A British man who had been held hostage by Death Eaters in Libya has been released, the British Foreign Office said on Sunday. David Bolam was freed days after the killing of a British hostage, aid worker Alan Henning, by ISIS Death Eaters fighting in Iraq and Syria - the latest in a series of such executions that have been filmed and posted online.
The Foreign Office gave no further details of who had held Bolam or how he had been released.
"We are glad that David Bolam is safe and well after his ordeal, and that he has been reunited with his family," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. "We have been supporting his family since he was taken."
The BBC reported that his release was secured through the payment of a ransom, facilitated by local political factions in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, where he worked as a teacher. It cited no sources and the Foreign Office, which does not support the payment of ransoms, declined to comment on the BBC report.
Details of who had kidnapped the British man were not clear, and local Libyan officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on the release.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[ARABNEWS] King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Sunday emphasized the importance of dialogue in combating extremism and promoting world peace. He also reiterated Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's determination to root out terrorism.
"Engaging in dialogue is the only method to live in peace and harmony with other communities in the world. The dialogue will eventually prevent bloodshed and avoid disunity, ignorance and extremism," the king said in his message to the guests of God who have to come for Haj this year.
King Abdullah stressed: "We shall not rest till we eradicate terrorism along with the misguided sect that has used Islam as bridge to achieve its vested interests and unlawfully stigmatizes the beauty of Islam with their misleading thought."
Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, read out the king's message during a reception in Mina, which was attended by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, Bangladesh President Mohammad Abdul Hamid, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen and Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and representatives of foreign Haj missions.
In his keynote address, King Abdullah emphasized the Islamic teachings and values that urge Moslems to live in peace with other sects and faith communities. "It has been reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said while circumambulating the Holy Kaaba 'how pure and good you are! how pure and good your fragrance is! how great and exalted you are! And how great and exalted your sanctity is! But I swear by Allah that the sanctity of a believer's blood and property in sight of Allah is greater than your sanctity," the king said.
He noted the impact of the International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna, which is named after King Abdullah, saying its activities would contribute to eradicating terrorism and promoting a cultural dialogue in the world.
"We pray to Allah Almighty that dialogue will become a tool for debate and an essential approach of dealing between nations and peoples. However, a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... we hereby declare that Saudi Arabia will continue its efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
And at the rate they're working on it, we should see some results long about the year 2750 or so.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/06/2014 7:42 Comments ||
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Terrorism will not rest until it eradicates the likes of you, O King.
#5
King Abdullah was the Saudi who Obama bowed down to--some might say "heel to." The subservience still continues?
The Saudis have pushed Salafism for a long time. Referred to by supporters as "Salafism" and by others as "Wahhabism." Now they are worried that the Kingdom and the oil wells are threatened by ISIS. Play with fire and you will eventually get burned.
[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... on Sunday called the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates to clarify that he did not mean to imply in his remarks last week that the Gulf ally was supporting al-Qaeda gunnies in Syria.
To borrow from Josh Stanton at One Free Korea, it's another Secret Service failure: they failed to protect the microphone from Slow Joe...
Biden spoke with Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and a key Emirati leader, the White House said.
It was the second time in two days that Biden had to call a key partner in President Barack Obama I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... 's coalition to walk back comments he made on Thursday, when he said that U.S. allies - including Turkey, 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... and the UAE - had funded and armed bully boy groups linked to al-Qaeda.
Earlier Sunday, an exasperated UAE requested "a formal clarification" from Biden on comments that America's allies in the Middle East sent weapons and cash to hard boyz fighting in Syria.
The White House said Biden clarified his remarks and recognized the UAE's strong steps to counter hard boyz and participation in U.S.-led Arclight airstrikes.
On Saturday, Biden already called to apologize to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... , the White House said.
"The vice president apologized for any implication that Turkey or other allies and partners in the region had intentionally supplied or facilitated the growth of ISIL or other violent hard boyz in Syria," the White House said, using an acronym for the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group
Biden's comments on Thursday came during a question-and-answer session at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Biden said that "our biggest problem is our allies" who are engaged in a proxy Sunni-Shiite war against Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... . He specifically named Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
"What did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad - except that the people who were being supplied were (Jabhat) al-Nusra ...the current nom de guerre of al-Qaeda in the Levant, which isn't to be confused with al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant... and al-Qaeda and the bully boy elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world," Biden said at the time.
