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Yemeni protesters demand trial of president
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Africa Horn
MSF says it will stay in Somalia
[Iran Press TV] Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it will continue humanitarian work in Mogadishu, despite a recent attack in which two of its staff were shot and killed in the Somali capital.

"MSF will be relocating some staff for security reasons, but remains committed to continuing our humanitarian work in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia," the group, which is also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, said in a statement on Friday.

On Thursday, Philippe Havet, 53, from Belgium and 44-year-old Andrias Karel Keiluhu from Indonesia were killed by a gunman at the MSF compound in Mogadishu.

Havet was country director for MSF and Keiluhu was a doctor.

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said on Friday that the perpetrator of the attack would be brought to justice "at the earliest opportunity."

"We welcome those who are willing to come to Somalia to work for the benefit of Somalis. This is a callous attack and a tragic example of an isolated incident and does not reflect any increased risk to international aid workers. I want to reassure the international aid community that we will do everything we can to enable foreign aid workers to operate safely in Somalia."

This is not the first time that staff members of Doctors Without Borders, which has been working in Somalia since 1991, have been killed.

Three MSF members -- a Kenyan surgeon, a French logistics expert, and a Somali driver -- were killed by a landmine in 2007.
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab


Africa North
Egypt 'pledges' to end rights group raids
CAIRO — The United States said on Friday that Egypt has given assurances that there will be no more police raids on human rights watchdogs after a major clampdown this week drew a torrent of criticism.

Some of the organisations targeted in Thursday’s swoops on 17 offices of local and international non-governmental organisations charged that the security force action ordered by Egypt’s military rulers was worse than that under the veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak whom they replaced in February.

A chorus of European governments had also expressed concern about the implications for the promised transition to democracy in the Arab world’s most populous nation, which is one of the major achievements of this year’s Arab Spring.

Egypt’s military leaders assured US ambassador in Cairo Anne Patterson that the raids on US and other pro-democracy groups would stop, and confiscated property, including computers and documents, be returned, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

“The ambassador has sought and received Egyptian leadership assurances that the raids will cease and property will be returned immediately,” Nuland said. “She has also made clear that we expect all international NGOs, including those that receive US government support, be able to return to normal operations as soon as possible in support of the democratic transition underway in Egypt.”
But it was all said to a gullible Western infidel diplomat, so it's not binding and doesn't mean anything...
But deep suspicion remains towards the military after days of deadly clashes between troops and protesters demanding an immediate transition to a civilian government with full powers, with many questioning the generals’ readiness to hand over the reins.

Rabab al-Mahdi, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo, said recent tirades by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) against the protesters and campaigns against the most vocal opposition movements were “indicators of a clear attack on voices of dissent”.

“The raids on NGO offices have to be seen in the wider context, they cannot be taken in isolation,” she told AFP.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Al-Qaeda trying to recruit fighters in Libya
They were doing that when DuckMan was in charge, and they're doing it now that he's gone. Some things never change...
WASHINGTON -- Al-Qaeda has sent seasoned terrorists militants to Libya in a bid to recruit a fighting force after the fall of Moamer Kadhafi's regime, CNN reported Friday, but US officials played down the threat.

The terrorists militants include a veteran operative who was once detained in Britain as a terror suspect and who was allegedly sent to Libya on the orders of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, the television news channel reported, citing a Libyan source briefed by Western officials.

The operative, who arrived in Libya in May, has since recruited some 200 fighters in the country's east and Western intelligence agencies are tracking his efforts, CNN said.

Another operative, with European and Libyan passports, was arrested en route to Libya from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region in "an unnamed country," according to CNN.

Following the collapse of Kadhafi's regime in the face of an armed rebellion and a NATO-led air campaign, Western governments have voiced concern about violent extremists trying to exploit instability in the country or getting their hands on surface-to-air missiles.

But US officials say Al-Qaeda remains severely weakened from American operations and that there are no signs the network has made major advances in Libya in the wake of Kadhafi's death.

