[An Nahar] Former President of the Special Tribunal for Leb probing the liquidation of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, Judge Antonio Cassese, has died on Friday after a long fight with cancer.
"He passed away peacefully at home in Florence last night," the STL said on Saturday.
Current President of the Tribunal Judge Sir David Baragwanath who succeeded Cassese after he stepped down as President of the Tribunal on October 9 said: "The tragedy of Nino's (Cassese) departure is beyond words."
"He was a leader whom it was stimulating and a privilege to serve... His vision, intellect, dynamism and courage changed attitudes, institutions and lives", said Baragwanath.
A statement from the STL said that "judge Cassese was one of the most distinguished figures in international justice... He also had a long career in academia."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The United States is trying to increase the flow of non-lethal supplies to US troops in Afghanistan via Uzbekistan as it may not always be able to count on the Pakistain route, a US official said Saturday.
The official spoke as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another George C. Marshall ... visited Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, part of the US military's Northern Distribution Network (NDN), following a trip to Pakistain to discuss troubled ties there.
"As a general rule, we're trying to get more (goods) through Central Asia and through Uzbekistan," the senior State Department official, who was accompanying Clinton, told news hounds on condition of anonymity.
"We've always said that we prefer to use the Pakistain route because it's cheaper, it's shorter," the official said, recalling that the northern route goes via the Baltic states, Russia and Kazakhstan.
"But still, it's (the northern route) a good thing to have," he added.
"And again with our (often troubled) relations with Pakistain, we always have to be prepared should they decide to either want to restrict our access or, even in the worst case, close it off," the official said.
"We would be prepared to move north through Central Asia if necessary," he said.
The route from Uzbekistan is a rail link that distributes fuel and other non-lethal goods. He said about 50 per cent of surface shipments take that route.
The Uzbeks however are "sensitive" about publicising the route to Afghanistan for fear that it will prompt "retribution" from the Taliban and other faceless myrmidons in the region, he added.
In February 2009, during improving relations with Washington, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said he would allow the United States to transport non-military supplies through his country as part of the NDN.
In 2005, Tashkent closed the US air base in the country which was used to support US troops in Afghanistan after US criticism of a bloody crackdown on unrest in Andijan in the country's east.
The US official said there were no plans to hold negotiations to reopen the base. Nor were there plans, he said, to increase supplies through Tajikistan, which is a small supply route.
Clinton visited Islamabad on Thursday and Friday to urge Pakistain to dismantle havens in Pakistain that faceless myrmidons use to launch attacks in neighboring Afghanistan, an issue that has put a heavy strain on US-Pak ties.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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The State Department is in charge. Meaning that they're more enthused about the negotiation process than achieving that helping-the-icky-military goal.
[Dawn] Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... on Saturday called for peace talks with the Haqqani network in Pakistain as he sought to assuage domestic fears over Afghanistan's future partnership with the United States.
Following a recent visit to the region by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another John C. Calhoun ... Karzai reiterated conditions for the US strategic agreement due to be worked out next month, insisting that US forces must stop raiding Afghan homes.
In an interview with Pakistain's Geo television broadcast on Saturday, Karzai also said that peace talks with the hardline Haqqani network should take place in Pakistain, according to a statement from the presidential palace in Kabul.
"Regarding the grinding of the peace processor, I should say that the Taliban shura is in Pakistain, we all know that Haqqani group is in Pakistain... that is why we clearly insist to talk with our brothers in Pakistain instead of an anonymous and without address Talib," he said.
Ten years into the war in Afghanistan the Taliban's efforts to regain power show little sign of waning, with Clinton this week saying that the US planned to continue the ground fight while simultaneously trying to talk to the Death Eaters.
During her visit, the top US diplomat pressed Pakistain to encourage talks and dismantle orc safe havens on its side of the border, as US and Afghan troops push a new offensive against the Haqqanis in eastern Afghanistan.
But while many Afghans have little trust in their neighbour's role in ending the war, they are also fearful about any long-term US presence in the country following the planned departure of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
Karzai restated Afghanistan's conditions, insisting that American troops must not enter Afghan homes, implying that they should end controversial night raids in pursuit of Taliban targets that have caused many civilian casualties.
"We no longer want any Americans to enter Afghan homes," he said according to the statement.
"We want night raids to stop following the signing of this (strategic) agreement." Foreign-operated prisons must be closed, he added, and arrest of Afghans by foreign forces and operations of private security companies must end.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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KABUL: At least two Afghan cabinet ministers have embezzled millions of dollars of public money, the country's anti-graft chief said at the weekend, adding to Western pressure on President Hamid Karzai to clean up his government.
Donor countries say corruption in Karzai's administration is endemic
To borrow from tu3031: "Johnson! Stop the presses!"
and a fundamental threat to their efforts to stabilize the country ahead of the end-2014 deadline for foreign combat troops to quit the country, having handed security responsibilities to Afghan institutions.
Billions of dollars in foreign aid have flowed into the country since a US-led military operation threw the Taleban out of government 10 years ago, but the cash has paid for only limited infrastructure and development work, while violence is at its worst since 2001.
But the Swiss and Caymans bankers thank you...
"There are former ministers too, but two or three current cabinet ministers have embezzled millions of dollars," said Azizullah Ludin, a Karzai appointee who heads the High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption, speaking in his Kabul home.
I'll bet he's just shocked, shocked...
Ludin said he had sent the cases to the Attorney General's office which will decide whether or not to prosecute, but he did not name the ministers involved or give details.
"Corruption in Afghanistan has damaged our reputation, withheld foreign aid and created distance between people and the government," Ludin said. "This must be stopped."
