Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Tina Louise aka Ginger Grant in "Gilligan's Island" aka Griselda in "God's Little Acre" aka Charmaine Wimperis in "The Stepford Wives" aka Appassionata von Climax in "Li'l Abner (Broadway musical)" (age 77)
#2
I'm glad my earlier post was taken down. As I thought about it later, I thought it could have been taken in the wrong way. My statement was really about the Righthaven and the need to be aware of their presence in the background. I get a chuckle out of Fred's postings. I have restricted my posting because I'm not sure which articles are copyrighted and which are not. Don't want to get anyone in trouble.
[Tolo News] The National Directorate of Security (NDS) has jugged two people in connection with a recent suicide kaboom in a supermarket in Kabul.
During the investigation, the detainees confessed that they were operating under Haqqani Network, which is active in lawless tribal belts in Pakistain, said officials in NDS.
They also revealed the identity of Kabul jacket wallah as Pak.
The attack took place at Finest Supermarket in Wazir Akbar Khan area which is a diplomatic location in Kabul.
Civilians including all six members of a family bit the dust in the incident.
The family included Dr Massoud Yama (a government employee), his wife Hamida Barmaki (a university lecturer and human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... activist) and all four of their children.
Kabul suicide kaboom was the deadliest in months despite an increase in police security rings in the capital.
Hezb-e-Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ... who used to be known as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... immediately grabbed credit for the attack saying one of their men, Rafiullah, had carried it out.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] In a suicide attack on Thursday in northern Kunduz province, district chief of Chardara was killed, local officials said.
The incident happened in Chardara district this afternoon when a jacket wallahwent kaboom!" in the governmental district building killing Abdul Wahed Omarkhil, chief of Chardara, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a front man for 303 Pamir Zone in the north told TOLOnews.
Two other people were also killed and five others were maimed in the incident, he added.
No group including the Taliban has grabbed credit for the incident.
Police officials said they have started investigation about the attack.
Mr Omarkhil served as governor of Chardara for several years, a heavily insecure district in the province.
Afghan and Nato forces have launched military operations in Kunduz province to clear it of bad boys.
Dozens of forces of Evil have laid down their weapons in the province and surrendered to government.
The attack comes a day after Afghan officials announced the province as "cleared of bad boys".
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] At least 16 people have been killed in festivities between rebels and the army in south Sudan's Jonglei state, breaking a ceasefire agreed last month, the southern army has said.
Philip Aguer, front man for the south's Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), said the violence started when fighters loyal to rebel leader George Athor attacked an army base on Wednesday.
"Four SPLA soldiers were killed and 12 of Athor's men," he said. "This is a violation of the ceasefire agreement. Not only has he attacked SPLA, he has been planting landmines as well."
Aguer said Athor's men attacked two sites in Fangak county on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, and two vehicles carrying SPLA soldiers hit a landmine on Wednesday.
However, The infamous However... Athor told the Sudan Tribune news website that the SPLA had launched the attacks.
Athor is a renegade southern general who launched a rebellion after claiming he was cheated in governorship elections last April in Jonglei.
Call for peace
A ceasefire agreement was signed between the rebels and the army in January, just days before a landmark referendum on secession for the south.
On Monday, final results showed that around 99 per cent of southerners voted to separate from the north. The referendum was held under a 2005 peace deal which ended decades of north-south civil war.
That conflict killed an estimated 2 million people and was also marked by violence between rival southern militias. There have been fears that old divisions could re-surface during the build-up to secession, which is due to take place on July 9.
Southern leaders accused Khartoum of backing Athor when he first revolted but did not repeat the accusations on Thursday.
"We call on George Athor to look at this great moment in our history and make a logical decision for peace," Aguer said.
Southern soldiers in a northern Sudan Armed Forces unit in neighbouring Upper Nile state mutinied last week after refusing to redeploy north as part of a separation of forces before the south's independence. The southern army said on Thursday that the death count from those festivities had climbed to 60.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] A shootout occurred Friday in Al-Arish in the Sinai between demonstrators and Egyptian police, injuring several people according to witnesses, along with protests against geriatric President Hosni Mubarak in the country.
A thousand protesters threw Molotov cocktails at a cop shoppe and set fire to vehicles, witnesses said.
Several people were maimed, according to these same sources, but no conclusions could be drawn immediately.
The festivities occurred when at least one million people flooded into the streets across the country on Friday demanding theresignation of the president.
The anti-government protests were triggered on January 25 and made at least 300 deaths.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 14:08 ||
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#1
Fred you have become an artist in er, ah "presenting" the news.
#2
The army seems to be loved by the people. The police, not so much. Will they even be showing up for work? I wonder if the police put on plain clothes and attacked them when it got so bad. There sure weren't a lot of them to be found it seemed.
[Ennahar] The secretary general of the ruling party in Egypt, Hossam Badrawi, appointed a few days ago, will resign, told AFP one of his relatives in the aftermath of the announcement by President Hosni Mubarak that he delegated his powers to his vice president Omar Suleiman.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 14:07 ||
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[Ennahar] Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo exploded with joy on Friday at the announcement of the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak after thirty years in power, said an AFP journalists on the spot.
"The people brought down the regime! The people brought down the regime!" chanted a delirious crowd in the square that became a symbol of the protest movement launched on January 25 against Mubarak.
The demonstrators shouted for joy and waved Egyptian flags. Some people fainted in the heat of the moment.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 14:06 ||
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#1
"Explosions of joy" - is that like "happy fire"? If so, what will be the damage to property & life and limb?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/11/2011 14:49 Comments ||
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So all their problems are over now, right?
Heh...they haven't even started yet.
Fox News is reporting that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down in favor of VP Omar Suleiman. BBC, Reuters, AP confirm... Congratulations to the Egyptian people.
The B.O. administration and the State Department haven't known what to do. Obama got his 3 a.m. call and let the answering service handle it. He didn't know whether to spit or go blind so he closed one eye and drooled. Who's surprised?
There were two "hard choices," neither of them palatable: support Hosni, which meant supporting a bloody-handed dictator; or support the people in the streets and take a chance on the Muslim Brotherhood or ElBaradei, aka Iran's sock puppet. Hosni had jailed or run off all the other credible alternatives.
Public sympathy in the U.S., at least the sympathy of that segment of the public that wasn't watching Entertainment Tonight, was with the people in the streets, even though what comes next is still up in the air. As a nation we'd rather see liberty than dictatorship. Failing liberty, we still like seeing the dictators run out of town.
The talking heads, like the rest of Washington, have been split, seeing the popular support for change but realpolitiking almost out of habit.
No one knows what's coming next in Egypt. Given past experience, it'll probably be bad. But it won't be a continuation of the dictatorship of the past 30 years, which was a continuation of Sadat's dictatorship, which was a continuation of Nasser's dictatorship, which makes it 55 years. It'll be a new bad. Maybe in 30 years this new bad will give way to a new less bad. Or in 55 years.
We've been watching this for better than two weeks, as have the other strongmen in the Arab world. Everyone is wondering "who's next?" My guess would be the loathsome Omar Bashir in Sudan, or Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen. Assad is too firmly entrenched for now, but he's on the list, maybe after Jordan.
