[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Hekmat Khalil Karzai has been appointed as the Deputy Minister of Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affair of Aghganistan.
According to a presidential decree, Hekmat Karzai was appointed as Deputy Minister of Political Affairs for further alighment and soldarity of the related affairs.
According to the decree Hekmat Karzai was appointed as Deputy Minister of Political Affairs considering the Paragraph 13 and Article 64 of the constitution of Afghanistan.
Hekmat Karzai is the cousin of former President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... and was a close adviser to President Ghani during the presidential election.
He is the younger brother of Hashmat Karzai who was killed follwoing a suicide kaboom late in the month of July last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
Three organizations claiming to do vital relief work on behalf of the United Nations in ravaged Somalia diverted millions of dollars intended for food, water, medicine, and other relief services for thousands of the most desperately suffering people in the world, according to confidential U.N. reports obtained by Fox News. Some of the money may have gone to terrorists.
Most of the aid supplies and services the organizations claimed to deliver never existed, according to U.N. investigators who began looking into the issue in late 2012, and issued their “strictly confidential” investigation results in November 2013 and May 2014.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[13 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Peanuts compared to the road/bridge maintenance gas tax diverted for several generations in America.
I mean really, is there an aid recieving country that doesn't have elites making themselves weathly by diverting a slice of that aid? Ony way to do aid is to give it to western organizations that do good work, not to governments.
[MAGHAREBIA] In anticipation of possible attacks on the second anniversary of the Tiguentourine gas plant siege, Algerian troops stepped up security on the southern border.
Authorities announced last week the foiling of a series of terrorist operations targeting three areas of oil and gas installations in the south.
Army forces already succeeded in dismantling a 12-member terrorist cell that was planning attacks against vital facilities in conjunction with the January 16th anniversary of the In Amenas assault.
The group is charged with involvement in terrorist attacks in southern Algeria in 2010, drug trafficking and financing terrorism.
Abou Zeid (real name Mohammed Ghadir) was killed in northern Mali in 2013.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
[Libya Herald] Complaining that no witnesses had turned up, the Zliten Criminal Court has postponed the trial of eight men accused of kidnapping and torturing Malik Hamir, during the 2011 Libya Revolution. "Da witnesses 're all dead!"
The judges rescheduled the case for 17 March. Only three of the accused are in jug. `the remaining eight will be tried in absentia.
Hamir was kidnapped from a mosque near his home in Zliten on 14 June 2011. It is alleged he was seized and then tortured by the defendants before they transferred him to Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... 's Yarmouk Prison. There Hamir perished in the notorious Yarmouk massacre that took place during the final days of the old regime.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has died, Saudi state television announced early on Friday local time.
Abdullah's designated successor is Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, his 79-year-old half-brother.
Abdullah had been in poor health in recent months. Reuters reports that the king had been admitted to a Riyadh hospital in December for medical tests. The royal court announced in January that Abdullah was suffering from pneumonia.
#1
King Abdullah was more reform minded than others in the royal family especially prince nayif. This cable here has plenty of good information about the jostling to be the next in line and who is who.
But having said that, it was on his watch that Sharia was exported to the world and IS was funded - though perhaps his health was so bad at that point he didn't know. Not sure.
What i do know is any comments pointing out that the king has ultimate responsibility for this, and for the fact that people are killed in the Kingdom for being atheists, "adulterers" or gays are being instantly wiped from news feeds everywhere from twitter to reddit - censorship is well in force right now.
#2
Imagine a Saudi Arabia where a revolutionary army of women staged a coup. Women with AK47s took over and instituted martial law.
Education in schools instantly ceased to teach the Koran by rote. Boys were sent to the back of the room. Men were prevented from driving cars or from leaving the house without a close female relative to accompany them.
Men had to wear burqas while women could wear what they like.
If the men resist, women would shoot them or lock them in prison and they would appear before a court where it would take the word of three men to equal that of one woman.
Money would instantly cease being funnelled to terror cells around the world – the cash flow would dry up. Instead it would be spent on health care and education.
Science, maths and foreign languages would be taught. Religion banned. Mecca shut, medina shut. No hajj, no pilgrimages allowed for 30 years. Comparative religion would be taught as a subject of inquiry and analysis.
Elections would be held but only women could stand as candidates. Men would not be allowed to vote.
Imagine that Saudi Arabia in place for 30 years. Then it gradually transitions to a democracy, with men’s rights gradually reinstated until they get equal status.
[ARABNEWS] Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has died, state television reported early on Friday and his brother Salman became king, it said in a statement attributed to Salman. King Salman has called on the family's Allegiance Council to pay allegiance to Muqrin as his crown prince and heir.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 18:43 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[15 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#1
love that graphic fred, yes the fat lady has sung
perhaps the low oil price was preparation? he was sick for a while
[AnNahar] Powerful armed groups have sidelined Yemen's government ever since a 2011 popular uprising forced long-time president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.
