BAIDOA, Somalia - Hundreds of people took to the streets in Bay regional capital of Baidoa on Saturday against recently signed agreement between Federal Government of Somalia and Jubba Interim Administration, Garowe Online reports. The anti government rally was organized by the usual hooligans Bay regional administration and traditional elders and it commenced with demonstrators hoisting banners that read anti government slogans.
Addressing the crowd Malaq Ali Mumin, a well known traditional elder said, We have withdrawn our support from the Somali Federal government in Mogadishu, we call on parliamentarians and other federal government officials hailing from this region to come back.
Following growing tensions between Federal Government of Somalia and Bay and Bakool communities, a meeting held in Baidoa last Thursday by intellectuals and traditional elders announced that federal government officials are barred from arriving in Bay region.
In response to that decision, some Bay and Bakool parliamentarians urged the local communities and traditional elders to exercise responsibility.
The government led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed an agreement with the current leader of Jubba Interim Administration Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) on 28 August in Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Tunisia's Islamist-led coalition has failed to agree with the opposition on how to end weeks of political deadlock, mediators said on Saturday, ahead of planned anti-government protests.
Tunisia was plunged into crisis by the July 25 liquidation of opposition MP Mohamed Brahmi, the second of its kind in six months, with both attacks blamed on krazed killerSalafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... The powerful UGTT trade union, which has been playing the role of mediator, on Saturday presented the government's latest proposals on resolving the crisis to opposition group, the National Salvation Front (NSF).
But after the meeting, Hamma Hammami, a representative of the opposition, said the group had replied to the ruling coalition's proposals and that "the key to ending the crisis is in the (government's) hands."
Hammami refused to elaborate on the proposals, except to confirm reports that they envisaged a change of government by September 29 at the latest, after a month of national dialogue on the new cabinet and the future constitution.
But the NSF, a wide umbrella group of opposition parties, has repeatedly demanded the immediate resignation of the governing coalition, led by the moderate Islamist movement Ennahda.
It has refused to engage in any national dialogue until a non-partisan cabinet has been formed.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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In a case that's ruffling feathers in Egypt, authorities have detained a swan that a citizen suspected of being a spy.
A few years ago the Egyptians were convinced the Red Sea sharks were Israeli spies, the Iranians were certain America had set spy squirrels upon them in their myriads... and didn't the Turks capture an Israeli spy heron or something a few years ago? Truly it is amazing what Western science can accomplish in the hands of infidels.
Officials say a man brought the suspected winged infiltrator to a police station on Friday in the Qena governorate, some 450 kilometres southeast of Cairo. Officials say the man suspected the bird was an undercover agent because it carried an electronic device.
The head of security in Qena said on Saturday that officials examined the bird and the device. Mohammed Kamal said the device was neither an explosive nor a spying device. It likely could be a wildlife tracker.
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09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Led by five persons, the newly emerged krazed killer group Ansaruallah Bangla Team follows the ideals and policies of international terrorist outfits such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Pakistain-based Tehrik-e-Taliban, revealed detectives.
Among the five, its spiritual leader Jasimuddin Rahmani was tossed in the calaboose Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! on August 15.
During interrogation, Jasim disclosed the names of Izaz Hossain, son-in-law of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) chief Saidur Rahman, and Major (sacked) Ziaul Haq, one of the conspirators of the foiled coup plot in 2012, a source in the Detective Branch (DB) of police told The Daily Star.
Saidur is now behind bars and Ziaul has been absconding.
The DB source, however, refused to name the two other leaders of Ansaruallah for the sake of investigation. At times, the two were even more influential than Jasim.
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner DB of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, yesterday said Izaz, who controls the web activities of the krazed killer group from Pakistain, had come to Dhaka a month ago.
"Staying for an hour at his residence in Mohammadpur, Izaz had contacted his three brothers," he added.
Izaz runs a computer business with his brothers. The DB on August 25 arrested one of his brothers Naimul Hasan, a suspected member of Ansarullah.
According to a previous DB blurb, Izaz, as the ameer of Jamaat ul Moslemeen, Bangladesh, about a decade ago used to preach the doctrine of Jihad if "establishing Deen [Islamic Sharia based law] was not possible in a non-violent way."
However, women are made to be loved, not understood... the organization became inactive when the leader of the international Jamaat ul Moslemeen, Jordan-born British citizen Sheikh Abu Isa Ali Arrifai Al Hashmi Al Koraisi alias Abu Isa, was arrested by British police in 2002. Later in 2008, Izaz escaped to Pakistain.
