#2
Something about this smells. (along with everything else about Benghazi) Maybe the amb died from an overdose of something meant to quiet him, but otherwise, it's just simpler to shoot him.
[Ynet] La Belle France has received a formal request from Egypt for free grain storage and far easier payment terms for imports, official sources said, as the world's largest wheat buyer grapples with a prolonged economic crisis.
At this point the situation can be moved from crisis to status quo. No doubt at some point it will become status quo ante bellum, but no need to rush the inevitable defeat.
La Belle France, the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... 's top wheat exporter and one of Egypt's leading suppliers, is studying the request and is open to helping Egypt on a vital food security issue, a French diplomatic source said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Bahrain on Wednesday launched investigations and started gathering information about "Hizbullah's interests" in the kingdom ahead of taking "measures" against them.
Bahraini Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah al-Khalifa has "directed security bodies to probe possible Hizbullah activity in the Kingdom of Bahrain, including financial investments, commercial and economic activity, operations disguised as charity, bank accounts, money transfers and individual members of the organization, to take the required legal procedures," said a statement carried by Bahrain's state news agency.
"These investigations are part of the steps being taken as a result of designating Hizbullah as a terrorist organization by the Kingdom of Bahrain," the agency added.
"This also coincides with the Gulf Cooperation Council's recent announcement that member states will consider Hizbullah as a terrorist organization and will look into their activities in the Gulf region," it said.
The GCC "decided to look into taking measures against Hizbullah's interests in the member states," GCC chief Abdul Latif al-Zayani told news hounds at the end of a ministerial meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
After the meeting, Bahraini Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ghanim al-Buainain said that "nobody could cover up Hizbullah's actions in regional countries."
"It is a terrorist organization and this is how Gulf states see it," he added.
However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... placing Hizbullah on the GCC's "terror" list was "a technical and legal matter that needs to be further studied," the Bahraini minister said.
On May 27, Shiite-majority Bahrain banned Bahraini opposition groups from having contact with Hizbullah, a day after the foreign minister of the Sunni-ruled kingdom branded the party's chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... as a "terrorist."
The decision appeared aimed at opposition groups, which are mostly Shiites, who dominated anti-regime protests that erupted in February 2011 before coming under a GCC-backed brutal crackdown a month later.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Even after a month Hefajat-e Islam failed to substantiate its claim that 2,500-3,000 of its men were killed during its May 5 rally at Shapla Chattar in the capital.
Despite promising to prepare a list of the dead and missing men, Hefajat leaders were still dragging their feet when The Daily Star spoke to them yesterday.
Earlier they had said thousands of Hefajat activists were bumped off by police and Rapid Action Battalion soldiers while they drove out of the capital Hefajat men holding the "peaceful" rally. It had claimed that the law enforcers switched off the street lights and committed genocide.
The gathering had tuned violent and Hefajat men clashed with law enforcers even before Rab and police started to flush them out in the middle of night, witnesses said.
Taking their cue from Hefajat, the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... also put out the corpse count at Shapla Chattar at 3,000 and claimed that many bodies of the victims of the "genocide" had been trucked away or stuffed into the manholes, a claim dismissed by police and the government.
Commissioner Benazir Ahmed of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on May 8 said 11 people, including a policeman and three pedestrians, died in the violence centring Hefajat's Dhaka siege programme and law enforcers' action on Hefajat men.
The Daily Star found 18 men dead in the unrest centring Shapla Chattar.
About the Hefajat claim regarding casualties, The Daily Star yesterday talked to seven Hefajat leaders, including its spokesperson Ashraf Ali, central office secretary Moulana Forkan, adviser of Hefajat's Dhaka city unit Abdul Latif Nejami, an assistant of Junaid Babunagari, secretary general of Hefajat and an assistant of Nur Hosain Karimi, convenor of Hefajat's Dhaka city unit.
They all expressed ignorance about a "big list" of dead or missing Hefajat men. They even were unable to identify 70 missing activists, reported by Bangla daily Prothom Alo yesterday.
Abdul Latif Nejami, Hefajat's adviser and chief of Islami Oikya Jote ... a political party in Bangladesh. In the 2001 elections the party won 2 out of 300 elected members in an alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It has a focus on building an islamic state, and has used the madrassas to gain support... , indirectly admitted exaggeration in their original claim about the Shapla Chattar casualties. "Primarily it was presumed that many Hefajat men went missing as we could not find them immediately after the incident. They could have taken shelter in different places and later returned to their bases."
On May 6, Hefajat leaders pledged to form enquiry committees in various districts led by their local chiefs to find out people who disappeared from Shapla Chattar.
"We are yet to receive report from any of the district leaders," said Hefajat spokesperson Ashraf Ali on Tuesday.
Ali had no explanation for the long delay in preparing a list of the missing. He asked The Daily Star to talk to his office secretary Moulana Forkan.
Forkan said he was not looking into the matter and suggested talking to another Hefajat leader. That Hefajat leader kept his phone off.
Asked whether the claim of 2,500 Hefajat men being killed was false as was termed by the government, Ashraf said, "I am busy. Talk to our other leaders."
Hefajat leader and international affairs secretary of Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon Abul Kasim Kasimi claimed that he had collected some names who were "martyred" on May 5. But he could not give The Daily Star the names of the victims.
Following the May 5 mayhem, in which Hefajat and Jamaat-Shibir men resorted to wide-spread violence, affected businessmen and the police filed 36 cases against Hefajat leaders. But so far police made no headway in these cases.
