[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Æthiopia’s Sidama people have voted overwhelmingly to form their own self-governing region as many of the country’s ethnic groups demand greater autonomy under sweeping reforms led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The country’s electoral board said on Saturday that provisional results showed 98.5 percent of voters had backed the change in Wednesday’s ballot, with turnout reaching 99.7 percent.
The result grants the Sidama, who represent about 4 percent of Æthiopia’s 105 million population, their own self-governing region - the country’s 10th, control over local taxes, education, security and certain legislation.
Æthiopia’s constitution gives the right to seek autonomy to its more than 80 ethnic groups, but it is only under Abiy’s political reform agenda that the government approved the Sidama request for a referendum.
The country, once one of Africa’s most repressive nations, has been undergoing rapid changes since Abiy was appointed last year, promising to forge a more open society.
But the greater freedoms have also allowed long-repressed ethnic tensions to boil over and emboldened powerful regional strongmen demanding more rights for their people.
Last year, ethnic violence forced more than two million people from their homes and killed hundreds, according to the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... and monitoring groups.
Saturday’s result may encourage the more than a dozen other ethnic groups that are considering requesting similar votes, a move that could threaten Abiy’s push to unify the country ahead of elections scheduled for 2020.
The Sidama’s new homeland will be carved out of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) region, the most ethnically diverse part of Æthiopia, bordering Kenya and South Sudan. Hawassa, 275 km (170 miles) south of Addis Ababa, will be the new regional capital.
A senior police official in Hawassa told Rooters celebrations had been banned on Saturday but that festivities would be organised once the final result had been announced.
Members of other ethnic groups living in the city said they feared the vote’s outcome meant they could suffer discrimination or become marginalised.
"I’m afraid that the Sidama will come and hurt us ... they will take all the jobs and even if you file a complaint it will go unheard as you will be complaining to one of them," said Tsion, 28, a Hawassa resident who did not want to give her full name for fear of retribution.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2019 00:00 ||
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[TAP.INFO.TN] All Tunisian returnees from conflict zones will be prosecuted upon arrival on the national territory with the exception of children under 13 years old accompanying their parents, said National Counter-Terrorism Commission (CNLCT) President Mokhtar Ben Nasr.
"The new government should welcome Tunisian nationals returning from conflict zones, in compliance with Tunisia's international commitments," he added on Monday in Tunis, on the fringes of a conference on "Gender and violent extremism in North Africa: To the root of the problem."
He pointed out that Tunisia has already welcomed four people back from the conflict zones with the assistance of countries that have pledged to help Tunisia in this matter, without mentioning them. "Negotiations are currently underway to accelerate the repatriation of five other Tunisian terror suspects," he added.
Ben Nasr was reassuring about the prospect of a return to Tunisia of suspected Death Eaters who would benefit from the Ottoman Turkish offensive in north-eastern Syria and the fall of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... Organisation known as "Daech."
"There is no reason to worry," Ben Nasr said, accusing some media of inflating the issue and worrying the population with misleading and thoughtless comments.
In his view, this subject should not be exploited for political or social purposes since any person who arrives on Tunisian soil from conflict zones will be imprisoned or placed in police custody.
"This is a subject that we are following very closely and I want to reassure the entire population that there is no question of a single Tunisian national arriving on the national soil without being prosecuted," he affirmed.
The official explained that these people are immediately taken care of by the justice system upon their arrival. For adults, of course, it is prison or police custody, he specified, adding that children under 13 years old are immediately taken care of by the State in the event of the loss of their parents.
Besides, Ben Nasr indicated that the government is currently endeavouring to ensure the repatriation of trapped children in Libya, explaining that these children could have reached Tunisia some time ago, but their repatriation has been postponed many times because of the fighting in that country.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2019 00:00 ||
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Because instability is absolutely not something Middle Easterners would accomplish on their own.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Ottoman Turkish and Iranian regional interference, as well as economic issues, are major causes of current Middle East instability, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Saturday.
"The past two decades have seen unusual interference in regional affairs - Ottoman Turkish, Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... interference - which adds to the overall instability of the region," said Gargash at the annual IISS Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain.
He said that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have been confronting Iran’s "expansionist" policy for the past 30 years, and that it has provided an opportunity for cooperation between regional states.
Gargash said that the UAE’s confrontation of terrorism and extremism is a priority, and that given its limited resources stemming from its small size, it is important the UAE moves collectively.
