I know this will come as a shock to many of our more gentle readers, but (or should I say butt) Quick Ethel, my pills!
An unclassified study from a military research unit in southern Afghanistan details how homosexual behavior is unusually common among men in the large ethnic group known as Pashtuns -- though they seem to be in complete denial about it.
The study, obtained by Fox News, found that Pashtun men commonly have sex with other men, admire other men physically, have sexual relationships with boys and shun women both socially and sexually -- yet they completely reject the label of "homosexual." The research was conducted as part of a longstanding effort to better understand Afghan culture and improve Western interaction with the local people. I'm not sure I'd be looking for interaction with the local people, or at least about half of them.
The research unit, which was attached to a Marine battalion in southern Afghanistan, acknowledged that the behavior of some Afghan men has left Western forces "frequently confused." Looking for Understatement of the Year?
In one instance, a group of local male interpreters had contracted gonorrhea anally but refused to believe they could have contracted it sexually -- "because they were not homosexuals."
Apparently, according to the report, Pashtun men interpret the Islamic prohibition on homosexuality to mean they cannot "love" another man -- but that doesn't mean they can't use men for "sexual gratification."
The group of interpreters who had contracted gonorrhea joked in the camp that they actually got the disease by "mixing green and black tea." But since they refused to heed the medics' warnings, many of them re-contracted the disease after receiving treatment. Saved the best for last, but there is more at the link:
The U.S. army medic also told members of the research unit that she and her colleagues had to explain to a local man how to get his wife pregnant.
The report said: "When it was explained to him what was necessary, he reacted with disgust and asked, 'How could one feel desire to be with a woman, who God has made unclean, when one could be with a man, who is clean? Surely this must be wrong.'"
#1
Please tell me why we are wasting blood and treasure for these savages? We have standoff weapons. There is no need to get close to these disease-ridden bags of puss.
[Iran Press TV Latest] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday ruled out the likelihood of talks with Taliban hardliners who she termed as "the really bad guys."
"We're not going to talk to the really bad guys because the really bad guys are not ever going to renounce al-Qaeda and renounce violence and agree to re-enter society," Clinton said in an interview with National Public Radio Broadcast.
"That is not going to happen with people like Mullah Omar and the like," she said in reference to the Taliban leader in Afghanistan, who remains at large almost nine years after the US-led invasion of the violence-weary nation.
Clinton was in London on Thursday to attend a global conference on Afghanistan, where the participants backed a multimillion-dollar fund to support Afghan President Hamid Karzai's plan to reintegrate militants who lay down their arms.
She admitted to fears among Afghan women of dealing with the Taliban whose pursuit of extremism deprived women of education, employment and traveling on their own between 1996 and 2001.
But Clinton tried to soothe the concerns, saying the "current government or any foreseeable government" would not practice the same violation of women's rights.
Afghans continue to struggle with the occupation as militancy keeps taking its toll on civilians, while drug production and trafficking remain prosperous businesses and wide-spread corruption continues to plague the government and its armed forces.
The United States and its allies plan to pour an additional 40,000 troops into Afghanistan to quash Taliban militants.
Clinton defended more boots in the field as a way to back up political efforts aimed at making peace with the enemy.
"Only a surge of military forces alone without any effort on the political side is not likely to succeed; only an effort to make peace with your enemies without the strength to back it up is not going to succeed," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
"We're not going to talk to the really bad guys"
I doubt anyone will seriously challenge her depth of knowledge or experience with "bad guys."
#6
Puppy, did it ever occur to you that everything you heard about the subject came to you from people who later regated you with tales of USA attrocities in Iraq & Afghanistan? Don't bother me again until you have the facts.
[Dawn] The Taliban's leaders will decide soon about joining talks with the Afghan government, a spokesman said on Friday, after President Hamid Karzai invited them to a peace council as part of efforts to end years of fighting.
"I cannot say a word regarding these peace talks. The Taliban leadership will soon decide whether to take part in these peace talks," Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
The majority of ships being hijacked off the coast of Somalia are ignoring safety advice, UN piracy experts say. Carl Salicath, chairman of the UN group on piracy, told the BBC up to 25% of vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden are ignoring the UN's guidelines.
So refuse to honor the shipping insurance. Problem solved.
"Commercial ships following these practices are, with a very few exceptions, not hijacked," he said. "They are designed, even if pirates become technically more sophisticated... to prevent hijacking."
