[Tolo News] With final results of the presidential election just days away, and a likely runoff round between the top two candidates on the horizon, the Hezb-e-Islami Shura announced support for Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on Friday.
Final results of the presidential and provincial council elections are expected on May 14. With none of the candidates getting over 50 percent of the preliminary vote count, a second round election is to take place between the leading candidate, Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... , and the second place candidate, Ashraf Ghani.
"We decided to go with the people and support Dr. Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002, Ahmadzai was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. as the candidate of the Afghan people," Hezb-e-Islami Shura Council head Qazi Mohammad Amin Weqad said on Friday.
He said ethnic inclusion was one of the group's top priorities, and that Ashraf Ghani and his team are the best in that area.
"We want an administration that is formed on the basis of justice, an administration that reflects every ethnic groups," head of Hezb-e-Islami Mutahid-e-Afghanistan Wahidullah Sabawon said.
Ashraf Ghani has asked Abdullah for cooperation and a coalition between them. However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... Abdullah has categorically denied that any talks regarding the formation of a coalition government have occurred.
"We don't want to represent a particular party, or some ethnic groups, we want to be the servants of all Afghan people," Ashraf Ghani said. "I ask Abdullah and his team to promise that no discrimination or division can exist among the people of Afghanistan, and any person or front man that believes in discrimination should be contested."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[NY Times] Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... , the front-runner in Afghanistan's presidential election campaign, announced Sunday that he had won the endorsement of Zalmay Rassoul, the remote third-place candidate, as part of his effort to gather enough support to win in the next round of voting.
Together the two men's tickets took about 55 percent of the vote in the first round of voting on April 5, but there is no guarantee that voters would vote the same way in a second round, tentatively set for June 14.
Adding to the prospect that Mr. Rassoul may not bring all his first-round votes with him is that his team appears to have split, with one of his two vice-presidential running mates declining to support Mr. Abdullah's campaign.
Mr. Abdullah's camp and some analysts worry that a runoff could be rife with fraud and that there is a considerable risk that it could be disrupted by the Taliban. The krazed killers' campaign of violence failed to have much impact in the first round, but the Taliban could redouble their efforts to intimidate voters in a runoff.
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05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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The war against piracy in the Horn of Africa and the Western Indian Ocean scored a 100 percent success, the German Commander of the Naval Task Force 465, Rear Admiral JĂźrgen zur MĂźhlen has declared.
Commander MĂźhlen said this at a press conference yesterday during the visit of the European Naval Force flagship vessel, the German frigate Brandenburg which is docked at the port of Dar es Salaam from 6th to 10th of May.
He told reporters yesterday at Umoja House that since the launch of the EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta in 2008, the number of successful pirate attacks has dramatically fallen. MĂźhlen said that in 2010 pirates captured 47 vessels and their crews, but by end 2011 the number was down to 25 vessels held for ransom by pirates.
âIn December 2012 EU NAVFOR registered four ships still in the hands of pirates. Since 2011 the number of hostages held dropped from a peak of 743 in January 2011 to 114 in December 2012,â he said.
However, MĂźhlen emphasized that the threat of piracy continues to exist. Ten days ago, the crew of Brandenburg boarded an Indian dhow which had been taken hostage by pirates. The pirates fled from the captured dhow as EU naval forces intervened from the air and sea.
âThis event confirms that the piracy threat is still very real in the Indian Ocean. The deterrence and swift action by EU Naval Force once again denied the freedom of action to pirates,â he elaborated.
The ChargÊ d´Affaires of the German Embassy, Hans Koeppel said that in April 2014 Germany has taken for the second time the military lead for Operation Atalanta.
âThe naval force consists of warships from Germany, France, Greece and Spain supported by maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircrafts provided by Germany, Luxemburg and Spain,â he said.
For his part, the political counselor of the European Union Delegation, Tom Vens said that a military operation was launched in 2008 to protect vessels delivering humanitarian aid to the Somali population and to prevent and fight acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia.
âPiracy in the region has been a threat to security, international shipping and development since the mid-2000s and Somali-based piracy is characterized by extorting ransom money for the vessel and the crew and bears all the features of organized crime,â he stated.
The EU NAVFRO operates in an area of operation covering the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and large part of the Indian Ocean, including Seychelles. The area of operation also includes the Somali coastal territory as well as its territorial and internal water. This represents an area of about 2million square nautical miles (approximately 3,700,000 square kilometers).
On 23 March 2012 the council of the EU extended the mandate of the operation Atalanta until December 2014, also extending the area of operations to include Somali coastal territory and internal waters.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Libya's ex-intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi appeared in a 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... court with his lawyers for the first time Sunday, accused of abuses during the 2011 uprising that toppled strongman Muammar Qadaffy ...The late megalomaniac dictator of Libya, admired everywhere for his garish costumes, funny hats, harem of cutie bodyguards, and incoherent ravings. As far as is known, he is the only person who's ever declared jihad on Switzerland...
It was the first hearing he has attended with the four lawyers picked by his family, just one of whom is Libyan. The other three are Tunisian.
The former spy chief had previously appeared without legal representation, but had been told to pick a defense team or the court would choose one for him.
Qadaffy's son and one-time heir-apparent Seif al-Islam also appeared by video link from the town of Zintan, where he has been held since his capture by rebels in November 2011.
His court-appointed lawyer was unable to attend Sunday's hearing, so the trial was adjourned to May 25 to allow him to help his client, lawyers said.