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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It's really dangerous to be an Afghan minister; there has to be some hefty compensation to justify the risk.
It's times like this that I wonder if Bambi is right to walk away from Afghanistan. Seems like the Afghans and the Paks deserve each other at some fundamental level.
ISLAMABAD -- Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday. Hamid is back on the hard stuff, obviously.
The remarks were in sharp contrast to recent tension between the two neighbors over cross-border raids, and Afghan accusations that Pakistan was involved in killing the chief Afghan peace envoy, former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, ... the murdered legitimate president of Afghanistan... by a suicide bomber on September 20. Wouldn't want to see another president of Afghanistan, maybe even a current one, meet somebody whose head explodes...
"God forbid, If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan," he said in the interview to Geo television. "If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needs Afghanistan's help, Afghanistan will be there with you." "Just like you've been there for us!"
Granted, that just may be for consumption by the Pashtun rubes. Problem is, there are a lot of Pashtun rubes...
Blood is thicker than gratitude, even assuming there's such a concept in Pashto.
Such a situation is extremely unlikely, however. Not really. Hillary's been hinting pretty loudly that if the Paks don't clean out the Haqqanis we will. Since the only way to get to the Haqqanis is through Pakistain and since Pakistain is in the habit of sticking its national chin out in defense of their "sovereignty" and demanding that we hit it, there's a statistically significant chance of a nice little border spat between NATO and the Paks. I don't think anybody would be surprised if Karzai ordered a stab in the back, especially if he's been hitting the hard stuff again. I'm assuming the intel community does have some institutional memory, which would lead to the Pandjir Valley Tadjiks or the Uzbeks or somebody disposing of Hamid and replacing him with either somebody more pliable or somebody more intelligent.
Despite months of tension and tough talk between Washington and Islamabad, the two allies appear to be working to ease tension. Pakistan is seen as a critical to the U.S. drive to end the conflict in Afghanistan. Our supply routes lead through Pakistain. Period. Without the supply routes they'd be merely a target. Their worst nightmare would be a pro-American Iran, if they could imagine such a thing.
Pressure on Islamabad has been mounting since U.S. special forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in May in a Pakistani garrison town, where he apparently had been living for years. In comfort, within walking distance of a major Pak military installation.
Karzai said tensions between the United States and Pakistan did not have any impact in his country's attitude toward Pakistan. "What?... Huh?... Whoa! No way, man!... Wow! Listen to the colors!"
Afghans have long been suspicious of Pakistan's intentions in their country ... since Pakistain regards them as a colony, to be controlled through a Pak Pashtun raj...
and question its promise to help bring peace. The bin Laden kill did kinda throw some doubt on their protestations of innocence. The Quetta shura doesn't help. And the fact that the Haqqanis and their al-Qaeda masters control North Wazoo makes the entire concept laughable.
Karzai repeated that concern in his remarks. "Like I said..."
"Please brother, stop using all methods that hurt us and that are now hurting you. Let's engage from a different platform, a platform in which the two brothers only progress toward a better future in peace and harmony," he said. The Paks would rather be addressed as "sahib" than as "brother." Just a little point of protocol there, Hamid.
Following the murder of Rabbani, Karzai said he would cease attempting to reach out to the Afghan Taliban and instead talk directly to their owners negotiate directly with Pakistan, saying its military and intelligence services could influence the militants to make peace.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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In light of this comment, shouldn't US & NATO forces now disarm and disband the ANA and the Afghan police?
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan aka Liberated Afghanistan is a sharia abomination whose only redeeming quality has been the passive nature of its hostility.
Since Afghanistan's leader now envisions active aggression against the West one would think the time has come to fundamentally reassess the situation.
#2
The Islamic mind is ungrateful (when gratitude would be towards non-muslims) and incapable of doing things in their long term interests (because to them long-term is heaven).
We should pull out sooner rather than later. If their leader is willing to side with those that support the insurgency over those keeping them alive and in power then they are certainly not worth fighting for.
#3
IIRC, the purpose of invading Afghanistan was to deny terrorists a base for training and operations. Then GWB decided to add nation building.
Karzai is hedging his bets with a bit of propaganda to the rubes. Does not matter. When the US leaves, Karzai will be killed by the rubes.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/23/2011 14:57 Comments ||
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I hope it's televised. I hate backstabbers
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/23/2011 15:01 Comments ||
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the purpose of invading Afghanistan was to deny terrorists a base for training and operations. Then GWB decided to add nation building. True, but only to a degree. Denying the terrorists their Afghan base involved continuing military presence of infidel foreigners, and that presence matched the only factor which has consistently united Afghans for centuries. The only foreign armed presence Afghans as a whole will tolerate are jihadis.
So Bush had 2 basic choices: (1) a massive, long lasting, extremely expensive military ground presence in the 'Stan -- matching its post WWII occupation of Germany, but with more suicide kabooms & continuing losses of GIs, something the US electorate will not tolerate or (2) "nation building," a truly forlorn hope, but it bought time (as long as enough Afghan leaders could be 'bought').
An imperial solution might have been to send Muslim forces from nearby countries to do the occupation work / bloodgiving / bloodletting, but there seems to be a shortage of Muslims willing to do this and a lack of imperial will on the part of the USA.
Egypt will release suspected Mossad agent Ilan Grapel in exchange for 19 Egyptian prisoners being held in Israeli jails, Egypt's MENA News Agency reported on Saturday.
Egypt's state-run Nile TV reported that Grapel would be released for 28 prisoners.
