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Raging Battles on Edge of Militant Stronghold in Yemen, Dozens Killed
Today's Headlines
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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Instability in Southern Dagestan widens despite deaths of militant leaders
Posted by: Water Modem || 05/20/2012 21:11 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:


-Election 2012
Booker slams Obama campaign advert
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2012 17:35 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: WoT
Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights Opposes Iron Dome
Posted by: tipper || 05/20/2012 15:02 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  wow. It would appear they are actually protesting the Joooos' right to defend themselves from rocket attacks on civilians - which is a war crime? I'm shocked!
Posted by: Frank G || 05/20/2012 17:00 Comments || Top||

#2  NE/Boston’s primary export is liberal brain-power with the usual over-blown sense of entitlement.
After being in their professional functional job track for about 10 years, as they’re kicked-upstairs 3-4 times; it becomes obvious to them that it’s now time to leave for Mom & Dad’s finished basement.
It’s there, while in their comfort zone, they finally have enough time to ruminate on all the anti-Israel rants of their professors that they never really quite understood.
And, so now, they can really vent; as they noisily rejoice as their infirm professors catch up with the unruly mob to help cause mischief as they attempt to be relevant.
I Stand With Israel!! -cz-
Posted by: canalzone || 05/20/2012 21:33 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iranian lawmakers urge P5+1 to respect Iran's "rights"
Three days ahead of the start of new round of talks between the Islamic republic and the world powers, Iranian lawmakers issued a statement on Sunday urging the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany (P5+1) to respect Iran's nuclear rights.

"We warn the P5+1 to respect the rights of the Iranian nation, act on the basis of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which is an internationally accepted norm," the statement was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

The lawmakers urged the world powers to act "free from the Zionists' (Israeli) pressures and change the policy of confrontation with the Islamic Republic to a policy of interaction, " read the statement.

"And now it is the West's turn to build the Iranian nation's confidence and put an end to its hostile behavior," stressed the statement which was signed by 203 Iranian lawmakers.

It also cautioned the West "to give up their strategy of deceit and dual-track" on Iran's nuclear issue, stressing that the Western powers' resort to the policy of pressure will be followed by Iran's proportional reaction, said the report.

On Sunday, the Iranian lawmaker, Mohammad Karami-Raad, said in an open session of the parliament that Iran will protect its inalienable rights at any cost in the talks in Baghdad on Wednesday, said Fars.
Posted by: tipper || 05/20/2012 14:58 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The only Iranian Islamofascist right I respect is the right for them to die in a grotesque method as possible.
Posted by: DarthVader || 05/20/2012 19:13 Comments || Top||


Arabia
U.S. experts attacked by al-Qaida suspects in Yemen, 1 critically injured
A group of U.S. counterterrorism experts were attacked by suspected al-Qaida militants in Yemen's western port city of al-Hodayda on Sunday, one expert being seriously wounded, officials said.

"A number of militants from suspected al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) opened fire on a group of U.S. counterterrorism experts when they were training Yemeni coastal guards in the western port city of al-Hodayda," a Yemeni security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"One of them was hit in the neck and airlifted to the capital Sanaa for treatment," he said.

An official at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa confirmed to Xinhua the attack. "The attack took place on Sunday morning while the U.S. experts were training Yemeni coastal guards," the official said, denying reports that U.S. soldiers had arrived in the city to prepare for fighting against al-Qaida.

On the same day, an official from the Interior Ministry told Xinhua anonymously that "a newly-arrived Spanish security official at the Spanish embassy in Sanaa was snatched on Sunday by al-Qaida suspects." But he declined to provide further details.

Officials at the Spanish embassy in Sanaa could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: tipper || 05/20/2012 14:54 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Europe
Europe finally awakes from its utopian dream
Posted by: tipper || 05/20/2012 14:46 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Fourth paragraph in the article is dead on!
Posted by: USN,Ret || 05/20/2012 14:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Rant-seeking and Extorting your way to Utopia!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 05/20/2012 16:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Postworthy:

And would Mr Obama reverse the fundamental principles of the United States Constitution for the sake of a short-term solution to a global economic problem? (Well, actually, maybe he would. Given his egomaniacal tendency to regard the Supreme Court as a turbulent nuisance when it obstructs his plans, he might not be the best exemplar of constitutional probity.)
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2012 16:23 Comments || Top||

#4  That was definately worth the read.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2012 19:00 Comments || Top||

#5  They still have "the Dream", + will push it come what may - its just a lot harder than they thought it would be.

Nobody wants to pay for other people's problems, espec when they don't even live or work, etc. in their City, Town, or Country.

AS CHIEF WIGGUM WOULD SAY, "ITS A BIG OOOOOOOOPPPPPPPSS IFF THERE EVER WAS ONE, LOU"!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/20/2012 20:18 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Drone Attacks: 'The Best Of A Bad Set Of Options'
There are a really nice set of graphs and maps at the link, brought to us by the same people who put out "Nuggets From The Urdu Press". The Friday Times isn't anything like the New York Times of Pakistan -- they hold themselves to a much higher standard.
Amid concerns that missile attacks by unmanned US aircraft on Al Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistain are against international law and cause civilian deaths, US President Barack Obama
I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody...
has allowed the CIA and the US military to carry out "signature" drone strikes on turban targets in Yemen. US counter terrorism adviser John Brennan admitted for the first time that civilians are sometimes killed in drone strikes. "It is extremely rare," he said, "but it has happened."

Drone attacks have killed more enemies of both Pakistan and the US than ground offensives or any other strategy attempted since 9/11
After he became president in 2008, Obama increased drone attacks against turban targets in Pakistain's tribal areas, slowing down only in 2012 after tensions rose between the two countries over American Arclight airstrikes that killed 24 Pak soldiers on an outpost on the Afghanistan border. Seeing drones as effective weapons against Al Qaeda, the B.O. regime has decided to increase their use to target turban groups linked to Al Qaeda in Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria and other countries in West Africa.

"In Pakistain's context, drone attacks have worked and brought remarkable results," says security expert Emma McEachan, who has served with NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization....
. "Paks have been cooperative, but quiet." She said there were limitations with how to verify who is being killed because the US had to reply on local agents rather than forensics. "Drone attacks obviously come with costs, but they are the best of a bad set of options."

"Drone attacks come with costs, but they are the best of a bad set of options
"An B.O. regime official who has a major say in the drone policy told The Friday Times the drone attacks would continue despite the trust deficit. "Privately, the Pak military officials tell us we are doing a good job. Publicly, they take a different line. That is understandable."

But Pakistain seems to be rethinking its drone policy. "We have raised the drone attacks issue with the US at various levels. We are trying to resolve this issue on a priority basis," Foreign Office front man Moazzam Khan told news hounds in a recent briefing.

An important argument against drone attacks is that they fuel more terrorism than they prevent. There is a significant backlash against the attacks in the Pak media, and a number of polls indicate a majority of Paks oppose them. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani admits drone attacks have killed key terror suspects, but has spoken against them in the parliament and on public forums.

But a poll conducted by the Aryana Institute in the tribal areas shows the local people support drone strikes. A top Pakistain Army commander stationed in FATA and fighting Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other turbans, told local journalists he favoured drone attacks. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), who are seen as enemy by the Pak military, have also been targeted in drone attacks. The TTP publicly acknowledged sending out a Jordanian jacket wallah who killed 14 members of CIA working at a drone command and control station in Afghanistan.

"In general, lethal force is legally permissible against bad boy in an ongoing war and such force may be used on the territory of a foreign state, if that state consents or if it is unwilling or unable to take action"
In June 2004, the first ever US drone attack killed Nek Muhammad Wazir in Wana, South Wazoo. Since then, drone attacks have not only killed important leaders of Al Qaeda, but also killed turban leaders considered enemies of Pakistain, such as Baitullah Mehsud, Ilyas Kashmiri, and Atiyah Abd al-Rahman. Drone attacks have killed more enemies of both Pakistain and the US than ground offensives or any other strategy attempted since 9/11.

Mohsin Afridi, an activist who opposes drone attacks, says many of them have killed children. "While the US kills us from sky, Paks kill us on the ground in Dire Revenge™ attacks." He claimed more than 4,000 civilians have been killed in drone strikes. Other sources say the number of verified civilian deaths is much less.

"Pakistain needs a clear policy on drone attacks along with an above-board counter terrorism policy that doesn't pick between the good forces of Evil and bad ones," says Carl Adams, a former NATO commander. "For its part, the United States needs to realize that any policy on drones needs to be carefully worked out with Pakistain before any more strikes happen."

The use of CIA personnel to operate and conduct drone strikes has also become a serious legal issue. CIA personnel are not part of the US armed forces, are not subject to military command structure, and do not wear uniform. Under international law, they are therefore civilians directly participating in hostilities, much like the fighters they target.

