h/t Instapundit
As the Grand Marshal of the Supreme Court assembles the posse of Bailiffs, Trumpeters and Attendants, the Learned Scribes are generating the Official Law Warrant of Justice to arrest Donald Trump Jr. for High Treason, which they will do after marching to the White House on a carpet of rose petals strewn by Fair Maidens.
Or something. Whatever. The Menscian media is in a spazz yet again.
...Let me break down how this is going to end. Liberals are going to gobble yet another Treason Viagra and the hot chick of success is gonna let them buy her a pricy dinner and then smile and say "Let's just be friends."
Again.
I would almost feel sorry for them if they weren’t a bunch of evil, aspiring fascists who want to turn all of America into Evergreen College.
...Do you think this latest nonsense is going to stop Trump, by which I mean the people who support him? Do you think the normal people in America are thinking "Gosh, a campaign tried to get negative information about its opponent? I'm shocked and stunned and emotionally ruined. I don't know where to turn or what to do. I guess I better support a bunch of liberal fascists who want to take my money and my power and my guns and who boo God."
h/t Instapundit
...There is a flip side to this argument, however. It is not just that social codes and mores can act as a barrier to upward mobility by some. It is also possible that some people successfully enter the meritocracy through the mastery of these codes rather than mastery of any substantive set of skills. And that's how we have professors of physics who believe in AGW, professors of history who believe white men invented slavery, or professors of biomathematics who know neither biology nor mathematics. Never mind pols or journos.
h/t Instapundit
Artificial intelligence software could generate highly realistic fake videos of former president Barack Obama using existing audio and video clips of him, a new study [PDF] finds.
Such work could one day help generate digital models of a person for virtual reality or augmented reality applications, researchers say.
Computer scientists at the University of Washington previously revealed they could generate digital doppelgängers of anyone by analyzing images of them collected from the Internet, from celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Arnold Schwarzenegger to public figures such as George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Such work suggested it could one day be relatively easy to create such models of anybody, when there are untold numbers of digital photos of everyone on the Internet. How do we know the "original" Obama is not an AI construct?
[Wash Times] Russia and China are working against the United States around the world, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report.
"Moscow and Beijing share a common interest in weakening U.S. global influence and are actively cooperating in that regard," the DIA’s first annual report on Russian military power says.
The military intelligence agency stated in the report made public last month that defense cooperation between Russia and China is slowly expanding along with economic ties. Russian officials, according to the report, frequently praise Russia’s ties with China, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Beijing-Moscow ties are the closest in a decade.
"In fact, the Russian National Security Strategy lists developing a strategic partnership with China as one of Russia’s most important goals," the report said.
#1
Considering the hostility they have showed, I doubt Congress would be willing.
Also, these newspapers have been pushing hard for tougher anti-trust laws and enforcement (for big business they don't like, obviously) and now they have the gall to ask for exemptions...
Seriously, you can all go fuck yourselves and cost your billionaire investors a shit ton of money as you fail.
Die, you rags. Die.
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07/13/2017 12:53
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#3
Seriously, you can all go fuck yourselves and cost your billionaire investors a shit ton of money as you fail.
Die, you rags. Die.
Sometimes DV says it with such eloquence that your really can't improve on it. But I will take the liberty of providing additional information.
From Wikipedia, because tronc won't show it on their own website:
Tronc, Inc. (stylized as tronc; formerly Tribune Publishing) is an American newspaper print and online media publishing company based in Chicago, Illinois. Among other publications, the company's portfolio includes the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, Sun-Sentinel, The Baltimore Sun, (Allentown, Pennsylvania) The Morning Call, Hartford Courant, and the San Diego Union-Tribune. It also publishes several local newspapers in these metropolitan regions, which are organized in subsidiary groups. It is the nation's third-largest newspaper publisher (behind Gannett and The McClatchy Company), with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids located throughout the United States.
Ain't that enough?
And then there's Carlos Slim of whom we must ask: Do we really want a Mexican billionaire, whose government murders journalists, to own multiple major newspapers in this country?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/13/2017 13:28
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"Evidence shows that John Roberts, chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, was "hacked" by a Deep State surveillance operation overseen by Obama administration CIA director John Brennan and Obama director of national intelligence James Clapper.
Roberts, the Bush appointee who made the decisive vote to uphold the constitutionality of Obamacare before the 2012 election, was allegedly the victim of the same Deep State surveillance program that spied on President Donald Trump.
Tapes released by Federal Judge G. Murray Snow -- preserved on a Whistleblower Soundcloud page -- show real estate billionaire Timothy Blixseth explaining Brennan and Clapper’s surveillance program to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and detective Mike Zullo. The existence of this surveillance program has been corroborated by Wikileaks’ "Vault 7" release and by the public comments of former CIA and NSA contractor Dennis Montgomery, who says he worked on the program for Brennan and Clapper.
Montgomery has gone public with his claims exposing how the program was used to spy on President Donald Trump when he was a private citizen. Montgomery has gained immunity and desperately wants House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes or other lawmakers to call him to testify about what he knows.
On the explosive tapes, Blixseth walks Arpaio and Zullo through the details of the program on a computer screen. At one point, the three begin pulling up specific names of targeted individuals.
"You know who that guy is? That’s the head of the FISA court they hacked into, Reggie Walton," Blixseth tells the investigators.
"John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, was hacked," Blixseth tells Arpaio and Zullo.
LISTEN TO THE TAPE HERE (18:00 Minute Mark)
Insiders have always been skeptical of Roberts’ motives for siding with President Obama on the 2012 Obamacare case. While there’s still no available evidence that Roberts was blackmailed, the allegation that he was "hacked" by Obama officials provides some more context into the justice’s controversial career.
As Big League Politics reported, former FBI director James Comey seized and buried volumes of information that demonstrated this wide-ranging government surveillance operation targeting Donald Trump before he became president."
...
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
07/13/2017
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#1
The idea that unmasking US citizens took place even earlier than the current brouhaha is not unlikely.
There's enough anecdotal evidence showing that eavesdropping info on Israelis was used during the Iran nuke deal; the possibility that US citizens as well were unmasked is high.
It's not far-fetched to assume that the tactic was used as far back as 2008.
#3
As I recall Sen. Dianne Feinstein bitched about Obama spying on members of the Senate as well--it seems to have been de rigueur for O's corruptacrats. Trump needs quit being on defense and to go on offense.
#5
You mean the guy who "won" his Senate seat by having a friendly judge unseal his opponent's divorce records -- against the wishes of the parties to the divorce! -- MIGHT have used the national security and intelligence apparatus against his political opponents?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
07/13/2017 20:31
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[Wash Examiner] Rep. Vicky Hartzler is making another attempt this week to curb transgender military service after leading the GOP charge last month as House Armed Services hammered out its annual defense policy bill.
The Missouri Republican has filed a proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would bar the military from providing gender transition surgeries to troops, which are now covered medical procedures under the Pentagon's year-old policy of integration.
The amendment could get a vote later this week when the NDAA is expected to reach the floor.
Hartzler delivered a long impassioned speech against transgender service and late last month floated a different amendment abolishing integration during debate before Armed Services, where she is chairwoman of an oversight and investigations panel.
"Is it fair to recruit our sons and daughters to fight for our nation and instead of being able to focus on the enemy subjecting them to disturbing distractions of very personal privacy issues involving sleeping and showering with individuals born of the opposite sex?" Hartzler said at the time. "It is not. Military service is a privilege, not a right."
[Business Insider] Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday asking why the Department of Justice settled a major money-laundering case involving a real-estate company owned by the son of a powerful Russian government official whose lawyer met with Donald Trump Jr. last year.
Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, on Tuesday tweeted an email chain from June 2016 in which he entertained accepting damaging information from a "Russian government attorney" about Hillary Clinton as part of the Kremlin's support for his father's campaign.
That attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, represents the family of Pyotr Katsyv, the former vice governor of the Moscow region, whose son, Denis, owns the real-estate company Prevezon. The DOJ had been investigating whether Prevezon laundered millions of dollars through New York City real estate when the case was unexpectedly settled two days before going to trial in May.
"Last summer, Donald Trump Jr. met with a Kremlin-connected attorney in an attempt to obtain information 'that would incriminate Hillary,'" the Democrats wrote, citing the emails he published. "Earlier this year, on May 12, 2017, the Department of Justice made an abrupt decision to settle a money laundering case being handled by that same attorney in the Southern District of New York.
"We write with some concern that the two events may be connected -- and that the Department may have settled the case at a loss for the United States in order to obscure the underlying facts."
The Prevezon case garnered high-profile attention, given its ties to a $230 million Russian tax-fraud scheme and the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, whose suspicious death aroused international media attention and spurred the passage of the Magnitsky Act in 2012. Denis Katsyv and Veselnitskaya have become the face of Moscow's lobbying efforts against the Magnitsky Act in recent years.
Democrats now want to know whether Veselnitskaya was "involved at any point in the settlement negotiations," and they have asked Sessions to provide the committee "with the prosecution files and any other explanatory materials related to the settlement."
They also want to know whether there was "any contact between President Trump, White House personnel, the Trump family, or the Trump campaign with the Department of Justice" regarding Prevezon, and whether Sessions discussed the case "with anyone associated with the transition team," or with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, while he was being considered for attorney general.
#2
Might ask why Holder and Obama shut down the Pay-to-Play investigation of former NM governor Bill Richardson (D) just after Obean's election while you are at it.
#3
They might want to be careful how deep they dig. They'll end up hitting Obumble and Clintons if they go to far. We are already seeing some of it now, like the Ukrainian collusion during the election with the Clintons while they are looking for stuff against Trump.
[CNBC] William Browder, co-founder of Hermitage Capital, which specializes in Russian markets, said on CNBC's "Power Lunch" he has had numerous threats on his life and "nobody should get involved in that country."
Browder said the threats stemmed from legislation he has lobbied for aimed at sanctioning officials believed to be involved in the death of Russian Sergei Magnitsky.
He also said he knows Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr., and that she "had an agenda coming from the top of the Russian government."
Excerpt: Browder had previously remarked to The New York Times, that "[b]asically, there is a trail of dead and seriously injured people leading from the Magnitsky case." I asked him whether he worried about his own safety, especially in light of recent events. He still receives a number of direct and indirect death threats, he says. They are, he said, "from the Russian government." I asked him to clarify whether he meant the Russian mob. "You're making a mistake that a lot of Americans make," he explained, saying there is "not a difference between government and organized crime in Russia." I guess maybe it's too many Goodfellas movies but the American perception is that the mob is a bunch of guys walking around in leather jackets killing people. The difference is, Browder says, that in Russia today, "it's people walking around in Armani suits - and they work for the Ministry of the Interior."
[The Donald] A Timeline of Russia Bullshit: Natalia Veselnitskaya, Emin Agalarov, Obama's Russian Ambassador Michael McFaul, John McCain, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Seth Rich, Julian Assange, John Podesta, and the ones who tie it all together for the DNC - the Media
"This revelation means it was the Obama Justice Department that enabled the newest and most intriguing figure in the Russia-Trump investigation to enter the country without a visa."
[Wash Times] The Trump administration put a hold Monday on an Obama-era policy that was designed to encourage foreign entrepreneurs to settle in the U.S. to build their companies, saying immigration officials are already overwhelmed with more important work.
It’s the latest of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration to be unwound by President Trump, and it comes a week before the new policy was to take effect.
