Congress targeted the man responsible for protecting US taxpayer dollars from Afghan corruption, but aid workers say the bigger problem is that the US is sending too much money.
[Tolo News] The US official in charge of Afghanistan aid oversight, Arnold Fields, has resigned, White House says.
The resignation comes weeks after some members of Congress criticised the retired major general, Arnold Fields, for not being aggressive enough in tracking the spending of the billions of dollars of American aid in Afghanistan.
A White House official has said on condition of anonymity that General Fields had not been asked to resigned and was not fired.
General Arnold Fields was appointed as the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction in 2008, but remained in the position after President Barack B.O. Obama took office.
A statement released by the White House says General Fields's office produced several critical reports that played an important role in improving reconstruction efforts and helped ensure that the programmes funded by the United States were achieving their objectives.
It is not yet clear if President B.O. has accepted the resignation and who will replace General Fields.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] Attorney General's Office has told TOLOnews that 'certain circles' were behind the crisis in Kabul Bank. "Circles" are of course controlled by Hidden Hands™...
That's ok. It's not until the Hidden Hands™ are attached to Elders of xxx that they really need to worry.
We'll talk about which Elders later, when we're in private, 'k?
While declining to name people affiliated in this case, Attorney General's Office said serious investigations are on the ground to find out how the bank was hit with a sudden crisis.
After receiving a five-page letter from Afghanistan's central bank in which an investigation into the bank was emphasised, Attorney General began inquiries.
Several days ago Attorney General Mohammad Is-haq Aliko ordered investigations about the bank, Attorney General's Spokesperson, Amanullah Eman, told TOLOnews.
"Based on the letter from central bank and jurisdiction of Attorney General a group has been assigned to do some investigations about crisis in Kabul Bank," said Amanullah Eman.
"The investigations are in the primary phase and it will soon be finalised," he further said.
Mr Eman accused certain circles of taking advantage of the crisis in the bank, flying cash out of the country.
"Afghanistan central bank's letter to Attorney General was calling for investigation because there are signs of corruption that caused the bank to plunge into crisis. It means money was taken out of Afghanistan by some circles, that requires many investigations to discover them, and then it resulted in crisis in the bank," Mr Eman said.
After Kabul Bank went into crisis, head of the bank resigned and central bank (DAB) took over.
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01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] Formation of special court to address frauds and irregularities in elections was politically motivated, leader of Wahdat-e-Meli Party said on Tuesday.
While some Afghan experts see the formation of special court in accordance with Afghan laws, leader of Wahdat-e-Meli party disagrees.
Only in three cases, formation of special court is required: Firstly to investigate a criminal case which is related to President, secondly to address cases related to cabinet members and thirdly to probe into cases in which members of Supreme Court are involved, Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of Wahdat-e-Meli party argued.
Previously, Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee had also called the special court against Afghan constitution.
"Some elected members of parliament got together and announced the formation of the special court illegal based on laws," Mr Mohaqiq said.
But Abdul Satar Saadat, an Afghan law expert, says the special court is legally established.
"According to the constitution, creation of the court is not illegal. If that was so, then why is there a corruption court beside High Court," Abdul Satar Saadat, a law expert, told TOLOnews.
A couple of weeks ago, President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ordered formation of the special court to end electoral disputes.
But winning candidates and some other law institutions are now calling the court against Afghan laws.
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[Ma'an] Egypt is recalling its Vatican envoy for consultations over remarks by Pope Benedict XVI on Coptic Christians seen as an "interference" in its affairs, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. What did Benedict do wrong this time, call for peace?
The action follows "new statements from the Vatican concerning Egypt which are considered by Egypt as unacceptable interference in its internal affairs," the ministry front man said in a statement. Egypt's "internal affairs' seem to involve off-duty cops going for a train ride and potting a few Christians. But he was off duty, so it's no big thing.
The pontiff has expressed repeatedly his solidarity with the Copts and called on world leaders to protect them in the aftermath of a New Year's Day church bombing that killed 21 people as worshipers emerged from midnight mass in Alexandria. "World leaders" don't actually protect anybody unless they're George Bush (Elder or Younger). What they actually do is wring their hands and 'deplore,' which leaves no bruises.
