[Rooters]Official vote projections from Greece's interior ministry showed the pro-bailout New Democracy taking 29.5 percent of the vote, with SYRIZA in second place with 27.1 percent. The Socialist PASOK followed in third place with 12.3 percent.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/17/2012
17:04 ||
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Sorry, page 3.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/17/2012 17:37
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I put this in Opinion because it is a book review.
When President Obama put an American-born radical imam named Anwar al-Awlaki on a list for assassination two years ago, liberal critics howled for 30 - maybe 40 - seconds.
Awlaki was a rock-star propagandist for al-Qaeda's arm in Yemen who recruited new followers over the Internet. He posted fiery sermons in idiomatic English and called on all who listened to attack the West.
We already know how the story ends. As two Hellfire missiles sealed his fate, he became the most controversial kill of the Obama presidency. Awlaki was a U.S. citizen summarily executed without due process or a day in court. For some of Obama's early supporters, it seemed like deja vu all over again: A president who campaigned on hope and change appeared more like the status quo.
For those of us covering the events, there was a general sense that the decision to target Awlaki had been difficult for the White House - like the hit on bin Laden.
Now, with the publication of two new books, it appears that we may have had it all wrong and that Obama is more aggressive in his counterterrorism policy than any of us thought he would be.
Klaidman reports that the president's focus on Awlaki was so intense, one of his briefers, Gen.James Cartwright, thought that "Obama's rhetoric was starting to sound like George W. Bush's, whom he had briefed on many occasions. 'Do you have everything you need to get this guy?' Obama would ask." What is clear is that the president found Awlaki's American citizenship, in Klaidman's words, "immaterial."
Another of Obama's key advisers, a liberal lawyer at the State Department, was a little queasier about the whole killing enterprise, so he went to study the intelligence reports on the radical cleric for himself.
Koh spent five hours poring over stacks of intelligence. "There were plans to poison Western water and food supplies with botulinum tox, as well as attack Americans with ricin and cyanide," Klaidman writes. "Koh was shaken when he left the room. Awlaki was not just evil, he was satanic." I thought libs didn't make value judgements?
The question, as the election draws near, is how Obama will explain this strategy to the American people. Those who thought he would be weak on national security might be pleasantly surprised. His base might view the administration's secrecy and tactics as a breach of their faith.
What is the difference -- legally and morally -- between a sticky bomb the Israelis place on the side of an Iranian scientist's car and a Hellfire missile the United States launches at a car in Yemen from thirty thousand feet in the air. These are all questions the Obama team discusses chiefly in classified briefings, not in public debates.The Obama campaign will need to explain those distinctions in a way that the electorate can understand and potentially embrace. Snicker. Sure.
Both authors also seem to have concluded that this president, who promised hope and change, has spent three-and-a-half years trying to balance his liberal ideology with old-fashioned pragmatism. For his supporters, that might be a disappointment. But among those on the fence, it could help him in November. Don't get your hopes up, sweetheart.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/17/2012
16:28 ||
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I'm not troubled by it either. I figure he forfeited his right to due process as an American by moving to a foreign country and acting like an enemy.
#2
An redacted version of the Off of Leg Council decision on this would seem to be an easy thing to get done.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/17/2012 18:42
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Yes, but it is interesting to ponder how O supporters wrap their heads around this action and the leak about him personally selecting targets from a menu-like kill list.
Posted by: Barbara ||
06/17/2012 19:28
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#5
Ah, there's no hypocrisy in the lust for power. It's all self rationalizing.
Well, at least up till the moment they stand at the edge of the large pit dug for them.
#6
A president who campaigned on hope and change appeared more like the status quo.
No! No it isn't. Obama is the first president in the history of the republic to publically call for and carry out the assasination of an US citizen. Not only that, Alawki had not been charged, much less, convicted of any crime. Obama didn't even bother to designate Alawki as an enemy combatant. Status Quo...my Ass!
#7
Barbara, I have noticed that politics as a conversation topic has become progressively taboo over the last two years, among my democrat booster associates, or has become snippy and defensive.
#8
three-and-a-half years trying to balance his liberal ideology with old-fashioned pragmatism
It's called a Cold War mentality. Libs have cherished it since the 50s.
Keep your casualties low. Death in the alley ways, an 'acceptable level of collateral damage', money and influence channeled to the right people and institutions.
Only differences are the assassin now sits in a darkened room with a list, and discretion has been replaced with 'reelection'.
More than 50,000 U.N. officials, scientists, environmental advocates and a few heads of state will gather this coming week in Rio de Janeiro for a conference on sustainable development. They're assembling 20 years after the first Earth Summit was held in the same city, and the goal now, as it was then, is to figure out how to keep the gravy train in operation cut dangerous greenhouse gases and help the 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty. Or, to put it more starkly, how we can live ethically without threatening the ability of future generations to live at all. So who is setting the example? Gore?
No one really believes that the Rio+20 meeting will result in a new agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. In that case, the best thing the conference could do for the climate is to remove meat from the menu -- and to make a big deal about it. Everyone at that meeting should know that meat is a major contributor to climate change. It is also one problem that can be solved more quickly than others. Cutting out meat would do more to help combat climate change than any other action we could feasibly take in the next 20 years. Starting with the authors of this piece, I daresay.
A 2006 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, "Livestock's Long Shadow," called raising animals for food "one of the top two or three most significant 8,000 year-old contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." Since then, climate researchers Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang have estimated that livestock and their methane-rich byproducts account for even more greenhouse gas emissions than the earlier report estimated -- a whopping 51 percent. I bet the coal guys are glad to hear that!
More conservative estimates say that meat accounts for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions.
If the United Nations and all the national delegations and activist groups at Rio+20 were to insist on eliminating meat at all the buffets, private dinners, embassy receptions, luncheons and breakfast briefings, people might start to think that the United Nations takes seriously the damage that human activity is causing to the planet. What about videoconferencing, you hypocrites?
At a recent U.N. meeting that one of us attended, one speaker, who was from a top environmental organization, spoke fervently about the need to reduce population growth. Then, at the meal that followed his speech, he enjoyed several helpings of osso bucco. Asked about the unsustainable aspects of a high-meat diet, he unabashedly said that he "could never give up" his meat.
There is clear evidence that reducing meat production and consumption would limit greenhouse gas emissions and possibly stave off these tragedies. However, after multiple revisions and weeks of negotiating, the word "meat" does not appear in the draft conference document for the Rio meeting. Instead, the paper discusses the need to reduce production and consumption of other products that cause global warming, without singling out that key culprit.
Global climate leaders will have a lot of pressing challenges on the table at the Rio+20 conference. It's time to take the meat off their plates. Amen! Let's start with their plates. I'll be somewhere in the second half of those who give it up.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/17/2012
16:17 ||
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Why is it that hypocrites always think everyone else should be doing what they are doing?
[RETURN OF SOLYENT GREEN, starring Burt Reynolds??? + lots of Human-scooping Front-Enders here].
All of these Wildebeests, Mooseys, + assorted Giant Birds, etc. tasty critters runing or flying around, yet no one in this Rio Confab seems to be proposing using our highly-educated, highly-skilled/trained Genetic Scientists to make these critters bigger + tastier for human consumption - DITTO AS PER TASTY FLORA = CROPS???
* FUTURAMA > THE PROFESSOR [paraph] = D *** NG IT, WHATS THE USE OF BEING A MAD SCIENTIST IFF YOU CAN'T SHAKE THINGS UP.
Might as well wait to be purged by some Strongman, e.g. Stalin or Mao, GULAGGED ANDOR SHOT AFTER FINISHING POST-GRADUATE SCHOOL???
#5
FYI RENSE > [Gizmodo] MYSTERIOUS BLUE ELECTRIC CLOUDS APPEAR AGAIN OVER [North-South] POLES.
SPACEWEATHER says Earth's Magnetosphere is being compressed by new CMES, which I also agree with as per observed local phenomenae.
Over GUAM-WESTPAC, it wasn't somuch "clouds" but more akin to BLUE "ROCKET/CHEMICAL" TRAILS. IMO either some Spacecraft flew mightily off-course like a DPRK Space Rocket Launch; or else somebody's Spacecraft dumped its loos = wastes, excess fuel(s)? into the high atmosphere while passing over the Guam-WESTPAC Region.
I WOULD LIKE NASA TO VERIFY IFF CHINA'S ROCKET CARRYING ITS FIRST FEMME TAIKONAUT INTO ORBIT SURVIVED ITS LAUNCH + FLIGHT, + DIDN'T EITHER BLOW UP OR DUMP ITS WASTES, ETC. OER GUAM-WESTPAC. The above "trails" were very similar to a Missle or Rocket flight gone horribly wrong during or shortly after launch.
It's hard to be too harsh on Obama about the dinner. He's a politician, and they all have to fundraise. But this particular dinner was so ostentatious -- from the guest list, to the ticket price, to the advertising campaign -- that it likely grated on the public's nerves in a way that typical fundraisers don't. Obama's own star power has faded significantly since 2008, and it made the dinner party seem sadder and tackier than it would have four years ago -- like a middle-aged person trying just a little too hard to hold onto his youth.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
10:42 ||
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He has outdone the last four presidents in the number of dinners already. He may turn out to be a chubby hubby yet. DC loves a party type.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/17/2012 16:12
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As Shakespeare said in King John, 1595:
SALISBURY:
Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.
They're not confused - they're just on the other side.
The BBC has come in for further criticism of its national events coverage after it refused to broadcast the unveiling of the RAF Bomber Command Memorial on its main channels.
Bomber Command veterans enlisted the help of Telegraph readers to raise the £5.5 million cost of the monument, which will be unveiled soon.
The RAF Bomber Command Association has been campaigning for a permanent memorial to the 55,573 crew who lost their lives during the war Instead of the showing the event attended by the Queen, eight members of the 7,000 veterans and families the BBC will be showing repeats or live tennis.
Instead, they buried short coverage of the unveilling on one of their channels with the fewest viewers.
The move has been condemned by campaigners who have worked tirelessly to raise the £6 million for a fitting tribute to the 55,000 airmen killed during the Second World War.
It also comes just a fortnight after the BBC was heavily criticised for its lacklustre coverage of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Thames river pageant.
The crews of Bomber Command fought night after night under heavy fire and extreme conditions with grievous losses. For example, of any 100 airmen who flew, 55 were killed on operations or died as result of wounds: three were injured on operations or active service: 12 were taken prisoner of war: two were shot down and evaded capture, while 27 survived a tour of operations (approx. 30). Approximately 4,000 Australians died in Bomber Command in the Second World War. 10,000 Canadians, 1,700 New Zealanders and nearly 1,000 Poles also made the supreme sacrifice. Many other nationalities such as Americans (Hundreds of whom served in RAF Bomber Command), French, Belgians, Czechs and South Africans also died in the service of Bomber Command. It is also often forgotten that around 1,500 ground crew and over 90 WAAFs were also killed.
Over 55,000 Bomber Command aircrew were killed.
At long last a memorial to these crews has been built and is due to be opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 28th June 2012
May all those who had a good father be especially grateful today. If he is alive, let him how much his presence, strength and support have meant to you. If he is gone, remember him with gratitude and love.
#4
My mother was, let us say, lacking ..... so I know the issue well.
Is there a man in your family or acquaintance who is a good father, or father figure - if not to you, than for others in your experience? At first, thinking about that re: mothers was salt in my wounds. But over time I was able all the more to celebrate those who were better than mine. FWIW and without in any way lessening your experience ....
#7
How about a slight semantic change? I suggest some people might be happier with a "Male nurturer day" and "Female nurturer day"??? Despite biology, I hope everyone could recognize the older people who made a positive impact in their lives as a child.
SH6692, I'm 100% with lotp: Forgiveness is about getting free. I'm free. I'm good. I'm broke, but I'm free. The rest is up to God. Besides, I really just meant it as a bit of dark humor, not to be a total downer!
In the event that one day the information might be useful: what are the best gifts you guys have ever gotten for Father's Day?
An Israeli truck driver who was the target of an attempted robbery in the West Bank fired shots and apparently struck and killed two Palestinians, police said Sunday.
