Somalia's hardline al Shabaab rebels denied Friday they had threatened to attack Kenya following a crackdown on Somalis in its capital Nairobi, and said a recording posted on the internet was a fake.
"Please don't kill us!"
A recording posted online said the threat was composed by militants angered by Kenya's decision to deport a Jamaican Islamic cleric and the deaths of protesters in Nairobi who took to the streets a week ago to demonstrate against the move. But al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage told Reuters by telephone the group had not posted the recording.
"We didn't threaten Kenya. That story is a false one. We never posted that on the internet ... Everything needs to be checked first by the media to make sure they know what they are writing about," Rage said.
Al Shabaab, which Washington says is al Qaeda's proxy in the failed Horn of Africa state, has verbally threatened to attack Kenya in the past. But anger has been rising among the Somali community in recent days after Kenyan security forces detained hundreds of Somalis living in a Nairobi suburb.
Wonder why they were detained. Oh, let me guess ...
Al Shabaab has also threatened to launch attacks inside Ethiopia -- as well as Uganda and Burundi because they have peacekeeping troops in Somalia -- but has yet to follow through.
They seem to be angry about lots of stuff ...
"Al Shabaab is not a homogeneous organisation that has the same stance on certain issues," Afyare Abdi Elmi, a Somali political science professor at Qatar University, told Reuters. "One wing may want to launch attacks in the region, and others do not have an opinion or do not agree ... They do not have the capacity to hit Nairobi, but these new threats plus their cooperation with the Yemeni al Qaeda shows their international stance and that their mission is no longer local."
In the online recording, men chanted in Swahili: "God willing we will arrive in Nairobi, we will enter Nairobi, God willing we will enter ... when we arrive we will hit, hit until we kill, weapons we have, praise be to God, they are enough."
But Rage told Reuters that the rebel group, which is fighting Somalia's Western-backed government and wants to impose its harsh version of sharia law across that country, had no idea who was responsible for uploading it to the internet. And he said that al Shabaab's reclusive leader Ahmed Abdi Godane -- also known as Sheik Mukhtar Abdirahman Abu Zubeyr -- had not spoken to the media in the last three months. "So how did he threaten to Kenya?" the spokesman asked.
Sheik Mukhtar Abdirahman Abu Zubeyr -- had not spoken to the media in the last three months. "So how did he threaten to Kenya?" the spokesman asked.
Sounds like the spokesman knows he's dead.
[Maghrebia] Tunisian terrorism experts and lawmakers hailed Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini's recent call for more Europe-Maghreb co-operation to halt al-Qaeda's expansion in North Africa.
One member of Tunisia's Parliament, Adel Chaouch, said Frattini's call for "indispensable and unavoidable" co-operation across the Mediterranean "is not new to the region, but re-launching it now confirms that the dangers of al-Qaeda's expansion in the region have become even greater".
"Europe's renewed interest in the southern coast of the Mediterranean has been very important ever since its leaders noted that they were no longer safe from terrorism, especially given that Italy isn't very far away ... from the Maghreb", Chaouch, who is a member of the opposition Ettajdid Movement, told Magharebia on Tuesday.
Frattini, whose recent tour of Africa also embraced Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, told the press during his Tunis visit that "co-operation against terrorism is still a vital and essential task that can't be postponed for all countries in North Africa, as well as the EU".
Last week, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb "is the group detaining the two Italian hostages who were kidnapped December 19th in eastern Mauritania".
"The call made by Frattini is not new, because the EU has been trying for years to find a formula of co-operation with the Maghreb countries to put an end to illegal immigration and combat terrorism," Slaheddine Jourchi, an expert in Islamic extremist groups, told Magharebia in a statement received on Tuesday.
"The re-launch of the call by the Italian official confirms that the indicators that have been recently seen emphasise that al-Qaeda has resumed its activities in the Maghreb region," added the expert. "This conforms to what the Western intelligence agencies have confirmed, to the effect that al-Qaeda has recovered its vitality ... and managed to recruit new elements".
Jourchi claimed it was now possible to see al-Qaeda's "geographical expansion linking Yemen and Somalia to the Sahara".