Shiite militiamen and Sunni extremists have looked to exploit the power vacuum in pitched battles that have fuelled tensions and abetted Yemen's slide into violence.
The Shiite Huthi militia, also known as Ansarullah (Supporters of God), have long complained of marginalization by authorities in Sanaa.
They hail from the Zaidi sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that makes up approximately one-third of Yemen's Sunni-majority population.
Their strongholds lie in the northern provinces bordering Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and they have been accused of receiving support from Shiite Iran.
North Yemen was a Zaidi imamate until a 1962 coup turned the country into a republic.
Badreddin al-Huthi, who formed the "Faithful Youth" political movement in 1992 to fight discrimination, is considered the spiritual leader of the Huthis, which take his name.
His son Hussein led a nearly three-month uprising in Saada province before the army killed him in 2004.
Ansarullah is now led by Hussein's brother, Abdulmalik.
Six wars fought with the central government between 2004 and 2010 killed thousands of people before a truce was signed.
After months of clashes with the Sunni Islamist party al-Islah last year, the Huthis took control of the capital on September 21.
They are thought to be backed by forces loyal to Saleh.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is considered by the United States to be the extremist network's deadliest branch.
It formed in 2009 when al-Qaida in Yemen -- whose biggest attack was the 2000 bombing of the American guided-missile destroyer the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors -- merged with its Saudi counterpart.
AQAP fighters have repeatedly attacked Yemeni security forces and been targeted by scores of US drone strikes.
Present in southern and southeastern Yemen, AQAP has launched a series of raids on major state institutions such as the defense ministry and intelligence headquarters.
The group abducts foreigners, including US journalist Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie, who were killed by their captors when American commandos stormed an AQAP hideout last year.
AQAP also claimed responsibility for the deadly January 7 attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, claiming vengeance for its cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed.
With weakened state institutions, AQAP has become the only force capable of resisting the advance of Ansarullah.
Sunni tribes, hostile to the Huthis' arrival in their provinces, have teamed up with Al-Qaeda against the militia, as the government has remained mostly idle.
Since September, AQAP has claimed several attacks on the Huthis, including the killing of 49 people in the central Ibb province in December, and one in October that left 47 dead in Sanaa.
Hopes of an end to Yemen's political crisis were raised in 2013 with the launch of a national dialogue, but the impoverished country now appears to be spiraling into chaos.
President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's repeated calls for the Huthis to withdraw from Sanaa went unanswered as they expanded further the south and east, claiming they were fighting al-Qaida on behalf of the authorities.
In November, new Prime Minister Khalid Bahah formed a new cabinet as part of a U.N.-brokered peace deal that also called for a Huthi pull back.
Tensions have been running high in Sanaa since the Huthis abducted Hadi's chief of staff, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, in an apparent bid to extract changes to a draft constitution that he is overseeing.
Mubarak is in charge of the national dialogue.
The Huthis said they had seized the top aide to prevent the violation of the U.N.-brokered agreement they reached with Hadi, which provided for the formation of a new government and the appointment of Huthi advisers to the president.
On Tuesday, the Shiite militia seized the presidential palace in what a minister said was a bid to usurp Hadi's U.S.-backed government. A day earlier they had surrounded Bahah's residence.
[ARABNEWS] GCC foreign ministers on Wednesday accused Shiite militia in Yemen of attempting to stage a "coup" against President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a day after the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to Americaâ¢, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... fighters seized the presidential palace.
"The states of the Gulf Cooperation Council consider what happened in Sanaa on Tuesday... a coup against the legitimate authority," the ministers said in a statement following an emergency meeting in Riyadh.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Houthis
[ARABNEWS] 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 the Soddy national face... on Wednesday denounced the Gay Paree-based Charlie Hebdo ...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe... magazine for publishing blasphemous material about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
"The Kingdom condemns the magazine for mocking Islam and the personality of Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of guidance and compassion," a Foreign Ministry official said, adding "there is no justification for this deliberate abuse of Islam, hurting the feelings of 1.5 billion Moslems around the world."
The Kingdom emphasized that freedom of expression does not approve insulting religious faith. "We call upon everybody to keep away from creating hatred against Islam and Moslems," the official said, while reiterating Riyadh's condemnation of the terrorist attack on the magazine's headquarters.
Meanwhile, ...back at the laboratory, Igor and Oleg were discussing what the quickest way might be to deal with the monster... a leading Islamic organization has called on the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... to make "contempt of religions" illegal and urged the West to protect Moslem communities following the attack on Charlie Hebdo.
The Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... -based International Union of Moslem Scholars, headed by Yusuf Al-Qardawi, appealed to Moslems to continue peaceful protests against images of the Prophet Muhammad but "not to resort to any violence."
In a statement released Tuesday, the union urged Islamic countries to submit a draft law to the UN calling for defamation of religions to be outlawed.
The union said the UN should then issue a "law criminalizing contempt of religions and the prophets and all the holy sites." It also called for the West "to protect Moslem communities from attacks, whether they are citizens or residents or visitors."
The union has condemned the publication of offensive material by the magazine.
It said that the new drawing would give "credibility" to the idea that "the West is against Islam" and warned the image would incite further hatred.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[12 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#1
freedom of expression does not approve insulting religious faith.
Yes it does.
Of course by their definitions the Bible is no less blasphemous than Charlie Hebdo.
At least the KSA continues that Islam has reached absolute rock bottom and nothing they do or say lowers my opinion of it and them.
#5
I spray my keyboard with essence of Duroc from time to time whilst softing chanting.... 'Jirga, Jirga, Jirga.' It's probably just my imagination, but it seems to help.
[IsraelTimes] Efforts will focus on strengthening intelligence services, fighting radicalization
La Belle France unveiled a raft of measures Wednesday to curb radicalization and better monitor jihadists two weeks after an Islamist killing spree in Gay Paree that sent shock waves across Europe.
Jitters from the worst attack on French soil in decades have spread to the country's neighbors and the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... promised a new counter-terrorism strategy would be ready by May.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced more than 700 million euros ($800 million) would be spent over the next three years on "the fight against terrorism."
The attacks by known Islamists exposed weaknesses in French intelligence, and Valls said some 3,000 people with jihadist ties needed to be monitored, adding that the number of people with links to "terrorist networks" in Syria and Iraq had soared 130 percent in the past year.
And a defense ministry source, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that a dozen former French soldiers had joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, raising concerns over the possible existence of radical elements within the military.
In response, La Belle France will create 2,680 new jobs to fight extremism, just under half of them in the intelligence services.
President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... added that La Belle France would slash 7,500 fewer military jobs than planned as part of steep defense cuts.
"The number one priority is to further reinforce the human and technical resources of intelligence services," Valls said, adding that a draft law to do just that would be debated in parliament in early March.
A large part of the effort to combat murderous Moslem violence will be concentrated on fighting radicalization, and Valls announced an extra 60 Moslem chaplains would be hired on top of the 182 who already work in jails.
Two of the Gay Pareegunnies, Amedy Coulibaly and Cherif Kouachi, are believed to have turned to radical Islam in prison where they met, after coming under the influence of radical Islamist detainees.
La Belle France is already experimenting with the isolation of radical prisoners in one jail, and Valls wants to extend this to other penitentiaries.
The government is also targeting the Internet, with the creation of an informative website on radical indoctrination and more resources to monitor "cyber jihadism."
The attacks have forced La Belle France to face up to its failure to integrate poorer, migrant families, with Valls saying on Tuesday that the country was plagued by "social and ethnic apartheid."
Valls said he would also propose a cross-party debate on bringing back the offense of "national disgrace" -- used after World War II against collaborators with the Nazi regime and abolished in 1951.
Less severe than treason, and allowing authorities to strip citizens of some rights, Valls said that reviving the offense would be a strong symbol of "the consequences of... committing a terrorist act."
Europe mulls security measures
The attacks were followed by a flurry of police activity across Europe with raids taking place on suspected Islamist cells in Belgium and Germany.
European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans said the 28-nation bloc was determined to respond to the threat in keeping with its core values of tolerance and inclusion.
"Whether they are Jewish, Moslem, Christian or atheist, everybody has a place in this society," he said.
Timmermans said Europeans must use education and other tools "to make sure that we don't lose part of our population to extremism, to fanaticism, to exclusion."
He added that the Commission, the EU's executive arm, would work especially hard to meet European Parliament concerns over data protection which have held up agreement on an air passenger tracking system.
Many member states back use of the Passenger Name Record system as an essential tool to track suspected "imported muscle" but politicians have held up an EU-wide system for years.
Timmermans raised the possibility that the EU could look at tightening up its Schengen passport-free system so as to boost checks on its external border to pick up hard boys.
[IsraelTimes] In intercepted phone call, police heard suspects discussing plans to carry out terrorist strike at event in Lyon
Jihadists arrested last year in Lyon were planning to carry out a terrorist attack at a Jewish groupâs conference about anti-Semitism, a French newspaper reported.
The five suspects who were arrested in a series of sweeps by French police between Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 were planning to strike on Sept. 18 at an event organized in Lyon by the regional branch of the CRIF umbrella of French Jewish communities and organizations, according to a report Tuesday in the Le Progres daily.