"A day after the last Eid-ul-Fitr, Jasimuddin Rahmani married the sister of two JMB members," said Monirul.
Regarding Major Ziaul, a source in the DB said he is the military commander of Ansarullah and helped the group develop its weapon and arms training manuals.
Despite being a resident of the cantonment area while in service, Ziaul used to offer his Juma prayers at Hatembagh mosque in the capital's Dhanmondi, where Jasim had been the Imam around 2008-2009.
The two came to know each other at that time, mentioned the DB source.
Jasim has connections with top leaders of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami's (HuJI Founded in 1984 by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Aktar. The Bangla branch was established in 1992 with assistance from Osama bin Laden. Recruits come mostly from Deobandi madrassahs. HuJI and Fazlur Rehman Khalil are signators of bin Laden's declaration of war on the west. ) leaders, including Mufti Hannan and Maulana Abdur Rouf. Both leaders are now behind bars in the August 21 grenade attack cases, said Monirul.
Though Ansarullah does not have direct links to al-Qaeda, its top leaders had contacted several leaders of al-Qaeda at different times, noted the DB official.
For the affiliation of al-Qaeda, the krazed killer group is doing whatever is needed, he maintained.
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09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Nineteen are traceless, five named twice, three alive. Six died in Narayanganj violence and one of heart attack. Slot number 10 is left vacant.
These are the holes a police investigation has found in the rights body "Odhikar's list of 61 people killed in the crackdown on Hefajat at Motijheel Shapla Chattar in the early hours of May 6."
The remaining 26 were not killed in the operation either.
Goodness. That does seem a tad excessive.
Police say they got the list in the documents seized from the Odhikar office and later released it to the media.
The Daily Star has conducted a quick investigation into some police claims and about 25 persons listed as dead.
According to police, Zahidul Islam Saurav of Nimai Kachari under Bagmara upazila of Rajshahi, Jasim Uddin of Comilla and Sohel, a student of Ujani Madrassa in Chandpur, are alive.
But our correspondents found no trace of Saurav and Jasim. There is no village called Nimai Kachari in Bagmara and neither law enforcers nor Hefajat leaders in Comilla could say anything about Jasim.
Can imaginary people be killed?
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Can imaginary people be killed?
It stands to reason that if they can vote, draw a paycheck and comment on blogs, they must be able to be killed.
[An Nahar] More than a thousand anti-war protesters rallied in London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday to proclaim "victory" after Britannia's parliament blocked Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... from taking military action in Syria.
The activists filled the tourist hotspot with Syrian and communist flags, plus banners with slogans such as "No Attack on Syria" and "Hands Off Syria" in the rally organised by the left-wing Stop the War Coalition.
Kate Hudson, general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, told Agence La Belle France Presse the protesters were calling for the government to stick by Thursday's vote, which saw politicians reject Cameron's bid for British involvement in possible U.S.-led military strikes against Syria.
"We're here also to send a very strong message to President B.O. in the United States. What's good here in Britannia -- that we don't need a war on Syria -- is also good for the United States," Hudson said.
"Every day, dozens if not hundreds of people are killed in Iraq as a direct result of Western intervention. We have to learn the lessons of that and not repeat that in Syria."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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The U.S. State Department says North Korea has rescinded its offer for a senior U.S. envoy to visit Pyongyang to negotiate the release of a jailed Korean-American.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Friday the U.S. is "surprised and disappointed" by North Korea's decision, and is very concerned about the health of detainee Kenneth Bae. U.S. envoy Robert King was due to travel from Tokyo to Pyongyang Friday to request that Bae be freed on humanitarian grounds.
Bae, 44, is a Christian missionary who was arrested after entering North Korea as a tour operator last year. He was convicted of trying to topple North Korea's government and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. Bae's family says his health is quickly deteriorating. He has reportedly been moved from a labor camp to a prison hospital after losing more than 23 kg.
North Korea has detained at least six Americans since 2009. All have been allowed to return home before serving their full sentences. Most were released following visits by prominent Americans, including former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
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PARIS -- French President Francois Hollande reaffirmed to U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday his will to punish Syria for a suspected chemicals weapons attack but was under increasing pressure to put the intervention to parliament.
Obama and Hollande spoke by telephone before Obama's statement that he would seek authorization from Congress before any strike.
