[Atlas Shrugs] The wholesale slaughter of Christians in Syria, Egypt, Nigeria, et al necessitates emergency asylum from sharia persecution. But Obama has done nothing to provide help and support to victims of Muslim persecution. Instead, Obama supports the jihad force. Every time. Obama admin unilaterally changes law to allow immigrants with limited terror contact into US, Daily Caller, February 5, 2014 (thanks to TH) The Obama administration has issued new exemptions to a law that bars certain asylum-seekers and refugees who provided limited material support to terrorists who are believed to pose no threat from the U.S. Obviously no new congressionally backed immigration bill is needed. The emperor has issued his decree.
#2
Hispanomerika, Sino-Amerika, Islamo-Amerika + the final self-imposed end of America's traditional WASP-ISH identity - will the DemoLeft + aligned Pol/Govt-critters once again complain about the very changes or chaos that they themselves did much or all to cause - INTENTIONALLY - for the sake of political power + vain nepotism!?
EYES WIDE OPEN, NOT EYES WIDE SHUT.
OOOOOPPPPSS, my bad, I forgot the MSM-Net scenario about a future Hispanic or Asian Amerika that is also overwhelmingly Muslim.
#3
DO THE COMMIES KNOW???
I dunno about that, but I keep reading reports of mainland Chinese with loads of cash buying real estate in the USA, and also of plans to send thousands of promising mainland Chinese high school students to small town school districts all over the midwest starting in the junior year of high school. Apparently the hope with that plan is the high schoolers can graduate with US high school diplomas & theoretically have better chances at US higher education. Their expenses are being paid by their families, although I'm not sure who is paying for the necessary organization and support personnel.
[MAGHAREBIA] As takfir ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... ism continues to spread across the Maghreb, Tunisians agree it is time to disavow Death Eater views and stop labelling people with apostasy.
Members of the Regional Federation of Labour in Kairouan were taken aback when they found takfirist graffiti on the front wall of their office on January 28th.
"How many infidels crossed this entrance?" Shems FM quoted the graffiti as saying.
Authorities have identified the suspected perpetrator. Zouhair, who declined to give his full name because he is a neighbour of the suspect, said, "This young man became hysterical after the ratification of the constitution, which he considered to be establishing an infidel state."
"He thought Ennahda and the UGTT coalesced to prevent the implementation of Islamic law in Tunisia," he told Magharebia.
According to security sources, the alleged culprit may soon appear before a judge.
"I hope it is an isolated incident and not instigated by Death Eater groups. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... every incident excommunicating people must be confronted no matter its size," trade union activist Abdellah Khammasi told Magharebia.
This was not the first time the UGTT was exposed to a demonising campaign.
Last October, the interior ministry informed the UGTT of "serious threats" against its leaders, aimed at thwarting the union's mediation efforts in resolving the political crisis that ensued from the liquidation of opposition leader Mohammed Brahmi.
"The direction of the UGTT was informed about the existence of serious threats targeting its leaders," the union's website read.
Threat letters against UGTT chief Houcine Abbasi were published in syndicate's Echaab paper in December: "Abassi, we have decided to eliminate you on January 14. Either you meet Ennahda or we will put an end to your life."
But the new Tunisian constitution aims to remedy this situation by banning accusations of apostasy.
The new constitution "resolved the matter and made Tunisians recognise that excommunication is a crime punishable by law. This is a good thing that would make bully boyz re-examine their interpretation of religious affairs before uttering a word," said Shafiq Gharbi, a teacher.
As for Zainab Riahi, a civil society activist, she said criminalising the excommunication of others was a step "that must be followed by other moves on the ground".
"It should also be accompanied by other legal amendments and more stringent control of speeches made in mosques," she said, in order to stop every John Doe from issuing "religious edicts about matters he does not know or with which he is unfamiliar".
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Pak Daily Times] Egypt's army said on Thursday a Kuwaiti newspaper "misinterpreted" comments by its chief, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, that he will run for the presidency, saying he will make an announcement directly to the Egyptian people.
Field Marshal Sisi, bolstered by a surge in popularity after he overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... in July, is widely expected to contest and win an election due by mid-April
He has already received backing from the top military council, and his aides privately say he has made up his mind to stand for office.
