[Tolo News] A recent election poll conducted by the Democracy International Organization of more than 2,500 Afghan citizens across all 34 provinces and in at least 115 districts revealed Dr. Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... is the most popular Presidential candidate at the moment.
In response to the question "If today was election day who would you vote for?" participants answered as follows:
31 percent Dr. abdullah Abdullah
25 percent Dr. Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002, Ahmadzai was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. Ahmadzai
13 percent Abdul Qayoum Karzai
10 percent Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf
Dr. Zalmai Rasoul was the fifth most popular candidate. Meanwhile, ...back at the laboratory the smoke and fumes had dispersed, to reveal an ominous sight... Hedayat Amin Arsala, Daoud Sultanzoi and Qutbuddin Helal placed at the end of the list.
The rest of the survey raised questions about the candidates, the vice-presidents and other issues such as security and transparency.
The survey found that the 83 percent of men and 63 percent of women intend to participate in the upcoming presidenrtial election.
"When asked what is the biggest problem across Afghanistan? Those interviwed said security, terrorism and crime, and 19 percent said economic difficulty as well," Democracy International employee Fawzia Rahimi Jamal said.
Amongst all the challenges facing the upcoming elections, respondents said security was their top concern.
"The aim of the poll was to reflect people's ideas, not the ideas of experts," Democracy International manager Sayed Yaseen Hussaini. "We covered 2,500 Afghan across the country, taking into account various levels of education, literacy and ethnicity."
According to the poll, corruption and Taliban violence were listed as the other major worries of those surveyed.
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12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] Officials from the Ministry of Interior have critcized U.S. moves toward dismantling military bases around the country, which were originally expected to be handed over to Afghan forces after the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... coalition withdraws in 2014.
According to Afghan officials and military experts, the U.S. has begun taking down, shipping out and destroying much of its base infrastructure and equipment that was built up over the course of the past 12 years.
The MoI has asked the U.S. to stop destroying its facilities and not let them go to waste. Ever since the 2014 deadline for the NATO combat mission was set, the popular assumption has been that foreign bases would be handed down to the Afghan forces eventually.
"Boodle for all!"
According to MoI front man Sediq Sediqi, the rationale that foreign officials have offered Afghans is that the Afghan forces are incapable of making use of and maintaining all of the facilities.
"The idea that the Afghan forces lack the capacity to manage these facilities is illogical and unfounded," Sediqi said. "We hope that the foreign forces review their decision in this respect."
A number of political commentators have said that ongoing tensions surrounding the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) are likely behind the U.S.' recent move to dismantle bases.
"There was a commitment that some of these facilities would be handed over to the Afghan forces, but tensions with the Afghan government over the BSA has possibly led the foreign troops to destroy their military facilities ahead of the pull out," political analysts Jawed Kohistan ...a backwoods district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa distinguished by being even more rustic than is the norm among the local Pashtuns.... i told TOLOnews.
The BSA was approved by a Loya Jirga in Kabul last month, but remains unsigned by President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... , who has said he will only finalize the deal if the U.S. meets certain preconditions.
The U.S. has said the deal must be signed as soon as possible, and threatened a pull withdraw without any residual troops staying behind to help continue to develop the Afghan forces and oversee the use of aid support. Some 4.1 billion USD in military funding would be denied to Afghanistan if the BSA is not signed.
Many Afghan officials, activists and members of the public have criticized Karzai's approach to the BSA. Coming off of one of the bloodiest fighting seasons on record, anxiety about the capabilities of the Afghan forces and a possible security vacuum post-2014 continues to mount in Kabul.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#2
Put all NATO forces at a safe distance from the bases, then pulverize the bases with Arc Light strikes to preserve them from Talibanic recycling, to demonstrate what can happen when we are really displeased, and to give the barbarians something to remember and tell succeeding generations about. No "civilians" need be harmed this way.
#4
Need to show them the EPA filings for Environmental Impact which require return to its 'natural' state before any construction had occurred. It's an American cultural diversity thingy.
From Foreign Policy, just a few paragraphs to illustrate the problem for Champ these days. He can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes at any time, and he especially can't make them now that the Egyptians and Saudis are angry over his Iran and Syria policies.
