WASHINGTON: On the instructions of Pakistans Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani, Pakistani Consul General in Houston Aqil Nadeem visited Dr Aafia Siddiqui in Carswell detention facility in Texas on Friday.
In a two-hour meeting, Aafia informed the consul general that she was medically fine and was pleased to speak by phone to her mother and children in Karachi on Thursday. According to a Pakistani embassy official, Aafia will also be able to meet her brother at her request. The consul general informed her that the Pakistani Embassy in Washington had coordinated consular access for her through the authorities concerned. Dr Aafia Siddiqui asked the diplomat to convey her thanks to ambassador Haqqani for his concern for her welfare, the official said. app
QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen in Dera Murad Jamali set ablaze a tanker carrying fuel supplies for NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan on Saturday.
According to official sources, the vehicle carrying fuel for NATO troops was on its way to Kandahar from Karachi when unidentified attackers, riding a motorbike, shot bullets at it on the National Highway near Dera Murad Jamali in the limits of the Sadar Levies Station. As a result of the firing, the tanker caught fire and was destroyed completely. However, no casualty was reported in the incident. After committing the crime, the armed men managed to escape from the scene.
Balochistan Levies officials reached the site and cordoned off the area, soon after the incident. No outfit had claimed the responsibility for the attack until the filing of this report. Balochistan Levies has registered a case against the unidentified attackers. Further investigations are underway.
NEW DELHI: The owners of a hijacked ship said on Saturday that they were perplexed by the continuing detention of some of their crew members by Somali pirates despite their paying a multimillion-dollar ransom.
Pirates released the ship and some of the crew on Friday. But a Somali pirate told The Associated Press afterward that the Indian crew members hostage ordeal is being prolonged in retaliation for the arrests of more than 100 Somali pirates by the Indian Navy. However, the ship owners said on Saturday that all the crew members of the Asphalt Venture were Indian not just the seven still being held.
All 15 crew members, held hostage after Septembers attack, were Indian, Sunil Puri, a New Delhi-based spokesman for Interglobal, a United Arab Emirates-based company that owns the ship, told the AP. On Friday, Hassan Farah said pirates in stronghold of Haradhere in Somalia had taken a collective decision not to release the Indian crew members.
Puri called the pirates action unprecedented, and said that it wasnt immediately clear why the pirates acted as they did. We are still trying to ascertain why that happened. We kept our side of the bargain. We dont know why they werent released. This is an unprecedented situation. In the past they have always kept their word, Puri said.
While Puri did not reveal the amount of ransom paid, pirates are receiving an average of $5 million to release ships and crew, and a ransom in that ballpark was believed to have been paid on Friday.
The Indian navy has seized around 120 pirates, mostly from Somalia, over the past few months. Last month the Indian navy captured 61 pirates when they attacked a naval ship. Indian warships have been escorting merchant ships as part of international anti-piracy surveillance in the Indian Ocean area since 2008.
The Haia are Saudi Arabia's morality police. I'm not sure how that relates to Muttawa, which is what I long thought they were called.
Members should know how to deal tactfully with an ever-changing world
The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) should be commended for his efforts to improve his organization and his instructions to its members to behave with understanding and tact in all situations. Abdul Aziz Al-Humain made his position clear when he addressed 70 field operatives recently in Riyadh and called on them to act with good will and due consideration for the feelings of the people while discharging their duties.
The Haia are Saudi Arabia's morality police. I'm not sure how that relates to Muttawa, which is what I long thought they were called.
Members should know how to deal tactfully with an ever-changing world
The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) should be commended for his efforts to improve his organization and his instructions to its members to behave with understanding and tact in all situations. Abdul Aziz Al-Humain made his position clear when he addressed 70 field operatives recently in Riyadh and called on them to act with good will and due consideration for the feelings of the people while discharging their duties.
The Haia are Saudi Arabia's morality police. I'm not sure how that relates to Muttawa, which is what I long thought they were called.
Members should know how to deal tactfully with an ever-changing world
The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) should be commended for his efforts to improve his organization and his instructions to its members to behave with understanding and tact in all situations. Abdul Aziz Al-Humain made his position clear when he addressed 70 field operatives recently in Riyadh and called on them to act with good will and due consideration for the feelings of the people while discharging their duties.
Jordanian security forces have arrested 70 Islamists after violent protests in which many people were hurt, most of them policemen, a security official told Agence France Presse on Saturday.
The suspects, members of the ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Salafist movement, were rounded up during raids Friday in the town of Zarqa and nearby Rassifeh, hours after Islamist protesters attacked police, the official said.
Initially 120 people were detained but 50 of them were later let go while 70 were quizzed about their involvement in the violence in Zarqa, a northern industrial town, said the official who declined to be named.
Those found guilty would be prosecuted, he added.
A member of the Salafist movement meanwhile told AFP that 22 prominent figures of the Islamist group including its chief in Jordan, Abdul Shahatah al-Tahawi, were among those detained.
More than 90 people, most of them policemen, were hurt Friday when Islamist Salafist demonstrators armed with swords, daggers and clubs attacked police in Zarqa during protests.(AFP)
Attacking the British strategy in Helmand, the officer claims that soldiers are now so laden with equipment they are unable to launch effective attacks against insurgents.
The controversial account of situation in Afghanistan appears in the latest issue British Army Review, a restricted military publication designed to provoke debate within the Army.
Writing anonymously, the author reveals that the Taliban have dubbed British soldiers "donkeys" who move in a tactical "waddle" because they now carry an average weight of 110lbs worth of equipment into battle.
The consequences of the strategy, he says, is that "our infantry find it almost impossible to close with the enemy because the bad guys are twice as mobile".
The officer claims that by the end of a routine four hour patrol, soldiers struggle to make basic tactical judgements because they are physically and mentally exhausted.
Less than a month into the Libyan conflict, NATO is running short of precision bombs, highlighting the limitations of Britain, France and other European countries in sustaining even a relatively small military action over an extended period of time, according to senior NATO and U.S. officials. Maybe they'll have to revert to dumb bombs, with more collateral damage.
The current bombing rate by the participating nations is not sustainable. "The reason we need more capability isn't because we aren't hitting what we see -- it's so that we can sustain the ability to do so. One problem is flight time, the other is munitions," said another official, one of several who were not authorized to discuss the issue on the record. Just hang on for a little while longer, Moo-Mar, and you'll emerge victorious. Than you can get UN aid for rebuilding!
Although the United States has significant stockpiles, its munitions do not fit on the British- and French-made planes that have flown the bulk of the missions. Britain and France have each contributed about 20 strike aircraft to the campaign. I wonder if the Soviets would've reached Amsterdam before we discovered that little nugget?
Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Canada have each contributed six -- all of them U.S.-manufactured and compatible with US weaponry.
Libya "has not been a very big war. If [the Europeans] would run out of these munitions this early in such a small operation, you have to wonder what kind of war they were planning on fighting," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a defense think tank. "Maybe they were just planning on using their air force for air shows." Not to worry; we'll be there in a few years.
Since the end of March, more than 800 strike missions have been flown, with U.S. aircraft conducting only three, targeting static Libyan air defense installations. The United States still conducts about 25 percent of the overall sorties over Libya, largely intelligence, jamming and refueling missions.
Retooling these fighter jets so that they are compatible with U.S. systems requires money, and all European militaries have faced significant cuts in recent years. Typically, the British and French militaries buy munitions in batches and stockpile them. When arsenals start to run low, factories must be retooled and production lines restarted.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/16/2011
16:38 ||
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This is the lesson of welfare. You engender weakness when you engender dependency.
The US should pull out of Europe ASAP. Maybe then the Europeans would start taking their own security seriously.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
04/16/2011 17:07
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Once again the eggshell of strategery splatters against the brick wall of logistics.
Didn't anyone do the math before this thing got started?
Posted by: Matt ||
04/16/2011 17:50
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"you have to wonder what kind of war they were planning on fighting"
None. They've always planned on us fighting the wars and them taking the credit (while bad-mouthing us for being such bullies).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/16/2011 17:50
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Miss Barbara -
Truer words were never spoken. But the inline commentary also reveals a thoroughly dirty little secret about Cold War NATO ops: very, very little of our stuff was compatible with Allied gear, and vice versa. It's only gotten worse.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/16/2011 18:36
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#5
The one comfort in all this may be that all those stolen, back engineered French, British, American equipment and designs that the Chinese start producing won't be any more interoperable than the real stuff.
#6
The current bombing rate by the participating nations is not sustainable.
That's true. They expected the Americans to provide bulk of men and materiel.
Although the United States has significant stockpiles, its munitions do not fit on the British- and French-made planes that have flown the bulk of the missions.
That's false. The British Tornado can carry both JDAMs and Paveway LGBs. The Rafale can carry Paveways.
#7
But are Britain & France even deploying the Tornado & Rafale? I thought I recall the Brits had grounded most/all the Tornado.
One caveat to all this: if this was a 'real' war, and US munitions and NATO platforms were all that was available, I guarantee that the airmen would make it (sorta) work if you let them.
#8
Yes. British ground strikes are done almost exclusively by the Tornado. The French use Rafale, Super Etendard (carry US LGB) and Mirage 2000. The Mirage 2000D (ground attack variant) can also drop US LBGs.
Then there are Canadians (F-18), Swedes (Gripen), Norwegians (F-16), Belgians (f-16) and Danes (F-16).
If anyone were really running low, all they would have to do is ask to use the US stockpile.
#12
This is what happens when wars have to be fought with hands tied to the back.
The UN way.
My Bundeswehr times were a bit different. We were told that we would be sent to the Fulda Gap to slow the Soviet advance until US forces would come to the rescue.
I remember a new recrute asking:
"Our rescue?"
"No. You will be dead. All of you."
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/16/2011 22:30
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Frankly I don't understand the Libya issue.
If NATO needs to get involved, just plaster Duffy's bunker with the heaviest bunker busters you have.
That'll be precise enough
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/16/2011 22:38
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Euroconservative, I was deployed forward of you. 2ACR (to the south of 11ACR and Fulda). We were the speedbump for the 1GTA (2ACR)and most of GSFG coming down the Hof gap which was the bypass for Fulda.
HT to Ace's sidebar links. this tool is a blithering idiot, and hats off to the Congressman from Colorado for exposing it. The EPA does not consider job losses in their ideological drive to shut down the energy policy of this country.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/16/2011
16:07 ||
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Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
04/16/2011
15:49 ||
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The spokesman must be a real intel-u-gence officer. I seem to recall that Iran had to unload its nuclear reactor. Something about "bad batter in the cake". I would assume that more than "a limited number of centrifuges at its main uranium enrichment facility" were affected.
Hee-hee.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
04/16/2011 16:12
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The IDF has drawn up a comprehensive multi-year strategy; planners hope their prudence will help protect Israel from all fresh dangers.
[jpost] - The IDFs multi-year plan, unveiled to the press this week, was for the most part a continuation of the last plan, Tefen, initiated in 2007 under former chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi.
Then, the IDF was reeling from its failures and mistakes following the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and Ashkenazi decided to invest in the ground forces by manufacturing more Merkava tanks, developing a new armored personnel carrier (APC) called the Namer and significantly boosting training.
An emphasis was also put on missile defense, the benefits of which we witnessed last week when the Iron Dome intercepted eight rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
This has paid off, and the IDF is unquestionably better prepared today for another ground war in Syria, Lebanon or the Gaza Strip.
During his term as chief of staff, Ashkenazi oversaw nearly 100 different brigade-level exercises. In 2006, by comparison, the IDF held a total of two brigade-level exercises. The IDF has already received the first batch of Namer APCs and has equipped some of its tanks with the Trophy active-protection system. The ground forces are ready.
THE NEW plan, called Halamish and constructed under new Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz some IDF officers have joked that Halamish is the Hebrew acronym for I am missing 1 billion shekels continues the same line of thinking as Tefen, but may contain another focal point.
While both plans identify Iran as the greatest threat and challenge for Israel followed by the northern front, which includes Syria and Lebanon and then the Palestinians Halamish may be unique if it places Egypt on the list as well.
In the meantime, Gantz has decided to take the cautious and not hysterical approach vis à vis Egypt. This was done with the understanding that even if the Muslim Brotherhood takes over in upcoming elections considered unlikely it will still take some time before Egypt threatens Israel again like it did in the days leading up to the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
For that reason, the upcoming year will be spent mostly on learning about Egypt, dusting off old maps, remembering what it was like being in the Sinai and preparing conceptually for the future.