Previous reports had suggested that Grapel would be released for 81 prisoners.
[An Nahar] An Egyptian court sentenced a man to three years in jail with hard labor on Saturday for insulting Islam in postings on Facebook, the official MENA news agency reported.
The Cairo court found that Ayman Yusef Mansour "intentionally insulted the dignity of the Islamic religion and attacked it with insults and ridicule on Facebook," the agency reported.
The court said his insults were "aimed at the Noble Koran, the true Islamic religion, the Prophet of Islam and his family and Mohammedans, in a scurrilous manner," the agency reported.
It did not provide details on what he had written that was deemed to be offensive.
Mansour was set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock in August after police tracked him down through his internet address.
Egyptian law outlaws insults to religion. The law has been used in the past to try Shiite Mohammedans.
MENA did not mention Mansur's religion or beliefs, but quoted the court as saying that "all members of religions are obligated to tolerate the others' existence."
In 2007, a court sentenced blogger Kareem Amer to jail for insulting the Mohammedan prophet and then president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... . He was released last year.
Egypt, the most populous Arab country, follows the French legal system but its constitution, suspended since the military took over after an uprising ousted Mubarak in February, stipulates that Islam is the main source of law.
The country is also home to the Middle East's largest Christian population, roughly 10 percent of its 80 million population.
Mansour's conviction comes at a time of mounting fears that Islamists will sweep the country's first parliamentary elections after Mubarak's ouster, scheduled to begin on November 28.
The Islamists want to ensure that a panel that drafts a new constitution will not remove a previous article stating that Islam is the main source of legislation, a sensitive topic that few secular politicians will openly challenge.
"This is very serious," said Heba Morayef, a Cairo-based researcher for Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world...
The law used to convict Mansour "is a very vague provision, and it has long been the recommendation of human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. groups to remove that provision," she said.
"To sentence someone on the basis of so broad a provision will have a chilling effect in political debate, because there has been so much debate about the role of religion in the state," she said.
A civilian court convicted Mansour, but the sentencing came as the military, in power since Mubarak's ouster, faced growing criticism for alleged restrictions on the press and prosecution of bloggers.
"This come as yet another violation of freedom of expression," Morayef said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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Why do I get the feeling that Bambi approves of this?
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The African Union has invited new Libyan leaders to take up their seat at the continental organization. That's only because Qadaffy and most of his spawn are pushing up daisies. The AU had up until now steadfastly refused to recognize the NTC.
The council extended the invitation during it's emergency meeting on Libya at the AU Addis Ababa headquarters Thursday.
The meeting was convened after the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) announced the capture and the subsequent killing of Colonel Muammar Qadaffy ... the like of whose wardrobe will never be seen again. At least that's what we hope... , which marked the end of his 42-year rule.
A statement from AU said in part that the pan-African organization had decided ''to authorise the current authorities in Libya to occupy the seat of Libya in the AU and its organs".
AU had established a panel of five African leaders to negotiate a peace deal between Qadaffy and the rebels in the last six months. However, ars longa, vita brevis... the efforts failed after the rebels rejected the AU peace plan.
The Addis-based organization had proposed the establishment of a new government, that would include former Qadaffy officials through participatory election.
However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... it faced a barrage of criticism for appearing to favour Qadaffy and for failing to react to the Libyan crisis appropriately.
Dr Jean Ping, the AU Commission chief, denied the accusations and blamed the West, under the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... coalition, for ignoring the African Union's take on the matter.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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The African Union has invited new Libyan leaders to take up their seat at the continental organization.
UNITED NATIONS: Russia is proposing that the UN Security Council lift the no-fly zone it imposed on Libya and end its authorization of military action to protect civilians now that Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi has been killed.
I'm assuming these are formalities, since Qadaffy and most of Co. are warming their feet by the eternal fire and NATO has announced they're hanging it up on October 31st, which by my calculation is a week from now, give or take a day or two.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters after closed council consultations Friday evening that he had circulated a draft resolution on the matter among the group's 15 members.
As usual, the first question that should be asked is, "what are the Russians up to?"
Although NATO earlier Friday said it would start winding down its operation in Libya, Churkin said it was up to the council to end the legal authorization for the international military action it passed earlier this year. "Since it was the decision of the Security Council of the United Nations to impose the no-fly zone, it should be the decision of the Security Council of the United Nations to lift it," he said.
French Ambassador Gerard Araud and British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said more consultation with Libyan authorities is needed to ensure a smooth transfer of air traffic control to civilian officials.
"We share the view that we are now in the phasing out of the operation," Araud said after the council meeting. "It's technical, we have to work with Libyan authorities. We have to do it properly."
Lyall Grant said his country earlier in the day had consulted with Libyan authorities, who "made clear they didn't want a premature ending of the military authorization. So we want to proceed in a more measured way."
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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MUMBAI: India had turned down slain Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafis request to help in setting up a nuclear plant in Libya, claimed a former unidentified Indian nuclear scientist, the Times of India reported on Saturday.
The scientist said that Qaddafi had unsuccessfully sought Indias help to develop nuclear weapons in late 1970s. However, the Indian government sent a three-member team to Tripoli to negotiate a deal, the nuclear scientist told the newspaper.
The scientist further said that that Qaddafi had sent his deputy, Mustafa Abdul Jalil to New Delhi in 1978 to negotiate the deal to obtain plutonium reprocessing technology and a research reactor similar to that at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) near Mumbai, the scientist, who had played a key role in the first nuclear test in 1974, said.
Jalil proposed an India-Libya collaboration for the purpose and held discussions in this regard with then Indian Defense Minister George Fernandez, who conveyed the request to Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who rejected it immediately.
