[ArianaNews] Afghanistan’s army has reached a strength of 150,000 members, and the number is expected to increase in future, Latifullah Hakimi, Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense, said this week. How many are former ghost soldiers?
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ariana News, Hakimi said that unlike the former government’s army, current army is defending the national interests of the country.
"An army shouldn’t belong to an individual or group, such that if the individual dies, the army would die, and if he is alive, it would be alive. It is not army. An army should be committed to supreme national interests of the country," Hakimi said.
The official said that the current army controls all the borders of the country, adding that neighbors should not have security concerns about Afghanistan.
"The army is committed on promises made to all countries on security and prevention of smuggling," Hakimi said.
The official said that transparency is maintained in the ranks of defense forces, adding that there are no ghost soldiers.
[IsraelTimes] Yu Aw synagogue in Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... , formerly home to tens of thousands of Jewish residents, set for $500,000 renovation despite last Jew abandoning city after Taliban ...Arabic for students... takeover.
Though the Jews of Herat in western Afghanistan haven’t lived there in decades, the city’s historic synagogue, thought to have been built around the turn of the 20th century, is set to undergo a conservation project with the backing of the Taliban government, according to the Art Newspaper.
The 16-month project, set to start in November, is aimed at preventing the collapse of the Yu Aw synagogue’s structure. It is being planned by the Herat municipality and other local organizations, and it is being funded with nearly $500,000 from the Aliph Foundation, a Swiss group aimed at protecting cultural heritage sites in conflict areas. The community mikveh, known as the Hammam-e Mosaie, will also be repaired as part of the project.
The synagogue last underwent a two-year restoration project that was completed in 2009, with funding from another Swiss organization. For a few years, it served as an educational center for women and kiddies, but it was shut down again in 2014 due to seepage from a "poorly constructed, UN-funded municipal drainage channel in the adjoining road," the Art Newspaper reported. It is also not explicitly a Jewish heritage project.
"This is a cultural and historic site, which is not used as a place of worship, and the local government will support its preservation," Zalmay Safa, the head of Herat’s monuments department, told the Art Newspaper. "Despite the change in government our historic sites remain protected and they are not in any way connected to religious matters."
By 1948, Herat’s Jewish population, that once numbered in the tens of thousands, had dropped to about 280 Jewish families. With the establishment of the State of Israel, many of these families moved to Israel or the United States, and the local Jewish community had completely left by the 1970s.
In the following decades, nearly all of the Jews of Afghanistan left the country, with one notable exception — Zebulon Simantov, who was born in Herat, refused to leave the country despite numerous security risks until September 2021, one month after the Taliban, a radical Islamist regime that the United States considers a terrorist group, returned to power.
Simantov went to Israel, where his ex-wife had been living with their two daughters, waiting for him to grant her a religious divorce document that he had been withholding.
"There is a lot of interest in preserving and studying issues related to culture and history," Safa said. "We want to prove that we are tolerant and accepting of one another, we seek peace and we are not hard boys."
[KhaamaPress] Local Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... government authorities in the Bala Murghab district of Badghis province in northeastern Afghanistan said that a new natural gas reserve has been discovered.
This mine is situated in the Tangi-Bezbai area of Bala Murghab district, according to a report published on Wednesday night, October 26, by Bakhtar news agency, which cited the Taliban Head of Mines and Petroleum in Badghis province.
A team of engineers from the Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum is also reported to have visited the province to do a preliminary assessment.
The engineers have confirmed the discovery of a new gas deposit, according to Shamsuddin Nizami, the Head of Mines and Petroleum in the Badghis province.
This comes as the leadership of the Taliban mines ministry and Turkmen authorities previously signed an agreement to import thousands of tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Turkmenistan.
According to the ministry, a meeting with the Afghanistan National Standards Authority, Afghanistan Oil and Gas Corporation, and the economic advisor to the Taliban prime minister reportedly covered the import of LPG, also known as cylinder gas, from Turkmenistan.
The ministry previously declared in a statement that they had reached an agreement to expand the country’s gas imports after many collaborative discussions with Turkmenistan’s authorities. As a result, the ports of Hayratan, Aqina, and Turghandi will be used to import thousands of tons of cylinder gas.
