[Politico] The B.O. regime is flatly denying a blaring British newspaper report that the U.S. diplomats in Libya were killed as a result of a "continuing security breach," and that "credible information" about possible attacks had been ignored.
A U.S. official told POLITICO: "There's no intelligence indicating that the attack in Benghazi was premeditated."
The newspaper, The Independent, plastered its cover with the headline, "Revealed: inside story of US envoy's liquidation," and reported inside: "The killings of the US ambassador to Libya and three of his staff were likely to have been the result of a serious and continuing security breach ... American officials believe the attack was planned."
The article continued: "According to senior diplomatic sources, the U.S. State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and 'lockdown', under which movement is severely restricted."
Shawn Turner, front man for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, emailed: "This is absolutely wrong. We are not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 02:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Shawn Turner, front man for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, emailed: "This is absolutely wrong. We are not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent."
Intelligence reporting need not be "actionable" to be crucial. Knowing these people are, let me say.... 'anniversary prone to violence', a geographic uptick in [source unspecified] reporting during the 9/11 timeframe might be something to investigate further, keep an eye on, or mention in routine cables.
Furthermore, I always get a bit uneasy when "intelligence experts" respond with the words "absolutely", always, or never, especially when it involves a potential operational cock-up involving dead people.
#2
I mean like duh. zawahiri only celebrated the martyrdom of al libi and asked the mooj to avenge his blood. Plus his bro offered a hudna. Doesn't anybody understand this language? Anyone? Yes. Precautions should have been taken in Libya.
#3
It was the anniversary of 9/11. Champ may not get that but the radical Muslims do. The intel may not have been 'actionable' but it should have raised security precautions substantially.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/14/2012 8:47 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Just because we didn't have any intelligence on it doesn't mean it wasn't premeditated. It was obviously planned, premeditated, organized, etc. and therefore an intelligence failure. But of course O can't admit that so it never happened. Move along.
#5
the "actionable" part is pure spokesholee dissembling. They had warning, knew a prime anniversary date was coming up, yet did nothing to protect our people. "Under the bus" doesn't even begin to describe what Zero and Shrillary have done and continue to do. These are Americans dead because he couldn't be bothered.
"Intel briefings? Val can attend and give me a headsup if it's important, like if it affects my campaigning and fundraising"
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2012 9:38 Comments ||
Top||
#6
At a bare minimum - you would think they would have stocked up on weapons.
Secretary Clinton delivered a powerful and personal speech about religion at an Eid ul-Fitr reception, marking the end of the Moslem holiday of Ramadan. The speech, at times, was a direct response to the attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in the Middle East, and the deaths of four diplomats at the hands of gunnies in Libya.
In her remarks, Clinton repeated much of what she's said in the last two days. Namely that the Benghazi attack was carried out by a "small and savage group," and that the United States completely rejects what she called the "inflammable and despicable" anti-Moslem film circulating the Internet. However, a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... Clinton pointed out all religions have faced insults and denigration, but that's no justification for violence. The response to such insults is what separates people of true faith from those who would use religion as an excuse to commit violent acts, she said.
"When Christians are subject to insults to their faith, and that certainly happens, we expect them not to resort to violence. When Hindus or Buddhists are subjected to insults to their faiths, and that also certainly happens, we expect them not to resort to violence," said Clinton. "The same goes for all faiths, including Islam."
She spoke movingly about her own personal beliefs as a way of re-enforcing her point.
"I so strongly believe that the great religions of the world are stronger than any insults. They have withstood offense for centuries," said Clinton."Refraining from violence, then, is not a sign of weakness in one's faith; it is absolutely the opposite, a sign that one's faith is unshakable."
She asked the crowd to work towards building a world where if one person commits a violent religious act, millions of people will stand up and condemn it
"We can pledge that whenever one person speaks out in ignorance and bigotry, ten voices will answer," Clinton said forcefully. "They will answer resoundingly against the offense and the insult; answering ignorance with enlightenment; answering hatred with understanding; answering darkness with light."
The secretary urged the audience not to be discouraged by the hatred and violence that exists, but instead resolve to do something tangible to promote religious tolerance in their own communities.
"In times like these, it can be easy to despair that some differences are irreconcilable, some mountains too steep to climb; we will therefore never reach the level of understanding and peacefulness that we seek, and which I believe the great religions of the world call us to pursue," she reflected. "But that's not what I believe, and I don't think it's what you believe... Part of what makes our country so special is we keep trying. We keep working. We keep investing in our future," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 02:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Classic deflection through the repeated use of the progressive passive voice, ie, crimes are caused, not committed.
#2
The secretary urged the audience not to be discouraged by the hatred and violence that exists, but instead resolve to do something tangible to promote religious tolerance in their own communities.
Can we start by rounding up all those with violent tendencies and shipping them t0 Saudi Arabia?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/14/2012 5:55 Comments ||
Top||
#3
But what of the broadcasting of the obscure youtube on tv in egypt? And what of the hornets nest reaction which was certain? And what of the timing so that the rage would erupt on 9/11? Hillary is a dope and not the smartest woman in the world. What next? Prosecute on the basis of Sharia. Now that's disgusting.
#5
"When Christians are subject to insults to their faith, and that certainly happens, we expect them not to resort to violence. When Hindus or Buddhists are subjected to insults to their faiths, and that also certainly happens, we expect them not to resort to violence," said Clinton. "The same goes for all faiths, including Islam."
That should on the front of all newspapers worldwide!
Posted by: Paul D ||
09/14/2012 7:59 Comments ||
Top||
#6
"We can pledge that whenever one person speaks out in ignorance and bigotry, ten voices will answer."