Mr Salicath said piracy experts meeting at the UN headquarters on Thursday were told ships were ignoring some simple advice. He told the BBC's Network Africa programme this included:
Sailing as fast as possible
Using barbed wire where pirates could possibly board
Staying in contact with the international maritime forces
Sailing at recommended times
The piracy experts also heard that piracy has continued to expand further out to sea, at times more than 1,000 nautical miles from Somalia's coast.
Captain Paul Chivers, chief of staff of the EU naval forces, said "the number of attacks has gone up considerably in the Somali basin, the number of successful attacks has gone down".
"It would be dangerous to assume we have overcome the threat," AP news agency quotes him as saying.
Mr Salicath said the contact group had agreed to set up a trust fund to help establish a Somali coast guard and to support the judiciary in countries where captured pirates are being prosecuted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[Maghrebia] Mauritanian Salafist activist Ahmed Ould Heinna Ould Mouloud said that kidnapping westerners is a violation of Islamic law, ANI reported on Thursday (January 28th). "You're not supposed to kidnap them! You chop their heads off! It's in the Koran someplace. You could look it up!"
In an interview published Thursday in Akhbar Nouakchott, Ould Heinna criticised all acts of violence, including the recent abductions of western tourists. "Foreigners who enter Muslim countries must be safe. Under Aman, it is sacrilege to assault them or make them suffer the slightest prejudice", he said. According to Ould Heinna, the foreigners' "blood, property and honour are strictly protected and doing otherwise would breach the principle of Aman".
He also spoke out against fellow Salafist Khadim Ould Semane for wearing a tee-shirt emblazoned with al-Qaeda slogans at last week's religious debate between Islamic scholars and Salafist convicts in a Nouakchott prison. Such slogans "have nothing to do with Islam", he said, adding that the gesture was "contrary to Islamic law".
Ould Heinna was arrested in 2005 on charges of recruiting insurgents to fight in Iraq. He was acquitted in 2007. Ould Semane has been jailed since 2008 for the murder of a family of French tourists.
This Mauritanian venture is truly fascinating.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
[Maghrebia] Tunisia's 2003 anti-terrorism law suffers from "serious inconsistencies", according to a UN official visiting the country on an official fact-finding trip.
"There is a contradiction between legislation and reality," said UN Special Rapporteur Michael Scheinin in Tunis on Tuesday (January 26th) at the conclusion of his 4-day evaluation.
After meeting with government ministers, law enforcement officers, judicial officials, NGO representatives and prison inmates jailed on terrorism charges, Scheinin told a Tunis press conference that he had found "gaps" between the law of 2003 and what is actually happening in the country.
The UN expert on human rights in the fight against terrorism expressed the greatest concern over what he called the law's lack of a clear definition of terrorism.
"The law here has been punishing people since 2003 for their intentions," the UN official wrote in his report, which was published on Tuesday. "I heard of numerous cases of -- and saw several -- young men whose main 'crime' was to have downloaded or watched certain programmes online [or] having met to discuss some religious issues with others".
Several NGOs estimate that 2,000 people are now detained as a result of the law. But the Ministry of Justice dismisses that number, claiming only 400 people have been detained under the law's provisions.
Scheinin also took issue with what he called authorities' violations of the 2003 law. Arresting individuals with no clear link to terrorism under this law has "a counter-productive effect in the fight against terrorism", the official said in his report.
"As terrorism is not an everyday phenomenon in Tunisia, it appears that the scope of application of the terrorism provisions has grown too wide and could be reduced," he wrote.
The UN official also alleged that Tunisian police post-date arrest warrants to hold suspects for extended periods, and noted what he called worryingly low numbers of prosecutions on terrorism charges, as compared to the frequency of allegations.
Scheinin praised Tunisia, however, for its commitment to "investing in education, addressing social disparities and [the] overall fight against poverty", emphasising the key role played by these sectors in preventing terrorism. In addition, he applauded Tunisian legislators for amending the anti-terrorism law by "narrowing the vague provisions regarding incitement" and abolishing "faceless judges" from trials.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
UN Special Rapporteur Michael Scheinin ...The UN expert on human rights .... "I heard of numerous cases of -- and saw several -- "
The ladygentleman doth protest too much, methinks.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Fighting in northern Yemen is spreading and the five-year conflict has now driven 250,000 people from their homes, deepening the humanitarian crisis, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.
The number of displaced in the Arab world's poorest country has doubled since August when the latest round of fighting between the government and Houthi rebels erupted, it said.
