[Tolo News] General Faqir Jowzjani, the Police Chief of Jowzjan province, said Tuesday that Illegal Armed Groups (IAGs) were causing major security threats in the area, and suggested that things got worse when General Abdul Rashid Dostum ...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier... , the First Vice Presidential candidate of Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in the 2014 Presidential elections, was Chief of Army Staff.
The Police Chief claimed that government officials were involved in weapons distribution, but he refused to provide any names.
He reported that Qosh Tapa and Darz Ab Districts were under the biggest security threats in the province.
"Illegal weapons have been distributed in some districts and villages in the province, but we will find a solution to the issue or register them within the police department," Faqir Jowzjani said. "The weapons were distributed during the days when General Dostom was serving as Chief of Army Staff."
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido stepped from behind the suit of armor, rapier in hand. Ciccolini snarled and reached for his own weapon... Hezb-e-Junbesh-e-Milli Afghanistan led by General Dostom has rejected the claims.
"We strongly reject that report that Jawozjan has became one of the most insecure provinces in recent times," said Bashir Ahmad Tayyanj, the front man of Hezb-e-Junbesh-e-Milli Afghanistan.
Dostum came under fire back in September when he filed his nomination for the elections, despite being having the reputation in many Afghan communities and abroad for having been involved in human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... abuses and war crimes during the 1990s civil war.
Dostum issued a public apology for his misdeeds all those years ago, which was received with a mix of modest approval and strong condemnation.
Faqir Jowzjani said that local police forces are on full alert and focusing on providing security for the elections in April. He admitted that that at least nine polling stations remained under serious security threat.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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despite being having the reputation in many Pashtun Afghan communities and abroad for having been involved in human rights abuses and war crimes during the 1990s civil war.
"hey, it was a different time!"
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12/18/2013 15:13 Comments ||
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[Al Ahram] An Egyptian appeal court has rejected the appeal of radical holy man Abu Islam who was tossed in the clink Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! after burning a Bible at a protest.
Abu Islam's sentence, originally set at 11 years in prison, was reduced by the court to five years.
Ahmed Abdullah, a radical TV preacher known as Abu Islam, burned copies of the Bible during a rally against an anti-Islam film outside the US embassy in Cairo on 11 September 2012. He also told the crowd he would send his grandson to urinate on the Bible.
In June, a court sentenced him to 11 years in prison and a LE3,000 fine over the incident. His son, who had been sentenced to eight years and a LE2,000 fine, also saw his sentence reduced on Tuesday, to five years.
In a separate case in July 2013, a court sentenced Abu Islam to three years in prison for offending Christianity.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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...and, I imagine, there's a holy day commin' up...
[Al Ahram] Ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ... 10th president of Algeria. He was elected in 1999 and is currently on his third or fourth term, who will probably die in office of old age... is "well-informed" of developments in Algeria, despite having been largely unseen for months because of health woes, French premier Jean-Marc Ayrault said Tuesday after meeting him. The 76-year-old president, in power since 1999, returned home in July after nearly three months in La Belle France recovering from a mini-stroke.
"Our 45-minute meeting went very well. He has been very brave since his illness," Ayrault told journalists in the western city of Oran, on the last of his two-day visit to Algeria.
"He is very well-informed on the different issues. I was very surprised by how he is following the situation."
Despite persistent questions about his ability to rule, Bouteflika was last month designated his party's candidate in the 2014 presidential election, indicating that he will run for a fourth term.
A frail-looking Bouteflika returned to Algeria wheelchair-ridden in July following 80 days of treatment at a Gay Paree hospital after what his doctors described as a mini-stroke.
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[Egypt Independent] Legal Adviser to Al-Azhar University Mustafa al-Argawy said the eight university professors referred to investigation Monday preached to students about political matters that were unrelated to university work but fall under the charges of clear incitement to violence and rioting.
"They were videotaped while inciting students to riot," Argawy told the satellite channel Mehwar.
"The statements they used to incite violence included 'stick to your beliefs,' 'defend your religion' and 'be [strong] men,'" Argawy said.
