[Tolo News] Former Taliban leader Mutasem Agha Jan was reportedly brought to Kabul on Saturday after being detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under murky circumstances last week. Mutasem is part of a last ditch effort by the Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... administration to get peace talks on track before Afghanistan's new president is elected.
Mutasem's disappearance was just one of a number of challenges that beset efforts at reconciliation with the Taliban. According to some reports, Mutasem has been excommunicated by the Taliban, who have shown little interest in negotiating with Karzai and the High Peace Council (HPC). A number of analysts have now suggested that Pak intelligence has actively tried to derail negotiations, by attacking and arresting Taliban leaders interested in talks.
"Most of the people who wanted to take part in the peace talks were killed by the intelligence agency of Pakistain," military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhail said on Sunday.
Kabul has long implored Islamabad to help in efforts to negotiate with Taliban leaders, many of which are thought to reside in Pakistain, but little if any tangible aid has ever been given. Most in Afghanistan still see Pakistain as the Taliban's key patron.
Mutasem went missing in the UAE early last week, while there to meet with members of the HPC. Although Afghan officials claimed he had been tossed in the calaboose Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! by the UAE, Abu Dhabi did not acknowledge that to be true.
With Mutasem now in Kabul, it is likely he will be milked for all he is worth, being one of the few former Taliban elite who have shown a consistent and concerted interest in peace talks.
A government official who asked to speak on condition of anonymity confirmed Mutasem was moved from Dubai to Kabul on Saturday and transported to a secure location in unmarked vehicles.
"A lack of cooperation among countries who made promises, and pressure from Pakistain, caused Mutasem to come to Kabul, which is in fact better for the High Peace Council and government because Afghan cities are a safer place for peace talks," military analyst Jawed Kohistan ...a backwoods district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa distinguished by being even more rustic than is the norm among the local Pashtuns.... i said. "Any Taliban who are interested, they can join the discussion."
Mutasem was injured in an attack in August of 2011 in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , Pakistain. Mutasem received treatment in Turkey where he moved permanently. He also spent time in Dubai.
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04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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[VOA News] Fresh partial results from Afghanistan's April 5 presidential election show former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... has slightly increased his lead. Although the percentage of his nearest rival has dropped, election officials say it is too soon to determine whether the election will go to a run-off vote.
The chairman of the Independent Election Commission, Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani, told news hounds in Kabul Sunday that his staff has counted about half of the estimated seven million ballots cast on the polling day.
He said of the eight presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah remains in the lead with 44 percent of the vote, followed by Ashraf Ghani with 33 percent. However, it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... Nouristani refused to speculate on whether the two lead candidates are heading for a run-off.
"We will be able to let you know in a couple of days whether it is really going to second round or not and it is too early to tell," he said.
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04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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GAROWE, Somalia -- Puntland Government in northern Somalia has urged defence forces units operating in the disputed regions of Sool and Sanaag to confront Somaliland's separatist administration and Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab fighters, Garowe Online reports.
Addressing infantry battalions on Takaraq frontline near Sool regional capital of Lasanod on Friday, Puntland's Minister of Security Hassan Osman Alore said that the armed forces are tasked with deterring external threats including aggression and terrorism.
"You are expected to fullfil your duties and repel attacks by Al Shabaab and Somaliland at all times," added Alore in the presence of Puntland Police commander-in-Chief Gen. Mohamed Saed Jaqanaf and his Deputy Col. Mohiyadin Ahmed Musse.
The state's security apparatus heads went out on the trip to Tukaraq after Somaliland deployed hundreds of its troops in Sool and Sanaag in an effort to exert credible authority over the areas remaining in the hands of Puntland and the local militia of Khaatumo.
Garaad Jama Garad Ismael, a prominent Dhulbahante clan elder and one of the key founders of Khaatumo Friday defected to Somaliland.
Puntland leader Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas accused Somaliland of providing financial muscle with Al Shabaab militants in Galgala area during his provincial visit to Bossaso port city last month.
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Siilaanyo) toured the coastal town of Laasqoray which lies 107km from Bossaso, laying foundation rock for a new seaport and disclosing forthcoming development projects to the residents.
Puntland and Somaliland, located in northern Somalia have fought sporadic battles since 2002 over the control of territories mainly in Sool region, with threats of instability gaining momentum following the seizure of Lasanod in military offensive in October 2007 by Somaliland forces.
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04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Egypt's election commission says only two candidates, one of them former army chief and Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, will run in next month's presidential election.