And so is the Iranian theocracy on the list, with its annual June demonstrations.
And so is the Tragic Kingdom on the list. Fred says that no one knows what's coming next in Egypt. I'm no seer, but let me make a prediction.
What's happened in Egypt is a military coup. It is precisely the continuation of Mubarak who sprang from Sadat who sprang from Nasser. It's meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Suleiman will be the front man, but the generals are in charge, pretty much as they were when Hosni was the man. How else could Mubarak have maintained his grip for thirty years?
Suleiman and the junta will make some eye-catching, superficial reforms. They'll do things that play to the people on the street. Some market reforms, some new subsidies of basic consumer goods, and some 'job creation'. They might even be more successful than Obama in creating jobs.
Suleiman and the junta will sponsor elections in September. They'll make a big show of it with international observers and everything. They'll win, of course, and if they're smart they'll take 60 - 65% of the vote rather than the usual 90% that thugs like to get. They'll promote some sort of moderate 'opposition' that will be ineffectual but will look pretty to the Europeans.
All the while they'll identify the biggest threats to their rule and kill them. The leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the street leaders, the rubes who call themselves 'moderate', today all have cross-hairs on their foreheads. The people hated Mubarak's secret police -- very well, the secret police will get a new name and a new velvet glove for their iron fist. They won't fool the people on the street though they'll likely fool Obama.
Americans indeed like democracy and hate dictators. The average American, however, will tolerate a thug as long as he's 'our' thug. Suleiman will be that man, and he'll continue the grand tradition of thuggery in the Middle East. I'll take Door #3, for the Muslim Brotherhood takeover. I don't doubt that they are well-organized, and they have been playing the game in Egypt for a long time, and this is the moment they have been preparing for. I expect in the future they will destroy the economy and stone women in the public square. Mubarak was a good guy, he kept his people down and didn't support terrorism, (unlike Saddam, who only followed half of that formula.) We should have done everything possible to help keep him in power.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 11:13 ||
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This Just In.... Generalissimo Francisco Mubarak is still ALIVE.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
02/11/2011 11:23 Comments ||
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The U.S. should have one simple demand of Egypt, which would be to honor its peace treaty with Israel.
Beyond that, whichever thug rises to the top of Egypt's political system through whichever means they adopt is their business.
Posted by: American Delight ||
02/11/2011 11:41 Comments ||
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#4
James,
Excuse me for sounding unsympathetic but I has serious doubts about most Moslems being able to comprehend and practice democracy. Even in Iraq which was completely secular for 40 years and the Imans effectively muzzled, democracy is a tough row to hoe for most in that region.
I believe we will see essentially a civil war in Egypt as the Moslem Brotherhood shows their true stripes as fanatical Islamists and the more moderates and the military fighting it out over the direction of Egypt.
I am more concerned about the loss of intelligence from Egypt.
I also believe this street revolt was manipulated by Hamas/Hizbullah in response to Egypt's crack down on the tunnels and supplies of arms and explosives into Gaza. It is no coincidence to me that this follows closely on the heels of the Egyptian crack down on tunnels and exploding watermelons going into Gaza.
Karl,
As usual your black hearted view of middle eastern politics is spot on the essence of the situation.
#5
From Stratfor:
Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman delivered the following statement Feb. 11: In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate, citizens, during these very difficult circumstances Egypt is going through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from the office of president of the republic and has charged the high council of the armed forces to administer the affairs of the country. May God help everybody.
Suleimans statement is the clearest indication thus far that the military has carried out a coup led by Defense Minister Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi. It is not clear whether Suleiman will remain as the civilian head of the army-led government. Egypt is returning to the 1952 model of ruling the state via a council of army officers. The question now is to what extent the military elite will share power with its civilian counterparts.
#7
I agree with AD, that there was another option of publically voting present, at most passively support both sides' very real grievances (a cynic might point and say Obama wanted a big foreign policy win, but I personally am not ready to pin that yet though the quick active support of the opposition then flailed backpeddling is a concern not only for the process but potential future relations and perhaps a missed opportunity for monitored elections but that may be a behind the scenes deal, we will see).
If Glenmore's link is correct Egypt is now left to the wisdom of the military council for better or worse.
(sets 2 cents on table)
G.Beck has caught a lot of slack, I didn't necessarily agree with his theory but could not find fault in the reasoning. Could be that Mubarak's actions, whatever their motive, could have outlasted such an emotional wave long enough for people to take a step back and think this through. See what happens over the next 3 months.
#9
Woah Egypt, oh Egypt, don't treat me so mean,
You're the meanest old Egypt that I've ever seen.
I guess if you say so
I have to pack ma things and go. (That's right)
Hit the road Mubarak and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more.
Hit the road Mubarak and don't you come back no more.
(What you say?)
"If someone knocks on your door at night and you disappear, Omar Suleiman is probably behind it," said Suskind, whose 2006 book "The One Percent Doctrine" detailed the Bush administration's post-9/11 counterterrorism policies. "He is a feared man, and certainly not a man with any legitimacy when it comes to rule of law or any of the principles we prized in America."
#11
All the while they'll identify the biggest threats to their rule and kill them.
Even easier now that a good number of them have shown themselves (the really smart ones have stayed 'low', but their 'supply routes' have been exposed).
Expect many 'travelers' hurriedly leaving the country this week.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/11/2011 14:03 Comments ||
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#13
We had a third choice. Keep our mouths shut and work behind the scenes to assure that American interests are protected. But this never occurred to anyone in Washington.
#15
Putting the military in charge is putting the foxes in the henhouse, once again. Egypt has been second in US foreign aid, only behind Israel, and most of it military. Can we take it back? How did Mubarak amassed 11 billion? Can we make any further aid contingent on their upholding of the peace treaty with Israel and democratic reforms? Seems we can do more than handwringing...
CAIRO - President Hosni Mubarak provoked rage on Egypt's streets on Thursday when he said he would hand over powers to his deputy but refused to step down after more than two weeks of protests demanding that he quit.
The armed forces high command had earlier issued "Communique No.1," declaring it was taking control of the nation in what some called a military coup seeking to end the turmoil under the 82-year-old former general, who has ruled for 30 years.
"Leave! Leave!" chanted hundreds of thousands who had gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square in anticipation that a televised address would be the moment their demands were met.
Instead, the former air force commander portrayed himself as a patriot and war hero overseeing an orderly transition until an election in September -- in which he said last week he would not stand. Mubarak praised young people who have stunned the Arab world with unprecedented rallies. He offered constitutional change and a bigger role for Vice President Omar Suleiman.
Asked if Mubarak would step down, an Egyptian official had told Reuters before the speech: "Most probably." But his information minister had said that would not be the case.
In a 20-minute address in which he said he would not bow to foreign pressure -- Washington has called on its old ally to make way quickly -- Mubarak said he would "delegate to the vice president of the republic the prerogatives of the president of the republic in a manner that is fixed by the constitution."