Political analyst Morsel Kesibi told Magharebia on Tuesday that "the issues of terrorism and fighting it are still vital for all world countries, given that stability and peace are prerequisites for realising development and well-being for all peoples all over the world".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
NEWS KERALA: OVER ONE HUNDRD ILLEGAL KURDISH IMMIGRANTS WASH UP ON CORSICA [Childhood-Family Home of NAPOLEON BONAPARTE = EMPEROR NAPOLEON 1].
Muslims turning illegal Asian migres' wid dem "one-way" boats???
[Maghrebia] Mauritania broke new ground this week in its efforts to stem terrorism by organising a religious debate between Islamic scholars and Salafist convicts in a Nouakchott prison.
Sheikh Mohamad Hassan Ould Daou led the panel of scholars that debated with the Salafists during a two-day event that began on Monday (January 18th). A recent Nouakchott conference on promoting tolerance spurred the debate, which targeted rehabilitating 68 imprisoned Salafists by challenging them to take more moderate stances.
"This meeting aims to outline the best ways to achieve civil peace in a country known for tolerance, openness and forgiveness," Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Ould Nini announced at the start of the debate. He said he hoped the discussion would allow participants "to work our way out of a crisis that threatens national security".
The Salafist prisoners fell into two groups in preparation for the debate. One group, headed by Abdullah Ould Sidia, included 47 prisoners who supported talks with the government and wanted a fresh start in their dealings with authorities. The second group, which included 21 inmates, staunchly opposed such talks. Khadim Ould Semane, jailed since 2008 for the murder of a family of French tourists, led this contingent.
Panel member Mohamed Mokhtar Ould Ambala was optimistic about the outcome of the exchange.
"I think the debate will be in the best interests of all parties, which you will all see and rejoice in when the debate nears its end," Ambala told journalists on Monday.
Mauritanians are divided on whether open debate with Salafists will stop terrorism.
"The elements of this more radical second trend know that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb requested their release in exchange for the Spanish hostages. They are not relying on dialogue to get out of prison; they rely on AQIM," Journal Tahalil quoted one observer as saying on Monday.
One civilian observer, Salem Ould Ahmed, told Magharebia that he is uncomfortable with the idea of engaging in dialogue with the Salafists, saying that the families of the terrorists' victims may not be prepared to forgive former attackers who want to turn over a new leaf.
"Such a debate is a blatant intervention in the work of the judiciary that had previously condemned all those jihadis on account of the crimes they perpetrated," he added.
Other Mauritanians embraced the government's alternative approach to eradicating home-grown terrorism.
"The government aspires to put an end to security tensions," said political analyst Mohamad Ali Ould Ebadi, who attended the prison debates."It may have realised that security measures alone are not sufficient to end that phenomenon. Also, ignoring the problem and keeping silent about it is not the answer either.
"The situation, therefore, called for dialogue."
Ebadi said that several prisoners who attended the debate seemed willing to re-evaluate their views.
"I personally attended the debate, and sensed how many convicts were eager to subject their thoughts to scrutiny," he said, adding: "I also saw anticipation among inmates' families and mothers, who truly wished to close that chapter forever."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
The losers, of course, will be burned at the stake.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
01/22/2010 12:21 Comments ||
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#2
For a moment there I thought it says "pit bulls against jailed Salafists".
Yemen's Houthi fighters accuse the Sana'a government of fueling violence in the country in a bid to attract financial backing from the United States.
The Shia resistance fighters charged the central government with forging an al-Qaeda cell in Yemen, adding that the abduction of foreigners in the country is another part of the scheme planned by Sana'a.
The Houthis insisted that they have evidence showing that the Yemeni government supplies arms to and finances militants throughout the country.
Months after the Yemeni army launched a stepped up offensive against the Houthis fighters in the north, later aided by the Saudi Arabian military involvement, the United States has become openly involved in the military operations in central and south Yemen.
Washington has admitted to supplying the Yemeni army with military intelligence and equipment, but the US media have reported on secret drone attacks against what the US claims are al-Qaeda targets in the Arabian Peninsula.
On Thursday, Sana'a stopped granting entry visas at its airport in a bid to "halt terrorist infiltration." Issuing visas to foreigners will be handled by the Yemeni embassies after the verification of travelers' identities by security authorities in Sana'a.