Waiting for Mrs Clinton's condemnation of US government mandated 'ignorance and bigotry' ...
#7
"We can pledge that whenever one person speaks out in ignorance and bigotry, ten voices will answer," Clinton said forcefully. "They will answer resoundingly against the offense and the insult; answering ignorance with enlightenment; answering hatred with understanding; answering darkness with light."
On a serious note, this 'more speech' approach will not work against even harsh criticism of Islam, and the Muslims know it.
Terry Jones said he burned the Koran in order to draw attention to the persecution of Christians in the islamic world.
A discussion of Jones' 'bigoted' act will thus necessarily turn into a discussion of Islam's murderous intolerance.
Even our allies, the liberated moderate Afghans have instituted the death penalty for apostasy.
This is a fact that will ensure that Islam loses in the free marketplace of ideas. This is why Islam must destroy the free marketplace of ideas if it is to survive unchanged.
#9
"When Christians are subject to insults to their faith, and that certainly happens, we expect them not to resort to violence. When Hindus or Buddhists are subjected to insults to their faiths, and that also certainly happens, we expect them not to resort to violence," said Clinton. "The same goes for all faiths, including Islam."
I had my fingers crossed, I only meant the Christians, Amish, Hindus and Buddhists should not resort to violence. I had my fingers crossed about the Muslims.
#14
How about we use a year's worth of foreign aid to these countries that hate us to move the remaining non-muslims here.
Gotta be a goodly number of shopkeepers, bankers, etc. - productive people - in that crowd. Let the rest of them starve to death without anyone else to blame.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/14/2012 12:48 Comments ||
Top||
#15
Here, here Bobby. And set up an offer to pay the fare for anyone of middle eastern origin who wants to give up cotizenship or visa and head back.
[Foreign Policy] President Barack Obama I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar, we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick... didn't intend to signal any change in the U.S.-Egypt relationship last night when he said Egypt is not an "ally," the White House told The Cable today.
In an interview with Telemundo Wednesday night, Obama said that the U.S. relationship with the new Egyptian government was a "work in progress," and emphasized that the United States is counting on the government of Egypt to better protect the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, which was attacked by protesters on Sept. 11.
"I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy," Obama said. "They're a new government that is trying to find its way. They were democratically elected. I think that we are going to have to see how they respond to this incident."
That comment had Egypt watchers scratching their heads, especially since technically, Egypt was designated as a Major Non-NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... Ally in 1989 when Congress first passed the law creating that status, which gives them special privileges in cooperating with the United States, especially in the security and technology arenas.
White House front man Tommy Vietor told The Cable Thursday that the administration is not signaling a change in that status.
"I think folks are reading way too much into this," Vietor said. "'Ally' is a legal term of art. We don't have a mutual defense treaty with Egypt like we do with our NATO allies. But as the president has said, Egypt is longstanding and close partner of the United States, and we have built on that foundation by supporting Egypt's transition to democracy and working with the new government."
Vietor referred to Obama's Wednesday phone call with Mohamed Morsy, during which Obama pressed the Egyptian president to ensure the safety and protection of U.S. personnel and facilities in Egypt. Morsy agreed to do so, according to a White House statement on the phone call.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
CAIRO: An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced former prime minister Ahmed Nazif to three years in prison and to pay a fine of nine million Egyptian pounds ($1.5 million) for illegal enrichment.
Nazif, who left his post in late January 2011 at the start of a popular revolt against then president Hosni Mubarak, was accused of abusing his post to make illegal gains, the official MENA news agency reported. Didn't distance yourself from the big guy early enough, Ahmed...
The Egyptian judiciary has put on show trial several senior officials and businessmen close to the Mubarak regime since its ouster on February 11, 2011, including the long-time leader and his sons.
Nazif, who was close to business circles and viewed as the architect of economic liberalization in Egypt, was charged in July 2011 after being accused of having appropriated state property and embezzling public funds.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
The military's top uniformed leader decided on his own to phone an extremist Florida pastor linked to an inflammatory anti-Islamic online video, the Pentagon said Thursday -- no one else asked him to do so.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey called Florida pastor Terry Jones on Wednesday to ask him to withdraw his support for the video that some reports have linked with anti-American unrest in the Muslim world, a spokesman said. Military leaders aren't supposed to do that.
Didn't someone at that office call the good pastor last time around, too?
"He called of his own initiative over concern that the violence incited by the film would pose risks to U.S. service members around the world," said Marine Col. Dave Lapan. I appreciate the concern but you don't fix that by intimidating American citizens into giving up their First Amendment rights. Our military is supposed to defend itself. If our military is in a position where they can't do that, get them the hell out of that position.
Muslim protestors have reportedly cited the video as one reason for this week's attacks against American diplomatic missions, including embassies in Yemen and Cairo and the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed on Tuesday. The other reason was that they just wanted to kill Americans...
When asked at a press briefing about whose decision it was to call Jones, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little added: "Gen. Dempsey was willing to call pastor Jones. The kinds of words and actions that pastor Jones has spread have incited violence and have led to deaths, including in Afghanistan and including American service members. I think that's why he called. It was a brief conversation and pastor Jones was non-committal."
Jones first gained national attention when he threatened to burn Korans on Sept. 11., 2010. After Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus condemned the threat and said it would put American service members at risk, Jones called off the burning. Gates phoned him to appeal personally. Still, Jones wound up burning a Koran after all earlier this year.