"The fighting has gradually moved from Saada city and its surroundings towards the northwest," Andrej Mahecic, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told a news briefing.
This had led to "a steady influx" of around 1,000 families, some 7,000 people, arriving in Hajjah province each week over the past six weeks, he said. Most families were from Saada.
Fighting between Yemeni troops and Houthi rebels, who say the Zaidi Shiite minority suffers discrimination and neglect, has flared on and off since 2004 in Saada province.
Aid agencies including the UNHCR and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) say that fighting prevents them from delivering aid to Saada province.
It is increasingly difficult for the displaced to make ends meet and get access to health and education, Mahecic said.
"Most of them fled leaving behind almost all of their belongings and cattle which was the pillar of their livelihoods and primary source of income," he said.
The lack of adequate shelter for the displaced in Hajjah is a major concern, despite the existence of three camps, he said.
"Many displaced Yemenis are in makeshift sites which have mushroomed along the roads leading to the camps," Mahecic said, adding that the situation was also difficult in Amran province.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at an international conference on Yemen in London on Wednesday, said that the country of 23 million must act to push through reforms to tackle the root causes of poverty and instability fuelling militancy in the country.
Yemeni rebels involved in a cross-border conflict with Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that Saudi air and artillery attacks had continued despite a truce offer by the dissidents to the kingdom. Riyadh declared victory over the rebels on Wednesday following the ceasefire offer from the insurgents, who said they had withdrawn from Saudi territory.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
it's funny how muslims living comfortably in democratic and productive countries around the world have no concern at all about muslim on muslim violence and carnage. None. Not a peep out of them. Hundreds of thousands slaughtered by muslims, millions displaced by sectarian idiocies and not one word from 'em. Funny, isn't it. Not funny ha-ha, funny peculiar.
A decision by the Iranian government to place a temporary ban on the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca sets alarm bells ringing in Saudi Arabia with some officials in the Kingdom warning of "heavy losses."
Iran's Sazman-e-Haj (Haj and Pilgrimage Organization) announced on January 16 that the participation of Iranians in the Umrah (minor hajj pilgrimage) ceremonies in Saudi Arabia will be temporarily suspended in the coming year.
The decision came after Saudi officials failed to provide an explanation for the mistreatment of Iranian pilgrims during the last season of Hajj in the Arab kingdom.
"The shocking behavior of Saudi policemen with Iranians during their pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina is cause for serious concern," Ali Layali, the head of Iran's Haj and Pilgrimage Organization, told Fars News Agency on January 17.
Layali said the ban on pilgrimage will be in place until the issue is resolved in negotiations with Saudi officials.
The temporary suspension of the Umrah pilgrimage has raised serious concerns among various service providers in Saudi Arabia.
Taha Marikar, the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Al-Hussam service provider, told Zawya on Friday that hotels and transport companies in Mecca and Medina will face millions of riyals in losses if Iranians fail to show up.
Iranians account for almost a quarter of the total 3.7 million people, who annually visit Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage.
Fayyaz Siddiqi, chief operating officer of Hajeej Travel, noted that Umrah service providers earn an average of SR750 ($200) from providing pilgrims with visa services, accommodation and transportation after arrival.
Siddiqi added that if Iranians steer clear of the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this season, hotels and related businesses in Mecca and Medina could easily suffer a loss of up to SR700 million.
He noted that the absence of Iranian pilgrims this year would significantly lower the price for accommodation in Makkah and Madinah.
Siddiqi added that while pilgrims from other countries can fill the gap to some extent, they will not be nearly enough to offset the losses the Umrah industry is likely to face.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
My nanoviolin must be around here somewhere....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/30/2010 0:20 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Maybe the Iranian don't want thousands of their people stranded in a foreign country when Israel starts their bombing campaign.
Tony makes the record and the threat perfectly clear. We might disagree with him on any number of social or political issues, but Tony has the heart of a lion.
Tony Blair has said the Iraq war made the world a safer place and he has "no regrets" about removing Saddam Hussein. In a robust defence of his decision to back war, Mr Blair said Saddam was a "monster and I believe he threatened not just the region but the world."
The former prime minister was barracked by a member of the public as he made his closing statement at the end of a six-hour grilling at the Iraq inquiry. He said Iraqis were now better off and he would take the same decisions again.
"I never regarded 11 September as an attack on America, I regarded it as an attack on us."