When it comes to Egypt, if the worst-case scenario comes true, the IDF will have plans in place to embark on an unprecedented procurement campaign that, in short, will set the establishment of new divisions, fighter jet squadrons and other military capabilities. If that doesnt work and Egyptian tanks roll through the Sinai, Israel could always call on the US for intervention.
BUT WHERE Halamish breaks from Tefen is in the following assessment, which serves as the introduction of the new multi-year plan: There is an increasing probability of conflict on multiple fronts. While this concept war on several fronts simultaneously is not a new one for Israel, it is significant when it appears in a military multi-year plan for the first time in 15 years.
What are the chances for war? 50-50? 70-30? No one in the IDF will say. If they could, there would be no purpose in maintaining a massive branch in the IDF called Military Intelligence.
The new plan, though, is sophisticated and recognizes that the IDF is already at war on some of its fronts. It is waging a war against Irans nuclear program mostly in the shadows and below the surface and is also, at the same time, fighting on the high seas against weapons smuggling to Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon demonstrated by the seizure of Iranian arms on the Victoria cargo ship last month.
But if a larger-scale conflict breaks out in the coming years, the IDF has a very clear idea of the way it wants to see it play out. The first principle will be to ensure a short conflict with a clear and decisive victory for Israel at its end.
What this means, though, is unclear, mainly because the IDF no longer really talks in terms of victory and defeat in the conventional, historic sense of the terms. Years ago, after one sides military surrendered and it had lost significant territory to its adversary, it was obvious who had won. Nowadays, when an enemy does not really own territory as is the case with Hamas and Hezbollah and when it cannot conquer Israeli territory, how is it possible to determine the outcome of a war?
That is why when the IDF talks about terms like victory and defeat, what it means is that the other side has been so badly beaten that it will be deterred for an extended period before engaging Israel again. While the IDF made major mistakes during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the quiet that has prevailed in the five years since proves that the war was something of a victory. The countrys difficulty in understanding this new concept likely added to the public sense of failure at the time.
THIS UNDERSTANDING of the nature of conflicts was demonstrated during Operation Cast Lead in 2009, which, while it did not destroy Hamas, did create deterrence and restore quiet for the residents of the South. Unfortunately this deterrence eroded over the past month, culminating in last weekends cycle of violence, which included over 120 rocket and mortar attacks against Israel in just two days.
Then, too, the IDFs entire operation was aimed at restoring deterrence and postponing what many in the defense establishment believe is inevitable a large-scale Cast Lead-like operation in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF knew that it was facing a new round of violence two weeks ago after it bombed a car in the southern Gaza Strip carrying three senior Hamas operatives and suitcases full of money. The terrorists were planning to kidnap Israelis in the Sinai and then smuggle them under the border and into the Gaza Strip.
Knowing the group would try to exact revenge one of the slain terrorists was a close confidant of Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari the IDF removed troops and equipment away from the border, trying hard not to provide Hamas with a target. But by last Thursday, Hamas had had enough and, in the absence of a military target, decided to fire a Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missile at a school bus near Nahal Oz.
The IDF then began responding, but throughout the entire weekend did not attack major Hamas targets like bases or military compounds. Even though it killed nearly 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives, none was killed in targeted killings, but rather in routine bombings and air strikes against cells spotted in real time launching, or preparing to launch, rockets into Israel.
The idea was to send Hamas a message that Israel could cause it damage on many different levels. If Hamas had not understood the message by Sunday, when the cease-fire went into effect, Israel would have begun to escalate its response, and Hamas likely would have reciprocated. With every Israeli escalation, it is possible that Hamas will, eventually, finally decide to use its long-range Iranian-made rockets that are capable of hitting near Tel Aviv.
At no point during the operation did the IDF mention toppling Hamas or defeating Hamas. Instead, the idea was to restore deterrence and make Hamas understand that it would pay a price for its attacks against Israel. After almost a week of strained and tense quiet, the message seems to have gotten across at least, for the time being.
Courtsey of the Puppy-Blender. Me likee.
A federal judge in Las Vegas on Friday unsealed the agreement for prosecuting copyright infringement lawsuits between Righthaven LLC and Las Vegas Review-Journal owner Stephens Media.
"By rejecting Righthaven's and Stephens Media's efforts to keep the document secret, Chief Judge Hunt has allowed the various victims of Righthaven's campaign of intimidation to know the truth. The document in question, a Strategic Alliance Agreement, gave Righthaven the right to sue on Stephens' Media's copyrights, but no other rights in the copyrights, which we believe will defeat Righthaven's standing to sue any of those it has targeted," said Pulgram, an attorney associated with the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the San Francisco law firm Fenwick & West LLP. More at the link. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/16/2011
10:59 ||
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Hunt's ruling came Friday in a Righthaven lawsuit against the Democratic Underground over the partial posting of a Review-Journal story -- and a Democratic Underground counterclaim against Righthaven and Stephens Media.
The Democratic Underground is the pretty much the sole reason why there's been some hi-profile legal firepower involved (a good portion pro bono) from places like Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I'm no legal beagle, but it does make an interesting point: if the LVRJ transferred to RVHN ONLY the part of the copyright that permits them to sue (and not as the lawyer for LVRJ but as a partner), then does RVHN have standing in court? Do they 'own' the copyright, or did they just lease a chunk of it?
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011 13:55
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Either way, Righthaven are the scum and bottom feeders of the legal world. The sooner they are broken and put out of business the better.
#5
"does RVHN have standing in court? Do they 'own' the copyright, or did they just lease a chunk of it?"
According to the article, Dr. Steve, they may not have standing. "Defense attorneys fighting Righthaven say that in order to sue, Righthaven must have complete ownership of the copyrights."
Oops. IANAL, of course, but this could be fun.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/16/2011 14:53
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These are strange, strange times. Much as roughly a month ago I said (just once) "Yeah Muslim Brotherhood!" for fighting Qaddafi, "Yeah Democratic Underground!" for fighting these scumbags.
#7
Actually anyone that got served with papers from RHVN shoudl examine them for claims regardin ownership etc of the LV rag's articles. Apparently if they did claim (as seen in boilerplate) more-or-less "Full" copyrights to these articles, they filed false documents with the court. THis can be used to nullify any settlement as it was reached under false pretenses, and turn the suit over to local law enforcement as fraud via perjury in the civilk court filing (i.e. they lied about full ownership fo the copyrights, therfore they knowingly put a lie as part of the court filing, qed perjury).
If I were to have been sued and forced to settle, I would certainly be grabbing this document from the court of DU's suit and talking to a lawyer about the possibility of getting some serious cash back including damages. Hint. Hint.
#3
How could someone who comes from a secretive upbring, has never done an honest day's work in his life, who takes 18 vacations per year, plays golf nearly every week end, and makes tens of millions of dollars doing absolutely nothing be..... STUPID?
"STUPID" are the ones that PUT HIM THERE, and will probably vote to KEEP him there for a second term. That my friends is "STUPID."
#10
I'm still torn between an emphatic "Yes" and "Nah, just a malevolent, empty-suited troll-puppet, with no discernable skills save those neccessary for an entry-level position in Chicago machine-politics as a money-grubbing race-monger."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/16/2011 18:51
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You gotta wonder about Bambi's political skill when he throws a hanging curve ball like that for every snarky right-winger -- like us, for example-- to take a swing at. I'd say Sgt. Mom just parked it in the upper deck.
Posted by: Matt ||
04/16/2011 19:06
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No, Barbara - probably not, but it makes the punch-line almost too long! ;-)
A new stamp that was meant to depict Lady Liberty in fact features a 1997 replica from outside a New York-themed casino in Las Vegas, it has emerged.
Three billion of the 44-cent (27p) stamps, which show a close-up of the New York, New York hotel's half-sized model, were printed before a collector spotted the error and contacted the weekly stamp news magazine Linn's Stamp News.
"The image is accurate," said Roy Betts, a spokesman for the US postal service. "Just of the Vegas version, not the one in New York". The mistake is thought to be the first of its kind. Stamp collectors everywhere rejoice...
A close inspection of the face on the "forever" stamp -- which can be used for first-class post indefinitely, regardless of price rises -- reveals several differences with the real statue's features.
Furthermore, where the famous windows in Liberty's crown should be, the Vegas replica has only crudely painted black blocks.
Mr Betts said the picture was obtained from an agency. "But we love the stamp and would have chosen this photograph anyway," he said. No stamps will be withdrawn and it is possible more will be produced.
You didn't seriously think he was going to abide by the will of Congress, did you? Such is The One's personal awesomeness that he can order the bombing of Libya without so much as a heads up to the legislature in advance. Surely he wasn't about to be tripped up by a duly enacted bill that dares to cut off the money he uses for his auxiliary cabinet.
I have to say, of all the Bush policies recycled by Obama, this one's my favorite just because it's such a gratuitous offense to his base. You can spin many of the others on expediency grounds -- he had to ramp up the drone strikes in Pakistan to crack down on terrorists, he had to keep Gitmo military tribunals going because the Republicans tied his hands -- but this one's pretty much a pure no-apologies betrayal. The bad news: Legally, it's highly dubious. The good news: It should provoke another classic what-happened-to-the-Barack-I-knew Andrew Sullivan lament.
One rider -- Section 2262 -- de-funds certain White House adviser positions -- or "czars." The president in his signing statement declares that he will not abide by it.
"The President has well-established authority to supervise and oversee the executive branch, and to obtain advice in furtherance of this supervisory authority," he wrote. "The President also has the prerogative to obtain advice that will assist him in carrying out his constitutional responsibilities, and do so not only from executive branch officials and employees outside the White House, but also from advisers within it. Legislative efforts that significantly impede the President's ability to exercise his supervisory and coordinating authorities or to obtain the views of the appropriate senior advisers violate the separation of powers by undermining the President's ability to exercise his constitutional responsibilities and take care that the laws be faithfully executed."...
In other words: we know what you wanted that provision to do, but we don't think it's constitutional, so we will interpret it differently than the way you meant it.
#1
The President also has the prerogative to obtain advice that will assist him in carrying out his constitutional responsibilities..
While it is true, it also doesn't imply 'paid' advice. Many Presidents have had advisers that were not on the payrolls, often referred to as the 'kitchen cabinet'. The purse strings, however, are always those of the legislative branch. If they say no pay, then constitutionally, it's no pay. That's the basis for cutting off operations of the military or any other department. It also becomes the basis for removal from office if ignored.
#2
Impeach Obama, 2011. If Congress doesn't, they will become totally impotent, and we will be ruled by a dictator.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/16/2011 13:03
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Oddly enough, I do not believe it is presidentially impeachable, for the reason that it has been coming on since Marbury v. Madison (1810), when the SCOTUS ordered the POTUS to comply, and he refused. Even from the founding of the republic, there were concerns about an "imperial presidency". It is a broader issue than can be dealt with by just impeachment.
However, that being said, though it has only been done once (William W. Belknap (Secretary of War)), cabinet officers can be impeached. And while the assumption *was* that this only applied to senate approved cabinet officers; since the president has sought to evade this advice and consent, there is no reason to think that congress cannot impeach Czars.
The House has initiated impeachment proceedings, mostly against federal judges, some 64 times. Easy because it requires just a simple majority vote. The hard part is conviction by the Senate, as it needs a 2/3rds majority vote, or 67 senators in agreement.
Even if the Republican won the Senate vote big time in 2012, the best estimates are that it could only get 60 senators.
#1
Misplaced sense of charity killed this good-hearted Italian.
Couldn't he have found someone a bit more worthy to "help"?
Sadly this glowing obit from another "activist" shows the same stupid missing of the point... he was killed by the Muslim fascists, you dolt. Those same people you seem to be trying hard to help.
Wish they could just grow a brain as there are many homeless suffering people in their OWN countries that need help. Why fly halfway round the world to help a pack of fanatical Muslims?
#4
Hamas has arrested two more people for this, making a total of four, according to the Jerusalem Post. It's even possible some of the arrestees are guilty.
"Unemployed Poles will have to leave country," headlines De Volkskrant in its report on new measures to regulate workers from other EU countries proposed by the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Henk Kamp of the liberal VVD party.
According to the daily, the rules "will be reinforced. Those who cannot provide for themselves will have to leave."
So they'll deport unemployed Poles. What about unemployed Somalis?
If the proposals are accepted "immigrants who have been out of work for more than three months will have to leave" and there will also be stricter sanctions against foreign criminals.