"The president reaffirmed to him his determination to act to sanction the regime," a source close to Hollande said. "Each country's pace of action must above all be respected. It's important for the Americans to have the green light from Congress."
However, pressure was now mounting on Hollande to also seek formal approval from parliament, which is due to hold a non-voting debate on Syria on September 4.
"Like the U.S. president, who decided to consult the U.S. Congress in the name of democratic principles, the French president must organize, after the debate, a formal vote in parliament," Jean-Louis Borloo, the head of French opposition party UDI, said in a statement.
A BVA poll on Saturday showed most French people did not want France to take part in military action on Syria and most did not trust Hollande to do so.
Not with a bang, but with a whimper. Let us hope the next lot of national leaders are made of sterner stuff.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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Syrian Government Use of Chemical Weapons on August 21
A large body of independent sources indicates that a chemical weapons attack took place in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. In addition to U.S. intelligence information, there are accounts from international and Syrian medical personnel; videos; witness accounts; thousands of social media reports from at least 12 different locations in the Damascus area; journalist accounts; and reports from highly credible nongovernmental organizations. the issue that stands out from this is that Assad must be desperate - using chem weapons near Damascus-- he apparently couldn't clear the rebels from those places with all the Hezbollah and Iran troops and his best Alawite regulars
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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#2
actually, the Obama admin did little to develop the Obamacare language, most of it was developed by people working for Senator Max Baucus and Representative Pelosi
however, a draft resolution that would authorize force was developed by the Obama Admin
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/01/2013 1:23 Comments ||
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#3
Meanwhile requests for info on Benghazi from both State and the WH linger. Obviously, backlog or 'process' isn't the excuse.
#4
Very true P2k. Anyone who believes the intelligence community isn't serving the political agendas of the regime [as opposed to National Security objectives] is sadly mistaken. Loathsome, cunning lapdogs the lot.
Hundreds of anti-war protesters carrying signs opposed to a military strike against Syria held a vocal demonstration Saturday at the White House, dpa reported. Using bull horns and holding a large banner reading "No war on Syria," the protesters called on President Barack Obama not to enter another war.
The protesters decried the recent wars the United States has fought, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Driving home that point, one poster read: "Endless war for the empire."
The demonstration was held as Obama prepared to speak on his deliberations over the US response to a poison gas attack in Syria last week.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A provincial review board consisting of three judges of the Lahore High Court on Friday extended for a month the detention of Zubair alias Naik Muhammad, who has been linked to the gun attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore a couple of years ago. The board heard arguments of the Punjab government and the counsel for the detainee.
A section officer of the home department also appeared before the board and pleaded government's case. The detainee was also produced before the board.
The counsel for the accused argued that police failed to prove his client's involvement in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team and the trial court granted him bail. He said the law enforcement agencies were victimising his client although he had nothing to do with any terrorism activities.
The representative of the home department told the review board that an appeal against the bail granted to the accused was pending adjudication before a high court bench. He said more terrorism incidents were feared if the accused was released therefore extension in his detention period was necessary, he added.
The board headed by Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh accepted government's request and extended the suspect's detention for one month.
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[Dawn] The anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday directed the police to provide it with the video footage of Jinnah Avenue stand-off.
The direction was issued by ATC judge Atiqur Rehman during the hearing of the post-arrest bail plea of Kanwal Sikander, wife of the gunman who staged the hours-long drama on August 15.
Since the media was not allowed into the courtroom, details of the proceedings were obtained from the lawyers.
Kalsoom Khaliq, the counsel for the tossed in the slammer Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! woman, contended before the court that her client had nothing to do with the stand-off.
She pleaded that Kanwal was not aware of her husband's intention.
"She was thinking that her husband had brought her and the children to Islamabad for picnic."
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09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A front man for the Pak Taliban on Saturday denied media reports that the government was holding peace talks with the bad boy group.
Pak private media and most Urdu and English language dailies on Saturday ran headlines reporting the start of peace talks with the Taliban while some said there had been initial contacts with the hard boys
Shahidullah Shahid, main front man for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) told Agence La Belle France Presse that no contacts had been made between the group and any government official.
"I categorically deny the holding of peace talks on any level between the Taliban and Pak government," Shahid told AFP from some holy man's guesthouse an undisclosed location.
"No contacts have even been made between us, nor have we received any offer to initiate peace talks" Shahid added.
Pakistain's respected English language daily DAWN quoted Information Minister Pervez Rashid as saying the government was in secret talks with the TTP.
"Unofficial talks between the government side and Taliban are in progress," Rashid told the paper.