The country came close to receiving confirmation when Kuwait's Al-Seyassah newspaper ran an interview with Sisi early Thursday in which he said he would put himself forward.
"Yes, the matter has been decided and I have no choice but to respond to the call of the Egyptian people," the paper quoted him as saying.
"The call (of the people) has been heard everywhere and I will not reject it. I will seek a renewal of confidence of the people through free voting."
The military later said the newspaper had "misinterpreted" his remarks, without elaborating, adding that Sisi would formally make such an announcement directly to the people.
"What was published... is nothing but journalistic interpretations that are not direct declarations from Field Marshal Sisi," army front man Colonel Ahmed Ali said in a statement.
Sisi would need to resign as army chief, defence minister and deputy prime minister before nominating himself.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Egypt Independent] The lawyer of the Two Saints Church in Alexandria said the church is currently looking to take new legal actions, including a new lawsuit reported to the Supreme State Security Prosecution with new documents, information and facts to compel the Interior Ministry to announce the inquiries and investigations made to the church case.
The Two Saints Church suffered a terrorist bombing on the eve of 2011 new year, which killed 24 people and left more than 100 injured.
The lawyer, Joseph Malak, said the new documents suggests that certain political trends are involved in the attack, but refused to disclose any further information.
He also expressed his fear that the Interior Ministry is ignoring the church's complaint, as it has previously done.
He stressed that investigations have been stalled for three years, leaving no hope to get retribution for deaders and injured. He blamed the interior Ministry for slowing down in the process of the case.
The Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria and the families of the deaders and the injured have filed a lawsuit against the president, prime minister, the interior minister and the attorney general, blaming them for the failure to complete the investigations and inquiries into the case so far. This took place during Mohammed Morsy's term as president, which has made him a defendant in the case.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Egypt Independent] French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... would probably have to renew a French mandate for French troops to restore order in Central African Republic when it expires in May.
La Belle France deployed 1,600 troops there in December to try to stem violence between Christian militias and largely Mohammedan Seleka rebels who ousted President Francois Bozize last March.
Catherine Samba-Panza, the interim president, says she hopes to restore order within a month, though Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... has warned Seleka fighters who fled the capital Bangui have regrouped in the northeast and begun attacks on civilians.
Government soldiers lynched a man in the capital on Wednesday whom they suspected of having been a rebel, underscoring security concerns in a country that plans to hold elections in February next year.
Asked during an RTL radio interview whether La Belle France's six-month U.N. mandate, granted on December 5, would have to be renewed, Le Drian said: "Probably".
The defense minister said that the French mission helped ease tensions and that the situation was improving day by day.
"The situation in Bangui has more or less stabilized," Le Drian said. "In the rest of the country it is much more complicated".
The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... agreed last month to send around 500 troops to Central African Republic to support the French-African mission there.
French troops intervened alone for the second time last year after ousting Salafist tough guys in Mali, another former African colony.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Seleka
[An Nahar] The Canadian government on Thursday proposed sweeping changes to the country's immigration laws, including a provision that would strip citizenship from persons convicted of terrorism or spying.
The measure specifically targets individuals with dual citizenship found to have "membership in an armed force or organized gang engaged in armed conflict with Canada," a government blurb said.
It also targets anyone "convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason or spying offenses," the statement said.
Penalties for immigration fraud would also increase, and applicants would have to commit to residing in the country and curbing their foreign travels -- a move aimed at tens of thousands of Canadian passport holders living abroad.
"Canadians understand that citizenship should not be simply a passport of convenience," said Immigration Minister Chris Alexander in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Not to worry, Obama will give them amnesty...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/07/2014 10:32 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Coming soon to the Canadian Human Rights Commission?
[WashingtonExaminer] House Republicans have set up a new website focused on the Benghazi attack and the circumstances surrounding it that promises to bring the facts about the deadly assault "straight to the American people."
In a release announcing the website, Speaker John It is not pronounced 'Boner!' Boehner ... the occasionally weepy leader of House Republicans... 's office says "House Republicans are leading the fight for answers and for justice" on the deadly terrorist assault that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
[FoxNews] The B.O. regime has unilaterally eased restrictions on asylum seekers with loose or incidental ties to terror and bully boy groups, in a move one senator called "deeply alarming."
