[Legal Insurrection] OK folks, I’m playing a bit of catch-up here on last Friday’s testimony of state witnesses, Dr. Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist retained as another expert witness for the state, and Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner who conducted the autopsy of George Floyd.
In the case of both Thomas and Baker, there was a common pattern in the nature of their testimony. On direct questioning by Prosecutor Blackwell they would both say the magic words they certainly knew the state needed them to say on the witness stand; in effect, and perhaps even literally word-for-word; they identified the primary cause of George Floyd's death as asphyxia complicated by law enforcement subdual restraint and neck compression.
When asked on direct if any of the other notable factors everyone knew the defense would raise on cross; the existing cardiovascular disease with 75% to 90% occlusion of all three major coronary arteries, the hypertension-induced enlarged heart, the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd's system, the adrenaline induced by Floyd's poorly made decision to fight four police officers for 10 minutes; could any of that have been the cause of Floyd’s death.
The answer was a flat no, period. Floyd's death could only be attributable to asphyxia complicated by law enforcement subdual restraint and neck compression.
Good for the state, right?
On cross examination, however, both Thomas and Baker agreed that every single one of those factors, by themselves, even in the absence of any police involvement, or any of the other factors, if viewed in isolation could be an entirely reasonable cause of death for an official death certificate. (I'm amalgamating the responses of both Thomas and Baker, as they were so similar; video of their individual cross-examination testimony is embedded below for those wishing a more granular sense of what each said.)
In other words, had Floyd been found dead at home and autopsy revealed the 75% to 90% occlusion of his three major coronary arteries, would it have been reasonable for a medical examiner to attribute cause of death to that heart condition? Yes.
#2
....had Floyd been found dead at home and autopsy revealed the 75% to 90% occlusion of his three major coronary arteries, would it have been reasonable for a medical examiner to attribute cause of death to that heart condition? Yes.
In other words, many people expire from these symptoms WITHOUT police assistance.
Could a jury conclude 'beyond a reasonable doubt' that the trauma of the ride to the station, booking process, slamming of the cell door, or anxiety from forced drug withdrawal would not have resulted in his death ?
Can the prosecution list other instances where police restraint such as that used on Floyd has resulted in death ?
#3
Apparently (per Dershowitz and also Minneapolis lawyer John Hinderaker) the standard of causality that's being applied in this trial is NOT whether Floyd's death was primarily or necessarily caused by "subdual" i.e. Bury-George's-Heart-At-Officer's-Bended-Knee.
Instead, the wording in the Minnesota statute which both sides allowed the judge to apply to Chauvin's knee is "a substantial cause." So not the necessary condition, or even a necessary condition, but this slippery, vague bullshit term "substantial."
Q's: Are the jurors going to interpret "substantial" to mean what logicians and Jesuits call a necessary condition of the observed outcome, i.e. what lawyers mean by their term "but for..."?
As in, "But for the automatic override feature in the 737's avionics software, the 737 pilot would necessarily have righted the plan and avoided a crash" or "But for Our Lord's intercession and death on the Cross, we would necessarily all be deprived of eternal life...."
OR
Does "a substantial cause" mean simply a contributing factor that merely compounded the much more fundamental cause? For example, say a person with four times the legal amount of alcohol in his blood goes driving in a snowstorm on New Year's Eve, revs it up to 90mph and then hits an overpass, hurling himself through the windshield and killing himself. He didn't wear a seat belt. Was his failure to buckle up a "substantial" cause of death? Without actually replicating the particulars of that accident, and setting some kind of statistical threshold for your fuzzy notion, "substantial", how would you or anyone arrive at a valid answer to this question?
How the hell do you expect an intelligent estimation from a jury made up of non-specialists lacking such a simulation of the event, and lacking the resulting accurate measurements and knowledge of how to interpret them?
This standard -- "a substantial" cause of death -- is a smokescreen for what is nothing more than a politically ordered, fore-ordained conclusion.
#4
What did Judge Roy Bean say? "This morning we are going to give this man a fair trial. After lunch we are going to hang him..."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/12/2021 10:52 Comments ||
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#5
#3, Squinty, it's called reasonable doubt. In a perfect world, it would be all that Chauvin needs. Too bad we know that Minneapolis is far from perfect. The pre-trial publicity was extremely prejudicial, the local establishment seeks only to appease the mob outside the court house and that mob threatens the jury.