The UN says the Yemeni government's war against the Houthis has displaced more than 200,000 civilians on the top of killing hundreds of people.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Home Minister Sahara Khatun yesterday in parliament said Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) had stocked arms in Chittagong to carry out subversive activities to hinder the execution of Bangabandhu murder case verdict and trial of war criminals.
"Militancy and subversive and criminal activities will not be tolerated in the country. We will handle those with an iron hand," the home minister said in a statement on the arms recovery from a den of Jamaat backed student organisation ICS.
Police arrested 12 ICS men and recovered arms and some bomb making materials from their mess at Mistiripara in the port city on Monday. Four revolvers (three made in Pakistan), three light guns (LGs), 26 bullets, 11 cartridges, bomb making materials, half a kilogram of gunpowder and some jihadi books were recovered from there.
The home minister made the statement in response to Awami League lawmakers Suranjit Sengupta and Fazle Rabbi Mia, who on Wednesday on point of order raised the issue and demanded a statement in parliament.
The home minister said everybody knows the political philosophy of killing people and destructive activities of Jamaat and BNP.
She said anti-liberation force Jamaat-e-Islami and their then student wing Islami Chhattra Sangho formed Razakars and Al-Badr forces and killed lakhs of freedom fighters and intellectuals during the liberation war in 1971.
"With muscle and arms power Islami Chhattra Shibir had kept captured different educational institutions in Chittagong for last 23 years. Now they were preparing for carrying out destructive activities across the country and pilled up arms and ammunition," Sahara added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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The country's most successful Asian police officer has criticised the National Association of Muslim Police for speaking out against the Government's anti-terrorism strategy.
Tarique Ghaffur, the former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police who left Scotland Yard following a race row, said that the NAMP should be warning of the dangers of Muslim extremists in Britain.
The Daily Telegraph disclosed yesterday that Muslim police association had openly rebelled against the Government's anti-terrorism strategy. The Association sent a seven-page memorandum to a Parliamentary committee investigating extremism warning that the current strategy was an “affront to British values'.
However, Mr Ghaffur said: “The NAMP and Muslim community representatives need to face up to the stark reality within the U.K. There is a very real problem within certain sections of our community. We have a small number of individuals within the Muslim community who have committed terrorist acts and others who do pose a significant threat to national security.'
He added: “This is an ideal time for the Muslim community of Britain to demonstrate its shared commitment to rooting out the dangerous minority who continue to use Islam as a front for the promotion of extremist violence. A clear and cohesive rejection of their agenda would be a particularly powerful tool in combating this unrepresentative minority.'
Last night, the NAMP responded to the growing furore over their comments by calling for more Muslims to work on counter-terrorism police units. The Association says that it is “disappointed' with the lack of Muslim police officers working on anti-terror investigations.
Yesterday, the NAMP said it was “deeply disappointed' that its memorandum had been made public. However, all evidence provided to Parliamentary committees is published.
#1
More Muslims in counter terrorism units...?
Would I be wrong to suggest this means more leaks? And is meant to?
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
01/22/2010 7:56 Comments ||
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#2
Personally I couldnt care less if one was Muslim , Christian , Jainist , Martian (new religion? hehe)or whatever as long as they executed their job to the letter of the law and dont bitch moan and quibble about it .
Fair play to Mr Ghaffur , probably the most outspoken criticism of the muslim community I have heard from a muslim
Posted by: Oscar ||
01/22/2010 9:41 Comments ||
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#3
"This is an ideal time for the Muslim community of Britain to demonstrate its shared commitment to rooting out the dangerous minority who continue to use Islam as a front for the promotion of extremist violence. A clear and cohesive rejection of their agenda would be a particularly powerful tool in combating this unrepresentative minority."
This really is the key. And I suspect Mr. Ghaffur is likely to be disappointed. Because I no longer believe extremists are using Islam as a front, rather that Islam is using them at the front.
#5
Yesterday, the NAMP said it was “deeply disappointed” that its memorandum had been made public. However, all evidence provided to Parliamentary committees is published.
Did you think it was a "secret" memo that you sent to parliament? Idiots. Did they think parliament would simply say. "Oh, poor dears. You don't have to police muslims. No, no, no. That's against your religion."?
One might think that the officers who "openly rebelled" are islamists themselves, or are kith and kin to extremists. NAMP needs a clean-out.