Under the now-delayed program, foreigners who were trying to build or invest in startup companies were to be granted "parole" into the U.S., which is special permission to be here with legal status and a work permit -- and a potential chance at eventual citizenship.
[Breitbart] Dr. Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Trump, spoke with Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Wednesday about the declaration of victory over ISIS in Mosul, the efforts of some states to challenge Trump’s travel ban despite a ruling by the Supreme Court, as well as efforts by Ukrainian officials to help Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
Regarding the latest news of a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer, Gorka said, "Let’s compare that to the DNC, to the Hillary campaign that actually sends one of its operatives to the Ukrainian embassy to collect oppo research, to actually collect it and then coordinates with members of that foreign government attacks on our campaign."
"So again," continued Gorka, "the news media would have you look at something that doesn’t exist, while the actual real news story is never given any time on channels such as CNN."
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit was a good sign and showed the two countries can work together on issues like the ceasefire in Syria where they share interests.
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trump said: "I think we get along very, very well. We are a tremendously powerful nuclear power, and so are they. It doesn't make sense not to have some kind of relationship." Lets hear it for pragmatism
[New African] With large sections of the world hostile to Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is increasingly looking to Africa to fill the void. Last year Netanyahu courted Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia and this year he has addressed an ECOWAS summit in Liberia. This week he welcomes Rwandan President Paul Kagame to Israel on an official visit. What is Israel looking for in Africa?
[ConservativeTreehouse] At the heart of the current media Russian narrative du jour is a story about Donald Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian attorney named Natalia Veselnitskaya. That meeting took place on June 9th 2016 in Trump Tower.
Now it is discovered via video and images, that only 5 days later, June 14th 2016, Ms. Veselnitskaya was a guest of former Obama administration Russian Ambassador Michael McFaul in Washington DC for a House of Representatives hearing on U.S. Policy Toward Putin's Russia.
Ms. Natalia Veselnitskaya is pictured seated in the front row directly behind former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Mr. Michael McFaul at the House Foreign Affairs Committee. This is June 14th, 2016, five days after the reported meeting with Donald Trump Jr.
It should be noted that Ambassador McFaul was very publicly discussing the ’Muh Russia’ conspiracy narrative in the media and appeared on numerous NBC and MSNBC broadcasts during the 2016 campaign, and immediately after the election.
Additionally, it was Michael McFaul who was the architect of the Obama/Clinton "Russian Reset", that eventually led McFaul to becoming the Ambassador to Russia (NYT Link).
Ambassador Michael McFaul immediately caused quite a bit of controversy while in Russia as he indulged with various anti-Putin operatives.
Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador in Moscow from 2012-2014, was accused by Russian state television of seeking to orchestrate the overthrow of President Vladimir Putin after hosting opposition activists and Kremlin critics at the embassy in his second day on the job.
Trump Jr. thought he was dealing with a legitimate Russian lawyer on legit business. However, the law firm where Veselnitskaya supposedly practices doesn’t have a website. One would think any of the major media would have noted Veselnitskaya’s office at Kamerton Consulting doesn’t even have a working phone.
The Kremlin claims no knowledge of Veselnitskaya. And according to Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin has no knowledge of any meeting between Veselnitskaya and Trump Jr.
Peskov added,
"No, we don’t know who that is and obviously we can’t monitor all meetings Russian lawyers hold both in Russia and abroad."
So who is Natalia Veselnitskaya? DOJ certainly knew who Veselnitskaya was. I suspect the Klingon's knew exactly who she was as well.
[Reddit] A repeated sentiment in the comment thread:When they hatched this plan, they didn't account for 1000's of autists digging the internet. This will not end well, she better stay away from gyms.
#6
Obama's Ambo to Russia McFaul orchestrated a Putin overthrow? Will the Dems be asking for an investigation of Obama? I didn't think so.
All this stuff coming at Trump from the left is just "chaff" (strips of metal foil or metal filings released from aircraft, to obstruct or confuse radar detection or tracking missiles.)" It is meant to keep him too busy to go after the criminality and corruption of the last admin.
[AnNahar] Ottoman Turkish police on Wednesday killed five suspected 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.... jihadists in the central province of Konya, officials said, as officers detained 233 suspected murderous Moslems across The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... "During the operation, the five bandidosturbans were neutralized after they resisted armed force, and four security forces were lightly injured," the local governor's office said in a statement.
Police also seized weapons during the raid including five Kalashnikovs, a gun and ammunition.
Officers launched raids against IS across 29 different provinces, detaining 233 suspects, the national security headquarters said in a statement.
The raid in Konya took place as part of an investigation into whether the suspects were planning to target events commemorating last year's failed coup on July 15, Dogan news agency said. The statement did not say whether the five had actually been planning an attack.
Police began the raid shortly after sunrise, targeting a house believed to belong to an IS cell, Dogan said, indicating that they searched a total of 10 separate addresses.
Istanbul security forces captured 25 foreigners intending to go to Syria, the agency reported, adding they would be deported.
Police detained 32 suspected IS members in the Aegean city of Izmir and the southern Ottoman Turkish city of Mersin, in separate operations on people who had been planning to attack July 15 commemoration events, the agency reported.
Turkey has been hit by a series of attacks in the last 18 months blamed on IS and Kurdish murderous Moslems.
In a report published on Tuesday, the interior ministry said there had been 14 major terrorist attacks conducted by IS including 10 suicide kabooms, one kaboom and three armed attacks.
The attacks had killed 304 people, including 10 coppers and one soldier.
The last major IS attack was during New Year's Eve celebrations at an elite Istanbul nightclub where a gunman killed 39 people, most of them foreigners.
Police locked away Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! the attacker after a manhunt.
Last week, President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... claimed Turkey had killed 3,000 IS bandidosturbans during its operations against the group in northern Syria which ran from August until March.
He also said Turkey had deported 5,000 terror suspects and banned another 53,000 people from entering the country.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/13/2017
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[IsraelTimes] Army says troops came under attack with multiple bombs during overnight West Bank raid, returned fire; no soldiers hurt
Israeli soldiers operating in the West Bank town of Jenin early Wednesday exchanged fire with Paleostinian gunnies, after coming under fire and being attacked with multiple explosive charges, the army said. Paleostinian sources said two people were killed and one maimed.
"Overnight, during an IDF operation in the Jenin refugee camp, Paleostinian gunniesshot up the forces and assailants hurled bombs at the forces," the army said in a statement. "In response to the immediate threat, forces shot towards the attackers."
Military officials said they had received reports of a Paleostinian killed in the firefight. "Reports of casualties are under investigation."
No soldiers were hurt during the incident.
According to the Paleostinian Authority’s Wafa news outlet, one of the two Paleostinians killed was shot in the head and died immediately, while the second was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors later pronounced him dead He's dead, Jim! The third Paleostinian was shot in the leg, according to Wafa.
The army said details of the incident were under investigation.
The IDF carried out early morning raids across the West Bank on Wednesday, arresting 21 Paleostinian suspects, mostly for rock throwing and taking part in violent protests, the army said.
Three of the 21 suspects were picked up on the suspicion that they were members of the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, terrorist organization, the army said.
Latakia (Syria News) Eight members of the Syrian opposition were killed while others were wounded by a guided missile launched by the regime forces, near al-Yamdiyyeh village in the northern countryside of Latakia.
The Syrian Observatory for Human rights reported that the regime forces shelled the rebels locations near al-Yamdiyyeh Village, north of Latakia, killing eight members if the syrian opposition.
Last night, a missile fell near Bayt al-Hayek and al-Bassit village in the countryside of Latakia, causing material damages, but no casualties were reported.
Noteworthy, the northern countryside of Latakia has been witnessing a decline in the military operations for weeks.
Posted by: badanov ||
07/13/2017
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[Libya Observer] A coalition of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Revolutionaries Brigade and Addaman Brigade from Tajoura declared on Tuesday full control of Garabulli town, some 70 km east of Tripoli, after 3 days of fierce festivities against Salvation Government brigades from Misrata.
Heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy... broke out in the afternoon after mediation efforts exerted by Tajoura Municipal Council failed to urge Misrata brigades to withdraw.
Casualties among both sides were reported, but the number is yet to be officially declared.
Local residents said the heavy artillery fire echoed in the rural town for hours before the declaration of victory. They added that Misrata brigades have withdrawn to the east side of the town, but it’s not known whether they will launch a counter attack or pull back to their city.
The Health Ministry said the festivities in the past two days have led to 4 deaths and 21 injuries. It explained that 3 deaths and 6 injuries took place on Sunday, 2 of whom were foreign workers, while 1 person was killed on Monday and 15 others were maimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2017
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Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Six Islamic State militants were killed as a secret meeting for the fighters was shelled, northeast of Diyala, a paramilitary official said on Wednesday.
AlSumaria News quoted Sami abd Hussein, a leader with Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) as saying that troops were able to follow a secret meeting for the militants in Wadi Thilab region, in Naft Khana, that included 18 militants.
The troops, according to Hussein, “shelled the meeting region using six mortar missiles.”
Six fighters were killed, while others were injured. The remaining ones escaped to nearby valleys.
Last month, PMUs announced launching an offensive in Naft Khana, northeast of Diyala.
Naft Khana is considered a pivotal region in Diyala for its strategic location, being near to main roads, in addition to being geographically-connected to Hamrin basin.
Attacks launched by Islamic State militants against security troops, the pro-government forces and civilians surged over the past few weeks in northeast of Diyala, which urge the Iraqi forces to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town.
IS holds pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, posing threats to the liberated regions.
Posted by: badanov ||
07/13/2017
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[RealClear Defense] This analysis recommends war. It is shocking to put to print. However, with North Korea’s inexorable advance towards developing a nuclear-tipped ICBM, we enter the realm of bad choices. On balance, war on the peninsula is the least bad alternative. There are some months left for a brilliant diplomatic breakthrough that turns North Korea from the brink ‐ these avenues must be energetically and exhaustively pursued. This analysis is presented on the fair assumption that such initiatives will fail.
This strategic assessment assumes one of two possibilities. First, that the U.S. accepts North Korea developing nuclear-tipped ICBMs capable of reaching the continental homeland, thereby allowing Pyongyang to achieve a stable deterrence relationship. Second, the U.S. seeks to disarm North Korea with a major military strike. Related possibilities such as a limited strike are ignored, as this overcomplicates matters and escalation should be assumed in any case.
In each scenario, I provide a range of consequences. Not all futures will come to pass, but some combination of these are a certainty and have a direct cause-and-effect relationship with the chosen course of action.
#1
He doesn't include my option. Quietly use the SLS to place a old NERVA engine on a near earth asteroid and quietly redirect it toward an earth impact with NKOR.
#3
hmm.. a FH could lift an 1/3rd full Nerva to LEO and a second second fuel it. Then it could journey to start moving asteroid(s) with more fuel missions as needed. Hell tie it in with space mining and somewhere around the 3rd or 4th asteroid just have a loss of control...
#5
How about a shuttle refuel of an already lifted 'comm' geostationary satellite from the 70's? Those babies are big, pretty hardy and already NEO adjacent for redirection as nudge engines.
Now if they can just find someone to program the assist on Baudot paper tape.
But the Syrian government territory is on the receiving end.
Aleppo (Syria News) Several shells fell, on Wednesday, on areas in a neighborhood, west of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for human Rights reported.
The observatory revealed that shells fell, after midnight yesterday, in the regime-held Jam’eyyat Al-Zahraa neighborhood, west of Aleppo, causing material damages.