The incident began when the tow truck driver made his way to the South Hebron Hills near Yatir. "It looks like he was lured to the spot by Palestinians who ordered his services," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The driver came under attack in the attempted robbery, and was struck on the head with a blunt object.
He fired six shots at his attackers. Soon afterwards, a Hebron area hospital reported receiving the bodies of two Palestinians with gunshot wounds.
On Thursday, an Indonesian man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for denying God's existence on his Facebook page. Alexander Aan, of West Sumatra, was found guilty of inciting religious hatred and tarnishing Islam. The 30-year-old was also fined the equivalent of $10,600.
It's that whole 'freedom of thought' idea: as Fred has explained it in the past, if you don't have that freedom, you don't have any others.
Aan was accused of writing "God doesn't exist," and posting links to explicit cartoons showing Mohammed having sex with a maid, and being attracted to his daughter-in-law. He also reportedly started the Facebook group "Ateis Minang," Minang Atheist.
Aan was arrested in January after an angry mob reacting to the posts stormed his office and beat him. Police intervened and took Aan to the police station for his safety.
In a written statement in February, Aan said he regretted his deeds and prayed for God's mercy. After the ruling Aan said, "I accept the judgment and will abide by it. For me, faith is a personal matter and I have expressed my regret and apology to every party, including my family."
Aan's lawyer said they will appeal the verdict, contending Aan had no intention of inciting religious hatred and was simply in a period of religious confusion at the time.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Malian police have taken in the head of a key development agency in the north for questioning about contacts he is believed to have had with rebel groups, a security source said Saturday.
"The director general of the North Mali Development Agency, Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, was questioned for investigative purposes," a Malian security source said late Friday on condition of anonymity.
Mahmoud, an ethnic Tuareg, had been travelling in Ouagadougou, the Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and may be in the process of being chased out now... capital, shortly before a March 22 coup that opened the way for Tuareg and beturbanned fascisti to occupy the north of the country.
He recently returned to rebel-held Gao and held "talks with criminal groups and now he is in Bamako, it is normal that he be questioned," said the security source.
Mahmoud's family confirmed that he had been taken in for questioning.
His development agency is one of the most important state structures in the region.
Mahmoud reportedly met with the Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) as well as Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith), who are both occupying the vast north.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
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[Tolo News] Several foreign countries are making conspiracies against Afghanistan in order to destabilise the country, Head of Afghanistan's High Peace Council Salahuddin Rabbani said today.
Speaking at a conference held by Afghan Women Network (AWN), Mr Rabbani cited the role of women very important in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan adding that the enemies of Afghanistan are trying to bring chaos in the country and disrupt peace negotiations.
"Our country has been faced with challenges in the course of history, we have been patient towards all the disasters and shown bravery. Still there are some internal issues and foreign conspirators are trying to challenge peace negotiations," Mr Salahuddin added while speaking at the Hope for Peace conference held in Kabul on Saturday.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella opened her mouth at precisely the wrong moment... member of Afghan High Peace Council, Mohammad Amin Waqad believes in a strong role of civil society organizations including universities, parliament, political parties and education entities.
"High Peace Council needs cooperation from parliament, civil society organizations, political parties, universities and education sector,"
Waqad said.
"The grinding of the peace processor is Afghan-owned and Afghan-led, and the peace council can only represent Afghan people."
Lack of transparent and honest cooperation of the neighbouring countries including Pakistain has caused major challenges for peace negotiations in Afghanistan. The council officials are still calling on the neighbouring countries to support the Afghan grinding of the peace processor.
This comes as in the conference held in Kabul last week, regional countries including Iran and Pakistain pledged to support Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
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CAIRO -- They toppled a pharaoh, but now the small circle of liberals, leftists and Islamists who orchestrated Egypt's revolution say they realize they failed to uproot the networks of power that Hosni Mubarak nurtured for nearly three decades.
They were naïve, they say, strung along by the generals who seized power in their name.
Almost as if it was part of a plan...
"The system was like a machine with a plastic cover, and what we did was knock off the cover," said Islam Lotfy, back then a rising star in the Muslim Brotherhood who had predicted that if they ousted the head of state its body would fall. The roots of the ruling elite were "much deeper and darker" than they initially understood, he said.
It's almost as if the ruling military got what it wanted all along -- Mubarak out of the way, his son Gamal especially out of the way to avoid a hereditary state, and the military elite firmly in charge. Funny how that worked...
Even before Egypt's highest court
The cat's paws of the military...
dissolved Parliament on Thursday, and its military rulers reimposed martial law, the once close-knit team of young professionals who guided last year's uprising had been pushed to the sidelines of a presidential runoff between two conservatives: Ahmed Shafik, Mr. Mubarak's last prime minister, and Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that was Mr. Mubarak's main opposition.
Some said they had become too taken with their own fame, distracted by the news media's attention, and willing to defer to their elders in the Mubarak-era political opposition. They failed to build a movement that could stand against either the Muslim Brotherhood or the old elite.
"We are the spark that ignites the world; we know how to inflame things," said Ahmed Maher, 31, a leader of the April 6 Youth Movement and one of the early organizers. "But when we have a strong entity that can stand on its own feet -- when we can form a government tomorrow -- then we become an alternative." He said his group was embarking on a five-year plan to start building such a movement.
Some said they almost welcomed the rise of Mr. Mubarak's former protégé, Mr. Shafik, because his return could help them rally the public once again.
"When you think about it, the revolutionaries were never in power, so what kind of revolution is it?" said Sally Moore, an Irish Egyptian leftist who was at the forefront of a movement to boycott the elections.
Many of the young leaders say that in those early days they were too afraid of appearing to grab power for themselves. Some say they were just intoxicated by their victory over Mr. Mubarak. "You could say we just wanted to be happy," said Asmaa Mahfouz, another early organizer.
Activists like her became celebrities overnight, she said, and some wrongly believed that appearing on television would spread their ideas and mobilize the public. "We didn't understand that the media isn't an alternative to the streets."
All now say they were successfully manipulated by the military leaders.
Well let's see: you had Mubarak, a military guy, and Sadat, who was a military guy, and Nasser, who was a military guy, and King Farouk, who I think went to Sandhurst...
"We were duped," Mr. Maher of April 6 recalled. "We met with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Feb. 14, and they were very cute. They smiled and promised us many things and said, 'You are our children; you did what we wanted to do for many years!' " Then they offered the same smiles and vague promises the next week, he said, and the next month after that.
You could be duped only if you were willing to be duped...
Others fault the Muslim Brotherhood, the 84-year-old Islamist group, Egypt's best-organized political force. Before Mr. Mubarak's ouster, the Brotherhood lent its full support to a united front pushing for the presidential candidacy of the Nobel Prize-winning diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei, an inspiration and mentor to the young organizers. During the revolt in Tahrir Square, the Brotherhood became a pillar of the protests, its leaders taking their cue from the youth.
It's generally how other Islamicist movements (and communist movements for that matter) run a revolution. While the evil king/president/emperor/dictator is in power, the movement plays along with all the other opposition in a 'united front'. As soon as the big cheese is gone the movement asserts itself and jails/exiles/murders the other members of the united front, who then wonder how it was they were duped and betrayed...
But since Mr. Mubarak's ouster, Brotherhood leaders have shown little interest in listening to the younger leaders or consulting with Mr. ElBaradei. Instead, the Brotherhood almost immediately began preparing for elections. With the generals, it backed a referendum scheduling parliamentary elections before the drafting of a new constitution.
"They betrayed us at the first corner and continue to betray us," Ms. Moore said. The resulting timetable killed any hope of unity against the military among those mobilized by the revolt.
"Even though not many of the revolutionary movements got into the Parliament, they were still affected by the polarization," Mr. Maher said. "They were accusing each other of treason, even among the youth groups."
Mr. Lotfy, the Brotherhood's former rising star, was expelled from the group and founded a political party, the Egyptian Current. It allied with the presidential campaign of the dissident Brotherhood leader Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, trying to combine an Islamist background with liberal positions on individual rights and social justice.
Tried to square the circle, did he?
Mr. Lotfy called their centrist project the best hope to defuse the polarization between Islamists and secularists, but most of the liberals or leftists he worked so closely with at the start shunned their efforts because of their Islamist roots. He said he could no longer speak with Ms. Moore, a Coptic Christian who publicly defended the Brotherhood during the initial uprising, "because of the difference in backgrounds."
"Egyptian liberals are not real liberals," he said, accusing many former allies of "Islamophobia."
That word does not mean what you think it means...
Others in their circle say they still talk occasionally but cannot agree. Mr. Lotfy and Mr. Aboul Fotouh "still come from the Brotherhood world," said Shady el-Ghazali Harb, a liberal who voted for a Nasserite socialist in the first round of the presidential race, to avoid either an Islamist or Mr. Shafik. "We cannot have our choice between true Islamists and not-true Islamists," Mr. Ghazali Harb said.
He then joined Ms. Moore in pushing to boycott the election that is now in doubt altogether, hoping the effort would give rise to a broader movement in opposition to the Brotherhood and the old military-business elite.
"You don't find a lot of people around us now," Ms. Moore said. "And we are fighting on two fronts, which makes it difficult."
Mr. Ghazali Harb said he and the others had fallen out of touch with perhaps their group's most prominent member, Ziad el-Elaimy, who was elected to Parliament. Mr. Elaimy has receded from public view since he was censured by parliamentary leaders a few weeks ago for comparing Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the governing military council's leader, to a donkey. Mr. Elaimy did not respond to requests for an interview.
"He disappears a little bit," Mr. Ghazali Harb said, suggesting that perhaps Mr. Elaimy considered his seat in Parliament to be enough for now.
Many young activists who helped start the revolt are returning to Mr. ElBaradei. After he quit the presidential race, saying it was doomed under military rule, he is trying to organize a political movement for liberals opposed to Islamists and military-backed authoritarianism.
Mr. Lotfy, Mr. Maher and Ms. Moore, however, are each going separate ways. Whoever wins the presidency, all vow to keep fighting. "If it is Morsi, I will be in the opposition," Mr. Lotfy said. "If it is Shafik, asylum."
And what if it's a new general?
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/17/2012
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[Dawn] Security forces and a tribal lashkar repulsed a Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain attack on a checkpost in Upper Dir from Afghan province of Kunar, killing six attackers and injuring many, official sources said on Thursday night.
However, ars longa, vita brevis... TTP, Swat, denied that Death Eaters had suffered any casualty.
According to sources, the bully boys, who had taken shelter in Kunar province ... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country..... after the military operation in the Malakand division, attacked the Bin Darra checkpost in Brawal area with rockets and heavy weapons.
They said security forces and lashkar volunteers countered the attack and inflicted casualties on attackers.
This was the first attack in 2012 after the army's deployment in the border areas of Upper Dir.
In Kalaya area of upper Orakzai Agency ... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers... , nine Death Eaters were killed and four injured after jetfighters attacked their hideouts on Friday.
Jetfighters targeted bully boy positions in Adokehl and Botakhel areas of Mamozai area, a stronghold of bully boys. Sources in
security forces said three bully boy hideouts were destroyed leaving nine Death Eaters dead and four injured. The injured were taken to a hospital in Mir Qalamkhel.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... security forces advanced towards Alijo and Dogar areas without resistance.
However, ars longa, vita brevis... the development forced a large number of Mamozai rustics into vacating their houses and leaving for safer places.
It is learnt that assistant political agent Rafiq Mohmand ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... has called an urgent meeting to make a strategy for registration and relief activities of displaced people.
In Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, two children were killed in separate incidents on Friday.
Sources said two children were killed after they touched a landmine, which went kaboom! in the house of Juma Khel in Sheen Kamar-Zaodin area.
They said the house was recently vacated by bully boys, who had allegedly laid the landmine in the house.
Also in the day, two more children were critically injured when a stray mortar shell fell on the house of Lal Zamir in Gud Malang area of Akkakhel.
Local sources said mortar shells were fired by security forces against Death Eaters in the area.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... unidentified people attacked the Levies centre in Shah Kas area of Jamrud on Friday morning.
Local officials said myrmidons fled after retaliatory fire by the Levies present inside the centre.
They said an ambulance and a vehicle of the force were partially damaged due to the firing by myrmidons.
Local sources, however, said the centre was mistakenly targeted by security forces posted atop Besai hills overlooking the centre.