The scientist stated that the Indian government did not want to completely disappoint Libya, so it sent three of its nuclear scientists namely P.K. Iyengar, V. Meckoni and K.T. Thomas to Tripoli to spitball him explore the possibility of negotiating and India-Libya nuclear deal in the months ahead.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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Well, did he get any?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/23/2011 15:42 Comments ||
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Any bets on how soon "it will be discovered" that Qadaffy had an active WMD program?
Egypt will release suspected Mossad agent Ilan Grapel in exchange for 19 Egyptian prisoners being held in Israeli jails, Egypt's MENA News Agency reported on Saturday. "We'll trade your Zionist spy for 1000 Egyptians held in Zionist jails!"
"We don't have a thousand Egyptians in our jails!"
Egypt's state-run Nile TV reported that Grapel would be released for 28 prisoners. "Then how about if we release him in exchange for 500 al-Masris?"
"Nope. We don't have 500 denizens of the Land of the Nile."
"250?"
"Nope."
"How about 81?"
"We don't... Wait. Let me take a look."
Previous reports had suggested that Grapel would be released for 81 prisoners.
Grapel is a US-Israeli dual citizen Egypt charges with spying, sedition and inciting Egyptians to violence during the 18-day revolution that unseated president Hosni Mubarak. The 27-year-old's release was reportedly worked out as part of the deal that brought home Gilad Schalit last week after five years in Hamas captivity.
That explains, in part, the delay: the Egyptians wanted their cut as well.
Last week Egyptian media reported Cairo was expecting to receive all 81 Egyptians jugged in Israel - most of them on charges of illegal entry, drug trafficking and arms possession. "Yeah. We got 81. You want them all? The narcos and the button men, too?"
"Sure! We... Ummm... Lemme check with my government."
Grapel emigrated to Israel in 2005 from New York and served in the IDF during the 2006 Leb War, where he was maimed in action. Currently enrolled as a law student at Emory University in Atlanta, Grapel was at the time of his arrest working for Saint Andrew's Refugee Services, a non-governmental organization, in Cairo. Friends, family and US and Israeli officials have dismissed the charges against him as "bizarre" and "ludicrous." "How many is that without the narcos?"
"28."
"And without the button men?"
"19."
"We'll take it."
Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the heir apparent to the Saudi throne, has died in New York undergoing treatment for an illness, raising questions over the succession in the oil-rich kingdom. I'm sure the rules of succession in a gerontocracy are pretty intricate.
Crown Prince Sultan, who also served as defense minister as well as being second in line to the throne, went to the U.S. in June for medical tests. He was believed to be 86 and will be buried Tuesday. He lied about his age. He was 192.
Although Sultan, who was the half brother of the ailing King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah, ... Fifth out of 37 sons of King Abdulaziz to ascend to the throne. He is, after his half-brothers Bandar and Musa'id, the third eldest of the living sons of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Abdullah's mother is from the Rashid clan, longtime rivals of the Saud. He has 6 sons and 15 daughters and about $20 billion. His youngest son is just seven years old... was long seen as a likely future king, Regardless of how aged he was...
his health had deteriorated sharply in recent years, leading to long periods of absence from Soddy Arabia for an illness that analysts believed was cancer.
Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a brother who is thought to be 77, is seen as Sultan's most likely successor as crown prince, putting him next in line to King Abdullah.
"King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince Sultan who died at dawn this morning Saturday outside the kingdom following an illness," the royal court said in a statement released a few hours later in Riyadh.
King Abdullah, who also has health issues, underwent a back operation last week, the third in less than a year, to retighten the binding connector around the third vertebra. He left the hospital in Riyadh to continue medial treatment at a private clinic in his palace but it is still unclear how long the king will take to recover.
Limited information about the king's ailment has previously fanned speculation of a more serious problem with the health of the ruler of the Arab world's largest economy.
Now Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is thought to be 77, is seen as Sultan's most likely successor as crown prince, putting him next in line to King Abdullah.
In order for Prince Nayef to become the crown prince, a special committee set up by the royal family five years ago to regulate the kingdom's opaque process of succession will have to reach an agreement on his elevation.
The so-called Allegiance Council, representing every branch of the dynasty founded by King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud last century, has never been tested before. It must now meet to approve King Abdullah's nomination of a new crown prince, setting the direction of the country for years to come.
That prospect worries more liberal Saudis who say his record as interior minister since 1975 involved blocking some reforms and overseeing crackdowns on political dissidents.
Other analysts, however, say the nature of his job as interior minister demanded an authoritarian approach. They believe he might show a different face if he ever becomes king.
Unlike in most kingdoms, the Saudi monarchy does not pass from father to son, but along a line of brothers born to Ibn Saud, who founded Soddy Arabia in 1934. Only 19 of the Saudi patriarch's 45 sons are still alive, and Prince Nayef is the most senior of these who is active in politics.
The council is almost certain to approve Prince Nayef, say analysts, yet its decision is to some extent a trial run for a more difficult deliberation in the future, when it must anoint one of Ibn Saud's grandchildren as crown prince for the first time.
Prince "Nayef will be announced the crown prince most likely this week," said a Saudi official, who asked not to be identified. "It is a natural move which everyone expects."
Meanwhile, ...back at the mall, Clarissa spent the day shopping for new underwear. Tonight was going to be a special occasion... the death of Sultan has opened another important vacancy: that of defense and aviation minister, which the late prince held for almost 50 years, overseeing a series of massive armament programs.