The mayor of The Hague, who has spoken of a "tsunami of Eastern workers," and his counterpart in Rotterdam both voiced their support for the measures.
However, the polish ambassador has said that the plan "is a subject for concern." De Volkskrant also announces that migrants from Europe and also from Turkey and Morocco who apply for welfare benefits "will have to demonstrate a mastery of the Dutch language."
However, the daily also notes that these measures will require the modification of a number of European directives.
#1
these measures will require the modification of a number of European directives.
At a minimum. They can get as frustrated as they want, but their hands are tied. The EU is built on "the four freedoms": free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor (i.e., people). The point of "the European project" was to remove barriers to movement and "harmonize" national laws, which concentrated and centralized decision-making at the top. So to solve their immigration problems, really, they'd have to dismantle the EU borg altogether. Good luck with that.
#2
De Volkskrant also announces that migrants from Europe and also from Turkey and Morocco who apply for welfare benefits "will have to demonstrate a mastery of the Dutch language."
I like the part "Deport Unemployed Foreigners" better.
Face to face with a Taliban bomber after a high-speed desert chase, Private Lee Stephens acted on instinct and adrenalin.
With no time to consider his own safety, he leapt unarmed from his Warrior armoured vehicle, dragged the insurgent from his motorcycle and laid into him with his fists.
Gunner Pte Stephens, 30, from Solihull, did not have time to get his gun. He said: I jumped out and I grabbed the geezer.
It was mark one left, mark two right fists. That was it. No weapons, just my hands.
It was only afterwards that the full significance of his heroics became clear. His prey turned out to be the highest-ranking Taliban captured by regular British forces in Afghanistan, a long-wanted bomb-making expert.
Asked about his actions, Pte Stephens said: My muckers were getting shot at and I thought Im not having that.
It was only after searching the rebel that he could be sure the man wasnt wearing an explosive vest. He said: I was quite lucky, to be fair. It could have been nasty. Its like the Wild West out here.
Lance Corporal Jake Podmore, 22, from Stoke-on-Trent, commanding a second Warrior, dismounted and covered Pte Stephens with his pistol. He said of his friend: He was like a little hero running out.
But with the Taliban captive subdued, the drama continued.
Four men pulled up in two cars. Two were wearing Afghan police uniforms and two civilian clothing. Suicide bombers have been known to disguise themselves as police and the men were refusing to show identification, being aggressive and trying to take hold of the prisoner.
Sgt Jonathan Werrett, 31, and Cpl Robert Hirst, 28, both from Walsall, and LCpl Ashley Coxon, 25, and LCpl Matt Ryder, 23, both from Burton upon Trent, were running across the desert to provide back-up.
When they got there one of the Afghans was claiming the detainee had killed his brother. He said he would die before leaving without him.
LCpl Ryder handcuffed the prisoner and put him in the back of a vehicle. But the two Warriors then had to leave to support another team under fire.
Sgt Werrett, Cpl Hirst and LCpl Coxon were left facing off against the four armed Afghans. Sgt Werrett said: We stood there looking at each other. And slowly, without a word, we began to move away from each other and that was it.
Lieutenant Colonel Giles Woodhouse, commanding officer, 3 Mercian, said: Pte Stephenss action has possibly saved the lives not only of my own soldiers, but also those of the Afghan forces. That has to be a great result. Pte Stephens signed off from the Army before the tour but said he might stay on. He had told his mother, Linda, who works in a bakery, and his girlfriend, Gayle Reynolds, 32, a nurse, about what he had done.
My mum was a bit gobsmacked. My girlfriend kept saying to me No wonder Im going grey.
The drama started when soldiers from B Company, 3rd Battalion the Mercian Regiment, based at Durai Junction, pushed into an insurgent hotspot two weeks ago.
They realised they had had a lucky escape when a bomb was found by a foot soldier.
They secured the area, but then saw the motorcyclist. Lieutenant Martyn Fulford, 24, of Gloucester, said: It tied in to reports that there were suicide bombers preparing to attack us.
When the bike came within 30 yards, a barrage of insurgent gunfire opened up from behind him and the Warrior chase began.
#6
Smart bombs and Drones are great. But nothing like opening up a can of whoop-ass on your enemy. You let them live to remember something that they will never forget, an experience of righteous indignity in human form.
#7
In another universe, IF the US forces had an ROE that allowed such common sense John Waynery ( a term I just made up), you can bet that not only would that unit's C.O. be 'transferred', but Bambi would embark on a sequel to his WAT (World Apology Tour)
ISLAMIST protesters armed with swords, daggers and bats have attacked police in the Jordanian city of Zarqa, wounding 51 of them, as 32 other police suffered from tear gas inhalation, the country's police chief said.
Lieutenant General Hussein Majali told a news conference: "Fifty-one policemen, including senior officers, were stabbed with knives, beaten with bats or hit with sharp tools, while 32 other policemen were treated for tear gas inhalation".
He said: "Eight civilians were also hurt when police fired tear gas and tried to stop Islamist Salafist demonstrators from attacking shoppers in Zarqa", adding that 17 protesters were arrested and police are searching for more people.
"It was clear that the demonstrators had plans to clash with police. They carried swords and daggers and were provocative, seeking to drag police into a bloody confrontation."
Earlier, police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Khatib told AFP six officers stabbed in today's clashes were "in serious condition".
He said police "had to fire tear gas after a group of Islamist Salafists attacked some citizens ... accusing them of being atheists."
The Salafists have been demonstrating over the past few weeks to demand the release of 90 Islamist prisoners, including Abu Mohammed al-Maqdessi, the onetime mentor of slain al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Zarqawi, who hailed from Zarqa in the country's north, was killed in an air strike north-east of Baghdad in 2006.
The group has also called for the release of Mohammad Shalabi, better known as Abu Sayyaf, who was convicted on terrorism charges following riots in the restive southern city of Maan in 2002.
The Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices common in the early days of the faith.
#4
Aside from "democratic underground", moveon.org is full of the most ignorant and foolish commie zombie idiots out there. It makes the daily kos look like a professional site. They all suck.
#7
They'll fast like Cindy Sheehan did when she fasted to protest the war. Expect these dolts to be passing around recipes for 'fast-compliant' vanilla ice cream-coffee smoothies...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011 10:11
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#8
At least they didn't proclaim a hunger strike. With fasting you can claim you did it and its simply your word, you don't fail when someone catches you eating. No downside. No upside either because it doesn't change anything except make you feel all superior but that has never been a big consideration in lefty politics.
#1
The NATO mandate does not mandate participating in local civil wars that do not have an impact on NATO member security. This theator of operations should demonstrate why.
#2
Were on a collision course with the rough terrain of a changing world, and the turbulence buffeting Europe is of a kind not seen for more than 20 years. But back then we had a steady pilot the United States
You mean back when we had a Prisident named Bush? You mean back when the United States was the "hyperpower"?
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
04/16/2011 15:46
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Five international troops and four Afghan soldiers died in a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban at the Afghan army's headquarters in the war-torn country's east, officials said. The attack is the worst single incident since December against foreign forces in Afghanistan, and comes amid a wave of suicide attacks on security targets, three months before foreign forces are to start a limited pullback. It was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an Afghan army uniform at the base in the Gambiri desert area in Laghman province, near Jalalabad city, the de facto capital of Afghanistan's east.
ISAF spokesman Major Tim James confirmed that the deaths came in an attack on the Afghan army base in Laghman province, but could not comment on the nationalities of those killed.
Separately, Afghanistan's defence ministry said that four Afghan army personnel were killed and eight people were wounded, including four translators. It added that that attack was carried out by a man wearing an Afghan army uniform.
NATO is coming up short on ground attack aircraft in airstrikes against Qadaffy forces in Libya & has been asking its less-involved members to do contribute more resources . Spain on Thursday rejected requests to do more, and yesterday Italy said it would not go beyond allowing Britain and France to use Italian airbases.
"We have done enough," said Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister. "An engagement that goes beyond our current commitment would not make sense." Silvio is more interested in 'Bunga Bunga' than 'Zenga Zenga', but who can blame him?
Two Abu Sayyaf terrorists rebels were killed Saturday in a battle with government troops in the southern Philippines.
Three soldiers and three terrorists guerrillas were injured in the fighting in the town of Albarka on the Basilan province.
An army official said the soldiers have recovered four assault rifles, one grenade launcher and some personal belongings left behind by the fleeing terrorists guerrillas.
#1
"This does not have to do with honor," Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Roland Steinle said. "This has to do with a man, his narcissism, his mean-spiritedness, his inability to forgive. He was driven to kill his daughter because it suited his purpose."
The judge sentenced Al-Maleki to 16 years in prison for second-degree murder, 15 years for the assault of Khalaf, and 3 1/2 years for leaving the scene of an accident.
#2
"This has to do with a man, his narcissism, his mean-spiritedness, his inability to forgive. He was driven to kill his daughter because it suited his purpose."
Islam, an excellent summarization. But "dad" should have gotten death for murdering his little girl. Period.
[Ma'an] Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... in Gazoo said Friday he ordered a swift investigation into the murder of an Italian peace activist and would not tolerate another such incident in the enclave.
Vittorio Arrigoni will be considered a Paleostinian martyr and a street will be named in his honor, Haniyeh told his cabinet. He also called the victim's family to express his condolences, officials in Gazoo said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
Wow. A street in Gaza named after you. Now there's an honor.
Move it along, nuthin to see here...
[Asharq al-Aswat] Syrian President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... 's efforts to contain an unprecedented wave of protests face a key test on Friday, after he unveiled a new cabinet and ordered detainees released in a bid to ease tensions.
Assad's measures were unlikely to satisfy many protesters demanding political freedoms and an end to corruption. The cabinet has little power and the release of detainees excluded those who committed crimes "against the nation and citizens."
Syria has thousands of political prisoners, whose numbers swelled after protests against Assad's authoritarian rule broke out in the southern city of Deraa exactly four weeks ago after the main Friday prayers.
Prayers, funerals and weddings are the main chances Syrians have to gather legally -- and every Friday since has seen large demonstrations, bloodshed, and mass arrests.
The official news agency said the releases cover detainees incarcerated in the recent wave of protests, but human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... defenders said there had been more arrests in the city of Deraa on Thursday.
A Syrian rights group said this week that more than 200 people had been killed during the protests. They have posed the biggest challenge to Assad since he assumed power in 2000 upon the death of his father Hafez, who ruled the country for 30 years.
There are sectarian overtones to the tensions arising from the protests.
Rights campaigners said Alawite irregulars, loyal to Assad and known as "al-shabbiha," killed four people in the seaside city of Banias and were used to quell protests in other areas.
Syria is a mostly Sunni Mohammedan nation ruled by minority Alawites, adherents to an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
"PLAYING ON SECTARIAN FEARS"
A senior opposition figure said Assad, who is Alawite, has been trying to stoke sectarian fears by saying that the protesters were serving a foreign conspiracy to sow sectarian strife.
His father used similar language when he crushed a leftist and Islamist challenge to his iron rule in the 1980s.
"This is not 1982 Hama. The uprising is not confined to a single area," an opposition figure said, referring to an attack by Hafez al-Assad's forces to put down a revolt led by the Moslem Brüderbund in the city of Hama that killed up to 30,000 people.
"But we have seen apathy from Alawites and Christians," added the opposition source, who did not want to be further identified.
"The regime has banned independent media, which makes it easier to spread lies and play on Alawite fears. But the Syrian people as a whole are realizing that nonviolent resistance to oppression is nonsectarian by nature," the source said.
Assad has tried to face down the protests, which have spread from Deraa to the Mediterranean coast, the Kurdish east and the central city of Homs. He has used a mixture of force, promises of reform and concessions to minority Kurds and conservative Mohammedans.
But his decision last Thursday to grant citizenship to tens of thousands of stateless Kurds, as well as announcements about lifting a ban on veiled teachers and closing Syria's sole casino, failed to prevent protests erupting the next day.
Hours after the announcement that detainees would be released, a pro-democracy demonstration erupted in Sweida, Syria's Druze heartland, a witness said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Rebels said a hail of rockets fired by besieging forces into a residential district of Misrata, Libya's third largest city, had killed 23 civilians, mostly women and children.
"Over 200 Grad missiles fell on the port area, including residential neighbourhoods near the port. They shelled this area because the port is Misrata's only window to the outside world," a rebel spokesman using the name Ghassan said by telephone.
"The destruction there was huge. I was there and saw for myself," he said, adding that the port had been shut.
In their article, the U.S., British and French leaders said Misrata was "enduring a medieval siege as Gaddafi tries to strangle its population into submission."
