[Tolo News] Islamabad on Monday warned the United States that its peace talks with the Taliban might not make headway without including Pakistain in the process.
Or maybe we should just talk directly to Pakistain?
Given that the Afghan Taliban are a wholly owned subsidiary of the ISI...
Or maybe we should just JDAM the whole bunch of them, starting with the ISI...
Pakistain emphasised on the need for clarity and transparency in US talks with the Taliban for a proper outcome.
Frank Ruggiero, US Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistain, was informed at his meetings at the Foreign Office that the US unwillingness to share information on the talks could pull back the US from building an already murky relation with Pakistain.
"The importance of clarity and strategic coherence as well as transparency to facilitate the Afghan people and the Afghan government in the process for peace and reconciliation" was underscored, a statement from the Foreign Office on Mr Ruggiero's meetings said.
There have been a number of talks held between some mid-level US officials and the Taliban Leader Mullah Mohammad Omar through a personal aid of Omar in Germany and Qatar.
For the first time on Saturday outgoing US Defence Secretary Robert Gates confirmed the US involvement in talks with the Taliban.
But Gates said talks might not work till winter this year because they are at preliminary stages so far.
Pakistain is willing to hear whether Haqqani network, which is responsible for much of Death Eater activities in Afghanistan, is also included in the political dialogue.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Mixed bag. I'm out in douchebagistan now. Some of the hill-billy hajjis have nothing else in common other than a hatred for GIROA and wanting us out. For some it's the typical religious islamic nut-baggery for others it's just wanting free reign and uninterupted poppy revenues. Not saying Crackistan isn't a player...
#4
I think the US thinking is to negotiate directly with the Afghan Taliban, rather than with the AT through the ISI. Since neither we nor the Afghan Taliban trust the ISI, maybe we can come to an arrangement behind the ISI's back.
PARIS: Saudi Arabia has placed a $1.7 billion direct commercial sales contract with Raytheon Company to upgrade the Kingdom's Patriot Air and Missile Defense System to the latest Configuration-3. The award includes ground-system hardware, a full training package and support equipment upgrades.
Don't forget to alter the programming to make it unable to see things arriving from Israel, should the Saudis decide to get frisky after this little Iranian situation is resolved. Ask the IDF to show you what their people did to the radar Russia sold to Syria...
The announcement came Tuesday at the Paris Air Show where military and commercial deals are done for both military and civilian aircraft and technology.
Raytheon first supplied the combat-proven Patriot system to Saudi Arabia in the 1990s to protect the nation's critical assets. Subject to customary US regulatory approvals, work under this contract will be performed by Raytheon at the Integrated Air Defense Center in Andover, Massachusetts, and in Saudi Arabia. The newly redesigned Patriot protects against a full range of advanced threats, including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and UAVs.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/22/2011 00:00 ||
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SANAA, Yemen: The head of Yemen's most powerful tribal confederation warned Tuesday that Yemen could plunge into civil war if President Ali Abdullah Saleh is allowed to return home.
Then again, most everything could plunge Yemen into civil war...
Yemen is in at least two civil wars already: north vs. south, which goes back to the unification, Al Qaeda-linked tribes vs. the army...This powerful tribal confederation (PTC) would be the third, unless the PTC is the same tribes who are linked to Al Qaeda, in which case why is he threatening what's already been going on for a while?
How silly of me: they can't plunge into civil war, they're already there!
Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia, where he is receiving treatment for serious injuries from a blast early this month at his palace in the Yemeni capital that left him with severe burns and chunks of wood in his chest.
In a letter to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Sadeq Al-Ahmar, the influential tribal chief who was an ally of Saleh before switching sides to join the opposition, appealed to the kingdom to prevent Saleh from returning to Yemen.
"His return will lead to sedition and civil war, not that you'd notice the difference" Al-Ahmar said, according to an aid to Al-Ahmar. Saudi Arabia is a key player in Yemen, and has pressed Saleh in the past to negotiate a settlement to Yemen's political turmoil.
Late Tuesday, Al-Ahmar had his first meeting with Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi since Saleh departed, a possible step toward resolving the conflict. Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, a general who defected to the opposition and deployed his units to defend protesters, took part in the meeting. Hadi is the acting president. He is under pressure to agree to a new government that effectively freeze Saleh out.
The tribal chief's aide said that they discussed steps to implement a cease-fire and withdraw forces from the streets. They also discussed "possible means to exit the current crisis," according to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Emirates 24/7] Bangladesh's government will retain Islam as the country's official state religion despite pledges by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to restore the state's secular character, a minister said Tuesday.
Bangladesh, a Mohammedan-majority nation of 150 million, was declared a secular republic in 1972 but a series of constitutional amendments by two military dictators abandoned the principle and made Islam the state religion in 1988.
Since coming to power two years ago, Hasina has taken steps to restore secularism, but a package of constitutional amendments approved by her cabinet Monday stopped short of full reform.
"Islam will remain the state religion," Law Minister Shafiq Ahmed told AFP, adding that Bangladeshi Hindus, Buddhists and Christians would be allowed to practice their religions freely.
The decision has been condemned by some of Hasina's Awami League's left-wing coalition partners and an influential joint forum of Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, who say it is a breach of trust.
According to the mass-circulation Kaler Kantha daily newspaper, two senior cabinet ministers also argued against the proposal, but were overruled.