Also, a child was killed by a bomb blast al-Thkhira Village in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, while two children died in another blast in Kafr Bisin town in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
Meanwhile in Homs Province, violent battles broke out between the regime forces and the Islamic State militants on Palmyra-Sukhnah road, in the eastern countryside of Homs, where casualties were reported at both sides.
Yesterday, SOHR reported that regime forces managed to retake al-Hail Oil Field, as well as driving out the rest of the Islamic State members from the field.
Noteworthy, regime forces are less than 15 km away from al-Sukhnah, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Homs Province.
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I read Tyler Cowen’s blog a couple of times a week, despite the fact he banned me from his site. I mostly skim the comments looking for familiar names. There are a handful of commenters there that post interesting responses. Cowen is not all that interesting. He’s Thomas Friedman without the mega-rich wife. Here’s Friedman’s wife’s home, in which she permits him to live. Banal rump-swabbery pays well, but not as well as marrying the daughter of a billionaire, so Cowen remains a junior rump-swab.
Looking for material, I stumbled upon this in Cowen’s links. It’s not a very interesting article, so don’t bother reading it. What is interesting is the author is a guy named Reihan Salam and he wants to reorganize American politics to be more like some place not called America, perhaps his home country of Bangladesh. Proportional representation has always been antithetical to the American creed, because it breeds the sort of tribalism and sectarianism a continental sized country can never afford.
One of the reasons many of us gave up on conventional politics is that in the mainstream, guys with weird, unpronounceable names, from foreign lands keep demanding we change our country to suit their needs. That would be tolerable if the response was “shut up and learn how to be Americans.” Instead, the political class goes out of its way to celebrate these people. Our rulers make it clear that the opinions of newly arrived boat people count for more than the opinions of the natives, who made the country possible.
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#1
Yea, well, nothing wrong with proportional representation. Or requiring voter ID. Or, separating the POTUS office into two: executive and ceremonial.
#2
I've thought this for awhile. Some conservative pundits are actually liberals play-acting because they get more attention as a "Conservative" who disagrees with the Republicans most of the time.
[AnNahar] Several hundred displaced Syrians in Leb have returned home on Wednesday to the Syrian town of Asal al-Ward, the National News Agency said.
Around 300 refuges, the second batch since beginning of 2017, left the al-Nour encampment in the northeastern border town of Arsal to Syria's Asal al-Ward, which lies in the western part of Syria's Qalamoun, NNA said.
They were accompanied by tight security measures, it said.
LBCI said a group of media news hounds headed from the Baalbek area towards to the outskirts of Yunin to cover the event.
Humanitarian agencies have recorded a notable trend of spontaneous returns to and within Syria in 2017, with more than 440,000 internally displaced people going back to their homes in the first six months of this year, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said.
In total, 260,000 refugees have gone back to Syria from neighboring countries since 2015.
Leb hosts more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees, who amount to more than a quarter of the country's population not to mention undocumented individuals, many of whom live in informal tented settlements.
The Syria refugee influx into Leb has strained the country's infrastructure, and has also sparked accusations that refugee camps are harboring holy warriors from the war.
The World Bank says the Syrian crisis has pushed an estimated 200,000 Lebanese into poverty, adding to the nation's one million poor.
[Ynet] A convoy of refugees began leaving the Lebanese border region for Syria on Wednesday, a security source said, the second group to return under an agreement brokered by the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army escorted around 250 people out of the border town of Arsal, a security source said. The refugees headed for the Syrian town of Asal al-Ward across the border, northeast of Damascus.
A military media unit run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said the buses carried 60 families.
[Ynet] A U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia says two American volunteers were killed fighting 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.... group in northern Syria last week.
The People's Protection Units, also known by their Kurdish initials as the YPG, announced Tuesday that 29-year-old Nicolas Alan Warden of Buffalo, New York, died in battle on July 5 in Raqqa, IS' de-facto capital.
The YPG says 28-year-old Robert Grodt from Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, was killed on July 6 in the same battle.
The U.S. military has developed a close relationship with the YPG and its parent coalition, the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the war against IS.
The two men were not members of the U.S. special forces embedded with the Syrian coalition.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/13/2017
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#1
both were millenials
and as opposed to the phony on line SJWs, they were actually warriors and were fighting for justice
RIP
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/13/2017 9:31
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Mosul (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi joint force have thwarted an attack by the Islamic state near Mosul, two days after the liberation of the city, Shafaq News reported on Wednesday.
The attack is the fourth of its kind by the IS after losing the battle of Mosul.
“A force made up of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) and al-Hashd al-Ashaeri (Tribal Mobilization Forces), backed by fighter jets, managed to repulse a violent attack by the IS on Hatra, southwest of Mosul, killing 17 militants” a security source told Shafaq News.
“The militants used bicycle bombs driven by suicide bombers,” the source added.
Anadoly news agency quoted Col. Ahmed al-Jabouri, of Nineveh Operations Command, as saying that 13 militants were killed in an attack againt Jurn village, south of Mosul. Battles are still ongoing at Mqalae’ Jiyaa region, located near the village, after army troops were deployed to repulse the attack in Hatra.
Meanwhile, Peshmerga troops foiled another attack by IS fighters as they sneaked into a village northwest of Mosul. Al-Hashd al-Ashaeri and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi also repulsed two other attacks near the city.
Western officials warned that the IS terror group will try to launch attacks after losing their last stronghold in Mosul last Monday.
Tal Afar is a pivotal stronghold that is still held by IS in Nineveh province since August 2014.
On Monday, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi declared, victory in the city of Mosul, ending an eight-month campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary forces, which has displaced more than 900.000 civilians.
The victory in Mosul also means an effective collapse of the Islamic State’s self-styled “caliphate” declared from Mosul’s Old City by the group’s supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State has announced Tal Afar town, located west of Mosul, as an independent state from the proclaimed caliphate, according to a local source from Nineveh province.
“IS leadership in Tal Afar declared in a brief statement that the town has become an independent state from the caliphate and threatened strict punishment against whoever violates order,” the source told AlSumaria News on Wednesday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said “Tal Afar has been completely controlled by Arabs and foreigners with no local leaders in the wake of the mass executions that was carried out over the past few weeks.”
The group, according to the source, considered the town as independent with its leaders, which marks a sudden development that comes one day after the group announced the murder of its supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
News reports circulated over the past few weeks have claimed that Baghdadi was killed in an airstrike in Syria.
Earlier this week, news reports mentioned that the group issued a brief statement in Tal Afar announcing that all the IS departments are working through alternative headquarters at the town, indicating the group’s defeat in Mosul city.
In late June, a top leader in the town declared during a a sermon of Friday prayer that the town has become a temporary headquarter for the Caliphate.
On Friday, the group reportedly canceled the Friday prayers at all mosques in the town after a curfew was imposed in the wake of heavy shelling against procession of a prominent Arab leader there.
A source was quoted last week as saying that non-Iraqi IS militants executed the last local leader in Tal Afar and the town is currently run by Arab and foreign members after eliminating all the Iraqi leaders.
Tal Afar is one of the important strongholds still held by IS in Nineveh since August 2014.
Posted by: badanov ||
07/13/2017
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#1
Splitters!
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2017 7:05
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[SHABELLENEWS] At least five people were reported to have been killed and several maimed in a huge boom-mobilekaboom near Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, witnesses said.
According to the eyewitnesses, the blast took place after a truck-laden with explosives went off at a security checkpoint in Sinka Dheer area located on the main highway linking Mogadishu to Afgoye.
The truck went kaboom! at a parking lot soon after it was stopped by the security forces over suspicion, while heading to the capital. A thick plume of black smoke rose to the sky following the kaboom.
The sirens of the ambulances were heard as they rushed to scene of the kaboom. The maimed, mostly civilians have been taken to hospital in Mogadishu to receive medical treatment.
The Al Qaeda-affiliated Militants have grabbed credit for the attack through a statement posted on pro-Al shabaab, saying it was targeted an 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... forces convoy passing in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2017
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)
[Al Jazeera] Hacked emails obtained by the Ottoman Turkish-based Anadolu news agency showed that a former Al Jazeera cameraman, who is suing the network, collaborated with Egyptian security agencies while working with the Doha-based television channel.
In an article published on Wednesday, Anadolu reported that Mohammed Fawzy had been providing Egyptian security agencies details of Al Jazeera programmes.
In one incident, he reportedly spoke about an event held by the Moslem Brüderbund's Freedom and Justice Party at the Harvard University that would be aired on Al Jazeera television.
Fawzy also reportedly coordinated with security agencies regarding his lawsuit against the network.
Fawzy is suing Al Jazeera for $7.4m for neglect and endangering the lives of journalists working in Egypt. He said Al Jazeera sent him to Cairo knowing that "it was guaranteed" he would be placed in durance vile Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! Fawzy, along with a group of journalists, was detained in Egypt in 2013 on charges of stoking unrest and publishing false news.
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07/13/2017
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[Al Jazeera] United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... officials have warned that the conflict in the Arab world's poorest nation is intensifying daily, with gangs expanding, thousands facing the cholera epidemic, and seven million "on the cusp of famine".
Speaking before the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, UN special envoy to Yemen, called on all parties "to act for the sake of peace," saying "excuses are unacceptable...especially when the solutions are in plain sight."
"The opportunity to reach peace is not yet lost," he said, urging the politicians to recognise that "the continuation of the war can only lead to more human and physical loss".
In the same meeting, UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said the warring parties and their outside backers should feel "deeply guilty" at driving a worsening conflict that has exposed millions of Yemeni civilians "to unfathomable pain and suffering", including seven million people now "on the cusp of famine."
He urged the Security Council to "lean much more heavily and effectively on the parties, and those outside Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... who are leading this policy and action."
O'Brien said suspected cholera cases have been reported in nearly all the country's districts and at least 1,740 people have already died.
The $2.1bn humanitarian appeal for Yemen is only 33 percent funded, and the response to the cholera epidemic requires an additional $250m, of which just $47m has been received, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2017
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#1
"excuses are unacceptable...especially when the solutions are in plain sight"
Hasakah (Syria News) Ten persons were killed in an air strike believed to be conducted by the international coalition air force, south of Hasakah, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday.
The Observatory reported that an air strike killed 10 persons, including two women, 5 children and 3 men, in Zayanat village in the southern countryside of al-Shaddadi, while injured several people and some of them are in dangerous situations, which may raise the death toll.
Earlier this week, warplanes believed to belong to the international coalition bombarded areas in al-Zayanat village in the southern countryside of al-Shaddadi city, killing at least 7 persons.
[SHABELLENEWS] Somali military officials say they killed at least two holy warriors in a fierce fighting between Al shabaab and Federal government forces in the country’s southern Gedo region on Wednesday.
The officials who spoke to Radio Shabelle on condition of anonymity said the battle erupted after SNA soldiers launched an attack against Al shabaab stronghold near Bardere town.
Residents in Daar Maclin, about 30Km away from Bardere, where the festivities took place said the attack began at around 9:00 a.m. local time, sparking a deadly shootout between the sides.
There was no immediate confirmation of the casualties on the Somali army, but, the holy warriors deny claims of losing two combatants in the skirmish occurred in the outskirts of Bardere city.
The situation in the area has returned to normal, however, reports indicated that there is still a military movement by the warring sides, which could ignite potential festivities.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2017
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[Al Jazeera] Sri Lanka's prime minister said on Wednesday that Buddhism will remain paramount on the bitterly divided island, seeking to head off protests led by the powerful Buddhist clergy against proposed changes to the constitution.