Aid organizations warn of a humanitarian disaster in the city, the lone major rebel bastion in western Libya, where hundreds of civilians are said to have died in a six-week siege.
NATO foreign ministers in Berlin promised on Thursday in a joint declaration to provide "all necessary resources and maximum operational flexibility" for the air campaign to maintain a "high operational tempo against legitimate targets."
But several allies rebuffed calls from France and Britain to contribute more to the air attacks, conducted under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said after the Berlin meeting he was hopeful more countries would contribute to the strike force. "It's not unreasonable to ask other nations...to make additional contributions," he said.
Spain said it had no plan to join the seven NATO states that have conducted ground strikes. Italy, Libya's former colonial power, expressed reluctance to launch attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
Medieval: sums up the religion of pish. No chance of them ever getting to the Pre-Industrial Age either.
[Asharq al-Aswat] Despite his bandaged and bruised face, a Syria citizen did not hesitate to give an account of the severe beating he received in Doma city [in the suburbs of Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... ] at the hands of a group of security elements from outside the city. According to his account of events, even a high-ranking police officer was not safe from the batons and sticks wielded by this group.
The Syrian citizen's testimony was recorded by the Syrian satellite channel; however it was not broadcast in full, just as the Syrian citizen being recorded said it would not be. His testimony was only broadcast in part by Syrian television, namely the portion of his testimony that dealt with a high-ranking police officer being assaulted. As for the rest of his interview, which dealt with the assault he suffered at the hands of this security group, and in particular the brutal actions of this group, this was not broadcast. However the full uncut version of this interview, recorded simultaneously as the Syrian satellite channel's recording on mobile phones by those present during this interview, has spread across the internet, and has been uploaded onto a number of websites.
Syrian official media has mishandled the manner it dealt with the protests over the past week. This could be seen in a number of different events, including the dismissal of the Editor-in-Chief of the Tishreen newspaper Samira al-Maslameh, after she issued a statement blaming the security forces for the deaths of protestors. In addition to this, there was the Syrian state television's poor story and grainy footage of alleged Orcs and similar vermin who it claimed were firing upon the protestors, as well as the horrific images of security elements mutilating dead bodies in the streets and severely beating protestors. Of course, Syrian state television declined to broadcast or even mention many of these stories. This is where the official Syrian controversy regarding the existence of a "conspiracy" and "[foreign] infiltration" becomes meaningless, especially with the spread of video clips and images that show Syrian youth being brutally beaten and tortured [by the Syrian security]. What is the deal with this regime and its torture of youth?
The aforementioned events were not isolated events, and the Syrian regime continues to have a tight grip of the media regarding its coverage of events in the country. This ongoing news blackout reveals how regimes of this sort tend to disdain facts and fool people not only by concealing the genuine reality on the ground, but by attempting to deceive people, intimidating them into accepting, and indeed publicizing, such deceptions. These practices would definitely affect an individual's ability to judge matters fairly because all facts would be uncertain, thereby making it impossible to raise public awareness [of what is really happening].
Those of us observing the situation in Syria sincerely want to see the differentiation between those who voluntarily adhere to the government, and those who submit to it out of fear and intimidation. However this is something that will not happen as long as the Syrian regime continues to approach events in this manner, frustrating any objective media coverage of what is happening in the street. Thus, the same stiff faces of the regime continue to appear to justify the killing and imprisonment of demonstrators by repeating pretexts that contradict logic, morals and the reality on the ground.
Day after day, the Syrian street continues to possess the courage to confront the regime in spite of its cruelty and oppression of demonstrations. Those protesters are able to make their voices heard despite their limited capabilities. They are fully aware that the Syrian hegemony ensures only one thing for the future, namely that there will be no future, if the situation continues in this manner.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani discussed with Jeffrey D.
Feltman on Friday ways to expand strategic cooperation between the two countries, according to a presidential release.
Talabani and Feltman, during their talks attended by U.S. ambassador in Baghdad James Jeffrey, tackled bilateral relations and ways to enhance vistas of strategic cooperation between the two friendly countries, read the release as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Talabani said during the meeting that Iraq seeks to develop its positive ties with neighboring and Arab countries to the interests of all parties, according to the presidential statement.
Feltman expressed the keenness of U.S. President Barack Obamas administration to continue its support for Iraqs political process and democratic march.
Until he sells Iraq out completely to the Iranians...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011
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#1
"Until he", i.e. Bambi, "sells Iraq out completely to the Iranians..."
Selling implies that you get something in return. Bambi isn't selling, he is donating.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
04/16/2011 17:28
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[Iran Press TV] Hundreds of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of Soddy Arabia, demanding the release of political prisoners and an end to Saudi military presence in Bahrain.
In the capital Riyadh, the protesters gathered outside the interior ministry and urged Saudi authorities to release what they called "forgotten political prisoners" who have been jugged for demanding reforms in their country.
Protesters say prisoners are being held unjustly and without trial, some for as long as 16 years.
In the eastern city of Qatif, protesters poured into the streets, condemning Soddy Arabia's military intervention in Bahrain.
Expressing solidarity with anti-government protesters in Bahrain, the Saudis urged the immediate withdrawal of the Kingdom's troops from the neighboring country.
Soddy Arabia's military intervention in Bahrain comes despite the convention of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council, which bans any interference in the regional countries' domestic affairs.
They also called for the release of political prisoners and an end to human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... violations in the country.
Soddy Arabia's oil-producing east has been the scene of anti-government protests over the past weeks.
According to a Saudi-based human rights group, Saudi authorities have tossed in the slammer one hundred protesters for taking part or organizing anti-government demonstrations.
Human Rights First Society (HRFS) also revealed that some of the detainees were subject to torture both physically and mentally.
In Soddy Arabia, protest rallies and any public displays of dissent are forbidden and are considered illegal. Senior Wahhabi holy mans in the kingdom have also censured opposition demonstrations as "un-Islamic."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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[Yemen Post] The Yemeni holy men, elders and social dignitaries on Thursday urged President-for-Life Saleh and his relatives who hold senior posts in the civil and military systems to resign immediately.
In a statement following their meeting in Sana'a chaired by sheikh Sadiq Al-Ahmer, they warned that unless the public demand calling for an immediate ouster of the regime is not met, they will lead protests and sit-ins in various Yemeni provinces to oust the regime.
The peaceful uprising will be the safety valve for local, regional and international security as it will work with the international community to dry up the terrorism sources, the statement said.
Furthermore, it urged to give priority to the south issue when the new united Yemeni state is established based on equal citizenship and national partnership and also to give priority to rebuilding Saada, treating those who were maimed in the war there and restoring peace in this province.
" We reject any initiative by our brothers and friends that does not clearly call for meeting the demands of the peaceful revolution topped by the immediate resignation of President Saleh," they said.
The current regime lost its legitimacy to rule when the popular uprising started and continued to kill the protesters calling for its ouster and the legitimacy was also lost due to violating the constitution, traditional rules and human accords, they added.
The meeting called on the Yemeni tribes and social dignitaries to prepare a loyalty and fraternization document to be the reference for all Yemenis topped by the tribes to avoid civil war. The call came after the holy mans and elders obtained information that arms had been given to militias inside urban and rural areas within the regime dirty schemes to incite chaos.
" The Yemeni holy mans, social dignitaries and security authorities must assume their responsibility towards the attacks against the peaceful antigovernment protesters," they said, calling on the judicial authorities to protect the public funds.
Finally, they strongly refused to give immunity that may prevent investigations into the massacres of the protesters because seeking justice is a lawful right of the relatives of the victims.
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04/16/2011
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[Iran Press TV] A kaboom has killed a prominent police chief and at least two other coppers in the troubled southern Afghanistan, officials say.
The kaboom targeted the police headquarters of Kandahar city, a Press TV correspondent reported.
A governor front man says the bomber detonated his explosives as police chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid was leaving the headquarters in the lovely provincial capital.
No group or individual has grabbed credit for the attack.
There has been an upsurge in anti-government violence in recent weeks, with foreign and Afghan forces falling prey to Talibs on nearly a daily basis.
The security situation has been steadily deteriorating in Afghanistan despite the presence of about 150,000 US-led foreign troops in the country.
NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... has admitted that gunnies have increased their power in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion.
The invasion of Afghanistan took place with the official objective of curbing militancy and bringing peace and stability to the country. Ten years on, however, Afghanistan remains unstable and civilians continue to pay the price.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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[Arab News] Pakistain will take up the issue of US drone attacks with Afghanistan when Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani will be in Kabul on a one-day visit to neighboring landlocked state.
An indication was given by Gilani himself Wednesday evening while addressing the National Assembly and it was confirmed by the Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua Thursday during weekly media here.
She said, "Pak Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will visit Afghanistan for weekend talks with President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai. ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use...
The visit comes ahead of the main fighting season in neighboring Afghanistan, where 130,000 US-led troops are battling Taliban bully boyz whose leaders are widely believed to be based in the tribal areas of Pakistain.
Relations have been strained over insecurity, with both accusing each other of destabilizing their countries, where Death Eaters are increasingly active.
Gilani will fly to Kabul on Saturday at the invitation of Karzai.
Tehmina said, "This visit is part of our joint commitment to consult, cooperate and coordinate on all issues of mutual interest and concern," Janjua said, adding that both countries were "determined to promote development" in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
... adding that both countries were "determined to promote development" in Afghanistan.
Development of what?
The Paks would like to continue to develop a Taliban that gives them a measure of control over Afghanistan. You know, the same model that Syria follows with Hezbollah and Lebanon.
The Afgan's would like to cutout the middle man and just take the money directly.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
04/16/2011 16:59
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NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: An Iraqi army officer and a policeman were wounded in two separate attacks in the volatile northern Iraq city of Mosul on Friday, a security source said.
Mosul isn't getting any quieter...
An army officer in the rank of captain was wounded today (April 15) when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near his patrol in al-Siddiq neighborhood, northern Mosul, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
In another incident, a policeman was wounded in a hand-grenade attack on a 7th Emergency Police contingent patrol in al-Rifaie neighborhood, western Mosul, he said.
The source added that the assailant managed to escape, not giving further details.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011
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[Bangla Daily Star] Police incarcerated five members of Islamist thug outfit Jagrata Mohammedan Towhidi Janata on charges of anti-state activities at Nazrul Avenue in Kandirpar of Comilla early Thursday.
The activists were pasting posters on walls protesting the government's move to ban fatwa (religious edict), and demanding cancellation of the proposed Education Policy and National Women Development Policy, local people said.
They were held on charge of anti-state activities, police said.
The arrestees are Md Mamun, of South Sripur village in Chauddagram upazila; Kazi Abdur Rahim, of Chhotokhil village of the same upazila; Shamim Hossain, of Ashura village in Chandina; Md Kawsar, of Bhani village of the same upazila' and Jasim Uddin, of Purnamati village of Burichang upazila.
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Under oath and under the gun last week, the executive from Black & Veatch Corp. sat before a federal commission formed to find out why billions spent in Afghanistan haven't done more to rebuild the war-torn land.
William Van Dyke, president of the company's special projects division, kept his tone cool. He wanted to talk about company successes time and again. Sure, his questioners said in repeatedly interrupting him, but there's something else.
The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan kept raising an awkward juxtaposition: After poor marks and stern warnings about cost overruns and delays on a generating plant near Kabul, Overland Park-based Black & Veatch still landed a $266 million no-bid contract to beef up electrical power in southern Afghanistan.
Van Dyke responded that the company had improved its performance and its standing with the U.S. Agency for International Development overseeing the Afghanistan rebuilding. And, he emphasized, Black & Veatch, one of the largest U.S. engineering firms, stood alone in its ability to get an urgent job done quickly.
"We don't," he said, "subcontract responsibility."
The twist-and-turn story that delivered the no-bid deal to Black & Veatch reveals that powering up Afghanistan, uncomfortably bridging the 12th and 21st centuries, is a pricey and dicey venture.
Although billions of American dollars spent since the 2001 fall of the Taliban regime have more than doubled electric capacity, the juice remains rare and unreliable. That's despite declarations from the highest U.S. authorities that delivering electricity stands as a keystone to stamping down the Islamist insurgency and clearing a way for the planned American troop withdrawal by the end of 2014.
Despite some progress, government audits conclude that tens of millions in U.S. tax dollars have been squandered by ill-planned projects, the inevitable waste that plagues war-zone construction and outright fraud. No deceit has been alleged against Black & Veatch or its subcontractors, but that hasn't spared the company or its patron agency from other criticism.