As with the previous session on April 27, just 22 of 37 former regime officials being tried for a raft of alleged abuses during the uprising that ended Qadaffy's 42-year rule were in court on Sunday.
Among those in the dock was Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, Qadaffy's last prime minister. Another eight defendants appeared by video link from Misrata east of the capital.
All of the defendants are charged with murder, kidnapping, complicity in incitement to rape, plunder, sabotage, embezzlement of public funds and acts harmful to national unity.
Seif and Senussi are wanted by the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization.... -backed uprising.
In May last year, the ICC rejected Tripoli's request that Seif be tried in Libya because of doubts he would receive a fair trial.
Tripoli appealed the decision, and the ICC last October gave Libya the go-ahead to try Senussi inside the country.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[Gulf News] A passionate call by Egypt's leading presidential contender Abdul Fattah Al Sissi on his compatriots to work hard to revitalise an ailing economy has become a popular ringtone in the lead-up to this month's elections, which he is expected to win.
"We have a hope that Egypt will return to its glories," comes the voice of Al Sissi, an ex-army chief, against a background of soft music.
"This will not happen without hard work," he adds in the ringtone based on a quote taken from one of his recent addresses.
"These are the Egyptians I know. This is Egypt I always serve. I also promise you that I'll do my best. Work is all I have. Work is what all I require from you all."
Al Sissi has gained cultlike adulation since July last year when he led the army's overthrow of Islamist president Mohammad Mursi following enormous protests against his one-year rule.
Al Sissi's supporters see him as a strongman able to end more than three years of turmoil that has gripped Egypt since a 2011 uprising forced long-standing president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... to step down.
His detractors say his election will mark a return to the Mubarak-era despotism.
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05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
A passionate call by Egypt's leading presidential contender Abdul Fattah Al Sissi on his compatriots to work hard to revitalise an ailing economy
At least 36 immigrants died and 42 are missing after a makeshift boat was wrecked off Libya's coast, a naval spokesman said on Sunday. Colonel Ayub Kassem said the accident took place on Tuesday.
"The boat sank four kilometres off Garabulli," which lies 50 kilometres east of Tripoli, he said. "We were able to save 52 people of various nationalities. Thirty-six bodies have been recovered so far, 24 of them today (Sunday)."
A pregnant woman was among the dead, he added.
Kassem cited survivors as saying the boat had 130 people on board, including people from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Mali and Senegal. He said the hull of the boat had given way shortly after it left the beach because of the crush of people on board.
Othman Belbeisi, the chief of mission in Libya of the International Organisation for Migration, on Sunday called for "rapid solutions to preserve the lives of immigrants".
On Saturday, Libya's interim interior minister threatened told reporters that Tripoli could "facilitate" people seeking to reach Europe illegally unless Brussels helps it combat the problem.
"I'm warning the world and Europe in particular if they do not assume their responsibilities, Libya could facilitate the transit of this flood" of immigrants towards Europe, Salah Mazek told a news conference.
It should be noted that Colonel Qadaffy made that same threat shortly before he was bombed out of office.
A government statement on Sunday sought to play down his remarks, stressing Tripoli's commitment to combat illegal immigration and "continue collaborating with all countries concerned, Italy in particular, to limit the influx of immigrants".
How exactly would having Europe take in more immigrants limit the flow of immigrants?
The statement said Libya respected international and bilateral treaties on illegal immigration.
Mazek had said on Saturday that Libya was "suffering" because thousands of mainly sub-Saharan Africans were spreading disease, crime and drugs in the North African nation.
"Libya has paid the price. Now it's Europe's turn to pay," Mazek added.
For years, Libya has been a springboard for hundreds of thousands of Africans seeking a better life in Europe. Many cram into makeshift boats to attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Malta or the Italian island of Lampedusa off Sicily. Hundreds of people lose their lives each year in shipwrecks.
Because of mild weather conditions and the anarchic security situation still prevailing in Libya, the number of illegal departures from its shores is rising. More than 22,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the start of the year, 10 times more than during the same period in 2013.
The regime of former strongman Moammer Gadhafi deposed and killed in the 2011 uprising turned on and off the flow of illegal immigrants as a way of exerting pressure on Brussels.
The extent of Libya's land and maritime borders 5,000 kilometres and about 2,000 kilometres respectively make it difficult and costly to police, let alone rescue, accommodate and repatriate illegal immigrants.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] International efforts have widened to trace more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamists gunnies in Nigeria, while La Belle France has called for African leaders to hold a summit focused on the issue.
Israel on Sunday joined the bid to find the 223 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... fighters in Nigeria's restive northeast four weeks ago, but Washington said U.S. troops would stay out of any rescue mission.
"There's no intention, at this point, to (put) American boots on the ground," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told ABC television, admitting that finding the girls would be no easy task.
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone and accepted an offer for assistance in finding the girls, who were kidnapped from their school dormitory in the town of Chibok, Borno state, on April 14.
Jonathan told Netanyahu that "Nigeria would be pleased to have Israel's globally acknowledged anti-terrorism expertise deployed to support its ongoing operations", according to the president's front man Reuben Abati.
Britannia, the United States and La Belle France have already sent specialist teams and equipment to help Nigeria's military in the search concentrated in the remote northeast, which has been hit by five years of deadly violence.
French President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... said a summit on security in west Africa, focusing on Boko Haram, could be held as early as this Saturday "if the countries agree".
"I suggested, with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a meeting of Nigeria's neighboring countries," he said on Sunday during a visit to Azerbaijan's capital Baku.
