[Garowe] A few days after Somalia revealed a planned deployment of more soldiers from the neighboring countries, Æthiopia has become the first nation to send additional troops to the Horn of Africa nation, who are now required to join their compatriots serving in 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... Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS].
Reports indicate that a contingent of Æthiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] soldiers entered Somalia on Monday, in which would raise the number from the current 4,500. The agreement signed indicated that each of the countries was to are 1,000 soldiers.
The new contingent of Æthiopian soldiers will be joining their compatriots in Sectors III and VI where they have been serving for over a decade. Most of the Æthiopian soldiers are stationed in Southwest and Jubaland where they work closely with Somalia National Army [SNA] and their colleagues from Kenya Defense Forces [KDF].
Æthiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya agreed to dispatch soldiers to Somalia following a meeting in Mogadishu which brought together presidents of the three nations and Somalia's Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The new contingent is not going to serve as part of ATMIS but it is not clear if there is an arrangement to have them paid by African Union.
Hussein Sheikh Ali, the presidential security advisor confirmed the agreement but insisted the soldiers will not be part of ATMIS. There are about 22,000 soldiers serving in ATMIS who are selected from Kenya, Djibouti, Æthiopia, Burundi, and Uganda.
"It is their plan to be coming inside Somalia within eight weeks," he said. "Their role is to jointly plan and jointly operate under the command of the Somali security forces," he said. "So, they will be fighting against al-Shabaab ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... alongside Somali forces. That is the plan."
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had called for assistance from ATMIS troops noting that his administration is determined to completely crush the turbans. For the last six months, about 600 al-Shabaab forces of Evil have been killed, the highest number in as many months.
"The time-sensitive campaign will prevent any future infiltrating elements into the wider region," the communique read.
Asked why the military operations against al-Shabaab have paused recently, Ali told VOA the government is concluding the first phase of the operations.
"It is a calm before the storm," he said. "We are preparing the second phase ... and with the support of the extra non-ATMIS forces from our neighboring countries joining the fight, it is a planning time, that's why it looks like it is quiet."
He said the objective of the second phase is to be able to take over "every village and town" that al-Shabaab is now controlling. The government has also heavily invested in blocking revenue collection outlets for al-Shabaab as part of a commitment to completely isolate the group.
[DW] The UK has outlined plans that officials say will stop asylum-seekers from crossing the English Channel in small boats. Critics say people are only making the perilous journey because there are too few safe legal routes.
The British government on Tuesday announced a new law barring the entry of asylum-seekers who cross the English Channel in small boats.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the legislation "pushed the boundary of international law" after the number of migrants colonists arriving on England's south coast rose to more than 45,000 last year.
WHAT DOES THE NEW LAW MEAN?
The legislation means that most people who arrive on small vessels, rather than by official means, will not be allowed to claim asylum in Britannia.
Instead, they could be detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days before being deported, either to their home country or a safe third country.
The home secretary, the UK's interior minister, would have a legal duty to remove the cross-Channel migrants colonists.
Only children, people who are medically unfit to travel and those at a "real risk of serious and irreversible harm" would be allowed to stay and have their claims processed in Britannia.
Otherwise, their case would be decided remotely after removal. The legislation would also disqualify migrants colonists from using modern slavery laws to challenge removal by claiming they are the victims of human trafficking.
At the end of 2022, government figures showed that more than 160,000 people were waiting to have their asylum claims considered.
Though the UK's asylum system is slow, about two-thirds of people who arrive on small boats and have their cases examined are deemed genuine refugees.
Braverman said she could not make a definitive statement that the plans were compatible with the Human Rights Act. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... she said she was "confident that this bill is compatible with international obligations."
"If you enter Britannia illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed," Braverman said.
The British government has said it will establish more legal routes to asylum once the laws to stop the boat traffic are in place, adding to those established for people from Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine .
It has not said when any new programs might begin and how many people would be accepted. It is also unclear what safe third countries might be willing to accept the migrants colonists.
A planned policy to deport new arrivals to Rwanda is being challenged in the courts and, so far, no migrant has been flown to the country.
[AlAhram] La Belle France and Britannia are working on a new deal to thwart migrants colonists crossing the Channel, which could be agreed at a summit between leaders Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak later this week, a French official said Wednesday.
