[Tolo News] The United States' Special Representative to Afghanistan, James Dobbins, has suggested an option for settling the ongoing electoral stalemate could be to form a coalition government and save the country from division.
Mr. Dobbins said that a winner-take-all system in Afghanistan "is not a workable option" and stressed that an Afghan government needs to be inclusive if it is to be successful.
The comments came just days before U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... is expected to meet with the two presidential candidates in Kabul. Mr. Kerry hopes to help resolve the disputes between the two men, which have largely bore out over the issue of fraud in mid-June's runoff election.
One of 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... 's running mates, Mohammad Mohaqeq, offered a response to Dobbins' comments by suggesting a series of other options to put an end to the election impasse. First, he offered the invalidation of fake votes from genuine votes in the presence of international observers and the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... ; second, the formation of a coalition government on the basis of the votes from the first round of the election; and third, the structuring of a transitional government on the basis of transparent elections with a new face as president and the electoral bodies reconstituted.
"The runoff election can't be the foundation for the formation of a coalition government, because nearly three million votes in this round are void and the world knows the disgrace, how can we take it as a foundation?" Mohaqeq asked. "Then it will be clear how many votes Reforms and Solidarity Team keeps, and how many votes go to Ashraf Ghani and other candidates including Dr. Zalmai Rassoul ... former foreign minister and a very close confidant of Hamid Karzai. Before serving as foreign minister Rassoul also spent seven years laboring as a national security adviser to the president. An ethnic Pashtun born in Kabul, Rassoul was the valedictorian of his class at the illustrious Franco-American school in Kabul, Lycee Istiqal. He has an MD from the Paris Medical School in France..... , Ustad Sayyaf, Gul Agha Sherzai ...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him... , so a coalition government must be formed on the basis of votes of these candidates," he added.
Mohaqeq also discussed the third option briefly, but he admitted to knowing little about its "legal interpretation".
Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Big Shirley was still trying to snatch Nunzio bald-headed. She was already halfway there... Ashraf Ghani's camp has come out against the formation of a coalition government, but more recently left the door open for possible negotiations on the subject.
"Until now we do not believe in the formation of a coalition government, it was rejected according to our principles, now the situation is very critical, we must think, political options will be in the bargaining in discussions," Ghani camp member Assadullah Saadati said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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Piracy off Somalia's coast would fall sharply if the country's economy was more developed, a study says.
Perhaps the economy would be more developed if piracy off the coast was curbed...
Local elites and communities protect pirates because they lack an income, says the study by two UK universities.
Foreign navies have a strong presence around Somalia in order to keep shipping lanes safe. This has led to a decline in attacks off the Somali coast, with the UN estimating that about 40 people are still being held by pirates.
At the peak of their activity three years ago, the pirates held more than 700 crew members and more than 30 ships. The World Bank estimates that pirates netted more than $400m (230m) in ransom money between 2005 and 2012.
The study, by the University of Oxford and King's College London, says Somalia witnessed a surge in pirate attacks when territory was contested or elections took place. This suggested the behaviour of clan leaders in Somalia was similar to that of politicians in Italy and Taiwan, who extended protection to criminals when they needed extra funds to further political ambitions, the study adds.
Happens in Chicago as any building inspector can tell you...
"Local communities support pirates when there isn't a better alternative income stream," said Federico Varese, a co-author of the report based at the University Oxford.
"By improving the infrastructure of Somalia, building new harbours and roads to link the remote areas to trade routes, our research concludes that poorer communities would be less likely to resort to piracy," he added.
People in Somalia's north-eastern city of Bosasso cut ties with pirates once the economy grew, the study says.
"As the city regained its importance as a major trading port for livestock and an import centre for the wider region, pirates were no longer tolerated — pirate hostages were freed and pirates were imprisoned by the local clan leaders," the study adds.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
It's a cost vs reward calculation that's done in every place that locals support an illegal activity. They got nothing to loose, only gains.