An unnamed police officer who is in charge of the investigation confirmed to the daily that the suspects were arrested following the interception of a September 5 telephone conversation in which they discussed their plans.
Among the five arrested are Karim and Reda Bekhaled, two brothers who are believed to have been involved in recruiting radical Muslims to fight in Syria, along with the remaining three suspects. Reda Bekhaled was heard discussing the plans in the recorded conversation.
The police officer said the brothers âhad the ambition of dying as martyrsâ and âplanned to carry out imminently an act of violence.â
[BBC] The head of Germany's "anti-Islamisation" movement Pegida has quit after disparaging anti-refugee comments and a photo showing him apparently posing as Hitler emerged.
Lutz Bachmann apologised for Facebook comments he made in which he reportedly called refugees "animals" and "scumbags".
He did not mention the photo of him with Hitler-style hair and moustache.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have marched in Leipzig at a Pegida rally.
Police were deployed to the streets of the eastern German city to prevent clashes with members of a rival anti-Pegida demonstration.
Pegida supporters chanted "We are the people", while their opponents shouted "Get out of here."
There were no reports of violence.
The rival rallies came as Mr Bachmann apologised for his "ill-considered" remarks.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Bachmann's photo obviously parodied the character Alfons Hatler portrayed by actor Christoph Maria Herbst in the WiXXer comedy movie series.
Thus he did indeed indirectly mock Hitler himself, which is a somewhat islamophobic act as Hitler is quite popular with some Muslims.
"Animals" and "scumbags" isn't nice either. The politically correct terms would have included "locusts" ("Heuschrecken"), beasts ("Ihr Juden seid Bestien!"), cowardly pigs, "Jude Jude feiges Schwein!") and of course the islamic combination "apes and pigs."
</sarc>
For reference:
Mainstream center leftists in Germany routinely call unpopular investors "locusts." This generates no outrage.
"Ihr Juden seid Bestien!"="You jews are beasts!" and
"Jude Jude feiges Schwein!"="Jew jew cowardly pig!" were slogans that were written on placards or chanted during anti-Israel demonstrations by Muslims. There was very little outrage.
[ARABNEWS] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... on Wednesday called on Moslem states to speak with one voice against terrorism and racism, positioning himself once again as a key leader of the Islamic world.
Addressing a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Erdogan said Islamic states had to defeat the successors of the iconic British officer Lawrence of Arabia who were seeking to disrupt the Middle East.
His comments came ahead of a tour of Æthiopia, Somalia and Djibouti scheduled to begin Wednesday.
He said acts of terrorism "never bind the Moslems nor Islamic countries" and called on the Moslem world to engage in "self-criticism" to define a united route in order to address the challenges.
"When the Moslem world remains silent and every sect stands behind their own sympathizers, others are stepping in: Terrorists and modern Lawrences," he said.
British officer T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, helped Arab leaders fight a guerrilla insurgency against the forces of the Ottoman Empire in the desert during World War I. Modern Turkey was built on the ruins of the empire.
Erdogan has in the past raised up the ghost of Lawrence as a symbol of Western meddling in the Middle East.
"We may be speaking different languages, we may be coming from different geographies, and we may have different ethnic roots," he said. "(But) we must put aside all differences among us in the face of terrorism and racism," he said.
Erdogan lashed out at the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) which has captured large swathes of Iraq and Syria right up to the Turkish border which he said was "killing Moslems on the pretext of Islam."
"We must first check and question ourselves. Foreigners are coming, bombing and killing. Why are we leaving problems to others to deal with instead of solving them among ourselves?"
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
[IsraelTimes] White House says request by House speaker a breach of protocol; PM to speak on threats posed by Iran and radical Islam
Wednesday accepted an invitation to address the US Congress next month on the threat posed by Iran and radical Islam.
Netanyahu was reportedly also exploring the possibility of meeting with President Barack Obama I am not a dictator!... during his visit; however, the White House said the invitation by US Speaker of the House John It is not pronounced 'Boner!' Boehner ... the occasionally weepy leader of House Republicans... came as a surprise to Obama's staff and was a breach or protocol.
Boehner said the "invitation carries with it our unwavering commitment to the security and well-being of [the Israeli] people."
In a statement posted on his website, Boehner said he had asked Netanyahu to comment on the threats stemming from radical Islam as well as the Iranian regime.
"Americans and Israelis have always stood together in shared cause and common ideals, and now we must rise to the moment again," he wrote.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the joint session of Congress on February 11, the date of the 36th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, marking the day the shah's regime fell.
Shortly after news of the invitation to Netanyahu broke, the White House said it was a breach of normal diplomatic protocol.
Obama's press secretary, Josh Earnest, said the White House had not heard from Jerusalem about whether Netanyahu planned to speak to Congress. Earnest added that the B.O. regime was reserving judgment about the invitation until it had a chance to speak to the Israelis about what Netanyahu might say.
