[LIBYAREVIEW] A Libyan prosecution memo revealed that the Minister of State for Political Affairs in the Government of National Unity (GNU), Walid al-Lafi was involved in a number of corruption, extortion accusations, as well as a prominent supporter of holy warriors in Benghazi.
According to the memo, al-Lafi and Atef Bakra participated in defrauding the Director of a Libyan art production company, Mohammed al-Akkari.
"Al-Lafi hired a group of turbans and sent them to the headquarters of the Art Production Company. He also threatened to kidnap al-Akkari, threatening him with immoral acts if he tried to file a complaint against him."
Bakra alleged that Ali al-Sallabi and al-Lafi blackmailed al-Akkari to go into a partnership with a group of contracting and importing companies, with the brothers Salah and Ibrahim Bugaighis.
Bakra admitted during the prosecution’s investigations that he participated with al-Lafi in several crimes, and acknowledged he was a member of the Moslem Brüderbund since 2012. al-Lafi also obtained a bank guarantee letter of one million Libyan dinars for Bakra, issued by al-Wahda Bank, and through mediation from a MB leader in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Bakra revealed that he accompanied al-Lafi on a trip to Italia to hold a meeting with the Italian Intelligence Service. They then held meetings in Tripoli with political and social figures to convince them to work for the Italian intelligence services, in exchange for obtaining sovereign positions in Libya.
He said that both al-Lafi and the former production manager at al-Nabaa TV, Basem al-Arafi held parties in Istanbul and hosted a number of singers, including Asma Sleem. "During the party, a number of personalities and media professionals were photographed drunk and were blackmailed to pass al-Lafi’s policies in Libya."
He noted that he used to finance, alongside Ashraf bin Ismail, the Benghazi Shura Council; to ensure the continuation of the war in Benghazi, and prolong the conflict against the Libyan National Army (LNA).
According to Bakra, al-Lafi established a company under the name of ’Safeer Logistics’ for trade and shipping. This is in addition to an office for financial and commercial transfers on the black market, which was intended to money launder al-Lafi’s transactions.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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The family of Kevin Peterson Jr., a black man armed with a pistol killed by police near Portland during a drug bust, is planning to sue. BLM-Antifa have rioted several times in his honor. Read this report to learn who Peterson was. #KevinPeterson#BLMhttps://t.co/PZnkKwWT9C
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
The way I read it, the police didn't have much choice, and in the end, they took a violent drug dealer off the streets and saved the taxpayers the cost of a trial and incarceration.
Posted by: These Forkbeard7574 ||
03/19/2021 2:46 Comments ||
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[MIDDLEEASTEYE.NET] Foreign ministry said commenting on an ongoing judicial process amounts to 'intervention' in the country's domestic affairs
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
Kurds are for Erdogan what Jews were for Hitler: a convenient scapegoat for his failures and to provide an internal "other" for fanatic hatred that reinforces Erdogan's power. He has already replicated events like the Reichstag fire in that fake coup and is hitting bordering nations for "lebensraum" for Turkmen ethnic groups outside Turkey's borders.
Its all right there if any care to look.
Posted by: These Forkbeard7574 ||
03/19/2021 2:43 Comments ||
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[MIDDLEEASTEYE.NET] Ottoman Turkish authorities have requested Egyptian opposition channels based in the country soften their criticism of the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi amid a rapprochement between the two regional powers, sources have told Middle East Eye.
A senior Ottoman Turkish government official who was briefed about the issue told MEE on Thursday that the heads of Mekameleen and al-Sharq, two Egyptian satellite TV channels, were told to tone down their criticism of the Egyptian government.
"They were just asked to soften their political criticisms against the Egyptian government and stop personally attacking Sisi," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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[MAIL] The US Army refused to return medals for valor to a former Green Beret who was charged with war crimes and later pardoned by President Donald Trump, unsealed documents have revealed.
Retired Maj. Matthew Golsteyn was stripped of his medals and his membership in the elite Green Berets after being with charged with premeditated murder in the 2010 shooting death of a suspected Taliban bombmaker in Afghanistan.
The trial was canceled after Trump stepped in and pardoned Golsteyn by executive order in November 2019.
Golsteyn filed an appeal the following month to restore his Distinguished Service Cross, the military's second-highest honor, as well as his Special Forces tab.
But documents obtained by USA Today this week showed the Army rejected the appeal to restore Golsteyn's medals last June - six months after declining to reinstate his Special Forces designation.
In a letter disclosing the decision the board cited a letter from the Justice Department which said Trump's pardon did not fully exonerate Golsteyn.
'Presidential pardon is a sign of forgiveness and does not indicate innocence,' the board wrote.
#4
Expand the Navy, making the Marines the expeditionary force for the country, and downsize and restructure the active Army on the Swiss system. You are now grasping why the founders put their faith in the people and militia rather than a sustained large standing army to protect the regional security of country.
#6
NOT speaking to the case but the general question of authority.
Any Legally issued Presidential Pardons issued per the US Constitution is legally binding and must be followed and may not be rescinded.