Home ministry officials admitted to The Daily Star that police were not pursuing the cases. "Since the incident, police have remained busy with handling political activities and have temporarily shelved the cases against Hefajat," said a high official.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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A mosque was burned down in Britain in a suspected arson attack on Wednesday. Police said they considered the mosque fire suspicious and that the letters "EDL" had been found scrawled on the side of the building. EDL is the acronym of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right group that has denied any involvement. Chief Superintendent Adrian Usher said, "Exactly when and where that graffiti was placed is a focal point of the inquiry,"
The Islamic center in north London was mainly used by the local Somali community. Firemen were called to the scene overnight after reports of an explosion. There were no injuries.
Last week a mosque in the northeastern city of Grimsby was assaulted by petrol bombs and similar attacks were reported in the south of England after the murder of Lee Rigby, a serving soldier.
Farooq Murad, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said in a statement, "This is the latest in a series of attacks on Muslim institutions since the horrific murder of Drummer Lee Rigby. The British Muslim community came out in droves to condemn this murder, and it is despicable that Muslims should be held to account and suffer in this way."
#1
So.... let's talk insurance.
Any secondaries? Any precious pictures firearms lost? Yes? No? They happened to be off site? Are they usually off site? Any cash crisped? The EDL emptied the place? I see, yes. Yes.
#3
Wouldn't be surprised if this and the 'graffiti' was self-inflicted to re-ignite any waning sympathy the general British populace might have for Allan's followers' perpetual victim-hood.
Woolwich attacks forcing the Brits to seriously re-think their relationships. That could make it quite difficult for leaders of the ummah to continue their extortion tactics.
A new display of 'victim-hood' was required.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
06/06/2013 10:23 Comments ||
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#4
If someone were looking to continue the traditional Sunni/Shia war or just settle some local imam grudges, now would be the time.
Funny, I don't remember Muslims coming out in droves to condemn Rigby's slaughter.
Because they were condemning the "backlash", not the attack.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/06/2013 14:14 Comments ||
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#7
I remember hearing a lot after 9/11 how Bin Laden and company were hoping to create a religious war and an angry response would be what he wanted.
I don't think the Jihadists have any idea what it would look like if the west really got angry. They've been assuming the left represented the left adn they are going to be very unhappy when they find that is not entirely true.
[An Nahar] One of the men accused of murdering a British soldier in London repeatedly interrupted his bail hearing on Wednesday, declaring "I'm a soldier" and accusing the judge of stifling the truth.
The video-link connecting Michael Adebolajo, 28, from prison to London's Old Bailey central criminal court was eventually switched off after the judge asked him several times to be quiet.
Adebolajo is accused along with another man, 22-year-old Michael Adebowale, of hacking to death soldier Lee Rigby in broad daylight near a barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, on May 22.
He is also accused of the attempted murder of two coppers and possession of a firearm.
In his second appearance in court since being charged on Saturday, Adebolajo was still wearing a plaster cast on his left arm after being shot by police at the scene of the murder.
He has been seen by psychiatrists five times -- three times in hospital and at least twice since he was discharged on Friday -- and has been declared fit for interview each time, the court heard.
Defense lawyer David Gottlieb said: "It's the prosecution's case that he is completely sane. He doesn't suffer from any mental disorder at all. Mr Hamza agrees with that".
Adebolajo asked at an earlier hearing to be referred to as Mujaahid Abu Hamza.
While his mental state was discussed, he interjected: "I'm not familiar with this legal jargon. I'm a soldier, not a lawyer."
Wearing a burgundy top with a pink jumper, Adebolajo complained that the hearing was not about him, "even though I played a major part in proceedings".
"Really and truly it's about the good, honest, decent, hardworking British members of society, whether they be Mohammedan or non-Mohammedan. They are the ones that have suffered the most," he said.
He also complained about the examination of his "privates" ahead of his court appearance, adding: "I cried like a baby, you know, into my sleeve."
When he was reprimanded by judge Nigel Sweeney for interrupting, he replied: "Stop trying to stifle the truth."
But he later praised the judge after Sweeney let him have his handcuffs removed in the video-link room at Belmarsh prison, on the understanding that two prison officers sit beside him.
"That man who is wearing the white wig and the red robe. May Allah bless that man because he has had the courage to do something that many wouldn't have had the courage to do," he said.
Adebolajo's case will return to the Old Bailey on June 28, when it will join up with that of his co-accused, Adebowale.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
If you're a soldier, let's seee your ID card, dont have one, you're NOT a soldier.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/06/2013 8:58 Comments ||
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#2
Soldier in what army? Out of uniform, so he's either a spy or committing treason - hang him.
North and South Korea have agreed to hold their first official talks for years, signalling a possible breakthrough in cross-border ties after months of escalated military tensions.
A surprise offer from Pyongyang on Thursday proposed discussions on a range of commercial and humanitarian issues, from reopening a joint industrial complex to resuming cross-border family reunions.
So the ruling class in Pyongyang is beginning to starve?
In an unusually quick reply, South Korea called for minister-level talks on June 12 in Seoul, and urged the North to reopen severed communications channels for working-level discussions from Friday.
"I hope... dialogue will provide a momentum for South and North Korea to improve relations based on mutual trust," South Korea's unification minister Ryoo Kihl-Jae said in a televised statement.
China, the North's sole major ally, reacted positively.
"China is happy and welcomes that (North and South Korea) agreed to resume their engagement and dialogue," said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei.
Analysts also welcomed the development but some advised caution, saying the precise nature and agenda of the dialogue might create insurmountable sticking points.