--Tony Blair
Family members of service personnel killed in Iraq - and members of the public who got their seats after a public ballot - had been sitting behind Mr Blair in the public gallery as he was questioned about the build-up and aftermath of the Iraq war. When Mr Blair left he was booed by some members of the public and two women shouted at him "you are a liar" and "you are a murderer".
Committee chairman Sir John Chilcot asked Mr Blair at the end of the session if he had any regrets about the war, but Mr Blair said that although he was "sorry" it had been "divisive" he believed it had been right to remove Saddam.
"It was better to deal with this threat, to remove him from office and I do genuinely believe the world is a safer place as a result."
He told the inquiry if Saddam had not been removed "today we would have a situation where Iraq was competing with Iran" both in terms of nuclear capability and "in respect of support of terrorist groups".
"The decision I took - and frankly would take again - was if there was any possibility that he could develop weapons of mass destruction we should stop him."
Sometimes it is important not to ask the "March 2003 question" but the "2010 question", said Mr Blair, arguing that if Saddam had been left in power the UK and its allies would have "lost our nerve" to act. He also stressed the importance of taking a "tough line" with Iran, accusing the country of colluding with al-Qeada to destabilise Iraq in the aftermath of the invasion, rejecting claims the UK had taken a "cavalier" attitude to post-war planning.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
See also ISLAMONLINE.NET > BLAIR: IRAQ "ROGUE STATE" THREAT NOW EXISTS IN IRAN.
HMMMM, HMMMMM, wehell, former POTUS Dubya invaded Iraq agz Saddam Hussein > MSM-NET "JURY" IS STILL OUT IFF POTUS BAMMER WILL DO SAME AGZ NUKE-IZING IRAN ANDOR NORTH KOREA???
#2
SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson said: "No matter how skilfully he ducked and dived today, Tony Blair's legacy will forever be that of the illegal, immoral Iraq war. Chillingly, the ex-prime minister showed no regret for his dubious decisions which led us into the worst foreign policy disaster in modern times."
Dear Angus Robertson, the next time a person like "Chemical Ali" is caught in Iraq, I suggest he not be hanged, but rather delivered to your doorstep, so that he may live out the rest of his life with you.
#3
The left, both here and in Europe, have their meme on Iraq solidified...that is was an illegal war, etc. They are fools of course, and have the benefit of almost 10 years of relative safety from which to cast their aspersions.
Iraq was the central battlefield, the one of OUR choosing. It was in the middle of the region, easy to supply, close to strategic enemies with a history and traditions that made it possible to forge a brighter future. We've killed tens of thousands of hard core jihadis there and so have left the world a better place.
Oh, and we've left a country with a nascent but strengthening democracy, a growing security capability and an emerging economy that could become the powerhouse of the region (alongside Israel of course).
DANISH authorities have detained two Afghan soldiers who ran off after completing training exercises in Germany, Danish police said.
The two soldiers, aged around 20, were stopped in a car with three other people, Joern Traet, a Danish border police officer in the southern town of Maribo, said. "You ain't from 'round here, are you?"
As the men did not have proper papers apart from their military identification, they were sent back to Germany the following day, Mr Traert said. They were apparently trying to make their way to relatives in Finland.
The soldiers had just completed three weeks' training with NATO on a US military base in southern Germany ahead of deployment in Afghanistan, according to Der Spiegel. They were due to return home on December 16 but after passing customs controls at Frankfurt airport retraced their steps and slipped out of the airport.
The father of "Toronto 18" bomb plotter Shareef Abdelhaleem says he never issued a fatwa sanctioning terrorist acts in Canada, despite contradictory testimony from a star Crown witness at his son's trial. Mohammed Tariq Abdelhaleem, speaking outside a Brampton courtroom yesterday after testifying at an entrapment hearing, suggested police agent Shaher Elsohemy invented the fatwa angle because he held "a grudge against me and my son."
Similar to what the defence is arguing, the elder Abdelhaleem, 62, said he believes Mr. Elsohemy pushed his son to participate in the bomb plot as an act of "revenge" for past disputes between their families. "He's punishing me in the shape of my son," Mohammed Abdelhaleem said.
Shareef Abdelhaleem, 34, was found guilty last week of participating in a terrorist plot to detonate powerful truck bombs at the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service office on Front Street and a military base between Toronto and Ottawa. The entrapment hearing, expected to wrap up on Monday, is examining whether there was an abuse of police process in the case.