#1
An enlightened, pro Darwin society would kill all the men in Afghanistan, and take the motherfuckin' gas. Free the wimmin and outlaw the i-slam. Then move on to the rest of the opec countries. Zero hindrances to progress thereafter, give or take a few squabbles.
[ToloNews] A report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said that the US has restored reconstruction programs in Afghanistan.
The SIGAR report also expressed concern about the lack of facilities and budget in the health system and the loss of twenty years of achievements in Afghanistan.
"The Department of State and USAID have restarted reconstruction programs that were active prior to August 2021 and provided new funding for other programs focusing on poverty, hunger, malnutrition, economic stress, health care, agriculture, and education," SIGAR said.
"The restored reconstruction programs are an important step for trust-building and can help to reduce poverty and help in the health and agriculture sectors, and we welcomed it," Said Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy Minister of Economy.
In the report, SIGAR said that in Afghanistan the health sector faces a lack of budget and expert staff.
"In the immediate aftermath of the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... ’s takeover, the health care sector faced an urgent funding lapse when international support and government funding for Afghanistan’s health sector was immediately halted. The World Bank halted funding for its Sehatmandi program, pushing the health care system to the brink of collapse," said SIGAR.
Earlier, the deputy minister of the Public Ministry said that more than one billion dollars was promised for the health sector, but the Ministry of Public Health is not involved in how it is spent.
#1
America enabled Afghanistan's corruption for years. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/america...
Aug 22, 2021 · As the SIGAR report concluded, “The United States contributed to the growth of corruption by injecting tens of billions of dollars into the Afghan economy, using flawed oversight....
#3
Americaenabled Afghanistan's corruption for years. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/america...
Aug 22, 2021 · As the SIGAR report concluded, “The United States contributed to the growth of corruption by injecting tens of billions of dollars into the Afghan economy, using flawed oversight....
Posted by Slavising Unineting5672
Agree. You have no idea how bad it was and who participated...and no one cared...I often wonder - deliberate indifference or witting participation on our behalf?
#4
The level of stupidity by our government is truly astonishing.
Posted by: Chris ||
10/30/2022 15:11 Comments ||
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#5
The restored reconstruction programs are an important step for trust-building and can help to reduce poverty and help in the health and with the Taliban.
I don’t like having my pocket picked. I don’t know what country you’re from, but I’m American and I’m sick of little neocon assholes wasting hundreds of billions or even trillions of OUR MONEY on their stupid wars in regions where we have nothing at stake.
That money is being stolen. If you believe that it’s for “defending democracy” then you must be as gullible as you come across here.
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 20:46 Comments ||
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#11
Best money spent in years. You Russian fucks have royally screwed yourselves. Depleted 60 years of arms production in six months, wasting a $billion per day, brought the democratic west closer than anytime in the past 30 years and royally flushed your best hard currency market. Oh, and your "little brothers" hate your fucking guts for the 3 generations. Bravo, geniuses.
Wondering how many "republics" Muscovy will break into this time.
#14
1.) The US isn't shipping pallets of cash into Ukraine. The "aid money" is being given to US arms manufacturers to replace the older stocks sent to Ukraine.
2.) The US promised to help protect Ukraine when they gave up their nukes. We are honoring that agreement. They didn't attack Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine. Promise kept.
3.) While I will be the first to agree that we need to stop wasting billions in areas that have no strategic value to us (seriously, 20 years in Afghanistan!?!!?) the value of sending weapons to Ukraine is to make sure the Russian army dies there. Putie-pie would have kept going into the Baltic states if Ukraine fell easily. I would much rather arm Ukraine and let them fight and die while killing Russians then have NATO drawn into the fight. 'Cuz NATO would whoop Russian ass. And that means the only thing they have to defend themselves is nukes. Have another Javelin Ukraine.
#15
The US isn't shipping pallets of cash into Ukraine.
Yes we are. You’re ignorant. Try FIVE BILLION A MONTH, every month, into that sewer of corruption called the Ukrainian “government.”