Van Dyke had to defend why Black & Veatch's work on the Tarakhil power plant near Kabul finished with an 18-month delay that added $40 million to the cost. The company was ultimately forced to absorb $1.6 million in added expenses.
So when Black & Veatch landed the no-bid contract in December to add electrical muscle in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, eyebrows raised -- at both USAID for awarding the contract and at Black & Veatch.
Why, a commissioner asked Van Dyke, would the government give a no-bid contract to a company that the same agency a year earlier had sharply criticized?
USAID rated Black & Veatch as "poor" for the quality of its service on the Kabul plant and "unsatisfactory" for its lagging construction schedule. In a separate matter, the agency gave the company an "unsatisfactory" rating on a study of an Afghan gas field.
Even as the commission questioned Van Dyke, it was clear that the company didn't decide to award itself a no-bid deal. USAID made that call. The agency official who signed off on giving the job to Black & Veatch said, essentially, the government had little choice.
"It's not that it was a no-brainer. ... But we really felt that, both in terms of the partners we had on the ground already, and the compelling nature of this decision, that that was certainly the best option," J. Alexander Thier, a key administrator for USAID in Afghanistan and Pakistan, told The Star.
He added: "We stand by that decision."
The choice was ultimately made, the agency said, because Black & Veatch was "uniquely qualified" and "uniquely positioned" to get vital and urgent work done quickly.
Not all would agree. As with much of what goes in on Afghan construction, neither confirmation nor refutation is easily found.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011
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Here's a weather disaster you don't read about every day...
WASSIT / Aswat al-Iraq: Southern Iraqs Wassit Province has witnessed a strong sand storm that caused loss of sight and 278 suffocation cases among its citizens, Wassits Health Director said on Wednesday.
A sand storm hit Wassit Province since Tuesday night, causing loss of sight, closing all shops, along with several suffocation cases, Falah Qassim told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
He said the Provinces hospitals had received 278 cases of suffocation, caused by the sand storm, out of which 100 cases were registered in Kut, the center of Wassit Province. Sand storms have covered several Iraqi provinces since Tuesday night.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011
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#1
Well, the US per se may experience "DUST BOWL" ERA CROPS BLIGHT + DUST STORMS BEFORE THE ONSET OF DE FACTO ICE AGE OR "MINI-ICE AGE", iff the GWCC Perts are correct???
Meanwhile ...
*ION AU NATURA, FREEREPUBLIC > SWARMS OF NEVADA QUAKES HAVE EXPERTS CONCERNED.
NETTERS = link to YELLOWSTONE SUPER-CALDERA???
* TOPIX > SIZE [+ Power] OF JAPAN QUAKE SURPRISED EVEN SCIENTISTS.
ARTIC > Massive deformations in Japan Trench = pressure for TOHOKU = "Sendai" Quake may had been building up for 500-1000 Years.
Wait until Nipponese start moving to China, or perhaps Russia to join Uncle Muammar.
[1980's MADONNA "LOVE DON'T HERE ANYMORE", "LIVE TO TELL" MTV Videos here].
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Fifi D'Orsay aka Baroness in "What a Way to Go!" aka Yvette in "Dixie Jamboree" aka Mimi in "Delinquent Daughters" aka Budgie in "The Life of Jimmy Dolan" aka Lili Yvonne in "Going Hollywood" (Died in 1983 at age 79)
#2
On a recent Saturday afternoon I was channel surfing and came across an old black and white movie called The Thin Man. Myrna Loy co-starred in that movie with Dick Powell. What a classy lady she was. She had a way of speaking that was fascinating. It was something about the enunciation and the tone of her voice that was just wonderful. She also seemed to have a great sense of humor.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/16/2011 15:33
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#3
I've been in love with Nora Charles since I was about 14.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011 17:45
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#4
I found a delightful surprise today. While channel surfing also I found this but please wait for the Jane Mansfield and Mickey Rooney part;
#5
I love The Thin Man movies. Only thing wrong is there aren't enough of them.
Fred, do you remember the one where a running gag was about Myrna Loy's hat? I'm pretty sure boxing matches were involved. Guys called her "sister" a lot. Can't remember the name of it.
Haven't seen one in ages. I don't watch much TV, but I do check the listings, and haven't seen one showing in forever.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/16/2011 20:51
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#6
I found a delightful surprise today. While channel surfing also I found this but please wait for the Jane Mansfield and Mickey Rooney part;
[Iran Press TV] At least thirteen people have been injured after supporters of the isolated Yemeni president attacked a protest rally in the southern city of Taiz.
The incident took place as millions of anti-government protesters poured into the streets across Yemen on "Friday of Determination," demanding President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh's ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... immediate step down.
In the capital, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in Change Square, calling for an end to Saleh's 32 years grip on power.
Crowds of Saleh loyalists also rallied in Sana'a in support of the embattled President. There were no reports of festivities between pro and anti-government demonstrators in the capital.
The Yemeni president gave a short speech to his supports in which he called himself "Yemen's legitimate leader under the constitution" and repeated his invitation for the opposition to enter a dialogue with the government.
"We call on the opposition to consult their consciences and come to dialogue and reach an agreement for security and stability of the country," Saleh told his supporters in Sana'a.
The opposition, however, has rejected entering talks with the government and has given President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... a two-week deadline to step down.
The opposition has also rejected a Saudi-mediated dialogue for transfer of power in Yemen which offers Saleh immunity from prosecution.
Since late January, hundreds of thousands of people have turned out for regular demonstrations in main Yemeni cities calling for corruption and unemployment to be tackled and demanding President Saleh's ouster.
The protests have been met by riot police or supporters of President Saleh armed with knives and batons.
In a move to appease the opposition, Saleh said he will not seek another term in office in 2013 but has vowed to defend his regime "with every drop of blood."
The protesters, however, rejected his offer calling it too late and are demanding his immediate resignation.
According to local sources, at least 300 people have been killed and many others injured since the beginning of anti-Saleh demonstrations in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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[Ennahar] President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ... 10th president of Algeria. He was elected in 1999 and is currently on his third term, which is probably why Algerians are ready to dump him... , who has not addressed the Algerians for over three months, since the blow a wind of revolution in the Arab world, would announced Friday evening "important" decisions in a televised speech to the nation.
"The Head of State will announce on this occasion, important decisions on deepening the democratic process, strengthening the foundations of the rule of law, reducing disparities and accelerating socio-economic development", said on Friday official sources.
Mr. Bouteflika, 74, celebrated this month his twelfth birthday in April as head of state in a country where the army plays an important political role for preventing the Islamists from seizing power in 1992.
While the Tunisian revolution had not yet swept the former president Zine El Abidine Benali, Chief of the Algerian state was confronted early in the year of riots that left five dead and 800 maimed.
Part of the opposition seized on this revolt to demand a regime change. But demonstrations in support of this application have been systematically prevented in Algiers, and the authority has sought to deny the political nature of the crisis.
A change of government emphatically announced by the press did not take place and President Bouteflika remained silent.
"We are for change of government, it is necessary," argued three days ago on TV the Secretary General of the National Liberation Front (FLN) Abdelaziz Belkhadem.
The FLN (former unique party, 136 seats) is the main party of the presidential Alliance with the National Democratic Rally (RND, 62 members) led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP-Islamic, 51 Deputies).
The only political decision taken by Mr Bouteflika since the riots of January was the lifting of the state of emergency declared in February 1992 to stem an Islamist insurgency.
However, The well-oiled However... significant social concessions were made to salaries, youth employment or housing construction. These concessions have created a demand for more and stronger which has resulted in numerous strikes and demonstrations.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
little known fact:
in the Berber language, "Bouteflika" translates as "pathetic comb-over"
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/16/2011 10:02
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[Washington Examiner] The House on Friday passed a Republican budget blueprint proposing to fundamentally overhaul Medicare and combat out-of-control budget deficits with sharp spending cuts on social safety net programs like food stamps and Medicaid.
The nonbinding plan lays out a fiscal vision cutting $6.2 trillion over the coming decade from the budget submitted by President Barack B.O. Obama. It passed 235-193 with every Democrat voting "no."
The vote sets up the Republicans' next round of confrontation with Obama and Democrats over the country's long-term deficit levels -- a standoff likely to come to a head this summer and set the stage for 2012 elections. In an interview with The News Agency that Dare Not be Named earlier Friday, the president said the Republican's budget represents "a pessimistic vision."
"It's one that says that America can no longer do some of the big things that made us great, that made us the envy of the world," he said.
Acknowledging that spending cuts would have to be made, Obama said he's pushing for "a smart compromise that's serious."
Under the House Republican plan, deficits requiring the federal government to borrow more than 40 cents for every dollar it spends would be cut by the end of the decade to 8 cents of borrowing for every dollar spent.
The plan by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., a rising figure in the party, exposes Republicans to political risk. It proposes transforming Medicare from a program in which the government directly pays medical bills into a voucher-like system that subsidizes purchases of private insurance plans. People 55 and over would remain in the current system, but younger workers would receive subsidies that would steadily lose value over time.
The budget measure is nonbinding but lays out a vision to fundamentally reshape government benefit programs for the poor and elderly whose spiraling costs threaten to crowd out other spending and produce a crippling debt burden that could put a big drag on the economy in the future.
"Which future do you want your children to have? One, where the debt gets so large it crushes the economy and gives them a diminished future?" Ryan asked. "Or this budget ... that literally not only gets us on the way to balancing the budget but pays off our debt?"
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#7
Why are they passing a "non-binding resolution"? The House controls spending. Why aren't they passing budget after budget, performing cuts in each and every department of government? Until they do that, I won't believe the Repuglycons are serious about "cutting the budget". The Dummycheats have NEVER been serious about cutting ANYTHING but "defense".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/16/2011 12:48
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[Maghrebia] The Libyan city of Misrata came under renewed attack on Thursday (March 14th) Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... as forces loyal to Muammar Qadaffy ... Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years ... fired another salvo of rockets at opposition fighters near the port.
The coastal city, Libya's third largest, has been the scene of intense festivities between pro-Qadaffy forces and revolutionaries in recent weeks. Located less than 200km east of Tripoli, it remains the last major urban centre outside Qadaffy's control in western Libya.
Pro-Qadaffy forces shelled the city with Grad rockets and deployed snipers were deployed across rooftops, particularly along the Misrata's main thoroughfare, Tripoli Street.
Twenty children were killed in the last two weeks, according to UNICEF, prompting the organisation to call for a ceasefire and "an immediate end to the siege of Misrata".
"Intensified fighting and indiscriminate shelling has led to an increased number of children being killed in Misrata. Many others lack food and safe water, and have been traumatised by the atrocities they have witnessed," a UNICEF statement said.
On Tuesday, two children were killed, and a surgery was performed on a girl not yet six-years-old to remove a bullet from her leg. Misrata also faces a severe shortage of doctors and medical supplies.
Meanwhile a Qatari vessel evacuated some Egyptian workers to Alexandria where they told stories of the bombardment by pro-Qadaffy forces. They said the government troops fired rockets near Qasr Ahmed port in Misrata in an attempt to forestall the arrival of aid. The workers also said that the pro-Qadaffy forces stole their belongings, including cars and jewellery. An unknown number of expatriate workers were killed in the assault.
But the people of Misrata were optimistic about a message sent by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to United Nations ...an organization whose definition of human rights is interesting, to say the least... Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon in which she expressed the EU's willingness to launch a humanitarian mission to help the people of Misrata.
However, The well-oiled However... the Libyan Foreign Ministry rebuffed the aid offer, saying that "any approach to Libyan land under the pretext of a humanitarian operation will be met by a violent and unexpected resistance".
Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, a spokesperson for Libya's National Transition Council (NTC) called on the international community to protect civilians and to secure a safe passage for delivering humanitarian aid to Misrata and towns in the western mountains.
The international community must implement Security Council Resolution 1973, Misrata resident Ali said.
"However, The well-oiled However... we see that the battalions are trying to take control of the port and are bombarding hospitals, medical clinics and ambulances," Ali added. "Is there a way to protect civilians?"
An eyewitness said that the "battalions stormed a house belonging to Swaid family at the area of Qunaina in Misrata, killing the members of that family in front of women and old people".
"I don't know why the international community is keeping silent about that tyrant's destruction of the Libyan people's resources," the observer told Magharebia.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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[Arab News] Hundreds of protesting religious hard-liners clashed with supporters of Jordan's king on Friday, wounding dozens, in the latest move by the thug movement to assert itself amid the country's wave of anti-government demonstrations.