In this role, Prince Sultan was a vital link in the series of alliances that bound Soddy Arabia to Western nations over decades, using weaponry purchases to solidify relations with the U.S., U.K. and La Belle France.
Most analysts believe the job will be inherited by his son, Prince Khaled bin Sultan Al Saud, who has been deputy defense minister since 2001 and commanded Saudi forces during the 1991 Gulf War.
President Barack B.O. Obama offered condolences to the kingdom, calling the crown prince a "valued friend" who helped cement ties between the allies.
"He was a strong supporter of the deep and enduring partnership between our two countries forged almost seven decades ago," Obama said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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Ya know, Putting an 85 year old as Monarch , You'd better prepare for the NEXT ascension SOON.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/23/2011 15:39 Comments ||
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That's what they're saying when the religious police are around, anyway...
JEDDAH: Crown Prince Sultan, a really old buzzard deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, died Saturday outside the Kingdom following a prolonged illness, the Royal Court announced. He was 80. The late prince's funeral will take place Tuesday.
The rest of this reads like a press release with all the usual foreign condolences, etc.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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For a map, click here. For a map of Coahuila state, click here
By Chris Covert
A comprehensive security operation based on a framework used successfully in two Mexican southern states was begun Thursday with the arrival of fresh troops in the La Laguna region on Mexico, according to Mexican news accounts.
About 200 reinforcements including Mexican Army and Polica Federal (PF) troops arrived Thursday night and immediately began patrol activities in Torreon, Coahuila and neighboring Gomez Palacio, Durango.
The issue which should be a prime concern for the Mexican republic, is the tendency of cartels to turn small indigenous communities into serf communities which exist for the enrichment of the cartels. In turn armed cartel groups in the pay of drug cartels have in the past acted like the soldiers of a local king in punishing its errant charges with murders and immolation of homes.
The operation is expected to be comprehensive since not only will additional military units will patrol the streets of the La Laguna region, but those troops are expected to operate in coordination with federal and state security forces, including PF and state police. The operation will be united under the command of General Marco Antonio Gonzalez Barreda, Commander of Military Region IX.
General Gonzalez Barreda is headquartered in Torreon. Several military zones under Gonzalez Barreda's command, roughly equivalent to a regiment, include the 5th and 6th Military Zones and the 28th Military Zone. New reinforcements in the wake of the raising of additional army troops have arrived in Torreon and in Juarez, Chihuahua, although much of the federal presence in Juarez has been withdrawn due to improved security.
In addition, work is to commence both in Durango state which is directly adjacent to Torreon, Coahuila, and in Coahuila to purge police ranks of criminals in municipal as well as state police forces of Coahuila and Durango. Confidence tests of 1,700 new Coahuila state police recruits are already underway and will complete early next month.
Mexican military units, including army as well as naval infantry units have been conducting counternarcotics operations in recent weeks in the area between Saltillo, Coahuila, the capital of Coahuila and Piedra Negreas, Coahuila, which sits on the US border.
Those operations have yielded some success as a number of drug interdictions, mainly of marijuana as well as weapons and munitions.
The La Laguna region sits on a major east-west highway in Mexico which is due to be expanded to four lanes in the near future. The road expansion has been touted as a boon to commerce nationwide, but the fact is that La Laguna is also the confluence of four major Mexican federal highways, which the drug cartels have been using to move product, munitions and personnel.
The highway expansion is partially complete from the Sinaloa state port city of Mazatlan halfway to Durango city. Its opening has already sparked problems as drug cartels such as the Sinaloa cartel and Los Zetas have been fighting for control of area in the Mexican Sierras for drug production assets.
The issue which should be a prime concern for the Mexican republic is the tendency of cartels to turn small indigenous communities into serf communities which exist for the enrichment of the cartels. In turn armed cartel groups in the pay of drug cartels have in the past acted like the soldiers of a local king in punishing its errant charges with murders and immolation of homes
The response of Mexican security forces in the past has been reactive at best.
Whatever strategy General Gonzalez Barreda will adopt to end drug gang activities in La Laguna, it is clear he and other northern Mexican army commanders are starting to see the benefits of additional troop reinforcements.
Last spring the national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies funded the addition of 18 new rifle battalions, most of which would be deployed in northern Mexican states. The first of those newly raised troops appeared early last summer. It is known that four of the 18 battalions have been deployed to Tamaulipas, the worst of the northern states in terms of security, including one battalion deployed to Nuevo Laredo, a Los Zetas stronghold and crossing into the US.
According to newspaper reports at least three rifle battalions have been deployed to the state of Zacatecas, which is another Los Zetas stronghold and borders Coahuila to the south. Major counternarcotics operations by Mexican federal security forces early last summer in the southern regions of Zacatecas and northern zones of Jalisco state have weakened Los Zetas' hold on the area. With the additional federal troops in the area their hold is likely to get more tenuous as time goes on.
At least one battalion is known to have been deployed to Juarez, Chihuahua, though it is likely that force was either withdrawn a few weeks ago, or it does no patrolling in the streets of Juarez, and remains in the confines of its bases.
The current security operation is expected to last five months, after which General Gonzalez Barreda will determine what happens next.
If the model used in Veracruz and Guerreo states are any indication, violent crime will plummet over the next few months
DUSHANBE: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Tajikistan on Saturday that efforts to crack down on religious freedom might backfire and increase sympathy for radical views that could threaten stability in the Central Asian country.
Clinton, who met Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon on a trip to thank two Central Asian states for their cooperation in the US-led war in neighboring Afghanistan, said freedom of religious expression was tied to the region's future security.