Doing so constitutes "Defying an Order" issued by the Commander In Chief. Under UCMJ normally they would have just flushed their careers and should be court-martialed on a slew of very serious charges. Even more serious than A-88, A92 issues.
As I said NORMALLY.
Right now... If Russia or China was to attack I am not sure our Upper Level Military Officers would react or going on Vacation in Hawaii.
#7
Pusillanimous REMFs that don't have half of their predecessor's worth. There is a Revolutionary War monument to Benedict Arnold's Boot, yes that Benedict Arnold, for his earlier service. Stripping all of the major's medals for that one action is [chicken manure] IMO.
[JPost] - A federal grand jury has charged four members of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiring to block Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory, according to a new superseding indictment unsealed on Friday.
[OneIndia] Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said law and order situation has improved in Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... and assembly elections can be held only after completion of the delimitation process.
She said abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution has been welcomed by the people, who came out in large numbers to participate in the local body elections. The minister was replying to a discussion on Budgets for Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry in the Lok Sabha ...After the Libyan Civil War, Sabha grew in importance as a slave auctioning town. However, an investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) revealed that while there was illegal slavery, reports were exaggerated, as slave auctions were rare and not made public. This was a great comfort to everyone but the slaves peddled in secret. The city was later seized by forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader Khalifa Haftar in January 2019, probably for its collection of MiG-25 aircraft.... The Budgets for 2021-22 were later approved by the lower house. "Law and order is coming back to absolute normality in Jammu and Kashmir," she said adding the development works are taking place in the union territory at a faster pace.
Citing figures, the minister said rail, road, and housing projects are making progress. With regard to assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, she said it can be held only after completion of the delimitation process and the decision to hold elections lies with the Election Commission.
Regarding Puducherry, she said the vote on account is being approved to allow the UT government meet its expenses for the period April 1 to August 31, 2021. The Lok Sabha also approved the supplementary demand for grants for Puducherry for 2020-21.
[MIDDLEEASTEYE.NET] The UN Security Council has condemned the military escalation in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... 's Marib and the Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... movement's cross-border attacks against 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... The council, in a statement sent to the media on Thursday, warned that Houthi attempts to take control of the government stronghold of Marib, the capital of an oil-rich region, "places one million internally-displaced persons at grave risk and threatens efforts to secure a political settlement".
It also highlighted the Iran-aligned Houthi movement's recent attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed concern about military developments elsewhere in Yemen.
Stressing "the need for de-escalation by all", the Security Council noted that "the international community is increasingly united to end the conflict" in Yemen as soon as possible.
If left unresolved, a lack of progress in the grinding of the peace processor "could be exploited by Lions of Islam in Yemen", the council said, adding a call for "accountability for human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... violations and abuses, and violations of international humanitarian law".
The UN has repeatedly called for a nationwide ceasefire and a political solution to the ongoing conflict, particularly during the recent months of escalation.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Houthis
[NPASYRIA] On Thursday, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) called on the UN and the UN Security Council to adopt the European Parliament’s position and admit that the Ottoman Turkish presence in northern Syria is an occupation that has to end.
This came in a statement issued by SDC on the third anniversary of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... and its affiliated armed opposition groups’ takeover of the city of Afrin on March 18, 2018.
During the three-year-occupation, Turkey and its mercenaries caused the displacement of 80% of Afrin’s indigenous people, the statement indicated.
"Turkey is practicing an aggressive policy towards the region through the systematic Turkification of Afrin, distorting its identity and changing the demography of the region," the statement added.
The statement called for returning the situation to the period before the "occupation," forcing Turkey to retreat from its hostile positions against the Kurdish people and abide by Article 25 of the UN charter.
The statement also called on the UN-Secretary General to form an independent international investigation committee to "investigate the crimes committed by Turkey and its affiliated groups in Afrin."
It stressed "the necessity to reveal the fate of more than 7,000 forcibly disappeared civilians, guarantee a safe return of the indigenous people to their land, compensate them, drive all the intruders out of the region, and end all aspects of occupation."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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#4
(1) American Left is anti-Russian: can't forgive their "betrayal" of Socialism.
(2) American Left has taking over Democratic party some time ago.
(3) China is generous, very generous, with their friends.
(4) China been eying Russian Far East since 1970es.
#5
#2 Yes, Biden has been acting like a Strange Ranger. China and Russia are sensing weakness. If you steal election, you'd better be ready to put someone in office who is up to the task.
SCOTUS, the results of your inactions in hearing the fraud cases and election Constitutional issues have created a problem.
[ALMASDARNEWS] On Wednesday, the Syrian Foreign Minister, Faisal al-Miqdad, revealed the the main enemy of his country to the Iranian media."The main enemy is the Zionist entity, which incited Trump to withdraw from the nuclear agreement and annex the Golan Heights to this entity," he said, as reported by Iran’s Islamic Theocratic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Ooooh, brave words. Whatcha gonna do about it, little man?
