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Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion        Politix   
US slaps Hezbollah financier with 5-year prison sentence, $50m. fine
Today's Headlines
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Page 3: Non-WoT
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7 14:47 JohnQC [336094] 
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3 09:52 The peanut gallery [336078] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 4: Opinion
10 17:31 Vernal Hatrick [336155]
1 13:09 M. Murcek [336093]
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8 17:10 Bright Pebbles [336119]
10 19:50 Lex [336143]
12 18:17 3dc [336124]
12 15:59 Procopius2k [336107]
Page 6: Politix
10 16:07 jpal [336099]
7 20:12 CrazyFool [336114]
2 08:55 M. Murcek [336087]
3 06:15 Besoeker [336080]
1 14:07 Seeking Cure For Ignorance [336086]
3 16:31 jpal [336096]
6 14:24 CrazyFool [336092]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Victoria’s Secret mogul Leslie Wexner says Jeffrey Epstein swiped millions
[NYPOST] The billionaire behind Victoria’s Secret said Wednesday that Jeffrey Epstein
...A high class pimp financier who was alleged to maintain a stable of underage whores sex slaves who were paid big bucks to entertain the rich and/or famous. He is a registered sex offender and has so far made 17 out-of-court settlements with former members of his stable, and some cases are ongoing. 2011 court docs reveal that 21 email addresses and phone numbers for Bill Clinton and an aide were found in Epstein's electronic black book, and that Clinton frequently flew with Epstein on his private plane between 2002 to 2005. But But really, they were probably just discussing finance or politix or something. While getting massaged.....
"misappropriated" more than $46 million of his personal fortune while serving as his money manager more than a decade ago, according to a report.

In a letter to his foundation, Leslie Wexner, the founder and chief executive of L Brands Inc., said the missing cash was discovered after he decided to sever ties with the convicted pedophile in 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"We discovered that he had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family," Wexner, 81, wrote in the letter. "This was, frankly, a tremendous shock, even though it clearly pales in comparison to the unthinkable allegations against him now."

The close relationship between the men spans two decades. In 1991, Wexner granted Epstein power of attorney, allowing him to have sweeping control over the mogul’s finances and legal matters.

The financier made more than $200 million from Wexner, according to the Journal.

But in 2007, when allegations began surfacing in Florida that Epstein had sexually abused underage girls, his benefactor began to distance himself.

In January 2008, Epstein transferred $46 million worth of investments to a Wexner charitable fund, tax records obtained by the paper show.

That cash was only a slice of the funds that Epstein misappropriated, Wexner said.

"All of that money‐every dollar of it‐was originally Wexner family money," the businessman wrote.

Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336086 views] Top|| File under:

#1  We discovered that he had misappropriated was paid vast sums of money by me and my family
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/09/2019 16:32 Comments || Top||


Florida man allegedly points gun at late deliverymen: ‘I’ve shot people for less’
[NYPOST] A Florida man was arrested this week after pointing a gun at two deliverymen when they arrived late with his furniture ‐ threatening that he has "shot people for less," a report said.

The suspect, 55-year-old Mitchell Helton of Manatee County, immediately began complaining when the deliverymen showed up late with the furniture he ordered on Aug. 3, according to the Bradenton Herald.

The men asked if he still wanted the furniture and Helton allegedly told them to "do whatever you want."

He then allegedly grabbed his gun and pointed it at both of the men as he walked out of his house, according to the report.

"You know, I’ve shot people for less," he allegedly said.

The deliverymen called the police after the threat, and Helton was arrested soon after.

He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and is being held on $5,000 bond, according to the report.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336094 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Once I shot an old woman for a stupid hairdo. You should see the guys who brought the TV... oh you can't. 'Coz they're dead !!"
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/09/2019 5:19 Comments || Top||

#2  As you age, it becomes more difficult to discern your mental landscape from the real one.
Posted by: Mercutio || 08/09/2019 8:45 Comments || Top||

#3  ...of course, if you're a progressive, that hits about age 16
Posted by: Mercutio || 08/09/2019 8:46 Comments || Top||

#4  As the old yarn goes: "John Wesley Hardin. So mean he once shot a man for snoring..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 8:47 Comments || Top||

#5  Does Florida have a subsidy for these people?
Posted by: Vernal Hatrick || 08/09/2019 10:41 Comments || Top||

#6  Yes, the streets are paved with meth that other users have dropped as they stagger along. I live here, I see it every day. Still don't want to live anywhere else...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 10:55 Comments || Top||

#7  I think I'm going with the country song lyrics: "God is great, beer is good and people are crazy."
Posted by: JohnQC || 08/09/2019 14:47 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Emily Ratajkowski shows off her armpit hair in a lacy bra
[PAGESIX]
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336084 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Who?
What...?
Posted by: Lex || 08/09/2019 1:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Who?