US officials said Clinton's Central Asian trip, her second to the region in less than 12 months, was aimed in a large part at thanking Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for their assistance with the Afghan conflict.
They said she was also seeking to broaden a relationship giving the United States an important "back door" into Afghanistan and an alternative supply route that could prove vital if US ties with its main ally in the region, Pakistan, unravel.
Both Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are part of what Washington calls the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a supply line for US-led forces fighting the Taleban that also stretches through Russia, Latvia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. The NDN is increasingly important as US ties with Pakistan come under strain over Washington's charges that elements of the Pakistani government have links to Islamist militants blamed for attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.
So let's thank the Tajiks and then scold them at the same time. Cheez, I hope Hilde is better at the game behind closed doors...
The United States is aiming to reduce the proportion of its surface cargo that it brings through Pakistan to only a quarter by increasing its supplies through the northern route; in July it was still well over half.
"We've always said that we'd prefer to use the Pakistan routes because it's cheaper, it's shorter ... but still, it's a good thing to have," a senior US official told reporters traveling with Clinton.
"With our relations with Pakistan, we always have to be prepared should they decide that they either want to restrict our access or even, in the worst case, close it off," the official said. "We need to be prepared to move more through Central Asia if necessary."
The NDN route is sensitive in the region, particularly in Uzbekistan, where officials fear that too much publicity over their assistance to the US-led effort in Afghanistan could open them to attack from militants, the official said.
You're going to be attacked regardless...
"They're worried about the potential blowback to them of their support for us from the Taleban and from Pakistan-based militants," the official said, declining to discuss specifics of how the NDN might be expanded.
He did say, however, that the United States was not seeking to regain access to Uzbekistan's Karshi-Khanabad military base. The United States was evicted from the base in 2005 after sharp criticism of Karimov's government for shooting into crowds that took to the streets in the city of Andizhan. Witnesses say hundreds were killed when troops opened fire.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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...who really, really doesn't resemble John Foster Dulles in any way whatsoever...
warned Tajikistan on Saturday that efforts to crack down on religious freedom might backfire and increase sympathy for radical views that could threaten stability in the Central Asian country.
Yeah, sure, Hilde, damned if you do, damned if you don't...
Clinton, who met Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon on a trip to thank two Central Asian states for their cooperation in the US-led war in neighboring Afghanistan, said freedom of religious expression was tied to the regions future security.
I disagree with restrictions on religious freedom and shared those concerns, Clinton told a news conference after meeting Rakhmon.
She said efforts to regulate religion could push legitimate religious expression underground, and that could build up a lot of unrest and discontent.
We're talking about Islamicists: they seethe about everything...
Following visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Clinton was on the first leg of a Central Asian tour. She is due to visit Uzbekistan and meet President Islam Karimov later on Saturday.
Both Karimov and Rakhmon have moved to limit religious freedom in their own countries, both of which remain under authoritarian rule two decades after they emerged from the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Tajikistan, a mainly Muslim country of 7.5 million people, introduced laws in August to ban youths from praying in mosques, churches and other religious sites, a move that was criticized by religious leaders in the former Soviet state.
Rakhmon, in power since 1992, has said tough measures are needed to stop the spread of religious fundamentalism in an impoverished country that shares a porous 1,340-km (840-mile) border with Afghanistan.
You have to look at the consequences, Clinton said. We would hope there would be a rethinking of any restrictions going forward, because we think it will increase sympathy for extremist views which would in turn threaten the stability and security of the country.
Rakhmons Moscow-backed secular government clashed with the Islamist opposition during a 1992-97 civil war, in which tens of thousands were killed.
So perhaps he has a little practical experience...
The president has ignored previous requests from the West to respect freedom of conscience. He has ordered students home from religious schools abroad and clamped down on a growing trend for Islamic dress.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Meanwhile in Liberated Afghanistan 'Breathing while Ex-Muslim' carries the death penalty ...
The Obama administration publicly admonished China Wednesday for its vast online censorship policies, for the first time officially complaining that blocking U.S.-based internet sites creates barriers to free trade.
Good. About time Bambi grew a spine with regard to China.
The administration, citing World Trade Organization rules, is demanding that China explain its censorship policies. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirks office made the demands after a three-year lobbying campaign by the First Amendment Coalition.
This development is important because it signals the U.S. governments implicit acceptance of FACs position that censorship of the internet can breach the international trade rules enforced by the WTO, said Peter Scheer, the groups executive director.
U.S.-based websites blocked in whole or in part by the so-called Great Firewall of China include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and even the Huffington Post.
In response, China on Thursday blasted the administration. We oppose using internet freedom as an excuse to interfere in other countries internal affairs, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.
The Obama administrations move is the first step of a long WTO process that theoretically could end up with trade restrictions imposed on Chinese exports.
The United States is seeking detailed information on the trade impact of Chinese policies that may block U.S. companies websites in China, creating commercial barriers that especially hurt Americas small business, Kirks office announced.
Its doubtful the United States would push to limit Chinese-made goods in the United States. After all, thats where most everything American is made. Instead, its much more likely that the United States actions of wanting China to cough up the criteria it uses to require censorship is largely a symbolic move to highlight the evils of censorship and to try to advance the business interests of the U.S.s leading tech firms in the worlds fastest-growing internet market.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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China also blocks websites from being accessed from the outside. Try visiting taobao.com or other Chinese sites. They're slow as hell for no reason, and frequently you can't do business because of timeouts.
[Dawn] Nearly four years ago as skirmishes between troops and Talibs drove thousands out of the North Wazoo (NW) Agency on the Pakistain-Afghan border, Kalim Ullah, 40, was among those who left.