"It will create legal and political problems -- it makes it hard to understand, ideologically, the Bangladeshi state," said Ataur Rahman, a Dhaka-based politics professor who teaches at the US's George Mason University.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The reason Bangladesh is so much more orderly than Pakistan is because it is ethnically Bengali, unlike Pakistan, that is Punjabi (42%), Pashtun (17.5%), Sindhi (14%), and Other (24%).
Bengali, though often Muslim, are more Indian in character than Persian or Arabic. The are the second largest ethnic group in the world, after Han Chinese, with heterogeneous ethnic origins.
Unfortunately, Bangladesh has been cursed with the twin devils of socialism and Islam. If it could overcome these two monstrosities, and embrace a modern, secular path, it could quickly become the breadbasket of southern Asia, with a very high standard of living.
This is because being the Ganges River delta, their farmland is so rich, P.J. O'Rourke wrote that, if you stick your foot in it, you will grow more toes.
But other nations, deeply afraid of the agricultural competition, paid its socialist government a pittance in foreign aid, in exchange for which they agreed to only grow the worthless fiber plant known as jute.
And most of that "foreign aid" was wasted on an enormous government bureaucracy that is larger, per capita, than that of the United States. With their largest government agency being "The Department of Jute".
Eventually, we can hope that they will overcome the perverse social limitations of Islam, which they might very well do, unlike their damned half-brother Pakistan.
[Bangla Daily Star] Bangladesh has improved a little by ranking 25th as the most failed state, from the 24th position last year, the prestigious US based Foreign Policy magazine said in its latest annual ranking. "We're #25! We're #25! We're #25! Boo-yah!"
Pakistain, Nepal and Sri Lanka are also featured in the list of the most failed states, reports UNB.
Pakistain was ranked at 12th, Myanmar 18th, Nepal 27th, Sri Lanka 29th and Bhutan 50th in the list of 60 countries in which African nations dominate.
"Hah!" says Pakistan, "We're better at failing than you. Y'all should've stuck with us instead of revolting."
The countries in the top 10 are Chad, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Zim-bob-we, Afghanistan Central African Republic and Iraq.
On Bangladesh, the report said two of five Bangladeshis live under the poverty line. Any improvement will also be fighting the environmental clock. If sea levels rise just by 1 metre, scientists warn, 17 percent of the country could be submerged.
Or not, if sea levels don't. And if they build apartment highrises, more farmland could be freed up where now there are villages. See how easy it is?
"Pakistain has long been dubbed the world's most dangerous country in Washington policy circles" and "yet Pakistain isn't just dangerous for the West -- it's often a danger to its own people," said the report.
"Nepal is the poorest country in South Asia, according to the United Nations, ...Parkinson's Law on an international scale... and that's unlikely to change until the grinding of the peace processor is implemented and security restored. There are signs that the Maoists may be losing patience -- and thinking about going back to the trenches to fight for more," added the report.
On Sri Lanka, it said, "The government's final push against the rebels relied on the shelling of civilians and other atrocities, according to a 2010 report by the International Crisis Group.
"The most recent statistics from last year indicate that some 327,000 are still displaced from the conflict."
"Despite the pronounced fractures still lingering, the Sinhalese-dominated government in Colombo seems eager to forget the past," it added.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Actually, Bangladesh is doing a LOT better than many. To start with, their police law & order attitude, with frequent crossfire fatalities of violent criminals, is a superb sign of a good government. Practical, pragmatic thinking, on a budget.
Add to this the effort to overcome the millstone of Islam tied around its neck is a great sign. I suspect that it won't be too long before they are once again a secular state. And if that government is better than socialist, their prospects look grand.
Though I think it is far more likely that voluminous snows in the headwaters of the Ganges, not a rising ocean, are its biggest water threat. So much for global warming. Hopefully, they will be able to afford considerable water management engineering, that will do much to lessen the river flooding effects.
#2
Anonymous, the Rab was formed because the police and courts pretty much don't work. The Rab at least gets the worst if the worst --and some random innocents they took a dislike to, or who were in the wrong place the wrong time -- off the streets, while avoiding the courts altogether. A Bangladeshi friend told me that's why the Rab are loved back home. It's the like the dictator who makes the trains run in time...
#3
We can snicker about being #25, but if things are getting better, more power to 'em!
It's the like the dictator who makes the trains run in time...
I would suggest a better analogy is the Texas Rangers. In the early days, when the West was being settled, they had a reputation for shooting first and maybe not bothering to ask questions at all. Harsh stuff, but it keep harsh men from preying on the law-abiding. If the end game is the rule of law rather than just another armed band of thugs, I would say it was worth it. That the RAB are loved at home makes me suspect the Bangladeshis feel the same way.
CARACAS--Venezuela's voluble and ubiquitous President Hugo Chavez hasn't returned to the public eye after a surgery in Cuba that has friends and foes alike speculating about the state of his health and the future of his rule.
Please bow your head for a moment of silent prayer.
[Your god or atheistic belief in the perfectability of Man here], please let the honourable Presidente Hugo Chavez die quickly and in great pain commensurate with the suffering he has imposed on Venezuela and the region, that his country might soon return to the fold of sensible and functioning nations. Amen.
Mr. Chavez has been in Cuba since June 8, when he was felled by a pelvic abscess for which he underwent an operation two days later. Soon after, Venezuelan officials said the flamboyant leader was in good health but would recuperate in Havana for a "few days."