The usual opening demand by the Norks is for the U.S. to apologize, pay reparations and leave, and for the ROK to surrender unconditionally. So yes the agenda might be an issue...
[An Nahar] North Korea on Wednesday accused the South of having lured, kidnapped and brainwashed nine young North Korean refugees who were recently forcibly repatriated from Laos to Pyongyang via China.
Their case has attracted international concern and condemnation, with the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... and human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... groups warning the North that it would be held responsible for the safety of the refugees -- aged between 14 and 18.
But a lengthy statement attributed to a front man for the central committee of the North Korean Red Thingy Society said the nine were among many people lured away from the country by South Korean government-sponsored human traffickers, posing as religious activists.
"It is an unprecedented and heinous class-A crime -- luring our young children, confining and brainwashing them against their will and trying to drag them to the South," the front man said.
The nine refugees were tossed in the clink Please don't kill me! in Laos on May 10 for illegal entry and were eventually returned to North Korea via China.
The Lao foreign ministry said two South Koreans accompanying the refugees were placed in durance vile Please don't kill me! for alleged human trafficking and later handed over to the South's embassy in Vientiane.
The foreign ministry in Seoul rejected the "trafficker" label and said the two were acting as "guides" and trying to secure the refugees' permanent escape from the North.
Most North Korean refugees begin their journey by crossing into China, where they face repatriation if caught.
They then try to make it to a third country -- Thailand is the most popular choice -- from where they generally seek permission to resettle in South Korea.
Those who are caught and deported back to the North face severe punishment including a jail term at a labor camp, defectors in Seoul and rights groups say.
But Wednesday's statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency said the nine "kidnapped" returnees were being well-cared for.
"These young children who were luckily brought back to their beloved homeland... are stabilising and will flourish under the care of the nation to fulfil their hopes and future," the front man said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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North Korea recently opened the floodgates to discharge huge amounts of water from the Huichon hydro-power station in Jagang Province, a flagship project for the regime. The dam has a power generation capacity of 300,000 kW.
Fly Ash Liberation Brigade strikes again!
Experts speculate that the water was either discharged to brace for the rainy season or to lower the water table for emergency repair work on the trouble-ridden facility.
Images from a South Korean satellite show that the North lowered the water table behind the dam to a level where it is impossible to generate power. Even before that it only stored 10 percent of the full capacity of 550 million tons.
A government official here said rains in the area between December and April were the same as in previous years at about 128 mm, and there was no special flood alert or warning for the area either.
The Huichon power station was built to solve chronic electricity shortages for Pyongyang and its vicinity, but serious leaks and cracks were spotted the moment the first phase was complete in April 2011.
Former leader Kim Jong-il regarded the power plant as his final achievement and visited the building site eight times until he died on Dec. 17, 2011. Some intelligence reports suggested that he died in a fit of rage on his way to the dam after learning that cracks had appeared due to shoddy construction.
So it did some good...
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
Calling Barnes Wallis and RAF Squadron 617 to a white courtesy telephone, please.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/06/2013 16:44 Comments ||
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#2
a vertical construction joint at mid span may have been a a bad idea, but....juche!
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/06/2013 19:52 Comments ||
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North Korean leader Fat Boy Kim Jong-un personally ordered the return of nine North Korean defectors who were caught in Laos, Free North Korea Radio claimed Monday.
The nine, who are between 15 and 23 years old, have been placed in isolation near Pyongyang, the defector radio station added.
It quoted a source in Pyongyang as saying they arrived at a guesthouse in Sunan on May 29 and are still undergoing re-indoctrination. It added that the high-profile extraction of the nine by North Korean agents using diplomatic passports only proceeded so quickly because of Kim's personal orders.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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The evidence is just fine. But given that the rest of the EU actively disagrees, there's no point in fighting the inevitable.
[An Nahar] Bulgaria's new foreign minister said Wednesday that evidence Hizbullah was behind a kaboom last July on its soil that killed five Israelis was "circumstantial" and "not categorical" at this stage.
The minister, Kristian Vigenin, said that as a result, Sofia would not back the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... labeling the Lebanese organization's military wing a "terrorist" entity without proof from other cases.
"For us it is important that this case is not based only and solely on what happened in Burgas as, in my opinion, the evidence is not categorical," Vigenin told state BNR radio Wednesday.
He said that this was the case "even if there are indirect reasons and traces that could lead to the impression that this organization is behind the attack."
"There are indications that it is possible (Hizbullah was behind the attack)," he added.
"But we cannot take hard decisions with consequences for the politics of the European Union in the region based only on circumstantial evidence."
The July 18 attack saw a lone bomber blow himself up near a bus of Israeli tourists at Bulgaria's Black Sea airport of Burgas, killing five Israelis, their Bulgarian bus driver and himself.
Israel had immediately blamed the attack, the deadliest on Israelis abroad since 2004, on Iran and its "terrorist" proxy Hizbullah.
It however took over six months for Bulgaria's previous conservative government to come to what it called a "justified conclusion" that two helpers of the bomber -- Canadian and Australian passport-holders -- belonged to Hizbullah.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has contacted U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... to object to recent statements from Washington expressing concern over Turkey's handling of mass anti-government protests, a foreign ministry diplomat told Agence La Belle France Presse Wednesday.
"Turkey is not a second-class democracy," Davutoglu told Kerry in a phone call late on Tuesday, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
Yes, dear, you are so right. Now sit in that chair and I'll get you some milk and cookies.