"Egypt will not allow any non-Egyptian faction to interfere in its internal affairs under any pretext," the statement said. "The Coptic question is specifically an internal Egyptian affair." "We are approaching our own final solution..."
The Vatican declined to comment on Egypt's decision. "I have nothing to say," front man Federico Lombardi told AFP. So the Swiss Guards won't be showing up in Cairo any time soon...
A day after the attack on the Al-Qiddissin [The Saints] church, the pope appealed for the "concrete and constant engagement of leaders of nations," in what he termed a "difficult mission."
At his New Year's Day mass, Benedict underscored that "humanity cannot display resignation in the face of negative forces of selfishness and violence, it cannot get accustomed to conflicts which claim victims and endanger the future of people."
On Sunday Benedict again voiced solidarity with Egypt's Copts -- two days after they marked their Christmas, celebrated on January 7.
"I salute the Coptic faithful present here to whom I renew my expression of closeness," the pope told thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Then on Monday the pope said the attack was "yet another sign of the urgent need for the governments of the region to adopt... effective measures for the protection of religious minorities".
According to the Cairo statement, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit wrote his Vatican counterpart after the church bombing saying Cairo "objects to any foreign bid" to use the attack to promote efforts to protect Middle East Christians.
Benedict had already come under harsh criticism for speaking out for the Copts.
Egypt's top Mohammedanholy man, Ahmed al-Tayeb, criticized the pope's call on world leaders to defend the Copts.
"I disagree with the pope's view, and I ask why did the pope not call for the protection of Mohammedans when they were subjected to killings in Iraq?" the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the oldest Islamic seat of learning and Sunni Mohammedan authority, told a news conference on January 2.
At the time the Vatican stressed that the pontiff had shown solidarity with the Coptic community as well as concern for the consequences of the violence for the Christian and Mohammedan population.
"Therefore we cannot see how the pope's approach to bring everybody to accept non-violence can be considered meddling," Vatican front man Federico Lombardi said.
Lombardi said the Vatican referred to "an attack against a Christian church and therefore we are concerned about Christian minorities but that does not mean that we will justify or minimize violence against the faithful of other religions."
No one has yet grabbed credit for the Alexandria church attack, which came after threats to Egypt's Copts from the Al-Qaeda-linked group in Iraq that claimed an October 31 attack on a Storied Baghdad cathedral.
geriatric President Hosni Mubarak has blamed "foreign hands" as being behind the incident.
Copts account for 10 percent of Egypt's mostly Mohammedan population of 80,000 million, and are the largest Christian community in the Middle East.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
I ask why did the pope not call for the protection of Mohammedans when they were subjected to killings in Iraq?"
Would the Muslim murderers have listened to the pope and stopped murdering their fellow Muslims?
#2
The pope is shepherd to the Christians in general, and Catholics in particular. Muslims are the responsibility of imams, or the caliph, or the Ummah or something.
(AKI) - Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's son-in-law is number 39 on a list of 47 wanted alleged terrorists that the Saudi Arabian government recently gave to international police organisation Interpol, according to Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat.
Bin Laden bodyguard Muhammad Salim Barikan, 47, married Bin Laden's 27-year-old daughter Fatima when she was 13. Married an old maid, did he...
Barikan's name appeared a few months ago on a number of jihadist online forums saying he had been killed by an American drone attack in Pakistan's northwest Waziristan province.
Barikan left Saudi Arabia in 1997 to join Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan where he became a trusted confident of the terrorist leader. Following his marriage to Fatima, Barikan lived for months in a cave on the border with Pakistan. Perhaps married life wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
(AKI) - Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's son-in-law is number 39 on a list of 47 wanted alleged terrorists that the Saudi Arabian government recently gave to international police organisation Interpol, according to Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat.
Bin Laden bodyguard Muhammad Salim Barikan, 47, married Bin Laden's 27-year-old daughter Fatima when she was 13.
Barikan's name appeared a few months ago on a number of jihadist online forums saying he had been killed by an American drone attack in Pakistan's northwest Waziristan province.