You change the equation by, say, bombing them to powder whenever this occurs, and the likelihood will go down. (Not happening.)
They're basically living off of the shipping insurance; let the insurance companies deal with it.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
07/11/2014 7:26 Comments ||
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The Deputy Minister of National Security, Ibrahim Isaaq Yarow, reported to the media in a press conference in Mogadishu that the Somali Federal Government will take decisive and accountable action against any attack in the capital city by Al-Shabaab insurgents.
This is the government that controls the corner of Main St. and Elm St. in Mogadishu, and little else...
The Minister elaborated on the emergency meeting yesterday with the Ministerial Cabinet and National Security Agencies chaired by the Prime Minister of Somalia, that Mr. Ahmed ordered security forces and Benadir Regional Administration to cooperate with each other to prevent terror attacks.
The statement by the Minister on behalf of the Somali Federal Government comes at a time when the security in Mogadishu is heightened due to potential terror threats.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Tunisia's Constituent Assembly last week began discussion of a bill designed to better combat terrorism and money laundering, after months of delay.
But critics claim the draft legislation retained some of the controversial aspects of the 2003 counter-terror law.
According to Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... , the proposed law "includes provisions that would open the way to prosecuting political dissent as terrorism, give judges overly broad powers, and curtail lawyers' ability to provide an effective defence. In addition, the draft does not offer sufficient judicial oversight over police authority to interfere with privacy in counter-terrorism operations."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] It took two years, but the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OCI) convention on combating international terrorism is now law in Mauritania.
Two days of heated debate between Islamist and ruling party MPs ended July 2nd with the ratification of the Mauritanian government's 2012 agreement with the OCI.
"One feature of this convention is that it gives a different definition of terrorism as per the Islamic states' understanding of that global phenomenon," said Mauritanian Economy and Development Minister Sidi Ould Tah, who appeared before parliament on behalf of the foreign ministry.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A governmental committee tasked with appraising the monetary assets of the Moslem Brüderbund filed a legal suit to the general prosecutor on Thursday against 737 members of the Brotherhood on charges of financing a terrorist organization.
The head of the committee, Ezzat Khamis, told Rooters affiliated Aswat Masriya that he has provided the prosecutor with legal papers showing the involvement of leading members Khairat El-Shater, Mohammed El-Beltagy, Essam El-Erian and the Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie in funding the organization.
Prosecutors will investigate the suit according to article 86 of the Egyptian penal code, which defines terrorism and the penalties for engaging in it.
The committee met Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehlab on Tuesday to discuss its latest decisions concerning Brotherhood assets.
During the meeting, the panel said that it has seized the funds of 737 Brotherhood leaders in addition to placing the management of 1,050 NGOs and some 81 schools believed to be affiliated with the group into a government trusteeship.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Steep decline in number of tourists visiting Egypt in May, despite an increase in visitors from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Tell me WHY anyone would go and visit Egypt of all places, the land of Amiskeen amiskeen mafeesh faloos. Egypt..The place where a guy in a fez has a lysol soaked flywhisk in the outdoor toilets to swash your bum before you leave.
You like to sweat? Egypt is the place. You like the Camels? They don't like you.
And so many Moslems and fumes and traffic and ruins...and the sweat...did I mention the sweat?
How much money you got, Ferenghi?
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
07/11/2014 4:12 Comments ||
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#2
My husband loved the time he spent working there, Big Thromoth3646.
Some people simply don't deal well with places in any way different from home. You no doubt would have a similar reaction to England ("They talk funny and the beer is warm") or Germany ("They speak German, fergawdsake, and it's too clean! And some of them don't use antiperspirant!!").
It's not your fault, my dear. But for those of us not so handicapped, it's very, very boring.
[AnNahar] A U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that $1.75 billion for terrorism-related judgments against Iran can be distributed to victims of attacks, including a 1983 bombing that killed 241 Marines in Leb.
