parts of the Indian Ocean.
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12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
....evaluate its speed in changing locations and preparation, as well as processing and building defense fortifications and command headquarters in different regions in the province of Sistan and Balochistan.
Nice to know stuff, if you're anticipating a nuclear counterstrike. Not sure six days provides much of an assessment however.
[IraqiNews.com] ?Haaretz? newspaper reported on Wednesday that the war in Syria will continue, apparently due to the failure of all parties to work out their differences.
The conflicts revolve around the control over local centers. It seems that President Assad?s regime will accept to control a ?small? Syria in the future, including the capital Damascus and the corridor linking it with the city of Aleppo, the Alawi region north-west of the state.
The newspaper reported that Hezbollah formed a force in the Golan led by Samir Kuntar, a former prisoner in Israel. Israeli Military Intelligence estimations indicate that the focus of the Western countries on the ISIS organization during the past year served Assad?s regime, and Hezbollah will continue its preparations to exploit the new situation in the region in order to undermine Israel for Iran.
#3
See also XINHUA > AL-QAIDA GROUP [Al-Nusra Front] PLEDGES ON-GOING JIHAD IN SYRIA, neverending-n-unstoppable until Final "Victory or Death" agz Baby Assad.
Lest we fergit, this is AL-NUSRA, aka AL-QAEDA AFFILIATE AL-NUSRA, aka ISIS' NEW BFF OR BEST FRENEMY FOREVAR! + PARTNER IN ALLIANCE, JIHAD.
versus
* BIGNEWSNETWORK, TOPIX > SENIOR KURDISH LEADER [PKK] SAYS IRAQ MUST STAY UNIFIED TO COUNTER ["savage/barbarian"] ISLAMIC STATE THREAT.
Yuuup.
Prolly safe to say ditto as per Baby Assad - iff the defeat or destruction of the ISIS/ISIL is the true priority, THEN GETTING RID OF BABY ASSAD = PARTITIONING IRAQ + SYRIA, ETC. CANNOT BE UNLESS THE BAMMER GOES BACK ON HIS PLEDGE TO MINIMIZE OR NOT SEND SUBSTANTIAL US MILFORS BACK INTO THE MIDDLE EAST AS OFFSET.
#7
Nah, more like the end part of the movie Lawrence Of Arabia (q.v.)
From the Wikipedia description of the final scenes...
The Arabs set up a council to administer the city, but they are desert tribesmen, ill-suited for such a task. The various tribes argue among themselves and in spite of Lawrence's insistence, cannot unite... Unable to maintain the utilities and bickering constantly with each other, they soon abandon most of the city
Filmed 40 years after the events, and nearly 60 years ago from today's events.
[WashingtonPost] A new issue of Inspire, the English-language online magazine produced by al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen, is devoted to “jihad on America” and suggests targeting major American figures as well as Western commercial airliners, according to a report Wednesday by SITE Intelligence Group.
The issue is the 13th since Inspire was first published online in 2010. Its founder, Samir Zafar Khan, was born in 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... to Pak parents but grew up in New York state.
Mr. Khan was dronezapped in Yemen in 2011, along with his fellow technically American citizen, Anwar al Awlaki. Thus the world was made a better place.
Also this month, the media wing of AQAP released a video providing guidance to turbans on avoiding detection by drones, according to the Long War Journal, a news Web site.
The video notes that drones locate targets on the ground through visual and heat detection. It provides instructions on creating an "insulation cover" made from everyday materials such as a canvas sheet and aluminum foil. It suggests that the cover be painted to match the terrain and color of the surrounding environment.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/26/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Tinfoil turbans next? They say they are all the rage.
Posted by: Steven ||
12/26/2014 3:26 Comments ||
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#2
"Targeting major American figures" > once again including, but not limited to, POTUS Obama I presume despite the latter already being under direct threat from the Pak Taliban + ISIS, etc. Hard Boyz for the effects of the AFPAK Drone Strikes [Iraq?] on them???
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.
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
It was to be expected that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's entourage would defend him against the implication by journalist Ksenia Sobchak that his orders to raze the homes of the families of Chechen fighters who kill police officers were unconstitutional. Less expected was the number of Russian State Duma deputies who have likewise sought to exonerate Kadyrov, while denouncing what they called Sobchak's failure to understand the nature of the antiterrorism campaign underway in Chechnya.
[Xinhua] Political controversy and public opposition are expected to mount in South Korea over the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to share military intelligence with the United States and Japan.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
[DAWN] Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on Thursday said that no 
[AnNahar] The leader of a banned Pak sectarian
The news of Ishaq comes with the country ramping up its anti-terror strategy after an attack on an army-run school this month killed 150 people, spurring the country to set up military courts and drop its moratorium on capital punishment in terror cases.
[Ynet] Two Iron Dome batteries have been moved to the south amid fears 
