[Tolo News] The Pakistain Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday night ‎the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz ...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in good jihadis and bad jihadis as a matter of national policy... held a meeting with a high-level delegation from Afghanistan on bilateral relations involving peace and stability in the country. The Afghan delegation has since returned to Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... In a statement issued by the ministry, Pakistain said the delegation had been led by Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, who was accompanied by Masoom Stanekzai, Acting Defence Minister and Rahmatullah Nabil, Director General of Afghan National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... and others.
"The two sides, inter alia, had candid discussions on Pakistain-Afghanistan bilateral relation, evolving political and security situation in Afghanistan, security cooperation between the two countries, and peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan," read the statement.
The statement went on to say Aziz conveyed Pakistain's conviction for building a constructive and forward-looking relationship with Afghanistan, and conveyed Pakistain's readiness to work with Afghanistan in overcoming all challenges.
"He emphasized that the two countries should have trust and faith in each other and discourage spoilers and detractors who have been trying to create mistrust between the two brotherly countries," read the statement.
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[Tolo News] Residents in the Hawa Shinasi area of Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... spoke out about their frustrations of having a foreign forces military base in their area especially as the base houses military helicopters. "Yasss... The artillery keeps his excellency up all night!"
They claim that not only is the noise a problem but that damage has also been caused to their homes from all the activity. "They shouldn't let those jet aircraft kick in their afterburners, either!"
"Local residents are facing a lot of problems after flights started at this base. Flight traffic has damaged our homes and people are being disturbed in the day and at night," one Hawa Shinasi resident, Samiullah said. "Sometimes they fly so low it causes dust to float down from the sandbags on the roof! Mother just can't keep the house clean!"
"Flights are affecting our children. Some even suffer psychological problems from this," another resident Hamida said. "And the napalm stinks to high heaven!"
Local residents in the area have called on the government to address their issues.
"We discussed the issue with the government several times. Until now nothing has been done to settle the matter. This time we have sent a letter to military officials at the base to consider the problems we face," another resident Salahuddin said.
According to the residents, the land for the military base was provided to the foreign forces by an Afghan businessman. The foreign troops reportedly pay rent. Initially no helicopters landed and took off there but this has since changed, they said.
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#1
There was similar shining here at NAS Whidbey and the cry babies even took the navy to court. This week the federal judge told the whiners to shut up,
[Tolo News] In a meeting with Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. on Friday, members of Afghanistan's National Ulema Council condemned the spate of recent terrorist attacks around the country, calling them the product of foreign meddling, and urging the Afghan public to mobilize support behind the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
"The Ulema council once again strongly condemns the recent attacks in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... city and Pashtun-infested Logar province that led to the injury and martyrdom of dozens of our countrymen, including women and kiddies," National Ulema Council member Ghulam Rabbani Rahmani said. "This act of terrorism is against the teachings of Islam and human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... . We want the security institutions to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators and bring them to justice in order to prevent such acts in the future."
The statement comes a week after a deadly truck bombing in the Shah Shaheed area of Kabul, which killed 15 civilians and maimed more than 400. Further attacks over last weekend saw the body count rise, ultimately prompting President Ghani on Monday to hold a presser in which he pointed blame at Pakistain for the spike in Taliban violence.
While Afghan officials have been quick to jump on the war path following the attacks, those effected by the bombing in Shah Shaheed indicate the government has done little to nothing to support the families of victims.
"My sister and two cousins were killed here, and their house was totally demolished," a resident of Shah Shahid named Wahidullah told TOLOnews. "His brother is suffering from trauma and spends his day and night inside a tent," he added, referring to the relative of his friend standing nearby.
Although the government has spoken about a pledge of 100,000 Afs to the families of those killed and 50,000 Afs to those who were maimed in the Shah Shaheed attack, survivors say none of the money has been distributed.
More than financial support, however, most residents simply demand justice. "Dr. Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah must file a complaint to the UN Security Council to probe the Shah Shaheed carnage and ask for UN support," another Shah Shaheed resident named Samiullah said.