The Daily Mail seems to regard her as one of the dozen or so most interesting and important women on the planet. Biographical highlights of which I'm personally aware include... once walking around Cannes jiggling, and being interrogated by some guy from Vogue.
Posted by: Snusoling Trotsky9537 || 08/09/2019 2:47 Comments || Top||

#3  I looked. I'll look again.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 08/09/2019 8:06 Comments || Top||

#4  Town I grew up in was about 85% Polish. One of the standard jokes was:

How do you tell the bride at a Polish wedding?
She's the one with the braided armpits. *rimshot*

(Sorry TW - recidivism never dies)
Posted by: Mercutio || 08/09/2019 8:49 Comments || Top||

#5  Her picture with the armpit hair on Instagram has the note "Liked by gal_godot and 1,864,777 others." I added to the likes by 1. She goes by the name emrata there, which I find amusing. Not too full of herself.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 08/09/2019 9:29 Comments || Top||

#6  Famous for being in the Blurred lines video and parlaying that into some kind of D list Instagram celebrity.

Also known for her strange ab-crack and trying to make that into some kind of sexy thing.
Posted by: ruprecht || 08/09/2019 10:22 Comments || Top||

#7  I thought fur was out of fashion and SJW non-approved...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 10:52 Comments || Top||

#8  Known online as pay-to-play yachter...
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 08/09/2019 11:29 Comments || Top||

#9  Sorry TW

You know I adore you anyway, Mercutio dear. And now I know something I didn’t before.

Going back to the article, the lady said she mostly shaves. But sometimes she feels sexier going unshaven, so she does it for effect. Whatevs, grrrrl. I’m just happy that certain trends are driving body lice near extinction in our part of the world.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/09/2019 12:51 Comments || Top||

#10  Looks great, though I hope she shaves her legs.
Posted by: KBK || 08/09/2019 13:28 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
The End of the 2018/19 El Nino
[ClimatePredictionCenter] El Niño has transitioned to ENSO-neutral, which is most likely to continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2019-20 (50-55% chance).
so the current suppression of Atlantic tropical storm development will likely taper off by mid Sept or so
Posted by: lord garth || 08/09/2019 04:23 || Comments || Link || [336114 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Which will leave about 6 weeks for NOAA's predicted 5-9 hurricanes this year (we have had one and of course we could have hurricanes before that mid September change or after the official hurricane season ends)
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 8:58 Comments || Top||

#2  Been a hell of a lot colder and wetter this summer than it has been in 10 years or so. While nice it isn't so hot, it has played hell and hail with my garden.
Posted by: DarthVader || 08/09/2019 9:36 Comments || Top||

#3  Last two days, the "forecast" here said less than 5% chance of precip. We got inundated both days.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 10:46 Comments || Top||

#4  Weather reports have transitioned from global warming to climate chaos.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 08/09/2019 11:45 Comments || Top||

#5  "Climate Chaos" is when you try to pick the winning climate model and none of them give a good fit to Real World Data™?
...Of course, give them five years or so and the data will be "homogenized" to comply with the models.
Posted by: magpie || 08/09/2019 12:39 Comments || Top||

#6  I like the "named raindrops" and "named sunbeams..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 12:59 Comments || Top||

#7  "Climate Chaos" is when you try to pick the winning climate model and none of them give a good fit to Real World Data™?

As the great Richard Feynman said, if the predictions of your theory don't match real-world observations, then your theory sucks donkey balls. Yeah, I'm paraphrasing. But that *is* Science in a nutshell.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/09/2019 13:04 Comments || Top||

#8  Yogi Berra: Predictions are hard. Especially about the future..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 13:11 Comments || Top||

#9  Around Minnesota, Fimbulwinter is being discussed....
Posted by: Mercutio || 08/09/2019 18:41 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Tunisia PM Chahed announces run for president
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Tunisia’s Prime Minister Youssef Chahed announced Thursday he would stand in presidential elections next month.