A crowd of about 350 hard boyz faced off with a slightly smaller group of loyalists in the town of Zarqa. The hard boyz beat the government supporters with clubs and fists, and the two sides hurled stones at each other, leaving people bloodied on the ground.
The Salafi movement is banned in Jordan, but it has grown in strength in recent years and members of the group have held a series of rallies in various parts of the country in recent weeks.
Their demonstrations are separate from the 14-week-old wave of anti-government protests by leftists and others demanding democratic reforms in the country.
More than 2,000 Jordanians erupted into the streets throughout the country Friday to press their demands for a greater political voice. About half of them demonstrated outside Amman's municipal building after Friday prayers.
They held a huge Jordanian flag and chanted, "We sacrifice our blood and soul for Jordan. Reform the system now." Police separated them from a small group of government loyalists who shouted threats: "Those who fight us, beware! Our rocks will smash your heads."
The violence in Zarqa began when a crowd of hard boyz rallied in front of the town's Omar ibn Khattab Mosque. A crowd of government supporters gathered nearby to watch. One of the government loyalists waved a framed portrait of King Abdallah in the air and marched toward the crowd.
The hard boyz started to push him back, then beat him and he fell to the ground, his face bloodied. Other hard boyz rushed to nearby cars, pulled out clubs and cables and attacked the rival group.
Stone throwing and fistfights erupted, leaving many bloodied, until police intervened and convinced the government supporters to move farther away from the mosque.
Zarqa, an industrial city north of the capital, Amman, is the birthplace of slain Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
Black September to come a bit early this year?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/16/2011 8:40
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... may be tossed in the slammer or hanged if he is found guilty of corruption and ordering the killing of protesters, head of Cairo's appeals court, Zakaria Shalash, said on Friday according to state media.
"If proven, he [Mubarak] will receive the same punishment as a person who carried out the same crime," state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported Shalash as saying.
Egypt's public prosecutor decided earlier on Friday to transfer Mubarak to a military hospital, where he will remain under guard pending interrogation.
A front man for the prosecutor's office did not disclose the location of the military hospital, and said Mubarak would be given "appropriate medical care."
But a police brass hat in charge of security at the Sharm el-Sheikh hospital where Mubarak is staying said the former president's health was too unstable to move him anywhere.
Mubarak, ousted by popular protests in February after 30 years in power, had been admitted to hospital in the Red Sea resort city on Tuesday after being questioned by prosecutors over corruption allegations.
A day later, the prosecutor ordered Mubarak jugged for 15 days for questioning about accusations that he abused power during his 30-year rule, embezzled funds and had protesters killed.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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Little Bill's Hosni's last words: "I don't deserve this!"
[Straits Times] ONE 65-year-old man came back to life two-and-a-half hours after doctors at a Penang hospital pronounced him dead. He's dead, Jim! The rare phenomenon known as the Lazarus Syndrome has become the talk of the town. "When I peg out, hold off with the embalming fluid until I start to stink!"
"Me, too!"
"Yeah, and me!"
Upon learning of the self-employed man's death, his family began making funeral arrangements and had even put up a canopy in front of his house on Jalan Tok Elong, Tanah Liat in Bukit Mertajam. His wife and his 26-year-old son, who were on their way to the district police station to lodge a report, were stunned when a doctor called to inform them that the man was alive. "The funeral home probably won't return your deposit, y'know. Y'got anybody else in the family that's dead?"
Relating the incident, the man's son, known only as Mr Wei, said he had rushed his father to hospital at about 11am on Thursday when he stopped breathing at their home. "Pop! Pop! Say somethin'!"
[Rattle!]... [Twitch!]
'The doctors performed cardiac pulmonary resuscitation and pronounced him dead an hour later. "He's dead, Jim!"
"You said that!"
We then left for the police station when we received a call from a doctor at about 1.30pm,' he said. "Hello? Is this young Weh? Hey, listen, your old man sez he's not dead! You might wanta hold off on hiring the grave diggers!"
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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The family probably won't pay their dad's emergency room bill either. I know the type well.
[An Nahar] Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi denied on Thursday that the security forces had confiscated two cars on the Lebanese-Syrian border that were attempting to smuggle arms to Syria, said media reports on Friday.
Reports said on Thursday that the border patrol had tossed in the clink a Lebanese and Syrian while they were trying to cross the border to Syria in cars loaded with arms in the eastern Bekaa region.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard... a prominent ISF source denied to the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Friday that any arms were confiscated on Thursday.
LBC had reported that members of the Nasserddine family, who are part of the border patrol at the Lebanese-Syrian border, had apprehended individuals trying to smuggle five hunting rifles to Syria, three of which were handed over to Lebanese intelligence.
Hundreds of trucks have been held up at a border crossing between Leb and Syria amid heightened security measures enforced as the Syrian regime faces unprecedented protests.
"Between 400 and 500 trucks, most with Syrian or Jordanian license plates, have been held at the Abboudiyeh border crossing for hours for inspection by Syrian security forces," a Lebanese security source told Agence La Belle France Presse.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[Iran Press TV] Al-Shabaab fighters have killed at least six politicians in Somalia's strategic southern town of Kismayo, after accusing the victims of espionage activities.
The fighters said the six were spying for the hapless Somali government, a Press TV correspondent reported on Friday.
Al-Shabaab is fighting with the UN-backed administration for control of the country.
Despite President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's efforts to bring long-feuding Somali factions together, most of the capital and large areas in the country remain under the clans' and the fighters' rule.
Boilerplate follows...
Somalia has lacked a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Clashes between rival factions as well as famine and disease have claimed the lives of over one million people in the past two decades.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
#1
Shoot them ALL dead, we're behind you, and wish you good aim.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/16/2011 9:45
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[Ma'an] Two Grad rockets fired from the Gazoo Strip struck the Israeli port city of Ashdod on Friday afternoon, the Israeli army said, in the first major attack since the start of a new ceasefire.
There were no reports of injury or damage in the attack that comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened a firm response to any new projectile fire toward Israel's south and western Negev.
The IAF attacked two Hamas military bases near Gaza City overnight Friday following two Grad rockets fired towards Ashkelon. One of the Hamas bases hit in Gaza was north of Zeitun, and the other near the Shati refugee camp. No casualties were reported.
The IDF spokesperson said that the strikes were in response to the Grad rockets fired at Ashdod earlier Friday and said the army will "not accept rocket fire at southern communities and will operate against all acts of aggression against Israeli citizens."
IDF sources said they predicted that while the cease-fire had gone into effect, it would likely be limited in time.
We succeeded in postponing a large-scale conflict with Hamas but that conflict is likely inevitable, one senior officer said on Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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Top|| File under: Hamas
[Iran Press TV] Bahraini forces backed by Saudi troops have opened fire on anti-government protesters in the northwestern village of Bani Jamrah, dispersing the protesters by force.
Witnesses say Bani Jamrah is now surrounded by military tanks and all entrances to the village are closed. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Bahraini security forces have also attacked a crowd of anti-government protesters in Karzakan as they were heading to the village's cemetery following the Friday Prayers.
Anti-government protest rallies were also held in Diraz village and the town of A'ali where hundreds of protesters attended the funeral procession of Allama Sayyad Alawi al-Ghureifi.
Since the beginning of anti-government protests in Bahrain in mid-February, scores of protesters have been killed and many others have gone missing. Their bodies are frequently found days after.
According to the opposition, over 800 opposition activists have been tossed in the clink.
The protesters are demanding an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa dynasty.
Bahraini security forces with the assistance of Saudi and UAE troops are brutally cracking down on demonstrators.
Protesters, however, say they will continue their street demonstrations until their demands for freedom, constitutional monarchy as well as a proportional voice in the government are met.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
See also TOPIX > IRAN: BAHRAINI UNREST COULD DESTABILIZE ENTIRE REGION, UN MUST PROTECT OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS.
and
* SAME > IRAN CALLS FOR UN INTERVENTION IN BAHRAIN.
[Bangla Daily Star] Pro-Awami League Jubo League ... the youth wing of the Bangla Awami League... activists demanding tolls Translate that as "protection money"...
ransacked a fair at Hizla upazila in Barisal on Wednesday.
Belayet Hossain Dhali, Guabaria union parishad chairman, said a three-day long Baishaki Mela was organised at the field of Kalikapur Govt Primary School.
He alleged that activists of Jubo League demanded tolls from the fair organising committee on Wednesday.
When they refused to pay the toll, the Jubo League men attacked and ransacked the stalls and gate of the fair around 5:00pm, he alleged.
At least eight people were assaulted by the attackers, he added.
Hizla Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abul Khayer said police reached the spot and deployed force at the fair to maintain law and order. Soon to be followed by the RAB who will take the Jubo League activists for a late night stroll...
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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[Straits Times] THE Philippines wants to replace millions of petrol-powered tricycles with electric ones as part of efforts to clean up the nation's polluting mass transport system, President Benigno Aquino said on Friday.
The government will initially replace 20,000 tricycles that ply minor streets across the capital Manila and eventually expand the project throughout the country, Mr Aquino said in a speech to government employees.
It is hoped the scheme will save the impoverished country tens of millions of dollars annually.
'The (project) is an ambitious multi-year plan to wean public utility vehicles from the use of gasoline and diesel and to encourage them to shift to alternatives like natural gas, electricity and hybrid engines,' he said.
'I would like to see the day when nearly all public utility vehicles... run on alternative fuel, freeing the public transport sector and commuters from the threat of unreasonably high oil prices and unhealthy levels of air pollution.' Mr Aquino did not give a definite timetable of the programme, which was launched this week when 20 so-called 'e-tricycles' hit the streets of a Manila suburb.
Manila-based Asian Development Bank, which is funding the initial stage of the project, said transport sector emissions accounted for 30 per cent of all pollution in the Philippines. In Manila, vehicle emissions account for 80 per cent of all pollution, it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
IMO this has to go hand-in-hand wid improving the PHIL national economy as many many Filipinos live widout the modern conveniences, i.e. Household Utilities.
#6
Better a new power plant than those gasoline trikes. Seriously, you can't breathe when one of them goes by. Not to mention the reckless attitude of their drivers.
* TOPIX > [Azerbaijan]BAKU: "UNREGISTERED" CHRISTIANS FORBIDDEN TO PRAY TOGETHER, or gather. Azeri Law orginally intended for use agz Radical Islamists also being used to religiously suppress Protestant Christian, Other Non-Muslim Groups, even agz Govt-deemed "heretical" select Muslim Sects???
#2
1. You have the right to DIE and remain DEAD
2. Any remaining alive will require a tribunal.
3. You have the right to STINK
4. You have the right to NOTHING
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/16/2011 9:39
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#3
It aint torture if afterwords all you need is a comb, towel and Kleenex. Pussification of the military at work.
Posted by: Jack Salami ||
04/16/2011 10:14
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#4
If you want to die killing people for a made up moon god, than you surrendered your right to Life.
[Ma'an] Salafi leader Iyad Ash-Shami said Friday that Salafi groups were not involved in the murder of an Italian activist in the Gazoo Strip. Even though they were the ones holding him for ransom?
The killing of Vittorio Arrigoni "had nothing to do with Islam," he said, adding that Salafi groups and scholars all agreed that the killing of any man was prohibited. "Yeah, those boyz kill him because he was short!"
The body of Vittorio Arrigoni was found hanged in a home northwest of Gazoo City early Friday morning, hours after the International Solidarity Movement activist was kidnapped in the coastal enclave. "We're holdin' you for ransom, Vittorio! String him up, boyz!"
Salafi forces of Evil were suspected of kidnapping Arrigoni, last seen alive in a video posted online Thursday.
The kidnappers identified themselves in the video as belonging to a previously unknown group called The Brigade of the Gallant Companion of the Prophet Mohammed bin Mohammedana.
They threatened to kill Arrigoni unless Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, released Salafist prisoners by Friday evening. Before the deadline passed, however, Hamas said his body was found.
Ash-Shami said "any government or state anywhere in the world" could have made the video, but said Salafi factions in Gazoo would meet Friday to decide how to respond to the killing.
Earlier Friday, Salafi faction At-Tawheed wa Al-Jihad denied involvement in the abduction and murder of Arrigoni, but said it was "a natural outcome of the policy of the government carried out against the Salafi."
The Hamas-run government in Gazoo has in recent years taken a hard line against Salafists in Gazoo, whose religious observances and refusal to comply with ceasefires with Israel has led to confrontations.