The university administration "would not allow any person, let alone professors, to be tools of incitement for violence on campus," he told the show. "Therefore, whoever is proven to have participated in such incitement to violence will be transferred to disciplinary authorities after interrogation."
The expected sanction for the professors is exclusion or suspension from work for a period of no less than three months, in addition to facing a disciplinary board. The board may decide to suspend the professors, reduce their paycheck or dismiss them from office, with or without a pension.
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preached to students about political matters that were unrelated to university work but fall under the charges of clear incitement to violence and rioting
Sounds as we in the West, can learn some things from the Egyptians.
[MAGHAREBIA] Tunisia's political parties chose Industry Minister Mehdi Jomaa on Saturday (December 14th) to head a government of technocrats aimed at pulling the country out of a months-long crisis, AFP reported.
The 51-year-old Jomaa has 15 days to form a cabinet of independents that will lead the country until parliamentary elections can be held next year.
As a first reaction to his selection, Jomaa commented on his official Facebook page, saying, "The new government will see the light in a matter of no more than a week and young people will have the lion's share in it."
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[MAGHAREBIA] Sophie Bessis is a renowned Tunisian journalist. A qualified history teacher and former editor-in-chief of Jeune Afrique and the UNESCO Courier, she is currently director of research at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) in Gay Paree.
Magharebia met her in Nouakchott to discuss security issues and obstacles to the democratic transition in Tunisia, a process in which she is participating as a highly active civil society figure.
Magharebia: How is Tunisia's transition going?
Sophie Bessis: At the moment there is a standstill, which is due to several factors. After the fall of the dictatorship, it was decided that the republic would be re-established by electing a constituent assembly, which would write a new constitution. After the elections were won by the Ennahda Party with a relative majority (37 per cent), it was agreed that the constitution would be adopted within a year. But Ennahda and its two allies, the troika as they are known, failed to meet the deadlines.
The second reason is that there has been growing political insecurity and bully boy groups have proliferated. Initially they were protected by the government and there were some political liquidations, a first in Tunisia. These liquidations created a big stir, with nearly a million people taking to the streets. And after the second liquidation, that of Mohammed Brahmi, the opposition stood down and demanded the appointment of a non-political government.
Ennahda agreed to compromise and begin a national dialogue process, but since then things haven't gone any further. And since July, there has been no progress at all. This situation has been engineered by the ruling party, which is employing stalling tactics. And the Constituent Assembly is continuing to govern, which it is no longer empowered to do.
Magharebia: And what are the consequences of this standstill for Tunisia?
Bessis: The situation in the country is getting worse. Ennahda has been very soft on the jihadists, who have had time to get organised, and we are now witnessing the formation of armed jihadist groups based at the Algerian border, which we've never had in Tunisia before.
Magharebia: What is your assessment of the security situation?
Bessis: We must not close our eyes or compound the situation, it is clear that the situation is no longer the same as it was a few years ago.
Tunisia is a hostage to the regional context. Libya has been destabilised and weapons have been dispatched across the entire region. The country is now controlled by militias. So the cancer affecting Libya has a lot to do with the current situation. The borders are also very porous. There is now an arc of crisis stretching from North Africa to Somalia via Nigeria.
Magharebia: How can Tunisia tackle the security challenges?
Bessis: The security situation depends to a great extent on the political situation. So if there is a competent government, we could change the course of things. But until a political solution to the crisis is found, that will be very difficult. The security forces and intelligence services are seriously inadequate, and this inadequacy must be put right swiftly.
Magharebia: Why are young people joining terrorist groups so readily?
Bessis: Ever since things became lax two or three years ago, preachers in mosques have been taking advantage of this to attract young people with inflammatory talk. And Qur'an schools have been opened in huge numbers, with no supervision. These schools teach bully boy ideas that are targeted at young men who have no jobs, no future and no prospects.
This is fertile ground for jihadism. And, you know, jihadist movements are wealthy and have a lot of money. So several thousand young Tunisians have gone to Syria.
Magharebia: And how have Tunisians reacted to this danger?
