NAIROBI: There has been a jump in the number of Somalis, hit by famine, instability and high food prices who are fleeing to Yemen instead of other countries in the drought-ridden Horn of Africa region, the UN refugee agency said.
Given the situation in Yemen, it tells you what a shithole Somalia is right now.
Some 3.7 million Somalis are at risk of starvation in the worst drought in decades and most of those are from five areas in the rebel-controlled south where famine has been declared.
Kenya, with nearly 498,000 Somali refugees, is the largest host country, and at one point 1,500 refugees a day were arriving at Kenyas sprawling, overcrowded Dadaab refugee camp near the border with Somalia.
Recently, however, the pace of arrivals to the Dadaab refugee complex has slowed to 1,000-1,200 people per day, the UNHCR said in a briefing on Friday.
Bucking the trend of the slowing outflow in the Horn of Africa, Yemen is seeing a sharp rise in the number of Somali refugees arriving on rickety boats across the Gulf of Aden, the agency said, adding that more than 3,700 refugees had reached Yemens coast in August.
The drought has put some 12 million people at risk across Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, and the fact that Somali refugees are making the dangerous voyage to conflict-hit Yemen instead of staying on the continent, highlights their desperate situation.
Yemen is host to the second-largest Somali refugee population, with nearly 192,000. About 15,000 of those have arrived since in January, UNHCR said.
They cross the Gulf of Aden on what are often unseaworthy and overcrowded boats. Many do not survive the dangerous crossing, UNHCR said.
The agency said it expected more refugees to arrive in Somalia over the next months, but thought they were waiting for calmer seas.
The route is also often used by migrants who pay smugglers to get them to Yemen, seen as a gateway to wealthier parts of the Middle East.
"So, where you headed after we drop you in Aden?"
"Anywhere. Anywhere."
The UNHCR said there was a significant drop in the number of Somalis arriving in the capital, Mogadishu, hoping there will be more access to food aid there than in regions where Al-Shabaab militants are still restricting aid groups operations.
After withdrawing from Mogadishu earlier this month, Al-Qaeda-inspired Al-Shabaab is placing more restrictions on the movement of people, particularly men, in the areas under its control in the Lower Shabelle and Bay regions.
The average daily arrival rate in the city (Mogadishu) dropped from more than 1,000 per day last month to an estimated 200 in August, the UNHCR said.
In southern Somalias Al-Shabaab-controlled Kismayu, witnesses said malnourished children were dying because of the lack of food aid. Aid agencies estimate tens of thousands of children have already died because of the drought.
We buried four children who died in the IDP camps of Kismayu, because they cannot reach other destinations, clan leader Yusuf Harun Ali told Reuters earlier this week.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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There wouldn't be even *one* Somali famine victim if the UN and Aid agencies had been banned from the place a decade ago.
Somalia is 3 countries: South Central, Somaliland and Puntland.
UN failure to recognise this has caused every problem there from the rise of al Shabaab to piracy.
And dumping grain under the aegis of the "world food program" has caused starvation by putting local farmers out of a job.
They have abundant water and fertile land -- they don't NEED your grain
What they need is some development aid to go directly to Somaliland and Puntland, and for NONE to go to South Central Somalia ... starve out the Shabaab.
#2
Wouldn't argue against you on that one, though there certainly has been a drought this year.
Good physician-friend of mine worked in Kenya for a year. He asked a local Kenyan doc what the folks in Kenya most wanted from the world aid community. The answer: "go home".
The explanation the Kenyan doc gave was very similar to yours.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2011 11:33 Comments ||
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Moammar Khadafy's credit is good in New York. The Libyan madman stashed $1.1 billion of government assets in two New York City-based banks, The Post has learned.
Investment bank Goldman Sachs is holding onto $604,972,056.56 of Libyan government assets, and JPMorgan Chase has a cool $513,319,668.58, according to a report provided to The Post by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Wells Fargo has $6,098,291.04, and Bank of America has $837,875.85, according to the Libya Sanctions Blocked Assets Report.