Macron is set to welcome British Prime Minister Sunak to Gay Paree on Friday for the first summit between the neighbours in five years.
Preventing migrants colonists from crossing the Channel from La Belle France to Britannia is set to be a leading topic of talks, with Sunak having made stopping migrant boat crossings one of his domestic priorities.
"We are in the process of finalising the terms of a strengthening of our operational cooperation," an aide to Macron told news hounds on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
The deal would focus on "increasing the resources deployed to manage this common border, with multi-year financing in order to improve the planning of human resources, equipment and infrastructure," the aide said.
Britannia agreed to pay La Belle France another 72.2 million euros ($74.5 million) under a deal last November that aimed to deploy an additional 350 people to detect and prevent migrant boat crossings.
Around 800 people including regular police, border control forces and customs officers are deployed daily in anti-migrant operations in northern La Belle France, according to recent figures from French authorities.
The British government outlined a new draft immigration law on Tuesday that aims to deter migrants colonists boarding dinghies to cross the Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping channels.
The law, which would prevent people who arrived in the UK illegally from making an asylum claim, provoked an outcry from rights groups.
"At this stage we do not see any major impact on the French coast assuming that the law enters into force," the French official said after underlining that legal appeals were likely.
Rights groups and the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... have said that the legislation would mean Britannia breaking its commitments under European and UN conventions on asylum.
The meeting of Macron and Sunak in Gay Paree is expected to reset relations between western Europe's biggest military and diplomatic powers after years of tensions.
The departure of abrasive British prime minister Boris Johnson ...pro-Brexit British prime minister, succeeding no-Brexit Theresa May. BoJo is noted as much for his sparkling personality and his hair as for his Conservative policies.... as well as the war in Ukraine are seen by analysts as bringing the estranged allies back together.
"We are coming out of a period when we have not had a summit in five years," a second French presidential aide said.
"We're renewing things at the moment, putting things back in order, and preparing for the future."
Joint announcements on the training of Ukrainian forces, as well as fresh cooperation on future weapons development and nuclear energy are also expected after the working lunch and talks between the leaders.
[Shafaq News] The Belgian federal police said Wednesday it remained "vigilant" after it received an email Tuesday threatening a terror attack targeting the Brussels underground metro system.
"At the moment, we remain very vigilant, as is necessary," said a spokesperson for the Belgian federal police, in charge of security in metro stations.
The police swept the metro during the night but "found nothing suspicious," the spokesperson added.
According to a spokesperson for the Brussels civil prosecutor — which has taken over the investigation — the risk of a "real attack" is considered "unlikely."
A Belgian National Crisis Center spokesperson — charged with organizing the security response in case of a terror attack — said the threat was being evaluated but confirmed that an attack was unlikely.
The American embassy in Brussels picked up the threat and issued a warning to U.S. citizens, recommending they "use caution when traveling in and around Brussels."
Brussels suffered a major terrorist attack at the city’s international airport and the Maelbeek metro station in March 2016, killing 32 people.
[DW] Climate activist muppets covering the "Basic Law 49" artwork with black paint had priorly led to outrage from the public.
The German branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expressed concerns about the optics of the latest protests by the Last Generation, a German climate activist muppet group, fearing a decrease in public support for climate protection measures. The Last Generation group has gained prominence recently by splashing famous artworks with soup and slowing traffic by gluing themselves to streets.
WHAT THE WWF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAID
"This is false symbolism," said the executive director of WWF Germany, Christoph Heinrich, in front of newspapers of the Bavarian Media Group, in reference to an attack on the "Basic Law 49" monument about constitutional rights in Berlin. "A disservice is being done to climate protest here."
Heinrich expressed worries that such actions could make the public believe climate protection was only "a concern of bad boys."
Referring to climate activist muppets gluing themselves to the streets, Heinrich said, "It's provocative, it's annoying, but that's the way protest is." Such protests could "somehow still be talked about." Moreover, actions like these were directed against carbon-emitting vehicles.
On the other hand, defacing a monument about the constitution was "like calling the constitution into question — and that should not be the message of the Last Generation."
The WWF board frowned upon climate protests that went against the law. "We work differently, we look for solutions, and we want to build bridges in society instead of digging the trenches even deeper," said Heinrich. He added that one cannot always "go to extremes with provocation".