He said typical protocol was that a country's leader would contact the White House before planning to visit the United States. But Earnest said the White House hadn't been given word of the invitation until Wednesday morning, shortly before Boehner announced it publicly.
Then there's this bit of idiocy -- it seems their intelligence wgency is as full of bright ideas as ours:
#1
Earnest added that the B.O. regime was reserving judgment about the invitation until it had a chance to speak to the Israelis about what Netanyahu might say.
The most transparent administration in history requires a read-ahead from an ally and congressional guest speaker? What happens if the regime is provided a read-ahead, and the senior White House advisor and Iranian apologist does not agree with the content ?
If the administration disagrees with the content and refuses entry to Netanyahu the content of his speech will be made public anyway.
The administration however would openly put itself in the position of an ally of Iran against Israel. Bad politics in the US!
If the administration lets Netanyahu in then Iran will perceive this as Obama giving tacit approval. This will fuel distrust and suspicion between the Mullahs and the White House.
#5
'Protocols' include bowing to the Saudi king and Japan's Emporer to show US deference to all..(except of course any Isralie). It's in the Constitutions unwritten section.
So I guess when Calderon spoke before the US Congress and blasted our immigration laws, lampooned that our drug use has no tie to their drug supplying, and blamed the entire US population for the Fast and Furious Program arming drug cartels...
That was completely according to protocal.
Did y'all get a preview of that speech there Chuck?
#9
Not having to meet with either of these foks is definite plus for Netanyahu. An open and intelligent conversation with either would be impossible and quite frankly, disgusting.
[DAWN] Federal Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada on Wednesday said the media 'twisted' his words regarding 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 the Soddy national face... 's role in destabilising the Moslem world.
While sources in the PM House say the Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC) Pirzada in a letter has said he "did not say a word" regarding Saudi Arabia causing disturbance in the Moslem world or Pakistain, sources close to Pirzada say he is standing by his statement.
On behalf on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , Information Minister Pervez Rashid held a meeting with federal Pirzada and conveyed the concerns of the prime minister over this statement.
Pirzada sought time after the meeting with Rashid and later sent a written reply to the prime minister saying his statement was "twisted".
He also said his intention was not to embarrass the prime minister and that if the premier wants his resignation he is "ready to do so".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[DAWN] The Pakistain Foreign Office denied reports that the UK and US had asked it to handover Mumbai attacks accused Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to India or to them for his 'independent trial' to help improve ties between the two countries, Times of India reported.
"No one has asked or sent any formal request to the (Pakistain) government to handover the person (Lakhvi) to India or any other country," Pakistain's foreign office spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam told TOI on Tuesday.
The report says that the Federal Investigation Agency's prosecution chief Chaudhry Azhar had informed the Islamabad High Court on Monday that two countries, whose citizens were killed in the Mumbai attacks, had asked Pakistain to hand over Lakhvi.
The prosecution chief did not name the countries when he appeared before the High court.
However, the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... some media reports suggested Washington and London had written to Pakistain and sought Lakhvi's custody.
At the time of the Mumbai attacks, Lakhvi was allegedly the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) which has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks.
Lakhvi along with Zarar Shah was alleged to be a key planner of the attack that killed 166 people.
Proceedings of the case against him began in 2009 at the ATC in Rawalpindi, and was transferred to the ATC in Islamabad the following year.
In April last year however, proceedings came to a virtual standstill as special judge of the ATC expressed his inability to conduct the trial due to security reasons. This came following a terrorist attack on the district courts in Islamabad in the month of March.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[DAWN] If incompetence and corruption of the ruling elite were not enough to derail the economy, Pakistain's sustained bout with terrorism did the rest.
Recent research shows that in the absence of terrorist violence, Pakistain's economy would have grown much faster than it actually did.
A paper by Sultan Mehmood in Defence and Peace Economics tabulated the impact of terrorism on Pakistain's economy. The author estimated Pakistain's real (inflation adjusted) GDP per capita would have grown by 177 per cent during 1973 and 2008 (instead of 119 per cent) in the absence of terrorist violence. Thus, the cumulative economic loss due to terrorism is around 33 per cent.
Over the years, several agencies, including the IMF and the government of Pakistain, have tried to guess terrorism's devastating impact on Pakistain's economy. A systematic estimate of the impact, however, had been lacking till now.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Is this before or after factoring-out corruption?
[DAWN] The federal government is reluctant to speak about a reported ban on the Haqqani Network and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), but government officials in private say the development has occurred as part of the progress on the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism.