The change, approved by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... , was announced Wednesday in the Federal Register. It would allow some individuals who provided "limited material support" to terror groups to be considered for entry into the U.S.
Supporters of the change, including Sen. Patrick Leahy ...Democrat Senator-for-Life from Vermont, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, source of more leaks than a plumber could keep up with... , D-Vt., argued that the current ban on anyone who has ever aided turbans has unfairly blocked thousands of refugees.
"The existing interpretation was so broad as to be unworkable," Leahy said in a statement. "It resulted in deserving refugees and asylees being barred from the United States for actions so tangential and minimal that no rational person would consider them supporters of terrorist activities."
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., complained that the administration was, on its own, altering the Immigration and Nationality Act. "What is the point of Congress passing a law if the administration abuses its 'discretion' to say that law simply no longer applies?" he said.
The Washington Times also reported Thursday that a 2009 fraud assessment found at least 70 percent of asylum applications had signs of fraud.
[FoxNews] Newly reported details about a 52-minute sniper attack on a central Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, electrical substation last year are raising concerns from Capitol Hill and beyond, amid questions over whether it was the work of terrorists.
The April 16, 2013, attack had not been widely publicized until The Wall Street Journal reported new details in a story on Wednesday. The attack reportedly started when at least one person entered an underground vault to cut telephone cables, and attackers fired more than 100 shots into Pacific Gas & Electric's Metcalf transmission substation, knocking out 17 transformers. Electric officials were able to avert a blackout, but it took 27 days to repair the damage.
The FBI doesn't think the incident was a terror attack, an agency front man told the Journal. However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at the time, disagrees.
Wellinghoff went public with the story after briefing federal agencies, Congress and the White House, citing national security concerns and fear that electric-grid sites don't have adequate protection.
In addition, retired PG&E executive Mark Johnson said at an industry gathering a few months ago that he feared the attack was a dress rehearsal for a larger event, according to the Journal.
The New York Post adds more detail, including this:
In October, former CIA director Jim Woolsey said in a Commonwealth Club appearance that video from the incident showed a group of three or four men, in a "disciplined military fashion," had conducted the attacks. He provided details about how they systematically fired their weapons, and said they "quickly and professionally disposed of everything they had."
#3
3dc and I have discussed this issue quite a bit over the last 3 years. We have a very large grid of critical nodes from power generation, transmission and distribution. The nodes are large and critical. As shown from brownouts and blackouts in the northeast, to the latest incident in the article, The system is not flexible and robust. It is basically a centralized system with relatively few nodes, so it cannot take a hit without major disruption.
Centralized systems are inherently unstable. Better to decentralize more for stability and resilience. Nature does this.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/07/2014 12:34 Comments ||
Top||
#4
The FBI doesn't think the incident was a terror attack, an agency front man told the Journal.
Sure, and that was a tree branch that knocked the US northeast off the grid some years ago.
#5
There is too much of a grid to provide sustain overt protection. You have to rely upon the locals being alert to unusual comings and goings. However, you try to go out and grab guns as part of extending the grip of the oligarchs, both the guns and non-cooperation of locals will make the urbanite political base cold and hungry rather quickly. Yep, I can see some Donks expressing alarm, but of course not curtailing their ever growing lust for more authoritarian power.
#7
Without being too specific, Gorb, a large portion of 'switchyard' and generation station materials are manufactured someplace other than the US (or the western hemisphere).
You're always waiting for a freighter from the other side of the world. (and US CUSTOMS!)
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/07/2014 15:46 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Sure, and that was a tree branch that knocked the US northeast off the grid some years ago.
I believe that, since the tree in question is only a few miles from here. It's a little known fact that my town surrounding that tree never lost power on that day in August 2003. It's a public power town which had earlier secured its own feed independent of the north east grid, yet is surrounded by territory dependent on that grid. The major line that was the start of the disruption just passes through my town in a utility right of way, but does not supply it with power. The night of the big power failure, my town was alight in a sea of near total darkness, a very weird sight to see. That night after sundown I hiked along the margin between the darkness & the light to check it out.
The other weird but expected sight was a long string of headlights coming from every direction out of the dark areas around us -- people driving into town to buy beer, cold milk & ice. It was a hot night. We sold out of those items in a couple of hours.
