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Assad wants Hariri tribunal closed
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Africa Horn
Perfidous Somali police trainees go AWOL in Ethiopia, moneybags Germany concerned
Almost 1,000 Somali police went missing in May after training financed by the German government to the tune of $1 million (760,000 euros). It is feared these officers will now join forces with the Islamist militants Al-Shabaab.

The training took place in Ethiopia. The new recruits were equipped with uniforms and weapons. Two months after completing training, almost 1,000 new police officers disappeared en route to the Somali capital Mogadishu.

In a statement, the German Foreign Office confirmed that funds were released to train Somali police, and that in May 2010, 925 trained officers were transported to Somalia under Ethiopian surveillance. They did not comment on whether the police had deserted or not.
The question then becomes how well trained the 925 are, or whether their chief attractions to recruiters are the uniforms and weapons they bring.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/01/2010 02:40 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


UN demands that rebels join Darfur peace talks
[Dawn] The UN Security Council on Friday called for an immediate halt to escalating violence in Darfur and demanded that all rebel groups to join peace talks to end the seven-year conflict in the western region of Sudan.

Using tough language in a resolution adopted unanimously, the council said it deplores "the fact that some rebel groups continue to refuse to join the political process."

The resolution extended the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur until July 31, 2011, and said the force should give priority to protecting civilians and ensuring that humanitarian workers can safely deliver aid.

Fighting in Darfur that began with a 2003 rebellion by groups who accused the government of neglecting the vast desert region has left up to 300,000 people dead and forced 2.7 million to flee their homes, according to UN figures.

The Security Council received a briefing late Friday afternoon on clashes and rising tensions in South Darfur's Kalma camp, where more than 100,000 displaced people now live. According to the peacekeeping force, known as UNAMID, the violence stemmed from differences over the peace talks in Doha, Qatar.

The council expressed concern at civilian casualties in Kalma "which have resulted from clashes within the camp between those who oppose the Doha peace talks and those who support them." It condemned targeted killings and urged all parties to join the peace process, resolve differences through dialogue, and refrain from violence.

Several rebel groups have negotiated peace agreements with the government at the talks, but Ibrahim Gambari, the top AU-UN envoy in Darfur, told the council earlier in the week that two of the major armed groups -- the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid Elnur -- have refused to join the talks.

He said the AU-UN mediator, Djibrill Bassole, is in contact with the leadership of both groups to urge them to join the peace process.

At a joint forum in early May, the AU and the UN decided that an overall political and peace agreement in Darfur should be concluded this year, ahead of the Jan. 9 referendum on whether South Sudan should become independent or remain part of Sudan.

Gambari said the prospects for a negotiated settlement in Darfur have improved.

"Civil society is now more involved in peace talks than ever, the government of Sudan is demonstrating renewed commitment to negotiations, and the leaders of most armed opposition movements are either participating in or are expressing an interest in participating in the talks," he said.

In the resolution, the Security Council reaffirmed "the importance of promoting the AU-UN-led political process," welcomed UNAMID's efforts to support the peace talks, and demanded that all rebel groups "immediately engage fully and constructively in the peace process without preconditions."

The council also demanded that all parties to the conflict immediately end attacks on civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel and commit to a cease-fire.

According to the latest UN figures, UNAMID has deployed 88 percent of its 19,555 authorized military personnel and 70 percent of its 3,772 authorized police.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Sudan slams peacekeepers, sets travel controls
[Al Arabiya Latest] Sudan said on Saturday it would monitor travel by U.N./African Union peacekeepers in Darfur -- a day after the U.N. Security Council extended the force's mandate and told Khartoum to stop hindering its work.

The government has been hostile to the UNAMID peacekeepers ever since they began to deploy in 2007, and relations worsened after the International Criminal Court indicted the Sudanese president for war crimes, and more recently genocide, in Darfur.

Peace talks between Khartoum and the rebels are under way in Qatar but have been boycotted by the two main rebel groups, and eight people were killed this week in a surge of violence in refugee camps between supporters and opponents of the talks.


The U.N. Security Council extended UNAMID's mandate on Friday for a further year and ordered it to give priority to protecting civilians and ensuring free humanitarian access to refugees.

The council's 15 ambassadors unanimously adopted a British-drafted resolution that extends the mandate, which expires Saturday, to July 31, 2011.

The text said the mission must "make full use of its mandate and capabilities, giving priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and resources to the protection of civilians in Darfur and ensuring safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access, the safety and security of humanitarian personnel."