"It is way too early for people to suggest that Al-Qaeda is going to establish a firm foothold in Libya," said one US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"They have a long ways to go to win the hearts and minds of the Libyan people," the official told AFP, saying Libya was unlikely to serve as fertile ground for Al-Qaeda. "It is entirely conceivable they would reject out of hand any attempt by Al-Qaeda or other extremist groups to shape their future."
Then again, it was a fertile recruiting ground before the revolution...
However, a US diplomatic cable from 2008 published earlier this year by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks portrayed the eastern Libyan town of Derna as a bastion for extremists. Al-Qaeda in Iraq drew heavily from Libyans from the eastern area, according to documents found in Iraq.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Subsaharan
Nigeria declares state of emergency in violence-hit areas
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday declared a state of emergency in areas hard hit by violence blamed on Islamist sect Boko Haram and ordered the closure of part of the country's borders.

He announced the measures after branding Boko Haram a "cancerous" body that was bent on destroying Africa's most populous country and vowing that the group blamed for a wave of bloody attacks would be crushed.

"While the search for lasting solutions is ongoing, it has become imperative to take some decisive measures necessary to restore normalcy in the country especially within the affected communities," Jonathan said in a nationwide broadcast.

"Consequently, I have... declared a state of emergency in the following parts of the federation," he said, listing parts of the states of Borno, where Boko Haram traditionally has its base, as well as Yobe, Niger and Plateau.

He also ordered the closure of the land borders of the affected areas to control "cross-border terrorist activities".

Jonathan said the move was necessary "as terrorists have taken advantage of the present situation to strike at targets in Nigeria and retreat beyond the reach of our law enforcement personnel."
Posted by: tipper || 12/31/2011 13:26 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Muslim Nigerian violence threatens to ignite wider Muslim-Christian conflict
(CNN) -- There are ominous signs in Nigeria that the campaign of violence by the bad boy Islamist group Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. Currently wearing a false nose and moustache and answering to Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad, or Big Louie...
is leading to wider and more explosive sectarian tensions -- in a country where Christian-Mohammedan relations are often tense and sometimes bloody.

The last two months have seen widespread bloodshed in northern Nigeria, with churches and cop shoppes among the targets.

Boko Haram (which according to the group means "Western civilization is forbidden") has grabbed credit for a series of attacks on churches in central and northern Nigeria on Christmas Day, including one near the capital, Abuja, which killed nearly 30 people.

Two days later, a kaboom at an Islamic school -- or madrassa -- in the southern Delta state injured several children. It's not clear whether it was intended as Dire Revenge™, but such sectarian attacks are rare in Delta state.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan
... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
called a meeting of military and police chiefs on Thursday to review the deteriorating situation. National police chief Hafiz Ringim was quoted by local media afterward as saying, "We are all scrambling to find our feet and face [the threat] squarely."

Boko Haram demands the imposition of Islamic Sharia law across Nigeria, and has recently extended its attacks beyond the deserts of northern Nigeria.

One of the Christmas bombings took place in Jos, long a fault line in Nigeria's sectarian divide.

Christian leaders have demanded a stronger response to the attacks from the government and the Mohammedan community. Ayo Oritsejafor, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, complained Wednesday that the response of Islamic leaders had been "unacceptable and an abdication of their responsibilities."

"The Christian community is fast losing confidence in government's ability to protect our rights," Oritsejafor said.

David Cook of Rice University, who has studied the rise of Boko Haram, says that "if radical Mohammedan violence on a systematic level were to take hold in Nigeria...it could eventually drive the country into a civil war."

Shehu Sani, a human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
activist based in northern Nigeria, shares that fear. Sani, who has tried to mediate between Boko Haram and the government earlier this year, warns that Christian retaliation "would be unimaginable in a nation racked by deep divisions."
Posted by: Fred || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram

#1  "Western civilization" is a tautology. As usual Islam is against civilised behaviour.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 12/31/2011 0:08 Comments || Top||

#2  They should be careful what they wish for.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, with 155m people, only half of which are Muslim. Of course, this could be an ethnographic fight as well, and they tend to be a lot bloodier.

The Kanuri people in the northeast were an Islamic empire (Kanem-Bornu empire) from about the year 1000, and ruled most of central Africa, so they are probably the serious instigators in this.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 12/31/2011 9:39 Comments || Top||


Arabia
More on US-Saoodi arms deal
More details on the Saoodi arms deal. EFL.
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has boosted its defense capabilities with a $29.4 billion arms deal with the United States.