Barikan left Saudi Arabia in 1997 to join Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan where he became a trusted confident of the terrorist leader.
Following his marriage to Fatima, Barikan lived for months in a cave on the border with Pakistan
(AKI) - Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's son-in-law is number 39 on a list of 47 wanted alleged terrorists that the Saudi Arabian government recently gave to international police organisation Interpol, according to Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat.
Bin Laden bodyguard Muhammad Salim Barikan, 47, married Bin Laden's 27-year-old daughter Fatima when she was 13.
Barikan's name appeared a few months ago on a number of jihadist online forums saying he had been killed by an American drone attack in Pakistan's northwest Waziristan province.
Barikan left Saudi Arabia in 1997 to join Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan where he became a trusted confident of the terrorist leader.
Following his marriage to Fatima, Barikan lived for months in a cave on the border with Pakistan
[Yemen Post] Saudi authorities said that at least 16 suspected Saudi Al-Qaeda faceless myrmidons are hiding in Yemen while 27 others in Afghanistan, Pakistain, and four in Iraq.
Mansour Al-Turki, Spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Interior said at a presser that Saudi authorities released a list of 47 Saudis wanted for connections with terrorism.
According to Al-Turki, the ages of the 47 are between 18 and 40, and the average age being 26.
The announcement comes after Soddy Arabiajugged 149 suspects in November. They were believed to be operating 19 cells where they were preparing attacks inside the kingdom as well sending Saudis to training camps in Yemen and Somalia.
In 2009, Al-Qaeda in Yemen announced its merger with Soddy Arabia's Al-Qaeda organization to form Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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The Swedish Muslim Council declared its support on Sunday for chairwoman Helena Benaouda (That's nice of them. Wonder why they did it?)
despite the fact that one of the terror suspects in Copenhagen is the father of her daughter's children. That explains it. She now has street creds with a jihadi/wannabe shahid in the family. She's the one who so convincingly confessed her cluelessness yesterday.
Most Islamist propaganda available online can be picked up cheaply from almost any newsstand in Pakistan despite a strict ban in theory and monitoring by various intelligence agencies on such screeds literature.
Among 80 or so such terror publications are 18 weeklies, 40 bimonthlies and 22 monthlies.
The publications are often published in Urdu with plenty of Arabic and some English to cater to a wide range of Pakistani society.
One Islamic magazine named Bazu-e-Mujahid has more than 7,000 subscribers from Karachi to New York, and is focused on enforcing the Caliphate in Pakistan.
Another magazine is Al-Jehad, Mujhaid [sic?] printed in Karachi. Another is Jihad Kashmir printed in Rawalpindi.
The vitriol literature is full of the virtues of dying for Islam. Emotion drenched letters from the mothers and sisters of "martyrs" are meant to inspire.
Two jihadi magazines and a newsletter called Haq-e-Awaz and Allah Commandos both published in Karachi gloried in the recent killing of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer and wrote in an editorial that "Qadri was the new hero of the ummah" and "anyone who betrays the ideology of Islam and Pakistan should be killed".
A senior intelligence official said, "There is a proper mechanism in place to monitor such hate-literature, but at times acting on it due to certain provisions in law that safeguard such hate literature makes them hard to actually be stopped."
[Dawn] A Pakistain court has jugged a Mohammedan prayer leader and his 20-year-old son for life on controversial blasphemy charges in the rural centre of the country, court officials said Tuesday.
The case follows the killing of Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer by his bodyguard last Tuesday, after the outspoken politician called for reform of the law that was recently used to sentence a Christian woman to death.
Mohammad Shafi, 45, and his son Mohammad Aslam, 20, were jugged in April last year for removing a poster outside their grocery shop advertising an Islamic event in a nearby village which allegedly contained Koranic verses.
Mohammad Shafi, 45, and his son Mohammad Aslam, 20, were jugged in April last year for removing a poster outside their grocery shop advertising an Islamic event in a nearby village which allegedly contained Koranic verses.
Judge Mohammad Ayub, heading an anti-terrorism court in the central Pak town of Muzaffargarh, handed down a life sentence to the pair on Monday, his assistant Faisal Karim told AFP by telephone.