It strongly condemned all attacks on UNAMID, underlining that "any attack or threat on UNAMID is unacceptable."
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Arabia
Saudi deports 1,000 Somalis this month
[Al Arabiya Latest] The United Nations refugee agency called on Saudi Arabia on Friday to halt expulsions of Somalis to Mogadishu, rebuking the kingdom for deporting 1,000 a month by aircraft to the violent capital.

Neighboring countries should offer legal residence to Somali workers and asylum-seekers until it is safe to return to Mogadishu, where civilians are often targeted in the fighting between Somali forces and Islamist al Shabaab rebels, it said.

"Given the deadly violence in Mogadishu, UNHCR is urging the Saudi authorities to refrain from future deportations on humanitarian grounds," Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a news briefing.

Saudi authorities have told the UNHCR that they are deporting Somalis who have been staying in the country illegally, according to U.N. sources.

UNHCR said a week ago that Somali refugees were taken to Kenya and the semi-autonomous enclave of Puntland following deadly bombings by Al Shabaab in Uganda. Authorities in Puntland have also been deporting Somalis, but so far Kenya has not, it said.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  they are deporting Somalis who have been staying in the country illegally

I sure hope Obama doesn't miss this opportunity to denounce Saudi Arabia's racist immigration laws.
Posted by: ryuge || 08/01/2010 15:22 Comments || Top||


Yemen accuses Houthis of truce breach
[Iran Press TV Latest] Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has accused the Houthis of violating a ceasefire in what appears to be a prelude to another military attack on the Shia fighters.

"The state has abstained from all military action, while knowing that the rebels are pursuing other plans, as advocates of war who do not want peace," President Saleh was quoted by AFP as saying on Saturday.

The fighters had earlier warned that government forces stationed in the Amshia Bsfian region were creating a new stronghold in Mount Guide, in preparation of another onslaught.

Authorities have been trying to "militarize" civilian life and amass servicemen in villages, homes and farms, the Houthis said earlier in the month.

The north-based fighters have been defending Yemen's Shia minority against what they describe as efforts by the Yemeni leadership and neighboring Saudi Arabia to socially, economically, and religiously marginalize the community.

Nearly 350,000 people have been displaced and hundreds of others have been killed since 2004 when Sana'a began its crackdown on Shias.

The Yemeni government intensified its attacks in August 2009. Saudi forces joined Yemen in its campaign in November of that year, with Riyadh claiming that the fighters had been involved in cross-border attacks against the Kingdom.

In February, the Shia fighters offered a unilateral ceasefire with the Yemeni government in an effort to protect civilian lives. The initiative led to a truce.

The Houthis recently released 200 captured army soldiers and their leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced plans to release all prisoners ahead of the holy month of Ramadan as a goodwill gesture.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Bangladesh
EC to decide fate of religion based politics
[Bangla Daily Star] The Election Commission (EC) will decide whether to cancel registrations of religion-based political parties in the country, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said yesterday.

"The Election Commission is a constitutional body and it'll uphold the supremacy of the constitution," the minister told reporters after attending a national consultation meeting titled "Children Justice System in Bangladesh" in the city.

In reply to whether Jamaat-e-Islami's politics would be banned following the Supreme Court (SC) verdict on the fifth amendment, Shafique said the Election Commission as an independent body will decide which political parties it will allow to operate within the constitutional framework.

The fifth amendment to the constitution, which the SC declared illegal, scrapped article 12 of the original constitution that prohibited religion-based politics and communalism in all forms. The SC verdict, published in full on Wednesday, however, reinstates that article.

The law minister said article 38 of the original constitution stated whether or not a political party can use religion in its political pursuits.

Save the Children, Children Justice Network (CJN) and the Shishu Shurokkhay Amra (SSA) jointly organised the consultation meeting at CIRDAP auditorium to explore ways to a comprehensive justice system for children in Bangladesh.

Speaking on the issue, barrister Shafique said dispute resolution concerning children through arbitration could save them from severe punishment at the early stage of their lives.

He also emphasised ensuring adequate facilities for sports and recreation for them that can keep them away from committing offences.

Justice Iman Ali of the High Court Division presented the keynote paper on the issue while Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman spoke as the special guest.

Justice Ali said a good number of children in the country are deprived of their basic human rights.

Many of them confront violence including sexual abuse at home and workplace, and fall victims of child trafficking, he said.

Representatives from development organisations, NGOs and civil societies also took part in the discussion.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami


China-Japan-Koreas
Kim Jong-il inspects Jagang Province
Scrounging for cognac?
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il inspected industrial facilities in the northwestern province of Jagang that borders China, the North's media said Saturday. The visit, reported by the Korean Central News Agency, came three days after the 68-year-old leader attended a concert.