The UAE's official news agency carried a statement from Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash calling Biden's comments "far from the truth." The UAE Foreign Ministry said it was astonished by the remarks.
The UAE is a key Arab partner in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group and has targeted its fighters in Arclight airstrikes in Syria. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan also have carried out Arclight airstrikes against the group in Iraq and Syria, while Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... has provided logistical support.
Gargash said the American vice president "gave a negative and inaccurate impression" about the UAE's support in confronting the Islamic State group and terrorism. He said Biden's statement ignored the political and practical steps taken by the UAE, as well as its position against terrorism financing.
"The UAE's counter-terrorism approach reflects a pioneering national commitment that recognizes the extent of the danger posed by terrorism to the region and to its people," Gargash said.
There has been no official comment from Saudi officials over Biden's remarks.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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North Korea is believed to have shut down its sole plutonium-producing nuclear reactor either for refueling or maintenance purposes, a U.S. think tank said Sunday, citing commercial satellite imagery. The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
The other ISIS, apparently...
said it reached the decision based on the absence of two key indicators of operations at the 5-megawatt reactor: steam venting from the reactor and cooling water discharge from it.
"In imagery dated Aug. 27 and Sept. 29, 2014, both these signatures are missing," ISIS said in a report authored by David Albright, a nuclear expert and chief of the institute, and another researcher, Serena Kelleher-Vergantini.
"ISIS assesses that it is possible that the reactor is partially or completely shut down," it said.
It is unclear what exactly led to the shutdown, but the North could be carrying out a partial refueling of the reactor's core if some fuel rods are defective, the institute said. A total core refueling is unlikely because the reactor has only been running for a year, it said.
Or they're removing fuel rods so as to extract the plutonium...
The institute also said the North could have shut down the reactor for maintenance or renovation purposes. Satellite images show unidentified activity taking place on the roof of the reactor's turbine building, it said.
The reactor at the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex has been the source of weapons-grade plutonium for the communist nation. The small reactor is capable of producing spent fuel rods which, if reprocessed, could give the regime enough plutonium to make one bomb a year. Plutonium from the reactor was used in at least two of the three nuclear tests the North has conducted.
Separately from the 5-megawatt reactor, the North has also been building a larger-scale light water reactor at Yongbyon that experts say could give Pyongyang enough plutonium to make about five or six weapons a year. ISIS said that the start-up date of the light water reactor still remains unclear.
"Satellite imagery shows no signs of activity or even movement of objects at the site. However, activity may be occurring inside the building; and some foreign procurements continue for this reactor. Thus, North Korea is expected to operate this reactor at some point," it said.
The institute said the North is believed to be working on a project to expand its uranium-enrichment centrifuge plant at its Yongbyon complex as the latest imagery shows activity renovating the roof of a building adjacent to the centrifuge plant.
"It is likely that North Korea has installed centrifuge cascades inside the new section of the centrifuge building," it said. "However, it cannot be determined whether North Korea has finished the expansion of this centrifuge plant."
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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Shutting down A 5mw reactor (assuming it was producing power) is a big deal in country with as little generating capacity as NK. Question is, did it contribute to the grid, or was it just a 'cooker'.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/06/2014 7:40 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] No country can criticize Turkey for its stance on the situation in Syria, says Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
"No one has a right to criticize Turkey and ignore the sacrifices our beloved nation had to make," Davutoglu said in a televised speech among supporters in Istanbul on Sunday.
The Turkish premier made the comments in response to earlier remarks by US Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... , who accused Turkey of financing and arming terrorists, for which he later apologized.
"It is impossible for us to accept this criticism," Davutoglu said, adding, "If all the warnings that Turkey made had been heeded, these things would not have happened. It is our duty to point this out, no matter who we are dealing with."
Biden called the allies in the region Washington's "largest problem" in dealing with the situation in Syria, referring to Turkey, 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... , and the UAE, which the US "could not convince" to stop arming the ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... terrorists.