Clinton gave a statement Thursday at the State Department in which she emphasized that the American government had no connection with the online video and that it rejects insults against any religion. It also apparently is willing to sacrifice the rights of American citizens...
Also in the briefing, Little declined to go into detail about press reports that commanders had ordered two Navy warships to the Libyan coast after Tuesday's attack on the consulate.
"On the issue of assets being moved toward Libya, I'll be very clear: We do have ships in the Mediterranean," he said. "We have had ships in the Mediterranean for some time. None of our naval vessels in that region have been assigned any specific mission with respect to Libya. Our assets in the region are prepared to respond to any contingency. That's what the U.S. military does. But again, they haven't been assigned a specific mission."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I don't want to be complicit in phoning Florida pastors.
#2
"Clinton gave a statement Thursday at the State Department in which she emphasized that the American government had no connection with the online video and that it rejects insults against any religion."
Calling Holy Scripture 'trash' and ordering it burned apparently doesn't count as an insult.
Pentagon office sneezing and car parking totally out of control. General Dempsey orders the errection of new Slugging tents, medics, and mandetory flu shots along I-95 corridor.
#4
"He called of his own initiative over concern that the violence incited by the film would pose risks to U.S. service members around the world,"
re: Secretary Panetta directed the call and we had to come up with an excuse that is so absolutely lame given all the administration's actions which daily/hourly endanger service members around the the world.
#5
"Clinton gave a statement Thursday at the State Department in which she emphasized that the American government had no connection with the online video and that it rejects insults against any religion."
-there, that should've been the end of it. Quit qualifying statements to appease these clowns you only look stupid Madame Secretary.
#6
SECDEF Panetta decided not to task any of the dozens of his civilian handmaidens to make the call... but rather asked the senior uniformed officer to make it ?
#7
Dempsey doesn't understand the place of the military in America and the dangerous precedent he has set by interfering in civilian political activities. He is a disgrace and should resign for the good of the service.
#10
Clinton gave a statement Thursday at the State Department in which she emphasized that the American government had no connection with the online video and that it rejects insults against any religion.
Please don't kill the masters. Kill the serfs. And for your convenience, we've even identified the guy to the press and provided a general location.
#12
As I dig into this, let us suppose for the sake of arguement that General Dempsey's anxiety regarding this alleged movie had something to do with it's lifestyle content. Was Ambassador Stevens targeted for a similar reason ?
#14
I'm not prepared to go there NS. I will just say there are pieces that appear to be fitting together that point to a targeted hit or hostage taking situation. What was the motive?
1. North African Tehran 1979.
2. Islamists appear as strong horse to seize control in power vacuum resulting from Arab Spring.
3. Divert attention from area of primary activity.
What I don't get is why do this to Baraq ibn Baraq right before the election. Do they think this will help their best friend?
Divining motivation is tricky and perhaps impossible. The question is when they do something like this, how do we react? They should be able to learn that their actions have consequences and if they don't they can suffer the Darwin effect.
#17
Sept 11 seems to juicy a date to skip. They would have been smart to hit right after the election to ensure the US had cooled before Romney took office and it could be used to undercut Romney. And if Obama won you undercut him and force him to grovel even more.
The White House is flatly rejecting calls from House conservatives to halt U.S. aid to Egypt after a slow response from Cairo in rebuking violent attacks on the U.S. Embassy there Tuesday night.
A group of House conservatives, led by freshman Rep. Jeffrey M. Landry, Louisiana Republican, is calling for foreign aid to both Libya and Egypt to be stripped from a six-month federal funding bill up for a vote Thursday.
Egypt is second only to Israel in the amount of assistance it receives from the U.S., an estimated $2 billion a year, but the White House has no plans to curtail its investment there.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Air Force One on Thursday that the U.S. would not withhold aid to Egypt. ĀWe appreciate the public statements that [Egyptian] President Morsi has made condemning acts of violence Ā and honoring its obligation to ensure the safety of Americans,Ā he said. Honored his obligations, did he Jay? How, exactly?
Mr. Morsi on Thursday issued a stronger rebuke to violent protesters in Cairo and Libya, vowing to protect the U.S. Embassy in Cairo after speaking for nearly an hour with President Obama on Wednesday evening. After the new statement, Obama administration officials were toning down their public comments about Egypt and their concern over Mr. MorsiĀs slow response to condemning the violent reaction to an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S.
The Obama administration was already wary of Mr. Morsi's Islamist government, and his tepid response after the attacks is giving them new cause for concern. Oh, it's more than a 'concern'. Perhaps Jay can issue a 'strongly worded statement'?
Mr. Morsi waited a full day before issuing a mild rebuke to the rioters on Facebook while the movement that brought him to power, the Muslim Brotherhood, called for a second day of protests against the anti-Islam film that sparked the protests.
In contrast, Libyan leaders have been fully engaged in cooperating with U.S. authorities to hunt down the killers and bring them to justice and to work to put in place new protections for U.S. personnel in Benghazi and throughout the country. Are they fully engaged or are they shamming? And how would our people know?
The White House on Thursday acknowledged that its partnership with Egypt continues, although it has changed significantly since last springĀs uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
Campaigning in Golden, Colo., Thursday, Mr. Ladies Tee Obama said the world is going through some Ātumultuous timesĀ but said America would stay true to its commitment to improving the plight of people around the world. By letting them kill our people?
ĀOur task, as the most powerful nation on Earth, is to defend and protect and advance our people, but also to defend and protect and advance those values at home and around the world,Ā he said. ĀThatĀs what our troops do. ThatĀs what our diplomats do. ThatĀs what our intelligence officers do. ThatĀs what our citizens do. ThatĀs what we believe. Those are the values that we hold to.Ā
Egypt has played a critical role in AmericaĀs strategic position in the Middle East for decades, but since last springĀs uprisings, the U.S. is grappling with an unpredictable relationship with Cairo.