The KCNA, as usual, provided no other details, including the date of the trip but released a photo of the leader during his visit to the industrial facilities.

Kim was accompanied by Park To-chun, chief secretary of the Jagang Provincial Committee and the leader's brother in-law-law, Jang Song-thaek. Also among the leader's entourage was his younger sister and Jang's wife, Kim Kyong-hui, the report said.
Posted by: Steve White || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ION WAFF > HERE IS THE NORTH'S "PHYSICAL RESPONSE" TO SOUTH KOREA'S WARGAMES [wid US] | DOZENS OF NORTH KOREAN LAND MINES WASH ASHORE IN SOUTH KOREA [heavy rains = floods], KILLING ONE MAN + INJURING ANOTHER.

"Acts/Wraths of God" caused assirted INTER-KOREAN TURTLES, CRABS, + FISH ETC. to wage Jihad via "IEDS from Heaven".
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/01/2010 21:22 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Where In The World Is Imam Feisal?
IN WHICH the inimitable and brilliant Claudia Rosett tracks down the imam of the planned Ground Zero mosque in Kuala Lumpur, and attempts to ask him where a small-time operative is getting US $100 million for building plus operating costs. D'you suppose Mayor Bloomberg reads Forbes Magazine?
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  If he doesn't read Forbes and her column, he should.
Posted by: tipover || 08/01/2010 1:19 Comments || Top||

#2  where a small-time operative is getting US $100 million

He's getting it from you and me, every time we pump gas into our cars.
Posted by: Glenmore || 08/01/2010 10:36 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistani spy chief scraps trip to Britain
[Al Arabiya Latest] Pakistan's spy chief has called off a trip to Britain in protest at Prime Minister David Cameron's remarks on its militant ties, as Islamabad is hit by a barrage of criticism of its alleged links to terror groups.

Senior intelligence officials, including the head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, would not go to London on Monday as planned for counter-terrorism talks.

"The visit has been cancelled in reaction to the comments made by the British prime minister against Pakistan," a spokesman for the ISI told The Times newspaper.

"Such irresponsible statements could affect our co-operation with Britain."

The daily also said Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was considering pulling out of next week's three-day trip to Britain over Cameron's remarks.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Which begs the question... Why don't EU/UK lawfare judges good after really bad people like ISI chiefs instead of PC-Correct Victims?
Posted by: 3dc || 08/01/2010 0:28 Comments || Top||

#2  The Truth hurts ISI.

The military/ISI undermines every democratic Govt Pakistan has as it belives in Islamism not democracy!
Posted by: Paul D || 08/01/2010 11:11 Comments || Top||


Border crossing without passport to be banned at Torkham
Border crossing at the Pak-Afghan Torkham border will not be allowed without a passport, Daily Times learnt on Saturday.
Most of these people cannot read or write, and have only one name. How will they know they have the correct papers? For that matter, what percentage of the border patrols can read?
No one would be allowed to cross the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan and vice-versa without legal documents, including a passport. According to eyewitnesses, a person who was entering Pakistan from Afghanistan had been stopped at the Torkham border and was asked to show his passport. But he was allowed to go after he told the FC personnel that he belonged to the Tribal Areas. The local political administration had not issued any such orders, a government official said. A security official said that he was unaware of any orders to check passports of the people crossing the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham.

Another security official said that only suspicious people would be asked to show their passports and the masses would be exempted from such conditions. Local tribesmen criticised the condition saying that they had been exempted from showing their passports at the border crossing since several years. They said that the tribal people would not accept any such condition, as they visited businesses in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Iraq
No Iraqi Government Before Ramadan
Iraqis don't expect political impasse to be resolved by fall

Nearly five months after disputed parliamentary elections, leading Iraqi politicians say they have all but abandoned hope of resolving an impasse over forming a new government before fall.
Did we give them a Supreme Court? Cant't they make a ruling?
The protracted stalemate is a scenario U.S. officials have long dreaded. By the end of August, the United States will declare the end of its combat mission in Iraq - and reduce troop strength to 50,000 - amid a deepening political crisis.
"Mission Accomplished", Obumble?
U.S. officials have long feared that Iraq's first transfer of power as a sovereign nation could be marred by unrest and violence.