Bessis: In Tunisia, there is a very dynamic civil society. There are antibodies even though the dictatorship destroyed a lot of them. As for the young people drawn into jihad, there are mothers who have gone to Syria and Turkey to bring their children home.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Wehell, what Member Govts-Nation(s) of the African Union = future Amerikan BFF + Nukulaar OWG "Co-Superpower(s?)" will help save Bammerika from local or espec foreign Hard Boyz???
[Al Ahram] The head of Egypt's outgoing constitutional drafting committee, Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa ... who was head of the Arab League for approximately two normal lifespans, accomplishing nothing that was obvious to the casual observer ... , said on Tuesday that Egypt's military chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi should run for president. Right. Egypt needs a military dictator president.
Moussa, a former presidential candidate himself who came fifth in the presidential elections won by 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 2012, said that General El-Sisi is extremely popular among Egyptians and that the majority are hoping to vote him into office.
"If Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi refuses to run [for the presidency], we will urge him to do so," said Moussa during a panel hosted by the Ministry of Youth.
El-Sisi, who is also defence minister, announced the removal of Mohammed Morsi from the presidency in July after mass protests against the Islamist leader. The military chief's popularity soared in the months following Morsi's ouster, with many Egyptians hailing him for ending Islamist rule.
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[Al Ahram] Thousands of mourners at the funeral of a man killed by Moslem Brüderbund supporters have chanted against the group and called for retribution, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported.
Mohammed Osman, 32, was stabbed to death on Monday while driving his taxi through a rally in support of former 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 the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.
The Brotherhood-aligned Rasd news website said Osman's taxi was set on fire after he sped into the rally, injuring a woman who had to be hospitalised. Rasd posted a video allegedly showing the injured woman.
While Rasd did not mention Osman's killing, reports in anti-Brotherhood newspapers did not mention Osman ploughing through the crowd.
The coroner's report said Osman died of a deep stab wound to the chest. He also suffered several shallower wounds to his back and neck.
The interior ministry said it had tossed in the slammer Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! nine suspects and was investigating the murder.
Public executions have occurred sporadically in Egypt amid a security vacuum since the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in early 2011.
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[Al Ahram] State media in the United Arab Emirates says the nation's top court expects to issue a verdict next month in the trial of 30 suspects charged with having links to Egypt's Moslem Brüderbund.
The official WAM news agency says defense lawyers presented oral arguments calling for an acquittal in the case Tuesday before the state security division of the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi.
The 20 Egyptians and 10 Emiratis on trial have denied charges against them, which include trying to obtain security data, establishing an illegal branch of the Moslem Brüderbund and collecting donations without permission.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Yemen's parliament has voted for a ban on drone strikes, but experts said Monday politicians have limited powers and their vote is unlikely to impact Washington's bid to crush al Qaeda bad boys.
The United States operates all unmanned aircraft flying over Yemen in support of Sanaa's attempts to break al Qaeda, and intensified strikes this year have killed dozens of bad boys.
Yemen is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington views as the deadliest franchise of the global jihadist network.
Critics say drone strikes kill civilians and have demanded an end to the secrecy surrounding them.
Yemen's parliament, which is dominated by the party of ousted president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... and the Islamist Islah party, voted on Sunday in favour of halting drone attacks.
MPs say the vote is a recommendation short of adopting a law, which came days after a drone strike reportedly targeting al Qaeda gunnies killed 17 people, mostly civilians, triggering outrage. "The parliament appears to be giving orders to authorities, when it has lost its credibility long time ago," said political analyst Abdelbari Tahar.
A Yemeni political official speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... said the vote is a "challenge" to interim President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi who took over when Saleh agreed to step down in 2012 after a year of protests against his 33-year rule.
"This vote appears to be an attempt by the followers of the former president to put pressure on Hadi, more than it is a real legislative action," the official said. "It is a kind of challenge to Hadi," who has cemented Sanaa's partnership with Washington in the fight against al Qaeda.
"The government could ignore this vote without any consequences to worry about," said the official. The current assembly was elected in 2003 when Saleh was in power and its five-year tenure was extended by two years in a political compromise. It has not been renewed since then.