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[Tolo News] Speakers at a gathering of tribal councils in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... on Friday issued a call to action, urging all Afghans to stand united against Pakistain's destabilizing tactics and continued support of the Taliban insurgency inside Afghanistan.
The event comes after weeks of heightened violence, particularly on the streets of Kabul, as Taliban leaders based in Pakistain have been able to push a wave of suicide kabooms. In just one week, over 50 Afghan civilians have been killed and hundreds more maimed in the capital.
"In light of the situation, the people must be united against the policies of Pakistain, a country which is harboring terrorist groups," MP Gul Pacha Majidi said on Friday. "People must be ready to defend their country," he added.
"Although Pakistain claims that the Taliban do not exist in Pakistain and will never do so, what it really means is that such statements are always untrue," tribal elder Bismillah said.
In addition to political figures and tribal elders, the gathering on Friday was attended by civil society activists and holy mans. Some issued calls for help to the international community and the Pak public itself.
"We want to call upon 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... , Islamic countries and the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... not to allow Pakistain to continue supporting the terrorist groups," civil society activist Aminullah Zazai said.
"We want to request citizens in neighboring countries not to allow their governments to harbor terrorism in the region - this would be in the interest of the whole region," political analyst Mohammad Yousaf Amin said.
Earlier this week, the Kabul Ulema Council joined the Afghan government in condemning the Pak government's policies toward murderous Moslem and terrorist groups.
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Turkey's Muslim Brotherhood salutes Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood...
[AlAhram] The official website of Cairo International Airport was taken over by a group of hackers commemorating the dispersal of the Rabaa sit-in in 2013 for several hours on Friday morning.
The website was attacked by Turkish hacking team "AkinCilar" on the second anniversary of the 2013 police dispersal of two pro-Mohammed Morsi protest camps in Cairo, the larger in Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square and the smaller in Nahda Square, both in greater Cairo.
For several hours, users of the site were redirected to a second page showing the "R4BIA" symbol that has been used by Morsi's supporters to commemorate the dispersal. Messages on the page in Arabic , English and Turkish called the dispersal "a crime against humanity" and vowed not to stop until "attaining vengeance."
The yellow symbol, an image of a hand raising four fingers, represents resistance to, and memory of the dispersal of the sit-ins in 2013. The sign is considered by Egyptian security forces as a symbol of incitement against the army and police.
According to the National Council for Human Rights a total of 632 people were killed during the dispersal, including eight coppers. The dispersal also left 1,492 injured and saw 800 people enjugged Please don't kill me! , according to the report.
[AlAhram] A group of Moslem Brüderbund supporters blocked the coastal road in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate in northern Egypt on Friday by setting car tyres ablaze, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
Security forces re-opened the road after firing teargas and chasing the protesters away.
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[Libya Herald] Sarir power station in eastern Libya has now fully shut down because of a strike by drivers transporting diesel fuel to the plant.
“Production stopped on Wednesday after almost two weeks of struggle to maintain output,” Sarir power station manager, Hashim Al-Malki, told the Libya Herald.
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#1
A 400 megawatt plant supplied by trucks? Perhaps a pipeline got boomed.
[Libya Herald] Some 500 to 600 Libyan army soldiers allied to Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... paraded yesterday in 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 Martyrs' Square to commemorate the 75th anniversary of establishment of the Libyan army. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... the event drew widespread criticism from local residents who asked why it was parading in Tripoli and not fighting 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/Daesh) in Sirte.
It was attended by General National Congress (GNC) president Nuri Abu Sahmain in his supposed capacity as commander-in-chief, Tripoli "prime minister" Khalifa Ghwell and Mustafa Laqlaib Tripoli's justice minister.
A small, unidentified aircraft was seen flying overhead in what was taken to be a salute to the occasion.
As with the military parade in the same square on 8 July to mark the fourth anniversary of Tripoli liberation, the public ignored the ceremony although in his speech, Abu Sahmain addressed himself to "to the great Libyan people".