The Obama administration has decided to drop its initial pick for U.S. ambassador to Egypt, leaving a vitally important diplomatic post vacant during a time of unusually strong tensions between Washington and one of its most important Middle Eastern allies.
This may turn out to be a blessing for both us and Egypt. The #2 man at our embassy, the Charge d'Affairs, is David Satterfield, a seasoned diplomat with a lot of experience in the region. He's known -- whether he's trusted of course isn't something we'll know. But he very likely can get an audience with the Egyptian government without getting their hackles up...
Sources familiar with the matter say that Robert Ford -- the highly-respected, Arabic-speaking career diplomat and current ambassador to Syria -- was withdrawn from consideration for the Cairo post after some representatives of Egypt's military regime quietly indicated that they didn't want him in the job because of his stated willingness to negotiate with some of Syria's Islamist militants and political groups.
And, more importantly, that he might try to do the same in Egypt...
Secretary of State John Kerry tapped Ford for the post this summer, and the White House had hoped to formally nominate him early next year. Instead, people familiar with the situation say the administration has decided to keep Ford in his current job in Syria -- and its primary intermediary to the country's fractious opposition groups -- and find a new pick for the high-profile Cairo slot. With the Senate out of session and mired in partisan deadlock, that could take months.
Obama administration officials confirm that Ford faced some opposition in Cairo, but said the primary reason that he won't be getting the position is the importance of his current job as the primary U.S. liaison to Syria's rebels. Ford has spent the past few months shuttling between Washington, Geneva and Istanbul as part of an effort to persuade opposition leaders to take part in peace talks scheduled for late January.
"Ambassador Ford is doing a phenomenal job working on Syria during an incredibly intensive time heading into the Geneva II conference. It's a top priority job on a top priority issue, and everyone from the president on down has trust in Robert to handle it, and I don't think anyone's pausing to think about the future," a senior State Department official said. "The president, and the secretary, and the entire administration have enormous respect for the job he has done on Syria -- here in Washington and in Damascus -- and they feel it's vital for him to keep working on this issue."
That's what they say when they can't get done what they want to get done...
"This is a man who is literally willing to sit across the table from Islamists who are worse than the Muslim Brotherhood, so it's baffling the White House would think he's the right person to go to Egypt," an Arab diplomat familiar with the Egyptian thinking told The Cable. "He is a good man, but he's absolutely the wrong person for this job, at least right now."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/24/2013 00:05 ||
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#1
bill and Hillary are not currently employed? How about Chelsea Clinton?
[Al Ahram] Tunisia's ruling Islamists and opposition parties agreed on Monday to finish their handover to a caretaker government by Jan. 14, the third anniversary of the fall of autocratic leader Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
After months of crisis, Tunisia's Islamist party Ennahda and opponents last week named a new prime minister to lead a temporary non-political cabinet, which will govern until elections next year to finish its transition to democracy.
As part of their deal, politicians must finish the country's constitution, agree on an election date, and name an electoral council to oversee the vote before Ennahda steps down to make way for the new administration.
"We have agreed the new government, the election date and the new constitution will be ready by Jan. 13 so we celebrate on Jan. 14, the third anniversary of the revolution," said Maghreb Republican party leader, Boussairi Bou Abdeli.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Libya's General National Congress, the country's highest political authority, extended its mandate Monday until the end of next year, a GNC front man said.
The GNC had accepted the "principle... to fix the end of the mandate for December 24, 2014 to hand over power to another legislative body," Omar Hmeidan said.
In July 2012, after more than 40 years under the rule of dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...whose instability was an inspiration to dictators everywhere, but whose end couldn't possibly happen to them... , Libya chose the GNC in its first ever elections.
The body was given 18 months to steer the country through the political transition towards general elections, after a constitution was adopted.
Under that timetable, the GNC's mandate was due to expire in February.
The political class is opposed to any extension, deeming it necessary to push ahead with the transition to build sustainable institutions to face the chronic insecurity plaguing the country.
Preparations for elections for the body charged with drafting a new constitution also seem to be making little headway, and Libyans have shown little enthusiasm for signing up.