In Landi Kotal, local authorities on Friday demolished the houses of two alleged car lifters.
Local officials said the khasadar ...a rural policeman in Pakistain or India... force on Thursday jugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! Shafiullah and Kaptan Khan and seized a stolen car. The two were later shifted to the Landi Kotal lockup.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
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The US-born terror criminal mastermind Anwar al Awlaki used more than 60 e-mail addresses and sent several thousand e-mails to his followers, some with encryption and code words, while under FBI surveillance -- according to a five-month investigation by FOX News.
Some of those e-mails were exchanged with accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan.
"FOX Files: The Enemy Within," which debuted on FOX News Channel at 10:00 p.m. on June 15, draws on exclusive interviews and firsthand accounts of the Fort Hood massacre that killed 13 people and injured at least 43 others on Nov. 5, 2009. For the first time, victims of the shooting, as well as senior Sherlocks, break their silence about the worst act of terrorism on US soil since 9/11.
#2
Anwar al Awlaki's communications with MAJ Hasan were investigated by the San Diego field office of the FBI's JTTF for an as yet unspecified period of time, but generally referred to as "years". This is a "blame game" between the Field Office and the Bureau in Washington, and quite likely a very shabby administration and DOJ cover up. Most will recall, whilst the principal was the subject of a lengthy investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the administration was initially reluctant to classify the Fort Hood shooting as an act of terrorism.
California was one of six states to initially test the DHS Homeland Security Information System-Intel(HSIN-Intel) pilot, which allows fusion centers to directly share classified information to identify trends and patterns that may represent links to terrorism. San Diego and L.A. use the Intelligence & Terrorism Alert Network for Southern California (TITAN), which is an info and sharing initiative owned and operated by the California JTTF.
The notion that for years no one in the San Diego JTTF permitted Anwar al Awlaki and MAJ Nidal Hasan intelligence collection to be TITAN fused and shared with DoD is quite difficult if not impossible to fatham. What we do know is that al Awlaki was killed by a CIA/JSOC drone strike in Sept of 2011, and is no longer available to testify or provide additional information.
The 40-year-old al-Awlaki had been in the U.S. crosshairs since his killing was approved by President Obama in April 2010, making him the first American placed on the CIA "kill or capture" list. The shooting at Fort Hood took place on 5 Nov 2009. Again, Anwar Al Awlaki was pushed to the top of the "drone zap" list and was killed in Sept of 2011. Evidently further exploitation of Anwar Al Awlaki's extensive network of terrorist contacts was no longer desired.
Quite obviously, MAJ Hasan was a valuable intelligence source and link to Anwar Al Awlaki and his followers. Permitting MAJ Hasan to graduate from terrorism sympathizer to terrorist operator could have been prevented through his detention on any number of illegal activities not the least of which, encouring Muslims via his web site, to kill US soldiers. Unfortunately, this apparent failed source operation resulted 13 soldiers paying the ultimate price and another 30 being seriously wounded.
At least in my view, in the category of botched US intelligence operations, the MAJ Hasan case leads the pack. The death of Anwar Al Awlaki however, provided the opportunity for a total cock-up to be transformed into a terrorism head-count victory. A victory for some anyway.
[Tolo News] Russia is worried that Afghanistan will once again become a safe haven for Taliban and terrorists, which will be a threat to Russian territory as well.
Welcome to the real world, Vlad...
In a trip to northern Balkh province on Saturday, Russian ambassador to Afghanistan, Andrey Avetisyan, said that terrorism and drug trafficking have remained a major challenge in the region and to fight this challenge, a strong army is necessary for Afghanistan.
Mr Avetisyan also showed support on presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan and said that these forces should fight alongside the Afghan forces to remove this challenge from the region.
"We are concerned that once again Afghanistan turns into a safe haven for international terrorism, which is a direct threat to Russian Federation," Mr Avetisyan added.
He also urged the international community particularly the regional countries to fight drug trafficking and eradicate opium cultivated farms.
"The only way to tackle the problem of drug production and trafficking is a joint combat. A joint combat by Afghanistan, Russia and other countries in the world which have major losses from drug cultivation and trafficking," he added.
Provincial governor of Balkh province, Atta Mohammad Noor, once again supported the presence of foreign troops but strongly opposed the existence of foreign military bases in Afghan territory.
He also urged the international community to help Afghanistan in education, training of both ground and air defence forces and as well as in technology.
"We don't want to rely on others, we need to stand on our own feet, the international community can help us in education, training of our military forces, equipping our air defence forces and in terms of technology."
At a recent conference held in Kabul, the 'Art of Asia' countries pledged to cooperate with Afghanistan to fight drug trafficking as well as in investment and peace building.
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#1
Ye well. How about buying some drones from IMI?
#2
Russia has a major problem with terrorists. They see a future of trouble within and from without.
In my opinion many of their actions are related to this concern. Better to work with them and share the expense than go it alone. They want security and commerce. I believe they want more interaction with the west. I believe they have an historic distrust of the Chinese as the Chinese do for them.
#3
Pakistan is where the Nukes are, + where the TTP + Al-Qaeda, Haqqanis, etal. have a very good chance of taking over or dominating the Govt, violently or electorally, before or after 2014.
Russia doe not want any "SYRIA DOMINO" TO FALL IN ITS DIRECTION.
#4
I believe they have an historic distrust of the Chinese as the Chinese do for them.
Something about living under the Mongol yoke for generations. The only successful invasion and occupation came from the East.
Nappy and the Austrian Paperhanger didn't get to stay around long on their visits from the West.
Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, will reveal the scheme to build a new nuclear deterrent in a move which will cause tensions with the Liberal Democrats.
He will announce a deal ordering nuclear reactors for a new class of submarines to replace the current Vanguard fleet, which carries Britain's Trident nuclear arsenal.
The decision is the most public statement yet that the Government is committed to a full-scale replacement of Trident - something opposed by the Lib Dems, who want a cheaper way of maintaining nuclear weapons.
Mr Hammond will say that a Rolls-Royce plant at Raynesway, in Derby, will be given the order to build the reactors, and that the Ministry of Defence will fund an 11-year refit of the plant. The contract will create 300 jobs and many more in the factory's supply chain.
But it will create a rift with the Liberal Democrats. One senior Liberal Democrat source told The Sunday Telegraph this weekend that the replacement of Trident remains a "massive fault line" between the Coalition's two parties.
The Lib Dems pledged in their 2010 manifesto that they would oppose a "like-for-like" replacement of the submarines and the nuclear warhead-carrying missiles which they fire.
Nick Harvey, the Lib Dem defence minister, is leading a review into cheaper ways to maintain the nuclear deterrent and wants to abandon the so-called "Moscow criterion", which recommends Britain retains an arsenal capable of destroying the Russian capital.
The new contract, to be announced in the next few days, represents the Government's biggest commitment to replacing the ageing Trident fleet, at a total cost of up to £20 billion. Ministry of Defence sources said that it was possible to go ahead with the reactor contract now because defence cuts and reforms to procurement meant new investments could begin.
A senior MoD source said: "This is good news for the Royal Navy and a great boost for jobs. These cutting edge reactors will support the UK's submarines for decades and are a vital part of ordering long lead items for the new nuclear deterrent submarines.
"We have balanced the MoD's books and can now get on with ordering major pieces of equipment for the armed forces to protect us against future threats."
Conservatives are determined to replace "like for like" the Vanguard submarines, which are expected to be decommissioned in the late 2020s, Their Trident II D-5 missiles are expected to remain in service until 2042. It is undecided whether the Government will opt for three or four submarines.
Twenty years after the end of the Cold War, there are many new threats to international security, with growing fears surrounding Iran, China and Russia, Conservatives say. It is also claimed that failing to commission a new wave of submarines could cost up to 15,000 British jobs.
Although the Coalition Agreement between the Tories and Lib Dems said the parties would "maintain Britain's nuclear deterrent", it also said that "Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for alternatives".
A £350 million contract to design the new submarines went to BAE Systems, Babcock and Rolls-Royce. But the symbolism of ordering reactors is far greater.
The new nuclear submarine contract with Rolls-Royce will be seen as one in a series of policies launched by the Tories which are designed to reconnect with the party's grassroots. In recent weeks, Conservative ministers have unveil a crackdown on illegal immigrants and foreign prisoners, pledged new action on anti-social families and given ground on the prospect of a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.
The decision by Conservatives ministers to sign such a high-profile contract comes at a time of tense relations between the two parties. Many Tory MPs are seething with the Lib Dems for failing to support Jeremy Hunt in last week's Commons motion calling for an investigation into the Culture Secretary's handling of News Corporation's BSkyB bid.
And it was made despite Sir Menzies Campbell, the Lib Dem grandee, making an open public call for ministers to abandon the "Moscow criterion".
"Nuclear weapons have no intrinsic merit," the party's former leader said recently, adding that "it is unthinkable today that Britain would contemplate the destruction of the heavily populated capital of Russia -- or any other city."
However, opposition to a new generation of nuclear weapons will not be confined to Liberal Democrats. A poll two years ago found that 63% of the public said they supported scrapping Britain's nuclear deterrent to cut the deficit in the public finances.
Some senior military figures have also opposed Trident, arguing that it consumes too much of the defence budget and leaves less money for front-line forces.
General Lord Dannatt, the former chief of the army staff, previously said in an interview: "It is a very fine judgement as to whether we should continue to have a nuclear deterrent or not.
"I think if we are looking at the character and nature of future conflicts and if we think we will be dealing with hybrid warfare or asymmetric threats, then may be for the next few years it makes sense to keep that ultimate deterrent in case some government in five, ten, or 15 years would want to threaten the security of our country.
"At present we should keep it but not forever."
The push towards a new generation of nuclear submarines comes as the military is facing deep cuts, with the number of armed forces personnel set to be cut from 180,000 to 150,000 over the next five years.
A report published earlier this year by CentreForum, a liberal think tank, said: "Replacing Trident is nonsensical. There is no current or medium-term threat to the UK which justifies the huge costs involved.
"A critical assessment of the UK's strategic position and military requirements leads to a clear conclusion: Trident makes no effective contribution to our security.
"Cancelling it will provide a unique opportunity to re-balance and revitalise Britain's forces for the 21st century."
Continued on Page 49
Suspected Muslim terrorists separatists have killed three soldiers and injured six others in an attack in southern Thailand. The terrorists attackers hurled a grenade into a school in Yala province on Saturday while soldiers were receiving their daily briefing in the schoolyard.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Headstones on World War II military graves in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi have again been desecrated in the second such attack in four months, local officials said on Saturday.
"On Thursday, Christian graves were desecrated for a second time in Benghazi," Mohammed al-Quzairi of the local security committee told AFP, adding that the identity of the assailants was unclear.
The Benghazi civilian council said it was trying to track down those responsible.
"We are cooperating with the security committee to ascertain the identity of the assailants and bring them to justice as quickly as possible," its front man, Khaled al-Jazawi, said.
A similar attack hit the same military cemetery in February.
The assailants shattered headstones of British and allied servicemen who fought in North African desert campaigns against the Nazis during World War II.
Reports at the time blamed the act on Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... angered by the burning of the Koran at a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization.... base in Afghanistan in early February.
Benghazi, Libya's second city and the cradle of the 2011 revolt that toppled Muammar Qadaffy ...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens... , has witnessed a wave of attacks against Western targets in recent weeks.
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... Saturday said conspiracies are being hatched against the democracy in the country and warned that the present government will foil all such conspiracies and protect the democratic system.
"There are conspiracies against the democracy and to damage the democratic system but the Pakistain People's Party (PPP) will protect the democracy at all cost and will not allow anti-democratic forces to derail the process," said the prime minister while addressing a public meeting here.
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#1
ION DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [PAK Chair JCS Cmte.]GENERAL WYNNE: US PRESSURE [SDN = NATO Supply Routes] NOT TO BE ACCEPTED.
* SAME > END DRONE HITS, OR RISK POLIO SPREAD: TALIBAN [faction]. Shura-e-Mujahideen Commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
Apparently the SeM hates the UN World Health Organization + Pediatricians, Outreach Clinics???