WHAT THE ACTIVIST MUPPETS WERE DEMANDING
Activists of the Last Generation doused the "Basic Law 49" artwork with black paint on Saturday. They said they wanted to draw attention to what they deem the German government's inadequate climate policy.
They also demanded Germany stop using fossil fuels earlier than the government was proposing. The protest fired up the rubes across party lines.
FIRST LAST GENERATION PRISON SENTENCE WITHOUT PROBATION
Two climate activist muppets from the activist muppet group Last Generation were sentenced to several months in prison without probation. The two men were sentenced by a district court on Monday, a court spokesperson said on Tuesday. One was sentenced to three months in prison and the other to two months.
According to a spokesperson for the group, this was the first prison sentence without probation for members of the group. The men had glued themselves on a street in Heilbronn in February, she said.
#6
The WWE is concerned that their efforts to destroy great artworks isn’t as popular as it should be. I hope that they truly are the Last Generation of leftist idiots, but I am not optimistic.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/09/2023 12:37 Comments ||
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#7
Use to watch Rasslin' with my Grand mother back in the days of Bobo Brazil, Bruno Sammartino, et. al.
He will do nothing.
[FoxNews] Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy has more as President Biden faces calls for a stronger U.S. response to the cartel crisis on 'Special Report.'
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/09/2023 10:33 Comments ||
Top||
#7
How about declaring them terrorists first. If we don’t have the will to speak truth, it’s not going to work. Joe is unlikely to take action of any kind on the border that throttles human or drug trafficking. The changes will begin in January 2025.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/09/2023 12:29 Comments ||
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#8
Five kidnappers were handed over with a note of apology from the cartel bosses.
[Shafaq News] On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed more sanctions on "Iranian regime officials and entities," including two bigwigs in Iran’s prison system who "have been responsible for serious human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... abuses against women and girls."
OFAC also took action against the top commander of the Iranian army and a high-ranking leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and an Iranian official "who was central to the regime’s efforts to block internet access."
In addition, OFAC sanctioned three Iranian companies and their leadership for "enabling the violent mostly peaceful repression by the Iranian Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) of peaceful protestors, including many women and girls."
The decision came on marking International Women’s Day as a message of Washington’s "commitment to holding the Iranian regime to account for denying the women and girls of Iran ...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979... their human rights and dignity."
THE IRANIAN OFFICIALS ARE:
Ali Chaharmahali (Chaharmahali), the Director-General of Alborz Province Prisons.
According to OFAC, Protestors sent to prisons under Chaharmahali’s oversight have been tortured and pressured into forced confessions.
Dariush Bakhshi (Bakhshi) heads Orumiyeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran.
"Women in Orumiyeh Central Prison, including protestors, have been subjected to sexual violence and another mistreatment by prison officials and IRGC interrogators."
Mahdi Amiri (Amiri) is the Technical Director of the Cyberspace Affairs Deputy of the Prosecutor General’s Office. In this role, "Amiri has worked directly with Iran’s chief internet censorship body, the Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content (CDICC), and the Iranian Cyber Police to block and censor content on certain websites. In addition, Iranian authorities have repeatedly used internet filterings, such as blocking websites and internet shutdowns, to quell protests by limiting communication and information sharing."
Sayyed Abdolrahim Mousavi (Mousavi) has been the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran Army (IRIA) since August 2017. "Units under his control have been involved in the suppression of demonstrations during both the November 2019 economic protests and protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Troops under Mousavi’s command used machine guns to fire indiscriminately into crowds of protestors."
Habib Shahsavari (Shahsavari) acts as the IRGC Commander of the Shohada Provincial Corps in West Azerbaijan Province. Shahsavari also served as deputy commander of IRGC’s northwest Hamzeh Sayyid al-Shohada Headquarters.
"Shahsavari previously served as the commander of the IRGC’s West Azerbaijan Martyrs Corp, where forces under his command reportedly detained and tortured individuals in IRGC intelligence detention centers."
THE SANCTIONED IRANIAN COMPANIES ARE:
Naji Pas Company (Naji Pas) for " supplying Iran’s security services, including the LEF, with equipment and consumable goods from domestic and international suppliers."
Naji Pars Amin Institute (Naji Pars) is licensed by the LEF to provide "a wide range of protection and security services for various Iranian businesses and government facilities under the supervision of the LEF."