The government announced plans last January to devolve power to provinces including in areas dominated by the country's ethnic Tamil minority in an effort to address alienation and bury the kind of ethnic tension that led to a 26-year civil war.
But Buddhists who make up 70 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million people are opposed to any changes in the constitution under which Buddhism is accorded foremost position while allowing people of other faiths to practise.
Sri Lanka has chosen only Buddhists for the post of president and prime minister since independence from British colonial rule in 1948. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Buddhist character of the country would not be touched.
"We are in the process of preparing the new constitution ... the president and myself have agreed to maintain the priority given to the Buddhism in the constitution as it is," Wickremesinghe told a group of Buddhist monks in Colombo on Wednesday.
More than 75 prominent monks last week warned the government not to change the constitution or it would face consequences.
The opposition, led by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Buddhist groups have warned the government of nationwide demonstrations if the government go ahead with changes to the charter.
Some opposition members have alleged that the new constitution had been drafted to please Western nations and to dilute the influence of Buddhism.
More than 100,000 people were killed in the civil war that ended in 2009 in a crushing defeat for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fighting for a separate homeland for the Tamils.
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[NY Post] He died freeing the beast he loved most.
A Canadian fisherman who saved dozens of whales after they became entangled in fishing lines and nets was killed during what turned out to be his last rescue.
Joe Howlett, 59, of Campobello Island, New Brunswick, was aboard a Fisheries Department vessel in search of a North Atlantic right whale that was caught in fishing rope near the island’s coast, according to the Canadian press.
The ill-fated rescue ended in tragedy when Howlett was struck by the whale moments after it was released from the rope and began swimming away, according to the Guardian.
"They got the whale totally disentangled and then some kind of freak thing happened and the whale made a big flip," Mackie Green, of the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, told Canadian press.
North American right whales, which can weigh up to 79 tons, are considered an endangered species. A 2011 survey found fewer than 500 right whales in the western North Atlantic, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Canada’s federal fisheries and oceans department confirmed Howlett’s death, and acknowledged that whale rescues can be "unique," and "entangled whales can be unpredictable."
Howlett, originally from Chester, New Brunswick, moved to Campobello Island, where he started a family and a career on the sea, according to reports.
Using his deep knowledge of knots and ropes, Howlett saved dozens of whales, working with the island rescue team, the Guardian reported.
"This is something he loved and there’s no better feeling than getting a whale untangled," Green, who was not aboard the vessel with Howlett, told the Canadian Press. "I know how good he was feeling after cutting that whale clear."
"He was a great fella and he really cared about the whales," he said.
[DAWN] The Sindh government has approved an extension in the special powers of the Pakistain Rangers 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... for 90 days.
According to a blurb issued from the office of Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, the extension in the Ranger's powers will take effect from July 15.
The paramilitary force will remain deployed in the city until October 12.
The Rangers' action against criminal elements in Pakistain’s commercial hub was initiated back in September 2013 when the federal cabinet empowered the paramilitary force to lead a targeted advance against criminals already identified by federal military and civilian agencies for their alleged involvement in assassination'>assassinations, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism in Karachi.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2017
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[DAWN] Afghan authorities on Wednesday recovered the bullet-riddled bodies of seven passengers kidnapped by gunnies in the western province of Farah a day earlier, in an attack blamed on the Taliban ...Arabic for students... , police said.
The violence, which underscores the fragile security situation in Afghanistan, came after Taliban fighters closed a highway connecting lovely provincial capital Farah to Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... city late Tuesday, stopping a bus and forcing 16 passengers to dismount, Farah police front man Iqbal Baher told AFP.
They shot at least seven of them, while the remaining nine were taken hostages, he said.
The Afghan forces launched an operation early Wednesday to free the hostages and open the highway, clearing roadblocks set up by the bad boys, Baher said.
They recovered the bodies of seven passengers, he continued, adding that six were civilians and one a police officer. "It is not clear why the suspected turbans kidnapped and killed them, and we are still unsure about the fate of the remaining kidnapped passengers," he said.
The Taliban have so far not commented on the incident in Farah province, which has witnessed an increase in the bad boy group's activities recently, said the provincial officials.
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Jahed Choudhury and Sean Rogan recently wed at a British registry office in Walsall, a small town about two and a half hours northwest of London. Choudhury, who was raised in a traditional Bangladeshi household, said that he was bullied at school where his classmates spit on him and dumped trash bins over his head and was eventually banned from his local mosque.
The 24-year-old attempted to change his sexual orientation with medication and religious pilgrimages to Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. But he grew more depressed and suicidal and tried to overdose in 2015. After being released from the hospital, he sat crying on a park bench, which is when his now-husband approached and comforted him.
They began living together shortly after and Choudhury proposed to Rogan in 2016. The small ceremony, in which they wore traditional Bangladeshi Muslim attire, included a few close friends and loved ones. Choudhury’s family does not support his marriage and did not attend the wedding.
Despite the animosity he’s experienced, Choudhury says God is "in his heart" and that he wouldn’t ever change religions. He said, "I want to say to all people going through the same thing that it’s okay. We're going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim."
I pray that the world doesn't show them otherwise.
[RFE/RL] Canada's prime minister defended the government's apology and multimillion-dollar payment to a former Gitmo prisoner who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. Justin Trudeau said the deal was not about the merits of the case against Canadian-born Omar Khadr but the “charter of rights and freedoms” that protects all Canadians, “even when it is uncomfortable.”
The deal with Khadr was based on a 2010 Canadian Supreme Court ruling that the nation's officials violated his rights at Guantanamo.
A person familiar with the payment said it was for 10.5 million Canadian dollars ($8 million), although the details were not officially released.
Khadr was 15 when he was captured by U.S. troops following a battle in which a U.S. soldier was killed at an Al-Qaeda compound in Afghanistan. Khadr, who was suspected of throwing a grenade that killed the soldier, was taken to Guantanamo and charged with war crimes. He pleaded guilty in 2010 and was sentenced to eight years. He was returned to Canada and was released in 2015 pending an appeal of his guilty plea, which he claims was made under duress.
Canada's Supreme Court ruled that Canadian intelligence officials obtained evidence from Khadr under "oppressive circumstances," including sleep deprivation, during interrogations at Guantanamo and then shared the evidence with U.S officials.
Many Canadians reacted angrily to the government apology and payout to Khadr, saying he is a terrorist.
Useful graphs breaking out the data in different ways can be seen at the link.
[AlAhram] The number of terrorist attacks resulting in fatalities in western Europe increased in 2016, despite an overall drop in the number of incidents taking place, according to data released by the Global Terrorism Database.
The data shows that there were 30 such attacks resulting in fatalities in western Europe in 2016 and 23 in 2015. This compares with two attacks across the region resulting in fatalities in 2014 and five in 2013.
In addition, terrorist attacks have become more deadly, with 26.5 people on average being killed in 2015 and 2016, up from an average of four a year in the preceding three years.
The deadliest incident recorded in western Europe was the series of coordinated attacks on Gay Paree in November 2015 that resulted in the deaths of 130 people and was claimed by 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.... Experts said IS group, responsible for seven of the 10 deadliest attacks since 2012, was increasingly encouraging the use of knives and vehicles over firearms and explosives by their followers.
"It's very different to the al Qaeda threat, which was obsessed with mass casualties, bringing down airliners", Dr. Sajjan Gohel, International Security Director with the Asia-Pacific Foundation think tank told Rooters. "What ISIS is trying to do is have a greater volume of attacks, but make it more cost effective and simpler."
[AlAhram] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... issued detention warrants on Wednesday for 34 former personnel of the state-owned broadcaster TRT in an investigation targeting supporters of the U.S.-based holy man accused of being behind last July's failed coup, state media said.
All 34 were suspected users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging app the government says was used by holy man Fetullah Gulen's followers, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. They were previously dismissed due to alleged links to the putsch.
In a separate operation, police detained 14 non-commissioned army officers early on Wednesday in six provinces in an investigation into the coup attempt, Dogan news agency said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
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[Jakarta Post] President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has signed a regulation to ban Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), an Islamic organization seeking to establish a global Islamic caliphate.
Presidential spokesperson Johan Budi said that Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto would announce the decision on Wednesday. Chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama Said Aqil Siraj, who met Jokowi on Tuesday, also confirmed Jokowi's decision to disband HTI, adding that the announcement would be made on Thursday, not Wednesday.
Earlier in March, the office of Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs announced that the government would ban HTI from operating in the country on the grounds that its vision of establishing a caliphate contradicted the value of Pancasila, which values diversity and pluralism.
The decision to ban HTI came amidst worsening sectarianism during the course of the Jakarta gubernatorial election which saw Christian of Chinese descent Basuki Tjahaja "Ahok' Purnama facing off against former culture and education minister Anies Baswedan.
If the HTI is eventually dissolved, it would be the first Islamic organization to be banned in the period following the downfall of the New Order authoritarian regime in 1998. During the three decades of that regime, president Soeharto banned numerous Islamic organizations whose activities and ideas deemed to be threats to the country's founding ideology Pancasila.
[Bangkok Post] Thai security forces killed a suspect in the May bombing of Big C Supercenter during a raid in Pattani province on Wednesday.
The shooting occurred when security forces were searching for suspects at a mosque in tambon Paka Harang in Muang district. Behind the mosque, a group of five or so men were resting on hammocks and bamboo beds. As the authorities approached them, they fled, and both sides exchanged gunfire.
One man was killed instantly. He was Suding Mama of Nong Chik district. Officials identified him as one of the suspects wanted in the Big C Supercenter bombing on May 9. Military spokesman Komet Ratanapongsai said that local villagers told authorities that the suspects went into hiding at the mosque on Tuesday evening.
Authorities think 15 people were behind the Big C bombing, which wounded 80 people. The blast came from two cooking gas cylinders stuffed with explosives that had been placed on a pickup truck stolen from a merchant from Yala province. The vendor was brutally murdered after the theft on the same day of the bombing.
[DAWN] A nine-year-old boy died in Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... after being brutally tortured, allegedly by a landlord who reportedly tied the boy to a donkey and made it run into the field, thus dragging the boy along which resulted in his death.
The incident occurred in the village Kangar Mera area in the jurisdiction of Lora cop shoppe on Wednesday, police officials said.
The boy who was later identified as Muzammal, son of Sher Afzal, suffered critical injuries to the head and other parts of the body which proved fatal. The boy was rushed to Rural Health Centre Lora where he departed this vale of tears.
Later, the residents of the area blocked the road and protested against the brutal incident after which police tossed in the calaboose You have the right to remain silent... the accused landlord.
DPO Abbottabad Syed Ashfaq Anwar, while confirming the incident, said that FIR has been registered and the investigation has started. He assured that "Justice will be served to the family of deceased."
The autopsy was conducted at rural health centre Havelian and the body was handed over to the family for burial.
Police said that during initial investigation the accused landlord said that the donkeys and goats frequently damaged his crops and used to eat the vegetables from his land. He claimed to have repeatedly asked the boy to take the donkey away.
While the family of the dear departed boy allege that the landlord tied the boy to the donkey and hit it with a stick, which made the donkey run fast into the fields thus dragging the nine-year-old along.
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[Al Jazeera] Immigrant advocacy groups sued the United States government on Wednesday, alleging that people fleeing persecution are frequently turned away at border crossings with Mexico when they seek asylum or express fear of returning to their homeland.
Reports of people being denied an opportunity to seek asylum have grown, but the lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles pushes the issue into a courtroom and could have far-reaching consequences if a judge grants class-action status.