Gargash also said the ongoing demonstrations in Iraq and Leb are primarily related to economic policies.
"The daily demonstrations in Iraq and Leb...it is for mostly about the efficacy about the economic system. It is secondly about corruption," said Gargash, adding he would like to see the region discuss the development of economic policies more.
While Iran and economic policies may be causing destabilization, Gargash did point to a "major success" of conflict resolution in the region: the Riyadh agreement.
"Saudi diplomacy successfully engineered [this agreement]...an essential building block to the stability in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... ," said Gargash.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
And here I thought ME instability was caused by murderous tribal savages trying to savagely murder each other. Silly me!
[WSJ via Hot Air] The defense chief demanded his resignation Sunday after Mr. Spencer attempted to cut a deal with the White House over the case of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, Mr. Spencer said.
Mr. Spencer had attempted to make a deal with the White House in which President Trump would allow the Navy to conduct an internal Navy review of Chief Gallagher, but that he would then be allowed to retire with his Trident pin, the revered symbol of his membership in the elite commando force. But Mr. Esper only learned of these efforts after the fact, and thus lost confidence in Mr. Spencer.
"I am deeply troubled by this conduct shown by a senior DOD official." Mr. Esper said in a statement. "Unfortunately, as a result I have determined that Secretary Spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position. I wish Richard well." NYPost has more
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/24/2019 18:50 ||
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#1
A sharp lesson for the upper levels of the executive branch, well beyond just the military. That nice lieutenant colonel who testified about acting on his concerns might want to start feeling apprehensive about now.
[RedState] In a not quite unexpected twist, the Secretary of the Navy, Richard V. Spencer strongly denied a New York Times report (go figure) that he had threatened to resign over the CPO Gallagher case. From the article in Defense News
Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer denied Saturday he has threatened to resign over President Donald Trump’s intervention in the case of a Navy SEAL convicted of posing for photos with a dead prisoner of war.
"Contrary to popular belief, I’m still here. I did not threaten to resign," Spencer said at the Halifax International Security Forum, where Spencer was speaking on a panel about the Arctic. "Let’s just say we are here to talk about to talk about external threats and Eddie Gallagher is not one of them."
Here’s the best part, emphasis mine
Spencer, the Navy’s top civilian, also said he would comply if Trump orders him to stop plans for a Navy hearing to decide whether to strip Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward "Eddie" Gallagher of his SEAL trident.
#5
Time for 'honest' control of the media. No special regulations. In fact the removal of 'special' altogether. Make them libel for bad products like car makers, lettuce growers, et al. If you can regulate 'guns' you can regulate 'press'*.
*press in 1792 was all about the technology of information flow not the institution that co-opted the term which is more involved with distortion, suppression and fabrication of information.
#9
#5 Like the press never tires of telling us re: the Second Amendment, the Constitution is a living, breathing document, and technological change mitigates against strict adherence to it.
Yupp. The same Brad Sherman that's so vocal on twitter and youtube over impeachment.
[Dawn] Key Congressman seeks Trump's help to visit held Kashmir
WASHINGTON: The head of a US congressional panel has asked the Trump administration to persuade India to allow US diplomats to visit and review the situation in occupied Kashmir.
Congressman Brad Sherman, who made this request in a letter to the US State Department, heads a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia. Last month, the panel held a hearing on human rights in Asia, which focused almost entirely on the situation in the India-occupied Kashmir.
The participants expressed grave concern on gross human rights violations in occupied Kashmir and questioned New Delhi's Aug 5 decision to revoke the valley's special status by merging it with India.
In his letter to Assistant Secretary Alice Wells, who heads the State Department's Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs, Mr Sherman urged her to expedite efforts for sending US diplomats to Kashmir.
"One reason I am so concerned about the situation in Kashmir is because there is a lack of reliable information coming from the region," he wrote. He neglected to mention the undying itch in his crotch to appease allah-hoos in his own constituency !
Mr Sherman reminded Ms Wells in the Oct 22 hearing he also asked her if US diplomats have been able to visit Kashmir to "report on the situation on the ground since August 5", when India annexed the occupied valley.
Conservatives can always come to visit us as individual dignitaries on research trips. They may inspect the security protocols, routines... and feel free to learn. I don't think many of them could find Kashmir on a map though ☺. Besides they're not busybodies who jaunt around moral-policing the world. The Democrats are.