And with the standard muslim grasp of cause and effect, they are upset, not that their views contradict their ability to service as police, but simply upset that they were found out. Typical muslim disconnect. Typical islamist response.
A Justice Department-led task force has concluded that nearly 50 of the 196 detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be held indefinitely without trial under the laws of war, according to Obama administration officials.
The task force's findings represent the first time that the administration has clarified how many detainees it considers too dangerous to release but unprosecutable because officials fear trials could compromise intelligence-gathering and because detainees could challenge evidence obtained through coercion.
The task force has recommended that Guantanamo Bay detainees be divided into three main groups: about 35 who should be prosecuted in federal or military courts; at least 110 who can be released, either immediately or eventually; and the nearly 50 who must be detained without trial.
Some European officials, who would like to see Guantanamo Bay closed without instituting indefinite detention, are advocating the creation of an internationally funded rehabilitation center for terrorism suspects in Yemen and possibly Afghanistan.
"We are running out of options, and the administration needs to seriously consider this," said Sarah E. Mendelson, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the author of a report on closing Guantanamo Bay.
The Bush and Obama administrations considered helping Yemen formulate a rehabilitation program, but the idea foundered amid concerns about the Middle Eastern country's capacity to implement it, officials said.
The administration anticipates that about 20 detainees can be repatriated by this summer, and it has received firm commitments from countries willing to settle an additional 25 detainees who have been cleared for release, officials said.
Seattle resident is cooperating in the investigation of Minneapolis men who left to fight in Somalia.
A Somali man who admitted that he trained with terrorists in Somalia and helped construct a terrorist training camp was released from jail on Thursday pending sentencing.
Released? Released? RELEASED?!?
Abdifatah Yusuf Isse, 25, pleaded guilty to supporting terrorists and has been cooperating for months with investigators working on the case of up to 20 Minneapolis men who returned to jihad in Somalia. He was released after agreeing to pay $25,000 if he does not appear in court when required.
Oh for crying out loud. That's walking around money for al-Qaeda.
U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum, who has been presiding over the cases of Isse and others indicted, agreed to Isse's release last Friday, according to court documents. He will be sent to a halfway house and will have to wear electronic monitoring equipment, according to conditions set by Rosenbaum.
He'd better have a chip implanted his head ...
Isse was one of the first men indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure. Since then, 14 men have been indicted or charged in one of this country's largest counterterrorism investigations since 9/11. Four of the men, including Isse, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Others are missing and are presumed to have fled to Somalia.
But Isse won't flee, of course, because he'd have to forfeit a whole $25 grand if he did. Nope, nope, won't go, nope ...
Isse, of Seattle, Wash., was arrested Feb. 24, 2009, at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. At the time, he said he was going to Tanzania to participate in an internship. He had previously left Minneapolis for Somalia in December 2007.
His attorney, Paul Engh, argued in court papers for Isse's release, noting his cooperation with authorities and the seemingly endless time until sentencing. On Thursday, Engh would only say: "This kind of case takes a lot longer to complete than the ordinary. His hard incarceration was no longer necessary, in light of the attendant delays."
Indian airports were on high alert today after intelligence services received information that al Qaeda-linked militants were plotting to hijack a plane. Officials also linked the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group to the hijacking of an Air India or Indian Airlines flight destined for a neighbouring south Asian country.
Home ministry official UK Bansal said security was tightened at all airports and passengers were being subjected to more intense security screenings. The ministry also said sky marshals would be deployed on some flights.
Indian media said the hijack threat was uncovered during the interrogation of Amjad Khwaja, a militant leader belonging to extremist group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, which has been involved in terror attacks in India. Khwaja was arrested in Chennai last week and was questioned by Indian police.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Pakistan ruled out any new offensive against militants on Thursday, even as U.S. defense chief Robert Gates began meetings aimed at persuading the country to expand its military campaign to take on Afghanistan's Taliban.
Gates, on his first trip to Pakistan since U.S. President Barack Obama took office last year, is visiting after a period of tense relations marked by a significant degree of distrust on both sides.
Islamabad has mounted big offensives against Pakistani Taliban factions attacking the state, but has resisted U.S. pressure to go after Afghan Taliban in border enclaves who do not strike in Pakistan but cross the border to fight U.S. troops.