To establish reasonable doubt, Eric Nelson must convince the jury that Floyd had so much fentanyl in his system that he would die no matter what the cops did.
If Nelson can do that, understandably a big if in the toxic atmosphere of this trial, he will become the most celebrated criminal defense lawyer in the country.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/12/2021 12:17 Comments ||
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#6
What reasonable person would NOT conclude that this lifelong drug-abusing scumbag with 75-90% blocked arteries -- this freak who filled his mouth with EVEN MORE pills laced with fentanyl upon arrest, and who was also "hooping" meth, fer crissake -- how could you not conclude that this asshole died of a drug overdose?
Why is this trial even taking place?
What country are we living in?
Posted by: Eohippus Lover of the Platypi5804 ||
04/12/2021 12:25 Comments ||
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#7
What country are we living in?
A country where gender is a matter of how you feel about it?
#8
#6, concluding that way is one thing. Voting that way in the jury room is quite another when the mob threatens you, your family and your home. I would not want to be one of those jurors.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/12/2021 13:22 Comments ||
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#9
Agreed. This is a reverse lynching in slow-mo.
Get out of the mob's way, or you'll be lynched too
#11
It is fun to argue the legal niceties, but I fear the jury already made up its mind. It is not the first time in history that a human sacrifice was offered up to satisfy angry gods.
[ToloNews] TOLOnews has obtained details of the guiding principles for the The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... conference shared with the Afghan Republic and the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... negotiators by the US, 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. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... , Turkey and the UN.
The document has nine articles and the relevant parties to Afghan peace are expected to reach a unified stance on it ahead of the Turkey conference.
The guiding principles include a permanent and countrywide ceasefire, conducting joint efforts for peace without mutual blaming, political participation under Islamic principles, transitional administration, equal rights for all citizens without discrimination, support for the rights of all Afghans, sincere efforts to achieve real coexistence, implementation of balanced social and economic plans, allowance of humanitarian workers' activities, maintaining of Afghanistan’s friendly relations with the region and the world, prevention of Afghanistan from becoming a source of threats to other countries, and protecting Afghanistan from external interference.
The document says that Islam, people’s traditions and preserving Afghanistan form the basis of national unity in Afghanistan.
Regional and neighboring countries should prevent the infiltration of imported muscle into Afghanistan.
Transparent and free elections should guarantee Afghanistan’s political future and there should be a guarantee to prevent the repeat of a civil war.
Sources at the Presidential Palace said that Khalilzad has shared the agenda of the Turkey conference and that all sides are prepared for the summit. But the Taliban said that they have not made a final decision on their participation in the meeting.
"I don’t think that the Taliban will attend the Turkey conference if the withdrawal is not announced and if the Doha agreement is not implemented," said Jalaluddin Shinwari, a former Taliban member.
Sources close to the Taliban said that the group is seeking the release of its 7,000 prisoners and the removal of their leaders' names from UN black list in exchange for 45 to 90 days presence of US forces following the May 1 deadline.
"We will no longer release any prisoners to test the Taliban (will for peace)," First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said at a gathering in Kabul on Sunday.
Meanwhile, ...back at the alley, Bugs Moroni was holding Slats from behind while his brother Greasy Thumb was pounding his face into paste ... Abdullah Abdullah ...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president... , head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said he has received the final draft of the republic's peace proposal from the sub-committee of the Leadership Committee of the reconciliation council.
The plan will be presented at the Turkey conference on behalf of the Afghan government once it is approved by Presidential Palace.
According to the reconciliation council, the proposal stresses the need for preserving and strengthening the current Republic system, citizens' rights, human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... , freedom of media, freedom of speech, election, preservation of national institutions and permanent end to the war.
[ToloNews] The head of the Afghan intelligence agency, Ahmad Zia Saraj, at a session with MPs on Sunday said that Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... attacks have increased by 24% following the signing of the Doha agreement last year, adding that the group has launched 20,600 attacks since last March.
Saraj said that the Taliban has not made any changes in their ideology and that the The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... conference will not have the expected results.
Saraj addressed the internal security and the defense committees of the Parliament, responding to their questions on the country’s security situation as well as the diversion of the Pak parliament speaker's plane from Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ...A product, and probably the sole product, of the Southern Alliance... International Airport last week.
According to Siraj, over 4,500 Taliban and ISIS members were arrested last solar year (March 2020 to March 2021) of which 221 were involved in assassinations and bombings. He said 1,500 of them were involved in organized crimes.