We arranged a secure trip for some only conservative leaning and far-right politicians from Europe to the Kashmir valley. We were hoping they'd understand if not learn anything new. They turned out to be quite impressed, and actually echoed some sentiments. Known globalist leftists and their ilk were were denied entry. We do not associate officially with any fact-finding trips diplomats might wish to make as individuals, and they're free to do so. 'Z' category security is provided of course, but it's a chore.
And the official policy is, if we wish to conduct a diplomatic conversation it'll always be with the President, not an islamist compromised liberal Democrat HoR.
"In response, you said the United States has requested permission to visit Kashmir, but the Indian government has denied those requests," Mr Sherman wrote in the letter which was released to the media on Thursday.
"I wanted to follow up with you on this point. In particular, would you like to answer three questions: Have U S diplomats been permitted to visit Kashmir since August 5, 2019? How many times has the United States officially requested permission for US diplomats to visit Kashmir since August 5, 2019? What are the reasons the Indian government has given for refusing to grant US diplomats permission to visit Kashmir?" he wrote. Only Democrats.
Congressman Sherman noted Indian officials' claim that they were not allowing US diplomats to visit Kashmir due to the security situation on the ground. But he pointed out that the Indian government allowed "certain, select European Union members of Parliament" to visit Kashmir in October. They were all our type.
"In light of this, the Indian government should (also) allow US diplomats to visit Kashmir," he added.
At the Oct 22nd hearing, members of the House Subcommittee also requested a classified briefing from the State Department and Office of the Director of Intelligence regarding Kashmir.
"I would like to formally request that the Slate Department and Intelligence Community provide this classified briefing to members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and other interested members of Congress," Mr Sherman wrote.
"I ask that you direct your staff to work with my Subcommittee Director, Don MacDonald, to find a mutually convenient time to schedule this briefing."
Yeah, I don't think so. No nationalist government in the world, unless it's an Islamic republic would welcome an islamophile, liberal party sub-committee to nosey around in their affairs.
#1
I'd kick in a couple bucks for a ticket on a slow boat as long as he promises not to come back. What you do with him after he gets there is y'all's business.
#2
I recommend he undertake an extended foto safari. Mix with the locals and conduct an in-depth investigation of human rights abuses. Decline the Dip Security detail. No one will talk with you with those lads lurking about.
[DAWN] Prime Minister Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer... on Friday sounded sceptical about the veracity of medical reports on the health of Pakistain Moslem League (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif ...served two three 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, then by the courts... , saying he was shocked to see the way the former premier ran up the stairs of the air ambulance.
"After seeing him going up the plane stairs, I once again went through the medical reports that suggested he has heart problem, his kidneys are also not functioning properly and that he is a diabetic," Mr Khan told a gathering in his hometown where he opened work on several mega projects.
His comments on the health of Mr Sharif came two days after Chief Justice of Pakistain Asif Saeed Khosa’s remarks that it was the prime minister himself who had allowed "someone" to go abroad.
PM Khan noted that Mr Sharif’s medical reports listed 15 diseases, including cardiac complications, which suggested that the ex-premier was on the verge of demise. "But after seeing Nawaz board the air ambulance, I wondered if the former prime minister got healthy with the first glance of the London-bound airplane," he said.
It may be recalled that Prime Minister Khan had on Nov 19 said his government allowed Nawaz Sharif to travel to London on humanitarian grounds. He had also said the government allowed him to go abroad on the recommendations of the medical board.
[DAWN] Just days before a special court is scheduled to announce its verdict in the high treason case against him, former president retired Gen Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... on Saturday petitioned the Lahore High Court to challenge the reservation of the judgment.
Musharraf's counsel, Khwaja Ahmed Tariq Rahim, approached the high court on his client's behalf, contending that the reserving of the verdict on November 19 was "unconstitutional and void". It was pleaded that the impugned order from that date be suspended and that "the trial in absentia being conducted against the petitioner" be stayed until his physical appearance before the court.
Citing the "landmark judgment" in the Mustafa Impex, Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... vs The Government of Pakistain case, the petition has called for the decision in that case to be enforced and the trial in Musharraf's case to be re-initiated.
Additionally, the petition has argued that the federation of Pakistain and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) "be directed to conduct a proper and unbiased investigation including the names of all alleged aiders and abettors for the proper appreciation of facts and evidence at trial".