Rashid said the government's main objective was to restore peace and it would do everything possible to achieve that.
"We have to rid the country of the menace of terrorism for which all options would be utilized," Rashid was quoted as saying.
BBC Urdu, quoting an unnamed senior government official and a Taliban capo, also reported the beginning of peace talks.
"It is complete propaganda, the government must make it public if it has any proof of any such talks," Shahid said.
The reports of peace talks emerged almost two weeks after Prime Minister 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... made an offer to the forces of Evil in his first televised address to the nation since taking office after winning elections in May.
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[Ynet] Gearing for possible US attack on Syria, IDF is bolstering troops in north, deploying defense systems in center. 'If Syria is attacked, Zionists will be attacked,' Iran army chief says
Lots of pretty photos (at least I assume they're pretty, though they are awfully sand-coloured) at the link.
The IDF is bolstering forces in the north, in preparation for a possible attack by the US, Lebanese media reported Saturday, referring more specifically to areas in front of the blue line in east south Leb and upper Galilee and the Golan Heights.
According to reports, IAF planes are continually circling above the same areas in south Leb. In addition, the IDF deployed all missile defense systems.
On Friday, the IDF deployed an Iron Dome battery in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan area. For the first time the battery is facing north. The system was deployed as a precaution ahead of possible Syrian retaliation to a potential US strike.
Iron Dome, Hetz and Patriot missile defense were also deployed in the north.
A security official told AFP Saturday that Syria expected a military attack "at any moment," just hours after UN experts probing a suspected gas attack blamed on the regime left the country.
Iranian army's Chief of Staff Hassan Firuzabadi said that "If Syria is attacked, the Zionists will be attacked," the Fars news agency reported.
President Barack Obama If you have a small business, you didn't build that... said on Friday the chemical weapons attack in Syria threatened US allies Israel, Turkey and Jordan and that while "nobody ends up being more war weary than me" he is considering a narrow, limited US response.
US attack
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... , Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and other senior US national security officials will hold conference calls about Syria on Saturday afternoon with the Senate Democratic Caucus as well as the Senate Republican Conference, a White House official said.
President Barack Obama's top advisers were to make their case for limited military strikes against Syria to the full Senate on Saturday, presenting evidence of a chemical weapons attack last week that the White House says killed more than 1,400 people.
Obama has broad legal powers to take military action.
But not unlimited, and where the boundary sits is exactly the issue. Not that YNet wants to inform you, the reader, of that.
While he has said he has not made a final decision, he has made it clear that he believes the United States must do something to hold the Syrian government accountable for the attack.
No matter how ill-informed or superficial...
But US politicians have pushed for more information about Obama's intentions in Syria, with many expressing reservations about the cost and impact of potential strikes.
On Saturday afternoon, top national security officials will hold unclassified conference calls with the Senate Democratic Caucus as well as the Senate Republican Conference, a White House official said.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will participate, as well as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and Admiral James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Most Americans do not want the United States to intervene in Syria. A Rooters/Ipsos poll taken this week showed only 20% believe the United States should take action, but that was up from 9% last week.
Some politicians have said Obama should seek backing for the strike with a vote in Congress. "The American people I think really deserve that debate," said Barbara Lee, a Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, Democrat in the House of Representatives, in an interview with CNN.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading west toward the Red Sea to help support a limited U.S. strike on Syria, if needed, defense officials said on Sunday.
The Nimitz carrier strike group, which includes four destroyers and a cruiser, has no specific orders to move to the eastern Mediterranean at this point, but is moving west in the Arabian Sea so it can do so if asked.
"It's about leveraging the assets to have them in place should the capabilities of the carrier strike group and the presence be needed," said the official.
"We try to reduce the physics of time and space so we can be as ready as possible should we be needed," said a second official, cautioning that decisions about ship positioning in the Mediterranean were still being finalized.
The Nimitz carrier group had been in the Indian Ocean supporting U.S. operations in Afghanistan but was due to sail east around Asia to return to its home port in Everett, Washington, after being relieved in recent days by another aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman.
Given the situation in Syria, U.S. military officials decided to reroute the Nimitz and send it west toward the Red Sea, and possibly the Mediterranean, officials said.
[Foreign Policy] American intelligence agencies had indications and warnings three days beforehand that the Syrian regime was poised to launch a lethal chemical attack that killed more than a thousand people and has set the stage for a possible U.S. military strike on Syria. Yep, we saw em! All dressed up in rubber suits.