The American Immigration Council and others say Customs and Border Protection has blocked access to the asylum process for hundreds of people at border crossings in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, Arizona and Texas since last year, violating federal law and international treaty obligations.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2017
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#1
If we don't draw the line somewhere, everyone coming across our borders becomes an asylum seeker. Practicing immigration law is big bucks--you just have to do a volume business.
[Inquirer] Two Philippine soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded when a bomb missed its target and exploded near their around noon on Wednesday. Military spokesman Edgard Arevalo said, "Investigation is being conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding an incident where an ordnance missed its target during an airstrike."
Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said, "Initial report from Marawi indicates that the bomb was 250 meters off target. The impact of the explosion caused the collapse of nearby structures. Large debris from heavily reinforced buildings accidentally hit two of our personnel, who succumbed to death in the process."
He said the 11 soldiers suffered minor shrapnel injuries.
Posted by: ryuge ||
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#1
250 Meters off?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2017 9:01
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#2
Either bad targeting data, poor coordination with the FO and/or ground units, or more bombing practice is needed.
- David Brooks made the comment in a piece titled, How We Are Ruining America I suspect more a "how-to" than a series of observations.
- The 55-year-old writer was trying to discuss informal social barriers in society
- 'Recently I took a friend with only a high school degree to lunch. Insensitively, I led her into a gourmet sandwich shop,' he wrote, kicking off the awkward story
- He recounted how his friend was seeming put-off by item names on the menu
- 'I quickly asked her if she wanted to go somewhere else and she anxiously nodded yes and we ate Mexican,' he wrote, wrapping up the strange anecdote
#2
Sighs Brooks, "How indecently pleasant
To pose for a while as a peasant
In the simple Southeast,
Underserved and unpoliced,
An illiterate, wild adolescent!"
#3
"Your culture is equally valid!"
"Sure, David. I'll have the wop salad,
A Barqs, brucciloni
(if that's not too tony!),
And Crystal (for clearin' da palate)."
#4
I've read the article a few days ago. Maybe he payed too much attention to the sandwich shop incident, but the article - how new class defends itself from outsiders is (IMO) good.
#5
I think the bigger problem with the elite/upper class wanting the best for their children is the GIVERnment always taxing to ensure the top does not get to far ahead. See GIVERnment growth in pre-school- college education, medical benefits, diversity programs....
#6
Pretentious names to obscure and feed one's ego with a faux sense of cultural elevation.
The real codes to social elevation are found in behaviors. Self discipline, delayed gratification, responsibility et al. All those things the Progressives have spent decades debasing while promoting destructive ego centric perspectives.
#10
notice how with the Brits you can tell social status from accent?
Just not the Brits. Americans have some of that too. Give me equal candidates for a job, a black Nigerian or West Indies candidate who speaks the mother tongue (see - Charles, PoW) has a big edge. Its a bit of ingrained bias. Notice the hate 'fun' the media/entertainment/political complex have with the accents of Bush, Palin, and Trump.
#11
Status rules are partly about collusion, about attracting educated people to your circle, tightening the bonds between you and erecting shields against everybody else. We in the educated class have created barriers to mobility that are more devastating for being invisible. The rest of America can’t name them, can’t understand them. They just know they’re there.
Tribes. Encouraged by the worst president ever and supported by the progressives.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/13/2017 9:56
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#12
Is the sandwich shop confusion really about class so much as New York vs everyone else? Go into a trendy coffee shop and you'll be knocked back for a minute trying to decipher the menu that is basically a hundred flavors of coffee.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2017 13:28
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#14
Maybe she doesn't like sandwiches. Sensitive teeth, sore jaw, any number of reasons...
Now a moron that ass-u-mes that it has to be class related -- that's bigotry.
#15
Not just that, what if she has cultural aversions to certain ingredients.
And what is this educated class deal? Perhaps he should come out here and take a visit to the implement yard with my uneducated friend and pick out every piece of machinery necessary for a wheat harvest, necessary for this striata baguette.
Did Mr. Brooks take a college level class on Italian Food? A person would just about have to for all the meats, cheeses, pasta shapes. Ohhh...that is a VoTech topic, tut tut.
What is telling to me is his writing accent. He goes on like he discovered a new element, and everyone else sees butt fumble.
The entertainment industry, which Brooks is a part of, is the worst perpetrator of oratory and behavioral stereotypes. This...newspeak, if you will, the oratory of the broadcaster in comparison to the real world, is about as exciting as I-70 across Kansas.
And I can only imagine the selections available at the type of gourmet Italian sandwich shop the like Mr. Brooks would show off to a friend. She is the one who got out of her comfort zone...Sure, Italian sounds fine...holy crap is this one page of just the meats?...Line is getting anxious...oh great, now friend is embarrassed he brought me.
[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Just as Democrats are kicking up their efforts to prove the party can be a comfortable home for centrist voters, leftists in Oregon passed a law making that pitch even more laughable than it already was.
The state legislature passed a bill last week that would require insurance companies offering plans in Oregon "to cover abortions and other reproductive services at no cost to the patient regardless of income, citizenship status or gender identity," as ABC News explained.
Note that the legislation also applies to noncitizens.
The bill is headed to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, who's already tweeted her support with an enthusiastic, "yes! yes! yes!"
The ABC News report, which compared the law to those in other states, noted, "The Oregon bill is unique, however, in that patients would have access to the procedure for virtually any reason, at any time, including sex-selective and late-term abortions."
There you have it -- free abortions for anybody at any time for any reason. The legislation also includes a $10 million appropriation from the state's general fund to cover the costs of the services. That's an appropriation of $10 million in taxpayer money that will be used in part to pay for abortion procedures.
Not a single Democrat in the state Senate voted against the measure. Only one Democratic member of the House opposed it.
As Guy Benson wrote in Townhall, Oregon Democrats' eagerness to pass this legislation actually "[underscores] the abject radicalism of the Democratic Party's abortion stance."
"Oregon's government is dominated by Democrats," Benson wrote, "so they were able to implement a bill that broadly reflects the party's platform, and delights the party's abortion zealot bankrollers."
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#1
This is why the Dims have to import so many people.
#4
Of course, it's not really free. Somebody has to pay and my guess is the cost will get spread out to everyone who pays any premiums whether they want abortions or not.
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07/13/2017 11:09
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[DAWN] For a sitting prime minister, there could not have been a more damning indictment. The report of the joint investigation team (JIT) has charged the Sharif family on several counts -- from perjury and faking documents to hiding their sources of wealth and living beyond their means. Predictably, 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... has refused to bow out and has vowed to take the battle to the end. Now it is left to the Supreme Court to decide his fate.
One is not quite sure how long it will take to wind up the case. But it is certainly going to be a messy endgame with the possibility of the third-term prime minister having to stand trial on criminal charges and being ousted by the court. The ensuing legal battle may drag on for long thus further deepening the political polarisation in the country. The outcome of this historical judicial action is bound to completely change the political dynamics and may well be the beginning of the end of the Sharif era.
Another shock for Sharif is that the JIT report has also alleged that his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who has long been groomed as his heir apparent, has falsified documents. This may have doomed the family’s plan for the transition of power to the second generation to failure. It was evident that such a detailed investigation into the family’s foreign assets had caught the prime minister by surprise.
Although the government had sensed the seriousness of the investigation at the end, it still appeared confident that at least the prime minister would scrape through with only some burn marks. A story published in a national daily on July 10, hours before the submission of the JIT report to the Supreme Court, and headlined to the effect that the investigation didn’t find the prime minister guilty, in fact reflected the government’s miscalculation. The government had certainly not expected such a sweeping indictment that has left the country’s most powerful political leader politically and morally damaged.
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[DAWN] Political stalwart and former Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) leader Javed Hashmi questioned accountability for judges and the military at an unexpected presser in Multan on Wednesday.
Hashmi, who has also been a member of the PML-N, believes the Panama Papers probe appears to be a ploy which seeks to oust 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... from power, rather than a way to hold him accountable.
"I believe that Nawaz Sharif should be held accountable. I am the first person to say that accountability should exist. But why just Nawaz Sharif?" Hashmi asked.
Claiming a plot was afoot to take down Nawaz Sharif's government, Hashmi alleged PTI Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... had said that after former CJP Tasadduq Hussain Jilani's tenure would end, the incoming CJP would "break the government and Parliament".
"I told Imran this would be martial law, but he claimed that it wouldn't be martial law because the Supreme Court judges would be doing it," Hashmi alleged.
"Rigging was the issue earlier, but now it is Panamagate since Imran had to create some form of ruckus. He wanted to topple the government in three months. I told him you cannot do this," Hashmi claimed, adding that "someone else" had saved Nawaz Sharif's government from toppling.
"Has any judge been punished? Why are judges not caught for their wrongdoings?" he asked. "Is this justice?"
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[WAPO] The New York Times reported July 10 on meetings between President Trump, his top advisers and private military and security company (PMSC) magnates, Erik Prince (founder of Blackwater) and Stephen A. Feinberg (owner of DynCorp International) to discuss plans for having contractors take over U.S. operations in Afghanistan. The plans are said to hew closely to the Wall Street Journal op-ed Erik Prince published in June proposing a "MacArthur solution" to Afghanistan. Like the historical analogy it borrows from, the plan proposes a U.S. viceroy, but unlike MacArthur, the viceroy would carry out his plans with the help of a private army.
Could such a plan actually improve counterinsurgency, leading to the success that has thus eluded the U.S. (and NATO)? In a word: no. And the plan is much more than a different strategy; it reformulates (one might say privatizes) U.S. goals.
General studies of PMSCs (though not focused on counterinsurgency, per se) begin to shed light on their overall impact on war. Looking at civil wars in Africa, only when there is competition among companies do PMSCs working for government and rebels have a positive effect on civil war termination. This suggests that we may not want the unified effort Prince envisions.
Data from Iraq show that competition is not enough. Only when there is competition joined by contracts with particular performance incentives do PMSCs reduce violence in an area. And using the Private Security Database (PSD) to focus on contracts between governments and PMSCs in failed or failing states -- notably applicable for Afghanistan -- is shown to increase conflict severity.
More detailed studies show that PMSCs work differently than military forces and should increase our skepticism of their counterinsurgency value. Different recruitment, motivation, rules, training and flexibility all contribute to a number of well-known concerns over misbehavior by individuals, PMSCs and the governments (and other clients) that contract with them. The International Code of Conduct (ICoC), Private Security Standards and other transnational regulatory efforts the U.S. has supported all limit PMSC behavior in ways that address these concerns by drawing PMSCs closer to common rules for public forces. (It is worth mentioning that a PMSC could not do some of what Prince calls for, like fighting alongside Afghan forces, without violating these regulations -- and the regulations are now required for private security providers working for the Pentagon in contingency operations abroad.)
#1
If we listened to the democrats at WAPOO, we would never, ever win a war. Never listen to leftests about Foreign Policy. They are alien and of immature, less developed intelect as an average Homosapien or Caveman.
This is why they draw make up shit, pull it from their asses, and write it as hieroglyphics on the chalkboard walls of higher marxucation.
They command respect for doing nothing but contaminating the young minds with pinkey and the stalin - mental midget acrobatics.
I want to see every option, and I want US to win.
Stuff it up your safe space WAPO. I AM through with you.
#2
General studies of PMSCs (though not focused on counterinsurgency, per se)... What studies? Ahh, General Studies by Top Men in the Field, Top men... Probably commuting between jobs in NGOs, Academia, and Government -- all distinctly anti-mercenary by inclination. ...begin to shed light on their overall impact on war. Looking at civil wars in Africa, only when there is competition among companies do PMSCs working for government and rebels have a positive effect on civil war termination.