Faced with the public's lukewarm interest in the talks, the electoral commission has pushed back the end date for voter registration several times, most recently until December 31.
The constitutional commission is due to be made up of 60 members equally representing Libya's three regions -- Cyrenaica in the east, Fezzan in the south and 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... tania in the west.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Egypt's army said Monday that, since August, it has killed 184 "terrorists" in North Sinai, where gunnies have carried out nearly daily attacks against security forces after the toppling of president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... The military has "eliminated 184 bully boyz and radicals," state news agency MENA quoted army front man Colonel Ahmed Ali as saying.
Alis said 203 others had been maimed and 835 were incarcerated Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! It is impossible to verify these figures independently.
Jihadists have stepped up a campaign against security forces in the Sinai peninsula, which borders both Israel and the Gazoo Strip, since the ouster of Morsi, killing more than 100 members of security forces.
Egypt has poured troops into the mountainous and underdeveloped Sinai to combat growing militancy while it has waged a crackdown on moderate Islamists elsewhere.
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12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] An al-Qaeda-inspired group in Egypt's volatile Sinai has warned the country's military and police, urging troops to desert their ranks or face death at the hands of its fighters.
Ansar Jerusalem, or Ansar Beit al-Maqdis as the group is known, said in a statement on terrorist websites Monday that it considers Egyptian troops to be infidels because they answer to a secular government.
More than 450 jailed members of the Muslim Brotherhood have gone on hunger strike in Egypt in protest at their "inhumane treatment", the group says.
They, who would deny human rights to all who disagree with them, are now hoping that outsiders will care about their human rights...
The prisoners, who include senior aides to deposed President Mohammed Morsi, say they have been denied family visits and access to medical care. The Muslim Brotherhood said on its Twitter account that its members had been "banned from family visits, legal counselling, medical care and [live in] overcrowded and unhygienic cells".
The Brotherhood said that senior figures were taking part in the hunger strike, including one-time presidential hopeful Khairat al-Shater, secretary-general of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Mohammed al-Beltagi, and Mr Morsi's former foreign affairs adviser Essam al-Haddad.
The group did not say if Mr Morsi himself was taking part in the strike.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] World famous retailer criticized for allowing Mohammedan employees to refuse assistance to customers when it comes to pork and alcohol
British retailer Marks & Spencer faced criticism on Monday after it emerged that it allows Mohammedan staff to refuse to sell customers pork and alcohol.
More than 8,000 people have signed up to a Facebook page calling for a boycott of the chain after an "extremely apologetic" Mohammedan checkout worker told a customer they would have to wait for another employee to sell them a bottle of champagne.
M&S, which is Britannia's biggest clothing retailer as well as selling food and homeware, said that when employees have religious beliefs that restrict what foods or drinks they can handle it tries to place them in a "suitable role".
"We regret that in the case highlighted we were not following our own internal policy," a company spokeswoman said.
"As a secular business we have an inclusive policy that welcomes all religious beliefs whether across our customer or employee base."
But the "Boycott Marks and Spencer" Facebook page said the policy was an affront to "common sense".
The issue emerged after an unnamed customer told the Daily Telegraph newspaper the worker had refused to sell them champagne at a London store and that they would have to wait for another till to become available.
"I was taken aback," the customer told the newspaper. "I was a bit surprised. I've never come across that before."
Drinking alcohol and pork consumption are forbidden in Islam.
The row highlighted differences among British retailers' policies on whether staff should be allowed to refuse to sell certain products on religious grounds.
Like M&S, supermarket chains Asda, Morrisons and Tesco said Mohammedan staff would not have to work on the tills if they objected to handling specific products.
But the head of high street retailer John Lewis said staff should not have the right to refuse to serve customers. "This is taking it one stage beyond common sense," managing director Andy Street told BBC radio.
The North Korean regime continues to purge associates of former eminence grise Jang Song-taek, who was executed in early December, but now they are being purged quietly in the provinces while Pyongyang puts on a show of solemn unity marking two years since former leader Kim Jong-il's death.
The celebrations got underway in mid-December, and since then the propaganda tone has shifted from hysterical denunciations of Jang and his clique to trumpeting current leader Kim Jong-un's purported achievements.