Washington lawyer Thomas Fortune Fay said the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruling affects 1,300 individual cases that were combined in New York.
A three-judge panel rejected arguments by attorneys for Bank Markazi, the central bank of Iran, which had argued that turning over the money would conflict with U.S. obligations in a 1955 treaty signed with Iran. The 2nd Circuit said turning over the assets was "entirely consistent" with the terms of the treaty.
Lawyers for the bank did not immediately return a message for comment Wednesday.
Fay said the decision was welcomed by several hundred families affected by those killed or injured in the attack on the Marines barracks. He said each family was likely to receive about $5 million after attorney fees are subtracted once the appeals are completed. The money already is in the custody of a court-appointed trustee after President Barack Obama They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them... in 2012 ordered property and interests of Iran, including assets of Bank Markazi, be blocked.
"We're certainly pleased with the ruling," Fay said. "These folks have stuck with it all these years."
Fay said the litigation began about 13 years ago, and roughly 87 percent of the judgment approved last year by U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest will go to victims of the attack in Leb. The judge said she had authority to order the judgment under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 and a law enacted specifically to address assets in the case.
James P. Bonner, another lawyer for victims, called it a "wonderful day for our deserving clients, who have waited decades for some justice for Iran's terrorist acts."
In filing lawsuits to recover money from Iran, lawyers had argued that evidence showed the Iranian government acted alone, and that its late supreme holy man, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and other top leaders ordered, authorized and executed the bombing.
A truck carrying more than 2,000 pounds of explosives sped past a sentry post and went kaboom! outside the Beirut barracks in the early hours of Oct. 23, 1983, as many servicemen slept. Lawyers for victims contended the kaboom was part of a larger plot to drive all Americans out of Leb.
The Marines killed and maimed in the attack were part of a multinational peacekeeping mission. The lawsuit against Iran was filed under a 1996 U.S. law that allows Americans to sue nations that the State Department considers sponsors of terrorism for damages suffered in terrorist acts.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
It's not over until the families get paid.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/11/2014 17:44 Comments ||
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[DAWN] Some 31,336 alleged criminals have so far been nabbed Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! in several targeted operations conducted by police and Rangers personnel since the 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... operation was launched, states a report on the law and order situation in Karachi during the past few months.
The report was presented by acting Inspector General Sindh Police Hyder Jamali on Thursday during a high-level meeting of officials from law enforcement agencies.
Jamali chaired the meeting which also looked at the efficiency of the ongoing operation in Karachi that has been under way for the past 10 months.
According to the report, during the 1,627 police encounters, some 1,586 suspected of involvement in dacoity, 336 suspected extortionists, 83 'kidnappers', 7,155 runaways and 590 wanted in murder cases were arrested. The forces also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the possession of the arrested which includes, 1026 kabooms, 264 arms and ammunition and a huge quantity of drugs and narcotics.
Forces had also managed to seize 643 hand grenades, 3LMG, 186 sub-machine guns (SMGs), 7201 pistols, 116 rifles and 125 shot guns from the possession of all those arrested, the report said.
Some 392 suspected of criminal activity were killed in encounters that occurred in the metropolis during the stipulated time period.
Also today, 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... has arrived in Karachi and will be using his visit to evaluate the law and order situation in the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] 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... complains as it has not been taken on board by the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... on latter's proposed Aug 14 long march on Islamabad, it is not going to join the same.
"As the PTI has neither consulted us on its proposed protest plan (in Islamabad on Aug 14) nor invited us to join so there is no question of even our symbolic participation in it," Punjab JI President Dr Waseem Akhtar told news hounds here on Wednesday.
He said the JI was disinterested in the movements being launched both by the PTI and the Pakistain Awami Tehrik as these lacked a roadmap for the post-government scenario. He said it seemed Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... wanted a solo flight and was not in favour of sharing power with any other party unless polls results forced him to do so.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The PPP is committed to bringing about a change in the country through parliament and democratic means, says Punjab President Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo.