Turkish politicians authorized military operations against ISIL snuffies in Syria and Iraq on Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[TODAYSZAMAN] President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... 's insistent criticism of Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was elected president after ousting a democratically elected president via a military coup, may well come with a price tag for Turkey on various fronts ranging from the economy to diplomacy, according to concerned analysts.
"There will be a price for this [attitude of Erdogan]. Turkey should not expect to get the support of Egypt at the election for the UN Security Council," Faruk Logoglu, a deputy of the Republican People's Party (CHP), told Sunday's Zaman.
Turkey is among the countries competing to get a seat as a temporary member in the UN Security Council for the two-year term of 2015-2016, and it is obvious Turkey will not enjoy Egypt's support for its bid.
That means, as a most influential country in the Arab world, Egypt would no longer be willing either to throw its weight around in the Arab world for Turkey's non-permanent membership bid.
Taking the podium at the UN General Assembly meeting shortly after Sisi last week, Erdogan accused the UN of legitimizing Sisi -- who, as then-chief of the armed forces, toppled a democratically elected president of Egypt last year -- by giving Sisi a chance to speak at the UN.
"We should respect the choice of the people at the ballot box. If we want to support coups, then why does the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... exist?" Erdogan asked.
Logoglu, a former ambassador, believes Erdogan made a grave diplomatic mistake by publicly insulting the head of state of a country at the UN meeting in New York. "It is one thing to voice one's opinion about the leader of a country [at home] in Ankara, and still another thing to do the same in an international setting."
Erdogan also said at the UN: "The United Nations as well as democratic countries have done nothing but watch events, such as the overthrow of the elected president in Egypt and the killings of thousands of innocent people who wanted to defend their choice. And the person who carried out this coup is being legitimized."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Bov Flimbers ||
10/06/2014 03:11 ||
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#1
So Miranda requires an attorney be appointed, but doesn't address religious affiliation. Will that be the first act in this sideshow, getting a fellow Muslim as the mouthpiece? And wouldn't that violate the church/state separation thingy if the att'y was appointed?
#9
Judging by his book'em photo, I'd say he has already got off.
State Question 755, IIUC was to prevent any parallel law system, including International and Sharia, from overriding the laws of the State of Oklahoma, other than USA Federal Laws.
This has the potential to turn over a lot of rocks and see what goes scurrying.
I think the hint that the fix is in came from Obama's thank-you note to his mosque the other day.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
10/06/2014 18:56 Comments ||
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I'm sure there are hundreds of (jailhouse*) Muslim lawyers out there. Few if any with accreditation paperwork, but certainly a large number available.
Leaders of the extremist group, Isis (Islamic State) wish to obtain nuclear weapons, and have chilling plans for a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Shi'ite Muslims, the Sunday Times has reported. History takes no sides, but seems to have a large library of ethnic cleansing of/by Muslims. Not an original thought by this ISIS group, but then, in March, they were just "JV" so what would one expect?
The list of ambitions was found in a manifesto-style document, which has 70 proposals. Other more bizarre plans included an aim to destroy Iran's famous caviar industry No Iranian caviar? Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger
and damage its carpet industry by flooding the market with Afghan carpet makers. With all due respect General, I'm to get the Afghans to give up their opium business and begin some kind of mass production of hand-made Afghan carpets? Are they to follow the Chinese model, replicating the Iranian design in knock off versions or keep with the history of the design and the making of the Afghan carpets?
The document was taken during a raid in March from an Isis commander's home by Iraqi Special Forces. Security officials believe it to be authentic and it is allegedly written by Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani one of the most senior members of the militant group.
One of the suggestions made was for Isis to offer the Russian Kremlin access to the gas fields it controls in Iraq in return for Russia giving up "Iran and its nuclear programme and hand over its secrets". In order for this to happen, it says that Russia would have to stop supporting Syria's president Bashar-al-Assad and back the gulf-states against Iran.
In order to further the militant group's plans for power and land to establish an "Islamic Caliphate" the document calls for Iran to be "stripped of all its power." The author of the document calls for the assassination of Iranian diplomats, businessmen and teachers, and incites followers to kill Iraqi military chiefs, Shi’ite officials and Iranian-backed militias as well. All this from that "JV" team back in March?