Even though his attempts to set up a business in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Province, have not been successful, he says he is "unwilling to even consider going back because I have the safety of my extended family of eight to consider." Since 2007, more people have been moving out as tensions continue.
The Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre says there are currently around 980,000 displaced persons in Pakistain. Of these, based on the latest figures available from July 2010, at least 80,000 are from NW.
Many decamped after strikes by US drones targeting gunnies from across the Afghan border such as the one in March that killed 40 people, according to media reports. Other strikes have since been a regular event.
"I came away from my village near Miranshah [the main city in NW] because of the constant tensions created by the strikes. The sound of a drone overhead and then the kabooms is terrifying," said Yasin Wazir, 30, who is now considering a permanent move to Bloody Karachi after coming to Peshawar in April this year.
Since then, tensions have mounted, with US troops reinforcing the border adjacent to NW. Speaking to IRIN, Maj-Gen Athar Abbas, director-general of Inter Services Public Relations, said: "Yes, US troops are now posted along the border." Pakistain's army chief, according to media reports, has said a US ground offensive was "possible" but this was something the US would need to think "10 times" about.
"Too risky"
Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last... fear among local people is running high. "We are considering leaving, because it is just getting too risky," said Abdul Rehman, 40, from the Gurbaz area of NW. "We definitely don't want to get caught up in a war," he told IRIN. He also said rustics in the area "who have traditionally been able to move across the border to attend occasions like weddings or funerals" were "very disturbed by the sealing of the border".
The Durand Line as the Pakistain-Afghan border is known, has never been accepted by successive Afghan governments since it was mapped out in 1947 when Pakistain was created. It divides members of the same tribes -- as well as families -- and has proved almost impossible to guard because of the mountainous terrain, with the Pak authorities also permitting tribal movement across it.
With the situation in NW now more uncertain than ever, there is some expectation that more people may move away -- mainly to relatives in towns such as Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... , Tank or Peshawar. "There is no official word on the matter, but we are hearing of people -- especially those in border areas -- moving away, planning a shift or at least sending their families away," an administrative official in Miranshah who preferred anonymity told IRIN.
"We have no reports of any major movements of people out of NW. But of course we always have contingency plans to address such a situation if it does arise," Duniya Aslam Khan, a spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), told IRIN.
"I would really like to go back home. City life does not suit me. I miss our home, and we are isolated here in Peshawar. But I don't know now when it will be safe to go back. I hope that moment comes soon for my mother, who is nearly 80 and hates being away," said Kaleem Ullah in Peshawar.
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10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] After lengthy deliberations to forge a consensus over the appointment of the new Intelligence Bureau chief from among four senior coppers, the federal government finally chose Additional IG Aftab Sultan as the bureau's new director general on Saturday.
As the prime minister finalised the name of Mr Sultan, who was working as Additional IG Welfare and Finance, Punjab, even after getting promotion to the rank of BS-22, a notification was issued by the Establishment Division.
The slot of IB chief fell vacant after Additional IG Javed Noor retired from the Police Service of Pakistain on Oct 1.
Mr Sultan, who belongs to 4th Common of Central Superior Service, told Dawn that he would assume the charge of his new office on Oct 24 after appearing in the court of Lahore High Court Chief Justice in connection with dengue spread inquiry.
Mr Sultan got promotion to the rank of BS-22 around three months ago, but was retained by the Punjab government till his recent posting.
Sources in the IB told Dawn that initially three names were under consideration -- Inspector General of Punjab Police Javed Iqbal, 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... IGP Rao Ameen Hashim and Additional IG Aftab Sultan were included in the panel for selection, but the name of Sindh IG Wajid Durrani was added in the second panel.
They said Wajid Durrani, who appeared to be a strong contender at one point, was given the green signal by the PM Secretariat and also got a briefing from Mr Noor at the IB head office on Sept 30, but later his name was dropped.
Mr Wajid was appointed as chairman of National Highways and Motorways Police on Saturday. The names of National Police Commandant Shabbir Shah and a couple of retired army officers, one of them is recently posted at the Presidency, were also considered for the key post, sources added.
A source said traditionally the senior most police officer of PSP was appointed as the bureau's chief who was Punjab IGP Javed Iqbal, who belonged to 3rd Common.
He, however, said after 8th Commoner Mr Durrani, who faced over two-year imprisonment in connection with Murtaza Bhutto liquidation case, and 5th Commoner Mr Hashim, whose father Rao Hashim was considered one of the founding members of Pakistain People's Party, failed to get the key posting because of their mutual competition and political backings, the government decided to appoint Mr Sultan, next to Mr Iqbal in seniority, to avoid further delay and embarrassment.
Mr Sultan has been inquiring into the allegation of purchasing of spurious pesticides by the Lahore district government and his transfer has reportedly provided a relief to those fearing 'unfavorable' findings.
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10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Pakistain has told the United States it is ready to facilitate its talks with the Taliban, but cannot become a guarantor to the negotiating process, a security bigshot told Dawn on Saturday.
"Pakistain must not be blamed in case of failure of attempts (by US) for reconciliation with the Taliban as it does not spoon-feed them," the official remarked.
"Contact with the Haqqani group is there, but they are not in our pocket," was the message put across during a crucial meeting between the two sides on Friday.
The US delegation, headed by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Hamilton Fish ... , included the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Martin Dempsey and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief David Petreaus while Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... and the chief of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha represented Pakistain.
The official said the Taliban would themselves determine the propriety or otherwise of sitting at the negotiating table with the United States.