"Our evaluation based on our information is that the Taliban has not changed, and the Turkey conference might be a conference like the one in Moscow in which some will attend and will return," Saraj said.
The MPs said that the government and the Taliban are blaming each other for violence.
"The Taliban is making once claim while the government makes another claim. We don’t know which one is correct," said Khan Aqa Rezaee, head of the internal security commission of the Parliament.
"Are security agencies aware that the Taliban is collecting money in Kabul," said Mahdi Rasikh, a member of the commission.
Saraj said that at least 140 suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of Balkh child Abdul Rauf, adding that the child has been kidnapped by a dangerous group that is working with the Taliban and ISIS.
"The briefings of the NDS chief to some extent convinced politicians, but the interior and defense ministers' responses were not satisfactory to the two commissions," said Mir Haidar Afzal, an MP.
[Sudan Tribune] Sudan decided to deploy a joint force including former rebels in the Darfur region to maintain security and protect civilians.The decision came in the wake of the recent deadly tribal violence in El Geneina, West Darfur state, which killed 137 people and injured 221 others.
The Security and Defence Council (SDC) held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the security situation in the country and recent developments in West and East Darfur.
Speaking after the meeting, the Minister of Defence Lt-Gen Yassin Ibrahim said that the Security and Defence Council decided to "form a joint force made up of regular forces and all parties signatory of the peace agreement, a flexible force capable of rapid intervention to maintain security in Darfur."
Ibrahim who is the SDC’s official front man further said the meeting decided, to expedite the preparation of the joint force and to deploy it in the potential conflict areas in Darfur.
Also, the minister announced the reactivation of the weapons collection campaign and taking "the necessary measures to prevent the manifestations of armed presence in the cities".
He added that the decisions include enhancing border control to prevent the flow of weapons.
Reports from El-Geneina say that the Arab tribes brought weapons from Chad.
Sudanese army deployed 6000 troops in the Darfur region but the governor of West Darfur State complained that the Interior and defence ministries were not responsive to his demands.
The formation of the joint force is part of the peace agreement but there was a delay due to the lack of financial resources for the establishment of cantonment sites for the combatants of the gangs.
Furthermore, he stressed the government’s determination to "bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice adding they would be tried immediately after investigation.
On Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the Sudanese government to investigate the tribal attacks in West Darfur and to hold accountable the perpetrators.
"Independent, impartial and thorough investigations into these acts of violence must be initiated without delay. Effective accountability processes must be established to pave the way for genuine reconciliation and lasting peace," reads the statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Morocco's reported use of a dronezap to kill a senior Western Sahara independence fighter would, if confirmed, mark a turning point in the decades-long conflict, experts say.
The Polisario Front
...since 1973 the national liberation group of the Sahrawi people, originally vaguely Communist but since the 1990s fashionably free market...
announced on Wednesday that its police chief Addah al-Bendir had been killed "on the field of honor" in a separatist-controlled part of the disputed desert territory.
A Polisario official later told AFP that Bendir had been killed by a Moroccan drone after taking part in a military operation near a sand barrier separating Moroccan and Polisario-controlled zones.
The location and circumstances of his death are murky, and the North African kingdom has not released any details. But Moroccan and Algerian press outlets have carried reports that a drone was involved.
Moroccan military expert Abdelhamid Harifi told AFP that "officially, Morocco doesn't have armed drones -- but it has a whole range of state-of-the-art unarmed drones."
The kingdom has been "a regional pioneer in using drones for intelligence and to identify targets", he added. "It's possible that the army used such a drone to pinpoint suspect movement in the buffer zone."
Bendir's death comes after decades of simmering tension between Morocco and the Polisario rose sharply in November after Rabat deployed the army to reopen the kingdom's only highway into West Africa.
The Polisario, which has long demanded a referendum on an independent state, had blocked the highway arguing that it was built in violation of a 1991 truce deal.
The Polisario has since announced daily attacks against Morocco, which controls most of the former Spanish colony and has offered autonomy under its own administration, though claims are difficult to independently verify in the hard-to-access area.
- 'HARD TO PROVE' -
Moroccan military expert Mohammed Chiker said the nature of the operation targeting Bendir, a lethal strike beyond the sand barrier, was unprecedented since a 1991 U.N.-backed ceasefire.
But he said it was "hard to prove" that a drone had been used.