The prosecution alleged organisers of the event, which commemorated the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad's birth, said the pair had "pulled the poster down, tore it and trampled it under their feet," Karim said.
"The judge sentenced them to life imprisonment on charges of blasphemy and ordered them to pay a fine of 200,000 rupees ($2,350) each," he said.
Liberal politicians and human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... activists in Pakistain say the blasphemy law, which carries the death penalty for the worst offences, is sometimes used to settle personal scores and encourages extremism.
Defence counsel Arif Gurmani vowed to challenge the verdict in the high court because "it has been given in haste" and was the result of inter-faith rivalries, he said.
"Both are Mohammedans. The case is the result of differences between Deobandi and Barelvi sects of Sunni Mohammedans," he said.
"Shafi is a practising Mohammedan, he is the imam of a mosque and he had recently returned from a pilgrimage to Soddy Arabia.... I am defending them because I am convinced they are not guilty of blasphemy," he said.
Nobody has been executed in Pakistain for blasphemy and those given the death penalty have so far had their sentences overturned or commuted on appeal.
Since Taseer's liquidation, right-wing religious holy mans have heaped praise on his killer and stoked controversy over reform of the law. The government has said it has no plan to reform the law.
The controversy was sparked when former information minister Sherry Rehman tabled a private member's bill in November, seeking to abolish the death penalty for blasphemy.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#2
Islam effectively creates a situation where the most violent and extreme rule, not by their doctrines or ideas, but solely by their willingness to hurt others, while hiding behind a veneer of orthodoxy that protects them from retribution.
#3
'moose, that sounds like leftists everywhere fascist, communist, socialist, Democrat, whatever. The difference is usually only in the directness or nuance of their violence.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
01/12/2011 9:48 Comments ||
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#4
Think Salem witch trials. The useful thing about religion is you can always drum up a reason to kill your neighbors. (If you're so inclined).
A local hysteria lasting a few months, which ended suddenly when one of the accused fled to Boston and sued the accusers for libel. The accusations came to a screeching halt. The entire community recognized this situation as evil, publicly repented, and rewrote their laws. Eohippus' comparison does not hold up; it is merely an excuse to say something snotty about faith.
#7
I've beheaded several neighbors for being less-Catholic than me... well, actually, that never happened, and the thought to do so never occurred to me.
See the difference, Eohippus? Perhaps not....
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2011 19:28 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has appealed to Learned Elders of Islam of various schools of thought to stop their demonstrations after clear assurances by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani that no amendment is being made in the blasphemy law.
He was addressing via telephone from London to an assembly of the office bearers of various wings of his party at Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall at Azizabad, said a statement issued by MQM here Tuesday.
He said Islam is a religion of peace and it gives us lesson to respect all religions.
Islam not only gives a message of peace to the Mohammedans but also guarantees peace and security to the non-Mohammedans, he added.
He was of the view that history tells us that kings, monarchs and rulers have always exploited religion to legitimize their rule and perpetuate their power.
He said the Holy Prophet (pbuh) brought mercy and blessings for all and also treated non-Mohammedans, even his enemies well.
He said his party respects all schools of thought and it has been working for the last 32 years to promote interfaith harmony.
Prime Minister, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has categorically stated in a presser that the government is bringing no change to the blasphemy law.
He appealed to Learned Elders of Islam to stop protests after clear assurance by the Prime Minister that no amendment is being made in the blasphemy law.
Altaf said he has always preached peace, security, dignity of human beings and moderation as told in the Holy Koran and enunciated by the Holy Prophet (PTUI!).
"I have always maintained that whoever you are and whatever sect you belong to or whatever school of thought you subscribe to, you should respect everyone. Do not hate anyone." he said
He said "Everyone has a right to live. You must all adore Allah according to your way. It is for Allah to judge as to who is right and who is wrong. It is for Allah to decide as to who will go to heaven and who will go to hell on the Day of Judgment and not for man."
He said the Islamic fascistiwant to destroy the environment of tolerance and inter-faith harmony in Pakistain particularly in Sindh and want to promote intolerance but while MQM is yet present, they would not succeed.
He said the MQM is a political party that believes in tolerance and inter-faith harmony.