If you think that the biggest thieves in the northern hemisphere aren’t stealing most of that $5B per month, you must be one of those Biden-Fetterman 2924 loons
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 22:07 Comments ||
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#16
Yes we are. You’re ignorant.
And you are either a moron, or a Russian stooge. Read the bills. Most of the money is either staying in the US and about 1/3 is credit for nations like Norway/Sweden for Ukraine to get weapons from.
So inhale furious amount of Putie-dick and choke on it.
#17
The US isn't shipping pallets of cash into Ukraine.
Yes we are. You’re ignorant. Try FIVE BILLION A MONTH, every month, into that sewer of corruption called the Ukrainian “government.”
We’re making the entire payroll and funding the entire operations of one of the shittiest, most corrupt governments on the planet. Look it up if you don’t believe me. $5B a month.
If you think that the biggest thieves in the northern hemisphere aren’t stealing most of that $5B per month, you must be one of those “Biden-Fetterman 2024” loons
I get that you’re obsessed with Russia but you’re living in the last century. They don’t threaten us in this century.
They’re not a peer competitor— as you never tire of telling the world, in your tedious and endless rants…
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 22:11 Comments ||
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#18
Putie-dick
Brilliant riposte.
This is what the neocons and the rest of the Ukrainians’ little bitches are reduced to.
Now we know why DoD furloughed you.
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 22:14 Comments ||
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#19
Considering you haven't provided one bit of evidence on why we should listen to you... and spouted Kremlin propaganda line by line... and are pretty much ignorant of everything in the conflict...
#20
1.) The US isn't shipping pallets of cash into Ukraine. The "aid money" is being given to US arms manufacturers to replace the older stocks sent to Ukraine. Posted by: DarthVader
Nope, Biden is supporting the entire Ukraine government structure.
I would much rather arm Ukraine and let them fight and die while killing Russians then have NATO drawn into the fight. 'Cuz NATO would whoop Russian ass. Posted by: DarthVader
NATO couldn't fight it's way out of a wet paper bag w/o the US.
#21
I already trashed your arguments. The cleverest argument you can summon is the lefty troll’s favorite comeback — like a five year-old screaming, “You poopyhead!!”
Here’s why Americans are sick of this foolish forever war:
It’s a complete waste of our money.
We have nothing at stake there.
The only Americans with anything on the line are the Biden’s and other corrupt assholes in DC. AMERICA has nothing at stake.
Russia doesn’t threaten us.
Ukraine is not our ally. We owe those corrupt little fucks nothing.
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 22:25 Comments ||
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#22
Sadly, Russia would like to threaten us as they used to.
Sadly, Ukraine is not simon-pure.
Sadly, the American government is even more full of short-sighted idiots at the moment — here’s hoping the elections of 2022 and 2024 enable enough circus monkeys will be cleared out to make a difference.
Is disagreement possible here without name-calling, or is name-calling the point?
#23
NATO couldn't fight it's way out of a wet paper bag w/o the US
Depends on the scenario. I offer this which will be on tomorrow's Rantburg.
NATO is very capable for defense.. which is what it was designed for. War of aggression eh... not so much. NATO members that have been to the middle east have usually been praised by the US forces there. Poland and the Danes were very good and professional soldiers in my experience. Wouldn't want to fight them on their land.
It’s impossible to point out basic facts without being subjected to the same retarded taunts that the left flung at Trump. Putin-this, Putin-that.
Never mind that Trump’s Russia policy was just right: balanced, tough but respectful, measured, never provoking Russia. For that he was called “Putin’s c0ck-holster” — the same kind of embarrassingly stupid nonsense we get from “DarthVader” and the other pseudo-experts here.
You’d think this site was The Daily Kos, given the reflexive, retarded bullshit that the pseudo-experts fling anytime anyone points out the corruption and foolishness of the neocons’ and Joe Biden’s latest forever war.
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 22:41 Comments ||
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#26
Russian, your concern trolling gives you away. It's not how an Americans think, certainly not patriotic Americans. Ask your bosses for a better troll script. Better yet, find productive work, such as Volgograd sewer maintenance.
#36
Must be tough working the third shift in a shitty internet troll job in a shitty country quickly imploding. I would feel pity for you, but you serve people that are destroying your young men and country. Find work that doesn't destroy your soul.