"I have thought hard and decided to put myself forward for the position of president of the republic," he said during an assembly of his Tahya Tunis party.

The 43-year-old, Tunisia’s youngest prime minister, faces possible competition from Abdelfattah Mourou of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party and controversial media magnate Nabil Karoui.

Originally scheduled for November, the vote was brought forward following the death of incumbent Beji Caid Essebsi on July 25.

Chahed said he wanted to "break with the old system and give hope to all Tunisians, including young people, that they can take on important positions in the state."

Launched at the start of the year, Chahed’s Tahya Tounes has become the second largest party in parliament behind Ennahdha.

Tahya Tounes said last week the premier would be their candidate for the presidential polls.

Tunisia has been praised as a rare case of democratic transition to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings.

But it has struggled with repeated holy warrior attacks, along with inflation and unemployment that have hit Chahed’s popularity.

The agricultural engineering graduate entered politics after Tunisia’s 2011 uprising which ousted autocratic president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Presidential hopefuls have until Friday to register for the election on September 15.

Over 50 people had registered their candidacy by Thursday.

Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336113 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Caribbean-Latin America
Panama Canal reports that all scheduled transits are occurring normally
[TWITTER]




Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336074 views] Top|| File under: Commies


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Russia Is Going Fishing for a Lost Nuclear-Powered Missile
[FOXTROTALPHA.JALOPNIK] Moscow has lost a new missile, one unlike any other. The missing missile is not only nuclear-armed but also nuclear-powered. Now, ten months after the crash the Russian government is going after the missile’s remains, scooping them up before someone else does.

In March 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
unveiled to the world a new cruise missile, the Burevestnik ("Storm Petrel"). The missile was part of a whole slew of new nuclear delivery systems Putin claimed Russia was developing in response to U.S."resisting arms-control negotiations, developing new missile-defense systems, and adopting a more aggressive posture in its nuclear strategy."

"No one listened to us," Putin was quoted in The Washington Post as saying. "Listen to us now."

Burevestnik is one of the most diabolical of Putin’s new wonder weapons, which is really saying something considering the weapons include a 100-megaton nuclear torpedo. Unlike most cruise missiles, which are typically powered by turbofan engines and have ranges of 800 to 1,000 miles, the new cruise missile is nuclear powered.

Nuclear power powered cruise missiles use a sustained nuclear reaction instead of jet fuel, resulting in theoretically unlimited range. So unlimited, in fact, that a missile like Burevestnik could theoretically be launched days or weeks before an attack, taking the long way around and infiltrating U.S. air space from unexpected angles. Want to take off from Siberia, fly to the Southern Hemisphere, and attack Houston from the Gulf of Mexico? A nuclear-powered engine can do that for you.

Or at least it could, if it worked. Russia has tested Burevestnik twelve times so far and according to U.S. intelligence only one flight was successful by any measure. A November 2017 test flight from Pank’ovo, a remote arctic base on Russia’s Yuzhny Island, flew for a little more than two minutes before crashing back down to Earth.

Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336123 views] Top|| File under:

#1  a 100-megaton nuclear torpedo

??

for blowing up a boat the size of Rhode Island
Posted by: lord garth || 08/09/2019 1:16 Comments || Top||

#2  For creating tsunamis on our coasts.
Posted by: Butch Thating8912 || 08/09/2019 1:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Radioactive tsunamis.
Posted by: Butch Thating8912 || 08/09/2019 1:32 Comments || Top||

#4  Fly over country could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/09/2019 6:36 Comments || Top||

#5  Fly over country could not be reached for comment.

They ROTFLTAO, ahem, and chuckling.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/09/2019 7:43 Comments || Top||

#6  At some point you'd think that Putin would be embarrassed.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/09/2019 10:19 Comments || Top||

#7  Tsar bomb was not 100 mega-tons. That's the largest nuke ever on this missile.
Posted by: 3dc || 08/09/2019 10:34 Comments || Top||

#8  Also, Putin appears to be out-doing all current candidates for the position of Dr. Evil and I don't recall Brezhnev even wanting a 100 mega-ton nuke powered missile.
Posted by: 3dc || 08/09/2019 10:39 Comments || Top||