Note: that critical high voltage line is still there, and the power companies since 2003 have put much more effort into pruning trees along those rights of way, here and elsewhere in the entire northeast (and probably country wide). There are several public parks which overlap the transmission line rights of way. IMNSHO it doesn't look very difficult for a man with a sniper rifle to cut some of those HV lines from a safe distance from points on park land and get away without being detected.
An electrician I know casually told me he was doing work in downtown Akron, not far from here, and found an unlocked and unlabeled switch box in a public garage adjacent to an AT&T office (this was years ago). It had fiberoptic lines and electric power, source not labeled either. He talked his way into the AT&T office & eventually contacted management who confirmed this box was part of the control system for the NE power grid. Why this vulnerable point was neither labeled or protected, although accessible to the general public, was never explained. This conversation was over a couple of beers, and I am not an electrician, but have no reason to doubt the story's accuracy.
[DAWN] The government declared on Thursday that the two nuclear power plants being built in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... were completely safe.
However, women are made to be loved, not understood... certain remarks by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad in response to a call attention notice of PPP's Saeed Ghani caused peals of laughter in the house, indicating that the minister had no knowledge at all of the issue.
"God forbid, if any kaboom takes place in the (nuclear) plant, it will not cause damage beyond the radius of five to seven kilometres," he said amid loud laughter both in the hall and the galleries.
"Do you know the effects of radiation? Do you want to say that the plants are safe," Chairman Nayyar Bokhari interrupted, thus providing a chance to the minister to bring the situation under control.
Sheikh Aftab's simple reply that "man can only try" in response to Mr Ghani's query about the plan to evacuate such a large population in case of an emergency also caused laughter.
At one point, the minister said the Chinese experts had carried out thorough study before launching the project and they had said that "Insha Allah, there will be no damage from this project".
The minister then went on to say that there were many ordnance factories working in Havelian and other places in the country and the population around them was completely safe.
PPP's Farhatullah Babar criticised the minister's statement that the effects of the nuclear kaboom would only be felt within a 7km radius and even asked him to withdraw it, adding that "by making such a thoughtless statement the minister had only sown the seeds of doubt in the minds of people and done a great disservice to the nation's nuclear programme".
Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq came to the rescue of the minister when PPP's Raza Rabbani said the minister did not even know the difference between a nuclear plant and an arms factory.
Mr Haq assured the house that the government would take every step possible for the safety of the people of Karachi and other areas around nuclear plants.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[13 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
"God forbid, if any kaboom takes place in the (nuclear) plant, it will not cause damage beyond the radius of five to seven kilometres," he said amid loud laughter both in the hall and the galleries.
With that level of expertise, he could be a member of Congress from Houston, or be heading the committee concerned with the national helium reserve.
[DAWN] Negotiators for the Pak government and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) met Thursday for a first round of peace talks aimed at ending the myrmidons' bloody seven-year insurgency.
The two sides gathered at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... House in Islamabad for a preliminary meeting to chart a "roadmap" for future discussions, amid deep scepticism over whether dialogue can yield a lasting peace deal.
Following the meeting which lasted almost four hours, Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... read out a joint statement to the media.
According to the blurb, the two sides met under a cordial environment.
The government committee demanded that talks be held within the framework of the constitution, and that the scope of the peace talks be limited to only the insurgency-affected areas of Pakistain.
The government committee also said that all activities which may affect peace efforts should immediately be stopped, and that talks should be smoothly concluded in a short timeframe.
Referring to the 10-member Taliban monitoring committee, the government negotiators sought clarification regarding scope and authority of both TTP teams.
On the other hand, the Pak Taliban committee urged the government to clarify the mandate and level of authority of its four member committee, and its ability to implement a peace pact.
The Taliban team also demanded that their meetings be held with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , the army chief and the DG ISI.
Journalists were not allowed to ask questions following the joint blurb.
The government's negotiators include Irfan Siddiqui, special assistant to the prime minister and coordinator of the committee, Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former Pakistain ambassador to Afghanistan, Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. -based journalist Rahimullah Yousufzai and retired Major Amir Khan.
Negotiators from the TTP's side include Maulana Samiul Haq, Maulana Abdul Aziz and Professor Mohammad Ibrahim.