Former prime minister Ayad Allawi, one of the contenders for his former post, said in an interview Saturday that months of negotiations among blocs have not led to a resolution on who is entitled to the country's premiership or how other powerful jobs will be allocated. He said a breakthrough is unlikely before September or October because little official business is conducted during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins in mid-August.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, has insisted that political troubles and continuing violence will not keep American troops from leaving the country on schedule, although he said he would be concerned if the issue is not resolved by October.
What with The One do, just before the US elections?
Allawi's Sunni-backed coalition, Iraqiya, won 91 seats in the new parliament. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's bloc came in a close second, winning 89. Appointing a new prime minister requires at least 163 votes.

Political leaders agree in principle that the new government should be inclusive. But the two leading blocs have quarreled over whether the constitution gives the top vote-getter the right to form the incoming government, or whether a larger coalition assembled after the vote could earn that right.
Sounds like a flaw in their Constitution.
Iran backs the creation of a government led by religious Shiites, while Syria, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are reportedly supporting Allawi, a secular Shiite whose coalition received strong support from Sunni voters.

"Now, everything is stopped," said Nadjha Khadum, the editor of the Ur News agency Web site. "There's no work, no jobs. People are waiting. People are just buying food and saving money because they are afraid the situation will get worse in the future - worse than in 2006 and 2007," years marked by a brutal insurgency.
But last week, we read everything was sweetness and light. Oh, wait. This is the WaPo.
Iraqi lawmakers began collecting their $10,000 monthly paychecks a month ago. But they have convened only twice since the ratification of the election results in June. Both times they adjourned quickly, having failed to elect a speaker.

The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Wednesday to renew the mandate of the organization's Iraq mission. Iraqi leaders have long wanted the Security Council to completely lift the sanctions imposed on Iraq after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Iraqis also want more control over Iraqi money seized as part of the sanctions that is now in accounts creditors can't access.

Other Iraqi officials say foreign mediation, while unfortunate, is the best hope for a resolution. So far, though, no bloc leaders have asked for greater U.S. intervention, likely fearing that whoever prevails would be seen as an American stooge.
Maybe they could get themselves a UN stooge?
Maybe they need to learn to fix their country without relying on 'foreign mediation'.
Hanging in the balance is the legacy of the United States' seven-year war in Iraq, which the Obama administration will soon start calling "Operation New Dawn," rather than "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
Hey, Joe! Will it be your bosses legacy if this comes unglued on his watch?
The longer the process drags on, U.S. officials say, the harder it will be for them to smoothly transfer U.S. initiatives and projects to the Iraqi government. U.S. commanders will also have limited time to forge strong relationships with senior Iraqi security officers if the incoming Iraqi government were to reshuffle the leadership of its security agencies.

Perhaps more significant, Allawi said, are the implications for the U.S. goal of establishing a democracy in the heart of the Middle East. "Right now, if you ask any Iraqi: What do you think of democracy? They will say it's blood, stagnation, unemployment, refugees, cheating," Allawi said. "If democracy does not succeed in Iraq and tyranny is replaced by another tyranny, there will be no legacy."
Life is choices, Ayad. Even in the Middle East.
Posted by: Bobby || 08/01/2010 12:21 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Oh. Did someone see their shadow?
Posted by: tu3031 || 08/01/2010 20:04 Comments || Top||


US will not involve itself in national salvation government – pol
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The United States of America will not involve itself in forming a national salvation government in Iraq, said Izat al-Shabandar, a leading figure of the Dawlat al-Qanoon Alliance.

“The U.S. is currently concentrating on withdrawing from Iraq in the best way,” al-Shabandar told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Saturday.

He noted that the U.S. can be more active by pressing on Iraqi political blocs rather than forming a national rescue government.
Posted by: Steve White || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Bibi: Direct peace talks look set for mid-August
Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians could begin as early as mid-August, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The Israeli leader told his Cabinet Sunday that the timing has not been confirmed, but "It appears that direct talks will begin in mid-August." Netanyahu said the timing for the direct talks would "become clear in the next few days."

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinians had submitted a "far-reaching" peace proposal to President Obama that would end the conflict with Israel and resolve all Palestinian claims, Haaretz reported Saturday.

Also Saturday, the White House reportedly declined to comment to Politico's Laura Rozen on reports that Obama had sent a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warning that relations with the United States could be affected if Abbas did not agree to enter direct talks with the Israelis during the month of August, as reported in the Israeli daily Maariv and the London-based Arabic Al Hayat newspapers.
Posted by: ryuge || 08/01/2010 10:48 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Peace talks with an opponent still determined to destroy you. Let us know how that turns out.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/01/2010 15:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Peace talks with half the enemy determined to destroy you in the medium term, the other half just waiting for the hudna to end.