#5
$1.1 billion of Libyan government assets. Sounds nice doesn't it. When that money is withdrawn who do you think it will hurt;Goldman Sachs,JP Morgan Chase,Wells Fargo,BOA and Mr Buffett. Too big to fail but don't worry QE3 is about due end of September. Chavez Gold and Libyan Gold tucked away in Europe and USA want theirs back also. I don't think these banks just warehoused it. When things tighten up everyone will beg for QE3. This might get them past 2012 elections then watch out boyee! or bada bing bada boom.
TRIPOLI: In another morale booster for anti-Qaddafi forces, the Arab League has restored Libyas membership in the bloc, turning over the countrys seat to the rebels political leadership. The 22-member League had suspended Libyas membership in February to protest Muammar Qaddafis crackdown on protesters.
At a Friday League session, the blocs chief, Nabil Elaraby, called on Arab countries to release Libyan assets in Arab banks to support the rebels National Transitional Council. Mahmoud Jibril, who led the Libyan delegation, praised the Arab League position against Qaddafi and urged the Arabs to help rebuild and stabilize his country.
Outside the Arab League building in Cairo, a man replaced Qaddafis green flag with the rebels flag beside the other members flags.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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Of course the Arab League would turn over the seat. It costs them nothing and gives the AL a jump on influencing whichever mob becomes in charge.
Most Egyptian protest groups announce would participate in demonstration to expel Israel's ambassador over five Egyptian policemen killed by IDF; however, turnout much lower than expected.
Hundreds of Egyptians gathered Friday outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo in what was supposed to be a "million-man march" calling on the government to expel Israel's ambassador.
Most Egyptian protest groups announced that they would participate in the demonstration to expel the ambassador over the border incident last week in which five Egyptian coppers were killed by the IDF. However, some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... the protesters who actually arrived were far fewer in number.
#1
The problem here is that Egyptians typically think themselves a cut above "Arabs", who they imagine as rural, peasant-type Bedouins.
When Sadat, who was thought of on the street as pure-blood Egyptian, made peace with Israel, it was an Egyptian peace, not a Muslim peace, which was a big Egyptian ego-booster.
His assassination, ordered by none other than Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind sheik currently residing as a permanent guest of the US, was seen as a Muslim Arab attack against Egypt, carried out by treasonous military officers.
But this made peace with Israel a Sadat legacy, a matter of honor for "real" Egyptians.
Finally, this also means that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has mixed purposes. The want a more Islamic Egypt, but without any Arab taint; which is why they often spin off groups that are too radical or anti-government. Split personality.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Zim-bob-we has told the Libyan ambassador and his embassy staff in Harare to leave the country after they defected to the National Transition Council (NTC).
NTC has been fighting to topple long-time Libyan ruler Muammar Qadaffy ...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years... since February and there are signs the battle is nearing its end.
Libyan ambassador to Zim-bob-we Teher Elmagrahi on Wednesday led his countrymen in Zim-bob-we in raising the NTC's red, black and green flag. But President Bob Muggsy Mugabe Octogenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case... 's side of the Zim-bob-we coalition government said the pulling down of the old Libyan flag was illegal.
The Foreign Affairs ministry said Zim-bob-we had relations with the Qadaffy Government not the NTC, which it does not recognise.
"If the ambassador of the embassy of the Libya Jamahiriya ... An Arabic neologism coined by Muammar al-Qadaffy. The word jamahiriya was derived from jumhuriya, which is the usual Arabic translation of republic. It was coined by changing the component jumhur ‐ public ‐ to its plural form, jamahir — the masses. Thus, it is similar to the term People's Republic, only more denigrating to the actual inhabitants of the country... in Harare and his staff defect to the National Transitional Council, they will cease to have legal status in Zim-bob-we and will be requested to leave the country immediately," the ministry said in a statement. "Flying the flag of the National Transitional Council in Harare is an illegal act."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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Good move, Bob. You're next unless you just die now. Count how many lands you can flee to on the fingers of one hand...er, Gunhill doesn't count as a land.