Those few days have stretched to 11, punctuated by false alarms over the date of his return. On Monday, a ruling party lawmaker said Mr. Chavez was hours from touching down in Caracas and urged his supporters to prepare a "tremendous" welcome for him. The claim was quickly refuted on the Twitter account of Venezuela's Communications Minister Andres Izarra.
He may have had a pelvic abscess. But read this article, and any others like it, as closely as you will, and you'll not find an answer to the most important question:
why did he have a pelvic abscess?
Answer that and you'll figure out whether Hugo is on the mend or getting ready to fertilize daisies. Medical problems don't occur in a vacuum. An abscess just doesn't pop up, particularly in a location like the pelvis. Something is going on, and that something led to this.
On Tuesday, Mr. Chavez made another virtual appearance. In a statement posted on Mr. Izarra's Twitter account, he lamented the death of another Venezuelan official who had sought medical treatment in Cuba.
Perhaps there's a reason why El Jefe Fidel brought a Spanish doctor in?
"We don't know very much about [Chavez's] health, there is no official news, only partial reports," said Chavez critic Teodoro Petkoff, a former presidential candidate and current editor of the opposition newspaper Tal Cual.
Don't expect Chavez and his government to enlighten you, either. It's the classic situation for a dictator: you don't dare show weakness. Ask Saleh in Yemen; he's supposed to be returning home 'any day now'.
Mr. Chavez raised concerns when he said, during a call to a Venezuelan television station two days after his operation, that there were no "malignant" signs found, a former top Venezuelan health official said.
Not in that particular surgery, anyway...
The former official, who asked not to be named, pointed out that a pelvic abscess--a pus-filled cavity that can result from injury or infection--is a reaction to a condition. "His choice of words was a red flag," the official said.
The former official also said there was a possibility that Mr. Chavez would be hospitalized when he returned to Venezuela, another potential sign of the severity of his ailment. If it was a matter of simply treating an abscess, Mr. Chavez would likely not need a hospital at that point, the official said.
Once a slender tank commander and would-be major-league baseball pitcher, Mr. Chavez has cultivated an image as a health-conscious sportsman.
A suggestion given both Fidel's and Hugo's younger days: next time, have Major League Baseball sign the kid instead of letting him grow up to be a communist thug.
If only tourists had bought the sketches of that odious little Herr Schiklgruber!
But 12 years in power have taken their toll. Mr. Chavez, 56 years old, has gained a lot of weight since his days on the mound, works long hours and is known for drinking quarts of sternovinoaquevit coffee daily. Nevertheless, he seemed poised to resume a full schedule in early June after a knee injury had sidelined him, when he left Venezuela for visits to Brazil, Ecuador and Cuba.
In Cuba, he suffered acute pain during a meeting with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and was rushed into surgery.
There's as non-descriptive a description as you'll ever read.
Since then, Mr. Chavez has been deathly ill nearly invisible, except for a phone call into a Venezuelan television station on June 12, two days after his operation, and photographs of Mr. Chavez wearing a tracksuit in the colors of the Venezuelan flag as he is flanked by Fidel and Raul Castro, published in the state newspaper Granma on June 18.
In a three-paragraph note, Granma assured its readers that Mr. Chavez was in close communication with top Venezuelan officials and was "on top of the principal issues of his country."
During normal times, Mr. Chavez dominates Venezuela's airwaves and public space. He is prone to break into television broadcasts of baseball games and Venezuelans' favorite soap operas to blabber opine at length about matters such as local news events and the latest manifestation of U.S. imperialism.
Perhaps following Mr. Castro's advice to get some rest, Mr. Chavez has been noticeably silent about the week's events in Venezuela, where 5,000 troops are fighting to squelch a prison rebellion that so far has taken some 40 lives.
Romer Guevara, a 41-year-old court bailiff, said he didn't have any problem with Chavez governing from Cuba while recuperating. Mr. Guevara, who said he was politically neutral, added there was one thing he is sure he hasn't missed during Chavez's absence. "We don't like those long speeches," Mr. Guevara said. "We get tired of all that talking. He interrupts our shows all the time. He cuts in all the time when I'm watching baseball or a basketball game."
But Mr. Chavez has continued to enact major legislation from Havana, over the complaints of opposition lawmakers who unsuccessfully insisted he cede presidential duties during the extended and unplanned absence from Venezuela.
A long absence from Caracas would raise political uncertainty as the nation prepares for presidential elections next year. Mr. Chavez has no heir apparent, and a long absence due to health reasons could touch off a succession struggle between prominent Chavistas who belong to different and competing factions.
"It's revealing how Venezuela depends on one man rule," said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank. "There is nobody else. He makes all the decisions. There's a real risk the government won't work if he's out for a long time."
They could always try democracy. Just a thought.
Chavez: What do I care about the welfare of the nation as long as I stay in power and get rich???
Mr. Chavez is the most prominent existing example of a common Latin American phenomenon--the caudillo--rulers who base their legitimacy not on any sort of allegiance to institutions, but rather on developing a strong and emotional bond with Latin America's masses, especially the poor. During his decade-long rule, Mr. Chavez, who combines many of the qualities of a television evangelist with the authoritarian values of a soldier, has weakened many of Venezuela's already feeble institutions.
Now his illness could weaken his movement as it prepares to face a determined opposition in elections.
"Its a classic case of caudillos where there is no heir apparent," said Eric Olson, a Latin American expert at Washington's Woodrow Wilson Center. "His emphasis has been on building up the caudillo and on tearing down institutions."