The leaders of at least five African countries -- Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin -- may take part, a source close to the president said.
Nigeria's government has been criticized as slow to respond to the crisis and Amnesia Amnesty International claimed on Friday that the military had prior warning of the impending abductions.
Abuja has since been forced into action after a groundswell of national and international outrage that has included protest marches across the world.
Jonathan has said he believes the girls are still in Nigeria. Searches were being conducted in the Sambisa forest area of Borno state, where the military has previously found Boko Haram camps and arms caches.
There are fears, however, that the girls may have been moved across the border into Chad and Cameroon.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/12/2014 02:55 ||
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#1
Posted by: seo for cheap ||
05/12/2014 3:14 Comments ||
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#5
If we have no troops on the ground, then the story from the other day about US Marines capturing two of the miscreants is a mistake (or something else)?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
05/12/2014 11:26 Comments ||
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Well, MR ask yourself, are US marines are known for their talent of apprehending suspects?
#7
Well, MR ask yourself, are US marines are known for their talent of apprehending suspects?
After the ROE changed in Iraq, they became very, very good at it.
First-person tales told by personal acquaintances and family members speak of 'snatching' miscreants from their upper floor bedrooms whilst clueless jihadists roamed the lower floors and courtyards.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
05/12/2014 16:08 Comments ||
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#8
We can use some of that in the Justice Department building Richard. Swoop in, grab certain persons and such and ship them off the Mexico...
#9
The US Barack Hussein Obama Regime refuses to call Boko Haram terrorists. Especially if they are kidnapping innocent children and their Al Qaeda bros are attacking former US Navy Seals trying to protect US Diplomats. Its a Kenyan thing.
#11
The US Barack Hussein Obama Regime refuses to call Boko Haram terrorists
To be fair, both the Justice Department and the FBI requested that State put them on the designated terrorist list.
Then-SecState HRC refused to do so, based on requests from "experts" on Africa and human rights. So I wouldn't exactly say it was "US Barack Hussein Obama Regime." That's like saying "Tinfoil Hat Brigade" when referring to Rantburg commenters.
#13
Judging by the camo pattern and weapon in the photo, they were French marines.
What better camouflage than for US Marines to appear as something completely different? Wheels within wheels, my friend.
Aw, just kidding. I think it's great we have people here who recognize such things and are willing to share. Very useful when trying to understand what is going on and who is actually doing what.
[Ynet] Netanyahu calls Nigerian president, and tells him 'Israel expresses deep shock at the crime against the girls' captured by Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... Israel offered Nigeria help on Sunday in locating 200 schoolgirls kidnapped last month by Islamist rebel group Boko Haram in an attack that has drawn global condemnation and prompted some Western powers to provide assistance.
"Israel expresses deep shock at the crime against the girls," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office quoted him as telling Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... by phone. "We are ready to help in finding the girls and fighting the cruel terrorism inflicted on you."
The statement did not elaborate on how Israel might enlist in the search, with which British and U.S. experts are also helping. A front man for Israel's Foreign Ministry said he knew of no cooperation efforts under way.
Israel has defence ties with Nigeria, and has provided it in the past with surveillance drones.
Last September, Israel was among several countries that sent advisers to Kenya to assist in a stand-off with Islamist gunnies who attacked a mall in Nairobi.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] Although BNP-led four-party alliance formed the elite force Rapid Action Battalion in 2004, the then prime minister and BNP Chairperson the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... has now demanded the abolishment of the force.
"BNP formed RAB to maintain law and order. But the force is now being used in political purposes and it is involved in killing and abduction. That's why, there is no necessity of this force and this is the demand of people," Khaleda said.
Khaleda came up with the demand when she went to the house of missing BNP leader Sajedul Haque Sumon to express sympathy to his family members.
The family members of seven other missing BNP and its associate bodies' leaders were also present there.
The former premier alleged that: "The objective behind the formation of RAB has been violated in every step. Instead of keeping people's lives secured, it has taken position against general people."
Khaleda demanded the investigation on the activities of RAB. "The force can be dissolved if it is needed and another elite force could be formed anew from the police force."
Khaleda demanded fair investigation into the killings and abductions and demanded the punishment for the culprits involved in it.
Earlier, the party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir echoed Khaleda and state minister for Home Asaduzzaman Kamal ruled out the possibility of dissolution of RAB.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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North Korean leader Fat Boy Kim Jong-un is getting fatter, leading to rumors that he is suffering from stress and symptoms of heart disease, Free North Korea Radio reported Wednesday.
Or he's just eating eight thousand calories a day...
The rumors say Kim has been suffering the symptoms since the execution of his uncle Jang Song-taek and has been treated for them since January.
So he executes his uncle and what does he do? Dives into double chocolate cake...
When Kim first appeared in public, he appeared to weigh around 100 kg -- fat chubby, but not morbidly obese. But he started gaining weight at the beginning of this year.
Previously he was the only size 'XL' in all of North Korea. Now he's '2XLS'...
He has been gorging himself with food and drinking due to stress since Jang's execution last year, according to the rumors, showing signs of depression and facial paralysis.
"More cream pies, wench!"
The Seoul-based radio station run by a North Korean defector said that Kim's physicians noticed that he could not use his left arm freely and started losing his hair.
Cheez, his old man didn't do that until he was 70...
He has reportedly been undergoing treatment every Tuesday and Friday, but North Korean authorities are anxious to keep these rumors under wraps.