Initial peace talks failed to get under way Tuesday when the government delegation refused to meet the myrmidons' negotiators, citing confusion about the make-up of their team.
The TTP had initially also nominated Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... and former Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... (JUI-F) politician Mufti Kifayatullah in their committee. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... both later refused to be part of the committee.
In a statement Tuesday, the TTP front man Shahidullah Shahid said that Mualana Samiul Haq and his two colleagues had their blessing to go ahead with the negotiations without Khan or Kifayatullah.
"The three-member committee is final now and we have our full confidence in it to hold talks," he had said.
The Taliban committee is now expected to travel to Wazoo to convey the progress of the negotiations to the TTP leadership.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Meaning 30% DO "trust" the Obama regime, which basically parallels Obama's US domestic polls of trust and confidence. Evidently there will always be the lagging 30%.
#6
See also TOPIX > [Daily Mail.UK] KOREA TENSIONS RISE OVER CLAIMS [South Korean Coastal Defence vessel] WARSHIP WAS SUNK BY TORPEDO.
China-ordered, NOKOR-launched???
The USS GEORGE WASHINGTON CVN wasn't around due to scheduled rotation back to CONUS for reactor refueling + ship upgrade, so the DPRK had to attack something else???
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > US WARNS CHINA OVER ["risky"] ACTIVITY NEAR SENKAKUS - JAPAN TIMES.
RELATED TOPIX = ... ...
> [SCMP] KERRY VOWS US WILL DEFEND JAPAN AGZ JAPAN.
Nice, but its the Bammer whom is the CIC.
> [Voice of America] US STRESSES COMMITMENT TO DEFEND JAPAN.
* Also from TOPIX > [Xinhuanet] CHINA SAYS US "IRRESPONSIBLE" OVER SOUTH CHINA SEA ADIZ.
RELATED SAME > US ASKS CHINA TO CLARIFY OR AMEND SOUTH CHINA SEA CLAIMS.
* SAME > [SCMP, The Peninsula] CHINA INSULTS SHOW PHILIPPINES IS RIGHT, SAYS [PHIL President]BENIGNO AQUINO.
* SAME > [SCMP] MOSCOW REJECTS BEIJING'S OFFER TO COOPERATE ON TERRITORIAL DISPUTES WID JAPAN.
* WORLD NEWS > [The Hindu] US FEARS CHINA TERRITORIAL "CREEP".
* SAME, BIGNEWSNETWORK > [US DNI Chief] CLAPPER: SENSE OF MANIFEST DESTINY/DESTINY DRIVES CHINA AGGRESSION.
* WORLD NEWS > ONLY A "GRAND COMPROMISE" [grand bargain] BETWEEN US AND CHINA CAN REDUCE EAST CHINA SEA TENSIONS.
Its NOT the Bammer unilaterally PCorrectly surrendering East Asia + GUAM-WESTPAC + 1/2 of the Pacific [More? Hawaii?]to China - D *** NG IT, ITS A BILATERAL STRATEGIC "GRAND COMPROMISE/BARGAIN"!
Well there ya go - iff that's NOT Political honesty + John Wayne, etc. I don't know what is!?
* CHINA DAILY FORUM > CHINA SUBMARINE [JL-2] CAN NUKE HAWAII, ALASKA - [USNI] REPORT, as well as significant areas of the US West Coast.
Don't be silly, Moriarity, why would China + PLA nuke its own future offshore province of Hawaii, + its NOT good OWG Globalism = 1/2-1/2 "sharing of the Pacific" equals 2/3-1/3 or 3/4-1/4 [7/8-1/8?]in good Commie-Globie math???
Lest we fergit, RIGHT BEHIND CHINA'S SIX COMES OWG NUCLEAR CALIPHATE = SOON-TO-BE-NUCLEAR ISLAM.
[Jerusalem Post] Justice Minister Tzipi Livni blasted on Thursday Israeli "hypocrites" whose actions could threaten to derail the ongoing peace process with the Palestinians, Israel Radio cited her as saying Thursday at a conference at Bar-Ilan University.
There are critics in the government who claim to support peace, but in actuality use the argument of security as a cover for ideological opposition to a peace agreement, the chief Israeli negotiator said.