Conservative Alan Duncan, minister for international development, claimed Israel deprives Palestinians of water in government video posted on his department website last month.
The usual Evil Israelis/Innocent Palestinians stuff.
During his visit to the Palestinian territories, Duncan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad pledging to tackle poverty. Britain is set to provide up to £349 million to support the Palestinians over the next four years.
Did he get his prime minister's agreement before signing? It seems to me his government is in drastic budget cutting mode, and adding line items oughtn't sit well with the voters...
#1
And while in South Sudan or in Darfur peopel are starving Geat Britain is going to provided 349 million pouds (that is on top of waht it gives through UN) to overweight Palestinians.
BTW, anyone has seen photos of South Soudan's independence celebrations: the crowd was waving American and Israeli flags. Palestinians danced on 9/11.
[Dawn] North Korean leader Kim Dear Leader Jong-Il ... hereditary dictator of North Korea. His definition of reunification isn't the same as the definition in Seoul... returned to Pyongyang on Saturday, state media said, after a week-long visit to Russia and China where he expressed a willingness to return to six-party nuclear talks.
Kim, who travels by armoured train, arrived in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on Thursday for talks with big shots and a tour of a number of cities in the former industrial rust-belt.
The North Korean leader thanked his hosts and "praised the achievements made by China's northeastern region in adjusting the industrial structure and transforming the economic growth model," the official Xinhua news agency said.
Kim said on Friday he was ready to resume six-party nuclear talks without precondition during a meeting with Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo. ... "and Bingguo was his name-o!" ...
Pyongyang stormed out of interminable six-party negotiations aimed at dismantling its nuclear arsenal in April 2009, and conducted its second nuclear test a month later.
Since then, it has occasionally stated its desire for an early resumption of the talks involving China, Japan and the United States as well as the two Koreas and Russia, "without preconditions".
China is the North's sole major ally and a crucial prop for its ailing economy, especially after South Korea severed most ties with Pyongyang last year, accusing it of torpedoing one of its warships and killing 46 sailors.
On Wednesday, Kim held his first summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at a Siberian garrison, and voiced hopes for the resumption of the so-called six-party nuclear disarmament talks.
The summit ended with a Kremlin announcement that North Korea was ready to resume dialogue without preconditions and abandon atomic enrichment and testing once the six-party talks restarted.
The US and South Korea dismissed Kim's declaration, with Seoul saying Pyongyang had to match its words with deeds.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Kim returns to N. Korea after Russia, China visits
Summary: As a Muslim he is subject only to the laws of the Koran, not those of infidels. A separate filing from Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 24, claims he was restrained with excessive force after he attacked his guards "in defense of Ramadan".
Making friends and influencing people, in the inimitable jihadi way.
#1
Makes you truly wish that his guards have ample supplies of lard handy. Even imaginary lard would go far.
"Hey, Umar F*ck! Ya shouldn't-a touched dat! It was all greased up with pig fat! Guess ya goin' ta Hell now, and there ain't nothin' ya can do about it!"
#2
Unfortunately, moose, the guards probably have to go to Muslim sensitivity training - only handling the holy Koran with gloves, pointing to Mecca, having someone make five times a day call to prayer, etc.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
08/28/2011 12:52 Comments ||
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The convicts he will be housed with are saving their bacon.
[Dawn] A Pak court on Saturday ordered the confiscation of former president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... 's property and the freezing of his bank accounts in the country, a prosecutor said.
Musharraf, who lives in self-imposed exile in London and Dubai, is wanted over the 2007 murder of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto. Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant in February over what they said was his failure to provide her with enough security.
"The court today ordered the confiscation of Pervez Musharraf's property and the freezing of his bank accounts in Pakistain," public prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told AFP after a hearing Saturday.
The value of Musharraf's assets in the country is not known, but he owns properties including two residential flats, a farmhouse in Islamabad and land that is under development in Balochistan. ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
The hearing took place in Adiyala prison, in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, and was adjourned until September 10.
The former president and military ruler is alleged to have been part of a "broad conspiracy" to have his political rival killed before elections, though the exact nature of the charges against him has not so far been made clear.