We are not only working for unity among Mohammedans but also unity among various faiths as well. We want to promote moderation and establish an environment where people respect religious sentiments of others, he said.
We should not only revere mosques and imam bargahs but also give protection to all other places of worship.
Altaf Hussain also asked the office-bearers of various wings of MQM to hold corner meetings in every nook and corner to promote tolerance and inter-faith harmony.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who showed remarkably little curiosity about who actually done her in ... appointed close aide Latif Khosa to succeed the murdered governor of the Punjab province Salman Taseer on recommendation by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Earlier this week, President Zardari held consultations with senior leaders of Pakistain People's Party (PPP) in connection with the appointment of Punjab governor at Bilawal House in Bloody Karachi. The announcement was made public after an elaborate meeting between Latif Khosa and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, which was held on January 9.
Later on the same date, the PM Gilani sent to President Zardari the summary with recommendation for appointing Latif Khosa as new Punjab governor. According to President House's front man Farhatullah Babar, Presdient Zardari today signed the summary.
After the approval by President Zardari, Sardar Latif Khosa has become the 33rd gvoernor of Punjab.
Analysts say Khosa will try to avoid antagonising the Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz (PML-N) to tamp down disputes that have paralysed the federal government. Though soft-spoken and non-confontational, he is an ardent supporter of the PPP.
Khosa is the successor of Salman Taseer, the outspoken governor of the central province of Punjab, who was bumped off by one of his bodyguards in Islamabad on Tuesday for supporting changes in the country's blasphemy law.
Khosa said earlier on Saturday that Zardari had called him along with Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar and Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh for a meeting in Bloody Karachi.
"I will accept whatever the decision of my leadership," he said.
Taseer was fiery and often clashed publicly with Nawaz and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif. Khosa, on the other hand, is soft-spoken and non-confrontational. But he is an ardent supporter of the PPP.
Khosa's appointment comes just one day before an ultimatum given by Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... to Zardari's government on Tuesday to accept a list of his demands or face expulsion of PPP members from the Punjab provincial government.
Latif Khosa is a Pak senator and advocate, and the previous Attorney General of Pakistain. He was appointed the Attorney General on 19 August, 2008. He co-authored an electoral fraud report with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto shortly before her liquidation in December 2007. Khosa was one of Bhutto's top aides.
Senator Khosa appeared before the acting Chief Justice Javaid Iqbal in a hearing over the handling of the Iftikhar Chaudry sacking issue. Khosa claimed to be working to have the ex-Chief Justice reinstated.
Latif Khosa has been recently removed form the office of Attorney General of Pakistain on October 10th 2009 due to allegations and on 10 February 2010 as Advisor of Information Technology of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
On 20 July 2010, advisor to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Information Technology Sardar Latif Khosa sent his resignation to the President after developing disagreements with the Premier.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Arab News] The assassin of Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer Monday confessed that he was encouraged to kill him after attending a "religious gathering."
Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the bodyguard, behind Pakistain's most high-profile political liquidation in three years confessed that he acted alone in the shooting of Taseer, police said.
"He has recorded his confessional statement for the murder in which he said that he killed Salman Taseer on his own and there was no involvement of any organization," senior police official Haroon Joya said.
The slaying of Taseer nearly a week ago shocked many around the world, but tens of thousands of Paks have expressed support for 26-year-old Qadri, who said he killed the governor for criticizing laws that carry the death penalty for insulting Islam.
Qadri told a judge Monday in written testimony that he decided to kill Taseer after he attended a gathering on Dec. 31 organized by Shahab-e-Islam, a small group that operated in his neighborhood in Rawalpindi, just outside Islamabad. He said speeches given by a holy man leading the group, Qari Hanif, and another member, Ishtiaq Shah, played a major role in his decision.
Police say they are now seeking the two men for questioning.
The court hearing was closed to the media, but a police official who has a copy of Qadri's confession provided the News Agency that Dare Not be Named with the details.
Police decided to present Qadri before the judge a day before he was scheduled to appear to avoid attracting the crowds of supporters who have shown up for his previous court appearances, said Islamabad police front man Naeem Iqbal.