Saleh has been accused of trying to hinder the political transition process, which began with him quitting in February 2012, following massive protests against his rule. At Sunday's parliamentary session, politicians stressed "the importance of protecting all citizens from any aggression" and "the importance of preserving the illusory sovereignty of Yemeni air space."
MP Ali al-Mamari said the motion was a "request to the government," insisting it was not a law banning drone use.
He said parliament has also demanded the government address parliament "to explain whether or not it can implement this (ban on drones)."
On Thursday a drone attack in Rada in the central province of Bayda hit a wedding motorcade, killing 17 people, mostly civilians, and triggering protests by rustics in the lawless area.
The Supreme Security Committee, headed by Hadi, insisted that the strike had targeted the car of an al Qaeda leader.
And a US official also denied that a wedding convoy had been struck. "The target was an AQAP convoy and that's what was hit. No wedding party was hit," the US counter-terrorism official told AFP, asking not to be named. Amnesia Amnesty International said confusion over who was behind the raid "exposes a serious lack of accountability for scores of civilian deaths in the country."
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Just a thought crossed my mind the other night while I read about the boer war.
It was the downfall of the british empire because they stopped showing themselves as the worlds police and protectors and rather showed the oppressive might that could happen if a force started to upset the balance of power. This got the ball rolling back home in little old England as the British public voted against any further aggression from ourselves due to nature of the images coming back (as photographs were fairly new in the press)
My point is, I feel drone strikes are very similar. They supress regions from above and indiscriminately or not the world doesn't like it. Do the American public.
I will never be able to read any replies but if you do could you carbon copy one to my email @ tomasaddison@gmail.com
#2
John Young Filmore Blake was born October 6, 1856 in Bolivar, Missouri, and died January 24, 1907, in New York City.[1] An Irish-American soldier, freedom fighter, and lecturer, he was an ardent advocate of resistance to British imperialism.
[Al Ahram] Two Saudi detainees sent home from the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay will go through the kingdom's rehabilitation programme for bully boys, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
Muhammad Husayn Qahtani and Hamood Abdulla Hamood were repatriated to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... on Monday after spending 11 years in Guantanamo, Cuba, without being charged with any crime.
They were both captured in Pakistain in 2002 and US military documents allege they fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan and were working for al Qaeda.
"They will be subjected to the regulations in force in the kingdom, which include benefiting from the counselling and care programmes," Interior Ministry front man Major-General Mansour Turki was quoted as saying by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia's programme to reintegrate former Islamist forces of Evil features art and sports classes, religious instruction and psychological analysis aimed at pushing them away from interpretations of Islam that favour political violence.
The programme lasts at least three months, according to officials who took news hounds on a tour of one of its facilities this year. It is compulsory for all Saudis convicted of offences relating to Islamist militancy after their release from prison.
The authorities say fewer than 10 percent of those who have undergone the course have taken up arms after their release, but the recidivists include several who became senior al Qaeda figures in neighbouring Yemen after fleeing the kingdom.
Saeed al-Shehri, who Saudi and Yemeni authorities say was killed in a drone strike in Yemen early this year, went through the programme after being sent home from Guantanamo in 2007.
The Saudi national escaped months later and fled to Yemen to become second-in-command of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, seen as one of the movement's most dangerous wings.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Dhaka yesterday summoned the Pakistain high commissioner and strongly protested Islamabad's reaction to the execution of war criminal Quader Mollah, terming it interference in the domestic affairs of Bangladesh.
In a two-page aide-memoire to the envoy, the government deplored the resolutions adopted by the Pakistain National Assembly and Punjab Provincial Assembly expressing concern over Mollah's capital punishment.
It also sharply reacted to a senior Pakistain minister's calling the execution "a judicial murder". "Bangladesh finds such remarks completely untrue, biased and absolutely inappropriate," reads the aide-memoire.
The statement was handed to Pakistain High Commissioner in Dhaka Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi Qureshi at the foreign ministry late in the afternoon.
It says, "It is the expectations of the people of Bangladesh that decisions and stature of the highest courts and judicial bodies of Bangladesh are duly respected by all concerned in Pakistain and utmost restraint is exercised specially by the responsible quarters of the government."