The Kingdom confirmed on Friday that it has signed the deal to purchase 84 F-15SA fighter jets. A Defense Ministry spokesman said the deal includes 70 Apache attack helicopters, 72 Black Hawk helicopters, 36 AH-6i helicopters and 12 MD-530F helicopters as well as upgrading of 70 existing F15 jets.

“The agreement also includes American monitors munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance and hidden kill switches logistics for several years to ensure high level of defense capabilities for the Kingdom to safeguard its people and land,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

The US said it is worth $29.4 billion and would support more than 50,000 US jobs and give the American economy a $3.5 billion annual boost.

First deliveries of the aircraft will be made in early 2015, while the modernization of existing planes will start in 2014 and the first payments for the deal are expected in the coming weeks and months. Administration officials described the sale of advanced F-15s as designed to bolster overall Saudi defenses in an uncertain region. “In the Middle East right now, there's a number of threats," said Andrew Shapiro, assistant US secretary of state for political-military affairs.

The Obama administration in October 2010 notified Congress of the proposed F-15 sale as part of a potential package valued at up to $60 billion over 10 to 15 years, including the 84 advanced Boeing F-15SA fighters with cutting-edge Raytheon Co radar equipment and digital electronic warfare systems for which BAE Systems Plc is the key supplier.

The head of Boeing's military business, Dennis Muilenburg, told Reuters the deliveries would take about five years to complete, extending the F-15 production line toward the end of this decade.

Senior Pentagon official James Miller said the new F-15s "will be the most capable and versatile aircraft in the Royal Saudi Fighter inventory." He added: "The F-15SA will have the latest generation of computing power, radar technology, infrared sensors and electronic warfare systems."
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The Obama administration spins this arms deal as a jobs program? What turds.
Posted by: American Delight || 12/31/2011 4:22 Comments || Top||

#2  re: jobs program, this plays nicely with the Administration's recent strong arm of Boeing on behalf of the union

So yeah - to the unions it is a jobs program.
Posted by: lotp || 12/31/2011 7:02 Comments || Top||


Britain
On last day of the year BBC parrots Pakistan's ISI with a biased frontpage article.

The one-sided ISI point of view in this article shows the BBC to be an enemy of the American people.
Posted by: Water Modem || 12/31/2011 08:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A guy at work refuses to watch BBC as they are too left wing.

People in UK were brought up thinking Israelis were devils and paelos innocent and harmless by watching BBC
Posted by: Paul D || 12/31/2011 9:59 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
The Guardians of Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un has been officially named North Korea's supreme leader. But what role will his guardians play?
Posted by: Cromomble Shomoque6188 || 12/31/2011 12:40 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Who Is the Mystery Woman with Fat Boy?
A young woman spotted near new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his father's funeral has drawn international press attention. In a scene from the funeral broadcast by North Korean state TV on Wednesday night, Kim Jong-un is shown paying his last respects to Kim Jong-il flanked by 20 to 30 high-ranking officials at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang.

A woman who appears to be in her 20s can be seen standing among the entourage in addition to his aunt Kim Kyong-hui (65), and his sister Kim Yeo-jong (24). She is tall, has long hair and a youthful countenance.

She can also be seen confidently walking past Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek as he enters the palace, giving rise to speculation that she is Kim Jong-un's wife.

Rumors began circulating last year that Kim had married a woman who graduated from the prestigious Kim Il-sung University. But others suggest she is his secretary. In North Korea, personal secretaries to the leader are believed to wield considerable power. This would explain why she walked so freely past Jang, who is believed to be the power behind the throne. Kim Jong-il's fourth wife Kim Ok used to be his secretary.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Stepmother?
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/31/2011 0:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Iff MADONNA + MARIAH like overweight men, why not .....?

[Oblig BOWZER = SHA-NA-NA here].