ĀThe U.S. is confronting the reality that if you call for democracy, you may just get it,Ā said Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Or you may get a new theocratic thugocracy called the 'Muslim Brotherhood'...
While several countries in the region are finding their way, itĀs likely that the first elections in countries wonĀt produce stable leadership, Mr. Cordesman said, cautioning that the U.S. needs to take the long view and warning officials not to rashly talk about rescinding U.S. aid or risk losing leverage altogether. Sure Mr. Cordesman. Say, there's an opening to be an ambassador. Want it? You could provide us with your 'long-term vision'...
ĀIĀm not going to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt exactly, but sometimes you need to speak softly and maintain a big aid program,Ā he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
Protesting South African miners have blocked access to shafts of platinum company Amplats as officials sought to prevent the widening strike movement from turning into a nationwide revolt.
Revolt? That's serious.
The latest unrest broke out on Wednesday along roads leading to a shaft run by Amplats - the world's top platinum producer - in the same region as the Lonmin plant where 45 people have died in a wildcat strike that started last month.
On Tuesday night, at the world's largest platinum producer, Amplats, about a thousand workers confronted security. Workers "were unable to clock in for night shift due to fear of intimidation and threats by unidentified individuals in and around our Rustenburg operations", Amplats spokesman Mpumi Sithole said in a statement.
Workers at Gold Fields' Beatrix gold mine, close to Johannesburg, were also due to join the strike later this week, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday.
At least 45 people have died - including 34 in a police shooting last month which has been described as the worst case of police violence since the end of apartheid - since a strike over pay was launched at the Marikana mine. The site is run by Lonmin, the world's third biggest platinum producer, and workers there have yet to reach a deal with management and return to work.
Amplats said it had halted work at its four Rustenburg mines, which account for 17 per cent of its output, due to fears for the safety of its 19,000 staff there. Amplats's Rustenburg shafts have been under pressure since platinum prices collapsed after the 2008 financial crisis.
Gold and silver prices are through the roof, and jewelry diamonds have gone up as well, but platinum collapsed? I'll never understand money.
Analysts expect them to be targeted as "restructuring candidates" by parent company Anglo American.
Tensions have been high at the mine, where workers refuse to return to work since striking on August 10 unless the world's number three platinum producer bows to demands for a wage increase to $1,526.
Is that per day, per week, per year? Good job missing the obvious, O Al Jazeera journalist.
The company said only three per cent of its 28,000-strong workforce resumed work, and strongly condemned the intimidation of non-strikers.
Wage talks between the management and workers in Marikana, meanwhile, are in danger of breaking down, religion-based mediation group Bench Marks Foundation said.
No doubt that made more sense in the original English...
An estimated 8,000 striking miners and their followers, shadowed by police in armoured cars and helicopters, marched on Tuesday to a hospital to see some of the 190 miners who say they were beaten and tortured in police custody.
[Julius] Malema took up the workers' call, urging employees at Gold Fields to strike for five days every month until their demands were met.
"This is a serious revolution, don't give up!" Malema told a cheering crowd of around 3,000 at a stadium in Carletonville, west of Johannesburg. "You must render the mines ungovernable." He accused the NUM of being aligned with the country's political elite.
"There must be a national strike. They have been stealing this gold from you. Now it is your turn. You want your piece of gold. These people are making billions from these mines," Malema said.
Malema was expelled earlier this year by the ruling ANC party for ill-discpline. He has since been a vocal critic of President Jacob Zuma, who belongs to the ANC. Once a staunch supporter of Zuma before a fallout as the party's youth leader, Malema has stated he wants to see the head of state removed from the ANC leadership at forthcoming party elections in December. The winner of the vote will automatically become the ANC candidate for the 2014 presidential elections and likely be South Africa's next president.
#1
Melema is a fellow to watch very, very carefully. The mines that have been nationalized (like the farms in Zim) have been allowed to go to ruin and have limited productivity. If not stopped, Melema will likely ride the current mine crisis to power using classic Shakan tactics. The losers in all of this will be the western mine owners, tribal people who fail to follow Malema, and of course the dreaded whites.
That western backed one man, one vote, (one party) "democracy" isn't quite working out as well as expected.
#2
but platinum collapsed? I'll never understand money.
tw, if platinum prices actually have collapsed (and I have not checked), it could be because a major (the largest?) customer is the auto industry, for catalytic converters, and car sales have collapsed.
#3
Glenmore, you are correct that the majority of the platinum 'demand' has fallen due to the downturn of the automotive industry (here in the good ol' catalytic convertin' USA anyway).
More supply, less demand = lower prices. Funny how that evil capitalism works.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
09/14/2012 15:36 Comments ||
Top||
[An Nahar] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face... , home to Islam's holiest sites, on Thursday condemned the release of an amateur movie mocking Islam and the deadly attacks against U.S. missions over the film.
The kingdom "condemned the violent reactions in several countries against U.S. interests," the official news agency SPA said, and "the production by an irresponsible group in the United States of a film insulting the Prophet Mohammed."
Saudi Arabia "offers its condolences to the United States on the victims of the violence that targeted the U.S. consulate in (the Libyan city of) Benghazi," it said.
The ultra-conservative kingdom also "affirms its rejection of all acts that insult religions and religious symbols."