Referring to his plans to reorganise the Libyan army into 11 brigades across the country, announced just before the July parade, he claimed that "the honorable people from Barqa [Cyrenaica] have called us to include them in the brigades". As a result, three more brigades would be formed, he said -- "one in Benghazi, one in Jebel Akhdar and one in Tobruk". This, however, will not happen immediately, he added.
"These armed formations will be the guarantee of any upcoming government or political body," he stated.
"We will not allow the army's loyalty to any figure [a reference to General Khalifa Hafter] or political parties," he said, stressing that Libya could not be rebuilt without army institutions".
"Before signing any political agreement, we must ensure the rights of our army" he further said.
He did not say whether the value of Libya's soldiers and officers would be reflected in a substantial salary hike. At present, a colonel in the army is said to earn less than a member of a militia member in the capital.
Not only ignored, the parade drew strong criticism from locals.
" I think it is pointless having a parade in Tripoli with such a large number of gunnies while Sirte is now struggling and fighting Daesh holy warriors," 39-year-old downtown shop owner said.
"The Dawn government and the Congress must understand that they are involved in what is going on in Sirte now by ignoring the situation," said anoither local. "I have a friend who lives in Sirte and he called me and said that the residents are fighting IS with only Kalashnikovs."
"If Dawn insist that Tripoli is secure and everything is okay, why don't they go and fight IS in Sirte," commented another resident at a central Tripoli coffee shop. "They are Libyans, whether they are Qadaffy's followers or not."
Regarding the anniversary, the Royal Libyan Army was created on independence in 1951, But it was based on the former Cyrenaica Defence Force, itself created on 26 March 1943 out of the Libyan Arab Army, more commonly called the Senussi Force.
This latter was founded in Cairo during World War II by the Grand Senussi, Sayid Idris Al-Senussi, Emir of Cyrenaica (and after 1951, King of Libya) in cooperation with the British. Idris drew together exiles in Egypt and elsewhere.
In events remarkably similar to Libya's present condition, the force, created at a meeting on 9 August 1940 chaired by Idris and a British colonel, was rejected by a group of Tripolitanian emigrés led by Ahmed Swehli. They refused to sign the resolution setting the army and instead tried to create a separate Tripolitanian army, asking the British to back it. The British responded by trying to bring the two sides together but, when that proved impossible, decided to ignore Swehli and stick purely with Idris.
On 9 August 1946, the anniversary of the founding of the Senussi Force was celebrated for the first time as a public holiday in Benghazi.
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[ALMANAR.LB] North Korea on Friday denied it was behind a series of mine blasts earlier this month that maimed two South Korean soldiers and triggered a spike in cross-border tensions. "Yeah! It wudn't us! It wuz... somebody else."
The powerful National Defense Commission (NDC) said South Korean accusations that its soldiers had sneaked across the border and planted the mines along a known patrol route was "absurd". "Coulda been East Korea?"
"If our army really needed to achieve a military purpose, we would have used strong firearms, not three mines," the commission said in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency.
The mines were tripped by a South Korean border patrol on August 4 in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) - a buffer zone stretching two kilometers on either side of the actual frontier line dividing the two Koreas.
One soldier underwent a double leg amputation, while another lost a single leg.
An investigation by South Korea and the US-led UN Command which monitors the ceasefire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War concluded that the devices were North Korean "wooden box" mines.
It also said the mines were recently laid, ruling out the possibility that they were old units moved by shifting soil of flood waters.
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[AnNahar] Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... on Thursday lifted several already suspended economic sanctions against Iran, following last month's historic deal between Tehran and world powers on the Iranian nuclear program.
Citing the "important turning point in the 12-year nuclear dispute," the Swiss government said it had decided to lift some sanctions against Iran that had already been suspended in January 2014.
It decided to lift the ban on precious metals transactions with Iranian state bodies, as well as the requirement to report all trade in Iranian petrochemical products.
It also lifted requirements to report the transport of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, as well as insurance policies taken out in connection with such transactions.
Switzerland, which has been representing U.S. interests in Iran since Washington and Tehran broke off diplomatic relations in 1979, said the steps should "be seen as a sign of its support for the implementation of the nuclear agreement and its interest in deepening bilateral relations with Iran."