D *** NG IT, IFF OBESITY IS GOOD FOR THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, ITS GOOD FOR NORTH KOREA!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/31/2011 0:29 Comments || Top||

#3  Pugsley's cook?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/31/2011 0:53 Comments || Top||

#4  I think that Pugsley should be encouraged to marry a serial marriager, like Jennifer Lopez, who has a hefty supply of Hispanic jealous-neurotic-stalker-psychotic in her. She would sex him to exhaustion, then get so hyper-possessive that he would spend most of his time out of the country avoiding her as she terrorized the palace staff.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 12/31/2011 9:59 Comments || Top||


North Korea vows no softening despite new leader
PYONGYANG, North Korea: North Korea warned the world Friday there would be no softening of its position toward South Korea’s government after Kim Jong Il’s death as Pyongyang strengthened his pudgy son and heir’s authority with a new title: Great Leader.

North Korea’s powerful National Defense Commission said that the country would never deal with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative who stopped a no-strings-attached aid policy toward the North in 2008.

The stern message also said North Korea was uniting around Fat Boy Kim Jong Un, referring to him for the first time with the title Great Leader — previously used for his father — in a clear message of continuity. It was the latest incremental step in a burgeoning personality cult around the son following the Dec. 17 death of Kim Jong Il.

The younger Kim on Thursday was pronounced Supreme Leader of the ruling party, military and people at a massive public gathering on the final day of official mourning for his father.

The top levels of government appear to have rallied around Pudgy Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s, in the wake of his father’s death. Still, given his inexperience and age, there are questions outside North Korea about his leadership of a nation engaged in delicate negotiations over its nuclear program and grappling with decades of economic hardship and chronic food shortages.

“We declare solemnly and confidently that the foolish politicians around the world, including the puppet group in South Korea, should not expect any change from us,” the National Defense Commission said. “We will never deal with the traitor group of Lee Myung-bak.”

In a bellicose voice, a female news anchor for state TV read the National Defense Commission statement, saying the “evil misdeeds” of the Lee administration reached a peak when it prevented South Koreans from visiting North Korea to pay respects to Kim Jong Il, except for two delegations led by a former first lady and a business leader, both of whose husbands had ties to North Korea.

North Korea had said foreign official delegations would not be allowed at the funeral but that it would welcome any South Koreans who wanted to travel to pay respects to Kim.

“Even though we lost Kim Jong Il, we have the dear respected Kim Jong Un,” Kang Chol Bok, a 28-year-old officer of the Korean People’s Internal Security Forces, told The Associated Press. “We will turn our profound sorrow into strength and courage.”

The North’s statement is a warning for Seoul not to take the new leadership lightly, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Dongguk University.

“It is also raising the stakes in case the South wants better relations so Pyongyang can extract greater concessions” during any later talks, Koh said. He added that it’s “too early to say the North is dashing hopes for reforms.”
Oh well. The South tried. Keep the border strong and wait it out...
While blasting the South’s leader, the North also offered a bit of hope for improved ties with the South, saying it “will continue to push hard toward the path of improved relations.”

But it added that any better ties won’t be “based on the deceitful ploys South Korea is employing by mixing ‘toughness’ and ‘flexibility.’” Seoul has signaled a change in its approach toward Pyongyang in recent months, saying it will be more flexible in dealing with the North.

Titles are important in North Korea and part of the myth-building surrounding the Kim family legacy.

Kim Il Sung, the country’s first and only president, retains the title Eternal President even after his death.

Kim Jong Il held three main positions: chairman of the National Defense Commission, general secretary of the Workers’ Party and supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army. According to the constitution, his position as chairman of the National Defense Commission made him Supreme Leader of North Korea.

Kim Jong Un was made a four-star general last year and appointed a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party. Since his father’s death, North Korean officials and state media have given him a series of new titles: Great Successor, Supreme Leader and now Great Leader.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
India asks Pakistan to declare its nuke doctrine
India has pressed Pakistan to enunciate its nuclear doctrine to ensure "transparency and predictability" of its atomic policy, local media reported Friday quoting official sources.

The demand was made at a meeting on nuclear confidence building measures (CBMs) earlier this week; the talks took place after nearly four years -- the last such engagement was in the Indian capital in 2007, Xinhua reported according to Financial Express.

It is learnt that officials from the Pakistan Army were part of the talks on December 27 in Islamabad, which was led by officials from the foreign ministries of the two countries, the newspaper said.

The sources said that in view of the concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, there is a felt need for an official doctrine on their nuclear "command and control".