"It is not immediately clear what powers are being handed over," British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC.
Suleiman, a 74-year-old former intelligence chief who was promoted just last month, is not widely popular with protesters who are seeking a complete break with the military-dominated system that has governed Egypt for the past six decades.
Suleiman appeared on state television to say there was a "road map" for transition and said he would oversee a "peaceful transition of power" in the Arab world's most populous nation.
Egypt's sprawling armed forces -- the world's 10th biggest and more than 468,000-strong -- have been at the heart of power since army officers overthrew the British-backed king in 1952.
The army, from politically plugged-in generals to poor conscripts and junior officers, is key to what happens next. "This poses a real dilemma for the army," said Rosemary Hollis at London's City University. "Are they going to allow the demonstrators to escalate their demonstrations so that they push the point that Mubarak has got to go, and that means the army definitely does split with Mubarak? he demonstrators are very disappointed and there will be violence."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the following, but this quote can be found on many sites:
"During the meeting with the Military Council Mubarak made the following statement:
We are brothers, soldiers, we have bled together for Egypt, we have shed blood together. Today, we are faced by an enemy who demands we hand Egypt over to our enemies. The people of Egypt have been silenced by these insurgents and we have been more than patient. Will we all sit here and obey the Obama regime? Will we not once again, with honor stand up to our enemies? Will we not continue to stand for Egypt with honor?
Brothers, would you have me crawl away at the command of Obama? Would any of you crawl away like a dog that has been kicked? Would any of you bow down to the fools he has chosen to take our nation from us?
I leave to you, men of honor, the fate of Egypt, the honor of Egypt and in so doing, I know you will decide that which is right and honorable. We have known each other all our lives, we grew to be men together, we have eaten bread in each others houses and honored each others families. Will we now throw all that away for political expediency?"
I post it here to provide what might be more insight into what the Egyptian government is/might be thinking.
Strong words. The words of a man betrayed, and not going down without a fight.
Obama the lightbringer unites ignites the world.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
02/11/2011 6:43 Comments ||
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#2
Knowing the check from Abdullah had cleared certainly helped.
Hope and change smart diplomacy is when 3rd world dictators speak openly of the US as a banana republic but if it makes Michele proud....
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
02/11/2011 8:33 Comments ||
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#4
"I'll see you in September when summer is gone
Have a good time but remember, I'll be waiting back home
And when you go out dating with some guy all alone
Just remember I'll be waiting when summer is gone"
[Iran Press TV] A notable state-run Egyptian newspaper has adopted a public-friendly tone as nationwide protests continue to pose the most-serious-ever threat to the unpopular ruling regime.
The popular movement against the regime of three-decade-long geriatric President Hosni Mubarak entered its 17th straight day on Thursday. It has recently gained further momentum by thousands-strong walkouts by the Egyptian public and private sectors.
Earlier Thursday, opposition Mohammedan Brotherhood cited presidential sources as saying that Mubarak has left Egypt.
The protests have been fiercely confronted by Egyptian security forces. More than 300 people have bit the dust since the popular movements began on January 25, reports say.
On its Wednesday issue, Al-Ahram, the Egyptian Arabic daily of the widest circulation, said the recent attacks by pro-Mubarak vigilantes in capital Cairo's Liberation Square were an "insult to the entire nation."
The description, which appeared on Al-Ahram's front page, constituted a major switch in the stance of the daily, which had been downplaying the protests over the previous days.
The developments came as over 6,000 outraged laborers protested for a second consecutive day at unfavorable working conditions and low wages. Among the protesters are the workers belonging to the five companies in the possession of the state Suez Canal institute, which comprises the best part of the country's economy.
Some 2,000 textile workers also rallied in the northeastern seaport town of Suez, while thousands, who had suffered due to blows to tourism industry staged a demonstration in the city of Luxor in the east.
The northeaster Port Said also saw thousands of slum dwellers setting the government's base on fire.
Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle has, meanwhile, reported that an internet page has been created containing the names of and information about those Egyptian protesters who have bit the dust.
The outlet posts data such as the victims' names in both Arabic and English, their age, occupation, place and date of death as well as the victims' pictures.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] Two Algerian gendarmes were maimed Monday by a roadside kaboom in Douar Hadj Ahmed, corpse-littered Boumerdes province, Tout sur l'Algerie quoted a security source as saying on Tuesday (February 8th). The kaboom was followed by an exchange of gunfire between police and terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, says legal action against former Egyptian Minister of Interior Habib Al-Adili linking him to the Alexandria church bombing exposes the baselessness of the minister's accusations against Paleostinians.
The Islamist movement said in a statement that accusations that Paleostinians targeted the Saints Church on New Year's Day was to incite the world against Paleostinians, distort the resistance, and justify the blockade of Gazoo.
Parliament deputy Ahmed Bahar said the resistance would never consider participating in such a crime. He said the Ministry of Interior, headed by Adili, is suspected of atrocities against Mohammedan and Christian Egyptians.
"The policy of media disinformation and incitement against the Paleostinians are not limited to the former minister, but rather is the practice of many state organizations in Egypt," the statement said.
Hamas said attorney general Abdulmajeed Mahmoud ordered the state prosecutor's office to interrogate former interior minister Habib Al-Adli for his role in the January bombing of a church in Alexandria.
Hamas said attorney Mamdouh Ramzi filed a claim with the attorney general accusing Adli of criminal masterminding a church attack that killed 23 people and injured 97 others.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Ennahar publishes new documents on assets of Egyptian geriatric President Hosni Mubarak's family abroad, specifically in Cyprus where the two president's sons, Djamel and Ala'a have several companies. Ennahar holds records from central banks of Cyprus and Spain.
Djamel, the eldest son, who was seen, a short time ago, as the successor of his father, owns a company in Greece under the name of "Horus Food Agri-business", whose headquarters is located in the Cypriot capital Nicosia. That company was created 17 October 2005 and specializes in investment in agriculture and food processing. It is headed by British Ahmed al-Hamd, a Kuwaiti-born and Walid Kaba, a Briton of Egyptian origin who is also director of the company " Mid Invest Associated LTD, Gerard Van Ambel, a Dutch businessman as well as an Egyptian named Mohamed Hassan El-Khatib and a of Cypriot businesswoman.
The name of Djamed Mubarak is mentioned in documents as advisor to the director of the company, alongside two Egyptians, Mohamed Aloui Timur and Hassan Heikal, son of journalist and writer Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, and finally the Member of Parliament Yasser Elmelouani, Conservative opposition.
What is strange is the presence of the son of Hassanein Heikal and the Parliamentary Conservative Party member alongside with Djamel Mubarak while they are in opposition.
The company is funded by the Arab African International Bank, which is an Egyptian-Kuwaiti bank that finances its investment in Cyprus.
Regarding the second son of President Mubarak, Ala'a, documents of the Central Bank of Cyprus show that the latter owns a company in Cyprus too, "International Securities Fund", created April 5, 2001.
The company is engaged in financial industry, a cover for the transfer of funds from Egypt to Cyprus and Spain through the "Bullion Company Ltd".