But Matthew Waxman, adjunct senior fellow for law and foreign policy with the Council on Foreign Relations, believes there is legal justification for the attacks. "In general, lethal force is legally permissible against bad boy in an ongoing war and such force may be used on the territory of a foreign state," he said, "if that state consents or if it is unwilling or unable to take action."
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/20/2012 11:39 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's either drone strikes or we have to declare war, and neither side wants to go to war ....
Posted by: gorb || 05/20/2012 13:14 Comments || Top||

#2  Drone attack or enough B-52 dumb iron to get the target - I used to prefer the drone option, but am starting to have my doubts.
Posted by: Glenmore || 05/20/2012 13:24 Comments || Top||


The Drone Debate
President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari
... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ...
told a senior US official last month that drone attacks in Pakistain's tribal areas were counterproductive. He said they provoked anti-America sentiments in Pakistain because of the collateral damage.

"Drone Attacks are counterproductive and useless," the president told US Special Envoy for Pakistain and Afghanistan, Mark Grossman, in his last meeting with him.
"Drone Attacks are counterproductive and useless," the president told US Special Envoy for Pakistain and Afghanistan, Mark Grossman, in his last meeting with him.

President of Tribal Union of Journalists, Safdar Dawar, disagrees with President Zardari. He believes most drone attacks have eliminated Death Eaters from Al Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) and other outfits linked with them.
President of Tribal Union of Journalists, Safdar Dawar, disagrees with President Zardari. He believes most drone attacks have eliminated Death Eaters from Al Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) and other outfits linked with them.

"Even Taliban sources admit that drone attacks kill their leaders. They speak to us after almost every strike," he says. "But the families who provide shelter to the targets (of drones) are also killed in these attacks."

Safdar hails from North Wazoo and is a witness to several post-drone attack situations. He believes the human intelligence helping the CIA find their targets is quite accurate. "I cannot believe that they do it on their own. I think our intelligence agencies are helping the CIA."

The intelligence agencies deny they provide the on-ground intelligence assistance for drone attacks. Military front man Maj Gen Athar Abbas has repeatedly stated that drones were causing more harm than good.

Recently, a joint sitting of the Parliament approved a wide range of foreign policy recommendations that included demanding a formal apology from the United Sates over last November's attack on two Pak border posts in Salala (Mohmmand Agency). The Parliament also asked the US to stop drone strikes, which they said were a blatant attack on Pakistain's illusory sovereignty. The US has not entertained either of the two key demands so far.

On the contrary, the US government has warned Pakistain it will stop all civil and military aid if Pak does not re-open the NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization....
supply routes. Analysts in Pakistain are divided over the opening of the supply routes. Some say the embargo must end for Pakistain to maintain a stable relationship with the world community, while others do not want the government to succumb to US pressure. The opposition Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz and the reactionary Pakistain Defence Council appear to be on the same wavelength.

The first drone attack in Pakistain was presumably made in June 2004 to kill thug leader Nek Muhammad Wazir. The killing quashed controversial Shakai peace deal between the Death Eaters and Pakistain Army.

Statistics of New America Foundation show that since 2004, the CIA carried out around 300 drone attacks in Pakistain, killing 2,700 people including civilians.
Statistics of New America Foundation show that since 2004, the CIA carried out around 300 drone attacks in Pakistain, killing 2,700 people including civilians. The Bureau of Investigative Journalists puts the total number of drone attacks slightly more than 300 and the total number of deaths more than 3,000.

"It is important to reiterate that any reduction in terrorist activity associated with the drone campaign appears modest in scope. Although a decline in violence in FATA in 2010 coincided with the peak of the drone campaign, FATA Death Eaters remain active and violence remains high. To the extent drone strikes work, their effectiveness is more likely to lie in disrupting thug operations at the tactical level than as a silver bullet that will reverse the course of the war and singlehandedly defeat Al Qaeda," read a February 2012 research paper by Rand Corporation, titled 'The Impact of US Drone Strikes on Terrorism in Pakistain'.

President Zardari is representing Pakistain in the Chicago Conference, which will decide the future role of the military alliance in Afghanistan. Much of that has already been decided in the recent strategic agreement between Kabul and Washington, signed on the death anniversary of the late Osama bin Laden
... who went titzup one dark and stormy night...
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/20/2012 11:39 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I no longer care about collateral damage. "But the families who provide shelter to the targets (of drones) are also killed in these attacks." Tough. Smarten up or die. I don't care which you choose.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 05/20/2012 12:47 Comments || Top||

#2  > But the families who provide shelter to the targets (of drones) are also killed in these attacks."

I hope that's a feature not a side effect.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 05/20/2012 12:50 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Lockerbie Bomber Megrahi Reported Dead
Megrahi, 59, died at home after a long battle with cancer. His health had deteriorated quickly, his brother Abdulhakim told Reuters on Sunday.

Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 as it flew to New York from London. All 259 people aboard the airliner were killed and 11 others on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie died from falling wreckage.

The Libyan terrorist survived for almost three years after a doctor said he had only months to live and he was released on "compassionate" grounds from a Scottish prison.
OBL. Zarqawi. Saddam. Daffy. Gettin' crowded down there.


This article starring:
Megrahi
Posted by: Matt || 05/20/2012 10:50 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I told you I was SICK!
Posted by: Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi || 05/20/2012 11:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Head on a stick...
Posted by: tu3031 || 05/20/2012 11:08 Comments || Top||

#3  My sentiments exactly, tu3031.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 05/20/2012 12:43 Comments || Top||

#4  A terrible story not fully told.
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2012 13:19 Comments || Top||

#5 
Posted by: gorb || 05/20/2012 18:01 Comments || Top||

#6  More correct to say that Libyuh was the proverbial "fall guy" = diversion for Iran.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/20/2012 20:30 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Nuggets From The Urdu Press
'We sold ourselves to America'
Only rented, surely.
Famous journalist Ansar Abbasi wrote in Jang that Pakistain's politicians and generals sold the honour of Pak nation for their personal gain. We sold our daughter Afia Siddiqi for a few dollars and took money to make our own Army kill our brothers in Pakistain.
To be fair, they've been killing you, too, and they started it.
At the same time while we were selling everything to America, America hit us with the shoe (jootay khae). And now once again we are about to reopen the NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
supply route in our love (ishq) of America; and the parliament is merely being used for this.
 
How we sold Afia Siddiqi
Famous columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that because Afia was not an American national she could not be set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock
You have the right to remain silent...
in inside Pakistain and had to be lured to Afghanistan so that she could be set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock
You have the right to remain silent...
there on charge of attacking an American soldier and sentenced to 86 years in America. A police officer since has confessed that secret service picked up Afia Siddiqi in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
in 2003 and handed her over to Americans who waiting for her in Bloody Karachi.
 
America will splinter soon!
So many have predicted that over the years...
Famous religious leader Maulana Samiul Haq was quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt as saying that he and his followers will not allow the NATO supply route to be reopened and that he had arrived at the conclusion after deep thought
When mining for diamonds, it's best to dig far from the pig sty, they say...
that America will soon break up as a state.
 
India can't digest independent Pakistain!
Famous Chief Editor said in Nawa-e-Waqt that India was so fanatic that it could not tolerate that Pakistain as an independent state was flourishing.
That last is certainly an interesting word choice to describe the situation.
He said he was confident that there will be nuclear war between Pakistain and India over the waters being stolen by India. He said Pakistain's condition will not improve until Pakistain goes to war with India and deals with it (nimit nahin laitay).
 
Amal the true wife!
Daily Jinnah reported that the late Osama bin Laden
... who used to be alive but now he's not...
's wife Amal of Yemen was the true wife as she stood by Osama when he was attacked and she got injured while trying to save him. She said that after 2001 Osama lived in four cities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
: Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Swat, Haripur and Abbottabad
... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden....
. Two of her children were born in the government hospitals of Haripur. She refused to answer the question whether any official was privy to Osama's stay in Pakistain. Daily Mashriq reported that Amal bore five children to Osama and was his favourite wife. She was in Bloody Karachi for 9 months. Osama lived with three wives and regularly produced children.
Or at least the wives did...
Teacher fired for naming Zardari in quiz
Daily Jang reported that the government had suspended the coordinator examinations and teacher Hafiz Ajmal for five years from setting papers after he set a quiz in the 9th class paper which insulted President Zardari. Hafiz Ajmal claimed that he had not insulted the president in the quiz by mentioning him as one of the problems of the country.
 
Don't buy electricity from India!
Hinjoo electricity has cooties -- everyone knows that.
Famous Chief Editor Majid Nizami stated in Nawa-e-Waqt that he would rather live in the light of a candle for the rest of his life than live in the light of the electricity of Pakistain's eternal enemy (azli dushman) India. He said India was taking all the water from our rivers while our rulers were trying to give Bloody Karachi to India.
 
Son also rises!
Son of Chief Editor Khushnood Ali Khan was covered in Jinnah as attending a cricket match in which he was chief guest. Barrister Ammar Khushnood said that Pakistain must promote its own culture and encourage sports. When Barrister Ammar arrived at the ground he was given an unprecedented (faqidul misaal) welcome by the crowds of Talagang.
 
Deflowered by pir, climbs pylon
Reported in Mashriq a woman of Gulberg Lahore Irshad Bibi who visited a pir (spiritual healer) only to be deflowered by him again and again
I thought that was a one-time thing but it appears I was wrong.
after which she tried to register a complaint against him at the cop shoppe. When the police ignored her and respected the pir instead she climbed a nearby high tension pylon in protest. The pir converted her to Islam and had married her but was not admitting her as his wife.
 