#9  IIRC, starting at approximately 20 megatons there is a distinct Law of Diminishing Returns for big explosions, whether they are nuclear or impactors (meteors/bolides/etc). When the "fireball" is larger than the lower, denser atmosphere more and more energy is harmlessly radiated into space.
TL/DR: 100 megatons, yeah, scary I guess. *Yawn*
Posted by: magpie || 08/09/2019 12:50 Comments || Top||

#10  Gee, right after a deep-diving 'bus' fire.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/09/2019 16:28 Comments || Top||

#11  Fishing huh? What's he using for bait?
Posted by: AlanC || 08/09/2019 16:44 Comments || Top||

#12  What's he using for bait? Neutrons!

#9 IIRC, starting at approximately 20 megatons there is a distinct Law of Diminishing Returns for big explosions

I wonder if that applies to an underwater detonation, what with water being incompressible and all. A big-ass tsunami would make a mess of a coastal city.

Nuke power for air propulsion sounds iffy for a bunch of reasons, but an underwater 'missile' sounds doable. Lets call it an unmanned autonomous underwater drone so as to hit all the marketing buzzwords.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/09/2019 17:17 Comments || Top||

#13  So that's what the explosions and leaks were all about. They were building a 'flying critical nuclear reactor' !
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/09/2019 19:04 Comments || Top||


Mayor's office of #Severodvinsk took down a report on radiation levels returning to normal
[TWITTER]



Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336120 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...It's starting to look like typical inshallah (or its Cyrillic equivalent) Soviet/Russian explosives safety procedures have struck again. There's some folks out there suggesting that there was an actual nuclear detonation, but that's something that not even the Russians could hide for long - this was a mass conventional detonation that had nuclear material/decommissioned warheads in close proximity.

Something I've been wondering about since yesterday is whether or not these might be Soviet era warheads that were NMC due to lack of maintenance in the 90s. It's actually easier to make a new warhead/bomb than to maintain one; they require throughout their operational life roughly the same level of care as a newborn baby. We properly dismantled warheads, removed the nuclear material and again, properly stored said material. It is unlikely in the extreme that the Soviets/Russians ever did anything even remotely close. They said, "Bad bombs? This is a weapons storage area, the hell with it, put 'em over there and forget about 'em."

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 08/09/2019 7:48 Comments || Top||

#2  this was a mass conventional detonation that had nuclear material/decommissioned warheads in close proximity.

This wouldn't explain the presence of Iodine 131.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 08/09/2019 9:24 Comments || Top||

#3  TWO accidents. The massive conventional blast was in central Russia (Achinsk) on Aug 5th.

The CBR incident is near Severodvinsk. Ivan seems accident prone this month.
Posted by: The peanut gallery || 08/09/2019 9:44 Comments || Top||

#4  "Andrei, you've lost another submarine arms depot?"
Posted by: Frank G || 08/09/2019 10:22 Comments || Top||

#5  So, radiation levels AREN'T returning to normal?
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/09/2019 16:30 Comments || Top||

#6  Maybe back to normal at a Chernobyl rate?
Posted by: 3dc || 08/09/2019 21:00 Comments || Top||


Great White North
Bio-warfare experts question why Canada was sending lethal viruses to China
[Canada.com] In a table-top pandemic exercise at Johns Hopkins University last year, a pathogen based on the emerging Nipah virus was released by fictional extremists, killing 150 million people.A less apocalyptic scenario mapped out by a blue-ribbonU.S. panelenvisioned Nipah being dispersed by terrorists and claiming over 6,000 American lives.

Scientists from Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) have also said the highly lethal bug is a potential bio-weapon.

But this March that same lab shipped samples of the henipavirus family and of Ebola to China, which has long beensuspected of running a secretive biological warfare(BW) program.
China strongly denies it makes germ weapons, and Canadian officials say the shipment was part of its efforts to support public-health research worldwide. Sharing of such samples internationally is relatively standard practice.

But some experts are raising questions about the March transfer, which appears to be at the centre of a shadowy RCMP investigation and dismissal of a top scientist at the Winnipeg-based NML.

"I would say this Canadian ’contribution’ might likely be counterproductive," said Dany Shoham, a biological and chemical warfare expert at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. "I think the Chinese activities ... are highly suspicious, in terms of exploring (at least) those viruses as BW agents. "

James Giordano, a neurology professor at Georgetown University and senior fellow in biowarfare at the U.S. Special Operations Command, said it’s worrisome on a few fronts.
China’s growing investment in bio-science, looser ethics around gene-editing and other cutting-edge technology and integration between government and academia raise the spectre of such pathogens being weaponized, he said.