In his previous appearances, supporters showered him with rose petals, kissed his cheek and shouted slogans in his favor.
The footage that appeared on YouTube showed Qadri chanting verses. It is unclear who recorded the video. It was posted on Jan. 6, two days after Taseer was killed, and is accompanied by comments both for and against Qadri.
There was no way to independently verify the authenticity of the video. Police declined comment.
Tens of thousands of people marched through the southern port city of Bloody Karachi on Sunday to oppose any change to the blasphemy laws and many expressed support for Taseer's killer, chanting "Courage and bravery, Qadri, Qadri." Amid threats from groups defending the law, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ruled out any changes to the legislation.
The next hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 24.
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01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
ION DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > TASEER ASSASSINATION RAISES SPECTER OF NUCLEAR-HEIST IN PAKISTAN.
Scrooge's infamous GHOST OF NUCLEAR SMUGGLING FUTURE.
#2
I'm sure both are cringing, hiding in fear from the authorities and the lawyers.
Oh snap! This is Pakistain. They'll be on Pakistain Idol™ next week
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2011 19:30 Comments ||
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#3
I suspect the TASEER ASSASSINATION was meant to be the TALIBAN'S + Aligned equivalent of inducing the compromise iff not fall of the current PAK GOVT, along the lines of this AM's HEZBOLLAH shennanigans in LEBANON.
* ION TOPIX > [Ordinary/mianstream]TURKS SEE US, ISRAEL AS BIGGEST ENEMIES.
Hamas held "urgent" talks with other jihadi groups to pass a warning from Arab leaders not to fire rockets at Israel at a Gaza City hotel on Wednesday. "Or what?"
Members of Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other splitters groups in the resistance committee were among those invited.
"Hamas asked us to this meeting at the Al-Quds Hotel in Gaza; they said it was urgent," a source said, adding that it was called by senior Hamas officials Mahmud Zahar, Khalil al-Haya and Ayman Taha.
"Hamas received a message from Egypt and other parties, some of them Arab, telling them that the situation along the Gaza border is very dangerous, and that Israel might start another war if the firing of rockets continues, especially Grads," he said.
The Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority has located 163 organizations contaminated with funds related to terrorism over the past three years, and issued specific orders prohibiting receiving money from them, Defense Ministry data shows.
Preventing terrorism funds from infiltrating Israel is one of the authority's stated goals, no matter for what purpose the funds are being transferred. The organization's investigators are in contact with similar international organizations in the UN and the United States, and their list totals 352 organizations. Bans issued by the authority are signed by either the defense minister or the security cabinet.
For instance, the authority banned Israeli organizations from receiving money from Interpal, a British charity which says its aim is to provide Palestinians with humanitarian aid and meet their basic needs. The organization has a turnover of 5 million pounds a year. After a number of investigations on suspicion of serving as a channel for funding for Hamas, Interpal was blacklisted in Israel and is no longer allowed to hold activities in the country or transfer funds to Israel, and activists belonging to the organization will be arrested if they arrive here.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales found Israel provided no proof that Interpal was connected to terrorism, but ordered the charity to break contact with a number of other organizations.
How contradictory.
Other blacklisted groups include the Islamic National Bank, which has opened in Gaza; the Palestinian Relief Society in Switzerland; Pakistani humanitarian organization Wafa; Pakistani trust fund Rabbit, which is believed to be associated with Al-Qaida; the Afghan Support Committee; a British-based company set up by five Libyan businessmen and suspected of organizing terrorism in Libya; the Al Taqwa Bank, based in the Bahamas with branches in Europe and suspected connections to the Muslim Brotherhood; and Qatar Charity, which has signed a multimillion sponsorship deal with the Barcelona soccer club. The Turkish organization IHH was banned after the flotilla raid in May.
[Asharq al-Aswat] ian factions are moving to reject Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,'s call for the continuance of a truce by rejecting that there is a truce in place at all, although they have agreed not to further escalate the situation, whilst reserving the right to respond to any Israeli escalation.
The source within the Paleostinian resistance also claimed that Hamas is deploying plain-clothes security officers along the Gazoo Strip's borders in order to prevent any Paleostinian faction from firing rockets at Israeli settlements bordering Gazoo.