Ala'a Mubarak runs the company with Cypriot businessmen and an Egyptian Izet Gerah a Cypriot citizen, owner of a group specializing in the manufacture of vehicle accessories, in which Ala'a holds shares.
Furthermore, and according to banking statistics of the central bank of Spain, the company Bullion Company LTD has made transfers of funds from Cyprus to Spain under the guise of investments financing.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] I advise the authorities of the country to present concrete solutions to the gangs to encourage them to return to normal life. I am innocent of any harm caused to the lives of Algerians.
It was with these words that addressed us Sheikh Hachemi Sahnoun, a leader of the Islamist movement and a former activist of the Islamic Front of salvation (FIS) dissolved during his visit to the headquarters of Ennahar.
Sheikh Sahnoun clarified that he had expressed this view twenty years ago and that it is what he always thinks; the lives of Algerians are sacred, they are Mohammedans and he who undermines the Mohammedans undermines Islam.
Sheikh Sahnoun appealed to the authorities to take real action to rectify the backlog and push residues of gangs to join civilian life, blaming the bureaucracy of hindering the process of casework. The authorities of the country, he said, must take the step and give and present concrete solutions to the armed elements. "If we wanted to deal with the security issue, it should be a comprehensive work and not partial," he added.
The delay in the execution of judgments by certain parties is, according to him, the real obstacle to the achievement of reconciliation. The issue of compensation must also be addressed, victims of the black decade, he said, did not receive compensation and are swinging between the administration and security services, their records are not yet regulated, as for instance, Abdelbari, a leader of the Salafist Group (GSPC), who surrendered at the same period than Hassan Hattab, the GSPC National leader. And this is just a drop in the ocean of obstacles, according to the sheikh who considers necessary the removal of constraints and resolving their situations.
The current leader of the Salafist group says he can not call the forces of Evil to surrender if the state does not present concrete proposals that would ensure their lives and ensure their return to civilian life.
The imprisoned forces of Evil demand the release in exchange for their signing of a charter of honor.
Sheikh Sahnoun said that prisoners sentenced to death or to life imprisonment in cases of terrorism are convinced of the charter for peace and national reconciliation. They wish to rejoin civilian life and asked him to bring their voices to officials asking them to release them, in return, they would sign a charter of honor, never to return to armed activities.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] The Egyptian government has made clear it believes a chief culprit stoking the anti-government protests roiling the country is pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera.
Security forces have jugged, and later released, at least nine Al-Jazeera correspondents since the protests erupted last month. Authorities have banned its Arabic and English language channels from broadcasting and revoked the press credentials of all of its journalists. The channel has continued to report despite the restrictions.
Pro-government thugs set the Qatar-based network's Cairo offices ablaze, along with the equipment inside, as part of a broad pattern of attacks on journalists covering the unrest.
The network has won accolades from many around the globe for its near round-the-clock coverage of the unprecedented unrest in Egypt, and seen a spike in interest in its report from US viewers. But it has collided head-on with Egyptian authorities, who have sought to portray the broadcaster -- the Arab world's most popular -- as a malevolent force fueling the unrest.
Egypt's newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, told Egyptian newspaper editors on Tuesday that "certain satellite channels" are provoking the protesters and insulting Egypt.
A week earlier, Suleiman said: "I blame some friendly countries who own unfriendly channels that have fueled the youth against the country by lying and showing the situation as worse than it is." While he hasn't named Al-Jazeera outright, it is clear to Egyptians whom Suleiman has in mind, and such comments have served as a clear signal to the regime and its supporters to hit back at the network.
And they have.
Besides the attack on its Cairo bureau and the detention of its news hounds, Al-Jazeera said its website was hacked. A banner advertisement on its Arabic-language site was taken down for more than two hours and replaced with a slogan reading "Together for the collapse of Egypt." The slogan provided a link to a page criticizing the broadcaster.
The network has even had trouble staying on the air because of high levels of interference in its broadcast signal. Al-Jazeera said the government shut off the channel's signal from an Egyptian satellite. Egyptians with satellite dishes could adjust them to point to other satellites beaming the Al-Jazeera signal, but that is not easy to do. Since the cutoff, the channel has provided viewers the coordinates to make the change.
Despite the challenges, Al-Jazeera's flagship Arabic station and its English sister channel have both managed to continue broadcasting, although the crackdown has driven their Egyptian news hounds off the air over fears of government reprisals.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] Thousands of state workers and impoverished Egyptians launched strikes and protests around the country on Wednesday over their economic woes as anti-government activists sought to expand their campaign against geriatric President Hosni Mubarak.
Culture Minister Gaber Asfour, appointed just nine days ago to a new Cabinet after a reshuffle prompted by the protests, resigned. Asfour said the resignation was for "medical reasons," but it came after he faced criticism from prominent intellectuals for joining the new Cabinet.
Some 8,000 protesters, mainly farmers, set barricades of flaming palm trees in the southern province of Assiut, blocking the main highway and railway to Cairo to complain of bread shortages. They then drove off the governor by pelting his van with stones. Hundreds of slum dwellers in the Suez Canal city of Port Said set fire to part of the governor's headquarters in anger over lack of housing.
Efforts by Vice President Omar Suleiman ... Vice president of Egypt. From 1993 until his appointment to that office in 2011 he was Minister without Portfolio and Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID)... to open a dialogue with protesters over reforms have broken down since the weekend, with youth organizers of the movement deeply suspicious that he plans only superficial changes . They refuse any talks unless Mubarak steps down first.
Showing growing impatience with the rejection, Suleiman issued a sharp warning that raised the prospect of a renewed crackdown. He told Egyptian newspaper editors late Tuesday that there could be a "coup" unless demonstrators agree to enter negotiations. He suggested Egypt was not ready for democracy and said a government-formed panel of judges would push ahead with recommending its own constitutional amendments to be put to a referendum.
"He is threatening to impose martial law, which means everybody in the square will be smashed," said Abdul-Rahman Samir, a front man for a coalition of the five main youth groups behind protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square. "But what would he do with the rest of the 70 million Egyptians who will follow us afterward?"
The state news agency MENA quoted Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit as saying the army would be forced to intervene to protect the country if protesters push the country into chaos.
King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who is convalescing in the Moroccan city of Casablanca, received a telephone call Wednesday from US President Barack B.O. Obama and they discussed developments in Egypt and other major regional and international issues, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Nearly 10,000 people massed Wednesday at Tahrir Square on the 16th day of protests. Nearby, 2,000 more blocked off Parliament, several blocks away, chanting slogans for all members to resign and Parliament to be dissolved. Army troops deployed in the Parliament grounds.
For the first time, protesters called forcefully Wednesday for labor strikes, despite a warning by Suleiman that calls for civil disobedience are "very dangerous for society and we can't put up with this at all."
Strikes broke out across Egypt as many companies reopened for the first time after closing for much of the turmoil because of curfews. Not all the strikers were responding directly to the protesters' calls, but the movement's success and its denunciations of the increasing poverty under nearly 30 years of Mubarak's rule clearly reignited labor discontent that has broken out frequently in recent years.