* WORLD NEWS > JuD-BACKED DPC SAYS WON'T ALLOW RESTORATION OF NATO SUPPLIES EVEN IFF US APOLOGIZED.
* SAME > THIS US ARMY COLONEL [Daniel L. Davis] + NINE LAWMAKERS WANT THE US$10.0BILYUHN A MONTH SPENT IN AFGHANISTAN USED TO REBUILD AMERICA.
well, US Citizens-Taxpayers do love cash rebates/cashbacks from the USTreas or IRS; or else can be altern used to help fund the proposed nation-wide Urban, Infrastructure Renewal Program ala 2020 [construction jobs]???
* DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > WRITING ON THE WALL: PAKISTAN'S WORSENING ECONOMIC STATE COULD ALSO AFFECT INDIA.
* SAME, TOPIX > CORRUPTION [pervasive], DECLINING FOREIGN INVESTMENT, ENERGY CRISIS MORE DANGEROUS [de-e-estabilizing = de-e-estructive]TO PAKISTAN THAN WAR ON TERROR.
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > TIES SOUR FURTHER: PAKISTAN ACTS SMUG, US GETS FURIOUS.
ARTIC = denotes that the Obama Admin = USA may declare Pakistan to be an "Enemy Country" iff the it cannot resolve its current impasse wid the US + reopen the closed SDN NATO Supply Routes = GLOCS into Afghanistan???
[Iran Press TV] A car boom has targeted Shia pilgrims in the Iraqi capital Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... , killing eight people and wounding several others, officials say.
The bomb went kaboom! on Saturday at about 12:15 pm (0915 GMT) when the pilgrims were returning from commemorations for Shia Imam Moussa Kazim (PTUI!) in the north of the capital, an interior ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The official added that at least 15 people were also maimed in the kaboom that occurred on the highway near the Shuala area.
A medical source confirmed that the victims were sent to the Al-Hakim hospital in Shuala, but that a final toll was not yet available.
The source, however, said that that the Kadhimiyah and Al-Hakim hospitals had received 21 maimed people.
Violence has risen in Iraq since December 2011, when an arrest warrant was issued for runaway Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi for running a death squad that targeted Iraqi authorities and Shia pilgrims.
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[An Nahar] Israel expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... on Saturday after reports emerged that Syrian president Bashir al-Assad may be losing control over military assets, including air defense base.
According to Israeli channel 10, concern is mounting in Israel over the possibility that Hizbullah will try to move sophisticated weaponry, including Scud missiles, from Syria to Leb to protect them in the event of Assad's downfall.
The channel obtained air footage of the scud missiles transport to unknown whereabouts.
The channel news hound Alon Ben-David said that the video increases the Israeli authorities fear over the possibility of the Syrian arms reaching organizations like Hizbullah.
The scud missiles are shown to be moved from the Syrian capital Damascus ...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world... as the regime fears that its missile arsenal is being jeopardized.
"With Syria in the midst of an uprising, there is concern that Hizbullah might try to move the missiles into Leb to prevent them from being captured by rebels or militias," the Jerusalem Post newspaper said.
The daily noted that the delivery of Scud missiles to Hizbullah would be a significant increase to the organization's capabilities.
Syrian Scud Ds have a range of about 700 kilometers and can carry non-conventional warheads.
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[Al Ahram] Libyan authorities on Saturday declared warring mountain towns in the west of the country a "military zone" and called for an immediate ceasefire. "As a result of the violence in the areas of Mizdah, Sheguiga and Zintan which has killed innocent people, the interim government... orders all parties to immediately stop their fire," Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib's office said in a statement.
"To reinforce this, the government has ordered the army chief and the interior ministry to consider the area of festivities a military zone and to use force and all means necessary to stop any shooting against innocent civilians."
The statement was backed by the ruling National Transitional Council and Dar al-Fitna, which represents Libya's highest religious authority.
The interim government called for the opening of safe passages to allow for the evacuation of the maimed and the delivery of humanitarian aid, and it commissioned a fact-finding mission to investigate the roots of the conflict.
The fighting which erupted Monday has pitted fighters of the Mashashia tribe against gunnies from the Gontrar tribe and the town of Zintan, 170 kilometers (105 miles) from Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of thich is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , according to official state media and local sources.
Sources in Gheryan, a city near the fighting zones, told AFP that dozens of families streamed in on Saturday seeking shelter from the fighting, while army front man Ali al-Sheikhi told AFP the "festivities were ongoing."
Several health ministry officials said the number of casualties was rising although they could not give numbers.
On Wednesday, the interim government said the fighting had claimed 14 lives and left more than 89 maimed.
Several sources say the festivities erupted after a resident of Zintan was killed at a roadblock set up by Mashashia rustics.
The rustics, meanwhile, accuse Zintan forces of shelling their village, Sheguiga, with tank and rocket fire.
Tensions have been high between former rebels in Zintan and Mashashia rustics since the 2011 uprising that toppled Libyan dictator Moamer Qadaffy.
Zintan fighters are credited with having led the units which captured Tripoli from Qadaffy's forces last August. They also placed in long-term storage Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! the slain dictator's son, Seif al-Islam, on November 19 and have held him since.
The Mashashia are accused of having backed Qadaffy's regime in last year's conflict.
Clashes between former rebels from Zintan and Mashashia rustics killed four people in December.
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] As Egyptians voted for a new president on Saturday, many of the country's Coptic Christians said they were backing Ahmed Shafiq, a former prime minister they believe can stem a rising Islamist tide.
In the working-class Cairo neighbourhood of Shobra, home to a large Christian community, 30-year-old Makram was proud to declare his support for Shafiq, the last premier to serve under ousted president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
"We are backing the one who can ensure a measure of security for our community and the country," the government employee said.
"Since the end of the first round on May 24, we launched a mobilisation campaign to get the community to vote for Shafiq and encourage those who are reluctant to go and vote on Saturday and Sunday" in the runoff poll, he added.
Makram denied that the Coptic Church leadership had urged the faithful to vote one way or another, but even without such an endorsement, the Christian community has largely swung their support behind Shafiq's campaign.
And in Shobra, men and women joined long queues outside polling stations set up in local schools from the early hours of the morning, determined to cast their ballots.
While Shafiq's critics dub him a "felool," a pejorative term used by some Egyptians to refer to members of the old regime, Makram countered that his candidate had "a clear vision for the future of the country."
And Shafiq's experience, as a prime minister, aviation minister and air force chief, "will allow him to re-establish security and protect those who are discriminated against," he said.
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(Sh.M.Network)- Heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy... between Somali government soldiers and fighters loyal to the Al Qaeda-afflicted forces of Evil of Al shabab is reportedly flared up in parts of Gedo region, south west of the horn of Africa war-torn country.
Reports indicated the battle sparked after Al shabab agents launched an ambush attack on a convoy of vehicles mounting in Somali troops traveling at an area located on the outskirts of El Waq town in Gedo region.
"The fighting was ferocious and both warring sides have exchanged heavy and small weapons that caused heavy casualties on the combatants from the sides involved the combat" said a resident in El Waq town, adding that he could not verify the exact losses.
Some Somali troop officials in Gedo region told Shabelle Media that the fighting was an ambush one targeted on TFG soldiers by Al shabab fighters. They said the Government soldiers repelled the attack and inflicted casualty upon the beturbanned goons.
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Greek political leaders made their final campaign pleas before elections tomorrow that may determine whether the country becomes the first member of the euro to leave the currency union.
The first thing we must determine in the elections on June 17 is to choose between the euro or drachma, New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras told a crowd of flag-waving supporters in central Syntagma square last night. He faced the Parliament building in Athens, the site of protests against austerity measures demanded in return for 240 billion euros ($303 billion) of emergency aid pledges. A vote for the anti- bailout Syriza party means Greece out of the euro, he said.
The vote will turn on whether Greeks, in a fifth year of recession, accept open-ended austerity to stay in the euro or reject the bailout conditions and risk the turmoil of exiting the 17-nation currency. World leaders, who gather for a summit in Mexico June 18, have said theyd prefer a pro-euro result, underscoring concern over global repercussions.
Almost 10 million Greeks are eligible to vote for the second time in six weeks after a May 6 ballot failed to yield a government.
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Top|| File under:
#1
The Greek economy isn't all that big and we don't trade much with Greece. However, the psychology of the market tends to become reality and Wall Street reacts when someone sneezes across the world. "PIGS"; Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain economies are in poor shape. There could be economic dominoes in these countries. Globalization has caused economies to be far too inter-connected. However, it is possible that a weakening of the Euro could strengthen the dollar, yen, pound, and Canadian dollar since investors will be looking for safe havens for investments. Should be an interesting couple of weeks with SCOTUS issuing an ObamaCare decision, Congress deciding whether to cite Holder for contempt, a hearing in Florida to determine whether Obama's documents are forged, and the fall out from Obama's decree on immigration.
#2
The underlying issue is not politics but the insolvency of the global economy/banking industry. Politicians have been bailing frantically to prevent the ship from sinking, but have only papered over the defect (with paper money, of course). Taxpayers & bondholders worldwide have been burdened with an ever-increasing load of bad debt.
The Greek crisis is merely a canary dying in a mine shaft.
From This Time Is Different, by Carmen Reinhart and Ken Rogoff: Highly indebted governments, banks, or corporations can seem to be merrily rolling along for an extended period, when bang confidence collapses, lenders disappear, and a crisis hits...What one does see, again and again, in the history of financial crises is that when an accident is waiting to happen, it eventually does. When countries become too deeply indebted, they are headed for trouble. When debt-fueled asset price explosions seem too good to be true, they probably are. But the exact timing can be very difficult to guess, and a crisis that seems imminent can sometimes take years to ignite."
It has been almost 5 years since this crisis started. I am just surprised things haven't gotten worse.
#3
AH, I think that you're wrong here. The underlying issue is very much politics, just not Greek politics.
The EU is poised on the point of making or breaking. The politics is all about the European Project, the total union of Europe into one gov't. This week will see the revelation of the "new" treaty that will basically give virtually all sovereignty to the un-elected bureaucracy in Brussels. Total economic control over borrowing, taxes, spending, etc. will devolve to the EU under the guise of fiscal and banking union. This will be Europes "Commerce Clause", the justification for any imposition of control they choose to invoke.
So this will be it. Will there be a free country left in Europe? The non-Euro countries (UK, Sweden, etc.) might opt out but we will see.
Oh, BTW, I've started to see the acronym PFIGS. Seems that France under the Socialists are vying for a spot in the bailout. Can Germany bailout everyone?
A vote for the anti- bailout Syriza party "means Greece out of the euro," he said.
Yes, and it means throwing off the shackles - not to mention setting an example for the rest. The EU needs [member state X] a lot more than [member state X] needs the EU. Syriza is "radical" because they recognize this - that Greece has a gigantic bargaining chip. They're not so much radical or anti-bailout as anti-establishment. Good for them.
[Iran Press TV] The deputy chairman of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) says Turkey's interference in the internal affairs of Syria serves the interests of the United States and Israel.
Oktay Vural said in a presser in Ankara on June 14 that Turkey's interference in Syria is aimed at ensuring the security of Israel.
Vural also stated that Washington is seeking to get Turkey engaged in the Syrian turmoil that began in March 2011.
The Turkish politician also warned against a foreign plot to disintegrate Turkey by inciting "ethnic division" in the country.
The comments came several days after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan censured the government of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... over its approach to reforms in the Arab country.
"I have not seen him (Assad) approach reforms with a democratic understanding," Erdogan told news hounds in Ankara on June 3.
The Turkish prime minister also stated that President Assad is taking "an autocratic approach" to the issues inside Syria.
Erdogan made the remarks on the same day when Assad said in a televised address to the parliament that Syria is "facing a war from abroad."
Turkey has also expressed its support for arming the rebels fighting against the Syrian government over the past months.
On March 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the "international community's message might be conveyed to the Syrian administration via certain methods including the arming of the (so-called) Syrian National Council (SNC)."
The Syrian president said the country was also "facing attempts to weaken Syria [and] breach its illusory sovereignty."
"Standing up against the conspiracy is not easy, but we will overcome the obstacles," Assad stated.
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[Yemen Post] The Security Authorities on Saturday launched a comprehensive campaign against all armed scenes and disorders as well as spread and carrying of weapons in Yemen's capital Sanaa, officials said.