Bhutto was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, on December 27, 2007.
At the time, Musharraf's government blamed the liquidation on the chief of the Pak Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement.
Mehsud was killed in a dronezap in August 2009, one of the most high-profile casualties of the covert American campaign targeting Al-Qaeda and its allies in Pakistain's lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border.
Bhutto, who served two terms as prime minister, had returned from exile two months before she was killed to stand for election.
Her widower Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... ... who will not be remembered as 'Father of the Country' ...
led her Pakistain People's Party to election victory in February 2008 and is now president.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Perv is no dummy. He probably left this stuff behind so that the Pak government could confiscate it in righteous indignation. His real money is probably safely stashed in a bunch of places around the world, behind several firewalls.
[Dawn] Interior Minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. on Saturday said that no Pak has been tossed in the clink from any airport in connection to Imran Farooq murder case, DawnNews reported.
"This is a conspiracy been hatched to deteriorate relations between Pakistain Peoples Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... ," Malik said.
Speaking to the media after a meeting at the Bloody Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) Malik said that Shahbaz Taseer's kidnapping is a big challenge for the entire country.
"For Shahbaz's early recovery the FIA and Intelligence Bureau (IB) should fully cooperate with Punjab Police," Malik said.
Malik further said that 300 suspects including 12 hit mans have been tossed in the clink. The tossed in the clink also include car lifters and people who kidnap for ransom.
"Be it extortionists or the Aman Committee, action will be taken against all groups and in all areas including Lyari." Malik said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... on Saturday termed Bloody Karachi as the biggest challenge and urged the nation to support the operation of the Sindh government.
"It is a provincial initiative which will have full backing of the federal government. The solution of Bloody Karachi lies within rule of law," he said.
In his opening statement at the Council of Common Interests meeting held at the PM Secretariat here, Gilani said while the government was engaged in efforts to strengthen democracy, anti-state elements were busy in creating situations that are detrimental to economic growth and stability.
"We need to raise our guard against these disruptive forces so as to move forward unimpeded," he said.
Gilani said he was a great believer in politics of consensus and reconciliation. He said these attributes constitute the essence of democracy, which also brings alongwith a path having pitfalls and obstacles.
He said achieving consensus requires sacrifice, understanding, patience and commonality of purpose and stressed the politicianship to equip them with these qualities of mind and heart.
He said this approach to politics had only one basis and that is constitutionalism, adding that remedies for relief and mechanisms of dispute resolution are all embedded in constitution.
Gilani mentioned CCI as one prominent example, adding that "this is the 7th time; we are meeting at this forum after the passage of 18th amendment."
He reaffirmed the importance of this august forum of the CCI which involves the provincial governments in formulation and regulation of policies particularly in relation to matters appearing in part-II of the Federal Legislative List.
The list includes important subjects like electricity, railways, mineral, oil and gas, regulatory authorities, supervision and management of public debt and also help in resolving inter-provincial matters through formal as well as informal dialogue, he added.
The meeting discussed distribution of Zakat, public debt management and supervision policy and imposition of a new levy.
Gilani said he believed it was the collective responsibility to ensure implementation of the decisions taken by this August House in letter and spirit.
He said the government was striving to strengthen democracy, which was evident from 7th National Finance Commission Award, unanimous passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment and devolution of 17 federal ministries in consequence thereof.
"This is a major structural change in the governance since independence, and shall strengthen federalism by assigning constitutional role and responsibilities to the provinces," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A Bloody Karachi Solidarity Day was observed on Jumatul Wida all over the country on the appeal of Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hasan.
Protest rallies were held in the federal and lovely provincial capitals besides district headquarters after the Friday prayers.
The Jamaat leaders condemned the murders, bloodshed, extortion and abductions going on in the port city. They assured the Bloody Karachiites that the patriotic people all over the country stood with them and shared their worries.
The speakers urged the rulers to take serious steps for controlling bloodletting in Bloody Karachi. They also urged all religious and political parties to sit together minus the MQM for finding out a solution to the Bloody Karachi crisis and for the enforcement of rule of law in the mega city.