Addressing an Iftar dinner hosted in his honour by the Pak community in New York, he said the PPP did not agree with Dr Tahirul Qadri ...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him... to bring about revolution through undemocratic and violent means because it was committed to the continuity of democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution.
He said he condemned the brutal use of force by the Punjab Police in which 12 Pakistain Awami Tehrik workers were killed and many injured. The Punjab government should face the consequences for its brutality against the innocent workers.
He predicted that Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... would withdraw the long march call because the country was in a state of war. "Tsunami and military operation cannot go side by side at the same time," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... has given a go-ahead to his party cadres for the 'million march' on Islamabad, now terming it 'Azadi March', scheduled for August 14 and vowed the people's power will create a new Pakistain.
Urging his followers to consider this 'final showdown' their own battle, Mr Khan asserted the PTI would go to any extent to bring all those to book who had "stolen public mandate" and ensure these elements should be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution.
Mr Khan made a brief appearance and a speech at the PTI Punjab's organizational meeting called on one-point agenda of "Tsunami March" at a local hotel on Wednesday. PTI's all MNAs, MPAs and ticket-holders from across Punjab gathered there to know about their future course of action.
The PTI chief held 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... responsible for the hardships being faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs), saying he had single-handedly allowed the military operation that displaced some six million residents of North Wazoo.
"Neither the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... government nor I, being the head of second largest political party in the country, was informed about launching the military operation," he said.
Now, he said, all the IDPs were the sole responsibility of the PML-N government and it should not use them to do politics against PTI's 'Azadi March'. Still, he said, the KP government and the PTI would do all out efforts to help the IDPs.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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[MIAMIHERALD] The streets of the one-time holy warrior haven of Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... were all but deserted, with only a few donkeys wandering around and soldiers standing guard in the alleys and roads. The destroyed buildings were testament to the ferocity of a government operation to clear this area in northwestern Pakistain of Lion of Islams.
Inside some of the run-down brick houses, the Pak military found evidence of the ruthlessness of the holy warriors who have long made their homes here.
Large factories where they fit explosives into gas cylinders to hide in vehicles. Areas where they trained jacket wallahs in the do's and don'ts of their operations — don't make personal phone calls that might tip off authorities, for example. Places where they stored ammunition and ran extortion rings. A wall scrawled with the words "Jihad, Jihad."
"It was no doubt the epicenter of terrorism," said Maj. Gen. Zafarullah Khan, who is overseeing the operation.
The Pak military took a group of journalists to Miranshah for a one-day visit of the war zone, the first by the news media since the operation began on June 15. It was a rare look inside the isolated city in the country's rugged northwest, closer to the border with Afghanistan than to the capital, Islamabad.
The operation against the Pak Taliban and other holy warriors in the region was a long time coming.
The U.S., frustrated at seeing its troops in Afghanistan attacked by forces coming from North Wazoo, has been pushing for years for a crackdown there. Unable to send in troops itself, the U.S. relied on CIA drone strikes, many of which hit Miranshah.
Pakistain resisted, saying its troops were too spread out across the tribal regions. The military was also believed to have wanted political support before going in.
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... 's election a year ago delayed military action further. He pushed for negotiations with the Lion of Islams. It wasn't until a shocking attack on the 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... airport on June 8 that the government approved the operation.
Khan said that some of the snuffies used that time to flee, while others managed to escape as government forces were encircling the city. So far, government troops have not found any of the top holy warrior leadership in the city, according to Khan.
"They had smelled it that the operation is about to be launched," he said. "The buildup for the operation had already begun, and they could see that."
Khan said 400 holy warriors were killed and 130 maimed. Those figures could not be independently verified.
One Pak Taliban capo, Gilaman Mehsood, in a telephone interview from some holy man's guesthouse an undisclosed location, disputed the military's casualty figures and said most of the Pak Taliban fighters are now living in border areas of Afghanistan.