That could mean an offensive agent, or a modified germ let loose by proxies, for which only China has the treatment or vaccine, said Giordano, co-head of Georgetown’s Brain Science and Global Law and Policy Program.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/09/2019 03:17 || Comments || Link || [336100 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Maybe China is done policing the Xinjiang camps.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/09/2019 5:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Well, with Putie taking care of the East Coast, looks like the Chinese can exploit the stupidity rat problem on the West Coast.

We just need to invest in blowing bridges quickly.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/09/2019 6:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Didn't I read this story by Tom Clancy? Twice?
Posted by: AlanC || 08/09/2019 7:27 Comments || Top||

#4  looks like the Chinese can exploit the stupidity rat problem on the West Coast.

This is something that's concerned me since hearing about Cali's fourteenth century conditions.

These conditions would be a favorable environment for concealing GW experiments and efforts on our soil should any bad actor want to do so.

This stuff isn't just a health crisis, it's a national security issue.
Posted by: charger || 08/09/2019 9:31 Comments || Top||

#5  Because Canada’s NML has more Chins than the Chinese phone book.
Posted by: Butch Thating8912 || 08/09/2019 10:36 Comments || Top||

#6  Biological warfare is just about the stupidest possible idea anybody could ever have come up with. An massive viral or bacterial infection spreading rampantly across a country is not going to stop at a nation's borders. It's just going to kill everyone, everywhere. Nukes are in every sense of the word a cleaner option.
Posted by: Vernal Hatrick || 08/09/2019 10:44 Comments || Top||

#7  ...unless you make the antidote as well. Then administer it under say a pretense like this year's flu shot.

Nukes are so 20th Century. Designer plagues are going to be this century's WMD.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/09/2019 11:18 Comments || Top||

#8  I have no faith that a customer made disease could be made without the ability to mutate (or that widespread custom vaccination/antibiotics could be prepared without letting everyone else know that a plague release was imminent. I do believe that nukes (or ICBMs at least) are going to be obsolete though. Tech like the Iron Dome and Arrow 3 is going to spread and make widespread conventional warfare possible again. As cold hearted as it may seem, I think it will actually improve the international situation as countries that have long hated each other finally get to settle the situation without worrying about fiery international apocalypses.
Posted by: Vernal Hatrick || 08/09/2019 12:08 Comments || Top||

#9  .....long hated each other finally get to settle the situation without worrying about fiery international apocalypses.

I see no reason why they couldn't employ both.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/09/2019 12:23 Comments || Top||

#10  Didn't I read this story by Tom Clancy? Twice?

Also, "The White Plague" by Frank Herbert.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/09/2019 12:24 Comments || Top||

#11  There is some historical precedent in the region: Japan's Unit 731 in Harbin: "Unit 731 and the other Units of the 'Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department' were biological weapon production, testing, deployment and storage facilities. " Another reason for the Mainland Chinese to hate the Japanese...
Posted by: magpie || 08/09/2019 13:53 Comments || Top||

#12  Nukes are in every sense of the word a cleaner option.

Also the remedy for cleansing a bio-contagion cluster.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/09/2019 16:27 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Nawaz, Maryam face another corruption reference
[DAWN] A new case of corruption related to Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) against former 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, then by the courts...
and his family members will soon be filed in the accountability court by the National Accountability Bureau.

The CSM case, under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for a long time, took a new turn when one of the accused, Nasir Lutha, the former president of the Summit Bank, returned to the country and pleaded his innocence in the case.

"The case is at present at the inquiry stage and it will soon become a new reference against the Sharif family," Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Shahzad Akbar told a presser on Wednesday.

He said that money laundering and fraud had been established in the case and several members of the Sharif family, including Nawaz Sharif and PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, were allegedly involved in the case.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336086 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Police deny receiving rape complaint against MPA who has ‘gone abroad’
[DAWN] MULTAN: After a member of the provincial assembly facing rape allegations reportedly left for UAE, the police concerned claimed on Wednesday that they received no complaint against him.