The farmers in Assiut voiced their support of the Tahrir movement, witnesses said, as did the Port Said protesters, who set up a tent camp in the city's main Martyrs Square similar to the Cairo camp.
In Cairo, hundreds of state electricity workers stood in front of the South Cairo Electricity company, demanding the ouster of its director. Public transport workers at five of the city's roughly 17 garages also called strikes, calling for Mubarak to resign, and vowed that buses would be halted Thursday, though it was not clear if they represented the entire bus system.
Also, dozens of state museum workers demanding higher wages staged a protest in front of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, crowding around antiquities chief Zahi Hawass when he came to talk to them.
Several hundred workers also demonstrated at a silk factory and a fuel coke plant in Cairo's industrial suburb of Helwan, demanding better pay and work conditions.
Immigration officers meanwhile were instructed to bar Paleostinians from entering Egypt, an official at Cairo airport said Wednesday after 12 travelers were sent back.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID)...
So he knows where all the bodies are buried. Literally. Including the ones delivered by the CIA Rendition program.
[Iran Press TV] Egyptian protesters have gathered in front of the presidential palace and the building housing state television and radio channels in Cairo following geriatric President Hosni Mubarak's refusal to step down.
At least 10,000 protesters have gathered in front of the building of the state television, while thousands others are setting up camps close to Mubarak's presidential palace, a Press TV correspondent reported.
More protesters are marching towards the presidential palace in Cairo's suburb of Heliopolis amid tight security measures by troops guarding the building, the report said.
In a televised speech broadcast by state television on Thursday afternoon, the 82-year-old president dampened widespread speculations that he would abandon power after 30 years in office, and instead transferred some powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman.
During the speech, hundreds of protesters took off their shoes and brandished them at the screen on which they had seen Mubarak's speech, and shouted "Down with Mubarak, leave, leave!"
Others called for an immediate general strike and demanded of the army, which has deployed large numbers of troops around the protest: "Egyptian army, the choice is now, the regime or the people."
The move comes as remarks by Suleiman, who sought to temper the rancor among Egyptians in his televised address on Thursday, also failed to prevent protesters from demanding the immediate departure of Mubarak.
"I am committed to carrying out whatever is necessary to ensure the peaceful transfer of power in accordance with the constitution," the vice president said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch...
protesters pledged to launch their most spectacular protest yet in Cairo on Friday to demand Mubarak's departure and his newly appointed deputy.
Several Egyptian cities, including the capital Cairo, Alexandria and Suez have been the scene of a massive revolution over the past 17 days as millions of people spilled out into the streets, calling for an immediate end to Mubarak's three-decade US-backed rule.
According to the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society, at least 300 people have so far been killed and thousands more have been injured during nationwide protests in Egypt.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Egyptian geriatric President Hosni Mubarak, in a TV address, has said he does not plan to step down, angering pro-democracy protesters who had urged his immediate resignation.
Mubarak stated that he will never leave Egypt in the face of 17 tumultuous days of public protests, provoking outbursts of anger from protesters at Cairo's' Liberation square, who prior to the speech had created dramatic scenes of jubilation as they expected Mubarak to declare his resignation, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The embattled president once again asserted that he will not stand as candidate for the upcoming elections, and that he was transferring some powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman. ... Vice president of Egypt. From 1993 until his appointment to that office in 2011 he was Minister without Portfolio and Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID)...
He further acknowledged that his government had made mistakes and expressed sorrow for those killed in the demonstrations, promising that those responsible for the killings would be punished.
"I don't feel embarrassment in holding talks with the youths and creating dialog," said Mubarak, adding that "the protesters' blood will not be in vain."
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Vice President Omar Suleiman made a speech during which he called on Egyptians youth to to go back home and resume work.
The protesters took off their shoes and brandished them at the screen on which they had seen Mubarak's speech, and shouted "Down with Mubarak, leave, leave!"
Others called for an immediate general strike and called on army -- which has deployed large numbers of troops around the square -- to support the Egyptian nation, instead of Mubarak's "illegitimate" regime.
"Egyptian army, the choice is now, the regime or the people," the protesters chanted.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... a Press TV correspondent said that furious crowds of people at Cairo's' Liberation Square, which has become the focal point of pro-democracy demonstrations, are moving toward Mubarak's palace to vent out their outrage at the decision.
Reports say more than 300 people have been killed by security forces and thousands injured since the beginning of the revolution on January 25.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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Its February now, about half way thru the month. The Egyptian protests have been going for 19 days at this point. And Mubarak is going to "step down" in September? That's ( uh) seven more months? How many dead so far? And Sulieman is the transfer to democracy ? Sulieman is Intelligence and up to his ears in the status quo. The Army private Clubs go for miles along some boulevards with swimming pools and fancy hotels attached to them. The Army is in up to its snouts in "retirement" businesses and corrupt scratch my scrotum and I'll fondle yours.
Sulieman is a nice guy and our US military loves him. Its too late to keep playing that game. The Egyptian people want "change". They dont understand what is going to happen when they get what the want. The Tank are inevitable, and they are going to eventually be used. The "people" are doomed. The "people" better read up on urban guerrilla warfare. It aint gonna be Thomas Jefferson, its going to be Trujillo. Hey, they are Moslems, remember? What do Moslems produce? What they have always produced. And it aint Thomas Jefferson.
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Travellers from Kenya are being screened by security officers before being to proceed with their journey to neighbouring Uganda.
Persons must be screened by passing through a detector erected at the main border point at Malaba.
In a survey carried out by The Nation, any vehicle especially those arriving from the port of Mombasa are checked thoroughly by security officers to ensure that they don't enter with any explosives or weapons that could be used to cause chaos during next week general election.
Motor bike and bicycle operators locally know as boda boda were also stopped for screening.
Security has been tightened along the Uganda side as the country prepares for the vote, which President Museveni has assured will be peaceful.
Last year, a bomb killed more than 76 people in Kampala who were watching a World Cup match.
Kenyan suspects said to have been involved in the blast were nabbed and taken to Kampala.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"are you now, or have you ever been, a relation to the President of The United States, or an otherwise known communist rebel?"
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/11/2011 19:57 Comments ||
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[Yemen Post] Unidentified gunnies in Lahj province intercepted a vehicle at the entrance of Habeleen district on its way to the military headquarters in the province, stealing three million Yemeni rials, ($15000).
Eyewitness said that the gunnies stole the money and bravely ran away, no causalities were reported.
Last week, three civilians were maimed in Radfan, Lahj after forces randomly shelled the town following firing on a military vehicle by unknown armed people.
Tens of houses were damaged and families decamped the town due to the deteriorating situation amid an acute fuel shortage and lack of phone services.
Military reinforcements have been deployed to Radfan in recent months to fight separatist cut-throats who have stepped up their attacks, targeting military posts and public property.
Lahj is one of the southern cities hit by violence where the separatist movement, Al-Harak, continues the anti-government protests that usually turn violent.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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Google Translate. Currently the death toll stands at between seven and eight. Will prolly know more in the morning. Note to readers: please do not post any directly quoted excerpts from the El Paso Times, as they are on the RB sh*t list.