The agreement with Teheran, reached in Vienna by the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members -- Britannia, China, La Belle France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany, provides for a progressive and conditional lifting of crippling international sanctions, in exchange for guarantees that the Islamic republic will not develop a nuclear bomb.
Other countries have yet to lift sanctions against Iran, pending verification that the country is complying with the July 14 agreement.
The Swiss government also stressed that "the vast majority of international sanctions against Iran, including all of the sanctions adopted by the U.N. Security Council, will remain in force for the time being," and said it would reimpose the lifted sanctions if Iran failed to follow through on the deal.
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#1
It decided to lift the ban on precious metals transactions with Iranian state bodies, as well as the requirement to report all trade in Iranian petrochemical products."
A senior figure in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Friday warned that Turkey would pay "a heavy price" for its offensive against the rebels amid new deadly clashes in the Kurdish-majority southeast.
A 40-year-old man was killed when he was caught in an armed clash between Turkish forces and the PKK in the city of Diyarbakir, security sources told AFP.
A 29-year-old man was also wounded during clashes that erupted overnight after youths linked to the outlawed PKK opened fire at police trying to clear a main road blocked by the militants.
After a series of attacks in Turkey, Ankara has launched a two-pronged offensive to bomb Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and PKK rebels in northern Iraq and southeast Turkey.
So far, the operation has focused largely on the Kurdish rebels, who have responded by waging a bloody campaign against the security forces.
"We are waging a battle of the wills," the PKK's northern Iraq-based leader Murat Karayilan was quoted by the pro-PKK Firat news agency as telling Kurdish Sterk TV.
"We are experienced and we know very well what to do. They made a very big mistake by attacking us... They will pay a very heavy price for that."
According to an AFP toll, 31 members of the Turkish security forces have since died in attacks blamed on the PKK.
- 'They are doomed to fail' -
But Karayilan, who is often seen as the movement's overall leader in the absence its jailed iconic chief Abdullah Ocalan, said the PKK had not "put into effect a war plan yet."
"Our fight continues in a planned and controlled way. We are just conducting retaliatory actions," he said.
The PKK has waged an over 30 year struggle for autonomy and greater rights in Turkey's Kurdish majority southeast that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 people took to the streets in Diyarbakir on Friday to protest the escalating cycle of violence that has left a 2013 ceasefire agreed by the PKK in tatters, an AFP reporter said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday vowed that his government would press on with its relentless campaign against Kurdish militants, saying the operations were not "temporary."
"You shall not think they are strong... They are doomed to fail," Erdogan told supporters in his ancestral hometown in the Black Sea province of Rize.
More than 1,700 suspects have been arrested since late last month in police raids nationwide targeting suspected members of the PKK as well as IS and the Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party Front (DHKP-C), state-run Anatolia news agency said.
On Friday, police detained at least 39 suspected terrorists in raids in several cities including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, Anatolia said.
Karayilan meanwhile distanced the PKK from the killing on July 22 of two Turkish policeman in their sleep as one carried out "by a group not precisely affiliated to us".
He also said the PKK's central command did not approve of suicide bombings, such as an attack in Istanbul on Monday that was claimed by Kurdish militants.
[Rudaw] In a move toward greater power that has included a deadly crackdown on the Kurdish opposition, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... said Friday the time had come to change the constitution.
"There is a president with de facto power in the country, not a symbolic one," Erdogan said in the Black Sea province of Rize.
"The president should conduct his duties for the nation directly, but within his authority. Whether one accepts it or not, Turkey's administrative system has changed," he said. "Now, what should be done is to update this de facto situation in the legal framework of the constitution," the Hurriyet Daily reported him as saying.
Erdogan, 61, has been clawing his way to greater power ever since becoming president in 2014, after 11 years as prime minister.
After a setback in June, when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that stands behind him failed to win the number of parliament seats that would allow it to railroad constitutional changes, Erdogan warned he was springing back -- and getting his way.
"From now on, I'll be there," he said. "You won't be able to cut my ties with my nation," he added, explaining he will be on the political scene like never before.