The PML-N MPA was accused by a girl, who had been working and studying in an institution owned by the politician, of repeatedly raping and blackmailing her. The matter was highlighted through a social media post showing the girl’s application to a magistrate in which she alleged that the MPA had been raping her for 11 months and made objectionable video clips of her.

She also alleged that the suspect was hurling threats that the video clips would be made public if she informed anyone about the incident or tried to take any legal action. "An inspector of Bahauddin Zakariya cop shoppe visited the house of the girl who was not present there. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money...
brother of the girl told the inspector that he, along with his sister, would visit the cop shoppe within couple of days if they needed to initiate legal action," Station House Officer Zaheeruddin Babar told Dawn.

He said usually the victim approached police after getting medically examined, but the girl did not visit the cop shoppe at all.

The SHO said that as the police did not receive any application against the MPA, it did not concern police if he had left the country.

Later, an affidavit signed by the ’victim’ on July 25 surfaced on social media, in which she stated that her allegations against the MPA were result of a misunderstanding and that some miscreants had pressurised her into submitting the application with a magistrate.

She stated that she neither had any link, nor any dealings with the MPA.

She also stated that she did not want to take any legal action against the MPA.

Earlier, the ’victim’, a permanent resident of Lahore living in Multan
...Home of the Multan Sultans...
for studies, in her application to the magistrate alleged the MPA raped her last time on July 26. She had claimed that she went to the Bahauddin Zakariya Police Station to get an order for her medical examination but the police refused to take any action because of the MPA’s influence.

She had requested the court to order the medical superintendent of the Nishtar Hospital, Multan, to conduct her medical examination.

Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336075 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  I thought the work of the Minister of Public Affairs was supposed to be public.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/09/2019 16:31 Comments || Top||


Olde Tyme Religion
More than two million Muslims begin annual hajj pilgrimage
[France24] More than two million Muslims begin the annual hajj on Friday as the Saudi hosts seek to deter politicisation of the pilgrimage against a backdrop of simmering Gulf tensions.

The hajj, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, is one of Islam's five pillars and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.

It consists of a series of religious rites which are completed over five days in Islam's holiest city and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.

"All of the arms of state have been deployed (and) we are proud to serve as 'God's hosts'," said security forces spokesman Bassam Attia.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/09/2019 07:30 || Comments || Link || [336097 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...Without at all being snarky, I would have thought that the number would have been considerably higher.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 08/09/2019 7:34 Comments || Top||

#2  My guess would be, not everyone can afford it anymore. Organized religion's an expensive opiate.

But they can do it on this now - Pakistain's Hajj Simulator

Think Counterstrike™ with just the terrorists.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/09/2019 8:09 Comments || Top||

#3  Given past death tolls from stampedes and disease outbreaks, the term "lemmings" comes to mind.
Posted by: Omomoting Sforza2689 || 08/09/2019 8:43 Comments || Top||

#4  My favorite story from the hajj is how airlines use planes they are about to scrap, mothball or (try to) sell as many of the passengers feel it is completely appropriate to relieve themselves without leaving their seats.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 9:12 Comments || Top||

#5  Let the riots and tramplings commence!
Posted by: Raj || 08/09/2019 9:31 Comments || Top||

#6  the number of people doing the Hajj was over 3M back a few years ago and the Saudi's decided to cut it back to about 2M

fwiw, there is a Shia hajj of sorts in Iraq which draws over 15M per year but it doesn't get the publicity
Posted by: lord garth || 08/09/2019 11:15 Comments || Top||

#7  Saudi's decided to cut it back to about 2M

So it wasn't such a money maker so much. Whuttasurprise...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 11:31 Comments || Top||

#8  as many of the passengers feel it is completely appropriate to relieve themselves without leaving their seats

Huh? What makes them think this is ok? Are they from places that don't know that's disgusting?
Posted by: gorb || 08/09/2019 15:47 Comments || Top||

#9  Where are the mosquito bombs?
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/09/2019 16:23 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
The U.S. Army Plans To Field the Most Powerful Laser Weapon Yet
[PopularMechanics] The U.S. Army is pushing forward with plans for the most powerful laser weapon to date. The Indirect Fires Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) will be a 250 to 300 kilowatt weapon, up to 10 times more powerful than the U.S. Navy's Laser Weapon System. The power boost should be enough to destroy targets as large as incoming cruise missiles.