Fixed it for you, SteveS.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/01/2010 21:00 Comments || Top||


PLO official says Obama sends plea warning to Abbas
RAMALLAH, West Bank - A senior PLO official says President Barack Obama has warned the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas in a letter that U.S.-Palestinian relations might suffer if the Palestinian leader refuses to resume direct peace talks with Israel.
What, we'd pull the money? Fat chance ...
The White House has been pushing Abbas hard in recent days to move quickly to face-to-face negotiations, but had no comment Saturday.
Didn't we try this face-to-face thing before? Some camp somewhere?
The PLO official says Obama sent the letter July 16 -- the strongest U.S. warning to Abbas yet. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the letter has not been made public.
President Obama subsequently quietly upgraded the diplomatic status of the PLO mission in Washington, DC, as a pre-reward for future negotiations. They now outrank Taiwan, which is a genuine nation.
Abbas insists he will only negotiate once Israel commits to the idea of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. Israel's prime minister refuses to be pinned down ahead of talks.
Posted by: Steve White || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  East Jerusalem is a non-starter - GFY
Posted by: Frank G || 08/01/2010 11:37 Comments || Top||


Obama warns Abbas against rejecting direct talks
[Al Arabiya Latest] U.S. President Barack Obama warned Mahmoud Abbas in a letter that U.S.-Palestinian relations might suffer if the Palestinian leader refuses to resume direct peace talks with Israel, a senior PLO official said Saturday.

Obama made the warning in a letter to Abbas but also pledged to rally Arab, European and Russian support for the Palestinians if direct negotiations resume, the Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity.

"In the letter, President Barack Obama warned president Mahmud Abbas that his refusal to enter into direct negotiations with Israel next month will have consequences for American-Palestinian relations," the official said.

The 16-point letter had a "carrot-and-stick approach," he added.
What about a carrot for Israel? Or does President Obama still have an Israel problem, despite all that fussing when Prime Minister Netanyahu stopped by?
Obama stressed "it is high time to resume direct negotiations with Israel" and told Abbas that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is ready to resume direct negotiations."

The letter warned that "Obama will absolutely not accept the rejection of his recommendation to move to direct negotiations and that there will be consequences for such a rejection in the form of a lack of trust in president Abbas and the Palestinian side," the official said.
Golly, lack of trust! What does that mean when it's at home, I wonder.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  The 16-point letter had a "carrot-and-stick approach," he added.

More like a carrot and noodle approach would be my guess.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Colorado || 08/01/2010 0:45 Comments || Top||


Hamas vows Dire Revenge™
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Hamas vowed revenge today after Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed a senior militant and wounded eight other people.

The overnight Israeli raids came after a rocket fired from the strip hit a southern Israeli city.

One Hamas militant was killed in an airstrike on a caravan near the Magazhi refugee camp in the centre of the Palestinian enclave, a Hamas official said. The Israeli military said the site was "a weapons-manufacturing warehouse."

In a statement on Saturday, the military wing of Hamas identified the man as Issa al-Batran, 40, and said he was a senior field commander.
But was he a number three?
After all, anybody who's anybody in terror circles ends up as a number three these days... just before he finds himself dead. But that's a minor cost for a man who wants to be thought ambitious and able.
"These new Zionist crimes will not pass without answer," the statement said.

Israel has tried to kill Batran in the past. His wife and five sons were killed in an attack on his house during Israel's three-week offensive on the territory in December 2008.

Aircraft also fired at least four missiles at buildings used by Hamas security forces in Gaza City, wounding eight people, several of them seriously, said Muawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza emergency services.

The site targeted used to house the offices of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas before his Western-backed Fatah party was ousted from Gaza by the Islamist Hamas in 2007.

Fearing further strikes, Hamas ordered the evacuation of all its security offices, a security source told AFP.
We're going under the mattresses, boyz...
This article starring:
Issa al-Batran
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Hamas: Airstrikes response to Arab League decision
[Ma'an] The renewal of Israeli air strikes on Gaza were a response to the Arab League's decision to resume direct peace talks, a Hamas official said Saturday.

Ismail Radwan said negotiations can only lead to further "judaization" of Jerusalem, and Israeli crimes against Palestinian people, citing Saturday's air strikes on Gaza as an example.

An Al-Qassam Brigades fighter was killed and ten Gaza residents were injured on Saturday morning in Israeli air strikes across the Strip.