Wukla beat up thanedar in court
In an incident the newspapers now list under wukla-gardi Express Lahore's lawyers while appearing in the court of the Sessions judge suddenly attacked the SHO of the thana Sabzazar Khaleel and gave him a thrashing. A group of hooligan lawyers tore the uniform of the police officer from his body and dragged him half naked from the court outside in the yard. The lawyers were in the form of a gang. No one did anything against them.
 
General Pasha damaged PMLN
Senior Central Secretary Information PMLN Senator Mushahidullah was quoted by Express as saying that ex-ISI chief General Shuja Pasha had damaged his party to a great extent (bay-had). But the chief justice of Pakistain was the Moses of today who was dispensing justice in Pakistain. He said in Bloody Karachi the battle between PPP and MQM was for bhatta.
 
Journalists doing politics today
Famous columnist Abdul Qadir Hasan wrote in Express that journalists today were no longer professional and neutral but worked for politicians and were involved in politics unlike journalists of his vintage who used to be carefully neutral in politics. But then he went on to say that MRD was formed in his house (meray ghar main banaee gaee). He said today excessively soft approach was adopted towards India although Pakistain could live without doing that.
 
No one is Pak in Pakistain!
Famous journalist Abdul Qadir Hasan write in Express that today journalism was no longer ideological (nazariati) and was in the grasp of self-interested groups against whom he could do nothing but flap his wings uselessly. He added that among Pak politicians there was not a single complete Pak (mukammal) and if there was one he could like to be informed about him.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/20/2012 07:02 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Reported in Mashriq a woman of Gulberg Lahore Irshad Bibi who visited a pir (spiritual healer) only to be deflowered by him again and again

I thought that was a one-time thing but it appears I was wrong.

...Nothing's Impossible With Islam(TM)!

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 05/20/2012 10:11 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Eternally shifting sands of Obama's biography
...When it comes to conspiracies, I'm an Occam's Razor man. The more obvious explanation of the variable first line in the eternally shifting sands of Obama's biography is that, rather than pretending to have been born in Hawaii, he's spent much of his life pretending to have been born in Kenya.

After all, if your first book is an exploration of racial identity and has the working title "Journeys In Black And White," being born in Hawaii doesn't really help. It's entirely irrelevant to the twin pillars of contemporary black grievance -- American slavery and European imperialism. To 99.99 percent of people, Hawaii is a luxury vacation destination and nothing else.

Whereas Kenya puts you at the heart of what, in an otherwise notably orderly decolonization process by the British, was a bitter and violent struggle against the white man's rule. Cool! The composite chicks dig it, and the literary agents.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/20/2012 02:54 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  pho·ny
   [foh-nee] Show IPA adjective, pho·ni·er, pho·ni·est, noun, plural pho·nies, verb, pho·nied, pho·ny·ing.

adjective
1. not real or genuine; fake; counterfeit: a phony diamond.

2. false or deceiving; not truthful; concocted: a phony explanation.

3. insincere or deceitful; affected or pretentious: a phony sales representative.

noun
4. something that is phony; a counterfeit or fake.

5. an insincere, pretentious, or deceitful person: He thought my friends were a bunch of phonies.
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2012 8:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Ain't fiction great? You can have composite girlfriends, composite $ex if you get lucky and fictionalized experiences presented as real. You can have a background made up for you or be mysterious and have no traceable background that anyone can find. Even more mysterious than what happened to the Manchurian Candidate while in the captivity of communists during the Korean War.

There is nothing transparent about Obummer. It is like poking a finger at the air and finding nothing ever there. A will-o'-the-wisp. Not knowing anything about the guy is good enough reason not to vote for him. If one needs more reason, then there is his record as President--a dismal failed Presidency. I'd crawl over broken glass to register and vote against him.
Posted by: JohnQC || 05/20/2012 8:34 Comments || Top||

#3  The more autobiographies he writes, the less anybody knows.

For Obama ambiguity was a feature – not a bug. And you have to hand it to the O-Team. They exploited Obama’s political liability and developed it into one of the most successful marketing strategies in history. “Hope and Change” was created as a multi-faceted Projection Campaign. Think of “Coke is it”. Perhaps, the real brilliance was in anticipation of post election. As soon as the Progressives predictably carped about the slow pace of change the O-Minions were quickly dispatched to disparage the “Professional Left” for projecting their concepts of change – not Barak’s. And when polls suggested a large portion of the electorate didn’t know B. Hussein Obama’s religious affiliation or surmised he is (gasp) Muslim the Baiters came out in force to denounce the right-wing bigot machine. Now with a recorded history distilling “ it’s not my fault and the other guy’s worse” into a winning slogan could prove to be quite a challenge.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 05/20/2012 11:07 Comments || Top||

#4  Now with a recorded history distilling " it's not my fault and the other guy's worse" into a winning slogan could prove to be quite a challenge. Posted by DepotGuy

Fractional distillation. More HEAT please.
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2012 11:13 Comments || Top||

#5  It seems very odd that Obama's MSM cronies are publicising Romney's religion...

1) Hypocrites about religious choice.
2) Obama's "church" is going to be hard to cover up.

Maybe the MSM journo's just don't know about the Zero's reverent Wright, and think they're helping? Looks like another Obama eats dogs moment to me.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 05/20/2012 12:55 Comments || Top||

#6  Obama's team took advantage of the fact that most Democrats are stupid and most whites are guilty but not racist. I don't think the factors will work to his benefit this go around.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 05/20/2012 13:03 Comments || Top||

#7  I saw a comment a while ago:

Last time, many voted for Obama to prove they weren't racist. This time, they'll have to vote against him to prove they're not idiots.

And then there is the significant number of people who won't admit they're idiots, no matter what, and and another significant number of people who don't even realize that they're idiots.
Posted by: gorb || 05/20/2012 13:20 Comments || Top||

#8  Obama is the most contrived personna imaginable, with frayed edges that are so apparent, yet untouched by so much of our national media, to their shame and hypocracy. The MSM has become completely invested in Champ and increasingly dilutes the pitiful vestiges of credibility in their efforts and blind avoidance of the obvious. From the start he has gamed the system, hidden inadequacies and made glossy with grifter skill things that are shiny and utterly shallow. He is a fraud and contrived in virtually every aspect of his life, and behind it all, the massive Chicago way further pollutes and corrupts the already bloated and slothful beauracracy and crony capitalism/socialistic business connections. God help what is left of the Republic and capitalistic system that made us the envy of the world if Champ fools Americans again.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 05/20/2012 13:56 Comments || Top||

#9  Emperor Zeros new personality!

The opposite of naked, all clothes, no filling.
A mannequin for the politically connected.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 05/20/2012 16:06 Comments || Top||

#10  And there is an aweful stench coming from Hahvahd.

This is the dawning of the age of composite man.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2012 19:09 Comments || Top||

#11  I was musing the other day about this very point.

A War Like No Other, VDH. Reading it puts me in the student category with the author as teacher. In it he is explaining the Spartans out rampaging the abandoned Athenian farmland, he specifically mentions the chopping down of the Olive trees. VDH mentions how he himself attempted to chop down an Olive tree and states that even with modern tools (not chainsaws, axe and saw) it was tough so to imagine how difficult it was physically and logistically feeding and watering so many hard working men.

Him stating that he himself has that personal experience in said labor adds much weight not only to that particular section, but for the rest of the book, "Hey this guy takes the extra step rather than just writing research".

Wouldn't that be something if in fact, in real life, not only does he not have Olive trees, but lives in the city far from any farm experience?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2012 22:07 Comments || Top||


Olde Tyme Religion
Why Invent Mohammed?
Why invent a new religion? Robert Spencer’s excellent new book Did Mohammed Exist? collates recent historical research questioning the existence of the historical Mohammed, much of it previously not accessible to a lay American audience. This is a dangerous thing to do, and a courageous one.

Some years ago I chided Spencer for giving the Koran too much credibility; more important than the nasty things one finds in the Koran, I argued, are two questions: “1) Mohammed may never have existed, and 2) If he existed, he may have had nothing to do with the Koran, which well might be an 8th- or 9th-century compilation.” Spencer’s present book will be translated into major Muslim languages and published on the Internet, according to Daniel Pipes. That is an important and welcome development.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/20/2012 02:36 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This won't have any effect on devout Muslims, but it is exactly the sort of information that the general Western audience needs to be exposed to. Muslim claims to Dome of the Rock are laughable, for example, but if people don't know the history behind it they might be inclined to take those claims seriously.
Posted by: Iblis || 05/20/2012 12:17 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm inclined to think that Mohammed, like Jesus and Moses, was a real person who has had a body of myth and legend attached to his life - some of it pretty unsavory to the modern mind. But some of what Moses did seems a bit questionable to the modern mind as well... though he doesn't seem to have humped and killed everything in sight(and not necissarily in that order) like Big Moe.