Mohammed Abdelhaleem, who taught Islamic education classes in Mississauga and worked as a nuclear engineer until his son's arrest, said he and his son discussed jihad "many, many times," particularly in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "He knew where I stand on this," Mohammed Abdelhaleem said, noting his son would not have to ask for a fatwa, or religious ruling, to determine the bomb plot was Islamically incorrect. "To say Shareef had to make a phone call to me is absurd."
The issue first came up during the testimony of Mr. Elsohemy, who said the accused told him he received a fatwa from his father indicating a terrorist attack in Canada would be "acceptable." Upon receiving the ruling, Mr. Elsohemy told the judge, Shareef Abdelhaleem said "things are clear for him now.... He has no doubts about [the plot's] Islamic correctness."
Mohammed Abdelhaleem, concerned about the damage to his reputation, made a point of addressing the issue outside court yesterday after giving testimony on the entrapment matter. Mohammed Abdelhaleem told the Superior Court judge that before Mr. Elsohemy became an RCMP agent in the spring of 2006, he attended Mr. Abdelhaleem's religious classes in Mississauga, and "he used to ask questions about jihad and what should we do and where should we go. I didn't like that."
The court has heard much about a disagreement between Shareef Abdelhaleem and Mr. Elsohemy that began during a trip to Morocco and continued in Mississauga, when Shareef Abdelhaleem accused Mr. Elsohemy's brothers of smashing his BMW windshield. After that incident, Mohammed Abdelhaleem says he barred Mr. Elsohemy from attending any more of his classes. He now blames Mr. Elsohemy, who is in witness protection after negotiating a $4-million deal, for entrapping his son.
"[Shareef ] is not violent whatsoever. He likes cats and stuff," Mohammed Abdelhaleem said outside court. "He gets influenced by people ... so fast."
The trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed won't be held in lower Manhattan and could take place in a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, sources said last night.
Administration officials said that no final decision had been made but that officials of the Department of Justice and the White House were working feverishly to find a venue that would be less expensive and less of a security risk than New York City.
The back-to-the-future Gitmo option was reported yesterday by Fox News and was not disputed by White House officials.
#2
Nah. The left doesn't give a damn about Gitmo. They got what it wanted out of it: power. They are now in control and Gitmo will be flushed down the memory hole until the right is in control again.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2010 21:57 Comments ||
Top||
A prominent sheik and U.S. ally is weighing whether to urge fellow Sunnis to boycott upcoming elections in protest of the government's ballot purge of hundreds of candidates suspected of links to Saddam Hussein's regime.
Such a call by Ahmed Abu Risha (Sons of Iraq/Anbar Awakening honcho) risks derailing Obama administration hopes that the March 7 parliamentary elections will bring stronger reconciliation between Iraq's majority Shiites and minority Sunnis who want to reclaim more political power.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2010 10:11 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
Turns out that the Iraqis aren't paying much attention to a bunch of babbling Brits ...
In Baghdad on Friday, most people were enjoying their evening, oblivious to the questioning of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair by the members of the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war. Many were unaware of the event in London entirely. Those who had heard mention of it on the TV news bulletins seemed unmoved.
"We should look forwards, not back," said one young traffic policeman - out of uniform, relaxing in a pavement tea shop on his day off. "We should stop arguing about whether the invasion was right or wrong. Britain should look forward too," he added.
But Laith, the owner of the tea stall, was less forgiving. "We've seen no positive changes here since 2003," he said. He complained of poor water and electricity supplies, rising unemployment, and a general lack of public services.
Indeed. The people of Iraq grapple with a long list of problems on a daily basis, not least the continuing violence which - despite security gains - still claims the lives of hundreds of people every month.
The 2003 invasion is regarded as an American adventure here first and foremost.
The circumstances surrounding Britain's decision to go to war are not top of people's list of concerns. The Chilcot inquiry has received little attention in the Iraqi press. What coverage there has been has tended to see the affair as an internal British affair. Some have questioned its timing, pointing to the UK's imminent general election.
Those who are following the inquiry in Baghdad however, will be focusing on two questions.
The first is the apparent lack of adequate post-war planning on the part of the coalition forces. When it comes to the problems mentioned by Laith, the tea-shop owner, many people here trace them back to post-invasion mismanagement.
The second is the question of legality. There are those in the government who fear that if the Chilcot inquiry throws doubt upon the legality of the war under international law, it could provide fuel for insurgents by providing them with a justification, in their eyes, to continue their campaign.