Later, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told news hounds, "For where Bangladesh stands today, we are not afraid of anyone's threat."
He said the hanging of Mollah is Bangladesh's domestic affairs. Pakistain must not meddle in it. The adoption of the resolutions in Pakistain assemblies was tantamount to interfering in internal affairs of Bangladesh and it was not right for Islamabad to do so.
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[Bangla Daily Star] BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan today said the government should have protested the Pakistain National Assembly resolution which expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... over the execution of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah.
"The government has weakened our country by dividing the people. So, other countries are taking chance to adopt such resolutions," Nazrul said while speaking at a presser at BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... 's Gulshan office.
Terming the winning of a huge number of seats without contest a 'self destruction of democracy', he urged the government and Election Commission to stop playing with elections and democracy.
Referring to the uncontested winning of 154 MPs, the BNP leader said, "It's nothing but a mockery."
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Moves are on to send Jatiya Party ...aka Jatiya Front; a political party established by Bangladictator Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1986 to lend a veneer of respectability to his rule. Since nobody was amused he was forced to resign by popular demand in 1990. The party remains in existence with about a dozen seats in Bangla's parliament... Chairman HM Ershad out of the country anytime soon.
"Initially, Ershad was informed that he would be sent to Singapore. But he refused to go to Singapore. Now he may be sent to Malaysia," a senior JP leader close to Ershad told The Daily Star yesterday, requesting anonymity.
A government agency has already collected the passports of Ershad, his son Eric Ershad and his two personal staff, JP sources said.
They added the government was trying to gain Ershad's support for the January 5 election, even by "confining" him in the Combined Military Hospital.
Contacted yesterday, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said Ershad was not jugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! . "He was admitted to the hospital for treatment."
Interestingly, a few hours before Ershad's "admission" under Rab escort, he had sent a letter to the Election Commission, requesting it not to allocate his party's electoral symbol, plough, to anyone, since his party had decided to boycott the polls.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Asylum-seekers living in Australia face having their welfare payments cut, visas cancelled or being placed in detention if they breach a new code of conduct forbidding anti-social behaviour that sparked condemnation on Tuesday.
The code, which came into force on Saturday and applies to those on bridging visas, contains a list of expected behaviour for living in Australia -- including that applicants obey all laws, including road rules. It says visa holders must cooperate with all reasonable requests from the government about their visa status, including to attend interviews, and obey any health direction issued by the immigration department's chief medical officer.
In addition, they cannot "harass, intimidate or bully" anyone or engage in "any anti-social or disruptive activities that are inconsiderate, disrespectful or threaten the peaceful enjoyment of other members of the community".
Earlier this year Scott Morrison, who was then an opposition politician but is now immigration minister, called for "behaviour protocols" for asylum-seekers after a Sri Lankan man was charged with sexual assault.
"If you are found to have breached the code of behaviour, you could have your income support reduced, or your visa may be cancelled," the code states. "If your visa is cancelled, you will be returned to immigration detention and may be transferred to an offshore processing centre."
Australia opened offshore processing centres in Papua New Guinea and the small state of Nauru last year in a bid to stem the arrival of the would-be refugees, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups.
The new code, which states people must not become involved in criminal behaviour in Australia, deliberately damage property, give false identity documents or lie to a government official, has been criticised by the Australian Greens.
"This is clear discrimination against a specific group of people and it needs to be called out for what it is," spokeswoman Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
"Having one set of rules for some people and a different set of rules for others offends the very ideals of a fair and decent democratic society." But the rules are the same for everybody. Native-born Aussies, including Aborigines, are obliged not to become involved in criminal behavior, and enjoined from deliberately damaging property, flashing false IDs, and lying to govt officials. I'm not too sure what kind of racism (naturally) it is, unless the expectation is that asylum-seekers are genetically or culturally incapable of adhering to the same laws that govern a law-abiding society.
But in an explanatory statement, the government said it had become increasingly concerned about non-citizens who engaged in conduct that is not in line with the expectations of the Australian community.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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"You're a guest. Don't abuse it"
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[An Nahar] One of the men suspected of planning the September 11, 2001 attacks was twice ejected from a U.S. military court Tuesday after making outbursts about secret CIA prisons and torture.