"Kim Jong-un is quietly sending Jang's cronies to the provinces and executing them there," claimed Ahn Chan-il of the World Institute for North Korea Studies. "Railroad stations in Pyongyang are teeming as the military herds people associated with Jang onto trains to provincial regions" like Hwasong, North Hamgyong Province.
Ahn said the regime is evidently going about the purge more clandestinely after Jang's trial by kangaroo court and brutal execution drew condemnation worldwide and created a climate of fear and uncertainty at home.
He speculated that the regime is trying to finish the purge by April, when the Supreme People's Assembly convenes, replacing Jang's associates in the party, the military and the Cabinet with a new set of officials who are likely to define the Pudgy Kim Jong-un era.
The purge targets a broad range of people associated with Jang, from anyone who had their picture taken with him to officials who owed him their promotions. Jang's hometown and power base in the Hamgyong provinces is coming in for a particularly thorough sweep. A source said a senior official in South Hamgyong Province was purged last Thursday because he owed his position to family ties with Jang.
Several administrative chiefs in North Hamgyong Province and in the Rajin-Sonbong special economic zone were summoned to Pyongyang early December and a handful of them have already been purged, some of them reportedly being put through a rigorous course of self-criticism.
Among other crimes the military tribunal accused Jang of was running the zone like his own fiefdom and selling a 50-year concession there "to another country," most likely China.
Jang's cronies in Ryanggang Province and Sinuiju in North Pyongan Province have also been arrested and purged. Free North Korea Radio quoted a source in Ryanggang Province as saying, "Senior officials in Ryanggang Province were arrested last Wednesday but not told why."
In the border town of Sinuiju, security forces are under orders to report anybody suspected of preparing an escape to China, where Jang's associates are likely to be headed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"one who rules without law, looks to his own advantage rather than that of his subjects, and uses extreme and cruel tactics—against his own people as well as others" Plato and Aristotle
[Tolo News] Afghans living in Pakistain on Monday reacted against the recent prohibition of Afghan TV channels in Pakistain, which they claimed first began several months ago.
"For several months Pak officials have baned some Afghani TV channels," one Afghan living in Pakistain told TOLOnews.
Many Afghans live in Pakistain, with over two million refugees and many more economic migrants.
"We have the right to be informed about what is happening in our own country by our local media," another Afghan resident of Pakistain said.
The frustrated Afghans called on the Pak and Afghan governments to address the issue and come to a resolution.
Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last. They discussed the officers's efficiency rating system... the Cultural Attache of Afghanistan in Islamabad said that no Afghan broadcasters have filed complaints to the Embassy in Pakistain about the problem. Yet he assured that Afghan officials would discuss the matter with their Pak counterparts.
"Pakistain has put some restrictions on foreign media, which is difficult for the Afghan media, so we will try to get Pakistain to work with us," Zardasht Shams said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"We have the right to be informed about what is happening in our own country by our local media"
That and 'My Favorite Martian' dubbed in Pashtun.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/24/2013 10:31 Comments ||
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[Pak Daily Times] The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday rejected all three petitions filed by former military ruler Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... against the special court constituted to try him for treason.
In his petition Musharraf raised objections over the authority of the special court, appointment of judges and prosecutor. The decision was announced by Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan, who declared the requests inadmissible. The special court comprises Sindh High Court's Justice Faisal Arab, Justice Tahira Safdar of the Balochistan Continued on Page 49
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12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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As it was intended to do, along with the one before and the one to come.
[Pak Daily Times] For Christians in the troubled city of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , Christmas this year will be dominated by absent faces.
Eighty-two people were killed when a devastating double suicide kaboom targeted their place of worship three months ago. All Saints church still bears the physical scars of the September 22 bombing, believed to be the deadliest ever against Pakistain's small Christian community. Two bombers blew themselves up in the courtyard of the church as worshippers exchanged greetings after a service in an attack that horrified even a country as hardened to violence as Pakistain.