Mr. Chavez' health is no doubt a major concern in Cuba. Any instability in Venezuela would have a major impact on the economically distressed island, which depends on cut-rate Venezuelan oil and on the personal connection struck with Mr. Chavez, for its economic survival.
Some analysts believe Mr. Chavez' long absence could be a sign his government is entering a crisis, especially if his health deteriorates. But others believe a healthy Mr. Chavez will soon be back giving orders from Venezuela's presidential palace.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/22/2011 08:38 ||
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#1
An anal fissure the length of a Louisville slugger.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/22/2011 13:01 Comments ||
Top||
#4
pelvic abscess? Look we know he's a coke head and his nose likely wore out... so substituting another body cavity for destruction by cocaine is not his most brilliant move...
Posted by: Water Modem ||
06/22/2011 13:17 Comments ||
Top||
#5
In Cuba, he suffered acute pain during a meeting with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and was rushed into surgery.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/22/2011 14:20 Comments ||
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#7
Unoffical word is return Friday and take up quarters in the Caracas Central Military Hospital. In definite bedrest. I'm wonder if he lost some bowel?
Confusing, more so that usual.
Posted by: Goldies Every Damn Where ||
06/22/2011 15:10 Comments ||
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#8
#4 WM good call. I'm with you on that one. If he has the habit. Very effective method of administration. If he indulges in spicy foods he could have colon cancer. I still like the sex change idea I heard somewhere.
North Korea has imported large amounts of tear gas, shields, and helmets from China, apparently with the aim to suppress any uprisings inspired by the so-called Jasmine Revolutions in the Arab world.
A source familiar with North Korean affairs said the regime has bought quantities of riot control gear through Chinese traders from Shenyang in Liaoning Province. North Korean officials are also reportedly trying to buy bulletproof vests and barricade materials.
Late last year, the North launched special riot control force in preparation for massive demonstrations. The units have reportedly developed new riot control methods for public places like railway stations, markets, schools, and parks.
The source said the regime launched the special units because there have been increasing signs of unrest since a botched currency reform in late 2008 from people who worry about their livelihood, and it fears that such demonstrations could grow and turn violent.
During the final stage of the great famine in 1998, when more than 1 million people starved to death, some senior officials at the Hwanghae Iron Works were executed for pilfering materials to solve the food problem of workers. Workers then staged a collective protest, which the regime suppressed with tanks.
A South Korean security official said, "The regime seems to be very afraid of popular riots after the botched currency reform and the Arab Spring."
The regime began stepping up preparations for riot control in April, when Gen. Ri Myong-su, the Army's former chief of operations, was appointed minister of public security.
According to an intelligence report, leader Kim Jong-il's son and heir Jong-un trained at the Administration Bureau of the powerful National Defense Commission when Ri was bureau chief. Ri is considered one of the closest associates of Kim junior, a South Korean government source said.
Observers speculate that China is also providing training in riot control.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/22/2011 00:00 ||
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Despite denials, it appears Beijing is becom increasingly twitchy ...
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > GROWING CHINESE CONCERN OVER ITS INTERNAL SITUATION. Across-the-board summary and finger-fiddling as per various national issues, from Uighurs to water shortages to labor to banking, etc.
* SAME > NOW,A DETERIORATED SURROUNDING FOR CHINA? Rising China versus Vietnam + Philippines = ASEAN, oer the Spratlys + Paracels.
LATEST SINO-VIET, SINO-PHIL DISPUTE IN SOUTH CHINA SEAS ILLUSTRATIVE OF ONGOING WESTERN ATTEMPTS TO ISOLATE OR CONTAIN CHINA ON LAND + SEA???
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS [Times of India] RED ALERT: CHINA GEARS UP [for Leadership Changes +..] TO AVOID SOVIET-STYLE COLLAPSE.
Beijing takes notice that the CPC has been in power for 62 years, + that the Cold War Soviet CPSU collapsed in 1991 after 74 years in power.
["BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA" = Demon Astrology scene here].
versus
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [TIME = Zachary Karabell] HARD OR SOFT LANDING FOR CHINA? HOW ABOUT NO LANDING. Econ of Rising China = TV's "Energizer Bunny" = keeps on going-n-going-n-going UPWARD = DYNAMIC EXPANSION MAY NOT SLOW OR STOP FOR A V-E-R-Y L-O-N-G TIME TO COME YET.
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > [Video]RUSSIA'S + CHINA'S NEW WORLD ORDER: CHINESE PRESIDENT CALLS FOR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE.
Which Radical Islam in similar belabels as GLOBAL/UNIVERSAL JIHAD + SHARIA.
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > WILL PLA FIRSTLY ATTACK US MILITARY BASES IN JAPAN? | LATEST RAND REPORT REPEATS WARNING THAT US BASES IN JAPAN [Futenma MCAS. Kadena AB], GUAM COULD BE ATTACKED FIRST DURING TAIWAN CRISIS.
Lest we fergit, most Analysts believe that any DPRK unilateral or premptive attack agz the US-ROK will NOT occur unless Beijing already ordered or consented to it.
#2
E.g. TOPIX, there are News Reports of North Korean women allegedly engaging in prostitution for food, + alleged DPRK Police reports as per domestic Human Cannibalism occurring???
#4
God, this is beginning to look like the 60's all over again; China's Great Leap (somewhere); riots in U.S. over all sorts of things like civil rights, draft, Vietnam; France having its own chaos. Heaven (if I can use that word here) help us.