OTOH, it may be that the Haditha is simply a bunch of crap that needs to be tossed out when and if Islam has its own version of the Protestant Reformation. My buddy who is Muslim certainly thinks so.
Posted by: Secret Master || 05/20/2012 15:18 Comments || Top||

#3  I should add that, in all fairness, the vast majority of those of us who believe pick and choose what we like from our religions and their texts. The key is to convince Muslims to selectively ignore the idiotic portions of their religion as a requirement of joining modern global socieity.
Posted by: Secret Master || 05/20/2012 15:26 Comments || Top||

#4  Illiterate warmonger who pillaged women and raped cattle...a Voltairian may notice if he didn't exist, he would certainly need to be invented.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2012 19:11 Comments || Top||


Britain
It was the Jinn wot done it
Pregnant woman 'was smothered to death by family before they claimed she was killed by an evil spirit'

Posted by: tipper || 05/20/2012 00:25 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Guess that will take care of the excess human problem democrats keep clamoring about.
Posted by: newc || 05/20/2012 1:37 Comments || Top||

#2  Tradition!

Must be a poor downtroden inexcusably taken advantage....wait, that is a nice house. Those are nice clothes. Is that wailing woman?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2012 19:14 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
SKA air and logistics is accused of widespread corruption in Mogadishu Airport
(Sh. M. Network)-The Dubia based SKA air and logistics company working at Mogadishu's Aden Adde international airport is accused of a wide spread corruption and illegal services in the airport.

Sources at Aden Adde airport confirmed to Shabelle Media station on condition of anonymity that the company, SKA is taking large revenue of the airport illegally through years from the passenger planes landing or taking off on the airport.

Inside the airport, the sources say there are old fashioned transportations and bad services that contradicts SKA's claim of providing aviation and developmental services in the airport since its signed contract with Somalia government in September 2010.

The company has recently been accused of taking unlawful charges from aid planes landing at Mogadishu. It also hired for many foreign employees to work in the airport while Somali citizens are unemployed and denied.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  insuring transit of slaves, eunuchs and khat?
Posted by: 3dc || 05/20/2012 0:36 Comments || Top||

#2  A TSA farm team.
Posted by: bman || 05/20/2012 10:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Simply hyphenate the name and the corruption will be legitimized and nothing more will be said about it:

Mogadishu's Aden Adde-Jackson international airport
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2012 11:24 Comments || Top||

#4  Somalia has a government? Mog has an airport? Whoda thunk it?
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 05/20/2012 17:26 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Not enough members to bring vote of no confidence: Shahbaz
[Dawn] Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif said on Saturday that Pakistain Mohammedan League- Nawaz (PML-N) and its allies cannot bring vote of no-confidence against Yousuf Raza Gilani
... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ...
with their current 92 votes in the parliament but can only raise the voice of 'truth', DawnNews reported.

Speaking with the representatives of cable operators of Pakistain at a meeting, Sharif assured them that the provincial government would not let the extortionists and the Pakistain electronic media regulatory authority (PEMRA) to exploit the cable operators.

Sharif said that government's words are not in line with its actions.

Speaking on president's visit to NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
summit, the chief minister said that no apology was offered by the United States on the Salala check-post incident but the government was getting very keen to participate in the summit.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Afghanistan
Afghan suicide attack kills nine
[Bangla Daily Star] A suicide kaboom on a police check post in southeastern Afghanistan yesterday killed at least nine people, three of them coppers, an official said.

The attacker shot a security guard before making his way inside the check post in the cut-thoat-hit Alisher district of Khost province
... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name...
, district governor Amir Badsha Dawran told AFP.

At least four coppers were also maimed in the attack, which was claimed by Taliban bully boys. They said all the casualties were Afghan cops.

Khost is a volatile province, which borders the tribal area of Pakistain, known as a Taliban stronghold and a base for the Haqqani network.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Terror Networks
Bin Laden died of natural causes: Former CIA agent
[Iran Press TV] A former agent of the CIA has revealed that al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden
... who no longer exists...
has died of natural causes five years before the US announced his death.

In an interview with Russia's Channel One, Berkan Yashar, who is also a Turkish politician, said the US has not killed the al-Qaeda leader.

"In September of 1992, I was in Chechnya, that's when I first met the man whose name was Bin Laden. This meeting took place in a two-story house in the city of Grozny; on the top floor was a family of Gamsakhurdia, the Georgian president, who then was kicked out of his country. We met on the bottom floor; Osama lived in the same building," Yashar said.

According to the former CIA agent, he personally knew Bin Laden's three Chechen bodyguards, who had protected him until his death and witnessed his death on June 26, 2006.

"Even if the entire world believed, I could not possibly believe it," Yashar said. "I personally know the Chechens who protected him, they are Sami, Mahmood, and Ayub, and they were with him until the very end."

"Only three Chechens buried him, according to his will" in the mountains on the Pakistain-Afghan border, he said.

Yashar added that the CIA kidnapped one of the bodyguards, Sami, before the announced killing of Bin Laden last year.

He says the bodyguard disclosed to the US the exact place of burial in the mountains.

"There was no assault. I know the American operations from the inside: they find the grave, dig out bin Laden and tell everyone about this. They need to show how technologically the security services worked, how each step was controlled, and then present it as a great victory to show that taxpayers are not paying taxes for nothing," he said.

Washington announced on May 2, 2011 that Bin Laden was killed by US forces in his compound in Abbottabad
... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden....
, Pakistain.

The lack of transparency over bin Laden's death has cast further doubt over the announcement.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  It is only natural to die after being riddled with bullets.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 05/20/2012 0:41 Comments || Top||

#2  It starts with the Yanks didn't kill him, and ends with he was never killed. Is a legend better than a Martyr? More reason to have kept the body.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 05/20/2012 13:05 Comments || Top||

#3  well, lessee...lead (Pb) is a naturally occurring element...therefore, acute lead poisoning resulting from brief exposure to one or more of these should count as "Natural Causes."
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) || 05/20/2012 13:15 Comments || Top||

#4  If Yashar was a CIA spy, why wasn't he wacked by the Iranian geniuses?

Wouldn't such an admission end his career as a Turkish politician?

Maybe the rest of the story is equally ... questionable.
Posted by: Bobby || 05/20/2012 14:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Is a legend better than a Martyr? More reason to have kept the body.

Maybe we did. Certainly, at least some clippings, for forensic purposes.
Posted by: RandomJD || 05/20/2012 14:28 Comments || Top||

#6  In the end, it's always heart failure
Posted by: Frank G || 05/20/2012 15:15 Comments || Top||

#7  More reason to have kept the body.

I heard he was stuffed and is currently being used as a hat rack in the Seal Team 6 rec room.
Posted by: SteveS || 05/20/2012 16:02 Comments || Top||

#8  Frank - I think it's more accurate to say that in the end it's always Cerebral Hypoxia.
Posted by: JonC || 05/20/2012 16:52 Comments || Top||

#9  not if the Cerebral is on the wall behind him :-)
Posted by: Frank G || 05/20/2012 17:01 Comments || Top||

#10  The Cerebral and his face. Or what's left of it.
Posted by: Charles || 05/20/2012 20:42 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Yemeni Jews call for political participation
[Yemen Post] Yemeni Jews called for a political participation in the two houses of Yemeni parliament. They called on President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and the National Unity Government to allocate special seats for the Jews in the House of Representatives as well as in the Shura Council.The Jewish head in Yemen, Yahya Yousof Mosa, said in an interview with the CNN Arabic site, "I call on the new government to pay attention to this side and to work on earmarking seats for the Jewish people in the Parliament and Shura Council for us to feel the real citizenship and that we are not discriminated against. This is our constitutional right," He noted that" when I saw my two sons, Shama and Saeed, join the Children Parliament I felt glad as did all Jewish minority here in Yemen when they knew that two Jewish kids were part of the Children Parliament. They were glad because they felt that we are equal in rights and duties.""I hope that we have seats in the Parliament and Shura Council and participate in everything that serves the Jewish minority in particular, and Yemen in general. We take part in the local and parliamentarian elections," Mosa said.Speaking about Children Parliament, he said, "This parliament made us fee that we exercise our rights and that we are a part of this country. We felt we are able to look into the suffering of the Jewish people and Yemeni people in general. In Europe, USA all people get to participate in the political process, therefore we call on President Hadi and the National Unity Government to consider our demands."Mosa pointed out that the Yemeni Jews have been being offered a lot temptations to leave Yemen for Israel or America but they refused" because we are Yemenis and from Yemeni ancestors."There are many Jews who went to Israel and came back because they could not adjust to the different culture and traditions. They now feel more comfortable in Yemen." He added.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Southeast Asia
Rubber trader gunned down in southern Thailand
The owner of a rubber sheet business was killed in front of his shop in Narathiwat province on Saturday morning.

Witnesses said that Abdulsoma Abuwa, 49, was opening the door of his shop when a gunman riding pillion on a motorcycle opened fire on him with a shotgun. The attackerss then fled. Abdulsoma was hit in the head and died on the spot.

Police blamed separatist terrorists militants.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Gay Muslim activist launches book tour in Malaysia
A Canadian Muslim gay activist launched her controversial new book on reforming Islam in Malaysia Saturday despite a government minister's attempts to shut down the event.