Protests have erupted since Tuesday outside U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and other Arab states by demonstrators who deem the low-budget movie "Innocence of Moslems" made in the United States as offensive to Islam.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Russian President Vladimir Putin ...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile... said Thursday the Middle East was at risk of descending into "chaos" following a deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Libya and incidents in Egypt and Yemen.
"We are afraid that the region may descend into chaos, which is essentially what is happening already," he said in comments broadcast on state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
from his summer residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Putin condemned Tuesday's attack in Libya that killed the ambassador and three other U.S. citizens as not only a crime but one that also broke conventions on the safety of diplomats working in dangerous conditions.
The culprits "not only put themselves outside the bounds of law, but outside the frameworks of contemporary civilization," said Putin. ... thereby dangling a lot more testicle than Mr. O'Bean...
He also urged the new governments that rose to power in the Arab Spring uprisings to accept greater responsibility for security.
"I would like to point out to the leaders of the new governments, the heads of states where serious changes took place -- they must also not forget about their responsibility for what is happening on their territories," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
For some reason, what I hear is "Now I understand American expression `ROTFL`".
#3
Alright ... this comment falls into wild speculation. Was the Russian SVR somehow involved in this? Who supplied the weapons to the attackers of the Libyan embassy??
#4
Possible, but unlikely Raider. We appear to be perfectly capable of orchestrating our own international disasters. Additionally, the tragic events of the past few days can only complicate the delicate situation the Russians now face in Syria.
#5
Those Russian in Syria, even under the guise of diplomatic immunity, have a fig leaf of protection if the Islamist punk Assad. Putie has reason to be concerned when the 'other side' has no use for Western sensibilities.
#2
IIRC KYODO NEWS > yesterday repor that the remaining four CMS ships have since departed from Japanese territorial waters.
Apparently, its not only Tokio/Tokkyu that has upset Beijing ...
* NEWS KERALA > CHINESE DAILY TAKES UMBRAGE TO MANILA RENAMING SEA [SCS = now "West Philippines Sea as per PHIL Govt. order].
ARTIC = ...
> Beijing will not tolerate PHIL attempts to encroach on its maritime territory.
> PHIL Govt. action/decision viewed as "reckless" by Beijing.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > JAPANESE PM ORDERS SDF TO FULLY PREPARE FOR ANY EMERGENCY, espec vee THE China situation.
* SAME > CHINA MUST TEACH JAPAN A LESSON, SAYS CHINESE DAILY.
* TOPIX > JAPAN LDP ADVOCATES CHALLENGING CHINA IN BID TO REGAIN [political] POWER.
* SAME > CHINESE DAILY WARNS OF CHINA-JAPAN
"FULL CONFRONTATION".
ARTIC = ...
> Tokyo has chosen = picked the "wrong opponent at the wrong time".
> Balance of Power not the same as during the 20th century = Cold War. PRE-911???
> Japan owes TOO GREAT A "BLOOD DEBT" to the Chinese people for its past actions. CHINESE COMPROMISE AS PER THE DIAOYUS [Senkakus] WILL ONLY ADD MORE SHAME = "DOUBLE THE SHAME" ON THE CHINESE PEOPLE.
> CHINA'S PATIENCE HAS WORN OUT. Japan-only?
Taiwan reunification?"First Island Chain?
* SAME > JAPAN AWAITS CHINA'S NEXT MOVE ON DISPUTED ISLANDS.
RELATED SAME > CHINA SAYS WON'T BACK DOWN ON ISLANDS, BUT TOKYO IS DISMISSIVE OF THEIR DISPUTE.
Lest we fergit, SINO-VIET "MISCHIEF REEF" INCIDENT > By most accounts, after post-1975 unified Vietnam ignored China's warnings, China attacked Viet personnel on Mischief Reef + allegedly DELIBERATELY SLAUGHTERED EVERYONE, EVEN THOSE ATTEMPTING TO SURRENDER, IN ORDER TO REINFORCE + MAKE VIETNAM UNDERSTAND CHINA'S ANGST + INTENTIONS IRREGARDLESS OF CHINA'S SUPPORT FOR [North]VIETNAM AGZ THE US DURING THE PRECEDING VIETNAM WAR.
And China did so despite calls from both the USA + then-USSR + UNO for peace + diplomatic solution.
#3
CHINA DAILY FORUM > LUO YUAN:US-JAPAN SECURITY TREATY CANNOT/WON'T INTIMIDATE CHINA.
* Also from CHINA DAILY > TOKYO MUST COME "BACK FROM THE BRINK", before its too late.
BEIJING = urges Tokyo to immediately cancel or rescind Diaoyu Islands "purchase".
* GLOBAL TIMES EDITORIAL > [China's false] DISILLUSIONS OF FRIENDLY TIES WID JAPAN.
Highly subjective = unsteady Sino-Japan ties since the 1970's have now COMPLETELY COLLAPSED due to Japan's purchase of sovereign Chinese islands, + despite improvements = new rapprochements made since 9-11???
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > WILL CHINA ARM ITS FISHERMEN TO PROTECT A "CORE INTEREST"?
* WORLD MILITARY FORUM > RUSSIAN MEDIA: JAPAN'S CUTS IN ITS 2013 MILITARY BUDGET LEAVES IT WID NO ABILITY TO MOUNT OR SUPPORT "OFFENSIVE" WARFARE AGZ CHINA OVER DISPUTED ISLANDS.
* SAME > US CSIS THINK-TANK: IFF CHINA ATTACKS THE JAPANESE SENKAKUS [China = Diaoyus/
Tiaoyutai] OR THE PHILIPPINES [ships, aircraft, etc.] US SHOULD MILITARILY DEFEND ITS ALLIES.