When your metaphorical back is against the wall, you don't have much choice in who to contract with.
Likely for the right price (economic incentives), the Chinese could supply troops that were either ethnic Korean, Korean-Chinese, or Korean in appearance. Given their track record, Chinese troops dressed in police uniforms isn't a deal-breaker, whether they're NorK or Chinese 'police'.
#9
True, Pappy. My suspicion is he can trust the Chinese to do the bare minimum and little else; I suspect they don't want to spend any money they don't have to.
I was also thinking of the reports that he had recently purged his entire security apparatus.
#10
ION FREEREPUBLIC > CHINA WARNS US TO STAY OUT OF SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE, or becom involved in unwanted mil conflict.
* WAFF > PHILIPPINES: US MUST DEFEND FILIPINOS ON DISPUTED SPRATLY ISLANDS, as per provisions of the 1951 US-PHIL MUTUAL DEFENSE TREATY which covers attacks, real or potential, on any of the Parties' territories.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > CHINA WARNS VIETNAM OF POSSIBLE MILITARY RESPONSE [counter-response] IN SOUTH CHINA SEAS. "Any + all Actions necessary", including but not limited to MilAction.
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > BEYOND THE CHINESE "MONROE DOCTRINES". WILL AMERICA'S PAST BE ASIA'S [China's] FUTURE THEN?.
* CHINA DAILY FORUMS > MCCAIN: US MUST BOOST ASEAN DEFENSES IN SOUTH CHINA SEA, to help SE Asian nations = Partners counter Chinese any aggression.
* SAME > CCP AUTHORISED 400 PLA NUKE-TIPPED CRUISE MISSLES [Sub-launched CMS] BY 2015.
POSTERS = VIETNAM, OTHER SE ASIAN PEOPLES
ARE SERVANT RACES, STATES [historically?] FOR CHINA.
* SAME > CHINA WILL HAVE 20,000 WARHEADS OR 1200 MEGATONNES OF PLUTONIUM MATERIALS BY 2020.
POSTERS = China will empty out Tibet's Uranium Mines; China wid such an Arsenal will be able to Diploamtically, Militarily induce or force Russia to give back Outer Manchuria.
* IIRC SAME > CHINA NEEDS LEBENSTRAUM [living space]: CCP ACCEPTS NUCLEAR MAD [Mutual Assured Destruction]TO GUARANTEE THE SURVIVAL OF THE CHINESE RACE ON EARTH.
Ditto as per having enough Natural Resources, etc. available to support 2.0Bilyuhn Chinese.
Does INDJUH = India know???
Rising Islamic Nuclear Caliphate???
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > [The Diplomat] CHINA LOOMS OVER THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST.
Rising China's growing across-the-board comparative advantages = national, geopol endowments stands to intimidate + overwhelm Mama Russia.
A key al-Qaida member who had access to Osama bin Laden and allegedly financed terrorism invested millions of dollars with a Chicago futures brokerage firm — and now the U.S. government wants to take control of the remaining cash.
Abu al Tayyeb, who had allegedly considered a biological attack and other terror plots against U.S. citizens, wired $35 million to an associate, of which $26.7 million was deposited into an account in 2005, according to the federal lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department.
In less than a year, the account plummeted to less than $7 million because of poor trading decisions by the associate, according to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Chicago over the weekend.
The U.S. government froze the accounts in 2007 and is moving to collect the money under federal laws that allow seizure of assets connected to terrorism.
While the civil lawsuit does not link al Tayyeb's money to any terror activity, it portrays him as an al-Qaida operative who raised money for the terror group and plotted attacks on U.S. citizens and allies.
"Al Tayyeb began raising significant amounts of money through Â… a Saudi Arabian-based investment scheme," the lawsuit alleged. "Al Tayyeb then used the funds raised, in part, to finance jihadist-related activities."
Al Tayyeb's money was deposited in an account at Chicago-based R.J. O'Brien & Associates, which has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
"RJO is in no way targeted in this matter, and we have complied with all related laws, rules and regulations," the company said in a statement.
The account was set up in 2003 by someone identified only as "Individual A" as a commodities futures trading account, the government said.
Two years later, "Individual A" transferred the account to Mohammad Qasim al Ghamdi, who was identified as a general manager for the account, according to the lawsuit.
Al Tayyeb — also identified by authorities as Muhammad Abdallah Abdan Al Ghamdi — was well-connected to al-Qaida by then, having met with bin Laden in 2000 or 2001 in advance of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S.
Al Tayyeb allegedly gave Qasim al Ghamdi the equivalent of $35 million in Saudi riyals in 2005, but $26.7 million was invested with R.J. O'Brien, according to the lawsuit.
The two were identified by the Justice Department as associates. Both were arrested in 2006 by Saudi Arabian authorities.
In just eight months, the account was drained to $6.6 million, according to the government.
"Due to poor trading position adopted by Al Ghamdi, the Â… trading account decreased in value," the lawsuit said.
[Dawn] The drone attacks by US spy planes and acts of terrorism have not only affected the mental health of rustics but also the people of settled areas.
"About 80 per cent residents of South and North Wazoo agencies have been affected mentally while 60 per cent people of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar are nearing to become psychological patients if these problems are not addressed immediately," according to a survey conducted by an NGO, Horizon.