Radwan said the meeting of the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up in Cairo on Thursday, which approved direct talks with Israel subject to conditions, over-extended the Arab League's authority, explaining that the decision to resume negotiations must be taken by Palestinians.

President Mahmoud Abbas has been under pressure from the US and Israel to resume face-to-face talks with Israel, which were broken off in 2008 when Israel launched Operation Cast Lead against Gaza.

The meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cario approved direct talks, but supported Abbas' demand for pre-conditions.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported Friday that the recent projectile launch into Ashkelon was a bid to prevent talks between Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials.

"Though it is still unclear who was responsible for the Grad fire, it is clear that Hamas has no interest right now in escalating tension. Hamas wants to maintain the status quo in Gaza as it is. It is not frozen, and continues to arm itself, but is still deterred by the IDF and doesn't want conflict," one senior official told Israeli news site Ynet.

The Israeli army said the airstrikes on Gaza Saturday morning were in response to the projectile launch a day before.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Southeast Asia
Thailand's Red Shirts stage new protest in Bangkok
Several hundred Red Shirt protesters defied a state of emergency in the Thai capital to stage a symbolic protest Sunday, with hundreds of people sprawling on the ground and chanting, "People died here!"
"Toxin's latest pay-for-protest check came in"
Everything's paid for in Thailand according to the blog Besoeker referred us to recently.
The demonstration at the city's Democracy Monument was peaceful, but it was the latest sign of seething simmering discontent since the army cracked down May 19 to disperse a sprawling anti-government protest camp and end 10 weeks of demonstrations calling for early elections.

Rolling clashes between troops and Red Shirts killed 90 people - mostly protesters shot by soldiers - and injured more than 1,400 in the demonstrations' final weeks.
well, at least they've been peaceful protests...
Two grenades have exploded in Bangkok over the past week, killing one bystander and wounding 11. There have been no claims of responsibility but both are presumed linked to ongoing political tensions. Thai Media reported Sunday that an unexploded grenade was found in a sewer on the grounds of the prime minister's office compound over the weekend.
or not...
Posted by: Frank G || 08/01/2010 10:27 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Thailand introduces modern subjects into madrassas
Even as debate rages in India on how to upgrade madrassa education system, Thailand has reformed its pondoks or seminaries by teaching modern subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and IT along with Arabic and Islamic studies.

"There is no government interference in Islamic teachings. It is just that we've included secular subjects like Science, Mathematics and English along with Islamic studies so that the Muslim students can earn a decent livelihood after they pass out of our school," Mayai Yaya, principal of Attarkiah Islamic School in Meong district of restive Narathiwat province in south Thailand, said.

The school was a pondok (traditional madrassa) which was upgraded to a Islamic School years back. "Islam and modern education goes side by side. We just teach how to behave like a Thai national. School is encouraging this trend so that the students should be proud to be Thai. The philosophy of the school is religion, discipline and knowledge," he added.

"There is no question of de-radicalisation of Muslims as they are not radicalised.
Perish the thought!
It is just that the Thai government wants that the community also gets modern education. The policy of the government is to raise the standard of pondoks and reform them to modern Islamic school," said Colonel Sangwit Noonpackdee, a top military officer in the Meong district of the Narathiwat province.

The school uses English language in teaching Science, Mathematics, English, Physical Education and Computers. Arabic is used in teaching all religious subjects. The curriculum is made by the government officials with consultation from Muslim leaders.

The Attarkiah school is fully air-conditioned and receives aid from Thailand government and Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank.
Where there's Saudi funded AC, there's fire? The Thai government might be wise to have an Arabic speaker scrutinize all of the textbooks carefully.
There are 4,352 students in the school, in which females outnumber the males. There are 1,307 male students and 3,045 female students. All the female students wear 'hijab'.
Posted by: ryuge || 08/01/2010 10:16 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
We have Iran attack plan, admits US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen
THE top US military officer says he has a plan to attack Iran if needed to prevent it from getting nuclear weapons, but is "extremely concerned" about the possible repercussions of such a strike.
We have attack plans for Canada, too. Gotta keep the War College busy ...
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says military action against Iran could have "unintended consequences that are difficult to predict in what is an incredibly unstable part of the world".

But, speaking on Sunday's Meet the Press program on NBC, Admiral Mullen said allowing Iran to develop a nuclear weapon is also unacceptable.

"Quite frankly, I am extremely concerned about both of those outcomes," he said.

Admiral Mullen held out hope that a combination of international diplomatic efforts and sanctions against Iran will lead Tehran to suspend a nuclear enrichment program that many believe is a clandestine bid to develop nuclear arms.