* SCHOLARS: SINO-JAPANESE BATTLE FOR DIAOYUS IS ALSO BATTLE FOR TAIWAN AND WESTPAC REGIONS AS FAR AS GUAM ISLAND. CHINA'S LAND-BASED NUCLEAR MISSLES [strategic arsenal = PLA Second Arty] MAY GIVE IT DECISIVE ADVANTAGE AGZ JAPAN'S SDF AND US NAVY NUCLEAR AIRCRAFT CARRIER GROUPS.
* MARIANAS VARIETY > [Tinian Mayor = North Field US-JSDF MilEx] TINIAN IS "FULCRUM" OF REGION'S "BALANCE OF POWER".
The MV repors that JSDF troops reianed aborad ship while US Marines debarked - IMO prolly due to the JSDF arrival on Tinian coinciding wid China sending its six CMS ships to the Senkakus/Daoyus???
[USA Today] Federal authorities have identified a Coptic Christian in southern Caliphornia who is on probation after his conviction for financial crimes as the key figure behind the anti-Mohammedan film that ignited mob violence against U.S. embassies across the Mideast, a U.S. law enforcement official told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on Thursday. "He did it! Kill him!"
The official said authorities had concluded that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was behind "Innocence of Mohammedans," a film that denigrated Islam and the prophet Muhammad and sparked protests earlier this week in Egypt, Libya and most recently in Yemen. It was not immediately clear whether Nakoula was the target of a criminal investigation or part of the broader investigation into the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Libya during a terrorist attack.
Attorney General Eric Inaction Jackson Holder confirmed Thursday that Justice Department officials were investigating the deaths, which occurred during an attack on the American mission in Benghazi.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation, said Nakoula was connected to the persona of Sam Bacile, a man who initially told the AP he was the film's writer and director. But Bacile turned out to be a false identity, and the AP traced a cellphone number Bacile used to a southern Caliphornia house where it located and interviewed Nakoula.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
The entire episode is an elaborate and very sophisticated AQ Op.
They funded the film and did the edits to make it inflamatory and then posted it on the internet so it could be seen.
Just like 9/11 and Tet68, we have to remember that fanatics and diehard revolutionaries have immense patience and will spend years planning an operation.
The whole thing was a set up from the get go. Even this guy...how convenient an EGYPTIAN COPTIC...its not like the Coptics don't have a bullseye on their back in Egypt right now anyway...too much stuff coming to a nexus point for this not to be a planned and coordinated operation.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
09/14/2012 11:12 Comments ||
Top||
#5
well, if anyone was an expert on the depravity and insanity of muzzies in the ME it would be a Coptic Christian.
#6
Based on the open source releases we have seen, I must agree with you Bill. One thing is for certain, our government doesn't have an ounce of situational awareness on what has been transpiring in Libya. If they had, this deadly fiasco might have been avoided.
#7
And now he's probably in Montana and the Dakota's with every scrap of money he could get on short notice. That is, I would be in this situation, least for couple weeks to see if my house spontaneously explodes.
Posted by: Charles ||
09/14/2012 15:33 Comments ||
Top||
Oh dear gawd...
Former President Jimmy Carter spoke to students at Drake University in Des Moines today and was asked if he agreed with what Obama said about Egypt:
Carter: "Egypt is an ally of the US, we know Egypt well."
President Obama had earlier stated during an interview, "You know, I donĀt think that we would consider them an ally, but we do not consider them an enemy."
Carter went on to talk about Egypt's new President, Mohamed Morsi, saying that he knew him well and that they had met. He added that Morsi was dedicated to peace and a democratic government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
Umm... Did we ever conduct joint military exercises with egypt? If so they are probably an ally. This man is so stupid. He is totally out of his league.
BO is so much worse than any POTUS we have ever had that he is in a category by himself. I think Carter is trying to move up the list and wants to make sure BO is dead last.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
09/14/2012 11:08 Comments ||
Top||
... in which Hillary irreparably soils what hadn't been that bad a term of office...
[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as The Heroine of Tuzla and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another John Jay ... on Thursday condemned an amateur anti-Islam film which has sparked violent Middle East protests, stressing the U.S. government had nothing to do with it.
"To us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose, to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage," Clinton said.
"The United States government had absolutely nothing to do with this video. We absolutely reject its content and message."
The top U.S. diplomat also reiterated: "There is no justification, none at all, for responding to this video with violence." The "wudn't me" argument. But it was us, because we have free speech, whether Hillary finds the output "disgusting" or not. I'll go with my pal, Putin, and stress that diplomatic missions have to be immune from violence. For one thing, the people whose people are storming embassies and consulates have embassies and consulates of their own. The only reason ours are stormed is because the people doing it don't expect any repercussions.
Protests have erupted for three days running outside U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere by demonstrators who deem the low-budget movie "Innocence of Mohammedans" made in the United States as offensive to Islam.
U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed when heavily-armed snuffies launched a sustained four-hour attack on the U.S. mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi late Tuesday.
Condemning the violence, Clinton said at the launch of a strategic dialogue between the United States and Morocco that all "leaders in government, leaders in civil society or religious leaders must draw the line at violence."
"Any responsible leader should be standing up now and drawing that line," she added.
"It is especially wrong for violence to be directed against diplomatic missions. These are places whose very purpose is peaceful to promote better understanding across countries and cultures.
"All governments have a responsibility to protect those spaces and people. Because to attack an embassy is to attack the idea that we can work together to build understanding and a better future."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Scapegoating. Getting as good as Hussein at the blame game while everyone else knows it was a well coordinated event planned for 9/11.