Eight dead, including seven women and a man are the death toll in a shooting at a bar in Juarez, Chihuahua, Thursday night, according to several Mexican press sources.
Reports say a total of 11 individuals were shot, possibly including the bar manager. The toll includes eight women shot. None of the victims dead or living have yet to be identified.
Reports say armed suspects entered the bar and demanded to see individuals they named before they started shooting.
The shooting is said to be the first mass shooting of 2011 in Juarez.
A total of 38 individuals were murdered in ongoing drug and gang related violence which included the murder of a Juarez police commander Tuesday. For a map, click here
An unidentified woman was shot to death Sunday in Chihuahua, Chihuahua. The victim was found near the corner of Avenida Venceremos and Calle Mina Ojos Azule hands bound and shot numerous times. Several spent 9mm casings were found at the scene.
An unidentified man was shot to death near Juarez Sunday. The victim was found at a bus stop on the Porvenir-Juarez highway. Reports said armed suspects aboard a vehicle shot he victim just after he exited from a bus.
Bus passengers were robbed Sunday evening near Delicias, Chihuahua. Reports say an armed suspect stepped aboard a bus on the Delicias-Juarez highway and demanded cash and jewelry. The suspect then jumped away to flee the scene as soon as he collected his loot.
Two unidentified men were shot to death Sunday night. The victims were found on Calle Jose Luis Revilla in the Constitucion colony aboard a Chevrolet Cavalier sedan. The driver crashed the sedan into a parked pickup truck when he was shot.
A decapitated man was found dead near Chihuahua, Chihuahua Monday. The victim was found with his hands bound on Kilometer 5 of the Periferico Lombardo Toledano, near the Centro de Readaptacion Social (CERESO) near Serdan Achilles, east of Chihuahua city. Several .223 caliber spent casings were found at the scene. The victim was shot in the back twice.
A man and his wife were shot to death Tueday in Palomas, Chihuahua. Don Alfredo Sandoval 50, and his unidentified wife were shot at his scrap business in Palomas by armed suspects. Don Alfredo Sandoval had recently been charged with a triple murder after three men attepted to rob his business last January 21st. Don Alfredo Sandoval 50 shot the three with his own weapon, killing all three.
An unidentified wheelchair bound man was shot to death in Juarez Wednesday. The victim was found near the intersection of calles Cortazar and Polen in the 15 de Enero colony shot five times.
An inmate at the Juarez municipal Centro de Readaptacion Social (CERESO) was stabbed to death by several fellow inmates Wednesday. Arturo Matancillas Lozoya 28, died of his wounds following a brief pursuit prior to being killed. Matancillas Lozoya was one of the kidnappers involved in the Ascension, Chihuahua incident in which three of his alleged accomplices were lynched by the towns people last September.
An unidentified man was shot to death in Juarez Tuesday. Theb victim was shot near the corner of calles Tlaxcala and Republica del Salvador in the Hidalgo colony. Reports say a 9mm weapon was used in the murder.
Two unidentified woman were shot to death in two separate incident in Juarez Wednesday night, according to the Mexican daily La Polaka.
A woman was found shot to death near the intersection of calles Presa de la Amistad and Presa Malpaso in the Independencia I colony. The victim was dumped out of a Jeep Cherokee SUV with her hands and feet bound.
A woman was shot to death near a nursery. The victim, who was apparently a worker at the day care was shot near the intersection of calles Emiliano Zapata and Santa Fe in the Nuevo Mexico colony. Reports say robbery may have been a motive for the shooting.
An unidentified man was beaten to death in Juarez Thursday morning, The victim was found near the corner of calles Honduras and Chapala in the Hidalgo colony gagged with tape. A note was written using an indelible marker on the victim's body saying he was an extortionist.
A Chihuahua state police agent was shot to death early Thursday morning. Manuel Gonzalez Gonzalez, was found near the intersection of Calle 56 and privada de Urueta in the Rosario colony shot numerous times with an AR-15 assault rifle. The officer was apparently unable to defend himself as had been ordered by his superior to leave his weapon locked away as Mexican President Felipe Calderon was to arrive that day. 27 spent cartridge casings were found at the scene.
Three unidentified men were shot Thursday in Juarez. The victims were aboard a Ford Explorer near the intersection of calles Mar Rojo and Simona Barba with AK-47 assault rifles. The armed suspects who did the Bosque colon shooting were also aboard a vehicle when the shooting took place.
An office building was burned to the ground by armed suspects Thursday. The building which housed the offices of lawyers and accountants was located near the corner of calles Simona Barba and Juan Morales in the Melchor Ocampo colony. Reports say armed suspects used Molotov cocktails to destroy the building. No one was reported hurt in the assault.
An unidentified man was shot numerous times in Juarez Thursday, The victim was aboard a car near the intersection of avenidas Tecnologico and Granjero when he was shot. Though wounded, he managed to drive to a location where he found an ambulance.
A Juarez police commander was shot to death Thursday in Juarez. Comandante Ontiveros was shot aboard a Dodge Ram near the corner of calles Sahuaro and Jilotepec following a brief chase to elude his attackers.
Three unidentified men were shot to death in three separate attacks Thursday, according to the Mexican daily La Polaka.
A man was shot to death in the village of Loma Blanca.
A man walking on the streets was shot to death near the corner of calles Guillermo Prieto and Ocampo in the Obrera colony.
A man in La Chaveña colony was shot to death in front of the Clinica del Seguro Social clinic. The victim was hit at least six times by gunfire,
Two employees of a taqueria were shot to death in Juarez Thursday. The victims were shot near the intersection of avenidas Tecnologico and Agua Caliente.
A man was shot to death in front of his home in Hermosillo, Sonora Wednesday afternoon. Agapito Enriquez Rocha was sitting aboard his Chevrolet Corsica sedan when he was fired on three times by a lone armed suspect using an AK-47 assault rifle in the Altares colony. Reports say the suspect then fled aboard a Dodge Cirrus sedan.
An unidentified man was found shot to death east of Mexicali, Baja California. The victim was found along a road in the zona Oriente of Mexicali, Baja California.
Three individuals were murdered in and near Torreon, Coabuila Wednesday, according to the Mexican news daily El Sol del Laguna
An unidentified man in his 20s was found beaten to death in Torreon, Coahuila. The victim was found on the road to Rancho Alegre near the intersection of bulevar Torreon-Matamoros with his body showing signs of torture as well as a beating.
An unidentified couple was found near Torreon shot to death. The make and female were found in the bed of a Chevrolet Silverado in the ejido Jabonoso. A threatening message was found with the bodies, but the text was not disclosed.
A total of four individuals were murdered in Torreon, Coahuila since Sunday.
An unidentified man in his 50s was shot to death Monday. The victim was found near the intersection of Negro de Torreon bridge and Avenida Ferrocarril in the Nueva Rosita colony shot 13 times.