India, which has declared its nuclear doctrine, told Pakistan that if it demonstrates practical measures on "restraint and responsibility" towards its nuclear assets, it will be considered a "confidence-building measure" on the nuclear front, the newspaper said.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1 

I would think the Pakistani doctrine is clear
Posted by: john frum || 12/31/2011 7:07 Comments || Top||

#2  The US faced the same problem with the Soviet Union, which was eventually clarified through treaties. Though on the surface they would seem to be meaningless, in reality there are a lot of things that don't matter strategically, but can prevent lethal misunderstandings. Some that come to mind:

1) Notification prior to detonation and missile tests, at least providing a window in which they will happen. Integral to this is some means to destruct off course test missiles, if not real ones.

2) Limitations on type and location of tests.

3) Nuclear accident protocols, if the other country may be impacted by downwind contamination.

4) Naval boundaries for vessels with nuclear weapons capabilities which are greater than for warships with conventional weapons.

5) Third nation arbitration of nuclear subject disagreements.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 12/31/2011 9:52 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iraq row festers as speaker denies penning op-ed
BAGHDAD — A political row festered in Iraq on Friday, as a top Sunni leader denied he penned a commentary criticising the Shiite-led government, the latest in a crisis that has stoked sectarian tensions.

Since the departure of US troops less than two weeks ago, Iraq has plummeted into a political standoff, with authorities having charged Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi with running a death squad and premier Nuri al-Maliki calling for his Sunni deputy Saleh al-Mutlak to be sacked.

Mutlak and Hashemi’s Sunni-backed Iraqiya party has boycotted parliament and cabinet, and on Wednesday, the New York Times ran a piece by three Iraqiya leaders — Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi, parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and Iraqiya leader Iyad Allawi — sharply critical of Maliki’s administration.

Nujaifi, however, has since said his name was added to the piece without his knowledge.

“The article published in the New York Times... has been written without the knowledge of speaker Nujaifi,” said a statement issued by his office late on Thursday. It added that his name was “inserted in an attempt by some people to diminish the importance of his (Nujaifi’s) leadership.” The statement did not give further details.

The op-ed had accused Maliki, a religious Shiite, of using security forces and the judiciary to hound his mainly Sunni opponents.

“The prize, for which so many American soldiers believed they were fighting, was a functioning democratic and nonsectarian state,” the piece said. “But Iraq is now moving in the opposite direction — toward a sectarian autocracy that carries with it the threat of devastating civil war.”

The support of Iraqiya — which narrowly won a 2010 poll and garnered most of its seats in Sunni areas, is seen as vital to preventing a resurgence of violence.

Maliki’s spokesman Ali Mussawi welcomed Nujaifi’s comments distancing himself from the piece, telling AFP that it “indicates the desire of Nujaifi and his ability to play a national, active, serious role.”

Mussawi said the editorial was “far from reality, national spirit and responsible feelings.”

Iraq’s political row, which erupted on December 17, the day before US forces completed their withdrawal from the country, has shown little sign of improvement since.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syria accused of reneging on Arab League pledge to release 700 prisoners
Syria's government has gone back on a pledge to release hundreds of political prisoners from its jails, according to a human rights group. The government had promised to release more than 700 detainees from jails last week as part of a peace plan drawn up by the Arab League.

Under the plan monitors have also been allowed to observe confrontations on Syria's streets between protesters and security forces. More than 5,000 people have died since massive demonstrations against the regime started in March, including large numbers of protesters killed by security forces.

Thousands are also believed to have been detained, and the names of several hundred of them were given to the government with a request to let them out.

But despite agreeing, only 13 have been released, according to Avaaz, an organisation which monitors Syria through a network of campaigners operating outside the clutches of the notorious secret police.

"Our information is that only 13 named prisoners have been released," said spokesman Will Davies.
Posted by: tipper || 12/31/2011 13:56 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  700 vs 13? Why get caught up in details. You're arguing with Arabs, c'mon!
Posted by: Frank G || 12/31/2011 15:45 Comments || Top||

#2  Counting, Middle Eastern style: one .. two .. many...
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 16:13 Comments || Top||


Son of Islamic Jihad founder reported to be jailed in Syria
The son of Islamic Jihad founder Fathi Shaqaqi was nabbed by security forces in Syria, an Egyptian newspaper reported Saturday.