Irshad Manji launched "Allah, Liberty and Love" at a hastily arranged event in Kuala Lumpur after two other venues pulled out of hosting her.

Jamil Khir Baharom, Malaysia's minister in charge of Islamic affairs, had said Islamic officials and the Home Ministry would not permit the author's tour in the country following complaints. He was quoted as saying earlier on Saturday that the book was offensive to Muslims as was Manji's ideology and open homosexuality.

Her website says the book, now available in the Malay language, "shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas... This book is the ultimate guide to becoming a gutsy global citizen".

The book has not yet been officially banned. Her previous internationally acclaimed book, "The Trouble with Islam Today", is already banned in Malaysia.

Manji also faced problems while touring Indonesia before coming to Malaysia. Police shut down several events after the Islamic Defenders Front group held violent protests condemning her views.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Interesting to see the differences between her and Lady Gaga's reception.
Posted by: AlanC || 05/20/2012 9:05 Comments || Top||

#2  Any bets on her life expectancy?
Posted by: Water Modem || 05/20/2012 18:34 Comments || Top||

#3  Irshad has been doing the same thing for many years. She keeps thinking she can 'reform' Islam and nonetheless Islam keeps getting worse (when she began her campaign, Indonesia, Malayasia and Turkey were far more tolerant than now).
Posted by: lord garth || 05/20/2012 19:09 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Scuffle reported between Punjab police personnel and PM's security staff
[Dawn] A scuffle reportedly took place between Punjab police personnel and members of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ...
's security detail on Saturday, DawnNews reported.

The scuffle started when members of Gilani's security detail tried to stop SP Saddar Athar Waheed from approaching the venue of an event the prime minister was attending.

The concerned members of the security detail were then taken to Nawab Town cop shoppe where they were directed to tender an apology.

The coppers were allowed to leave once the apology was tendered.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan

#1  Shades of China's latest scandal? local gov crooks vs national gov crooks?
Posted by: 3dc || 05/20/2012 0:20 Comments || Top||


Four dead as violence continues in Karachi
[Dawn] In different incidents of assassinations in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
at least four people bit the dust on Saturday, DawnNews reported.

In recent incidents of firing, four people were maimed in the areas of Essa Nagri, Yousuf Goth and Baldia.

A man was rubbed out on Shaheed-e-Millat road when unknown armed assailants opened fire on his car. The man, identified as Salman Adil, was owner of a construction company.

Another man was rubbed out in Kemari

A tortured dead body of a young man was found from Muwach Goth. Earlier the dear departed man was kidnapped.

Another dead body was found from Lyari's Mirza Adam Khan road.

Four people received bullet injuries in incidents of firing in different areas including New Bloody Karachi, Laasi and Orangi town.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


DPC announces long march against possible Nato supply resumption
[Dawn] The Difa-e-Pakistain Council (DPC) announced on Saturday that it would hold a long march from Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
to Islamabad in protest of the possible reopening of NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
supply routes by the government.

A meeting of the council was held here today which was attended by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain...
Ahmed of Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), Syed Munawwar Hasan of the Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
(JI), former ISI chief General Hamid Gul
The nutty former head of Pakistain's ISI, now Godfather to Mullah Omar's Talibs and good buddy and consultant to al-Qaeda's high command...
, and others.

Addressing media representatives after the meeting, Maulana Sami ul-Haq, the chief of the council, warned the government against opening the supply routes. He announced holding a peaceful long march from Bloody Karachi to Islamabad on May 27 besides observing a day of protest on May 25.

Haq said that Prime Minister Gilani and his cabinet were unconstitutional, and therefore had no right to decide on 'reopening' the supply lines. Moreover, he also urged people to take part in the long march.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  A long march? In the open? With no air cover? That's gotta be a drone driver's dream. Gentlemen, start your engines!
Posted by: SteveS || 05/20/2012 18:51 Comments || Top||


Nato supplies not resumed despite containers crossing border: Malik
[Dawn] Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik
Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men.
on Saturday clarified that the supply trucks crossed into Afghanistan on Friday did not belong to NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
as he denies resumption of NATO supply routes through Pak soil, DawnNew reported.

The interior minister, who on Saturday met Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
(JI) chief Syed Munawar Hassan
... The funny-looking Amir of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. He joined the National Students Federation (NSF), a lefty student body, and was elected its President in 1959. He came into contact with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) Pakistan and studied the writings of Mawlana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, The Great Apostasizer. As a result, he joined IJT in 1960 and soon he was elected as President of its University of Karachi Unit and member of the Central Executive Council. He was Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistain in 1992-93, and became Secretary General in 1993. After years of holding Qazi's camel he was named Amir when the old man stepped down in 2009...
at JI headquarters Mansoora, said Hassan has been invited for talks with President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari
... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ...
at the Presidency on important national issues including resumption of NATO supply routes and law and order situation in the country.

Speaking to media representatives after the meeting, Malik said the Pakistain People's Party (PPP)-led coalition government is following the guidelines and principles given by the parliament regarding resumption of supply routes through Pakistain.

He said both, PPP and JI, agree on the point that there should be no drone attacks inside Pakistain. "NATO supplies had been suspended to stop these drone attacks," he added.

The minister said that he respects Jamaat-e-Islami as the party has never acted against integrity of the country.

Both Houses of Parliament and all the provincial assemblies through their resolutions have demanded that drone attacks should not take place which is the unified demand of the entire nation, said the interior minister.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Those drone attacks must really be working good for them to have so much concern about them.

If our President didn't lead from behind, we would tell the Pakis no dice. And we would end all shipments through their territory and cut all funding until they start behaving like an ally. It's unbelievable we let a little pissant country like Pakistain blackmail and extort bribe money from us in this way.
Posted by: Mikey Hunt || 05/20/2012 1:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Good enough = Pakis don't dare interfering with NATO.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/20/2012 2:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Besides on-going attacks agz local Shias, etc. Iran must recognize that BFF Pakistan stopping the overland flow of supplies into Afghanistan only increases the possib of war between it + the US, so Iran BFF Pakistan isn't really doing Pak BFF Iran any favors.

The only advantage I can see is Iran continuing to "shape the battlefield" [Multi/Trans-Regional] in anticipation of major US-Iran ground war, + GETTING PAKISTAN TO HELP SET UP ITS OWN DESTRUCTION AT THE HANDS OF IRAN.

The Mullahs have times said that they will do what is necessary to defeat any foreign invasion + occupation forces, espec one that is US or US-led, + they will do so wid or widout the sovereign consent of its Muslim neighbors.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/20/2012 20:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Pakis don't dare interfering with NATO

Not directly.
Posted by: Pappy || 05/20/2012 22:18 Comments || Top||

#5  See also DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > GENERAL ALLEN DOWNPLAYS URGENCY OF [End-of-Summit] NATO SUPPLY DEAL: GEOTV.

ARTIC > GEN. ALLEN = More important for a deal to be done right, than to be done quickly.

* SAME > US HOUSE APPROVES AMENDMENT LINKING CSF [Coalition Support Funds] TO NATO SUPPLIES. Pakistan at risk of losing up to US$650.0Milyuhn in blocked or conditional appropriations.

* SAME > PAKISTAN TO SEEK USD$1.0BILYUHN FROM NATO [at Chicago Summit] AS COMPENSATION FOR TERROR WAR.

* SAME > NATO SUPPLY HALT MADE DO DIFFERENCE TO US: AMBASSADOR HAQQAINI.

* SAME > TOP US OFFICIALS SAY NO APOLOGY FOR PAKISTAN.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/20/2012 22:53 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Expectations to cleanse Al-Qaeda of Jaar within two days
[Yemen Post] Governor of Abyan
...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues...
Gamal Al-Aqel has expected to cleanse al-Qaeda bully boyz of Jaar, the main stronghold of the jihad boys, within two days.

Locals affirmed that the Yemeni army deployed around the town and imposed a siege against it, pointing out that the military forces arrived in Al-Hisin area, 3 kilometers away of Jaar.

An Emirati newspaper, Al-Khaleej, quoted Al-Aqel as saying that Lawdar town was completely cleansed of the jihad boys, reiterating that they escaped to neighboring areas and that troops pursue them.

Al-Aqel, who is currently based in Lawdar as the capital of Abyan still under the control of Al-Qaeda, affirmed that military units backed by local committees started to centre on the outskirts of Jaar in preparation to launch inclusive operations to cleanse it form Al-Qaeda.

"Achievement of full military victory in the war on al Qaeda is imminent" he added.

Yemeni forces launched an offensive last week to capture Al-Qaeda controlled areas in the province of Abyan after the Yemeni President Abdu Rabo Masnour Hadi vowed to defeat Al-Qaeda and return the displaced civilians to their homes.

The United States is exerting great efforts to support and encourage the Yemeni forces in their efforts to dislodge al-Qaeda from Abyan province and its capital, Zinjibar. US experts were sent to Yemeni to advise the Yemeni army in its fight against Al-Qaeda.