The newest scandal disclosure -- part of a larger U.S. intelligence briefing on Syria's chemical attacks -- raises all sorts of uncomfortable questions for the American regime government. First and foremost: What, if anything, did it do to notify the Syrian opposition of the pending attack? Questions? What uncomfortable questions ?
In a call with reporters Friday afternoon, senior administration officials did not address whether this information was shared with rebel groups in advance of the attack. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the information had been shared. Appears a few hundred civilians did not appear to get the memo.
But at least some members of the Syrian opposition are already lashing out at the U.S. government for not acting ahead of time to prevent the worst chemical attack in a quarter-century. "If you knew, why did you take no action?" asked Dlshad Othman, a Syrian activist and secure-communications expert who has recently relocated to the United States. We had to let the rockets fly to know what was in them.
He added that none of his contacts had any sort of prior warning about the nerve gas assault -- although such an attack was always a constant fear. Razan Zaitouneh, an opposition activist in the town of Douma, one of the towns hit in the Aug. 21 attack, said she had no early indication of a major chemical attack. "Even the moment [the attack hit], we thought it was as usual, limited and not strong," she told The Cable in an instant message. That only changed when "we started to hear about the number of injuries."
"It's unbelievable that they did nothing to warn people or try to stop the regime before the crime," Zaitouneh added. Unbelievable to you perhaps.
The U.S. intelligence community is now all but certain that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons on rebels and civilians in the suburbs of Damascus nine days ago. And part of that certainty were the military's signs of advance preparation for an attack.
"In the three days prior to the attack, we collected streams of human, signals and geospatial intelligence that reveal regime activities that we assess were associated with preparations for a chemical weapons attack," said a U.S. intelligence report the Obama administration leaked released Friday. "Streams of human, signals and geospatial intelligence" not available a year ago in Benghazi ?"
Multiple streams of intelligence indicate that the regime executed a rocket and artillery attack against the Damascus suburbs in the early hours of August 21," the report added. Satellites detected that the weapons were launched from territories held by the regime. They landed in rebel-controlled or contested neighborhoods. Yazir, POO and POI [point of origin - point of impact] confirmed, we think it's the 122nd Messkit Repair Rocket Battalion again.
The intelligence assessment is based on "a substantial body of information," including satellite imagery, intercepted Russian communications, and social media reports from the scene of the attack. Commonly referred to as multi-source intelligence, which is generally required to validate and confirm events.
And then there's this bit, further down the article:
In releasing the intelligence report, the Obama administration sought to assure Americans that its conclusions were based on multiple verifiable sources, including public accounts, and that the intelligence community had not repeated the mistakes of 2003, when it incorrectly judged that Iraq possessed chemical weapons.
It must be noted that the FP writer ignores the subsequent CIA mistake of asserting in their annual consensus report, whose acronym I have forgotten -- and then leaking the report to hamstring the president -- that Iran had most definitely given up the pursuit of nuclear weapons. Thus it is that some of us are a bit suspicious of such loudly trumpeted claims in support of the much loved successor to George W. Bush.
#1
If "we knew in advance" does not move the public opinion needle, it's on to the land of claims of increasing implausibility...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/01/2013 6:47 Comments ||
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#2
Yes, thanks for adding the 2003 bit. The denial of the facts regarding Saddam's WMD efforts and senseless Bush bashing have become so perfunctory, I missed it entirely.
[An Nahar] As U.N. inspectors crossed the border from Syria into Leb Saturday, they were followed out of the war-torn country by a continuous flow of families desperate to flee the threat of U.S. strikes.
Cars filled with weary-looking passengers, their open boots packed to the brim with bags and suitcases crossed the Masnaa border post in a constant -- though not massive -- exodus as a U.S. intervention over a suspected gas attack appeared increasingly imminent.
"I'm going to rent a house near Anjar (in Leb's eastern Bekaa valley) and we will wait for things to calm down," said Abu Malek, a 31-year-old Syrian who works in an aluminum factory near the capital Damascus.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Even more folks that'll be upset that Champ is so wishy-washy.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/01/2013 18:13 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Investigations with the suspects held over the bombings in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... revealed Syrian links to the attacks, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.
It has so far been found that the attacks were planned seven months in advance.
State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr had charged on Friday Sheikh Ahmed al-Gharib and Mustapha Houri with forming a terrorist cell and an armed gang and planting explosives in Leb.