Recent photos of Kim show that his chin, cheeks and neck have filled out even more and he has become stouter. He often supports his back with his hands, which may be due to his weight.
When do they order the industrial chair?
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
If this is true, it seems like more than just weight gain to me. Steroids?
#12
See also WORLD MILITARY FORUM > UK "TELEGRAPH" MEDIA: KIM JONG-UN + HIGH-RANKING REGIME OFFICIALS MAY APPEAR IN CHINESE-SECURED, PROTECTED REFUGEE CAMPS SET UP IN AFTERMATH OF AN INTERNAL NORTH KOREAN STATE COLLAPSE OR CIVIL WAR.
The use of the term "civil war" to describe a future North Korea scenario is very intehwesting.
[DAWN] MIRAMSHAH: Hundreds of Tableeghis (preachers) have been stranded in Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... owing to imposition of curfew in the area.
The political administration of North Wazoo Agency imposed curfew in the area after a truck carrying paramilitary soldiers struck an improvised bomb in Ghulam Khan near Afghan border on Thursday, leaving nine soldiers dead and three injured.
The people, who had come from different parts of Fata and adjoining areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... to Miranshah for attending a three-day Tableeghi congregation, were stranded owing to imposition of curfew, local people said.
The local students also could not appear in intermediate examinations owing to curfew. Shah Zeb, a student, said that they were not allowed to go out and take the papers. Sources said tense calm prevailed in Ghulam Khan subdivision after the kaboom. Several families had migrated to Afghanistan, they added.
The migrated people have taken shelter with their relatives in Gurbez area of Afghanistan. According to reports displacement is still underway from the area.
Bannu-Miranshah Road has been closed to traffic and trucks loaded with vegetables and fruits are stranded in Bannu, Mirali and Miranshah.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] One of the lawyers for Dr Shakil Afridi convicted for links with a banned Death Eater outfit on Saturday announced withdrawal from the case citing death threats and the US pressure.
Dr Shakil is suspected of helping the American CIA trace the late Osama bin Laden ... who is no longer with us, and won't be again... Samiullah Afridi, a lead counsel for Dr Shakil, told Dawn that he had been pursuing the case since May 2012 when his client was convicted by an assistant political agent for links with Bara-based banned Lashkar-e-Islam and had stood life threats from 'certain' quarters.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Appears Dr. Shakil, filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, and Ambassador Chris Stevens may have at least one thing in common.
[DAWN] The health authorities postponed its special polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... campaign, held on Sundays, in 'sensitive' neighbourhoods as they could not be provided security cover because of police preoccupation with protests organised by various opposition political parties in the city, officials said.
The special campaigns had been launched three months ago especially to target the areas where children missed out on polio boosters because of security situation.
"We could not continue with our scheduled Sunday campaigns because we could not get the required security cover from the authorities," said a bigwig in the provincial health department.
The campaigns have attained more importance in the wake of World Health Organisation's travel restrictions on the country for its staggeringly high contribution to polio cases recorded globally this year.
The official said the city was already in a state of chaos because of protest rallies organised by Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... 's 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.... and its allies -- the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... and the Pakistain Awami Tehrik of Dr Tahirul Qadri.
"Ironically," said another provincial government official, "our polio campaign this week has been pushed back by those who are themselves engaged in similar polio drives in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... province."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on Sunday called for changing the government and the prevalent system through revolution, calling the present set-up 'unconstitutional'.
"We are in favour of revolution instead of changing the government within the parliament as the house has been elected in violation of Article 218, Clause B of the Constitution," Mr Qadri said while addressing protest rallies in different cities of Punjab, including Lahore and Rawalpindi, through video-link from Canada.
He said there was no democracy in the country and the parliament was being run in an unconstitutional way, adding that such a government should be immediately replaced by one that turns the country into a welfare state.
"People are feeling insecure as the law and order situation has tanked. They are committing suicide and even selling their children for bread. A total of 50,000 people have died during the last few years but neither the present nor the previous governments have taken responsibility," he said.
The PAT chief said that for 42 years, three PPP governments and three PML-N administrations had ruled the country, but never did any good for the people.
He said there was no merit in the country. "The poor have become poorer while the rich richer. The ruling elite have built palaces in Raiwind whereas the poor do not even have shelter from scorching heat and chilly winter," he said.
Mr Qadri said the ruling elite did not want to empower the common man which was why it was against creation of new provinces. "There is a dire need to create 30 new provinces in the country to transfer power to the grass roots," he said.
He said education and health were responsibility of the state and the constitution clearly defined it as such. "But, we spend a meagre amount on education while provision of health facilities is still a dream in the country," he said.
"To end corruption, unemployment and inflation, there is a dire need to launch a movement. The people of the country will launch this movement and the rallies in Punjab prove that the days of the present system and ruling Junta are numbered," he said.
Mr Qadri said he would soon return from Canada to lead a movement against the government and to change the system. "I will soon start a movement for the welfare of the people and improvement of the system where people can live in a safe and secure environment and enjoy all basic rights as enshrined in the constitution," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The head of the Pak Taliban is making a last-ditch bid to stamp his authority on the increasingly divided insurgency by ordering a top commander sacked, Taliban sources said Saturday.