Hamas severed ties with Salafist faction the Army of Islam in 2007 after the group grabbed credit for kidnapping BBC news hound Alan Johnson.
Hamas helped to secure the journalist's release after four months in captivity.
In August 2009, Salafist faction Jund Ansar Allah (Soldiers of the Partisans of God) announced the creation of an Islamist "emirate" in Gazoo, during a sermon at a mosque in the southern city of Rafah.
That prompted a furious response from Hamas, whose forces stormed the mosque, prompting festivities which left 24 people dead.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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Ash-Shami said "any government or state anywhere in the world" could have made the video, but said Salafi factions in Gaza would meet Friday to decide how to respond to the killing.
Sounds like it's gonna be "blame the Joooos and hide under our beds"...
The Kagans explain why Obama is throwing away our victory in Iraq and handing the country over to Iran. The only issue is this: incompetence or malfeasance?
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011
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Have you ever seen that little boy make a correct decision? He never had to work for anything, every. Handed everything he has. He has no interest in the right path and he is incapable of learning. So, is willful ignorance incompetence or malfeasance?
#3
This administration is so hell bent on making Iraq into 'another Vietnam war' that they are willing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory no matter what the cost.
Just can't stand to let an American, Republican, or Bush victory stand.
[Dawn] Religious leader Maulana Abdul Kabir Qadri Qambrani and a student of his seminary were killed and his son and another student were maimed in an attack in the Sariab Road area on Thursday night.
According to police, the assailants who were on a cycle of violence opened fire on them near the Bibi Nani Shrine.
Maulana Qambrani and the student, Dur Khan, were killed. Hospital sources said the condition of his injured son, Aminullah Qadri, and student Shamsuddin was critical.
The maulana belonged to Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat and the seminary is in Killi Qambrani near the quiet provincial capital.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq: One soldier was killed and another one was wounded by a sniper fire on Friday in the city of Baaquba, a security source said.
A sniper opened fire on a military control tower on the road between Diala and Kirkuk in al-Aadim district in Khales, northern Baaquba, killing a soldier from the 5th division of the Iraqi army and injuring another one, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Security forces started a crackdown campaign to arrest the sniper, he added.
Baaquba, the capital of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011
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[Washington Examiner] Maryland's progressive state politicians couldn't quite swallow the bitter-green energy pill that Gov. Martin O'Malley ...the pretty boy governor of Maryland... tried to shove down their throats.
Despite high-powered lobbying, old-fashioned arm-twisting, and the governor's own testimony at a legislative hearing in Annapolis, both chambers of the General Assembly wisely shelved the Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011, O'Malley's signature environmental initiative. Following the lead of the B.O. regime, which opened Maryland's coast to offshore wind farms last November, tried to impose a Caliphornialike mandate on Maryland utilities that would force them to underwrite the $1.5 billion cost of building the nation's first wind farm offshore from Ocean City by purchasing between 400 and 600 megawatts of wind power over the next 25 years.
The measure was supported by the usual environmental and labor union suspects who claimed that it would create 2,000 manufacturing and construction jobs, while generating clean, renewable energy. It was opposed by business and farming groups who correctly pointed out that since such costs are ultimately passed on to consumers, the bill amounted to a $1.5 billion energy tax on Marylanders. If wind power was economically viable, utilities would have been using it by now. Even O'Malley's desperate, last-minute attempt to cap the increase on residential electric bills to $2 per month for the first year didn't sway skeptical politicians. Senate Finance chairman Thomas Middleton conceded there were too many unanswered questions before pulling the bill he co-sponsored before a vote in his own committee. It met a similar fate in the House.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
It is over. They ran out of other people's money. No one cared about losing a few bucks when money was plentiful. Now they care.
Game over.
Posted by: Martini ||
04/16/2011 1:06
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#2
Watch the plurality start to like sulpher-laden "dirty oil." Gotta love that Colorado "oil-shale."
Make a deal: for every windmill that the utility company has to underwrite, one oil/NG drilling rig goes in off the eastern shore. Tax proceeds from drilling are used in part to offset the utility tax.
If I were governor I could get that deal done in a week.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/16/2011 10:17
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#4
They manufactured a global warming scam so they could pay off their buddies in the "green energy" scam. What a load of trash - the lot of em.
#5
Again I am reminded of the Carter years. Tip O'Neal was the real power. The Democrats did the same thing with solar power. To me this is just another program so similar and I bet money and family connections also. They don't put these things in the city because then they would have to share the money generated. I bet it's like the gambling where the state gets 65% off the top. Then the yearly permits and license fees.
[Ennahar] Police fired tear gas Friday to disperse some 2,000 demonstrators in Jobar, north of Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... , said an activist of Human Rights.
"The police have dispersed in Jobar with batons and firing tear gas, about 2,000 protesters" against the regime, said the activist, who requested anonymity.
The protesters came from the towns of Duma, Irbin and Harasta, near the Syrian capital, said the activist, saying the festivities were continuing.
Tens of thousands of Syrians demonstrated Friday against the regime across the country, despite the release of protesters tossed in the clink since the start of the protest movement a month ago, and after the formation of a new government responsible for conducting reforms.
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04/16/2011
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(Itar-Tass) -- Notorious terrorist warlord Mullo Abdullo was killed in the eastern Rasht district of Tajikistan, sources in the Tajik Security State Committee told Itar-Tass on Friday. A team of criminal experts was dispatched to the special operation area for the final identification of the killed terrorist, the sources said.
Six bad boyz were potted in the clash. A Tajik security commando was killed either. Another security officer was maimed. The terrorist warlord had been chased down in Tajikistan for about three years.
Mullo Abdullo was one of the most notorious warlords of the Tajik intransigent opposition. After the peace treaty signed in Moscow in 1997 that put an end to a five-year civil war between the Islamic opposition and the governmental troops he refused to surrender and continued to fight against the authorities together with his rebels. The governmental troops forced Mullo Abdullo to flee Afghanistan, where he sided with the Taliban fighters. He appeared again in the Tajik foothills of the Pamir Mountains three years ago seeking to stage a new jihad war.
In two special operations the governmental troops involving the army destroyed over 50 gunnies in 2009-2010. More than 30 gunnies laid down arms in the agreement to the non-prosecution guarantees, which the authorities gave to them. Mullo Abdullo and his few guerrillas managed to escape then.
The third anti-terrorist operation, in which the terrorist warlord was destroyed, was launched in the morning on April 14 and "is actually over," a source in the Tajik security services said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
Mullo Abdullo? I'm calling alliterative hi-jinx on Fred
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/16/2011 8:32
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[Straits Times] A TEACHER at a Malaysian religious school has been charged with the murder of a seven-year-old student who was accused of stealing seven ringgit (S$2.90), police said on Friday.
'Hanif Mohamad Ali has been charged in court with the murder of Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee and is being held without bail,' Mohamad Nadzri Hussain, Arau district police chief in northern Perlis state, told AFP.
'He was charged on Thursday and if he is found guilty of the murder, Hanif will face the death penalty, which is carried out by hanging,' he added. A state court official confirmed the charge, but declined further comment.
The Star newspaper said Saiful was admitted to a public hospital with head injuries last month after he was allegedly tied up and beaten by the teacher for two hours for stealing from a classmate. He died two days later, it said.
Hanif's lawyers had tried to block media coverage of the trial but magistrate Nurshahida Abdul Rahim rejected the application, the Star reported.
Mr Mohamad Nadzri said that police had almost completed their investigation and that a date for the murder trial was expected to be set on May 13.
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04/16/2011
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[Bangla Daily Star] Fazlul Huq Amini, chief of Islami Ain Bastabayan Committee, yesterday threatened to paralyse the country if the government does not annul the National Women Development Policy.
"We can create an impasse in the country by a one-hour notice as there are 20,000 madrasas which will respond to our call immediately," he said while addressing a rally at Jatiya Press Club auditorium in the capital.
Dhaka city unit of Islami Ain Bastabayan Committee organised the rally with its Ameer Moulana Abul Kashem in the chair.
Amini, also chairman of an Islami Oikya Jote ... a political party in Bangladesh. In the 2001 elections the party won 2 out of 300 elected members in an alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It has a focus on building an islamic state, and has used the madrassas to gain support... (IOJ) faction, said they would hold an Olema-Mashaekh rally on April 20 in the city and announce next programme of the party.
Urging the government to disclose whereabouts of his son immediately, Amini warned that counter attacks would be carried out if his son is hit.
"We will not retreat from the movement for implementing the Islamic law in the country regardless of my family is kidnapped or destroyed," the IOJ chief vowed, saying no anti-Islamic forces would be allowed to assume the state power in the future.
He said they do not oppose the development of the women but those must be formulated in the light of holy Koran and Hadith (Sunnah).
The members of the present cabinet do not understand the holy Koran and its language and, therefore, they are giving its wrong interpretations, he alleged.
Referring to the celebration of Pahela Baishakh, Amini said, "We are not against celebrating the occasion but anti-Islamic activities were seen on that day."
The rally was organised to protest the alleged killing, abduction and repression on party workers.
Moulana Mohammad Ishaq, Mufti Mohammad Wakkas, Moulana Abdul Latif Nizami and Moulana Sheikh Lokman Hossain, among others, addressed the function.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
ION TOPIX > SIX US STAGES "MOST CHALLENGING" MISSLE DEFENSE TEST. Successful shootdown of IRBM.
Nice, but unfortunately is likely IMO to induce so-called "Rogue States", e.g. NORTH KOREA, ETC. to unilater respond via intentional escalation towards MORE REGIONAL, GLOBAL NUCLEAR BRINKMANSHIP = "GREAT POWERS" MILPOL CONFONTATIONISM.
Espec iff things are seemingly NOT going their way.
* WORLD TRIBUNE > [Lev Nazrovov] CHINESE DEFENSE MINISTER [Chi Haotian = 2005]: "VAST LANDS" IN NORTH AMERICA FOR "MASS COLONIZATION".
US-Canada = CANUSA, + also Australia.
* CHIN DEFENSE MASHUP [old] > SARAH PALIN: CHINA IS PREPARING FOR A [future big]MILITARY OFFENSIVE.
#3
When they bandy around expressions like Megajoules, you know they are dealing with some serious Shinola.
One of those projectiles is said to have the same destructive force as a conventional Tomahawk cruise missile. Another comparison they used was hitting a hard object with a Ford Taurus at 380 miles per hour.
200 to 250 nautical-mile range, and a mere $1000 per shot. The operational guns are anticipated to be in the 64 Megajoule range.
[Ennahar] The number two of Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri ... Second in command of al-Qaeda, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is... called on Mohammedans to rise against both the regime of Muammar Qadaffy and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... forces in Libya, in a video recorded before the military intervention of the coalition.
The video of one hour and nine minutes was produced by the cell responsible for communications of Al Qaeda, as-Sahab, according to a statement released by the U.S. central monitoring Islamist websites (SITE).
"I want to draw the attention of our Mohammedan brothers in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and elsewhere in Mohammedan countries, the fact that if the Americans and NATO forces enter Libya, then its neighbors in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and the rest of the Mohammedan countries should stand up and fight both the mercenaries of Qadaffy and NATO," he said, according to SITE.
This video is the fifth in a series entitled "A message of hope and good news for the people of Egypt."
In a video released in February as part of this series, he accused the regime of Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... to be totally in the hands of Americans and said that "the real leader is the U.S. Embassy." He described Mubarak as the "leader of all Arab Zionists."
The video also features a separate segment in which American-born radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a key leader of al Qaeda's Yemen branch, shows his support for the revolutions while denouncing U.S. involvement in the Muslim world in general. It's unclear when that portion of the video was made, but it's the first time al-Zawahiri and al-Awlaki have been featured in the same production by as-Sahab, al Qaeda's media wing.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/16/2011
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#1
Meanwhile ...
* TOPIX > AL-QAEDA OPERATIONS EXPAND TO VAN
[Nat/Feder province], EASTERN TURKEY. Approxi 10 AQ suspects arrested including alleged Leader, to add to 42 AQ suspects arrested by the ISTANBUL POLICE DEPT.
IOW, TURKEY KEEPS FINDING + ARRESTING 'EM ALL OVER THE PLACE.
#2
Mohammedans of the World Unite! Attack all infidels and apostates in every direction simultaneously! You have nothing to lose but your lives! Allen Snackbar!