War termination, eh? Looking at hows NGOs have assisted the endless prolonging of conflicts in the Post-WW2 Era -- should they be disbanded first?
Secondly, being able to hire more PMSCs implies a stronger country with more money. More resources implies greater chance of winning --- D'Oh!
#4
This should tell you much about the author and origins of this article. Don't neglect the list of esteemed Korbel alumni:
The Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver is a professional school of international affairs offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. It is named in honor of the founding dean, Josef Korbel, father of former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Emphasis added.
#6
Should go to Tom Kratman site - see if he has commented on the subject.
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries
These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling,
And took their wages, and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.
[THEHILL] The Russian lawyer who penetrated Donald Trump’s inner circle was initially cleared into the United States by the Justice Department under “extraordinary circumstances” before she embarked on a lobbying campaign last year that ensnared the president’s eldest son, members of Congress, journalists and State Department officials, according to court and Justice Department documents and interviews.
This revelation means it was the Obama Justice Department that enabled the newest and most intriguing figure in the Russia-Trump investigation to enter the country without a visa.
Later, a series of events between an intermediary for the attorney and the Trump campaign ultimately led to the controversy surrounding the president's eldest son.
Just five days after meeting in June 2016 at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr., presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner and then Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Moscow attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya showed up in Washington in the front row of a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Russia policy, video footage of the hearing shows.
She also engaged in a pro-Russia lobbying campaign and attended an event at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. where Russian supporters showed a movie that challenged the underpinnings of the U.S. human rights law known as the Magnitysky Act, which Russian leader Vladimir Putin has reviled and tried to reverse.
The Magnitsky Act imposed financial and other sanctions on Russia for alleged human rights violations connected to the death of a Russian lawyer who claimed to uncover fraud during Putin's reign. Russia retaliated after the law was passed in 2012 by suspending Americans' ability to adopt Russian children.
At least five congressional staffers and State Department officials attended that movie showing, according to a Foreign Agent Registration Act complaint filed with the Justice Department about Veselnitskaya’s efforts.
And Veselnitskaya also attended a dinner with the chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing Russia policy, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) and roughly 20 other guests at a dinner club frequented by Republicans.
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The Magnitsky Act imposed financial and other sanctions on Russia for alleged human rights violations connected to the death of a Russian lawyer who claimed to uncover fraud during Putin's reign. Russia retaliated after the law was passed in 2012 by suspending Americans' ability to adopt Russian children.
I don't think Natalie Veselnitskaya was over here so much about adoptable children as she was about the billions in assets that were frozen as the result of the Magnitsky Act.
[AlAhram] Four 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... jacket wallahs killed 19 people in a series of attacks that targeted a civilian self-defense force and the people who gathered to mourn their deaths, police in Nigeria said Wednesday. It was the deadliest attack in months in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram's eight-year insurgency.
Borno state police commissioner Damian Chukwu said 23 others were maimed in Tuesday night's attacks. The police commissioner said 12 of the dead were members of a civilian self-defense force and the other seven people had been mourning them.
At least one of the suicide bombers was female, said a front man for the self-defense force, Danbatta Bello. The bombers specifically targeted his colleagues while they were on duty, he said.
"A teenageexploding trollop female suicide bomber actually crept to the sandbag post of our boys at Molai and before they could realize what was happening she detonated herself and killed three of our boys," Bello said.
"That happened simultaneously with the one that occurred at the tea vendor's, where seven of our members who took their time off to eat their dinner were killed," he said.
Boko Haram has increasingly used girls and young women to carry out attacks on marketplaces, checkpoints and other targets. Some young women who escaped bad boy group have said girls are drugged and forced to carry out suicide missions.
An News Agency that Dare Not be Namednews hound at the scene saw mourning residents preparing the bodies of the victims for burial.
[Ynet] Police say 'Anyone who drives illegal aliens into Israeli territory needs to know and suspect there might be a terrorist among them seeking to carry out an attack,' vowing to ensure accomplices are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
An Israeli Arab and a Paleostinian will be charged with negligent homicide after smuggling into Israel the bandidosbandidos krazed killers behind an attack at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem a month ago, which claimed the life of Border Policewoman Hadas Malka, police said Wednesday.
"Anyone who drives illegal aliens into Israeli territory needs to know and suspect there might be a terrorist among them seeking to carry out an attack. This means on certain level, the driver is an accomplice to the attack and responsible for its deadly consequences," police said in a statement.
The two suspects, one from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya and the other from the West Bank, were locked away Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! shortly after the attack.
They are suspected of organizing and smuggling a group of Paleostinian illegal aliens into Israel, among them the terrorists, a day before the attack.
This is the third time police, along with the State Attorney's Office, have been able to establish enough evidence to indict drivers with negligent homicide after they illegally smuggled into Israel Paleostinians who went on to carry out terror attacks.
The police stressed it "will reach anyone who was involved in any way--whether directly or indirectly--in terror attacks and will work to prosecute them to the full extent of the law."
Malka, 23, from Moshav Givat Ezer, was killed when three bandidosbandidos krazed killers armed with knives and firearms launched an attack in two different places near the Damascus Gate. She was fatally maimed and later succumbed to her wounds. Two other people were moderately hurt, while two were lightly hurt.
All three terrorists, Paleostinians from the West Bank, were shot and killed on the scene.
Late Tuesday night, the IDF informed the family of one the bandidosbandidos krazed killers that their home in Deir Abu Mash'al was set for demolition. The family has 72 hours to appeal the decision.
The families of the two other bandidosbandidos krazed killers received similar demolition orders earlier this week.
[DAWN] AFTER a gruelling military campaign, Iraq’s second largest city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... has been retaken by the government. On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that the ’liberation’ of Mosul was complete -- three years after this historic city had been overrun by the hordes of the murderous MoslemIslamic 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.... group. However, the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach... the pictures emerging from Mosul are ones of devastation, showing a grey landscape filled with rubble and debris. The human toll has been even greater, with hundreds of thousands of Mosul’s people displaced, while hundreds have been killed either by IS gunnies or in the crossfire. Of course, Mosul’s recapture is highly symbolic as it is a major urban centre, while it was in the city’s Nuri mosque -- now reduced to rubble -- that His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... declared his ’caliphate’. However, the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach... while the ’caliphate’ may be falling apart, IS’s ability to cause havoc remains considerable. Observers are of the view that the terrorist outfit may increase its guerrilla tactics after losing Mosul, while it also retains territory elsewhere in Iraq.
Apart from consolidating its gains against IS, the government in Baghdad should work towards ensuring that Mosul is rehabilitated at the earliest. Part of this rehabilitation must, of course, encompass the rebuilding of infrastructure and institutions. However, the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach... the Iraqi state must also ensure that communal relations are handled carefully. Mosul is a Sunni-majority city, while much of the Iraqi army consists of Shia troops. The militias that supported the army in recapturing Mosul are also almost entirely Shia. The government must ensure that there are no ’Dire Revenge’ attacks and that steps are taken to promote harmony among Mosul’s different communities. The gunnies of IS had in the past exploited communal differences to pit various groups against each other. They must not be given this chance again, which is why the state must work to build bridges between communities as part of the rehabilitation of Mosul.
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asserted that Baghdad will not "pardon terrorists".
During his council of Ministers opening statement, Abadi stated, "the soldiers are human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. ’ defenders who sacrificed themselves for the liberation of humanity and the rescue of civilians. The government supports their efforts to defend human rights and will take a stance against any violation."
Abadi called on "humanitarian organizations to check and verify their sources and acknowledge the joy of the people of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... and their warm welcome to the brave Iraqi forces," wondering about what he described as "the grief and the wailing of some amid the glorious victory of the Iraqi Forces," and pondering about "the role played by this organizations when ISIS was slaughtering the people of Mosul and destroying everything in their way."
Amnesia Amnesty International has condemned Iraqi forces and their allies in the wake of the battle of Mosul. "The Iraqi government, at its highest levels, and the US-led coalition countries must immediately and publicly acknowledge the magnitude and seriousness of civilian casualties during the military operation they have taken to regain control of the country," said Lynn Malouf, research director of the Beirut Regional Office for Amnesia Amnesty International.
Abadi stressed in a statement not to allow for the return of the inflammatory and sectarian discourse, calling it an ISIS discourse. He emphasized that "no terrorist escapes punishment and we will not issue an amnesty for the murderous terrorists."
Abadi stressed that "the future direction of the government should be focused on the economic, developmental and educational sector, which is the basis for the renaissance of the state and society, and the need to fight corruption, which rotten the state and society with the necessity of respecting the law above all else."
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[DAWN] TEN years ago today, militancy in Pakistain took a darker and more ominous turn. On July 12, 2007, the army’s siege of the 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... religious complex in Islamabad went kaboom! into a pitched battle that lasted several hours. The encounter, which saw commandos storming the complex and fighting heavily armed holy warriors from room to room, left at least 100 forces of Evil dead, including Lal Masjid’s charismatic deputy imam Abdul Rashid Ghazi, and claimed the lives of 11 armed forces personnel. Aided by a huge stockpile of weapons inside, the long stand-off and the bloody denouement illustrated the tenacity of anti-state elements determined to fight to the death. The conclusion of the assault also brought to an end the moral vigilantism unleashed by Lal Masjid’s ’vice’ squads across the capital.
On the face of it, Operation Sunrise was a triumph for the state, a demonstration of its fearsome power. Soon enough though, it became clear that it was more of a pyrrhic victory for the state, but an enduring one for the murderous Moslems. A mishandled operation that resulted in a large number of fatalities, the siege proved to be a propaganda coup for the murderous Moslems. Instead of being a deterrent, it catalysed violent bully boyz -- already in revolt against the state following what they saw as a betrayal of the jihadist cause after 9/11 -- to unite under the umbrella of the Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistain. Terrorist attacks, particularly suicide kabooms, saw a marked escalation. Now that a decade has passed, and kinetic operations have dismantled much of the murderous Moslem infrastructure, it is time to reflect upon what lessons have been learnt. After all, the siege was not inevitable: it need not have come to pass had the state not winked at radical elements establishing a stronghold in the very heart of Pakistain’s capital. It acted belatedly after the situation had spiralled out of control. However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... even today, many madressahs are run by religious organizations whose allegiance to Lion of Islam ideologies should be cause for concern -- some of them are even on the interior ministry’s watch list. Resisting government oversight, they cultivate in their students the same radical mindset that has already proven so costly for the nation. And even though Lal Masjid’s Shuhada Foundation was rightly denied permission to hold a remembrance ceremony for the ’deaders’ of the siege, it illustrates how the ultra right continues to push the boundaries. The question is: are we pushing back hard enough?
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[Libya Observer] Misrata municipality rejected the news circulated on "irresponsible media outlets" regarding the festivities in Castelverde, eastern tripoli.
It added that the attacking forces and brigades are not from Misrata city.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the municipality rejected destabilizing the capital and terrifying the civilian population.
"The brigades that attacked east Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... districts on Sunday are from different Libyan cities and aim at returning the General National Congress and its Salvation Government. Those forces are against the Libyan Political Agreement and they are implementing the orders of their sponsors." The statement reads.
Misrata municipality also called on the Presidential Council to activate the role of military and security institutions and to swiftly implement the articles of the Libyan Political Agreement signed in Skhirat, Morocco on December 17, 2015.