Media sources said the US has sent nearly 45 counter-terror trainers to Yemen in an effort to strengthen the Yemeni government's ability to fight al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen was able to exploit the chaos and tool control on some towns, primarily in the south.

Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Relaxing in style with her lover at his little party house
Posted by: 3dc || 05/20/2012 0:28 Comments || Top||

#2  No idea why the double post... BTW.. That estate belongs to CA and Hearst used no more than %2 of his loot from post WW-1 Europe to decorate it. The rest is supposed to be in train cars in storage chambers on the estate. It seems to me the other %98 of the loot should be enough to cover California's deficit and he did will it to the state.
Posted by: 3dc || 05/20/2012 0:32 Comments || Top||

#3  Fixed, 3dc. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/20/2012 0:38 Comments || Top||


Arabia
German ambassador: Saleh's interference complicates Matters in Yemen
[Yemen Post] The German ambassador to Sana'a Holger Green said that former 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, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
and his relatives' interference in Yemen's affairs complicates matters for current President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, warning that the EU actions will be very painful.

His comments came after US President Barrack Obama issued an executive order on this past Wednesday giving the Treasury the authority to freeze the assets of Yemeni officials obstructing the transitional process and the implementation of the GCC-brokered power transfer deal signed in Riyadh in Nov. 2011.

In an interview with a local English newspaper, Green stressed that Saleh has not left the political scene in Yemen yet, citing the recent events in which Saleh and his aides proved that they are still influential in the country's politics, much to the dismay of Hadi.

Speaking about Hadi, he says Yemen has a full legitimatized President who enjoys the support of the whole international community.

Green underlined the importance of the upcoming national dialogue to kick off soon, as maintained in the GCC deal, and cautioned that the failure of the dialogue will be disastrous for Yemen.

"I think it is not a good idea to enter dialogue with preconditions as it only helps complicate matters," Green said.

He ruled out the possibility of a short-term remedy for Yemen's crises and noted that the investment in people is the best way to boost the economy as the natural resources are not sustainable.

Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Raging Battles on Edge of Militant Stronghold in Yemen, Dozens Killed
[Yemen Post] At least 13 soldiers and 30 suspected Al-Qaeda Death Eaters were killed in fierce battles in south Yemen as the army was preparing to retake the most stronghold of the Death Eaters the Jaar town in Abyan
...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues...
province, Almasdar Online reported, quoting military sources. Militants carried out a surprise attack on a military post in the Rahwat Al-Hisan area south of Jaar killing five soldiers and injuring four others, it said, adding that the army responded killing at least six Death Eaters in that front.

Separately, Death Eaters destroyed two tanks killing the soldiers inside but the casualties could not be counted or confirmed, it added. The army decided on Friday to further step up the offensive on Al-Qaeda Death Eaters in Abyan after the forces in association with tribal fighters cleared the Death Eaters from key towns over recent weeks.

The battles continued until Saturday after noon with several troops and almost two dozen Death Eaters killed, the website said.

Warplanes also participated in the battles carrying out several Arclight airstrikes which killed at least five Death Eaters in Jaar, it said. Airstrikes were also carried out in the Shuqra town, one of the towns held by Al-Qaeda last year.

The army has so far cleared the Death Eaters from towns including Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan, and military sources have stated it is only a matter of time to clear the Death Eaters from the areas held in the south.

The US is providing direct support in the battles, with drones killing many Death Eaters including big shots.

Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Heavy armed tribesmen presence in Yemen's capital
[Yemen Post] Media reports indicated that many armed rustics have been deployed on Thursday afternoon in the northern part of the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.

Al-Ahali online newspaper reported citing eyewitnesses that tribal gunnies were deployed in large numbers in Al-Jaraf and Marib streets as well as in Amran roundabout. Their presence is contrary to the efforts exerted by the Military Committee--formed as per the GCC-initiated power transfer deal-- to remove the armed manifestations from the central cities, most particularly from Sana'a.

Last week, armed followers of a tribal sheik who is an ally of former President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
cut off Amran road which connects Sana'a with Amran province, the hometown of Sadeq al-Ahmar whose followers battled with Saleh's loyal forces last year in the capital's streets.

This escalation comes after the tribal chief's son was killed in festivities with rivaling rustics in the area.

For its part, the National Unity Government failed to remove the gunnies presence from around the main entrance to Sana'a, al-Azraqeen.

The closure of the entrance linking Sana'a and Amran by the angry rustics led to the halt of the people's and goods' movements. It was widely perceived as the first of its kind tribal escalation since the new government has come to office late last year.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  the obesity epidemic strikes Yemen?
Posted by: Frank G || 05/20/2012 7:49 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Seven dead in Mogadishu bomb blasts
(Sh. M. Network)-At least seven people, most of them soldiers were killed on Saturday in series of kabooms in the Somali capital,Mogadishu, witnesses said.

According to witnesses, the first kaboom, which was used a roadside remote-controlled landmine hit AMISIOM convoy traveling at sheik Ali Abdulle area, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, causing an unconfirmed casualties.

The second blast, which was also a landmine, occurred at Gubta village, targeting Somali government soldiers based in the area. Five soldiers were confirmed killed in the attack, Locals told Shabelle Media from the scene of the blast

Two grenade kabooms rocked early hours on Saturday in the main market of Bakaro, a busy commercial market in Somali capital,Mogadishu which reportedly targeted at Somali soldiers who were pulling down illegal buildings in Bakara market, killing at least two of them.

Hospital sources indicated that 10 injured people were admitted in Madina hospital, one female died in the hospital later from her wounds.

No group has grabbed credit for the attack so far.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Home Front: WoT
Three NATO protesters face terror charges: Report
[Al Ahram] Three NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
summit protesters suspected of planning to throw Molotov cocktails have been charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism and possession of an bomb, the Chicago Sun Times reported Saturday.

The Sun-Times reported that the three men were incarcerated
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
after being pulled over in their car by police last week and questioned about their protest plans.

Fears that demonstrations could turn violent have put Chicago on edge, with some downtown businesses even telling office workers to ditch their suits and ties and dress down to avoid being hassled or targeted on the streets.

The three men have each been charged with possession of an explosive or incendiary device, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and providing material support to terrorism, the paper said citing said Harrison District Police Lieutenant Kenneth Stoppa.

Chicago police contacted by AFP said they were not able to provide any information about the report but said a statement may be available later in the day.

Police and protest organizers have vowed that there will be no repeat of the trouble that erupted at G20 summits in London and Toronto or the riots that scarred Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Several street protests held so far this week have been peaceful, and most of the 14 people incarcerated
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
were engaged in acts of civil disobedience such as refusing to leave the building housing President Barack Obama
We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us...
's campaign headquarters.

The three men charged were identified in the report as Brian Church, 20, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, New Hampshire; and Brent Vincent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Florida.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Chase grew up in Keene, N.H., and moved to Boston a few years ago before becoming active in the Occupy movement, said his aunt, Barbara Chase of Westmoreland, N.H.

Link
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2012 11:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Is this the same arrest as the one with only 'beer-making equipment' involved?
Posted by: USN,Ret || 05/20/2012 18:06 Comments || Top||

#3  NOT-MORTON-SALT ...

versus

* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > WHAT PERCENTAGE OF [US] TEA BAGGERS ARE ON FOOD STAMPS? HOUSE GOP WANTS TO CUT FOOD STAMPS TO KEEP MIC [Military Industrial Complex = Pentagon-USDOD] HAPPY.

Food Stamps [SNAP?], Benefits for Federal workers, Kiddie Daycare, Senior Progs + Meals-on-Wheels are there.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/20/2012 23:03 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Gilani's son involved in brawl on board PIA flight
[Bangla Daily Star] A brawl occurred between Pakistain International Airlines crewmembers and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's
... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ...
son Ali Musa on a flight from Lahore to Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, according to a media report on Friday.

Ali Musa, a parliamentarian, insisted that his guard, who had an economy class ticket, would sit with him in the business class, The Express Tribune reported.

The matter was resolved when the captain of the flight intervened and told the premier's son that he would turn the aircraft back to Lahore if he persisted with his demand, which was against the rules.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Ali Musa could have traded seats with someone in cattle class if it was so important, but that would have been beneath hem.
Posted by: gorb || 05/20/2012 13:16 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Somali,Kenya forces battle Al shabab in southern Somalia
(Sh. M. Network)-Heavy fighting
... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy...
between Somali government forces backed byKenya army and Al Qaeda-aligned gun-hung tough guys of Al shabab is reportedly took place in parts of southern region of Lower Jubba region.

Tense situations are also reportedly rose at Taabta village after Somalia and Kenya forces moved towards Al shabab rebel-held areas in Lower Jubba region of southern Somalia

Military officers vowed that their troops are well equipped and will continue pushing Al shabab forward and ensure that liberated areas are occupied by the Transitional Government of Somalia soldiers.

Figures on the casualties from Saturday's fighting at Taabta village are yet established as both warring sides escalate the conflict and getting reinforcements.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  protecting their holy khat supply?
Posted by: 3dc || 05/20/2012 0:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Sounds promising..
Posted by: American Delight || 05/20/2012 8:00 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraq Anti-Terror Officer, Family Shot Dead
[An Nahar] An Iraqi anti-terror officer, his wife and three children have been rubbed out by gunnies in north Storied Baghdad
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
, security and medical officials said on Saturday.