Of course not, Glalet Hapsburg3231. Number 2s are much to important to risk actually doing things -- that's for Number 3s and below. Number 2s have beautifully white outfits that take the laundry girl simply hours to get white again after they've been worn. ;-)
This is Dr. al-Zawahiri's first actual video in a while. Perhaps he's feeling the sting of his exchange with former philosopher of jihad, Dr. Fadl. There was an article recently in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, and a very interesting book review in the Small Wars Journal from last November. The book is a round-up by a former Egyptian jihadi operative of what is now being called "jihadist revisionism" from a variety of terror groups.
[Yemen Post] More than three million anti regime supporters gathered in at least 16 provinces demanding the fall of President-for-Life Saleh's ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... regime. In what was called the "Friday of Insistence" opposition leaders joined youth protesters demanding the president to withdraw from power within one week. "Saleh's options are very limited and we now announce a one week deadline for him to resign from presidency before he is brought down," said Yaseen Noman, the president of Yemen's opposition coalition the Joint Meeting Parties, JMP.
Just fives miles away, for the fifth consecutive Friday, President Saleh supporters flooded Sabeen Square of the capital Sanaa in what the government called the "Friday of Dialogue" as more than half a million arrived to show thier support for the president. "We will be loyal to our president in all circumstances. Saleh will never be replaced by a group of gangs from the opposition," said Abdul Saboor al-Karami, a Saleh follower who drove seven hours to participate in the Saleh rally.
Sanaa and Taiz by far had the highest number of anti government protesters with each fetching more the 800,000. "Victory is near for our revolution. We are today witnessing the end of Saleh's dictatorship era," said Ali Karamah, a tribal leader in Jawf said. "We will not forgive him for his crimes against our youth and he will face a worser ending than Mubarak."
The funeral for Colonel Abdullah Sharabi took place in Sanaa after he was killed in festivities with government forces on Wednesday. "The colonel is the first military personnal to be killed and he will be remembered for his courage in the revolution,"said youth leader Riydh Abdo.
Anti Saleh protests also took place in the provinces of Ibb, Hodieda, Dhammar, Baitha, Shabwa, Hadramout, Hajjah, Socotra, Jawf, Mareb, Abyan, Thale, Lahj, Saada, and Mahweet.
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[The Nation (Nairobi)] Walter Bruening, a retired railworker who was the world's oldest man, has died in the US state of Montana at the age of 114.
Breuning died Thursday of natural causes at a Great Falls hospital, Stacia Kirby, spokeswoman for the Rainbow Senior Living retirement home where he has lived since 1980, told local media.
Breuning attributed his long life to eating only two meals a day for the past 35 years.
"I think you should push back from the table when you're still hungry," he told the Great Falls Tribune newspaper in 2009.
"You get in the habit of not eating at night, and you realize how good you feel. If you could just tell people not to eat so darn much," he said.
"I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and a great Montanan," state Governor Brian Schweitzer said in a statement, reported the Tribune.
"Walter taught me that all things in moderation will help lead to a long life; that hard work and a modest living are enough for a happy life and most importantly that giving back to others is good for the soul."
Bruening was born in the town of Melrose, Minnesota, on September 21, 1896, and moved to Great Falls in 1918, finding work with the Great Northern Railway.
He was officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records 2011 edition as the world's oldest living man, after inheriting the title from England's Henry Allingham, who passed away at age 113 in July 2009.
The record has now passed to Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who turns 114 on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Arab News] Leaders of Perfidious Albion, La Belle France and the United States vowed on Friday to keep up their military campaign in Libya until Muammar Qadaffy leaves power, and rebels said his forces pounded the city of Misrata with missiles.
In a strongly worded, jointly written article published in newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic, British Prime Minister David Cameron, ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... French President Nicolas Sarkozy ...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit... and US President Barack B.O. Obama said leaving Qadaffy in power would be an "unconscionable betrayal" of the Libyan people.
"It is unthinkable that someone who has tried to massacre his own people can play a part in their future government," the leaders wrote.
"So long as Qadaffy is in power, NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... and its coalition partners must maintain their operations so that civilians remain protected and the pressure on the regime builds," they said.
"Then a genuine transition from dictatorship to an inclusive constitutional process can really begin, led by a new generation of leaders. For that transition to succeed, Col. Qadaffy must go, and go for good."
La Belle France and Perfidious Albion want to extend air strikes to the logistics and decision-making centers of Qadaffy's army, rather than start arming Libyan rebels, French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said.
Asked if it was time to send weapons to the rebels, Longuet said: "This is the reason La Belle France and Perfidious Albion want to show our determination, including with strikes on military decision centers in Libya or on logistics depots which today are being spared."
Reaction to the letter from the Qadaffy camp was swift in coming as the Libyan leader's daughter Aisha told a rally in Tripoli, at a family compound bombed by the Americans in 1986, that demanding her father's departure was an insult to the Libyan people.
"Talk about Qadaffy stepping down is an insult to all Libyans because Qadaffy is not in Libya, but in the hearts of all Libyans," she said in a speech broadcast live on Libyan television to mark the 25th anniversary of American strikes on the huge complex, which includes military barracks.
The article by the Western allies appeared at a time when diplomatic efforts have failed to paper over divisions between NATO allies about how intensively they should prosecute the three-week-old air war, and the situation on the ground has shown signs of stalemate.
Washington, which led the campaign in its first week, has since turned over command to NATO and taken a back seat role. Perfidious Albion and La Belle France complain that other NATO allies have not provided enough fire power to take out Qadaffy's armor and allow the rebels in control of the east to sweep him from power.
Libyan rebels begged on Thursday for more air strikes and said they faced a massacre from government forces, who blasted the besieged city of Misrata with missiles.
NATO planes bombed targets in the capital Tripoli, where state television showed footage of a defiant Qadaffy cruising through the streets in a green safari jacket and sunglasses, pumping his fists and waving from an open-top vehicle.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Compare wid TOPIX/PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > LIBYA: NATO RUNNING OUT OF MUNITIONS, to support NFZ AirOps.
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and may be in the process of being chased out now... President Blaise Compaore left the capital Ouagadougou early Friday amid a mutiny by his personal guard that has spread to other barracks, a military source said.
Compaore left during the night for his hometown Ziniare, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Ouagadougou, the source said.
The mutiny began in the presidential palace grounds late Thursday after new popular protests against Compoare's 24-year-old regime in the landlocked west African country.
Small and heavy arms fire, which was clearly audible outside the compound, first came from the barracks of the elite and well-paid presidential guard before spreading to other barracks and military camps, an AFP journalist reported.
The guard were protesting the non-payment of a promised housing benefit.
The home of General Dominique Diendiere, Compaore's personal chief of staff, was burned down, the AFP journalist said, adding that soldiers looted many consumer goods stores in the capital.
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[An Nahar] Calm returned Friday to several towns in Uganda affected by festivities between police and opposition supporters that left 57 people injured, officials said.
Opposition supporters were protesting a rise in the cost of living and what they say is bad governance by President Yoweri Museveni.
"Everything is calm," deputy police front man Vincent Sekate told Agence La Belle France Presse. Uganda Red Thingy secretary general Michael Richard Nataka confirmed the return to normality across the country.
"We managed to put the situation to order. The isolated incidents in Kampala and some towns outside have been properly handled and the streets are now safe," deputy police chief Asan Kasingye told AFP.
"There were protests in Gulu and Masaka yesterday, but the police brought the situation to order and we are getting information that people are back to business," he added.
On Thursday police fought running battles with opposition supporters hurling stones in several Kampala suburbs.
Security forces also used tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesting opposition supporters in Jinja, east of Kampala, and Masaka, a town on the road south, police commanders said.
Maraba, another southern town, and Gulu, the main northern town, were also affected.
"Yesterday evening we had a total of 47 injured. This morning it is 57 as we have included others from towns such as Jinja, Masaka and Gulu," Nataka said, adding: "There are reports of two dead in Gulu."
The Red Thingy could not immediately confirm the deaths.
Those injured included the main opposition leader Kizza Besigye who sustained a broken finger in what he thinks was a deliberate attempt to hit him.
"I'm inclined to think that it was deliberate. ... It was at a very close distance. One could not reasonably consider it was just stray fire hitting people," Besigye told AFP Friday.
Deputy police chief Kasingye warned that "any person who acts in breach of constitutional and lawful provisions to maintain law and order shall be harshly dealt with in the interest of public security."
"We encourage the general public to desist from engaging in acts of criminality and violence, more so not to participate in illegal processions and demonstrations being organized by a section of the opposition," he said.
But Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party vowed to press ahead with protests regardless.
"We are going to continue until the situation in the country improves," FDC Vice President Salamu Musumba told AFP. "The incidents of yesterday are not going to stop us. Instead we are going to increase the momentum."
"This Sunday you will see people walking to pray. Monday, we shall walk to work. This is going to be the order of the day until the situation stabilizes," she added.
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[Dawn] At least five political activists were bumped off in separate incidents of firing in the city and the lone survivor of the Monday attack on Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi leaders died during treatment at hospital on Thursday, bringing the number of assassinations over the past four days to 24, police and party sources said.
While fears of deadly violence in reaction to these killings haunted Bloody Karachiites, most localities remained peaceful.
At the same time, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah claimed that the menace had been 'controlled to an extent' after sweeping action was taken across the board on intelligence reports.
Gunmen returned to Sector 10 of Orangi Town in the early hours of Thursday following the first strike on Wednesday night that left two dead.
Police officials said the gunnies riding a cycle of violence attacked two youngsters standing in a street in a locality near Qasba Colony, Mairaj-un-Nabi Colony.
"The victims were identified as Raza Idrees and Sarfaraz Ali. Both were in their mid-20s and residents of the same area. The bodies have been shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities," said an official at the Mominabad cop shoppe.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement claimed that the youngsters were its members and were targeted for their political association by the 'anti-peace elements' in the city.
"In two days, nine MQM workers were killed in firing incidents. We want the police and authorities in Islamabad to expose the people behind such brutality. We want to make it clear that any attempt to restrict Bloody Karachiites within Bloody Karachi won't meet success," Raza Haroon, Sindh minister and a key leader of the MQM, told a presser during the day. Later, an activist of the Amir Khan-led faction of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-H) was targeted in Malir.
"The 39-year-old victim, Zeeshan alias Munna, was a cable operator," said an official at the Khokhrapar cop shoppe. "He was busy with other colleagues in professional work in Muhammadi Colony when he was attacked by two gunnies riding a motorbike. He was hit by six bullets and was struck down in his prime."
The victim was named in the 1997 murder of DSP Aslam Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... in the Malir area, the official said, adding that he had left the area in 2002 and returned only a couple of years ago.
The police remained clueless about the motive and people behind the killing, but a front man for the Amir Khan-led faction of the MQM-H said that the victim was associated with the Malir sector of the party's organisational structure.
In the late hours, two people were killed in an attack on a roadside restaurant on Abyssinya Line Road near Fauji Hotel in Lines Area, police said.
The police said at least four gunnies riding two motorbikes fired at the people sitting inside the restaurant. "The assault left 30-year-old Sher Ali and Zaman Sharif dead," said SSP of Saddar Town Irshad Ali Raza. He added that another youngster, Ahmed Khan, sustained multiple bullet wounds and was shifted to hospital.
Meanwhile, ...back at the secret hideout, Scarface Al sneeringly put his proposition to little Nell... the lone survivor of the Monday ambush, which killed vice chairman of the Afaq Ahmed-led faction of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-H) Akhtar Hussain with his two aides on Shaheed-i-Millat Road, died from his wounds at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre on Thursday, officials and party sources said.
They said the victim, Anwar Ali, was operated upon twice after he had suffered gunshot wounds in the abdomen and chest but he could not survive.
"He was originally a resident of Shah Faisal Colony and living these days in Sherpao Colony of the Landhi Town due to a persistent threat to his life," the party front man said.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Two Abu Sayyaf 
[Yemen Post] The Yemeni 
At least thirteen people have been injured after supporters of the isolated Yemeni president attacked a protest rally in the southern city of Taiz.
Bouteflika
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[Arab News] Hundreds of protesting religious hard-liners clashed with supporters of Jordan's king on Friday, wounding dozens, in the latest move by the
Religious leader Maulana Abdul Kabir Qadri Qambrani and a student of his seminary were killed and his son and another student 
Zawahiri
[Yemen Post] More than three million anti regime supporters gathered in at least 16 provinces demanding the fall of 
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Walter Bruening, a retired railworker who was the world's oldest man, has died in the US state of Montana at the age of 114.
David Cameron,
cycle of violence