"The Presidential Council must also drive out all the gangs from Tripoli and must explain the delay in doing so as well as clarify who the impeding parties are." The statement adds.
The municipal council warned as well the fighting gangs of starting arresting people based on their IDs, inviting them to be wise and to look for the greater good of the country and avoid creating chaos for the sake of political or personal and partisan aims.
A coalition of Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade and Addaman Brigade from Tajoura declared on Tuesday full control of Garabulli town, some 70 km east of Tripoli, after 3 days of fierce festivities against Salvation Government brigades from Misrata.
Some observers found it a bit strange that Misrata municipality's condemnation of the festivities got delayed as such after three days of fighting, knowing that mobilization of troops and military vehicles of Misratan forces were seen weeks ago.
Observers also thought that it was strange that Misrata municipality described the attacking forces as a combination of forces from all Libyan cities, while in fact it was mainly formed from Misratan brigades, which departed their camps in Misrata in daylight.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... commander'>Taliban Überstürmbannführer has been killed during the latest infighting among the Taliban forces of Evil in eastern Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province of Afghanistan.
According to the local government officials, the incident took place late on Monday in the vicinity of Bati Kot district.
The provincial government in a statement also confirmed the infighting among the Taliban turbans.
The statement further added that the information received by the provincial government indicates that the Taliban leader Amad was killed during the infighting in Jantian area.
Amad was reportedly involved in insurgency activities since a long time in Bati Kot district of Nangarhar, the provincial government said.
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[Al Jazeera] The British government has announced that it would not publish in full its report on the sources of "funding of extremism" in Britannia, prompting opposition charges it was trying to protect its ally 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... British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said on Wednesday that though some "extremist organizations" were receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars, she had decided against publishing the review in full.
"This is because of the volume of personal information it contains and for national security reasons," she said in a written statement to parliament.
The report, commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... in November 2015, was handed to the government last year, and ministers have been under pressure to release its findings following three deadly attacks in Britannia since March, which have been blamed on violent gangs.
The review found the most common source of support for these organizations was from small, anonymous donations from people based in Britannia, Rudd said.
But it also found overseas funding was a significant source of income for a small number of organizations.
"Overseas support has allowed individuals to study at institutions that teach deeply conservative forms of Islam and provide highly socially conservative literature and preachers to the UK's Islamic institutions," Rudd's statement said.
"Some of these individuals have since become of hard boy concern."
Critics were quick to see a cover-up to shield Saudi Arabia, a powerful Gulf ally of Britannia.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan intelligence operatives foiled a plot by the Haqqani terrorist network to carry out a coordinated attack in Gardez city, the quiet provincial capital of southeastern Paktia province.
The National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS) in a statement said Wednesday that a group of eight gunnies were nabbed Please don't kill me! in connection to the attack plot.
The statement further added that the suspects were arrested during an operation of the intelligence operatives in the vicinity of Gardez city.
The detained faceless myrmidons have confessed that they were deployed to Gardez city by the Haqqani network commanders, Ghazi and Jahad, who they claim are based on the other side of the Durand Line.
The anti-government armed turban groups have not commented regarding the report so far.
This comes as the Afghan officials have long been insisting that the leadership councils of the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... group and the notorious Haqqani terrorist network are based 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. , Quetta, and other parts of Pakistain from where they plan and coordinate attacks in Afghanistan.
The Afghan officials earlier said that the deadly kaboom near the embassy of Germany in Kabul was plotted by the Haqqani network in Pakistain, although the leaders of the network and the Taliban have rejected their role in the devastating attack that killed over one hundred and fifty people.
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[DAWN] Anti-India protests and festivities erupted in the main city of Srinagar in India-held Kashmire after three Kashmiri suspected separatists were killed in a shootout with government forces, police said on Wednesday.
According to police, the fighting began overnight after Indian troops raided western Radbugh village following a tip that "militants" were hiding there.
The shootout lasted the whole night and three suspected separatists were killed early Wednesday.
Authorities imposed curfew in the old parts of Srinagar anticipating protests and festivities opposing Indian rule as two of the dear departed were natives of the city.
However, the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach... as the news of their killing spread, residents defied the restrictions and pelted stones at police forces.
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[IsraelTimes] After UN freedom of speech claim, Abu Dhabi says Qatari broadcaster promotes violence against Jews, denies Holocaust.
Now they're just getting nasty.
A top UAE official on Wednesday accused 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...
i broadcast giant al-Jazeera of anti-Semitism, discrimination and inciting religious hate, in a rebuttal to UN accusations of attacking freedom of expression.
The United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... has warned that demands that Qatar close al-Jazeera by a rival 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... n-led alliance, which includes the UAE, violate basic freedoms.
The United Arab Emirates’ state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, hit back in a letter to UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.
In it, Gargash wrote that al-Jazeera had "promoted anti-Semitic violence by broadcasting sermons by the spiritual leader of the Moslem Brüderbund, Yusuf al-Qaradawi ...crackpot Egyptian Islamist theologian. He is best known for his program Shariah and Life on Al Jazeera, with an estimated audience of 60 million kindred souls worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, which occasionally advocates things like slavery and thumping the old lady with a rod no thicker than an inch, and has published more than 120 books, including Islam: The Future Civilization. Joe has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the Moslem Brüderbund. Some of his views have been controversial in the West, though less so among the rubes of the Mysterious East, and he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving Islam a bad name.... Qaradawi, he added, had "praised Hitler, described the Holocaust as ’divine punishment,’ and called on Allah to ’take this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people... and kill them, down to the very last one.'"
The letter was published in a statement from the UAE National Media Council.
Saudi Arabia and its allies cut all ties with Qatar last month over accusations the country funded Islamist Lions of Islam and was too close to Shiite-ruled Iran, sealing the emirate’s only land border and ordering its citizen to return home.
The closure of al-Jazeera is one of 13 wide-ranging demands the alliance placed on Doha as conditions to lift the "blockade," now in its second month.
On June 30, Al Hussein said the demand that al-Jazeera be shut down represented "an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion."
Gargash’s letter, dated July 9 but released Wednesday, also accuses al-Jazeera of having "repeatedly crossed the threshold of incitement to hostility, violence and discrimination" and lists multiple examples, among them broadcasting the speeches of slain al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who doesn't live anywhere anymore...
[DAWN] The focus was on Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... as he on Tuesday attended a ’very important’ meeting of the party stalwarts chaired by 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... to discuss the situation arising out of the joint investigation team (JIT) report.
Shahbaz, who seems to have escaped indictment in the JIT report, is a big Sharif missing from the diatribe against the family unleashed by the opponents and disapproving analysts in media. He is now being reinforced as an ’all-important player’ of the Sharif family in case the premier and his children get an adverse court decision in the Panama Papers case.
"Shahbaz Sharif is playing his cards very carefully. He is standing by his brother in this hour of crisis and at the same time he has been in contact with those who matter," says a PML-N leader who would remain anonymous in the interest of his own politics.
"There has been a lot of talk in the party about the possibility of Shahbaz replacing Nawaz in case the latter is disqualified. Who will then take charge of Punjab if Shahbaz is moved to the Centre. In fact, Shahbaz will never let Punjab slip out, even when he is destined for greater heights at the Centre. But of course he will have to do a lot of manoeuvering to secure and keep Punjab -- say under his son Hamza Shahbaz," he says.
"But the big question is, does the PML-N leadership trust Shahbaz blindly and will it allow him to play a role in the Centre (in Nawaz’s absence) or choose someone else in the party (to replace the prime minister for remainder period till 2018 election should such a need arise) or will it go for any other option," he says.
Unlike a bunch of close aides of the premier who according to one legal view risked contempt of court in challenging openly the establishment and judiciary in their outburst to defend Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz has treaded a cautious path in his defence of Nawaz and his children since their offshore holdings revealed by the Panama Papers.
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[Libya Herald] The Supreme Amazigh Council has accused the Islamic affairs and endowments authority that is part of the Beida-based interim government of inciting genocide against the Amazigh community.
It follows a fatwa last week from the authority damning Ibadis as infidels and "Kharijites".
Ibadi Islam, which is neither Sunni nor Shiite, is followed by a large number Libyan Amazigh, as well as Amazigh in Tunisia and Algeria. It is also the official form of Islam in Oman... The Higher Committee of Fatwa in east Libya is made up of a group of radicals known as “Madkhalis.” One of its prominent members, Hamid Abu Dwairah, was a former Jihadist in Afghanistan. The Madkhalis are followers of Saudi cleric Rabea Madkhali.
Ibadi Islam, which is neither Sunni nor Shiite, is followed by a large number Libyan Amazigh, as well as Amazigh in Tunisia and Algeria. It is also the official form of Islam in Oman.
The council, which is accepted by Amazigh communities throughout western Libya including Zuwara, Nalut and Jadu, has labelled the fatwa a threat to peace in Libya as well as a source of potential conflict with Tunisia and Algeria. The Benghazi-based endowments authority was being both racist and bellicose, its said, calling on Amazigh towns to step up security to prevent attacks on Amazigh individuals by murderous Moslems.
The statement by the Benghazi endowments authority, which is firmly in the hands of Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... , has already caused outrage across Libya. Even before the Supreme Amazigh Council responded, it was also seen as severely damaging relations between the Amazigh community and the eastern authorities.
Until now a significant proportion of those communities have supported the House of Representatives and the Libya National Army, although there is also a small, well-armed Islamist minority that backs Khalifa Ghwell.
More detail from Libya Observer
A number of diplomats, intellectuals and bloggers have shown outright condemnation and rage directed at the Higher Committee of Fatwa (HCF) of the Interim Government in east Libya following a controversial fatwa regarding the followers of Ibadism, the widespread Islamic doctrine in Libya’s Amazigh towns, as "Khawarij and infidels."
On its official website, the HCF said the followers of Ibadism have gone astray, in response to a question on whether it was legitimate in Islam to pray behind an Ibadi Imam.
“Ibadism is a perverted version of Islam and it is not acceptable by Allah to pray behind them; its followers have no dignity”
“Ibadism is a perverted version of Islam and it is not acceptable by Allah to pray behind them; its followers have no dignity,” it further explained.
Ibadism is an Islamic doctrine dominant in Oman, but also found in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and east Africa.
The National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRIL) denounced the takfiri fatwa, saying in a statement that such fatwas undermine the national security and social peace. It called on the Religious Affairs Committee of House of Representatives to intervene immediately to stop this “dangerous escalation,” which put the lives of people on danger.
Islam has no central religious authority. Any idiot can issue a fatwa, and many do.
The NCHRIL accused the Higher Committee of Fatwa of inciting violence and practicing religious and intellectual terrorism.
Among the long list of those angered by the Fatwa is Libya's former representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi. He called on the HCF to retract the takfiri fatwa immediately and urged the Interim Government to dissolve it if it failed to comply.
No edits to the fatwa have been made and no formal apology has been issued by either the HCF or the Interim Government regarding the matter until now.
In contrast, Tripoli-based Fatwa House reposted a fatwa it made in 2015 regarding Ibadism to falsify the takfiri fatwa of the HCF. The fatwa called for coexistence between the Sunnis and Ibadis and urged them to pray behind each other and spread love among their communities.
The Higher Committee of Fatwa in east Libya is made up of a group of radicals known as “Madkhalis.” One of its prominent members, Hamid Abu Dwairah, was a former Jihadist in Afghanistan. The Madkhalis are followers of Saudi cleric Rabea Madkhali. Their influence in the east is on the rise. They formed their own brigades, which are now fighting alongside Dignity Operation forces. Ibadi Islam, which is neither Sunni nor Shiite, is followed by a large number Libyan Amazigh, as well as Amazigh in Tunisia and Algeria. It is also the official form of Islam in Oman.