An Haqqani Networkofficial of the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday said JuD and the Haqqani Network have been added to the list of proscribed outfits. The official told Dawn.com that it was the demand of the United States to ban the Haqqani Network and JuD but that the government is using "delay tactics". Give them time to empty their bank accounts and tranfer the money, think up new names, and then reopen at thesame old stand.
The official said that the recent attack of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) gunnies on Army Public School in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. compelled the government to take strict action against all holy warrior organizations without any differentiation of 'good' and 'bad' Taliban. But JuD's different. They're owned by the Pak govt.
According to a document available with Dawn.com, the interior ministry included new organizations in the list of proscribed organizations including:
"During his visit to Islamabad, US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... also appreciated the decision of the government to ban Haqqani Network and Jamat-ud-Dawa," the official added.
The official also said that the government had already directed relevant departments to take immediate steps to freeze the assets of the banned outfits, which include Haqqani Network and Jamat-ud-Dawa.
The United States has welcomed Pakistain's decision to ban the groups, terming the move an important step towards eliminating terrorism.
The Express Tribune in a report quoted senior Interior Ministry officials as saying that the groups have been banned.
The Nation today carried a report quoting a government official saying the ban has not taken effect.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[13 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Skinless people in a sandpaper world... and oil only half the price it was. Let us ponder how much further it will fall when Iran's sanctions are lifted, and how much that will hurt that part of the Muslim world living on oil profits and the charities deriving therefrom.
[AnNahar] A leading Islamic organization has called on the United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... to make "contempt of religions" illegal and urged the West to protect Moslem communities following the attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo ...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe... .
The Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... -based International Union of Moslem Scholars, headed by influential preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi ...crackpot Egyptian Islamist theologian. He is best known for his program Shariah and Life on Al Jazeera, with an estimated audience of 60 million kindred souls worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, which occasionally advocates things like slavery and thumping the old lady with a rod no thicker than an inch, and has published more than 120 books, including Islam: The Future Civilization. Joe has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the Moslem Brüderbund. Some of his views have been controversial in the West, though less so among the rubes of the Mysterious East, and he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving Islam a bad name.... , appealed to Moslems to continue peaceful protests against images of the Prophet Mohammed but "not to resort to any violence".
The latest cartoon of the prophet in Charlie Hebdo has angered many Moslems and triggered protests in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
In a statement released Tuesday, the union said there should be protection for "prophets" and urged Islamic countries to submit a draft law to the U.N. calling for defamation of religions to be outlawed.o
Nota bene: nothing the UN General Assembly does is binding, and the Security Council will not at this stage approve.
The union said the U.N. should then issue a "law criminalizing contempt of religions and the prophets and all the holy sites".
It also called for the West "to protect Moslem communities from attacks, whether they are citizens or residents or visitors".
Like Muslims do the unbelievers in their midst?
The union has condemned the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed holding a "Je suis Charlie" sign under the headline "All is forgiven" in the first Charlie Hebdo edition since Islamist gunnies killed 12 people in an attack on its offices.
It said that the new drawing would give "credibility" to the idea that "the West is against Islam" and warned the image would incite further hatred.
Qaradawi, 88, is seen as a spiritual guide of Egypt's banned Moslem Brüderbund, the movement of ousted former president Mohammed Morsi.
#1
How about you guys call for building a bunch of churches in Saudi Arabia first. Demonstrate how open and tolerant you are. Then start asking others.
#3
The Paris death squad did exactly what these mainstream Muslims had demanded for years and again we would be in the wrong if we held mainstream Muslims and Islam accountable in any way?
When UNESCO proposed a 'New World Information Order' designed to impose communist censorship on the world the US left UNESCO.
The West didn't turn into a finlandized joke in the face of an adversary with a huge conventional and nuclear arsenal. Why are we effectively surrendering to a pathetically weak enemy?
'The union said the U.N. should then issue a "law criminalizing contempt of religions and the prophets and all the holy sites"'
By "religions" they mean Islam.
By "prophets" they mean islamic prophets only (including Jesus and Moses as islamic prophets exclusively.)
By "holy sites" they mean that all islamic holy sites are to be respected and that all disputed holy sites are to be recognized as exclusively islamic holy sites.
Is there any Western politician of repute who will give the proper response to these people?
#5
I say we accept their demand and hold them to it as strictly as anyone else. There should be serious financial penalties to any govt that allows a religion like, oh I don't know, Christianity, to be ridiculed or harassed within their borders.
See how they like playing that game.
#8
Awful quiet when Western pubs have been attacking Christianity and Christians [who by the way are not out shooting, bombing and beheading people in as large numbers as you know who] for the last several decades. Now all he sudden, they discover 'contempt of religions'. Sorry buddy, when they came for the Jews you said nothing. When they came for the Christians you said nothing.....
#9
So when Muslims burn churches, behead Christians, vandalize synagogues, and other Muslim festivities, these scholars will immediately and unequivocally condemn them, right?