Yemeni defendant Ramzi Binalshibh, who is accused of helping the hijackers enter the United States and of financing the airliner attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, also claimed that the judge hearing the case was biased.
Binalshibh was initially removed from the latest pre-trial hearing at Guantanamo Bay on that judge's orders, having twice been warned that he would be in contempt of court if he continued to disrupt the proceedings.
His departure came shortly after his lawyer suggested that guards were using sleep deprivation tactics at the U.S. military prison in notorious Camp Seven, where Binalshibh is jugged Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! .
"He could not sleep at all last night because of the noise he is exposed to," said Navy Lieutenant Commander Kevin Bogucki. "He is too tired to pay attention."
The latest hearing for the alleged 9/11 plotters, who are eventually expected to go on trial in 2015, was screened for news hounds at the Fort Meade military base in Maryland, via a closed-circuit feed.
Commander Bogucki said Binalshibh's cell was continually subjected to banging and knocking sounds -- an allegation the U.S. government denies, but which the judge said had not been proven either way.
Having been granted a 15-minute recess to discuss whether Binalshibh understood his right to be present at Tuesday's hearing, the suspect refused to cooperate with Judge James Pohl.
"I refuse to answer this question as long as the judge is taking a position against me and against my allegations," Binalshibh said, before beginning apparently impromptu claims about U.S. treatment of terror suspects across the globe.
After being warned that it was not his time to speak, the Yemeni suspect, whose alleged crimes include helping the hijackers find flight schools in the United States, cited the words "secret CIA prison" during a muffled speech.
Judge Pohl then told Binalshibh he would be removed if he did not stop talking, but the suspect continued and U.S. military guards were instructed to take him to the court's holding cell.
The courtroom camera cut away from Binalshibh while he was being taken out of court, seconds after the judge said he "taken no position" on Binalshibh's allegations.
All five suspects, including the self-proclaimed 9/11 criminal mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, were present at Tuesday's hearing, dressed in traditional white Arab robes and with several of them wearing desert-colored combat jackets.
Following the lunch recess, Binalshibh returned to the court and was given a second opportunity to acknowledge his rights but he again refused and was removed by guards a second time, amid shouts of "I am not a war criminal".
"As I told you this morning, I am not going to answer your questions," Binalshibh told Judge Pohl. "I want to leave. It is not about yes or no. It is torture. Don't stop me like that," he added, before being removed.
Judge Pohl had asked Binalshibh for a "Yes or No," answer on whether he understood his rights, and said the Yemeni suspect would appear in court again on Wednesday.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Pakistain's cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... seems to have been persuaded into believing that war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah, executed in Dhaka last week, was innocent of the charges levelled against him.
Khan, who heads the 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.... Party, told a session of his country's national assembly on Monday that Mollah's innocence had been testified to by a lawyer from the human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... group Reprieve. The lawyer, he said, was part of Mollah's legal defence team.
In his address, Imran Khan chose to ignore the various levels of legalities employed in Mollah's trial before the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ... a Pakistani catspaw remaining active in Bangla politix, loosely affiliated with the Pak religious party of the same name and closely affiliated with most of the terror organizations in Bangla. A member of the BNP's four party governing coalition.... leader was finally convicted and hanged.
Mollah, originally sentenced to life in prison in February this year, had his conviction turned into one of execution by Bangladesh's Supreme Court in September. The sentencing prompted Mollah's lawyers to file two review petitions before the SC, which dismissed the petitions.
The Jamaat leader, convicted of killing a number of Bangalees in collaboration with the Pakistain occupation army, was hanged on December 12.
Pakistain's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who continues to misinform Paks about what actually their soldiers did in Bangladesh in 1971, also spoke at the same national assembly session.
"We witnessed the fall of Dhaka forty-two years ago and we seem to have not learnt our lesson," he said but did not explain his statement.
The Pakistain assembly, in a fresh indication of the lessons not learnt by the country's establishment since Bangladesh's battlefield triumph in 1971, adopted on December 16 a resolution demanding that the Bangladesh government not resurrect the issues of 1971 but should end all cases against the Jamaat leadership in Bangladesh. It said not a word about the atrocities the Jamaat committed, in association with the Pakistain army, during the nine-month war.