Speaking at the Mansoora mosque, Mr Hasan said international mafia wanted to annihilate Pakistain and there were conspiracies to tear apart Bloody Karachi and Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... from the country.
The MQM was the local actor in this plot, he alleged, adding a situation was being created in the country that could create a justification for placing our nuclear installations under international control. The JI chief said it was immaterial whether the MQM was a part of the Sindh government or not, the fact remained that an MQM man had been the Sindh governor for the last 10 years.
A rally was taken out on Multan Road near Mansoora, where Secretary-General Liaquat Baloch said colonial powers wanted to snatch our freedom as international mafia had joined hands against the Mohammedans.
He said that calling troops in Bloody Karachi would not help solve the issue but would pave the way for the US and Indian interference in the port city. He urged the media to point out the elements involved in the gory crimes in the port city.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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Probe revealed plans to fire rockets from Jordan into Israel, and how a "Gaza aid" flotilla was used by Hamas to transfer equipment.
An indictment was filed on Thursday in the Central District Court in Petah Tikva against Hamza Muhammad Yusuf Othman, a suspected Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, agent. The 28-year-old Jordanian citizen also has a Paleostinian Authority identity card.
He is charged with multiple counts of contact with foreign agents, membership in prohibited groups, providing services to prohibited groups, carrying out prohibited military training, conspiracy and weapons offenses, according to the indictment. Othman is also accused of establishing a covert Hamas paramilitary cell to attack Israeli targets in Jordan. Through that cell, Othman plotted to kidnap Israeli civilians and diplomats in Amman, shoot at the Israeli Embassy and fire shells from Jordan into Israel, the indictment claims.
Othman's connection with Hamas began in 2009, when he contacted a man named Abu Jafar in Jordan and asked to join al- Jamiya al-Islamiya (The Islamic Society), a Hamas front organization.
By early 2010, Othman was already being assigned tasks by Hamas. His first job was to take money from Jordan to the families of security prisoners in the West Bank. Then, in October 2010, Othman became involved in a group connected with the "Gazoo Aid" flotilla. He bought vehicles, ostensibly designated for use as ambulances, in order to move them via the flotilla from the Latakia port in Syria via al-Arish in Egypt to the Hamas leadership in Gazoo.
As part of his flotilla work, Othman traveled to Syria and met with Hamas agents there. One of them, a man named Abu Talal, asked Othman to transfer seven two-way radios to Gazoo via the flotilla. It would be Abu Talal who, a few months later, would induct Othman as a full Hamas member, and offer to help train Othman's covert Hamas military cell.
Having reached Gazoo on the flotilla, Othman was introduced to Hamas big turbans who gave him training in the use of Kalashnikov rifles and other weapons.
After returning to Jordan, Othman made a second trip to Syria. While there, he contacted another Hamas activist, Abu Omar, to receive the two-way radios he had been asked to transfer to the Hamas leadership in Gazoo on another flotilla. It was on this trip that Abu Talal asked Othman to become a Hamas member. He also gave Othman $30,000 to buy more vehicles for the second flotilla journey.
By early 2011, Othman and other Hamas members had decided to establish a military cell in Jordan, in order to attack Israeli targets. He contacted Abu Talal in Syria and asked him to help establish a Hamas military training camp for the cell in Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti...
Meanwhile, ...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings... Othman plotted the goals of the military cell, which included shooting IDF soldiers patrolling the Jordanian border, kidnapping an Israeli citizen in Amman, abducting Israeli diplomatic personnel in Jordan, shooting at the Israeli Embassy in Amman and firing missiles into Israel. In order to advance the plot against the embassy, Othman suggested renting an apartment nearby in order to observe its security procedures.
The cell also discussed acquiring a rocket-propelled grenade launcher to fire at the embassy, and also gathered intelligence about how to build and fire rockets into Israel.