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Bloomberg] The scale of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... ’s crackdown on alleged government opponents following last year’s attempted coup was confirmed by a top official, as the nation prepares to mark the anniversary of the failed putsch amid deepening concern over the rule of law.
Authorities have fired 103,824 state employees and suspended 33,483 more since the July 15 bid to seize power by a section of the military, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said in an interview. The purge of suspected followers of U.S.-based holy manFethullah Gulen ... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world... , accused by the government of orchestrating the coup attempt, is necessary to ensure national security, he said.
Justice Ministry data showed 50,546 suspected members of Gulen’s organization were in prison on July 3, and that arrest warrants had been issued for 8,000 others. The preacher denies involvement in the takeover attempt.
"There might be crypto members of Feto who walk on the snow without leaving tracks," Kurtulmus said, using an abbreviation of Gulen’s first name that officials have adopted since the defeated military power grab to refer to his movement. "Related agencies are carefully conducting their work against this possibility."
The unyielding assault on perceived threats to the government has raised twin alarms over the autonomy of judicial bodies and growing intolerance toward criticism of President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... , who narrowly won sweeping executive powers in a referendum this year. Among those detained have been journalists, academics and activists.
Amnesty Detentions
Just this week, Erdogan rebuffed criticism over the detention of a group of international rights activists, including the director of Amnesia Amnesty International Turkey, as they held a workshop on an island off Istanbul. "They gathered as if they were holding a meeting to continue July 15," the president said.
Amnesty criticized Turkey on Tuesday after the detentions were extended by seven days. "It is truly absurd that they are under investigation for membership of an armed terrorist organization," Amnesty Europe Director John Dalhuisen said in an email. "For them to be entering a second week in police cells is a shocking indictment of the ruthless treatment of those who attempt to stand up for human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. in Turkey." European leaders have also been alarmed by Turkey’s drift toward authoritarian leadership.
Gulen and Erdogan were once close allies as they collaborated to limit the power of a common enemy -- the secularist army that had managed to keep Islamists from power since modern Turkey was founded close to a century ago. As Erdogan has strengthened his grip over Turkey, he has sought to limit the holy man’s influence.
Media Assault
Over the past year, authorities have shut 110 media outlets for alleged links to Gulen’s network, according to data from the Directorate of the Press, part of the prime minister’s office, while 20 others were temporarily shuttered but allowed to resume reporting after they were cleared. The press accreditation of 715 journalists has been revoked.
Around 34,000 state employees suspended or made redundant in the crackdown have been reinstated after evidence of their innocence emerged, Kurtulmus said. The sackings and suspensions were carried out using decrees, which the state of emergency imposed right after the coup allows cabinet ministers to issue without parliamentary oversight, he said.
Judicial bodies have processed the cases of 168,206 people linked to the takeover attempt, the Justice Ministry said. About 48,000 have been released from custody but remain under court monitoring, it added.
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[VnExpress] The Abu Sayyaf has reportedly killed another Vietnamese sailor in the Philippines. He is the third Vietnamese captive to be killed by the Muslim rebels this month.
A raid carried out by Filipino troops against the notorious militants found several bodies, including that of Vietnamese national Tran Viet Van, Vietnam's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The Vietnamese Embassy in Manila is working with local agencies to return his body to Vietnam.
Vietnamese nationals Hoang Trung Thong and Hoang Van Vai were beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf last week.
The three were among six crew member taken hostage when their Vietnamese cargo ship MV Royal 16 was attacked off the Philippines last November. The pirates released the vessel and 13 of its crew members at the time. Hoang Vo, 28, managed to escape and was rescued by Filipino troops last month.
Posted by: ryuge ||
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#1
...If you've killed three Vietnamese so far, and they don't seem to be talking to you, it's possible that this particular line of reasoning isn't working. Just sayin'.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/13/2017 5:28
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[Kansas City Star] Thousands of people are sharing online a photo of a group of pastors laying their hands on President Donald Trump and praying over him Monday in the Oval Office.
Florida televangelist and megachurch Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne posted the photo to his Facebook page and his Instagram on Tuesday.
It shows the president, head bowed, surrounded by more than a half dozen people, including Vice President Mike Pence, their heads bowed, as well. A photographer is taking a picture of the moment.
"Yesterday was very surreal for @ahowardbrowne & I," the pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, wrote on Facebook. "Thirty years ago we came from South Africa to America as missionaries.
#6
Laying on of the hands in the WH? That ought to set the left's heads spinning.
Snake handling services show up around east Tennessee and up into southern Kentucky, Virginia and over into western North Carolina and northern Georgia.
[ChinaPost] China has dispatched personnel to its first military base abroad, in Djibouti, state media reported late Tuesday.
Ships carrying People's Liberation Army personnel departed Zhanjiang in southern China to set up a "support base" in the Horn of Africa nation, Xinhua news agency reported.
China's deal with Djibouti ensures its military presence in the country up until 2026, with a contingent of up to 10,000 soldiers, according to international current affairs magazine The Diplomat.
The small nation of Djibouti has in recent decades become a sought-after post for foreign armies wanting to project their power onto the continent.
The United States, France, Japan, Italy and Spain already have bases there, and Saudi Arabia is currently building one.
[DAWN] Shell Pakistain Limited (SPL) on Wednesday agreed to pay compensation to the victims of June 25 oil transportation accident near Ahmedpur East, leading to deaths of over 215 people, after the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) threatened legal action.
After the fuel tanker crashed and started leaking on the side of a highway, hundreds of people from a nearby village rushed to the scene to collect the fuel. They were engulfed in flames when the spill ignited.
The Ogra wants Shell to pay $2.4 million, or $9,500 to the heirs of each person killed. In this regard, the regulator had given a deadline to the oil marketing company i.e. until today (Wednesday).
The SPL said it was in discussions with relevant authorities over the "means by which this financial assistance can appropriately reach the injured and the families who have lost their loved ones."
However, it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... the subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell did not specify the amount it planned to pay.
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A jacket wallah rammed a car laden with explosives into a gathering of rebels near the rebel-held northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Wednesday, killing and injuring scores, rebel sources said.
They said the blast ripped a textile factory where members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of rebel groups whose backbone is the former al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front, had been using as their quarters. At least 12 were killed, one rebel source said.
The Death Eater alliance has been waging in the last few days a major sweep to round up ultra-hard-line ISIS sleeper cells in Idlib province. They say they have tossed in the clink Please don't kill me! at least 100 people, including who the group says are senior operatives blamed for a string of recent liquidation and blasts in the province.
Idlib province is dominated mainly by Death Eater groups although there is some presence of the moderate Western-vetted Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... groups.
The province, which borders The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , has long witnessed infighting between the main Death Eater groups vying for power.
Although opposed to Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s rule, bandidos Lion of Islams are riven by deep divisions on ideology and rivalry that erupts occasionally in deadly festivities.
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Top|| File under: al-Nusra
[AA.TR] The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... (MONUSCO) said in a statement today that 38 more mass graves have been discovered in the restive Kasai region.
This brings to 80 the total number of mass graves discovered in the country since this year began. The army claims that the people buried there were killed by local militiamen.
''The 38 new mass graves were found this month in the Diboko and Sumbula areas of Kamonia territory,'' said a UN mission statement.
The central Kasai region is the stronghold of the Kamuina Nsapu militia. Violence between the militia and security forces worsened in August 2016 after government troops killed the group’s leader.
As of late April, more than 400 people had been killed in fighting between Congolese security forces and militiamen, according to the UN.
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ISIL terrorists on Wednesday fired mortar shells on neighborhoods of the besieged Deir Ezzor city, claiming the lives of five people and injuring six others.
SANA news agency reported that ISIL terrorists targeted the neighborhoods of Harabesh and al-Qusour with mortar shells, killing five people and injuring six others.
The agency added that the shelling also caused material damage.
Source: SANA
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
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.
[Breitbart] Dr. Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Trump, spoke with Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Wednesday about the declaration of victory over ISIS in Mosul, the efforts of some states to challenge Trump’s travel ban despite a ruling by the Supreme Court, as well as efforts by Ukrainian officials to help Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
[New African] With large sections of the world hostile to Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is increasingly looking to Africa to fill the void. Last year Netanyahu courted Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia and this year he has addressed an ECOWAS summit in Liberia. This week he welcomes Rwandan President Paul Kagame to Israel on an official visit. What is Israel looking for in Africa?
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Six Islamic State militants were killed as a secret meeting for the fighters was shelled, northeast of Diyala, a paramilitary official said on Wednesday.
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State has announced Tal Afar town, located west of Mosul, as an independent state from the proclaimed caliphate, according to a local source from Nineveh province.
[Al Jazeera] Hacked emails obtained by the 
[Al Jazeera] 
Jahed Choudhury and Sean Rogan recently wed at a British registry office in Walsall, a small town about two and a half hours northwest of London. Choudhury, who was raised in a traditional Bangladeshi household, said that he was bullied at school where his classmates spit on him and dumped trash bins over his head and was eventually banned from his local mosque.
[RFE/RL] Canada's prime minister defended the government's apology and multimillion-dollar payment to a former Gitmo prisoner who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. Justin Trudeau said the deal was not about the merits of the case against Canadian-born Omar Khadr but the “charter of rights and freedoms” that protects all Canadians, “even when it is uncomfortable.”
[AlAhram] 
[Jakarta Post] President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has signed a regulation to ban Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), an Islamic organization seeking to establish a global Islamic caliphate.
[Bangkok Post] Thai security forces killed a suspect in the May bombing of Big C Supercenter during a raid in Pattani province on Wednesday. 
[Al Jazeera] Immigrant advocacy groups sued the United States government on Wednesday, alleging that people fleeing persecution are frequently turned away at border crossings with Mexico when they seek asylum or express fear of returning to their homeland.
[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Just as Democrats are kicking up their efforts to prove the party can be a comfortable home for centrist voters, leftists in Oregon passed a law making that pitch even more laughable than it already was.
[DAWN] For a sitting prime minister, there could not have been a more damning indictment. The report of the joint investigation team (JIT) has charged the Sharif family on several counts -- from perjury and faking documents to hiding their sources of wealth and living beyond their means. Predictably, 
[DAWN] Political stalwart and former Pakistain 
[THEHILL] The Russian lawyer who penetrated Donald Trump’s inner circle was initially cleared into the United States by the Justice Department under “extraordinary circumstances” before she embarked on a lobbying campaign last year that ensnared the president’s eldest son, members of Congress, journalists and State Department officials, according to court and Justice Department documents and interviews.
[AlAhram] Four 
[DAWN] AFTER a gruelling military campaign, Iraq’s second largest city of 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asserted that Baghdad will not "pardon terrorists".
[DAWN] TEN years ago today, militancy in Pakistain took a darker and more ominous turn. On July 12, 2007, the army’s siege of the 
David Cameron
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[DAWN] Anti-India protests and 
[Libya Herald] The Supreme Amazigh Council has accused the Islamic affairs and endowments authority that is part of the Beida-based interim government of inciting genocide against the Amazigh community.
[Bloomberg] The scale of 
[VnExpress] The Abu Sayyaf has reportedly killed another Vietnamese sailor in the Philippines. He is the third Vietnamese captive to be killed by the Muslim rebels this month. 