The Sahrawi defense ministry said Bendir had fallen in Tifariti, a part of the Western Sahara under Polisario control, after a "military mission."
That statement, released through official news agency SPS, was later removed without explanation.
Several media outlets said the Polisario had attacked inside Morocco, in the region of Touizgui near the Algerian border.
That would mean that "Algeria is allowing Polisario soldiers to enter Morocco from Algerian territory", warned the semi-official Moroccan news site Le 360.
Moroccan news site Le Desk reported that Bendir had been killed in a "joint mission by an unarmed (French-Israeli) Harfang drone" that located the target, allowing a fighter jet to carry out the strike.
The use of a drone "would mean that Morocco is starting targeted strikes like the United States and Israel in retaliation to the Polisario's attempted incursions," it said.
- 'IN MILITARY CONTROL' -
In neighboring Algeria, news site Algerie Patriotique pointed to the use of "killer drones" with "technical assistance" from Israel.
The Moroccan press reported late last year that the kingdom had taken delivery of three Harfang drones, as well as ordering Israeli Bluebirds and American MQ-9B SkyGuardians -- which do not appear to have been delivered yet.
Washington in December recognized Morocco's illusory sovereignty over the Western Sahara, in exchange for Rabat normalizing ties with Israel.
The kingdom's growing capabilities had already raised it from 60th to 53rd place on the Global Firepower Index, ranking military strength.
The Polisario, for its part, has "an arsenal that has barely changed since the 1980s, and whose modernization is totally dependent on its Algerian protector," Jeune Afrique reported in November.
Whether a drone was used in the killing of Bendir remains an open question for now.
But Chiker said that either way, the killing was a demonstration that Morocco "is in military control of the entire (Western) Sahara, and has an arsenal capable of striking" the Polisario anywhere in the territory.
[LIBYAREVIEW] A Maltese auditor who is currently facing money laundering allegations for smuggling Libyan fuel was granted bail by a Maltese court on Saturday.The Maltese auditor, Chris Baldacchino, has been in jug after being arraigned over charges of money laundering linked to a Libyan multi-million-euro fuel smuggling racket. In March he was denied bail and a court ordered his assets to be frozen, according to the NewsBook of Malta.
He is being accused of being the criminal mastermind behind the laundering of illicit funds for an organised criminal group allegedly involved in fuel smuggling together with Libyan militias and the Italian mafia.
This case is linked to a €30 million fuel smuggling ring out of Libya, allegedly involving former Maltese international footballer Darren Debono and former footballer Jeffrey Chetcuti. Debono had been in preventative arrest since November 2020. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... he was released on bail on Tuesday afternoon.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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[LIBYAREVIEW] On Saturday, Libya’s Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) said it plans to reduce its oil production citing technical reasons and the accumulation of debts.In a statement the company’s Media Office said that the company will start reducing its production starting next Wednesday. "Among the reasons for the reduction in production is the shortage of spare parts and the failure to meet the liquidation of the budget approved since September for the last year 2020 and also for 2021," the statement added.
Last October, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the end of the force majeure on all oil facilities closed by an eight-month blockade of oil exports.
The Chairman of the NOC, Mustafa Sanallah, said Libya is currently producing 1.3 barrels per day, as NOC plans to increase production to 1.45 million barrels per day by the end of 2021. Moreover, the oil-rich country seeks to produce 2.1 million barrels per day by 2023.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] The Danish authorities are being criticized for revoking the residence permits of dozens of Syrian refugees after declaring parts of Syria as a "safe place to send refugees back."
The Office of the United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern about Copenhagen’s decision despite the suspension of deportations, in light of the absence of communication between the Danish government and the Syrian regime.
UNHCR issued a communique Thursday, calling for maintaining the protection of migrants colonists, saying the recent security improvements in parts of Syria are not sufficient, stable, or permanent to justify ending international protection for any group of refugees.
The organization demanded that Syrian refugees are not forcibly returned to any place in their country, regardless of who controls the area in question.
Denmark aims for "zero asylum seekers" to see an end to asylum requests in the country.
Since June 2020, Copenhagen has embarked on a large-scale process to review each of the cases of 461 Syrians from Damascus, saying the current situation in the city no longer justifies granting or extending their residence permit.
Last week, Aya Abu Daher, 19, appealed to the authorities to keep her in Denmark, especially that she’s a few months away from graduating from high school.