#37
McConnell and the other GOP cucks are going to spend $50 billion “so Ukraine can make it through the end of the year,” as one of their aides put it.
$50 billion. For two months.
This is how we get up to a trillion dollars in a forever war. First it’s a billion, then $10 billion, then $66 billion, and then we’re told that we need to fund their entire government.
Is Ukraine now one of those 54 states Biden referred to yesterday?
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 23:10 Comments ||
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#39
How can their government operations possibly require even $5 billion per month?
Ukraine’s entire GDP in the best of times was only $180 billion. Does their government really require one third of the nation’s entire GDP?
I know you’ve been booted out of government work for a long spell, but Jesus, just do the math.
There is no fucking way that this kleptocracy could possibly require $60 billion per year just to keep the lights on (no pun intended).
They’re obviously fleecing us. Billions a month are being stolen. It’s what they do.
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 23:18 Comments ||
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#40
Jesus, just do the math.
The math adds up... unlike your grasp of English.
Now if you want to make an argument about how adding to the US deficit isn't in our best interest or paying out to the military industrial complex isn't in the US's best interest there is an argument to be made for that. Several long term posters have argued as such and I am inclined to agree on a few points they make. But you are little more than a poo flinging Russian monkey with your posts. Please strive to do better.
#41
Congress Passes Funding Stopgap Bill To Avoid Ukrainian Government Shutdown
Sep 29, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the nick of time, Congress has passed a bipartisan $12 billion funding bill, narrowly avoiding a Ukrainian government shutdown.
"As elected representatives chosen by the people, it is our solemn duty, as outlined in the Constitution, to fully fund the Ukrainian government at all times," said Senator Chuck Schumer. "We humbly accept this sacred responsibility to send billions to Ukraine, who will send it to Raytheon, who will send it to super PACs, who will help us get elected. It's the right thing to do."
President Zelensky took a few moments in between magazine glamour shoots to thank America for her generosity. "We promise we will put this vast, vast wealth to good use," he said while checking the time on his new Girard-Perregaux Quasar Light Tourbillon wristwatch. "We know that Americans get up and go to work every day hoping that some of their money is used to kill Russians. I'm proud to be making their dreams come true."
Congress estimates the stopgap bill will keep Ukraine funded for at least two weeks, or until their super PACs run out of money.
#42
Darth, there is a lot of double accounting in the publicized figures. Makes politicians sound like they are doing something. Send weapons to Ukraine (an accounting entry) then replace that stock (another accounting entry). You've just double counted.
Ukraine has (or will receive) about $18 billion US weapons so far. In addition, the US recently agreed to support the Ukr gov budget with $1.5B/month. So did the Europeans. The Ukrainians are spending more than 60% of gov revenues on the war, tax collection is down, and need help to support the population and rebuilding.
BTW, the US fed gov alone spends $1 billion every 5 seconds. $66 or $600 billion is a bargain to be rid of Russian threat for the next 2-3 generations. Better yet, maybe the Russian people will see their coming collapse as an opportunity to become a civilized country.
Monkey brain stuff. It feels good. You get an endorphin rush from hooting and throwing poo to drive away enemies. Or name-calling on the interwebs.
It feels good, but it short-circuits higher brain functions like reason and analysis. Consider it as a sign that the poster's cerebral cortex has left the building.
#44
...there is a lot of double accounting in the publicized figures. Makes politicians sound like they are doing something.
Yeah I would agree. I trust the current batch as far as I can throw their collective asses... but they do have to report what they do and the video evidence from Ukraine is showing they are at least delivering what they promise. So yay I guess.
Ukraine is fucked from an economic stance for the foreseeable future. Russia has made sure of that. As long as they are willing to fight and grind down the Russian military, I'm happy to have my government pay for their weapons and rebuilding.
Which means the Ukraine-grifting is even worse than you can imagine.
You frankly have no idea where and how the cash is sloshing around. Neither does anyone outside of the Bug Guy and the rest of the Biden Crime Family.
This is the Iraq clusterfuck all over again: billions looted in broad daylight. And without even a Jerry Bremer equivalent on the scene to at least apply triage to stop the dollar-hemorrhaging.