The campaign came under orders from the Interior Ministry, which has recently started major efforts to combat security disorders and carrying weapons in main cities, the officials continued.
All security systems are participating in the campaign, which also aims to restore the rule of law and maintain security, promote traffic rules, combat random building and other uncivilized practices in Sanaa, the officials said.
The campaign comes amid persistent unrest including demonstrations by the youth-led people who erupted into the streets to demand the departure of the former regime in early 2011.
The protesters in Yemeni cities have refused to leave the change and freedom squares, even after a West-backed power transfer deal was signed in November, vowing they are staying in their tents until all the gals of the revolution were met.
The two problems have been deepened by the 2011 unrest, with rustics and others roaming the capital and other cities with guns to threaten the public security and peace.
Yemen is one of the countries, where spread of weapons in civilian hands remains a major concern, especially amid soaring rates of illiteracy.
In recent years, the authorities have launched campaigns to disarm the public, but little progress has been reported.
According to some statistics, there about 60 million weapons in civilian hands, more than double Yemen's total population.
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[Ma'an] An Egyptian newspaper reported Saturday that Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-affiliated beturbanned goons had infiltrated into Egypt in a bid to disturb the peace ahead of presidential runoff elections.
A Hamas official dismissed the report as baseless.
According to the Al-Sharouk newspaper, Egypt's national security service tapped phone calls between the supposed infiltrators and their supporters inside Egypt.
Accordingly, Egyptian army and police deployed on routes followed by the infiltrators, and tanks and machine guns have been deployed along with helicopters to monitor the area.
Hamas had earlier denied Egyptian accusations blaming the Islamist movement of involvement in unrest during the revolution which toppled Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... 's regime in 2011.
"These accusations are null and baseless especially at this sensitive stage as competitors for the presidency in Egypt are running media campaigns which reflect the great democratic change Egypt is witnessing," a Hamas official said.
[Iran Press TV] US President Barack Obama My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it... has been heckled by a news hound during a presser about granting work permits to many young undocumented Democrats.
Neil Munro of the Daily Caller website interrupted Obama as he was saying some undocumented Democrats brought to the US by their parents could gain temporary legal status through work permits.
When Munro was shouting something in the Rose Garden of the White House on Friday, Obama responded him, saying, "Excuse me, sir. It's not time for questions, sir."
The news hound asked if Obama would take questions and the US president replied, "Not while I'm speaking."
After telling the news hound it was not the time to be asking questions, Obama said, "The answer to your question, sir -- and the next time I'd prefer you let me finish my statements before you ask that question -- is this is the right thing to do for the American people."
"I didn't... I didn't ask for an argument. I'm answering your question. It is the right thing to do for the American people, and here's why... Because these young people are gonna make extraordinary contributions and are already making contributions to our society," he added.
It is rare for journalists to interrupt the president during official statements.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
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No mention in the article that Obama heckled the constitution.
#2
The kids of illegals now have the Dream Act by executive order. Of course, now the U.S. can't deport the parents because it would be inhumane to separate the kids from the parents and break up the family. It's not amnesty but it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. And there is the possibility the ploy might result in a few Hispanic votes. Of course it just might tick off many voters who still value our Constitution.
#5
Never mind the Constitution. It's for the children. /sarc
They're always putting forth some bullcrap that is carefully crafted to play on our sympathy for the children or the elderly or the downtrodden. This is a common tactic they use to excuse their cheating and stealing.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/17/2012 11:07
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#13
This guy can't even carry Jimmy Carter's jockstrap much less Ronald Reagan or Harry Truman.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
06/17/2012 15:38
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#14
Ironically, that's how President Clinton feels too.
Posted by: Charles ||
06/17/2012 18:40
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#15
Unfortunately, iff the Congress or US Govt. is not going to be serious about resolving the Borders or Illegal Immigration, then they might as well be honest about it + offer these illegals a formal path to legal Citizenship-Residency. STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH + GIVING AMER VOTERS "LIP SERVICE" WHILE PRETENDING THAT THEY AREN'T!?
Illegals aren't fools - WHY SHOULD THEY FEAR DHS-ICE, ETC. GOVT. AGENCIES, PERSONNEL OR GUNS, WHEN ITS CLEAR ITO THE FED ITSELF ISN'T SERIOUS.
All the Fed has to do is go back to its corner + try not to shoot itself wid its own gun.
(Sh. M. Network) -- A huge car boom blast hit on Saturday Afgoye town, just 30 Km north-west Mogadishu, Somalia capital that recently wrested from myrmidon control by Somali and AMISOM troops, witnesses and officials said. They can't defeat even poorly trained troops, but they sure can blow up cars.
Reports said a boom-mobile at an army base at Bar Ismail area where Witnesses said they heard a large kaboom and saw smoke billowing or catching the winds. Conflicting reports are still emerging from the kaboom. Some reports suggest that a number of people sustained injures.
Abdikadir Nur Sidi, the governor of Lower Shabelle region for Somali government confirmed Shabelle Media the blast, saying a jacket wallah has carried out the blast, blowing himself up at Bar Ismail intersection locating Somali soldiers.
"A car packed with explosives drove from Mogadishu today went off in Afgoye town, especially at a base controlled by security forces of TFG. The troops intercepted the car and started to fire at him when he attempted to drive into a base for intelligence officers," said the governor.
Somali and AU troops seized the town, 30 Km on the outskirts of Mogadishu from Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... snuffies after three days of fighting last month nearly 400,000 internally displaced people IDPs live in locations between Mogadishu and Afgoye, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
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(Sh.M.Network)-An official of Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a (ASWJ), a pro-Somali government group, affirmed that their recent abandon from towns in central Somalia was just "a military tactics" and he said they will move back to their former positions before long.
Sheik Ahmed Abdullahi Ilka-case, the chairman of ASWJ's executive council in central Somalia, told Shabelle Media in a telephone interview on Saturday that his fighters abandoned the towns after changing their military combat against Al shabab Death Eaters in Hiiran and Galgadud regions.
He denied claims that top ASWJ officials have disagreed with the military strategy against Al shabab Death Eaters in centralSomalia.
Last week, Hundreds of gun-toting Al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... fighters have moved back into central Somali towns, including El Bur, Wabho and other neighboring areas in Hiiran and Galgadud region in central Somalia that abandoned by ASWJ and Æthiopian troops over unknown circumstances.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
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David Cameron and George Osborne are to come down firmly on the side of those who object to payments currently worth £400 million a year to companies who produce onshore wind, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.
Despite opposition from the Liberal Democrats, who strongly support more renewable energy, the subsidy regime for onshore wind and solar panels is now firmly expected to be phased out by the end of the decade.
#3
You would be more familiar with the ins and outs of the British politics that I, Bright Pebbles, but from what I can discern this is one of several areas where the Tories and LibDems differ, leading to compromises with lots of behind the scenes maneuvering.
[Dawn] A bomb destroyed a market area in a northwest Pakistain tribal town near the Afghan border on Saturday, killing at least 25 people and wounding over 50, DawnNews reported.
"The corpse count is 25," from the blast in the main bazaar of Landi Kotal in Khyber tribal district, local administration chief Mutahir Zeb told AFP, adding more than 30 were maimed. Hospital officials confirmed the toll.
Zeb said there were 18 bodies at the Landi Kotal hospital while seven victims had died while being taken for treatment in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, the main town in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... province.
The dead included three children aged nine, 10 and 12, he added.
Motor mechanic Sajidullah Khan, who was maimed in the leg, forearms and face, told AFP: "I was checking a car when I heard a huge blast nearby. I knew nothing afterwards and came to in the hospital."Shakoor Jan, an electrician, said he was sitting in his shop when the blast rocked the whole area. "There was fire in several shops," he said.
The blast took place in the main bazaar of Landi Kotal in Khyber tribal region, local administration official Arshad Khan said.
Khan said the blast appeared to be aimed at members of the pro-government Zakha Khel tribe, who oppose a local warlord, Mangal Bagh. ...a former bus driver, now head of the Deobandi bandido group Lashkar-e-Islam and the Terror of Khyber Agency... "The bomb was planted in a pick-up truck parked near the bus stand," Khan said.
Six shops were gutted and several damaged in the blast, which also destroyed at least eight vehicles, he added.
After the blast, a cylinder also went kaboom! in a bakery resulting in a huge fire that reportedly led to more casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2012
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[Iran Press TV] At least 35 people have been killed in the latest attacks by US liquidation drones in Somalia's southwestern region of Gedo, Press TV reports.
Local witnesses said the Saturday attacks near Gedo's Garbaherey town targeted two al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... bases.
Officials say nine al-Shabaab seniors were killed, while dozens of innocent people were also maimed in the Arclight airstrikes.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Russia is sending armed troops to Syria amid escalating violence there, United States military officials told NBC News Friday, in a move certain to frustrate Western efforts to put pressure on the regime of President Bashir Assad.
It's their toe-hold in the Med; they won't allow themselves to be kicked out should Assad fall. That's the most conservative interpretation of this move.
Moscow has sent a ship carrying a small contingent of combat forces to guard Russias deep-water port and military base at the Syrian city of Tartus, the US officials said. The U.S. officials also said Russia has not sent additional attack helicopters to the Syrian government, but replacement parts for the Russian helicopters the Syrians are already flying.
Tartus is one of Russias most strategically-important assets, giving it military access to the Mediterranean Sea.
Russia and China, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council with veto power, frustrated attempts by key Western figures, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to enforce a United Nations peace plan brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan.
Russias foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday repeated Moscow's strong opposition to external interference in Syria, said it was not discussing plans for a Syrian political transformation following the exit of Assad. At a news conference after talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Lavrov said he had seen reports saying U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland had suggested Washington and Moscow were discussing a post-Assad strategy in Syria.
"If that was really said then it's not true," Lavrov said. "Such discussions are not being held and cannot be held, because to decide for the Syrian people contradicts our position completely. "We do not get involved in overthrowing regimes - neither through approval of unilateral actions by the U.N. Security Council nor by participation in any political plots."
He's a Russian, he can say stuff like that and keep his lips attached...
Nuland was asked at a news conference on Thursday whether the United States and Russia were discussing a transition of power similar to that seen in Yemen last year, in which President Ali Abdullah Saleh was replaced by a deputy.
"We are continuing to talk about a post-Assad transition strategy in that context," she said.
Lavrov said any broad international talks on Syria must include Iran and must only address ways to create conditions for a political dialogue in Syria - not the content of that dialogue or preconditions such as Assad's exit.
Russia, which has come under increasing criticism from the West for arms deliveries to Syria, responded to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's allegations that attack helicopters were on the way from Russia to Syria. In a statement on the Foreign Ministry website, Russia said it had made no new deliveries of military helicopters to Syria but under old contracts it had repaired helicopters sent to Syria "many years ago".
"There are no new deliveries of Russian military helicopters to Syria. All arms industry cooperation with Syria is limited to a transfer of defensive arms," the ministry said on its website.
"As regards helicopters, planned repairs of (helicopters) delivered to Syria many years ago were conducted earlier," it said. It did not say when they had been repaired or, if they were repaired in Russia, when they were returned to Syria.
The repairs include whole new helicopters. As spares. You never know when you'll need one...
Russia says it is fulfilling existing contracts for air defense systems against external attacks.
Except for external attacks by Israel, who has already demonstrated that they're not worried about Russian air defense systems...
President Vladimir Putin, due to meet U.S. President Barack Obama next week, said the weapons Russia sends could not be used in civil conflicts.
A source close to Russia's arms exporting monopoly Rosoboronexport said Clinton's comments may have referred to helicopters sent to Russia in 2009 for repairs and which may be on the way back to Syria. The source said on Wednesday at least nine Mi-25 helicopters were sent to Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad to be repaired by Oboronservis, owned by the Defense Ministry.
Russia delivered three different missile systems including Bastion anti-ship missile units and another anti-aircraft system to Syria last year. At least two ships carrying Russian weapons have reportedly travelled to Syria since the beginning of the year, though possibly not on behalf of state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/17/2012
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Note the timing with the passing of a Prince of Saud. Sulman will not permit hits on those Sunni Tribal leaders in Syria for long.