Activists reported on social media the case of Aya and many other refugees who are threatened to return to Syria.
Abu Daher's school principal urged the government to reverse its decision and allow her to continue her studies in Denmark, saying she is an exemplary student.
Last March, Denmark revoked the permits of 94 Syrians, out of 273 cases that were studied individually, according to the latest report of the Danish Immigration Services. Some of them have been placed in immigration detention.
Denmark aims for "zero asylum seekers" to see an end to asylum requests in the country. The policy encourages the voluntary return of Syrians and has only issued temporary residence permits since 2015.
Legally, permits are granted without time limits, in the event of an extremely dangerous situation in the country of origin, characterized by arbitrary violence and attacks on civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
Countries are sovereign, UN is the rabble.
Temporary asylum is temporary. Stand up for your country, not the rabble.
Crabs in a bucket. The story is gaining legs — this is the third day with new information.
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors,
...as of 2016 also known by her married name: Patrisse Khan-Cullors. The “queer” art professor with a fondness for overly revealing clothing was mentored in her youth by Black Panther/SDS Weatherman/Red Diaper baby Eric Mann, which explains a great deal...
37, recently bought a plush property in Topanga Canyon in a tony area of Los Angeles for $1.4 million
She also bought three other homes in the past five years, the NY Post reports
The head of New York City's BLM chapter is now calling for an investigation into the organization's finances, asking how much Cullors has contributed to charity
BLM brought in $90 million in donations last year, it emerged in March
The poor, delicate creatures are not suited to venture beyond the walls of the salon.
[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] The UN said on Friday it was "appalled" by the resurgence of violence in Sudan’s West Darfur region, saying all tribes responsible for the bloodshed must be disarmed.
The UN Human Rights Office called for independent investigations, adding that those responsible for abuses should be held accountable.
"We are appalled by the latest resurgence of violence between Massalit and Arab tribes in West Darfur in Sudan that left at least 87 people dead, more than 191 injured and forced thousands to flee their homes," spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told news hounds in Geneva, AFP reported.
"We are also disturbed by the slow progress in ensuring accountability for this and previous violence, despite repeated calls by victims and their families."
The corpse count is likely to be significantly higher.
On Thursday, Mohammed Abdallah Douma, governor of the region bordering Chad, told a news conference in Khartoum: "According to medical reports, the number of dead is now 132."
The Massalit are mainly farmers, while the Arab tribes are mainly herders, said Hurtado, with the violence and divisions rooted in disputes over land, pasture and water resources.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad said Saturday that the US administration has begun to move from the stage of rhetoric to action.
Ahmad, who is also a member of the Paleostinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Committee, also affirmed that Washington did not object to the peace plan presented by President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase.... , which is based on holding an international peace conference.
In statements broadcast by the Paleostinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), Ahmad said the US-Paleostinian political contacts are expected to develop soon.
His remarks came only a few days after US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant... or is that an act?... decided to resume financial aid to the Paleostinians cut off by then-President Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election... The step indicates a major change in the new administration’s approach in addressing the Paleostinian-Israeli conflict. It is part of the administration’s "step-by-step" policy taken to restore relations with the Paleostinian Authority (PA).
According to Ahmad, restoring financial aid represented an implementation on the ground of the new US political stance.
Biden’s promise to press for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict and its restored aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) indicate clear humanitarian and political approaches, Ahmad said.
He further hailed the US administration for affirming its commitment to the two-state solution, noting that although contacts between the Paleostinians and the Biden administration have resumed, but Paleostinians expect these contacts to reach higher levels soon.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
Joe's gonna f*&k this up, isn't he?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/12/2021 7:21 Comments ||
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#4
Slow down Ahmad, only have 3 hour work days here, and then the bidding on policy submissions, economic kickback studies, the Xi stamp, it all takes time.
[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Jordan's King Abdullah and former crown prince Prince Hamza made their first joint appearance since a rift shook the country, attending a ceremony on Sunday marking 100 years of independence.
They recited Koranic verses at the graves of their forefathers.
The royal palace released a photo and video with Abdullah and Hamza joining other dignitaries at the grave of their father, the late King Hussein, and the late King Talal, their grandfather.
It was the first time that Hamza was seen since the crisis that shook the country on April 3 after the Kingdom said he was involved in a "malicious plot" to destabilize it.
But on Wednesday, the King said sedition had been quashed and Hamza was "under my care" with his family at his palace.