There are plenty of people in Iraq who disagree with Laith, who say they have seen positive change in Iraq since 2003. There has been a huge growth in the availability of consumer goods: computers and mobile phones. People also feel freer to express their political opinions openly and assertively without fear of persecution.
One test of these new freedoms will come on 7 March when Iraqis will vote in a general election. If this can be held peacefully and if, crucially, the result helps to overcome divisions between the various sectarian and ethnic groups, then Iraq may indeed be able to start looking forward rather than back.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The BBC apparently won't ever give up its anti-war tub-thumping. listening to its Radio 4 coverage is a case of sneering presenter after sneering presenter introducing the subject, followed by sneering correspondents spinning the events with scepticism at every turn, followed by talking heads' analysis or discussions - all of whom, without exception, are in lock step with the BBC agenda, ie the war was unquestionably wrong, there can be no justification, it was a disaster, the motives of those involved were evil, and the only reaction from anyone participating in the inquiry or observing, is contempt for Blair et al. The BBC, as usual, is craven, arrogant, partisan and wrong at every turn.
#2
There has been a huge growth in the availability of consumer goods: computers and mobile phones. People also feel freer to express their political opinions openly and assertively without fear of persecution.
Obviously these are an anathema to the neo-Socialist on either side of the Atlantic. That's why they still oppose the liberation of Iraq.
Posted by: Big Angerese3014 ||
01/30/2010 9:24 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I wonder what would happen if UKIP floated the idea of privatizing the broadcast media, eliminating the onerous TV tax, and limiting the number of media outlets that could be controlled by a single company.
#5
Turns out that the Iraqis aren't paying much attention to a bunch of babbling Brits ...
and thats a good thing , cos the only voice people really hear in and outisde the uk is just that
UKIP do offer alternatives to main stream 'fanciful politics' , There is/has been far too much 'yoghurt weaving' in the UK since Thatcher/Reagan times (not saying they were sweet times, but at least there was 'gelling' relationships and cohesive policy .. Lets be frank, (no not uber poster here) ... this mess wouldnt happen under her .
Posted by: Oscar ||
01/30/2010 19:26 Comments ||
Top||
Aswat al-Iraq: One civilian was killed east of Falluja city when he shot himself dead while practicing Sufi (Muslim mysticism) rituals. "The civilian's dead body was admitted to a nearby hospital," a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Friday. Can't get much more devout than that...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
[Ma'an] Giving a Friday sermon Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh accused the Arab world of using leaked reports from Israel to rally the Egyptian street against the people of Gaza.
Speaking at the Al-Omary Mosque in Jabaliya, Haniyeh outlined two reports allegedly printed in the Arab world last week.
One, he said, discussed the resettlement of Palestinians in the Sinai under a land swap deal for a two-state solution, and a second apparently alleged that a Palestinain in Cairo was involved in urging Egyptian officials to continue building the Gaza subterranean border wall.
Haniyeh was vague on the origins of the reports, neither of which appeared in Arab mainstream news media over the past week.
The de facto leader insisted throughout his speech that the alleged reports were "false" and "from Israeli sources," adding that the de facto government would refuse resettlement in the Sinai or any other lands that were not part of historic Palestine.
Haniyeh also talked about the internal and external conspiracies against the tenth government and the legislative council, elected in 2006, during the last four years.
"We were exposed to a three-dimensional war, economically by imposing the siege on the people of Gaza, militarily by attacking the people and committing crimes which are mostly represented in the war on Gaza, and politically as the occupation started to detain lawmakers and the representatives of the Palestinian people in order to undermine the Palestinian legitimacy and democracy," Haniyeh said.
Moreover, Haniyeh contested "we were exposed to a three-dimensional conspiracy which first was by trying to spread chaos, the second by objections and not committing to jobs, and the third was defamed and media incitement, dissemination of falsehoods and rumors, and creating facts that are not true."
Haniyeh closed his speech with the assertion that the American hegemony in the region was defeated.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Hani baby, if you seem to be perpetually surrounded by a bunch of assholes, and basically the only thing they have in common is difficulty dealing with your behavior, maybe the problem is....you.
[Ma'an] Hamas leader in exile Khaled Mash'al on Friday vowed to avenge the death of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, who was killed days earlier in Dubai, allegedly by Israeli forces.
Is Khaled coming after the evil Joooz himself or is he sending someone?
After the funeral in Al-Yarmuk refugee camp south of Damascus, Mash'al said "we will avenge this man. If you [Israel] were happy for assassinating a great man who bravely assassinated your soldiers, then this happiness is going to pass.