DR AQ Khan turns pro-Imran
Pakistain's father of the nuclear bomb Dr AQ Khan told Mashriq that Zardari was a PhD in politics but he should learn politics of reconciliation from Imran Khan. Nawaz Sharif learned nothing from his decade of exile and when he got ready to return to Pakistain he left his brains abroad. He said PPP, ANP, N-League and JUIF were all opportunists. He said he had not yet decided to join Imran Khan. (He later did?)
Taliban spent 2 crore on Bannu jailbreak
Daily Mashriq reported that the Taliban had admitted that they spent Rs 2 crore
According to this handy on-line converter, 2 crore equals US $0.359 million, or as we would say $359,000, which is a lot of money. Oops - my apologies, that was using Indian rupees. In Pakistani rupees it equals $213,000, which is somewhat less.
to bribe the bureaucratic chain of commend to effect the jailbreak that released 186 Islamic fascistiand criminals. They said that they were successful because of the support they got from the local population of Bannu. Maps of the jail building were provided to them.
AQ Khan on Nawaz Sharif's corruption
AQ Khan wrote in Jang that Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... 's yellow cabs scam cost the banks $500 million, of which he pocketed about $60 million. His Lahore/Islamabad Motorway scam was worth $160 million. He had got loans written off worth $140 million. He pocketed $60 million as refund for the export of sugar. He siphoned off $58 million in the purchase of wheat from the US and Canada. There may be many more such instances, he wrote, which have not been reported.
Imran Khan upbraids courts
Quoted in Mashriq Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... said that he was not satisfied with the working of the Supreme Court and he felt that it had come under pressure. He said the people too were disappointed. He said if the government was made to stay in office a few months more Pakistain would be overtaken by a storm of high prices and unemployment. He said his party will change the fortunes of the country.
He works by the Poof Method, you know. He says, "Poof!" and it is so.
Loans of Foreign Minister's family
Daily Jinnah reported that the father in law of the foreign minister Mrs Khar, Arif Gulzar, husband Feroz Gulzar, and brother in law Asad Gulzar had cases of default against them which were taken on Galaxy Textile Mill but were written off.
I think I'm distantly related to the family, too: second cousins four times removed through my paternal great-aunt. Family lore says that's where we got our eyebrows.
What about your high cheekbones?
Those came from the other Indian continent...and in the end I couldn't get any money for having them, darn it. But the above story makes me hope for some profit from the eyebrows.
Siachen not disputed!
Daily Nawa-e-Waqt editorialised that Nawaz Sharif while in Gyari sector of Siachen where Pak troops were buried by an avalanche recommended that Pakistain should unilaterally come down from the 'disputed' glacier so that Pakistain could cut down on expenses and spend the money on the poor masses. But Nawaz Sharif should know that Siachen was not disputed but a part of Azad Kashmire which is inside Pakistain and that India had occupied it.
Allah recreates history at his whim as well as the entire universe, which is how we know the above is true.
AQ Khan on Zardari's corruption
Writing in Jang father of Pak nuclear bomb Dr AQ Khan stated that when Benazir became prime minister in late 1988 after the death of Gen Ziaul Haq, she immediately posted 26,000 hardcore PPP activists on important positions, including those in the nationalised banks. She and Zardari gouged bank loans and skimmed off Rs 410 million, with which they bought majority shares in three sugar mills. Zardari managed to receive Rs40 million through his crony, the fake doctor Usman Farooqi, managing director of Pakistain Steel Mills.
Nawaz Sharif stands firm on Siachen!
Daily Express quoted Nawaz Sharif as saying that despite criticism of his statement that Pak troops should withdraw from Siachen unilaterally he still believed that there would be no harm if Pakistain called down its troops without India first agreeing to withdraw simultaneously (pehlay fauj bulanay mein koi qabahat nahim).
Imran opposed to unilateral climb-down
Daily Express quoted Imran Khan as saying that Nawaz Sharif was wrong to advise that Pak troops should unilaterally climb down from Siachen heights. He said the solution lay in both India and Pakistain agreeing to recall their troops together.
Who will own eunuchs?
"Not I," said the duck.
Daily Express reported that khwaja sara (eunuch) community was at a loss to write their father's name on the ID card applications. Some did not know who their father was and had known only the guru whose property they also inherited by reason of being a part of the guru's household. The ID card for the khwaja sara persons had become a subject of disagreement.
General Aurakzai speaks out
Retired General Ali Jan Aurakzai told Nawa-e-Waqt that in his latest book he had recounted how he had arranged peace deals with the Taliban in 2002 which were violated under the influence of the Americans. Aurakzai was first corps commander then governor NWFP and was known for the peace deals he made in the Tribal Areas. He said he had told the story in his book. Once President Bush asked whether he was scared of Taliban killing him; to which Musharraf had replied that he himself belonged to the Tribal areas and was popular there. Aurakzai was given a bullet proof vehicle by Musharraf.
Hindu girls convert of free will?
No. What fun would that be?
Reported in Jinnah the Supreme Court let the Hindu girls who had converted to Islam and married Mohammedan boys walk away with their new partners after ascertaining from them their willingness. On the other hand the Hindu parents of the girls objected that their daughters were under pressure and could not express their real intent - which was to return to the parents. They said they would appeal once again to the Court to pay regard to the fact that the girls converted because of the tough lowly status of the Hindu community.
Of course there are good Pakistanis. But the Land of the Pure has chosen to embody every form of evil.
Haroon Rashid versus Nawaz Sharif
Writing in Jang Haroon Rasheed stated that Nawaz Sharif was wrong to say that Pakistain should unilaterally (pehel karo) withdraw its troops from the Siachen front. This would be like letting someone occupy a piece of one's property and then instead of ousting him get oneself ousted so that the trespasser should stay there permanently. Will Nawaz Sharif satisfy his party workers in Azad Kashmire on this position?
Col Safdar on Siachen
Columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that the visit of Nawaz Sharif to Gyari post will do a lot of good in the Gilgit-Baltistan region whose 60 sons had been lost under the avalanche. He added that Nawaz Sharif's pilot Col Safdar once saved the life of a British climber but was served a show-cause notice for doing so against the rules; but after the BBC announced that Col Safdar was cited in the UK for bravery the show-cause notice was withdrawn and Tamgha-e-Shujaat given to him.
Haroon Rasheed versus Imran Khan
Prize winning columnist Haroon Rasheed wrote in Jang that Imran Khan was wrong in saying that contact of Pakistain with the people of Kashmire had weakened because the Kashmiris are now set on the road to seeking independence. This was a wrong position to take because Imran Khan cannot shape his strategy like this (khaak lahiya amal ikhtiar karen gay.) Imran Khan did not understand the significance of the half a century of struggle of the Kashmire cause.
People steal Imran Khan's chairs
Daily Express reported that the grand meeting of Imran Khan's Tehrik Insaf in Quetta became unruly after Imran Khan had delivered his speech. About 12,000 people got out of control and workers got on to the stage and started breaking everything in sight. People began taking away the chairs provided for their seating while others simply resorted to throwing them around. Some disgruntled workers also indulged in hostile slogan-raising.
OMG! Hostile slogan raising? One simply cannot associate with such people!
[An Nahar] Turkey's foreign minister called Saturday on the U.N. Security Council to take "a new measure" in Syria to stop the crisis there from getting worse after U.N. observers suspended their mission.
"In the event that this observer mission pulls back, there is need for the U.N. Security Council to immediately do a situation assessment and take a new measure to ensure the humanitarian tragedy does not move onto a next level," Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told news hounds.
The minister's remarks came after U.N. observers announced they were suspending their mission in Syria, on grounds that the intensifying violence risked their lives and hindered their ability to observe and report.
"The announcement (of suspension) came at a time we were expecting an increase in the number of observers and a more effective deployment on the ground," Davutoglu said.
He also spoke of the risks to the observers, which he said necessitated a re-evaluation by the Security Council "to secure the presence of the U.N. on the ground with a more effective mandate," without elaborating.
His comments come against the backdrop of a call from Burhan Ghalioun, politburo chief of the opposition Syrian National Council, for the U.N. to deploy armed peacekeepers on the ground.
As violence continues to escalate in Syria, the number of Syrian refugees who flee into Turkey also rises, Davutoglu said.
"The flow of refugees into Turkey worries us extremely, also for humanitarian reasons," he said.
Multiple camps established close to the Syrian border in Turkey's southeast are now home to 30,900 Syrians who have fled the violence in their homelands since the uprising in Syria started 16 months ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
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(Sh.M.Network) -- The White House is partially lifting the lid of secrecy on its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia by formally acknowledging for the first time that it is conducting lethal attacks in those countries.
I would comment that this was revealed just in time for the election, but I'd be called both cynical and racist for that...
The White House's semiannual report to Congress on the state of U.S. combat operations abroad, delivered Friday, mentions what has been widely reported for years but never formally acknowledged by the administration: The U.S. military has been taking "direct action" against members of al-Qaeda and affiliates inYemen and Somalia.
The report does not elaborate, but "direct action" is a military term of art that refers to a range of lethal attacks, which in the case of Yemen and Somalia include attacks by armed drones. The report does not mention drones.
The report applies only to U.S.military operations, including those by special operations forces -- not those conducted by the CIA.
"In all cases we are focused on those al-Qaeda members and affiliates who pose a direct threat to theUnited Statesand to our national interests," Pentagon press secretary George Little said after the report's release. "This report contains information about these operations owing to their growing significance in our overall counterterrorism effort."
The report does not provide details of any military operations in eitherYemen or Somalia. It merely acknowledges they have happened. Killings of terror suspects overseas are acknowledged by the administration, but it does not mention the involvement of drones. The CIA and military have separate drone fleets.
The decision by President Barack Obama I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... to declassify the existence of the counter terror actions in those two countries amounts an incremental move toward greater openness about the use ofU.S.force overseas.
It does not reflect any change in the intensity or basic character of theU.S.campaign to defeat al-Qaeda.
A previous step in the direction of greater official transparency came in April when the White House's counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, made the first formal confirmation that theU.S.uses armed drones against terrorists. But he did not mention their use in specific countries.
The new information in Friday's report comes amid outcries from some in Congress about leaks to the news media about details of classified activities such as the existence of a White House "kill list" of targeted al-Qaeda orcs.
The accusation, mostly by Republicans, is that the White House has orchestrated the leaks to improve Obama's re-election chances, an allegation the president has rejected as "offensive" and "wrong."
Three administration officials who briefed The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on the decision to declassify the existence of the military's counterterrorism campaigns inYemen and Somalia said Obama determined that the time was ripe, in part because theU.S.has built closer relations with the Yemeni government and with governments interested in eliminating thug elements in Somalia.
Somalia has not had a fully functioning government since 1991.
The officials said the declassification of further details in future reports to Congress would remain under White House review. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the White House is required to report to Congress every six months on U.S. combat operations abroad. Friday's report includes a secret attachment with classified details, which was not released publicly.
The last report, on Dec. 15, 2011, made no mention of Yemen or Somalia. Instead it said that in relation to efforts against al-Qaeda, the U.S. was working with partners "with a particular focus on countries within the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility," which is a broad swath of territory that includes the entire Middle East and Central Asia.
Friday's report was more explicit. It said that in Somalia the U.S. military has worked to counter the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda-associated elements of a orc group called al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban...
"In a limited number of cases, theU.S.military has taken direct action in Somalia against members of al-Qaeda, including those who are also members of al-Shabaab, who are engaged in efforts to carry out terrorist attacks against the United States and our interests," it said.
It said theU.S.military also has been working closely with the Yemeni government to "operationally dismantle and ultimately eliminate" the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.
It called AQAP "the most active and dangerous affiliate of al-Qaeda today."
"Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP operatives and big shots in that country who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests," the report said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Al Ahram] Al-Qaeda's Iraq affiliate has grabbed credit for Wednesday's attacks on Shiite pilgrims across Iraq that killed more than 70 people in the country's worst day of violence this year, a group that monitors thug communications said.
The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which follows jihadist websites, said on Saturday that Al-Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq wing (ISI) claimed it carried out the bombings in Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... and other cities, targeting mainly Shiite pilgrims.
SITE said a statement issued on jihadist forums on June 15 said the ISI called the attacks the "blessed Wednesday invasion" and a "serious blow" to the enemy's security.