When plans to train in Syria were delayed because of tensions between that country and Jordan, Othman asked Assan Do'ar, a Jordanian Hamas member, to mobilize activists in the West Bank to carry out attacks against Israeli targets. Othman also contacted a West Bank Hamas activist, Fa'adi al- Daba'as, who agreed to come to Jordan to train the cell, but demanded that Othman visit him in the West Bank beforehand to pay him. On July 11, Othman crossed into the West Bank to meet Daba'as. He was immediately locked away by Israeli authorities.
Alongside the indictment, state prosecutors also filed a request that Othman be held in jug for the duration of the proceedings.
(CNSNews.com) -- A Shi'ite cleric affiliated with the Iranian regime has warned about the "danger" of Christianity spreading in the Islamic republic. This come amid reports of an anti-Christianity propaganda campaign and the seizure of thousands of Bibles.
According to Mohabat News, an independent Iranian Christian news agency, Ayatollah Hadi Jahangosha expressed concern about "the spread of Christianity among our youth," citing the availability of Christian satellite television programs, books and objects.
Last week, Mohabat reported that authorities had seized 6,500 pocket-sized Bibles in northwestern Iran. It quoted a parliamentary advisor, Majid Abhari, as telling the Mehr news agency that Christian missionaries were out to deceive Iranians, particularly the youth.
"They have begun a huge campaign by spending huge sums and false propaganda for deviating the public," Abhari said. "The important point in this issue that should be considered by intelligence, judicial and religious agencies is that all religions are strengthening their power to confront Islam, otherwise what does this huge number of Bibles mean?"
Mohabat recalled previous incidents of Bibles being seized, including one last February, when Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and security officials in a routine inspection of a bus near the Iran-Turkey border found 600 New Testaments, which they destroyed along with confiscated alcohol in a public burning.
A similar incident in the same area last October also saw officials seize and burn Bibles, it said. In a third incident, in June 2010, Bibles were found in a town near the border with Iraq. Mohabat said the official IRGC Web site at the time accused the U.S. in neighboring Iraq of conspiring to smuggle Bibles into Iran.
The Barnabas Fund, an organization working with Christian minorities in Islamic societies, reports that Iranian authorities have been waging an anti-Christian propaganda campaign through state media in recent weeks.
Despite government claims of religious tolerance, however, reports of religious persecution persist, including most recently the case of a pastor who has been sentenced to death for apostasy.
The Iranian Bible Society's offices have been shut for decades, and authorities do not allow publishing or reprinting of Bibles in Iran. Because of this, according to Mohabat, the only solution for Christians needing Farsi-language Bibles is to have them smuggled across the borders from neighboring countries. One organization that provides Bibles for Iranians is Elam Ministries, which says it printed and distributed 100,000 Bibles and 100,000 New Testaments in 2010.
"Despite the limited support, well over a million New Testaments have been made available in recent years, and up to half a million whole Bibles," the organization says on its Web site. Elam was founded in 1988 by senior Iranian church leaders in Britain "with the vision of reaching Iran and the Persian speaking world for Christ."
It says that at the time of the Islamic revolution in 1979, there were fewer than 500 known Iranian Christians from a Muslim background. "Today the most conservative estimate is that there are at least 100,000 believers in the nation."
No point in taking a chance that someone will do something regrettable, dontchaknow.
[An Nahar] Former Premier Fouad Saniora has reiterated that Nasrallah had links to the four suspects indicted by the Special Tribunal for Leb and was contributing to their protection.
During a presser he held in the southern city of Sidon on Saturday, the Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... parliamentary bloc leader said Hizbullah's rejection to cooperate with the STL, which is probing ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's Feb. 2005 liquidation, is "strange" and "illegal."
"Hizbullah is refusing to implement the law and protecting the accused," he said.
The party's insistence that none of the four suspects made an interview with TIME magazine, confirms that it has ties with the Hizbullah members who were indicted by the tribunal, Saniora said.
He challenged Hizbullah to provide the evidence that the four men didn't carry out Hariri's murder during trials at the STL, saying "if they have anything to say, then its place is at court where they can make all objections and show evidence."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... slammed on Saturday Hizbullah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... , saying he can't impose his policy and ideology pertaining to the situation in Syria.