However senior Hamas figure Ayman Taha refrained from answering questions put to him by Asharq Al-Awsat on this issue, refusing to confirm or deny that Hamas are deploying undercover security officers along the Gazoo Strip's borders to prevent escalation. However Taha did tell Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas and the Gazoo government is seeking to achieve, through communications with the national factions, a comprehensive national agreement in the greater interests of Paleostine.
Ayman Taha also stressed that Hamas succeeded in reaching common ground with other Paleostinian factions on how to manage the confrontation with the occupation forces. Taha praised the response of the Paleostinian factions, as well as the efforts of the Hamas movement and Gazoo government in this regards, stressing that all parties agree on the importance of not falling into the traps laid by the Israelis, who are seeking a way out of the worsening crisis that they are facing.
Asharq Al-Awsat also spoke to prominent Islamic Jihad member Daoud Shehab about the position of his movement with regards to Hamas's request for adhering to the truce. Shehab told Asharq Al-Awsat that "a truce means an agreement between two sides, and there is no agreement. What was present was a ceasefire agreement following the war on Gazoo, and this ceasefire no longer exists."
He added "Israel did not adhere to this ceasefire, and it continued its aggression and war against the Gazoo Strip in different forms...they have killed people, implemented a blockade, increased settlement activity...all of these are features of war."
Shehab also confirmed that Islamic Jihad, which is the second strongest gang in the Gazoo Strip, had informed Hamas that "there is nothing called a ceasefire, but there is the resistance factions appreciation of the position and needs of the people of Paleostine...but this does not meant that the factions will stand idly by in the face of [Israeli] aggression."
He added "Israel has escalated [its operations] significantly, and there is a difficult and dangerous trend recently from liquidations and different forms of aggression... the resistance has become necessity with regards to responding to such aggression, and that is our job."
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[Ma'an] The Gazoo government on Tuesday called on factions operating in the Strip to comply with "what has been agreed on" regarding field activities, in an implied reference to the unofficial ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,.
Gazoo government front man Tahir An-Nunu said a "national consensus" had been reached to protect residents of the besieged coastal enclave and their properties.
An-Nunu said the Hamas-led government would ensure all factions complied with the consensus.
He said the government had been involved in contacts locally and at an international level to avoid a new Israeli offensive.
The statement followed an announcement Monday by Hamas front man Sami Abu Zuhri that the party would consult factions to set restrictions on how to respond to Israeli aggressions.
Tensions have risen along the Gazoo-Israel border for several weeks.
Factions supporting the National Resistance Brigades, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Paleostine, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine and Islamic Jihad have grabbed credit for launching more than 20 projectiles into southern Israel in January.
So far in 2011, Israeli war planes have shelled sites across the coastal enclave on three nights, and several skirmishes have been reported between Islamic fascistiand Israeli soldiers along the border.
On Sunday, several right-wing Israeli ministers called for a tough military response to projectile fire from the Strip.
Israel unilaterally declared a ceasefire on Gazoo in January 2009, following the military offensive known as "Operation Cast Lead," in which more than 1,400 Paleostinians, mostly civilians, and 13 Israelis, 10 of them soldiers were killed.
Following Israel's ceasefire, Hamas and most of the factions operating in Gazoo agreed to a truce, and to halt the launch of projectiles toward Israeli targets.
Not all factions have adhered to the truce, while Israel maintains that it holds the "Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for maintaining the calm in the Gazoo Strip and for any terrorist activity emanating from it," and has vowed to "continue to respond harshly to any attempt to use terror against the State of Israel."
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01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] The number of religious scholars calling for a stop in supplications against non-Mohammedans has increased with renowned Saudi scholar Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Fouzan Al-Fouzan joining them.
"These supplications are an aggression against non-Mohammedans," said Al-Fouzan, who is also a member of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. "This is against the spirit of Islam. The imams should instead pray to Allah to guide them toward the path of righteousness," said Al-Fouzan, while describing supplications against non-Mohammedans as unjust.
Supplications against non-Mohammedans are often made by some imams of mosques following the second Friday sermon. This is especially the case following developments in volatile regions across the world when passions run high.