Miranshah had become a hub for Pak Talibs fighting to overthrow the government and establish a hard-line Islamic state across Pakistain. Other groups, such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, also had a presence in the city.
Khan cautioned that holy warriors are still in parts of the city and troops are still in the early days of the ground operation, with other areas of North Waziristan still to be tackled.
About 80 percent of the city has been cleared of holy warriors, but it is still heavily booby-trapped, Khan said. Many buildings in the city of mostly one-story brick houses were destroyed by artillery shells, tank fire or Arclight airstrikes, or by homemade explosives left behind by the holy warriors. Cars were buried in the rubble.
The military found an extensive network of tunnels — one roughly two kilometers long — that the holy warriors used to move around. There were large caches of ammunition and weapons, along with pain medicine, antibiotics, computers and training literature.
No civilians were seen across the entire city. The government says roughly 800,000 people have fled North Waziristan, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis.
The military is also concerned that snuffies could hide amid the refugees and then re-emerge elsewhere in the country — something that happened during previous crackdowns.
The military says it has tried to guard against that by questioning refugees when they leave. Those efforts have sparked anger among those fleeing.
"I had to cross five checkpoints, and at all posts soldiers checked our luggage and asked questions about my family. They wanted to make sure that we are not members of the Taliban," said Gohar Wazir, of Mir Ali, the other major city in North Waziristan.
[Al Ahram] A front man for Iraqi Kurdish president Massud Barzani said Thursday national premier Nuri al-Maliki had "become hysterical" and should step down after he accused the autonomous region of harbouring jihadists.
Maliki "has become hysterical and has lost his balance," the statement, published on the regional presidency website in English, said.
Addressing the premier, it continued: "You must apologise to the Iraqi people and step down."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is telling Israel's leader that the United States is willing to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
They're doomed...
Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, as Israel was intensifying an bombardment of the Gaza Strip in an attempt to thwart rocket fire targeting Israel. The White House says Obama condemned the rockets and said Israel has the right to self-defense. But Obama also urged both sides not to escalate the crisis and to restore calm.
Q: how exactly does one 'restore calm' when someone is shooting rockets at you?
A: with a flight of F-15s...
Obama also relayed concerns about a Palestinian-American teenager who was detained and apparently beaten by Israeli authorities. Obama says Israel has worked to resolve that situation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/11/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Is our former Moslem, I was for it before I was against Allah Bammer Prez really going to have a lot of cred with either side in the Gaza knockup?
But then, He IS the Messiah, after all, the smartest man in the room. Netanyahu is SO ready to trust Obama...and Hamas, they trust everyone, Especially an apostate American who has converted to Christianity ala Jeremy Wright, was it? PROFOUND religious Values, deep theology. Everybody on Earth admires Obama, yeah? I mean, he got a Nobel, after all. Deep...deep..something.
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
07/11/2014 4:04 Comments ||
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#2
Translation: "Back to your kennels evil Zionists!".
#8
So Hamas is going to worry about a red-line and Israel is going to worry about anything the empty suit will do?
The laughing stock of the middle east couldn't negotiate a rug purchase is the Tangier Suq. Maybe he should call either Putin or Hollande? They have more credibility in the ME right now.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
07/11/2014 11:36 Comments ||
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#9
Just look overs here, not at the mess on the border... And the fawning leftist press obeys
#12
Hamas launches a rocket barrage and then the IDF kicks their a$$. Then Hamas plays the "negotiate" card to hamstring Israel. There is nothing like victory to settle life and death disputes like this one.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/11/2014 14:59 Comments ||
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#13
Why not send in Jawn Kerry. He's not doing anything effective.
[AnNahar] The United Arab Emirates pledged $25 million in humanitarian aid Thursday to "support the steadfastness" of Paleostinians in Gazoo where Israeli strikes have killed more than 70 people in three days.
The Emirati Red Islamic Thingy will supervise delivery of the aid, WAM state news agency said, adding that the aid organization will also set up a field hospital in Gazoo "to help the victims of the Israeli aggression".