"Nasrallah can express his political and ideological opinion on Syria but he can't impose it on the Lebanese state or any other team locally," Geagea told the Central News Agency.
Nasrallah said in a speech on Friday on the anniversary of Quds Day: "We are pleased with the Syrian people and leaders' commitment to national principles and Arab rights in the face of the international pressure that did not manage to destabilize the Syrian leadership."
Geagea wondered why Nasrallah support the popular uprisings in Egypt and Libya but oppose it in Syria.
Asked about what media outlets reported that Hizbullah members are participating in the Syrian regime crackdown on protesters, Geagea denied obtaining any information on the issue.
He warned of any meddling in the Syrian affairs as it will be reflected negatively in Leb, stressing that the wearing cabinet situation echoes the opposition's plan starting with the parliament and the daily stances that are striking nearly 'fatal blows to the government."
Concerning Nasrallah's rhetoric that criticized the Cedar Revolution saying that Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and French Ambassador to Leb Denis Pietton are the ones that direct it, Geagea told the news agency that the one million Lebanese citizen and probably another one million stands behind them who rallied at the Martyr's square in 2005 are the ones that direct the Cedar Revolution.
He noted that the current Lebanese cabinet situation reveals the ongoing attempts by the opposition to topple the government.
"We will not block the economic circle (in the country) to achieve our goals, because our opposition is based on following up the cabinet step by step," Geagea said.
Regarding the electoral law, Geagea said that his party favors an electoral law based on proportional representation.
However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... he ruled out any near meeting for the Maronite leaders, considering that the priority right now is for the broad Christian meeting on September 23.
Geagea declared that there are ongoing contacts with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... , saying "contacts weren't cut... coincidences have their way in gathering us with MP Jumblat."
However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... he stressed that any alliance with the other team "is bound to fail."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The Syrian government should recognize the "legitimate demands" of its people, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, whose nation is the main ally of Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... , was quoted as saying Saturday.
"The government should answer to the demands of its people, be it Syria, Yemen or other countries," the ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.
"The people of these nations have legitimate demands and the governments should reply to these demands as soon as possible," Salehi added.
"We have the same stance towards popular developments in the Middle East and North Africa. We believe that the developments in the region emanate from discontent and dissatisfaction in these countries," he said.
But he warned against about toppling the Syrian regime.
"A vacuum in the Syrian regime would have an unpredictable impact for the region and its neighbors," Salehi said, referring to calls by the United States and European leaders for Assad to step down.
Washington, the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and Syrian opposition groups have accused Tehran of helping Syrian security forces put down the uprising, a claim vehemently denied by Iran.
Salehi's comments came two days after Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad called for dialogue between Damascus and the opposition to end months of deadly violence.
"The people and government of Syria must come together to reach an understanding," Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday.
Tehran has supported the protests in all Arab countries except Syria, its main Arab ally, where the Islamic republic backed the government of President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... , asking him to implement some reforms.
At the same time, Iran has accused arch-foes Israel and the United States of trying to undermine Syria.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
See also NEWSMAX > IRAN WARNS NATO AGAINST ENTERING SYRIA "QUAGMIRE", i.e. another Afghanistan or Iraq where a US-led Coalition has been accused of failure in mil defeating Islamist insurgents + terror groups.
[Dawn] Syria's closest ally, Iran, warned Saturday that a power vacuum in Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... could spark an unprecedented regional crisis while urging President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... to listen to some of his people's "legitimate demands."
Thousands of protesters, meanwhile, insisted they will defy tanks and bullets until Assad goes.
The 5-month-old uprising in Syria has left Assad with few international allies _ with the vital exception of Iran, which the US and other nations say is helping drive the deadly crackdown on dissent.
Saturday's comments by Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi were a subtle shift in tone toward comprise by Tehran, which encouraged the Assad regime to answer to its people while reiterating its support for its key ally. Most previous comments focused on a "foreign conspiracy" driving the unrest.