And YOU gave moral and material support this movement known as the "Arab Spring" that just blew up in your face, Hildebeast.
#3
"To us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose, to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage.
The United States government had absolutely nothing to do with this video. We absolutely reject its content and message."
However it is the official policy of the US government to order that Bibles be burned as 'trash' because the US government rejects the Bibles' 'content and message.'
Denigration of Christianity and support for islamofascism is official government policy.
#4
IMO both Hillary and Obama ultimately have responsibility for security policies our embassies. It also seems to me that the attacks on our sovereignty were acts of war. Both Libya and Egypt have a responsibility for security. If they cannot do this, pull the money and our embassies until they can insure security. Screw whatever the video was about or who did it.
[Dawn] The Supreme Court on Thursday heard the petition filed by Tehrik-e-Istiqlal chief Air Martial (retd) Asghar Khan pertaining to the distribution of money among politicians by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), DawnNews reported.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has been hearing the 1996 petition filed by Khan who accused the ISI of financing politicians in the 1990 elections by dishing out Rs140 million to create the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and prevent Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... 's PPP from winning the polls. The petition was based on an affidavit of former ISI chief Lt-Gen (retd) Asad Durrani.
During the hearing, Attorney General Irfan Qadir informed the bench that the notification enabling the formation of the ISI's political cell was not available.
Khan's counsel Salman Akram Raja failed to appear for the hearing, Raja's Advocate-on-Record informed the court.
Raja could not appear before the bench on account of ill health, the advocate said, requesting the court to adjourn the case's hearing.
Responding to which, Chief Justice Iftikhar remarked that the case was significant and its hearings were crucial, however, due to the counsel's absence on account of ill health, the hearing was being adjourned.
The court, once again, summoned the report pertaining to the establishment of the ISI's political cell and directed the federal defence and interior secretaries to submit their responses.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Dawn] Pakistain on Thursday stepped up security measures around US diplomatic missions, following attacks on American consulates and embassies in Libya, Egypt and Yemen over an anti-Islam film.
A mob stormed the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Tuesday, killing US ambassador Christopher Stevens and several other staff members.
There were also anti-US protests in Egypt's capital Cairo and on Thursday a crowd stormed the American embassy complex in Yemeni capital Sanaa before being driven out by police.
"We have beefed up the security for the possible threats to the US embassy," Khurram Rasheed, a senior police official responsible for diplomats' security in Islamabad, told AFP. "We expect some protests against the embassy tomorrow and we are preparing to handle that."
The US embassy in Islamabad lies inside the city's heavily-fortified diplomatic enclave, and Rasheed said the entrance would be closed and extra security forces deployed.
In the eastern city of Lahore, police said they have issued an alert to protect the US consulate.
"The security is already tight but we have issued an alert to be careful for any urgent situation," Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani, senior police official responsible for security, told AFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[An Nahar] Peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday the deadly conflict in Syria was getting worse as he arrived on his first official trip aimed at ending nearly 18 months of violence.
"We came to Syria to hold meetings with our Syrian brothers because there is a big crisis, and I think it is getting worse," the official SANA news agency quoted the U.N. and Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... envoy as saying on arrival at Damascus ...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world... airport.
"I think everybody agrees the need to stop the bloodshed and to restore harmony, and we hope that we will succeed" in the mission, said Brahimi, who was appointed two weeks ago to replace former envoy Kofi Annan ...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo... after the failure of his six-point peace plan for Syria.
Brahimi spoke after rebels were reported to have advanced into a key district of the northern city of Aleppo ...For centuries, Aleppo was Greater Syria's largest city and the Ottoman Empire's third, after Constantinople and Cairo. Although relatively close to Damascus in distance, Aleppans regard Damascenes as country cousins... , where activists said at least 11 people were killed in a strike by a helicopter gunship.
"During his visit to Syria, Brahimi will hold talks with the government and with representatives of the Syrian opposition and civil society," said a statement from his front man Ahmad Fawzi, who had previously announced the veteran diplomat from Algeria would meet Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... Brahimi was to meet Foreign Minister Walid Muallem later on Thursday, an official Syrian source said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[An Nahar] Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi reiterated during a visit to the EU on Thursday that Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... must step down as "a president that kills his own people is not acceptable."
At a news briefing, Morsi interjected to state "this is completely agreed upon" when European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told news hounds after talks between the two sides that "we are also adamant that Assad should go."
"A president that kills his own people is not acceptable," said Barroso.
"There is no place for a president who is killing his people," interjected Morsi.
Responding later to questions from the press, Morsi for his part said: "We want to end the bloodshed."
"We think there is a need today to have a regime change in Syria, that is what we agreed," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[An Nahar] The U.N. atomic agency's board approved with a crushing majority Thursday a resolution criticizing Iran brought by world powers that was also aimed at dissuading Israel from military action.
The resolution expresses "serious concern that Iran continues to defy" U.N. Security Council resolutions for it to suspend uranium enrichment, a process which can be used for peaceful purposes but also in a nuclear weapon.
It also highlights the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency's complaint that activities at the Parchin base near Tehran, where it suspects nuclear weapons research took place, would "significantly hamper" inspectors -- should Iran let them visit.
The resolution was introduced at the meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors on Wednesday after days of haggling between Western nations and Russia and China, which are seen as more lenient on Tehran.