An unidentified man in his 40s was found shot to death Monday. The victim was found on Calle Ildefonso Fuentes in the Venecedora colony with a single gunshot wound to the head. The victim was also bound hand and foot and gagged with a plastic bag.
A taxi driver in his 20s was found shot to death Monday morning in Torreon. Juan Antonio Campos Saucedo was found aboard his taxi cab in the La Fe colony. He had been shot three times.
A bus driver was shot to death by Mexican SWAT units in Torreon Modnay. Miguel Soto Grijalva, 33, opened fired on police near the intersection of Calle H and Avenida Sexta in the Eduardo Guerra colony incident to a traffic stop by Coahuila state police agents. Police found drugs and a .380 caliber pistol in Soto Grijalva's Mitsubishi Lancer sedan.
A television broascast engineer in Torreon, Coahuila was shot to death. Rodolfo Ochoa Moreno was on a field job working on television antennas in the Cerro de las Noas colony. Reports say six armed suspects shot the victim, then stole tools and equipment. Several 9mm spent shell casing were found at the scene.
[Arab News] A Turkish woman was acquitted for a third time on Wednesday of being involved in a 1998 kaboom that killed seven people and maimed more than 120 in Istanbul's 17th-century spice bazaar.
But the long-running legal case against sociologist Pinar Selek is not over yet. A higher court could still reverse that verdict.
Selek, now 40, has been accused of aiding and abetting Kurdish rebels who allegedly planted a bomb that caused the kaboom. She was tried alongside a man who later claimed he was tortured by police and forced to testify against Selek.
Selek was acquitted of the charges in 2006 and 2007, but an appeals court overturned both verdicts and ordered new trials.
On Wednesday, a lower court again found Selek not guilty, but a higher court must decide whether to uphold that ruling.
"Let's hope this verdict will be upheld and the case will finally end," the Anatolia news agency quoted Selek's father and lawyer, Alp Selek, as saying.
Selek, who could be imprisoned for life if she is convicted, has maintained her innocence throughout her 13-year ordeal.
During that time, she spent two years in police custody and claimed she was tortured. But she has since been allowed to leave Turkey and now lives in Germany.
She was not in court for Wednesday's verdict.
Turkey's judicial system has been criticized for repeatedly trying people for the same crime, and Selek's case is being watched internationally because it comes at a time when Turkey hopes to become a member of the European Union. To do that, it would have to comply with the EU's judicial regulations.
Emma Sinclair-Webb, a Turkey researcher at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Wednesday she believes Selek's case shows that Turkey's judicial system is flawed.
"The trial of Pinar Selek is a perversion of the criminal justice system and abuse of due process," Sinclair-Webb said.
The case also has been complicated by contradictory reports regarding the cause of the deadly kaboom in Istanbul in 1998. Authorities disagree whether the blast at the historic spice bazaar was caused by a bomb or a gas leak.
On Wednesday, Selek's father said he cried tears of joy when he heard the latest verdict.
"A 13-year-old legal battle is not easy. How many times have we come and gone to this courthouse?" he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Emirates 24/7] Osama bin Laden's former cook had his Guantanamo prison sentence cut on Wednesday to two years from 14, under a plea agreement that remains secret, the Pentagon said.
The sentence reduction had been expected since Sudanese captive Ibrahim al Qosi, who was also bin Laden's sometime bodyguard, pleaded guilty in the U.S. war crimes court at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. naval base in July.
Qosi pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring with al Qaeda and providing material support for bin Laden and the group. He was sentenced in August to 14 years in prison, with no credit for the eight and a half years he had been held at the Guantanamo prison for foreign terrorist suspects.
At the time, the U.S. military declined to comment on reports the plea deal capped the sentence at two years.
But the Pentagon official overseeing the Guantanamo war crimes court suspended 12 years of Qosi's sentence on Wednesday, contingent on his adherence to the agreed upon terms, said a Pentagon spokeswoman, Lieutenant Colonel Tanya Bradsher.
Those terms included an agreement not to engage in or materially support hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners.
Qosi, who is about 50, acknowledged in his plea agreement that he knew al Qaeda was a terrorist group when he ran one of the kitchens in bin Laden's Star of Jihad compound in Afghanistan.
Qosi, a bookkeeper who met bin Laden in Sudan and traveled with him to Afghanistan, also admitted helping the al Qaeda leader escape U.S. forces in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan after the U.S. invasion in 2001.
But he said he had no involvement in or prior knowledge of any terrorist acts, including the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which prompted the U.S. invasion.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] A car boomdestroyed a Shiite Mohammedan procession just north of Storied Baghdad on Thursday killing at least six worshippers, a police officer said.
Forty others were maimed in the attack, which struck on the outskirts of the mostly Shiite town of Dujail at 1:30 pm (1030 GMT), a police major said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ... for fear of being murdered...
Among the dead and injured were women and kiddies, the officer said, without giving further details.
The pilgrims were walking to the city of Samarra to commemorate the death of the 11th imam, Hassan al-Askari, at his gold-domed shrine in the majority-Sunni city. The commemoration falls this year on Saturday.
Dujail lies around 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of Storied Baghdad in Saleheddin province, while Samarra lies 60 kilometres further north.
Tens of thousands of people died in violence sparked by the destruction of the Askari shrine's gold dome five years ago by alleged Al-Qaeda Sunni Islamic myrmidons.
The mosque itself was built in 944, and the golden dome was added in 1905.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] The Paleostinian Authority Court of First Instance sentenced a suspect to 14 years in prison and hard labor after he was convicted of collaborating with the occupation.
The Public Prosecution in Qalqilya charged the unidentified man with spying for Israel.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of death, but it is almost never carried out.
Not by the courts, anyway. Unreported thugs dragging someone out of his home to shoot him in the streets? That's happened more than it should.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Don't they mean "almost not never carried out?" Have they magically changed reality once again so up is down, black is white, etc.? Or is this an example of "controlling the grammar" like jared was so fond of.
Two alleged members of a Muslim terrorist insurgent group, Runda Kumputlan Kecil (RKK), were gunned down on Friday in two separate gun battles with Thai soldiers in Narathiwat province, while three others including a policeman were gunned down in a single day.
Harong Ha, 23, thought to be one of the attackers who raided an army unit on Jan 19 which left four soldiers dead, was gunned down in the clash between army rangers and about six RKK members led by Maroso Chantrawadee in areas near the Budo mountain range. Other RKK members were wounded.
The battle took place after Col Paisan Nusang, commander of the 45th Regiment Ranger Forces, was informed that Mr Maroso, a leading RKK member and his accomplices, threatened villagers to give them food before fleeing to shelter along the Budo Mountains.
Col Paisan ordered combined forces of army rangers and Narathiwat special task unit to search the area. The forces exchanged gunfire with the RKK members they encountered.
A M16 assault rifle was in Mr Harong's hand. The rifle was later identified as one of the weapons stolen in early 2004 at a military outpost in Narathiwat.
Other two M16s were also found there. They were military weapons disappeared from the Ror 15121 army outpost in Ban Marue Botok on Jan 19.
In a another attack, a combined force of police and a special military task force had a shootout with more RKK members in Ruso district. One RKK member was shot.