The Sunday Times report says that military officials have known and feared that Isis want to obtain nuclear weapons. The Home Secretary Theresa May said in her speech at the Conservative Party conference that if Isis consolidates power in Iraq and Syria it would become “the world’s first truly terrorist state.” If that were to occur, May said, “we will see the risk….the terrorists will acquire chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons.” Hummm these guys sound serious. Getting "nuclear secrets" from a nation yet to build a nuclear bomb. Second Hummmmm: that "We hate rugs" concept might really lead to something. However, when they threaten the caviar supply, the world will take notice and the UN will send some letter of being "overly concerned" at the overtake of the caviar industry. Do tell.
[Iran Press TV] The French Ministry of Defense says Gay Paree is going to step up its military presence in Iraq by increasing the number of air "patrols" over the crisis-hit country.
"We will increase the rate of our patrols," said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday, adding, "With nine Rafale (aircraft) in the zone, we can carry out two patrols per day."
Le Drian also commented on the US-led coalition's strikes against the ISIL holy warriors in Iraq, saying the ISIL "is not a terrorist group. It is clearly a terrorist army. There are 20,000, 25,000, 30,000 combatants that are properly armed."
Meanwhile, ...back at the precinct house, Don Calamari's lawyer was getting even redder in the face... the Netherland's F-16 fighter bombers began flights over the country, said the Dutch defense ministry.
"Dutch F-16s flew today over the conflict zone in Iraq for the first time," the ministry said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] The United States should consider deploying ground troops in fight against the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, says the Majority Leader of the US House of Representatives.
"If we need special forces there, if that's what the generals say, then we need to do it, Kevin McCarthy ...the GOP house majority whip. He replaces Eric Cantor, who got whupped because his politix are like Kevin McCarthy's... said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program on Sunday.
"If we engage in a conflict that we know this is a threat to America, we should make it so one-sided that it gets over very quickly. So, we should have everything on the table to make sure we win this," he added.
He also said that "I don't think we should ever sit back and tell our enemies what we will and will not do."
Elsewhere in his remarks, McCarthy said the rise of ISIL "was a lack-of-action failure on [the part of] the administration."
"Former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta ...current SecDef, previously Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta served as President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993.... talks about those actions that the administration knew of this and did not take. So our options are more limited today. Maybe we could have handled this differently," he stated.
The Pentagon has announced that it plans to deploy 2,300 Marines to the Middle East to quickly respond to crises in the conflict-ridden region.
Pentagon front man Rear Admiral John Kirby said on September 30 the United States is establishing a task force in the Middle East which will include several fighter aircraft and be prepared to take rapid actions in the case of "contingencies".
The US and several of its allies began striking ISIL targets in Syria on September 23. American warplanes have already conducted hundreds of strikes against ISIL in Iraq since mid-August.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... US President Barack Obama Because I won... has ruled out American boots on the ground in a combat role, a promise many experts say might soon be broken.
Top military officials have said an air campaign alone would not be sufficient to achieve the announced goal of defeating ISIL, and that the US might ultimately be forced to send ground troops to combat.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[ABNA.IR] The head of Fallujah Council, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Nimrawi, said in a statement today that more than 170 documented rapes were committed by members of the so-called the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) against virgin girls in Anbar province over the past two months.
On the other hand, media relations director for the National Alliance of Nineveh, Sadeq al-Shammari, revealed that the criminal gangs of ISIS raped 50 girls from the Yazidi sect in the city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... over the same period according to reported and documented cases.
Al-Shammari said in a press statement that "the elements ISIS put the raped girls in Al Salam Hospital in Mosul for the purpose of treating and returning them to their families," adding that "the leaders of ISIS threatened the doctors at the hospital not to leak such information to the media."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#3
Might be good for recruitment, but prolly not so good for PR.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/06/2014 8:46 Comments ||
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#4
It's designed to destroy and humiliate the infidel population. They've been doing this for 1400 years. Why stop now?