Erdogan's many critics, including the Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) that rose against him -- and won -- in the elections, have warned that Erdogan is a dangerous man who is bent on dragging this NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... country down a dangerous path, away from democracy and toward authoritarian rule.
Erdogan's latest move is part of a deadly political chess game in which the president wants for himself the powers of a king: the Ak Saray, or White Palace, he built for himself, has 1,000 rooms and was built at a reported cost of $350 million.
The election setback was a major blow to Erdogan's oversized ambitions. But he brought them back on track by declaring a war on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the outlawed group that had been in two years of peace talks with the government.
After an 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.... (ISIS) bombing in the city of Suruc in which 32 people were killed and after the PKK grabbed credit for killing two Turkish officers, Erdogan declared a war on terror -- but went mainly after the Kurds.
Turkish warplanes have carried out bombing raids against the PKK in the Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq in Turkey's Kurdish southeast, after nationwide sweeps in which hundreds were placed in durance vile You have the right to remain silent... . Turkish officials reportedly said early this week that 390 PKK members had been killed and 400 maimed.
#3
Erdogan is behind the Daesh and used NATO Turkish officers(officially "hostages") to lead the 800 daesh neckbeards to beat the million men Iraqi army...once the war was won, the "hostages" were "released" and left their luxury hôtels to go home to turkey...no doubts with a few hundred thousands $ in their bank accounts...Was it Stalin that said:"We will hang you with your own rope"? Look like NATO is the enemy of civilization...
[DAWN] 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... on Friday sought an explanation from senior cabinet member and minister for climate change, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, over an interview the latter gave to BBC Urdu, in which he alleged that former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam Abbasi wanted to overthrow Pakistain's civil and military leadership during last year's sit-ins by the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... and the Pakistain Awami Tehrik.
In his interview, Mushahidullah alleged that during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's meeting with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif ..Pak chief of army staff, meaning he pulls the strings on the Nawaz Sharif puppet to make it dance and sing and not do much at all.... on July 28, 2014, an audio tape was played in which Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam could be heard giving orders to ransack the PM House and spread chaos.
The tape, claimed the federal minister, was obtained by officials of the civilian intelligence agency -- Intelligence Bureau.
On hearing the audio tape, Gen Raheel summoned the ISI chief to the meeting and played the tape in front of him, said Mushahidullah. When Zaheerul Islam confirmed that the voice was his own, the army chief asked him to leave, claimed Mushahidullah in his interview with BBC.
Taking notice of the minister's statements, the PM House issued a news release, asking Mushahidullah Khan to explain his remarks. The release also said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has never heard such an audio tape, nor is he aware of its existence.
Meanwhile Federal Information Minister Pervez Rashid, while talking to DawnNews, said he had been with the prime minister during the dharna days last year, adding that he could state with assurance that "no such incident had taken place," referring to claims of the audio tape being played in Nawaz's meeting with Gen Raheel.
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[DAWN] President Mamnoon Hussain while addressing a high-level gathering of civilian and military officials to celebrate Independence Day celebrations at the Convention Centre on Friday said Pakistain will not compromise "if there is any threat to territorial illusory sovereignty."
The President, referred to 'undesirable incidents', and said that action is being taken against "negative, destructive elements which have tried to harm to unity of Pakistain".
President Mamnoon Hussain, who was the chief guest at the event, said narrow-mindedness, extremism and terrorism are related to education. To eradicate these elements, he said, modern education must be adopted.
He said the country had been in a state of war and under threat from both internal and external forces. He praised the Pakistain Army for its sacrifices, and also mentioned the students of 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. 's Army Public School who, he said, sacrificed their lives for the country.
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[Rudaw] Test on Friday proved that ISIS has used mustard gas against Kurdish forces over the last two days on the Gwer- Makhmur front, the area's commander told Rudaw.
"The result of the test revealed they [ISIS] has used mustard gas," Brigadier General Sirwan Barzani, commanding officer of the infantry division in the area said Friday.
Barzani said a mortar barrage late Wednesday carried a gas his fighters had not seen before in ISIS attacks. He said the Peshmerga affected by the chemical agent had breathing problems and skin injuries consistent with mustard gas.