Right?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/22/2015 11:01 Comments ||
Top||
#10
It said that the new drawing would give "credibility" to the idea that "the West is against Islam"
#15
The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation has 57 member states. They campaign on this issue relentlessly, year after year at the UN.
They want "religious vilification" (blasphemy rebadged) to be considered a "human rights violation"
That means the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights kicks in and every Western nation will have to draft blasphemy laws.
In Australia they have been lobbying separately, funding their fifth column to do it
We now have a "vilification of religion" law in the state of Victoria.
They are lobbying in every other jurisdiction and federally. They have set up a FaceBook page called Islamophobia Register Australia to log any and all cases of "religious attack" on Muslims and to document it so they have a handy dossier of "hate crimes" to lobby with.
Then they can say they are victims and need special protection from "racist" bigoted Australians.
And get the law in that way.
This must be resisted, we must raise awareness of this push and its foreign backing to protect ourselves from losing important Enlightenment principles and the protection of secular laws.
Freedom of speech is being crushed.
After the Islamofascist attack in Sydney, the NSW Police Media Unit put out a press release saying they would investigate "crimes of bias" and gave a hotline number.
This was duly shared across Facebook on the Islam-promotion sites. they are turning the organs of civil society against the host.
[Iraq News] On Wednesday, a member in the Committee of Security and Parliamentary Defense announced, that two Arab states had provided Iraq with free weapons to confront the ISIS organization, while refused to reveal the names of those countries for security reasons.
The member Majid Ghraoui said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, "Two Arab states provided Iraq with weapons free of charge to fight the ISIS gangs," noting that, "The quality of weapons is good, foreign-made since these two states import weapons from foreign countries."
Ghraoui refused to reveal the two Arab countries' names for "political and security reasons," stressing that, "The sources of arming Iraq will be diverse and not from one side."
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office announced on January 15, 2015 the presence of several international parties providing assistance to Iraq in the field of training and equipping the army, pointing out that Iraq is expected to get more air support, considering that the Iraqis are defending the "world's freedom."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#1
All Iraq has to do is find a supply of black powder and they're good to go.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/22/2015 7:22 Comments ||
Top||
[Ynet] American embassy in Tel Aviv bars personnel of using public transport in Israel and West Bank, requires them to obtain permission to come near Lebanese, Syrian borders.
In the wake of the terror attack in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning and rising tensions in northern Israel, the US Embassy issued a travel warning to its personnel, barring them from using public buses in Israel and the West Bank and from coming near Israel's borders with Leb and Syria.
"Because of concerns about security on Israel's northern borders, US government personnel are currently required to obtain advance approval if they wish to travel within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) of the Leb border, or travel on or east of Route 98 in the Golan Heights," a statement from the Embassy said.
American visitors to Israel are advised not to use public transport in Israel and the West Bank.
On Wednesday evening, the US condemned the stabbing attack in Tel Aviv. "We strongly condemn today's stabbings on a bus in Tel Aviv," said State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki ...a valley girl who woke up one morning and found she was spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State... . "There is and can be no justification for such attacks against innocent civilians."
She once again urged all sides to work cooperatively together to lower tensions, reject violence and seek a path toward peace.
The last time the United States issued a travel warning for Israel over security reasons was during Operation Protective Edge.
#2
Israel murders, 2009 - 135 (all kinds, including shootings.) A month in Chicago is riskier than a year in Israel.
(Chicago population 2.7 MM, Israel population 8.1 MM)
[ARABNEWS] Israeli conduct during last summer's war in the Gazoo Strip increased the number of civilian casualties, an independent report has said, by failing to differentiate between military targets and civilians.
Hard to do when they are willing or unwilling human shields, in some cases children literally carried by the military target facing Israeli guns. According to international law, the ones using human shields or firing from among civilians are the ones responsible for anything bad that happens to them.
Despite claims to the contrary, the military did not give sufficient warning for civilians to evacuate residential areas before striking them, according to the report partly commissioned by Physicians for Human Rights and carried out by eight independent medical experts.
The report also cited potential violations of humanitarian law and indiscriminate strikes that led to the deaths of medical workers, and called for a full inquiry into the 50-day conflict.
The war between Israel and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, killed nearly 2,200 Paleostinians, mostly civilians, and has caused growing instability in Gazoo, where 100,000 people whose homes were destroyed or damaged remain displaced.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
If only it were true---a lot of our young men would be alive now.
#3
When HamAss deliberately hides among the civilians and do not wear any sort of uniform or badge then they are illegal combatants and any resulting civilian deaths fare on their heads.
#4
They could have shelled it into oblivion. So I guess they did try to avoid as many as possible.