Analysts say Pakistan sees the Afghan Taliban as tools to counter the growing influence of old rival India in Afghanistan and as potential allies in Afghanistan if U.S. forces withdraw and, as many Pakistanis fear, leave the country in chaos.
Gates said in a commentary published in a Pakistani newspaper that making a distinction between Pakistani Taliban and their Afghan allies was counterproductive and all factions had to be tackled.
"What I hope to talk about with my interlocutors is this notion and the reality that you can't ignore one part of this cancer and pretend that it won't have some impact closer to home," Gates told reporters traveling with him from India.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The National Assembly on Thursday passed the bill providing protection to women against sexual harassment at the workplace.
All the MNAs present in the house supported the bill, but JUI's Maulvi Ismatullah opposed the bill, terming it un-islamic and staged a walkout from the National Assembly against the bill.
Religious parties in the Senate have already rejected the bill, calling it un-Islamic and unconstitutional.
The bill provides for a three-year imprisonment and Rs 500,000 fine to anyone proven guilty of harassing a woman and also calls for formulating a three-member inquiry committee in the private and public sector.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
They can't do that! Sexual harassment of women is an Allen-granted right of islam. Why it's the very basis of our lives. It's one of the five pillars of islam! You can look it up!
Today's "Bad Idea of the Day"...
[Dawn] US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has discussed the possibility of sharing its UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) drone technology with Pakistan.
"These unmanned vehicles are useful and we have a budget for them," said Gates in an exclusive interview with a private television channel on Thursday.
During the interview, Gates further confirmed that American security agencies Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater, and DynCorp have been operating in Pakistan; however he said that these agencies are operating in their individual capacity under a regulatory framework.
To a question about concerns in the Pakistani parliament over the activities of Xe and DynCorp, the Defense Secretary said that the US government would comply if the parliament of Pakistan votes for a ban on the functioning of these agencies.
Gates said that the US is determined to be a long-time ally of Pakistan and has no intentions of 'taking over Pakistan.'
"The US enjoys an excellent relationship with the Pakistani government and the army," said Gates, congratulating the Pakistani government for its successful military operations against militants.
Terming the Haqqani group and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba as the most dangerous militant groups, Gates said that terrorism is the common enemy among Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and the United States.
He further denied having any military relationship with India.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#2
I think the 'sharing' part should be limited to air drops of whatever the ordnance crews hang on the pylons. If they want the video feed, call the local taibunnies; they figgered out how to intercept it.
#11
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue
And they went to sea in a sieve.
Posted by: Oscar ||
01/22/2010 14:23 Comments ||
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#12
Pardon one more literary riff:
The Pobble who has no toes
Swam across the Bristol Channel.
But before he left, he wrapped his nose
in a wrapper of scarlet flannel.
For his Aunt Jobiska said, "No harm
Can come to his toes if his nose is warm".
Rantburgers, when you've had enough blether from the news media, take an Edward Lear break. He makes more sense than they do.
#13
Sorry , sometimes my English colloquialisms get the better of me !
No apologies needed, Oscar dear, the various English dialects are part of Rantburg's charm. Not to mention the other languages -- surely you've noticed the occasional lapse into Afrikaans on the part of a few commenters? Or the fascinating Yiddish insult thread the other day, which nobody translated for me?
#14
Oscar: "Bodge" must be British for "Kludge" (pronounced "kloodge")
http://thereifixedit.com
And a "riff" is to jazz what a cadenza is to opera: a soloist takes the theme and runs away with it for a few measures (or, in jazz, a lot of measures), unaccompanied.
And now I'd better get offline and impose some order. The kids are off school today.
BAGHDAD -- Alarmed that the disqualification of hundreds of candidates from upcoming parliamentary elections threatens to derail Iraq's fledgling democracy, the Obama administration is dispatching Vice President Biden in hopes of defusing the looming political crisis.
Hey Joe, maybe you could tell them to split up into three countries or something ...
The expected visit showcases U.S. concerns that the decision to bar 511 candidates -- the most prominent of whom are Sunni Arabs -- could stoke sectarian violence and undermine elections as the U.S. military prepares to significantly reduce its presence here. The removal of candidates purportedly adhering to the ideals of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party could reverse efforts to bring disenfranchised Sunni communities into the fold and inflame old divisions, wiping out the security gains of the U.S. surge.