Sisi will face leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi as they were the only candidates to submit their papers to run in the polls, the commission said on Sunday.
On Saturday, Sabahi formally submitted the required documents to the electoral commission after he managed to gather 31,555 signatures from Egyptian citizens endorsing his candidacy.
The politician finished third in the 2012 presidential election, which was won by ousted President Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... of the Moslem Brüderbund party.
Sisi, who led the military deposal of Morsi in July 2013, is widely expected to win the presidential vote scheduled to be held on May 26-27.
Egypt's ex-army chief submitted his documents on April 12 after gathering 188,930 signatures of support, well above the required 25,000, the election commission said.
Political parties and figures in Egypt have repeatedly called on the country's army to stay out of politics.
The Moslem Brüderbund holds Sisi responsible for criminal masterminding Morsi's removal. Sisi is also accused of leading a severe crackdown against supporters of Morsi and the Brotherhood movement.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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[TODAYSZAMAN] Nigerian Death Eater turban group Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... is still holding 85 girls it kidnapped from a raid on a secondary school in northeastern Borno state this week, although the other 44 were free, the state government said on Saturday.
Monday's mass abduction of schoolgirls aged 15 to 18 by Boko Haram, who are fighting for a breakaway Islamic state in northern Nigeria, shocked Africa's most populous country.
It also underscored just how powerless Nigeria's military is at protecting civilians despite a year-long state of emergency meant to flush the rebels out of three states in the northeast.
The Death Eaters attacked Chibok school, in remote Borno state, which had 129 girls staying in it, on Monday. Most of them were kidnapped, although the precise numbers were not clear.
Borno state education commissioner Inuwa Kubo said in a statement late on Saturday that 16 students had managed to flee back home during the night of the attack, while another 28 had escaped after being kidnapped. The other 85 were still missing.
"We continually pray that all our students return in good health," Kubo said.
The armed forces said on Wednesday that the military had freed all but eight of the schoolgirls in a rescue operation, but it retracted that statement a day later.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Boko Haram need wiping out
Boko Haram's support network need wiping out
Boko Haram's funding network need wiping out
[An Nahar] Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu warned Sunday that the Central African Republic was "on the brink of genocide," as he urged warring sides to reconcile their differences and "re-learn to live together."
"Over the past 13 months, the nation's seemingly incessant struggles for political power and resources have degenerated into anarchy, hatred and ethnic cleansing -- the country stands on the brink of genocide; some would say it has already commenced," Archbishop Emeritus Tutu said in a statement released by his peace foundation.
The former French colony, one of the poorest countries in the world, plunged into a crisis after a coup by the mostly Mohammedan Seleka rebels in March last year.
After seizing power, some of the rebels went rogue and embarked on a campaign of killing, raping and looting.
The abuses prompted members of the Christian majority to form vigilante groups, unleashing a wave of brutal tit-for-tat killings, leaving thousands dead and close to a million displaced.
In his message, Tutu called on people on all sides of the conflict -- Christian, Mohammedan and Atheist -- to "rekindle the spirit of tolerance."
"When we forgive we liberate ourselves and sow a seed for a new beginning; it has a powerful multiplier effect," he said.
"It is the people of the Central African Republic who hold the key to sustainable peace. It is the people who must re-learn to live together," he said.
With the humanitarian crisis in the country spiraling, he said the deployment of a new U.N. peacekeeping force -- which will see 12,000 troops on the ground -- was a "massive relief" and would help "protect the people from themselves".
"They will assist to restore broken systems, including policing and justice," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The Red Arch speaks !
Be nice to whites, they need to rediscovery their humanity.
[Egypt Independent] Head of the International Union of Moslem Scholars and pro-Moslem Brüderbund figure, Yusuf al-Qaradawi ...crackpot Egyptian Islamist theologian. He is best known for his program Shariah and Life on Al Jazeera, with an estimated audience of 60 million kindred souls worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, which occasionally advocates things like slavery and thumping the old lady with a rod no thicker than an inch, and has published more than 120 books, including Islam: The Future Civilization. Joe has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the Moslem Brüderbund. Some of his views have been controversial in the West, though less so among the rubes of the Mysterious East, and he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving Islam a bad name.... , denied transferring his place of residence from Doha to Tunisia or to any other capital, according to the Qatari newspaper Al-Sharq.
Press reports said Qaradawi would move to Tunisia upon a new agreement between Gulf countries and Qatar that was signed on Thursday in Riyadh.