According to the story, 20-year-old Ibrahim Fathi Shaqaqi was taken into custody from his home in the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp. A relative told the publication that the security forces detained the youth without allowing the family to see him or giving them any information of his whereabouts. Senior Islamic Jihad officials were prohibited from visiting him as well.

The relative said that Ibrahim is not the only Islamic Jihad operative to be jailed in Syria. Despite the close ties between the Assad and the terrorist militant group, Syrian authorities refused the Jihad's request to release its terrorists militants when the uprising against the Syrian regime began.

Ibrahim's family also claims that the regime's forces are intentionally refusing to reveal the location where he and the other operatives are held.

Ibrahim's father, Fathi Shaqaqi, was assassinated in Malta in 1995.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/31/2011 05:39 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Short Round rattles saber at neighbors
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned certain regional countries on buying weapons from the U.S. and using them to serve interests of Washington, ISNA reported. Ahmadinejad said Wednesday the U.S. and Israel are exploiting some Arab countries to damage other nations.

Speaking to crowds of people in Ilam Province, western Iran, he advised these regional countries not to follow the U.S. and Israel, and instead should stand by their nations.

"The Iranian nation has stood against world powers over last 32 years and will not ignore its rights," Ahmadinejad said. He called the use of pressure and hawkish strategies against the nation of Iran useless.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Guess that's about the F15s.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/31/2011 0:24 Comments || Top||

#2  Yuuuppp, which in turn supports my contention that IRAN = NORTH KOREA = RANTS AIMED MORE AT SCORING CALIPHATE, UMMAH, ETC. POINTS AGZ SUNNI SAUDIS THAN AGZ THE US, ISRAEL.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/31/2011 0:32 Comments || Top||

#3  Ditto that JM.
Posted by: Dale || 12/31/2011 6:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Does a plastic Blut Mit Ehre dagger from a Third Reich playset actually rattle?
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/31/2011 10:22 Comments || Top||


Iran Authorities block Rafsanjani's website
It says something about the make-up of the Mad Mullahs™ that a rabid dog like Rafsanjani is in trouble...
TEHRAN: The website of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been blocked after an order from the government, his office confirmed Friday.

Mohammad Hashemi, Rafsanjani's younger brother, told the semiofficial ISNA news agency Friday that a company providing services to the site told Rafsanjani's office that it was ordered to cut it off. He said it was not yet clear which authority ordered the site to be blocked.

Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, supported opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in the disputed 2009 presidential election that led to re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Since the election, Iran has blocked dozens of opposition websites, including the website of former reformist President Mohammad Khatami. Opposition members believe Ahmadinejad's re-election was fraudulent.

A conservative website accused Rafsanjani's website of seeking to create rifts within the hard-line camp ahead of March 12 parliamentary elections.

Registration of candidates for the election ends Friday. The country's major reformist groups are staying out of the race, claiming that basic requirements for free and fair elections have not been met.
Posted by: Steve White || 12/31/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Sat 2011-12-31
  Yemeni protesters demand trial of president
Fri 2011-12-30
  At Huge Rally, North Koreans Declare Pudge Their Leader
Thu 2011-12-29
  Turkish air strike kills 35 Kurdish smugglers
Wed 2011-12-28
  Iran Says No Oil via Strait of Hormuz if Sanctions Applied
Tue 2011-12-27
  More than 40 Dead in Syria as Besieged Homs Heavily Shelled
Mon 2011-12-26
  Sudan kills Darfur rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim
Sun 2011-12-25
  Two Christmas Day church bombings in Nigeria kill 28
Sat 2011-12-24
  Syria Says 40 Dead in Capital Suicide Blasts, Opposition Blames Regime
Fri 2011-12-23
  Arab Observers Arrive in Syria to Monitor Peace Plan
Thu 2011-12-22
  Explosions rock Baghdad; 18 killed, dozens injured
Wed 2011-12-21
  185 Syrians Dead as corpse count hits three digits for the first time
Tue 2011-12-20
  Syria allows Arab observers
Mon 2011-12-19
  20 Civilians, 6 Troops Killed in Fresh Syria Violence
Sun 2011-12-18
  Kimmie Dead
Sat 2011-12-17
  Australian terror conspirators jailed for 18 years

Better than the average link...



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