Taliban head Mullah Fazlullah ...son-in-law of holy man Sufi Mohammad. Known as Mullah FM, Fazlullah had the habit of grabbing his FM mike when the mood struck him and bellowing forth sermons. Sufi suckered the Pak govt into imposing Shariah on the Swat Valley and then stepped aside whilst Fazlullah and his Talibs imposed a reign of terror on the populace like they hadn't seen before, at least not for a thousand years or so. For some reason the Pak intel services were never able to locate his transmitter, much less bomb it. After ruling the place like a conquered province for a year or so, Fazlullah's Talibs began gobbling up more territory as they pushed toward Islamabad, at which point as a matter of self-preservation the Mighty Pak Army threw them out and chased them into Afghanistan... moved against Khan "Sajna" Said on Friday after weeks of bloody infighting in the powerful Mehsud tribe that supplies the bulk of the Pak Taliban fighters, they said. Scores of men have been killed.
The risk for Fazlullah is that Said might ignore him and battle on. Said is trying to wrest control of the Mehsud tribe - with its many weapons and lucrative smuggling routes and extortion business - from rival Shehryar Mehsud.
The factional fighting has complicated attempts by the Pak government to end the insurgency through peace talks it proposed in February. Some commanders are in favour of talks but others vowed to continue their insurgency.
"It's a test case for Mullah Fazlullah and his shura," a Taliban capo said, referring to the movement's leadership council.
"It will determine their future."
"If Sajna is convinced and he stops fighting, it conveys a good message to rest of the Taliban factions," he said.
"Otherwise it will be a setback for Fazlullah if Sajna refuses to obey his command."
Fazlullah has repeatedly appealed in vain to the two Mehsud rivals to stop fighting.
An earlier peace deal brokered by the powerful Haqqani network of fighters fell through, undercutting the myrmidons' ability to mount attacks against security forces.
Challenged Authority
Notorious for ordering the attempted killing of schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, Fazlullah is the first non-Mehsud leader of the Pak Taliban and has struggled to impose his authority on the powerful tribe.
He faced many challengers to become chief of the Pak Taliban last year after the death of the previous head in a drone strike. He has been hiding in Afghanistan since then.
But the time has come to exert his authority, a senior member of the Taliban said.
"Senior members of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain had tired of appealing (to the two rivals) to stop their festivities," he said.
The Taliban sources said Fazlullah turned to an influential hardline commander, Khalid Omar Khorasani, to appoint a new commander in place of Said, who wants to join the peace talks.
Khorasani, who opposes the talks, ordered the decapitation of 23 hostages from a government paramilitary force shortly after Islamabad announced its peace initiative.
Taliban capos said Khorasani had been chosen to appoint a successor not just because of his hardline reputation, but because of his ability to unite various factions.
"All myrmidon leaders respect him for his sacrifices in organising all the myrmidon factions and that's why Fazlullah gave him this difficult task," a Taliban capo said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Ali Dawai is enormously popular on Facebook, with countless photos of the Iraqi provincial governor picking up rubbish or sipping tea with people while wearing his trademark blue boiler suit.
As officials count the votes from April 30's general election, Dawai's Ahrar movement, linked to powerful Shiite holy manMoqtada Tater al-Sadr ... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah... , is touting him for a much bigger role -- that of prime minister.
Dawai is among several potential challengers to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... and his bid for a third term.
In a country where many view their elected leaders as corrupt and distant, the 47-year-old has won plaudits in the southern province of Maysan for concentrating on providing basic services and meeting the people.
"We have completed thousands of projects in Maysan, especially those linked with infrastructure," Dawai said, sitting in a cavernous room in the provincial government headquarters.
"The distance we have covered in the past three years has been big. Many projects have been completed, and we have rebuilt and focused on the priority of basic services for the people."
Declining to be drawn on his chances for the premiership or what he would do in the job, he says the federal government should devolve more power to the 18 provinces.
Dawai lists Iraq's three biggest challenges as deteriorating security, poor basic services and a lack of unity among ethnic and religious groups.
Born in Majar al-Kabir, a small town near Maysan's capital Amara, Dawai says he spent several stints in prison and on the run from former strongman Saddam Hussein's Baath party.
He worked in a government sugar factory in the province and after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam, joined the provincial anti-corruption watchdog, which he soon headed.
He obtained a bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies in 2008, and then, following 2010's parliamentary election, he became governor of Maysan as part of a deal between Maliki and the Sadrists.
Dawai is among the few declared candidates for Maliki's job, but others have been mooted, including former vice president Adel Abdul Mahdi and ex-interior minister Bayan Jabr Solagh.
But all of the candidates have flaws, including Dawai.
Abdul Mahdi is tainted by the alleged involvement of former bodyguards in a 2009 bank robbery and Solagh presided over the interior ministry when it was rife with militia infiltration.
As for Dawai, rival parties say he is benefiting from projects approved by his predecessors, and that he is being excessively praised, given that Maysan's provincial council and other parties have also contributed to improvements.
Local critics also say Dawai has concentrated on services and the poor at the expense of the middle class, health and education.
There is also the fact that if he became premier, he could not speak to the United States.
Because of his party having opposed Washington's military involvement in Iraq, and Sadr's partisans having taken up arms against U.S. troops, the Sadrists publicly refuse to meet American officials.
That means Dawai would be unable to talk directly to Storied Baghdad's biggest arms supplier, a country with which it has a strategic partnership agreement.
Deputy Governor Nadhim al-Saadi, who belongs to Maliki's political alliance, said "it is impossible."
"We have a strategic treaty with the U.S.; we have so many agreements with them. How can we implement these strategic agreements with the U.S." if Dawai becomes prime minister.
Dawai dismisses the criticisms, and focuses on listing his successes.