The IRNA report said that Faisal al-Miqdad’s statements came during the hypothetical "Tehran Dialogue Complex" meeting on Wednesday.
Al-Miqdad emphasized that the proliferation of foreign naval fleets in the Gulf region and the Mediterranean and interference in the affairs of independent states are among the destabilizing factors in the region.
He slammed the previous U.S. administration’s withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, while condemning the increased sanctions imposed on his country.
The Syrian Foreign Minister claimed that the U.S. is holding many Syrian women and kiddies hostage in the northern camps, explaining that there has been no change in Washington’s policies, following the advent of the new government.
Al-Miqdad said he expects the United States to return to international institutions, rules and laws, and to abandon its interventionist policies.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
BREAKING: IDF chief of staff told French President Macron Lebanon is held hostage by Hezbollah: "In case of a war Israel will not hesitate to strike state infrastructure that support Hezbollah. The Lebanese government is responsible to change the situation"
[MIDDLEEASTEYE.NET] The US envoy for Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... has reaffirmed the intention of President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. You're a lyin' dog-faced pony soldier... 's administration to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, and slammed former President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... 's maximum pressure campaign of sanctions against Tehran, calling it a "failure".
Speaking to BBC Persian on Wednesday, Rob Malley called on Iran to engage in dialogue with the US and take steps to restart the nuclear accord known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
With a return to the agreement stalling, as each side argues the other should return to full compliance first, Malley said talks were needed to map out the reimplementation of the deal.
"We can play games about who goes first. I think anyone who's dealt with this knows that neither side is going to go first entirely," Malley said.
"There's going to have to be some agreement on choreographing, on synchronising. We're open to discussing that, but it's going to have to be discussed. It's not going to happen simply unilaterally by one side taking all the steps and waiting."
'THING OF THE PAST'
The JCPOA, signed in 2015, saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions against its economy.
In 2018, Trump nixed the agreement and began piling sanctions onto a variety of Iranian industries, businesses and individuals.
In response, Iran has been downgrading its commitments to the deal and enriching uranium beyond agreed limits, shortening the time it would need to amass fissile material were it to build a nuclear weapon.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
the current envoy, Rob Malley, was a principle in developing the 2015 agreement
what role he had in the secret payments to Iran or the undisclosed side arrangements is unknown to this day
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
03/19/2021 0:15 Comments ||
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#2
Another principal, John F’king Kerry advised Iran to hold fast. That “Help was on the way!”
[NPASYRIA] On Thursday, human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... organizations operating in northeast Syria, issued a report documenting violations committed by the Ottoman Turkish forces and the armed opposition groups in Afrin region, northwest Syria, over three years.
The report was prepared by the Human Rights Organization in the Jazira region, the Human Rights Organization in Afrin — Syria, the Rojava Center for Strategic Studies, in addition to women’s organizations and human rights unions.
"The Ottoman Turkish invasion on March 18, 2018, caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, amounting to about 80% of Afrin’s indigenous population," the report said.
"The artillery, air strikes and military operations during the incursion killed 498 civilians and injured more than 696 others, including 303 children and 213 women," it added.
The report pointed out that 64 schools were destroyed during the military operations, and more than 50,000 students were deprived of the right to education, in addition to closing educational centers, and turning them into military headquarters, detention and investigation centers.
In addition, the Ottoman Turkish language has been imposed in schools.
"The killings and kidnappings reached 943 people in 2018, dozens of whom were killed under torture or were executed without trial on charges of dealing with the Autonomous Administration," according to the report.
"During 2018, dozens of critical sites and health, educational and service facilities were targeted, including Afrin Hospital, Meydanki Dam, ambulances and water purification station."
"In 2019, 6,000 people were kidnapped in Afrin, of whom 330 were whose fate is still unknown, and 700 people were tortured," the report noted.
It mentioned that young children were kidnapped, filmed and the videos were sent to their families to blackmail them, and force them to pay ransoms which sometimes mounts to $100,000.
"95 people were killed in 2019 as a result of the military operations and torture in detention facilities, and 2,400 people were maimed due to the bombardments and explosions of mines and booby traps," as the report stated.
The report discussed that the Ottoman Turkish shelling took place in December 2019 on the city of Tel Rifaat, 35 km north of Aleppo, killed 8 children and 2 adults, and maimed 9 others and 8 adults."
The report also documented "40 women were killed and 128 injured, in addition to the recording of 60 cases of sexual violence, most of which occurred against minors, in the same year."
In 2020, the report indicated that "58 people were killed, including 9 women, and 987 people were kidnapped, as well as recording 39 explosions, killing and wounding 170 people."
According to the report, "35 women were kidnapped, in addition to recording 67 cases of sexual violence against women, including minors, and documenting five cases of forced marriage by the gangs."
The report highlighted the violations that took place during the first three months of 2021, when "15 non-combatants were killed, including four women and kiddies."
It pointed out that 153 civilians, including 15 women and kiddies, were kidnapped.
The report counted 3,000 olive trees were cut down by the gangs, in addition to looting and destroying 15 archaeological hills in the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2021 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.