It was approved by 31 countries, with Cuba voting against and Egypt, Ecuador and Tunisia abstaining, all four of them members of the Non-Aligned Movement of which Iran is currently the rotating president.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Baku -- Iranian students have recently started their rally in front of the Swiss embassy in Tehran, as a result of an anti-Islamic movie, Fars reported. Isn't 'Talib' a word for student?
Tomorrow, after the Friday Prayer, such rallies are planned to be held in all cities of Iran.
Earlier today Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has condemned as 'abhorrent' the anti-Islam movie made in the US which insults Prophet Mohammad. Iranian students are expressing their support for the youth of Egypt and Libya, many of whom have become enraged because of the film.
The so called students read out a statement, urging all Muslim nations to unite and act, and shouted slogans on accepting prophet Mohammad. Remember it was "students" who seized the US Embassy in 1979...
Because of the amount of people in front of the embassy, Iranian police has build up 5 layers of defense, to protect the embassy's diplomats.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/14/2012 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
The killings of the US ambassador to Libya and three of his staff were likely to have been the result of a serious and continuing security breach [according to the Independent.] American officials believe the attack was planned, but Chris Stevens had been back in the country only a short while and the details of his visit to Benghazi, where he and his staff died, were meant to be confidential.
According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and "lockdown", under which movement is severely restricted.
According to security sources the consulate had been given a "health check" in preparation for any violence connected to the 9/11 anniversary. In the event, the perimeter was breached within 15 minutes of an angry crowd starting to attack it at around 10pm on Tuesday night. There was, according to witnesses, little defence put up by the 30 or more local guards meant to protect the staff. Ali Fetori, a 59-year-old accountant who lives near by, said: "The security people just all ran away and the people in charge were the young men with guns and bombs."
An eight-strong American rescue team was sent from Tripoli and taken by troops under Captain Fathi al- Obeidi, of the February 17 Brigade, to the secret safe house to extract around 40 US staff. The building then came under fire from heavy weapons. "I don't know how they found the place to carry out the attack. It was planned, the accuracy with which the mortars hit us was too good for any ordinary revolutionaries," said Captain Obeidi. "It began to rain down on us, about six mortars fell directly on the path to the villa." Libyan reinforcements eventually arrived, and the attack ended. News had arrived of Mr Stevens, and his body was picked up from the hospital and taken back to Tripoli with the other dead and the survivors.
Eight Americans, some from the military, were wounded in the attack which claimed the lives of Mr Stevens, Sean Smith, an information officer, and two US Marines. All staff from Benghazi have now been moved to the capital, Tripoli, and those whose work is deemed to be non-essential may be flown out of Libya. Sensitive documents have gone missing from the consulate in Benghazi and the supposedly secret location of the "safe house" in the city, where the staff had retreated, came under sustained mortar attack. Other such refuges across the country are no longer deemed "safe". Some of the missing papers from the consulate are said to list names of Libyans who are working with Americans, putting them potentially at risk from extremist groups, while some of the other documents are said to relate to oil contracts.
Wissam Buhmeid, the commander of the Tripoli government-sanctioned Libya's Shield Brigade, effectively a police force for Benghazi, maintained that it was anger over the Mohamed video which made the guards abandon their post. "There were definitely people from the security forces who let the attack happen because they were themselves offended by the film; they would absolutely put their loyalty to the Prophet over the consulate. The deaths are all nothing compared to insulting the Prophet."
Senior officials are increasingly convinced, however, that the ferocious nature of the Benghazi attack, in which rocket-propelled grenades were used, indicated it was not the result of spontaneous anger due to the video, called Innocence of Muslims. Patrick Kennedy, Under-Secretary at the State Department, said he was convinced the assault was planned due to its extensive nature and the proliferation of weapons. There is growing belief that the attack was in revenge for the killing in a drone strike in Pakistan of Mohammed Hassan Qaed, an al-Qa'ida operative who was, as his nom-de-guerre Abu Yahya al-Libi suggests, from Libya, and timed for the anniversary of the 11 September attacks.
#1
The fact that someone new the ambassador's travel itinerary plus the location of our safe houses indicates that terrorists are "reading our mail" or there is a mole in the state dept.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
09/14/2012 11:48 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The fact that someone [k]new the ambassador's travel itinerary plus the location of our safe houses
Means that your embassy coordinated with local authorities---all embassies do.
#4
DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > US AMBASSADOR STEVENS WAS RAPED BEFORE HE WAS MURDERED | [Teyyar News Service, Lebanon] REPORTS HAVE SURFACED THAT AMBASSADOR STEVENS WAS RAPED BEFORE HIS MURDER.
Afterwards his corpse was presented to the protestors Gaddafi-style.
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.
Secretary Clinton delivered a powerful and personal speech about religion at an Eid ul-Fitr reception, marking the end of the 
[Foreign Policy] President 
The White House is flatly rejecting calls from House conservatives to halt U.S. aid to Egypt after a slow response from Cairo in rebuking violent attacks on the U.S. Embassy there Tuesday night.
...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile...
Hillary Clinton
The Supreme Court on Thursday heard the petition filed by Tehrik-e-Istiqlal chief Air Martial (retd) Asghar Khan pertaining to the distribution of money among politicians by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), DawnNews reported.
Pakistain on Thursday stepped up security measures around US diplomatic missions, following attacks on American consulates and embassies in Libya, Egypt and Yemen over an anti-Islam film.
[An Nahar] Peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday the deadly conflict in Syria was getting worse as he arrived on his first official trip aimed at ending nearly 18 months of violence.
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo...
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
The U.N. atomic agency's board approved with a crushing majority Thursday a resolution criticizing Iran brought by world powers that was also aimed at dissuading Israel from military action.