One assumes the stuff will be delivered via the Egyptian crossing point -- which assumes Egyptian permission to do so. But Egypt isn't terribly fond of the people of Gaza these days... We do live in interesting times.
Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on Tuesday, aimed at halting cross-border rocket fire from the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-controled Gazoo Strip.
#2
Wars don't end until the loser acknowdges his defeat. This war reminds me of the US Civil War, where the South was always destined to lose but fought on in hopes help from Europe would eventually salvage their illusion. Gaza will fight on as long as UAE etc. fund their hopes and Israel tries to act civilized (an impossibility in war; the US Confederacy finally saw the truth when Sherman and Grant quit pretending war was civil.)
[Ynet] US investigation contradicts Israeli claims that boys were kidnapped, says initial investigation findings indicate boys' murder was premeditated.
Three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped by Paleostinians in the West Bank last month were shot at least 10 times with a silenced gun in what appeared to be premeditated killings, a US official involved in the investigation said.
The disclosure clashed with speculation by some Israeli and Paleostinian commentators that the captors intended to take hostages for a prisoner exchange but panicked and shot them. One of three, 16-year-old Naftali Fraenkel, also held American citizenship.
Missing since hitch-hiking home on June 12, their bodies were discovered on June 30. Israel blamed Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, for their deaths but the Paleostinian Islamist group has neither confirmed nor denied the allegation.
One of the three Israelis, Gil-Ad Shaer, 16, telephoned police and said "They've kidnapped me!" after he, Fraenkel and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrah got into a car which Sherlocks suspect was driven by a Hamas hard boyz posing as a religious Jew. A second disguised gunman sat in the front passenger seat.
A US official involved in the probe said the FBI, whose mandate includes Americans kidnapped abroad, received a recording of the distress call from Israel within days and sent it for audio analysis in the United States.
Distorted, tinny reports heard on the tape after an Arabic-accented male voice shouts "Head down!" in response to Shaer's attempt to raise the alarm were found to be consistent with shots from a silenced firearm, the US official said.
"There were 10 gunshots," added the official, who spoke to Rooters on condition of anonymity.
The use of a silencer led US Sherlocks to believe the captors planned to kill the three teenagers from the outset, the US official said.
Israeli officials declined to respond to the American account of the investigation, saying it was still ongoing.
"We haven't even caught the kidnappers yet, so we're not going public with anything more now," said an official with the Shin Bet security service, which is in charge of the case.
No it hasn't, actually. In the past, yes, but this time round the missiles are already in the air when the Israelis call the house to warn the occupants. Adding human shields has contributed to the 90 or so dead and over 500 wounded thus far.
#1
A bit ironic that as weapons become smaller, more focused, and cause less collateral damage, the targets of said weapons are trying to get *more* people killed.
Getting more of your people killed doesn't seem like the best way to win a war.
#3
the test of Hamas's human shield strategy will be when the IDF tanks roll in
in jan 2009, when the tanks got in, the civilians scattered, still there were 1200+ deaths in Gaza
Hamas claimed abut 900 were civilians, Israel estimated it to be more like 200; nevertheless, back then the EU was filled with anti Israel speeches, columns, etc. based on the civilian death count
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/11/2014 6:09 Comments ||
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#4
Of course, using human shield IS a war crime. However, war crimes can only be committed by the US and Israel, just like only whites can be racist as articulated by the usual suspects who are no more held accountable for their actions than the perps who actually do war crimes.
#5
Human shields? Would that be something akin to using a mass migration of women and children across international borders to mask illegal drug and human trafficking activities ?
#6
They are trying to win the propaganda, not the fighting. To do so, they have to get their kiddies killed in a most photogenic manner.
And there is plenty of evidence to suggest it is not effective, starting with reaping the seeds of Green Helmet Man and Wailing Woman, and beginning with using dead kids from anywhere taken years ago as current media; even the BBC noticed. It is also spoken of CAIR playing along in the deception of truthiness.