The agreement reportedly included the deportation of Moslem Brüderbund figures from Qatar and stopping Qatari media from attacking the Kingdom of Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , UAE, Bahrain and Egypt rulers.
"I have been delivering sermons, lecturing, issuing fatwas, studying, preaching, writing and expressing the position of Islam as I believe freely in Qatar for over 53 years," Qaradawi said. "No one has told me: Say this, do not say this or why have you said this?" he added.
Qaradawi was a strong supporter of toppled President Mohammed Morsy following the 2011 revolution but fled to Qatar when Morsy was ousted from power. The Egyptian government has since attempted to repatriate Qaradawi from Qatar in order to put him on trial for his alleged connections to a mass jailbreak during the 2011 revolution. Qaradawi has continued to voice his support for the Moslem Brüderbund from Qatar.
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[Bangla Daily Star] Raising questions over the absence of the Jamaat's organizational activities, BNP Chairperson the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... has expressed her suspicions as to whether the Islamist party has reached a "secret understanding" with the Hasina government.
The BNP chief also expressed her annoyance over Hefajat-e-Islam ...a madrassa-based false nose and mustache of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, formed in 2010 to protest against secular education. In 2011 demonstrated violentyly against women's rights and in 2013 held large rallies demanding capital punishment of Shahbag Square protesters and banning women working outside the home... Ameer Shah Ahmed Shafi's recent comment that he has no enmity with the Awami League government.
At a meeting of the BNP-led 19-party alliance on Thursday night at her Gulshan office, Khaleda also criticised the chiefs of the Khelafat Majlish and Islami Oikya Jote ... a political party in Bangladesh. In the 2001 elections the party won 2 out of 300 elected members in an alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It has a focus on building an islamic state, and has used the madrassas to gain support... , two components of the coalition, over their failure to "handle" the Hefajat chief, meeting sources told The Daily Star.
Khaleda expressed her strong resentment over the Jamaat's "aggressiveness" in challenging BNP-backed candidates in the recent upazila elections, especially in the BNP strongholds of Bogra and Feni.
The Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... , a major component of the alliance, should not have engaged in the battle of ballots with the BNP-backed candidates in the polls, she added.
The BNP chief advised the 19-party leaders not to talk about these issues with journalists.
Talking to The Daily Star, the chairman of a component of the opposition alliance said Khaleda in the meeting asked Jamaat representative MA Halim why the Islamist party has no activities at present.
"She [Khaleda] also enquired whether the Jamaat has reached a deal with the government to save its top leaders now facing war crimes trials."
Khaleda also warned Halim that "secret negotiations or understanding" with the government will not save the top Jamaat leaders who are behind bars.
"You [Jamaat] do not know the Awami League. It has no character. You will not be benefited at the end of the day even if you lobby with the government," the chairman of an ally quoted Khaleda as saying at the meeting.
In response, Halim said he feels happy that the BNP chief has expressed her annoyance over the Jamaat.
"From your criticism we will be able to correct ourselves. The Jamaat will play an active role in any programmes of the 19-party alliance as in the past. The Jamaat played a leading role in the recent anti-government movement. We suffered huge losses as many of our leaders and activists died in the movement. We will also play an appropriate role in the upcoming movement."
Pointing to Shafi's remark that the Hasina government, AL and BCL are their friends, Khaleda said the Hefajat chief was in a movement centring on a particular issue. "But what he is saying is not acceptable."
Khaleda also raised the question of whether the Hefajat boss too had reached any understanding with the government in exchange of something.
She also enquired of Khelafat Majlish Chairman Mohammad Ishaq and IOJ chairman Abdul Latif Nejami to this end.
In reply, Nejami said due to his increasing age, the Hefajat chief is out of his sense most of the time.
Out of 12 upazilas in Bogra district, Jamaat-backed chairman candidates won in five upazilas while BNP favourites got the rest.
The Jamaat defeated BNP men in Sherpur, Nandigram, Kahalu and Shibganj of Bogra, triggering anger among BNP grassroots.
The local BNP already has expressed its resentment before its central leaders.
Khaleda Zia said that the Jamaat should go "soft" in the elections in Bogra as it is the birthplace of BNP founder and late president Ziaur Rahman. She also lambasted the party for contesting from her electoral constituency in Feni.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The sex life of Insects is fascinating, don't you think?
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
04/21/2014 8:08 Comments ||
Top||
#2
#1 The sex life of Insects is fascinating
If hexapods vex and perplex,
Then nix to the arthropod sex:
If you're bugged by bug buggery,
Stay out of the shrubbery
And check for their bites on your necks.