Iraq's Al-Qaeda affiliate was weakened by its long war with U.S. and Iraqi security forces, but since the last American troops left in December, the group and Sunni Islamist Islamic fascistihave carried out a major attack about once a month this year.
Thousands of Shiite pilgrims had gathered this week in Storied Baghdad to mark the anniversary of the death of imam Moussa al-Kadhim, a great-grandson of Prophet Mohammad.
Al Qaeda in Iraq often hits Shiite targets in an attempt to stir up the kind of sectarian violence that drove Iraq to the edge of civil war and killed tens of thousands of people in 2006-2007. They also target security forces to try to show the Shiite-led government is failing to stamp out violence.
Earlier this month, ISI grabbed credit for a suicide kaboom on a major Shiite religious office in Storied Baghdad, which killed 26 people, maimed 190 and evoked memories of the darker days of the country's conflict.
Political tensions are already high as the Shiite, Sunni Mohammedan and ethnic Kurdish parties that make up the government feud over how to share power and Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki fends off attempts at a vote of no confidence.
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UN observers suspended their mission to Syria on Saturday, blaming intensifying violence as troops rained shells down on rebel bastions including Homs, where the opposition warned a massacre was imminent.
The United States said the decision marked a "critical juncture" for Syria and that it it was discussing with its allies the way ahead for a "political transition" as set out in two UN Security Council resolutions.
The unarmed observers have been targeted almost daily since deploying in mid-April to monitor a UN-backed but widely flouted ceasefire, and they were likened to "sitting ducks in a shooting gallery" by Susan Rice, the US envoy to the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... Explaining the suspension, mission head Major General Robert Mood spoke of an escalation in fighting and of the risk to his 300-strong team, as well as the "lack of willingness" for peace by the warring parties.
"There has been an intensification of armed violence across Syria over the past 10 days," Mood said in a statement.
"This escalation is limiting our ability to observe, verify, report as well as assist in local dialogue and stability projects -- basically impeding our ability to carry out our mandate.
"The lack of willingness by the parties to seek a peaceful transition, and the push towards advancing military positions is increasing the losses on both sides: innocent civilians, men women and kiddies are being killed every day.
"It is also posing significant risks to our observers.
"In this high risk situation, UNSMIS (United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria) is suspending its activities," Mood said.
The observers "will not conduct patrols and will stay in their locations until further notice," he said, adding that "engagement with the parties will be restricted."
Mood said the suspension would be reviewed daily, and that "operations will resume when we see the situation fit for us to carry out our mandated activities."
Reacting to the news, a White House official said it was discussing the latest development with its allies.
"At this critical juncture, we are consulting with our international partners regarding next steps toward a Syrian-led political transition as called for in Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043," said the official.
Resolutions 2042 and 2043 addressed the observers' deployment to Syria under a UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan ...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo... 's peace plan aimed at "facilitating a Syrian-led political transition" leading to democracy, among other conditions.
The opposition Syrian National Council, meanwhile, warned of a looming massacre in the flashpoint central city of Homs, which it said was besieged by 30,000 troops and pro-regime militiamen.
"Regime forces are escalating their shelling of the city of Homs in an unprecedented way," the SNC said, adding it had contacted members of the "Friends of Syria," asking them to "stop the massacre that is being prepared."
A top SNC member, Burhan Ghalioun, urged the UN to send "peacekeepers to Syria on a mission with more people who would be able to protect themselves from the violence of the regime."
The shelling and shooting targeted several Homs districts and killed at least five people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said more than 1,000 families were trapped in the city.
The watchdog issued an "urgent call" to UN Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... "and all those with a sense of humanity to intervene immediately, in order to put a stop to the continuous shelling."
It also called for the "evacuation and protection of dozens of injured."
"More than 100 people are injured, many of them badly, and the lack of medical equipment means some of them will die," the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding there was also a lack of medical staff.
Home to several Free Syrian Army bastions, Homs has been under intermittent attack by regime forces ever since Baba Amr district was relentlessly pounded for a month earlier this year, according to the Observatory, and retaken by the regime.
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06/17/2012
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[Dawn] A kaboom on a police mobile killed seven police officials in Kohat, southern city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... on Saturday, DawnNews reported.
The contingent was patrolling Dhoda Road area of the city when a remote-controlled bomb went kaboom!, injuring at least 10 coppers including an additional SHO.
Seven of the injured gave up the ghost on the way to a nearby hospital.
The additional SHO was among the dead.
Three more injured are reported to be at death's door.
Law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area and started an initial investigation into the incident.
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06/17/2012
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For a map, click here. For a map of Zacatecas state click here. Updated with new information
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Two armed suspects were killed by Mexican security forces as criminal groups, said to be elements of a local drug gang, blocked several access roads to a major Mexican federal highway in Guadalupe municipality and in Zacatecas, the capital of Zacatecas state, according to Mexican news reports and Twitter posts.
According to a news report released by Notimex, the Mexican national wire news service, the roadblocks began at about 0800 hrs with armed suspects carjacking trucks and other vehicles, disabling them to make roadblocks.
La Silla Roja reported Saturday afternoon that a Policia Federal (PF) patrol unit had confronted a convoy of armed suspects beginning in the village of San Nicolas in Villa Gonzalez Ortega municipality at around 0600 hrs. Villa Gonzalez Ortega is about 30 kilometers due east of Zacatecas municipality on Zacatecas State Highway 144.
In a Sunday morning post on the website of El So, de Zacatecas news daily, three rifles, two handguns and communications gear were seized following the end of the pursuit. Three vehicles were also damaged in the pursuit, including a vehicle belonging to the Zacatecas ministerial police.
The blocked access roads in Zacatecas municipality included avenidas Sauceda de la Borda, Bulevar Bicentenario and the highway to San Ramon. The report says those roads block access to Mexico Federal Highway 45, which links the state of Aguascalientes to the south with Fresnillo municipality and Durango state to the northwest.
Further east of Zacatecas, in Guadalupe municipality, roadblocks were reported in the village of Santa Monica, while to the north of Zacatecas roadblocks were reported in the village of La Pimentas.
Wire reports say the roadblocks were removed within a half an hour.
An earlier Notimex report also presented a redacted compiled statement by Mexican security forces in the area that they did not know why roadblocks were taking place. However, Notimex later said the roadblocks were local criminal groups' reaction to a pursuit and gunfight between federal security forces and armed suspects.
Three days ago, news reports were that rival armed criminal groups were engaged in firefights in the hills between Villanueva and Sombrerete municipalities, as well as in Fresnillo. Even so, no reports have been published as to casualties in those firefights. Mexico Federal Highway 45 runs to the north of that area.
Mexico Federal Highway 45 between Sombrerete and Durango city is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Mexico. It is also used by Los Zetas to move shooters and munitions north to Coahuila and Tamaulipas states.
Roadblocks are a tactic used by criminal groups to block security forces from intervening in fights with rival groups, whenever criminal groups suffer a sharp reverse and to cover criminal groups' movemment in an area. The tactic is in routine use in Nuevo Lardeo as well as other border cities in Tamaulipas.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
[Al Ahram] Protest votes, sporadic clashes and alleged electoral violations dominate proceedings during the first day of the country's much-anticipated election runoff
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[Al Ahram] Car bombers targeting Shiite pilgrims in Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... killed at least 32 people on Saturday in the latest attacks by thugs.
It was the third day of bombings to strike Shiite pilgrims this week. On Wednesday, a wave of bombings killed 70 people across Iraq in the bloodiest violence since US troops left the country in December.
Saturday's car booms went kaboom! near Storied Baghdad's Kadhimiya district, scattering body parts and clothing along a route used by pilgrims marking the anniversary of the death of Shiite Imam Moussa Al-Kadhim, a great-grandson of Prophet Mohammad.
"We rushed to the scene, there were dismembered bodies, shoes, plastic bags, women's robes left all around, and people were screaming everywhere," said Ahmed Maati, a policeman working nearby.
The recent attacks on Shiite targets are reviving fears Iraq risks slipping back into the broad sectarian slaughter of its recent past, especially as Shiite, Sunni and ethnic Kurdish parties that make up its fragile government feud over sharing power.
With security around Storied Baghdad's Kadhimiya district very tight for the religious festival, one bomber on Saturday posed as a taxi driver and picked up pilgrims to access the area. At least 14 were killed in that initial blast and more than 30 maimed, authorities said.
A second car boomwent kaboom! nearby and killed at least 12 more and maimed 28, police and hospital sources said.
Al-Qaeda Affiliate
Al-Qaeda's Iraq affiliate, Islamic State of Iraq or ISI, has grabbed credit for Wednesday's attacks, according to US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which follows jihadist websites.
Iraq's Al-Qaeda wing was weakened by its long war with US and Iraqi security forces, but since the last American troops left in December, the group and other Sunni Islamist Islamic fascistihave carried out a major attack about once a month this year.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq often hits Shiite targets in an attempt to stir up the kind of sectarian tensions that drove Iraq to the edge of civil war and killed tens of thousands of people in 2006-2007. They also target security forces to try to show the Shiite-led government is failing to stamp out violence.
Earlier this month, ISI grabbed credit for a suicide kaboom on a major Shiite religious office in Storied Baghdad, which killed 26 people, maimed 190 and evoked memories of the darker days of the country's conflict.
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06/17/2012
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(Sh. M. Network)-The Æthiopian troops operating inside Somalia to fight Al shabab fighters, have once again placed in durance vile Please don't kill me! on Saturday a senior TFG official in Gedo region after alleging in defiant the orders, reports said.
Official in Somali military forces in Gedo region, confirmed Shabelle Media the arrest of Diyad Abdi-Kalil, the police chief of Luq district for TFG. The placed in durance vile Please don't kill me! official was order to go back to Garbaharey town, the capital of Gedo region, where he originally come from before Somali and Æthiopian troops wrested towns in the region from Al shabab thugs.
"There ongoing negotiations to release Diyad Abdi-Kalail, the arrests official between Somali military and Æthiopian officers at Luq town, said a TFG official.
Sources said, It is not the first time that Æthiopian troops in Gedo to arrest Diyad Abdi-Kalil, who is one of the top TFG officials in Gedo region, south-westernSomalia.
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[Dawn] At least a dozen more people were bumped off on Friday in different parts of the city just a day after six people, including a Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... activist and a trader, had been rubbed out in separate incidents of firing mainly in southern and western districts of the metropolis.
With the fresh wave of killings, the number of people murdered during the week has reached 40.
When Additional IG 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... Akhtar Hussain Ghorchani was contacted for his version about the spate of killings, he said he had been on a leave of absence since Friday afternoon and the additional inspector-general of CID had the charge. Additional IG CID Shabbir Sheikh was not available for comments.
On Friday, a close relative of a man wanted by police in cases pertaining to the killing of MQM workers was rubbed out near his home in PIB Colony, officials said.
They added that Pir Daad, 45, a maternal uncle of Ahmed Ali Magsi, was in his car when four to six gunnies riding cycle of violences in the Baloch Para area fired at him and sped away.
According to the police, Magsi was nominated in the case pertaining to the murder of MQM PIB Colony sector committee member Mansoor Mukhtar and his brother on March 27, 2012.
Pir Daad sustained gunshot wounds to the head and leg and was rushed to a private hospital on Stadium Road, where he died during treatment, said an official at the PIB Colony cop shoppe. He added that the body was later shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.
Police Sherlocks said that AK-47 rifle and 9mm pistol were used in the attack.
Following the shooting, panic and fear gripped the locality compelling traders to pull down shutters. Heavy contingents of Rangers and police rushed to PIB Colony to avert violence as a backlash to the killing was feared.
Three killed in Garden
Three young men were killed in separate acts of firing within a span of a few hours within the remit of the Garden cop shoppe, officials said.
The Garden SHO, who was suspended following the drive-by shootings, described the attacks as part of ongoing assassinations on ethnic grounds.
Ayub Baloch, 27, and his friend, Nadeem Baloch, 30, sustained gunshot wounds in firing on their car near Gilani Masjid on Ghulam Hussain Qasim Road, the police said.
Both were taken to the Civil Hospital Bloody Karachi, where Ayub Baloch died during treatment, the officials added.