Based on this, Barzani said tests were carried out by experts from one of the countries that belongs to the international coalition to fight 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.... , or ISIS. Earlier, Barzani had said a team of US and French experts had collected samples to explain what could have caused the burns and respiratory issues.
The injured soldiers were reportedly transferred to a hospital in Erbil, less than 40km from the frontline.
US officials had earlier announced an investigation into whether ISIS had used chemical weapons against Kurdish forces after a report was broadcast by Rudaw TV and the ENEX media network.
Also, earlier this week, the Ministry of Peshmerga instructed its forces in Makhmour to use gas masks in case of mortar-launched chemical attacks.
Many of the villages neighboring Makhmour, some only 5km away, have been under ISIS control since August last year when the group swept through much of western Iraq.
Kurdish commanders say the jihadists use the villages to mont attacks on Peshmarga positions.
With the presence of mustard gas now established, Kurdish and foreign experts are left to wonder how ISIS gained possession of it.
US-based CNN quoted experts as speculating the gas came from old chemical weapons caches in Iraq or Syria that the US was unaware of.
Mustard gas, or sulfur mustard, has been classified as a chemical warfare agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The gas was invented and gained infamy in World War I and was prohibited by international treaty in 1993.
Mustard gas is not usually fatal, but can cause blisters on the skin, eye injuries, blindness and severe respiratory problems.
The agent was developed during World War I and was banned by treaty in 1993. While it is usually not fatal, according to the CDC, it can cause blistering of the skin, eye pain and blindness, as well as respiratory problems.
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#1
What NBCWS-WMDS-CBRN(E) the ISIS has can also be used agz NON-KURDS.
Thousands of people turned out for a festive demonstration in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on Friday, expressing support for Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi's reform drive while calling on him to do more.
On Sunday, Abadi announced a reform programme in response to weeks of protests and to a call for drastic change from Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani. Parliament approved the plan, along with additional measures, two days later.
In Baghdad, the demonstrators waved Iraqi flags and criticised most politicians while praising Abadi. They chanted slogans including "Out, out, you are all thieves," and "No promises, no guarantees, we want the dissolution of the parliament."
But of Abadi, they said: "Oh Haider, march, march, we are all with you in Tahrir."
Some carried pictures of the premier with the text "All the people are with you."
Almost like a new cult of personality...
Images of other politicians were also present, but with their faces crossed out in red.
"Abadi gets his power from the people, and now he has wide acceptance from us, and he has the support of the Marjaiyah (Shia religious leadership)," said activist Mohammed Jabbar. "He does not have any excuse; he should implement the reforms."
Jabbar is comfortable with a dictator so long as it's his kind of dictator...
"The first reforms are acceptable, but we want more. We want to try the corrupt and get back the Iraqi money that was wasted," he said, also calling for the reform of the judiciary.
Other demonstrators demanded changes including a government of technocrats, and for all the current ministers to be sacked.
Amid a major heatwave that has seen temperatures top 50 degrees Celsius, protesters have railed against the poor quality of services, especially power outages that leave just a few hours of government-supplied electricity per day.
Thousands of people have turned out in Baghdad and cities in the Shia south to vent their anger and pressure the authorities to make changes. Their demands were given a boost last week when Sistani, who is revered by millions, called for Abadi to take "drastic measures" against corruption, saying the "minor steps" he had announced were not enough.
Various parties and politicians have sought to align themselves with the protesters in order to benefit from the movement and mitigate the risk to themselves.
Even with popular support for change, the entrenched nature of corruption and the fact that parties across the political spectrum benefit from it will make any efforts extremely difficult.
Abadi warned on Wednesday that the reform process "will not be easy; it will be painful," and that corrupt individuals would seek to impede change.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/15/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office condemned today outgoing US army chief General Raymond Odierno's "irresponsible" statement on the possibility that Iraq might be partitioned.
It was "an irresponsible statement and reflects an ignorance of the Iraqi reality," Abadi's media office said.