He said both sides felt that reconciliation was the way forward, but the devil lay in the detail. "The nitty-gritty of executing any prospective deal will test the acumen of all sides."
He said Pakistain had raised certain issues with Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another William H. Seward ... and both sides agreed that more work was needed.
He said Islamabad had made it clear to Washington that the "negotiating process must be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led".
The Taliban must not be pressed to abandon Al Qaeda, lay down arms and declare respect for the Afghan constitution before the talks, the US was advised. "We know the Afghan culture, they will never lay down their arms," he observed.
Pakistain had also spelt out its reservations to the US: it must not be forced into a strategy that the US itself is not going to follow on the other side of the border. The unambiguous message given to Washington was: an action against the Haqqani network in North Wazoo was not advisable as Pakistain cannot afford to open a new front at this stage.
According to the official, it was stressed that military operation should "complement the policy to work", but in the "absence of a clear policy nothing would work".
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10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Senior leader of Pakistain Peoples Party and former federal law minister Dr Babar Awan on Saturday alleged PML-N of organising a rally with the help of nation's money and the Punjab administration, DawnNews reported.
Addressing a Women Workers Convention, organised by PPP Women Wing Lahore, he said PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... should tell the name of the person with whom he was shy in having a meeting in Lahore and secretly met in a hotel in Turkey, otherwise, the PPP would expose his secret meetings.
He alleged that the Punjab government had given contract for preparation of students results' to a relative of a local PML-N leader, who manipulated results due to which students had to take to the streets.
The PPP leader further said that Punjab had become a police state and about 160 students had been incarcerated in Gujranwala, while many others were incarcerated in Multan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan.
He alleged that the Punjab government had wasted more than Rs 40 billion in "Sasti Roti Scheme," adding the nation would recover every penny from PML-N leadership.
He said people of the province were protesting against activities of the PML-N leadership but its chief (Nawaz Sharif) was out of the country on a world tour.
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10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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Aaay-Peee article. Seems like both the Iraqi government and many ordinary Iraqis wanted it both ways, which doesn't happen in real life. Someone should tell the OWS hippies...
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Jordan's powerful Islamist opposition said on Saturday it would not join the reform-mandated government of prime minister-designate Awn Khasawneh, a decision reflecting its "pessimism."
"The executive offices of the Moslem Brüderbund and the Islamic Action Front ...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund... (IAF) decided, after a joint meeting, to refuse to participate in the government," read a statement on the Brotherhood's website.
"Pessimism replaced our original satisfaction because, according to leaks, it seems the new government will resemble its predecessors," it said.
"The delegation appointed to negotiate with Mr. Khasawneh will submit to the prime minister-designate a list of the Islamist movement's demands," the statement added without elaborating.
The state-run Petra news agency later said "the prime minister received on Saturday evening a delegation of the Islamist movement which expressed its refusal to take part in the (next) government."
The king last week dismissed the government of Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit and replaced him with Khasawneh, an International Court of Justice judge, instructing him to focus on political reform in Jordan.
Khasawneh is expected to announce his government on Monday, according to officials.
Since January, Jordan has faced protests demanding political and economic reforms and an end to corruption.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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#2
The majority of the people in Jordan are Paleos, but all the power are held by the Bedouins, who regard Paleos as dogs. In their attitudes towards life and things they are far more like the Saudis.
[An Nahar] President Michel Suleiman has halted the decision to promote officers in all security institutions because of the objection over the promotion of the head of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau Wissam al-Hassan, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.
Prominent March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... sources told the daily that Suleiman froze the promotions at the behest of Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... over their opposition to Hassan's promotion.
The Intelligence Bureau chief has been up for promotion since July.
The promotion is not restricted to him, but it includes officers in the army and ISF.
"The problem lies in the promotion of officers in the rank of colonel to brigadier general, which should be settled by the army and security chiefs," added the sources.
Meanwhile, ...back at the buffalo wallow, Tex and his new-found Indian friend were preparing a little surprise for the bandidos... Prime Minister Najib Miqati's sources told the daily that the decision over the bill over the promotion of officers is still in the hands of Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and it has not yet been transferred to the premiership.
As Safir newspaper reported on Saturday that Hizbullah and the FPM are still insistent on "removing all security symbols of the Hariri regime, especially individuals linked to the Special Tribunal for Leb."
The daily al-Liwaa said on Saturday that Charbel will try to tackle this issue once he returns to Beirut from his trip to La Belle France.
The March 8 forces ... the opposition to the Mar. 14th movement, consisting of Hizbullah and its allies, so-called in commemoration of their Mar. 8th, 2006 demonstration of strength in Beirut ... has been critical of Hassan's work in the past, accusing of him, among other things, of leaking the STL indictment in July.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Crap. (Bends over to recover breath.) Whew.
I though for a moment we were hearing about the Ft. Hood shooter. No such thing as too unbelievable for PC politics.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
10/23/2011 11:16 Comments ||
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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.
[An Nahar] Former President of the Special Tribunal for 
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton,
ISLAMABAD -- Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President 
MUMBAI: India had turned down slain Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafis request to help in setting up a nuclear plant in Libya, claimed a former unidentified Indian nuclear scientist, the Times of India reported on Saturday.
King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah,
Wazoo
Punjab
Pakistain has told the United States it is ready to facilitate its talks with the Taliban, but cannot become a guarantor to the negotiating process, a 
Senior leader of Pakistain Peoples Party and former federal law minister Dr Babar Awan on Saturday alleged PML-N of organising a rally with the help of nation's money and the 
Michel Aoun
Najib Miqati