The U.S. military is pushing into lasers in a big way, with all three of the main services-Army, Navy, and Air Force-pushing hard to get them onto ground vehicles, ships, and aircraft. The main appeal of lasers is their fast reaction time, literally the speed of light, and their ability to fire a high number of shots without stockpiling bullets, missiles, or shells.

Lasers instead rely on electrical power, and as long as there is electricity to power the weapon it can theoretically crank out an endless number of shots. "Ammunition" is basically the cost of generator fuel, or about $10 per shot.
The Donks will scream about the generator, demanding "Green" ammo (i.e.: a windmill or solar panels)
According to Breaking Defense, earlier this year the Army was looking to develop a 100 kilowatt laser weapon. Now, just months later, the service is aiming higher at a 250 to 300 kilowatt weapon. The Army has so far been interested in weapons to engage enemy drones and drone swarms-IFPC-HEL will be just powerful enough to shoot down an incoming cruise missile.

300 kilowatts is ten times more than the only currently operational laser weapon, LaWS. LaWS, or Laser Weapon System, was a $40 million dollar, 30-kilowatt laser installed on the amphibious sea base USS Ponce in 2014. Although apparently never used in action, LaWS was capable of blinding enemy forces as a warning, shooting down drones, disabling boats, or damaging helicopters.

Lasers, as Breaking Defense points out, are more like focused sunlight from a magnifying glass than pew pew pulses of light. Lower power lasers may need to focus on target for several seconds, while larger lasers can get by with quicker pulses, doing more damage faster. Meanwhile, a target like a cruise missile is densely packed with a guidance system, warhead, fuel, and turbojet engine. A laser pulse could fry the guidance system, explode the warhead or fuel tank, or damage the engine. Alternately it could cause damage to the missile’s fuselage and wings, causing it to become aerodynamically unstable and crash.

The new laser will be mounted on a truck and likely accompanied by a generator vehicle with plenty of diesel fuel. A firing position on high ground would allow it to engage targets at maximum range, before they could threaten friendly forces.

The first platoon of four firing vehicles will enter service in 2024.
Energy weapons, Stealth and hypervelocity weapons will be the arms races of the future
Posted by: DarthVader || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336078 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ooh! A 300kW laser is what the Air Force considers a long range offensive weapon.
Posted by: Butch Thating8912 || 08/09/2019 6:34 Comments || Top||

#2  This weapon has been promised for quite a while and assuming it works as advertised we do need it ASAP as do several other countries eg South Korea and Israel.
Posted by: Bernardz || 08/09/2019 8:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Gone are the old chemical lasers. The new electrically powered laser designs double their power every 3 years or so. So we're only a few years away from a megawatt class weapon.

Now we just need to find a great bloody shark to mount it on.
Posted by: The peanut gallery || 08/09/2019 9:52 Comments || Top||


Government
Ex-defense chief Jim Mattis returns to General Dynamics amid rising scrutiny of DC ties to business
[Washington Examiner] Jim Mattis, the retired Marine general who served as President Trump's first defense secretary, is joining the board of contractor General Dynamics just as the 2020 campaign heightens scrutiny into corporate recruitment of senior government officials.

The General Dynamics position, which Mattis stepped into on Aug. 7, carries an annual retainer of $85,000, plus meeting attendance fees of at least $2,000, and an annual stock award of about $150,000, according to a regulatory filing. In 2018, independent directors ‐ those not serving in a management role at the Navy shipbuilder ‐ who held their roles a full year earned at least $297,000.

"Jim is a thoughtful, deliberate and principled leader with a proven track record of selfless service to our nation," CEO Phebe Novakovic said in a statement. "We are honored to have him on our board."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat among the top three candidates seeking to unseat Trump, has sponsored a bill requiring a four-year waiting period between government roles and corporate jobs and, in June, asked detention center operator Caliburn International to justify its hiring of John Kelly, the former chief of staff tasked with carrying out Trump's illegal immigration policies.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/09/2019 02:36 || Comments || Link || [336093 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Amazing; I agree with Warren on something.
Posted by: Glenmore || 08/09/2019 11:50 Comments || Top||


Deputy intelligence director under Pres. Trump resigns
[The Hill] Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon is resigning from her post amid turnover at the top of the agency, President Trump announced Thursday.

Trump added in a later tweet that National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Maguire will serve as acting Director of National Intelligence.