Kerry on Monday said he was concerned by reports of excessive use of force by Turkish police to quell the biggest protests since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decade in power, urging all sides to "avoid any provocations or violence."
Davutoglu assured Kerry an investigation was under way into the police response, the ministry source said.
The diplomat added that the foreign minister told Kerry the protests were not "extraordinary", comparing them to the Occupy Wall Street movement that sprang up in the United States in 2011.
On Tuesday, Deputy Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologized to those injured after police used tear gas and water cannon against the protesters and said the government had "learnt its lesson", in comments that were welcomed by the White House.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
As a member state of the OIC Turkey, along with other allies like e.g. liberated Afghanistan and Egypt has officially committed itself to the abolition of Western Democracy in all Western nations.
In fact Turkey (and liberated Afghanistan, Egypt etc) does not even recognize Western nations as sovereign entities.
#3
Turkey 'Not a Second-Class Democracy', Ankara Tells U.S. [which is currently operating a 'Chicago Democracy' working its way to a Peoples Democratic Republic sort of democracy].
The diplomat added that the foreign minister told Kerry the protests were not "extraordinary", comparing them to the Occupy Wall Street movement that sprang up in the United States in 2011.
The Turks aren't crapping in the streets, and we didn't hose the Occutards down with pepper spray.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/06/2013 14:15 Comments ||
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#5
"and we didn't hose the Occutards down with pepper spray"
More's the pity, Rob. :-(
Posted by: Barbara ||
06/06/2013 14:25 Comments ||
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#6
Turkey 'not a second-class democracy', Ankara tells U.S.
Third-class? Proto-Theocracy? You provide the terms and we'll use them.
#7
they, like we, are not a Democracy. We are arepresentative reublic, no? They...
are f'd up
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/06/2013 20:18 Comments ||
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#8
Well there was that one incident when the students surrounded that troop of police and did their best metrogaullic chanting, then a group of pre selects nicely lined up for those mean ol'e coppers to spray weaponized fanta on them.
[Bangla Daily Star] The computer hacker who turned in Bradley Manning said Tuesday the tormented US soldier had never talked about helping al-Qaeda after he leaked hundreds of thousands of classified documents.
On the second day of Manning's court martial, witness Adrian Lamo agreed with a defense attorney's portrait of the young soldier as a tortured soul who acted out of a desire to inform the public rather than to aid US foes.
Under cross-examination from defense lawyer David Coombs, Lamo said that a highly emotional Manning was also in the grip of a sexual identity crisis, which made him fear for the young soldier's life.
Military prosecutors allege that Manning -- who admitted to leaking a vast cache of classified information to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks between 2009 and 2010 -- directly and knowingly aided Al-Qaeda through his actions.
However Lamo said under questioning on Tuesday that the subject of helping America's enemies had never arisen during his contacts with Manning.
Lamo engaged in online chats with Manning for six days between May 20 and May 26, 2010, shortly before the soldier was tossed in the slammer Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
Lamo, who answered many questions simply with a "Yes" or a "No", told the hearing he had contacted police over his contact with Manning because he feared for the soldier's life.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[BETA.DAWN] As Pakistain witnessed a historic democratic transition, many in the county have started to believe that the days of military supremacy are over. But not on the roads, at least not yet.
As 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... , along with his family, left for the Presidency to take oath as prime minister for a record third time on Wednesday, he struck reality on the streets of Islamabad.
The question is: who is the real power wielder in Pakistain? The prime minister or the Army chief? Theoretically, the army chief is answerable to a grade-22 civil bureaucrat. Practically, he is mightier than any elected or non-elected individual in the country.
One such demonstration of this reality was witnessed Wednesday soon after Mian Nawaz Sharif's election as Prime Minister of Pakistain.
After securing more than two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, the premier reached Punjab House to freshen up.
The prime minister was supposed to reach the Presidency before 4:00 pm to take oath from President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... At the oath-taking ceremony, services chiefs, politicians, diplomats and senior civil and military officials had been invited.
PML-N sources and eyewitnesses said first to come out of Punjab House was the SUV carrying first lady Kulsoom Nawaz and her daughter Mariam Safdar. Just behind them were the vehicles of Hamza Shahbaz and Hassan Nawaz.
The convoy of the prime minister was standing at close distance from the cars of his family members. As soon as they reached the outer barrier of Punjab House adjacent to Margallah Road, an alter commando blew the whistle with full force ordering the driver to stop the vehicle.
Consequently, the prime minister's convoy had to stop as well. The pause remained for two to three minutes.
The commando was there to make sure nothing should obstruct the route of the Army chief's convoy, only allowing vehicles from Punjab House to pass after the entire convoy of the army chief drove away.
Whether it was a mere coincidence could not be ascertained. None of the PML-N leaders was ready to comment on the incident. But the prime minister might have shared his thoughts with his closest aides.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[BETA.DAWN] India accused Pakistain's intelligence agency on Wednesday of trying to recruit and train forces of Evil to carry out attacks across the border in the Indian state of Punjab.
Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde accused Pakistain's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency of pressuring Sikh hard boy leaders to target Indian Punjab and other parts of the country.
"There has been some significant development on the Sikh militancy front," Shinde said in New Delhi. "Its commanders based in Pakistain are under pressure from ISI to further ISI's terror plans not only in Punjab but also in other parts of the country," alleged the Indian minister.
"The Sikh youths are being trained in ISI facilities in Pakistain."
The minister singled out the threat to the northwestern state during a speech to state chief ministers gathered in New Delhi for an annual conference on internal security.