#7
Let's see...they target Israeli civilians with their rockets, ineffective as they may be, and then when the Israelis strike back they bring their own civilians into the areas targeted by the Israelis. Then they cry about it to anyone who is dumb enough to listen. Very clever. Very effective...because there are soooooo many people who really are dumb enough to listen.
[AnNahar] The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned a network of firms and individuals in Leb, the UAE and China for allegedly procuring sophisticated military equipment for Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... , including materials for aerial drones.
"As the Treasury Department announced today, the United States targeted a key Hizbullah procurement network by designating brothers Kamel Mohamad Amhaz and Issam Mohamad Amhaz; their business, Stars Group Holding, which is based in Beirut and has subsidiaries in China and the UAE; and certain managers and individuals who supported their illicit activities," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
Later on Thursday, a Stars Group manager denied the accusations in remarks to LBCI television, saying his firm had not yet received the sanctions decree in an official manner.
"Hizbullah relies heavily on front companies such as Stars Group Holding, which continue to procure dual-use material for the organization to enhance its military capabilities," the State Department said in its statement.
It accused Stars Group Holding of covertly purchasing sophisticated electronics and other technology from suppliers around the world, including "a range of engines, communications, electronics, and navigation equipment."
"These materials have directly supported Hizbullah's development of unmanned aerial vehicles for its destructive military activities in Syria," it noted.
The State Department said today's designation "illustrates yet again the extent of Hizbullah's international presence and reach," calling on Washington's partners to take action against "Hizbullah's illicit networks, which fuel its violent political agenda and enhance its ability to engage in destabilizing activities in Syria, throughout the Middle East more broadly, and around the world."
The Treasury Department named for sanctions Stars Group Holding, its subsidiaries, its owner, executives Kamel Mohamad Amhaz and Issam Mohamad Amhaz, and two Stars Group managers, Ayman Ibrahim and Ali Zeaiter.
It also named Hanna Elias Khalifeh, whom it described as a Lebanese businessman and Hizbullah member who worked with the Stars Group.
"These individuals and entities have relied on false end-user certificates, mislabeled air waybills, and other fraudulent methods to avoid export restrictions and otherwise conceal Hizbullah as the ultimate end-user or beneficiary of these goods," the Treasury said.
The sanctions place a freeze on any of their assets under U.S. jurisdiction and ban Americans from any business with them.
According to U.S. officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the network is run out of Beirut and has successfully procured engines, communications electronics and navigation equipment for Hizbullah from companies inside the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia in violation of American exports laws.
"With disturbing reach far beyond Leb, Hizbullah's extensive procurement networks exploit the international financial system to enhance its military capabilities in Syria and its terrorist activities worldwide," David Cohen, the Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Thursday.
"This global terrorist activity and expanding criminal network belie Hizbullah's claimed purpose as a national liberation movement," Cohen added.
The B.O. regime has increasingly targeted Hizbullah and its financial networks. In recent years, the U.S. has charged the group with running illicit businesses, including drug trafficking, to fund its operations — allegations Hizbullah has repeatedly denied.
In 2011, the Treasury blacklisted Leb's then eight-largest bank, Lebanese Canadian Bank, for allegedly helping Hizbullah launder hundreds of millions of dollars in drug profits. The bank was eventually taken over by the Lebanese government and liquidated.
"It is critical that countries throughout the world work together to combat this dangerous organization and sever it from sources of revenue and support," Cohen said.
Hizbullah, along with Iran and Russia, has emerged as a top ally of the Syrian regime in its fight against rebel groups that have sought to overthrow the Damascus government.
Hizbullah has sent thousands of fighters as well as military advisers into Syria, arguing that its military intervention in the neighboring country is necessary to fend off the threat of murderous Moslem Sunni groups and prevent the fall of the country into the hands of the U.S. and Israel.