He charged head of the Tawheed Islamic Movement Sheikh Hashem Minkara with withholding information.
Saqr also charged Syrian Captain Mohammed Ali and Ali Khodr al-Arban with booby-trapping cars.
Initial investigations revealed that the planning for the Tripoli attacks started seven months ago, saying that Gharib had met with captain in the Syrian intelligence Mohammed Ali in Damascus and Tartus in Syria, reported An Nahar.
Gharib had requested that he revise the attack plan with Minkara, who in turn requested to study the issue with Syrian security chief Ali Mamlouk.
Minkara has denied these claims.
Mamlouk and Lebanese former Minister Michel Samaha are wanted by Lebanese authorities on charges of planning terrorist attacks in Leb.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's Ambassador to Leb Ali Awadh Asiri condemned Hizbullah members' searching of a Saudi Embassy car on Thursday, saying that such a development leaves a "negative impression" before the public, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday.
He told the daily: "No side has the right to perform the duties of the state."
He hoped that the incident would not be repeated, because it violates diplomatic norms.
"I have long expressed my keenness on the kingdom's ties with Leb, its people and government, but the incident contradicts these strong bonds," Asiri added.
He revealed that he had expressed his "strong objection" to the incident to caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and later caretaker Premier Najib Miqati.
For his part, Mansour apologized for the Hizbullah's inspection of the car, saying that contacts are ongoing with the concerned sides in order to avert future incidents, remarked the ambassador.
The Saudi Embassy in Leb objected on Friday to Hizbullah's searching of one of its vehicles in Beirut, reported LBCI television.
It said that it filed the complaint to the Foreign Ministry after members of the party stopped an embassy vehicle in the Gallery Semaan area near Beirut's southern suburbs.
The members recorded the names of the embassy employees riding in the car before allowing them to continue on their way.
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09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A meeting was held between Hizbullah and the Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... Movement in an attempt to preserve peace and deter tension in Leb as the result of any possible developments in Syria, media reports revealed on Saturday.
The An Nahar daily said that "indirect contacts" between the two parties were held, adding that "a Hizbullah affiliate held a meeting with Mustaqbal officials expressing willingness to exert all efforts needed to preserve calm in the streets and avoid any reactions over the unrest in Syria."
The meeting left an atmosphere of "relief", according to information "and was valued as a positive sign to deal with any possible repercussions on the internal arena as the result of the future developments in Syria."
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09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned Saturday that a U.S. strike on Syria would trigger reactions beyond the borders of Tehran's key regional ally, ISNA news agency reported.
"The fact that the Americans believe that military intervention will be limited to within Syrian borders is an illusion; it will provoke reactions beyond that country," commander Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying.
"Just as U.S. interventions in the Islamic world (Afghanistan, Iraq) have bolstered extremism, so will an aggression on Syria reinforce extremism and, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, its results will be pain, massacre and the exodus of the innocent population," he added.
U.S. President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... said on Friday the United States was weighing "limited, narrow" action against Syria, insisting the world had a duty to act after it concluded that the regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... 's had gassed to death more than 1,400 people.
Syria's government has denied using chemical weapons and has pointed the finger at "terrorists" -- its term for anti-Assad rebels.
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[An Nahar] Divided over a conflict they failed to resolve diplomatically, Arab countries are powerless observers of possible U.S. strikes on Syria not designed to achieve what most of them want -- Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... 's downfall.
"The Arab countries are weak, preoccupied by their own internal affairs. Some of them care little about what will happen in Syria," said Emirati analyst Abdelkhaleq Abdallah.
"They are angry at the attitude of the international community which (they feel) has betrayed the Syrian people, but also by the fact that an Arab country is being targeted in unilateral strikes, without U.N. approval."
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... , which suspended Syria's membership in November 2011 and gave its seat to the main opposition group, has squarely accused the Assad regime of carrying out a chemical weapons attack in Damascus last week that killed hundreds.
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... cited the pan-Arab body on Friday among a list of allies "ready to respond" to the chemicals weapons attack.
But influential League members, including Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Leb and Tunisia, have expressed opposition to foreign military intervention in Syria.
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#1
"The Arab countries are weak, preoccupied by their own internal affairs. Some of them care little about what will happen in Syria... They are angry at the attitude of the international community which (they feel) has betrayed the Syrian people, but also by the fact that an Arab country is being targeted in unilateral strikes, without U.N. approval."