"Don't be so happy. We will avenge Al-Mabhouh. Do not think that we will abandon the choice of resistance. Not settlement, occupation, killing, nor the wall will weaken our resistance."
Mash'al added: "We do not know when, but we're going to win; we are confident we will defeat you."
Meanwhile he will consume a roasted goat in your honor ...
Meanwhile, the information office of the government in the United Arab Emirates said that Dubai police were able to identify the suspects who killed the Hamas leader, saying they all hold European passports.
The police added that despite the fact that the apparent assassination was quick and skillful, the suspects left behind evidence that will lead to their eventual capture and arrest.
Al-Mabhouh had served as a liaison between Iran and Hamas, according to various reports, helping to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. He had been jailed several times by Israel, whose forces reportedly destroyed his Gaza home at some point.
"We in Hamas hold the Zionist enemy responsible for the criminal assassination of our brother, and we pledge to God and to the blood of the martyrs and to our people to continue his path of jihad and martyrdom," read a statement on a Hamas' news site.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
[Straits Times] A PAKISTANI man was arrested at Bangkok's main international airport after he was found to be carrying almost a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin in his stomach, Thai customs officials said Friday.
Shabbir Ahmad, 27, was stopped at Suvarnabhumi Airport late Thursday night after he arrived from Lahore, Pakistan, on a Thai Airways flight.
Authorities said they had been tipped off that a Pakistani national would be smuggling drugs and Ahmad was stopped as he tried to clear customs.
X-rays showed he had swallowed 90 packs of heroin weighing a total of 830 grams (one pound) with a street value in Bangkok worth 2.5 million baht (S$106,394), officials said.
Ahmad was charged with trafficking and smuggling class A drugs, which is punishable by death in Thailand.
Ahmad is the third Pakistani national to have been arrested this month attempting to smuggle heroin through Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Where did the other 1.2 lbs go? 1 lb in his gut and the rest.....
[Straits Times] MALAYSIAN prosecutors charged three Muslim men on Friday in the firebombing of a church - the first suspects in a string of assaults on places of worship amid a dispute over whether non-Muslims can refer to God as 'Allah'.
The arson attacks, vandalism and other incidents at 11 churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer halls in recent weeks followed a Dec 31 court verdict that allowed non-Muslims to use 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' in the Malay language.
Many Malaysian Muslims believe the word should be exclusive to their religion, and that its use by others could confuse some Muslims and even tempt them to convert.
Three suspects pleaded innocent in a Kuala Lumpur district court on Friday to starting a fire that partially gutted a Protestant church on Jan 8, said government lawyer Anselm Charles Fernandis. It was the first and most serious of all the attacks on churches, most of which suffered only minor damage.
The men, who are in their 20s, face a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years if convicted of 'mischief by fire' with the intention of destroying a place of worship. The judge set March 12 for mention.
Five others arrested with the men last week in connection to the same attack were released without charges. The attacks on churches have abated in the past two weeks, though fears of tensions resurfaced on Wednesday when severed heads of wild boars were found dumped at two mosques. Pigs are considered unclean by Muslims.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Iran put 16 opposition supporters detained during anti-government protests last month on trial Saturday on charges of rioting and conspiring against the ruling system, Iran's state media reported.
The official IRNA news agency and state Press TV said the defendants face charges ranging from plotting against the establishment to violating security regulations. Five of those on trial, including two women, were accused of "moharebeh," or defying God, a charge that could carry the death penalty, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2010 10:10 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under:
[Al Arabiya Latest] The U.S. Senate early Friday approved legislation that would let President Barack Obama impose sanctions on Iran's gasoline suppliers and penalize some of Tehran's elites, a move aimed at pressuring Tehran to give up its nuclear program.
The sanctions, approved on a voice vote, would target companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand the country's oil-refining capacity by, in part, denying them loans and other assistance from U.S. financial institutions.
"The Iranian regime has engaged in serious human rights abuses against its own citizens, funded terrorist activity throughout the Middle East, and pursued illicit nuclear activities posing a serious threat to the security of the United States and our allies," said Democratic Senator Chris Dodd.
"With passage of this bill, we make it clear that there will be appropriate consequences if these actions continue," said Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a key sponsor of the legislation.