[AnNahar] The death toll in Syria's three-year war has eclipsed 170,000 people, one-third of them civilians, a monitoring group said in a new toll released on Thursday.
"Ever since the first casualty of the Syrian revolution was registered on March 18, 2011 in Daraa province, the deaths of 171,509 people have been documented," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Among the dead were 56,495 civilians, including 9,092 children, according to the toll, which included casualties documented up to July 8 this year.
Another 65,803 were regime troops and pro-regime militiamen, while 46,301 were rebels seeking President Bashar Assad's ouster and members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
That's an awful lot of former hard boyz now frolicking with their personal devils in the depths of Hell...
The rebel toll includes 15,422 non-Syrians who traveled to the war-torn country to join the ranks of jihadists or local Islamist opposition groups.
The rebel toll includes 15,422 non-Syrians who traveled to the war-torn country to join the ranks of jihadists or local Islamist opposition groups.
Among the ranks of loyalists killed were 39,036 regular troops, as well as 24,655 members of pro-regime militias, 509 fighters from Lebanon's Hizbullah, and 1,603 other non-Syrians fighting on Assad's side in the war.
Meanwhile, the deaths of 2,910 unidentified victims were also documented, according to the Observatory.
The Britain-based group, which relies on a broad network of activists, doctors and lawyers inside Syria to document casualties, said the actual number of killed among fighters on both sides was likely to be much higher.
It said documenting all the deaths was difficult "because both sides in the war try to conceal their actual losses".
Another 20,000 people detained by the regime were completely unaccounted for, said the Observatory, as were some 7,000 regime troops held by rebel fighters.
More than 2,000 other people are currently in the captivity of Islamic rebels and IS, accused of "collaborating" with the Assad regime.
Another 1,500 Islamic State, rebel and Kurdish fighters have been kidnapped in recent months during battles among each other.
The Syrian conflict has forced nearly half the country's population to flee their homes.
#2
Is this 170000 real casualties, or is it like the Western press anti-American/anti-bush propagandaReports of miiiiiiiilions of civilian casualties in Iraq?
[CHRON] Staffan de Mistura, who has held top U.N. positions in Iraq and Afghanistan, on Thursday inherited the mandate to try to end Syria's three-year-old conflict, a goal that eluded his two predecessors.
A thankless assignment, indeed.
Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... said he chose the Swedish-Italian diplomat as the U.N. point man on Syria because of his work at the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... for 40 years, including delicate and difficult jobs as the U.N. special representative in Iraq and Afghanistan. De Mistura replaces Lakhdar Brahimi, who resigned May 31 after nearly two years of failed efforts to end the worsening civil war.
Ban said he consulted broadly before making a decision, including with the Syrian government.
Unlike Brahimi, de Mistura will not be joint envoy of the U.N. and the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... , which has been deeply divided over the war in Syria.
Ban stressed, however, that close coordination and cooperation with the vaporous Arab League is "a basic hallmark of our work until now and it will continue to be so."
The secretary-general also announced the appointment of Egyptian Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeddine Ramzy, who was recommended by the Arab League, as de Mistura's deputy.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2014 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.
Piracy off Somalia's coast would fall sharply if the country's economy was more developed, a study says.
[Al Ahram] Steep decline in number of tourists visiting Egypt in May, despite an increase in visitors from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
[DAWN] Some 31,336 alleged criminals have so far been 
According to the report, during the 1,627 police encounters, some 1,586 suspected of involvement in dacoity, 336 suspected extortionists, 83 'kidnappers', 7,155 
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Wazoo
[MIAMIHERALD] The streets of the one-time
Wazoo
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is telling Israel's leader that the United States is willing to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
[AnNahar] The United Arab Emirates pledged $25 million in humanitarian aid Thursday to "support the steadfastness" of Paleostinians in 
[Ynet] US investigation contradicts Israeli claims that boys were kidnapped, says initial investigation findings indicate boys' murder was premeditated.
[AnNahar] The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned a network of firms and individuals in 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