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 23:45 Comments ||
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#46
S/b neither does anyone outside The Big Guy
Bill Gates is the Bug Guy — crickets, to be exact:
It’s astonishing how, by the time we normal folk first hear of a new Globalist Socialist initiative, it turns out there’s already a significant amount of infrastructure in place. Take eating bugs, for example. Did you know that there are currently sizable cricket farms in many parts of the world, including Canada and the United States? Or that cricket flour is already used in some foods?
Posted by: Black Charlie Jineque5437 ||
10/30/2022 23:50 Comments ||
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#47
Which means the Ukraine-grifting is even worse than you can imagine.
Oh so that must mean that Ukraine is about to be overrun and lost to Russia?
Oh wait.. they have successfully mounted 3 counter attacks and regained hundreds of square kilometers of ground...
The video evidence suggests otherwise, Mr. Russian troll.
Oh .... and how is that S-300/400/Pantsir doing against HIMARS rockets?
#51
Have you seen Russian revenues lately? It is collapsing on all fronts (gas, oil, mineral exports, import tariffs) while spending is exploding (those mobiks and 50 year old North Korean weapons don't come free). There is no possibility for Russia to borrow money nor does it have any friends and allies that will help.
Oh wait.. they have successfully mounted 3 counter attacks and regained hundreds of square kilometers of ground
Today was a bad day for the Russian Army. They lost nearly 1000.
The Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... Ministry of Education stated on Saturday that a Ottoman Turkish humanitarian institution has committed to establishing five religious seminaries in various provinces of Afghanistan.
Habibullah Agha, the Taliban Minister of Education, and Sheikh Mohammad Toran, the organization’s head, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Kabul, the Afghan capital, according to the statement.
The minister welcomed the initiative by Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF) as a "major step" and he stated that the ministry will offer all of the available facilities required for the project’s implementation.
Each of these four-class religious seminaries will be established at a cost of $25,000 throughout five provinces, according to the ministry’s statement.
The organization would build five religious schools in five different provinces of the country in accordance with the MoU. Each school will feature four classrooms, a perimeter wall, a mosque, a drinking water supply system, and other necessary amenities, the ministry stated in a statement.
It is worth noting that after the Taliban took power, the number of religious schools built surged in many areas of Afghanistan, with specific emphasis placed on the construction and refurbishment of religious institutions.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2022 00:00 ||
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[Garowe] Somalia's Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has come up with a new strategy of involving civil servants in the fight against al-Shabaab ...... the personification of Somali state failure... , which will see them part with 20 percent of their monthly salary to the teams that are currently fighting the group across the country.
The Ministry of Finance, he said, will directly slash the amount of proposed money and directly deposit it in a separate account which will assist the Somali National Army [SNA] and local militia working overnight to defeat the group which controls most parts of Somalia.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said the federal government would implement the cuts for three months, and other government workers would also see a 5 percent wage cut. Already, the involvement of local militia has attracted accolades from members of the international community.
Civil servants have mostly been targeted by al-Shabaab, who are keen to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government. Besides the civil servants, the militshys have also been carelessly attacking innocent civilians and members of the Armed Forces in that country.
[LIBYAREVIEW] The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), issued a statement in which it warned against the proliferation of weapons. It expressed its readiness to support the Libyan authorities in its arms control efforts. Yeah, buddy. That'll do it.
In a thread on its Twitter account, UNSMIL said: “This week is the UN disarmament week. Over the last 77 years the UN has worked to create a better world for all people.”
“In Libya, peace and stability are at risk because of the proliferation of arms, often in the hands of unregulated armed groups outside of the State’s control, which plays a significant role in increasing violence against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure. UNSMIL stands ready to support Libyan authorities in weapons and ammunition management, in close cooperation with the Joint Military Commission (5+5) and political actors. Demonstrated political will is crucial to achieve this goal,” it added.
Days ago, a Maltese court cleared the owner of a vessel chartering company and four employees of breaching the EU arms embargo on Libya, according to the Times of Malta newspaper.