"I am ready to fight with the world on the important issues for all of us, to convince of the righteousness of Zionism, and Israel's security needs and preservation of the settlement in Israeli territory," Livini said.
However, she added that she was "not ready for us to pay the price for the ideological minority that prefers isolated settlement blocks."
Following the approval on Wednesday of construction permits for more than 550 new housing units over the Green Line, Livni charged opponents of the peace process with voicing false support for the talks while continuing controversial building "to the point of no return."
Livni also defended US Secretary of State John Kerry in light of recent Israeli criticism over remarks he made about the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating process.
Earlier Thursday, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett accused the United States of making mistakes in regional diplomatic efforts that have threatened Israeli security. Firing back at critics, Livni lauded Kerry as the first foreign diplomat to defend Israeli interests in the international arena. Whether you agree with her on the settlement issue or not, Livni is one of the most powerful women in the world today, and likely be the second female Prime Minister of Israel. Livni indicated Kerry's comments regarding boycotts were "merely expressing his concern for Israel's future." Her defense of Kerry is likely, more a prudent defense of long-term US relationships, and not Kerry personally. I doubt her background and innate intelligence would permit much Kerry snuggling.
If she is indeed elected, may God watch closely over Israel for the duration, and may America in the meanwhile elect a president who is neither a useful idiot nor an instrument of the Devil.
#5
Watch Bibi steal her party right underneath her.
Is that what the fuss about Netanyahu realigning with her party and letting Bennett of Habayit Hayehudi* go is all about, g(r)omgoru? To be honest, I find Israeli politics ever more incomprehensible.
* If Bennett and HH are actually connected. See previous sentence, above.
#6
Israeli Politics are simple TW. Everybody feels we shouldn't upset the Goyim---especially our patrons*. To what extent the above should be balanced against immediate survival is a matter of dissent. And, of course, there are lots of opportunists---like every other nation.
-------
*That's how Jews been surviving for the last 80 generations.
[An Nahar] The United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... announced Thursday there would be a "humanitarian pause" in the besieged Syrian city of Homs, allowing civilians to leave, though no immediate movement was expected.
The agreement with Syria's government also clears the way for the delivery of essential lifesaving supplies for about 2,500 civilians, U.N. front man Farhan Haq told news hounds, citing comments from Valerie Amos, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief.
Rebel-held Old City areas of central Homs have come under near-daily shelling ever since the army blockaded them in June 2012.
If the Homs agreement enters into force it would be the first such gesture by Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... 's regime since negotiations with the Syrian opposition and involving world powers were held in Geneva last month.
According to Syria's state news agency, "authorities will implement the deal by providing the necessary humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter and medical aid for innocent civilians who leave" the besieged districts.
In New York, U.N. front man Haq said Amos was monitoring the situation closely.
"We need to see unhindered continuous and safe access for humanitarian workers to the millions of people trapped," Haq, quoting Amos, added.
In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomed the deal and said food and supplies had been placed on the outskirts of Homs but they would not be delivered until safety is assured.
"This does not mean that a convoy will start rolling now. It's too late in the day," OHCHR front man Jens Laerke said of the deal and U.N. aid staff on the ground.
"They're not going to travel by night, but the agreement for delivery is there, and that is what we are welcoming. You may only hear about the actual delivery when it has taken place. And that is simply to ensure the safety of our staff."
An agreement to allow civilians to leave Homs was announced at the recent Geneva talks but the Syrian government and the opposition later accused each other of blocking the plan.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[An Nahar] Syria must move faster to remove its deadly chemical weapons stockpile and meet the June 30 deadline set for destroying its arsenal, the U.N. Security Council demanded Thursday.
The 15 member nations "call upon the Syrian Arab Republic to expedite actions to meet its obligations," the council's president for the month, Lithuania's U.N. ambassador Raimonda Murmokaite, told news hounds..
The chemical weapons must be transported to the Syrian port of Latakia "in a systematic and sufficiently accelerated manner," Murmokaite insisted, after summarizing the closed door discussions the council held earlier Thursday with Sigrid Kaag, who is tasked with coordinating Syria's disarmament.
Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... has pledged to eliminate Syria's entire chemical weapons arsenal by the end of June or face sanctions, including the possible use of force.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[An Nahar] A string of recent bombings in Leb, many of them suicide kabooms, has raised fears of a homegrown jihadist threat driven by the Syrian civil war across the border.