Entebagh Gostar Sepehr Company, for "manufacturing or importing a wide variety of police-related equipment, much of which is used by the LEF to suppress protests violent mostly peacefully."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/09/2023 00:00 ||
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#1
Give them the MAGA Catholic treatment.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/09/2023 12:30 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Former spy chief retired Lt-Gen Faiz Hamid is being investigated for alleged corruption, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah revealed, while his party leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif ...served two three 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, then by the courts... called for the retired general’s court martial over his alleged role in bringing down her father’s government and implicating both her and Nawaz Sharif in NAB cases.
Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy's udder had begun to ache... Gen Hamid also seemed to break his silence over the fresh wave of allegations being levelled against him — by the PML-N in general and Ms Sharif in particular — when he told a journalist that it is the army chief who calls the shots in the military.
In a presser on Wednesday, the interior minister said that a probe was underway against the ex-Inter-Services Intelligence ...the Pak military intelligence agency that controls the military -- heads of ISI typically get promoted into the Chief of Army Staff position. It serves as a general command center for favored turban groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, tries to influence the politix of neighboring countries, and carries out a (usually) low-level war against India in Kashmir... (ISI) boss and his brother over alleged corruption and accumulating assets beyond means. However, you can observe a lot just by watching... he said it would be premature to say anything further at this stage.
When it was pointed out that any probe into assets beyond means would fall in the domain of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the law minister said an investigation was already under way.
"When something surfaces, you will be informed," he told the questioner.
Separately, in an interview with a newly-launched digital news outlet, Ms Sharif demanded strong action against the former ISI DG for his role in getting her and her father convicted in NAB corruption references in 2017.
Unlike her arch-rival Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... , who is demanding the court martial of the previous army chief, Ms Sharif stopped short of seeking any major punitive action against retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, saying that as of now, she wanted to make an example of Gen Hamid.
"I had spoken against Gen Hamid in court when he was the sitting ISI chief for his alleged involvement in getting me and Nawaz Sharif punished. I had evidence against him," she said, referring to former Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s claims that the spy agency tried to prevail on him to issue a verdict of their liking.
When asked to comment on the PML-N leader’s demand for Gen Hamid’s court martial for his alleged unconstitutional acts, Rana Sanaullah said that this was a matter for GHQ to decide.
"Politicians make demands and express their viewpoint," he said, explaining that a court martial of a former military officer does not fall within the jurisdiction of civil authorities.
Later, senior journalist Kamran Khan claimed in a tweet that the former ISI chief had reached out to him and provided a response to the allegations being levelled by Ms Sharif.
According to the journalist, Gen Hamid argued that in 2017-18, he was simply a major general in the army and asked whether, under military discipline, a lone officer could topple the government.
He was also quoted by Mr Khan as saying that it is the chief of army staff who has the final say, and that all the major decisions — seemingly a reference to Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification and subsequent imprisonment — were taken by the courts.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/09/2023 04:37 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Incredible! Publicizing ISI dirty linen in public.
[Dawn] The thriving provincial capital police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against PTI Chairman Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... , party leader Shibli Faraz and 150 workers for harassing and hurling life threats at an Islamabad police team when it visited Zaman Park to arrest the former prime minister.
The FIR was registered by the Race Course police on the complaint of Islamabad Secretariat police SHO Nadeem Tahir.
The SHO said he was part of the team of the federal capital police constituted for the arrest of PTI chairman Imran Khan to comply with the orders of additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ), Islamabad.
He said as they reached the Zaman Park residence of the PTI leader along with his non-bailable arrest warrants issued by ADSJ Zafar Iqbal, a charged group of 100-150 PTI workers carrying clubs surrounded them.
The SHO stated in the FIR that the attackers hurled serious life threats at the Islamabad police officials, saying they would kill them if they dared to enter their leader’s house.
Teams formed to conduct raids, arrest suspects nominated in the case; PTI chief also booked in Quetta
Following the seriousness of the matter, he said, the police told them that they had arrived from Islamabad to comply with the court orders. "However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... the attackers rejected the repeated requests of the Islamabad police," the SHO said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the entire 614th quadrant searched. The Green Lensman must be found!... he said, PTI big shot Shibli Faraz appeared from the charged crowd and the police apprised him of the court orders about arrest of Irman Khan. The SHO said Mr Faraz too barred the police from entering the residence and used delaying tactics.