Conducted under the supervision of noted psychologist Dr Khalid Mufti, the survey said that seven to nine per cent children became victims of phobia owing to consistent telecast of terrorism related scenes by TV channels.
The skyrocketing price hike, energy crisis, lawlessness and untidiness had also made many people mentally retarded, it added.
It would be very difficult to save future of youth if the existing situation remained unchanged, said Dr Mufti. He urged TV channels to avoid telecasting footage of terrorism related incidents to improve mental health of people and children exposed to phobia and other disorders.
Underling the need for creating jobs opportunities and recreational activities to improve lives of people in restive areas, Dr Mufti said that owing to economic disparity, torture and domestic disputes, people of the affected areas were inclining to use of narcotics.
During the last one decade, he said, youths were confronted with mental and economic pressure while children and women were exposed to depression owing to uncertain situation.
"These problems need to be addressed for survival of our young generation and improving lifestyle of people," he added.
Dr Mufti appealed to people to work for establishment of a peaceful society to get rid of mental worries, problems and use of drugs. "For this purpose every segment of the society has to play a positive and constructive role," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Could it be inbreeding, Islam. In that order....
#2
"...the survey said that seven to nine per cent children became victims of phobia owing to consistent telecast of terrorism related scenes by TV channels."
If you don't like the (side)-effect, don't produce the cause. That would be the precious jihad.
#4
I was only half kidding about that. It would be a godsend if somebody could put an s-load of an extended release antidepressants-tranquilizers in their food supply. Pr*zac would be superb.
German paramedics are authorized at accident and police scenes to inject traumatized, stressed and overly emotional people with V*lium, involuntarily. It works! Nobody dares to shout, scream, fight or make a scene, because they know they will be settled down. This resolves situations twice as fast.
#5
Could it be inbreeding, Islam. In that order....Or liberalism?
Psychiatrist Confirms: Liberalism Is a Mental Disorder
Among Dr. Lyle Rossiter's observations:
Based on strikingly irrational beliefs and emotions, modern liberals relentlessly undermine the most important principles on which our freedoms were founded. Like spoiled, angry children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave.
A social scientist who understands human nature will not dismiss the vital roles of free choice, voluntary cooperation and moral integrity — as liberals do. A political leader who understands human nature will not ignore individual differences in talent, drive, personal appeal and work ethic, and then try to impose economic and social equality on the population — as liberals do. And a legislator who understands human nature will not create an environment of rules which over-regulates and over-taxes the nation's citizens, corrupts their character and reduces them to wards of the state — as liberals do.
The roots of liberalism — and its associated madness — can be clearly identified by understanding how children develop from infancy to adulthood and how distorted development produces the irrational beliefs of the liberal mind. When the modern liberal mind whines about imaginary victims, rages against imaginary villains and seeks above all else to run the lives of persons competent to run their own lives, the neurosis of the liberal mind becomes painfully obvious.
When I had my wisdom teeth removed the dentist gave me an IV version of Valium. I think it was called "Versed". TOTALLY mellowed me out. Was still semi-conscious, but getting my teeth pulled out was FUN!
[Dawn] Pakistain Mohammedan League -- Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Tuesday said that the government and the intelligence agencies were responsible for Pakistain's deteriorating security situation, DawnNews reported.
Speaking to a gathering in Azad Kashmire, he said the Kashmire dispute should be resolved in light of the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... ' resolutions.
He criticised the PPP-led coalition government at the centre and said the government was continuing with its corrupt practices and had no regard for the hardworking poor of the country.
Moreover, Nawaz said that no one would be permitted to compromise Pakistain's national interests and blamed the government and the intelligence agencies for the country's security situation.
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[Emirates 24/7] Pakistain's civilian leaders should capitalise on public anger with the military and try to ease its grip on power, a leading human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... activist and lawyer said on Tuesday.
The army's image has been dented by a number of setbacks starting with the killing of the late Osama bin Laden ... who has won the race to that place where we all eventually end up... last month by U.S. special forces on Pak soil.
Traditionally seen as untouchable, Pakistain's generals now face strong public criticism.
Asma Jahangir, a leading human rights campaigner and head of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said the mood in the country provided an opportunity to start correcting a lop-sided balance of power between the army and the civilian government.
"I am hopeful that public opinion will finally embolden civil society, including politicians. But it's not going to happen tomorrow morning," she told Rooters in a telephone interview.
"It's going to be a perpetual struggle. They are not just going to hand over and say 'thank you very much we are now under civilian control'. But at least they know that's what people want now."
The military has ruled nuclear-armed Pakistain for more than half of its history. Generals set security and foreign policy, even when civilian governments are in power, as is the case now.
The 600,000-strong army also runs a vast business empire that includes oil and gas interests, cereals and real estate.
"Our parliament has to strengthen itself for anyone to change because nobody hands over power just voluntarily," said Jahangir.
"The parliament will have to be more forceful and also begin to realise that they (the army) can't hold the economy of this country hostage, foreign policy hostage."
Pakistain's civilian leaders don't seem willing to stand up to the military in a country prone to army coups. Generals often orchestrate Pak politics from behind the scenes.
"They have selfishly overlooked the interests of the people of Pakistain. We think that it's time to change," said Jahangir.
The army says it does not interfere in politics and reiterated its commitment to democracy in a statement issued this month.
Jahangir said she is hopeful of change because the military has been on the defensive.