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12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has taken a serious notice of tradesmen complaints regarding the deteriorated law and order condition of Hyderabad, and directed the IGP to launch operation against criminal elements with immediate effect.
He directed the Hyderabad police officials for complete elimination of crime and making the city peaceful, within one month, failing which action would be taken against them. "I will visit Hyderabad next month and see the performance myself," he said.
The chief minister was presiding over a review meeting over law and order situation of Hyderabad and Jamshoro districts along with 12-member joint delegation from the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce & Industries and Kotri Association of Trade and Industries at the CM House, 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... .
Shah directed the IGP Sindh to provide ten additional vehicles, additional law enforcers, CCTV cameras and arms & ammunition to make Hyderabad police strong enough to combat the criminals with success.
"Kidnapping for ransom, extortion, encroachments and peddling of narcotics/drugs are not only giving birth to crime and injustice in the society but also are the main sources of income for criminal gangs," he said. "These crimes and criminals must be eliminated with full force."
The industrialists, traders and businessmen, he said, were significant members of the society, who not only contribute in the national income in the shape of taxes but also generate foreign exchange and employment opportunities in the country.
"We are bound to protect the lives and property of each individual and organization." "The Sindh government has launched vigorous targeted operation against the terrorists, extortionist and kidnappers in Karachi and has made lot of achievements. Now we want such an operation in Hyderabad. Hopefully, within the shortest time we will make Sindh the most profitable province of Pakistain."
While responding to the other problems raised by members of the delegation, Shah assured he would approach the central government to re-open the Hyderabad Airport as the PPP had always followed industry-friendly policies.
"Asif Ali Zardari had launched mega development projects including re-construction of super Highway on the pattern of motorway in a ceremony held in Hyderabad to provide better communication facilities to the people and traders," he said. "I would ask the federal government to start the work on the project."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Iran, after finding out the US was serious about the deal, decides to scrap it.
Not finding fault, but no deal is better than a bad deal, which this certainly was. Israel is no safer than before, but the world at last is not being fooled into thinking dealing with Iran might actually work.
From TFA:
Less than a month after it was hailed as "a great diplomatic coup," the so-called Geneva accord to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions seems to have come unstuck.
The official narrative in Tehran is that Iran signed nothing. "There is no treaty and no pact," says Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham, "only a statement of intent."
Originally, Iran's official media had presented the accord as a treaty (qarardad) but it now refers to a "letter of agreement" (tavafoq nameh).
Posted by: badanov ||
12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Not that I'm believe the NYP Artic, but the US-Allies wannna see thingys from Rising Iran like this ...
To wit,
* REDDIT > [NewsJack.com = NSJK.com] BREAKING NEWS: PAKISTAN DECLARES WAR ON SYRIA. UN SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS EMERGENCY SESSION IN RESPONSE TO PAKISTANI SURPRISE.
"Operation AZAD SYRIA".
N-O-T thingys like ...
* DAILY TIMES.PK > GOVT. SAYS "NO" TO MILITARY OPERATION AGZ THE TALIBAN.
Clearly the Taliban, etal. may surrender iff Islamabad engages in unconditional mutual talks + puts pretty flowers on their guns???
#10
Wait, did we not release $20billion in impounded assets right after the signing? Seriously, I read that we had done so, and if so, they got what ValJar wanted for her friends, and now the deal goes T-up? Seriously, if the $ was released, can the press and the Congress really be so stupid that they can't see the source of the con?
#12
My guess is that the Mullah's were so surprised that they ordered ValJar to nix the deal so they can come back and get even more. Heck that is what I would do!
can the press and the Congress really be so stupid that they can't see the source of the con?
My thoughts is that they are so worried about Obumbles 'legacy' that they would agree to anything. Also they hope that any Iranian 'negotiations' during '14 could be used to drive the train wreck of Obamacare off the pages.
[Al Ahram] Iran's culture minister says more than 70 percent of people of the capital Tehran are watching banned satellite channels.