While receiving the court notice, he put up a note on it saying "Imran Khan is not available at his residence", read the FIR. The SHO alleged that Mr Faraz deliberately distorted the facts about the presence of Imran Khan at his residence as moments later the PTI chairman addressed party workers from his Zaman Khan residence.
The live telecast of his speech showed Imran Khan was present at his residence when police reached there, the SHO said. He alleged that Imran Khan, with the connivance of Shibli Faraz and 150 charged party workers, committed a crime by dodging and barring the Islamabad police from discharging their duty.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the entire 614th quadrant searched. The Green Lensman must be found!... Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana told Dawn that the police would arrest all those involved in harassing and threatening the ICT police. "It is a legal obligation of the police to arrest the violators/attackers booked by the police," he said, adding that the police teams have been formed to conduct raids and arrest the suspects nominated in the FIR.
Separately, an FIR was registered at a cop shoppe in Quetta against Imran Khan on Monday over his alleged remarks against state institutions and their offices and spreading hatred against them.
Sections 153A, 124A and 505 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 have been added to the FIR lodged by citizen Abdul Khalil Kakar, who said the PTI chief’s statement is tantamount to destroying public peace and order.
Violence broke out between police and former Prime Minister Supporters in Lahore, Pakistan, injuring several on both sides on Wednesday, the official said.
The government in Lahore suspended public gatherings in the provincial capital hours before the opposition party was scheduled to hold a planned election rally.
Pakistan police dispersed Imran Khan’s support using water cannons and tear gas. Despite police threats to make additional arrests, hundreds of anti-government demonstrators gathered near former Prime minister Imran Khan’s Residence.
Former Premier Khan, the current leader of the opposition, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April last year. He has argued that his expulsion was unlawful and has advocated for early parliamentary elections.
Khan’s requests have been rejected by his successor’s administration, Shahbaz Sharif, who claims the nationwide vote will occur as planned later this year.
In a video message, Khan later urged his supporters to return to their homes. Before the elections, he said he requested that his supporters disperse to avoid clashes with the police.
[Shafaq News] The trial of the alleged killer of Hisham al-Hashemi, a well-known Iraqi researcher and expert on bad boy groups, was postponed once again on March 8. The defense appealed to the Court of Cassation to intervene in the case, bringing the legal process to a halt.
The Court of Cassation is Iraq's highest judicial authority, responsible for reviewing decisions made by the lower courts. The 10th delay in a row is likely to frustrate al-Hashemi's family and supporters. No. Reeaaally?
Al-Hashemi was assassinated outside his home in Baghdad on July 6, 2020. He was a vocal critic of gangs in Iraq and had received death threats prior to his death.
In September 2020, Iraqi authorities announced that they had arrested the alleged killer, identified as Ahmed Quraishi, who reportedly confessed to the killing. However, it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... the trial was postponed several times due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, the Criminal Court of Baghdad was scheduled to begin the trial, but the defense team filed an appeal to the Court of Cassation and the trial was postponed until May 7th.
The defense team claimed that the confession of the alleged killer had been extracted under duress, and that there was no clear evidence linking him to the crime.
Al-Hashemi's family and supporters have called for a fair and transparent trial, expressing concern that the trial may be influenced by political or sectarian interests. They have also called for greater protection for civil society activist muppets and human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. defenders in Iraq.
The postponement of the trial is likely to renew concerns about the effectiveness of Iraq's judiciary, which has been criticized for its slow and opaque handling of high-profile cases.
Al-Hashemi was widely respected for his expertise on bad boy groups in Iraq and had worked as a consultant to the government on security issues. His death was widely condemned by Iraqi officials and international organizations, who called for justice to be served.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/09/2023 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#1
"...Sorry, Yer Honor, but Wednesday just don't work for my client. Howzabout...oh, Thursday, August 1st...2036. Say, nineish?"
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 Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
[DW] The UK has outlined plans that officials say will stop asylum-seekers from crossing the English Channel in small boats. Critics say people are only making the perilous journey because there are too few safe legal routes.
...pro-Brexit British prime minister, succeeding no-Brexit Theresa May. BoJo is noted as much for his sparkling personality and his hair as for his Conservative policies....
...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979...
...aka 