[An Nahar] Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... is scheduled to make speech on Saturday afternoon to mark the 35th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr and his two companions, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday. If so, this is pretty large news. It means he's dumping his Hezbollah alliance in favor of neutrality.
Parliamentary sources revealed that the speaker is expected to announce that "he no longer seeks to be politically affiliated with any authority in Leb, especially the March 8 and 14 camps."
They added that he will not present any initiative to end the political deadlock in Leb.
The speech is expected to highlight the dangers facing Leb given the tense regional situation and therefore stress the need to form a political government that unites all parties, added al-Liwaa.
Berri will also warn against falling victim to attempts to create Sunni-Shiite strife in Leb.
The sources added that he will address the regional situation and the repercussions a western strike against Syria may have on Leb.
Berri's speech is scheduled for 5:30 on Saturday afternoon.
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[An Nahar] As Leb reels from deadly kabooms that revived painful memories of the civil war, jittery authorities are banking on a smartphone application and other alert systems to prevent further bloodshed.
The attacks -- twin boom-mobiles in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... last week and a blast in a densely populated Beirut's southern suburbs eight days before -- have shaken the Lebanese just as a military strike on neighboring Syria appears imminent.
"See that car?", said Khairy Ghali, a 22-year-old waiter in a near-empty restaurant on Beirut's popular Hamra Street, pointing to a vehicle parked in front of the establishment's outdoor terrace.
"We don't know if there's anything in it... We're afraid, we come to work and we don't know if we'll go home or not."
Not content with the usual measures aimed at preventing further attacks, such as checking car trunks before vehicles enter vulnerable sites like malls and hotels, authorities have also decided to harness the power of smartphone technology.
The Lebanese army has launched an application called "LAF Shield" that allows citizens to take videos or photos of suspicious vehicles or objects and send them to the army command.
It also allows them to identify "dangerous sites" such as places where security incidents happened through an interactive site.
In a statement on its official website, the army said it aimed "to involve the largest numbers of citizens in defending the country."
Authorities have also called on people to put their names and telephone numbers in a visible place on their cars every time they park them, and more generally for residents to be ultra vigilant.
For the moment, the methods are working... almost to a fault.
"The operation room of the Internal Security Forces (the country's police) has been receiving more than 1,000 calls every day since the Beirut bombing from citizens all over Leb who tell us there are suspect cars," a security official told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"In some cases, it's clear that the vehicles are not suspect. Other times, police have to break windows and force open doors to inspect the vehicle," said the official, who wished to remain anonymous.
"But so far, all have been false alerts."
Photos circulating widely on social media also show signs posted on windscreens by jumpy drivers keen to avoid damage to their vehicles.
"It isn't booby-trapped. I'm nearby and will come back quickly," read one sign posted online.
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[An Nahar] Rockets launched in a western-led attack against Syrian regime targets may pass through Lebanese airspace, reported As Safir newspaper on Saturday.
French military sources told the daily that the attack will place Leb at the forefront of the war against Syria, seeing as American warships have started to head to the Mediterranean.
Other military sources voiced their fears however that a French-backed attack against Syria will provoke a retaliation against French interests in Leb, namely its unit in the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Interim Force in Leb.
The United States has been leading efforts to garner support for a brief military strike against the Syrian regime in light of reports that it had launched a chemical attack in the Ghouta region near Damascus last week.
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[An Nahar] Syria said it has its "finger on the trigger" as it braces for what it considers an imminent Western military strike, as U.S. President Barack Obama Because I won... plans to address the nation.
"The Syrian army is fully ready, its finger on the trigger to face any challenge or scenario that they want to carry out," Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said.
And a security official, asking not to be named, told Agence La Belle France Presse that Syria was now "expecting an attack at any moment."
The White House said Obama would speak to the American people at 17:15 GMT, but would not announce imminent military action.
Maneuvering over the past two days has appeared to signal that Obama has called for "limited" military strikes that could take place shortly.
But developments on Saturday could indicate an prolongation of the timetable for diplomatic reasons.
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... foreign minster, meanwhile, brought forward to Sunday a Cairo meeting that had been scheduled for Tuesday. Earlier this week, it placed the "entire responsibility" for the alleged attacks on Damascus, and any further condemnation of Assad's actions could give Washington extra diplomatic cover for military action.
Furthermore, U.N. front man Martin Nesirky said inspectors who spent four days investigating an alleged chemical attack last week would not issue a report on their findings until laboratory tests are conducted.
With the departure of the inspectors on Saturday opening a window for a possible U.S.-led punitive strike, the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned that this would trigger reactions beyond the borders of Tehran's key regional ally.