"I am hopeful (it) works," he said. At the same time, though, he said "the military options have been on the table, and remain on the table".

"I hope we don't get to that, but it's an important option and it's one that's well understood," he added.

Asked if the military has a plan to strike Iran, he replied: "We do".

He did not elaborate.
He didn't need to.
Posted by: tipper || 08/01/2010 14:41 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'd be pretty pissed if they didn't have SEVERAL contingency plans regarding Iran.
Posted by: OldSpook || 08/01/2010 14:47 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm sure we have contingency plans for what happens after any of our other contingency plans are carried out. I hope they cover all the bases.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 08/01/2010 14:49 Comments || Top||

#3  The important bit is not that we have contingency plans, but that Mullen is talking openly about them on the Sunday news shows.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/01/2010 15:14 Comments || Top||

#4  Media shocked, thought we would just "wing it"...
Posted by: tu3031 || 08/01/2010 15:25 Comments || Top||

#5  This announcement is part of the plan. Interesting timing, the First of August. Perhaps the plans will be more advanced by, say, September? If so, I'm thinking Barry could achieve another first, first President not to see increase in support during a foreign crisis.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 08/01/2010 17:24 Comments || Top||

#6  Be prepared as any US or US-ISRAELI Milstrike = unleashing of TerrOps agz CONUS + likely also NATO, etc.

Again, the longer the Clock goes ticky-tock, the greater the likelihood for GROUND INVASION, NOT JUST LIMITED AIR-COMMANDO STRIKES. The focii now becomes to stop or preclude destabilizing REGIONAL, GLOBAL NUCLEAR MILITANCY-TERRORISM, notsomuch a NUC IRAN per se.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/01/2010 18:36 Comments || Top||

#7  This not surprising : hell, we even have plans to invade Canada and Jamaica if need be. There is a whole office in the Pentagon which only does contingency plans -- every 5 to 10 years, they pull out the old plans, make changes based on equipment changes and the like for both sides, re-game them, and then put the updated plan back into its folder.
Posted by: Shieldwolf || 08/01/2010 18:41 Comments || Top||

#8  but is "extremely concerned" about the possible repercussions of such a strike.

Who gives a $hit about repercussions? Every country in the ME would breathe a sigh of relief if they found out that the Iranian government was annihilated. The Green Revolution could step right in and make things much better, and I'm sure they would let us come in there to take out the nuclear stuff and to make sure things remained stable. Then we could leave. The people want it, it wouldn't take long. The Republican Guard would be a problem, but they could be easily identified and neutralized at the baginning of any action, and the people would contribute to identifying them afterwards if they even bothered to fight after their government wasn't there to reward them. The people don't like the Republican Guard.

The decisions that are black and white are the ones you have to get right. The ones that are grey are not so much of a problem if you get them "wrong", because either way you have positives that you can work with.

In this case, the decision is more black and white, and we need to stop worrying about subtle shades of grey.
Posted by: gorb || 08/01/2010 19:06 Comments || Top||

#9  ..ah yes, the Rainbow Plans. There's always contingency planning cause you don't know what rectal orifice over there or in the beltway will do.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/01/2010 19:17 Comments || Top||

#10  We have attack plans for Canada, too

Ah yes, Operation Frequent Poutine - but that's highly classified. Expect to see it on WikiLeaks next Thursday.
Posted by: DMFD || 08/01/2010 19:47 Comments || Top||


Iran vows 'crushing response' to Israel
Iran's UN envoy Mohammad Khazaei warns Israel of a "crushing response," should the regime initiate any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

"If the Zionist regime (Israel) attempts to initiate the slightest act of aggression against Iran, it will receive a crushing response," IRNA quoted Khazaei as saying on Friday.

He said Iran does not welcome tension but in confronting its enemies, it adopts "strong stances" due to the "solidarity of its nation, divine guidance and the Leader [of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei]."

"Enemies want to bring the Iranian nation down to its knees by resorting to any means possible [ranging] from military threats to soft war. Even certain neighboring states, who are afraid of the weakening of the pillars of their corrupt power, have no objection to being equipped by their masters, the US and Britain, against our country," Iran's ambassador to the UN said.

Khazaei added that Iran had been exposed to the "strongest of pressures" but has never yielded once and would continue to remain proud and dignified.

He reiterated Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy and said the dispute over Tehran's nuclear case was an "excuse to exert pressure on the country."

Khazaei criticized nuclear discrimination against Iran while "Israel has 230 nuclear warheads" and "Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are deemed atomic and military powers."

