[Straits Times] THE UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution creating a UN mission in South Sudan that will include 7,000 peacekeepers and 900 civilians tasked with helping the decampedgling nation.
Send in the mighty Uruguayans!
The new mission, UNMISS, will take on a 'vital role... to support national authorities, in close consultation with international partners, to consolidate the peace and prevent a return to violence,' stated the resolution.
Unanimously adopted by the council's 15 members on the eve of South Sudan's official independence from the north, the text greenlights UNMISS to take over from the UN mission for the whole of Sudan, the bulk of whose peacekeeping forces were already in the south.
While the UN speaks of some 900 civilians and experts providing security assistance and other aid to the world's newest nation, a Western diplomat said the entirety of the international UN-linked assistance to South Sudan from various countries will total 2,000 civilians providing logistics capability.
The UN is especially seeking the contribution of women experts from developing countries, 'to help develop national capacity' in the country.
The mission has a tall order, as it seeks to help establish core government functions, provide basic services, establish rule of law, respect for human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... and management of natural resources.
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07/09/2011 00:00 ||
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[Emirates 24/7] Thousands of people erupted into the streets across Egypt on Friday to defend the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , directing their anger at the new military rulers over the slow pace of reform.
In the capital, rows of worshippers sat in Tahriri square -- the epicentre of protests that ousted Mubarak in February-- to listen to the Mohammedan Friday sermon.
Tents were pitched in the middle of the square, and a large sun shade covered the centre, providing relief from the scorching sun and temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius (about 99 Fahrenheit).
"Our revolution continues," read one banner on the side of the square.
Holding a large sign, one man complained: "We haven't felt any change. We removed Mubarak and got a Field Marshall."
He was referring to Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took power in February and has vowed to pave the way for a democratic system.
But the armed forces, hailed as heroes at the start of the uprising for not siding with Mubarak, have come under fire from local and international rights groups for alleged abuses.
"The revolution has brought some freedom, but we need more," said Mohammed al-Sayed, 20, a student at Cairo University.
"Nothing has changed," said Mohammed Abul Makarem, 18. "Change takes time, but there are reforms we can do now."
Tarek al-Kholy, a leader of the April 6 protest movement that helped launch the January uprising, said the revolt's slogan "Change, Freedom, Social Justice" still applied today.
"We want the cleansing of all state institutions of former regime members, including the universities and the judiciary. We want a reform of the interior ministry" Kholy told state TV.
"Five months after the ouster of Mubarak, we have not achieved our goals," he said.
Thousands also turned out in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and hundreds protested in the canal city of Suez.
The powerful Moslem Brüderbund, which at first dissociated itself from the rallies, announced at the last minute that it would be joining.
But the smaller Gamaa Islamiya said its members would stay away from the protests.
"The goal right now is to transfer power from the military to a civilian government. We do not support any act that will delay that process," Assem Abdel Maged told state TV.
Among the key demands at Friday's protests are the end to military trials of civilians, the sacking and trying of coppers accused of killing protesters, and the thorough and transparent trials of former regime officials.
Activists have repeatedly denounced the handling of legal proceedings against security forces who used violence in the uprising that toppled Mubarak, killing 846 civilians.
Pro-democracy activists say police officials responsible for repression before and during the revolt are still showing up for work.
Security forces on Friday were watching the rally from a distance, with police and army vehicles stationed in side streets, away from the view of protesters in the square, an AFP correspondent said.
Pro-democracy youth groups who called for the protest were in charge of security at the entrances to Tahrir, searching anyone heading into the square and demanding to see two forms of identity.
On Wednesday, the government urged those taking part in the demonstrations to "maintain the peaceful nature of the protest" warning against "plots aiming to incite chaos in order to tarnish the country's image."
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07/09/2011 00:00 ||
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After receiving reports that Pakistani terror groups are trying to set up bases in Bangladesh, India's Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna said on Friday it is imperative for the two nations to combat terror together.
During his three-day visit to Bangladesh, described as highly successful coming as it did after the controversy over PM Manmohan Singh remarks about ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami, Krishna raised the issue of terror camps allegedly being run by the ISI in the neighbouring country.
He told a leading Bangladeshi think-tank, "We face new challenges and non-traditional security threats. The rise of religious fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism are not unfamiliar to our region. Such forces sap away the strength of our societies, threaten our state systems and are an impediment to our advancement."
[An Nahar] Europe's rights court on Friday rejected two cases brought by Mohammedans against Switzerland's constitutional ban on the construction of new minarets.
The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights said it would not consider the cases because the plaintiffs "cannot claim to be 'victims' of a violation" of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court enforces.
One of the cases was brought by a former front man for the mosque of Geneva and the other by a number of Swiss Mohammedan associations.
Switzerland held a referendum in November 2009 in which citizens voted to ban the construction of new minarets, a move that drew criticism worldwide.
The vote inserted a new line in the Swiss constitution stipulating that "the construction of minarets is forbidden".
The plaintiffs had said the ban violated their religious rights, but judges in Strasbourg said they had not proven the ban "had any concrete effect" on the plaintiffs.
As the plaintiffs could not prove they planned to imminently erect a mosque with a minaret, they could not show they were subject to any discrimination, the judges said.
"The simple fact that this could be the case in the near or far future is not, in the eyes of the court, sufficient" to warrant the examination of the cases, the judges said.
The Strasbourg court is due to consider three more cases on the minaret ban.
Mohammedans account for just five percent of Switzerland's population of 7.5 million people, and form the third largest religion group after the dominant Roman Catholic and Protestant communities, although just 50,000 are estimated to worship openly.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I guess we know now where the "rights" judges keep their numbered accounts.