"The fact that the Americans believe that military intervention will be limited to within Syrian borders is an illusion," said commander Mohammad Ali Jafari.
"It will provoke reactions beyond that country," and "reinforce extremism," he said, quoted by the ISNA news agency.
The inspectors, who flew to the Netherlands on Saturday, are due to report straight back to United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... and detail their conclusions on whether a poison gas attack actually did take place in Damascus suburbs on August 21.
Obama's administration says it already has firm evidence that the regime launched a chemical onslaught that killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children.
That brought a contemptuous response from Russian President Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... , whose country is a close ally of Syria, saying claims the regime had used chemical weapons were "utter nonsense" and demanding proof.
The U.S. president said he was looking at a "wide range of options" but had ruled out "boots on the ground" or a "long-term campaign."
"We are looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act," Obama said Friday, while stressing no final decision had been taken on unleashing military strikes against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Trampler of Homs... 's regime.
Syria has denied responsibility Nope. Nope. Wudn't us. for the alleged incident and has pointed the finger of blame at "terrorists" -- its term for rebels ranged against Assad's forces.
In Damascus, the mood was heavy with fear, and security forces were making preparations for possible air strikes, pulling soldiers back from potential targets.
Residents were seen stocking up with fuel for generators in case utilities are knocked out by a strike.
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[MIAMIHERALD] Senior administration officials say President Barack Obama I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... had planned to take military action against Syria without congressional authorization, but told aides Friday night that he had changed his mind.
Obama announced Saturday that he wanted to launch a military strike, but would first seek politicians' approval.
The officials describe a president overriding all his top national security advisers, who believe consulting with Congress was sufficient.
The officials say Obama spent the week wrestling with Congress' role and made the decision Friday after a lengthy discussion with his chief of staff, Denis McDonough. They say Obama decided seeking approval would make the U.S. stronger even though he still believes he has the authority to act alone.
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#1
Something stuck to his golf shoe again? Those useful idiots doubting dems and French republicans will make it all go away. A bit more dithering should bring us back from the brink. All in all, a successful, low-cost diversion.
#3
The real question is that without Congressional approval and Constitutional authority to execute any military operation outside of immediate threat to the United States - aka outside the law, does such an act place the President in a position to be subject to international laws governing the acts and waging of war and thus surrenders the immunity of the office once left?
#5
does such an act place the President in a position to be subject to international laws governing the acts and waging of war and thus surrenders the immunity of the office once left?
Possibly. It may (Donald Sensing says it will) create a constitutional crisis.
Personally, if I was looking to force a decision on the legality of the War Powers Act, that would be the way to do it.
I'm skeptical. When Congress comes back, they spend a week posturing. The vote splits along party lines with just enough Dems defecting to throw it into No. Obama shrugs and says I tried to Do The Right Thing but the Evil Republicans stopped me. Man, those guys really suck. Sorry! More speechifying ensues.
#7
I dunno. There are enough "his guts, our blood" GOPers (Peter King, R-blowhard-NY) and "all wars are icky, always!" dems (take your pick) that it could be a bi-partisan squeaker either way. That'd really be a poke in the eye with a sharp stick for obooboo...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/01/2013 14:41 Comments ||
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#8
Bi-partisan squeaker on the side of the President, a no would have way too many ramifications for the body politik. A naw would be entertaining as hell tho, and historical even.
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09/01/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Yes, there is 'risk' associated, interring with The Natural Order, etc:
die·back [ dbàk ] plant decay: gradual decay that sets in at a plant's young shoots then works back to established stems or old wood, as a result of disease, seasonal change, or poor conditions
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.
David Cameron
PARIS -- French President Francois Hollande reaffirmed to U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday his will to punish Syria for a suspected chemicals weapons attack but was under increasing pressure to put the intervention to parliament.
Hundreds of anti-war protesters carrying signs opposed to a military strike against Syria held a vocal demonstration Saturday at the White House, dpa reported. Using bull horns and holding a large banner reading "No war on Syria," the protesters called on President Barack Obama not to enter another war.
Nawaz Sharif
[An Nahar] As U.N. inspectors crossed the border from Syria into 
Najib Miqati
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[An Nahar] Speaker 
[An Nahar] Syria said it has its "finger on the trigger" as it braces for what it considers an imminent Western military strike, as U.S. President 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[MIAMIHERALD] Senior administration officials say President 