The family was murdered on Friday evening, the officials said, taking to 10 the overall corpse count from violence in the Iraqi capital a day ago, and 15 in the past two days, a notable increase from what had been a relative calm.

"Gunmen used silenced pistols to kill Captain Mahmoud Abid, his wife and his three children yesterday (Friday) evening in their home in Kadhimiyah," a predominantly Shiite Mohammedan neighborhood in north Storied Baghdad, an interior ministry official said.

A medical official confirmed the deaths, and added that all three children were less than 10 years old. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

The killings came on the day when three near-simultaneous kabooms at a pet market in east Storied Baghdad killed five people, and a day after a kaboom at a restaurant in the capital's southeast left five others dead.

Violence has diminished in Iraq since its heights in 2006 and 2007, but there are still regular attacks in the country.

In April, 126 Iraqis died in attacks nationwide, compared with 112 in March, the lowest figure since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq


India-Pakistan
The Mall becomes a battlefield: IJT activists clash with police
[Dawn] Islami Jamaat Tulaba
...the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami...
(IJT) activists clashed with police on The Mall on Friday that witnessed gun sex, tear-gas shelling, baton charge and pelting of stones leaving several coppers and students injured.

Police tossed in the calaboose
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
54 protesters, including the Lahore IJT nazim
...small time big shot, the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council...
, on The Mall in Punjab University hostels in late night raids.

Also, the torching of two public transport buses on Morr Samanabad and in the Green Town area is also being linked to the tensions between the government and the IJT. Police registered cases against unidentified IJT activists for burning the buses. The IJT rejected the allegation.

The IJT had announced a protest rally to register their resentment against police failure to arrest the killers of IJT leader Awais Aqeel, who was slain at the university hostel No 16 on last Sunday.

In order to check the rally from Nasser Bagh to Lahore High Court, a heavy contingent of police was deputed in front of Punjab University Old Campus, Lahore High Court, Islamia College of Civil Lines, PU New Campus and Government Science College, Wahdat Road, to contain the protesters in IJT-stronghold institutions. Police had closed The Mall from Nasser Bagh to the LHC in the morning.

Still, IJT activists managed to arrive at Nasser Bagh. They confronted police at Istanbul Chowk and rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against the Punjab government, police and the PU administration.

As the activists tried to break hurdles on The Mall, police resorted to gun sex, teargas shelling and baton charge to disperse them. In festivities, three coppers, several constables and IJT activists were maimed. Within minutes, police tossed in the calaboose
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
54 students while many activists bravely ran away. An IJT front man said that over 50 Jamaat activists were tossed in the calaboose
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!

An injured IJT activist told Dawn near Civil Secretariat, "We could not keep fighting with the police, because they had come fully equipped."

Another activist said many protesters were severally injured and bundled into police vans.

Speaking to news hounds, IJT Nazim-e-Aala Zubair Safdar said any delay in arresting the killer of Aqeel would not be tolerated and the government would be responsible for any untoward incident. He said it was a matter of grave concern that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had not taken any notice of the student's murder. He also alleged that the PU Academic Staff Association was being used to launch baseless propaganda against the Jamaat. He said the association's call for boycotting classes showed that teachers were involved in disrupting academic peace on university campuses.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami


Peace body member killed in Bajaur attack
[Dawn] A member of Mamond peace committee was killed and his two companions critically injured in a jihad boy attack in Tangi Garigal area of Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
on Friday morning.

Local primitive Juma Khan told Dawn that around 15 bully boyz attacked the post of the peace committee outside Tangi Garigal area with heavy weapons.

He identified the dead man as Malik Gul Rehman and the injured as Azizur Rehman and Khalil and said the injured were admitted to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Khar where their condition was critical.

No jihad boy group grabbed credit for the attack until Friday night.

Local officials said bully boyz carried out the attack to terrorise people, especially members of peace committees.

They said Gul Rehman received threats from the Taliban of late.

After the attack, security forces began a search operation in the area and placed in long-term storage
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
several suspects.

A local official said the placed in long-term storage
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
men were shifted to Khar for interrogation.

In Jamrud area, the local administration on Friday demolished dozens of shops on suspicion of being hideouts of bully boyz and anti-social elements.

Assistant political agent of Jamrud Bakhtiar Mohmand told Dawn that 55 shops were demolished in Shah Kas area as the administration had credible information about their use by a Taliban group and a gang of kidnappers.

He said the khassadar force had placed in long-term storage
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
a suspect jihad boy on Wednesday and seized his vehicle, which was suspected to be used in the kidnapping of an Afghan trader.

Mr Bakhtiar said the trader's father was rubbed out after he resisted his son's kidnapping.

"Shops in two Shah Kas markets were demolished after the placed in long-term storage
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
man informed us that the place is frequently used by
militants," he said.

The assistant political agent said the kidnapper's gang, which was linked to a jihad boy group, was involved in the kidnapping and killing of two coppers. He said kidnappers kept coppers in the said markets before killing them.

He said the placed in long-term storage
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
suspect was being interrogated and the information gleaned from him would be used for action against jihad boys.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Southeast Asia
MILF treaty would be publicized before signing
Posted by: ryuge || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Thus sealing it's fate as failed.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 05/20/2012 20:22 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Citizens Seize Yemen Oil Port, Motives Unclear
[Yemen Post] Citizens seized the Ras Isa port in Yemen's western Hodeida province on Saturday, in a move which occurred in coordination with the brigade 82nd of the elite republican guard, Alahale reported, quoting local sources.

A shipping source said the citizens pretended they were workers and when they came up they carried out their plot, the website said.

"They held the staff and threatened to prevent them from food and care supplies and to destroy the port," the shipping source was quoted as saying, adding "the demands of the attackers are unclear".

The citizens occupied the floating oil port of Ras Isa, especially the pressure reduction station 2, and the staff has been unable to leave the place, the sources were quoted as saying.

In March, citizens seized the port and threatened to destroy it but the issue went unreported, the website said.

The governor of Hodeida was reported to have coordinated the move amid reports President Abdrabu Mansour Hadi plans to issue a decree appointing a new governor, the website said.

Other governorate officials and a number of the staff, about 30, were involved in seizing the port, which has been idle since the Marib pipeline stopped pumping crude from Marib and Shabwa provinces several months ago due to repeated attacks, it continued.

Meantime, Hodeida governor is expected to announce his resignation within the coming hours, before Hadi replaces him, the website said. SEPOC is the operator of the Ras Isa port, one of the three Yemeni ports which export oil. The Ras Isa port exports crude to the Aden refinery to processed for local consumption.

The port has 34 tanks with a storage capacity of 3 million barrels. The minimum pumping to oil tankers is about 15,000 barrels per hour and the maximum pumping is about 60,000 barrels per hour.

Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Yar - a pirates life... yar...
Posted by: 3dc || 05/20/2012 0:25 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Anti-terror police make headway in Mombasa blast probe
(Sh.M.Network) --Kenya's Anti-Terrorism Police Unit officers said Friday they gathered "new evidence" after a university student Kassim Jembe surrendered and denied links to a grenade attack at a nightclub inMombasa.

Jembe surrendered at the Coast Police headquarters in connection with this week's attack at the Bella Vista, a popular nightclub there.

A private security guard was killed and four others, among them the suspected jacket wallah, Thabit Yasin, critically maimed.

"We will treat the suspect's statement as evidence given to us, " Regional Anti-Terrorism Police Commander Elijah Rop told Xinhua in Mombasa. "He (Jembe) should not be worried because he is in safe hands."

Activists from the Moslems for Human Rights, a local human rights
When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much...
lobby group whose members have routinely been rounded up for allegedly assisting terrorism suspects, accompanied Jembe during the surrender.

Police suspect Yasin, locked away
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
after witnesses positively identified him, said he was visiting Mombasa, where he met Jembe.

"I was surprised to hear him (Yasin) mention my name.

"That is why I came to declare I am innocent," Jembe said in his recorded statement to the police.

The latest attacks in Mombasa follows a series of similar raids at entertainment spots, which have led the police Sherlocks to link thug preachers, poverty and lack of jobs as a threat to national security.

Police Sherlocks say local youth, teachers and doctors are capitalizing on the growing fundamentalism to indoctrinate more poor youth.

Jembe, a fourth-year student at Moi University, relocated to Mombasa from the western town of Eldoret.

The student told police his recent relocation to Mombasa was due to a job he landed at the ancient coastal city.

Mombasa is known for its sandy beaches which makes it one of the world's tourist attractions.

Jembe told the police he planned to transfer to Mombasa Polytechnic to continue his studies.

Thabit said he met Thabit through a brother who also studies in Mombasa.

Guards and revelers at the Bella Vista, identified Yasin as the man who attempted to attack the amusement spot, but were repulsed.

Witnesses said the suspect withdrew a pistol when challenged by the guards.

During the confusion at the club, a grenade dropped and went off, wounding Yasin, who expeditiously departed at a goodly pace on a tricycle.