Continued on Page 49
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12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain People's Party (PPP) Patrol-in-chief Bilawal Baby Bhutto Zardari ...Pak dynastic politician, son of Benazir Bhutto and grandon of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As far as is known, Bilawal has no particular talents other than being pretty and being able to memorize political slogans, but he had the good luck to be born into the right family and he hasn't been assassinated yet... said on Monday funds had been raised to rehabilitate and repair a bombed Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. church while more funds would be collected for other churches.
He said this while extending Christmas greetings to Christians at a Christmas cake-cutting ceremony at Sindh Museum.
Bilawal said the PPP was the "only party with a declared pledge that all the Paks are equal and enjoy same rights of freedom of religion without any bar or restrictions".
"In the PPP family, Mohammedans, Christians, Hindus, Dalits, Sikhs, Parsi or followers of any faith celebrate together on every religious festival," he added.
He said his party would raise funds to carry out maintenance and repair of churches besides helping victims of Peshawar church blasts.
Several PPP leaders, including those from party Minority's Wing, were also present on the occasion.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
But then you have to ask yourself just what the word of a Moslem actually worth?
However, I agree it could be worse, they could be burning down kids schools and cutting your wife's clitoris off. Oh, they do that already? Well, we should understand that some cultures are "just" as good as some others and "diversity" is well...what it means to be a "moderate" member of the Religion of Peace.
[Ynet] Paleostinian president claims Jesus was a 'Paleostinian messenger who would become a guiding light for millions' in attempt to prepare ground for papal West Bank visit
Another step in negating the ancient Jewish connection to the land.
In a Christmas message, Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... referred to Jesus as a "Paleostinian" messenger of hope.
Paleostinian officials said Abbas used the term in a historic context, applying to all those in the Holy Land at the time, regardless of religion. Few scholars dispute that Jesus was raised as a Jew.
Abbas' emailed comments Monday appeared to be part of an effort to reach global public opinion and strengthen links between the Paleostinian and Christian narratives.
Abbas said Jesus was a "Paleostinian messenger who would become a guiding light for millions."
A majority of Paleostinians including Abbas are Musselmens, but he and predecessor Yasser Arafat have called for unity of Paleostinian Christians and Musselmens.
Abbas urged Christian pilgrims from around the world to visit the Holy Land to mark the visit of Pope Francis, set for 2014, in a Christmas message on Monday.
"As we begin preparations for the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis next year, we call upon pilgrims from all over the world to come and experience Paleostine and our Holy Sites," Abbas said. The pope's visit "will be a good opportunity for Christians from all over the world to become closer to their sisters and brothers in Paleostine."
The pontiff is to make a brief visit to Israel and the Paleostinian territories from May 25, his first to the Holy Land, Yedioth Aharonoth said last week.
Abbas added that he hoped the Francis would "spread the message of justice and peace for the Paleostinians, as for all peoples of the world."
During the visit, the pope will celebrate a high mass in Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, local media reported.
The trip has yet to be officially confirmed by the Vatican, although the announcement could come in the weeks after Christmas.
But a Vatican front man has said officials from the church have made a site visit.
Pope Francis was invited to visit the Holy Land by Israeli President Shimon Peres in April, and by Abbas, who met him on October 17.
In a Christmas message on Wednesday, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Fuad Twal, said the pontiff "cares about the Holy Land and the Middle East."
#1
I seem to remember Jesus was the son of a pig-dog. I heard it on the Fatwa Station ( Gaza TV ) by the guy with bad teeth and the big nose in the towel for a hat.
And the Koran says Blessed Issa (when he comes) will shoot every Jew hiding behind that three. And he never died on the Cross, he got some Moslem to be a sucker and do it for him while he retired to Allepo with his many wives. PBUH.
[Ynet] The High Court of Justice rejected the petition filed by Michael Ben-Ati, Itamar Ben Gvir and the Eretz Yisrael Shelanu movement to file charges against Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi and Islamist Movement leader Sheikh Raed Salah for their participation in the Mavi Maramara flotilla.
This strikes me as a mistake. The participation was a deliberate act of treason -- jihad, in fact -- by these Islamist-Israelis.
[Ynet] Egypt's closure of smuggling tunnels forces terrorist organization to stop importing missiles, invest more in making homemade weapons, as local Gazook engineers stock arsenal with better quality rockets
Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,'s military wing in the Gazoo Strip is making a concerted effort to increase the range of its rockets by tens of kilometers.