[DAWN] The Foreign Office on Saturday summoned the ambassador of Norway to convey the "deep concern" of the government and people of Pakistain over an incident of desecration of the Holy Koran in the Norwegian city of Kristiansand.
During the meeting, Pakistain’s condemnation of the action was reiterated, a statement issued by the FO said.
"It was underscored that such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Moslems around the world, including those in Pakistain," the blurb said, adding that such actions could not be justified in the name of "freedom of expression".
An anti-Islam rally in Kristiansand had turned violent last week after its leader attempted to set fire to a copy of the Koran despite warnings from police officials.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed a Moslem youth jumping over a fence and kicking the person burning the holy book. Police then intervened and took the anti-Islam protester and the Moslem youth into custody.
The incident drew nationwide condemnation, with many Paks praising the youth as a hero for defending the Koran.
According to the statement, the FO urged the Norwegian authorities to bring those responsible for the act to justice and to "prevent the recurrence of any such incident in the future".
#4
The civilized nations of the world have to make living in them hell for muslims. Selective coercion, discrimination and second class status.
It requires a sacrifice of our 'noble' tendencies but in the interests of future generations it's necessary. Drive the sasquatch back to where he belongs, then starve him till he dies out.
Only allow non-muslims to enter countries. If they want to come in, let them convert first. Anything from atheist to scientologist. Periodic inspections of immigrant homes. Find a koran ? Deport the fuckers.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Swedish media reports say Iraq’s defense minister, who holds dual Iraqi-Swedish citizenship, is suspected of illegally receiving benefits in Sweden.
Local media, citing a Swedish defense official, reported that Najah al-Shammari claimed child and housing support for years despite living in Baghdad. al-Shammari and Swedish officials weren’t immediately available for comment.
Swedish news agency TT said on Friday that al-Shammari, who assumed his post in June, is registered to live in a Stockholm suburb.
Swedish newspaper Expressen reported on Saturday that he moved to Sweden in 2011, received citizenship in 2015 and was reported to authorities, along with his wife, earlier this month for suspected benefits fraud.
He allegedly continued to claim social payments years after returning to Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2019 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The chief challenger to Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proposing to lead a unity government with Netanyahu’s Likud party.
Blue and White candidate Benny Gantz says on Saturday he would head the government for two years and then Netanyahu would lead the following two years - if he is acquitted of corruption charges.
Gantz says it’s the "only way to avoid unnecessary elections that no one wants."
It was Gantz’s first concrete offer to extract Israel from its political impasse since the country’s attorney general announced Thursday Netanyahu would be indicted.
Netanyahu currently heads a caretaker government after two inconclusive elections. Previous efforts at a power-sharing agreement between the two largest parties failed. Netanyahu has vowed to remain in office.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iranian troops and members of the Revolutionary Guards helped police quell violent unrest in Kermanshah province this week, Iranian officials said on Saturday, accusing "US agents" of being among the protesters.
Rights group Amnesia Amnesty International said at least 30 people were killed in the western province, making it the worst hit by days of protests over gasoline prices rises in which more than 100 people were killed nationwide. Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... rejected the corpse count figures as "speculative".
The unrest appears to be the worst violence at least since Iran stamped out a "Green Revolution" in 2009, when dozens of protesters were killed over several months.
"All the forces of the Revolutionary Guards, the (paramilitary) Basij, the Intelligence Ministry, police, and the army took part actively in controlling the situation," Parviz Tavassolizadeh, the head of the judiciary in Kermanshah, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.
"Tavassolizadeh said the rioters were armed," Fars reported. "They confronted agents ... and burned public property."
Bahman Reyhani, the Revolutionary Guards commander in Kermanshah, said "the rioters belonged to anti-revolutionary (exiled opposition) groups and America’s intelligence services," the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Reyhani did not name the groups. Armed Iranian Kurdish murderous Moslems have long operated near the province’s border with Iraq.
Officials have previously blamed "thugs" linked to exiles and foreign foes - the US, Israel and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... - for stirring up the unrest, which led to the detention of about 1,000 demonstrators.
The Guards said calm had returned across Iran on Thursday.
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.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...aka 
Pervez 
[DAWN] The Foreign Office on Saturday summoned the ambassador of Norway to convey the "deep concern" of the government and people of Pakistain over an incident of desecration of the Holy Koran in the Norwegian city of Kristiansand.
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