Electricity supply in Maysan is better than elsewhere, Amara's streets are markedly cleaner and new bridges and infrastructure projects are going up across the city.
In one neighborhood, voters have only praise for Dawai, and insist he can handle the top job.
"He is noble, loyal and honest, and he is always helping the people," says toy shop owner Hassan Radhi Kadhim.
"Ali Dawai built up the poor areas (of Maysan)... so if he becomes prime minister, he will build the country."
The province has several key advantages that make reconstruction easier than elsewhere in the country.
It is sparsely populated, with less than three percent of the nationwide population, it has largely avoided the near-daily violence in much of the rest of the country and it gets a budgetary bounty from Storied Baghdad.
Maysan benefits from what local officials describe as three budgets: one from the central government that is awarded to all provinces, a supplementary allocation based on its substantial oil production and a third for rehabilitation of marshland drained by Saddam.
As a result, new projects are under construction across Amara, including a $35-million (25-million-euro) amusement park and open area dubbed Maysan Entertainment City that Dawai says will rival Storied Baghdad's sprawling Zawraa Park.
On a recent inspection visit he drank sweet black tea while talking to laborers, and even climbed a rickety ladder to what will soon be a public toilet.
As the governor strode through the massive site under the scorching sun, in his boiler suit and baseball cap, one of his staffers turned aside and told Agence La Belle France Presse: "This is Ali Dawai."
[AnNahar] An Israeli ministerial committee gave its backing on Sunday to changes in the law that could block amnesty for Paleostinians imprisoned for murdering Israelis.
Under the proposal passed by the committee for legislation, the courts would be empowered to prevent Israel's president from granting clemency or shortening the jail term of anyone imprisoned for murder.
The amendment to the Basic Law on the authority of the president, which was tabled by MP Ayelet Shaked of the far-right Jewish Home party along with other hardliners, still needs to pass a series of parliamentary votes before becoming law.
In the explanatory notes, Shaked says the aim is to amend the "absurd" reality of Israel releasing "a large number of hard boyz as part of prisoner release deals or as diplomatic gestures."
"Israel has turned a new page in its battle against terror and its moral commitment to bereaved families," said Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads Jewish Home.
"Years of extortion and mass releases of hard boyz will halt when the Knesset (parliament) approves this law," he said in a statement.
The latest round of U.S.-led peace talks collapsed late last month after Israel refused to release a fourth and last round of 26 long-term Paleostinian prisoners imprisoned for killing Israelis, breaching a commitment made in 2013.
Throughout the nine months of peace talks, Israel released 78 of the promised 104 long-term prisoners, in a move which angered hardliners.
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was freed from more than five years of captivity by Gazoofaceless myrmidons in 2011 in exchange for the release of 1,027 Paleostinian prisoners.
Israel's army on Sunday declared part of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights a closed military zone, fearing battles on the Syrian side would spill over the ceasefire line. An army spokeswoman told AFP the area around the Quneitra crossing was closed "for security reasons", Ahram online reported.
Speaking to AFP, security sources said they feared fighting between rebels and Syrian army forces would affect the area.
Rebels in southern Syria set up earlier this year the so-called Southern Front, including some 30,000 fighters from more than 55 mainstream rebel groups, and have claimed successes, notably in Quneitra.
Israel, which is technically at war with Syria, seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights plateau during the 1967 Six-Day War. In March, Israeli aircraft struck inside Syria in the wake of a bomb attack on the Golan which wounded four soldiers.
In March, Israeli aircraft struck inside Syria in the wake of a kaboom on the Golan which maimed four soldiers.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of stray projectiles hitting the Israeli side, prompting an occasional armed response.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Speaking of weak to no Commies = NPA + aligned in the struggle betwen Manila + the Muslim MILF ... ...
IIUC Artic, the Muslims in Mindanao = Southern PHIL are more than ready-n-willing enuff to renew the fight for Sabah agz their fellow Muslims in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Commie NPA in north Mindanao can barely fart in safe flatulence.
#8
Obama's new post-Assad/Syria Crisis BFF + OWG Co-Superpower Iran sees itself as the de facto MilPol Muslim Global Superpower the Sunni Saudis + even the Ottoman Turks never were nor desired to be.
IMO the NIMITZ-mockup is "dual-use", i.e. not just for target practice. IRAN WANTS EVERYTHING + ANYTHING THE US + GREAT POWERS HAVE, OR HAD, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REAL CONVENTIONAL + NUKULAAR AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.
Again, its no longer the US-vs-China in Asia-Pacific or the Pacific, but US-VS-CHINA-VS-NUCLEAR-ISLAM.
As illustrated by China's increasingly "global" Uighur terrorism, ITS ONLY A QUESTION IFF RADICAL ISLAM = SOON-TO-BE-NUCLEAR HARD BOYZ ATTACK CHINA [+ by extension RUSSIA, ETAL.] OR THE US BEFORE ATTACKING THE OTHER.
#9
Even with the real, or imagined, sinking, the Ghadir is another example of Iranian resourcefulness in the face of embargoes. Since 1996, when Russia agreed to stop selling them submarines, Iran has been working on their own designs.
Well, it appears they got the submerging part right
debkafiles military sources reveal that IRGC chiefs are also looking at ways of disabling US warships in the Mediterranean, to put them out of action for a second-strike attack on the Lebanese Hizballah by missiles or for sending bombers over Iran.