If the Americans "fail in guaranteeing democracy, they should leave right away from Iraq, because their presence means nothing," said Saleh al-Mutlak, a prominent Sunni lawmaker now barred from running. "If they can't protect democracy, then what are they here for?"
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview with Time magazine yesterday said his administration had overestimated its ability to convince the parties to the Middle East conflict to return to the negotiating table.
"The Middle East peace process has not moved forward," Obama said. "I think it's fair to say for all our efforts at early engagement, it is not where I want it to be."
No kidding. Join the club, O Enlightened One, of all the presidents since Eisenhower. So your charm didn't persuade the Juice and the Gazooks to kiss and make up? Next you'll tell us that the oceans are still rising.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met yesterday with Obama's Middle East envoy. Details of their talks were not made public but in closed-door meetings Netanyahu has said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was to blame for the stalled peace process because of the Palestinian leader's refusal to come back to the negotiating table.
Netanyahu expressed readiness to resume talks but said the Palestinians had adopted a strategy of refusing to negotiate. He maintains that following Israel's unilateral 10-month freeze on construction in settlements he would not agree to additional gestures to bring the Palestinians back to peace talks unless the Israeli moves were met by reciprocal Palestinian ones.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said yesterday that Netanyahu had managed to thwart Obama's efforts at bringing about a peace agreement. Erekat refused to elaborate on expectations for today's meeting between Mitchell and Abbas but rejected recent suggestions that the Americans negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.
A source close to Abbas said that from what the Palestinian side knows the U.S. envoy is not bringing any new ideas. The source cited recent comments by Netanyahu about the military importance of the Jordan Valley and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's approval of upgraded status of the college in the West Bank settlement of Ariel as examples of the reasons for Palestinians' lack of faith in the Israeli side.
In his interview with Time Obama said: "If we had anticipated some of [the] political problems on both sides earlier, we might not have raised expectations as high."
A more experienced public servant might have known not to raise expectations, eh?
Obama specifically cited Hamas as a negative factor on the Palestinian side while he said that in Israel the right flank of Netanyahu's coalition opposed concessions in the peace process.
The Israelis "after a lot of time showed a willingness to make some modifications in their policies" but "still found it very hard to move with any bold gestures," Obama said.
The U.S. president nonetheless promised to continue working with both sides for the establishment of two states for two peoples providing Israel with security and giving sovereignty to the Palestinians.
President Palin no doubt will be saying the same thing in 2013 ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Whatsa matter, your Soody paymasters told you not to annoy the Juice until the Iranian crisis is resolved Baraq?
#2
No doubt, this will shame them into cooperating.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/22/2010 6:33 Comments ||
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#3
You know, when President Obama symbolically pardoned a turkey the day before Thanksgiving he was really good at it. This leader of the free world stuffÂ…not so much.
#5
In his interview with Time Obama said: "If we had anticipated some of [the] political problems on both sides earlier, we might not have raised expectations as high."
He must have looked pretty hard to find people who were not aware of the political problems on both sides.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2010 19:19 Comments ||
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#8
I expect the Paleos to continue to behave like savages; I expect the Juice to not throw themselves into the sea. There, that was easy. And it didn't take an advanced degree in International Bumfoolery, either.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed a new Commissioner General for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following the retirement of former head Karen Abu Zaid in December.
According to the UN News, Ban made the decision to appoint Italian national Filippo Grandi following consultations with UNRWA's Advisory Commission. The appointment period started on Wednesday.
The 53-year-old Italian served as UNRWA's Deputy Commissioner General between 2005-7, and according to the UN is a "strong advocate for the rights and dignity of Palestine refugees and an excellent manager, he has been instrumental in the success of the Agency's comprehensive and far-reaching management reforms. He brings to his new position a record of outstanding service under the banner of the United Nations."
Grandi was previously responsible for political affairs at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), where he served as the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Principal requirement for the job---foaming at the mouth whenever Juice are mentioned?
[Ma'an] Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met with several of the Nativity Church deportees during his visit to Spain on Wednesday, the group's spokesperson in Europe Jihad Je'ara said.