Posted by: Si vis pacem para bellum ||
10/06/2014 9:30 Comments ||
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#5
...and they have willing accomplices in the Western media who won't play this up like some faux crisis like celebrity dalliances or a football team's name, to show the masses what lies just below the thin layer of civilization that been kept in place by those dirty uncouth yahoo male patriarchs all their lives.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Saturday night slammed the Swedish government's intention to recognize the state of "Paleostine," and the Foreign Ministry announced it will summon Sweden's ambassador to protest the move, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Sweden's recently elected prime minister, Stefan Lofven, said Friday during his inaugural address in parliament that his government will recognize "Paleostine," a move that would make it the first major European country to take the step.
"The conflict between Israel and Paleostine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law," Lofven said during his address, in comments diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said were meant to give his constituents what they wanted to hear.
"A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognize the State of Paleostine" he said.
Careful there, Lofven. If Paleostine is a 'state' then launching rockets at another state is an act of war...
Liberman issued a statement saying that, rather than dealing with Israel and the Paleostinians during his inaugural speech, it would have been better for the Swedish premier to focus on more urgent matters in the Middle East, such as the daily mass murders in Syria, Iraq, and other countries in the region.
Liberman said further that Lofven needs to understand that neither declarations nor moves by "outside sources" would replace direct negotiations between the sides and bring closer a solution that would be part of a comprehensive agreement between Israel and the Arab world. He said he is sorry that Lofven "rushed" to make declarations about a "Paleostinian state" before making the effort to study the issue and to understand that the Paleostinians have been the obstacle preventing an Israel-Paleostinian agreement for the last 20 years.
Lofven is the head of a center- left government that has come to power following general elections in September.
If Israel had a tough time with the Swedish government under its previous government, which was center-right, Lofven's statement is an indication that the relationship will now likely be even more difficult. The former Swedish government refused to recognize "Paleostine," as the Paleostinians did not control the territory they claimed for statehood.
The UN General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of "the sovereign State of Paleostine" in 2012, but the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and most EU countries have yet to give official recognition.
Diplomatic sources said they are not fearful that Lofven would begin a snowball affect in Europe, as the leader of a rather precarious center-left government is unlikely to set the standard for the rest of Europe. The Social Democrats and Greens hold a minority of seats in parliament and the incoming center-left government is likely to be one of Sweden's weakest for decades.
Within the EU, some countries, such as Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia recognize "Paleostine," but they did so before joining the 28-member bloc.
If the center-left government fulfills its plans, Sweden would be the first country to recognize "Paleostine" while being a member of the European Union.
The EU's stated position is that an independent Paleostinian state should only emerge through a negotiated process.
The PLO on Saturday welcomed Sweden's announcement.
"The Swedish announcement is in fact a sign of a genuine commitment to justice and the requirements for peace, including the two-state solution on the 1967 boundaries," said PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi.
"We hope that other countries in Europe will follow Sweden's lead. Those who claim to support the two-state solution must realize that in order to reach it, what's missing is a sovereign Paleostinian state," she said.
According to the PLO, 138 countries recognize "Paleostine" as a state, including Brazil, South Africa, Chile, Russia, the Holy See, Argentina ...a country located on the other side of the Deep South. It is covered with Pampers and inhabited by Grouchos, who dance the Tangle. They used to have some islands called the Malvinas located where the Falklands are now. They're not supposed to cry for Evita... , India, and China. But it has failed to gain major recognition in the West, with the European Union and the US preferring the conflict resolved through negotiation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] After new Swedish PM sparks diplomatic crisis by saying Sweden will recognize Paleostine as a state, new statements rephrases support, saying Paleostinian statehood will be recognized after negotiations with Israel.
The Swedish Embassy in Israel has softened its position regarding the recognition of Paleostinian statehood, saying it favors peace negotiation to unilateral recognition of a Paleostinian state, after an initial announcement by Sweden's new prime minister led to a diplomatic crisis with Israel.
In a new, more softly worded statement, the embassy said that, Sweden will recognize a Paleostinian state at the end of negotiations between Israel and the Paleostinians.
[Rooters] In early September, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a surprise announcement that he was having surgery and asked people to pray for his health.
Rumors about Khamenei have circulated for years. But there has never been such a media blitz on the health of the Supreme Leader, who holds substantial influence or constitutional authority over the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government as well as the military and media.