"Either in Yemen, Syria or any other country, people have some legitimate demands and governments should answer them as soon as possible," Salehi said Saturday, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency.
But Iran's support for Assad was clear.
"If a vacuum is created in the Syrian ruling system, it will have unprecedented repercussions," he said, adding that Syria has "sensitive neighbors" and that change in the country could lead to regional crisis.
Syria borders five other nations and controls water supplies to Iraq, Jordan and parts of Israel.
Iran's ties with Syria go far beyond the countries' long-standing friendship in a region dominated by Arab suspicions of Tehran's aims.
Syria also is Iran's conduit for aid to powerful anti-Israel proxies Hezbullies in Leb and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, in the Gazoo Strip.
Should Assad's regime fall, it could rob Iran of a loyal Arab partner in a region profoundly realigned by uprisings demanding more freedom and democracy.
More than five months into the uprising against Assad, the conflict has descended into a bloody stalemate.
Human rights groups say Assad's forces have killed more than 2,000 people since the uprising erupted in March, touched off by the wave of revolts sweeping the Arab world.
The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... imposed sanctions Wednesday against an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, saying the Quds Force is providing equipment and other support to help crush the revolt.
Iran's Guard forces were also used to put down a protest movement calling for political and social reform after Iran's disputed presidential election in 2009.
Assad has shrugged off international condemnation and calls for him to step down. Economic and other sanctions could slowly chip away at the regime in the long-term, however.
Iran has offered unwavering support for Damascus, and there has been speculation that Tehran is providing funds to cushion Assad's government as it burns through the $17 billion in foreign reserves that the government had at the start of the uprising.
But Iran cannot prop up the regime indefinitely.
Thousands of Syrians held protests overnight and early Saturday across the country of 22 million, according to the Local Coordination Committees, which helps organize the demonstrations.
The security presence was heavy by Saturday afternoon, particularly in the Damascus suburbs, the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, Homs in central Syrian and the coastal city of Latakia.
Sporadic shooting and arrest sweeps were reported.
A day earlier, Syrian security forces killed at least two people during protests on the last Friday of the Mohammedan holy month of Ramadan. Friday has become the main day for protests.
The government crackdown escalated dramatically at the start of Ramadan, a time of introspection, piety and dawn-to-dusk fasting. Mohammedans typically gather in mosques during the month for special nightly prayers after breaking the fast.
The Assad government used deadly force to prevent such large gatherings from turning into more anti-government protests.
Assad's promises of reforms have been rejected as insincere by the opposition.
Although the crackdown has led to broad condemnation, Assad is in no immediate danger of falling. For one thing, the Syrian opposition movement is disparate and largely disorganized, without a strong leadership.
Assad's main base of support includes Syrians who have benefited financially from the regime, minority groups who feel they will be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over, and others who see no clear and safe alternative to Assad.
Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, has stacked key military posts with members of his minority Alawite sect.
Assad's backers portray him as the only leader capable of staving off civil war. And while most analysts say Assad is exploiting those fears, few deny that such violence is a serious possibility. The country has a potentially volatile mix of religious groups and sects.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
"Iran cannot prop up the regime indefinitely."
Very True. And I dont think the worms are going to go back in the can for Pencilneck.
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.
NAIROBI: There has been a jump in the number of Somalis, hit by famine, instability and high food prices who are fleeing to Yemen instead of other countries in the drought-ridden Horn of Africa region, the UN refugee agency said.
Most Egyptian protest groups announce would participate in demonstration to expel Israel's ambassador over five Egyptian policemen killed by IDF; however, turnout much lower than expected.
Kim 
interminable six-party negotiations
Pervez 
Interior Minister 
Prime Minister Syed 
Probe revealed plans to fire rockets from Jordan into Israel, and how a "Gaza aid" flotilla was used by Hamas to transfer equipment.
[An Nahar] Former Premier Fouad Saniora has reiterated that Nasrallah had links to the four suspects indicted by the Special Tribunal for 
Samir Geagea
Walid 
Mahmoud 
President-for-Life Bashir 