The practice has, however, been deemed wrong by numerous scholars. Al-Fouzan said the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to pray to Allah to guide people and show them the road to monotheism and righteousness. "The Prophet used to say he was not sent to people (with the message of Islam) as a preacher of curse but as a man of mercy," Al-Fouzan said.
He also said he believes people should be called toward Islam through righteous conduct and firm faith, not by cursing or malediction. "We should not generalize our praying to Allah against all non-Mohammedans including Jews and Christians but should only focus our prayer on those who have done us injustice," he said.
Other leading Saudi scholars have previously issued fatwas asking people not to supplicate against non-Mohammedans. Sheikh Salman Al-Oudah and Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Nasser Al-Barak consider it haram to supplicate against non-Mohammedans.
Al-Oudah has ruled that supplicating for the destruction and total annihilation of non-Mohammedans is totally against Islamic law, which calls for all people, regardless of faith, to be treated fairly and properly, unless they are transgressors.
Saad Al-Din Hilali, professor of comparative Fiqh at Azhar University in Egypt, also supports scholars who consider supplicating against non-Mohammedans as haram. "We should pray to Allah to guide non-believers to Islam. We should only make supplications against them if they attack us," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
It would be interesting to know what he really said in Arabic.
[An Nahar] Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... accused the March 8 forces ... the opposition to the Mar. 14th movement, consisting of Hizbullah and its allies, so-called in commoration of their Mar. 8th, 2006 demonstration of strength in Beirut ... on Wednesday of giving themselves powers beyond the authorities of the president and the prime minister.
"The other team should understand that there won't be any cabinet meeting under pressure," Geagea told a presser in Maarab about a call to hold an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the Lebanese crisis.
"The authorities that the March 8 team gave itself are much more than the powers granted to the president, the prime minister and the speaker," the LF leader said.
"Those calling for a premier other than Saad Hariri would be seeking for strife," Geagea said over reports that the opposition plans to resign from the cabinet.
"I tell the other team not to attempt to exert pressure with all its means because it would drown them further into the hole," the LF leader warned.
He described as "illogical" attempts by the March 8 coalition to push Hariri into announcing the rejection of the international tribunal and pulling the Lebanese judges from it.
Geagea, however, expressed openness to engage in dialogue with Hizbullah and its allies. "We welcome any Lebanese-Lebanese dialogue without imposing anything on others."
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01/12/2011 11:43 ||
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[Arab News] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill... said Monday that sanctions have slowed Iran's efforts to develop atomic weapons and accused the country of trying to foment new conflict in the Middle East to distract attention from its nuclear ambitions.
On the first stop of a three-nation tour of the Gulf, Clinton said the Arab world in particular should act to sharpen enforcement of the sanctions and reject attempts to stoke tensions in the Middle East. She said Arab states had a special role to play in helping restart Israeli-Paleostinian peace talks by promoting a broader Arab-Israeli settlement.
"The most recent analysis is that the sanctions have been working. They have made it much more difficult for Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions," she told a television talk show. "Their program, from our best estimate, has been slowed down. So we have time, but not a lot of time."
If Iran succeeds in developing an atomic bomb, it will plunge the Mideast into a disastrous nuclear arms race, she said. "It is first and foremost in the interest of the region to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."
UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan canceled a meeting with Clinton following a report that he had broken his arm. The UAE's state news agency WAM said Sheikh Khalifa "fractured his arm this morning while undertaking his daily exercise."
Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed forces, received Clinton and the accompanying delegation in the afternoon.
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01/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Maybe she should practice that walking up the stairs to board an aircraft thingy before she attempts to cure the world's ills....
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.
[Tolo News] The US official in charge of Afghanistan aid oversight, Arnold Fields, has resigned, White House says.
"Some elected members of parliament got together and announced the formation of the special court illegal based on laws," Mr Mohaqiq said.
Most Islamist propaganda available online can be picked up cheaply from almost any newsstand in Pakistan despite a strict ban 
[Arab News] The assassin of Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer Monday confessed that he was encouraged to kill him after attending a "religious gathering."