#2
...that, or given the quality of their performance in Libya, they didn't really relish the thought of having to invade Switzerland to enforce their decree.
Politics in Karachi is a war of demographics, and ethnic capital is its most potent weapon. The MQM since its inception has always had a demographic advantage in the city, but over the years, large scale immigration from the north has slowly eroded this edge. The violent nature of politics in Karachi has meant that as land and votes become more valuable, individual lives begins to lose their worth.
The current explosion of violence is not an aberration, and is especially not new to Orangi Town. 40 people lost their lives in one day last August after MQM parliamentarian Raza Haider (elected from Orangi Town) was assassinated. But then and now, the most dangerous aspect of the violence is that much of it is arbitrary. We refer to them as "targeted killings" but most of them are not. Gunmen open fire on buses suspected to be driven by or carrying Pashtun passengers. Indiscriminate fire is opened on a marketplace because the stores may be run by Muhajirs. People are killed because of their ethnicity and appearance, yet the distinction between both sides has become so weak that anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time can be killed for wearing a Pashtun shalwar kurta, or on the other side the Muhajir staple "pant-shirt." The majority of those killed in the last four days have been civilians caught in the crossfire or those targeted for their ethnicity alone. This wanton carnage works well for the respective political parties, as it perpetuates the propaganda that the other ethnic group is a threat to their existence and helps to establish the party's writ in the neighborhood. The animosity between the communities increases, further entrenching the political parties within their strongholds. Local elections and the local government system have also been a source of great tension, adding fuel to the turf war.
[Dawn] Pakistain on Friday criticised as "extremely irresponsible" remarks from the top US military officer saying that Islamabad may have approved the killing of Pak journalist Saleem Shahzad.
Admiral Mike Mullen, when asked about media reports that the Pak government approved Mr Shahzad's killing, said: "I haven't seen anything that would disabuse that report."
But when asked if Pakistain's intelligence service had been involved, Mullen said he could not confirm the allegation.
The remarks aggravated relations already strained by a covert US raid north of Islamabad in May that killed the late Osama bin Laden ... who went titzup one dark and stormy night... and the killing of two men by a CIA contractor in Lahore in January.
In a statement released by the information ministry, the government described Mullen's remarks, if true as attributed, as "extremely irresponsible" and said it "does not help" in getting to the bottom of Shahzad's death.
The government last month set up a judicial commission to investigate how the news hound died and the information ministry said such comments could be considered an attempt to influence the outcome of the inquiry.
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07/09/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] President of Pakistain, Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... ordered Sindh government on Friday to ensure people's safety in violence-hit Bloody Karachi, DawnNews reported.
Zardari gave these orders while attending a high level meeting called upon to discuss the current chaotic law and order situation of Bloody Karachi, the largest city and economical hub of the country.
The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... , Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Federal Home Minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. , Agha Siraj Durrani and Nadir Magsi.
An 'important report' on Bloody Karachi was being presented by the interior minister during the meeting. Rehman Malik also told about locating important 'hide-outs' of beturbanned goons and said actions were being taken against the same.
President Zardari directed the chief minister to ensure protection of precious human lives in Bloody Karachi, and ensured him of every possible help from the federal government in this regard.
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07/09/2011 00:00 ||
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This is a good synopsis of the Israeli sinking of the Gazoo Flotilla using lawfare and other means. Israel got smart and applied Sun Tzu and John Boyd's OODA Loop to the enemy. Another tactic in the toolkit. Read the whole thing.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/09/2011 13:01 ||
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#1
While "peace activists" send aid to fat Gazans in Somalia...
[Arab News] Jordanians demonstrated on Friday for the fifth week in a row in several cities calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit's government, the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and taking serious moves to punish corrupt officials, witnesses said. It's the system, not the man...
Hundreds of protesters erupted into the streets after Friday prayers in the city of Tafileh, 180 km south of Amman, to press their demand for Bakhit's ouster.
They issued a statement rejecting last week's reshuffle of Bakhit's cabinet as a fresh evidence of the government's "weak will" to carry out the needed political reforms and a move designed to "kill the public mobility."
"The decision-makers have to stop their procrastination, piracy and the cover-up they provide for corrupts," the statement said.
In the reshuffle, Bakhit appointed nine new ministers, including replacements for the ministers of the Interior, Justice and Health who resigned in connection with the fleeing of the convicted tycoon Khalid Shahin.
Shahin, who was serving a three-year jail term when he decamped to London on Feb. 25, is now in Frankfurt under the pretext of seeking medical treatment that he says he could not find locally.
Jordanian authorities said they were in contact with the German government seeking to ensure Shahin's extradition to Jordan.
Scores of activists demonstrated for the first time in the city of Mafraq, 50 km east of Amman, urging King Abdallah to sack the cabinet and dissolve the House of Representatives. They also called for Bakhit's trial over his role in the so-called 2007 casino deal, when his government then allowed a London-based investor to build a casino on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.
Samir Rifai, who succeeded Bakhit as premier, sought to annul the agreement in 2008, contending that it harmed Jordan's interests and involved taboos because Islamic teachings prohibit gambling.
The lower house voted recently to clear Bakhit of wrongdoings, but implicated former Tourism Minister Osama Dabbas.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2011 00:00 ||
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#3
Like, it's just not fair......it's so unjust like.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/09/2011 13:09 Comments ||
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#4
As per DRUDGEREPORT, Iran is claiming it has fired two LRBMS into the Indian Ocean from northern Iran for the first time, + while US airborne Recce were in the vicnity???
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.
Thousands of people 
Pakistain on Friday criticised as "extremely irresponsible" remarks from the top US military officer saying that Islamabad may have approved the killing of Pak journalist Saleem Shahzad.
Asif Ali 