Since July, a series of ten kabooms have hit Leb, six of them involving jacket wallahs.
The attacks have been claimed by various jihadist groups, some of them linked to organizations fighting across the border in Syria, including Al-Nusra Front in Leb, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... (ISIL).
The groups say they are targeting Hizbullah for fighting in Syria alongside the regime.
A Lebanese military source, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , said the growth of jihadist groups was an inevitable result of the Syrian conflict.
"We were expecting it would spread here. If your neighbor's house is on fire, it's no surprise if your house catches on fire too," he told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"Terrorism has begun, regardless of the reasons and causes," he said.
The source said the different names of the groups meant little on the ground.
"Their ideology is the ideology of al-Qaeda, and al-Qaeda's ideology is known for not accepting the other. All of these groups... feed on this ideology," he said.
Leb is no stranger to violence, with a 1975-1990 civil war that included a spate of kabooms against Western embassies and military targets, some carried out by suicide bombers from Hizbullah.
Now the tactic has returned to haunt the group, as it has been adopted by Sunni Death Eaters bitterly opposed to Hizbullah's decision to fight alongside Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... against a Sunni-led rebellion.
"For the al-Qaeda jihadists, Leb provided their logistical needs for Syria. Once they became more powerful and had a supportive environment, they turned the country into a land of jihad," the military source said.
Neighborhoods considered Hizbullah strongholds have been bombed multiple times, with scores of civilians killed, and in August 2013 a double attack hit the Sunni town of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... .
In an echo of the 2005 liquidation of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, an anti-Syrian political figure was killed in a bombing in downtown Beirut in December.
"Leb has witnessed an alarming increase in jihadi activities in recent months," said Rafael Lefevre, a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center.
"The turning point came last April when Hizbullah recognized (publicly) that it was sending fighters to help the Syrian regime crush the rebels."
He said Leb was not yet a major jihadist base, in part because its unique religious diversity "makes the overwhelming majority of its population wary of extremism."
But the country is attractive to jihadists "because the state security apparatus is relatively weak, which enables groups to carry out a range of underground activities."
And he said there was potential recruiting ground in Leb because of the "growing number of people disaffected with the Lebanese state, especially in the poverty belts of major urban areas."
The assessment is born out by reports that jihadist groups are particularly active in the impoverished parts of northern Tripoli as well as the Ain al-Helweh Paleostinian refugee camp.
On January 25, a previously unknown figure by the name of Abu Sayyaf al-Ansari announced the formation of the Lebanese branch of ISIL, which is fighting in Syria.
He said the announcement was made from Tripoli, which is already the scene of regular festivities between Sunni residents of the Bab al-Tebbanah district and Alawite residents of neighboring Jabal Mohsen, who share the same Shiite offshoot faith of Assad.
Local sources say Abu Sayyaf is unknown to security services, religious figures or Salafist groups in Tripoli, but the military source acknowledged a growing jihadist presence there.
"There are reports of al-Qaeda supporters and recently of the formation of ISIL in the city involving Lebanese, Syrians and some Paleostinians from the camps, but so far these groups have no bases or organizational structures," he said.
Ties between Lebanese citizens and groups fighting the Syrian regime already exist, with a unknown number of Sunni Lebanese crossing the border to fight alongside rebel groups.
The military source said Al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's official branch in Syria, had been present in Leb since the beginning of the conflict.
And he confirmed that the so-called Al-Nusra Front in Leb was linked to its Syrian counterpart.
Lefevre warned that "sporadic jihadi attacks in Leb will continue until a settlement between regime and opposition is found in Syria which will facilitate Hizbullah's withdrawal."
But the military source warned that even an end to the conflict in Syria would be unlikely to halt jihadism in Leb, calling it "an issue that will take years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[14 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
[An Nahar] The army and security forces are implementing a security plan in the South after a rise in the rate of terrorist bombings targeting Shiite areas and amid reports that the supporters of Salafist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir ...Leb Salafist holy man with the usual grouch against Shiites. Currently on the run, he seems intent on reigniting the Leb civil war... and other turbans would carry out attacks in southern cities and towns.