Related but nugatory: The Hill - Schiff: Intelligence officials' retirements a 'devastating loss.'
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/09/2019 01:56 || Comments || Link || [336109 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Unless something has drastically changed since the creation of this position, it is largely a titular, meaningless title having little or no authority over intelligence community budgets and decision making.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/09/2019 2:00 Comments || Top||

#2  Resigned with Trump's shoe print on her deep swamp ass.

Joseph Maguire - Admiral. Seems the Pentagon is built on less swampy ground than Langley or Quantico.
Posted by: Butch Thating8912 || 08/09/2019 2:16 Comments || Top||

#3  Obama appointee.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/09/2019 19:05 Comments || Top||

#4  Devastating loss if you're deep state, it sounds like.
Posted by: gorb || 08/09/2019 23:55 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Study: Google News Mass Shootings Results 70 Percent Liberal, 4 Percent Conservative
[PJMedia] A full 70 percent of Google News search results for topics related to the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend were biased toward the left, a new study revealed Wednesday.

The nonpartisan group AllSides analyzed the top three search results in Google News for ten topics related to the mass shootings, including the cities of the shootings, the names of the shooters, and even "Trump," whom many liberal outlets blamed for somehow inspiring the El Paso shooting. The research took place on the afternoons of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

"This analysis shows no direct evidence that Google is intentionally suppressing voices from the center or right on the shootings," John Gable, CEO and co-founder of AllSides, said in a statement on the results. "But there was a clear and overwhelming bias in Google’s results covering these shootings, intentional or not."

News articles from outlets with a "Center" bias rating were outpaced by articles from "Left" or "Lean Left" sources by close to 400 percent. More balanced outlets like the BBC, NPR, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal got close to zero exposure among the "Top Stories" on each search topic.
Surprising absolutely no one.
Posted by: DarthVader || 08/09/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336095 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Only 70%?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/09/2019 7:19 Comments || Top||

#2  A lot of saps take in gurgle news, MSN, Yahoo, the broadcast nets, MSLSD, Commie News Network and FauxNews, but I believe they are only convincing the dumbest of the dumb. Not that there aren't a lot of those...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 10:48 Comments || Top||

#3  Simply matching the bias of the MSM. There are virtually no non-lib mass media.

None of the "balanced" outlets are actually balanced. The WSJ is center left in their news reporting (somewhat to the right on the editorial page), the other three are consistently left-lib.
Posted by: KBK || 08/09/2019 13:24 Comments || Top||

#4  WSJ are Koch-suckers. All the way...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/09/2019 13:28 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
33[untagged]
9Govt of Pakistan
5al-Nusra
5Arab Spring
4Taliban
3Moslem Colonists
3Govt of Pakistain Proxies
3Houthis
2Muslim Brotherhood
2Islamic State
2Sublime Porte
1[untagged]
1Commies
1Govt of Iran
1Hezbollah

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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2019-08-09
  US slaps Hezbollah financier with 5-year prison sentence, $50m. fine
Thu 2019-08-08
  Clashes erupt between Indian, Pakistani forces in Kashmir
Wed 2019-08-07
  Algeria: court issues arrest warrant on Khaled Nezzar, ex-General accused of alleged mass killings in the 1990s
Tue 2019-08-06
  Benghazi flight to Mitiga Tripoli survives rocket attack while landing
Mon 2019-08-05
  Indian Kashmir Dissolved.
Sun 2019-08-04
  Special Forces arrest Taliban fighter disguised in women’s dress
Sat 2019-08-03
  6000 protest at Gaza border, rioters hurl explosive devices toward IDF troops
Fri 2019-08-02
  TTP warns against playing music, women going out alone in Miramshah
Thu 2019-08-01
  Iran slashes four zeroes from rial currency over inflation
Wed 2019-07-31
  Breaking : Hamza Bin Laden Dead.
Tue 2019-07-30
  Accused 9/11 mastermind open to role in victims' lawsuit if not executed
Mon 2019-07-29
   British warship arrives in Gulf to escort UK-flagged vessels
Sun 2019-07-28
  15 killed in Islamist militant attack in Burkina Faso
Sat 2019-07-27
  U.N. says air strikes by Syria, allies killed more than 100 civilians
Fri 2019-07-26
  Libya Militia Arrests al-Qaida Leaders

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