Doctors discovered a return bus ticket to Nairobi from Yasin's clothes.

But he insists he is innocent of the charges.

Yasin maintains that he was passing by the scene when the grenade went off.

However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried...
police said he was on the watch list.

Police insist Yasin met Jembe while in Mombasa.

Investigators later found rounds of ammunition and a pistol from his luggage.

The investigations into the series of grenade attacks continue.

Police have linked Yasin another suspect, Abdullahi Kabwe, who has been charged in connection with the recent grenade attack at a church in Nairobi, which killed three people.

Kabwe has been charged in court for the attack.

The suspects are local youth who have recently received training in Somalia and returned to Nairobi and Mombasa, where they have been involved in low-intensity attacks.

Police suspect the local indoctrination of the youth during regular prayers with the allure of jobs, could worsen in recent times.

The country has witnessed a spate of grenade attacks in recent months in Nairobi and in northern Kenya, the latest being at a church in Ngara in Nairobi.

"Tuesday was a bad day for us because we have two attacks; we have intensified a security in our country," Iteere said.

He blamed the attacks on the Somali myrmidon group, Al-Shabaab
... the personification of Somali state failure...
, adding that there are a lot of young people who crossed into Somalia to train on how to carry out military attacks.

Iteere some of them have been coming back into Kenya and "these are the people we believe are bringing these grenades here."

The police chief denied the grenades were similar to the ones used by security forces in the east African nation.

The Mombasa attacks came as the authorities had assured the country they were following crucial evidence in relation to the heinous attack which took place in Mtwapa, about 15 km north of Mombasa town and at an entertainment in Mombasa town in March.

The twin attacks killed two people and injured more than 30 others.

The East African nation's coastal towns are the backbone of the country's thriving tourism industry, which has been hit by the fear of terror attacks and the kidnapping of foreigners by Somali pirates from resorts near the border with Somalia.

Police particularly warned against the laxity in the screening of cars for explosives at all shopping malls and any business or social gatherings with at least 10 people at any given moment that these might be vulnerable to attacks.

Security in key installations in Kenya has been put on a high alert following Kenya's military operations in Somalia which sparked threats from the Al-Shabaab group that it will retaliate deep inKenya.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Terrorist killed in special operation in Dagestan
A terrorist militant has been killed in a special operation in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan.

The terrorist militant was a member of the group of gunmen that staged a terrorist attack on the city outskirts earlier this month. 13 people, mostly police officers, died in the attack.

The terrorist militant and his accomplice took women and children hostage when they were trapped in a private home on Friday. The commandos began negotiations with the terrorists causing the rebels to set the hostages free, while his accomplice surrendered. The commandos then again repeated the suggestion that the terrorist militant lay down arms, but he hurled a hand grenade at them instead. The commandos opened fire and wiped him out.
Gosh, I love a happy ending!
Posted by: ryuge || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Thai delegation visits Sulu to observe Ulama empowerment
Posted by: ryuge || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Its spelled Ohura.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2012 18:54 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Suicide Blast, Attacks Kill at Least 19 in Syria
[An Nahar] A jacket wallah detonated a boom-mobile outside security headquarters in Syria's biggest eastern city on Saturday, killing nine people and wounding 100, state media said.

The attack was the the first of its kind in Deir al-Zour since an anti-regime uprising broke out in Syria in March 2011, and the deaths there came as at least another 10 people died elsewhere in the country.

Among the dead were a woman and her two children bumped off in the northern city of Aleppo
...For centuries, Aleppo was Greater Syria's largest city and the Ottoman Empire's third, after Constantinople and Cairo. Although relatively close to Damascus in distance, Aleppans regard Damascenes as country cousins...
, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A "terrorist suicide bomber" used 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of explosives in the attack on the Deir al-Zour neighborhood of Ghazi Ayyash, said state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?

The powerful kaboom left a crater 3.5 meters deep and damaged buildings within a radius of 100 meters, the channel said, adding that a four-year-old girl was among those critically maimed.

It occurred on a road housing a military and air force intelligence headquarters and a military hospital, according to the Observatory.

Images broadcast on state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
showed a large bloodstain on the ground, a damaged building and vehicles charred by the blast, as well as smoke rising from the targeted district.

There was no claim of responsibility for the bombing but, as typically happens in such cases, the opposition blamed it on the regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
The Scourge of Hama...

"The Syrian National Council places on the Syrian regime the entire responsibility... for the criminal bombings in several Syrian cities, including the one today in Deir al-Zour," it said in a statement.

Elsewhere, a rocket slammed into the ruling Baath party's offices in northern Aleppo province, the Observatory said, a day after unprecedented anti-regime protests in the picturesque provincial capital of the same name.

"Unidentified gunnies targeted a Baath party office in Aleppo's Al-Bab town with a rocket-propelled grenade," said the Britannia-based watchdog.

Immediately after the attack, festivities broke out between the gunnies and guards, but there were no reports of any casualties.

The government said it had foiled a suicide kaboom in Aleppo on May 11, a day after twin bombings in Damascus
...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat...
killed 55 people and maimed nearly 400. It has repeatedly blamed kabooms on "terrorists" and Al-Qaeda.

In Homs, sniper fire killed a civilian and blasts were heard as shells rained down on the flashpoint central city, the Observatory said.

Saturday's bombing in Deir al-Zour came a day after regime forces foiled a would-be car booming in the same city, which is about 110 kilometers from the Iraqi border.

What started out as a popular uprising has over time developed into an increasingly militarized revolt, after Assad's regime used force to crack down on peaceful protests.

According to the Observatory, more than 12,000 people have been killed in Syria since the revolt broke out in March last year, most of them civilians.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  What started out as a popular uprising has over time developed into an increasingly militarized revolt, after Assad's regime used force to crack down on peaceful protests.

AKA – Reluctant Terrorist Syndrom.
We didn't want to but YOU forced us to blow up wimmin and kiddies.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 05/20/2012 11:34 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Powerful bomb defused in Ingushetia
A powerful bomb was defused in the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia. The homemade explosive device was discovered on the outskirts of northern Ingushetian city of Malgobek. No one was hurt in the operation.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa North
Dead citizens will not vote in Egypt presidential elections: Electoral Commission
[Al Ahram] Egypt's Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission will make sure no one votes next Wednesday on behalf of those on the list of eligible voters who are suspected to be dead, confirms Judge Hatem Bagato
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  They may only be dead AFTER the election.
Posted by: newc || 05/20/2012 10:52 Comments || Top||

#2  James O'Keefe showed up?
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 05/20/2012 11:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Unless they've just had "farewell sex" with their husbands. Then they can vote.
Posted by: RandomJD || 05/20/2012 14:25 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Al shabab demands Somali clan support in fight against TFG, AU forces
(Sh. M. Network)-The Al Qaeda linked Somalia's bully boyz of Al shabab demanded Biyo-maal clan for support in fight against Somali government and its allied regional forces in the country, reports said on Saturday.

Sheik Mohammed Abu Abdalla, the governor of Somalia's Lower Shabelle region for Al shabab gunnies told a pro-Al shabab local radio station that the group has asked Biyo-maal clan to offer major economic and moral support as to wage further their gueile0stle warfare in Somalia.

"Al shabab wants your youth joined in the gunnies to tighten the holy war against the AMISOM and Somali government inMogadishuand elsewhere the country," Abu Abdalle told at crowds in KM50 area in Lower Shabelle region.

Al shabab faces major military pressure from AU and Somali forces in many fronts in south and central Somalia and lost several territories, including Mogadishu in a result of offensive.
Posted by: Fred || 05/20/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab



Who's in the News
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4Arab Spring
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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2012-05-20
  Raging Battles on Edge of Militant Stronghold in Yemen, Dozens Killed
Sat 2012-05-19
  20 Dead as Syrian Forces Fire on Huge Protests
Fri 2012-05-18
  Syrian opposition leader says he's ready to step down
Thu 2012-05-17
  13 More Killed as South Yemen Clashes Rage into 5th Day
Wed 2012-05-16
  Ghalioun Elected Chief of Syrian Opposition Coalition
Tue 2012-05-15
  37 Dead, Including 23 Troops as Syrian Army Shells Rebel Bastion
Mon 2012-05-14
  Nearly 25.000 troops battle Al-Qaeda in Abyan
Sun 2012-05-13
  Al Qaeda's Leader Encourages Somali Militants to persist the fight
Sat 2012-05-12
  Tens of Thousands of Protesters Defy Syrian Regime Gunfire, 13 Dead
Fri 2012-05-11
  Somali Gov't, Al shabab claim victory over Bay,Bakol fighting
Thu 2012-05-10
  Damascus bombings kill 40, wound 170: state TV
Wed 2012-05-09
  Annan Fears 'Civil War' Looming in Syria
Tue 2012-05-08
  Al-Qaeda underwear bomb plot was targeted by US drone
Mon 2012-05-07
  Nine soldiers killed, military convoy attacked in N Wazoo
Sun 2012-05-06
  Man wanted in USS Cole bombing killed in Yemen: tribal chief

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