The court declared that the military-grade inflatable boats leased to evacuate workers from Libya did not feature among the “very limited” list of prohibited goods.
The five were charged with violating an EU regulation prohibiting the sale, supply, transfer, or export of equipment “to any person, entity or body in Libya or for use in Libya” which might be used for “internal repression”.
Investigations by the Maltese anti-terrorist squad were triggered when a boat arrived in Malta with some 20 people in July 2019. They were not asylum seekers, but evidently trained personnel bearing South African, British, Australian, and American passports.
They later told police that they had been tasked by their employer, Opus Capital, to carry out geological surveys in Libya and had opted to flee after noticing a spike in the presence of militias.
Investigations led to charges being issued against the company for ferrying the workers to Libya in terms of a charter party agreement, which was signed between Sovereign Capital and Opus Capital. They denied the charges.
EU Regulation 2016/44, laid out a “most limited list of six goods” which were not to be transferred, sold or supplied to Libya. It did not lay down a blanket prohibition but clearly stated that the prohibition applied “limitedly to goods mentioned under Annex VII”. Turning to the case at hand, the court observed that, obviously, goods not included in that list required no “prior authorisation” by the Sanctions Monitoring Board.
“By proving its case on a balance of probability, the defence had reduced the prosecution’s case to nothing,” the court concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2022 00:00 ||
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[11126 views]
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The president of #SaudiArabia’s King Abdulaziz University, who was relieved of his duties, has admitted to embezzling over $133 million (SAR 500 million) from the university funds, the Kingdom’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority says.https://t.co/mLY3e97new
#2
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued today, Oct. 27, a Royal Decree on relieving Abdulrahman Al-Youbi, President of King Abdulaziz University, of his position. Accordingly, the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) will complete the necessary legal procedures against him. The decision was taken based on Nazaha reports that Al-Youbi misused his power for personal gain, in addition to accusing him of embezzlement from the university, as well as money laundering and forgery.
While one would suppose he has a degree from Harvard, not so. Chem Degree from Brit U.
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Saturday set a new condition for accepting the plans to disband its militias.
Media, quoting sources in the STC, reported that STC’s president, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, informed the Emiratis of his adherence to the overthrow of the Minister of Interior in the government loyal to Saudi-led coalition, Ibrahim Haidan, provided that Shallal Shaye, the former director of Aden security, be named the minister of interior.
Al-Zubaidi’s condition coincided with Saudi pressure to dismantle his militias by distributing them to the Ministries of Defense and Interior.
This refers to the STC’s efforts to limit Tariq Affash’s incursion into his stronghold, especially since Tariq is the most prominent claimant of the Interior Ministry, and his brother Ammar was previously named.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2022 00:00 ||
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[11124 views]
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A Member of 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 national negotiating delegation, Abdul-Malik al-Ajri, stressed that negotiations with 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... do not mean excluding other Yemeni parties from the political solution.
"The talk with Saudi Arabia is limited to stopping the war, lifting the siege, and rebuilding," Abdul-malik al-Ajri said on his Twitter account.
"In the political stage, these parties will be part of the political solution, but on the basis of the national constants, the unity and illusory sovereignty of Yemen, and the end of these parties’ dependence on the outside," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2022 00:00 ||
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[11127 views]
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[IsraelTimes] Almost half of UN contracts in 2019-2020 are with suppliers blacklisted by West, including group that killed blindfolded prisoners in 2013 and buried them in mass grave.
The United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... has procured tens of millions of dollars in contracts with companies linked to Syrian government-backed individuals sanctioned for human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. abuses, according to a report by two non-governmental groups.
Syria’s uprising turned civil war that started in 2011 has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. More than 80 percent of Syrians now live in poverty, leaving much of the population dependent on humanitarian assistance.
Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... , with military support from Russia, Iran ...They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and the Lebanese jihadist group Hezbollah has since been able to reclaim much of the country. But Syria continues to spiral from a crippling economic crisis. Recently, a cholera outbreak that has infected some 20,000 people, underscored the scope of the crisis.