The gun battle occurred when the defense unit was inspecting a rubber plantation after it was reported that Mana Samae and Amdan Maelao, two top RKK members, and some accomplices involved in the Jan 19th Narathiwat army outpost attack, stayed in the area.
After a 20-minute gun battle, one RKK member in a black uniform was found dead with an M16 near his body. The rifle was one of those missing from a military camp in Narathiwat's Cho Ai Rong district in early 2004.
Meanwhile, a series of killings have been reported elsewhere.
Pol Sgt Kittisak Singdam of Yi-ngo Police Station was gunned down by four attackers on two motorcycles in front of a mosque in Yi-ngo.
The Nation: The attackers passed themselves as Muslim worshipers who came to pray at the mosque. He was shot at his head and body in front of around 100 Muslim worshipers.
In Pattani, Zakariya Samaae, a Muslim tailor, was shot in the head by the passenger on a motorcycle while he carried his four-year-old son in front of his home. Police have not yet determined the motive of attack.
In Panare district, Budrudin Hayeeduerae, a 27 year-old Muslim was gunned down in a flea market. Police have yet to determine the cause of the assault, as leaflets were dropped on roads in Saiburi, urging Buddhists to kill Muslims to retaliate for the killing of Buddhists in Panare on Feb 3.
In Yala, Mahama Jae-ngao, a 32-year-old village defense volunteer was gunned down in Yala's provincial seat. An investigation showed that the victim's 9mm pistol was taken after the shooting.
Three people, including a teacher, were gunned down and their bodies burned by terrorists suspected militants in southern Thailand, police said Friday. The victims, including two women, were ambushed on Thursday evening on their way home from a cremation ceremony.
Boontien Buphawas, a 43-year-old teacher, was the 139th education worker killed in the past seven years.
[Arab News] The Philippine government and the country's biggest Mohammedan rebel group agreed Thursday to extend the stint of international peace monitors helping to preserve a cease-fire in the southern Philippines.
Negotiators from the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front announced the decision after a two-day meeting in Malaysia that marked the resumption of formal peace talks for the first time since President Benigno Aquino III took office in June.
The grinding of the peace processor seeks to end a decades-long armed struggle by the 11,000-strong rebel front for Mohammedan self-rule in the southern Philippines, the homeland of minority Mohammedans in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.
Both sides said in a statement that the mandate of a Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team in the south would be extended by a year. The team's current mandate ends Feb. 14.
The team comprises about 40 members from Malaysia, Brunei and Libya who handle security issues involving a current cease-fire, while two Japanese representatives monitor socio-economic developments.
The two sides also agreed to continue arrangements for joint efforts to interdict criminal groups, particularly kidnap gangs whose members include rogue Moro rebels. That agreement has been credited with winning the release of kidnap victims in the past, including Irish missionary priest Rev. Michael Sinnott in 2009.
The negotiators said they hope to hold their next talks March 29.
Countries backing the grinding of the peace processor hope it would turn the resource-rich southern Philippines into an economic growth area instead of a sanctuary for Al-Qaeda-linked thugs.
Formal talks collapsed in 2008 after the Philippine Supreme Court rejected a preliminary accord with the government of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that would have expanded an existing Mohammedan autonomous region in the south.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Straits Times] SUSPECTED Mohammedan separatists rubbed out three Buddhists and burned their bodies in Thailand's restive south, police said on Thursday, the latest violence in the rubber-rich southern tip of the country.
The killings follow several high-profile attacks in the past three weeks, including a raid on an army camp, a massive roadside kabooming, the execution-style shooting of a Buddhist family and a series of drive-by attacks.
The latest escalation of violence began soon after the government hailed the success of security operations and public relations campaigns in reducing the number of attacks.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said the government was considering lifting the emergency decree gradually in the region despite opposition from the army.
In the latest incident, suspected snuffies shot the three Buddhists, among them two women, as the rode in a pick-up truck in Pattani, one of three provinces bordering Malaysia where more than 4,300 people, both Mohammedans and minority Buddhists, have been killed in violence since 2004.
Police later found their charred bodies on the roadside next to their burnt vehicle.
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02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Thai Insurgency
[Straits Times] THE terrorism trial of a Mohammedanholy man who regularly praises Al-Qaeda's brand of global jihad opened in Indonesia on Thursday amid high security and a surge in sectarian violence that has left three dead.
Hardline supporters of 72-year-old radical preacher Abu Bakar Bashir ... Leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council and proprietor of the al-Mukmin madrassah in Ngruki. The spriritual head of Jemaah Islamiya, which he denies exists. Bashir was jugged and then released in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombings, which he blamed on a conspiracy among the U.S., Israel, and Australia ... surrounded the south Jakarta court as hundreds of heavily armed police stood by to prevent further outbreaks of mob violence that have shaken Indonesia this week.
The world's most populous Mohammedan-majority country - often praised for its pluralism and tolerance - is still in shock after the gruesome lynching of three members of a minority Islamic sect by an enraged Mohammedan mob on Sunday.
Two days later another mob of Islamic Death Eaters launched an anti-Christian rampage through the streets of Temanggung, also on the main island of Java, in some of the worst religious violence the country has seen for years.
Wearing his customary white robes and religious garb, a grinning Bashir entered the courtroom to chants of 'jihad' (holy war) and 'holy shit! Allahu akbar' (God is greatest) from his followers. 'I'm fine. Prophet Muhammad was also like me,' he told news hounds.
The trial was quickly adjourned until Monday after the bespectacled holy man's defence team complained that he had not been given the minimum three-days notice to appear in court.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jemaah Islamiyah
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] The US Treasury Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration said Thursday that a Lebanese bank has been laundering hundreds of millions of dollars in drug money for a drug trafficking group with ties to Hizbullah.
The agencies said that Lebanese Canadian Bank SAL has been designated a "primary money laundering concern" for allegedly helping launder up to $200 million a month for a Lebanese-based drug smuggling group they said is run by drug kingpin Ayman Joumaa.
The government said the drug organization has provided financial support for Hizbullah, which the US has designated a terrorist organization.
The Treasury Department also proposed limits on how US financial institutions can work with the bank.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/11/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
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.
The attack took place at Finest Supermarket in Wazir Akbar Khan area which is a diplomatic location in Kabul.
In a suicide attack on Thursday in northern Kunduz province, district chief of Chardara was killed, local officials said.
[Tolo News] Nearly two tonnes of marijuana have been siezed in eastern Afghanistan, Senior Afghan border officials said on Thursday. 
At least 16 people have been killed in 
[Iran Press TV] A notable state-run Egyptian newspaper has adopted a public-friendly tone as nationwide protests continue to pose the most-serious-ever threat to the unpopular ruling regime.
Omar Suleiman
[Yemen Post] Unidentified 
[Emirates 24/7] Osama bin Laden's former cook had his Guantanamo prison sentence cut on Wednesday to two years from 14, under a plea agreement that remains secret, the Pentagon said.
Two alleged members of a Muslim 
Abu Bakar Bashir