Additional info (probably Iranian source, but on an unverified site):
These miniature submarines as built by the Iranian allegedly in profusion about one-tenth [1/10] the size of a conventional diesel/electric submersible, carrying only two torpedoes, missions as assigned primarily of an unconventional and asymmetric nature, and then ONLY limited at that!
Such vessels when in a swarm mode of attack destroying an American naval target, numbers alone both under the water and above sufficient!
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > VIETNAM SEEKS TO BE A TOUGH ADVERSARY AGZ CHINA. TWO KILO-CLASS SUBS [SSKS] ARE HERE IN CAM RANH BAY, + ANOTHER FOUR MIGHT BE ON THEIR WAY TO CAM RANH BAY AS WELL.
* SAME > "NEREUS" DEEP SEA SUB [robotic = unmannED] "IMPLODES" 10-KM [6.2 miles] DOWN, while recc'ing the Kermadec Trench NE of New Zealand.
versus
* INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > [Defence Radar] JAPAN TO DEPLY P-1 AIRCRAFT IN CASE OF SUB ATTACK, likely in coordination wid USN P-8 ASW aircraft.
* RUSSIA TODAY > JAPAN-BASED US DRONES [Ex-Guam based = Global Hawks] TO SPY ON CHINA, NORTH KOREA - REPORT.
A confidential new report by a U.N. panel highlights Iran's methods of evading sanctions - from concealing titanium tubes inside steel pipes to using its petrochemical industry as a cover to obtain items for a heavy-water nuclear reactor. Well, at least we kept them from getting pencils, a dangerous dual-use technology.
The latest report by the U.N. Panel of Experts, which monitors compliance with the Security Council's sanctions regime on Iran, said Tehran's attempts to illicitly procure materials for its disputed nuclear and missile programs may have slowed down as it pursues talks on a long-term deal with world powers.
But the experts' report, which reached the Security Council's Iran sanctions committee days ahead of a new round of Vienna talks between Iran and six world powers, said an alternative explanation could be that Tehran had merely learned how to outsmart security and intelligence services in acquiring sensitive components and materials.
Though Iran insists its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, Western powers and their allies suspect the country of trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability.
Hamid Babaei, spokesman for Iran's UN mission, said: "Iran's procurement for its peaceful nuclear activities are not illicit; all Iran has done so far is in compliance with its NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) rights and obligations ... The irony is whatever Iran does in good faith still tends to be seen with suspicion rather than normal behavior of an NPT member."
One example of concealment given by the panel's report was a set of titanium tubes hidden inside a shipment of stainless steel pipes manufactured in and shipped from China. The pipes were ordered by Ocean Lotka International Shipping and Forwarding Co. on Valiasr St. in Tehran.
The report, seen by Reuters, includes a photo of 10 titanium tubes snugly fitted inside steel piping. The report provides no details of the potential nuclear applications of the titanium tubes, noting only that "the Panel's investigation into this reported incident is ongoing".
The experts recommend that governments exercise greater vigilance over freight-forwarding firms, which often appear as the ordering party on shipments of items destined for Iran. While such practices are not necessarily illegal, the panel says Tehran could use them to conceal final destinations or uses.
"In three cases inspected under the current mandate, names of freight forwarders were recorded on shipping documentation in the place of consignors or consignees," the report said.
"The Panel notes that the International Freight Forwarders Association (FIATA) has issued a notice to its members warning about the increased use of counterfeit Bills of Lading in connection with shipments to and from Iran," it added.
PETROCHEMICAL COVER
Another example of deception the experts have focused on for the past two years is efforts by Iran to obtain German and Indian valves for its heavy-water reactor at Arak, a plant that has proven to be a major sticking point in Tehran's nuclear negotiations with the six powers. A case involving valves is currently under investigation in Germany, the expert panel notes.
That case centers on the procurement of 1,767 valves for Modern Industries Technique Company (MITEC) - which has been under U.N. sanctions since 2010 due to its work on the Arak reactor - from 2007 through 2011. According to the experts' 2013 report, 1,163 valves appear to have reached the company.
The annual report includes a document related to the valves that shows how Iran used its legitimate petrochemical industry activities as a cover for procurement for the Arak project in violation of U.N. sanctions. The panel says the document "came from the computer of an Iranian national who was responsible for overseeing the procurement network".
It said German prosecutors gave the document to the panel.
If the Arak reactor goes online in its current form, it will yield significant amounts of weapons-grade plutonium, but the document merely explains how it would produce radioisotopes that could be used in "radiation processing, radiation therapy, radiography, scanning and tracer purposes and other peaceful applications of nuclear energy".
The owner of the Arak project, according to the document, is "Chemical & Petrochemical Company" with "MEC Engineering & Construction" listed as a consultant.
The United States and its European allies want Iran to either scrap the project or convert it to a non-threatening light-water reactor. Tehran has hinted that it would not oppose modifying the plant.
Iran does need valves for its petrochemical industry, for "which Iran has an established demand", according to the panel's report. But that makes the job of detecting illicit procurement even more difficult, the experts add.
"This further complicates efforts to understand which items may be for prohibited purposes," the panel says, noting that the Arak case "highlights the issue of Iran's use of a petrochemical company as cover for procurement".
The experts also cite a January media report on Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Company (KAA), which is on the U.N. blacklist for supporting Iran's nuclear program, and cites its links to the construction of a uranium enrichment facility at Fordow that Western powers would like to see shut down.
The media report, which several Western diplomats said was supported by intelligence, said the Special Economic Directives Division of Iran's Supreme National Security Council had issued a directive in 2013 ordering that Iranian banks and state firms facilitate the creation of new front companies linked to KAA in order to assist the Revolutionary Guards in evading U.N. and other sanctions.