The United States kept Pakistain in the dark over the raid that killed bin Laden, humiliating the army and then piling pressure on it to crack down harder on militancy.
Then a handful of hard boyz besieged to a naval base in the city of Bloody Karachi last month, further embarrassing the military, which eats up a large chunk of state spending.
About 25 percent of government expenditure flows to the defence budget, according to some estimates, in a country with widespread poverty and social inequalities.
"The government needs to make legislation on intelligence agencies. They need to debate the defence budget. They don't need to cut it but at least they need to debate it," said Jahangir.
"There are parliamentary committees that are oversight structures for them. And there needs to be more parliamentary committees which are more effective."
To make matters worse for the military, suspicion fell on its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency after a prominent Pak journalist was tortured to death and dumped in a canal. The ISI said it played no role in his death.
Then the killing of an apparently unarmed man by paramilitary forces which was caught on videotape further eroded what little public confidence remains in Pakistain's security forces.
Jahangir said politicians and Paks should move swiftly, but cautiously, to try and strengthen civilian institutions while the military seems vulnerable.
"Momentarily they are a bit worried. They are vulnerable to the extent that people are besieging them to change. It is critical," she said.
"They have a way of overcoming it too. They know that this is momentary. They will soon start getting their civilian counterparts to change public opinion to confuse the issue, to demonise people. We have seen it happen before."
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(KUNA) -- Member States of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) in the Human Rights Council (HRC) called Tuesday on the new president of HRC Ambassador Laura Dupuy of Uruguay to lead the council by strictly following the principles of universality of human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... principles. The Rantburg Travel Agency is now accepting bookings for its Great Cathedrals of Arabia tour...
"You have assumed the presidency of the Human Rights Council at a very critical juncture. Today the Council is confronted with serious challenges and may receive the fate of the Commission on Human Rights," said Pakistain in a statement on behalf of the member states of the OIC.
The Council is entering its sixth year. It has been led by five distinguished colleagues who have not only put in their best but have tried to preserve the neutrality of their office and worked at building bridges with the aim of preserving the integrity and objectives of this Council, Pakistain added.
"Under your able leadership, Madam President, we are confident that the Council will improve its standing by upholding the principles of cooperation and genuine dialogue, while addressing human rights' issues in impartial, objective and non-selective way.
"We are confident that your experience will help guide the deliberations of this Council in a fair, transparent and objective manner. The OIC looks forward to working with you all in the days ahead and assures you, Madam President, of its fullest cooperation during the year ahead," assured Pakistain.
The OIC countries announced also its supporting to the proposal of NAM to rationalize the Programme of Work of the Council in order to make it manageable. The OIC regrets that the Council could not reach consensus on this issue.
"The Calendar of Meetings scheduled for the sixth year of the Council is hectic. The latest session of the Council, concluded last week, experienced unprecedented non-stop meetings during one session," explained Pakistain.
"This hectic schedule affects the ability of small delegations to effectively participate during the Council proceedings, formally as well as informally".
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(KUNA) -- French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe met here Tuesday with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak to discuss the Middle East grinding of the peace processor and the regional situation and Juppe told him "of the necessity to resume, discussions, negotiations for peace," diplomats said here.
Juppe and Barak already met at the beginning of the month during the French Minister's June 1-2 trip to Israel and the Paleostinian Territories and he explained the "French initiative" to try to start the grinding of the peace processor again by hosting an international conference that would address aid to the Paleostinians but would have a "strong political content" as well.
Officials here declined to answer questions on whether Israel responded favourably on Tuesday to the French proposal, which has already been met with scepticism by the United States.
Juppe "set out to Mr. Barak the why and how of the French initiative to restart the grinding of the peace processor (and) to restart the discussions, the negotiations in light of the parameters expressed by the US President in his major speech" last month in New York.
The French Minister also sought to impress upon Barak that everything must be done "to avoid finding ourselves in an impasse in September," when the Paleostinians say they will take their statehood issue to the United Nations. ...an idea whose time has gone... French Foreign Ministry front man Bernard Valero said that the discussions "went very well" and the talks were held in "a friendly" atmosphere.
But Juppe did not bring up the issue of Israel's ongoing, illegal settlement policy in Arab East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Only last Sunday, Israel announced the construction of another 2,000 illegal housing units in an existing settlement in East Jerusalem, a move that La Belle France said caused "deep concern." La Belle France has regularly condemned or regretted Israel's continued defiance of the will of the international community and has repeated regularly that settlements are "against international law" and "an obstacle to peace" and go against the will of the Middle East Quartet. ... The Quartet are the UN (xylophone), the United States (alto), the European Union (soprano), and Russia (shortstop). The group was established in Madrid in 2002 by former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar, as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Tony Blair is the Quartet's current Special Envoy.... Juppe did not raise the settlement issue with Barak, however, even though it is a key question that must be resolved before talks can resume with the Paleostinians.
Asked by KUNA about this and if Juppe broached the illegal settlement question, Valero replied: "To my knowledge, no," adding, "basically because our position is well known. Juppe spoke about it when he was over there with his Israeli interlocutors." He repeated the French view that settlement-building "is not acceptable, it is an obstacle to peace, it must be stopped, this has being going on for a long time. We made a statement yesterday (on this)," he said
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#1
"Hey Juppey, how many Libian children have you killed today?"
[Iran Press TV] New ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates and La Belle France have officially presented their credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in separate meetings.