Garden SHO Mutahir Hussain said both victims hailed from Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... and had arrived to visit their relatives in the city.
Within the remit of the same cop shoppe, Razzak Baloch, son of Ata Mohammad Baloch, was targeted in firing at his carom club in Hassan Lashkari Village.
The victim was rushed to the Civil Hospital Bloody Karachi where he was pronounced dead. He's dead, Jim! on arrival.
In yet another gun attack, an unidentified man was rubbed out on Nishtar Road within the remit of the Garden cop shoppe. The police shifted the body to the Edhi morgue for want of identification following medico-legal formalities at the CHK.
Man found rubbed out
Another unidentified man was found rubbed out in Dhobi Ghat, Pak Colony, police said.
They added that the victim had been trussed up before being shot in the head. The body was shifted to the CHK for medico-legal formalities. Later, the body was moved to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.
Policeman killed
Earlier in the morning, a policeman was rubbed out in Pathan Colony within the remit of the Site-A cop shoppe.
Police constable Abdul Qayyum, 45, was sitting with his neighbour, Omar Bahadur, 23, outside their home during to a power breakdown when they were targeted. The constable was killed and his neighbour, Omar Bahadur, 23, maimed in the attack. The victim was posted at the Site-A cop shoppe.
Labourer rubbed out
A labourer was killed in a drive-by shooting at a bus stop in Orangi Town, police said. They added that Shuajat Fazal, 45, was at a bus stop in Bijli Nagar when two gunnies riding a cycle of violence came close to him, shot him dead and sped away.
Mominabad SHO Nasir Mehmood said that the victim had arrived from his hometown Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat...
around two months ago and used to work as a labourer.
Police suspected personal enmity as a possible motive for the killing.
Protest after killing
A number of people staged a protest demonstration on Jehnagir Road following the killing of a young man in the area, police said.
Asif Baloch was rubbed out near his home on Jehnagir Road in the early hours of Friday, said Jamshed Quarters SHO Khushnood Javed.
He said initial investigation showed that the dear departed was a drug-peddler and had a criminal record.
Angry people staged a protest demonstration over the killing on Jahangir Road, the police said, claiming that they reached the spot and managed to disperse the crowd.
Man killed in Liaquatabad
A young pedestrian was rubbed out in a drive-by shooting in Liaquatabad, police said.
They added that Saleem Khan was shot at by gunnies riding a motorbike in Liaquatabad No 8. The victim was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He's dead, Jim!
The police said that the motive for the killing could be ascertained immediately.
Wounded engineer dies
A divisional engineer of the Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... Telephone Exchange, who was shot at outside the telephone exchange, died during treatment at the Civil Hospital on Friday.
Syed Abbas Ali Zaidi, 40, and Sagheer Kareem were maimed in firing outside the telephone exchange near Lea Market, said an official at the Kalakot cop shoppe.
Sanitary worker killed
A sanitary worker was rubbed out at the doorstep of his home in Khori Garden in what police sources described as a case of mistaken identity.
Sunny, 25, son of Shankar, was called out of his home and shot in the chest at point-blank range, said an official at the Kharadar cop shoppe.
"Actually another man with the same name is believed to be a member of the outlawed Amn Committee who lives in the same neighbourhood," disclosed an area police officer after initial investigation.
The police shifted the victim to the CHK, where he died during treatment.
SHO Agha Asadullah quoted the victim's family as saying that someone had called him at the door and shortly afterwards they heard a gunshot.
Man rubbed out in Korangi
A young man was rubbed out in Sector 36-C of Korangi 6 within the remit of the Awami Colony cop shoppe, said officials.
They added that Mirza Adeel Baig sustained two gunshot wounds and was struck down in his prime. The body was shifted to the JPMC for medico-legal formalities.
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A mob attacked a cop shoppe in Pakistain on Saturday demanding a man placed in durance vile Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! for allegedly desecrating the Koran be handed over, leaving one person dead and 19 with gunshot wounds.
Violence erupted after police cooled for a few years Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! a "mentally retarded" man said to have burnt pages of the holy book in Kuchlak, about 16 kilometres north of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... province, senior administration official Qambar Dashti told AFP.
"Angry protesters, mostly Afghan refugees, torched several vehicles and pelted police with stones," Dashti said.
"Chanting the man should be killed for blasphemy, they later entered the cop shoppe and started firing," he said, adding that a police brass hat narrowly escaped while his police guard was maimed in the shooting.
Police fired tear gas shells and opened fire in self defence, Quetta police chief Qazi Wajid said.
The clash left one protester dead and 19 people maimed including eight coppers, he said. "All the maimed people have bullet injuries," he added.
The protesters said the man deserved death for blasphemy and demanded police hand him over to them, he said.
"The man appeared to be mentally retarded, we have taken him into custody and ordered an investigation," Wajid said, adding that control had been restored.
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[Jerusalem Post] Bülent Yildirim, a key figure behind the 2010 Gazoo flotilla, under investigation for funding terror group, Turkish media reports.
Turkish legal authorities are investigating allegations that one of the key figures behind the May 2010 Gazoo flotilla, Bülent Yildirim, was involved in transferring funds to al-Qaeda, Turkish daily Habertürk reported on Friday.
Bülent Yildirim is the president of the IHH, a Turkish charity that was one of the main planners of the Gazoo flotilla. On May 31, 2010, IDF commandos raided one of the flotilla vessels attempting to break the blockade of the Gazoo Strip, the Mavi Marmara, killing nine Turkish pro-Paleostinian activists. While Turkey has accused Israel of unprovoked aggression and demanded an apology for the deaths, Israel maintains that the commandos were confronted by violent IHH gunnies when they boarded the vessel and acted in self defense.
The IHH is widely considered a terrorist organization by a number of bodies - including the Israeli government, and has been accused of maintaining ties with a number of terror organizations.
According to the Habertürk report, special prosecutors in both Istranbul and Diyarbakir are conducting separate investigations into claims that Yildirim has been secretly "providing financial aid to al-Qaeda via his foundation."
The IHH, short for the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (Insani Yardim Vakfi), is an Widows & Orphans Ammunition Fund that was founded in the mid-90s to provide aid to Bosnia Moslems. Since then, it has been involved in charity operations in a number of Moslem and Middle Eastern countries, including Indonesia, Pakistain, Iraq, Leb and aid missions to the Paleostinian territories.
According to the Israeli NGO The Intelligence and Information Center, the IHH is affiliated with Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and the Union of the Good, an Islamic umbrella affiliated with the Moslem Brüderbund.
In 2006, a report issued by the Danish Institute for International Studies stated that during the 1990s the IHH maintained links with al-Qaeda and a number of "global jihad networks." The report also said that the Turkish government launched an investigation into the IHH starting December 1997 after receiving intelligence that the IHH had bought automatic weapons from Islamist terrorists.
The report said that following the revelation, the Turkish government launched a raid on the organization's Istanbul offices, where they found weapons, explosives, and instructions for bomb-making. The report added that an examination of documents found at the IHH office indicated that the group was planning to take part in terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Bosnia.
According to the study, a French intelligence report found that in the mid-1990s Yildirim recruited soldiers for jihad activities in a number of Moslem countries and that the IHH transferred money, firearms, and explosives to jihadists in said countries.
[Dawn] A orc commander in northwest Pakistain has warned polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... vaccination teams to stay away from his area bordering Afghanistan.
The statement by Hafiz Gul Bahadur is an obstacle to efforts to beat polio on Pakistain, one of only three nations where the virus is endemic.
The threat came in a pamphlet distributed Saturday in markets in the troubled North Wazoo tribal region. It said spies could enter the region under the cover of vaccination teams.
Bahadur controls territory there. He has focused on battling US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... troops across the border in Afghanistan and is believed to have a truce with the Pakistain army.
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#1
This really should be under "Idiot of the Week" stuff...or does the Koran say that polio is a gift?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
06/17/2012 15:48
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Her business partner, Abid Hussain, a former activist with a radical Islamic group who has a conviction for violence, secured an invitation to meet David Cameron at Downing Street, raising questions over the Prime Minister's security.
Lady Warsi's decision not to take part in the debate follows allegations that David Cameron banned her from attending a prominent Muslim conference in London last weekend.
She personally paid for potential customers, one of whom was in negotiations over a deal with her firm, to attend a Conservative Party lunch with the Prime Minister last month.
The Sunday Telegraph has also learnt that her business partner, Abid Hussain, a former activist with a radical Islamic group who has a conviction for violence, secured an invitation to meet David Cameron at Downing Street, raising questions over the Prime Minister's security.
The disclosures put Lady Warsi under fresh scrutiny.
Mr Cameron has already asked Sir Alex Allan, the independent adviser on ministerial conduct, to investigate after The Sunday Telegraph disclosed that she had not declared a majority stake in Rupert's Recipes, a restaurant supply firm whose other shareholder is Mr Hussain.
However the disclosure that she apparently used a political function to promote her business appears to breach clause one of the Ministerial Code, which states: "Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests."
The mysterious unmanned mini-space shuttle on a classified mission has finally returned to earth. It landed early Saturday morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after weather conditions kept pushing back landing attempts the last few days.
The Air Force's X-37B, is an unmanned reusable spacecraft built by Boeing that has spent more than a year on a classified mission in space. Measuring 29 feet in length and having a 15-foot wingspan, the unmanned reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle looks like a miniature version of NASA's now retired space shuttles.
The spacecraft landed at Vandenberg at 5:48am PDT after having spent 469 days in orbit.
The craft went into orbit on March 5, 2011, but as was the case during its first launch in 2010, very little has been known about its mission or what payloads it might be carrying because its missions are classified. That has led to speculation that the spacecraft is involved in intelligence gathering operations or the testing of new technologies.
In keeping with the scarce mission details for the X-37B, all the Air Force would say in a statement Saturday wais that the spacecraft had "conducted on-orbit experiments" during its mission.
Designed to stay in extended Earth orbits, the X-37B remained in orbit for 224 days during its maiden mission in 2010. This mission kept it in orbit more than twice as long this time around.
An Air Force statement announcing Saturday's landing says the X37B will launch again later this fall aboard an Atlas V booster.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/17/2012
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#1
They were testing to see if the Pentagon's laundry could be cleaned this way.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
robbery in the West Bank fired shots and apparently struck and killed two Palestinians, police said Sunday.
[Tolo News] Several foreign countries are making conspiracies against Afghanistan in order to destabilise the country, Head of Afghanistan's High Peace Council Salahuddin Rabbani said today.
Orakzai Agency
Mohmand
[Tolo News] Russia is worried that Afghanistan will once again become a safe haven for Taliban and terrorists, which will be a threat to Russian territory as well.
A 
[Al Ahram] Libyan authorities on Saturday declared warring mountain towns in the west of the country a "military zone" and called for an immediate ceasefire. "As a result of the violence in the areas of Mizdah, Sheguiga and Zintan which has killed innocent people, the interim government... orders all parties to immediately stop their fire," Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib's office said in a statement.
(Sh.M.Network)- 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Yemen Post] The Security Authorities on Saturday launched a comprehensive campaign against all armed scenes and disorders as well as spread and carrying of weapons in Yemen's capital Sanaa, officials said. 
[Iran Press TV] US President 
(Sh. M. Network) -- A huge 
(Sh.M.Network)-An official of Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a (ASWJ), a pro-Somali government group, affirmed that their recent abandon from towns in central Somalia was just "a military tactics" and he said they will move back to their former positions before long.
At least 35 people have been killed in the latest attacks by US 
DR AQ Khan turns pro-Imran
Nawaz Sharif
(Sh.M.Network) -- The White House is partially lifting the lid of secrecy on its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia by formally acknowledging for the first time that it is conducting lethal attacks in those countries.
Al-Qaeda's Iraq affiliate has 
UN observers suspended their mission to Syria on Saturday, blaming intensifying violence as troops rained shells down on rebel bastions including Homs, where the opposition warned a massacre was imminent.
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo...
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[Dawn] A 
Car bombers targeting Shiite pilgrims in Storied 
(Sh. M. Network)-The Æthiopian troops operating inside Somalia to fight Al shabab fighters, have once again 
At least a dozen more people were 
cycle of violence
...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat...
A mob attacked a 
[Dawn] A