Shinde claimed Indian Punjab was also being targeted, with "a large quantity of arms and ammunition and explosives" seized by police in the last year after being allegedly smuggled across the India-Pakistain border.
Sikh youths living in Europe and the United States were also being encouraged to travel to Pakistain to train for terrorist-related attacks, Shinde told the conference.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[BETA.DAWN] The Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) led ruling coalition in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... have prepared a resolution calling on the federal government to take immediate steps to end US drone attacks in Pakistain.
The joint-resolution, signed by the PTI and its allies in the provincial government, has been submitted in the KP Assembly secretariat and is likely to be taken up and passed during the upcoming session of the house.
The resolution terms attacks by US unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) a violation of international laws.
"The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly strongly condemns attacks on Pak soil by US drones, and considers them violations of international laws," says the resolution.
"Drone attacks have led to a rise in terrorist attacks inside Pakistain and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and have caused irreparable damage to the province's economy," it says.
The resolution also urges the federal government to immediately take effective steps to stop drone attacks, and to announce a clear policy on the issue as soon as possible.
The document has been signed by leaders of four member parties of the provincial government: Shaukat Ali Yousufzai of Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Sirajul Haq of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI), Sikandar Khan Sherpao of the Qaumi Watan Party and Shahram Khan Tarakai of the Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistain (AJIP).
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took office on Wednesday pledging to fix the country's ailing economy and end electricity blackouts
...he's gonna light that light bulb, you betcha...
while also calling for an end to American drone strikes in the tribal areas.
He'll light the rural areas first...
Speaking to parliament after he was elected, Sharif acknowledged the size of the problems in front of him and vowed action. "I will do my best to change the fate of the people and Pakistan," he said.
During the speech to lawmakers, Sharif droned on and on emphasised that fixing the country's economy was his top priority. He listed a litany of problems facing Pakistan, including unpaid loans, unemployment, a disillusioned youth, extremism and lawlessness, and widespread corruption.
"People should know that the country's economy is in a very bad state which is beyond imagination and we have to make payments worth trillions," he said. "But I will not rest nor will I let any member of my team do so until we are able to improve the economic situation."
Maybe the Saudis will loan you money, and Zardari won't be there for his ten percent...
He called for an end to the drone strikes used by the US to kill militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to the west.
"This daily routine of drone attacks, this chapter shall now be closed," Sharif said to widespread applause in the parliament hall. "We do respect others' sovereignty. It is mandatory on others that they respect our sovereignty."
But he doesn't consider Afghanistan a country, he considers it his country's back yard...
But he gave few details on how he might end the strikes.
It's actually very easy. Throw the U.S. out of the country and forego all the aid in return...
His assumption of office marks a turning point for the country -- the first time a democratically elected government has handed over power to another in the country's 65-year history. The unique nature of the transition was evident in Sharif's speech.
"Whenever dictatorship has come, Pakistan has suffered a huge loss," he said. "Now it should be decided forever that Pakistan's survival, protection, sovereignty, progress, prosperity and respect in the international community depends upon strengthening democracy in Pakistan."
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON/AMMAN The United States will deploy Patriot missiles and F-16 fighter jets to Jordan for military exercises this month and may consider keeping them there longer, in consultation with Jordan, US officials said on Tuesday.
The disclosure drew swift condemnation from Moscow, which accused the West of sending weapons to fuel Syrias civil war.
That might be the only reason for the deployment, just to rattle Vlad's cage. It isn't as if Syria is going to attack Jordan...
The Eager Lion exercises held annually with a theme of irregular warfare will include more than 8,000 service members from about 19 countries, one US official said, adding the drills would run from June 9 to 20.
These annual exercises will increase the preparedness of the Jordanian army. This year we are in need of more advanced weapons, Jordanian Minister of Information Mohammad Al Momani told
If left in Jordan, Patriot missiles could be used to protect the country against any possible missile attack as the Syrian war threatens to widen into a more regional, sectarian conflict.
There was no official statement suggesting the Patriots or the fighter jets would be withdrawn when the exercises are over and US officials left open the possibility they could remain in place.
We will consider extending the deployment of assets associated with Eager Lion in consultation of the government of Jordan, a second official said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] A political delegation from Jordan, part of the opposition to the Hashemite regime, recently entered Gazoo via tunnels on the border between the Gazoo Strip and Rafiah. This was reported by Paleostinian news agency Ma'an.
Egyptian security officials said that delegation arrived by way of a tunnel owned by a senior Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, official. The report asserted that the Jordanian delegates wanted to meet with Hamas officials in secret, away from the view of the Jordanian regime.
[Ynet] The police are canvassing the area around base 80 and implementing road blocks following suspicions of an attempted kidnapping of a soldier in the area.
According to suspicions, three soldiers were walking from Pardes Hanna toward the base when a vehicle pulled over by them. The soldiers reported that one of the passengers grabbed one of the soldiers' hand and tried to pull her into the vehicle. Her friends helped her and managed to pull her loose.
Scorpions sting, and Hamas declared kidnapping an innately Palestinian trait.
[IsraelTimes] NetTraveler virus found in computers in diplomatic missions of over 40 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Leb, Jordan, Qatar, and Iran
Computers in diplomatic missions and government offices worldwide have again been struck by a major virus, according to cybersecurity experts at Kaspersky Lab. The NetTravel virus, which Kaspersky uncovered in recent weeks, has attacked computers in diplomatic missions and government institutions in over 40 countries worldwide, including Syria, Turkey, Leb, Jordan, Qatar, and Iran. No "samples" of the virus have been found so far in Israel, Kaspersky said.