Odierno, who served as the top US commander in Iraq from 2008 to 2010, said yesterday that partitioning the country "is something that could happen" and "might be the only solution, but I'm not ready to say that yet."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2015 00:00 ||
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A Palestinian held by Israel without trial has slipped into a coma after a nearly two-month hunger strike, his lawyer said on Friday, raising fears for his life.
"I was informed yesterday (Thursday) evening by the (Israeli) hospital where he is being held that he had fallen into a coma," Jamil Al Khatib, 31-year-old Mohammed Allan's attorney, said.
A spokeswoman for Barzilai hospital in the southern city of Ashkelon confirmed Allan's condition had "deteriorated", adding he was receiving fluids and salts by intravenous drip and aided by an artificial respirator.
"His condition is stable," she said in a statement. "The treatment is in accordance with the instructions of the ethics committee."
Allan, an alleged Islamic Jihad activist who has been held without charge by Israel since November, has been on hunger strike since June 18, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club. His relatives say his fast began in protest at being held under what Israel calls administrative detention, a controversial procedure allowing indefinite detention without charge.
Israeli figures indicate that of the nearly 5,700 Palestinian prisoners currently held by Israel, some 379 are under administrative detention.
His case has become a source of growing concern among the Palestinian public, while Israel faces a dilemma over whether to force-feed the protester.
In the northern West Bank city of Nablus, near his hometown, around 1,000 staged a march for Allan on Friday.
"My son is in a coma. He's my son, but also the son of the entire Palestinian people," Allan's father Nasser Eddine told the crowd.
Hundreds of people also rallied for Allan after Friday prayers at Al Aqsa mosque in occupied east Jerusalem, waving his portrait in the Old City and chanting against force-feeding.
Portraits of his pale face framed by a dark beard have been circulating on Palestinian social media. Allan's lawyer said Israel intends to force-feed him, a measure likely to further increase Palestinian anger.
The Israeli Medical Association strongly opposes the practice and has said its members will not participate in force-feeding.
Okay. Let him die...
An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity said force-feeding was a very last resort and required a judge's approval in every case.
"Before forced feeding, there are many, many medical processes," he said. "They can give him water and other fluids intravenously. There's no need to go straight to forced-feeding."
Allan was transferred earlier this month from Soroka hospital in Beersheva after doctors there objected to carrying out blood tests against his will, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel said at the time.
On Friday, the NGO appealed to Barzilai medical staff.
"Medical ethics requires that his doctors act in accordance to their understanding of the patient's will," it said. "PHR-Israel hopes and believes that the doctors in Barzilai hospital have acted with respect and in accordance with Allan's will."
The International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross, which has visited Allan several times, has warned that he was "at immediate risk" of death. He has been taking only water throughout his fast and experts say that survival under such conditions is uncertain after two months.
His supporters say his sight and hearing have been badly impaired.
Palestinians in Israeli prisons regularly go on hunger strike in protest at conditions, particularly those who, like Allan, are held in administrative detention.
On July 30, parliament approved a law allowing prisoners on hunger strike facing death to be force fed, sparking criticism from rights groups and doctors. That vote came two weeks after Israel freed Islamic Jihad member Khader Adnan following a 56-day hunger strike that brought him near death.
Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the law was necessary to prevent "hunger strikes of terrorists in prisons" being used as a means to pressure Israel into releasing them.
Hate to say it, but if they're willing to starve to death, that's exactly what should happen.
[Ynet] The military wing of Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , the al-Quds Brigades, said Friday afternoon that it would attack Israel if detainee Mohammed Allaan, who has been on a hunger strike for 59 days, dies. "If he dies, we will respond with force and put an end to our commitment to maintaining calm," said a statement.
Of course they will. And then they will be killed or arrested, just like all the rest.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/15/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
well, bye
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/15/2015 8:36 Comments ||
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#2
Islamic Jihad: If Palestinian detainee dies, we will attack Israel
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
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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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.
[Tolo News] The Pakistain Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday night ‎the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, 
North Korea
[DAWN] Prime Minister 
The tape, claimed the federal minister, was obtained by officials of the civilian intelligence agency -- Intelligence Bureau.