[DailyMail] Advisers claimed to be tied to the Muslim Brotherhood which is being investigated by British spies
o Two men tied to controversial Islamic group said to be party of charity
o The Tony Blair Faith Foundation was set up by Mr Blair in 2008
o Advisor Dr Ismail Khudr Al-Shatti has alleged link to extremist group
o Is said to be leading member of Kuwaiti branch of the Brotherhood
o Bosnian Muslim Cleric Mustafa Ceric also accused of having ties
o David Cameron has asked intelligent agencies to look into Brotherhood's activities at home and abroad
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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Josh Stanton at Free Korea does the analysis. The food that is supposed to be going to the North Korean people is being systemically diverted. You're surprised, aren't you...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Don't give them a damn thing.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/21/2014 0:26 Comments ||
Top||
Seoul has rejected North Korea's demand to conduct a joint investigation of drones that crashed on South Korean soil.
North Korea denied responsibility Monday, accusing the South of fabricating evidence. The North's powerful National Defense Commission then proposed a joint investigation of all cases that Seoul blames Pyongyang for, including the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in 2010 that killed 46 South Korean sailors. South Korea held the North responsible following an international probe, but the North still denies involvement.
The commission asked South Korea's top presidential security adviser Kim Jang-soo to lead the South Korean team.
The Defense Ministry here in an interim report last Friday presented additional evidence like engine capacity, fuel-tank sizes, flight hours and designs that further point to Pyongyang as having sent the drones.
The first suspected North Korean drone was discovered on March 24th in Paju, north of Seoul and close to the inter-Korean border, the second a week later near a maritime border between the two Koreas and the third on Sunday about 300 km east of Seoul.
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04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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[Breitbart] Appears to be something of a compromise with the Feds. Clandestine monitoring and reporting remains authorized. The recruitment of NYPD sources snitches a big NO-GO. Stumbling over rice bowls comes to an end.
[DAWN] Although the law-enforcement agencies in Lahore busted a sectarian group this week, it is still not clear if this indicates a change of strategy on the part of Punjab government, which until now has turned a blind eye to bully boy activity in the province despite worrying reports and assessments.
Senior officials point out that the Punjab government has been "sleeping over" regular reports being sent to them by intelligence agencies about the increasing presence of sleeper cells of proscribed bully boy organizations.
More than one intelligence official involved in the preparation of these reports told Dawn that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif were aware of the bully boy threat present in Punjab, but they were not taking strict measures to counter them.
The threat has now become so serious that on April 12, the chief minister held an emergency meeting at Lahore airport soon after returning from China.
The meeting was held primarily due to the threatening calls received by a Lahore-based businessman. He had been asked to cough up money and in order to prove that the threats were real, cracker bombs had been set off at his home and office.
Pervez Malik, an MNA from the PML-N, was present at the meeting. "Since I am in touch with the Lahore-based business community, I was specially invited to attend the meeting. It is a serious matter."
However, it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... Mr Malik disagreed with the perception that the Punjab government had been soft on the operatives of banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organizations carrying out bully boy activities in the province.
"The very fact that the chief minister held a special meeting within minutes of returning to Pakistain shows the seriousness of the provincial government."
He told Dawn that callers were using different telephone Sims from locations across Pak-Afghan border. Elaborating, he said that those who had threatened the businessman had gathered information about his office and home and other details, which showed that they had operatives working on the ground in Lahore.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Sunday decided to constitute a three-member judicial commission to probe into the murder attempt on leading journalist Hamid Mir.
A formal request in this regard would be sent to the Chief Justice of Pakistain to nominate three members of the commission, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister House.
The government also announced a reward of Rs10 million for any information leading to the arrest of culprits.
Federal Information Minister Pervez Rashid met with the senior journalist at a local hospital in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... where he said that federal government would extend all cooperation to Sindh's government in the probe of the incident.
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04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] A convoy of Arab and European activists has arrived in the besieged Gaza Strip, in an effort to break an ongoing Israeli blockade of the coastal enclave, Press TV reports.
The international humanitarian convoy dubbed "Miles of Smiles 26" arrived in the besieged Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Sunday and will stay there for a few days. More than thirty activists from Arab and European countries are carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies for hospitals in Gaza.
"We welcome the convoy for its role in exposing Gaza to the world and exposing the world to the blockaded Gaza," said Ghazi Hamad, the deputy foreign minister of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2014 00:00 ||
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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.
[TODAYSZAMAN] Nigerian
Nawaz Sharif