The monarch said the crisis was "the most painful" because it came from both inside the royal family and outside it.
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04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... cannot pull itself out of its economic crisis without a new government to transform the country and launch long-stalled reforms, a bigwig at the International Monetary Fund said.
The country defaulted on its debt last year, sending its currency crashing. Its economy shrank by 25% in 2020, the IMF said in a report last week.
A standoff over the make-up of a new government has intensified in recent months, delaying a revival of funding talks with the Washington-based crisis lender.
"The change of direction cannot be done on a piecemeal basis. It requires a comprehensive approach," the director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, Jihad Azour, told Rooters.
Reforms should focus on the financial sector, public finance, governance, corruption and loss-making utilities that have contributed to a surge in debt, he said.
"In (the) absence of a new government that can lead this transformation, it’s very difficult to expect that the situation will in itself improve," he added, joining a chorus of officials calling for an end to wrangling over the cabinet.
Lebanon’s crisis started before the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated after a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate, stored unsafely for years, went kaboom! in the capital’s port in August last year, killing 200 people.
International support through grants was needed, Azour said.
"Lebanon needs some large financing in order to jumpstart the economy again in order also to allow Lebanon to be on a recovery path that will take time but is highly needed."
Lebanon needed to rebuild confidence among citizens, investors and the international community," he added.
"This reform package is the starting point. And for that you need to have a new government who will lead the implementation of this reform programme."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] During the civil war that ended over 30 years ago Abla Barotta survived shelling and festivities, but she now fears a "slow death" from Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... 's worst economic crisis in decades.
The 58-year-old mother of three is a survivor among the more than 50 percent of Lebanese today living in poverty.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora expressed his fear that the demarcation of the maritime borders with Israel would become "another Shebaa Farms" crisis, referring to the stumbling efforts to demarcate the borders.
In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat, Siniora said: "When we rely on solid ground, all the Lebanese will support the negotiating team."
But he cautioned that if the new demands were not legally established, negotiations could extend for years and be delayed, allowing Israel "to take advantage of our wealth."
Indirect negotiations with Israel, under the auspices and mediation of the United States, stopped after four sessions held at the UN headquarters in Ras Naqoura in the far south-west of Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , when the Lebanese side raised the ceiling of its conditions, demanding an additional 1,430 nautical kilometers, while the initial demand was limited to 860 kilometers.
The Lebanese negotiating delegation announced a few weeks ago that it would not resume talks without amending the decree that the Lebanese government deposited at the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... in 2010, describing it as "our weapon to win the negotiations."
Siniora explained the demarcation path since 2007, saying that Lebanon signed an agreement with Cyprus on January 17, 2007, without specifying the triple points in the north and the south, because of hostility with Israel and Damascus's rejection of a joint demarcation of the border in the north.
The agreement stipulated that no party could take an additional step without the approval of the third party, and accordingly, the Lebanese side individually demarcated its borders, Siniora noted, stressing that the move had no legal value because it was made on a unilateral basis.
In contrast to the agreement with Lebanon, Cyprus made a unilateral move and concluded an agreement with Israel on December 17, 2010, without consulting the Lebanese side. The former premier noted that Tel Aviv has deposited its borders as it sees fit, with the triple point with Cyprus, in the United Nations. The government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati objected to that agreement on June 20, 2011, because it contravened Point 23 that the second Siniora government had set in 2008.
"I am afraid that we will have another Shebaa Farms in the sea," Siniora said, referring to disputed land in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
He continued: "When our rights are legally established, and we have solid ground to prove them, then we must all support the amendment of the decree," demanded by the negotiating delegation.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
The State Department has for a half-century produced its uncalassified Limits in the Seas evaluations. It has produced many more than one hundred boundary studies, and some on contentious boundaries, but never an unclassified report on the Israel-Lebanon seaward boundary. Almost certainly at one time or another it has done a study on Israel=Lebanon and it should be produced for the public at large.
#2
The State Department has for a half-century produced its uncalassified Limits in the Seas evaluations. ... Almost certainly at one time or another it has done a study on Israel=Lebanon and it should be produced for the public at large.
IMO, the reason it's classified is because - in USDS opinion - US public is not ready for "Since Israel doesn't have a right to exist, it doesn't have a right to borders - maritime or terrestrial".
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.
...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president...
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
[AnNahar] Morocco's reported use of a 
...46th president of the U.S. Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call 
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