The attack is somewhat similar to the Red October exploit, which Kaspersky uncovered last year. In that attack, too, government and diplomatic computers were targeted. Israeli computers were found to be hosting the virus as well, but it was unclear if any data had been stolen.
Unlike the Stuxnet virus, which rocked Iran's nuclear program by sabotaging centrifuges, Nettraveler seems more concerned with espionage.
Kaspersky gave a very broad hint as to the identity of the hackers behind NetTraveler: "Based on collected intelligence, we estimate the group size at about 50 individuals, most of whom speak Chinese natively and have working knowledge of the English language."
The perpetrators of Red October are still unknown, but Kaspersky gave a very broad hint as to the identity of the hackers behind NetTraveler: "Based on collected intelligence, we estimate the group size at about 50 individuals, most of whom speak Chinese natively and have working knowledge of the English language," Kaspersky said. "NetTraveler is designed to steal sensitive data as well as log keystrokes, and retrieve file system listings and various Office or PDF documents."
Among the victims of the attack are Tibetan/Uyghur activists, considered rebels by Beijing. The logo of the virus, as it appears inside the malware's code, is a Chinese language character.
"The group has infected victims across multiple industries, including government institutions, embassies, the oil and gas industry, research institutes, military contractors and activists," Kaspersky continued. "Most recently, the NetTraveler group's main domains of interest for cyber-espionage activities include space exploration, nanotechnology, energy production, nuclear power, lasers, medicine, and communications."
The latest attack uses "social engineering" techniques to get users to click on links that will install the malware on their devices. Users are sent messages that ostensibly contain important information in their attachments, with titles like "Report -- Asia Defense Spending Boom," "Army Cyber Security Policy 2013," and "His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... day 4." When users open the files, two pieces of malware are installed on their devices, enabling the controllers of the virus to steal data at will.
Eugene Kaspersky, head of Kaspersky Lab, is scheduled to visit Israel next week for the 3rd annual International Cyber Security Conference, sponsored by Tel Aviv University and the National Cyber Bureau. Kaspersky is expected to provide more details on NetTraveler during his presentation. Last year, Kaspersky, speaking at the conference, revealed the existence of the Flame virus, which infects infrastructure and mission-critical computer systems. Kaspersky said the virus could mean "the end of the world as we know it."
The former chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Nur Misuari, will not succeed in his attempt to thwart the southern Philippine peace process.
Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Murad Ebrahim said, Nur Misuari is quite critical of the framework agreement, but the overwhelming support of the Bangsamoro people and the international community to the framework agreement is a very strong signal that the majority of the people welcome this agreement."
Misuari has condemned the framework agreement which he said shortchanged the people of southern Philippines and has supported claims on Sabah by the self-styled Sulu sultanate whose followers mounted an armed incursion into the state in February.
Murad said the MNLF, which Misuari used to lead and from which the MILF broke away, was now split into four groups. The other three groups have already expressed their support for the framework agreement," he added.
Posted by: ryuge ||
06/06/2013 02:49 ||
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#1
Misuari: The Al Sharpton of the Southern Philippines...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/06/2013 9:16 Comments ||
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[GUARDIAN.CO.UK] Bullet-scarred and shattered buildings, eerily empty streets, makeshift hospitals, rumours of massacres and triumphant government soldiers riding around on tanks are all grimly familiar images after more than two years of Syria's bloody and escalating war.
Wednesday's scenes in the central town of Qusair, which was retaken by Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators... 's forces after a two-week battle, certainly represent a significant defeat for the rebels, who are outgunned, divided among themselves and still uncertain of gaining wider international support.
It is too early to assess whether the tide has turned definitively in favour of the Assad regime, though Qusair is the latest in a string of victories. Most independent experts still believe there is little chance -- an estimated 90,000 have already died since March 2011 -- of an outright military victory by either side. But the president is likely to feel emboldened, and is prepared for a long haul.
"Qusair was billed as being of strategic importance," said a diplomat who monitors the crisis closely. "Its loss is a blow for the rebels and a welcome boost for the regime. But it is not Aleppo or Homs. These things ebb and flow."
The timing, however, means that it will now be even harder to find a negotiated solution to the Syrian conflict. On a day when senior US, Russian and UN diplomats met in Geneva to discuss convening a new peace conference, now put back from this month to July at the earliest, prospects for meaningful talks between the government and its opponents look poorer than ever.
Syria's well-oiled state media machine was busy trumpeting the achievement of its "heroic" army in restoring "security and stability" to Qusair, which lies near the Lebanese border on the route that links Damascus to Homs and the heartland of the Assad family's minority Alawite sect. The victory was a "clear message" to all involved in aggression against Syria, said the army, especially what it called -- in a characteristic flourish of pure propaganda -- "the Zionist enemy and its agents."
It made no reference to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia now fighting openly with Assad and risking importing an increasingly sectarian war back across the border. Its role in the fighting, now out in the open, has been crucial.
Qusair is the most important gain made by the regime in recent months. New tactics and offensives on new fronts -- the rural Ghota area east of Damascus, Jobar on the edge of the city, around Deraa in the south and Idlib in the north -- have all seen rebel fighters checked or routed.
Qusair's capture cuts off an important supply line linking the rebels with their supporters in Leb. Conversely, it secures access for Hezbollah into Syria. "Qusair has fallen," proclaimed jubilant posters in the Dahiyah, the Beirut suburb that is the Shia militia's stronghold.