During a meeting with the new Emirati envoy to Iran, Salehi called for more efforts to provide the basis for enhanced Tehran-Abu Dhabi ties.
The Iranian foreign minister also said that relations between Iran and its neighbors are the top priority in the Islamic Theocratic Republic's foreign policy.
United Arab Emirates' new Ambassador to Iran Saif Mohammed Obaid al-Zaabi, for his part, expressed hope that he will be able to help enhance ties between the Islamic Theocratic Republic and the UAE during his mission in Iran.
Al-Zaabi said that ties with Iran are a priority in his country's foreign policy and that the UAE will have no regard for "hostile remarks by some foreign parties."
The Emirati envoy also conveyed the warm regards of UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan to Salehi.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths... Iran's foreign minister also met with La Belle France's new Ambassador to Iran Bruno Foucher.
The two great nations of Iran and La Belle France have an honorable history, and enjoy age-old relations, Salehi said during his meeting with Foucher.
The French envoy, too, conveyed French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe's regards to Salehi and hailed the historic relations between the two countries.
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[An Nahar] Iran's parliament on Tuesday launched impeachment procedures against Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi for appointing an aide to the president's under fire chief of staff as one of his deputies.
The motion to impeach Salehi, signed by 33 politicians, was officially "read out in the parliament on Tuesday by an MP in the presiding board," as required by the law, a statement on the parliament website said.
Under the constitution, the signatures of 10 MPs in the 290-seat "majlis" are needed to start impeachment procedures against an incumbent minister. The move needs the approval of parliament's presiding board before being sent for a vote.
The targeted minister has to appear before parliament within 10 days to defend his case and ask for vote of confidence again.
The impeachment move comes after Salehi on Saturday appointed Mohammad Sahrif Malekzadeh as a deputy foreign minister in charge of administrative and financial affairs.
Malekzadeh was a top official in the high council of Iranian affairs abroad, run by President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, whom ultra-conservatives accuse of aiming to undermine the Islamic regime.
Ultra-conservatives, the Shiite clergy and the elite Revolutionary Guards have repeatedly called for Mashaie's dismissal, accusing him of leading "a current of deviation" and of exerting too much influence over the president.
Ahmadinejad has so far adamantly defended his aides, including Mashaie.
A number of influential deputies in the conservative-dominated parliament reacted to Salehi's appointment on Sunday by calling for his impeachment unless he sacks Malekzadeh.
In the impeachment notice, the deputies said that Malekzadeh's appointment was against national interests.
"Such an appointment jeopardises the nation's interests ... This person is on the verge of being tossed in the calaboose as (the judiciary) is investigating him over financial and non-financial cases," the notice said.
Influential MP Ahmad Tavakoli was quoted by the Iranian media on Monday as saying that the minister of intelligence had "told Salehi in writing that he is opposed to the appointment of Malekzadeh to the post of deputy foreign minister."
According to politicians in parliament's commission of national security and foreign policy, Salehi has given an undertaking that if he finds Malekzadeh has a criminal charges pending against him, he will be sacked.
On Tuesday, the vice-president in charge of parliamentary affairs, Mohammad Reza Mirtajeddini, was quoted on parliament's website as saying that "there is the possibility of resolving the issue."
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[An Nahar] Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... criticized on Tuesday the opposition's attack on the new government, labeling it as "rude" because a new cabinet should be granted a 100-day grace period.
He said after the movement's weekly meeting: "They didn't appreciate our 'one way ticket' joke. A new ward is being prepared for them in Roumieh prison and they will be granted a 'one way in' ticket for it."
"Their greed had affected their sense of humor," he added.
"Isn't there a location farther than Gay Paree the opposition can convene at? Let them go to Washington. We want justice, but we don't want the forgery of the truth," he noted.
Addressing Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, Aoun said: "He is a strange creature and he believes that he is the only person coming from a free country, but he comes from a state that enslaves people."
"He has grown accustomed to forming Leb's government, but this time it slipped through his fingers," he said.
"We are part of an axis of evil against its axis of evil. We are proud to be part of it. We are aware of all the good the Americans brought to Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Pakistain," Aoun added sarcastically.
"Spite and settling scores aren't on our agenda. We want to build a state on the basis of laws and justice," he stressed.
Furthermore, he revealed that he had contacted President Michel Suleiman, denying that they had discussed the national dialogue.
On Friday's festivities in the northern city of Tripoli, Aoun stated: "Prime Minister Najib Miqati didn't wrongfully accuse anyone. I believe the unrest was planned."
In addition, he urged Lebanese expatriates and foreigners to head to Leb during the summer, slamming the rise in ticket prices by the Middle East Airlines, an issue he said should be looked into.
"It is hindering tourism and the Lebanese people's return," the MP declared.
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#1
"The Corruptors" sounds like a Dean Martin Matt Helm movie.
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.
as the country's official state religion despite pledges by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to restore the state's secular character, a minister said Tuesday.
CARACAS--Venezuela's voluble and ubiquitous President Hugo Chavez hasn't returned to the public eye after a surgery in Cuba that has friends and foes alike speculating about the state of his health and the future of his rule.
Wazoo
Nawaz Sharif
[Emirates 24/7] Pakistain's civilian leaders should capitalise on public anger with the military and try to ease its grip on power, a leading 
Quartet.
Iran's parliament on Tuesday launched impeachment procedures against Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi for appointing an aide to the president's under fire chief of staff as one of his deputies.
Mahmoud 
Michel Aoun