Al-Joumhouria newspaper on Thursday quoted security sources as saying that the plan was in the initial implementation stage and came upon the request of the leaderships of Hizbullah and Amal movement.
The military and police launched the plan 45 days ago after a green light by the governor of the South, Nicolas Bou Daher, in an attempt to thwart boom-mobileings or attacks by jacket wallahs in cities and towns in the South.
A series of deadly bombings have targeted Shiite districts of Beirut's southern suburbs and the eastern Bekaa valley in recent months. Hizbullah has a strong presence in the districts, and the attacks are believed to be in retaliation for the Shiite group's armed intervention in Syria in support of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... against the majority Sunni rebels seeking to topple him.
The same sources told al-Joumhouria that the plan includes the erection of checkpoints in search for stolen cars, which the Death Eaters are booby-trapping to target the Shiite areas.
The members of the checkpoints have the list of names of wanted individuals with ties to the latest terrorist attacks and the list of vehicles and cycle of violences that have violated rules, they said.
A similar security plan has been placed in the southern city of Sidon, which witnessed in June deadly gunbattles between the Lebanese army and al-Asir's gunnies.
Several of his supporters have told Sherlocks that the Salafist sheikh is hiding at the Paleostinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hellhole along with Fadel Shaker, a once pop idol, who disappeared as a bearded, gun-toting hard-liner.
The plan includes surveillance of the Ein el-Hellhole and Rashidiyeh camps, which both include bad boys, over fears that they could target mosques in Sidon and different areas in the South, the sources said.
By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the refugee camps, leaving security inside to the Paleostinians themselves.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said the unfinished Arak reactor could be modified to produce less plutonium in a bid to reassure the West, local media reported Thursday.
The Arak site is of concern to Western nations because Tehran could theoretically extract weapons-grade plutonium from its spent fuel if it also builds a reprocessing facility, potentially giving it a second route to an atomic bomb.
"Here we can do some design change ... in order to produce less plutonium in this reactor and in this way allay the worries and mitigate the concerns," Salehi said, according to a transcript of his interview with the English-language Press TV website.
"Weapon-grade plutonium is not produced by this reactor. This reactor will produce about 9 kilograms of plutonium, but not weapon-grade plutonium," Salehi added.
"This reactor is a research reactor. It is for the purpose of producing radio-isotopes and making other tests," Salehi said, adding that Iran does not intend to build a reprocessing plant.
Western nations and Israel have long suspected Iran of covertly pursuing nuclear weapons alongside its civilian program, allegations denied by Tehran, which insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.
A top U.S. diplomat, Wendy Sherman, said earlier this week that Iran did not need some of its nuclear facilities, including the Arak reactor, in order to have a peaceful program.
When asked why Iran will not abandon the Arak reactor, Salehi said "it is a scientific achievement, it is a technological achievement... We see no point stopping the work on this reactor."
Salehi added that the reactor could not be brought online for at least three years.
Iran struck an interim nuclear deal with world powers in November under which it agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear work in exchange for the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets and limited relief from crippling sanctions.
It also committed not to make further advances at its Arak, Fordo and Natanz facilities.
The interim agreement, which took effect January 20, is intended to buy time for the negotiation of a comprehensive accord that would resolve the decade-long impasse over Iran's nuclear program.
According to Mark Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. State Department official now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, changing Arak's design so that it cannot produce weapons-grade plutonium might be something the world powers press for in the final accord.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[An Nahar] Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc on Thursday warned against any "maneuvering" that might harm "national partnership" in the cabinet formation process, hinting that 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 ... will challenge the constitutionality of any government it does not approve of.
"Terrorism has gone too far in threatening the Lebanese, paralyzing economy and targeting the elements of strength, in a bid to pave the ground for foreign hegemony over the country," the bloc warned after its weekly meeting, in a statement recited my MP Hasan Fadlallah.
The bloc called for "implementing a comprehensive, deterrent national plan by the official authorities and agencies, with the help of all Lebanese components, in order to preserve security, achieve stability and rein in terrorism and its crimes."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
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.
[Pak Daily Times] Egypt's army said on Thursday a Kuwaiti newspaper "misinterpreted" comments by its chief, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, that he will run for the presidency, saying he will make an announcement directly to the Egyptian people.
Nawaz Sharif
Wazoo
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