But the government still needs to take control of the area around Qusair. "In terms of wider strategy they need the countryside -- and that means dozens of villages which will be hard to take because they will have to disperse their forces," predicted the London based Syrian commentator Malik al-Abdeh.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Sunni arabs outnumber Alawites 6 to 1, which means they will win a war of attrition.
#2
Sunni arabs outnumber Alawites 6 to 1, which means they will win a war of attrition.
Wars of attrition are conflicts in which two parties are rough balance. Once Assad is able to starve the rebels of manpower and weaponry by controlling most of Syria's territory, the trench warfare stops and the only thing left to do is to mop up. The Greeks, Mongols, Turks and Arabs (during the expansion of Muhammad's armies through North Africa, Persia, Central and South Asia) are only a few of the more notable examples of minorities ruling majorities. Most ordinary people of the majority aren't Spartans bred for war and they're not willing to risk their lives to become serfs under a new autocrat. And the strong prospect of a new leader just like the old one has been the reality of life in the Middle East, and most of the non-Western world. Always has been and perhaps always will be.
#3
The indigenous fighters in Syria (both pro assad and anti assad) are now less important than the exogenous fighters (Hezbollah for assad and various jihadis against assad)
The pro assad forces took two weeks to take a relatively small town near the Lebanon border where the Hezbollah troops had favorable logistics.
Lets see how they do in the countryside.
Posted by: lord garth ||
06/06/2013 11:33 Comments ||
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#4
Lets see how they do in the countryside.
Let's hope it's long, bloody, and destroys a lot of infrastructure.
#7
The pro assad forces took two weeks to take a relatively small town near the Lebanon border where the Hezbollah troops had favorable logistics.
I believe that's where the rebels had favorable logistics. Qusair is near the northernmost part of Lebanon, where Lebanese Sunnis dominate. Hezbollah is based in South Lebanon, where the vast majority of Lebanon's Shiites live. To put things in perspective, it took the Marines 1-1/2 months to clear Fallujah, which had 2x-3x the population, and they had pinpoint air and artillery support. And they were Marines. The Syrian military is merely relearning the lessons of Hama. It needs to concentrate its forces and take apart rebel cities one by one. It's not fighting all the Sunnis in Syria - it's only fighting the people who feel they have a chance of becoming big shots in a new regime and are willing to roll the dice with their lives in hopes of doing so.
[An Nahar] The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council urged their citizens on Wednesday to avoid traveling to Leb or staying in the country as "a safety precaution."
"All six member states of the GCC call on their citizens not to travel to Leb and urge their nationals who are already in the country to leave it," Council chief Abdullatif al-Zayani stressed during a presser.
He elaborated: "We took this decision taking into consideration the current unstable situation in Leb, which is a threat to the nationals of GCC countries."
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie ducked another tomato... the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... on Wednesday condemned Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war.
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi announced after an extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers that the resolution issued after the talks condemns "any intervention in Syria, especially by Hizbullah."
"There were several points of views regarding Hizbullah and we decided to condemn any foreign interference in the Syrian conflict, especially Hizbullah's involvement," al-Arabi told news hounds.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr revealed that no party had reservations on the decision concerning Syria "except for Leb that distanced itself from this matter."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah stated on Wednesday that the party's "achievement" in the Syrian border town of al-Qusayr dealt a "severe blow to the American-Israeli-Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... scheme."
"The withdrawal of the opposition's fighters from al-Qusayr is a knockdown to the scheme of the United States, Israel and the Takfiris," the party's deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... expressed after a meeting with Syrian Social National Party Vice President Toufiq Mhanna.
He added: "The battle today has one goal only which is to face Israel and those serving its interest. Hizbullah's stances are based on this."
"Today it has been proven that betting on the fall of a Syria that supports the resistance is a delusion and a failure, so is choosing political stances based on the achievements of the American-Israeli scheme."
Qassem reiterated calls for finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis, rejecting international powers' "attempts to take over lands in the Arab world and support Israel."
"The region's people have set their minds on recovering their lands and their rights," he assured.
Syria's rebels conceded on Tuesday they had lost the battle for the strategic town of Qusayr but vowed to fight "thousands of Lebanese mercenaries" after the army seized total control of it and the surrounding region.
The main opposition National Coalition shrugged off the defeat, declaring the "revolution will continue".
Tuesday's development comes after the military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites.
But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Leb, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the "most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition," warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria.
He said: "If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Leb. If Syria falls, the Paleostinian cause will be lost."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour on Wednesday announced from Cairo that pulling Syrian out of its crisis can only be done through political dialogue, describing Hizbullah's military intervention in Syria's Qusayr as a "preemptive act."
"Only weeks after the eruption of the festivities (in Syria), groups that came from beyond the border -- carrying destructive, Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... and myrmidon ideologies -- started threatening Leb," Mansour told an extraordinary meeting of the council of Arab foreign ministers.
The minister clarified that the aforementioned groups sought to "undermine the historic demographic mixture of the Syrian and Lebanese citizens who live in mixed areas in the Syrian town of Qusayr and the villages of its countryside which neighbors Leb."
"The Lebanese residents of the Syrian towns suffered huge losses as a result of the acts of gunnies in Qusayr and its countryside," Mansour said, adding that "the residents of those villages formed armed popular committees and appealed to their relatives in Leb to defend them."