The deportees, exiled to Europe following a standoff between the group and Israeli forces in 2002 that saw negotiations mediate their release and expulsion, face increasing difficulties in their host countries, some of which have threatened to expel them over the years.
Je'ara said the three who managed to meet with Fayyad explained the details of their difficulties, and requested the prime minister contact European governments to smooth over issues. According to Je'ara, Fayyad said he would look into the cases and promised to make their situations in exile more tolerable.
Those who met with Fayyad were identified by Je'ara as: Muhammad Abu Said exiled to Italy, Anan Khamis exiled to Portugal, and Ahmad Hamamra exiled to Spain.
Alongside Fayyad, the deportees met with Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki and Ramzi Khourym, President of the National Fund.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Straits Times] MALAYSIA'S former premier Mahathir Mohamad claimed the Sept 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, which killed nearly 3,000 people, were staged as an excuse to 'mount attacks on the Muslim world'.
Speaking at the General Conference for the Support of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) here, Tun Dr Mahathir said killing as an excuse for war is not new to the US. He also argued that Israel was created to solve the 'Jewish problem' in Europe, saying the Holocaust had failed as a final solution against the community.
'In September 2001, the World Trade Center was attacked allegedly by terrorists. I am not sure now that Muslim terrorists carried out these attacks. There is strong evidence that the attacks were staged. If they can make Avatar, they can make anything,' The Malaysian Insider reported Dr Mahathir as saying. The former premier said Israel was created after the Europeans failed to massacre the Jewish community.
'The Jews had always been a problem in European countries. They had to be confined to ghettoes and periodically massacred. But still they remained, they thrived and they held whole governments to ransom... Even after their massacre by the Nazis of Germany, they survived to continue to be a source of even greater problems for the world,' said Dr Mahathir, who was noted for his anti-Western and anti-Zionist stand while in power for 22 years, until October 2003.
Dr Mahathir also expressed his disappointment in US President Barack Obama, who marked his first year in office on Wednesday. 'I am a bit disappointed because so far none of his promises has been kept. He promised to get out from Afghanistan but he ended up sending more troops there instead. He promised to close down Guantanamo but he has not closed down Guantanamo.
'It is quite easy to promise during election time but you know there are forces in the United States which prevent the president from doing some things. One of the forces is the Jewish lobby,' he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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Pretty clear where this guy's head is--up his tokhes. He is a Nazi.
MOSCOW, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Russia will start up the reactor at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant this year, the chief of Russia's state nuclear corporation told reporters on Thursday.
"2010 is the year of Bushehr," Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Moscow. "There is absolutely no doubt that it will be built this year. Everything is going according to schedule," he said.
Believe it when I see it. And if we had a CIA worth anything, we'd never see it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] The Leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution stresses that the "greatest injustice to the international community is the dominance (sought) by powerful countries... and (their effort in) dividing nations into oppressive ones and submissive ones."
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the remarks in a Thursday meeting with Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo in Tehran. "That is why the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has always been based on opposing the order of domination," he noted.
The Leader emphasized, "Those nations that reject (foreign) domination and do exercise dominance are our friends, regardless of their race or language."
Ayatollah Khamenei praised the people of Latin American nations for choosing politicians who seek independence from the western world.
He also said that Iran is willing to transfer its expertise in different fields to all friendly nations.
The Muslim community of Guyana and its membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) are other potential areas of cooperation between Iran and Guyana, the Leader added.
During the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed sympathy for the quake-hit Haitian nation.
The Guyanese president, for his part, welcomed Iran's active diplomacy in the Caribbean and Latin American countries.
Jagdeo expressed his country's willingness to use Iran's experience in different fields.
He added that Guyana possesses an independent policy despite its geographical proximity to the United states and it is ready to use Iran's experiences in all fields.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 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.
Somalia's hardline al Shabaab rebels denied Friday they had threatened to attack Kenya following a crackdown on Somalis in its capital Nairobi, and said a recording posted on the internet was a fake.
The country's most successful Asian police officer has criticised the National Association of Muslim Police for speaking out against the Government's anti-terrorism strategy.
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview with Time magazine yesterday said his administration had overestimated its ability to convince the parties to the Middle East conflict to return to the negotiating table.