A Tuesday report by the official IRNA news agency quotes Ali Jannati as saying that jamming the channels, as authorities do, will not be practical in the future when many of them will be available on mobile phones.
Jannati cited a ban on video cassette players in the eighties, calling it ridiculous. He said: "Maybe in five years we will laugh at today's actions."
He urged authorities to work for a solution.
The rare critical remark by Jannati comes as the country undergoes a slight opening since the election of moderate President Hassan Rouhani.
Over the past years, Iranian authorities have jammed foreign satellite channels, especially VOA and BBC Persian services.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
You can't keep people away from David Hasselhoff.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/18/2013 17:01 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Turkey's defense minister on Tuesday denied reports that his country was delivering weapons of war to Syrian rebels, but acknowledged that "hunting rifles" had been exported to Syria.
"No war weapons have been exported to Syria in 2013," Ismet Yilmaz said in parliament, according to media reports.
Hurriyet Daily News reported on Monday that Turkey had shipped 47 tonnes of weapons to Syrian rebels since June, citing U.N. and Turkish Statistics Institute documents.
Turkey is a fierce opponent of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... and has openly supported the rebels, but has always denied arming them.
Yilmaz said his ministry had not issued any permits for the export of military equipment to Syria in 2013.
"However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... what has been exported are un-grooved hunting rifles and blank firing guns. Other than that, any export by us is out of question," Yilmaz was quoted as saying.
A powerful Islamist faction seized weapons warehouses on the Turkish border from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army earlier this month, highlighting concerns that Syria's moderate opposition may be in disarray.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Nusra
[An Nahar] The two main Syrian Kurdish groups held talks in Iraq on Tuesday, aiming to establish a unified front ahead of a peace conference in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... next month, an official said.
The People's Council of Western Kurdistan (PCWK) and the Kurdish National Council (KNC) have been at odds since last month when the former announced a transitional autonomous administration for Kurdish-majority areas of northeastern and northwestern Syria without the latter's backing.
The dispute has led to the closure of the border between Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, which backs the KNC, and Kurdish areas of northeastern Syria.
The KNC is a member of the Syrian National Coalition, which opposes Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... . It has accused the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the most powerful armed Kurdish organization in Syria and the main group in the PCWK, of ties to Assad's regime.
The PYD wants an autonomous Kurdish area within a federal Syria, which the Syrian National Coalition opposes.
"The meetings of the Kurdish parties begin today, Tuesday, in Arbil," the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, KNC member Bahajat Bashir told AFP.
"These meetings are for the sake of unifying the Kurdish house and its political (position)... and preparing for the Geneva meeting, so the Kurdish participation will be strong," Bashir said, referring to peace talks that are now to take place in Montreux, Switzerland.
He added that the meetings also aim to improve relations between the PCWK and the KNC.
Iraqi Kurdistan regional president Massud Barzani met with delegations from the Syrian Kurdish groups on Monday, his website said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
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.
[Al Ahram] An Egyptian appeal court has rejected the appeal of radical 
Bouteflika
[Al Ahram] The head of Egypt's outgoing constitutional drafting committee, 
[Pak Daily Times] Yemen's parliament has voted for a ban on drone strikes, but experts said Monday 
[Al Ahram] Two Saudi detainees sent home from the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay will go through the kingdom's rehabilitation programme for
Khaleda Zia
[Bangla Daily Star] Moves are on to send 
[Pak Daily Times] Asylum-seekers living in Australia face having their welfare payments cut, visas cancelled or being placed in detention if they breach a new code of conduct forbidding anti-social behaviour that sparked condemnation on Tuesday.
[An Nahar] One of the men suspected of planning the September 11, 2001 attacks was twice ejected from a U.S. military court Tuesday after making outbursts about secret CIA prisons and torture.
[Pak Daily Times] Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has taken a serious notice of tradesmen complaints regarding the deteriorated law and order condition of Hyderabad, and directed the IGP to launch operation against criminal elements with immediate effect.
[Al Ahram] Iran's culture minister says more than 70 percent of people of the capital Tehran are watching banned satellite channels.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