Mansour noted that "Hizbullah did not fight in Aleppo, Daraa, Deir Ezzor, Idlib or al-Qameshli ... it rather openly declared that it sent groups of its fighters to Qusayr's countryside as a preemptive and preventative act, in order to protect their people, relatives and Lebanese sons from the gangs that wanted to turn them into a prey for kidnapping, blackmail and killing."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Saving the Iranian + Russian base at TARTARUS???
[An Nahar] Rebels fighting Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... 's regime will fight "until the whole country is liberated", opposition chief George Sabra said Wednesday, after the army and Hizbullah fighters overran the strategic town of Qusayr.
"We say to the heroes in the Free Syrian Army: this is a small juncture, in which you proved your rare heroism. It will be followed by the liberation of the whole country," Sabra said.
"Your demands and your struggle are righteous, and that is why you will be victorious. You will defeat these sectarian gangs and their masters in Qom and Tehran," he addressed the opposition's fighters, referring to Hizbullah's ties to Iran.
"Let the Shiites know that what happened in Qusayr destroys the ties of brotherhood and humanity between neighbors, and this will achieve the objectives of the Israeli enemy."
"They are chanting in the name of Zainab and Hussein while acting out of malice and hatred," Sabra added.
The rebel leader also denounced the "foreign invasion" of Qusayr, adding that "the criminal regime can no longer survive without foreign weapons".
He noted: "Qusayr is a precious piece of Syria's big heart and those who were martyred while defending it are heroes."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] French President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... said Wednesday that the world was obligated to act in response to concrete evidence of the deadly nerve agent sarin being used in Syria.
"We have provided the elements of proof that now obligate the international community to act," Hollande told news hounds in Gay Paree a day after La Belle France revealed that it had firm evidence sarin had been used by the Syrian regime in at least one case.
Britannia has also said it has evidence of sarin use, but has said it will wait for independent verification by the U.N. before drawing any conclusions about what, if any, action to take.
The United States meanwhile has been emphasizing hopes for progress through negotiations involving Russia aimed at organizing a peace conference in Geneva.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/06/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Tens of thousands attend Isfahan funeral of pro-reformist holy man Ayatollah Jalaluddin Taheri; demand release of green movement leaders
Video at link.
Tens of thousands of Iranians attended on Tuesday the funeral of a senior dissident holy man, in what became Iran's biggest anti-government protest in years, the BBC reported.
Mourners at the funeral in Isfahan rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against the government and Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, including "Death to the dictator."
The BBC reported that pro-reformist Ayatollah Jalaluddin Taheri, who died at the age of 87 on Sunday, was a vocal opponent of the hardliners in power in Iran and had resigned from his position as Isfahan's Friday prayers leader in 2002 in protest against the country's political and economic situation and what he described as the broken promises of the revolution.
In his resignation letter, which was ignored by the conservatives-controlled official media, he said he could not remain silent on the "tangible realties...and the suffering of people."
Taheri denounced "life-long powers; mafia-type gangs...that act under the name of religion and authoritarian fascists...walking up the ladder of religion and riding on the back of political camels."
The protesters also called for the release of all political prisoners, including Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, the two top leaders of the reformist green movement who are under house arrest in Tehran - BBC reported.
According to reports, the protesters also chanted "Free Karroubi and Mousavi" and "Down with the dictator."
[Jpost] Rebels withdraw from border town after an onslaught by Syrian army, Hezbollah fighters killed hundreds of people; Syrian army: "Our armed forces will remain ready to face any aggression against our dear homeland."
The victory achieved by the Syrian army in Qusair sends a clear message to Israel, a statement from the General Command of the Syrian army said on Wednesday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
The Syrian army seized control of the strategic border town of Qusair on Wednesday, Syrian media and security sources said, in a major advance for Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... 's forces in the country's two-year civil war.
"The victory that was achieved at the hands of our brave soldiers sends a clear message to all those who are involved in the aggression against Syria, on top being the Zionist enemy and its agents in the region and tools on the ground," the statement said.
"Our armed forces will remain ready to face any aggression against our dear homeland," it continued.
Rebels said they had pulled out of Qusair, which lies on a cross-border supply route with neighboring Leb and where they had fought fierce battles with government forces and Hezbollah guerrillas for more than two weeks.
One Hezbollah fighter told Rooters that they took the town in a rapid overnight offensive, allowing some of the fighters to flee. "We did a sudden surprise attack in the early hours and entered the town. They escaped," he said.
Assad's forces fought hard to seize Qusair, which had been in rebel hands for over a year, to reassert control of a corridor through the central province of Homs which links Damascus to the coastal heartland of Assad's minority Alawites, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
"Whoever controls Qusair controls the center of the country, and whoever controls the center of the country controls all of Syria," said Brigadier General Yahya Suleiman, speaking to Beirut-based Mayadeen television.
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.
A mosque was burned down in Britain in a suspected arson attack on Wednesday. Police said they considered the mosque fire suspicious and that the letters "EDL" had been found scrawled on the side of the building. EDL is the acronym of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right group that has denied any involvement. Chief Superintendent Adrian Usher said, "Exactly when and where that graffiti was placed is a focal point of the inquiry," 
[An Nahar] One of the men accused of murdering a British soldier in London repeatedly interrupted his bail hearing on Wednesday, declaring "I'm a soldier" and accusing the judge of stifling the truth.
North Korea
Nawaz Sharif
President Asif Ali 
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took office on Wednesday pledging to fix the country's ailing economy and end electricity blackouts 
[Ynet] A political delegation from Jordan, part of the opposition to the Hashemite regime, recently entered 
[IsraelTimes] NetTraveler virus found in computers in diplomatic missions of over 40 countries, including Syria, Turkey, 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