"The order, which was issued in April 2013, is reportedly intended to obscure the relationship of such companies to Khatam al-Anbiya and make the activities of the company appear innocent," the report said.
One Western diplomat told Reuters that the April 2013 directive remained in effect well after Iran's new pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani took office in August.
[AnNahar] Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas denied recent reports saying that the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... is discussing with Lebanese authorities the possibility of setting up camps for Syrian refugees in Leb, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah on Sunday.
He described the reports as "inaccurate," saying that the Lebanese government, through the Ministry of Social Affairs, is in constant contact with international organizations and UNHCR over the case of the refugees.
These organizations confirmed that they will set up the camps only with the government's approval, explained the minister.
The government has not yet given the go ahead for such measures, he clarified.
Derbas revealed that Prime Minister Tammam Salam had tasked him with devising a roadmap over the case of refugees.
He did not give details about its contents, but said that it will soon be tackled by the ministerial committee in charge of the case of Syrian refugees in Leb.
The old cabinet did not have a clear plan on how to tackle the refugee file, he noted, adding that some Lebanese powers still refuse to set up camps for the displaced.
"These refusals will however be eliminated through dialogue, discussions, and understanding," Derbas stated.
Moreover, he revealed that the cabinet will propose to the U.N. setting up camps within Syrian territories that are not witnessing fighting.
Meanwhile, ...back at the alley, Slats Chumbaloni was staring into a hole that was just .45 inch in diameter and was less than three feet from his face ... Public Information Associate for UNHCR Joelle Eid told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday that the "unprecedented rise in the number of Syrian refugees makes it necessary to set up camps."
"Such a step however requires a political decision," she remarked.
The UNHCR and the Social Affairs Ministry have conducted studies over the areas where these camps can be set.
Most of them will likely be located in the North and eastern Bekaa region, said Eid.
Media reports said on Saturday, that Director of UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa Bureau Amin Awad stated that the U.N. is discussing with Lebanese authorities the possibility of setting up camps for Syrian refugees in Leb.
The proposal calls for establishing the camps in Lebanese territories away from the border with Syria and the dividing lines between the warring sides to limit the presence of refugees in several locations, he explained.
More than one million Syrians have registered as refugees in Leb after fleeing war in their country.
The conflict has killed more than 150,000 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while half of the population is estimated to have fled their homes.
[AnNahar] A delegation from Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... is expected to visit Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Tuesday on the occasion of Liberation Day and a time of heated debates over his visit to Jerusalem, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Sunday.
The daily said that the delegation will indirectly attempt to persuade the patriarch against making the trip or thank him for canceling it should he do so before Tuesday.
Liberation Day, marking the end of Israeli occupation of southern Leb, falls on May 25.
President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... had recently informed al-Rahi that it was preferable for him not to visit the Holy Land later this month over controversy over the planned trip.
The president also expressed readiness to provide political cover to any stance made by the Maronite patriarchate to go back on the decision to go ahead with the visit.
Al-Rahi had however reportedly defended his decision to accompany Pope Francis to Jerusalem and hinted that he would not change his mind, saying that as Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, it is his duty to welcome the Pope in any country in the region.
Vatican front man Federico Lombardi said Thursday al-Rahi was not part of the official delegation heading to the Holy Land and was going on his own initiative.
Al-Rahi would be the first patriarch to travel to Israel since the Jewish state was created in 1948.
Commander of the Army's Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said the Army's helicopters have been equipped with guided missiles, which are scheduled to be tested in Beit ol-Moqaddas war games in the next Iranian month of Khordad (May 22-June 21) in Isfahan province of Iran, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on May 11.
He added that the national helicopter, which will be equipped with the most advanced military systems, will be unveiled by the end of the current Iranian solar year (March 2015).
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/12/2014 00:00 ||
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[Politico] BLUF Gohmert says the select committee should focus on "why" Stevens was killed.
"I had a private meeting with them Libyans who were initially involved in the ouster of [the late Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi], and they said 'You Americans keep wanting to know who killed your ambassador, but you should be wanting to know why was he killed.' There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered."
#1
I want to know who, why will com from capturing whoever did it. More importantly, I want to know why our government told us it was a video and stuck to the lie.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/12/2014 10:42 Comments ||
Top||
#2
and they will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to justice, right?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/12/2014 11:18 Comments ||
Top||
#3
When American leaders allow Americans to die and then says "What difference does it make?", you have leaders who not only allow Americans to be murdered, they themselves are murderers of their own people.
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.
International Criminal Court
[Gulf News] A passionate call by Egypt's leading presidential contender Abdul Fattah Al Sissi on his compatriots to work hard to revitalise an ailing economy has become a popular ringtone in the lead-up to this month's elections, which he is expected to win.
Goodluck Jonathan
North Korean leader 
Wazoo
[DAWN] The health authorities postponed its special 
"We are in favour of revolution instead of changing the government within the parliament as the house has been elected in violation of Article 218, Clause B of the Constitution," Mr Qadri said while addressing protest rallies in different cities of Punjab, including Lahore and Rawalpindi, through video-link from Canada.
Moqtada 
Nouri al-Maliki
A confidential new report by a U.N. panel highlights Iran's methods of evading sanctions - from concealing titanium tubes inside steel pipes to using its petrochemical industry as a cover to obtain items for a heavy-water nuclear reactor.