The sweeping measure must now be blended with a similar bill in the House of Representatives to forge a compromise measure for both sides to approve and send to President Barack Obama.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[Iran Press TV Latest] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's top aide said Friday Tehran is concerned about the direction of the US administration after President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address. "We have concerns Obama will not be successful in bring change to US policies," Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, the senior aide to President Ahmadinejad and his chief of staff, said. Now that you bring it up, he's not been real successful in changing Iranian policies, either...
If he cannot fulfill his promise to resolve issues between Tehran and Washington, he said, we cannot hold our breath that he would resolve other issues facing the US, the Iranian Students News Agency reported. Oh, go on. Keep holding your breath. Eventually something will happen.
After a year in office, the once-popular President Obama is having difficulties in saving the economy, ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and fulfilling his campaign promises, including the health care reform. In his State of the Union address to Congress on Wednesday, Obama explained about his effort in the past year to develop a new approach toward nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea. The focus on nuclear arms control "is why North Korea now faces increased isolation and stronger sanctions -- sanctions that are being vigorously enforced," Obama said. ... in the face of nuclear weapons that are coming closer and closer to reality...
"That is why the international community is more united, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is more isolated," he said. "And as Iran's leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there should be no doubt: they too, will face growing consequences."
Mashaei rejected the remarks and said Iranians are "the flag-bearers of peace." Oh, yeah. Anybody can see that...
"The Iranian nation never seeks war because beautiful people do not look for a quarrel," he said. "However, we would defend our country and religion with our blood if any danger looms over our land."
Mashaei said it was time for Washington to realize it needed Tehran's help if it wanted to "get out of the quagmire it has made in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Iran and the US have had no diplomatic ties for nearly three decades. The animosity has reached a new level after the Bush administration put Tehran on the "axis of evil," and accused the country of seeking nuclear weaponry.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
The only worry Iran has about Bambi is that he might (a) borrow Michelle's balls and (b) buy* a clue about the real world, not the world he lives in where unicorns fly out of his a**.
No need to worry, guys - it ain't gonna happen.
*with other people's money, of course....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/30/2010 0:18 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The only "worry" they have is that he's smoking far too many Lucky's.
#4
They're entirely correct to worry about him, given the rapid implosing of his Presidency a Wag the Dog campaign is a distinct possibility. Might even happen agead of the midterm election in order to try to rally the public to his banner.
#7
Given that it will make him look tough, take attention off the Obamacare bill and he hopes it can save some mid-term donks from losing their seat...
Yea, I can see him doing something that cold and calculated to try to save his "legacy".
Of course, knowing Bambi he'll just fuck that up too and more of our soldiers will die for nothing.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Tehran Friday rejected a bill passed by the US Senate that would restrict Iran's import of refined petroleum products as a continuation of a "wrong policy," saying the sanction would not affect the country.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that the US will not get achieve its goals by imposing sanctions.
"We have repeatedly said that the US sanctions imposed against our nation during the past 31 years ... have resulted in nothing but our nations' stronger determination to assert independence and achieve self-reliance," he said.
The US Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would allow President Barack Obama to impose new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
The measure will now move to a conference committee to iron out differences with an already-passed House version, Politico reported.
President Obama will have the power to deny loans and other assistance to US firms that export gasoline to Iran or help expand its oil-refining capacity.
The new legislation will also impose a broad ban on direct imports from Iran to the United States and vice versa, with the exception of food and medicine.
It will also require the Obama administration to freeze the assets of some Iranian officials, including those with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mehman-Parast said the move would not compel Iran to give up its "legal rights" to the civilian applications of the nuclear technology.
Iran says its nuclear program is directed at the civilian applications of the technology and is in line with the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory.
President Obama on Thursday warned Iran would face "growing consequences" over its nuclear work if ignores its "obligations". He also accused the country of "violating international agreements" by pursuing nuclear weapons.
After years of extensive inspections, the UN nuclear agency has not found any evidence that would support the US allegations.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/30/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
Iran has the world's largest refinery under construction. This is strategically important because without it, Iran would be unable to wage war for any significant period of time as cuts in imported refined products would significantly reduce their supply of diesel and jet fuel.
But there has been speculation that since rationing went into place, Iran may be diverting refined products to strategic reserve storage and may have significant reserves of refined product available in case of emergency.
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.
[Iran Press TV Latest] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday ruled out the likelihood of talks with Taliban hardliners who she termed as "the really bad guys." 
Aswat al-Iraq: One civilian was killed east of Falluja city when he shot himself dead while practicing Sufi (Muslim mysticism) rituals. "The civilian's dead body was admitted to a nearby hospital," a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Friday.