The remarks came as Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

This is while the International Atomic Energy Agency has in numerous reports asserted that its inspectors and surveillance equipment at Iran's nuclear facilities have found no evidence of diversion in the country's declared nuclear material.
They wouldn't do, would they. They somehow managed never to, before.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Let's see now.
That makes thr 12,987.994,301st such DIRE WARNING this year.
Damn mouthy arent they.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 08/01/2010 12:35 Comments || Top||

#2  "Why's he shouting at me?"

"Skeered a yuh."
Posted by: Gabby || 08/01/2010 16:22 Comments || Top||


Iran woman facing stoning pleads to see children
[Al Arabiya Latest] An Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in Iran pleaded to be allowed to hug her children, in a letter attributed to her released by human rights activists in London on Saturday.

Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, was given the sentence after being found guilty of adultery.

It sparked an outcry in Western countries, and was temporarily halted earlier this month by Iranian judiciary chief Sadeq Larijani.

"I'm Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani. From Tabriz Prison I thank all those who are thinking of me," said the letter, translated from Farsi into English and released by the International Committee against Stoning.

The message was relayed in a telephone conversation, a committee spokeswoman told AFP, without going into further details.

"I am now quiet and sad because a part of my heart is frozen," it said.

"The day I was flogged in front of (my son) Sajjad, I was crushed and my dignity and heart were broken.

"The day I was given the stoning sentence, it was as if I fell into a deep hole and I lost consciousness.

"Many nights, before sleeping, I think to myself how can anybody be prepared to throw stones at me; to aim at my face and hands? Why?

"I'm afraid of dying. Help me stay alive and hug my children."

Mohammadi-Ashtiani was convicted on May 15, 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with two men, according to her lawyer and London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International.

Amnesty said she received 99 lashes as per her sentence but was subsequently accused of "adultery while being married" in September 2006 during the trial of a man accused of murdering her husband.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Assad wants Hariri tribunal closed
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad told Saudi King Abdullah during their meeting in Damascus Friday that the UN tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri must be closed to protect Lebanon's stability, AFP cited from a report in Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar on Saturday.

Assad made clear to Abdullah - a key supporter of the faction of Sa'ad Hariri, son of the former premier and current prime minister - that Syria would find any attempt to hold Hizbullah accountable for the elder Hariri's death as unacceptable.

The UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon is reportedly set to announce that Mustafa Badr al-Din, a senior Hizbullah operative and close relative of the former Hizbullah terror chief Imad Mughniyeh, is the main suspect in the Hariri assassination.

According to an Israel TV report on Thursday night, Hariri's son, the current Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, asked the tribunal to postpone releasing Din's name, because of the potentially incendiary implications for Lebanon of such an announcement.

Din, the cousin and brother- in-law of Mughniyeh, who was killed in a car bomb in Damascus in February 2008, was also reportedly responsible for planning the attempted assassination of the ruler of Kuwait in 1985, among other operations.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, said last week that members of his group would be among those indicted by the tribunal, which he dismissed as an "Israeli plot."

Many in Lebanon have worried that if the tribunal implicates Hizbullah, it could lead to another round of clashes between Lebanon's Shi'ite and Sunni communities, like the bloody conflict that convulsed Beirut in 2008.
Posted by: Fred || 08/01/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria



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Sun 2010-08-01
  Assad wants Hariri tribunal closed
Sat 2010-07-31
  Three Kenyans charged over Kampala bomb attacks
Fri 2010-07-30
  20 Bad Guys Die in Gun Battle in Sonora
Thu 2010-07-29
  Federal judge guts Arizona immigration law
Wed 2010-07-28
  Houthis capture 200 Yemeni soldiers: Official
Tue 2010-07-27
  Afghan Forces Re-capture Barg-e-Matal District
Mon 2010-07-26
  Taliban Capture Barg-e-Matal District in Nooristan
Sun 2010-07-25
  N Korea declares 'sacred war' on US, South
Sat 2010-07-24
  US missile strike kills 11 militants in Pakistan
Fri 2010-07-23
  Venezuela severs ties with Colombia
Thu 2010-07-22
  Car bomb explosion kills 28 in Iraq
Wed 2010-07-21
  Spain rejects proposal to ban burqa
Tue 2010-07-20
  Pakistan city tense after 'blaspheming' Christians shot
Mon 2010-07-19
  Coahuila: 17 Massacred in Torreon
Sun 2010-07-18
  Jundallah claims Iran mosque blasts

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