A report analyzing the UN’s top 100 suppliers in Syria in 2019 and 2020 by the non-profit Observatory of Political and Economic Networks and the non-governmental organization Syrian Legal Development Program concluded that almost half of the procured contracts in those two years were with suppliers that were involved in human rights abuses or may have profited from them. The report was published on Tuesday.
Almost a quarter of contracts the UN procured those two years went to companies owned or partially owned by individuals sanctioned by the United States, United Kingdom or European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... for human rights abuses, worth a total of around $68 million.
Among them is Fadi Saqr, who is close to Assad and heads the National Defense Forces in Damascus, a pro-government militia that notably executed dozens of blindfolded prisoners in 2013 and buried them in a mass grave near the Syrian capital.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Damascus, Syria, did not immediately comment on the report.
[IsraelTimes] More than 1,000 charged in connection to ’riots’ following death of young woman in morality police custody.
The trial of five Iranians charged with offenses that can carry capital punishment over protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death opened Saturday in Tehran, the judiciary’s news website said.
The Islamic Theocratic Republic has witnessed a wave of protests over the death of 22-year-old Amini on September 16 after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
The street violence, which authorities have dubbed "riots," has led to dozens of deaths, mostly among demonstrators but also among the security forces.
Hundreds of protesters including women have been arrested.
"The first hearing of a number of defendants from the recent riots opened this morning at Tehran’s revolutionary tribunal," the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.
Charges have been filed against more than 1,000 individuals in provinces across Iran ...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979... in connection to the protests, the judiciary said on Wednesday.
Mizan reported that an individual identified as Mohammad Ghobadlou was charged in Tehran with "corruption on earth," an offense punishable by death, for "attacking police with a car, which resulted in the death of one officer and the injury of five others."
Another of the five, Saeed Shirazi, faces the same charge for "inciting people to commit crimes against the country’s security," Mizan said.
The three others, identified as Saman Seyedi, Mohammad Boroghani, and Mohsen Rezazadeh, have all been accused of "moharebeh," which means "war against God" — a charge that can also carry a death sentence ...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead... .
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/30/2022 02:47 ||
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Outgoing Lebanese President #MichelAoun signs an amended banking secrecy bill into law, taking a step toward reforms outlined in an International Monetary Fund (#IMF) aid package a day before he is set to leave office.https://t.co/3AV18q92DX
President Michel Aoun ...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... announced Saturday that the formation of a new government before the end of his presidential term "seems to be impossible."
"I don’t know the intentions of others, but the matter seems to be impossible," Aoun said in an interview with al-Mayadeen TV.
He added: "The constitution does not prevent the issuance of a decree accepting the resignation of Mikati’s government’s and it is still possible to issue it."
Al-Jadeed TV later reported that Aoun intends to issue the decree on Monday, which is the last day in his term, to "prevent any reactions from disrupting the popular celebrations that will accompany Aoun's return to Rabieh on Sunday."
In his remarks to al-Maydeen, Aoun regretted that "the judiciary did not perform its role in pursuing the corrupts" during his tenure.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2022 00:00 ||
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Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... chief Jebran Bassil has called on caretaker PM and PM-designate Najib Mikati to "step down so that the president can call for immediate parliamentary consultations that lead to designating someone else" to form a new government.
In remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper published Saturday, Bassil said that when presidential vacuum begins, Mikati's caretaker cabinet will "lack legitimacy, conformity to the (National) Pact and Christian and parliamentary confidence."
"It will be boycotted by most of its ministers," Bassil added.
Hezbollah meanwhile told Mikati that its two ministers "will not take part in any cabinet session that he would call for during presidential vacuum, in soldiarity with the ministers of the president and the FPM," al-Akhbar said.
The ministers loyal to the president, the FPM, the Tashnag Party Socialist party representing the Armenian diaspora in Leb. They're Christians, but they try to remain neutral, which means they get shot at without shooting back... and ex-MP Talal Arslan meanwhile held a meeting Friday and agreed to boycott any cabinet session.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2022 00:00 ||
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A Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... delegation has met with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and informed him that its "real" presidential candidate is Army chief General Joseph Aoun, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Saturday.
"He is the only one capable to confront Hezbollah and he has encouraging experiences in this regard," the LF delegation told al-Rahi, according to the daily.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2022 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.