The extra range will let the terror organization pull off deeper attacks into Israel, even farther than the Gush Dan region achieved during Operation Pillar of Defense.
Israeli security officials said despite Egyptian efforts to destroy the tunnels on the Egypt-Gazoo border, a smuggling trail of raw material for rockets still exists.
Egypt's forceful activities in the Sinai Peninsula and along the Suez Canal have managed to stop the smuggling of Iranian Farj rockets, which were used in Operation Pillar of Defense. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... snuffies in Sinai are still smuggling effective explosives into Gazoo, which will help Hamas increase their rockets' range.
During Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012, Hamas fired five homemade long-range rockets. The rockets, called M75, had a range of 60-70 kilometers (37-43 miles), made by local Gazook engineers, are capable of reaching Tel Aviv. Egypt's closing of the tunnels forced Hamas to invest more time and money in homegrown rockets, and since the operation, reports say they have made even more.
Despite Hamas' budget crisis in the last two years, its two main projects to make fighting against Israel more efficient - increasing its rockets' range and digging more attack tunnels - have not been affected at all.
IDF representatives said that if Hamas can enhance its rockets, Israel will be forced to rethink its air defense system. The Iron Dome's effectiveness is naturally lessened as there are more and more rockets to intercept, and as rockets can reach regions that the battery is not protecting.
[Pak Daily Times] Iran wants to improve bilateral relations with the United States and other Western powers, President Hassan Rouhani said in an editorial published in a German newspaper on Monday, broaching an issue he has so far avoided since he took office.
Rouhani won a landslide election victory in June promising a policy of engagement with the West and has had regular diplomatic contacts with the United States, but they have been limited to negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme.
"We want to rebuild and improve our relations to European and North American countries on a basis of mutual respect," he wrote in a contribution for the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
"We are striving to avoid new burdens on relations between Iran and the United States and also to remove the tensions that we have inherited," said Rouhani, who has promised to reduce Tehran's isolation and to win an easing of sanctions.
Tehran and Washington severed relations after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
Iran cannot forget everything that has affected relations with the United States over the last 60 years, he said, but added: "We must now concentrate on the present and orientate ourselves towards the future."
Rouhani's diplomatic pragmatism has already resulted in significant progress. While in New York for the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... General Assembly in September, Rouhani held an historic telephone call with Barack Obama I am the change that you seek... , the first time the presidents of the two nations have spoken in more than three decades.
Iranian officials subsequently emphasised the call was to support a diplomatic resolution of Iran's nuclear programme and did not concern direct bilateral ties. Two months later Iran and world powers signed an interim deal to curb part of Iran's nuclear activities in return for some sanctions relief. Rouhani, a former nuclear negotiator, said he was doing whatever he could to end tensions over Tehran's nuclear activities, which have raised concerns in the West that Iran is seeking to develop an atomic weapons capability. Iranian officials have repeatedly denied such suggestions.
"We have never even considered the option of acquiring nuclear weapons," Rouhani said. "We'll never give up our right to profit from nuclear energy. But we are working towards removing all doubts and answer all reasonable questions about our programme."
Iran agreed under the Nov. 24 accord to stop its most sensitive nuclear work - uranium enrichment to a fissile concentration of 20 percent - and cap other parts of its activities in exchange for some limited easing of sanctions, including trade in petrochemicals and gold.
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12/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"We want to rebuild and improve our relations to European and North American countries on a basis of mutual respect,"
[Ynet] Russia has sent 25 armoured trucks and 50 other vehicles to Syria to help transport toxins that are to be destroyed under an international agreement to rid the nation of its chemical arsenal, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday.
In a report to President Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... , Shoigu said Russian aircraft delivered 50 Kamaz trucks and 25 Ural armoured trucks to the Syrian port city of Latakia late last week along with other equipment, state-run news agency ...and if you can't believe the state-run news agency who can you believe?... RIA reported.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/24/2013 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.
[An Nahar] Libya's General National Congress, the country's highest political authority, extended its mandate Monday until the end of next year, a GNC 
Pervez 
...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