Posted by: chris ||
01/22/2015 11:04 Comments ||
Top||
#5
You know, a smart idea would be to create an organization called "independent researchers" or something like that. Then any bias stuff you say is quoted as coming from independent researchers and sounds legit.
[Ynet] Israeli military confirms reports of Gazan terror group rebuilding tunnel infrastructure, approves expansion of specialized subterranean engineering unit.
The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that Hamas has continued its underground activities beneath Gaza, more than a month after Palestinian sources told Ynet that the terror group was rehabilitating its tunnel infrastructure.
"The other side has not neglected this capability," warned a senior engineering officer on earlier in the day. On Monday, Israeli intelligence officials confirmed the developments to the British newspaper The Times.
Meanwhile, the IDF decided to expand its special engineering unit (Yahlom) by hundreds of combat and support troops. The senior officer said the threat posed by the tunnels was ongoing. "I believe that Hamas learned from the (past) campaign and it will only improve this capability ahead of the next round."
According to Palestinian sources in the Strip who spoke to Ynet in December, a black market for mortar emerged after Israel allowed the flow of limited goods and materials into Gaza – allowing Hamas to renew construction of concrete slabs used to line the inside of the tunnels.
On Monday, the British newspaper reported that Israeli intelligence officials said Hamas was building a "new generation" of homemade rockets and has been digging terror tunnels intended to reach Israel. According to the report, dozens of long range rockets fired since September 16 were identified on the Iron Dome system's radar, but fell into the sea.
The Times said that according to their sources, Hamas has been trying to upgrade its rocket manufacturing capabilities.
After more than two years of work in the General Staff – and in the wake of Operation Protective Edge – the IDF completed this week the process of significantly increasing the size of the Yahalom special unit; it's new commander, Yaron Beit-on, will receive a Colonel rank, as opposed to previous commanders, ranked Lieutenant Colonel.
Expanding the unit specializing in underground warfare will mean the addition of a combat squadron to specialize in subterranean fighting and another unit to focus on charting, identifying, and destroying the tunnels, as well as a large technical body to support all the technological challenges of underground warfare.
The senior officer added that the defense establishment has yet to complete a proven operational technological development to locate the tunnels. Still, he said, there has been significant progress in the field.
"I hope we can adapt this to the concrete threat in Gaza. There are a number of measures we have tried in recent months, with more than a few successes. We have tried different technologies which have made certain accomplishments, but they are limited and have not provided a complete response to all the challenges. The best of minds are helping us," explained the senior officer.
The focus of the project has been the identification and destruction of tunnels. "We saw that it was very challenging to destroy them and we had to insert a lot of explosives to destroy the tunnels; and we want to do it much faster," he said.
"We are talking about additional explosives measures, and we are making them part of training and preparation as soon as possible," added the officer.
In past attempts to develop sensors to identify tunnels succeeded their lab tests but failed in field testing. While the sterile conditions in the lab allowed perfect operation, the ground in the field was full of background noises.
Recently, the IDF explored preventative solutions which do not locate tunnels, but physically hinder digging towards Israeli territory. However, an exorbitant price-tag of billions of shekels has put a hold on procurement of such measures at this stage.
#1
75% Fly aAh would help that situation and please the Fly Ash Liberation Army
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2015 19:07 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Find a tunnel opening, run a hose to the Med, and start pumping water. I'm sure those tunnels are NOT waterproof, they don't have pumps big enough to handle a flood, and a strong electrical current into the water would provide an easy means of tracking them. Besides, not many Arabs can breathe water for very long...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2015 22:49 Comments ||
Top||
[NATION.PK] Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu signed a military cooperation deal with Iran on Tuesday that his Iranian counterpart touted as a joint response to US "interference".
Shoigu is the most senior Russian military official to visit Tehran since 2002, according to Iranian media, and the agreement comes with both countries facing Western sanctions.
The deal provides for joint exercises and military training, as well as "cooperation in peacekeeping, maintaining regional and international security and stability, and fighting against separatism and extremism," the Iranian defence ministry website said.
Defence Minister told state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
that Iran and Russia had a "shared analysis of US global strategy, its interference in regional and international affairs and the need to cooperate in the struggle against the interference of foreign forces in the region.
Russia has long been Iran's principal foreign arms supplier but their ties took a major hit in 2010 when Moscow cancelled a contract to deliver advanced S-300 ground to air missiles, citing UN sanctions imposed over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[12 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
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.
hints that some went to terrorists
[ARABNEWS] Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has died, state television reported early on Friday and his brother Salman became king, it said in a statement attributed to Salman. King Salman has called on the family's Allegiance Council to pay allegiance to Muqrin as his crown prince and heir.
A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
[DAWN] The Pakistain Foreign Office denied reports that the UK and US had asked it to handover Mumbai attacks accused 
A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