The head of the surgical team said Khamenei had an operation on his prostate which lasted less than half an hour and only local anesthetic had been used. He was completely awake and speaking during the procedure, the surgeon said. But if Khamenei's health deteriorates, the traditional clergy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Iran's top military force and an economic powerhouse - will need to settle on a successor quickly if the country is to avoid a period of political instability, experts say.
So far, Iran has had only two Supreme Leaders since the 1979 revolution, with Khamenei succeeding the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Supreme Leaders are elected by the Assembly of Experts, which is made up mostly of the clerical old guard. But it is clear that the Revolutionary Guards will also play a major role.
Whoever replaces Khamenei is unlikely to wield as much power in the same position. "The clergy are looking for somebody to guarantee the interests of the clergy. The Revolutionary Guards are looking for someone to guarantee the interests of the Revolutionary Guards," said Mehdi Khalaji, a former senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who is now the CEO of the Idea Center for Arts and Culture.
"Neither of them wants somebody who can come in and control them."
Disputed presidential elections in 2009 led to mass street protests followed by a wave of arrests, including of two candidates who remain detained at their homes.
Given this, the complicated process of choosing a new leader and the transition of power that follows could also provoke unrest. "If this uneasy equilibrium is suddenly changed, you will have unintended uprisings or unintended consequences," said Abbas Milani, the director of the Iranian Studies program at Stanford University.
#1
He's a pretty old guy - prostate problems are common. But surgery suggests cancer - sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't; if it's an aggressive variant we'll know soon.
#2
Sounds like a biopsy. TBD will be the result and if positive, how far along. If not too far along I suspect he can afford the best treatment available.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/06/2014 12:35 Comments ||
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#5
May I suggest, that UN's WHO perform autopsies on Kockamanie and Pudgy before sunset today.
(Voice in the distance whispers) They are still alive.
What ? They are still alive...minor technicality, I'm from the CDC, Obey-care, Death Panel Division, We must perform the autopsies' right away ascertain what will kill them in the future. Now get to it, Sofort...Raus !
[IsraelTimes] The deputy head of the Iranian Space Agency said Iran is set to launch three satellites into space.
Hamid Fazeli made the announcement Saturday in Tehran at a ceremony at the beginning of World Space Week, an event meant to spur interest and support for space within Iran, as reported by Fars News Agency, a semi-official news source.
"The launching of satellites such as Sharif Sat, Zafar (Triumph), Tolou (Sunrise) and Pars with powerful locally designed carriers in the near future is on the agenda," Fazeli stated from the sidelines of the annual event.
The satellites, which were designed and built by Iranian engineers, will reportedly be used to map topography and to capture pictures of earth from outer space and relay them to stations on the ground.
Fazeli added that the three Iranian satellites will be launched into orbit sometime in the next Persian calendar year (March 2015-March 2016).
He remarked that Iran is among the top five emerging nations in the global aerospace industry and that many countries are following in the footsteps of the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
In July, the ISA claimed to have come up with a 10-year plan to develop Iran's space program, a plan that includes sending the country's first Iranian astronaut into space, as well as an array of remote sensing and telecommunication satellites, according to state-owned media channel PressTV.
Although Tehran has never officially sent an astronaut into space, in 2006 an Iranian-American entrepreneur, Anousheh Ansari, was aboard a civilian spaceflight that reached the International Space Station, making her the first Iranian national ever to do so.
The Iranian government has faced a series of well-documented setbacks and failed launches into space in the past decade and has had its claims refuted by experts who doubt the caliber of the Islamic Theocratic Republic's space program.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/06/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
The last two paragraphs imply the Persians can't find a man of the right caliber.
[DAILYMAIL.CO.UK] The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... terrorist known as Jihadi John has been tracked by drones flying over the Syrian city of Raqqa -- but British Special Forces chiefs fear a 'kill or capture' mission there would end in bloody failure, sources disclosed last night.
Reaper drones deployed high above the terrorists' strongholds are also believed to have identified hostages wearing orange jumpsuits but top brass are thought to have currently ruled out a rescue operation because IS defences are too strong.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/06/2014 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.
Joe 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
In early September, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a surprise announcement that he was having surgery and asked people to pray for his health. 
[IsraelTimes] The deputy head of the Iranian Space Agency said Iran is set to launch three satellites into space.
